A Chance to Dance

“This son of mine was dead and has come back to life,

He was lost and is found. And they began to celebrate”   Lk 15 : 24

‘They’ began to celebrate - the father and the son. The house is once again filled with light. There is sound of music in the air. Everyone gets busy preparing, arranging, decorating. Kitchen staff is over worked. There is new energy, fresh unbounded joy. The father becomes young once again. He runs, he embraces, he kisses, he dances. The son stands in amazement of the dancing father. He comes to know his father for the first time.

The shepherd comes home with the lost sheep and   calls for a celebration. The woman who found the lost coin calls neighbours and  friends and celebrates. The father  orders for the ‘best’ robe, ring and sandals and  kills the ‘fattened ‘ calf and celebrates.  Jesus said these  parables in answer to a complaint by the Pharisees,  “Why does your master eat with sinners?” The celebrating shepherd, the happy women, the dancing father is the answer.

 God celebrates when he can forgive. God become young when he gets an opportunity to embrace.  God  dances when his children return home.  God is God when he can forgive. His name is Mercy.

After the Son has returned home, from the ‘far away country’, taking on himself and dying for the sins of the world, we hear the voice of the Father once again, on the day of Resurrection, “this son of mine was dead and is alive, he was lost and is found.”

Let these words be reechoed for each of us during this Easter. Give God a chance to celebrate. Give God a chance to become young once again. Give God a chance to be God by allowing him to forgive. May you be the reason for the celebration.  Though you lived with him all your life, recognize the Father, may be, for the first time. May there be a new energy, the sound of music, the best of robes and rings and sandals. Kill the fattened calf. Celebrate. Give God a chance to dance.  “And they began to celebrate.” Let the dance be not just by you only  but by ‘they’- the Father and you !   

-        Fr T.V. George sdb

 

 

 

 

                                            

A Chance to Dance

“This son of mine was dead and has come back to life,

He was lost and is found. And they began to celebrate”   Lk 15 : 24

           ‘They’ began to celebrate - the father and the son. The house is once again filled with light. There is sound of music in the air. Everyone gets busy preparing, arranging, decorating. Kitchen staff is over worked. There is new energy, fresh unbounded joy. The father becomes young once again. He runs, he embraces, he kisses, he dances. The son stands in amazement of the dancing father. He comes to know his father for the first time.

The shepherd comes home with the lost sheep and   calls for a celebration. The woman who found the lost coin calls neighbours and  friends and celebrates. The father  orders for the ‘best’ robe, ring and sandals and  kills the ‘fattened ‘ calf and celebrates.  Jesus said these  parables in answer to a complaint by the Pharisees,  “Why does your master eat with sinners?” The celebrating shepherd, the happy women, the dancing father is the answer.

 God celebrates when he can forgive. God become young when he gets an opportunity to embrace.  God  dances when his children return home.  God is God when he can forgive. His name is Mercy.

After the Son has returned home, from the ‘far away country’, taking on himself and dying for the sins of the world, we hear the voice of the Father once again, on the day of Resurrection, “this son of mine was dead and is alive, he was lost and is found.”

Let these words be reechoed for each of us during this Easter. Give God a chance to celebrate. Give God a chance to become young once again. Give God a chance to be God by allowing him to forgive. May you be the reason for the celebration.  Though you lived with him all your life, recognize the Father, may be, for the first time. May there be a new energy, the sound of music, the best of robes and rings and sandals. Kill the fattened calf. Celebrate. Give God a chance to dance.  “And they began to celebrate.” Let the dance be not just by you only  but by ‘they’- the Father and you !   

-        Fr T.V. George sdb

 

 

 

By his wounds

By his wounds, we are healed.

By his cross, we are redeemed.

By his death, we have life.

By His obedience, we are made free.

By his Nails, we find refuge.

By his suffering, we are saved.

By his fall, we are raised.

By his frailty, we are made strong.

By his emptying, we are made rich

By his stripes, we are made whole.

By his mercy, we are forgiven.

By his temptation, we have victory.

By his lowliness, we are exalted.

By his abandonment, we find hope.

By his insults, we are blessed.

By his word, we find our path.

By his crucifixion, we find freedom.

By his pain, we find grace.

By his rising, we find glory.

By his weakness, we are strengthened.

By his affliction, we are comforted.

By his blood, we are cleansed.

By his incarnation, we are made divine

-                                                              - Fr T.V. George sdb

                                                     

                                                            

                                                           To be Broken and Given

He was born in a crib and died on a Cross. At birth, he had the company of animals and at death the company of two thieves. His birth was announced to the shepherds. He chose fishermen to be his apostles. He lived in Nazareth and was known as a Carpenter’s son.

“ You are the light of the world,” he said. The moment a light is lit, it begins to die. Light is light, only if it gives. The sun, a lamp, a torch, or a candle is not meant to be safely locked up for fear of death. Its identity is to give and give and gradually die.

Again he said, ”You are the salt of the earth“. Salt is meant to be thrown into boiling water. Only by losing its shape and size, it can give taste. It serves its purpose by dying and giving.

Again he taught, ”Unless a grain of wheat falls and dies it remains a single grain”. Only by going under the mud and losing its shape and colour, a grain of wheat can produce a hundredfold.

“ I am the bread of life”, he said. Unless bread is crushed and eaten it cannot bring life and health. He is the bread crushed for the life of the world.

The night before he died, “taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist”, he knelt,  and washed the feet of his friends, eloquently and powerfully, giving a lesson that that our life is meant to serve and to be given.

“He took some bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it”. This is the last sermon he preached, before his death, a  sermon in action. It is the summary of his life and preaching. He was chosen and consecrated by the Father, sent into the world to be broken, and given for the life of the world.

This is a summary of what our lives are meant to be - ‘chosen, consecrated, broken and given’.

The Cross was not a misfortune that came to Jesus at the end of his life. It was for this he was born. He was born onto a Cross. He lived in the shadow of the Cross, and the theme of the Cross is what he lived and taught, the Beatitudes are the victory anthem of those weighed down by the Cross, the stable, the salt, the light, the bread, and the grain of wheat, the towel, are all the Stations of the Cross.  Finally, when the Cross came, he embraced it and gave himself for all on it, and after three days the ‘Grain of Wheat’, sprouted and came forth, yielding a hundredfold for the life of the world. “ It is by giving that we receive, it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

                                                 -        Fr T.V.George sdb

 

 

                               

To be Broken and Given

He was born in a crib and died on a Cross. He had the company of animals when he was born and two thieves when he died. His birth was announced to the shepherds first and he chose fishermen to be his apostles. He lived in Nazareth and was known as a Carpenter’s son.  

“You are the light of the world”, he said. The moment a light is lit, it begins to die. Light is light only if it gives. A torch or a candle is not meant to be safely locked up because it fears death. Its identity is to give and to die.

Again he said, ”You are the salt of the earth."  Salt is meant to be thrown into the boiling water. Only by losing its shape and size, it can give taste. It serves its purpose by dying and giving. 

Again he taught, ”Unless a grain of wheat falls and dies, it remains a single grain.” Only by going under the mud and losing its shape and colour, a grain of wheat can produce a hundredfold.

"I am the bread of life”, he said. Unless bread is crushed and eaten it cannot bring life and health.

The night before he received his cross, “taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist”, he knelt and washed the feet of his friends, eloquently and powerfully giving a lesson that our life is meant to serve and to be given.  

“He took some bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it.” Here is the last sermon he preached, before his death. A sermon in action. It is a summary of his life and preaching. He was chosen by the Father, sent into the world, consecrated to be broken, and given for the life of the world.  Here is a summary of what our lives are meant for, ‘to be broken and given’.   

The cross was not a misfortune that came to Jesus at the end of his life. It was for this he was born. He was born onto a cross. He lived in the shadow of the cross, the theme of the cross is what he lived and taught, the Beatitudes are the victory anthem of those weighed down by the cross, the stable, the salt, the light, the bread, and the grain of wheat, the towel, are all the Stations of the Cross.  Finally, when the cross came,  he embraced it and gave himself for all on it, and after three days the ‘Grain of Wheat’, sprouted and came forth, yielding a hundredfold for the life of the world. “It is by giving that we receive, it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." 

                                                       - Fr T.V. George sdb

 

 

 

 

                                                    

                                                        
 

 

                        

Betraying with a smile

“ Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish  with me will betray me” Mt.26:19

 I have been a Priest for close to forty years. Today for the first time I found myself pausing, hesitating before I dipped the sacred host into the chalice before communion. It was something that I did casually and routinely all these years. But today I was disturbed by the words of Jesus in the Gospel, “ Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish  with me will betray me”

In the forty years I have been a priest, I believe, I have mostly been homebound, presbytery bound, obeyed, worked hard,  not wandered very far, stayed mostly close to the house, close to the altar. I have not been a rebel, or squandered the property of my institute. Jesus’ words disturb me because he says someone close to him, who eats bread with him, dips hands into the dish with him,  will betray him.

‘Am I the one?’

 During our long journey of life we come across so many people. The great majority we don’t bother, they come for a while and go like the ones we meet in the market. But there are those few who are close to us, with whom we spent time, we party with, with whom we share our joys and sorrows. They know us well. We know them too. We share some common secrets.  If one of these betrays us we feel it terribly. The closer we are to a person, the more the hurt.

I remember some time back a friend of mine so angry and upset with me because I have not contacted him for some time. He had a rough time the last few years.  I did not bother to find out how he is or where he is. He was angry because he thought I left him alone during his painful moments. The closer we are the greater the expectation, the more the pain of betrayal.

Christ must have been very close to Judas. Judas was the guardian of the finance of the group. Such a  job needs a lot of trust and confidence. Perhaps Mathew was better qualified for the job, yet Judas got the job.  No doubt he was very close to the Lord. He had a privileged place at the Last Supper. They were close to each other, sharing bread together. Jesus felt betrayed that Judas could share the meal with such a straight face and a cynical smile. Judas was a good actor.  When he went out of the room,  others thought he had gone out to do some urgent task. Since Christ and Judas shared a special friendship no one bothered even to find out.

It is not that those far from us don’t betray or speak against us. They do. But we are not much bothered. But those close to us, when they do, we feel it. It is those close to the altar, close to the master, professed to imitate and love him,  who hurt him most.

The friends of the king, hurt him much when they did not come for the marriage of his son. The words of the elder son hurt the father more because he was with him and should have known him better. Where there is love only, there can be hurts. Christ loved Judas. So he felt hurt. A friend who could share the same meal, and celebrated the same party, could in the same night, turn to be a betrayer! Peter too, turned out to be a betrayer. While Peter denied on the spur of the moment to save his skin, Judas’ action was premeditated and schemed.  He even looked to gain something out of it.

‘What will you give me?’ How we continue to look for some gain from the position, the trust, the job we are entrusted with? For some gain, few coins, for little more influence and name, for greater circle of friends and company, we continue to betray. Money corrupts, betrays, and kills. And finally, it will turn on us and claim us too.

-        Fr T.V. George sdb