THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

Dear Rev. Fathers, Rev. Sisters and dear faithful

in Christ, Greetings and blessings to you all.

As we enter the month of August, our attention goes straight to the date of August 15 when we celebrate the Independence Day of our beloved country India and also the feast of the Assumption of our Beloved Mother. I don’t think that any other country is greatly privileged as our country that we have the heavenly Mother who is giving birth to us into this Independent nation. On 15th August 1947 our country received  independence from the British regime. But  are we really free? On this great day of our nation that is on August 15 every year our Honorable Prime Minister goes from his residence to Red Fort in Delhi to hoist the National Flag and tell the Nation that we are free, living in an Independent country. But is the Honorable Prime Minister free to come from his residence to the Red Fort by himself? What an amount of security rrangements he requires to reach Red Fort. And while he addresses the nation he stands in a bulletproof glass enclosure. Are we really free? Most of the time we live in fear. Our children and women are not at all safe to travel alone. When I was a young boy going to school I used to walk alone about 6 km. to my school. Today the children are brought to the school and taken back from the school by the parents or guardians. Though the government tries to keep law and order and provide reasonable security to every citizen still we live in fear and threat in our own country.

Where is freedom? Are we truly free? Independent country. But is the Honorable Prime Minister free to come from his residence to the Red Fort by himself? What an amount of security arrangements he requires to reach Red Fort. And while he addresses the nation he stands in a bulletproof glass enclosure. Are we really free? Most of the time we live in fear. Our children and women are not at all safe to travel alone. When I was a young boy going to school I used to walk alone about 6 km. to my school. Today the children are brought to the school and taken back from the school by the parents or guardians. Though the government tries to keep law and order and provide reasonable security to every citizen still we live in fear and threat in our own country. Where is freedom? Are we truly free?

During the Independence struggle the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi once visited South India. He boarded the train and reached Madras Railway Station. Lots of people had gathered at the Railway Station to see the great Freedom Fighter Mahatma Gandhi. He got down from the train and stood at the platform because a big crowd was there. He stood silent. Then someone rear him told him, “Sir, speak something, People have come to listen to you”. Mahatma Gandhi took the New Testament copy which he always carried, opened it and read to the crowd the sermon on the mount from the gospel of St. Mathew (Mt. 5:1-12). Then he closed the New Testament and told the people, “Go home and ponder over it”. Mahatma Gandhi knew what true freedom is. True freedom is “Freedom from self”. If we had listened to Mahatma Gandhi we would have received the true freedom by the power of the Word of God. Now we received freedom only from the British rule. Jesus says in the  gospel of St. John (Jn. 8:31-32), “If you continue in my Word, you are truly my disciples; and your will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”. We can see this in the life of our Blessed Mother whose feast, the feast of the Assumption we celebrate on 15th August. At the Annunciation she accepted the Word and continued her life in the Word. That made her free and joyfully she entered heaven. Her passing into heaven was a joyful one and she did not suffer the pain of death. Three things make death painful;

1. Attachment to the world,

2. Remorse for one’s sins and

3. Uncertainty of heaven.

Mary was not attached to the world. She was fully committed to the Word and that’s why she said “Behold the hand mind of the Lord. Be it dome to me according to thy Word” Since she was totally detached, it was easy for her to leave the world. Secondly she was immaculate, sinless so no remorse at all thirdly since she was holy, she was sure of heaven. That is why we can say the Mary was totally free and she enjoyed true freedom. To attain true freedom we need to imitate her.

On the day of Independence let us pray for our country that through the powerful intercession of Our Blessed Mother we may achieve true freedom by emptying ourselves of all sorts of division among us whether it be on the basis of Caste, Creed, Rite, Language and any other divisive factors.

I wish you all a very Happy Feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother Mary and

a Very Happy Independence Day.