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We hear and read the word of God very many times but sometimes quite unexpectedly  something strikes. In today's gospel the soldiers respond to those who sent them to arrest Jesus, "No man has ever spoken like this man," Jn. 7:46.  It is interesting to note that it is not always the learned who are touched by the Lord rather the ones who acknowledge the sinfulness and let the Lord speak to them. The gospel speaks to directly to those of us who claim to be possessing knowledge of religion. I am reminded of the three surprises Bp. Fulton J. Sheen speaks about. He says when we reach heaven that we may meet people whom we never imagined them to be there. That's the first surprise! The second surprise is that we may not meet those whom we expected to meet! The third is that we have reached heaven!  Indeed no one has ever spoken like Jesus! Let us say like the prophet, 'speak Lord, your servant is listening.'

The season of Lent is obviously an opportune time to reflect on the way we live, the motive behind all that we do. I suppose there is something that drives us to do all that we do and be the way we are. Depending on what drives us we either flourish or don't.  Most often - on close self-examination at least I find - we are driven by fear of what others say or feel about us. While it is good to be concerned about the feelings of others, it isn't right to completely subscribe to all that people say and make it our motive for doing or not doing what is good. Life must have a purpose and we need to live for that purpose consciously. Jesus is the best example for this. His disciples were not quite happy when he decided to suffer and die. Peter rebuked Him in fact. But Jesus went ahead keeping the purpose of life in mind.  There could only be one driving force in our lives i.e., the 'love of Christ' as St. Paul candidly puts it. "For the love of Christ urges..,...

A friend of mine suggested that I read Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life as part of my Spiritual Exercise. I read the same book a couple of years back. So, with reluctance picked up the same book again. I knew that it was worth reading again but all the same didn't have the interest I once had to read the books of that sort. I must confess that re-reading the book was an experience beyond my wildest expectations. I was truly in touch with myself and found the thirst for prayer that I lost sometime back.  The first title of the exercise is   it all starts with God. Modern world is rather too  focused on the individual self. It has lost the sense of the divine as a consequence. The results of considering the individual self as the agent of happiness are too obvious. Unfortunately, the results are often undesirable than positive. Perfectionism is one of the results of focusing too much on oneself. This happens to us, religious! Perfectionism is no...

The assembly elections in poll-bound states soon after the general elections 2014 have witnessed so far a worrisome and troublesome phenomena. The Indian political discourse by and large revolved around certain values such as 'unity in diversity,' 'brotherhood' and 'secularism'. Unfortunately the values for which our political leadership stood so far have vanished all of a sudden. Day by day there are new threats to values and people who stand for. I base my observations on facts available to anyone who is intellectually open. I was pleasantly surprised when the Union Government of India called 1994 massacre of Sikhs in the capital a genocide. It was indeed a welcome move. I am sure if this massacre is to probed without political motives, it is certainly alleviate the pain of those who await justice. However, I can only call this dubious stance of a political party which leaves no stone unturned to capture power in the capital. If you are so concerned ab...

Watch out my country men may keep you endlessly laughing though they may not look like one, rather their positions don’t suggest one. But they are seriously joking! 68 years after Independence my country has not assured basic amenities of life to millions. 68 years after Independence we have not yet woken to the realities of life – to the hunger of millions, desperation of the oppressed, to the cry of infants and to the anger of the unemployed. It seemed to me that all our problems are due to the selfishness and sluggishness of the rulers. But I was pleasantly surprised that these (the problems of the country) would vanish all of a sudden if my countrymen follow one particular religion and every woman bears four children, nay, ten children. My God what a sight will that be to see every home having ten children! While foreigners would come and ‘Make in India’ Indians would be making homes – don’t misunderstand me, think about it very seriously. While Chinese intrude the border...

Prime Minister Modi's recent initiative 'Clean India' or Swachh Bharat found takers even among his rivals and critics. While we join our national leaders in emphasizing the need to create 'Swachh Bharat,' I think there is also a pressing need to kick start a Clean Mind drive. What do we mean by clean mind drive? As garbage thrown out poses a great challenge to us, the unwanted things taken in pose a challenge - the individual concerned and to the society at large - worth considering. In the wake of fanaticism, violence, individualism it is worth a discussion.  Even as one travels one can notice bill boards, magazines which have little or nothing to do with enhancing the lives of people. Often times one comes across more slander and gossip than anything of value. This is what we call it as 'the garbage of the mind.' More and more this is getting accumulated in the mind than anything of value. Who are the takers of these? Mostly the young people. It harm...

I thought of penning down a few reflections even as I sat tired and upset. Of many things that passed through the mind something struck me very honestly. I suppose this is something very common in our lives. Whether we like it or not many a time we either are scapegoat or make others to be. We are upset when we are made to be scapegoats by someone and hardly do we realize when we make someone to be. I wish to share about someone whom I make a scapegoat to be whenever I am slighted and insulted. This  person is Jesus Christ Himself. Whenever I meet with difficulties, my goings become tough I feel easy to severe my relationship with one person and that person is Jesus. The intellect tells me that I should turn to Him in my moments of difficulty rather than severing my ties with Him by blaming Him for all the pain - for which most often directly or indirectly I am the cause. In actuality I do what is done to me.  There is something special about this person whom I make a scap...