Mystery of Jesus

THE MYSTERY OF JESUS IN REAL LIFE TODAY

Aspects of the MYSTERY of JESUS have been revealed to you in and through the PEOPLE and their SITUATION.

In my ministries especially among the Sarna people, I come across men and women of various ages. I meet them, talk to them and eat with them. They welcome me and make me feel at home. They, young and the old, share with me their joys and sorrows, dreams and aspirations and concerns and fears. My overall experience of them is not very colorful.

The old people suffer from a lot of physical ailments and are victims of loneliness and rejection. The children experience a lot of hunger and poverty. The youth are jobless and uncertain about their future. The women are overburdened, physically abused and mentally tortured.

However, I see in the old a sense of serenity and joy, among the women a sense of unity and feeling of being comforted, joy and playfulness in the children, the youth feel strengthened and being led in life everyday. What is this unknown source that sustains and provides this kind of inner feeling of well being is a question to be answered with the eyes of faith. And we see that many aspects of the mystery of Jesus manifests in and through these people and their life-situations.

For me the most striking aspect of the mystery of Jesus is that Jesus is a friend to the women, youth, old people and children especially in their vulnerability, pain and struggle. Jesus seems to have a preferential love for them. He comforts them by meeting them regularly, spending time with them by listening and talking. He shares table fellowship with them. They feel comforted when they share their sorrows to me. They feel loved, cared for and accepted with dignity and respect.

This Jesus is the inspiration and source of motivation for me to emulate Him in my ministries. The Gospels manifest to me that Jesus was a friend to the women (Jn 11:5), to the old and sick (Lk 13:12) and children (Lk 18,16). Jesus related to them in ordinary situations of their life. His encounters with them transformed their life and were filled with love of God. This Jesus is revealing Himself to me through my encounter with these people. At the same time Jesus is inviting me to follow Him and to continue to give life and love to the people.

Jesus is a true friend who is ready to give up his life for others (Jn. 15:13-14) and he proved this in his life by giving up his life for all of us. Today by the commission received from him, I too am I called to carry out the self-giving mission of Jesus.

Today Jesus is present among the people, in the least ones and the oppressed. When we serve and empower these people and comfort them with our words and deeds we serve Lord Jesus (Mt 25:33ff). Jesus suffers with them and at same time promises them victory and eternal life.

Aspects of the MYSTERY OF JESUS         have been revealed to you in your COMMITMENT and MINISTRY (APOSTOLATE) to the people.

As a Jesuit religious I am a person committed to the well-being of others (man for others). The commitment I have made is my acceptance of the invitation of Jesus.

In my apostolates, I spent my time, talents and knowledge with the people for their well-being. I also make a lot of sacrifices to be with the people. However, all my efforts I make to share my life with the people do not go in vain. I see the people enjoying my presence. I see them happy, comforted and at times enlightened. Thus they feel that they are accepted and loved. They too love and pray for me.

At the same time, I also should acknowledge the fact that initially I had my own hesitations and difficulties to accept the people and their life situations. Lack of cleanliness, drunken behavior, illiteracy and some people’s disliking for Christianity kept me away from them for some time. However, as my ministries became a part of my prayer and reflection, slowly I could overcome such problems and was able to give myself fully to the people.

So in my commitment and ministry I experience the other centeredness of Jesus. Jesus reveals himself to me as a man for others. This is the Jesuitness Jesus is revealing to me. This inspires me to commit myself to Jesus and to the people.

The other-centeredness is revealed in many parables of Jesus. The parable of the ‘Good Shepherd’ (Jn. 10:11ff) is an example for this. Jesus has come to give us life in its abundance (Jn. 10:10). The very act of Incarnation, the teaching of Jesus (Mt. 5: 1-12), his healing miracles (Mt. 8: 1-4, 8: 14-17 etc) and finally the passion, death and resurrection bear the mark of this other-centeredness.

Jesus has sacrificed many things for the sake of others. The highest of these is his life. He died for our salvation on the cross. This act of atonement has bridged the gap between God and humankind. The other-orientedness is the characteristic mark of the commitment and ministry of Jesus. The classical example is that of the grain of wheat. When the grain of wheat dies it produces more fruit (Jn. 12:24). The condition for the discipleship of Jesus is self-denial and carrying the cross of daily life (Mt 16:24).

The other-centeredness in the life of Jesus and others is a sign of true and deep love they possess for others. When we truly love others we are ready to make sacrifices. God is love and it is this love which prompts Him to give his son to the world (Jn. 3:16). In accepting this revelation in Jesus, I have made my commitment to God and to people. My apostolic involvement thus is my witnessing of this other-centeredness of Jesus.

Aspects of the MYSTERY OF JESUS         have been revealed to you in the PROCESS and STRUGGLE of your ACADEMIC LIFE.

My scholastic life is characterized by academic activities. The purpose of being here in the RTC is to study theology. My study becomes a mission as it prepares me for my future ministries. In the process of my academic life, I come to know many things. Many of my doubts are cleared, questions answered. There is always a joy in knowing more. At the same time, there is a lot of struggle also which come in various ways.

In the process of my academic life, Jesus reveals to me as light, which leads me to new vistas of life and also lightens the darkness of my life. With this in my mind, my studies do not become merely acquiring of knowledge but it is much more than that. More than the intellect, my heart is filled and enlightened.

Jesus is the Logos, the Word of the Father through whom everything is created. The creation of God is the base of our knowledge from where we reflect on the creator. Jesus as Light (Jn. 8:12) guides us to the mysteries of creation and God.

At the same time, I do struggle in my academic life. The problem I face most is lack of perseverance and my tendency for procrastination. I always while away my time in other things which are less important and wait for the last moment to do important ones. Basically I would like to do the first things first but it just does not happen.

In this situation, Jesus is revealing himself to me by challenging me to persevere in everything I do. In the Gospels we see the perseverance of Jesus in doing the will of the Father. For Jesus, doing the will of the Father is his daily food (Jn. 4: 34). So Jesus exhibits a purpose in life and perseverance in achieving them. Jesus is always available to the people and he makes sure that he spends ample time with them. He does not ask them to come later. In the Gospel of Mark, we notice this sense of perseverance and urgency expressed in words like ‘immediately’ (Mk. 1:18, 1:20, 1:42), ‘as soon as’ (Mk 1: 29) and at once (Mk 2: 8). So there is no time to waste. Jesus’ perseverance is also manifested in his desire for expected fruits. Jesus curses the fig tree when he found that it was not fruitful. We are to produce good results to please Jesus.

The best example of Jesus’ perseverance is found in overcoming the temptations in the desert. In all the cases he was offered wealth, short-cut to bring salvation and pleasure. But Jesus takes the narrow path that leads him to perfection and to God. In my academic life, I too come across such tempting situations where there is a tendency for easy going and taking short cuts. But Jesus by revealing himself to me through my academic life has challenged me and inspired me to follow the path of perseverance and hard work.

Jesus also had a long 30 years of formation before he started his mission. But these formative years were hidden from us and we only know that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature (Lk 2:40). I am created with the potentialities to grow in the same and in Jesus I actualize them in my academic life. Jesus expects me that I grow in wisdom and stature as he did. Hard work and perseverance are needed for achieving this.

Aspects of the MYSTERY OF JESUS have been revealed to you in your COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS and RESPONSIBILITIES.

My Jesuit identity is characterized by my community life. The two major aspects of my community life are my interpersonal relationships and shouldering of responsibilities. In this community, I make interpersonal relationships with other members of the community. In this situation many values such as friendship, love, caring, helping, sharing etc are exercised. Also in this community we share the jobs and opportunities together to make the life easy and conducive for formation. To achieve this we shoulder various responsibilities where in one share one’s talent, time and energy for the well-being and welfare of the community.

In my community life, Jesus reveals to me as a companion who shares his life with me and helps me to shoulder responsibilities with love and dedication. In the life of Jesus we see that he has been a man who could build communities pleasing to God. Wherever he went, he worked for the harmony of the people there. He also possesses many of the interpersonal qualities.

I can also say that Jesus is the centre of this community. We are in his name and it is he who unites us as one community. Though we are of different culture and language, it is he who unites us into one. It is through him that we relate to God. In the community we resolve to imitate Jesus and his values. The values of Jesus are learnt and practiced here.

In the life of Jesus we see that he held the disciples together as a small community. He was a good leader as well as a servant of the community. He led the disciples to the truth and knowledge of God. He taught them prayers and gave them responsibilities. His community too was marked by service to others. He fostered among them love, patience, acceptance and sacrifice. It is the faith in Jesus that united the disciples. The person and personality of Jesus glued them into one community of love and service. With the death of Jesus the disciples were dispersed but after the resurrection a new community was born with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit of Jesus that gives life and meaning to our community here.

God has endowed human beings with the ability to form communities so as to in living together we can feel the presence of God amidst us. It is the human dignity (Gen 1:26-27) we all share enable us to build communities of love and service. Holy Trinity is a sign of this community of God. We are at our best when we are in our communities. The faith of the Church sprouted in the early Christian Community.

Jesus has said that wherever two or three are gathered in his name, he will be there (Mt 18:20). It is this aspect of presence that Jesus is revealing to me through my community life and activities. He gives me identity, keeps me united with others, gives me orientation in life, helps me in my community responsibilities and also guides me in achieving my goals. We foster in our community the values of Christ.

Aspects of the MYSTERY OF JESUS have been revealed to you in your PERSONAL PRAYER.

Personal prayer is the source of my spiritual life. I contemplate on the life of Jesus and through him experience the love of the Father in my life. My personal prayer is centered on the life of Jesus and his mother Mary. I do seek the intercession of the Saints of the Church. In my personal I experience Jesus very close to my life. In my prayer, I bring to God my experiences of daily life. I thank God for the good things and seek blessing over the unpleasant ones. I present to God my human condition with its goodness, weaknesses, sufferings and helplessnesses. I also do the same with the life of people with whom I come in contact with.

In my personal prayer I experience Jesus as my friend who has liberated me from the issues of my being human. The same thing I have also experienced in the life of the people whom I present to Jesus. The happiness of my life is that Jesus accepts me; he loves me, forgives my sins and reconciles me with myself, the world and God the Father. This liberating friend, whom I feel close to my heart, enables me to be a liberator to the oppressed ones in the society.

In the Gospels we see that Jesus is liberator. He liberates people from various oppressive elements such as sin (Mk 2:5), sickness (Mk 6:56b) and finally death. The love of God manifested in Jesus is a liberating love. It is this liberating love that enables Jesus to die for the sins of the humanity.

God has created us in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26). He created us so that we remain in his Love in obedience. But sin has entered the world through disobedience and Jesus with his liberating love frees us from the effects of sin. This aspect of the mystery of Jesus inspires me to be a person of love and in and through this love (which is God’s free Gift) I liberate myself and others from the clutches of the effects of sin. Let love of God rule the human hearts.

Aspects of the MYSTERY OF JESUS have been revealed to you in your COMMUNITY PRAYER.

Community prayer is a very important exercise where all the members of the community gather together to pray and worship Jesus. In community Eucharistic celebrations and evening prayers we offer ourselves and our community to God, pray for the common needs, thank God for the graces the community received. We also remember the individual needs also in our community prayer.

In the community prayers Jesus reveals himself to me as the center of the community. He keeps the community united. He nourishes us with blessings. He makes himself very much a part of the community. So the image that comes to me about Jesus is that of an accompanying companion.

In the Gospels we see that Jesus is very much close to his disciples. He was very much united with them. He assured them of his constant presence and help. He promised them that he will be with them till the end of times (Mt 28:20). He narrated to them the parable of the wine and branches to show their relationship with him (Jn 15:4-5). It is thing abiding relationship with Jesus, our community is kept united in love.

This unity of Jesus is also manifested in his prayer life. Everyday morning Jesus went up to the hill side to pray (Jn 9:18) and many times he sought the company of his disciples in prayer. Jesus sought their presence during the crucial moments of his life such as transfiguration (Mt 17:2), Passover meal (Lk 22:14-23), prayer in the garden (Lk 22:39-46) and later he visited them after his resurrection (Lk 24:36). His high priestly prayer in the Gospel of John is a sign of his complete affiliation and love for them.

Thus Jesus who manifests himself to me in the community prayer is inspiring me to be like him and to be always at the service and well-being of all.

Aspects of the MYSTERY OF JESUS have been revealed to you discovered in the community SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATIONS.

Sacramental celebrations are visible signs of our faith expression and also a channel of grace. I actively participate in the sacramental celebrations such as Eucharist and Confession regularly. They keep the community united and our inter-personal relations are held proper.

These celebrations are a great source of spiritual nourishment for me.  These sacramental celebrations enable me to relate my life with that of Jesus. I carry to him various issues that affect me and the community. I also take the issues of the people of our ministry place before the Lord.

In my community sacramental celebrations I see Jesus as a source of the living water, which quenches my thirst, mainly my thirst for God. Jesus is the source of all good things. He comes to me as a free giver of all good things. It is not just in the case of intellect, peace, happiness, contentment but also in the case of forgiveness. He just wants us to go to him to realize his generosity.

In the Gospel we Jesus as the source of life (Jn 11:25a). He is a cheerful giver of all goodness in our life as we see in the case of the Samaritan woman (Jn 4). This aspect of Jesus as the source of life and as a joyful giver of all goodness is very inspiring and touching my life. Jesus assures us saying ‘ask, and it will be given to you’ (Mt 7:7). This is a source of inspiration for me to be generous to others in ordinary situations.

Giving is divine and accepting is human. The one who gives is closer to God as God is ultimately the giver of all things. According to St Ignatius, all things come from God and go back to God. God’s creation itself is an act of giving Himself to us in pure love. Incarnation is an act of giving of Jesus to the world by the Father. The passion and death of Jesus is giving of his life for us sinners. God’s gives Jesus back to us in resurrection.