SPRINGBOARDS and WALKING STICKS

Posts

Unsuccessful Workers In The Vineyard

How successful have you been with your vineyard, your business, your institution, your parish, your family, and your relationship? If you have been achieving good amount of success, here is a warning for you—read Matthew 21: 33-46. It is story of workers who refuse to give the owner of the vineyard the share of the produce. Apparently, it is the story of successful workers in the vineyard, in truth, it is the story of the tragedy of shallow success. When the vineyard made profit, the workers began to assume ownership, they misappropriated the vineyard, and treated disrespectfully and violently the servants of the master, and treated brutally his own son. People who refuse to acknowledge others and their role and input becomes dangerous to peace and running of society. A master, who was so very generous a while ago, perhaps would not mind that he is not getting fruits and grapes from his vineyard, and the workers are keeping it for themselves. Instead he definitely would have been ...

Lazarus And The Rich Man

It is vulnerable on the one hand to be mega rich and on the other hand to be utterly poor. Mega richness, most often, takes a person away from God; for he/she doesn’t feel the need of God in their lives. He/she has everything that he/she needs thus God becomes irrelevant. He/she asks, ‘what has God to do with my life?’ It is vulnerable and dangerous to come to a state that I don't need others in my life. Abject poverty, most often, takes a person away form God; for he/she doesn’t see the hand of God in their lives. He/she has nothing to smile about in life, all that they have is suffering and pain; thus God becomes impersonal, meaningless. He/she asks, ‘what has God done with my life?’ People become vulnerable and may become dangerous when they are unable to trace the contribution of others in their lives. The virtue of being spiritual is to have God in us whether we are mega rich or utterly poor. The virtue of being spiritual is to have God in us in our richness and in our povert...

The Earth And The Earthly Are Limited

Here is a humble submission by, perhaps the greatest Physicist of all time, Isaac Newton (1643-1727), “ If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants .” Who are these giants that he is referring to? Of course, his father, mother, teachers, leaders, and so on. If so, how do we reconcile this with the gospel passage, Matthew 23: 08-12, where Jesus tells his followers call no one on the earth, as you father, mother, teacher, or master? This is a warning against the pride of the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, and the like. They occupy seats as though they are the ultimate, the last, and the final. Jesus says be aware. Within that context Jesus tells us “consider no one on the earth, as your final father, mother, teacher, or master? They were great shoulders to stand on and see beyond; but what you have seen is greater than where you had stood to see it. At some point we must let go where we stand and leave for what we see. While standing on t...

Idiomatic Truths Are Often Only Half-Truths

In the echo chambers of casual conversation, we toss idioms back and forth. But have we ever thought they are only half-truths? Look at the following full sentences. “ Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one " –Robert Greene (1592). Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum ("I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am”) –Rene Descartes (1637). “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb” –Sir Walter Scott (1815). Today we use them like worn out coins, rarely pausing to examine what's been worn away. Many of our most cherished expressions are mere fragments, diminished echoes of more complex thoughts. The truncation of these idioms isn't merely a linguistic curiosity—it represents a fundamental reshaping of cultural wisdom, often inverting the very lessons these sayings were meant to impart. Consider the dismissive label "Jack of all trades, master of none." In our hyper-specialised society, we wield this phr...

It Is Not The System But The Persons In It

A system or an organisation is incapable of change. They remain where the last meeting or chapter left them. They do not evolve. But people in it are capable of change. In other words, there is no potential in the system, but there is potential in its members. Systems exist as frameworks, structures, and organisations designed to achieve specific outcomes. Yet systems themselves are inherently static—merely collections of rules, processes, and relationships. The true engine of change, growth, and innovation lies not within these frameworks but within the individuals who populate them. When we look at any system—educational, governmental, corporate, or social—we often speak of its limitations. "The system is broken," we lament, or "The system doesn't work." These critiques misplace our focus. Systems don't possess inherent potential; they don't dream, create, or transform. They simply operate according to their design until the people within them decide ...

Your Primary Responsibility Is Your Life

What is the use of you gaining the whole world and losing your very life? Every Lenten season begins with this question (Luke 9: 22-25). I am accountable for my life—that is my primary accountability. Of course it does not mean that we have no responsibility towards others’ life. Often our life and the life around us, the life of the world, are so very intertwined, that we seldom know the difference. Spirituality is the capacity to know what saves our lives, and what does not. Spirituality is the capacity to know what to lose and what not to give up. Some battles in our lives we must lose, some battles in our lives we must fight till the end meaning to win—at least die fighting. Macarius the Great of Egypt (300–397 CE) was a monk, ascetic, and a Desert Father. He announced that he is going to the desert to wrestle with God. His disciple with amusement asked him, “Do you hope to win?” “No.” He replied, “I hope to lose.” We are constantly fighting battles in our lives, knowing ...

Religion Must Help Greater Acceptance And Not Control

What if you see people who never came to your church or never were part of the universal Church found with God; forgiven by god, loved by god, helped by god, and even pampered by god? Our average human spirit and mind will feel a bit of discomfort and repulsion. That exactly is what is happening with apostle John in Mark 9: 38-41. Membership in a religion in many phases in history, and religious practices like praying, church-going etc. has become tools and means of exercising superiority and control over others, or it becomes a means to exclude people. In the name of religion and religious practices we take control of what can be done, who can do it, what is good and bad, what is moral and what is immoral. This approach creates an exclusive moral, good, pure, and authentic race or people or group. We keep doing it as individuals and institutions for the fear of losing control over others. And that is the end of humanity. Stopping others from doing good comes from a sickening clo...

The Man Who Loves Walking Will Walk Farther

While goals and destinations certainly matter, it is our relationship with the journey itself that often determines how far we will ultimately go, and what we will become because of the journey. “The man who loves walking will walk farther than the man who loves the destination” -Sal Di Stefano. What do you love: compassion, kindness, truth; or do you love heaven/salvation? I personally believe that one who loves heaven/salvation and in order to reach there shows compassion, kindness, and truthful never reach heaven/salvation. And the one who loves, being compassionate, being kind, and living truthfully will not stop with heaven and salvation. Heaven is not the last stop. Either there is no heaven, or heaven is only one of the stops in our linear life. Consider two hikers setting out to climb a mountain. The first fixates solely on reaching the summit, viewing each step as merely an obstacle to overcome. The second hiker, however, finds joy in the crunch of leaves beneath th...

A Sower Went Out To Sow

The Word of God is stubborn and persevering (Mark 4: 1-20). I would imagine that the sower is stubborn and persevering. The Word of God, which is compassion, love, mercy, inclusivity, truth, and so on will bear fruit, whatever may be the obstacles from within or from outside, provided there is a sower. There can be difficulties; no thorns, rocks, paths, and birds can steal it away entirely—the world still has good soil. It was an encouragement to the disciples who were hearing this parable, and working to spread the values that Jesus preached. I believe if there is someone to stand up or speak up at the right time, whatever may be the odds, it will eventually bear fruit. When a student asks a very disturbing question in a class, an average teacher gets upset, and asks the student to get out for he disturbs his and the so called normal class's peace. But remember, you may have sent the student out, but the question remains; and the question will seek answers. I have seen people bei...

Christmas Addresses The Address-less

Whom is Christmas addressing? Whom did it address then, 2000 years back? Bobby Jose Kattikad says that Christmas addresses vulnerabilities and the vulnerable: the weak, the wounded, the humiliated, and so on. He had no space in the inn. He is born in a cattle shed which is an address-less space; he creates it into a new address. God creates a new space where all would find space and peace; shepherds, angels, kings, and many more find space and peace there. The angle sings, “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all people.” People poured into the manger. We are saying thee kings from the count of gifts, but early chronicles say that there must have been many wise people who came to the manger. Footfall is important. How many come to my house? How many come to my organisation? One of the factors that indicate the health of a home is to see how many people come to that house. Even animals and birds visit a house where there is kindness and generosity. To some houses eve...

Lead An Impactful But Quiet Life

Shakespeare’s famous words from Macbeth, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," may well describe our times: everyone with content and without content, with credibility and without credibility, is showing up and showing off on social media and on other public platforms. Paul instructed the early Christians in 1 Thessalonians 4: 11 “Make it your goal to lead a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands.” It is said that Buddha, the enlightened one, lived a quiet life and passed through this world noiselessly. Look at a day in the life of Jesus (Mark 1: 29-39), he is preaching in the synagogue, praying alone in a silent place, healing people, casting away demons, and more. The devil could not keep silence; but Jesus did not allow them to talk about him. Many were searching for him to hear him or to be healed by him, and some others perhaps were also searching for him to destroy and kill him. Jesus makes no big noise about neither of them. He live...

The Information Tragedy

The book, Nexus , written by Yuval Noah Harari explores a brief history of information networks from the Stone Age to AI. While Harari was interviewed on his book the host reading out this sub titles of the book, asked, I hope it is a story of progress, it is a story of things getting better, meaning, the human race moves from the discovery of writing, to printing, to the newspaper, and at each stage our abilities getting better and advanced. Does that work that way? Harari smiled and replied, the basic question of the book is, if humans are so smart why are we acting so stupid? We are on the verge of destroying ourselves. The problem is not in our nature; the problem is in our information. Most people are good, but if you give good people bad information they make bad decisions, they make even self-destructive decisions. Look at mass delusion and psychosis in the 20 th century; things like Nazi Germany, most people who voted for Hitler and voted for him were not evil peopl...

Why Wasn't Jesus An Artist?

Many a times, often confused about my own professional choices, I have thought to myself, why did Jesus not get into art, music, or adventurous chivalry? One may conveniently and religiously argue saying it is because they are ‘bad’ in the sight of God. Absolutely no. He limited his options and goals. Jesus did not get trapped into endless indulgences. Perhaps, in the language of the season of Lent, a spiritual way to say it is, Jesus fasted, he made abstinence. One of the biggest trap of our time is constant indulgence, says, Gayathri Arvind, founder of Abhasa mental wellness centre. Wherever you turn there is an opportunity to let yourself be consumed by endless options, like, endless movies, web series, etc. Even food is available anytime anywhere with just at a click. They may be useful, entertaining, and satisfying; it gives you an instant dopamine hit. The more you consume the more you trap yourself into long-term trouble, and one day you are left wondering, 'what went wron...

2025 Must Create Its Own Art

People are afraid of art, because real art brings the question and the answer into your house. Tonight’s art becomes inadequate and useless when the sun rises in the morning. The mistake lies not in creating art for tonight, but in assuming tonight’s answers will serve tomorrow’s questions. Louise Bourgeois, a French American artist, reflected, “art is a guaranty of sanity;” but that guarantee must be renewed with each dawn, each cultural shift, and each evolution of human consciousness. If some art endures through generations, it is only because of its capacity to speak, its ability to demand fresh interpretations that test and challenge the new. To guarantee sanity in the coming year, 2025 must create its own art. Why create art? Why watch art? Why read literature? True art, in the words of Sunil P Ilayidam, shakes that which is rigid and unchangeable. Art serves as humanity’s persistent earthquake, destabilising comfortable certainties and creating space for new ways of...

He Taught With Authority: Jesus Is A Case Study In Teaching and Preaching

Ben-Hur (1959) is a film directed by William Wyler showing Judea and Nazareth of Jesus’ time; it has depicted the Sermon on the Mount and the crucifixion of Christ. It is an adaptation of the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, called, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. It is a big film, winning 11 academy awards at the Oscars. In this grand tale of the Christ, interestingly, we never see the face of Jesus on screen. Realistically speaking, at the time of Jesus, that is all the visibility and prominence that Jesus had. He wasn't famous. He was just a carpenter’s son living in Nazareth. But to the astonishment of the people, he preached with authority, he healed with power; even the evil spirits obey him (Mark 1: 21-28) —and therefore the question where does this authority and power come from? The people of the time had the privilege of listening to scribes and other rabbis, but they did not convey the authority and power that Jesus did; and therefore people were astonished and said, ‘this is ...

New Year, New Beginning

The past year was different to different people. Some of us were very successful, won every battle we fought. Some others of us did not win every battle that we fought, might have found difficult even to get up from bed everyday, we just survived. But for both it is a new year. For those very successful, it is time to stand on the ground and not be overconfident, complacent, arrogant and egoistic. And it is also time to give back. And for those of us not very successful we have another new year with 365 blank pages, 365 blank days. It is a fresh new beginning. Start your dream and go all the way. “There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth—not going all the way, and not starting”, said Buddha. Every New Year tells that we cannot eternally postpone important things in our lives. We must begin somewhere. How many lives do we have on this earth? One, two, three, four, or more? One of the foremost thinkers and philosophers of China, Confucius, four centuries before ...

Mary, Mother of God

The gospel, Luke 2: 16-21, is the most romantic, dreamy scene that we see in every Christmas crib, it is the scene that we have seen on numerous Christmas greeting cards, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus lying on the manger. Angels still singing, shepherds have arrived, and a bright star is shining brightly on the Judaean dessert, indicating the arrival of the magi. When we minimise this scene we have only three figures, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. When we still minimise this scene we just have two figures, Jesus God, and Mary, the mother of God. Galatians 4: 4-7, says, in the fullness of time Jesus came, born of a woman. Today we focus our attention to that woman, Mary, Mother of God. There was a holy jealousy among the women of Judea towards Mother Mary; this jealousy is different from the ungodly, selfish jealously. They admired and looked up to Mary for giving birth and bringing up a son who exhibits so much kindness and compassion. A woman seeing what Jesus...

The Realities Of Families

Families are complex and multilayered. On one end of the polarity we are lucky we have families in which we are planted. There is a beautiful imagery given in the gospel of Luke 13: 6-9: a fig tree planted in a vineyard. Unlike vines, fig trees are not so fragile; they grow even in wild surroundings. But in this passage, Jesus talks about a fig planted in a vineyard, with a fence around it to protect it, and watered and manured to promote growth, blooming, and bearing fruit. Family is like that vineyard. We should be grateful that we are planted in a family. Whether we realise or not we would be lesser if we did not have our brother, or sister, or mother, father, grandparents, grand children, and so on. It is like not having a member of our body. Second Vatican council rightly calls families as, domestic churches. At the same time, on the other end of the polarity, family is one of the least critiqued, least audited, least questioned, and least brought to book institutions. Nobody...

Then Herod, Now Benjamin Netanyahu; The Pain And Helplessness Is The Same

The crime is the same. The gospel reports of Herod killing innocent children in Bethlehem (Matthew 2: 13-18). Bethlehem being a small town, the numbers may not have exceed 20-25 children. In the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, Oxfam reports of Benjamin Netanyahu killing 11000 children. Both killings are in the same land of Palestine; both are done by two authoritative, insecure, leaders who find no other more creative, ethical, and honorable ways of problem solving; and now on a scale of 500 times bigger. “Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children” said the spokesperson of the Unicef. Over 25,000 children have either lost a parent or become orphans, leaving them in deep emotional distress. Most children are grappling with anxiety and severe physical injuries, with many having lost limbs. A nativity scene at the Vatican has been removed after backlash over its depiction of the baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf used by Palestinians as a national symbo...