Homily on the Feast of MC Sisters

We remember today two great women  - Mary, whose immaculate heart we honour, who is the patroness of your congregation and a mother, Saint Teresa of Kolkata who embraced a suffering humanity, listened to the call within a call and dared to respond to the Lord, in ways unimaginable. There is no doubt thousands of needy continue to believe that God still cares for them, because of the works of Mother Teresa and you her followers. One can point out several similarities between Mary, the mother of Jesus and Teresa, the mother of every needy. What stands out for me in them both – is their unwavering faith even at the most challenging of times. They stand before us today as perfect examples of Christian discipleship.

To be a disciple, to be a follower of Christ is to be like a sugarcane. No matter how much you crush it – even the last drop of it will be sweet.

Let us have a look at the readings of the Day.

The first reading is taken from Trito Isaiah, written after the return of Israelites from the Babylonian exile. The words remind us of the “Song of Mary” when she heard that she would be the mother of the Messiah: “My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46, 47). The words recorded here by the prophet Isaiah are the words of a believer who has a God who liberates.

The reading mentions the robe of righteousness. We believe that God has and will continue to cover our sinful life with the robe of righteousness. Jesus fashioned this robe from the threads of his perfect life. Then he wove it on the loom of the cross and colored it with his own red blood. This robe of Christ’s righteousness is long and wide enough to cover every twisted human thought, word, and deed. Because this robe covers the deepest stain of human sin, it becomes also a garment of salvation. Humans stand before God dressed in this robe. God sees the believer clothed with the perfection of his own Son and welcomes the believer into his presence.

The Psalm, taken from the Song of Hanna – reminds us that there is nothing impossible to God.

 

 The Second reading from the letter to the Ephesians stresses on the point of we being the children of God, through Jesus. The reading carries the echoes of trusting and receiving the Messiah.

Both the readings highlight the Messiah and his works, he making us the children of God and clothing us with the robe of Righteousness.

 The Gospel of the day, highlights the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, through Mary. It is Mary who brought the promised Messiah to this world, who also pondered all things in her heart. The feast of the day reminds us of a woman from Nazareth who walked with her son, even when all left him and ran away. A woman dared to believe the impossible and trust him at all times.  She was there at the birth of the Saviour, she was also there accompanying the disciples at the upper room, on the Pentecost day, when the church was born.

 We also remember Mother Teresa, who dared to walk out from the secure life in a Loretto convent, who continued to work even when she received humiliation and discouragement and remained faithful to the Lord, even when she had prolonged years of dryness in her prayer life.

As said before what stands out for me in the life of Both is their unwavering faith. I would like to spend a few moments reflecting on this word FAITH. What is Faith?

There are several definitions, articles and books I have read about FAITH but nothing convinced me as much as the witness of an old poor sickly helpless woman in a backward village in India, during my theological studies.

As part of preparations to my contextual theological studies, I was placed in a poor village for a month. I was moving from house to house and listening to the stories of people; stories that were full of  pains and struggles, stories of their unfulfilled dreams and desires, and questions that probably had no easy answers. One thing that I kept repeating, whenever I met someone who was struggling, ‘these things will pass away; your situation would change…you will be fine’

On that Tuesday afternoon, as I was walking in the hot sun, I came across a small hut, where an aged lady and her daughter lived. Gowramma, an aged woman, welcomed me to her small hut. As we began our conversation, she opened the pages of her life. She had lost her husband years ago. Despite the dire poverty she was in, somehow she had managed to give two of the three daughters in marriage. Her life was nothing but a saga of suffering.

 As Gowramma was quite weak and not able to work as before, her youngest daughter was somehow managing the house by working petty jobs here and there. Talking to this woman, I learnt that she had absolutely no one to support and help except that of her youngest daughter. But that daughter was also to leave her and go, as her marriage was fixed. Having understood the situation it was clear  that none of her three daughters were in a position to take care of her. I was haunted with question of Gowramma’s future. I was struck: What’s next? My mind was overwhelmed with the questions of her tomorrow.

Gathering everything together, though I felt I should not, I still asked, “Gowramma, what about your future? Who will take care of you? Who is there for you?” She burst into tears. The tears that she probably was trying to hide until then.  I was taken a back for asking such a question. May be this question was haunting her too.

Trying to sympathize, I thought of repeating the same slogan, which I used to do in other houses. But…

Moments later, gathering herself, Gowramma opened her mouth, uttering, “The God who gave me this life, the God who created me, will never let me down, will never abandon me.” Her voice was shivering; tears were still flowing in her eyes, but no doubt, her words were filled with tremendous amount of faith. She had true unshakable FAITH.

Just think of the Israelites returning from the bondage of Egypt, standing before the Red sea. There was a huge army of Pharaoh behind them and a vast sea before them. For a moment they may have seen death behind them and death before them. But trusting in the Lord when they stepped ahead, the Lord opened the vast Sea for them and made them walk right in the middle of the sea and led them to the  Promised Land. Dear sisters and brother – This is the same faith that will give us strength in our lives.

Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God on this earth and Mary cooperated and took part in building this kingdom. She never took the center stage. Jesus was the center and she walked beside him, accompanied him and stood by him. She knew that her son was the Lord and the master.

You and I are also workers in the kingdom of God. At times in our lives we tend to think we are the masters, especially when we get authority. In this regard the words of St Oscar Romero are very meaningful. He says “We are workers, not master builders,ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

Like Mary, you and I too are invited to work for the kingdom and participate in Gods mission, by being another Christ, wherever we are.

Let me close this reflection with the story of a little bird:

There was once a village and in that village there was a forest. And in the forest there was a little bird. One evening there was fire in the forest. Everyone ran to save one’s own life, except this little bird. This little bird was carrying drops of water with its little beak and was pouring on the fire. Someone stopped the bird and asked: What a foolish thing are you doing? Do you think with these few drops of water you can quench this fire? First go and save your life, lest you will be burnt in this fire and will die.  The little bird replied, I do not know whether I can put off this huge fire or not. But the very purpose for which I am created is to put off the fire and promote life, to give life.

My brothers, my sisters, we too are invited by our very creation and all the more by our vocation are invited to be life givers wherever we are. To live our faith is to be a life giver, life promoter with our little acts of kindness.

 May the immaculate heart of Mary continue to inspire and intercede for us all.