2nd Sunday of Advent (2020)

 

Hit hard, the Shell!

Gospels were written a few decades after the life, death and resurrection of Jesus!  Evangelist Mark begins his gospel narration referring to Pentecost (Baptism of the spirit) comparing the baptism of John in river Jordon!

Obviously John was giving adult baptism!  And it was a baptism of repentance!! Those who came to him inquired, "what should we do?"  His message was "Repent"!  They acknowledged their sins. 

Every conversion or transformation  or revolution begins with a realization and acknowledgement of the existing reality! 

Unless I realize that my village looks dirty, I will never do anything to clean it up!

Until I realize about my wrong food habits, I will never rectify and enjoy good health!

If I don't realize that I am short tempered, I am going to continue hurting people!

Being defensive is against acceptance, and that is not helpful!

Conversion to a spirited life is the real matter!  Mine here are purely civil words, not loaded with any theological or religious connotations.

Mr. Mahesh was a Vehicle Inspector in a town!  His receipt of bribe was like a loot!  He once brought a beautiful golden necklace for his daughter Meena's birthday!  She was only 14.  When the family was in a celebration mode, Mahesh presented the gift probably worth a few lakhs!  The child looked at it amazingly and then calmly asked her dad, "Dad, how did you get such a costly necklace? Is it from your salary or from the bribes you accumulate?"  Mahesh hung his head in shame!  The child gave back the gift to his dad and said, "Sorry dad, I will never be able to accept such a gift bought from the sweat and tears of so many who come to your office.  I would have been immensely happy if you had offered me a single rose bought with your hard earned money.  Sorry dad!  I am Sorry!"

When Mahesh begins to regret his misappropriation, and makes a resolute decision not to take  bribe anymore, that's the Jordanian experience or the Pentecostal experience. Zacchaeus was "baptised" under a sycamore tree in Jericho. (Lk:19/1..)  A woman was saved in the temple campus from the "adults" of Jerusalem was "baptised" (Jn: 8/11).  Conversion is baptism!!  Not the other way about!

Conversion is not purely a religious matter!  It is not religion related!  It's a beautiful turning point in someone's life caused by an intervention!

Philip was smoking a lot!  He fell in love with Saroja!  She detested smoking but loved Philip! Philip gave up smoking for her sake!  It is a conversion!

I often get short tempered.  Instead of putting the blame on others I began to realize my short comings and made a conscious effort to accept this reality.  I began to understand and acknowledge my suppressed feelings of the past!  I now witness that I bloom into a pleasant personality.  This is conversion.

One was all the time thirsting for power, authority and money!  He gathered his caste group around him and stimulated ill feelings against others and was trying to win elections.  Now when he realizes that he has gone against God and others, he tries to live a committed life giving up narrow, petty groupism.  This is conversion.

Acknowledge the fact!

Therefore, Acknowledgement is important!  First, articulate to yourself, your reality!  Go to your privacy, and remove all the masks you had put on for the "social show!" Because, we put on several masks that are not true!  We appear to be compassionate while we actually are greedy!  We appear to be pious while we actually are terrible!  It does not matter what reality is!  But, acknowledge, "I am greedy!  I am terrible!!"  Those very words begin to break your shackles.

Open up!!  Take an initiative!

Conversion is impossible when one is totally closed up!

The hen gives 21 days of warmth to the egg!  But the little chick inside have to hit a bit and break the shell!

The one who wants to get healed yells at Jesus, "do something"! That is an effort sufficient to make a break through! He gets healed!

The world is full of blessings!  The world is so very bright with innumerable opportunities!  But if one is closed up and pulls down all his shutters then he or she is not going to enjoy any of these.

If an youngster developed a funny work ethics and thinks that selling samosa brings in low image, he is losing an opportunity to be a millionaire! 

Some are struck in ideologies!  Some in prejudices!  Some in money!  Some in habits!  Some in lust! Some in dogmas!  Some in rituals!  What not?  They are so very close to the eyes that they don't see anything else or that which is beyond!  They are so very close that it makes you blind!  Only when you take a distance; then you begins to see what blocks your vision and what is beyond the block!!   Otherwise an elephant would be a single pillar for you if you are too close to one of its legs.

When you make yourself blind; you not only lose the beauty around you but become uncertain about very many things.  That leads you to either dependency or enmity with the other!

If your ethnic identity blocks and denies seeing beauty in other ethnic groups it is a mental glaucoma you have developed.  If your religious identity denies seeing beauty in other religions you are going through a spiritual glaucoma!  If your riches don't allow the poor to come closer to you, you are going through a social glaucoma!  If your caste identity denies going closer to other castes and groups, then you are nearing social blindness!

Blind don't see light!  "Blind" don't see Jesus!  "Blind" don't see Buddha!  "Blind" don't see the other human being!

Umbilical cord is vital!  But you are aging!