Vineyard & Cornerstone

 

I felt the fiancee or the valentine not mine but in the book of Song of Solomon was with me and who invites her sweet heart in chapter 7 verse 12 “Let us go out early to the vineyards and see whether the vines have budded, whether the grapes blossoms have opened and the pomegranates are in bloom.”  

Bible from Genesis to Revelation portrays the term Vineyard in 82 instances. Today I would like to invite you for a small waltzing through vineyards, hopefully which will help us to place Christ the cornerstone in our lives. The vineyard becomes an icon of hard work in the book of Genesis Chapter 9 verse 20 and it’s written “Noah, a man of the soil was the first to plant a vineyard. The opening lines of the book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 5 verse 1&2 brace the above notion, “My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug and cleared of stones and planted it with choice of vines.” In verse 4 Prophet becomes peevish to accept the snide outcome, “He expected it to yield grapes but it yielded wild grapes.           

Christian life as a vineyard needs hard work to squeeze the vine of virtues. Plough the land with the spade of faith, clear the stones and the thorns with the hand of hope and plant the red grape of love. Built a tower with prayer, hew the press of Sacraments. To promise us the best vine we need to prune it with gospel. And here the Gospel of St. John chapter 15 verse 2 never becomes a second thought, “Every Branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.”  

Couple of days before, I had a video on my Facebook wall. A granny along with her grandson was in a bakery to buy a birthday cake for her better half and for him of course his grandpa. Once they ordered the cake of their choice the salesman requested them to pay the bill at the cashier desk.  They were ferreting the money to be paid for the cake as they were having the jaunt to the teller desk. Unfortunately they found no sufficient money to be paid after their search in the pockets, purse and pouch. A young and astute guy was observing them and felt it would be a needle in the haystack for them. And he goes before them and clears the account. The granny and her grandson smiled at him.  He gives a sticky note to the boy as he pats him on his cheek. The line on the chit reads, “Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.” The scene twists as the grandson gives the sticky note to his grandpa. The grandpa recollects the episode in which he had given the same chit to a beggar boy who missed the boat to have a day’s meal. Yes the granddad was a blessing for the young guy in his childhood days and the grandpa is blessed in his old age days.

For Psalmist vineyard is the symbol of Blessing and it is underlined in chapter 107 verses 37& 38 “They sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. And by his blessings they multiply greatly.”  The labours at the vineyard in the gospel of Matthew chapter 20 verses 9 & 14 illustrate the same, “Those hired about five O’clock came and received their usual daily wage. And I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.”  In the Jewish tradition vineyard is culturally and economically centred in everyday life. Being a catholic we are called to be blessed and be a blessing for the other. To be blessed and to bless the other, Christ has to be the corner stone of our life. St. Paul through the letter to Philippines chapter 4 verse 8 elucidates the same idea, and I quote , “ Finally, beloved whatever is true , whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellency and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

 Another dimension or implication of Vineyard is that it signifies the new life. Gospel of Luke through the parable of the barren fig tree amidst the vineyard would give a better understanding, noted in chapter 13 verse 8, “Sir let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it.”  It’s up and running for the prophet Amos too and we read in chapter 9 verse 14, “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their vine.”  The land owner in the Gospel augurs the privy of new vineyard and it reads in Matthew chapter 21 verse 41, “And leases the vineyard to the other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time. Pablo Neruda a veteran Chilean poet and a diplomat has the same view as he versifies, “You start dying  slowly if you do not change your life.”     

Let me sign out by detonating with a climax of an Indian Movie titled ‘Vineyards for Us to Dwell In’ in Malayalam നമുക്കു പാർക്കാൻ മുന്തിരിത്തോപ്പുകൾ  . The Plot, Solomon the protagonist falls in love with the girl Sofia of the neighboring home. As he spent time with his girlfriend he realizes that his honey has agony of discrimination in her home by her stepfather. Solomon convinces everyone about his marriage to this girl which can provide her comfort and show his way of life. The idea of marriage is opposed by her stepfather and the family which led him to leave the village. After few months he comes back and meets her. As Solomon meets Sophia he asks her you thought that I wouldn't come again. Her two word reply I thought changes the whole scene. Solomon takes Sofia with him and makes her the supervisor of the next season's harvest in the vineyard and his life too.

Keep in mind that the protagonist of our life movie as Catholics, Christ will come again and to be the supervisor for all seasons of crop, let us be the vineyard of hard work, the vineyard of blessing, the vineyard of new life and place Christ as the beacon of our vineyard.    

PIPER A CRUX TO DEEPEN FAITH AND CHRIST

Piper an Oscar winning animated short film for the year 2017 has been whats apped by my friend Anusha as I was sharing with her the stress and the struggles I face in my life. The plot of the story depicts how a young sand piper overcomes its challenges to find food at the sea shore. The first day as the young sand piper search the food with its mother the tide on the sea shore has heaved him away. Cataclysmic experience at the sea shore petrified the young sand piper and roosted him in the nest. On a fine morning a hermit crab invites the young sand piper to ferret the food at the sea shore. Reprising the jittery experience the piper started its jaunt with the hermit crab to the seashore having anxiety in the mind. Unfortunately the tide was surging and at this juncture the astute young sand piper looked the hermit crab and he found that the hermit crab hides him in the sand. The young sand piper emulates the same. As the water flows over the sand piper it opens its eye and finds the beauty of the sea. As the sand piper realises the clinch in his daring step and it becomes the most intrepid piper to seek food on the sea shore even during strong tides.  Yes to be Different and Daring one need to go deep. And so Jesuits the largest and leading religious order in the Catholic Church had its tagline for their 36^th General Synaxis as “Row Into Deep,” Albert Einstein adds the same flavor as he tweets “A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is not what it is built for.” A classical scene portrayed in the gospel of John chapter 21 verses 1 to 6 in which the worth of rowing deep is depicted,  the disciple were fishing throughout the night but they could not cast a single fish. The scenario changes up and down as Jesus enters to the frame. Jesus utters them cast your net deeper. It is from the same sea shore where they could collect fishes which makes them in demanding to pull out their net.  Peter Knowing the in and out of the fishing has sensed that dark like a needle in a haystack. A savvy fisherman knows the availability of the fish is in the deep sea.  Casting net at the periphery of the sea sketches Peter’s character and his faith. He was not sure of the resurrection of Christ and thus leaves for fishing. Being in the fringe of your faith you achieve nothing. Jesus did not tell Peter and his crew to change the sea in order to get more fish but demanded them to cast it into deep and it would be the climax of that episode. Of course deepening our faith will help us to face the challenges and changes; and once you experience the beauty of rowing deep like the sand piper in the short film will brace us to paint the life red.I feel the cry of St. Thomas in the Gospel of John chapter 20 vesicle 25 may not become on second thought here. He jousts with disciples in bereft and uttered; unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe. And he soothes the Mantra out of blue, when he sees the risen Christ which every Christian should keep in his heart and mind, “My Lord and My God.” Experiencing the gashes of Christ souped him up to be the radical disciple of Christ. Let us roll up our sleeves to row into deep to experience Christ and the Challenges of Being a Christian. And let me break the ice with the tongue of Christ; “those who want to follow me take up ones own daily cross and follow me.” Yes the Injuries and lesions of my life can only deepen Christ in my life… Amen.  

Hidden Trinity in Yesterday

Trinity is an arcane notion for an ordinary man. Being a usual man I used to attenuate by a jaunt with St. Augustine as I hear the concept of Trinity. It was a fine evening Augustine had a stroll on the sea shore.  He met a child who was fetching water with a sea shell from the sea and pouring to the tiny conduit he made.  Having seen this, the philosopher in Agustin had a query to the child. What are you doing? The cute and curious child replied with a smile on his face, I am trying to dry the sea. Agustin’s logical mind responded to the child and said it is impossible. The child broke the ice with a locution, ‘To dry the sea with a sea shell is unmanageable, if so the quest you have in your mind right now is impossible too. And Agustin writes he was thinking about Trinity.  The impossible becomes possible if one can think in the stream of Jesus. And it is written He communicated the Good News to the people with stories and parables. One can construe the theological notions if he / she are ready to link the day to day life events and experience with the knowledge already has with the same.  In that sense Yesterday the movie directed by        Darrell Roodt becomes a pivot to elucidate the Trinity.

Yesterday as a movie has the plot of a peculiar African woman called Yesterday who counters with AIDS and struggles to raise her daughter and to support her husband who has been collapsed by the same illness can be connected with the idea of Trinity.  The understanding of trinity is Three Persons in One God. This idea of Trinity expounds that God has 3 different personalities for different functions. Consider that Yesterday as God who owns the different personalities. The film depicts how a woman being one does the multifaceted tasks in her life. Being a woman she is a wife, mother of her daughter, friend of the teacher. As an AIDS patient Yesterday the protagonist of the film who knows her life is at stale. The awareness of the illness makes her to be more multitasked to face the music.  The people who are connected especially her husband and daughter depends on her strength, nurture and hard labor. Realities of African women are exclusively portrayed in the movie.  An explanation to the painting by Fr. Orobator SJ ( A women returning from the field with bundles of produce and firewood piled on her head and a baby strapped her back and one hand she has hoe the instrument and the other hand holds her load not to fall. The shocking part she gives breast feed for an old man) in his book Theology Brewed in African Pot underlines the same qualities of a woman.

The Trinitarian God is like Yesterday the African woman in the movie combines many sides. Yesterday is God for her husband and daughter who satiate their situational needs. The salvation history can be linked with her illness. It was a time when the earth required salvation God comes in the form of Son and continues the work through the Holy Spirit. Yesterday knew that the situation was falling worst.  And her multitasked role developed as a mother who wishes the bright future of her daughter, as a nurse who treats the husband as patient even to the extent by constructing the hospital for the better situation. Yesterday was there before the tomb of her husband as an image of the Holy Spirit who continues to be with the world in continuing the mission of Son. Yes she makes sure that her husband is safe in the tomb as the concluding scenario portrays it.

To conclude that Trinity is a God concept which we use in our theological dialogues, but many are the ways in which God meets us where we are, here and now like Yesterday. The circumstantial representation on Trinity avoids the mysterious element. God as the Trinity elaborating through the character of Yesterday from the film procures an insight which invigorates the impossible Trinity of Agustin and Church teachings. It’s in our hand and heart to choose such God, as Orobator SJ rightly said ‘God is the one we meet everywhere who sees both the inside and outside.’      

Rich, Revolutionary And Reflective Rebekah

“Every successful man has a woman behind him,” often I see this locution as I scroll down my Facebook account and some extent it’s factual too. Weeks ago my philosophical mind clinched to find a protagonist against the notion. I hope the feminist won’t label me as a cynic. Esau the Genesis Character is petrified gazing at the avowal. Yes I can construe the question words in your mind Why and How. To keep your hair on queries, kindly read Book of Genesis chapter 27 in the Holy Bible. Rebekah being only the woman in the extract becomes fibber and fetches Esau a life of failure. I recall very vividly a dialogue from the Malayalam movie Kuttisrank in which a young girl says to a young Buddhist Monk and I quote “A woman can take a man to anywhere.”   

Being a novice in the realm of theology I cleave on to the view that nobody can presage and plot one’s destiny. Blessing as the main theme and the word that used 28 times throughout the story, it was not Rebekah who meddled to lose the birth right and blessings of Easu. Bible itself particularly the previous chapters in the book of Genesis very clearly describes that Esau was not the chosen one.  “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25: 23). “When Esau was forty years old he married Judith daughter of Elon the Hittite; and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.” (Genesis 26: 34). The above verses expounds that he himself made his situation pathetic not to be the chosen one. Son who makes the life of his parents acrimonious will be repudiated off many things. 

Intervention of Rebekah was not accidental to evict Esau from God’s plan for the humanity. The inheritance promised by God was firmly fixed in her mind; she knew that it was decreed to her son Jacob. There are three essentials that made Rebekah to play a pivotal role in the story,  The reflective journey through the passage substantiate that the story is emphasized on the feelings of Seeing, Hearing, Tasting, Touching, and Smelling. Sensual feelings play huge amount of role in one’s life but it is also important to use the capacity of tongue to understand the feelings.  As a family it’s necessary to have communication among all the members, but in this family the scenario of communication is entirely different. Jacob and Esau never appear together in the four major scenes of this story, nor do Rebekah and Esau, which symbolizes a lack of communication within the family.” Lack of communication among the family members made Rebekah to communicate with the Yahweh where she could realize that Jacob was the chosen one. It wouldn’t be a fate for Esau if Isaac had properly communicated with Rebekah because she really knew the plan of God about Esau. God really exposes Himself about his steps and strategies to the one who always communicates with him. And Rebekah was rich in communication with God; as she attuned to the oracle that she received during the birth of Esau and Jacob. Communication among the family is to be fostered to have better understanding of God’s plan about oneself. 

 The passage commences with the discourse between Isaac and Esau in which Isaac highlights about his days on the earth and the savoury food. These two concepts clearly state that how Issac was oriented to the physical enrichments. It was not necessary that the tasty food should be served before the paternal blessings, but Isaac insists and this gives a picture of a failure father. Isaac’s attachment towards physical desires exposes that he relies on his own understanding not on God’s indulgence. He was pleased with the son who fills his stomach. The physical wishes lead him blindly for the love of his firstborn son, to prefer him to the other; and in this way he contended against the oracle of God, which God had pronounced before the children were born.  Isaac who denies the power and promises of God and trusting in himself could be a stumbling block for the fulfillment of planned salvation. He was gratifying his sensual desires in opposition to God’s plan. Here Rebekah contradicts Isaac as a woman who attentively moves around with God’s plan and prophecies.  The character of Isaac as a father who seeks physical fostering clearly describes that the intervention of Rebekah was not fortuitous but preplaced.

 The character of Rebekah is introduced in the book of Genesis as an icon of listening. Her entry before the senior servant of Abraham will underline the fact that Rebekah formed herself as a woman of listening. (Genesis 24: 12-19) And again we could see the quality of listening in Rebekah before the birth of the twins. “She went to inquire of the Lord.” (Genesis 25: 22). Finally, the passage reinforces her uniqueness in listening by saying that, “Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau.” (Genesis 27: 5). The concept of ‘listening’ has got a spiritual tone in the Bible. Rebekah did not just happen to overhear the whispering of Isaac and Esau as they plotted the diversion of divine promises to the elder son. The Hebrew form that is used in the original text suggests that this was a habit, a pattern of behavior, not a happenstance. It was after all this quality of listening that made Rebekah to be reflective and walk along with the Plan of God. The intervention of Rebekah to fulfill the Plan of God was not accidental and the quality of listening in her life depicts that she was attuned to do so. 

Rebekah as a character in the passage can be mistreated negatively as a woman who deceives her husband and partial to her elder son. But as God oriented home maker she plays a pivotal role in the household endeavors. Rebekah prepared herself by developing her qualities and acted prudently to be part of God’s intervention towards the salvation of human being. The character of Rebekah blows the wind of mother hood and its role in the family. Her positive qualities can really be inculcated among the contemporary mothers. To say as a mother, a woman in this pragmatic world needs to be rich in communication both vertically and horizontally that is with God and her family members. A wife should not take the advantage of her husband’s weakness rather be a facilitator for him to get together. Be a revolutionary in home making. The world today presents lot of break-up families and the reason for it could be lack of listening. As women and mother the modern era should set reflective Rebekah as the icon for this quality. It would be better if the women today emulate Rebekah in this regard for a home to be a God dwelling abode.  Let Rebekah be the mediator for the women today, and which can lead to a paradigm shift in women perception in this generation, that still struggles to view women as equal beings to enhance the society at large.   

മൂന്ന് വർഷത്തെ കലാലയ ജീവിതത്തിനൊടുവിൽ
അറിവും ആശയങ്ങളും എന്നെ അടിമപ്പെടുത്തിയപ്പോഴും
അഴകും അലങ്കാരങ്ങളും (കലാലയത്തിലെ സുന്ദരിമാർ) എന്നെ ആകർഷിച്ചപ്പോഴും
ആത്മീയതയും ആഡംബരങ്ങളും എന്നെ അലോസരപ്പെടുത്തിയപ്പോഴും
അച്ചൻ പട്ടത്തിൻറെ കൽപടവുകൾ താണ്ടി 
അനശ്വരതയുടെ ആകാശഗോപുരത്തിൽ ഇടം കണ്ടെത്തണമെന്ന് ഓർമ്മിപ്പിച്ച
ധർമ്മാരാം കോളേജിലെ ഡി- കുടുംബത്തിൻറെ, ക്രൈസ്റ്റ് യൂണിവേഴ്സ്റ്റി (2013- 16) ബി കോം ബി യുടെ സ്നേഹത്തിനു, സൗഹൃദത്തിനു, സന്തോഷത്തിനു
നന്ദിയോടെ ....

ജിതിൻ ജോസ് കാളൻ സി. എം. ഐ.
ധർമ്മാരാം കോളേജ്, ബംഗളുരു

“After a Three Years of College Life
I was Enslaved by Intellect and Ideas
I was Attracted by Beauty and Cutie
And I had Clash between Spirituality and Secularism
Still You have Reminded Me with Your Faith, Friendship and Fraternity
That I should Step to My Priesthood of Holiness and Humanness to Achieve the Kingdom of God.”
I Express My Sincere Gratitude to Every One for You have been to Me, Especially to D- Family of Dharmaram College and B. Com B (2013-16) of Christ University.

Bro. Jithin Jose Kalan CMI
Dharmaram College Bangalore

Cross the Border

 Practicing the philosophy of observation I have reserved myself last week to do so. And hubs under my surveillance were Christ University Campus, Forum Mall and St. Antony’s Friary Church in Bangalore. The net result of my research was that people in this circle can’t haul up their heads from the so called smart devices either it may be a smart phone, a tab or a lap top. They were nosy to see the flashes on their device that was emerging in each and every moment. It is so evident that things are at our finger touch and we are the aficionados of those smart gadgets considering them as our better part. Smartizens are increasing day by day and that’s tactile through the commercial ads given by the different companies of smart devices. The write up may be intrusive or irk for the people who are too much espoused to the world of smartness. It may not make sense as we have everything in front of us just in a finger’s tap. A Knowledge Centre (Library), a Land Mark Book Stall and a 24x 7 Adoration centre fledged with spiritual books were attached to the vicinities of my observation and to my surprise very few were gyrated the pages of the books over there. Reader I can heed the question in your mind. Why do we need to go behind books as everything is attenuated on our display?  Ravinder Singh the author of ‘I too had a love story’ can answer your question “To know if a dish is sweet or salty you have to taste it first.” And it’s same with the Books too.

Here comes the role of Library and the habit of reading. Reading makes man perfect so a Library is the temple of learning, an abode of knowledge and wisdom. It is a sacred place where you are chiseled to be a perfect human being.  The knowledge we muster from our smart devices may end up once the flash goes off, but Library invites us to have a serious research and bourgeon our knowledge which is not peripheral but perennial. And that’s why Kunjunni Mash a Malayalam veteran poet known as (Poet of Children) wrote “You will grow whether you read or not, but you will be having suave knowledge once you read if not you will be an impish.” People today are at the verge of habit of going to library or reading books because we are hogged by the smart gadgets. For anything and everything, we browse Google as if Google is our Guru. It’s true, no library or book by itself has ever produced a Newton or a Tulsidas. But a library or a book can open our eyes. The creative thoughts in a book can give us insights with different outlook towards day today life. World becomes competitive, creative and collaborative day by day and if we want to be the benchmarks, we need to sell the best commodity and that is our thoughts or reflections. I believe a library can give a good ambience to jostle our contemplation. Cross the border and that’s, let our rooms, homes and our office cabins embellish with books. To conclude, an excerpt from a book titled ‘Sanchariyude Daivam’ (God of a traveler) written by a priest named Fr. Boby Jose will be suitable. There is a page for gratitude in the book, in which he writes, “I thank my father for providing me books instead of toys in my good old childhood days because he knew it will be a profit in long run.” So let us give a space in our lives for books and library amidst smart phones and selfies which can be fixed opulence of knowledge.
Jithin Kalan CMI

'C' Formula of St. Joseph 

"തച്ചപുരയിലെ തട്ടുമുട്ടുകൾ താളമേളങ്ങളാക്കിയും ജോലി വേലകാളാകവേ ഒരു ഗാനമാലികയാക്കിയും 
വാനദൂതർക്കിമ്പമേകിയ ഗാനഗന്ധർവൻ പാവന ഗാനകോകിലം"     

Often I think why this old man, Joseph was selected to be the husband of Mary the young queen of Nazareth? My doubt is clarified by the book of Job 12:12 “wisdom is with the aged and understanding in the length of days.” Joseph was an inevitable personality in Jesus’ life to mold Him as Christ.  St. Joseph was chosen to be the foster father of Jesus but what about others, why were they not? It’s because he had the three C’s in his life as virtues which later turned out to define Christ. As we are religious being in the process of becoming another Christ these virtues of St. Joseph will make our course easy.

Contemplation is the first virtue that we are required to have in our life. I know that I have no moral strength to talk about contemplation for the reason that I am too chatty. Richard Rohr through his book “Everything Belongs” underscores the above opinion, “One always learns ones mystery at the price of one’s contemplation.” Yes, it’s the meditative and reflective life style of St. Joseph that favored God to choose him to be the stepfather of Jesus. The scene is portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew where Joseph had three dreams in different occasions. Dreams are the outcome of contemplation. We do have dreams but it never befall as a reality. Mere nightmares won’t show the way to actuality. It is very much important the constituent of revelation makes dreams bone fide. In simple terms dreams turn out to be vision when the recipe of contemplation is added. “One will enjoy the solitude, if he or she finds time to have contemplation.” says St. Antony the Desert Father. Jesus devoted himself to be in silent places and I believe the source to develop that habit was St. Joseph. Contemplation links one with God. The rapport between God and Joseph directed Jesus to cling on to his Abba. To reinstate Khalil Gibran’s words, “The difference between Jesus and us is nothing but, He lived his life in the vision of God.”

Contemplation delivers God experience and that ecstasy creates commitment. It’s the second virtue commitment by which Joseph formed Jesus as Christ. Commitment is not a simple notion like our FB status as we assume, but it’s a virtue one should acquire through daily observation. Commitment implies that being Loyal 101% to ones responsibilities. Life of St. Joseph displays very clearly the value of commitment. He was dedicated to his job, carpentry. The rule of a carpenter is “Think twice and cut once.”   Precise decision is the benchmark of a committed person. Imagine the situation of Mary, if Joseph had no clear picture of her life ahead, she would be stoned like Suraiah. Yes, devoted character forces God to choose us for His ingenious ploys. And the notion is emphasized by St. Paul to Ephesians 6:8 “Whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord.”

A Prostitute, owner of a nunnery said to Joseph, “Tell your son to save us from this peril when he becomes the king in future, because we are prostitutes.” This is an imaginary incident written by Sakhariya in his Book titled Arkariyam. The plot behind this episode was that Joseph and Mary hid themselves in a nunnery to save Jesus from the soldiers who were asked to kill the children below two by Herod. We could find this compassionate face in Jesus when he draws the Lakshmana Rekha before Pharisees and others as he stood for the woman caught in adultery. Compassion is getting into the others shoe; so passion to sort out other’s difficulties was inherent in St. Joseph’s life. God did know that only such person could be the foster father of His son. The purpose of Christ’s life was to restore the humanity from its pitfalls.   Revamping a system like humanity which has ups and downs needs a compassionate heart. St. Joseph was the first person to touch and feel Christ. So Christ= Contemplation+ Commitment+ Compassion. Let’s strive in the footsteps of St. Joseph to achieve this simple formula of eternal happiness.

    Jithin Kalan CMI