“‘Learning Jesus’ more and more, by faithfully attending His School of Love and doing away with ‘spiritual illiteracy’ in our lives!”

(Based on Acts 13:44-52 and Jn 14:7-14 – Saturday of the 4th Week of Easter)

A priest – very devout to the Word of God and a good preacher – was asked, “Father, can you tell us, what makes you to be so passionate about the Word of God?”

The priest thought for a couple of seconds and replied:
“As I began my studies of the Bible, I began to realise…
… that I used to treasure the encouraging letters that were written by my parents when I was in the seminary!
… that I would time and again take these letters – though I knew the content of it by heart – and would get a special feeling, every time I went through them!”

And he added, “I realised this great truth: When you fall in love with the sender, you fall in love also with the letter of the sender!

The same is true of God
When we fall in love with God – the sender of the Word of God – we fall in love with the Bible!”

Have we fallen in love with the Word of God?
… or are we living in “spiritual illiteracy?”

Spiritual Illiteracy could be described as…
… the inability to know or understand the promptings and inspirations of the Holy Spirit
… the lack of keenness to know about the Lord, His Teachings and His Mission
… the failure to have any interest in knowing God and His infinite love and mercy

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus revealing the spiritual illiteracy of His Apostles, “Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me…?” (Jn 14:9)

The context of this statement is the Last Supper Discourse that Jesus gives to His chosen disciples.

The disciples had been, probably with Jesus for nearly three years…

They had seen Him performing many miracles
They had heard Him speak of the glorious Kingdom of God.
They had experienced Him endowed with the special favour of God
They had touched Him and received powers and graces for the mission.

Yet, when Jesus speaks about the Father, the disciples express their ignorance.

Jesus, therefore, puts forward the question, “Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me…?” (Jn 14:9)

Our lives can also resemble these disciples – in ignorance of the Lord.

We may remain “illiterate” spiritually, even though we have been admitted for a long time in the school of Jesus.

We may be “illiterate” in knowing…
… the vision of Jesus in building His Kingdom on the earth
… the feelings of the Lord in being passionately zealous to save all people
… the value of the sacrifice that Jesus has offered for us by His passion and death
… the depth of glory that is promised to us as a fruit of the Resurrection, if we follow Him

This spiritual “illiteracy” causes us…
… to remain unaware of the power and workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives
… to become lethargic and uninterested to know more about the Lord and His Word
… to be lukewarm and indifferent to explore the Lord deeper, especially in His Sacraments.

The call of the Gospel is to rekindle the fire to know the Lord more intimately and closely.

The book of Hosea (Hos 4:6) places a warning if we are to continue in this “illiteracy”:
“My people perish for want of knowledge!

Since you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from my priesthood!
Since you have ignored the law of your God, I will also ignore your sons”

A revolution is to be triggered so that “spiritual illiteracy” can be wiped away!

This is also a wonderful opportunity for us to examine the possible means of “knowing” the Lord and the many opportunities that we squander away in “knowing” Him deeper…
… Do I set apart, some time at least, daily, reading the Bible – His Holy Word?
… Do I spend time, without any fail, in quiet prayerful moments with the Lord?
… Do I maximize my possibilities of meeting the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?
… Do I pick up opportunities to listen to His Spirit in the various situations of my life?
… Do I ignite the sparks of desire to participate in the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist and Confession?

St Paul points to the fact of how many Jews failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah…
… and thus missed out on “living a life in Him”
… and how the Gentiles would “learn the path to eternal life!”

“And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.’” (Acts 13:46-47)

Jesus desires that we know Him more…
… not just ‘about’ Him
… not just intellectual knowledge
… not just His teachings or wisdom
… But Him!
He wants all to have an “experiential” and a “living” experience of Him!

Let us realise that, “when you fall in love with the sender, you fall in love also with the letter of the sender!”

“When we fall in love with God – the sender of all the Word of God – we fall in love with the Bible!”

Let us “learn Jesus” more and more, faithfully attending His School of Love and doing away with “spiritual illiteracy” in our lives!

LEARN JESUS to LIVE JESUS to GIVE JESUS!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE –
The Fourth Commandment – The Family and the society

Jesus recalls this duty of gratitude.

For the Lord honored the father above the children, and he confirmed the right of the mother over her sons. (CCC # 2218)

“Overcoming our ‘spiritual paresthesia’ and fully cooperating with the Grace of the Lord!”

(Based on Acts 13:26-33 and Jn 14:1-6 – Friday of the 4th Week of Easter)

In the late 1970s, a young man named Ian Waterman, just 19 years old and full of life…
… was suddenly struck by a rare neurological condition.
>> Overnight, he lost his entire sense of touch, balance, and bodily awareness…
… though not a single muscle was paralyzed.

He could move, technically…
… but he no longer knew how.
>> Without his sense of body position, he was trapped inside himself.
>> Doctors told him he would likely never walk again.

But Ian was determined.
>> Through slow, painstaking effort and immense mental focus, he retrained his brain to walk again…
… by watching every movement visually.
>> He had to constantly think about every step, every motion…
… because the natural, effortless connection with his body was gone.
(Later he would be referred to as the “man who lost the body!”)


Ian’s story is striking…
… not just medically, but spiritually.
>> Because what he experienced physically, is what many of us go through spiritually.


We often lose our awareness of God!
>> We go through the motions – Mass, prayer, acts of charity…
… but the connection with the Lord feels dry, distant, numb.

We become spiritually numb.
Detached. Disconnected. Distant.

We are walking.
>> But not with Him.

We are alive.
>> But not aware.

We are moving.
>> But without meaning.

This is what we could call “spiritual paresthesia” – a loss of sensation to grace, to the presence of the Lord, and even to sin.


But we are not doomed to stay there.
>> We are called to have intentional cooperation, spiritual discipline, and the Grace of God…
… as the Lord cries out to every soul numbed by routine, by sin, by indifference, with the proclamation:
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!” (John 14:6)


This reply of the Lord came in response to the query of Thomas, the Apostle who asked Jesus, “Lord, we do not know, where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5)


Thomas, along with the other disciples, had by now, spent quite a lot of time with Jesus, their Master….

They had encountered Jesus as The Way….
… the Way Forward: when sicknesses and problems of life had crippled the lives of many

They had encountered Jesus as The Truth….
… the Truth Uncompromised: when lies and malicious forces sought to thwart the plans of the Kingdom of God

They had encountered Jesus as the Life….
… the Life in Abundance: when hopelessness and sin would cause people to give up any aspirations for life

Yet, the disciples failed to recognize these aspects in Jesus.


They were perhaps, in a state of “spiritual paresthesia”…
… being numb to understanding Jesus
… unable to sense the words and depths of the Words of Jesus.

And so when Thomas put forward the doubt: “Lord, we do not know, where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5)…
… Jesus emphatically declared, “I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE!” (Jn 14: 6)


The Lord wanted the disciples to overcome their “spiritual paresthesia”…
…and come to be aware of the Reality and Greatness of His Presence in their life!


Perhaps, we too often find ourselves in a state of “spiritual paresthesia” or “spiritual numbness!”

One of the main factors, which can cause this state of “spiritual numbness”, is the reality of sin in our lives…
… which many times, we either deny or fail to acknowledge.

In the teachings of Jesus, one of the stand-out factor was His uncompromising attitude with respect to sin.

And perhaps, this is where Jesus as a Holy Person stands out incomparable with all other great spiritual or philosophical leaders of the world.


This is also where Christianity as a religion stands out unmatched with any other belief system or practice of spirituality.

For Jesus and in Christianity…
… there is an uncompromising teaching on the need to root out sin and evil offences
… there is an absolutely unparalleled insistence on removal of sin for spiritual progress
… there is an unsurpassed assertion on being holy and pure to be in communion with Him

Let’s realise: “The devil doesn’t always roar—sometimes, he just numbs.
>> Quietly. Slowly. Deadly!”


We need to make an honest examination of our conscience…

Is our life suffering from a “spiritual Paresthesia” or “numbness to what is holy” or a “lack of sensation to sin”…
… Do I continue to pursue, persevere or promote deeds of sin, even though I am aware of it, or has been brought to my notice?
… Do I fail to be sensitive to issues of immense sin and evil happening in and around me, in people and situations, and instead become indifferent and uninterested?

A persistence in this spiritual “Paresthesia” or numbness can very dangerously sever our relation with the Lord.


The Lord declares that “In My Father’s house, there are many rooms…” (Jn 14: 2)

St Paul reminds us of the wonders of the Resurrection of Jesus and the promise of blessing that is enshrined to everyone who follows Him:
“… we bring you the Good News that what God promised to the fathers; this He has fulfilled to us their children, by raising Jesus!” (Acts 13:30-33)


Yes, the Lord wishes and desires, that all of us….
… should dwell with Him!
… should enjoy eternal life in Him!
… should reach the heights of holiness!

But this also requires our genuine co-operation to the Grace of the Lord…
… by seeking to get over our spiritual Paresthesia or numbness…


This process of getting out of this spiritual “Paresthesia” will involve “disciplining” in the form of reparation, penance and atonement.

Let us be willing to…
… let go a life of sin
… embrace the words of the Lord
… and live it joyfully and fervently in our life!


God Bless! Live Jesus!


—————————–
📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE –
The Fourth Commandment – The Family and the society
>> The fourth commandment reminds grown children of their responsibilities toward their parents.
>> As much as they can, they must give them material and moral support in old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress. (CCC # 2218)
——————-

“Being firm and joyful in being an ‘ambassador for Christ and His Kingdom!'”

(Based on Acts 13:13-25 and Jn 13:16-20 – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter)

In 1994, Rwanda became a place of terror.

>> While the world turned its back, and the embassies were evacuating their citizens…
>> While even United Nations peacekeepers were packing their bags and boarding flights out of Kigali…

There was one man who chose to stay.
>> Carl Wilkens.

An American missionary.
>> Not a soldier or a diplomat.
>> Not even a politician.
Just a man who had tasted the love of Christ…
… and could not walk away while thousands were walking to their deaths.

The U.S. embassy urged him.
>> His own government told him: “It’s too dangerous.”

But he said, “If I leave, who will help them?
>> Who will speak for those who have no voice?”

He stayed – risking his life to protect Tutsis from genocide.
>> He hid them. Fed them.
>> Drove through bloodied streets to bring aid.
And through his courage, hundreds were rescued!


Carl Wilkens became, in effect, an ‘ambassador’ of compassion…
… his presence reflecting a higher Kingdom, one rooted in Christ’s love and courage.

[Source: Wilkens, C. (2011). I’m Not Leaving. EPPress.]


The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus, the “Ambassador” of His Heavenly Father…
… and in turn, invites each of us to be His Ambassador and of His Kingdom in our world.


Jesus says: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send, receives Me, and whoever receives Me, receives the One who sent Me” (Jn 13:20)

Jesus came into this world to reveal the love and mercy of God.
>> He is the Love made flesh and the Mercy incarnate.


While on earth, Jesus sought to be the perfect Representative of God, His Almighty and Beloved Father.

Finding deep communion in long hours of prayer, Jesus would emphatically give witness to His Father…
… by His mighty deeds of power, spectacular wonders of healing and His heart-touching words of eternal life.


This mission of being the Ambassador of the Father, was however, not without its shares of pain for Jesus…
… He had the face the pain of being rejected by His own people
… He had to bear the agony of being betrayed by His own chosen one
… He had to face the humiliation of the worst form of execution known those days

Yet, none of this could deter the Lord from choosing to be the “Ambassador” for the Kingdom of Heaven.


He today invites each one of us to be an “Ambassador” for Him and His Kingdom.
… Being convinced and passionate in preaching the message of the Lord and His Kingdom to others.
… Making our very lives as a witness of the Love and Mercy of God.
… Seeking the good of all and uplifting everyone.
… Bringing others to faith in Jesus and make His message of love and holiness to spread to all.


St Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians echoes this call and invite of the Lord, to be His Ambassadors…
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Cor 5:18-20).


Let’s realise that “you don’t always need a pulpit to preach…
… you need a life that proclaims Christ!”

Let us be firm and joyful in being an “ambassador for Christ and His Kingdom!”


God Bless! Live Jesus!


—————————–
📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE –
The Fourth Commandment – The Family and the society
>> Obedience toward parents ceases with the emancipation of the children; not so respect, which is always owed to them.
>> This respect has its roots in the fear of God, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (CCC # 2217)
——————-

“Being docile to accept God’s ‘strange yet protective’ Will working in our lives!”

(Based on the Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle)

The dungeon was dark.
>> The air thick with hatred.
The pagan guards sneered as they held out the cup.

“This is poison,” they told a certain holy person.
>> “Drink, and die with your so-called faith.”

Any ordinary man would have begged for mercy.

But this man, was no ordinary man.
>> He took the cup.
>> He raised it in silent trust.
And with a steady hand and a prayer on his lips, he drank.

The poison coursed through his veins…
… but did not kill him.

And just when the guards expected to see him collapse, a miracle erupted:
Those around him, already blinded by the same deadly drink, suddenly received their sight.
>> Not only did the poison fail to harm him…
… it became a source of healing for others.

The prison shook with confusion.
>> Chaos erupted.

And by the time they scrambled to find him, he had vanished – hidden, invisible to their eyes, shielded by Heaven itself.

The holy person was St Mathias.


Indeed… when God’s hand is on your life, no chain can hold you, no poison can stop you…
… and no enemy can find you.


Faith is not proven by walking away from the fire…
… but by standing in it, knowing God is in control.


Today is the Feast of this Apostle, St Mathias.

He is the Apostle, chosen by lot, to go “into the place of the traitor Judas”.

The Acts of the Apostles describes:” that he may take his place in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell.” (Acts 1:25)

St Mathias had one of the most unique privileges as well as one of the most awkward moments.
>> He had the unique privilege of being counted the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.
>> He had the unique awkward moment of taking the position left blank by Judas, the betrayer.


It is usually hard to fill up empty spaces of vacancies and opportunities.
>> And it indeed gets too hard to fill up the vacancy of being counted among the exclusive Twelve Apostles.

This task gets too complicated especially if the vacancy was created as a shameful result of “betrayal” and “treachery”

St Mathias had to fill in the gap left by the “traitor” Judas Iscariot.
>> Yet, Divine Providence had it that St Mathias should replace Judas, to be “counted as one among the Twelve”.


Life sometimes is such…

We are asked to take up tasks that may seem highly uncomfortable
>> We are invited to draw up duties which may seem highly insulting

Are we willing to accept them, seeing God’s providential hand in them?
>> Are we ready to undertake them, knowing God’s Will is at work in that?

Let us trust in the mighty and assuring words of Jesus, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” (Jn 15:16)


St Matthias stands in the place of the traitor Judas

But not as another traitor…
… but as one who knows the treachery of human hearts and the need for Heavenly Grace.


The Feast of St Mathias is a reminder of this naked and frightening, yet remarkable and bold truth:

There is a possibility of being a traitor in all of us
… like Judas
>> But there is also the glorious chance of being His faithful apostle
… like St Mathias.

There are elements of betraying God, within each of us…
… like Judas
>> But there are also graces of being passionately committed to the Lord…
… like St Mathias.


May St Mathias intercede and inspire us…
… to be docile to accept God’s ‘strange yet protective’ Will working in our lives
… to be bold to take up the challenge of filling up gaps caused by betrayal and uneasiness
… to be aware of God’s mighty Providence guiding every action of the Church and the world.

Let’s remember: God’s Will may not always make sense…
… but it always makes saints!


Happy Feast of St Mathias, the Apostle

God Bless! Live Jesus!

—————————–
📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Fourth Commandment – The Family and the society
>> As they grow up, children should continue to respect their parents.
>> They should anticipate their wishes, willingly seek their advice, and accept their just admonitions. (CCC # 2217)
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“Allowing the ‘tender touch’ of our Blessed Lord to ‘warm” our cold hearts!'”

(Based on Acts 11:19-26 and Jn 10:22-30 – Tuesday of the 4th Week in Easter)

Two explorers who were at extreme parts of the Arctic (= area surrounding the North Pole)…
… were describing (or rather, boasting!) about the extent of cold in their places.

“It was so cold where I was,” said the first explorer, “that the candle froze and we couldn’t blow it out.”

“That’s nothing,” said his rival.

“Where I was, the words came out of our mouths, in pieces of ice…
… and we had to fry them to hear what we were talking about.”


Well… of course… that’s quite a bit of exaggeration!
>> But its also a ‘freezy’ reminder to us to check how are our words, our hearts and our lives!

Do we spew out “cold words” of hostility and animosity?
>> Are our hearts and lives “cold” with indifference and lethargy?

We need the “tender touch” of our Blessed Lord to “warm” our “cold hearts” …
… and in order to come to experience “abundance of life” in Him!


The Gospel of the Day presents the dimension of “coldness” that was experienced by the people, who encountered Jesus, in accepting Him as the Lord of Life.


The Gospel passage the Day begins with St John giving a dual-context in the encounter between Jesus and the people…

The religious atmosphere of the time: “The Feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem” (Jn 10:22a)
>> The physical atmosphere of the time: “It was winter” (Jn 10:22b)

The Feast of Dedication was also called as Hanukkah.
>> This feast celebrated the liberation of the city of Jerusalem from Antiochus, the Syrian King.
>> This King had desecrated the Jerusalem Temple by building an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs on the Temple Altar.

The Feast of Dedication celebrates the day that Israel regained control of the temple and re-consecrated it to the one true God!


However, it is to be noted that though year after year, they gathered to celebrate the re-dedication of the Temple…
… their hearts were, perhaps, still far from God Yahweh!
… their lives were, perhaps, still, yet to be in accordance with the Will of God!

This is what St John, the Evangelist, points to, when he speaks of the physical atmosphere of the time: “It was winter” (Jn10:22b)


This statement was not just about the weather or the season of the year
>> He was describing “a season of life… a season of faith!”

It was his style of diagnosing the interior condition of the “Faith of the People” who had come for the Feast of the Dedication!

Many of the people of Israel, were in a season of “winter”…
…”cold” in their hearts: to accept the person of Jesus – the One Who had inaugurated the Kingdom of God, going about doing a lot of works of salvation and healing!
… “cold” in their minds: to accept the teachings of Jesus – the One Who was exhorting them to live God’s commandments not just externally, but with the sincerity of the heart!
… “cold” in their lives: to accept the challenge of Jesus – the One Who was convicting them of their sinfulness and inviting them to a life of repentance and holiness!


It was this being in a “season of winter” that prompted them to ask Jesus with a sense of apathy and irritation:
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly” (Jn 10:24)


“Tell us plainly” was the utterance of a frozen people…
… who had “winter” in their hearts and their minds
… who were “cold” and had begun to take their faith for granted
… who were “frozen” and were merely satisfied with external dedication of the Temple, without an inner renewal of the heart!

We need to examine our lives and check….
… Am I also a “frozen person?”
… Am I also, in a “season of Winter?”

Is my relationship with the Lord…
… a mere utterance of the lips and fails to affect my daily living?

Is my practice of devotion and my participation in the liturgy and sacraments…
… a plain ritualistic and a routine custom, without making me to truly enter into intimacy with the Lord?

Is my life of faith, just an ordinary and lethargic one…
… taking the grace and blessing of the Lord for granted
… and not wanting to make efforts to grow in love of the Lord and neighbour?


The Lord gives us the one straight answer: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow Me” (Jn 10:27)

We are called to dedicate not just our externalities to the Lord…
… but much more our internalities – our hearts, minds and lives to His Providence


Let us seek to come out of the “Season of Winter!”

Let us….
… be warm in the love of the Lord
… be enthusiastic, receiving the touch of the Divine
… be ardent, to seek, hear and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd!


God Bless! Live Jesus!


—————————–
📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Fourth Commandment – The Family and the society
>> Children should also obey the reasonable directions of their teachers…
… and all to whom their parents have entrusted them.
>> But if a child is convinced in conscience that it would be morally wrong to obey a particular order, he must not do so. (CCC # 2217)
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