We live a life puffed up with conceit these days

  It's very common to see people, especially Christians, puffed up with conceit these days. They look for admiration, boast of their power and influence and, as Pope Francis says, "make themselves seen" with their life full of vanity.

They have no qualms about showing excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements. This is vanity. Vanity is something that can keep you away from Christ. He often rebuked those who boasted. We show one-upmanship, try to look down upon others and pretend “hey, I’m better than you…. have more knowledge and a higher position than you.”

  Who is behind vanity? It’s devil, the father of all liars and iniquities. We’re all in a make-believe world. We fantasize a lot. Vanity, the Pope says, "is a particularly grave spiritual illness":

 When you help the poor, don't sound the trumpet, do it secretly. The Father sees it, and that is enough. The Bible very clearly says that when you get adulation and praises for the charity or tithing in this world, you have already got back in return what you deserved. We often want others to know that ‘I have given this amount to charity or church’.

  If you do it secretly in such a way that your right hand doesn’t know what your left hand is doing, you will get a bigger prize from the Father in Heaven. Our biggest worry should be: Are we sharing enough with others? Like disciples did after the ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Most of us are amassing much more wealth than we actually need.

 Similarly, when you pray, the Lord warned, do not do it to be seen, do not pray so that people will see you; "pray in secret, go to your room."

  Most of us Christians are Sunday Christians. We run around to make more and more money for six days and on Sundays, we go to church and let others also know that ‘I’m also a Christian’. There would be dinners, receptions, cultural programmes and meetings, quietly adding to the clericalism bedeviling the church these days. Praise and worship take a backseat.

 "Christians who live that way for appearances, for vanity, seem like peacocks, they strut about like peacocks," Pope recently said in a homily. Good description. Peacocks love to display their colourful feather in bright sunshine.

 Listen to what he says. “They are the people who say, ‘I am a Christian, I am to that priest, to that sister, to that bishop; my family is a Christian family.’ They boast. What about your life with the Lord? How do you pray? Your life in the works of mercy, how's that going?”

 "How many Christians live for appearances?” he asks. Their life seems like a soap bubble. The soap bubble is beautiful, with all its colours! But it lasts only a second, and then what? Likewise, our money can disappear in a second. We can become bankrupt. A serious illness can strike a close family member, which can bring us back to senses. Seek Jesus before such dreadful things happen in our life. It won’t happen then. But we kneel down for hours of prayers after getting hit.

 “Do I do good? Do I seek God? Do I pray?” Pope asks. But we don’t have the time and inclination.

 The life in this world is finite. It ends one day. The life of a man is not more than 80 or 85 years. After that, what? As Pope Paul VI said, the bare earth awaits us, this is our final truth.

  We’re caught up in this world’s activities. We pretend that we’re busy.

 Most of us behave as if we are going to live for 1000 years. No. When we die much before that… we have to leave our power, money, position and influence in this world. Only our soul will go to the Creator, depending on our life in this world. We should try to remind ourselves about this fact at least once daily.

The most challenging and adventurous belief…

 When you enter the church, what’s the most important, or rather the most sacred, in the sanctum sanctorum? Is it the statue of Mother Mary or St Alphonsa or St George? “No, it’s not,” says Rev Fr Wilson Kannanaikkal, a preacher with over 25 years of priestly experience.

 “It’s the Holy Eucharist in the church which is the most sacred and important in the church. We don’t realize it. It may be due to ignorance or negligence of pure indifference.” Of course, you should seek the prayers and intercession of saints. You should follow in their footsteps.

 For an outsider, it’s just a piece of bread. It doesn’t make sense for him. “But the fact is that it’s Jesus which is present in the bread. “Your eyes should focus on the Holy Eucharist… not on the statues of Mother Mary or St Teresa. You must surrender yourself completely to Jesus in the Eucharist,” says Rev Fr Wilson who conducted a three-day retreat in Little Flower Church, Nerul, Navi Mumbai.

 Eucharist is a mystery. You have to believe in this mystery first, the most challenging and adventurous belief.

 When Rev Fr Wilson was serving in a parish in Kerala, a nun told him about visiting a church in a place called Pathanamthitta which is about 125 kms away from his parish, to see a Eucharistic miracle. 

  “Why should we go there?” the priest asked. “People saw the image of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist in a church there,” the nun said. Rev Fr Wilson nearly fell off his chair. “I was shocked, surprised and angry. The bread becomes the body of Christ during the Holy Mass. Holy Eucharist is the body of Christ in all the churches where Holy Mass is conducted,” said Rev Fr Wilson.

  “When I say the Holy Mass in my church, the bread becomes the body of Jesus. Why should I go to Pathanamthitta to see that miracle. I’m experiencing it every day,” Rev Fr Wilson said. The poor nun actually failed to fully understand Holy Eucharist. Here the actual substance of the bread and wine is changed into the body and blood of Christ, but the physical aspects or outward appearances of the bread and wine remain as before. This is called transubstantiation. Several miracles of Eucharist turning into flesh have also been reported from around the world.

  Narrating another incident relating to the ignorance about Eucharist, Rev Fr Wilson said, “a 58-year old nun attended a one-week retreat. After the retreat, she came to me and said… ‘I experienced Jesus through Holy Eucharist for the first time during the retreat.’ Remember, for nearly 50 years she was receiving Holy Communion without the full understanding that it was the body of Jesus Christ.”

  Believers are taking it for granted. “Surrender fully to Jesus. Show total commitment to Holy Eucharist. Then your life will change,” Rev Fr Wilson said. “But most of us go to the church like beggars. We have a list of demands. We want all our demands to be met. And we don’t show any commitment to the Holy Eucharist.”   

Don’t fight with God… you can’t win

 Can you fight with God? You can’t… and you shouldn’t fight with God. If you fight with God, you can’t win.

  People leave a church over piddling issues. “It may be a small issue like the parish committee rejecting your proposal on something. Then you walk out in a huff. Remember that you are walking away from the Eucharist… from real Jesus,” he says.

 He says this is like fighting with God. “When somebody walks out in this manner, you (fellow parishioners) should try to convince that person and bring him back. If he still doesn’t come back, then leave where he is,” says Rev Fr Wilson.

  Ditto is the case when a person jumps from the church to another religious group. “You’re then fighting with God… and going into the darkness,” he says.

 “People who say that God doesn’t exist are also fighting with God. It’s their arrogance that comes out when they fight with God,” Rev Fr Wilson said.

“There’re some people who have no time for God and church. They are always busy. But when a major crisis happens in their families, they turn to God,” he said. Narrating an incident, he said, “when a ‘busy’ businessman fell sick he went to a doctor. The doctor said they will have to do a biopsy. He was on his knees praying for the next 15 days till the biopsy result came.” If he was on his knees before God earlier, he wouldn’t have encountered this ordeal.

      

         

When catechesis and Mass make way for cultural celebrations…

 What does it mean when a parish drops catechesis and a Mass on a Sunday and celebrates a cultural festival with film songs and dance numbers? This is purely spiritual worldliness lurking behind a fascination with social and cultural gain, or pride in their (believers) ability to manage such cultural programmes. My personal opinion is that it’s like going to the level of a culture club or a social institution.
 This is now happening  in many of our parishes.
  I won’t blame the clergy. For, in parishes, it’s the laity which takes the lead in conducting such programmes. And very often, this originates from a concern to be seen, in a social life full of appearances, meetings, lunches, dinners and receptions. Often clergy is forced to accept and approve such insidious worldliness propounded by closed and elite laity groups. To borrow the words of Pope Francis, they all have the same pretence of “taking over the space of the Church”.
 These laity groups raise funds for music, dance, shamiana and lavish spread of food without any murmur or protest. Ironically, these groups are nowhere to be seen when a charismatic retreat or a prayer meeting or adoration is conducted in the church. The priest runs from pillar to post to get people and money for spiritual programmes. This is what provoked me to write this stuff.

  The organizers of cultural programmes may have 200 reasons to justify their cultural extravaganza in place of catechesis and Mass on a Sunday. My personal opinion is that they are replacing religious fervour by the empty pleasure of self-indulgence and hedonism. In the name of culture and tradition, song and dance numbers were belted out. 
 Do we need to teach children about culture or Jesus? The principal beneficiary of such cultural programmes is not God’s people but the institutionalised church.

 Please don’t think that I’m quoting Pope out of context or extrapolating his comments to justify my opinion and beliefs. Maybe or may not be. As a writer and a journalist I have the freedom to choose my words. 

 To quote Pope Francis again, “the mark of Christ, incarnate, crucified and risen, is not present” during such programmes. As he says, closed and elite groups are formed, and no effort is made to go forth and seek out those who are distant or the immense multitudes who thirst for Christ. Moreover, expectations and hopes of children are given a different orientation, leading to the loss of spiritual fervour. Instead of opening the door to God’s grace, we exhaust our energies in arranging cultural programmes, receptions and lunches.

 I think we can consider such tendencies as “manifestations of an anthropocentric immanentism” so forcefully expressed by Pope Francis. The church, as Pope says, shows a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyses and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.

 There’s no wonder when the same church organises a charismatic retreat or a prayer meeting or adoration, only a handful of people turn up.

  We see an ostentatious preoccupation for such meetings, programmes and dinners and for the Church’s prestige, but without any concern that the Gospel have a real impact on God’s faithful people and the concrete needs of the present time.
  “In this way, the life of the Church turns into a museum piece or something which is the property of a select few,” Pope Francis said in ‘Evangelii Gaudium’. “If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life,” it says.

Tackle rejection from your dear ones… with Jesus in Gethsamane

 Some of us might have faced rejection from our relatives, friends and colleagues. It’s a sensitive situation that can put you off for a long time a la the dying embers in the grate. This can happen in your house, workplace and even in the church.

 Rejection can be a harrowing experience if it comes from your close relatives. You’re completely at a loss, not knowing how to tackle it. Should you retaliate? And any retaliation can become a permanent fissure.

  Brother Thomas Paul, a Catholic charismatic preacher who comes on Shalom television channel frequently, says this can be tackled quite comfortably. In fact, you should happy when you face rejection or insult from your close people.

  Bro Paul once went to the UK for preaching some time ago. When he reached the UK, one family invited him to stay in their house. The lady of the house was keen that Bro Paul should stay in their house. He asked why. “I have many things to say about my personal life. I need your counseling and prayers,” she said.

  Bro Paul listened to her story. It was a story of rejection and slight from family members, relatives and friends. She was leading a wretchedly unhappy life. “I prayed for her. I saw a vision where Jesus was praying in Gethsemane. I saw this lady consoling Jesus in the vision,” Bro Paul said.

  Jesus knew what was going to happen next – His capture, trial and crucifixion.

  Read Luke 22:36-40: Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”  Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Not my will , but your will be done” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked.

  Imagine the degree of persecution, rejection, humiliation, insult and the physical assault that Jesus faced after Gethsamane. What you or I are facing is nothing when compared to that harrowing experience. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you,” says John 15:18.  

  “When you encounter rejection and slight from your family members,       

think about Jesus in Gethsamane. She was pleasantly surprised when I told her about the vision. She became overjoyed when I mentioned about seeing her consoling Jesus. Her sorrows and despair disappeared when she realized that she is consoling Jesus whenever she faced rejection and insult from her dear ones,” Bro Paul said.

 You should be happy when you face rejection and insult from your dear ones for no fault of yours.   

 You are likely to come across rejection and insults in the future also. Don’t get despondent and dispirited, you’re with Jesus. He will never forsake you. What you must do without fail is pray for people who reject or insult you. You must pray that the Spirit of God should act on them.  Jesus said to His disciples, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me”: Luke 10:16.

 You’re in Gethsamane with Jesus.   

Why God’s call is missing in several countries? Why churches were shut down?

  What’s the status of the church in European countries? Where’re the priests and nuns? “When I visited the UK some years ago, I was shocked to hear that 14 out of 15 churches in a region closed down. Some of them were sold and became Sikh Gurdwaras, some of them turned into Hindu temples and Muslim mosques…,” says Rev Fr Mathew Elavumkal, VC.

 “There’re no believers. Convents have closed down. There’s no one to listen to God’s call and accept priesthood as a vocation,” says Fr Mathew, an inspiring Catholic charismatic preacher who touched and changed the lives of many people across the world. Through his powerful sermons and prayers, he has brought many believers and non-believers closer to Jesus. I happened to hear the sermon of Rev Fr Mathew, who is also the Director of Divine Retreat Centre, Kerala, India, at the Marian Convention organized by St Mary’s Church, Nakapuzha, Kerala, recently.

 The scenario is bad in Rome, where the headquarters of the Catholic church  -- Vatican -- is situated. I have noticed that every third building in Rome is a church, but most of them wear a deserted look. Even Sunday masses are sparsely attended. It was missionaries from European countries who spread Christianity across the world some five centuries ago. Now developing countries like India are sending priests to European countries to man their churches.

  “If we want more priests and nuns in our church, we should stop this practice of having only one or two children in our families. Parents should be role models for the children, we should take them to the altar of our Lord,” he says. In Holy Bible, please read 1 Samuel 3:1-10. Samuel was a young boy serving in the temple when he heard a voice calling his name. He assumed this voice was that of the priest, Eli. Eventually, Eli realized that Samuel was hearing God’s voice calling to him and instructed him to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Samuel needed Eli to tell him that the voice he heard was God’s. He didn’t recognize God’s voice on his own.

 You will get a priest from a good family which follows our Lord Jesus. “If we get good children in our families we can help them hear or understand God’s call. It’s a myth that God calls only children from poor families. Children in rich families are not hearing God’s call. They are busy with their worldly life,” Rev Fr Mathew says.

  He says family life is also an equally important God’s call. “God will find a partner for you in the marriage life. It’s not you or your parents or a marriage bureau which should get a partner for you. When you enter into a marriage vow, you will be filled with the paternity and maternity from God. You become a husband and wife only through the sacrament of marriage,” he says.

  Rev Fr Mathew narrated an incident: Parents of a six-year old child came to him. “This child had several bad habits… which I’m not mentioning as children are sitting here. When I talked to the parents, they told me they used to watch porn movies after the marriage to get maximum pleasure. This child was born when they were indulging in such sexual pleasures. Hebrew 13:4 says ‘let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous’.”

  In short, when husband and wife get a child when they were indulging in worldly pleasures and leading a sinful life, that child will have some handicap. It can be mental or emotional or psychological handicap.

 Rev Fr Mathew spoke about a married woman. This woman and her mother came to him when the wife was pregnant and one doctor said the growth of unborn child in the womb is weak and the child, when born, could become mentally retarded. “I strongly advised them not to abort the child. Anything is possible for God. Years later, I saw this woman at a retreat centre. She cried and told me they disregarded my advice and aborted the child. While aborting the child something happened and her uterus got infected. Her uterus had to be removed,” he said.

  While her unborn child was killed, she wouldn’t be able to conceive again. She went into depression. Rev Fr Mathew asked her why she aborted the child against his advice. She said her mother prevailed upon her to get rid of the child as she didn’t want a mentally retarded child.

  When it comes to heeding to God’s call, a country like India is in a better position. But Rev Fr Mathew says there’re ominous signs. Lets pray that more people listen to God’s call – be it for priesthood or family life.

  

‘If you avoid the protection of the church, you may get trapped by devil’

 Is there salvation outside the church? No, says Rev Dr Joseph Pamplani, well-known Catholic theologian and preacher who has done some outstanding studies on the history and tradition of the church. “Church is the fortress set up by Jesus Christ where devil can’t enter. Church is the protective fortress for all believers,” he says emphatically.

 “When you are a member of the church, devil can’t defeat you,” Rev Fr Pamplani says. “Church is a sacrament of salvation. Jesus Christ formed a fortress which is not accessible to devil. This fortress is known as church,” he said at a Marian convention held as part of the feast of Mother Mary at Nakapuzha church in Kerala, India.

  “When you say that you’re a member of the church, that means you are living close to Mother Mary,” he says. Yes, the same Mother Mary who was entrusted to you by Jesus, through St John, minutes before He died on the cross. “Church is the gate of salvation.”    

 “When a believer gets out of this fortress of church for any reason discredit or dishonor priests, devil will catch that person. Narrating an incident from his childhood days, Rev Fr Pamplani says, “When I was young, it was my responsibility to put hen in a coop just outside the house in the evenings. However, some of the hen would avoid the coop and get on to the nearby tree and they would never come down to the coop. One night, we heard the loud sounds from the tree near the coop. A fox had come and took away one hen. It’s very simple. When this hen avoided the protection offered by the coop, it ended up in the hands of the fox,” he says.

 Likewise, if you avoid the protection offered by the church, you may get trapped by the devil. “There’s no hope for anybody outside the church. Here we’re not talking about other religions like Islam or Hindu etc. There’s only one person outside the church. That’s devil,” he says.

“All others are saved by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. After becoming a believer, if you, at any stage, avoid going to the church or skip sacraments, there’s a chance that devil which comes in the form of a fox will catch you. Beware parents, if your kids avoid attending the church on Sundays and keep away from confessions, you need to be scared,” Rev Fr Pamplani says.

  Citing another example, he narrated an incident in a parish in Kerala. “A rich businessmen who owns a transport service filed a case against the parish claiming the parish appropriated 17 cents of land which, he claimed, originally belonged to him. I told the church committee members not to go for a case in a court and instead, return the land to the businessman. After six months, the businessman came running to me, saying he incurred massive losses in his business. Suspecting some curse on him, this businessman offered to return double of what he originally took away,” Rev Fr Pamplani says.

  He says church is the communion of people who strongly believe that nothing is impossible for God.  “For nothing is impossible with God," says Luke 1:37.  Yes, nothing is impossible for God -- this is what God conveyed to Moses in the Old Testament and Mother Mary in New Testament. Mother Mary believed that nothing is impossible for God.

  In a nutshell, what he says is: don’t lose that protective cover of the church. We must remain in that fortress in order to avoid the trap of devil.            

 Who gave us the Bible?

  “Who put together the Holy Bible in the current format?” asks Rev Fr Joseph Pamplani. There were thousands of Christian books, including ones written by St Thomas in the first two centuries after the death of Jesus. It was Pope Damasus, head of the Catholic church in 366-384, in his Decree, who listed the books of today's canon or the Holy Bible in the current form. The Council of Rome in 382 was apparently the forum which prompted Pope Damasus' Decree.