Sunday, July 24, 2016

July 24 The Lord's Prayer

We Christians are called to be experts in prayer.  In today's gospel disciples ask Jesus to teach us to pray. What is prayer? Catechism of the church says, prayers is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of Good things from God. If you google, Google gives you an answer. Google says prayer is a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God. Then What's prayer for you and me? I would like to think prayer is a communication and this whole process called prayer has to become our life. We can't separate prayer from our life. 
I will start with a story from St. Francis of Assisi. A student Friar asked Francis, can you teach me how to pray? Francis and this particular student friar went to a mount to pray. Francis said, let us pray the prayer our father. Francis gave a bucket to the friar And said when you finish one our father you will put one stone in the bucket and I will do the same. They started prayer and spent the whole night. When sun raised student friar saw his bucket is full but francis is still holding his first stone. He waked francis and francis said to the brother, sorry brother, when I started thinking of our father I couldn't pray anything other than thinking of him. For francis prayer is everything even his life. Franciscan thinkers say that Francis became prayer himself. 
There are many stories about prayer. 
John viani used to see a farmer every morning in the church, before he goes to work. He asked what are you praying? He said, I look at Jesus, Jesus looks at me. That was the prayer of the farmer.
Whatever is our prayer form we are all called to be people of prayer. 

Today we are too busy and sometime our work become intoxicating or exhausting that we can't  find time in prayer. Jesus was highly wanted or sought after people but he found time to hide in the mountain to pray. The disciples must be also feeling overwhelmed and intoxicated by ministry. That's why they asked teach us to pray.  
Jesus taught our father the prayer we call as Lord's Prayer. This prayer is said by every Christian. What does this prayer means?
The prayer starts with 'Our father'. Jesus is not calling my father, he calls our father. it's a community prayer. It talks about our new family and new relationship. We are brothers and sisters in one God the father. This father is father of everyone, Asian, European, American and African. Secondly, God is addressed in great intimacy. The word 'Abba' means Pappa, dad. And this father is in heaven and His name is holy. What does this mean ? It means heaven is our destiny and God must be highest value in life. Only God be praised by me. Your Kingdom come.  What's the kingdom teaching by Jesus? Peace, compassion, non violence, healing etc. when God become central value of everyone's life the kingdom is here on earth as in heaven. We wish God's kingdom on earth. 
Give us this day daily bread- the word used in Aramaic is epi usione. This word is not used much in Aramaic. It means 'super substantial bread'. What are we praying? For daily bread, yes. But we are praying for more than that- food that feeds the soul. We need that bread. 
Forgive us - it's the central teaching of Jesus. When we pray think about broken relationship, people who did hurt us. And this prayer reminds us of God's forgiveness and call to forgive others. Jesus did many things but the main purpose of his coming is to forgive our sins. We are called to be agents of forgiveness. Then finally do not lead us to temptation but deliver us from evil.  We are in a midst of spiritual struggle and this prayer is asking the Lord to deliver us. 

A disciple asked guru why I can't feel to pray?
He said its because you are afraid to look in to yourself. 

Mother Teresa worked day and night in the street of Calcutta. Indian express one of the leading news papers wrote about mother Teresa:
'The wonder worker of gutters of Calcutta begins her day with one hour adoration. 
Dear brothers and sisters, let us be people of prayer'. And let us find time to be with the Lord. 
Fr. John Pozhathuparambil


Sunday, July 10, 2016

July 10th Good Samaritan


Everything is on the bible; parables, miracles is about Jesus. Today's story is about Samaritan- Samaritan means some one who helps the stranger. We have heard and reflected this passage many times and encouraged us to be Good Samaritan to others.We are going to see this story in a different way as the fathers of the church teaches us. According to them this story is of God's love- how Jesus saves a fallen human being. This story explains what happens when we sin. When devil robs us from the love of God, we loose senses of Truth, proper functioning of our will and has very dysfunctional spiritual life.
This man in the story is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jerusalem is God's city, symbol of ordered life, spiritual growth. Jericho is city of sin, symbol of dysfunctional soul and spiritual life. This man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho means he is going away from the friendship of God, going away from religion, spiritual life. This story is of all men who fall from the friendship of God to a dysfunctional spiritual life. On the way he fell in the hands of robbers.
Who are the robbers? They are evil spirit. This man is attacked by evil spirit. There is something humiliating about every robbery. More than loosing our valuable things, we feel humiliated, we feel we lost our security. It's the same with someone who looses friendship with God. He feels humiliated, ashamed and Insecure. 
Three ways of attack- laziness, bargaining, evil personification.
Not only he is attacked, this man is stripped off which means he lost his even his dignity. Stripping off in the biblical language is loosing one's dignity. When slaves were taken one place to another, they were naked, this action was telling they are stripped of their dignity. When evil spirit attacks he tries to take off our dignity, dignity as sons and daughters of God. One more thing follows after this: they beat him and went off leaving him half dead. When we loose friendship with God, we are half dead and we are Helpless. He is beaten up by sins and he is helpless.
A priest  and Levite came. They symbolize the religion of the time. They are also going from Jerusalem to Jericho. It's showing the fallen religion. They are also going away from God. Religion is good  and I have given my life but if it looses its spirit, it's not good at all.
Here comes now the portrait of Jesus and who Jesus is. 
Jesus himself Is the Samaritan in the story. When we are fallen in sin and beaten by sins and half dead and helpless. It's Jesus who can help you to get back to your life. 
Look at the story closely, Samaritan man approached him and poured oil and wine in his wounds. This explains the Sacramental life of the church. Jesus approaches us when we are helpless and wounded by sins. Oil is the sacramental life- we use oil for baptism, anointing of sick. It's so powerful and heals us. Wine is the symbol of Eucharist. Jesus heals our wounds of sin by pouring his blood to our wounds. If you feel today you have traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho and beaten and half dead by sins, Jesus says, I am the Good Samaritan do not worry, I will help you to heal. I will pour my blood and body to regain you.
He pays two silver pieces. What are the two silver pieces mean? This means Jesus has paid back for us to save us from the sin. And he is the Good Samaritan who gives his life in order that we will have life. 

Fr. John Pozhathuparambil OFMConv.