(from the bulletin)

The messianic ministry of Jesus Christ, as shown on many occasions during his ministry, involves physical healing as well as spiritual healing. In other words, it encompasses the liberation of human kind from physical ailments and from the bondage of sin.

Today’s Gospel account of the healing of a paralytic highlights this aspect of spiritual healing and the power of Jesus to forgive sins. When Jesus saw the innovative faith of the four men who brought the paralytic to him through the crowd, by making a hole on the roof of the house, from where they lowered down the paralytic’s mat, he spoke, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” In forgiving the person’s sins, Jesus revealed the divine compassion at its most profound level. Jesus healed not only the physical paralysis but also the debilitating spiritual paralysis. Christ revealed himself as the “healing Physician” whose compassionate word of forgiveness heals our brokenness, frees us from compulsion, gives us new life and strengthens the moral fibers of our soul.

Healing of the paralytic causes a contentious environment, in which the scribes silently question his authority to forgive sins. They were thinking to themselves: “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” The last verse of the first reading (Is 43:25), for example, substantiates their belief, “It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own sake, your offenses; your sins I remember no more.” In the midst of such a hostile skepticism Jesus manifests that he had power to forgive sin by applying to himself the title “Son of Man”. Thus Jesus claimed for himself the divine authority to forgive sins, besides the physical healing of the paralytic.

The main thrust of this episode is to underline the fact that Jesus established the Kingdom of God by his teaching, his healing, and his liberation of human beings from the bondage of sin. God’s healing love and the forgiveness of sin stays supreme above the human suffering and sin. Are we ready to be healed of our spiritual paralysis?

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the bulletin)

I bet most of us would not have had any experience with a leper. It is unbearable to see the ulcerous loathsome growth in the body. Lepers are kept away from common residential areas; they remain as outcasts from ordinary human companionship. They are bereft of love, comfort, hope and human dignity. Their misery is boundless. The Book of Leviticus in the Bible says that the leper has to remain outside the city, with torn garments, flowing hair, covered beard, and cry “Unclean! Unclean!”

The Gospel today presents how Jesus responds to a leper, who suffers such a misery. Breaking down the barriers of hygiene and ritual purity, Jesus did what was unimaginable. He responds with great compassion to the leper’s faith invocation, “If you wish, you can make me clean”. He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, “I do will it. Be made clean.” Jesus extended a healing touch to the “untouchable” and comforted the outcast bringing him wholeness.

The healing ministry of Jesus should not be seen as a mere healing. It has a connection with passion of Jesus. Pope Paul VI highlights the relationship between the healing ministry of Jesus and his passion. The Pope explains that tortured and disfigured by the sweat of blood, having suffered the flagellation, the crowning with thorns, the crucifixion, the rejection by the people, Jesus has identified himself with lepers, becoming an image of a leper, as the prophet Isaiah had foreseen, “He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, but he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity… by his wounds we were healed” (Isaiah 53:3-5).

Mother Teresa of Calcutta spoke of the “leprosy of the Western world”, which is, the leprosy of loneliness. In her ministry to the lonely, the unwanted, the marginalized, the rejected, the AIDS victim, etc. she had given witness that with the love of Christ, there is healing for the leprosy of our modern times.

Installation of your Pastor:
What does it mean? Having been appointed by Bishop William Callahan as your Pastor, I will be installed canonically next Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Mass. This word applies to the induction of a person, in accordance with the Church Law, to occupy an Office in the Church. As the delegate of the Bishop, the dean Fr. Tom Lindner will receive my profession of faith and my oath to observe the Laws of the Church and the Statutes of the Diocese of La Crosse.

Committed to serve you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the bulletin)

I believe many of you would have read the official announcement of Bishop William Callahan in the Catholic Times that he has appointed me as the Pastor, effective from Jan. 25th, of St. Peter and St. Casmir Parishes. Till this date, I was only a parochial Administrator. The new appointment as the Pastor, legally gives me stability. However, I personally take it as an opportunity from God to commit myself to serve the parishioners with greater dedication for a period of time, till the Bishop will transfer me. Honestly I am happy to serve you as your pastor, because I am impressed and encouraged by your faith and your loyalty to the Church. I thank you for having accepted me so. I do not know still the date, on which I will be installed. Yes, it is again only a legal requirement; and perhaps it will be held on any one of the Sundays.

Now let me turn you attention for a brief reflection on this Sunday’s Good News.

The story of Job, in the first reading, is one of the most fascinating ones. It reflects the experience of every person, who has suffered. As in the mind of Job, there are many questions rising in the mind of even a strong believer asking, “How could God allow his virtuous and beloved Job to be assailed by an onslaught of calamities? Why did he permit a faithful friend to experience misery in its acuteness and intensity? Why did he allow Satan to inflict horrendous trials on an innocent God-fearing person?” The lament of Job echoes the resentment of a person’s “unmerited” suffering.

It is against this backdrop that we need to understand Jesus, the Messiah, who preached the coming of God’s kingdom. The Messiah himself had to undergo the agonies and sufferings of every person. It is on the cross Jesus Christ assumed the brokenness and vulnerability of the entire humanity and brought about healing.

In today’s Gospel Jesus, the healer is prefigured in the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law who lay ill with fever and the many others who were sick with various diseases and those who were possessed by demons. The healing ministry of Jesus was a sign that the kingdom of wholeness has come. By his mission of healing, he showed to the suffering “Jobs” of all times that sickness, suffering and death do not have the ultimate word.

The words of the Gospel, “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed” (Mk 1:35), reveals that the healing and saving ministry of Jesus was sustained by his life of prayer and personal dialogue with the Father. I wish and pray that everyone of us who is suffering from any ailment may find solace in Jesus, the divine healer through personal encounter with him.

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the bulletin)

The message of the Gospel, this Sunday, depicts Jesus as God’s “Good News” in person. In other words, the Gospel passage portrays him teaching God’s word with authority: “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mk 1:22). Jesus spoke not only with authority, but also he reinforced the power of God’s saving word by curing a man possessed by an unclean spirit. Both word and action highlight the authority of Jesus. Jesus is manifesting himself as Messiah and his teaching manifests his person as the one sent by God.

The episode of Jesus teaching at the synagogue in Capernaum supports the truth that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophetic figure promised by Yahweh to Israel and to all people: “I will raise up for them a prophet. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak all that I command him” (Dt. 18:18). This means that a prophet is another self of God. Men must, therefore, heed his words. If they do not listen to him, it means that they refuse to listen to God. Jesus clearly thinks of himself as doing what is expected of the great prophet whom God had promised to raise up from among his brethren.

Cardinal John Henry Newman says, “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In him God is fully and truly seen, so that he is absolutely the way, the truth and the life. Christ has brought from his Father for all of us the full and perfect way of life. Thus he brings grace as well as truth, a most surprising miracle of mercy.”

The Gospel episode states that the people who heard were astonished at the teaching of Jesus. Can we ask ourselves if we are astonished and amazed at Jesus’ teachings? What about the magisterial authority Jesus gave the Church to interpret and spread the Good News to the world? On several occasions, we are tempted to accept the word of God only when it suits us; only when it fits our easy lifestyle and only when it is convenient. But when Jesus talks about loving one’s neighbor, about justice, about giving, about forgiveness and sacrifice, it disturbs us from our “comfort zones”. Then we turn away from the divine authority of the gospels and call them irrelevant to the times.

The word of God is light to our path and life to our soul. Hence we need to listen to the Word of God during the Mass and supplement it by private study. This will make the gospels more instructive in our lives. Then the Holy Spirit will occupy our lives and produce within us, as St. Paul tells us in Gal 5:22, his gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the bulletin)

After having focused on the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation during the Christmas season, we enter into the ordinary season of the liturgical year.

The Gospel for this Sunday portrays a significant encounter between Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist. John the Baptist points out this Incarnate Word Jesus Christ as the “Lamb of God”. This title brings to our mind the image of the sacrificial lamb, the suffering Servant and the Good Shepherd. God takes always the first step to relate Himself with humankind. Here too Jesus Christ initiates the dialogue with the discipleship asking, “What are you looking for?” The response of Andrew and his companion is not totally an answer, but a question pregnant with meaning, “Where are you staying?” Their question means, “Where they could find him and learn from him about their true home”. The reply of Jesus also corresponds to their yearning, “Come and see”. He offers an invitation to walk with him. Indeed, the positive and ready response of the disciples to the invitation of Jesus is extremely inspiring: “They went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him”. As the Word made flesh dwelt among us and stayed with us through his eternal presence, so the first disciples remained with Jesus, the incarnate Word and divine Teacher.

There is no account of what they talked about, no description of the place where they sat together. But whatever happened, this meeting has changed the lives of Andrew and his companion forever. In fact they remained with him for the rest of their lives. Their relationship to him became their new identity.

The historian Eusebius of Caesarea described the martyrdom of a Christian in the 2nd century as endurance in an extraordinary fashion all the outrages inflicted on him/her, but answered “I am a Christian”. This new identity was the only one that a Christian claimed and it was indestructible.

It is a fundamental question for every person: “Which of the many identities that I claim is indestructible?” The consumerist society identifies me as a consumer, politicians as a voter, television companies as a viewer, and even football clubs as a fan. All of these are easily destructible. Like Andrew and his companion I need a quiet hour, a quiet evening, in which the Lord can ask me, “What are you looking for?” The identity that I get by being with Christ is indestructible.
God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the bulletin)

This Sunday we celebrate the feast of Epiphany. Though it is traditionally known as the visit of the three Magi, in fact it is a manifestation of the divinity of Christ. It is a fulfillment of the prophetic declaration: “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you!” The feast of Epiphany is a feast that celebrates God’s unlimited glory, shedding radiance on all the peoples of the earth.

The Lord’s epiphany/manifestation has been figuratively foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Is 60:1-6). The prophet symbolically sees a restoration of Jerusalem and gathering of the nations from far away, wealth being brought and the homage paid by foreign kings. The great gathering will make Jerusalem a focal point and will shine like a light to the nations for the glory of the Lord will fill it.

Matthew’s story of the visit of the magi or “wise men” intends to demonstrate that Christ is the fulfillment of this prophecy and their adoration fulfills the prophecy of the homage paid by the nations to the God of Israel. These wise-men were named Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior. Caspar came to be depicted as a black person. The Jerome Biblical Commentary remarks, that they were understood as representatives of the Gentile world in all its racial diversity, who came to Christ. Of the gifts brought by these wise men, gold signified the kingship of Christ, incense his divinity, myrrh his redemptive suffering and death.

They saw the star and were guided by it; on arrival they were filled with the radiance of the divine glory; and on their return they let the divine light within them shine to others. Likewise, we must know that we, the Christians, have been filled and enlightened by the same divine light at baptism; hence we must let the light within us shine through to others. Remember Jesus proclaiming, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14).

The feast of Epiphany is a call for all to seek the light of Christ. It is a call for us to arise from our “darkness” and to journey towards the light. It is a journey of fellowship and love with our brothers and sisters, a journey of hope that at the end we will find the Savior Jesus with his mother Mary, offering him to us. Today let us ask the question, “How have I worked to make Christ known to all the nations and make him truly “the light of the nations”?

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the bulletin)

I can’t believe that 2011 is over and 2012 a new chapter in the history has begun. It is better to give a good start with strong faith in God, rather than filling our mind with anxiety, how this year would be. It is also better to begin the New Year with firm resolution to do good and avoid evil which would cause pain to oneself and to others. It is better to strive to do what we would like others do to us. At the dawn of New Year, I wish you all God’s special blessings that all your good intentions may be fulfilled so as to make your life more prosperous, successful and healthy physically, psychologically, spiritually and also materially.

It is six months, since I have come to serve you in this parish. At this moment I am happy to recall that so many good things have been fulfilled thanks to your dedication. Let me frankly state that I am impressed by your sense of belonging, which motivates you to support this parish community through your contributions, to do voluntary services for building up this community both materially and spiritually. May God bless you and reward you for your good works.

On the first day of the New Year, the Catholic Church honors the Most Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. It was not her choice but it was God’s gracious choice that Mary became the Mother of Jesus, who is God. Fundamentalists often assert that Mary did not carry God in her womb, but only carried Jesus with human nature. It was invented by Nestorius and caused a heresy called Nestorianism in the beginning of the 5th century. His teaching was condemned as heretical at the First Council of Ephesus in 431 and at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The title “Mother of God” (Theotokos) for Mary was confirmed by the First Council of Ephesus. The Council decreed that Mary is the Mother of God because her son Jesus is one person who is both God and man, divine and human. May Mary, Our Mother be our stronghold and our perpetual help in our journey during this New Year.

On this New Year day Pope Benedict XVI calls for solidarity and peace among people of all nations. He recalls that modern times are filled with all manner of suffering, some of which were provoked by human evil and others were caused by nature. As followers of Christ and faithful members of the Catholic Church we are called to be instruments of peace within our own parish community and in the world at large. It requires of us that we always remain at war with our vices and at peace with our neighbors.

A new beginning is the best time to wish peace to one another and let the same friendship grow in the days to come.

Wishing you a Grace-filled year 2012
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the bulletin)
When we think of Christmas, the first thought that comes to mind is to rejoice. “Do not be afraid I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Lk 2:10). This was the message of the angels to the shepherds. The message which the angels spoke to the shepherds two thousand years ago is also spoken to us today. It is a good news of great joy. The angel told the shepherds ‘Do not be afraid’. Yes, this message has come to a frightened world. Like the shepherds we are perplexed and anxious and afraid of many things. We are afraid of other people, we are afraid for the security of our lives, of our jobs and positions. We are anxious about the future, the future of our children and our health. As we grow older, health becomes a continuous cause of anxiety. It is at this point that Christmas brings good news of great joy.

The shepherds spread the message of joy about the baby and those who heard were all amazed. Hence to celebrate Christmas is to share the good news of great joy with the people who have no joy in their lives. The message of Christmas is that God has come down to us in our lowliness, in our poverty and in our misery. The joy of Christmas is not for a day or a season. It is an eternal joy, a joy that no one can take from us because it is the joy of Jesus Christ himself made present in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which neither pain, nor sorrow can diminish and which neither life nor death can take away.

Our hearts are filled with joy and gratitude for the greatest gift, God could possibly give us – his beloved son Jesus. We can praise and thank God our Father for the fact that the Son of God has freely and joyfully assumed our human nature in order to fill our life with divine joy and peace.

On this happy and joyful occasion, I like to thank many of our parishioners who give their time, talent and treasure in order to keep parish going and to accomplish many of the parochial activities. Many of you come to the Church and go home day after day and week after week. But there is no chance for you to know those who work in the parish office, in the sacristy, in the altar, in and around the Church to keep it clean, those volunteers who are ready to help whenever their service is required. They all work behind the screen with generosity and love for the parish community. They share their time and talents with great joy. On this happy occasion of Christmas, I want to thank every one of them. I wish and pray that The Lord may bless them and their families copiously. You too could give them great joy, if you would appreciate these generous people.

May the joy of Christ’s birth fill you all.
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

(from the Bulletin)

The Entrance antiphon for this fourth Sunday of Advent sounds, “Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior. This poetic Advent invocation presents twofold movement of the mystery of Incarnation, presented in today’s Gospel (Lk 1:26-28): It portrays the initiative of salvation which comes from God and Mary’s unconditional response which is a participation in the saving plan.

The first part of the Entrance song, “Let the clouds rain down the Just One,” refers to the initiative of the Father through the Holy Spirit, his creative power. The Holy Spirit overshadows Mary and makes the incarnation of the Divine Son possible. As the creative origin of life, the Holy Spirit fills Mary with divine energy and forms the flesh and blood of Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, in her virginal womb. It is the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit that performs the greatest miracle in the history of humankind: the mystery of the Incarnation. Thus God initiates the New Creation.

The second part of the Entrance song, “(let) the earth bring forth a Savior,” is a symbolic way of presenting Mary‘s participation in the miracle of life. By her unconditional surrender to the Will of God, Mary is like “the earth that opens up.” The Gospel passage about the Annunciation focuses on Mary’s vocation as Mother and Disciple. Her vocation is marked with her total openness to the creative action of the Holy Spirit. In the same way her unreserved surrender to the divine plan, expressed in her reply to the angel, “May it be done to me according to your word,” enabled the Rose of Judah, Jesus Christ, to bud forth from the stem of Jesse and from David’s royal clan. The birth of Jesus through a woman would fulfill the Lord’s promise spoken to David through the prophet Nathan (cf. Is 7:14). In the words of St. Paul, the promised Messiah made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary is the mystery kept for endless ages but now fully revealed.

The first reading from the Book of Samuel proclaims that King David proposed to build a house or temple for God. But, God chose instead to build the house of David. The Virgin Mary of Nazareth, the woman chosen by God to bear his only begotten Son, teaches us how to become “God’s house” in our own fragile flesh. Like Mary, do we commit ourselves in faith and loving service to build up “God’s house” in our inmost self and in the hearts of all?

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as the Gaudete Sunday (Rejoicing Sunday), because a tone of joy pervades the liturgical celebration.

The mission of the Messiah as “giving joy” is depicted in a poetic form by Isaiah, in the First Reading: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God” (Is 61:1-2). Moreover, he describes in a nuptial imagery, the salvific experience and joy that would result from the messianic intervention: “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels” (Is 61:10-11).

The recipients of joy through the mission of the Messiah are the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners and those who mourn. The poor are known as anawim of the Messiah. Who are they? They are the ones who humble themselves realizing their own helplessness and dire need, and acknowledging the benevolent kindness of Yahweh, seek and wait for his coming. The salvific intervention of the Messiah in their behalf through healing, liberating and consoling mission results in abounding joy and exultation.

To add up to the rejoicing mood of the liturgy, the Canticle of Mary is sung as the responsorial psalm. The singing of the Magnificat on Gaudete Sunday reinforces the character of joy that the church receives as a gift from the anointing spirit of Jesus.

The Gospel passage read in today’s liturgy is taken from the Prologue of St. John depicting the identity of Jesus (Jn 1:6-8,19-28). John the Baptist, as sent by God, is presented as an instrument of messianic revelation and as a witness of the true light, Jesus Christ. As forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist is the precursor of joy. Indeed, in his ministry of preparing the way of the Lord, he experiences the selfless joy of the bridegroom’s friend. This is affirmed by his own statement later: “I myself am not the Christ. I am the one who has been sent in front of him. The bride is only for the bridegroom, and yet the bridegroom’s friend, who stands there and listens, is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. The same joy I feel, and now it is complete” (Jn 3:28-29). This Sunday invites us to participate in the nuptial joy of Christ, the bridegroom of the Church.
God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.