The Light of Hope
Don’t the words ‘Behold the days come, saith the Lord…’ light up our faces and warm our hearts? Then we know it is the season of Advent!
What joy to be once again in Advent! It is the most beautiful time of the year. And what joy to be greeted with those words. The cause of that joy stems from Our Lord’s promise to transform our lives, making them holy and fit for Heaven.
In the First Reading (Jer 33: 14-16), the Lord promises to ‘make the bud of justice to spring forth unto David.’ Judah was in need of someone who would rule with ‘judgement and justice’, ensuring that the city lived securely and the country was saved.
The House of David ruled for generations. No doubt it had its share of ups and downs, but it all paved the way for the coming of the Messiah. In His infinite goodness, God sent us His Only Son. The promise made to David was realized in Jesus, but alas, He was rejected by His own. Jesus is now coming yet again. How prepared are we to welcome Him?
The best part of our preparation is to confirm our hearts ‘without blame, in holiness, before God and our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all his saints,’ as St Paul says in the Second Reading (Thes 3: 12 – 4: 2). The Messiah desires no silver or gold, no frills, and for sure no lip-service. He wants us to grow in the life of the spirit, or say, the theological virtues of hope, faith and charity. This for sincerity and constancy.
St Luke too, in the Gospel (Lk 21: 25-28, 34-36), recommends watchfulness. ‘There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves… When these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand,’ says the Evangelist, quoting Jesus. But are we going to interpret them, understand them, accept them as God wants us to? Or are we going to superimpose them with our own ‘scientific’ ideas?
The Evangelist warns against ‘surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life.’ Woe to them who are caught in such a state, for the day will come upon us ‘as a snare’. Of course, alone we can do nothing, so we must prayerfully rely on God, asking that we may be ‘accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man.’
On this first Sunday of Advent, let us remember that That is where He would like to be born and have us proclaim Him. He brings us hope. This is symbolized by the Prophecy Candle, which takes us back to the Old Testament, especially Isaiah’s prophecies filled with hope of the coming of Jesus. The candle is purple, the primary colour of Advent, symbolizing royalty.
So will it be this year and at the end of times! After all, every Advent is only a foreshadowing of the time when the Son of Man will come in glory. Let us realize this truth, lest our wait go in vain. Hence, let us do all it takes to make Advent meaningful by illuminating our lives with the light of hope and spreading the joy of Jesus.
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The Universal King of Hearts
The liturgical year celebrates the Mystery of Christ, right from His Incarnation and Birth to His Ascension, and from Pentecost to the Second Coming of Christ in Judgment. This latter occasion is held today as a Solemnity, which is the highest rank of celebration. Hence the lectionary entry for today, the thirty-fourth or last Sunday of the Year, reads: ‘Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Universal King’.
Describing Our Lord as King should not raise eyebrows. Did He not belong to the Royal House of David? Didn't the Wise Men at His Birth and Pilate at His trial and crucifixion refer to Him as ‘King of the Jews’? Most important of all, the Scriptures awaited a Messiah who would be Prophet, Priest and King. It is quite another matter that the high priest Caiphas twisted all that to mean that Jesus was subverting the Roman imperial authority in an attempt to become king. He knew full well that Jesus would be put to death for sedition. As for Pilate, however, he found no basis for a charge against Jesus; yet he let the populace execute their desire to kill Him. It is very significant that eventually Rome became the headquarters of Christianity!
Pilate did not find a basis for a charge because Jesus had convincingly said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ Jesus was no doubt a king, but not of this world. The House of David was where he belonged as man but as God He was not to be seduced by it. In fact, Rome did not have to fear Him as a political rival, for He functioned in the spiritual realm. He was not in need of any human defence either, for He was one with the Father in Heaven. Whereas the Sanhedrin had expressly made Jesus' claim to divinity look like blasphemy, He was soon vindicated by His Resurrection and Ascension.
Today’s Readings trace the story of spiritual royalty. The First Reading (Dan 7: 13-14) is apocalyptic in nature and focussed on ‘one like a son of man’. While in the Old Testament, this term refers to one man or to humankind, Daniel is the only one who uses it differently. In the Babylonian exile, he had a vision of four great beasts set to overpower the earth. The Ancient of Days (God the Father) took his seat of judgment and expelled them. Daniel then saw ‘one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven’ and standing before the Father, who gave him authority over all nations, languages, and peoples of the world for all eternity.
As for the Jews of Jesus’ time, they took the ‘son of man’ (Dan 7) to be a messianic human figure who would liberate them from political subjugation and restore the House of David. Jesus, on the other hand, was divine and unconcerned about earthly politics, as is evident from today’s Gospel text (Jn 18: 33-37). Perhaps only the religious, intellectual and political leaders were in the know of the real identity of Jesus. But then, instead of clarifying those popular misconceptions, they suitably exploited them with a view to safeguarding their own exalted positions.
It became necessary for Jesus to die and rise and fulfil all the other prophecies about the Son of Man for the world to know the full truth. Many New Testament passages (e.g. Mt 26: 64 and Mk 16: 26) are evocative of the imagery from Daniel’s vision. So, now there can be no doubt that Jesus was that Son of Man. He came into the world not to restore material goods but spiritual goods; to destroy not political powers but the power of sin. His Passion and Death revealed the love of God for humankind. At His Second Coming, He will judge the righteous and the unrighteous, and the former will inherit the kingdom of God.
The Second Reading (Rev 1: 5-8) gives us that hope. The Book of Revelation was written during the reign of Emperor Domitian, one of the great persecutors of the Church. The author, St John, sought to convey a sense of optimism and confidence in face of the people's suffering. He gives glory and praise to Jesus Christ, as being ‘the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us a kingdom, and priests to God and His Father.’ Thanks to Him, one day, sin will disappear from the face of the earth. And when that day comes, we as followers of Christ will share in His glory and enjoy His loving, peaceful kingship for ever.
We must all pray for the kingdom to come, as indeed we do in the Our Father. However, a sine qua non for the kingdom to come is to let God's will be done. For this, we must let go of ourselves and make God the be-all and end-all of our life. Humanly speaking, this is not easy; but with God’s help nothing is impossible. We must, then, learn to put God first in everything we do, in every step we take, big or small. Our ardent desire must be translated into concrete decisions. This calls for prayer, sacrifice and practice of the Sacraments. It also calls for evangelisation by word and deed.
In short, we must ardently desire that more and more people join us in the campaign to let God’s kingdom come and His will be done. This sentiment is best conveyed by St Louis de Montfort’s stirring hymn ‘We Want God’. In a world steeped in atheism, agnosticism and indifferentism, we must take a stand for God. By having Christ as the king of our hearts we will have Him as the King of the Universe. He will forever be the Universal King of Hearts.
Discerning the Signs of the Times
The Readings of the end of the liturgical cycle portray the end times. The idea is to conscientize us about this inescapable reality. Initially, the suffering that the Israelites underwent in Exile was an occasion for prophets to speak of hope. But that hope became a living reality only centuries later, with the coming of Christ, who died for the sins of humankind by offering Himself as a living sacrifice. He was at once the High Priest and the victim, our only hope.
The First Reading (Dan 12: 1-3) takes us back to the Babylonian Exile. It does not matter whether the author was Daniel the returnee from Exile or Daniel the king of antiquity; possibly, the name here is symbolic. His book seems to have been written during the time of king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who wished to end the Jewish religion and to Hellenize Palestine, over which he ruled (c. 167 BC). The fact of the matter is that many Jews stood up to him and were killed; and it was therefore of the essence for the people to know what would be the fate of those who had died.
That is when Daniel spoke of the resurrection as the beginning of happiness in the afterlife. Concretely, the prophet announced the liberation of Israel after the horrors perpetrated by the Antiochian monarch. Besides national resurgence, he also announced the resurrection of the body. Scholars say that the doctrine of the resurrection, according to biblical anthropology, places more value on the bodily aspect than on immortality conceived in the Hellenistic manner.
In today’s Gospel (Mk 13: 24-32) too we see the theme of the resurrection. Earlier on (12: 18-27), Jesus broached this topic; and after speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem and the rise of false prophets that will be posing as messiahs, Jesus speaks of the coming of the Son of Man. He quotes from the Old Testament about how the world will be after ‘the great tribulation’[1]: the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven and the powers in heaven will be shaken. After that the Son of Man will come from the clouds with great power and glory and send out His angels and gather his elect (those who believe in Him as Messiah and Saviour) from the four corners of the world.
Will we discern these signs and mend our ways, or will we be oblivious of the changing times and suffer a titanic loss? Mind you, Jesus has warned us: ‘Take heed, I have told you all things beforehand (13: 23). Once before, addressing the crowd, He said: ‘Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?’ (Lk 12: 56) A pointed question indeed. So, if ignorance of the (secular) law excuses no one, shouldn’t the same principle hold true for God’s law? We cannot take God for granted and would do well to be in a state of readiness when the Son of Man arrives.
Jesus has stated very categorically that Heaven and earth may pass away but His words will not. Yet, He said not a word about the specific hour when the end will come; none except the Heavenly Father knows it. And as for us, it behoves us to wait in great anticipation, like the wise virgins did for the groom’s arrival. We have to read the writing on the wall, discern the signs of the times. We must look around and see what the world has come to: natural calamities; breakdown in human relationships; catastrophes within institutions, the Church included; and calamities of war. Are we then in the times of pre-Tribulation?
Finally, today’s Second Reading (Heb 10: 11-14, 18) reiterates last Sunday’s heartening message: that Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins and sat down at the right hand of God, by which He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. We now await His coming as the King of the Universe next Sunday. And soon, with Advent, yet another liturgical cycle will begin.
[1] There are different views about how this will pan out. But, simply understood, it is a period that Jesus refers to in the Olivet Discourse, the last of the five discourses that St Matthew reports on, before the beginning of the Passion. Jesus meant it as a sign that would occur in the end of times.
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Konkani is not a dialect of Marathi – 9
Part 9 of "O concani não é dialecto do marata"
by Mgr. Sebastião Rodolfo Dalgado (1855-1922)
(In Heraldo, Vol. IX, No. 2576, 22 February 1917, pp. 1-2)
Translated from the Portuguese by Óscar de Noronha
An important question now arises, which can also be regarded as a sensible and weighty objection. It being impossible, as a result of those significant discrepancies, that Konkani, as we know it, be a dialect of Marathi, how does one explain so many analogies, especially morphological, between the two languages?
It is a complex issue. It demands a lot of learning and long elucidation. In addition to philology, it needs history and ethnology to step in. I turned it over many times in my mind, but did not obtain satisfactory and definitive results, for want of some indispensable elements.
Hence, I am not on firm ground. I may put across my point of view if I get some respite from my occupations, and I find sufficient motivation, for elderly people generally flounder.
Meanwhile, responding to frantic demands, I will declare that I would not be averse to the hypothesis that Marathi is the subsoil (not mother, please note) of Konkani or the superinduction or superfetation. Which of the hypotheses is more plausible, if there is need of any?
This time my only goal was to break a lance for ‘my lady’ and to avenge the wild invectives that cowardly hands threw at her, mercilessly and with iron fists, but also – sorry to say! – with neither knowledge nor conscience. I end crudely, with not much of a method and hurriedly, so as not to delay the typographic proofs of more useful and less sentimental and abstract work. Maybe some minor slips escaped my notice – a fact that is understandable for him who works from his bed and on subjects that require frequent consultation of books.
I do not mean to say, however, that nothing has been written about Konkani that is sensible and deserving of praise, nor that I am displeased by opinions differing from mine. On the contrary, I disapprove of ipse dixit, and I believe that intellectual slavery is the worst kind of slavery. It is not something in which we say Roma locuta est, lis finita est.
But there are opinions. Opinions expressed without full grasp of the subject, albeit with literary trappings, only with the itch to show off and to give tit for tat, have no greater value than those coming from inmates of a mental asylum. They are combated, not with a view to convincing the opinion holders, but to prevent those opinions from getting established.
It goes without saying that, whoever lacks even elementary notions of general philology, and is unaware of the origin, history, phrases, dialects, literature, nature of vocabulary, grammar of a language, and her relations with her sisters and neighbours, cannot expatiate on their merits or demerits, their progress or degeneration, their purity or corruption. Ne sutor ultra crepidam.
Speaking a language by listening does not qualify one to deal with its philology, which is a completely different thing. Adolfo Coelho and José Maria Rodrigues know more about Latin philology than Cicero and Horace did; and Max Muller and Brugmann know comparative Sanskrit philology better than did Panini, the prince of the world's grammarians.
But this is not how they think in Goa, for lack of common sense and intellectual discipline. Freedom of thought and of speech is no excuse for nonsense bordering on insanity. The Hindu who, on the occasion of the proclamation of the Republic, entered a church over there, holding a cigar in his mouth, proved, if anything, that he was utterly uncouth.
How many of those who have written about Konkani would know the right declination of a noun or conjugation of a verb, or how to analyse a passage by breaking down the words, distinguishing themes and inflections and indicating the etymology? Just how many people mistake the past tense of transitive verbs for active voice, and the sentence – hânvem ambó kheló – for ‘I ate a mango’, when, in reality, it means ‘the mango was eaten by me’!
It seems as though general belief over there has a say in everything that concerns our communities: Zâmkún zhânkún gâmvkar zâtá; one becomes a ganvkar through sheer chattering.
That results in a lot of vines and few grapes. If competent people took care to teach; if the ignorant cared about learning; if they talked less and worked more, it would be a win-win. We are so done with chatterboxes.
Fortunately, in the midst of disconcerting mists, a gleam of light is not lacking. I was deeply moved to learn that my venerable friend and most exemplary priest, Father Casimiro Cristóvão de Nazareth, had offered the local government a Portuguese-Konkani vocabulary, put together by him in collaboration with some knowledgeable people, to be published and distributed to schools.
I have no doubt that the work is of great merit. Father Nazareth, who trained from early years at the school of Filipe Néri Xavier and Miguel Vicente de Abreu, and who has been a busy bee throughout his life – tanquam apis argumentosa – and is a walking library of useful information, does not produce fake stuff nor is he a publicity seeker.
But to think that an eighty-five-year-old man, and moreover, blind like Tobias – quia aceptus eras Deo – is still working and making it a point to be of service to the country, while so many young people exhaust themselves with an hour’s reading and need to amuse themselves with manille and suposta and give in to banal and sinful talk: what a striking contrast and what an edifying lesson!
It pains my heart to remember – and this happens so often! – that the Portuguese government declined to publish his Mitras Lusitanas, a product of much labour and an ample mine of such precious information, collected with great tenacity from all the accessible sources. It occurs to me now that Counsellor Jaime Moniz told me that he would bother him with requests for books to read or to send to Rachol Seminary.
In any other civilized country, that monumental work would have been welcomed as a national glory, and an award given to its author, who neither made a profession out of his calling nor aspired to lucrative and showy positions. Of him, certainly, one cannot say that he was ‘toddy coconut tree’ – suretsó madd.
Certain happenings in Portugal lead people to believe that they live in some Zululand. From Rome, they recently sent me Pietro della Valle’s book, which cost twenty francs. The Customs office of Lisbon valued it at twenty escudos – over four times – and charged 1700 réis as duties! The bookseller's receipt was presented and it was proposed that they keep the book for fifteen escudos, thus making a profit of five. They threatened that they would value higher. And all that just because of the shoddy, dirty parchment binding, for which I didn't pay a penny!
Patriotism is a good and praiseworthy thing. Jesus Christ shed tears foreseeing the future ruin of his homeland. But I reject patriotism that forces me to distort the truth and trample on justice.
In conclusion, I must declare, in order to appease my conscience, that those vague references are not tantamount to personal contempt for those targeted, whom I know not and wish all the best, as well as all humanity. I would have liked to be entirely doctrinaire, if the subject so allowed it. I earnestly request the reader not to be curious to investigate who is hinted at in the above allusion. It is about doctrine, not people. Veritas et caritas super omnia.
First published in Revista da Casa de Goa, Series II, No. 31, Nov-Dec 2024, pp 45-48
Trouble, Trust and Thanks
The Readings of today help us develop faith and trust, love and gratitude. As we inch closer to Advent, let us cleanse our hearts and minds that we may worthily receive the Divine Babe.
In the First Reading (1 Kings 17: 10-16), we learn about a famine that devastated Israel under king Ahab. Under these trying circumstances, a poor widow and her son received the prophet Elijah into their lowly home in Zarephath, a town on the Mediterranean coast. Their supply of flour and oil was at its fag end, yet miraculously it was not depleted until the famine itself came to an end. Truly, the needy are sometimes the more generous and welcoming.
Israel’s dry spell was a punishment for idolatry prevalent in the kingdom, but soon God turned things around. When the prophets of Baal prayed for rain, there was scorching sun; but after Elijah had restored Yahweh’s altar and offered sacrifice and prayers, it began to pour. This signalled the power of the true God and the end of the famine.
The miraculous episode is reminiscent of the wonders that St Joseph Vaz worked in Sri Lanka. After efforts by the kingdom’s false prophets had come to nought, the Goan apostle prayed for rain at an altar erected in a public square. Rain bucketed down, leaving only the area around the priest and the altar dry! The miracle was a defining moment for the Vazian apostolate: many embraced Catholicism and those that had fallen by the wayside returned to the faith.
In our own times, look at how the world went berserk in the days of Covid-19 even while self-proclaimed saviours became the new idols. What state of mind will we find ourselves in when the real D-day comes? Will we be prepared to welcome our Saviour? Therefore, come what may, we must swear our allegiance to Him right away, so that at the eleventh hour there is no vacillation nor succumbing to mental or physical vaccination.
It is such false prophets that Jesus in the Gospel (Mk 12: 38-44) railed against: ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts.’ They devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers. We could well add that then, instead of being run into jail, they are run into Parliament!
Such are the ways of the world, which the kingdom of Heaven will greatly condemn. The high-handed will be shown the door and the poor shall inherit the kingdom; those who mourn now shall be comforted, and those who weep, laugh. The same with the prophets... What prophet worth the salt has not been reviled, hated and excluded from his own land, by his own people, precisely for standing up and speaking up for God? He will be awarded the crown of righteousness.
Meanwhile, in the Gospel text too, there appears a poor widow. Like her Old Testament counterpart, who through her destitution trusted in the Lord, she too in her deprivation gave Him everything she had. And Jesus, seated opposite the treasury and watching people putting in their gifts, quickly made a distinction between those who had comfortably contributed out of their abundance and the poor widow who even out of her poverty put in two copper coins, her whole living!
It is not that Jesus summarily condemns the rich and commends the poor. In fact, it is not persons but faulty attitudes and acts that he censures. Those with wealth and/or intellect, how well do they serve God? Historically, we have umpteen examples of individuals, families, even countries, that have prioritised and served God in all things.
On the other hand, there are those who receive but never repay. ‘Kam zalem, voiz melo’ is a saying that comes promptly to mind: God is taken for granted. We get so puffed with pride that we think we can have it our way. No wonder, Jesus noted that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
The way out, then, is to be always in awe of God and to have a heart filled with love and gratitude, so we can sing with the Psalmist: ‘My soul, give praise to the Lord.’
Finally, the Second Reading (Heb. 9: 24-28) presents us the Christ who ‘has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.’ A solemn and beautiful promise wraps it up, saying that ‘Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.’
Let us therefore do everything to be counted among those who await His Second Coming. Nothing compares to Him and to the time when the Son of Man will come, at an hour we do not expect. We have to be in a state of readiness, irrespective of our troubles. We have to trust in Him and be thankful at all times.
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Hino em concani, de Raimundo Barreto, traduzido
‘SAM FRANCISCU XAVIERA’: Goenchem Poramporik Gaion
‘SÃO FRANCISCO XAVIER’: Um Hino Tradicional de Goa
Utram ani Nad | Letra e Música de Raimundo Barreto
Portugez bhaxantor korpi | Tradução de Óscar de Noronha
Raimundo Barreto (1837-1906), oriundo de Loutulim e residente na Ilha da Divar, foi mestre-capela da Sé Catedral, na Velha Cidade de Goa. Compôs o hino a S. Francisco Xavier em acção de graças pela sua fuga milagrosa de um naufrágio no Mandovi.
1. Sam Franciscu Xaviera,
Tuji kuddi Goiam xara,
Jezuchea sangata
Sodanch tuji niti vortovta.
2. Sam Franciscu melo,
To santu zalo,
Mezrikaum fulolo,
Bhogta tujea fonddaveri.
3. Santu zalo mhonnun
Romank dal’llo recadu
Tannim kuru magunk dal’lli
Bhogta tuzo katornum atu.
4. Atu katorchea vellari
Fradincheo zaleo olli,
Rogtacheo zaleo zori,
Bhogta tujea loba sori.
5. Atu Romank vortanam
Doriach’m pannim zalem foro,
Crucifixu buddounum
Pannim tannem kelem nitollo.
6. Mezari tinteir peno,
Atantum ghetlea foli,
“Tum foro sant zaleari
Nixanni assinad kori!”
7. Foli mezari,
Atantum tinteir peno,
Tannem nanvom aplem kelem
Sam Francisc Xavier munnum.
8. Sindrecho kelo lobu,
Sodanch solicitadoru,
Tannem magunum ghetlo
Mosteir Saiba Bom Jezucho.
9. Sam Franciscach’ barreti,
Motiancheo correti,
Tumim arxe laun polleati,
Bhogta tuje sacerdoti.
10. Sam Franciscu Xaviera,
Sam Francisc Castelacha,
Tuji kuddi Goiam xara,
Atmo voikuntta nogra.
11. Bom Jezuchea altrari,
Tuji kuddi sepulcrari,
Tum Goiam xarach’ raza,
Sam Francisc Xavier amchea.
1. São Francisco Xavier,
Vós a Goa viestes jazer;
Em convívio com o Senhor
Exalareis sempr’ um santo odor.
2. São Francisco expirou
E a santidad’ ele conquistou;
Mangerico ali medrou
E a sua campa adornou.
3. O seu halo além brilhou,
À Cidade Eterna chegou;
Um sinal se lhes enviou,
O nobr’ antebraço se lhes doou.
4. No momento d’o braço cortar,
De mil frades houve lá um mar,
E o sangue a derramar,
A sua sotaina foi banhar.
5. Esse braço a Roma chegou,
Tod’ o mar alto se espumou;
O crucifixo mergulhou,
Tod’ a água logo se acalmou.
6. Pena e tint’ aí estão,
Uma folha na sua mão:
“Se de facto vós sois São,
Logo se verá p’la subscrição”.
7. Com os frades a sondar
E sem saber que del’ esperar,
Assinara por mister
O seu grande nome Xavier.
8. De modesto paramentar,
Andou sempre a solicitar
Um mosteiro com resplendor,
Esse Bom Jesus, Nosso Senhor.
9. O barrete de missionar,
E as pérolas do seu rezar;
Queiram os frades admirar
E a sua fé alimentar.
10. São Francisco, de Xavier
E de Jasso, nobre a valer;
À nossa Goa viestes jazer,
Vossa alma há-de resplandecer.
11. Lá do alto do Bom Jesus,
Lá do túm’lo de jaspe sem par;
Sois Senhor de Goa, da luz:
Eis o nosso Santo Xavier.
Mull | Fonte: Konkani Bhagtigitam, José Pereira, Ektavpi (Panaji: Goa Konkani Akademi, 2004). Xudhlekhan bhaxantor korpeachem. | Konkani Bhagtigitam, compilado por José Pereira (Panaji: Goa Konkani Akademi, 2004). A grafia foi actualizada pelo autor da tradução.
Utram ani Nad | Letra e pauta
Mull | Fonte: Songs of Praise / Adlim Kristi Bhogtigitam, de António da Costa (Goa: Goa 1556, Golden Heart Emporium, GoaBook.Club: 2016)
Imagens: Saint Francis Xavier: A Man for Others, de Miguel Corrêa Monteiro (Portugal: CTT Correios, 2006)
Love, for God’s sake!
Today’s Readings refer to love, about which we all wax philosophical. And we have the added advantage of getting Our Lord’s invaluable perspective on it. After all, in Him we have a High Priest who offered the supreme sacrifice of His life for the love of mankind.
From the First Reading (Deut. 6: 2-6) we can conclude that God – the True God, and He alone – is the first and last object of our love; everything else flows from there on. Hence, Moses said to the people, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.’ Totally.
Considering the extent of God’s love for us, is it not our bounden duty to love Him in return? His love is inscribed upon our hearts, for we are made in the image and likeness of God Who is Love. In this regard, we may recall the basic teaching we imbibed in our catechism class, in the form of two simple yet profound questions and answers: ‘Who made you?’ God made me. ‘Why did God make you?’ God made me to know Him, love Him and serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next.
Centuries after Moses, Jesus added a new dimension to love when a scribe asked Him to identify the greatest commandment. In today’s Gospel (Mk 12: 28-34), our Divine Master quotes verbatim that passage from Deuteronomy, and adds: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.’ The scribe was quick to admit, to Jesus’ delight, that ‘to love one’s neighbour as oneself is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’
This brings us face to face with three loves, so to speak: love of God, love of neighbour and love of self. And the question is, how do we begin loving? Love of self, which comes naturally to us, can quickly turn into narcissism and pride. For that matter, love of neighbour is more easily said than done, for we are quicker to love ourselves than to love our neighbours, aren’t we?
That is because self-interest is a survival skill that rules the roost. So, it seems easier to relate to God – by loving Him who first loved us. But then, some may wonder how we can love God who is invisible when we haven’t first loved our neighbour who is next door... The fact is that, left to ourselves, our fallen nature determines what we do. Thus, loving becomes an uphill task unless we receive God’s grace – of which the Sacraments are mystical channels.
As for the love of God, it is no plain emotion or whim. It is a resolution that made upon due appreciation of God’s plan of salvation… When we see that He who is wrapped in purple robes, with planets in His care, has pity on the least of things (as Yeats puts it in the ‘Ballad of Father Gilligan’); that He who looks on the birds of the sky surely cares for us too, who are more valuable in His eyes (Cf. Mt 6: 26) – we open ourselves to God. Finally, the realisation that the world is transitory where Heaven is where we spend eternity clinches it.
By such a supernatural approach to life, power and pelf lose their hold on us. When we compare our present life with what God has promised, people and things, and even self, pale into insignificance. Then we are convinced that ‘He must increase, but I must decrease,’ as St John the Baptist has stressed. By and by, at a higher rung of our ascent to God, we begin to say with St Paul: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal 2: 20). Then, God’s love in us overflows into our neighbour’s heart through what we do.
It would be silly to believe that loving God, loving neighbour and loving self happens sequentially. It is one whole. But does it mean that one must indiscriminately bow to each and every one? Consider the person who gives scandal and becomes his neighbour’s tempter; he damages virtue and integrity and may even draw his brother into spiritual death (Cf. CCC #2284). Can we relate to them in the same way as we do to those who follow God’s commandments and stand by Him?
Much harm is caused to the world when, in the name of ‘love’, we close our eyes to malicious and criminal acts, saying, ‘Who am I to judge?’ There are those who preach love as long as they have not been offended – and yet it matters little to them if God is offended! But then, can we wash our hands like Pilate? Must we not stand up, speak up?
God calls on us to distinguish between what is true and false, good and bad, right and wrong. That is, we need to discern – and not have acts of foolishness styled as acts of love. For instance, opening your houses and parishes and countries to people inimical to what we believe as Christians is a recipe for self-destruction. Our Lord’s command to ‘be cunning as a serpent and yet as harmless as doves’ (Mt 10: 16) is thus pertinent even when we talk of love.
We may therefore conclude that we must love God above all things – for His own sake; and we must love our neighbour as ourselves – for the love of God! (Cf. CCC # 1822).
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The Core of Jericho
A single theme runs through the First and the Third Reading: disability, which is important to look at in both literal and figurative senses. We must indeed look further than what is obvious when the Scriptures speak of physical or material loss. We must seek the treasure that lies hidden beneath the surface, and it’s always something transformative!
In the First Reading (Jer 31: 7-9), Jeremiah calls upon the Israelites to sing the praises of patriarch Jacob.[1] While they were reeling under the Assyrian yoke, the prophet urges them to not lose hope. God had promised to free them and bring them back from far and wide. In fact, the mention here of the blind and the lame and the woman in travail speaks volumes of God’s loving kindness.
God singles out Ephraim, which had settled in Samaria (central Israel), as it was the foremost of the ten tribes. Their cry would be their prayer, which God would hear. He would lead His people to lush pastures and restful waters. However, this is not about physical health alone; it is about restoring the Chosen People to spiritual health. It is not so much about their political liberation as it is about their much-needed liberation from the bondage of sin.
A grateful lot would readily chant Psalm 125: 1-6, which puts it all so beautifully: ‘What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed, we were glad!... They go out, they go out, full of tears, carrying seed for the sowing, they come back, they come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves.’ Thus, God’s promise wasn’t a dream but a reality.
Even greater marvels awaited the people of Israel down the centuries. In the Gospel (Mk 10: 46-52), we see Jesus leaving the town of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, when Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, on hearing that Jesus was passing by, persistently cried out: ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ On hearing that appeal, the Master sought to heal the blind man, much to the disciples’ surprise, for they had tried to box him out.
Why did Jesus, who was all-knowing, say to the blindman, ‘What do you want of me?’ Possibly, to get him to articulate a more specific prayer and thus be more intimately involved in his own healing. The sightless man’s plea – ‘Master, let me receive my sight’ – was as straightforward as his cure was instantaneous. His words indicate that he was not born blind but had lost his sight. ‘Immediately he received his sight and followed Him on the way.’
Bartimaeus’ deep and unwavering faith made him well, said Jesus. The other lesson for us to imbibe is that the beneficiary’s heart filled with gratitude impelled him to follow Jesus.[2] So, it is not about physical disability alone; it is about overcoming our spiritual disability – call it what you will: blindness, deafness, numbness, or whatever – and having a change of heart. Elsewhere, Jesus railed: ‘You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky… why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?’ (Lk 12: 56) Jesus was only alerting His people to the need for faith.
It is often our indifference, not to say malice, that comes in the way of our spiritual progress. Yet, there is nothing to worry, for our High Priest in Heaven knows the inner recesses of our soul and can provide the right balm. That is how He partakes of the human condition. Similarly, as the Second Reading (Heb 5: 1-6) points out, ‘every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.’ Being sinful and weak, we must atone for our sins and deal gently with our fellow beings, who are also beset with weakness.
Finally, the Readings don’t merely indicate a purpose but point to a process as well. What we see in the Old Testament actually happens in the New. Hence, a word about core of Jericho. It was the first city – and a well-fortified one at that – which the Israelites conquered after occupying the Promised Land. By strictly following God’s (apparently foolhardy) instructions, they were able to bring down the walls of Jericho.[3] They did so by virtue of their faith – the same that helped the blind beggar shed his blindness as Jesus was leaving Jericho. And it is the same faith that knocks down the Jericho wall of our hearts, letting God touch the core of our being.
[1] He was a son Isaac and Rebecca and grandson to Abraham. When there was a drought in his homeland Canaan, Jacob moved to Egypt, where his son Joseph wielded influence in the Pharaoh’s court. Jacob came to be regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites.
[2] Both St Mark and St Luke talk of one blindman (the latter does not register his name), whereas St Matthew mentions two, just as he does in the case of the possessed men (Cf. Mt 20: 29-34).
[3] See Joshua 6: 1-27
Mario is Forever
When contacted by Dolcy D'Cruz of Goa's leading English-language daily Herald, for comments on the public screening of the documentary "The World of Mario... Seriously Funny!", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fj-KEN2kQI , researched and scripted by me for Doordarshan Goa, here is what I said, in reply to the journalist's questions:
On challenges faced
Mario had the world for his canvas, so the main challenge was to be able to truly cover his creative life in a short documentary.
Identifying the right talking heads and liaising with them was another challenge. His sister Fatima gave us valuable inputs. And we also got on board film-maker Shyam Benegal, Indian adman Gerson da Cunha, architect Gerard da Cunha who owns the Mario Gallery, and many others.
https://epaper.heraldgoa.in/oHeraldo?eid=1&edate=22/10/2024&pgid=52727&device=desktop&view=2
On his relevance
Mario is a curious case of a self-trained artist who had different styles, worked with different mediums, and across the print and electronic media.
It is a civic duty to pay homage to the greats of our land. Mario loved Goa and worked towards preserving our culture and heritage. Many tourists used to come here in the hope of finding ‘Mario’s Goa’ but often they were disappointed on seeing that Goa had changed a lot.
On a personal note
Working on Mario took me back to my Bal Bharati textbook. As kids, few must have known that the illustrations were done by a great Goan artist. 
Then, I saw him and his dog in the pages of the Illustrated Weekly. Finally, I met Mario face to face for the first time in 1987, at the Gulbenkian in Lisbon. On his exhibition catalogue he scribbled, ‘For Oscar, Saudades, Mario’, and suddenly I felt I’d known him forever.
Also, he very kindly illustrated my dad Fernando de Noronha’s memoirs, Momentos do meu Passado, which he said had brought back nostalgic memories of his youth in Goa.
To me, those saudades remain – of a gentleman with a twinkle in his eye, an unassuming genius, a lovable character, just like all those that he has immortalized in his illustrations and cartoons.
-o-o-o-o-
Here are a few pictures of the event, which comprised the first public screening of the "Stories and Documentaries" series at DD Goa auditorium, inauguration of the digital screen and felicitation of the documentary team, and superannuation farewell of a DD Goa veteran:
Governor of Goa addressing the audience
Pics, courtesy: Bambino Dias, Thomas Rodrigues Lorraine de Noronha, Miguel Furtado and Emmanuel de Noronha
Passion and Glory
‘The greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour’ that the Book of Chronicles (29: 11) speaks of as belonging to the Lord belong to us humans as well. The difference is that in God’s hands those values are transformative; in human hands, they turn ordinary and dull, and often degenerative.
Today’s Readings speak of the purpose of those values and how to avoid the most obvious pitfalls. The First Reading (Is 53: 10-11) is taken from the Fourth Song of the Servant, which begins thus: ‘Behold, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.’ While this is sure to give every human a high, in the verses that follow, which make up today’s Reading, we see that glory comes with a price – also very high.
Isaiah’s Suffering Servant prefigured Jesus Christ. His Song indicated that He would be despised, rejected, esteemed not, afflicted, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, oppressed, stricken… And if this is not a description of Our Lord’s Passion, what is? He redeemed us through His Passion and Death. The Jews, too, traditionally believed that the Suffering Servant referred to the Messiah or Redeemer who was to come to Zion. But, irony of ironies, they rejected Him when He actually came!
Hence, in the Gospel (Mk 10: 35-45), Our Lord makes it amply clear that the Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom. He did not come to enjoy earthly glory but rather to suffer for the sins of humankind and raise it to a glory that is eternal. Here, two of His close disciples – James and John, sons of Zebedee – were hideously off the mark. They sought the highest ministerial berths from Him who they thought had come to rule over Israel! Our Lord obliged the Good Thief instead, who was crucified to His right hand….
However, handling the disciples’ feelings of self-importance with utmost care, Jesus didn’t say an outright no, but asked them what they wanted Him to do for them. And then came the full truth: ‘You do not know what you are asking.’ Which is often the case with you and me; we want gains without the pains. Yet, it was not for Jesus to grant their request, but for God the Father to decide. The high place they coveted would be ‘for those for whom it has been prepared.’
This is so much the story of our own lives. As the saying goes, man proposes; God disposes. Although there is nothing wrong in proposing, this must be accompanied by a wilful surrender to the divine will. God’s will can be way different from our own, so we must be ready to accept it, firmly trusting that it will work for our good. The golden rule, then, is to believe that ‘there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens’ (Eccl 3: 1).
Setting the common good above everything could be another guiding principle. Also, we must ascertain that our goal has a higher purpose. This sanctifies what we desire – power and glory included. If it be for God, let it be done! That is what a 300,000-plus gathering meant to say when they sang ‘We want God’, on John Paul II’s first visit to his homeland, in 1979, shortly after he succeeded to the Chair of Peter. He invoked the power of the Holy Spirit to renew the face of Poland and liberate it from the bondage of communism and atheism.[1] The prayer was transformative.
That is a perfect illustration of what those in power should do. Jesus pointed out that, unlike the Gentile rulers who lord it over their people, Christians must rule through selfless service. ‘Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.’ There is no better example of this than Jesus Himself, who came not to be served but to serve, not to live but to give His life as a ransom for us.
Finally, the Second Reading (Heb 4: 14-16) makes it clear that we must envision the ‘throne of grace’, where Jesus is seated, at the right hand of God the Father. Our High Priest sympathises with our weaknesses, so we can easily draw near to His throne, trusting that we will receive mercy and find grace. Which is so much unlike the earthly seats of power that are hotbeds of inconsideration, corruption and degeneration. Thus, there is not a doubt that only those who have gone through the passion are deserving of the glory.
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[1] https://breakingground.us/we-want-god/