Palm/ Passion Sunday (A)

 Palm/Passion Sunday (A)

 [Mt 21:1-11] + [Mt 26:14 - 27:66]

02.04.2023

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and His Passion and Death

Readings: (1) Is 50:4-7 (2) Phil 2:6-11

1.  Theme in brief:

Our life’s triumph and passion

2.   Focus Statement

Today’s two-in-one liturgy of Palm and Passion Sunday presents to us two contradictory aspects of Jesus’ ministry as well as our own lives: his moments of triumph and pain, of glory and suffering of the kind he underwent – utter loneliness, total rejection, betrayal, humiliation, physical and mental agony and a horrible death.

3.  Explanation of the text

Here are some of the salient features of Matthew’s narrative of Jesus’ passion in which we can very well identify our own human condition as well as the condition of so many other people in the world:

(1) Jesus’ mental agony as he prays at Gethsemane during which he feels mentally broken, “agitated” and “deeply grieved” with sorrow “even to death” with the thought of all the suffering he will have to undergo (26:37-38);

(2)  his initial wish that if possible his Father could take away the cup of suffering from him, but later his obedient submission to God’s will that he suffer and die with the words, “Not what I want but what you want” (26:39), while his disciples fail to comfort him as they  fall asleep (26:40);

(3) his betrayal by Judas, one of his own disciples with a kiss, out of greed for money (26:49 &15), but whom he addresses as “friend” (26:50);

(4) his desertion (abandonment) by his own disciples at the time of crisis (26:31);

(5) his mock trial and sentencing to death by the Sanhedrin (that is, Jewish religious court) on fictitious charges that he wanted to destroy the temple (26:61) and was guilty of blasphemy (26:65);

(6) Peter's dramatic  and pathetic denial that he ever knew Jesus by cursing and swearing an oath (26:74) due to his cowardice when he comes under pressure from servant-girls and bystanders;

(7) Judas’ suicide by hanging himself after realizing his sin of “betraying innocent blood” (27:4), and the scruple of chief priests and the elders not to take the blood money either for themselves or for the temple’s treasury (27:6);

(8) the consistent manipulation of the Roman Governor (Pilate) by chief priests and the elders to get Jesus sentenced to death, again under fabricated or misinterpreted charges;

(9)  Pilate’s finding him innocent which was further confirmed by a dream of his wife (27:19);

(10) Pilate’s plan to release him by offering the crowd an alternative – a notorious prisoner called Barabbas which eventually backfired (27:16-17 & 21);

(11) the crowd’s demand for crucifixion (27:23) and Pilate’s decision to allow it under pressure from the crowd and fear of a riot breaking out (27:24 &26);

(12) humiliation and insults done to Jesus by stripping his clothes and giving him a mock robe, crown of thorns and sceptre (reed) in his hand, spitting on him, striking him on the head with that reed and crucifying him in the midst of two bandits (27:28-35 & 38);

(13) ridicule and insults by passers-by, chief priests, scribes and elders as well as by the bandits on his sides (27:39-44);

(14) his feelings of being forsaken not only by all near and dear ones but even by God himself (27:46) and his death with a loud voice (27:50).

More than other evangelists, Matthew cites the fulfilment of a series of OT prophecies and sayings throughout his passion narrative. For him the passion is a route planned and willed by God to fulfil his saving mission for which he was born (Mt 1:21) and was faithful to the end.

4.  Application to life

Today’s two-in-one liturgy of Palm and Passion Sunday presents to us two contradictory aspects of our lives: joys and sorrows, triumph and pain. The two gospel readings – first one about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21:1-11) and the second one about his agonizing passion (26:14 – 27:66) are two sides of the same ‘coin’ (or life). We have our moments of joy, triumph and victory: when we are successful and elated; we are well settled in life; everything sails smoothly; the winds blow certainly in our favour; we get what we desire; our wishes are fulfilled; our jobs are secure; people close to us love us to our heart’s content; and our good health is our greatest wealth. There are also times when people acclaim, applaud, praise, honour and encourage us. This is like singing hosannas to us as people did to Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.

Then there is the other side of the coin – our moments of sorrows and agonizing passion. There are times when we go through what Jesus went through in Jerusalem: betrayal, denial, indifference, mockery, loneliness, rejection, false accusation, unjust treatment, insults, humiliation, mental and physical agony, torture and shameful death as described in the explanation of the passion narrative above. What a consolation and encouragement to know that Jesus bore all the suffering and evil which we human beings undergo and to believe that he is with us whenever these things happen to us.

 

All the salient features of Matthew’s passion narrative enumerated above are a part of our lives and the lives of so many people in the world around us, such as – the mental agony and agitation we undergo in moments of crisis; the struggle we face while accepting suffering or trials and submitting ourselves to God’s will; the betrayal of a spouse due to infidelity or divorce; the loneliness faced by married partners due to clash of interests or separation, by the sick and the aged who have nobody to take care of them, by the priests and religious who feel sometimes betrayed by the same people whom they serve, by young people who sometimes feel betrayed by those whom they love; the greed of people for money (like Judas) which leads to overexploitation of natural resources and corruption in public places; the desertion of friends and sometimes even by one’s own children during sickness, calamity and old age; unjust trial by neighbours, friends and colleagues on suspicious and fictitious charges; denial of justice and fair treatment by opponents, friends and even family members; unjust treatment and victimization by some people under pressure from the public or pressure groups; manipulation of the authorities by people of vested interests for their advantage; persecution of the innocent people for no fault of theirs; allowing the innocent to suffer due to fear of one’s own position and under public pressure; undergoing humiliation, public ridicule and insults for standing firm on moral principles or for taking the side of the powerless (especially by honest people in public life); and the agony of feeling abandoned or forsaken by one’s own near and dear ones and sometimes even by God in times of suffering and adversity.

Who among us has not experienced at least one of the above-mentioned facts either in one’s own life or in the life of one’s near and dear ones or friends and neighbours? Jesus took upon himself our human condition in every respect. Therefore, as St. Paul says, today we are “bending our knees,” “confessing with our tongues” and praising the holy name of Jesus “above every name” (cf. Phil 2:9-11). We are singing hosanna to him with palm branches in our hands because he walks with us not only in our happy journey but also in our sorrowful journey to ‘Jerusalem.’ Yes, we too have our ‘Palm Sundays’ and ‘Passion Sundays.’ That is why Jesus becomes a source of life to be lived here and hereafter for all who obey and follow him (cf. Heb 5:9).

Today’s two-in-one liturgy is applicable to our life in another way also. The two parts of the liturgy represent our own faithfulness to Christ and his values on the one hand and unfaithfulness on the other hand. On the one hand we sing “Glory to God in the highest” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest” (21:9) in prayer and worship, but on the other hand there are moments when we have been unfaithful and disobedient disciples by living a life unworthy of our Christian vocation. We have lived a life of worldliness or worldly ways, opposed to the way of Christ we promised to live at baptism.  The world shuns the way of the cross and proposes the way of vanity, pride, achievement, power and wealth as the only things that matter. In spite of allurements of the world, we are inspired by the example of so many of our ordinary Christian brothers and sisters who remain faithful to Christ, and make sacrifices to serve the sick, the disabled, the needy quietly and silently. There are believers in various parts of the world who put their lives at risk for the sake of their faith and undergo persecution. They endure terrible discrimination and daily intimidation because of their faith.

At the same time, today’s liturgy reminds us about the other side of the coin, that is, moments of our unfaithfulness to the Lord. It is easy to be part of the crowd during important liturgical celebrations like this…. The same Peter who said he is willing to die denied him a few hours later. The same crowd who shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” (21:9) on the way to Jerusalem might have shouted “crucify him, crucify him.” Though we attend church and say our prayers, there are moments when we ‘crucify’ Jesus in real life by living a life contrary to his teachings and example. In us also we notice traces of the bad character of various personalities in the passion narrative. For instance, there are times when we condemn and harshly judge the innocent like Pilate; deny Jesus by our evil or corrupt ways like Peter; betray him for personal gains and selfish purposes like Judas; desert him by living a life of alienation from him and totally rejecting his teachings like the disciples; etc.

Today’s procession by holding palm branches in our hands is a sign that we are willing to walk with Jesus in both his passion and in his triumph. Though the word ‘passion’ here refers to Jesus’ suffering, in English language it also means a strong feeling or commitment for something. Jesus had so much passion for life, truth, justice and service to the needy that he had to pay the price of his Passion, and sacrifice his life for these values by dying a shameful death. If we try to imitate the same passion which he had, it may also lead us to our own ‘passion’ and cross of opposition, criticism, insult, rejection, or even fear of suspension from job, threat to life, etc. The question is whether we are willing to take up these crosses and walk with him to ‘Jerusalem,’ or evade these crosses totally by taking a comfortable position. Jesus went knowingly to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Maybe we do not want to go where we know there will be suffering and crosses.

5.  Response to God's Word

How do we respond in faith to the above-mentioned predicament and situations of our lives faced by Jesus during his passion: positively or negatively; with faith or doubt in God’s goodness? What are the unchristian and ungodly ways by which we ‘crucify’ our Lord again and again? Does Jesus’ powerful example and identification in every human condition become a source of grace and strength for us? Do we have a passion for life, truth, justice and service to the needy as Jesus had? Are we willing to take up the cross of opposition, criticism, insult, rejection and walk with him to ‘Jerusalem?’ Are we faithful to our divinely ordained mission as Jesus was, and are we ready to fulfil it till the end?

6.  A prayer

Blessed are you, Jesus, who come in the name of the Lord God. Hosanna to you. Though you were in the form of God, you did not cling to your heavenly position, but emptied yourself to become one like us in every respect, even to humiliating and shameful death on a cross. Be a source of powerful example, grace and strength for us when we have to face what you faced in your passion. Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)

Fourth Sunday of Lent (A)

 Fourth Sunday of Lent (A) [Jn 9:1-41]

19.03.2023

Jesus is the Healer of Spiritual Blindness

Readings: (1) 1 Sam 16:1.6-7.10-13 (2) Eph 5:8-14

1. Theme in brief:

Healing our spiritual blindness

2. Focus Statement:

Physical blindness is not caused by sin, but spiritual blindness is; due to which we are not able to see our sins and who Jesus is.

3. Explanation of the text

Today’s gospel passage is about the healing of the man who was born blind, and the non-healing of the Jewish religious leaders who continued to remain in their blindness. Of course, here Jesus speaks about the incurable spiritual blindness of the Pharisees. He is the light of the world (9:5). As light he has come into the darkness of this world. Only by admitting one’s own spiritual blindness one can approach the light of God that shines in the person of Jesus. This text dramatically explains how the light of Jesus gives spiritual sight to the man born blind, and blindness to those refuse to accept that light by thinking that they know or see everything. It proclaims Christ as the light that dispels darkness of sin and reveals the Father’s love.

The story of the born blind man begins with a question asked by Jesus’ disciples about who is responsible for his illness (9:2). It proceeds to assert that physical blindness is caused neither by one’s personal sins nor one’s parents' (9:3), and ends with the conclusion that spiritual blindness is surely caused by one’s sins (9:41).  In other words, sin is the spiritual blindness that needs to be healed much more than physical blindness. Jesus corrects a commonly held wrong belief of people of his time, also found in the OT (Ex 20:5), that sickness is caused by one’s own sins or the sins of one’s parents/ancestors. Though the OT teaches that sickness and other sufferings have come into human life due to the sin of our first parents, in the light of Jesus’ teachings we need to understand that they are not the result of one’s personal sins, but the consequence of the sin of humanity as a whole. Otherwise, what we get is a punishing and revengeful God. From what Jesus says we understand that sickness or any human suffering is an occasion to “reveal God’s works” (9:3) – his mercy, love and glory. By giving sight to the blind man, Jesus does reveal God’s works of mercy and salvation to an afflicted or suffering person.

The procedure with which Jesus healed the blind man is also filled with symbolic meanings. First he applies a paste of mud prepared out of his saliva and asks him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam (9:6). The former symbolizes baptismal anointing (done in the early Church and continued till today) and the latter baptismal washing with water. The very fact that Jesus asked him to wash in the pool of Siloam (9:7) instead of healing him on the spot, indicates two things: (1) he is presented here as a faithful disciple who obeys what the Master commands; (2) the name of the pool ‘Siloam’ (which means Sent, 9:7), symbolizes an inner washing -- of sins by the water of baptism by which a disciple becomes ‘one who is sent’ or a missionary.

Jesus opens not only the blind man’s physical eyes, but also his eyes of faith to recognize his real identity stage by stage, deeper and deeper. At first, the blind man knows him only as a man called Jesus (9:11), then as a prophet (9:17), later on as a man from God (9:33), and finally as the heavenly and divine person, Son of Man (9:35). His faith culminates in an act of worship of Jesus as the Lord by making the shortest and simplest confession of faith: “Lord, I believe” (9:38). He becomes a model for us for making a progress from ignorance of Jesus to confession of faith in him and boldly bearing witness to him, whereas his neighbours continue to remain in ignorance (9: 8-12); his parents fail to confess Jesus publicly out of fear of excommunication (9:23); and the Pharisees obstinately refuse to accept or admit the truth in spite of seeing it with their eyes (9:24, 40). Thus, this text highlights the movement of a would-be disciple from unbelief to belief, ignorance to knowledge of Christ, blindness to the light of faith, and superficial faith to the depth of faith-surrender.

The healing of the blind man is only a sign of the spiritual light which Jesus has come to give to those who are spiritually blind. This story begins with a man born blind presumably due to his or his parents’ sins (9:2) and ends with some of the Pharisees, presumably righteous ones, pronounced sinners by Jesus because they pretend to “see” (9:39-41). At the end, the blind man not only receives physical sight but also spiritual light. Thus, the story ends with the paradox and a double meaning common in John’s gospel – those who are blind see and those who think they can see are blind (9:39).

4. Application to life

Today’s’ gospel brings to light the inner journey of a blind man who is lost in darkness from birth and is condemned to beg with no hope for the future. The day he encounters Jesus and obediently follows his directions, his life changes and he becomes an ardent disciple.

The introductory part of today’s gospel that deals with the question whether sickness is the punishment for our or our ancestors’ sins, is relevant even today. This view is held not only by many people of other faiths, but also by some popular preachers in the Church.  Though we find such a view in the OT, Jesus purifies that understanding by revealing to us the image of not a punishing/revengeful God, but a boundlessly loving and compassionate Father. Far from being a punishment for our personal sins, our sickness or any other sufferings provide an opportunity or occasion for repentance for our sins and bearing witness to Christ’s own suffering. If we accept them with a deeper faith, he gives us supernatural strength to bear them. For Christian disciples, it is impossible to negate the glory of God shining through a person who has accepted his/her illness with serenity and has joined it to Christ’s own suffering. In this Season of Lent, we need to re-discover the meaning of human suffering in the light of Christ’s suffering. That is why, instead of asking who/what is the cause of our suffering, it is proper to ask what could be God’s purpose in allowing me or so-and-so to suffer so much.

Let us go to the main message of this story: Spiritually, all of are born blind. At baptism we are cured from our spiritual blindness for the first time. Through the water of baptism, God opens our eyes of faith, washes our sins and gives us the light of faith to ‘see’ Christ. Lent is a time to admit that we have repeatedly become blind towards our sins and to see God’s presence in our life, especially in our adversities. This is the opportune time to renew our baptismal commitment, a time to admit that we aree spiritually blind. We have to examine ourselves and see how seriously we are preparing ourselves to renew our baptismal grace and wash our inner selves once again with the baptismal water at Easter Vigil. At Easter we want to ‘see’ the Risen Christ in faith and acclaim, “Lord, I do believe” (9:38).

Let us follow the model of the blind man in today’s gospel and examine ourselves on the following issues: (1) How obedient disciples are we in following Christ; (2) how faithful are we to the mission for which we are sent by baptism (remember the meaning of ‘Siloam’); and (3) how boldly do we bear witness to Christ and his values like the blind man who was willing to face excommunication from the synagogue for the sake of his faith. Like him, can we make a bold confession of faith: "One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (9:25).

What is spiritual blindness? Spiritual Blindness is a common biblical metaphor for the inability of a person to understand or grasp a spiritual truth or its true meaning. Physically blind people cannot see visible things like colours, whereas the spiritually blind cannot see invisible spiritual realities such as God’s grace, love, peace and forgiveness. We notice a great sense of humility and openness in the blind man who admits his need for getting both physical sight and spiritual insight into the person of Jesus. On the other and the Pharisees insist that they see everything clearly without any light from God to see who Jesus is and also how weak in spirit they are. Can we recognize a Pharisee in us?

We can become spiritually blind in many other ways such as: (1) by judging people merely on their external appearance without knowing their internal motives; (2) by not seeing our own sins, weaknesses, limitations and failures and justifying our misbehaviour, instead of accepting it; (3) by always pointing out at others’ wrongdoings and closing our eyes on our own; (4) by claiming to have committed no murder, but ‘killing’ (deeply hurting) people with our heart-piercing words and abusive language or harsh judgements; (5) by saying we have never committed adultery, but continuing to nurse lustful attachments towards  so-called special “friends”; (6) by allowing money, power and position to blind us; (7) by our inability to see the hand of God behind our sorrows and hardships, or to see any good behind our sufferings; (8) by our inability to see the needs, difficulties and suffering of others; (9) by refusing to see the disastrous effects of racism, casteism, communalism, groupism, terrorism and many other ‘isms’;  and (10) by not seeing the root cause of wars, crimes, corruption and many other ills and social evils of our world. Is it not sin or selfishness of human heart, which perpetrates these evils or masterminds them? Do we see how we directly or indirectly contribute to some of these and other life-negating forces in the world? Ultimately, our blindness is the blindness of faith, because of which we are not able to see the love of God (even in adverse situations) or our need of him, and are not able to respond to it.

What are the causes of spiritual blindness? From today’s gospel, we can point out three causes: (1) ignorance; (2) doubt and negativity; and (3) hardheartedness. First of all, if we do not open our minds to know and learn the truth we will never know it. We get spiritual sight when we are open to the truth. See the type of question the disciples asked: “Who sinned?” They were very sure that somebody had sinned, either he or his parents, for him to be born blind. There is a sharp contrast between the blind man who admits his ignorance, and the Pharisees who are sure of their knowledge. Like them sometimes we too are very sure of worldly knowledge such as computer science, information technology, and sensational stories about the private life of our neighbours/ friends/ enemies, but are ignorant of the Scriptures, of God’s ways and of mysteries of our own life. Secondly, like the Pharisee who doubted everything, we too approach divine intervention in our or somebody else’s life purely on human reasoning. The Pharisees first doubted about the identity of the healed man, secondly about the divine powers of Jesus to restore sight because they considered him a sinner. Is it not true that our own attitudes, speech and behaviour that border on so much of cynicism, sarcasm, pessimism and negativity block God’s grace – even that grace which flows down throw the good example and guidance of others? .

Thirdly, like the Pharisees those who are not open to God or become hardhearted are incurable. We can become hardhearted in several ways such as refusal to admit our sins or worst still justifying them, holding on to our past grudges and refusing to forgive people…. The worst sin of modern times is to lose the sense of sin and to say that there is no such thing as sin even after committing worst of crimes. In other places of the gospel, Jesus calls this kind of hardheartedness an unforgivable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (e.g. Mk 3:28-29), since such persons never yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to admit their sinfulness and need for God’s grace till the end of their lives. It is impossible to save those who refuse to admit that they are ‘blind’ (that is, sinners) till the end of their life, and are in need of God’s grace and redemption. Like the Pharisees, they will remain in sin (9:41). Only those who remain open to the truth about themselves and see how sin truly blinds them can receive the light of faith.

This story highlights our need to have our own spiritual blindness healed, especially in this Lenten Season, by turning to Christ, the light of the world. We need to plead Jesus to open our eyes to the truth about our need for admitting our sins, for repentance, for forgiveness and salvation. It is up to us to decide or make a choice: either to see the truth and get rid of our spiritual blindness, or like the Pharisees to harden our hearts and stubbornly refuse to accept the truth. The more we progress in faith the more we see our inadequacy and need to be open to God’s light.

5. Response to God's Word

Do we habitually point out others’ faults and justify our own wrongdoings and other evils of the world under various pretexts? What are we doing to get healed from ay of the spiritual blindness mentioned above? To what extent ignorance of truth, negativity and hardheartedness cause spiritual blindness in us? How are we making progress in our faith and growing in spiritual knowledge and deeper insight during this Lent? Like the blind man, let us admit our helplessness to get rid of our spiritual blindness and the darkness of sin on our own, and put our trust in Jesus who alone can anoint us with the power of his Spirit.

6. A prayer

Lord, reveal to me your purpose in allowing me and those dear to me sometimes to suffer so much. Reveal to me my present spiritual blindness and give me the humility to admit it. Open the eyes of my faith, and give me the light to ‘see’ you in all situations. Wash me with your cleansing water and deepen my faith. Grant that I may be your obedient and faithful disciple by fulfilling my baptismal mission of bearing a bold testimony to you. Amen.

Third Sunday of Lent (A)

Third Sunday of Lent Year A [Jn 4:5-42]

12.03.2023

Jesus’ Encounter with the Samaritan Woman

Readings: (1) Ex 17:3-7 (2) Rom 5:1-2.5-8

1. Theme in brief:

Quenching our spiritual thirst

2. Focus Statement:

Jesus quenches our spiritual thirst with his gift of ‘living water’, if we accept him in faith, and humbly ask him to quench that thirst, and admit our sinfulness that prevent its reception.

3. Explanation of the text

Ironically, today’s gospel text begins with the giver of living water (that is, Jesus) himself feeling thirsty and begging for water from a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well with the words: “Give me a drink” (4:7). John, who has a liking for double meaning of words or statements, hints that Jesus is not only thirsty physically, but also spiritually. He is thirsty for souls and takes the initiative to go in search of a sinner like the Samaritan woman in her concrete life-situation like drawing water at the well. Later on, he sacrifices his life on the cross out of thirst for sinners by saying, “I am thirsty” (Jn 19:28).

By requesting the Samaritan woman for water and entering into a conversation with her, Jesus crosses over three barriers:  (1) of gender, since Jewish rabbis are not allowed to converse with a woman in public; (2) of race, since she belongs to the Samaritan race hated by the Jews; and (3) of associating only with the virtuous, since she was considered to be an immoral character and an outcast.

Here we find a woman who is preoccupied only with material needs like bringing water and housekeeping. She does not give a serious thought to her private life. When she encounters Jesus at the well, three issues block her from recognizing him: (1) Prejudices of the kind, which Samaritans and Jews have against one another. They carry on such a strong racial and religious hatred towards one another that Jews do not accept even water from the hands of Samaritans (4:9). (2) Lack of faith in the giver of God’s gift (4:10). At first she sees him as a respectable Jewish traveller, a physically wearied and thirsty man, whom she calls “sir” (4:11), and not as the Messiah who can quench her spiritual thirst. (3) Thirdly, her personal sins which she tries to cover up become the greatest obstacle.

To such a person Jesus promises to offer the gift of living water. But, in order to become worthy to receive it, the Samaritan woman has to fulfil three conditions: she must (1) know the gift of God; (2) recognize the one who is speaking; and (3) ask for that water (4:10). She neither knows Jesus’ full identity nor the gifts he wants to offer and their real value. In verse 10 Jesus declares that the one who is speaking to her (that is, he himself) is the gift of God in the first place and the source of living water for a lost sinner like her. But in verse 13, he moves from the present gift to a future gift which will become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. Later in 7:37-39, John makes it clear that this spring or river of living water is the gift of the Holy Spirit. To receive both these gifts, she must recognize and believe that the One who is speaking to her is not an ordinary “sir” as she addresses him at first (4:11), but the revelation of the Father’s love for sinners like her. She will gradually or stage by stage recognize him not merely as “sir”, but as the “prophet” (4:19) and “Messiah” (4:25-26).

What is that ‘living water’ which Jesus wants to offer? Though the text does not directly explain, it is understood from the context that Jesus means water that gives life. From John’s gospel we know that his concept of ‘life’ always refers to divine or eternal life – a participation in God’s own life through faith in Jesus. Besides this, living water may also symbolize the gifts of God’s unconditional love, supernatural grace and salvation offered to all those who ask for it. True to the common technique of misunderstanding found in John’s gospel, the Samaritan woman thinks that Jesus promises her a miraculously and continuously flowing or running water of a spring or stream as opposed to the stagnant or still water of a well or pool. Hence, she requests him to give that miraculous water always so that she could be spared from all the trouble of coming to this well again to draw water.

At this point, Jesus tells us: “Go, call your husband, and come back” (4:16). Jesus challenges her to look into herself, her private life, and remove another great obstacle to become a recipient of living water, that is, her own personal sins or unfaithfulness to God. Instead of admitting her sinfulness and brokenness, she tries to cover up her guilt, first by denying that she has a husband (4:17), and later on dodging the whole issue of her private life by engaging in a religious debate with Jesus about real worship of God (4:20). Finally, her eyes of faith are opened when Jesus openly admits that “the one who is speaking” to her is the promised Messiah (4:25-26).

4. Application to life

Probably John the evangelist wants to portray the Samaritan woman as a person who is in darkness of a disoriented life. While she is in that state, she suddenly encounters Jesus in broad daylight (noon time), because he is the Light of the world. Or probably he wants to depict her as a woman who goes to the well to fetch water at noon – a time when nobody else goes. Perhaps he wants to tell us that she is a quite isolated or segregated woman due to her immoral life. Whatever maybe the evangelist’s intention, Jesus’ compassionate approach to her gradually leads her to faith in him as the promised Messiah and the giver of ‘living water,’ that is, supernatural life. Lenten Season is meant for us to realize our alienation from God and neighbours like her due to our sins and brokenness. Now is the fitting time to realize that our ‘water-pot’ (that is, worldly pleasures) and water (that is, material possessions) are not everything. For us who are busy and preoccupied with worldly affairs, business and satisfaction of material needs, Lent is the appropriate time to admit that it is an illusion to think that these things are the be-all and end-all (all that matters) in life.

The empty water-jar carried by the woman symbolizes two things: (1) Our own emptiness and spiritual thirst deep down in our hearts for inner joy and fulfilment. We must realize how thirsty our spirit is. When we are ‘thirsty’ Jesus comes in search of us at the ‘well’ of our ordinary life-situations because he too is thirsty for sinners like us; he too is constantly in search of us to save us. So he takes the initiative to quench our thirst and asks us: “Give me a drink.” It is something like telling us: “Give me your heart and I shall quench your inner thirst.” What are we thirsty for? Though on the surface level we are thirsty for material things, deep down we are thirsty for love, acceptance, understanding, mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, meaning and purpose in life. Ultimately, our thirst is a thirst for God himself, and Jesus says that he can satisfy that thirst with living water. Yes, in every human being there is a longing beyond food, shelter and enjoyment. Living water is God’s love and life, which Jesus gives to those who recognize him as God’s gift. Lenten Season is the most appropriate time to admit how thirsty we are for God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, salvation and grace to grow in divine life. Material things can never satisfy our inner (spiritual) thirst.

Secondly, today’s message motivates us to leave (renounce or give up), as the Samaritan woman did, our own ‘water-pot,’ that is, selfish or sinful ways and too much immersion or preoccupation with worldly concerns and over-attachment to material things. It also impels us to become humble ‘beggars’ before the merciful Lord and entreat him to shower his gifts of loving mercy and pardon on us with a trustful cry: “Lord, give me this water that I may never be thirsty….” (cf. 4:15).

What prevents us from recognizing Jesus as the giver of divine life or receiving God’s unconditional love and forgiveness? (1) Our prejudices: We all have our social, religious, national, cultural and regional prejudices against certain people/groups. This is the first block that prevents us from accepting any truth coming from “those people”. Look at the barriers Jesus crosses: she is a woman and he is a man not expected to talk to a woman in public (= a gender issue); she is a Samaritan and he is a Jew (= a racial issue); he is a devout Rabbi and she is in immoral character (= a moral issue); and he is a respectable man and she is an outcast (= a social issue). Instead of going beyond these barriers put up by society and its culture and building bridges to cross over them as he did, do we sometimes construct further walls of prejudices and hatred?

(2) Second biggest hurdle are our sins: They break off our love-relationship with God and neighbours. Hence, Jesus, just as he did to the Samaritan woman, challenges us, especially in this Lenten Season, to look into (examine) ourselves. By asking the Samaritan woman to go and call her husband and come back to him (4:16), Jesus exposes her private life. She epitomizes anyone (man or woman) who is estranged from the love of God and neighbour by a sinful life. When we apply it to our own life, in this Lenten Season Jesus must be asking us to bring our several ‘husbands’ (that is, our sins and worldly pleasures by which we temporarily satisfy our inner thirst for happiness) to his feet. Each one of us is the Samaritan woman and Jesus challenges each one of us in this Lent to replace our numerous ‘husbands’ with intimate bond with him and his life-giving Spirit as the centre of our lives.

We crave to satisfy our present wants and needs with possessions and pleasures. We forget that our needs and cravings will come back again and again. For temporary satisfaction, like the Samaritan woman, we too run to countless wells to draw material water without giving a serious thought to our need for living water. The material water is a symbol for our craving for success, self-esteem, self-importance and pleasures. Sometimes we run to muddy waters of power, status, position and possession. Jesus always waits for us at the ‘well’ of our life-situations with his living water. Like her we too seek false happiness in our many ‘husbands’. Since the sacrifice involved in renouncing all these false husbands is too demanding, like her we too put enough resistance to God’s grace. We make so many excuses for not giving up our wrongdoings and bad behaviour. Sometimes we even justify our objectionable behaviour with lame excuses. If ever we could seriously think of what Jesus is offering to us, we would give up all our resistance and excuses.

Jesus becomes a source of divine life for us if we humbly recognize our brokenness. We must humbly beg (that is, ask or request) him to quench our inner thirst with that living water (his love) by admitting our inner wounds and human frailty. It is only when we approach him with our helplessness and broken relationships, without any defence mechanisms and excuses of the kind she made, he fills us with his love and forgiveness. She requests for living water but does not think that first the well must be bored or drilled deep into the hard rock of her heart. She is interested in a religious discussion, but only for satisfying her mind, and not for allowing religious faith to change her conduct. Is this not often true of us also?

An awareness of our own disturbed past and unsatisfied present state of affairs makes us well disposed to thirst for God. The more we look into ourselves the more we enter into the depth of relationship with God, just like the Samaritan woman who is led step by step to deeper and deeper knowledge of (or faith in) Jesus: first as sir (4:11), then as prophet (4:19), and finally as Messiah (4:25-26) whom God has given as his greatest gift to a sinful and broken-hearted person like her. When she looked into herself she must have realized her own emptiness. Self-discovery leads to the discovery of God, or revelation of one’s own self and the revelation of God’s unconditional love go hand in hand. Conversion to Christ begins with a sense of sin – a realization that the type of life we are living is not the one we are supposed to live as persons called to a life of holiness by baptism. The more we realize this the more we feel our need for God who alone can take away the restlessness of our hearts and lead us to a change of heart step by as he did to the Samaritan woman.

5. Response to God's Word

Are we thirsty for God’s values? How do we express this spiritual thirst? What are the barriers which prevent us from receiving God’s love and forgiveness? What are our broken relationships? What are our social, religious and regional prejudices? Who (what) are our ‘five husbands?’ What are the defence mechanisms and excuses we make or resistance we put up to cover up our wrongdoings and refusal to change? Have we lost the sense of sin and justify our immoral ways by saying: “What is wrong in it; everybody does it?”

6. A prayer

O God, you are my God; I seek you. My soul thirsts for you like a dry and weary land without water. Thank you for giving me your Son Jesus as your greatest gift. Thank you also for the gift of the Holy Spirit who is like a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. Change my heart and remove all the obstacles and resistance that I put to block your love. Amen.

Second Sunday of Lent (A)

 Second Sunday of Lent (A) [Mt 17:1-9]

05.03.2023

The Transfiguration of Jesus

Readings: (1) Gen 12:1-4 (2) 2 Tim 1:8-10

1. Theme in brief:

Attaining glory through the cross

2. Focus Statement:

We can reach the mountain of glory only after crossing over the valley of suffering, sacrifice and humiliation.

3. Explanation of the text
4. The main theme of Christ’s Transfiguration on a mountain (traditionally called Mount Tabor) is this: to attain glory through suffering. But this theme is not mentioned directly in today’s gospel text. Hence, it needs to be deduced from the context in which this text is placed. Strikingly, Matthew places this episode immediately after the question of Jesus to his disciples about his real identity at Caesarea Philippi: “Who do you say that I am” (Mt 16:15)? Peter had declared that he was the Messiah (Mt 16:16). But his notion of the Messiah was that of a worldly or political king. Jesus had already corrected this wrong notion by telling them that he was going to be a suffering Messiah (Mt 16:21). This idea must have shocked them. Here he tries to correct their wrong notion once again.

According to today’s gospel text, Jesus led three of his close disciples – Peter, James and John – up a high mountain “six days later” (17:1); that is, six days after he asked the question about his real identity (“Who do you say that I am?”). The purpose of this question seems to be twofold: (1) to correct their wrong conception of the Messiah; and (2) to teach them about the inevitability of the cross to attain glory or to prepare them to face the scandal of the cross.

Since the unique manifestation of Christ’s glory took place on a mountain, it is clear that it happened during Jesus’ prayer – as mountain is a symbol of encounter with God in solitude. The change that took place in his bodily figure or form (commonly called Transfiguration) with the shining of his face like the sun and his clothes like dazzling white (17:2), clearly points to his glorious state after the resurrection. He gave his disciples a glimpse of his future glory (in anticipation) in order to prepare and strengthen them to face the scandal of the cross. In other words, it was a preview of the glory he was to attain at resurrection, only after going through the agony of the cross. In fact, he wanted to point out that there was a crown or great reward beyond the cross.

The Jewish Scripture (called by us OT) was commonly referred to as the Law and the prophets. When Jesus was transfigured, the appearance of two great figures of OT, namely Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the prophets) indicates that Jesus is the fulfilment of the messianic hopes of the OT. Though Matthew says that they were talking with Jesus (17:3), he does not say what the subject-matter of their conversation was. We come to know it from Luke that they were speaking about his “departure” (a technical word for his passing over from death to life) which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem (Lk 9:31). Both these prophets were giving their approval or testimony to the path chosen by Jesus – to be a suffering Messiah and attain glory only through the way of the cross.

Though the clouds in the sky are normally dark, Matthew speaks of a “bright cloud” that overshadowed them (17:5). This bright cloud indicates the presence of the Divine Light (God). The voice of the Father declares Jesus as his beloved Son (17:5), which also means a beloved servant because of its connection with the suffering servant of Yahweh, in the Book of Isaiah (cf. 42:1). Jesus becomes the Father’s beloved Son and the Father is well pleased with him precisely because of his willingness to become his obedient servant unto death on the cross. The Father approves the path chosen by his Son by calling him his Beloved Son and asking the disciples to listen to him (17:5). To “listen” means to obey him or imitate his way of attaining glory through humiliation and suffering.

Peter’s reaction to this tremendous experience was to stay there on the mountain permanently and pitch three tents: one for Jesus, one for Elijah and for Moses (17:4). His desire to prolong this experience and erect permanent dwellings indicates a short-cut method of attaining glory by avoiding the cross. Matthew tells us that Jesus touched the three disciples when they fell to the ground out of fear (17:6-7). This touch was meant to help them overcome the fear (both at the sight of dazzling glory of the Lord and the thought of suffering), and reassure them of his strength to face suffering (17:7). The secret about this vision had to be kept till the resurrection (17:9) to avoid misunderstanding about the type of Messiah Jesus was going to become.

4. Application to life

Every day when we recite the Angelus we pray that we may be brought to the glory of Christ’s resurrection by his passion and cross. This is exactly what theologians call “paschal mystery of Christ”. The Hebrew word ‘pascha’ means passing over and refers to Christ’s passing or crossing over to glory through his passion and death. ‘Mystery’ (a word used by St. Paul, cf. Eph 3:5) refers to a hidden plan made by God (now revealed to the apostles through the Holy Spirit) to save us only through the suffering and death of Jesus and not in any other way. The message of the Transfiguration is the same – we can reach the mountain of glory only after crossing over the valley of suffering. In short, the message is: there is no crown (= glory) without a cross (= suffering).

What is a cross? It is a symbol of three things: (1) suffering because Jesus underwent terrible suffering on it; (2) sacrifice because he sacrificed his life on it; and (3) humiliation because he died shameful death of a criminal on it. The crosses in our life can be persons, situations, places, work or job and responsibilities that give us a lot of pain, agony, physical and mental torture, discomfort, risk and humiliation. For example, an alcoholic husband is a cross to his wife, an unfaithful husband/wife to his/her wife/husband, a disobedient or delinquent child to its parents, and an enemy to his/her enemies. A serious illness (either one’s own or of others in the family) which does not get cured, a risky work or job, a heavy responsibility of family/ workplace/ institution/ organization, a dangerous and insecure place to live can become a cross. All the humiliations we get from our own family members, colleagues, companions and opponents when we do something right and just or for social welfare are crosses. Feelings of failure, loss, loneliness, unrest, rejection and hopelessness are also other crosses. We see the shadow of the cross whenever we sacrifice our selfishness, security, power, comforts and even friends in order to follow the Lord. Our sharing of his glory takes place to some extent when we experience peace and joy in this life after going through a lot of suffering and sacrifices. But this glory is only a glimpse of the everlasting glory of heaven. Compared to that glory, all the sufferings of this present life are not worth (cf. Rom 8:18). This hope of the glory to come sustains us when we walk through the valley of tears or suffering.

The same voice of the Father that appealed to the apostles to listen to Jesus as he is his Beloved Son, appeals to us to listen to or imitate Jesus in our moments of trials, temptation, sufferings, humiliation and rejection. How can we listen to Jesus if we are not attuned to his voice by remaining close to him in prayer? How can we listen to him if we follow the latest fads of the consumerist society instead of following him? In our hunger for power, position and ambitions, we are reminded to imitate him who rejected these worldly standards in obedience to God’s will. As God’s beloved sons/ daughters in whom he is well pleased, even in our failure and humiliation, we are called to walk in his footsteps, that is, walk the way of the cross. We are called to follow a suffering Messiah who attains his glory through the cross. If we have tried to bypass the cross – as Peter was trying to do with his proposal to remain on the mountain-top permanently – Lent is the most appropriate time to listen to him, to follow his footsteps by embracing the cross. We listen to Jesus in his Word found in the Gospel. Amidst so many other contrary voices of the world that come through bad companions, misleading guides and mass media, do we try to keep attuned to our Master’s voice? Which voice is stronger and louder: the former or the latter?

Like Peter, we have a tendency to prolong happiness and stay fixed on the mountain of glory and escape from the problems and hardships of life. We have a desire to attain glory and prolong its joy by trying to evade crosses. As fathers of families we want to attain unity and harmony in our families, but without sacrificing our time for guiding our children; as husbands we want better understanding with our wives, but without spending time for communicating mutual expectations; we want a corruption-free society, but won’t mind giving bribe to avoid trouble and inconveniences for us; we want children to obey us, but do not practice what we preach to them because of which we lose respect and obedience from them; we want peace, but do not want to forgive or take steps for reconciliation. This is the short-cut method to glory proposed by so many Peters all around the world.

There are also some other Peters who want to build only ‘tents’ (memorials, monuments, churches, institutions, conduct novenas and establish healing centres), and forget about Jesus’ mission to the poor and the marginalized. Like Peter, they want to remain comfortably fixed in these and do not want to enter into human misery and problems below the mountain. Of course, mountain of glory is more enjoyable and comfortable than the valley of struggles and tensions.

The lesson drawn from the transfiguration of Christ teaches us that our Christian life has two inseparable elements: “ascending” and “descending” or "going up the mountain" and "coming down the mountain". We need to ascend or “go up the mountain” to encounter the Lord in prayer, to listen to his voice. But we cannot stay there permanently even if we happen to get ‘mystical visions.’  Our intimacy with the Master and experience of his splendour or glory in prayer and contemplation energizes us to go “down the mountain” to face the hardships of life which are our daily crosses, just as the disciples descended from the mountain to proceed with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane and to Mount Calvary. This intimacy also inspires us to reach out to the sick, the hungry, the poor and the marginalized.

The Lenten Season invites us to retrace our steps towards the path followed by Jesus. When we are frightened of trials and sufferings of life, just as he touched his disciples, today and everyday Jesus touches us and gives us the strength to get up. He tells us to arise and live a life without fear during trials and difficulties of life, especially when we do good. He invites us to go to our ‘Tabor’ – to encounter God in prayer and solitude – with the intention of sending us to the valley of suffering to become beloved sons and daughters of God who are called to be his beloved servants for his cause. He assures us of a crown beyond the crosses. Every Eucharistic celebration is also like a mountain-top experience that energizes us to face trials of life. But we cannot say like Peter: It is good for us to be here all the time. Soon the priest will say: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord by loving and serving others. He also sends us to take up our crosses and follow the Lord. Since during liturgy we are with Christ on the mountain, and are given spiritual nourishment, we can go out from here with the hope that his strength will be with us in our trials and daily crosses.

5. Response to God's Word

Do we follow Christ in moments of failure and humiliation, or follow our own impulses? Are we willing to climb down from the mountain of achievements, name and fame, power and honour, and walk with Jesus up to Calvary? As God’s beloved children, do we listen to Jesus in prayer and solitude (symbolized by the mountain), when we feel we are not on a mountain of glory and honour, but deep into the pit? How often did we fail to live and act as God’s beloved children by failing to imitate Jesus, especially in the dark moments of our lives? In which moments and situations we tried to run away or escape from crosses and looked for our own comforts?

6. A Prayer

Lord Jesus, grant that we may be brought to the glory of your resurrection by your passion and cross. Touch us and raise us up with your strength so that we do not run away from the cross or escape from sacrifices involved in fulfilling your mission. Grant that we may imitate your way of sacrificial love for the salvation of the world. Give us the courage and strength to carry our daily crosses so that we may share your glory. Confirm us with an unwavering hope in your promises so that we may courageously face sufferings of this life with that goal in mind. Amen.