Mission Sunday

I still remember a story told to me when I was small. It is a story of a war prone country where every thing in that country was destroyed. In a small town of that country there stood a church that was partly destroyed. One day the priest of that parish got together some people and started to rebuild the church, when they a found the Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had no hands. The people decided to buy a new statue, but the priest took the statue and placed it on the broken alter and put a board close to it saying “I have no hands but yours”. These words always keep ringing in my ears.”

Today the church celebrates Mission Sunday. And when we hear this word Mission, we immediately think of Mother Theresa or priest and nuns working in the interior parts of our country, however this is only partly true. We all are call to be missionaries in the world, and our mission field is right here, in our parish, the place where we stay and the place where we work. All of us through baptism are consecrated, called, set apart to be missionaries for God, to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God. And how are we to do this. I have selected three main areas in which we could do this.


The first area is the world at large. Ecological Mission we can call it. Our planet is fast degenerating. Plants and Animal life are fast dying. The water we drink in not safe any more. Our roads are full of pollution; our streets, our gutters & garbage bins are littered with plastics bags. According to a recent study, scientists say that plastics can survive for about 600 to 700 years on this planet. In the midst of this what is my respond to this? We are reminded of the Genesis story of creation: “God created the world and saw it was good”. We are call to be a missionary in this area. To save our planet & to use less fuel and plastic as possible. So our children may have a better future.

The second area where we are called to be a missionary is in our very own parish. We all are called to be missionaries in building the Church of God, not the physical structure, but the People of God, of which you all are a part. The question we can ask ourselves here is “do we take an active part in the church activities”. According to a survey taken, only 10 % of the parishioners are active in the parish. In one of the parishes in Vasai where I lived for one year, almost every one in the parish was active, including the children. The Youth group in that parish had taken a challenge upon themselves to spread the awareness of the harmful effects of plastics on the soil. They also took up the challenge to go to each village and educate the people on the how to reuse garbage as natural manure for the soil.

Coming back to our parish, we can’t help but ask our selves this question, what is my role in the parish? We have the SCC’s in our parish. Do we support it, by our active participation or do I prefer to live an individualistic life of my family and me. We are called to be missionaries by actively participating in the parish activities and by contribute generously to the church.

The third area is our very own neighborhood, the place where we stay. We are call to be missionaries of Love, which the Father gave us through his Son our Lord Jesus Christ. In the first reading we have seen that we are called to respect the rights of the week and the poor, to respect and welcome strangers, to be compassionate to the distressed and give a listening ear to the lonely. But there are times when we say this is only the work of the Legionaries and the S.V.P. But if we just sit down for a while and think, am I asked to do something supernatural. Can’t I keep a side a few minutes form the hustle and bustle of life to speak a few words of comfort to my neighbors, irrespective if they are Christians or non-Christians? We are all call to be advertisers for the Kingdom of God, by our acts of Love and Charity.

As we celebrate Mission Sunday today, let us ponder on what it means to love my neighbor. One of the best examples that come to mind is the neighborhood group started in certain parishes of Mumbai. Where all members they take up the responsibility to help the authorities in keeping their neighborhood clean & prevent outsiders causing disturbance in the community.

“I have no hands but yours”, we are not call to do great things in life, but in a small way can make a difference. Be it the world at large or our neighborhood, we are called to be missionaries in a small way. Let us make a beginning to day, and as we partake in this Eucharist let us ask the risen Lord to enlighten and strengthen us to carry out His Mission in this world. Amen.

As Children……

As children what can I do, I think the best you can do is to study you lessons, Use less paper and plastics as possible. Avoid unnecessary waste of water and electricity…

28th Sunday of the Year - C

I have just returned for a trip to Kandala, where I did my retreat. The retreat house is situated on a hill, which over sees almost the whole of Kandala. Part of the hill has now been taken over by the Tata’s. They are in charge of laying a pipeline that will being water to our homes in Mumbai. On the last day of the retreat, we took a walk to this place where they were carrying out their work and were stunned to see the work carried out the workers, 200 feet below the surface, working round the clock to complete the work by 31st December this year. And how often we have come home and open the tap and refreshed ourselves without a though or even word of appreciation for the workers who work in such dangerous situation even at the risk of their lives to give us free flowing water in our homes.

If there is one sin that most prevalent today, it is the sin of ingratitude. Quite often my dear brothers & sisters we have taken thing for granted. For example, just because we have taps at home, there should be water. Just because we have gas stove at home, there should bee food on my table, but we forget to thank the people who make these things a reality.

Gratitude is the attitude of the heart. Its not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all other virtues. The word thankfulness is related to Anglo-Saxon version thinkfulness, in other words, to thing of the giver’s kindness. Hence the word thank you is other centered.

But quite often we forget the good that others have done for us. We often act like the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother asked, “What do you say to the nice man?” The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said, “Peel it.”

Being grateful is not confined to a day or a season; it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hour. Once we develop an attitude of gratitude, we will clearly see how much good there is in our life.

Gratitude affirms, It builds up the person, it builds up relationships. But most of us tend to focus so heavily on the negative part of our lives that we barely see the good that counterbalances them, ultimately leading to endless dissatisfaction.

But when our lives are charged with gratitude, we will give thanks for anything or anyone who has benefited us, whether they meant to or not. Imagine a prayer of thanks springing to our lips when someone helps us or when we are in trouble of caught up in a traffic jam, or when the water flows from the tap, or the food is adequate? When gratitude is well established, it is a sign of a heart that has been made right and whole. Gratitude opens the heart and that's why it provides a fine orientation equally to the inanimate, human and divine dimensions of the world.
Take for example the leper in today’s’ gospel. They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off. The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but most terrible part of the disease was that they were separated from their family and from the society they were out cast. No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children.

It was in such a situation that Jesus heal them. But only one turned to give thanks. Here is the key to the whole issue. All were in the same awful position. All prayed and all were healed. Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving. Why: Because He saw a reason to praise. He saw a difference Jesus had made. He saw a change wrought by Christ. He saw an opportunity to praise God.
Where are the other nine? I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends; to hug and kiss the wife and the children; to visit with Mom and Dad; to talk with friends. Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives. But this one, He too loved his wife and children just as much as the others. He too wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others. He too wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others. He too wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others. But he had his priorities in order. He did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser. He put family, friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible. His faith not only saved him but it connected him to the one who could save him.

If we look in to our lives, we see that there are many thing that we to thank the Lord for, the fact that you and I are living today is a proof enough to thank the Lord for his abundant love for us. There are other ways by which we can develop a grateful heart:

First wake up! Wake up to the incredible universe and the surprises that occur every day around you. Be attentive to every surprise each day. As long as nothing surprises us we will walk through life in a daze. Wake up and thank the Lord for them.

Two, become aware of the opportunities. Instead of focusing on your discomfort or your problem, focus on the opportunities that are ahead of you. If one door is closed, don’t get discouraged, have faith God will open hundred other doors for you.

Three, respond alertly. Once we become awake to the surprises that are around us every day and we become aware of the opportunities that are open to us, we should be attentive to our responses. We can curse the sudden rain shower or we can see it as a surprise gift. Look at it as a gift form God to cool the atmosphere. Be alert to the way you respond to an opportunity. If you catch yourself being negative every time, it is time to check your attitude.

And finally take time every day to review the process. Look back over the day and ask your self how many times was I surprised?
· Did I just walk through the day in a daze or did I appreciate every precious moment?
· Was I too busy to notice life and all of its surprises going by?
· If I was awake did I notice the opportunities?
· Did I stop and smell the flowers?
· Did I say hello to the neighbor?
· And finally, was I alert enough to respond to the opportunities that were there for me?
· Did I over look the gift within the gift because it didn’t look attractive?

This recipe for grateful living sounds very simple and it is. But just because it is simple it does not mean that it is simple to do. Like all things that are life changing it takes practice. And like dancing, it only becomes truly enjoyable when you are no longer thinking about every step.

This week we have a perfect opportunity to start practicing. Of being grateful for all that people do for us and to thank God for the all that he does for us. Amen.

Thanksgiving Day Sermon

Thanksgiving Day Sermon

We're not very good at saying "Thank you," are we? We're like a little boy I heard about. On his return from a birthday party, his mother queried, "Bobby, did you thank the lady for the party?"

"Well, I was going to. But a girl ahead of me said, 'Thank you,' and the lady told her not to mention it. So I didn't."

Today is Thanksgiving Day. Today, of all days, we want to say "Thank you." But before we can do that, we need to count our many blessings. "Count your blessings!" That is excellent advice, but sometimes we have to recognize them first!

I still remember my first retreat I made as a youth. The preacher made us make a list of all the positive & negative things in our lives, and as usual, the negative out numbered the positive. This is because, the human mind, quite often focuses on the negative. This is the main reason why we can never count the blessing God has showered on us, and so never feel like saying Thank You.

If you visit any family in the parish, the first thing they share is their problems they are facing. No one ever thinks of sharing the wonderful family they have and the wonderful relationship they enjoy in the family. No child shares how good cook his/her mother is. Quite often we take this for grants. While on the other hand quite a few of us don’t know who to accept compliments. If you tell a lady, Unty, the curry is superb, I am sure she will turn around and say, only the curry, what about the rice & the vegetable. Or may be she will say, “only today is good, what about yesterday and all the days in the past that I have been cocking.”

I sincerely feel that we need to get into the habit of thanking people for all that they have done, and the best place to begin with is our own families. Quite often we take them for granted. We never thank our parents for giving us Birth, good educations, taking care of us when we were sick, or even staying awake all night to look after us. Parents we too need to thank our children for being such good children, of course there are time when that make mischief, but they are children. You can’t expect Fr. Austin & Me to make mischief. But we need to thank them for doing the small works at home. Once we get into this habit, we will surely have a happy family.

There is another person who we must never forget to thank, and that is Our God.

What Do We Give Thanks For:
First of all, we should thank God for life. He has made us and formed us. Only in Him do we live and move and have our being. Only in Him do we have the ability to think, enjoy and respond to the wonders of his creation. Only in Him can we jump and run and play and learn. Only in Him can we eat and sleep and love. So we thank God for life.

Second, we should thank God for health. Many of our members suffered health problems this past year. It seems it is only when we face sickness that we appreciate health and strength.

Third, we should thank God for providing for our physical needs. Yes, some of us could have more things or better things; even so, we have food, clothes on our bodies, a roof over our heads, may be a car or a bike. These are common material things, but they do not come by chance. We know these are gifts from the Giver above. We also know that in quite a few places in our own country, these things are a luxury.

Fourth, we should also thank God for our families. For some people, it is painful to remember family relationships broken by death or divorce. But even as we feel such grief, we can be thankful for those who uphold us and love us still. Our families are precious. Thanksgiving is a time for husbands to thank Almighty God for their wives, and for wives to thank God for their husbands; for parents and children to thank God for each other; for all of us to thanks God for the companionship of friends.

Finally, and most important, we should thank God for grace and salvation. In Christ God has blessed us with every sort of spiritual blessing. He has taken us who were lost in sin and evil and renewed us to be like Christ. He has removed from us the fear of judgment and everlasting hell fire.

There are times, of course, when we all are tempted to feel ungrateful. At such times it is good for you to contemplate the good things God has done for you. May I offer this suggestion: when you get home write on a card small enough to fit into your wallet, 10 great things God has done for you. Then, whenever you are tempted to feel ungrateful, pull out that card and start thinking about the mercies you have written down. By thinking about God's past provision, you'll be encouraged to trust in His power to provide and protect in the present. Amen