“Anchoring ourselves in the Lord, to live in greater freedom and joy!”

(Based on Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 and Jn 17:20-26 – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter)

A cute story of a little boy, who loved fruits.

This little boy fellow was once, tempted to pluck some cherries from a tree, which his father had strictly forbidden him to touch.

“You need not be afraid,” said his notorious companion, “for if your father should find out that you have taken them, he is too kind to hurt you.”

“Ah,” said the brave little fellow, “that is the very reason why I would not touch them;

For I know that my father would not hurt me.
So I should not hurt him by my disobedience!”

The little boy knew the love of his Father towards him…
… and so he dared not hurt his Father.

He was not afraid of the punishment of the Father.

He was instead afraid of the hurt that would cause pain to the Father.

True love causes a holy and pious concern of not wanting to cause any offence to the one who is loved.

It casts away all fear!
It drives away every anxiety!

It is this True Love of the Father that was made known by Jesus to all of us.

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus shedding greater light on His intimate relation with the Father and revealing deeper, the love of the Father for each one of us.

Jesus prays, “… so that they may be one, as We are one. I in them and You in Me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that You sent Me, and that You loved them even as You loved Me.” (Jn 17: 22b, 23)

The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in the Seventeenth Chapter of St John, is another insight into the intimate relation that Jesus had with His Father.

All through His life…
… He sought to do the Father’s Will
… He sought to reveal the love of the Father to the world.

This was driven by the fact that Jesus was in intimate union with the Father.

To His disciples, Jesus wishes to leave this same legacy – the legacy of loving the Father intimately.

Jesus wishes to tell us that we have a Father who is deeply interested and caring for us.
Jesus wishes to convince us that our lives are secure in the Providential care of the Father.

However, our lives sometimes fails to display this trust and confidence in the providential care of the Father

Some of us may have a wrong notion of God being interested only in finding my wrongdoings and punishing me for the same…
Some of us may have the wrong notion of God being unapproachable, unavailable and inaccessible because of His Holiness and Majesty!

But Jesus drives away all such false impressions.

He tells us that the Father…
… is surely the keeper of justice, and may take us through a time of trials and difficulties.

But those are not to be seen as cruel punishments, but loving acts for improvements towards a holier life!

He tells us that the Father…
… is the Lord and Master of the Universe
… and is totally aware of even the calamities or hardships that befall our lives

So in all those hard moments, the loving Father keeps us safely in the palm of His hand…
…. not allowing us, His beloved children to get hurt or harmed! (Cf. Psalm 91)

When we are convinced of this deep love that the Father has towards us, we would be able to orient our lives in a way that is worthy of our call as witnesses of Christ.

Jesus by His unity with the Father, enjoyed perfect freedom.

He now invites us to also deepen our union with the Father and enjoy greater freedom of happiness and joy.

We see this truth echoed in St Paul’s journey.

He was grounded in Divine Purpose and strengthened by the Lord’s Presence.

Paul’s bold declaration of his identity – rooted in the hope of the Resurrection – shows that when we are secure in our identity as children of God…
… we experience inner freedom and joy, even amid external conflict.

“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” (Acts 23:6)

This, of course, doesn’t mean lack of struggles.

Rather, even in threatening circumstances, the close Presence of the Lord…
“That night the Lord stood near him and said, ‘Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.’” (Acts 23:11)
… becomes his strength and hope!

When we are deeply rooted in God, even in the face of opposition, we will be joyful and free!

Let us anchor ourselves in God because…
… joy flows where God dwells
… and freedom follows where His Spirit leads!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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