CHRISTMAS: FEAST OF RELATIONSHIPS

                                        CHRISTMAS: FEAST  OF RELATIONSHIPS

The feast of Christmas  is the feast of relationships. This feast is the remembrance of reuniting the broken relationship between God and Man. It is the feast of the benevolence and compassion  of God the Father  towards the humanity. As we celebrate Christmas we should see that our relations are in tact. A Christmas celebration becomes meaningful only in this context. In the biblical context we see God extends his benevolence towards humanity by giving His only son to redeem the relationship between God and man. God is descending towards  humanity. As we read... "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (Jn.1/14). God is setting up His tent in the midst of His people. He becomes Emmanuel. God by becoming man has put him in a dignified position among His Creatures.

       In a way we can say God humbled him self to become man to reunite the relationship between God and Man. Hence it is our responsibility to see that our relationships are in tact. Only in this context we can experience the spirit of Christmas- ie Peace. When our relations are in tact. We experience peace and joy in our heart. When we speak of relationships we have to think of three levels of relationships. Our relationship with God (trans personal) , our relationship with fellow beings (inter personal  and our relationship with ourselves (personal). When all your relationships personal , inter personal and trans personal relations are fine, God's favor will rest in us and we will be able to experience peace in its fullness.

Let us examine our relationships and see they are all in tact. If not make an attempt to strengthen your relationships. Pray to Lord to give strength to forgive my brother / sister  who has broken away from me or  who has wounded me. Let us sing along with Holy Angels and rejoice in the Lord  "Glory to God in the highest heaven,  and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Lk 2/14)

 Prayer

Lord Jesus as we celebrate the feast of your nativity, we understand the love and benevolence of our heavenly father towards humanity. We learn that you humbled yourselves to become Man to reunite us with God the father. Lord may the celebration of this feast help us to renew our relationship with God and fellow beings. There are people whom I hate, and whom I cannot forgive. There are people whom I avoid and who avoids me. O lord grand me strength to understand your love and also forgive those who have avoided and wounded me. Lord help me to be open to my brothers and sisters who have estranged from me. Let me experience the joy and peace  your birth has brought to the humanity.

Amen

SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

In the modern era we hear a lot about divorces, separation and broken relationships among married people. Reports about lack of faithfulness in marital relationships among the spouses are on the increase. Family being the cornerstone of Christian society care has to be taken to nurture the family bond. During the year of faith as we deepen our faith experience and recommit ourselves to witness the risen lord our family bonds have to be renewed.Christian family  is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is called domestic church. Domestic church is a community of grace and prayer. It is a school of human virtues and Christian charity. The Christian faith initiated through the sacrament of Baptism is supported and strengthened in the family. The role parents to inculcate the faith in their offspring are inevitable. It is through the sacrament of matrimony the spouses receive the grace to fulfill their commitments. In this context an understanding of the sacrament of Matrimony in light of catholic teaching is necessary.

Teaching of Catholic Church
As specified in the Canon Law, by marriage a man and a woman enter into a contract giving their personal consent to live together as partners for their whole life.[1] This contract is for a life of love, caring, understanding, communion, fellowship, giving, taking, sacrifice, etc. Marriage should be understood as some thing more than a contract. It is a covenantal relationship established through the free, informed consent of both Man and woman.  It happens when a man and a woman who are free to marry and are physically and emotionally capable of marriage give themselves to each other, understanding that marriage means openness to life and commitment to faithful love till death.  When that happens between two unbaptized people, a natural marriage bond is formed that is greatly respected by the Catholic Church.  When it happens between two baptized persons, the Holy Spirit is poured out and the natural bond is elevated to a supernatural sacrament.  The natural blessings of marriage are the companionship, mutual support and intimacy of the spouses plus the possibility of sharing in God’s creative, life-giving work–the procreation and education of children.  In a sacramental marriage, there is an additional goal–the spouses accept the vocation to be a prophetic, visible sign of the unbreakable covenant between Christ and His Church. The model of Christian marriage as per St. Paul is the way Jesus loved the Church: a total self-giving even at the cost of sacrificing one’s own life. 

Marriage a Sacrament

  

Marriage is a Sacrament. This means that it is an action of Jesus Christ in the Church. The sacraments are ritual signs which give grace to the person who receives them.

When the priest baptises a baby, he pours water on the baby's head. This is a sign of washing and of new life. We believe that at the Baptism, Jesus Christ washes away sin and gives the baby new life in the Church.

During marriage, spouses will exchange vows with each other. They will make solemn promises that are binding for the whole of your life together. This exchange of vows is a sign of the work of Jesus Christ who joins the spouses in the unbreakable bond of marriage. According to Latin tradition spouses themselves are the ministers of the marriage. Spouses will give the sacrament to each other. The priest is there to conduct the service according to the rite of the Church (Latin Tradition), to witness your marriage and to bless the spouses. In oriental tradition the Priest is the minister of the sacrament. His Blessings and presence is needed for a valid marriage.

The Purposes of Marriage

The Catholic Church teaches that the purposes of marriage are for the procreation and upbringing of children and of the mutual welfare and support of the couple. Neither of these can be deliberately excluded.

                                    The procreation and upbringing of children

This is what makes married love different from any other love. The Church teaches that the use of sex should be reserved to marriage so that children can be brought up in a stable home where the parents are committed to them and to each other.

In teaching that sex is for having children within marriage, the Church also teaches that the use of artificial contraception and sterilisation is wrong and contrary to the natural law. There may be serious reasons why a couple might decide to have no more children. In such a case, the use of natural family planning involves a joint decision and responsibility. NFP also involves mutual respect, generosity and self-control. These values are always important in married life even when there is no need to limit the number of children.

                               The mutual welfare and support of the couple

The companionship involved in Marriage cannot be achieved outside of Marriage. The unconditional lifelong commitment made in Marriage makes it quite different from just living together. It is important to realize this and to be well prepared for it.

Marriage will not be the solution if a relationship is in trouble. Experience and research show that it is more likely to hasten the breakdown of the relationship.

The Properties of Marriage

The properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility. Conjugal love of the spouses demands indissolubility and faithfulness in a definite mutual self giving between one man and woman..  

                              The unity of Marriage

Marriage is between one man and one wife. It is necessary to be aware of the kinds of relationship that are incompatible with marriage. It is not just a question of adultery. A husband and wife have a legitimate claim on each other's time, attention and affection. This does not always happen automatically and may require self-control and determination to keep the promises made on the Wedding day.

.                              The indissolubility of marriage ("till death do us part")

This is well-known and great anguish is caused when Marriages break up. Again, it shows Marriage to be very different from simply living together. The vows, once made, cannot be made to another person while both partners are still alive.

We need not be too gloomy about divorce. Even if 1 in 3 marriages break up, that means that 2 in 3 stay together! And many Marriages that break up are ill-considered and ill-prepared. By preparing well for your Marriage, you lay the foundations for a happy life together. In the parish, we often have the joy of celebrating the anniversaries of people who have been married for 25 or 40 years or more. They are normal people who have lived faithfully together though the ups and downs of married life.

Reflection

Sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and Church. In this union we see the mutual self giving of the Church and Christ to one another in love. The intimate union of marriage, as a mutual giving of two persons demand total fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable union between them. Spouses are called to grow continually in their communion through day to day fidelity to their marriage promise of total mutual self giving. Conjugal love demands indissolubility and faithfulness in a definite mutual self giving of the spouses and it is open to fertility.  The sacrament of matrimony gives the spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ loved His church. The grace of the sacrament perfects human love of the spouses and strengthens their indissoluble unity. It helps one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children. Further the grace of the marriage sanctifies them on their way to eternal life.

It may seem impossible to bind oneself for life to another human being. However the love that married couples share through their binding bear witness to the definite and irrevocable love of God. By the very nature the institution of marriage and the conjugal love is ordered to the procreation and education of offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory.

Faith Heals

 JESUS CORNERED BY THE FAITH OF CANAANITE WOMAN

As we prepare to celebrate the year of Faith let us meditate on the Gospel of Mathew chapter 15 verses 21 to 28. A Canaanite woman and her ardent faith in Jesus is the theme of this passage. Towards the end we see Jesus admiring her deep faith. As Jesus was passing through Tyre and Sidon (Mt 15:22) approaches Jesus. She request for Jesus’ mercy and pleads to heal her daughter possessed by a demon. But we see Jesus is not responding to her. He turns his face against her. No one expects such a behavior for Jesus. Even Jesus’ disciples feel sorry for her and beg for her. In spite these request we see Jesus being rude to her. He states that He has come for only Jewish people.  Even this is not disheartening her. She kneels before Jesus and seeks his help. Then we see Jesus justifying his attitude saying that it will not be fair to take children’s bread and through it to the dogs. This is the most insulting phase in the interaction. Usually no one will bear this. But here we see a logical argument from the Canaanite woman. It is some what like a tit for tat.  In Gospel we see many occasions where the Pharisees and Sadducees trying to corner Jesus. But they were not at all successful. But Canaanite women through his reply: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" perfectly corners Jesus. Jesus is now astonished by her deep faith and praises her and heals her daughter.

In this gospel passage we see the true faith in Jesus. She admits Jesus as son of David and pleads for the healing of her daughter. Even though Jesus neglects her pleading initially her continuous requests and the deep faith and hope in Jesus is answered towards the end. Gospel Luke chapter 11 verses 9 to 12 speak about the power of prayer. Actually the Canaanite woman does the same. She pleaded and it was given. She sought and she found; she knocked and it opened to her. The deep faith of the Canaanite woman is revealed before us.

 A reflection on this incident in the gospel will answer many of our situations. There are times when we feel that Jesus is not responding to our prayers even after a long time. We feel neglected and disheartened. Often it may affect the faith level of certain people. Here the only thing is to strengthen our belief. We have plead continuously just like the Canaanite woman. We have to put our hope and faith in Lord Jesus. As he has taught in the parable of the unjust Judge and the widow we have to beseech continuously. Monica the mother St. Augustine of Hippo pleaded for long 15 years for the conversion of his son. In the year of faith let us pay heed to the word of God which renews and reforms us to rediscover our faith in risen lord to be His witness.

Door of Faith

 

Faith is now being subjected to a series of questions arising from a profound change in mentality of the people. People limit the field of rational certainties to that of scientific and technological discoveries only. Humanity is currently experiencing to a greater extent than in the past a profound change in their attitude. It is in this context Pope Benedict XVI has announced a "Year of Faith". Pontiff is really aware of the profound crisis of faith that has affected many people. "It is because of this Pope Benedict XVI  has recently  spoken of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ. The theme of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that the Pontiff  have convoked for October 2012 is The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith'. Apostolic letter for the year of faith “Door of Faith” speaks about a renewed conversion to the Lord Jesus and to the rediscovery of faith so that the members will be credible and joyful witnesses to the risen Lord in the world today.  

The Year of Faith will run from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013. 11^th October 2012, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II and also marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text promulgated by Blessed John Paul II.  On November 24^th the universal church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King. This will be a good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith.

The 'door of faith' is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into His Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace". To enter through the door is to set out on a journey that lasts a life time. It begins with baptism and ends with the passage through death to eternal life.  

. "A Christian may never think of belief as a private act. Faith is choosing to stand with the Lord so as to live with Him. This 'standing with Him' points towards an understanding of the reasons for believing. Faith, precisely because it is a free act, also demands social responsibility for what one believes.

"The Year of Faith, from this perspective, is a summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the world.

In the mystery of His death and resurrection, God has revealed in its fullness the Love that saves and calls us to conversion of life through the forgiveness of sins. For St. Paul, this Love ushers us into a new life. ... Through faith, this new life shapes the whole of human existence according to the radical new reality of the resurrection. ... 'Faith working through love' becomes a new criterion of understanding and action that changes the whole of man's life"."Through His love, Jesus Christ attracts to Himself the people of every generation: in every age He convokes the Church, entrusting her with the proclamation of the Gospel by a mandate that is ever new. Today too, there is a need for stronger ecclesial commitment to new evangelization in order to rediscover the joy of believing and the enthusiasm for communicating the faith. In rediscovering His love day by day, the missionary commitment of believers attains force and vigor that can never fade away. Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy". "Only through believing, then, does faith grow and become stronger; there is no other possibility for possessing certitude with regard to one's life apart from self-abandonment, in a continuous crescendo, into the hands of a love that seems to grow constantly because it has its origin in God".

"We want to celebrate this Year in a worthy and fruitful manner.

1.      Reflection on the faith will have to be intensified, so as to help all believers in Christ to acquire a more conscious and vigorous adherence to the Gospel.

Reflection on faith will help the believers to acquire more conscious and vigours adherence to Gospel 

2.      Intensify in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope.

We will have to profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world; in our homes and among our families  so that everyone may feel a strong need to know better and to transmit to future generations the faith of all times.

Religious communities as well as parish communities, and all ecclesial bodies old and new, are to find a way, during this Year, to make a public profession of the Credo.

3.      Intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist.

Celebration of faith is taking place in the Eucharistic celebration. The entire salvation mystery is revealed during the Eucharistic celebration which has to be celebrated in the fullness of faith.

4.      Rediscover the content of faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed and to reflect on the act of faith.

 Knowledge of the content of faith is essential for adhering fully with intellect and will to what the church proposes. Knowledge of faith opens a door into the fullness saving mystery revealed by God. Catechism of the Catholic Church an important tool of the Vatican council II gives a systematic knowledge of the content of faith

5.      Retracing the history of faith marked by the unfathomable mystery of interweaving holiness and sin.

It is here the great contribution of men and women for the growth and development of the community by the witness of life and the continuing work of conversion in order to experience the mercy of the Father is to be understood.

6.      The Year of Faith will also be a good opportunity to intensify the witness of charity.

Faith and charity each require the other; in such a way that each allows the other to set out along its respective path. Indeed, many Christians dedicate their lives with love to those who are lonely, marginalized or excluded, as to those who are the first with a claim on our attention and the most important for us to support, because it is in them that the reflection of Christ's own face is seen. Through faith, we can recognise the face of the risen Lord in those who ask for our love".

7.      Faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world

Intent on gathering the signs of the times in the present of history,. What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end. Thus the renewal of the Church is achieved through the witness offered by the lives of believers: by their very existence in the world, Christians are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us.

The celebration of the year of faith focuses on an authentic and renewed conversion to Lord the one Saviour of the world. It is through the mystery of death and resurrection Jesus has revealed the love of God in its fullness which calls us to a conversion by forgiving our sins. There should be a renewed conversion to the Lord Jesus to the rediscover our life of faith. Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy so that the members will be credible and joyful witnesses to the risen Lord in the world today.