Mass Readings

Pondering God’s commandments, with love

As we inch towards the Ascension and Pentecost, we see heartening changes in the incipient Christian community. In the First Reading (Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17), we meet Philip, one of the seven deacons. He is presently in Samaria, where his preaching fell on good soil. The people were in awe of his words and miracles, and relieved on being delivered of evil spirits. On hearing that encouraging update in Jerusalem, apostles Peter and John were dispatched double quick to lay their hands over the Samaritans and pray that they too receive the Holy Spirit.

Samaria awaited a Messiah but was traditionally considered idolatrous ever since a temple to Baal was erected there by King Ahab. So, why was the region suddenly privileged to be in the forefront of evangelisation? Philip had ventured there because Jesus Himself had preached in the area (cf. the story of the Samaritan woman at the well) and wished that the Gospel be taken there after His ascension. Thus, Jesus implied that the Good News of Salvation was meant to reach one and all. It is doubly significant that Philip, not an apostle but a deacon, whose main job was to relieve the apostles of menial chores, became the first foreign missionary in Christian history.[1]

The act of reaching out to Samaria has since had far-reaching implications. The church in Samaria was to Jerusalem what a local church today (say, the archdiocese of Goa and Daman) is to the universal church. The arrangement throws light on the very meaningful hierarchical structure that has governed the Church for the last two millennia; it speaks volumes for the issuance and teaching of doctrine centrally, from the headquarters in Rome, so that all of Christendom is of one mind; and finally, it points to the communion of saints, or say, the fellowship of those united with Christ across space and time.[2]

For Christ to be present with His people across space and time is no mean feat; but to God nothing is impossible. It is a fulfilment of what Our Lord had promised in his farewell discourse, just before His Passion and Death. He had said that after His Ascension, the Holy Spirit would be with the Christians till the end of times; the Spirit of truth would pick up from where He had left off, to illumine and strengthen all the faithful. There is no denying that, inasmuch as we keep the commandments, we grow in wisdom and stature, and live in spiritual unity and love of God. God is then always in our midst.

But, really speaking, who has the strength to keep the Lord’s commandments? Only those who love Him will do so, says Jesus, quite plainly, in the Gospel today (Jn 14: 15-21). Yes, it demands total commitment – difficult, but not unreasonable or impossible. Don’t spouses, children, bosses, friends, clubs, expect the same? Don’t we, then, respect rules and keep promises; and when we don’t, we quit – or are obliged to quit? Why, then, should a relationship with the divine be any different? In fact, our commitment should have been infinitely stronger; but alas, it isn’t, simply because for far too long we have been accustomed to taking God for granted. ‘God will understand’ is a lame explanation, and a convenient ruse to flout rules and break promises.

Concretely, let us look at the First Commandment: "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve." It summons us to believe in God, to hope in Him, and to love Him above all else. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:5). Adoring Him, praying to Him, offering Him the worship that belongs to Him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to Him are acts of the virtue of religion.

On the other hand, superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic. Similarly, atheism is a sin against the first commandment, since it rejects or denies the existence of God.[3] Yet, what is the in-thing? To keep God out of one’s day-to-day dealings, if deemed socially and/or politically expedient. This is the antithesis of the First Commandment that we are expected to profess and practise; what the score will be on the remaining nine is anybody’s guess!

St Peter in the Second Reading (1 Pet 3: 15-18) therefore counsels us to revere Christ as Lord; defend those who are on God’s side; do the right thing, in the right way, so that none can point an accusing finger at us. “For it is better to suffer doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong,” he adds. We ought to muster courage by summoning up the memory of Our Lord’s undeserved death for our sins. As regards us, we run the risk of being hated or even put to death for siding with God, but we may rest assured that we will be made alive in the spirit by the same God who has conquered sin and death: Jesus Christ our Lord.

A tall order? If we listen to God’s commandments – with our minds and hearts – pondering what they mean to us here and now, we will invariably be assisted by the Holy Spirit. As Jesus has cautioned, the dark world of unbelief is incapable of understanding and accepting the Spirit of truth – which will be accessible only to those who love and revere Him!

[1] Philip famously converted an Ethiopian eunuch, thus inducting a black into the church at a very early stage. Then he proceeded to evangelise other areas up to Caesarea; Greece, Syria and Phrygia.

[2] Those living are said to constitute “the church militant”, while the dead who are in Heaven, “the church triumphant”, and those in Purgatory, “the church suffering”. Yet the three groups are in communion of the Spirit.

[3] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7G.HTM

by Oscar de Noronha

With eyes of faith

It must have been exciting to be part of the early church. Yet, look how there was disagreement and discrimination at its very inception (Acts 6: 1-7). The Hellenists, Greek-speaking Jews who had returned from the Diaspora, felt discriminated against by the Hebrews, who were local, Aramaic-speaking Jews. Fortunately, to prevent mundane concerns from sapping their energy (in this case, Hellenic widows receiving second-class treatment in food distribution), the Apostles appointed seven helpers or deacons to take care of those worries. Of course, these seven were men of faith and filled with the Holy Spirit; while they helped safeguard social cohesion, the Apostles immersed themselves in the work of evangelisation.

Such wise principles have governed the church ever since. To illustrate it with something very familiar to us, the early church in Goa set up Fábricas to look after the temporal affairs of the parish, while the Confrarias or brotherhoods focussed on spiritual matters. It is not that Fábrica members were worldly-wise and only the confrades holy; faith and morality were essential to membership of either association. But, all in all, the arrangement brought balance to the individual and the community…. Have we strayed from those guiding principles, and consequently, are those bodies now a far cry from what they were meant to be?

Not those bodies alone – but our own bodies and souls are in need of d-e-l-i-v-e-r-a-n-c-e – deliverance – prayer to bring healing and wholeness to us who are struggling with bondage to sin and demonic influences. Haven’t many of us Christians – and, sadly, some of our leaders too – rejected the living stone that in God’s sight is “chosen and precious”? That living stone is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the world today, and Goa in particular, it is high time we realised our folly and decidedly turned back; before long the rug will be pulled out from under our feet by the very people that we had once blindly trusted. Alas, it will be a mighty fall, which only a mighty exercise in faith can prevent – deliver us from! The recent happenings in Manipur are a case in point; living stones are sought to be smashed and life snuffed out of the living church.[1]

St Peter (1 Pet 2: 4-9) calls us to be living stones and build ourselves into a spiritual temple. Well, one can lead the horse – er, the sheep – to the water but can one make it drink? We have built magnificent houses of God, but how many care to drink deep of the knowledge of God? The first Apostle reiterates that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation”, and our bounden duty, to “declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light”! Once again, for us in Goa, it is important that we open our eyes to the gift of faith that our ancestors have handed down to us; and it is equally a matter of gratefully passing on that faith – in a pristine condition, that is – to the communities around us. Only then can we think of ourselves as ‘living stones’ of the local and the universal Church.

A proper reflection on our first Pope’s enduring call will not only make our (Sun)day, it will have a considerable bearing on our community life for generations to come. In the wake of that tragic update about Goan Catholics straying into forbidden territory,[2] the Gospel today couldn’t be more pertinent. In answer to Thomas, that courageous Apostle who travelled to India, Jesus, in his farewell discourse at the Last Supper, said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”!

How many times do our shepherds have to drum this message into us – seventy times seven? We the flock should not presume that it will always be possible for our shepherds to go in search of their sheep and bring them back to the fold, restore and heal them! Very often we will have to remember these lessons ourselves or learn them from our somudai or community, which have to rise to the occasion in prayer and a spirit of service.

The Gospel passage (14: 1-12) speaks so unambiguously to us that we almost hear Jesus’ say: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me?” How come we still do not know the Master’s voice? Do we not believe that He is God, that He is in the Father and the Father in Him? Ever since He became Man, He is within our reach. Haven’t we in Goa had Jesus for the past half a millennium and more?  What is the use of declaring from the rooftops, “bhavarth amcho nhoi aicho kalcho, punn Sam Fransisk Xavieracho” (Our faith is not of recent origin; it goes back to the days of St Francis Xavier)[3] if we continue to set our eyes on the idols that the Apostle of the Indies had got out of our sight?

Today, let us reaffirm our resolve to follow Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Let us keep the faith; let no other, however exalted his position, destroy it for us by presenting pastures new. As Jesus has twice said in Jn 14, “Let not your hearts be troubled”! And, yes, let us not depend on our physical eyes to see Him; we can see Him with eyes of faith (below, a hymn to help us reinforce it). We ought only to root out misplaced customs and usages, and let the words of Jesus take root in our souls instead.

[1] http://surl.li/gvxpl

[2] See http://www.oscardenoronha.com/2023/04/30/mary-to-mira-just-a-sound-away/

[3] Popular wisdom enshrined in the hymn “Dev amkam zai”, Gaionancho Jhelo, hymn F 3.

[4] Type: Hymn. Source: Gaionacho Jhelo, 1995 edition, R-40. Lyrics: Vasco do Rego, S.J. Music: Olavo V. Pereira. Publisher: Gõychi Sevadhormik Somoti (Pastoral Institute), Old Goa, Goa 403 402. Translated by: Alfred Noronha, Pandavaddo, Chorão, Goa 403 102. August 2005.

by Oscar de Noronha

“The Lord is my Shepherd”

In our somewhat directionless world, isn’t it reassuring to hear our inner voice say, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want”? These verses from David’s Psalm echo through the three readings of today; not only were they said by Jesus in His own lifetime, but Peter repeats them endlessly after the Resurrection.

After the Resurrection, it was important to catechise. We see once again, in the First Reading (Acts 2: 14, 36-41), how the first Apostle reproached the people for putting Jesus to death and urged them to repent. The reward for their repentance would be to receive “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The pardon of our sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the New Covenant are the fulfilment of Messianic promises. They are open to anyone who accepts the Word of God and transforms their life. And what a privilege, as St. Peter puts it, “The promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to Him.”

Again, in his First Letter, part of which forms the Second Reading (1 Pet 2: 20-25), St. Peter conscientizes the people. He talks about how Jesus is our Shepherd and Paschal Lamb. By His voluntary sacrifice, He showed us the way from death to life eternal. St Peter therefore invites us to suffer, as Jesus did, in the midst of life’s difficulties, which include misunderstandings, calumnies, accusations, and persecutions, all of which Christians suffer as a stumbling block and rock of offence to the world.

We learn from the Gospel (Jn 10: 1-10) that we have nothing to worry about, for Jesus the Good Shepherd is always by our side. He knows His Father in Heaven very intimately, and He knows us too with the same intimacy. He thus becomes “the door” to Heaven, the Mediator par excellence to our Father in Heaven. And His warning against false teachers and doctors – “thieves and robbers” all – is valid for all times, especially our own. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life; He is our only salvation. He is the door; anyone who enters will be saved through Him alone.

This Sunday, rightly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” may we trust only Jesus to be our Shepherd through life; through Him alone we can have life, and life in abundance. Above all, may our Pope, our bishops and priests be good shepherds, always taking the lay faithful to the right pasture.

by Oscar de Noronha

The Challenge of Faith

Today’s Gospel (Lk 24: 13-35) recounts the events of the evening of the Resurrection, specifically how Jesus, who had anonymously joined two disciples, Cleopas and an unnamed companion, on the road to Emmaus, remained unrecognised by them. Jesus pretended not to know what had happened in those pivotal days. Rather, He heard what they thought of Him: that He was a prophet expected to redeem Israel, and now His body was missing.

Were the disciples feeling it was all over now? Just then, the unknown fellow traveller lamented their foolishness and how they were 'slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.' None of that affected their self-esteem; they even invited the stranger to stay the night with them. It was then at the table—when He took the bread and broke it—that their eyes saw Jesus; he had meanwhile vanished out of sight.

What about us Catholics who have been with the Lord for so long? Do we truly know Him intimately, or do we take Him for granted? Do we acknowledge His presence among us, discern His signs, or does life go on as if He doesn't exist? Shouldn’t the Resurrection alone have definitively proven Christ's divinity, strengthened our faith and inspired us to proclaim to the world that He alone is God? Historically, many who claimed to be prophets or even God have died, and we have seen no hint of the glory they had claimed for themselves.

In contrast, the signs, miracles, and wonders that Jesus performed during his public life, and the marvels that we have witnessed down the centuries, are proof enough that the Church is divine. Jesus still walks the pilgrim path with us; He is with us on our road to Emmaus, a road fraught with doubts and difficulties. Jesus shares in our miseries and brightens our path—a mystery we can discern only with eyes of faith.

St. Peter, the focus of the first two readings, drives the same point home. He, whom the Resurrection has transformed, is out to vehemently proclaim his Master. He denied Him three times, but the Resurrection has now confirmed his faith.

The First Reading (Acts 2: 14, 22-33) is a synopsis of Peter’s first testimony about Jesus to the eleven after he received the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He has a bounce in his step and a newfound zeal in his voice. He feels emboldened to speak not only by what his ears had earlier heard, but by what his eyes have now seen: the Risen Lord! Peter conscientizes the people and indicts them for killing the Messiah. Needless to say, God, who is always in control, had let it happen 'according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God' and now 'God raised Him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.'

Peter also reminds the people that, as per David's prophesy, God would 'not let the Holy One see corruption'. The foremost Apostle’s message speaks of everlasting life, as prophesied by the sweet psalmist of Israel and fulfilled in the Paschal mystery. He is proud and confident that such a faith is not abstract but based on a real happening: the Resurrection. Nonetheless, as a final test of his faith, he who became the first Pope ordained by Christ Himself died an inverted crucifixion in the Nero Gardens.

In the Second Reading (1 Pet 1: 17-21), we see the Apostle who had struck the High Priest’s servant Malchus with a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane now seizing the opportunity to strike again.... Peter speaks candidly about his Lord and Master, undeterred by the tumultuous circumstances in Jerusalem. His appeal to the faithful to conduct themselves 'with fear' must be understood as the holy fear of God the Father, not of man. He stresses that Jesus is the Paschal Lamb who has sacrificed His life for the new humanity. 'Through Him, you have confidence in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God,' emphasizes Peter.

Finally, we might wonder if a fisherman like Peter was ever capable of writing such profound exhortations. Most likely, his secretary, Sylvan or Silas, edited his letters, yet there is no denying that they are divinely inspired. The fact that Our Lord chose poor Peter to lead the Church may likewise baffle the worldly wise. But, then, it isn't wisdom that God wants from us, but faith.

Quite paradoxically, a sure way of strengthening our faith is by being fools for Christ, and, like Peter, a rock upon which Christ can build His Church. Dare we accept the challenge of the faith that the fisherman once accepted?

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by Oscar de Noronha

Journeying from doubt to belief

Would you believe it? The apostles were caught off-guard by the Resurrection! They huddled together in fear, when they should have been rejoicing and shouting from the rooftops! Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, this seems like an obvious point. But the fact is that, although at the Passover Meal Jesus had foretold His return, 'Resurrexit' was likely just a distant concept to them.…

Let’s face it, what does it mean to us today? Does the Resurrection still have a breaking-news effect in our lives? The world had never seen a resurrection before. Jesus had raised three from the dead, but that did not register with those men of little faith!

It was not the apostles, then, but Mary of Magdala who was privileged to first see the Risen Lord. Unable to contain herself, she rushed to break the news to Peter and John, but they simply shook their heads in disbelief. Meanwhile, Jesus appeared to two other Marys and Salome—women were the first messengers to the Apostles—and in the evening, to two disciples travelling to Emmaus. When this duo hurried back to Jerusalem, they found the apostles gathered, bewildered, in the Cenacle.

According to the Gospel (Jn 20: 19-31), when the doors were shut—where the disciples were gathered for fear of the Jews—Jesus came in and stood among them, saying, ‘Peace be with you’. He had defied the laws of time and space, which probably caused them even more fear. But then, to set all their doubts at rest, He showed them His hands and His side. He instructed them to receive the Holy Spirit and authorised them to forgive and preach in His Name.

This day soon became “the Lord’s Day,” replacing the Sabbath as the day of creation, the Mosaic law, and the Pasch. It symbolised a new creation, a new alliance, and a new, definitive Pasch. The Gospel account may not be exhaustive, but there is no doubt that the Church was on the horizon.

However, the going was not as smooth as it might seem. The Twin has gone down in history as ‘doubting Thomas’ (St John is the only evangelist to refer to the episode); still, we must not hold it against him. By the depth of his love, he believed when he met the Lord a week later; by the strength of his bond, he cried, ‘My Lord and my God’; and by the power of his commitment, he went on an apostolic mission to India.

What a lesson for us! Too often we doubt and remain in that doubt; we ask questions but seldom seek the answers. In our fast-paced world, while we pretend to eloquently reason out, we fail to see that faith alone can touch infinity and set us free.

So many holy traditions can be traced back to the Day of the Lord: the peace greeting, the receiving of the Holy Spirit, the sacrament of confession, and the duty to evangelise. Lest these meaningful commands turn into meaningless rituals, it is essential to remember that our acts must be soaked in faith. The Lord expects nothing short of a leap of faith, for ‘blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.’

That transformative faith was evident when thousands converted and lived radically in the wake of the Resurrection. The First Reading (Acts 2: 42-47) tells us that the neo-converts ‘devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.’ By having ‘all things in common’, they sowed the seed of religious communities; by selling or distributing their possessions, they introduced charitable living. This was not an injunction against private property, for they did so ‘as any had need’. But one thing is sure: by refraining from accumulating wealth, they emphasised that our real treasure lies in Heaven.

Thus, the neo-converts lived in the joy of the Lord and felt blessed. That is yet another lesson for us to take to heart. It is a pity that sometimes we distance ourselves from the Messiah, if not reject Him completely. By shameful acts of commission and omission, we repeatedly put him to a shameful death. If the Resurrection does not convince us of the divinity of Our Lord, no other miracle will. In fact, after He rose from the dead, His divinity was even more pronounced than his humanity.

The Second Reading (1 Pet. 1: 3-9) renews our hope. It teaches us that ‘by His great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in Heaven for you.’ We may suffer a little while on earth, but that suffering is a purging. Through it all, we must continue to praise and thank God for our Christian vocation.

Finally, Christ being the reason for our being, we must dispel the darkness of doubt and soak in our belief. In fact, the Gospel account was written precisely ‘that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name’ (Jn 20: 30-31). It promises not a naïve and selfish joy of the flesh, but a deep and self-giving joy of the spirit, simple and life-giving. This is a marvellous hope that we can all nurture as we renew our Christian life; it is a most wonderful way of being Church.

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by Oscar de Noronha

A Glimpse of the Resurrection

Today, God speaks in a special way to our world that is filled with inordinate love for life and undue fear of suffering and death. The long and short of His message is that we must trust in Him alone, for nothing is permanent except Him; we would therefore do well to fix our gaze on eternal life rather than set our heart on earthly promises.

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, the three readings offer a supernatural perspective on life and death. Traditionally called Passion Sunday, today marks the start of ‘Passiontide’, a season that invites us to begin a close preparation for Easter. In this run-up, let us seek to better understand the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour and to see those stages in our day-to-day life as Christians. The readings prepare us mentally and spiritually for the greatest mystery of all time.

The First Reading (Ezek 37: 12-14) is drawn from a major prophet of the Old Testament. Ezekiel focuses on how God is always faithful and keeps His promises. He makes God’s mercy and justice known through a vision of dry and scattered bones vivified in the valley. The bones represent the Israelites, exiled and dispersed; their revival represents God’s saving grace to the land and the people. Church Fathers like St Justin, St Irenaeus, and St Tertullian consider Ezekiel’s vision to be an indication of the resurrection of the bodies on the last day.

Although today’s Gospel (Jn 11: 1-45) does not quote Ezekiel verbatim, it shows a realization of his prophecy. Jesus raises Lazarus, in a miracle several notches higher than the cure of the blind beggar at Siloam, in last Sunday's Gospel. Jesus made it clear that the beggar’s congenital blindness was not a chastisement; Lazarus’ illness was ‘not unto death.’ Our Lord delays his coming to Bethany, located some 3 km from Bethlehem, so he might not merely have to cure but to raise his friend to life – ‘for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it.’ It is the Lord’s final ‘sign’ to the Jews: to believe in His divinity and the power of the true God.

Jesus takes yet another step, by clearly proclaiming: ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in me, even he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’ Whereas such a statement crosses the limits of human logic, look at Thomas: he who would later be dubbed ‘the doubting’ one is presently ready to die with the Lord. Are we ready to leave behind our earthly knowledge and pride and believe in His logic?

For their part, the disciples did not seem to understand what Jesus meant by saying that Lazarus ‘has fallen asleep’; they had probably forgotten how He had raised the daughter of Jairus! And the Bethany household too was bemused by Jesus who said, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ In her limited human view, Martha took it to be the resurrection on the last day.

What would we see if we looked through Martha’s glasses? And after knowing what really happened two thousand years ago, do we believe firmly that He is truly the Resurrection and the Life? Are we ready to leave behind our earthly possessions and wear spectacles of faith? Can we say confidently that ours is an awesome God, who never fails, and that He never fails us?

But then, isn’t it paradoxical that the One who gave life to Lazarus was put to death?! Mary, who had anointed Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair, was only prefiguring his burial. And Martha, who knew Jesus so well, was so naïve as to say, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an odour, for he has been dead four days.’ It was as if he was dissuading Our Lord from performing so clean a miracle.

All is grist that comes to the mill of the Author of Life. Whereas He can turn bad odours into fragrances and transform death into life, the fragrance of divine fidelity was paid back with the odour of human infidelity. That is to say, life was repaid with death. Whereas the Jews were unmoved by the marvel wrought by the Lord, they moved hurriedly to complain to the Sanhedrin. The rest is history…

We are all Lazaruses wounded by sin. Unless rescued by Christ, we shall remain like dry bones in this valley of tears. St Paul reminds us in the Second Reading (Rom 8: 8-11) that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. We must pray that, in untying our sinful bandages, He forgives us our sins. As Pope John Paul II once said, ‘The real strength of a man lies in the fidelity of his witness to the truth and in his resisting flattery, threats, misunderstandings, blackmail, even harsh and relentless persecution. This is the path on which our Redeemer calls us to follow Him.’[1]

[1] Cf. Pope John Paul II, Passion Sunday sermon, 2002 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4206

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by Oscar de Noronha

The Challenge of the Light

On Laetere Sunday [1], we joyfully anticipate the victory and the joy that will be ours at Easter. We have progressed through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and are half way through Lent. Through the Liturgy of the Word, we have meditated on the human condition and on our response to God’s loving invitation through the ages.

Looking back, on the first Sunday of Lent, the First Reading focused on the creation of the world and the sins of our first parents. On the second, we heard Abraham's call, the father of the people of God. On the third, we read Moses's story of leading his people out of Egypt.

Today, in the First Reading (1 Sam 16: 1.6-7.10-13), on the fourth Sunday of Lent, we witness the rise of David (Hebrew for ‘commander’) as the ruler of the united kingdoms of Israel and Judah. God bid the prophet Samuel to anoint the youngest son of Jesse (‘God exists’) with oil in his hometown of Bethlehem.

Accordingly, David, a shepherd, replaced the first king, Saul, who had disobeyed God: ‘The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.’ A millennium later, Jesus (‘God saves’) was born in Bethlehem (‘House of Bread’) and would eventually declare Himself the Good Shepherd. Bethlehem, in the hill country of Judah, was located about six miles north-west of Nazareth, where Jesus lived until he was thirty, and about five miles south of Jerusalem, where He would die, three years later. Thus ended the public ministry of God’s slain Lamb, unprecedentedly full of miracles and blessings.

The Gospel (Jn 9: 1-41) speaks of one such miracle or ‘sign’: the cure of a blind beggar. The disciples, keen as they were to know if his blindness was a result of sin, seemed ‘blind’ too. The Master clarified that 'it was not that this man or his parents had sinned, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him.' Jesus, proclaiming Himself the 'Light of the World', sent the blind man to Siloam (meaning, ‘Sent’).

That was incipient baptism, carrying as it did a promise of sweet light and refreshing health to the weak and suffering.[2] Once cured, the man called Jesus 'a prophet' and later acknowledged Him as the Son of Man. Clearly, he had received not only natural sight but also supernatural light!

Overawed by this occurrence, the local cabal began to work overtime and close in on Jesus. The Pharisees spread a canard: 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.' No doubt, Jesus had cured the blind man on a sabbath, but, as He had said elsewhere, 'the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.' (Mk 2: 23–28)

However, far from recognising Him as the Messiah, some Pharisees argued that he who has not kept the sabbath cannot be of God. Whereas they kept pressing the cured man, expecting him to retract his earlier statement, the grateful man retorted: 'You do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes. (…) Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.'

In view of such irrefutable logic, the only thing left to do was hype the case against Jesus. The parents were called upon to make sure if their son was congenitally blind; they did, but since 'the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue,’ they pleaded ignorance as to the author of the marvel.

That was pure blackmail! Alas, how many do the same today! They swim with the current, compromising their principles, so as to gain social acceptance and political mileage. Likewise, arm-twisting and intimidation are rampant; it is the same old story of giving a dog a bad name and hanging him!

At that time, Jesus was at the height of his ministry — but also at the threshold of his Passion and Death. The Light of the World was shining in the darkness, yet the world did not know Him (cf. Jn 1). The cure of the blind man shows Jesus to be the Messiah, who came into the world 'that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.' That is, His light was 'as mighty as to enlighten the lowly as it was to dazzle and blind the proud.'[3] To the Pharisees, who felt targeted by this powerful proclamation, He said that only physical, not spiritual, blindness could be excused…

In today’s topsy-turvy world, one sees the right-minded being banished, while the flawed get promoted. But we are not to be frightened or discouraged. By our baptism, we have been invited to cross from darkness to light, from sin to supernatural life. St Paul in the Second Reading (Eph. 5: 8-14) exhorts us to 'walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness but instead expose them.' Persevering in this mission through life is indeed the challenge of the Light.

[1] So called from the first words of the Entrance Antiphon for Mass, "Laetare Jerusalem" ("Rejoice, O Jerusalem")

[2] Abbé C. Fouard, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Goa: Don Bosco, 1960, p. 290.

[3] Op. cit., p. 293.

by Oscar de Noronha

Drinking of the Living Water

Moses almost fell out with God for the sake of the people and with the people for God’s sake. The dilemma faced by the most important prophet of the Old Testament is palpable in the First Reading (Ex 17: 3-7): ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’

It’s no doubt lonely at the top—if we venture to do things alone! Moses had God on his side. He saw God face to face and heard Him more easily than he could humour the fickle-minded and ungrateful Israelites. Here was a man who had led them out of an oppressive land, across the Red Sea, and into freedom; yet his countrymen pined for Egypt’s fleshpots!

However, God did not give up. He knew that doubting pointed to seeking. He commanded Moses to strike the rock, and abundant water would be found to quench the people’s physical thirst. He declared the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai for their moral guidance. And one day, there would be a New Moses issuing a new Commandment of Love, and blood and water would come forth from His heart wounded by a lance on Mount Calvary.

In the Gospel (Jn 4: 5-42), Jesus offers the Samaritan woman the water of eternal life. At first, she mistook this water for the sparkling water of Jacob’s well that Jesus had asked for. When Jesus dispelled that doubt, she went to town, exclaiming, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’ Obviously, open as she was to divine grace, she welcomed the Word of God.

Meanwhile, Christ’s disciples kept urging Him to eat and satisfy His bodily need; they failed to see the significance of what He had said: ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ What a far cry from the Samaritan woman who had understood the Lord. Therefore, the perceptive St Augustine sees in her the figure of the Church that was about to be founded. The fact that it took a Samaritan woman to proclaim Jesus as the much-awaited Christ shows that no one is a prophet in their own land and that the Church is destined to attract the whole world!

The Bishop of Hippo has this to say of today’s Gospel passage: ‘The things spoken there are great mysteries, and the similitudes of great things; feeding the hungry, and refreshing the weary soul.’[1] Indeed, his interpretations of the Lord’s weariness, the sixth hour, the five husbands, the fountain and the well, the living water, the harvest and the labourers and, of course, the woman herself are all of great benefit.

God promises to reveal to us the treasures of His love by degrees, and Jesus did the same to the Samaritan woman. He is the Bread and Water of Life, and woe to those who do not believe it. We, who are heirs to the Holy Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition, should not go by new-fangled notions; when we have the Living Bread and Water, what use are sensory delights? And is it not downright stupid for us, who already know the Saviour of the World, to dip into the weird world of petty godmen, false prophets, or cult leaders who go about ruining souls?

Let us, then, turn a new leaf. Let us harden not our hearts but praise and thank God, bow down in worship, and kneel before Him who made us (cf. Ps 94: 2, 6-7). Let us pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into our hearts and be sure, as St Paul teaches in the Second Reading (Rom 5: 1-2, 5-8) that ‘since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ’

What does it mean to be ‘justified by faith’? It means receiving God’s grace to be cleansed of sin and be inwardly sanctified, starting at baptism. When we are convinced of and grateful for this immense blessing, we too will go forth, give witness, and proclaim that Jesus is Lord. What a grace it is to have a God who cares for all our needs. The Living Water fully quenches our thirst.

[1] St Augustine, Homilies on the Gospel of John, Tractate XV, § 1. https://www.ccel.org/ccel/s/schaff/npnf107/cache/npnf107.pdf

Banner: https://www.columbiamuseum.org/collection-highlights/christ-and-samaritan-woman

by Oscar de Noronha