A Jesuit Adventure

  “Mandatum novum do vobis” - “a new commandment I give to you”. The word "maundy" is a shortened form of the Latin word mandatum which means "command." Maundy Thursday is all about this command which Jesus gives his disciples during the Last Supper. "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another"  ( John 13:34 ). Out of the 7 sacraments, today we celebrate the institution of two Sacraments - the Eucharist and the Priesthood.  Jesus’ instruction of “You also ought to wash one another’s feet.” highlights the service aspect of these sacraments. In the first reading taken from the book of Exodus, we have the narrative of the Passover which is at the heart of the Exodus experience. A stubborn Pharaoh was reluctant to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt despite 9 plagues. The tenth plague will be the most fatal and will force Pharaoh to act – it will involve the death of something that ...

  My dear friends, with Palm Sunday we come to the beginning of the climax of the Lenten season. This day in a way is when Jesus began His journey towards the cross - It marked the beginning of a definite confrontation with the religious and political authorities. Before we get to that let us have a quick look at the history behind Palm Sunday. As soon as Christianity was accepted as an official religion in the fourth century, the faithful in Jerusalem re-enacted the solemn entry of Christ into their city on the Sunday before Easter. They held a procession in which they carried branches and sang the  Hosanna. This  Palm Sunday  procession which appears to have originated in Western Europe was soon accepted in Rome and incorporated into the liturgy. It is believed that there was a mass celebrated outside the walls of Rome wherein the palms were blessed and then a solemn procession moved into the city to the basilica of the Lateran or to Saint Peter's, whe...

  My dear friends, on this fifth Sunday of Lent Year A the readings address the conflict between flesh and spirit and highlight the role and significance of the spirit of God in our life. In the first reading taken from the prophet Ezekiel, we have the famous passage of the valley of the dry bones. The context for this vision of Ezekiel is the Babylonian exile which happened in two phases. During the first phase in 597 BCE, the armies of Babylon forced the surrender of the city of Jerusalem and deported the Judean king and many Judean leaders to Babylon. Ten years later, in 587 BCE, since Jerusalem had rebelled again, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its temple and deported a second wave of Judean leaders. Among the first wave of the deported was the young Ezekiel, whom God later called in Babylon to be a prophet. For the people in exile, this was a period of utter hopelessness and a crisis of faith. They had lost all the symbols of their identity – the temple in Jeru...

  On this Fourth Sunday of Lent Year A, the readings showcase the transcendence of God and the importance of recognising the true identity of Jesus as the light of the world. In the book of the prophet Isaiah there is a beautiful verse which is very apt to understand today’s first reading, ‘ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord .   As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’   If you were in the place of prophet Samuel and had to choose a king what kind of a person would you choose? A tall, strong, muscular man with 6 pack abs I suppose. Samuel too thought on similar lines but when God rejected all the seven sons of Eli who fit these criteria, he too was perplexed. The  Lord  tells Samuel that His criteria are not the external appearance rather it is the heart of the person. The youngest son of Jesse, David, was so insignific...

On this 3 rd Sunday of Lent Year A the readings show us the difference in the nature of God and that of human beings and the significance of the living water offered by Jesus in our life. The first reading taken from the book of Exodus is a narrative set in the wilderness when the people are making their way towards the promised land. The main issue in this narrative is the scarcity of drinking water. We could call the Israelites impatient grumblers for constantly complaining, but drinking water is a necessity for survival. They lash out against Moses and blame him for endangering their lives. In response to Israel’s murmuring, God stages a miracle. Moses is asked to take his staff in his hand and strike the rock, and water comes out of it, for the people to drink. It is unfortunate, however, that the Israelites forget all that God had done for them till then. God rescued them from the hands of the Egyptians, made a way through the Red Sea, and provided for their needs on their jo...