SPRINGBOARDS and WALKING STICKS

 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...

 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...

 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...

  O foolish man, faith without works is dead (James 2: 20).  James Talarico, a teacher and politician screams saying, Christian nationalists walk around with a mouthful of scriptures and heart full of hatred. Don't tell me what you believe, instead, show me how you treat other people, and I will tell you what you believe. Jesus’ summary of the Ten Commandments was twofold, and one of them is to ‘love your neighbour’. In Luke 10, in the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus reemphasized it—love your neighbour. Barbara Brown Taylor, an American Episcopal priest and author says, in the midst of theological confusions, liturgical conflicts, and religious fundamentalism, “The only clear line I draw these days is this: when my religion tries to come between me and my neighbour, I will choose my neighbour… Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.” As the hymn goes, they will know that we are Christians by our love. In the entire scriptures, Jesus never asked us to worship him...

 The article, Old men plot young men’s death , by Dipankar Gupta discusses how wars often come about due to the ambitions and power-driven logic of older leaders, while the young are the ones who end up paying the price with their lives. It argues that before commemorating fallen soldiers, we should remember that wars largely happen because of the "evil logic" of the powerful. The article notes that in war memorial ceremonies, the "heraldry of martyrdom overwhelms us" and we forget about the young lives that were "wasted to fulfil the ambitions of old men." It states that on Remembrance Day, we recall the "fallen braves" but do not acknowledge the "wretched schemers who sent the young to die." The article then provides historical examples to support its thesis. It mentions how rulers in Europe pursued wars that resulted in the deaths of many young people. Similar examples are provided from India, where several rulers called for war, whi...

 From a large flock of sheep one sheep is lost. The shepherd leaves all his work and rest of the flock and goes in search. Finally he finds it, and there is great joy (Matthew 18: 12-14). So soothing for the ears to hear. Someone is lost from among us. He refused to think as others thought; he did things that you opposed. He was full of himself and only himself. And naturally he drifted away to the furthest end of affairs. Do we leave all other works and concerns and go in search of him? Would finding him be a cause for great celebration? Here is the great inner struggle between justice and kindness in play. Often the inner battle is bot between good and evil but between goodness in varied degrees. A just and fair person would be caught up with the rest of the flock, for justice can only give each one according to what they deserve and merit. Mercy is not earned but given. This would also be the reason why Jesus said, ‘do not judge’, for judging, even when it is done with fairness,...

 Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) lost his parents when he was only a boy. His grandmother took charge of him and looked after him. He joined the military; but he was rebellious and a misfit and had to leave. Charles received a lot of wealth as inheritance from his grandfather. He lived an extravagant and prodigal life—full of himself, He indulged in carefree and dissolute luxury. Fast forward to 21 st century, today we proudly revere him as a universal brother. I love the title ‘universal man’. I am sure that most of us love being identified as universal. But in truth we are full of me, mine, and we, our. We get stagnated in our language, religion, region, colour, and caste. It would be very strange and rare to see a universal person toady. Kahlil Gibran’s The Madman opens with the incident of how its protagonist began to be called a mad man. One day, as he was going to sleep, he removed all his masks and placed it a table beside his bed. After a beautiful night’s peaceful deep ...

  One of the repeated expressions in the bible is ‘I am unworthy…” Isaiah,  one of the greatest prophets of Old Testament, experiences a vision of God and realises his inadequacy to prophesy. He surrenders saying, I am unworthy, for I am a man of unclean lips. Paul, who was comfortably persecuting the church, is thrown off from the horse. As Jesus encountered him, he surrenders saying, I am an untimely born, I am not worthy to be called an apostle of Christ. Then we have Peter, encountering his Lord for the first time. He was a master of his trade. All that he learned as a born fisherman and a grown up fisherman did not help him to make a catch.  That miraculous catch of fish, with the intervention of Jesus makes peter motionless. He recognises his God. He falls on his knees and struggles with those words, depart from me Lord, I am not worthy, for I am a sinful man. Here we have the centurion pleading, I am not worthy to have you under my roof… (Matthew 8: 5-11) and ...

 The article, New pathways to women’s workforce reintegration by Pooja Sharma Goyal, discusses the need for organisations to find new ways to reintegrate women aged 45 and above into the workforce. It notes that women's careers often stall during the prime years for building caregiving duties, such as raising children and caring for aging parents. A study by the recruitment firm Applied found that women were more likely than men to take a career break due to these caregiving responsibilities. According to a McKinsey and Company study, 43% of highly qualified women leave their careers temporarily at some point. This creates a problem, as women's "careers are thus, less linear and more 'curved', but once their caregiving priorities are fulfilled, they are raring to join back the workforce." The article suggests that if a woman were to re-enter the workforce at age 45, she still has about 25-30 years to reach leadership positions. To address this challenge, the ...

 There is a sense of urgency in Luke 21: 29-36. Do it now is the command, lest that day catch you suddenly like a trap. Christian spirituality has misleadingly put too much importance to passive waiting. Perhaps it is the byproduct of Israel having to wait for centuries for the Messiah to come; or having an overdose of parables on waiting in the gospels, or it could also be that we have taken the second coming of the Lord too very seriously; not giving attention to the Lord who has already come, and is with us. This sense of passive waiting limits a lot of good that could be done. ‘That day’ is a misleading reference to an ambiguous distant auspicious time. The gospel tries to tell us that there is no ‘that day’, there is only ‘this day’. If you want to do something do it today. I came across a social media post recently that goes in these or similar words. People come to office/school/college and wait all day for 5 pm to come. People wait all week for the weekend—Saturday and...

 We all have talents special and proper to us; and they are means to our self-dignity. Often we hide, ignore, and reject our talents because of other, often negative, factors that play on us, like, the other does not deserve to get what he has, the other is impure, or the leader is an unjust man like here in Luke 19: 11-28. The man who went to get crowned as a king was not the people’s favourite. He was an exacting person, and he claims ownership of what is not his. The servant had enough excuses to be justified for not using the talents. But the gospel does not accept them. The servant who buried his money lost his chance to better his life. In law there is a beneficial phrase, “in good faith’; meaning, one does his work assuming goodness, and truthfulness of he other. The doer does not spend too much time in thinking and analysing; he/she just keeps doing the good that he/she can do. The piercing question of the master in this gospel passage is, what have you done with what I hav...

 This article, Seeking truth in a barrage of biases , presents an inspiring call to action for maintaining our intellectual autonomy in the digital age. Written by J Jehoson Jiresh, it addresses the critical challenge of navigating through algorithmic biases and misinformation while offering hope and practical solutions. The author beautifully frames our modern predicament - how even a simple online search for running shoes can shape our digital landscape - and transforms this everyday observation into a powerful message about reclaiming our agency in the digital world. What's particularly inspiring is the article's emphasis on human empowerment rather than technological determinism. The article presents three key strategies for hope and change: Active critical engagement to question assumptions and challenge biases Seeking diverse perspectives to break free from our echo chambers Demanding transparency and accountability in algorithmic systems Most uplifting is the article...

 This article, Universities are different from religious institutions by Faizan Mustafa highlights an important legal and philosophical discussion about the unique nature of universities versus religious institutions, focusing on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) case. What's particularly inspiring is how it emphasises that universities must transcend communal boundaries and operate with broader, more inclusive principles. The article discusses a 2024 Supreme Court judgment that reinforces a crucial idea: educational institutions, even those with minority roots like AMU, should function as spaces of universal learning rather than being limited by religious or communal considerations. It references historical figures like Sir Syed, who established the M.A.O. College in 1877, which later became AMU, showing how educational visions can evolve and grow beyond their original scope. Universities are different from religious institutions  by Faizan Mustafa. In: The Hindu, Nov...

 Zacchaeus overcame the obstacles of being short in stature and being in the middle of a huge crowd around him. They are interrelated. If he were not short crowd would not have mattered much; if there were no crowd his shortness would not have mattered. Our deficiencies are amplified by the deficiencies of people with whom we are associated and the inadequacies of the system that we live in. A short man amidst a large crowd is doubly short. A man's shortness of stature is relative to the crowd in which he finds himself. We must stand tall with the wealth and possessions that God gives us. As the people of Zacchaeus time, we too may laugh at Zacchaeus for his short stature. But in truth, though 5.8 or 6 foot tall, most of us are short like Zacchaeus in our moral, spiritual, and social size. Zacchaeus had the courage and grace to run ahead of the crowd that is towering around him (Luke 19: 1-10), which was making him not see injustices and exploitations that he was associated with or...

 Zacchaeus, as we know, was a chief tax collector and a rich man (Luke 19: 1-10). He, as any tax collectors of his time would do, used to collect much more than due, even by force and violence. Now we might say, in a very self-justifying manner, that I am not a tax collector, thus this gospel does not concern my life and me. The figures of a survey done on taxes; taxpayers and tax collectors could be quite embarrassing. 72% people do not pay taxes fully or partially. They cheat the country and the government. 26% of people pay the full tax, not because they love their country and its development but because of fear of being caught and punished; they are in a search of completely safe ways of evading taxes. The rest 2% are involved in collecting taxes. They cheat the country and people by collecting more and not correctly accounting for it. That leaves us with a 100% of ‘Zacchaeuses’ in our societies. Thus most of us stand in need of salvation for our families and ourselves. Zacchae...

 The scriptures are clear about the moral and spiritual dos and don’ts; from less harmful lying to one another to killing another. There are numerous laws, and more the laws in place better the hold such religions and establishments have on people. In Biblical tradition, the Ten Commandments give articulations to such dos and don’ts. But when it comes to accumulation of wealth, the Ten Commandments are quite silent, except the last commandment that says, do to covet others’ goods. That establishes that accumulation of wealth is not intrinsically bad. And therefore wealth and the idea of being rich could be quite deceiving. The story of Zacchaeus meeting Jesus (Luke 19: 1-10) could throw some light on to this dark terrain; it tells us how not to become rich, and what we shall do with our money. The gospels give no indication of whether Zacchaeus gave up his profession of being a tax collector. I would imagine that Zacchaeus has continued his old profession of tax collecting. He migh...

 People who think that there is nothing to live for and nothing more to expect from life, should realise that life is still expecting something from them, opined Victor Emil Frankl, an Australian neurologist and holocaust survivor.   His book, Man's Search for Meaning is a powerful testament to human resilience, born from his experiences as a Holocaust survivor and his insights as a psychiatrist. It provides a vivid account of an individual's experience as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp . The book focuses on love, hope, responsibility, inner freedom, and the beauty to be found in both nature and art as means that help one endure and overcome harrowing experiences. The book's core message is that while we cannot always control our circumstances, we retain the freedom to choose how we respond to them. Through his observations in Nazi concentration camps, Frankl discovered that prisoners who maintained a sense of purpose—whether it was reuniting with loved ones, co...

 Diwali or Deepavali is a people’s desire, effort, and some success in eliminating darkness, ignorance, and evil. What is darkness, ignorance, or evil may be questionable. But that there are situations where there is an absence of light, absence of truth and knowledge, and absence of good is quite evident. It is a good day to light a few lamps in our lives, read a book to dispel ignorance, mend a conflict, and promote good. On 9 October 204 India lost one of its finest citizens and industrialists, Ratan Tata; and in the same breath, he was perhaps India’s finest philanthropist too. As the news about his demise and condolences poured in on every social media and broadcast media, there was another face that was appearing on the margins and even being highlighted by many—Shantanu Naidu. They met in 2014, when Shantanu Naidu was just 21; their common interest was love for dogs. Shantanu Naidu, as living and working with Ratan Tata has written a book of his experience wit...

 Knowledge and imagination are partners, each playing a vital role in humanity's progress. While knowledge provides the foundation—the solid ground upon which we build our understanding—imagination soars beyond these boundaries, asking the transformative question: "What if?" The article, Knowledge and Imagination by Sridhar Sachidananda beautifully illustrates this relationship through the metaphor of a cardiologist. While one can master every known aspect of heart ailments, this knowledge remains bounded by current discoveries. It is imagination that dares to venture beyond these limits, envisioning new possibilities for healing and advancement. Yet neither force is complete without the other. Knowledge without imagination is like a boat without a sail, anchored in place. Imagination without knowledge is like a rudderless vessel, drifting aimlessly in the vast ocean of possibilities. It is the marriage of these two forces that has driven humanity's greatest achievem...

 In today's dynamic workplace, inclusive leadership isn't just a buzzword—it's the cornerstone of organisational success. As in the article How to be inclusive leader , Saundarya Rajesh eloquently explains, when leaders champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), they create an environment where every employee feels genuinely valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. The impact is remarkable: research shows that leadership's commitment to inclusion can make up to a 70% difference in whether an employee feels truly included. This isn't just about making people feel good—it translates directly into enhanced productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction. The journey to becoming an inclusive leader begins with self-awareness. By acknowledging our own biases and actively seeking diverse perspectives, we create the foundation for authentic inclusion. But awareness must be paired with visible action—through participating in employee resource ...

 The true magic of leadership lies not in the stunning personal achievement, but in the quiet moments when we hold up a mirror to others and help them discover the giants within themselves. Like a masterful curator in a gallery of human potential, the greatest leaders walk among their people not wearing a cape of superiority, but carrying a lantern that illuminates the dormant greatness in every soul they encounter. Consider the orchestra conductor who steps back, allowing the violinist to find her own crescendo. Or the teacher who plants a seed of curiosity and watches, with knowing patience, as it blossoms into expertise. These leaders understand that their role is not to cast the longest shadow, but to help others step into their own light. When we lead by showcasing our own brilliance, we risk creating a galaxy with only one star— bright perhaps, but ultimately lonely and limited by time. But when we dedicate ourselves to unveiling the extraordinary capabilities hidden within o...