A Journey with a Life Lesson!

 “Sir! I can´t give you…”, replied the Airhostess with her Italian accent. Her reply left me astound, but her calm was misleading. I struggled to grapple with strange sense of the moment and I struggled to realize, what exactly was going on, there amidst the clouds.

Departures...!

“Every time I lose someone close to me or someone dear to me leaves, I feel a bit of myself dying within me”

Afew years back I was in Spain for little over a month, learning Spanish. At times I spent my evenings with seniors, in an infirmary, with people, who were at the evening of their lives. That evening as I was practicing Spanish with one of the elderly Spaniard, we heard that person from the other room had just left to his eternal abode. I just stopped my practice as I knew that this Spaniard deserved his time to mourn. Before I could leave the room, he just whispered, “every time I lose someone close to me or someone dear to me leaves, I feel a bit of myself dying within me”. Those words took time to sink in and a few years later I understand them slightly better.

A Jesuit Feast

It’s a story of God’s wonderful work in his creation.It’s the tale of a man, running after the worldly glory, turning into a soldier of Christ.It’s a life that dared to be different;Dared to swim against the currents of the time to defend the mother church.

July 31, brings celebration among Jesuits, all over the world, for, it’s the feast day of their founder, St Ignatius.

He was born in 1491, in a minor noble family, in Spain. He was the youngest of the thirteen children. He lost his mother at the early age. Right from his childhood days, he dreamt of becoming a great soldier. Having taken as a page in the court of Spain, at the age of 16, he already started living his dream and soon he was appointed for a night. Eventually, he found himself as an officer, leading a wing of the Spanish army. Young Ignigo (It was frequently represented in medieval documents as Ignatius (Spanish "Ignacio"), had two goals -the first- to be the greatest soldier, and the second to win over the princess.

My Priestly Ordination

Homily - Second Sunday of Lent

We are in the second Sunday of Lent and the theme of today’s liturgy is metamorphosis or transformation.  The readings of the day invite us to transform our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit by renewing them during Lent so that they radiate the glory and grace of the transfigured Lord.

First reading, Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18:

Genesis means origin – origin of 3 things – of the World, of Human Beings and the Origin of the people of Israel. The reading has special reference to the origin of the people of Israel.

Felicitation Programme - Fr Rayan Lobo, SJ

Thanksgiving Eucharist by Fr Rayan Lobo, SJ

Catholic Social Intelgentsia

                       

 Jesus who walked on this earth 2000 years ago was an ambassador of truth. He spoke of a kingdom which is built on and ruled by love and justice. He used the spoken word and the contextualized examples and imageries as part of his effective communication. Revolutionary Jesus was ever ready to challenge the unjust structures and the false and dehumanizing practices. I believe no one ever in the history of humanity has befriended people as him. Obviously it cost him his life.

                     We Christians have a mandate to walk the path of Christ and to be a counter cultural and a contrast community. We, as religious have even greater responsibility, ‘to read the signs of the time and respond to them creatively’ (GS 4). Pope Francis, in his apostolic Exhortation recalling the Latin American theologians reminds us that ‘it’s not enough to say that we have been like this (EG 33), rather we need to move out of our churches, without waiting passively inside.’(EG 12)

Persevere and Be Hopeful

With Christ as the centre of your life, you will never be disappointed

                                                                                                                                     Pope Francis

The liturgy of the day invites us to be persons who are determined, persevering and hopeful.

Our life on earth is a journey; a journey to the house of the Lord. Contradictions and conflicts, ups and downs, struggle for a just living are part of this journey.

We heard about the widow who persevered before an unjust and a corrupt judge for she knew what she needed and HOW to get there. Even an unjust judge because of her perseverance and determination had to restore justice to her.

Kingdom of God - Homily Nov 12.

        We listen to a n interesting episode about the kingdom of God in the gospel today. Whether we accept it or not, quite often we are curious to know about the matters that are yet to come, or about the world to come or about the end of the world.

            In the gospel reading of today the Pharisees are enquiring about the timing of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Their question was – When but Jesus answers they- How will the kingdom come and how will the kingdom BE.

Faith Response - Homily Nov 11, 2015

                  Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus the liturgy of the day invites us to be people of Faith who are spontaneous and grateful. The gospel reading of the day begins with, Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, a destiny where he would fulfill the purpose of his life, a purpose for which he came as human.

(Wis 6, 1-11 & Lk 17, 11-17)

            On this journey meets a group of lepers who were desperate. Leprosy then as you know was the most feared disease and was believed to be the outcome of sin. They were banished as outcastes and lived outside the camp, alone. It was believed Leprosy could be cured by God and his power alone.

No One Can Serve Two Masters - Homily Nov 7

“No one can serve two masters….You cannot Serve god and money…”

Dear Brothers and sister in Christ Jesus, the reading of the day especially the gospel is very thought provoking. We come across an interesting debate here about wealth.

(Lk 16, 9-15 &  Rom 16, 3-9, 22-27)

                 In the Context of the gospel, in the context of the Luckan Community we do understand that wealth brought about a kind of a division or discrimination between rich and the poor between HAVE’s and HAVE NOT’s. Thus there was rapture in relationship between people.

Call of a Merciful God : Homily Nov 5, 2015

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus the reading and the liturgy of the day speaks of a compassionate and a merciful God who is madly in love with his people.

Rom 14:7-12

Lk 15 1-10

            Indeed Ch 15 of Luke from where today’s gospel reading is chosen portrays God’s love and mercy.

           Don’t the two parables- the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin sound quite illogical, where a shepherd leaves 99 of his sheep in search of one lost sheep or a woman makes the house upside down in search of a lost coin?

Justice - A Christian View

Introduction:

“There is a world of difference between paying R 5 to a beggar and treating him equally.”

A warm welcome to you all for the Bible service. Let us together reflect on the days gospel, in the context of Justice Sunday.

             

   What is Justice? In simple words- it’s giving the other what he/she deserves. But in a deeper sense sharing once own self.

             In the prophetical literature Justice is seen in the light of covenantal relationship. Covenant is an intimate relationship between God and Human that invites to care, to be compassionate and to relate deeply to fellow humans.

Call to be Healers

Gen: 44: 18-21, 23b-29,45:1-5                                                                                  Mt 10: 7-15

The dream of the greatest man of our generation was to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us. But as long as there are tears, our work will not be over.

Jawaharlal Nehru.

Dear Fathers and Brothers the liturgy of the day invites us to understand the purpose for which you and I are created.

                  

 The first reading of the day reminds us of the tragic story of Joseph, that turns out to be a blessing to the nations. Making meaning out of his present, Joseph believes that all that happened was part of the plan of God, to use him as an instrument to preserve life. God made use of the breakdown Joseph had for the good of the people.