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Meditation Daily
St. Chavara

“Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called 
                       the sons of god”.
This is one of the 8 beatitudes up on which we are reflecting today. This verse has 2 parts. 1st is about peace makers and the latter is about the son ship of god. Let’s see them one by one. Blessed are the peace makers. At Jesus’ birth, the angels from heaven sung “Glory to god in the highest and peace to people on earth always. “See down in the manger, god has send his peace to dwell with you” (Luke 2:14). This song of glory is inevitable part of our life. We begin our prayers with this song and of course this is one of the most repeated prayers in our liturgy. By repeating the song of the holy angels, we proclaim the great truth that Jesus is the real peace and he is always with us. Peace maker means one who bring peace. Bringing peace means being Jesus in the world and being Jesus in the world means becoming the sons of god.

How can we become Jesus in the world? The gospel of St. John, chapter 13, verse 15 says: “For I have set you an example that you should do as I have done to you”. This is what Jesus demands from his disciples – service. If we are willing to serve our brethren who are in need, we are becoming Jesus for them. That’s why the one and only criteria for the last judgment demands service done to the least.
It is in this context, we understand the life of St. Chavara. We all are aware of his contributions to the whole world in all the fields. Through his whole life and vision he did all the services that he could do in his life. The beginning of CMI congregation is also in this background. To serve the people through all the possible means. കണ്ണിൽ കണ്ട നന്മകളൊക്കെ മറ്റുള്ളവർക്ക് ചെയ്യാൻ വേണ്ടി ചാവറപ്പിതാവിന്റെ മനസ്സിൽ രൂപം കൊണ്ടതാണ് സിഎംഐ സന്യാസ സമൂഹം. That’s why our beloved founder did not stick on to one special ministry. He did whatever he could for the people of god. St. Chavara was becoming Jesus for the people of his times. And they called him ‘son of god’- ‘ദൈവത്തിന്റെ മനുഷ്യൻ’! See how true the promises of god are!
We understood the word peace maker. The second part of the verse, son ship of god is also to be understood clearly. In John 8:39 we see a dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees about their patrimony.  The scribes and Pharisees used to say with all the pride that Abraham was their father. But Jesus said, no. you’re not. If you were the sons of Abraham, you would do as Abraham did. He continues, your deeds are of darkness and you are the biggest liar, Satan.  Children would do as the father does.
Most of us can remember those days when the age old grandmas identified us with our father or grandfather. Even when they see us for the 1st time, they used to ask: “aren’t you the son of that particular person?” and we wondered how they knew me. Yes. Our behavior, our words, our deeds… everything is like our father. Jesus once said, the one who see me see my father. And we call him the son of god. We cannot hide fully what we are. It will be identified by others very clearly. If the people addressed St. Chavara as the man of god, it is clear that they could see the face of god in him. Through his powerful and healing words and selfless deeds, he was becoming the flesh and blood of Christ who gave peace to whom he approached. He wandered all through the land of Kerala to serve the people in different ways.
 So, Dear brothers, let us be proud to be a CMI. Because, our forefathers have opened numerous ways to be like founder St. Chavara. We are given opportunities to serve the people of god by all the possible means and thus become a new Jesus who brings peace in the world. The only thing is that we should do our part. We have offered our whole life for this purpose. Let’s be faithful in our commitment. As St. Chavara became peace for the whole mankind, let us also follow his footsteps. May the word of god become flesh in our lives – “Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the children of god”.
Thank You
Bro. Akhil Vadakkumchery CMI
Dharmarmaram College, Bengaluru

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