SPRINGBOARDS and WALKING STICKS

Posts

Visitation of Mary

Life existentially is difficult. Every work and ministry has its challenges and obstacles. But if we have someone to walk with us, stay with us, journey with us, life and work do not seem so burdensome. The illustrated book, The Big Panda and the Tiny Dragon by James Norbury, illustrates the importance of companionship well. The big bodied panda almost always lived alone stuck in a little forest, and the wise small agile dragon was wise and seen the world. Once the panda asks the dragon, what is important, the journey or the destination? The dragon thought for a while and said, neither of them is as important as the company that we have on the way. Having a companion in our journey is a blessing. The first problem faced by humanity in the biblical tradition was not concerning food, lodging, or clothing; it was the feeling of loneliness. After the creation of Adam and him being in the creation for a while, God said, it is difficult and not good for man to be alone. I will gi...

A Comparative Study of the Annunciation and the Farewell Discourse

The Christian Gospels contain numerous instances where divine encounters serve to both overwhelm and comfort human recipients. Two particularly striking parallel narratives emerge when examining the Annunciation scene in Luke's Gospel and Jesus' farewell discourse in John's Gospel. Both passages reveal a consistent theological pattern: moments of divine revelation that initially provoke fear are met with reassurance, promise, and the affirmation of God's sustaining presence. In Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary follows a distinct narrative arc that mirrors the structure found in John 14:1-31. Both accounts begin with the announcement of extraordinary divine plans. Gabriel proclaims Mary's role in bearing the Messiah, declaring that "nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). Similarly, Jesus reveals to his disciples the magnitude of what lies ahead—his departure, their future ministry, and the promise of eternal dwelling places in...

Modern Humanity Is An Unfinished Revolution

I want to begin with a startling proposition that challenges everything we assume about human nature: the modern human being—the person sitting in this room right now—is a recent invention. When Michel Foucault made this observation, he wasn't speaking metaphorically. The human being who believes in democracy, who recognises gender equality as a moral imperative, who feels genuine concern for the environment—this person would be virtually unrecognisable to most humans who have ever lived on this planet. Supporting PDF: Man is a recent invention PDF Cast your mind back to 1789. The French Revolution didn't just overthrow a government—it overthrew an entire understanding of what it means to be human. For millennia, human societies had been organised around the assumption that some people were born to rule and others to serve. Kings ruled by divine right. Nobility inherited power through blood. Clergy mediated between heaven and earth through institutional autho...

Year 2025

Pope Francis declared 2025 as a minor jubilee in the church with the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope”. And he said “"We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and farsighted vision.” Modern humanity uphold Sigmund Freud and Therapy, highlighting the childhood, trauma, parents, brokenness etc. The therapy industry has grown profitably. A year celebrating hope upholds the Alfred Adler way, who says, the past may be important, but what can change one’s life is hope in the future, one’s sense of purpose, meaning, etc. Supporting PDF: Hope and Love for Creation PDF Homes are comfortable places. Change happens on the way. Therefore we must constantly be found on the way in strange lands—be pilgrims. Remember the old adage, ‘We did not come this far just to come this far.’ Rosa Luxemburg once observed, "Those who do not move do not notice their chains." As w...

A Little While Vs For Ever

John 16: 16-22 brings to fore the tension between ‘a little while’ and ‘for ever’, the pull between something temporary and that which lasts for ever. I am reminded of a popular quote from Charlie Chaplin, “Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our problems.” Later, Arnold H Glasow wrote in his book, Gloombusters , “Nothing lasts for ever, not even your troubles.” The idea of continuous comfort, happiness, and ecstasy is an illusion—if there is such a place of comfort and permanence, look again, that would be a comfortable prison. We keep avoiding the awkward conversations, we fear the financial uncertainty, we escape from judgment from others, or the possibility of failure. And finally we end up staying where we are. It's safer there—yes, as safe as a prison. The bridge between our former life and new life is called ‘a little while’. We arrive at new places by crossing over. Do not hesitate to enter into the ‘little while’. If someone does it he just wants to keep yo...

Fruitfulness Is Not About Building Bigger Barns But Sharing

It is easy to grasp the rationale behind why a framer cuts of branches that yield no fruits—that gives space and resources to other branches that do bear fruit. What about branches that yield fruit? He prunes them too, and that is a hard thing for those branches who did bear fruit. And they ask why? They protest. And the answer is that they bear more fruit. Often we make ourselves, and the little that we do, as the standard for the quantity and quality of bearing fruit. Others shall not challenge it. Abide with God (John 15: 1-8); he shall challenge the quality and quantity of your fruit bearing. In a world obsessed with metrics of success—wealth accumulated, power wielded, comfort secured—there exists a quieter, more profound measure of a life well-lived: fruitfulness. Unlike the loud proclamations of worldly achievement, fruitfulness whispers its presence through transformed lives, healed relationships, and communities made whole. The ancient parable of the foolish rich man (Lu...

Remain In My Love

There are times in life we stand defeated by love, and there are times in life we defeat others with love. Love is an enabling emotion. It gives great joy to have someone to love, or to be loved by someone— and that is completely okay. It becomes dangerous and narcissistic, when one wants the entire world to love him/her, or everyone should only love him/her. We all learn to love by loving ourselves, that is okay, provided that love gradually enables us beyond ourselves. John’s gospel highlights the importance of love; he was the most loved by Jesus (in John’s own words), he is called the evangelist of love, and he is the one who gave us in his epistle a definition of god saying, “god is love’. In his gospel chapters 13-15, we find a lot of reference to god’s love, remaining his love, etc. Jesus categorically says, remain in my love and bear much fruit (John 15: 9-13). I would put it as, ‘remain in His kind of love, that would enable us to bear fruits’. What is His kind of love? ...

Do You Bear Fruit?

Do you bear fruit? How do you know if you are bearing fruit? Watch whether others come to you. If you see others coming to you to gather from you, or to take a bite from you; it is an indication that you are bearing fruit. I watch birds. Birds gather on trees that provide food, provide shelter. The Greeks came to Jesus. The Centurion, whose daughter was ill, came to Jesus. People searched after him day and night, brought their sick and needy to Him. Jesus kept bearing fruits of mercy, generosity, and inclusivity. Jesus bore difficult fruits. In John 8: 1-11, we have the story of the woman caught in sin. And our binary sense of morality says, the scribes and Pharisees were insensitive to women, they brought her to Jesus to trap Jesus, etc. I would think that there was at least a few among them who wanted help her, support her; they were unable because of the society they lived in. They were unable to bear fruits of such great quality. They come to Jesus for that difficult fr...

Designing Redesigns Me Every Single Time

I design, I design all sorts of stuff, and the process redesigns me; yes, some of them irreversibly changes me. In the soft glow of my computer monitor at 2 am, I find myself staring at the silhouette of a solitary boatman against an amber horizon. The words from the Fisherman’s prayer, God, be good to me: the sea is so wide, my boat is so small, hanging in the air between us drags me up to another realm. The weight of meeting the deadline for the cover of January 2012 issue of Together national magazine becomes a collaborative effort between me and my God. When I first began designing magazine covers, I saw it merely as arranging text and images in aesthetically pleasing ways—just another project to be completed. But something shifted when I started working with themes that speak to the human condition—to our vulnerabilities, hopes, and spiritual yearnings. The Small Boat cover, as I affectionately addressed it in the studio, came during a particularly turbulent period in my l...

A Shepherd With A Clear And Unambiguous Voice

Jesus is the good shepherd with a clear and unambiguous voice; we are to hear and follow his voice. Jesus as our Good Shepherd calls us to recognise his voice amid the noises of our world. Our response is to listen closely, follow faithfully, and extend the same shepherding care to others. The liturgy of the day invites us to reflect on one of the most beloved images of Jesus – the Good Shepherd. In John 10 we hear Jesus declare, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… My sheep will hear my voice and I will lead them to life eternal." We have grown up seeing images of Jesus the good shepherd carrying a little lamb on his shoulders. One of the most consoling imagery of god through the Christian scriptures is of God as shepherd. We pray in psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, nothing shall I want… he will lead me to green pastures… he will save me from the shadow of death.” In Luke 15 we have the parable of a good shepherd who goes in search...

Why Do You Work?

John 6: 22-29 asks some fundamental questions: Why do we work? Why do we search? Why do we believe? The gospel suggests that the answers must not end with just for my food and drink, my money, my comfort, my family, etc. One of the biggest traps of our time is constant indulgence, says Gayathri Arvind, founder of Abhasa mental wellness centre. Wherever you turn, you can let yourself be consumed by endless options, like endless movies, web series, etc. Even food is available anytime, anywhere with just a click. They may be useful, entertaining, and satisfying; they give 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 wrong?' Constant indulgence is the villain. Once a teacher asked his adult students, whom do you love the most? Among many answers quite a few asserted that they love themselves more than everyone. To one of those the teacher the teacher repeated the question sa...

Why We Must Not Miss Pope Francis

On March 13, 2013, the world witnessed a historic moment as Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, becoming the 266th successor to Saint Peter. His election was particularly significant as he became the first Pope from the Americas, the first from the Jesuit order, and the first to choose the name Francis, in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, the saint of humility and poverty. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis consistently used his platform to issue frequent and impassioned calls for peace and social justice on a global scale. Pope Francis Challenged Indifference His first trip outside of Rome as Pope was to the island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, in 2013, a visit to meet with newly arrived migrants and refugees. During this poignant visit, he powerfully denounced the "globalisation of indifference" that allows the suffering and deaths of migrants to go unnoticed, highlighting the urgent need for compassion and action. He consistently prioritised the plight of migran...

Sede vacante—What Changes With The Vacancy Of The Holy See

Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the Holy See has entered a period known as " sede vacante " (vacant seat), a time of transition between popes that involves specific protocols and temporary governance structures. When a pope dies or resigns, as has happened with Pope Francis, the Holy See enters sede vacante . The term literally refers to the vacant seat—specifically the cathedra of Saint John Lateran, which is the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome. This vacancy marks the beginning of a carefully regulated process that has been refined over centuries of Church tradition. During sede vacante , the governance of the Holy See transitions to the College of Cardinals, though their authority is significantly limited. One of the first notable changes is that most heads of departments within the Roman Curia "cease to exercise" their offices, creating a deliberate pause in the Church's central administration. Two key officials continue their r...

The Resurrection Of Jesus Is A Testament

Luke begins his gospel with a dialogue between the angel and Mother Mary in preparation for the incarnation. Mary did not understand much, much less did she humanly could believe. The angel told Mother Mary, ‘Nothing is impossible with God’ (Luke 1: 37). This gospel, as in other synoptic gospels, there are many incidents and events proving that there is nothing impossible with God: the lame walked, the dumb spoke, the hungry is fed, and so on. Mary in her own way must have strengthened others and the apostles with these words that she had received from the angel. But as we approach the end of the gospels the situation is so grim, Jesus, the master healer, the wonderworker is arrested, crucified, and buried, and a huge stone was rolled on to the face of the tomb. Humanly speaking everything is over. The disciples are scattered. The apostles are behind closed doors, in fear. The night had fallen. There large stone rolled up to cover the tomb of Jesus is symboli...