Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Amos 6: 1-7|1 Timothy 6: 11-16|Luke 16:19-31

Let us be Merciful to One another

Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical period drama film, directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and scripted by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally, an Australian novelist. The film is based on the life of Oskar Schindler, an ethnic German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. When the war started, he saw it as an opportunity to make money. He made friends with some of the German officials and worked out a deal with them to use Jewish prisoners as free labor for his weaponries factory. Since he didn't have to pay his workers, he was able to rake in a handsome profit. But little by little his eyes opened to the horrors of the Nazi regime. His heart changed, and he started using his factories and his connections with German officers to save his Jewish workers from the Holocaust. He used the money he had made during the early part of the war to "buy" more and more Jewish workers, just so he could save their lives. By the end of the war he was as broke as he had been at the beginning, but he had managed to save hundreds of Jews from being murdered. In the last scene of the movie, the Germans are fleeing as allied troops approach the town where the factory is located. We see Schindler surrounded by the workers whom he had saved, and they are thanking him.

But then Schindler starts to cry. He looks around at the faces of the people he saved, and he tells them, "I could have done so much more." He holds up his gold watch, and he says, "This could have bought someone's freedom." He cries out that if he had started sooner he could have saved twice as many. Every face he sees makes him think of another face that he could have saved if he had been less self-centered. He is completely troubled. Schindler had experienced firsthand the destructive power of the sin of omission.[i]

Once again, we are reflecting the story of Lazarus and the rich man. We have heard about this story number of times and I believe that this is more meaningful to reflect in the year of Mercy. The Story is about the sin of lack of Mercy and we can say it was merciless indifference.

The rich man in Jesus’ story did not commit any serious sins in our concept. It doesn’t speak about it. He did not kill anybody; neither was he a Mafia king nor involved in human trafficking. He was a pretty good guy in our definition of holiness. And yet he failed to enter into eternal life. Why?

St. Bonaventure in his commentary on Luke says, “[ii]the circumstances of the poor man shows that he was worthy of Mercy and consequently that the rich man was merciless and impious. For the poor man was sick, abandoned and he was a man dear to God and Just”. But the rich man was so self-centered and he closed his heart to a neighbor who desperately needed his help.

Indifference is becoming an iconic quality of our time. Why should I enter into others business? Why should I bother about other’s life? I don’t have to waste my time for you? I am sorry, I am not the right person to help you, and I have something else to do… These are the often quoted comments that we hear now a days. Indifferent to life and society is now fashionable and we have no problem to accept it. I am happy as far as my life is safe. I have no problem whatever happens around me.

My mind makes me to think with Marin Niemoller, a German Lutheran Pastor and theologian, he says:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me[iii]

Brothers and Sisters, Self-centeredness and individualism kills the goodness in us, Kills the society and the nation. It is not our riches and wealth that is evil but it is our attitude and the love towards them make it sin. Whenever we hear about the story of the Lazarus, we point our finger to all the rich people around us and consider ourselves in the position of Lazarus. Is the money only the wealth? Don’t we consider our other resources like, time, energy, health, knowledge etc. as part of our wealth? I believe that we all are blessed with different talents and those are our wealth. Therefore we are rich enough to share it with others. We can no longer say that I am poor and sharing is someone else business. The gospel is so clear we can never be indifferent to others’ life.

Let me conclude it with a wonderful quote that appeared on our freshmen T- Shirt this year: Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.

Let us be merciful like the Father. Amen

Tony Friar Vattaparambil

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[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schindler%27s_List

[ii] Works of Bonaventure, commentary on the Gospel of Luke Vol VIII, Part 21523.

[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...#Author

23rd Sunday Homily

Today the whole world is in happiness, the mother of everyone especially the poorest of the poor, is canonized  by Pope Francis. I am proud as an Indian that she is the fourth Indian Saint. There is no one like mother Teresa who loved the poor, who dedicated the whole life for the poorest of the poor of Calcutta in India. We may not see another icon like mother Teresa in our life time again. She is something beautiful for God.

Mother Teresa’s life began in Yugoslavia in 1910 and ended in Calcutta India on September 5th 1997. She served 69 years the poor people. Received 127 awards and Nobel price of 1979. 4500 followers working in different parts of the world. You may know mother Teresa received Bellarmine Award in 1981 and visited Bellarmine 1982. Her speech is so beautiful and inspiring. 

By this canonization Pope Francis is highlighting the merciful side of the church  in the jubilee year of mercy. 

Father Brian, the priest who campaigned for her sainthood says,“Even in popular culture she’s identified with goodness, kindness, charity,” 

In her words, I took vow of poverty to understand the poor and their life better. 

One day a journalist saw mother caring a man in the street who had wounds all over his body, she told motherTeresa, mother, I wouldn't have done this work if I was given a million dollars. Mother Teresa replied, I also wouldn't have done this work if someone has given me a million dollars, I do this just because of Jesus and I see Jesus in them. 

Mother Teresa says, to understand the poor 1. we have to have a life of prayer and 2. we have to have to have relation with Jesus. Mother Teresa many times in her speeches reminded us in the speech she gave at Bellarmine the story in the Luke's gospel where mother Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. According to her this is a story of outreaching to needy. She says, the moment Jesus came to Mary's womb she hasted to help her cousin. She went there to help her washing, cooking and cleaning. Small things but with love. She knew Elizabeth needed her. 

Mother Teresa says, every time we receive Jesus we must have that joy and haste to give Jesus. We should have haste and joy to help others. 

In the city of Calcutta, her sisters receive Jesus in the morning in the form of the Eucharist and the whole house is moving to give Jesus to others. What a beautiful concept. Our celebration of mass  shouldn't end here it should move us to give Jesus to others. 

Dalai Lama asked Buddhists to follow the path of mother Teresa. He said mother  is the incarnation of Maha Karuna (immeasurable compassion)and Dalai Lama says, she represents love without distinction and compassion for all humanity and her love expressed through humble service.

Arch bishop was talking to students at St. X and sharing a an experience, someone in America asked mother Teresa how can I serve poor people? To serve poor, She said,  you do not have to go to India, they are on your door steps. Yes, they are here around us. They may be one of your siblings, Neighbors, co workers, friends
They may not be hungry for a piece of bread but they may be hungry for love, they may not be naked for a piece of cloth but they may be naked because they lost human dignity. They may not be homeless for a room but they may be homeless for human love and touch. Yes, they are on our door steps. The alcoholic man you meet in your street is Jesus, the homeless man you see on the street is Jesus. She said give them a smile and from smile you start your love.

She says, love is not a luxury of few but it is a simple duty of everyone. She asks, give your smile to everyone. 

Today's gospel teaches us 'If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" We may feel our religion is odd, Jesus asking to hate? It's not Jesus asking us to hate but asking us to give priority to God and things of God. That's what mother Teresa did, she gave priority to love God and to do what he wants us to do. Mother Teresa is a great example of discipleship explained in today's gospel. She left everything for the sake of the gospel. 

Pope Francis said in his canonization homily, Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defence of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded.  She was committed to defending life, ceaselessly proclaiming that “the unborn are the weakest, the smallest, the most vulnerable”.  She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity; she made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created.  For Mother Teresa, mercy was the “salt” which gave flavour to her work, it was the “light” which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering.

One thing mother Teresa taught me personally and all Christians in India to open our hearts and love people beyond their religion. In my country 97% of people are other religions( that's billions of people) and she taught me they are also children of God and they too will receive heaven if they do good. Her words always inspired me. She said once when asked about conversion, she said, this is my point view of conversion, if you are Hindu be a good Hindu, if you are a Muslim be a good Muslim, if you are a Protestant be a good Protestant, if you are a Buddhist be a good Buddhist. She wanted people to come closer to God (however they understood Him) and believed that in this way they would also come closer to each other, love one another, and ultimately create a world that is better for everyone to live in.


You all know that I am from India where mother Teresa worked as a missionary.  I wished but unfortunately I could ever see  Mother Teresa but I have received a blessing and signature from Mother Teresa! I am so happy Tomorrow this signature will turn in to a relic. 
I receive this blessing and signature when I was a philosophy student in 1996. I was editing a handwritten magazine for the seminarians. I had crazy idea of getting mother's signature for the magazine. I asked one of our Friars to paint her picture on a letter size card and I posted mother Teresa with covering return postage. I was eagerly waiting and the next day we heard she fell sick and was in ICU. I lost hope but she recovered and the first thing she did after her recovery is to send her blessing to us. We keep this as a precious memory( the picture is on the top).  She put a card with it and it said: 

fruit of SILENCE is Prayer
The fruit of PRAYER is Faith
The fruit of FAITH is Love
The fruit of LOVE is Service
The fruit of SERVICE is Peace

Let us celebrate mother Theresa loving everyone and giving our joy to every one 


Fr. John Pozhathuparambil