“Deepening our love and conviction in the Amazing Love of the Father!”

(Based on Acts 18:23-28 and Jn 16:23-28 – Saturday of the 6th Week in Easter)

A young man was to be sentenced to the prison for a serious offence.
>> The judge had known him from childhood, for he was well acquainted with his late father.

His father was a famous legal scholar and the author of an exhaustive study entitled, “The Law of Trusts.”

“Do you remember your father?” asked the magistrate.
“I remember him well, your honour,” came the reply.


Seeking to probe further, the judge said, “As you are about to be sentenced and as you think of your wonderful dad, what do you remember most clearly about him?”
>> There was a groaning pause.


Then the judge received an answer he had not expected.
“I remember when I went to him for advice.
>> He looked up at me from the book he was writing and said, ‘Run along, boy; I’m busy!’

When I went to him for companionship, he turned me away, saying “Run along, son; the writing of this book must be finished!’

Your honour, you remember him as a great lawyer.
>> But I remember him, only as a lost friend!”


The magistrate muttered to himself, “Alas! He finished the book, but lost the boy!”


The busyness of the father resulted in the boy failing to receive love, and thus ended up into bad ways of living.
• Every person longs for love…
• Every person longs to be cared for…


The father in this story, achieved great success in his worldly life, but failed miserably to love and care for his son.
>> However, in contrast, we have our Heavenly Father, who is deeply in love with us, His children, and who never ceases to express His caring affection to us, at every moment.

Our Heavenly Father is also busy… but busy in loving His children, and expressing His constant care.


The Gospel of the Day is a testimony to Jesus affirming the assuring and loving presence of God, our Heavenly Father.

Jesus declares these beautiful words, which ought to be inscribed in golden shades, on the canvas of our hearts, “… the Father Himself loves you…” (Jn 16: 27a)


This is indeed one of the mightiest and loftiest truth that we all need to know, experience, be convinced of, and live constantly in its assurance…
… the truth that “The Father Himself loves us!”


Every person longs for love and longs to be cared for…

Human love, however, sometimes fails to answer to this basic and essential need.
• Sometimes people around us get too busy, to even care for us…
• Sometimes, people from whom we expect love, fail to understand our need…
• Sometimes, people who ought to care for us, fall short of their responsibility….

All this could leave a feeling a hurt within us.
All this could imprint a wound of sadness inside of us.
>> But in such moments of feeling lonely and desperation, especially, Jesus assures and promises us that we are not abandoned or left lonely…

Instead Jesus emphatically proclaims that just as He was loved by His Father, we too are loved by our Heavenly Father!
• It is confidence in this tremendous love of the Father…
… that will make us to seek whatever we wish in life, knowing that our prayers will be answered, in the way and the time, that He, My Father wishes! (Jn 16: 26)
>> His Love will make me delight in His Will, letting go of my personal desires!

• It is conviction in this unconditional love of the Father…
… that will make us to enjoy a deep sense of joy and bliss, knowing that in any situation of gloom or sadness or tension or worry, He, My Father, is taking me through! (Jn 16: 24)
>> His Love will make me want to do only His Will, setting aside my individual wantings!


Our Heavenly Father, our Abba is in deep love of each one of us…
>> The Crucifix is the proof of this “mad love” of the Father.


Let us, with His grace, deepen our love and conviction in the Amazing Love of the Father.
• He is busy… but busy expressing His tender love to us.
• He is busy writing… writing His letters of His precious love to us.

May we be privileged to hear:
“Wow!! He finished his/her life, and gained eternal life!”


God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
WHEN IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED? LITURGICAL SEASONS
>> Holy Mother Church believes that she should celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse in a sacred commemoration on certain days throughout the course of the year.
>> Once each week, on the day which she has called the Lord’s Day, she keeps the memory of the Lord’s resurrection.
>> She also celebrates it once every year, together with his blessed Passion, at Easter, that most solemn of all feasts.
>> In the course of the year, moreover, she unfolds the whole mystery of Christ …
… thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, she opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord’s powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present in every age; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving grace.
>> From the time of the Mosaic law, the People of God have observed fixed feasts, beginning with Passover, to commemorate the astonishing actions of the Saviour God, to give Him thanks for them, to perpetuate their remembrance…
… and to teach new generations to conform their conduct to them.
>> In the age of the Church, between the Passover of Christ already accomplished once for all, and its consummation in the kingdom of God, the liturgy celebrated on fixed days bears the imprint of the newness of the mystery of Christ.
>> When the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ, there is a word that marks her prayer: “Today!” – a word echoing the prayer her Lord taught her and the call of the Holy Spirit.
>> This “today” of the living God which man is called to enter is “the hour” of Jesus’ Passover, which reaches across and underlies all history: “Life extends over all beings and fills them with unlimited light; the Orient of orients pervades the universe, and He who was ‘before the daystar’ and before the heavenly bodies, immortal and vast, the great Christ, shines over all beings more brightly than the sun…
… therefore a day of long, eternal light is ushered in for us who believe in Him, a day which is never blotted out: the mystical Passover.” (CCC #1163-1165)
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