Faith

Readers discretion advised. – 9th Week in ordinary time- Mark 12: 1-12 

This parable most certainly would get the attention of a censor board with a blazing disclaimer, ‘the following parable contains some images unsuitable for children, reader discretion advised’; for violence and murder fill sacred space.

The reading of today falls between the triumphant entry into Jerusalem in Chapter 11 and the last supper in Chapter 14. Jesus is in the temple taking on the Jewish authorities. These chapters are called the ‘interrogation passages’ as they begin with an interrogatory question from the Jewish authorities to Jesus.

The passage of today also has a historical background. The gospel of Matthew was written somewhere between 60 and 70 AD. This was the time when the Romans broke the Jewish siege, entered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple; a prediction that Jesus makes in the following Chapter.  For St Mark, the temple had become a symbol of corruption led by the Jewish authorities and that is why in Chapter 11 Jesus cleanses the temple on entering Jerusalem and in Chapter 13 predicts its destruction.

The hatred of the authorities against Jesus was palpable. They question His authority in the preceding verses only to have Jesus expose their own lack of authority. Then, using a parable with clear allegorical overtones, Jesus rips into the Jewish leaders. The parable of the wicked tenants, which borrows motifs familiar to storytellers of that time, rakes up the Jewish nation’s rap sheet of infidelity with God.

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Faith

6th Sunday of Easter – John 14: 15- 21- Absent does not mean unavailable, await the Holy Spirit 

The Gospels in the Easter season, taken from St John’s gospel, seem to be set in flashback mode. We are in the Easter season recalling the conversations of a Lenten Lord. It’s like a long reminiscing, stretching fifty days; a recalling of the promises that Jesus made to His disciples.

The Gospel of today is part of the farewell discourse of Jesus which covers chapters thirteen to seventeen. The discourse was part of the Last Supper. Jesus has washed His disciples feet, predicted a number of times His impending suffering and death, and now foretells Peter’s denial, triggering off a wave of fear. Chapter fourteen thus begins with the comforting and reassuring words of Jesus, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God and trust in me.”

His words take time to settle in, for in rapid succession questions fly; first from Thomas, then Philip and finally Judas Thaddeus. “We don’t know the way, how can we know where you are going?”, “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied”, “How will you reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” And so Jesus calms their fears as He does with ours, when we are afraid.

Today’s gospel contains words of reassurance and promise, but also instruction. Interestingly, some scholars have opined that the Bible contains 7484 promises; and God is known to keep His promise. Jesus promises to send us ‘another Advocate’ to be with us forever so that we are not “orphaned”; yet He must go away first.

This may all seem a bit odd. Why must He go? How can He leave us and yet say He loves us? We must understand that ‘absent does not mean unavailable’. Even though the Lord is not physically present to us, He is still available to us. ‘How so’ you may ask. The answer is in today’s Gospel; He promises ‘another advocate’.

We must understand that in John’s gospel, Jesus is the advocate, pleading our cause; hence the Holy Spirit is the ‘other advocate’ who will come only after Jesus has left. Jesus was the first; for the Spirit to be active among the disciples while Jesus was there, would have been redundant since Jesus and the Holy Spirit serves the same revelatory function.

Is the Spirit then ‘different’ from Jesus? No! There are two words in Greek for the word ‘another’. The first is ‘heteros’ meaning ‘another of a different kind’ and the second word is ‘allos’ meaning ‘another of the same kind’. The Gospel uses the word ‘allos’ to describe the Holy Spirit.

So to give you an example; If I don’t like this pen, I would say give me “heteros”, another pen of a different kind. But in referring to the Holy Spirit, St John uses the word “allos”. So assume now I like this pen but you like it too, so I give it to you and say I will get “allos”, another pen for myself but of the same kind. Hence when Jesus says, I will give you ‘another advocate’ what He is saying is, ‘I will give you another Spirit of the same kind as me’. In this, His promise is fulfilled and we are not abandoned.

What then about our promise? Jesus began the pericope by saying, “if you love me you will keep my commandments.” Jesus is making it clear that He is not a ‘like button’ on Facebook; He is love and we are called to love Him. In Chapter thirteen of the same Gospel and again in chapter fifteen, He will tell us what that commandment is – “Love one another as I have loved you.” In returning to the Father, Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to watch over us but, He also wants us to watch over each other.

The Easter community of faith is thus a community where each one cares for another. In Lent we find ourselves contemplating on the suffering of Jesus and are inclined to reach out in service to others. Easter must be an intensification of that giving in love. What began in Lent must peak in the Easter season. The sixth Sunday of Easter is a reminder, ‘if you love me you will keep my commandment to love one another’ and I will keep my promise to send you “allos” advocate in your time of need so that you are never left orphaned. 

Jesus kept His promise.

Written on behalf of the Holy Spirit
Fr Warner D’Souza

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Opinion

As many of you know, my domestic help Pinky, lost her baby a week after he was born. We named him John Paul after the great Pope. Pinky paid tribute to the Parish community when she said, “I carried the baby for nine months in my womb and after he was born the members of the parish of St Jude carried my baby and looked after him.” Pinky’s story  reflects the Kingdom of God  and the greater calling that needs to be explored and lived beyond the bells and smells of the Catholic Church. 

 Indeed, for ten days, the women of the Parish stood solidly in Mumbai’s Sion Hospital with not even a chair to rest. The over crowded and over worked Government run hospitals of Mumbai are ironically cruel to caregivers. Little corners of crowded staircases were all they had to rest their aching legs to say nothing of the sweltering summer heat which hovered around thirty five degrees centigrade. But they stood and watched over the baby, day in and day out.

 I was told that some of our youth  of St Jude’s Church, Malad East, emptied their pockets and gave of their money to say nothing of their time. Sylvia Fernandes who co-ordinates much of our youth activities, ensured that a female parishioner was always besides the child as men were not permitted in the ward. The men of the Parish like Manish Dmello helped Pinky’s husband, John, in running around to get medicines and medical reports while my staff of Jovita Mendonca, Jonny Dcruz, Shailesh Shetty and Joynel Fernandes, took turns in the hospital and co-ordinated the financial payments; all this while I was away in Australia. The Parish ran as a parish should; the laity at its helm.

Pinky’s story of faith, in the face of personal loss, has warmed many hearts. Yesterday Bishop Barthol Barretto, the  Auxilllary Bishop of Bombay, who heard of her story, made an impromptu visit to the parish. He visited the site for the new structure of our ashram and Church and also visited Pinky’s home. The prayer that he led the family into, was filled with loving words of compassion  and this was backed by kindness when he gave the family Rs 5,000. He then visited another home where he heard the confession of an elderly lady.

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Art/ Heritage

A STITCH IN TIME: faith, art and history in thread

‘Receive,’ says the Bishop at ordination, ‘the priestly vestment by which is signified charity’. The Chasuble is certainly the most important and conspicuous garment worn by the clergy. This vestment (Latin for clothing) traces its origins to the Greek and the Roman world.

Initially, the priest would dress in the secular style while discharging duties at the altar. Gradually, a sense of the sacred was attributed to these garments. They had to be cleaner and neater than those used in daily occupation. Thus a refined appreciation for special liturgical garments developed.

Etymologically the word Chasuble is derived from the Latin word ‘casula planeta’ signifying ‘little house.’ It was a garment used by the lower classes and by women in bad weather. From the 5th century, a richer style was adopted by the Roman upper class for ceremonial use. This then formed the immediate ancestor of the present-day chasuble. The chasuble consists of a square or a circular piece of cloth, in the center of which a hole is made, through which the head is passed. It resembles a little house, a shelter for the priest.

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Uncategorized

Dear Friends,

Happy Easter. This Lenten season I feasted! Yes you heard me right. I feasted on God’s word and shared the fruit of that experience with you. The journey was an amazing one and I thank you for being my companion. God’s word is so powerful and the Church in her wisdom has handpicked each of these Lenten readings for us. How blessed we are to have her as our mother. On my part, I have grown as a priest. I have drawn closer to the Lord and I am richer for this experience.

One of the many hats I wear, is that of also being the Director of the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, in Mumbai. A few months ago, the Art Gallery of South Australia invited me to spend two weeks at their Museum. This is an honour for our little museum which will soon have it’s own premises. So I have a flight to catch on Easter Sunday morning. Think about it; I will be 40,000 feet in the air and close to the Risen Lord in heaven.

This means that I will be off the grid for a while. I will continue to write in the FAITH section of this blog, post Pentecost. This blog will also feature other loves that I share, namely art, heritage, music, travel and food. I hope to continue to blog from Australia about these things. So if you want to catch up with what ‘Pottypadre’ is up to, just www.pottypadre.com

Fr Warner D’Souza

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