3rd Sunday in Advent

Good morning everyone,  

Last week as I was talking to one of my friends, he said that he is thinking of his life otherwise, I mean taking his life. Then came a pause between us and he said, “Why do you sound so excited?” I said, “no, not at all. I am moderately happy”. Then I continued saying, “Do you remember three weeks ago, you bought that beautiful pair of shoes for $600 and can I have them after you died?” He hung up the phone on me. That happens a lot these days and I don’t know why my friends do this to me.  

Then two days later, he called me again and said, “I am so happy now. What happened? Nothing. My wife told me that I am happy. So, I won’t have those shoes then? Then I talked to his wife and the Moses in me came out and said, “Let him go gracefully”.  

We often hear about Good News and Bad news jokes. Once a gallery owner said to a famous painter. By the way, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is this morning a man came by and said, “if the price of the painting would go up if you die and I said, “Yes, of course, he is one of the famous painters in town. So, he bought all of them for two million dollars. What is the bad news? The bad news is that man was your doctor. 

Our faith is not all about sin, death and punishment. It’s about life, happiness and heaven. That’s why this Sunday in a special way, is called, ‘Joyful Sunday’. We celebrate this joyful Sunday praising Jesus who destroyed sin and death and showed the way to our eternal home. 

Once a Rabbi visited a Muslim family on Christmas day. Since the both were not celebrating, ‘Christmas’, they went to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas day. As they finished eating, the waiter brought a little Christmas gift to the Rabbi that said made in India. The Rabbi smiled and said, “Wow...this is amazing. Here I am in a Chinese restaurant with my Muslim friends getting a Christmas gift from a Buddhist waiter, made by a Hindu. 

The joy of Christmas is sharing ‘Christ’ with everyone. The joy of Christ mas is sharing God’s love and kindness with everyone. The joy of Christmas is sharing Christ’s compassion and forgiveness with others.  

I used to be mad and unhappy to see a Hindu or a Muslim coming to Christian shrines and experiencing healing. I used to say to myself, “you know what I was baptized, I received First Communion and I practice my Catholic faith, miracles and wonders should only happen to me and other Catholics, not to those Hindus and Muslims. Then I understood that Christ belongs to all. His love and forgiveness are unlimited. We should share the joy of Christ with all. Our prayers and spiritual practices help believers and non-believers alike. When we are good faith practicing Catholics, then the world will benefit from us tremendously. 

In today’s gospel, we meet with so many people from different walks of life, coming to John and asking before receiving their baptism, “What should I do?” The question is, “What should I do to enter into the kingdom of heaven?” 

All, John was saying is, “Be fair and nice to others”. As anti-intellectualism is growing so fast today. It’s because, not many people want to know something new every day. It’s because, not many people want to face any challenge today and it’s because, not many people would dare to go beyond their routine lifestyle and thus anti-intellectualism is growing so fast today.  

Once George Bernard Shaw said, “There are only three kinds of people we see. There are people who make thing happening. There are people who watch thing happening and there are people who do not know what is happening. 

Thus, many people are losing ground and losing hope. Poverty is growing everywhere and today people do not hesitate to blame it on the government and politicians; blame it on the economic and social systems and family and culture. 

Then comes John the Baptist and says, “Play a fair game and be nice to others...if they need something, help them. Lift them up”. 

John was eliminating the fear in people saying, “There is more powerful than I, is coming and He will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit. He will show the way to the Father and the Messiah is coming. 

Once a mouse was in a constant distress because of the fear of cats. Then a spiritual master took pity on the mouse and turned it into cat. But then, it became afraid of dogs. So, the spiritual master changed it into dog. The dog was afraid of tigers saying, “They are stronger than me’. Then the Master changed the dog into a tiger. But then, it was afraid of hunters. At that point, the spiritual master turned the tiger into a little mouse and said, “I can do nothing for you as long as you have the mind of a mouse”.  

If we have the mind of a mouse, all our coming to Church and practicing faith will not bring any effect at all. This Christmas will also be one among others. But, on the other hand, if we change and extend ourselves to the needs of others and do what we should do to bring prosperity and peace, then we will be baptized over and over again with fire and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Second Sunday in Advent-B

SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT 

Good evening/morning everyone, I am so happy to welcome you all for today’s Holy Mass. 

Last week, I got a call from a telemarketer from India and I asked his name and he said, “I am Paul Anderson”. Wow...That is awesome and how is Pamela doing? Who is Pamela? Pamela Anderson. And he said, “That is not funny”. My friend I know you name, “You are Raj”. Why do you say that? Because in North America, every second person is called ‘Bob’ and in India, every third person is called ‘Raj’. My last name is ‘Selvaraj’. He then said, “since you know my name, we will ban your number from our telemarketing community”. 

Once a doctor looked at his patient and said, “I have good news and bad news, and which one do you want to hear first?” 

The patient said, “What is the good news?” 

The good news is that the tests show that you still have twenty-four hours to live” 

Then what is the bad news? 

I forget to tell you yesterday.  

Once a gallery owner looked at a painter and said, “I have good news and bad news for you?’ The good news is a man came in and asked whether the price of your paintings would go up after you die and I said, “Yes, of course” and he bought every one of your paintings. That’s awesome and what is the bad news. The man was your doctor. 

Friends in Christ Jesus, Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates the Second Sunday in Advent. This Sunday is in a special way, called John the Baptist Sunday. John the Baptist came with one message namely, “The Lord is coming, let us prepare the way”. 

Today the highest demand is that you are called to become John the Baptist and welcome people back to the fold, the Good Shepherd is asking us to bring back His sheep to the fold.  

John the Baptist came with three important messages namely 1. Calling the people back to the kingdom of God 2. Healing or giving life those who are dead in sin and finally 3. Living out the Message of the Lord. 

1. Calling the people back to the kingdom of God: Once a man was intensely searching something under the bright light of a hdropole. His neighbor who noticed that went over and asked what he was doing. The man said, “I lost my house key”. So, the man also joined him and thus the both began to search for the key. After an hour of searching, upon not finding the key, the exhausted neighbor said, “By the way, where did you lose that key?” the man said, “I lost it at home”. The neighbor got mad and said, “Then, then why are you looking for the key here?” You know what the man said? He simply said, “It’s because it is brighter here”.  The spiritual masters say, “Look for God where you have lost Him” Some might have lost Him in their marriages because they might have forgotten to renew their marriage vows of in good time and in bad and in sickness and in health, I will honor you and love you” Some might have lost Him in the way they treat their children and others might have lost him in their business and so on. And that why once Christ our Lord said, ‘If you remember that you have done anything, anything at all against your brother or sister, leave your offering before the Altar, first go and reconcile with that brother or sister and then come and offer your gifts at the Altar. John the Baptist went all the region around the Jordan and proclaimed a baptism of repentance. Yes, if we find God where we lost Him, then we become John the Baptist to others. 

2. Healing or giving life those who are dead in Sin:  I liked this non-Catholic moral story about two monks going to a village to preach the Scripture. As they were going to the village, they had to cross a river and at the river bank, there was a woman standing afraid to cross the river. So, one of the monks helped her, carrying her on his shoulders. Then, the other monk went to the monastery and told them all what happened. Everybody began to criticize the monk saying, “you should not have carried a woman on your shoulders and so on...” so, the monk looked at the other one and said, ‘I let her go a long, long time ago and why are you still carrying her in your heart?” The powerful voice of John the Baptist invited people to leave behind their older ways and hold on what is new. Every time we help our own sister or brother or anyone to face their challenges, there we become John the Baptist for them. 

3. Living out the Message: There is a beautiful story about a man who never went to Church, but his neighbor always went to church. So, Sundays this man went fishing but never forgot to invite his neighbor, but the neighbor used to say, “Oh I am going to church on Sundays”. One day this man looked at his neighbor and said, “how come every time I go fishing, I invite you, but you never ever invited me to go to Church?”  Living out the message means help others to know the love and kindness of God father and living out the message means helping others to know the sacrifice and victory of Christ for humanity and living out the message means expending ourselves to those in need. 

Dear friends in Christ, when we help others to experience the Lord, then we become John the Baptist. So, let us become John the Baptist and prepare the way of the Lord inviting others to the kingdom of God. Amen.