The Octave of Christmas and its search - Fr Conrad Saldanha

It’s the week of the Christmas Octave. Eight days of special celebrations! There are various ways in which we could celebrate - a party with games and frolic, with food and booze, with special friends or relatives, or away from the maddening crowd.

How about an exploration trip? Exploring to find meaning in the things of life or exploring to find that ultimate truth of life: God Himself.

At times people - keep themselves busy to avoid, or to forget the realities of life. Some even run away from a place or country in order to wash from their memory the bitter moments experienced.  On the other hand, we have those, who will go to extremes, to eliminate others, who are a threat to their lives for their very existence, (of the latter) could bring about their downfall.  In the Holy Scriptures, we have Herod seeking the life of Jesus, and thus we have the feast of the Holy Innocents.

Truth is difficult to face and sometimes we tend to shade it with our own color and tint. Truth causes us no harm but we could feel insecure and threatened by its presence.

What is Truth? -  Conformity to fact or actuality; Faithfulness to the original or to a standard. For us Christians, Truth is to be found in the person of Christ Jesus, in conformity to His mindset and faithfulness in emulating His example, as seen in the Gospels.

Truth is not always what we believe it to be or what we are convinced about. The documents of Vatican Council II says;” Truth is not immanent to man”. In other words, we could be having a brain storming session to try to reach the truth and yet may not arrive at the truth. 

Understanding this reality then could be disappointing and depressing. The great philosophers who understood this, acknowledged the reality of searching for and viewing things from one’s own perspective. Yet this does not mean that there is no such thing as objective truth.  Truth sometimes cannot be arrived at, through logic, but we can sense it in our conscience (the inner man). It’s like flies sensing sugar or a well bred dog sensing a distant visitor or animals sensing an oncoming tsunami or earthquake.

Even if reason arrives at some semblance of truth, it is ultimately a leap in faith that makes things possible.  Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hb.11:6). Just knowing or having a sense is not enough, just having a right thought is not enough. One needs to act. Faith is that action which makes things possible because God in his great mercy constantly reveals Himself by means of the Holy Spirit to us as He did first in His Son Jesus (Jn.16:13). Christian Truth is not a derived truth nor is it a man made religion. God came to us in Christ Jesus (Jn.1:14). The eternal Word who was in the beginning with God became flesh and lived among us.

Therefore as Christians we have the divine responsibility to proclaim what we have received, touched and experienced to others (1Jn.1:1-3). Yet we may give of what we have intellectually learnt about the Truth. Dishing out what is abstract concerning the truth.

I am the Truth (Jn.14:6). Look no further. Unfortunately, there are many who have begun in Christ and are looking elsewhere; in other religious beliefs and philosophies and New Age practices.

There are those in responsible positions but with irresponsible mindsets who proclaim and promote all kinds of syncretistic teachings and thoughts. Truth for them is a search for that elusive human wisdom that is mired in a lie and is the domain of the evil one.

As for us, we count on the mercy of God who guides His chosen ones with the help of His Holy Spirit and continues to lead us into all truths (Jn.16:13).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the one the world should be looking for as their ultimate find (treasure). Come Holy Spirit and help me in my ongoing search that I may be open to your wisdom and your power working in me so that I may be transformed in every way to be God’s instrument

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE - Fr Conrad Saldanha

The Christmas season, brings with it, eager anticipation and feelings of Joy and hope, May be it’s the melody of carols sung and heard, combined with aroma of culculls and neoris (local sweets), or just that Christmassy feeling in the chill, crisp, cold air!

          Those were beautiful moments, when the family, came together to prepare the Christmas sweets.  Then the Christmas midnight mass, which the entire family attended seated together in Church, followed by a little social gathering. I remember also those moments during my childhood years, when our family got together, for a special spring cleaning.

         Spring cleaning meant, getting rid of old, unwanted stuff, and disposing these into the trash can. This implied moments of indecision. Many impromptu decisions seemed hard to make because of special attachments to these things. Yet it had to be done. If not these unwanted materials continued to occupy that precious extra space in our home.

        What begins in Advent as the Christian New Year, culminates at Christmas; the new beginning with God coming to us in Christ Jesus. What a wonderful way to celebrate a New Year!  God with us: Emmanuel. God with us we are able to accomplish much more than the world can dream of! Yet we as Christians look forward to the subsequent New Year few days later. 

         According to Jewish oral tradition (Mishna) the creation of the world was completed on the day they celebrate New Year.  It is also referred to as the Day of Judgment both in the oral tradition and the Jewish Liturgy.

          The above belief from Jewish thought and tradition also holds good for us, Christians too, in our New Year (Christmas). It is on this day of His incarnation, that God in Christ Jesus comes to take back what is His, viz. the completed created world lost on account of man’s sin (Jn. 3:16).

               His coming also means a moment of judgment. For man, it’s a decision he has to make on the basis of the choice he has before him, viz. either to receive the Saviour or to reject him. Or else judgment will befall the human race (Jn. 3:17-19).

So we have the good news to proclaim:    

16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”. John 3:16-19

                The Jewish New Year is also an occasion of spring cleaning when the old is discarded and the new is ushered in.  Hence it is a beautiful moment for us to prepare to welcome the New Year (Christmas) by the spring cleaning of our hearts by discarding that which is evil and ushering in that which is good. This giving up may not always be easy because it involves being detached from our many sinful attachments and from sin itself.

                 The Sacrament of Confession is a great help in this direction. It is an opportunity to spring clean our hearts. The habits of sin must be discarded, and replaced by new habits, to achieve soundness of mind, and behavior. What is more, we have God himself who comes to us to help us in our weakness. The humble and weak heart can find special joy at Christmas for he even chooses to come into the stable of our heart. When he comes to your stable to stay, rejoice! For you will have the presence and praises of the humble shepherds and the riches of the wise visiting you.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, the judge of the living and the dead you were born to redeem the world for God. Come into our hearts this season and dispel all darkness. Bless all people of good will, that they may recognize you this Christmas and find peace under your wings.

Wishing all you well wishers and friends a very happy and wonderful Christmas and a Bright and prosperous New Year with Jesus!       -------Fr. Conrad Saldanha

Called To Be A Witness

We are called to be witnesses of Christ. John the Baptist was one such witness. The process of witnessing is a long drawn out process born through much learning and experience through our relationship with Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew we see John witnessing to Christ whom he had not seen but encountered through divine intervention and now he wants to make sure through human frailness, if he is the one whom he is witnessing to or should he look for another Mt. 11:3.

Surely, we can witness to only what we have seen and experienced or unless God the sure witness reveals himself to us. A Christian life lived in the power of God’s Holy Spirit leads to such a witnessing. Our witness can only be born of a daily encounter of Christ; divine interventions in our life. This can only happen if we allow ourselves to meet him and involve him in our day to day life.

There are various ways we do it. The primary way of witnessing is by proclamation with our mouth. When the great Archimedes experienced the principle of volume he proclaimed it with his whole being but his mouth was what it spoke and the reason understood. Eureka!

When any court of law summons a witness he has to speak it out though his mouth. Yet we have people in modern day who emphasis the importance of witnessing by deed. Who would say;”Be a witness not in words but in deeds”, and the only way the world can read is the witness of our deed”. What they mean here is this; witness by sound character, high moral standards and exemplary virtues. Though these are good and even to be worked upon but I see in this statement an invitation to be great stage actors and deceivers in the world, unless witnessing is understood in the divine relationship dimension. Words have no value for these.  Yet they will vociferously witness (speak) to this conviction of theirs in strong words and persecuting zeal (deeds).


An example can make us understand this truth better: There was once a table laid with a wide variety of food. The host had kept it there for the elite guest that had come for the party. Though the  food was inviting yet no one came forward to even touch it. They all knew it was meant for them and the host that laid the spread for them yet no one dared to even lift one single morsel from the table. Please, why are you not helping yourself out, please help yourself", said the host. It was only then did the gathering started to gorge on what was laid. 


Though the table spoke by itself, the guest knew that it was meant for them and the host intended yet it was only the announcement that clinched the deal and the guests started feeding on the meal. 


Similarly, any witnessing which limits itself to only deeds  leaves the world hungrier still for the truth of life. It is the greatest injustice of our times to be cowardly silent and justifying our action by talking of the relevance of deeds over speech or even separating the two elements with schizophrenic zeal. 


In scripture we have Jesus witnessing and giving us an instruction in witnessing when John’ s disciples come to him to verify whether he is the one or should they look for another: He says to them; "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them”. -Matt 11:4-5

Here in this text we see both elements of witnessing, the hearing is always given the primary place in witnessing and the deeds of healing deliverance and miracles should follow. Yes healing, deliverance and miracles are above all deeds that witness.

If we are called to witness, we are called to witness to something. We cannot be witnessing to ourselves with probable sound moral qualities and virtues. Even Christ with all his sound moral qualities was criticized and persecuted and hence was no witness to the authorities.  


Many a times humanity is not matured enough to recognize the good from the evil. What is good may be looked at as evil and what is evil may be looked upon as truth. If we were so good at reading good deeds as good deeds and bad as bad then we would not be deceived by the conmen in the world. 


Christ’s call to be his witness is primarily an Invitation to witness to that truth which is able to save us by leading us to God who is our Father. It’s a call to stand before the world court and proclaim Jesus as the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through him (Jn. 14: 7). I say ‘world is a court’ because every human being is a judge and all like to make judgments.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be your witness by daily encountering you. May I daily spend time at your feet. Give me that boldness to share your goodness which I encounter in daily life with others and also not just to pray for others but even pray with them who do not know how to relate with you.

Meaning Of Advent

          What came first the egg or the chicken? One of the most interesting of arguments of the rationalists!

                Irrelevant for those who believe in the existence of God.  But another argument in keeping with Advent is this: What comes first? Whether receiving or giving!

          There is no doubt that we normally first receive and then give. We can only give what we have. So also (humanly speaking) there is greater rejoicing that comes through receiving than through giving. In giving one has to attune oneself to find joy, whereas in receiving one finds joy naturally.

But some wise man may say ‘we can give of ourselves for that is one thing which we need not receive’. That which you have is also that which you have received.

             The daily readings at Advent, focus beautifully on visions of peace and harmony (Is.11 : 1-11).where the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and the goats will be at peace. WOW! what a sight ! But is this only a vision for the future? No!.We could experience this contentment and wellbeing in this life itself, if we allow the Word Of God to touch and transform us.

In Advent Christ comes to us, through a special time of Grace. John the Baptiser’ call to prepare the way of the Lord is an invitation to receive the one who brings joy. It is a call to receive rather than to give. For, to give of our human advice, and of worldly knowledge, is much easier, than, to receive from the Lord’s Word. For receiving from this refreshing source, the Holy Spirit Himself, requires special effort through much reflection and discipline and putting into practice. We find it often irrelevant and boring to receive from His presence.

 

This receiving is necessary for us who are disfigured beyond recognition by the control of sin over our lives. Jesus is the perfect and just one, whose offering of Himself at Calvary, whose giving, is our sure hope and confidence, of restoration of our brokenness. This offer is highlighted for us at Advent.,

Come receive Him by inviting Him into your hearts. Receive Him by asking Him to take charge of your life. Cleanse yourself from the hurts and negativity in your subconscious by inviting Jesus into those still, darkened and wounded areas of your life.

                 Prayer:     Lord Jesus teach me to receive rather than give, for I am nothing without you and can offer nothing. All that I have belongs to you including this very self of mine. What can I offer for I am sinful and miserable? With you in me I shall be made whole and your life giving instrument to others.

Introduction

Dear Friends,

                       Much time (nearly two and half years) have elapsed, since we have met or communicated with each other. Much water has flowed under the bridge during this period. As I reminisce many emotions assail me. But the feelings of amusement are uppermost in my mind. How so? I am amused at how I have, (in the minds of some) gone from good ,to bad, to ugly (in that order) in the space of a couple of years.

                    However in the spirit of Christ (mas), I forgive all who are responsible for false witness and complaints against me. I too seek forgiveness, if, under this pressure, I may have offended some people. May the balm of the Lord’s Spirit soothe and heal all.

                   I believe that the time has now come to establish communication once again so that God’s word may continue to spread (Acts 6:2). Hence this Blog site!  This could become a wonderful opportunity to share knowledge of God’s favorable love as experienced by us, and also an opportunity to post your DD experience with hundreds of like minded people thereby edifying the uninitiated who could reap the fruit thereof. 

                      We are in the midst of celebrating the Catholic New Year:  Advent. The Lord’s coming to rule the earth. As we prepare to welcome him, let us ask ourselves; “Are we ready, like good disciplined soldiers, for the battle of life on this earth?” Let us remember that (DD) Discipline and Discernment will give us, His faithful followers, that special confidence, grace and joy, to welcome Him at His coming again.

                                                                      Maranatha ! Come Lord Jesus come!