Trinity Sunday: Celebration of God who is love.

My friend sent me a joke. “One fine evening Jesus was walking down the streets of heaven and he met St. Peter and a theologian at a café having a cup of tea. He joined them at their request. As a part of the conversation Jesus asked them the same question which he asked Peter when he was on this earth. ‘Peter! Now that you are with me so many years: Who do you say that I am?’ Peter gave the same old answer ‘You are Christ, son of the living God.’ But the theologian interrupted and said “Wait! that is not complete answer” and he continued "Thou art the Logos, existing in the Father as His rationality and then, by an act of His will, being generated, in consideration of the various functions by which God is related to his creation, but only on the fact that Scripture speaks of a Father, and a Son, and a Holy Spirit, each member of the Trinity being coequal with every other member, and each acting inseparably with and interpenetrating every other member, with only an economic subordination within God, but causing no division which would make the substance no longer simple."
And Jesus seems to have said “What?”….. (The joke is over, laugh if you can)
Friends, today we are celebrating the feast of the holy Trinity.
I tell you this story only to let you know that the doctrine of the Trinity cannot be fully understood in all its fullness. That does not mean that the doctrine is wrong but our human minds cannot comprehend divine realities fully. Human words fall short of concepts to describe divine realities.
Somebody asked me last year “do you find the doctrine of the trinity in the Bible?” The doctrine of three persons in one God and in fact the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. But that does not mean that it is not in the Bible. Father, son and the Holy Spirit are very much part of the Bible. Unity of their purpose and existence is very well described in St. John’s gospel Chapters 14 to 16. And the church is commanded in all the gospels ‘to go and baptise in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit.’ Not just of any one person. So trinity is not and invention but revelation.
The importance of this doctrine for me lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. Therefore, the more important question for us to ask today is: What does the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity tell us about the kind of God we worship and what does this say about the kind of people we should be? On this, we have two points to reflect upon.
(1) God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing. God is not a loner. Our God is not an hermit who loves being lonely but he lives in community. What does it mean for us? This means that a Christian in search of Godliness (Matthew 5:48) or holiness must not run away from the world. The ideal Christian spirituality is not that of flight from the world like that of certain Buddhist or even old Christian monastic traditions where the quest for holiness means permanent withdrawal to the Himalayas or deserts away from contact and involvement with people and society. One thing that strikes me in the life of Jesus is that he was not living in the desert asking people to come there but he went to them because he found the kingdom of God in them.
(2) True love requires three partners. God is love. Love always involves others. Taking an example from the human condition we see that when a man A is in love with a woman B they seal their love by producing a baby C. Father, mother and child -- love when it perfected becomes a trinity. Here again I am using inadequate terms to define divine reality.
We are all made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God of ‘Trinitarian relationship’, so also we can be fully human only in a relationship of three partners. The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with others and a vertical relationship with God. In that way our life becomes Trinitarian like that of God. Then we will be able to come our of our shell of individualism. I and I , nothing else. No. The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity challenges us to adopt rather an “I-and-God-and-neighbour principle.” I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people. May the grace of the Holy Trinity whom we honour today, help us to banish all traces of self-centeredness in our lives and make us live in love of God and of neighbour.
Amen

Pentecost: Birthday of the Church

Friends, first of all let me wish you a “Happy Birthday”. Today is the birthday of the church . It is today, the day of the Pentecost when the disciples after receiving the Holy Spirit went and preached the word of God, 3000 men were converted and received baptism and the church was born.
All those who are baptised: that is all of us are members of the church. And we are the church and it is our birthday today. On this auspicious day I want to talk to you about our mother church. What it is? What is its dignity? Whenever we recite the Nicean creed, we say “We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” That is the dignity or these are the characteristic features of the church of which we are all members.
Today I want to talk to you about these four characteristic features of the church. The events that happened on the Pentecost day reveal this.
First, Church is ONE. Don’t laugh at me when I say church is one. Because obviously you come across so many different churches in Lewisham itself: Roman catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist etc to name a few. None of them are connected to each other. I know that. But still what do I mean when I say the church is one. It means that Christ is the head and all of us (including the different churches) are the different parts of the body, each different from the other but all connected to the head. ( Refer CCC 790& 791)Unfortunately each part thinks that it is superior to the other. Not realizing that they only do what the head commands. (You can think of the famous story of body parts fighting with each other and refusing to work.) So church is one professing one Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
Secondly, Church is Holy. Is it holy? Do we have only saints in the church? If only saints are allowed to be in the church, I thinks not many of us including me will be worthy to be here. Then what does it mean when we say the church is holy? It does not mean it is full of saints although it is they who shine like bright stars, but it means that church is the agent or means of holiness and sainthood. Look at the all the sacraments which is part of the church. What do they do? What are they for? Baptism welcomes a man /woman washing him clean and filling him with grace. Confirmation strengthens him/her, communion nourishes him, confession cleanses him periodically matrimony or holy orders gives him a path of achieving this holiness and anointing comes to him at the last moment to prepare him for heaven.. So church is full of opportunities or graces for those who want to become and be holy. Church is holy.
Third, Church is Catholic. The word catholic means “universal”. It is that ‘mustard seed which is smallest as the seed but when it grows up many birds can come and build their nest.(Matt. 13:31-32)
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches"
It is that net which caught 153 fish. John 21:11 “Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153 [of them]…” Remember the famous homily of Deacon James here last year. How he said that 153 fish stood for 153 varieties of fish believed to be existing that time. And how he explained that church includes members of all nations, languages and cultures. Church is universal. He even took time to explain how our Lewisham church itself is universal. There is a person from the country of every alphabet of English in our parish. A to Z. That is what it means when we say church is catholic. It is universal. Jesus said “Go to the whole world and make disciples of all the nations. Make it universal. Make it catholic.
Fourth and final, church is Apostolic. It means two things for us. It means that it is founded on the rock of the apostles and its successors. We believe that Apostles and their successors are the foundations of this church. Because often we read in Apocalypse that the new city had twelve gates, or twelve or twenty four thrones or elders referring to patriarchs and apostles. So apostolic succession is an important feature of the church. We all trace back the origin of our church to apostles and Jesus Christ. Secondly it also means that the ‘apostle’ is one who is sent to proclaim. That is the root meaning. So church by nature is ‘apostolic’ which means ‘proclaiming’ or ‘witnessing.’ It is an important feature of the church. You are called to proclaim.
This is the nature of the church. One, holy, catholic and apostolic church. And we are all members of this church. And we are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen

Somebody asked me “why did Jesus take forty days to ascent to heaven? Any technical problem to his rocket-launcher?” Funny but good question to begin with. Why forty days? Let us read a quotation from Venerable John Henry Newman. He said “"Moses brought out of Egypt a timid nation, and in the space of forty years trained it to be full of valour for the task of conquering the promised land; Christ in forty days trains his apostles to be bold and patient instead of cowards. They mourned and wept at the beginning of the season, but at the end they are full of courage for the good fight;”
Yes, after his resurrection this is what he did for forty days appearing to them and strengthening them in their faith. All his three years of hard work in choosing them and training them to continue his work would have been a waste if he had not spent these forty days with them. It filled them with courage, purpose and conviction. And then after forty days he ascended to his Father. And this is what we celebrate today. The feast of ascension. In the Apostles creed we say “He ascended into heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father.”
Now let me ask you, why did he ascend into heaven? Why did he go to the place where he went? Funny or ridiculous question, is it not? But it has got some important answers for our faith. What ascension means? What it is all about?
First, it means that Jesus going back to the place where he came from. That is our initial thought. He came from the father on a mission. And after accomplishing his mission he is going back to his place. That is it. Is it all? No there is something more to it. That is our second point.
Secondly, ascension is the reward he got for his humility. In St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians he writes 2/6ff “Though he was in the form of God he did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped but he humbled himself taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of man. He humbled himself to death, even death on the cross, therefore God has highly exalted him. And given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus Every knee should bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” So what is ascension here. It is a reward for his humbling himself. It is a sharp contrast to Adam and Eve. Humans working out to become like God, here god becoming man. So is this reward.
Thirdly, Jesus’ ascension has a purpose. He himself says it. We read it as our gospel last Sunday. In John 14/2ff he says “ In my Father’s house there are many rooms……… I am going to prepare a place for you.” The gates of heaven that were closed because of the sin of Adam have to be opened by some one and Jesus Christ the first-born from the dead should be the first one to go and open the gates to invite everyone in. So he says “I have to go and open the gates to invite you all in.”
Finally, in John 16/7 Jesus says “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” Friends, this has got lot of meaning. It is not that Counsellor who obviously is the Holy Spirit and he cannot work together but it means that it is the mission of the Holy Spirit to lead the Church. So he says I need to go and send the Holy spirit to lead you. If we look at the whole of the Bible we can see God the Father playing the dominant role in the Old testament and Jesus Christ playing the dominant role in the gospels and the Holy Spirit taking over the church from Acts to the end of New Testament.
It is not that the other persons of the trinity are absent during those time, but the particular person of the trinity plays predominant role according to the plan of God. So Jesus says I will go and Send you the Holy Spirit who will take control of the Church.
So this is what ascension means for us too. Heaven is our home and the Spirit leads us to this home and makes us long for this home. And our hearts are restless un till they rest in him.

6th Sunday of Easter: love lives always

“There's an old Jewish parable about a soap-maker and a Rabbi. They're out on a walk. The soap-maker says to the Rabbi, `Rabbi, what good is religion? What good is God? Look at all the misery in the world, what good does God do?` The Rabbi said, `That is a great question.` But then he didn't answer it. They just kept walking along. They came across some kids who were playing in the dirt. The Rabbi said, `Look at those kids. You're a soap-maker and you say that soap makes people clean, but look how dirty those kids are. What good does soap do?` The soap-maker said, `Well, Rabbi, soap doesn't do any good unless you use it.`”
Well dear friends, Religion does not do any good unless you live it. "God does not do any good unless you obey him." There is an old saying you can take the horse to the water, it is up to the horse to drink or not. So also God shows you the way how to live and it up to you to obey him or not. I already told you sometime back that Religion is a way of life. Jesus came to teach us the way. And in today's gospel he says “He who loves me will keep my commandments” which means 'he will follow the way or guidelines I taught them. He will obey me.'
Unfortunately we live in an age where law and commandments and control are rejected. Individual freedom and independence are stressed to the extent that Crime and violence are increasing at a fearful rate. Among millions of people there is practically no respect for law or constituted authority, either of God, or of man! On the international scene, nations live in fear because they very well know that the so-called "guarantees" and treaties of peace are not worth the paper on which they are written. There is no law—no respect for authority—among the nations of the world.
But still I always wonder 'Can you imagine a world without law and order.' No we cannot. World without order is like body without bones.Law and order is part and parcel of the universe. Look at universe there is a hidden law and order in the universe. Newton’s law of motion or Einstein’s theory of relativity. These are all nothing but discovery of the laws of the universe. Universe follows some laws or rules. Earth takes 365 days to move one round around the Sun. Nothing less or nothing more. Moon take 28 days to go around the earth. There is order. Because of this there is night and day, summer and winter etc.
Where the law is obeyed there is order. Where there is order there you find life smooth. Take for example the traffic rules. Drive on your left. Speed limit and level crossings. They restrict your freedom. But they are for your safety. So also the commandments.
The first thing we must understand is the ten commandments were never intended to be an end in themselves. The primary purpose of the law is to restore RELATIONSHIP between God and man and establish the foundation for RELATIONSHIP with one another. The commandments are like signposts guiding us on the road to this end. Without such understanding, the Ten Commandments are merely a set of rules that lead to death, discouragement, and pride.
What make you to obey they laws? Is it fear of punishment or the love for the law giver. Jesus is proposing 'a love for him' that should instigate them to obey his commands. Because fear remains as long as the person remains but love remains for ever. He is going to go away and what is going to remain with them are the principles he taught them. It is these principles and commandments that are going to keep him alive in in their midst and in the midst community of believers. So he asks them to obey his commandments and principles so that he may be alive through them in the community.
Even today it is 'our living the gospel' that keeps him alive in the world. “Word-proclaimed” is like building the house on the sand but “word-lived” is like a house built on a rock that cannot be shaken. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the gales blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” 2000 years the church still survives in spite of many storms and gales within and without, because it was founded of the rock of those who did not only heard or proclaimed the word but lived it or witnessed to it. People who loved him to the point of death.“Blood of the martyrs was the seed of Christianity.” There is no greater love than to die for his friend. You are my friends if you obey what I command you. It is the love that gives life and obedience that shows love. Amen.

Thank God for his great gift

Ten years back on this day I was ordained as a priest. Wonderful gift of priesthood was bestowed on me. What a joy and privilege. Today I thank the Lord for the gift of priesthood. Ten long years went like two years. I still feel I am newly ordained. Still discovering what it means to be a priest. I am humbled by the words of appreciation the Parish Priest wrote about me in this week's News-letter. "Congrats to Fr.Bosco............hard-working and holy".
I pray that the Lord may make me like that. Holiness is a life long journey. Holiness is not just closing the eyes when I say prayers and mass. It is much more than that. It is closing my eyes and ears to the attractions of this world. Control of mind and heart over the senses. Undivided attention and devotion to the work I do. Finding joy in the work I do. Keeping away from pride, prejudice and selfishness. Being magnanimous even when you are used, abused, laughed at and threatened. A life long journey.
The Lord sustained me all these ten years. I can feel his presence in my life. Specially when I have to walk through the dark days of my life, he was there. When I was discouraged he was my comfort, when overjoyed he was my companion.
I only pray that I may know him more clearly,
Love him more dearly,
Follow him more nearly.
Ten years are not enough. Give me more.
Thanks for all your prayers.

5th Sunday of Easter:“Heaven: where is it? How to get there?”

On December 20th 2005 there was a special programme on American News channel called ABC News. In that programme, Journalist Barbara Walters travels to India, Israel and throughout the United States, interviewing religious leaders, scientists, believers and non-believers alike to get a range of perspectives on heaven and the afterlife. The title of the programme and the question she went around asking was “Heaven: where is it? How to get there?” Heaven is an interesting topic to talk about even today. So today I want to discuss with you the same topic “Heaven: where is it and how to get there?” Before that let me ask you what is heaven? In fact our gospel today has an answer for this. (Jn. 14/1-14)

When we read it we often get a pictorial description of what heaven is. We imagine it to be a big city with huge mansion and many rooms. Rooms to accommodate as many as possible. Jesus says “he will go and prepare those rooms for them in his father’s house.” Is it this what he meant when he said “there are many rooms in my Father’s house.” If we accept this pictorial description then we have the difficulty of answering the question “where is it?” Scientists and astronauts will say we have not seen the seventh heaven. No glimpses of it yet.

What then Jesus meant when he said “there are many rooms in my Father’s house”. The word ‘many rooms or dwelling places’ (mone/menein) is “not many mansions in the sky, but spiritual positions in Christ.”(commentary by Raymond E.Brown.p.627). Jesus is on his way to be reunited with the Father in glory and to make it possible for others to be united to the Father-this is how he prepares the places.

This raises the question “what then is the father’s house? Those who know St. John’s gospel will immediate remember the first use of the term “my Father’s house” in the gospel, (which is also its first use in the Bible). At the cleansing of the temple Jesus spoke of the temple as the “Father’s house” and later in the confrontation with the Jews he said “destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days”. Here he shifts the centre of Divine dwelling to himself, in his risen glorified state, according to the interpretation supplied by the narrator. As we read the second part of today’s gospel, Jesus speaks of this union between him and the father. So what is heaven?

Look at what Catechism of the catholic church says about heaven :
“This perfect life with the Most Holy trinity- the communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed- is called heaven. (Article 1024)
To live in heaven is to live with Christ. 1025

So Heaven is a life of communion and love. It is wonderfully portrayed in a story I heard a long back:

A devout man was talking with an Angel about Heaven and Hell."Come," said the Angel. "Walk with me, and I will show you Hell."And together they walked into a room of cold, rough stone. In the centre of the room, atop a low fire, sat a huge pot of quietly simmering stew. The stew smelled delicious, and made the devout man's mouth water. A group of people sat in a circle around the pot, and each of them had a long-handled spoon tied to their hands. The spoons were long enough to reach the pot; but the handles were so ungainly that every time someone dipped the bowl of their spoon into the pot and tried to manoeuvre the bowl to their mouth, the stew would spill. The rabbi could hear the grumblings of their bellies. They were cold, hungry, and miserable. "And now," the Angel said, "I will show you Heaven."Together they walked into another room, almost identical to the first. A second pot of stew simmered in the centre; another ring of people sat around it; each person was outfitted with one of the frustratingly long spoons. But this time, the people sat with the spoons across their laps or laid on the stone beside them. They talked, quietly and cheerfully with one another. They were warm, well-fed, and happy. "Lord, I don't understand," said the rabbi. "How was the first room Hell; and this, Heaven?"God smiled. "It's simple," he said. "You see, they have learned to feed each other."(Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto) Charles K. 8/21/06And where is heaven it can be any where. It can be in the sky, it can be here right now. When can we attain it? It can be now today or after-life.

Let me conclude with a short rhyme which we use to sing in our Junior Seminary for our get-togethers.
“Time to be happy is now,
Place to be happy is here,
The way to be happy is to make some one happy
And we’ll have a little heaven right here.”
Amen

Story of “Emmaus Journey” is one of the wonderful post-resurrection stories. There are volumes written about it. There are so many retreat centres and journals and magazines named after it. But today I want to see it as a story of two depressed men helped to come out of their despair and hopeless situation. First, I want to see how they ended up in that situation and secondly, how they came out of it.
Cleopas and the other disciple like any other Jewish men and women of their time hoped for the “Messiah” who will deliver them. When the arrival of Messiah was announced, they like the other disciples left everything; their homes, families, jobs and followed him. From that day onwards he was their hope. He was their joy. He was their everything. They were so overwhelmed with the reception he got when he entered into Jerusalem. All the “Hosannas” he got and all the attention they themselves got by leading the procession, controlling the crowds, forming a human chain round Jesus. Oh! Wonderful. This is what they dreamed of in their life.
But within a week, everything changed. Their hero, their only hope was betrayed, captured, persecuted, crucified and buried. All happened within a day. The man who had a lovely meal with them on Thursday was condemned , judged, killed and buried by the next day same time. His tomb was sealed, with it all their hopes and aspiration. A sense hopelessness set in. They were filled with disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despair. They didn’t know what to do.
Is it not true to human experience even today. We all have our dreams and aspirations in life. We want to achieve something in life. That give purpose and meaning to our life. That gives us satisfaction. For this we take up jobs, we select partners and enter into lasting relationship with them through marriage and we have few friends to party. Our life will be going like a dream. Smooth and pleasant. But suddenly our dreams are shattered. You loose your job which you loved and cherished through no fault of your own. Your partner whom you loved proposes a break up or you teenage daughter or Son whom you love most and spent your life for wants to get away from you because you are an hindrance. Or your intimate friend betrays you. It is then you feel what the disciples felt. It is then the sad Ds - disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despondency, depression, and despair creep in.
Most of us who are sitting here may be going through one of this right now or may have to face it some time. I don’t wish any of this to any one of you. But suppose if you are faced with this how to get out this situation. It is during this time Jesus is willing to walk with you. May be through your friend or a family member. Allow that stranger to enter into your situation as the disciples in the gospel did. Share with him/her your disappointments. Allow your friends to shed a new light on the problem. Listen to what he says about the situation or problem. He may have a different way of looking at it. For the two disciples what has happened in Jerusalem to their hero was a tragedy. But for the stranger it was fulfilment of a plan. So listen to what he/she has to say. Often we don’t listen. That is the struggle.
‘I remember the story of a woman who went to complain to her Parish priest that there is no peace in the family. Specially between her and her husband. She said “Father, from the moment he comes back from the office the quarrel starts. Argument goes on for hours and hours and ends up in breaking plates and glasses. Thank God we don’t break each other’s neck.” “Father please do something to solve this problem. It has become a everyday affair these days.” Parish priest thought about it for a moment. He took some water, blessed it, gave it to her and said: “Take this water. It is blessed. The moment your husband enters into the house, have this blessed water with you at least for one hour. But your husband should not see the water, then it looses its power. So have it in your mouth. Try this ‘water-mantra’ and come back after a week.” She went away with the water and came back after a week. She said “Father, I cannot hold it in mouth for so long. Its painful. So it is not really working." Next time the priest said a long prayer and gave the water asking her to try hard this time. After a week she came back happy and joyful. She said "what a miracle the water changed my husband". Priest replied and said “it is not the water it your mouth that brought the change. All these days when he started the argument you well equally arguing with him. Both of you were talking, none of you were listening. Now that you have water in your mouth, you were not talking, just listening; so the problem is solved.’