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(28th July ) Homily for the Feast of St. Alphonsa

READ: (2 Cor 10:17-11:2; Matt 25: 1-13)

REFLECT: Love for Christ makes you a joyful sufferer like St. Alphonsa…

Dear friends, today we commemorate the Feast of St. Alphonsa, the first woman of Indian origin to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, and the first canonized saint of the Syro-Malabar Church. St. Alphonsa was born to Joseph and Mary Muttathupadathu at Kudamaloor, Kottayam District, Kerala. She was fondly called as Annakkutty. Her mother died when Alphonsa was very young, and she was brought up by her maternal aunt and educated by her great-uncle Father Joseph Muttathupadathu. At age 3 she contracted an infected eczema from which she suffered for over a year. At the age of seven on 27th November 1917, she received her first Holy Communion.  

Her aunt was a stern and strict woman who demanded a lot from her and although affectionate at times but troubled Alphonsa many a times. Alphonsa was very obedient and submissive child to her aunt.  In fact, her aunt determined to fix a marriage alliance for Alphonsa, trying to dissuade her to join religious life and to remove from Alphonsa’s mind the clear signs of religious vocation. Alphonsa pleaded her aunt persistently, but in order to get away from the commitment to marriage, she reached a point of causing herself harm by jumping into the heap of burning chaff nearby. However, by the grace and favor of God, the marriage proposals and plans were cancelled as Alphonsa was bedridden for few months. 

Later, Fr. James Muricken, her confessor directed her to the Franciscan spirituality and put her in contact with the Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists. She joined the Poor Clare convent at Bharananganam. On the 2nd of August 1928, Alphonsa began her postulancy, taking the name of Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception in honor of St. Alphonsus Liguori, whose feast it was that day. After the beginning of her novitiate, she had a hemorrhage making her weaker and feeble, prone to suffering a lot. In December 1936 she was miraculously cured from her ailments through the intervention of St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara. As her health continued to deteriorate over a period of months, she received anointing of the Sick on 29th September 1941. 

Sister Alphonsa breathed her last on the 28th July 1946. She is buries at St. Mary’s Church, Bharananganam, in the diocese of Palai. She was declared venerable on 9th July 1985 by St. John Paul II.  She was beatified along with Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara on 8th February 1986 by St. John Paul II, when he visited India during his apostolic Pilgrimage. Later, Pope Benedict XVI canonized St. Alphonsa on 12th October 2008. Presently, her birth and tomb place in Kerala has become a pilgrimage spot where miracles and healing still take place and many devotees go as pilgrims to seek for help and healing. She is considered as the patron saint of diseases related to feet. So based on the liturgy of the word and the life of St. Alphonsa, I would like to share with you two points of reflection; 

1. St. Alphonsa loved Christ:

The lover of Christ must be the lover of suffering too, because Christ’s life was a combination of both suffering and joy. As much as St. Alphonsa loved Christ, so much she had to suffer. Perhaps her childhood days till her death was lots of painful experiences she had to undergo. Because she loved Christ, she loved suffering too without complaints and loss of hope in Christ. Someone has very beautifully shared the words of Alphonsa that she wrote in confidence to her spiritual director that speaks volumes of her personality. She writes, “Only the Lord Jesus knows the variety and extent of my suffering. He loves me very much. My only desire in this world is to suffer for love of God and rejoice in doing so. God in his goodness has enabled me to preserve undefiled the grace I obtained in Baptism.”  

Yes, such was her love for God. She boasted in the love of God than the love of self or the love from others that vanishes so soon. As the first reading from St. Paul’s to second Corinthians we hear, “Le the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. It is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord comments, it is true of St. Alphonsa’s life too. Yes, St. Alphonsa boasted in the Lord even when she endured suffering. She never commended for self-approval of her works for want of worldly desires and praise rather it is God who commended highly of her, raising her to sainthood for the love that she had although she was in pain and sorrow.

Today for all of us, it is very hard to suffer for oneself even for a good cause and so it is needless to tell how difficult would it be to suffer for others or for Christ’s sake. Many of us are not willing and happy to undergo hardship and pains of life for the sake of others. But St. Alphonsa stands as a model of suffering, suffering herself, suffering for others and for Christ with endurance and joy. Her suffering for Christ and others did not emerge out of compulsion but sheer love that she had for God. Her suffering only proved how much she loved Christ and his values. Her sufferings were just a token of her love for Jesus, who endured suffering for the humanity. Yes, love overcomes everything. It is not only in joy but also in pain. That’s the lesson we learn from the life of St. Alphonsa. Love for Christ will enable us to endure hardships and pains of life. Let us love Christ even when we are put into a disgusting moment or distressful situations in life.  

2.              St. Alphonsa suffered joyfully: 

It is very well said that only with God one can find joy in suffering. We can be sure the quote is true of St. Alphonsa, while we look at her entire life on earth. St. Alphonsa had lots of disappointments and disturbing experience since her childhood. The loss of her dear mother, being raised by her aunt who was harsh and hard and having a permanent disability with her feet during her religious life would have created in her suspicion and doubt.  Indeed, life was not very easy for her.  But she discovered God’s will in all that she experienced.  She could have great impact on people around her and stay connected with God in loyalty and love. Even through her sickness and death, she continued to reach out to intercede for others and believed in God’s divine wisdom and providence. That’s definitely grace from above for great love that she exhibited for God in life. She could find delight in suffering, because God was with her and indeed she was always with God.  

Today we all of us need to acknowledge that God has sent St. Alphonsa to show us that suffering is not only painful or useful, but also necessary. St. Alphonsa considered suffering as a gift from God and a part of life too. She loved God even in moments of suffering and pain. She taught us by example that we must suffer not only for our own sins, but for the sins of others too. It is also very visible if we could go through her life-history that St. Alphonsa from her early childhood onwards developed the habit of voluntarily accepting the blame and punishment for the mistakes or faults of others. 

It is said that once Alphonsa’s Superior asked her to pray for permanent relief from suffering, but she replied, “I want more suffering; I want to suffer for the sins of the world.” There is also another occasion where her Bishop and her sister were down with Malaria; Alphonsa prayed their sufferings be transferred to her, so that they could be free and well. She was ready to suffer on their behalf, taking upon herself their pain and sorrow.  So the hallmark of St. Alphonsa life was an act of charity, suffering and sacrifice. Today, we too are called to grow and inculcate in us the charity, suffering and sacrifice for the good of others. The works of charity that we do, the words of kindness that we utter in times of sufferings that we go through and the act of sacrifice that we make for the good of others will prove how determined we are in our faithfulness to Christ. 

As the Gospel reading of the day presents to us the parable of ten bridesmaids, the five foolish ones and the five sensible bridesmaids, it reminds us how alert and awake, faithful and loyal one needs to be to Christ. We know only the five sensible bridesmaids could enter into the wedding feast, because they were not only sensible but also awake and alert; they were all ready and prepared, loyal and faithful to enter into the wedding feast. Therefore, they could enter and secure their place into the wedding feast. Looking at the life-style of St. Alphonsa, we can say that she was a sensible, faithful and joyful bride of Christ, because she was alert and awake, ready and prepared, faithful and loving to suffer any extent for sake of Christ and Christ’s followers joyfully. She never complained or grumbled about the sufferings that she had to face in life. The joyful suffering for Christ and her total surrender to God while she endured pain could have been her secret energy and enthusiasm to capture many people for God and God to capture her as beloved daughter and child of him. Let us pray that we obtain strength from God to endure pains and sorrows joyfully for Christ’s sake and for the good of others. 

RESPOND: 

Do we love Christ in the midst of suffering and suffer for Christ’s sake?

Do we accept sufferings of life joyfully without grumbling and complaints for others sake?

Let us love Christ even if life be hard at times and suffer joyfully for Christ’s sake and for the service of humanity. God will give us the strength to endure pains and sufferings of life joyfully. Amen. 

Happy Feast! God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968