St.Kuriakose Elijah’s Chavara: A Lovely Fruit Bearing Branch of Jesus

St.Kuriakose Elijah’s Chavara: A Lovely Fruit Bearing Branch of Jesus !                                          

Jesus, as so often, is working in the passage of the gospel St.John 15:1- 10 with the pictures and ideas which are the part of the religious heritage of Jewish culture. Jesus makes the message very clear that the only one thing that can save us is to have an intimate relationship or a living fellowship with him, because he is the true vine of God. Jesus invites us to be the true branches that are united to him .No external qualification can set a man right with God; only the fellowship of Jesus Christ can do that.

We have an exemplary model in the life of St.Chavara for being united with jesus.In the light of the gospel passage of st.john 15:1-10, the life of St.Chavara could be well understood as a lovely fruit bearing branch of Jesus. Certainly, Jesus will depict him as a lovely fruit bearing branch of him. Because our limited understanding of the amazing personality of St.Chavara leads us to the truth that St.Chavara had nothing except the joy or the friendship of belonging to Jesus.

Let us gratefully reflect over the blessed life of such a great visionary. Though very limited our understanding is, Father Chavara’s life could be summed up in the following reflections

Ø A life of deep and intense prayer which thought and acted far ahead of his times

Ø A man who lived in the light of the vision of God

Ø A charismatic leader of socio-cultural field who laid down his life in the service of humanity

The late Archbishop Mar Mathew Kavukattu wrote about him; “Fr.Chavara was a great Christian and a very holy monk. While he most scrupulously lived the life of a religious, dedicated to the love and service of God, the same divine love inspired him to devote himself as much as he could, to the love and service of men. It is a long and praise worthy record, his varied enterprises and activities for the religious, social and educational advancement of his fellow men.”

What could be the reason behind his manifold achievements? Even without a shadow of doubt or confusion, everybody will agree to the truth that the intimate fellowship with Jesus endowed him with a graceful existence. He had nothing except the joy of belonging to Jesus. St.Chavara writes in one of his letters; “Above all learn the art of loving Jesus, Stay constantly in his presence, and Walk along with him, Converse with him continuously.”

So, the fellowship with Jesus remains as the heart and soul of the spirituality of St.Chavara. He ascended every day to the hand of the heavenly father and descended every day to the needs of the people. He could grow vertically to the presence of God and horizontally to the needs and context of the people. So ascending to the heavenly father and descending to the needs of the people becomes the sole domain of Chavara spirituality.

Every one of us is called to be the part and parcel of this great legacy and heritage; a legacy of deeply pondered reflections, a heritage of serious intellectual discourse and a culture of reaching out people in their needs. Let us thank the lord for blessing the Indian Church with the charismatic leadership of  St.Chavara.

Let us make the efforts to be the faithful inheritors of Chavara spirituality. St.Chavara invites all of us to imprint a tag of God awareness into our psyche and to be the genuine bearers of the spiritual treasures of our catholic faith after the model of St.Charvara. The discontinuity from that consciousness may take us away from the path and dream of such a great visionary of our soil.

Loving Jesus, We pray through the intercession of St.Chavara for the graces to achieve an intimate fellowship with you so that we will become a lovely fruit bearing branch of yourself. May we be enabled to imprint a tag of God consciousness in our heart and soul.

Amen

Love,
Augustine Mlavarayil CMI

മലയാളത്തിൻറെ പുണ്യം !

മലയാളത്തിൻറെ പുണ്യം !

ആത്മനിറവോടെ ആദരവോടെ
പാടുന്നു താതാ നിൻ പുണ്യനാമം
ശ്രീ യേശു ദേവൻറെ നിർമ്മല വഴിയിൽ
ജീവിതമഖിലം നേദിച്ച താതാ
ചാവറയാച്ചാ പുണ്യ പുരോഹിതാ
അനുഗ്രഹ പൂമഴ ചൊരിയേണമേ

സക്രാരി മുന്നിൽ മിഴിനീര് തൂകി
ജന്മം തപം ചെയ്ത താതാ
പ്രാർത്ഥനയെന്നൊരാ ദിവ്യമാം ഭാഷതൻ
തീർത്ഥകനായെന്നെ മാറ്റേണമേ
നന്മതൻ ദർശന വീടൊരുക്കാൻ
വഴിവിളക്കായ് നീ തെളിയണമേ
നിത്യവും നീ നടന്നെത്തിയ പാതകൾ
എന്നുമെൻ കൺകളിൽ തെളിയണമേ

വീടൊരു സ്നേഹക്കൂടെന്നോതി
സ്നേഹപ്രമാണം ചാവുരുൾ ആക്കി
അഗതികൾക്കലിവിൻ കൂടാരം തീർത്തു
അറിവിന്നാ ലയം അങ്ങൊരുക്കി
ആത്മാനുതാപത്തിൻ  വഴിയേ വരാം
ഈ ജന്മം മുഴുവൻ കാഴ്ചവയ്ക്കാം
ജീവിതം  ഈശോ   നാഥനു നൽകിയ
മാതൃക തുടരാൻ  കൃപ അരുളൂ ....

St. Francis of Assisi: a Great Model of Humility and Simplicity

(Gal. 6: 14- 17; Mt. 11: 25-30)                     Augustine Mlavarayil CMI

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will”. In today’s gospel passage, we encounter Jesus praising His Heavenly Father as Lord of heaven and earth. The grateful thanksgiving not of Jesus expresses the reason of His appraisal too. Jesus words of gratitude reveal the profound nature of God, the Father. He hides the mystery of His Kingdom from the wise and the intelligent and revealed them to the infants. This is the true expression of the gracious Will of the Father. This is in fact the logic of mercy. This logic is very well expressed in the election of the apostles and disciples.

The secret of Incarnation is revealed to the disciples who are infants in Wisdom according to the false opinion of men. The mystery of the most perfect divine intervention in the human history which is Incarnation was beyond the comprehension of scribes and Pharisees who pretended to be ‘wise and intelligent.’ Jesus’ reminder in Luke’s Gospel is worth reflecting here, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God” (Lk. 16: 15). As Jesus tells his listeners on another occasion, “Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”(Lk. 13:30). This biblical notion that in the end God will turn everything we know upside down is often called the “Great Reversal.” Mary’s Magnificant, the Beatitude and the parable of the rich and Lazarus are the explicit examples of this ‘Great Reversal.’ To be humble like infants is mandatory for getting an access to the secrets of God’s Kingdom.

The most consoling words of Jesus in this text are “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” Jesus offers Himself as a comforting place of resort for all those who are carrying heavy burdens. The extra ordinary month of mission invites us to think how far we have succeeded in introducing Jesus, the comforting resort to the people who are carrying the heavy burdens of life. Lastly in the Gospel, Jesus invites His listeners to learn of Him the gentle and humble nature.  

The Church celebrates today one of the great saints who was even known as ‘second Christ’ by his committed and radical life of discipleship; St. Francis of Assisi. The Gospel text of today is intimately connected with the life of this great saint. He was an infant before God who tried to adorn himself with the ornament of humility and simplicity. Since he opted himself to be an infant, Jesus could open up the mystery of God’s Kingdom for him. He is well remembered for finding out Jesus as His comforting and consoling resort too. His life teaches the present day missionaries that discipleship is all about having a living relationship with Jesus and thus being conformed to Him. St. Francis is the real model who proclaims by his life that everyone who receives Christ receives peace, the peace that Christ alone can give, a peace which the world cannot give !

"Going up to the mountain" ( = Staying connected to the Divine") : Pre requisite for Healing Ministry !

"Going up to the mountain" ( = Staying connected to the Divine") : Pre requisite for Healing Ministry !
(2 Tim. 3:1-7, Mt. 8:1-4)                           

Augustine Mlavarayil CMI

Today’s gospel passage presents Jesus coming down from the mountain and healing a leper. “Going up to the mountain” for being with His father was the routine of Jesus. The biblical image of someone being on the mountain always refers to “being in the presence of the Lord” or “Staying connected to the Divine.” All of us have received an invitation to be with Jesus on the mountain and to be His missionaries to proclaim the Gospel and to heal the sick. Our Call is to stay connected to the divine always. The Call narrative of Mark 3: 13- 18 clearly points out the two aspects of any vocation: to be with Him and to be sent out. The message is very clear. Someone who is not with the Lord does not have the credibility of taking up the mission of the Lord. To be with the Lord is mandatory for a disciple to be sent out. This challenges us to renew our commitment to be with the Lord. Jesus who goes up to the mountain to converse with His father and comes down to heal His people depicts the ideal body language of any missionary. 

While coming down from the mountain, a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” The leper’s prayer represents the cry of God’s people who are struggling to swim against the struggles of life. The gesture of Jesus stretching out His hands and touching the leper shall be the ideal mind set of the missionaries. As chosen by Jesus our Lord to continue His mission, every missionary is obliged to choose always the option of healing God’s people who are suffering with any form of leprosy. Leprosy of our time could be physical, mental as well as spiritual. This gospel text is a gentle reminder for us to stay connected to the divine on daily basis to eradicate any sort of leprosy in the society, whether it is physical, mental or spiritual.  

The fate of a leper was made worse by the requirement that he/she be isolated from all healthy people. The infected person was required to shout “Unclean! Unclean!” when approached by a healthy person. “He shall dwell alone. Outside of the camp shall be his dwelling” (Lev 13:45-46). In short, the leper was distanced from the society. In such a context, Jesus touching the leper is the pure expression of his compassionate heart. Jesus understood the mental pains and the agony of the leper in front of him caused by the social alienation. Jesus understood that the leper is in need of a loving touch from his part. He knew that nobody might have touched him after his mother made him bath in his child hood. And in fact, the loving touch of Jesus Christ turned out to be a miraculous healing touch. The ability to understand the mental pains and agonies of the people caused by the various social systems or by the different family background would be a trait that could be imbibed from the model of Jesus, the first missionary. The concluding statement of Jesus after healing is worth reflecting, “See that you tell no one, but show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses prescribed.” Every missionary activity shall be accompanied by such a noble gesture of not publicizing oneself. St. Paul puts it very clearly, “For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends.”

For this missionary pattern of being with the lord and being His messenger, we have the best model in the person of our beloved founder St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara. As Fr. Cyriac Kanichai would explain, “Ascending to the heavenly father and descending to His people is the heart and soul of Chavara Spirituality. We are the care takers of such a great spiritual heritage. It is the God consciousness or Abba Consciousness that determines our CMI ness. 

To proclaim God's Kingdom and to heal the sick !

To proclaim God's Kingdom and to heal the sick !
(2 Thes 3: 6-12, Lk 9: 1- 6)                           

Augustine Mlavarayil CMI

Today’s gospel passage presents Jesus commissioning the apostles with a great mission. This is a wonderful passage for our reflection in the initial days of the celebration of the extra ordinary mission month October 2019 to search collectively the expectations and demands of Jesus, our master from us his disciples of the present age. A close meditative analysis of the Gospel text would expose the very purpose and nature of any missionary journey of the disciples of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God. We try to reflect the mission entrusted to the disciples against the back ground of the mission entrusted to Jesus the first missionary (as sent by God the father to redeem the humanity). Jesus has set the tone of his mission at the beginning of Luke’s gospel, “The Spirit of the Lord is up on me, because He has anointed me to bring the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free” (Lk. 4:18).

Connecting the mission of Jesus entrusted by God the father and the mission of disciples entrusted by Jesus Himself makes it very clear that the mission is one and the same. And hence we realize that Jesus in fact offers a share of his mission to His beloved disciples. The beginning verses puts clearly the very purpose with which Jesus summons and commissions the disciples of all time. Proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing the sick are the core of the mission of the disciples. To make us successful in His mission, Jesus anoints us with the power and authority over all demons as He anointed the first group of disciples. The sole capital of the missionaries is the anointing by the Lord, Himself. This obliges us to remain constantly in the incessant anointing poured over our soul by ‘the anointed one,’ Messiah and to be the carriers of His anointing. We are anointed to anoint our brethren with the oil of gladness. Pope Francis would remind us, “A good disciple can be recognized by the way his people are anointed.” 

Before sending them out for carrying the and transmitting the anointing of the joy of the Kingdom of God, Jesus calls for a radical option to suit themselves to His demands and expectations. Jesus asked them vehemently to ‘take nothing.’ This verse could be well articulated at the background of narration of Levitical priests in the book of Ezekiel. God the Lord reminds the prophet about the share of the priests. “This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no holding in Israel; I am their holding.” (Ez. 44:28). There is a wonderful prayer of Moses: “Lord, if your presence does not follow, do not carry us up from here” (Exodus 33: 15).  The command of Jesus to take nothing demands a total surrender and commitment for the cause of mission and a complete trust in the providence of God. The profound motto of our founder St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara “God’s Will, always and everywhere” shall create a trend setting momentum to depend solely on the providence of God; and neither on our merits nor on our credits.   Any social activity devoid of divine connectivity can’t be counted as an apostolate of Jesus Christ. II Vatican Council document Presbyterorum Ordinis, the Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests gives a very practical interpretation for today’s gospel text. Priestly functions are proclaiming the Gospel, Performing the sacred functions, and gathering the family of God together. And hence any activity that does not aim at gospel proclamation, healing of the ailments and eradicating the evils in the society has a higher probability of tending to be mere “human inventions” rather than God’s mission. May Jesus our Lord grant us the grace to be His missionaries and messengers who can become the carriers of His anointing of grace, truth, love, patience and justice!

Homily on the Feast Day of Saint Theresa of Child Jesus (October 1)

Homily on the Feast Day of Saint Theresa of Child Jesus (October 1)

(Mathew 18: 1- 5; Eph. 3:14- 19)                Augustine Mlavarayil CMI

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of one of the best known and loved saints of the nineteenth century. The religious nun who proved her vocation to love in every single movement of her committed discipleship stands alone as an unrepeatable model of simplicity. Her classic contribution to the literature “The Story of a Soul” depicts and reveals the truth of Gospel message of love in its fullness. Setting our reflection in and around today’s liturgical passages, let us deeply ponder over the virtuous life of Little Flower who portrayed marvelous history of love, trust and simplicity.

The gospel passage displays the ambitious disciples approaching Jesus and posing a purely selfish question, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Understanding the mere temporal mind set of the disciples Jesus reveals another logic and pattern of greatness which is totally opposite to the ambitious views of the disciples. To correct the covetous and contentious orientations of his disciples, Jesus called over and placed a child in their midst and said, “Unless you turn and become like child, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” Jesus puts it bluntly that there is a serious mismatch between His value system and that of the disciples. What was needed was that they should “turn” from their self-seeking ambition, and regain, in this respect, the relative blamelessness of children. The same gospel explicates this great message on and off, “…and whoever wants to be first must be your slave…” (Mt. 20:27). The advice of Jesus to Nicademus to be born again suits very much to this criterion to access an entry to the Kingdom of heaven. 

Today, we fondly remember a saint who could comprehend fully Jesus’ criterion to access the Kingdom of Heaven. She counters a rational culture, so often overcome by practical materialism, with the disarming simplicity of the "little way." Her little way could be summarized as freedom from pride, covetousness, and ambition, which expresses itself fully in humility, sincerity, docility. In a time like ours, so frequently marked by  purely materialistic philosophies, St. Theresa of Child Jesus proves to be remarkably effective in enlightening the mind and heart of those who hunger and thirst for truth and love. May St. Theresa of Lisseux intercede for us to communicate the Gospel Message with all boldness and without any hindrance getting inspired from her ‘little way’!