“Seeing the world through the eyes of a child – in openness, sincerity, wonder and innocence!”

(Based on Josh 24:14-29 and Mt 19:13-15 – Saturday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

Charles Francis Adams was a 19th century American historical editor, politician and diplomat.

His son was Brooks Adams, who became a historian.

A researcher, while making a study on the life of the Adams Family came across their personal diaries.

Both, the father and son, had entered a description of a particular day…
… It was a day when they had gone fishing.

However, interestingly, their descriptions had a world of difference…

The father, wrote in his diary:
“Went fishing with son. Day wasted.”

The son, however wrote in his diary:
“Went fishing with my father. The most wonderful day of my life!”

Why such a huge contrast in the description of the same day?

The son Brooks, was only twelve years at that time.

It was a bad day at fishing as they didn’t catch any fish…
… but they spent a lot of time talking

The boy had asked a number of questions, and the father had creatively answered…
… in the process, explained many important aspects about life.

The father, on the other hand, felt it as a waste of time…
… without even any fish being caught!

Our attitude in life makes a world of difference!

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child – in openness, sincerity, wonder and innocence – can help us to have “a wonderful day,” every day of our life!

Hence, in the context of a family life, there is a popular quote which says:
“A house is built with bricks and beams…
… A home is built with love and dreams!”

The Gospel of the Day presents to us an occasion to dwell on a reflection on our families…
… and some of the basic essentials that needs to be part of every family (religious community included as well)

Family Life is an important component of every society.

The Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 19, has an interesting structure or a progression with respect to the topics discussed and the persons involved.

The chapter begins with a discussion on the institution of ‘Marriage’. (Mt 19: 2-10)

Jesus explains the importance of this sacred bond and a strong exhortation is given on the need to do away with divorce.

The chapter proceeds, as we see in today’s reading, with a discussion on ‘little children’. (Mt 19: 13-15)

This discussion is followed by an incident in which a ‘young man’ encounters Jesus (Mt 19: 16-22)

The Chapter will finally end with an exhortation by Jesus to have maturity as an ‘adult’ is making choices for the Kingdom of God! (Mt 19: 23-30)

Thus, the Chapter 19 of Matthew is a travel through a FAMILY context…
… starting from MARRIAGE…and the need to avoid DIVORCE…
… to little CHILDREN
… to the problems of a YOUTH
… and finally ending with the choices as an ADULT.

In today’s Gospel, we have the discussion on Little Children (Mt 19: 13-15)

Though it’s a short passage, the Gospel gives us enough food for thought…
… especially in the context of a family or a community life.

We see four different groups or sets of people in today’s Gospel Passage, and we can learn some aspects from each of those sets…

Three of them give us a positive quality which is to be inculcated
One gives a negative quality which is to be avoided in life.

1. Firstly, the Gospel begins with the statement, “Little children were brought to Jesus…” (Mt 19: 13a)

Probably the parents, the elder brothers/sisters or the guardians of the children would have brought them to Jesus.

We see here, the First set of people… Parents, Guardians, Elders etc…. and they teach us the First Positive Quality – the Spirit of Responsibility!

They were Responsible in caring for the good and future of the children.

It was an ancient practice that children would be brought to Rabbis to be blessed and prayed over.

This first set of people teach us to be responsible for the growth of others in our family and in our communities.

2. The Second set of people are obviously the Little Children.

These little ones teach us the Second Positive Quality, needed in a family or a community – the Spirit of Receptivity!

Children display a great sense of receptivity and openness.

They are able to accept the affection, the care, the love and the blessings that are given to them.
They do not close themselves to the good things in life.

We too need to cultivate this Spirit of Receptivity, to be open to the actions, thoughts, views and feelings of others in our family and our community.

3. The Third Set of people display a negative attitude which we need to avoid.

When the children were brought to Jesus, the Disciples refuse to accept them and want to keep them away (Mt 19: 13b)

They show a Spirit of Rejection!

They perhaps felt that these children would be a nuisance to Jesus and His ministry.

They felt it as a waste of time and energy to entertain the children.

Little things in life were considered to be a useless and futile activity.

We need to avoid this Spirit of Rejection…

In our families or communities, we can have this attitude towards those who don’t do any work or fail to contribute anything.

We often fail to understand the importance…
… of little tokens of love
… tiny expressions of care by our family and community members

And we, instead, tend to reject and avoid them.

4. The fourth Set is represented by Jesus Himself…
   … and he presents the Spirit of Restoration and Redemption.

He does not reject…
… rather, He accepts and seeks to redeem the little children.

He seeks to restore the little ones who are rejected…
… who are avoided and who are not given the due importance.

In our lives, we too need to be having a Spirit of Redemption and Restoration…

To redeem the ones who are at the periphery and who fail to get any attention
To restore the ones who are broken and abused and are shunned!

Thus, this powerful Gospel passage teaches us…

To avoid the Negative Quality of the Spirit of Rejection…

Rather…

To adopt the positive qualities of…
… The Spirit of Responsibility,
… The Spirit of Receptivity
… The Spirit of Redemption and Restoration!

Let us seek the Intercession of our Blessed Mother that we may avoid the tendency to Reject People…

And instead, we may be…
… Responsible towards others
… Receptive to others
… and Redeem and Restore the lives of others!
And thus build happy and loving homes!

Let us always understand that “our attitude in life makes a world of difference!”

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child – in openness, sincerity, wonder and innocence – can help us to have “a wonderful day,” every day of our life!

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY

Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.
By free will, one shapes one’s own life.

Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude. (CCC # 1731)

“May the Lord, the Lover of our souls be the assurance of ‘fireproof’ in our relationships!”

(Based on Josh 24:1-13 and Mt 19:3-12 – Friday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

“Fireproof” is a 2008 Christian drama film.

It is an incredibly gripping, compelling and a transformational story about saving a marriage – of Catherine and Caleb – that had hit rock-bottom.

Catherine was a hospital administrator, married to fire captain Caleb Holt.

Caleb recruited young men under the dictum of never leaving one’s partner, ‘especially in a fire’.

But at home, the scenario was quite opposite; he and Catherine argued over almost everything.

Catherine accused Caleb of being selfish with time and money.
Caleb complained that Catherine was ungrateful for all he did to help others.

Both felt that the other didn’t care or appreciate each other

The constant bickering reached the high point, when Catherine demanded a divorce and an irritated Caleb agreed.

The two complained to their respective friends regarding this unpleasant phase of their life.

John, Caleb’s father convinced his son to delay the divorce proceedings in order to try “Love Dare”, a 40-day challenge for improving marriages by changing the way a spouse was treated.

Caleb’s friend Michael also persuaded Caleb to hold off on divorce and challenged the fire-captain with a bold statement:

“I’ve seen you run into a burning building to save people you don’t even know, but you’re going to let your own marriage burn to the ground?”

The acceptance of Christ into his life invigorated Caleb to ask God to help in defeating his demons and overcoming his addictions.

The movie proceeds, through many twists and turns, with Catherine finally realizing and acknowledging the many selfless acts done by her husband and enters into reconciliation with him.

The film ends with Caleb and Catherine renewing their wedding vows as a covenant with God.

Marriage is a sacred institution – a precious covenant – that demands a lifelong commitment and a faithful dedication, despite the ups and downs of life.

It is this message that is driven home by Jesus in today’s Gospel when He expounds His teaching on the sacredness of the Covenant of Marriage.

The passage begins with a testing interrogation by the Pharisees, ” Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” (Mt 19:3)

Jesus came to the world to demonstrate the magnanimity of God’s Love.

This magnanimity includes…
… His unconditional manner of loving us, irrespective of our worthiness
… His unfailing faithfulness to us, despite our many acts of betrayal and disloyalty

It is this model of God’s love that becomes the blueprint for us in loving others, and especially in a marriage relationship.

Partners, pledged in love to each other in marriage, ought to imitate the love that God has for us…

We have cheated and strayed away from what God wants of us…
… He still loves us and is faithful to us

We have, on innumerable occasions, spat at His face by our shameful deeds and defamed His name by our sinful acts…
… He still holds us close to Him and remains loyal to us

We have, despite many warnings, purposely hurt Him in thoughts, words and deeds and even rejected His graces by not co-operating with His Will for us…
… He still waits patiently for our return and constantly seeks to draw us to Him

We have failed Him many times, but He has always made efforts to try to win us

We have hurt and pained Him much, but He has still longs for us, with His soothing balm of acceptance

It is this “magnanimity of God’s Love” that becomes the basis, the inspiration and the ideal in every marriage relationship.

Therefore Jesus says, “What therefore God has joined, let not man put asunder” ( Mt 19: 6b)

We live in a world where the quickest solution to many problems is found in “throwing it away!”

And the same mentality affects human relationships too… especially to those in marriage.

The challenge therefore is to dare to swim against these worldly currents and bring in the “Jesus Culture of Faithful Commitment” in human relationships, especially of marriage.

Theoretically speaking, this sounds quite good and wonderful.

But when it comes down to the actual practice… in married lives… it is undoubtedly a very hard effort.

“But what is impossible for humans is possible for God” (Lk 18: 27), is the assurance of Jesus.

When the going gets really hard and we want to call it ‘quits’ in our relationships…
… let us look to Jesus who said Yes to the Will of God in the painful agony at Gethsemane

There may seem no hope ahead…

Still, can we say Yes to God’s Will – to be faithful and committed?

When none of our efforts of restoration work out and we get ‘fed’ up and feel to have reached the ‘limit’ in relationships…
… let us look to Jesus Crucified, who was never ‘fed’ up with our misdeeds and our constant misunderstanding and misuse of His love

It may seem that all the past was mere fantasy and the future appears to be non-existent…

Still, can we hold on to Hope in God – to be true to our promise and be loyal?

The promises made…

to our Faith in Baptism
to the spouse in Marriage
to the Lord in Consecrated and Priestly Life
… all demand an undissolved commitment and an undiluted faithfulness.

As the dialogues in the movie “Fireproof” says (in the scene where the ‘salt and pepper bottles’ are glued together):
“When two people get married, it’s for better or for worse, like these joined salt and pepper.
… For richer or for poorer.
… In sickness and in health.
If you pull them apart, you’ll break either one or both of them.

God made marriage to be for life.”

Yes, fireproof doesn’t mean that a fire will never come…

But it does mean, that when it comes, one will be able to withstand it!

May the Lord, the Lover of our souls be the assurance of “fireproof” in our relationships!

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – MAN’S FREEDOM

Man is rational and therefore like God;

He is created with free will and is master over his acts. (CCC # 1730)

“Entrusting ourselves to the Lord knowing that God’s Plan of Salvation (GPS) for human beings is His Mercy!

(Based on Josh 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17 and Mt 18:21–19:1 – Thursday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

A tech-savvy young man was once explaining the functioning and usage of a smartphone to an elderly priest.

The use of GPS (Global Positioning System) was among the few things that he taught the senior priest.

Explaining GPS, the man told of how it can be used to quickly locate places, move from one place to another effortlessly…
… and adding, “You know Father, even if you lost your direction, the GPS will safely guide you

It will only give a message, ‘Re-routing’ and then guide you to your location, provided your destination is proper”.

Hearing this, the priest reflected a while and said, “Ah! So this is a beautiful reflection of the way God is, isn’t it?”
… and he continued: “Every time we stray, God safely guides us. Every time we miss the way, He prompts the right direction. He gives the message ‘re-routing’ and amazingly shows the way to proceed ahead.

Of course, all we need to ensure is that our destination is Holiness!”

The priest concluded by saying, “I think GPS for me stands for God’s Plan of Salvation…
… and GPS for human beings is His Mercy!”

That’s truly beautiful, isn’t it?

God’s Plan of Salvation (GPS) for human beings is His Mercy!

The Gospel of the Day is the mighty message of the Lord to share in this Divine attitude of reaching out Mercy to everyone in our life.

To be merciful involves the aspect of forgiveness.

Many of us have our moments of grappling with the aspect of ‘forgiveness’.

For some people, it’s easy…

But some others struggle hard in serving out pardon…

Jesus today teaches us this necessary virtue of “forgiveness”.

To the query of Peter, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him” (Mt 18: 21), Jesus illustrates His reply with the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

One of the principles in this virtue of forgiveness is the avoiding of a “mathematical accounting policy” in granting pardon.

As human beings, there is sometimes an avoidable tendency in us to “keep counts” in our relationships…

We make a count or keep a rough numerical impression…
… of how many times a person has done good to me
… of when was the last time a person behaved badly with me
… of how many times a person has hurt or caused harm to me
… of how often has a person offended me or spoken ill about me

Relationships…
… sometimes get reduced to mere mathematical entities
… sometimes find themselves entangled in the web of calculative units.

It’s in such situations that “forgiving” the one who has erred against us becomes a ‘calculative’ affair.

Thus, we find that Peter in the Gospel asks Jesus, “How often must I forgive the brother who has sinned against me?”

We maintain, sometimes, a sort of an imaginary “fault-account” book.

And our thought-process takes the following pattern:
“This person, on so and so date, committed this mistake
And on so and so date, I had forgiven him”.

“This person, on this particular day, had behaved in a very indifferent manner to me
And a particular number of days later, I had extended my pardon”.

But Jesus today warns us to stop looking at life and relationships from a “mathematical” or “calculative” perspective.

What is the basis for Jesus to say this?

It is simply the fact that all of us – without any exception – are the beneficiaries of the Mercy and Forgiveness of God.

God abandons all mathematical calculations in extending His forgiveness to us
God lets go of every measure of computation in allowing us to receive His mercy

Rom 3:23 says that “all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Jesus Christ”.

Each of us find ourselves sinking in the “boats of sinfulness and guilt”.

But it is the Mercy of God that still keeps us ashore.

Each of us pass through the “deserts of shame and culpability”

But it is the Forgiveness of God that nourishes us with the oasis of blessings

This “free and underserved” reception of the forgiveness of God places an undeniable responsibility on us to extend His pardon to all.

The prayer “Our Father” is recited so often by us, during the day or in our prayers.

But do we realize that it contains a clause, whose condition, if not fulfilled, does not help us to receive the “unconditional forgiveness of God?”

We pray, “Forgive us our sins… as we forgive those who sin against us”.

Even though the mercy of God is always made available for us, it can be genuinely received…
… only if one is willing, generous and humble enough to “forgive” the faults of others.

Forgiveness is a powerful weapon that, of course, won’t change the past, but will surely transform the future.

So many are the moments we stray away from the path of the Lord.

But every time we stray, God safely guides us.
Every time we miss the way, He prompts the right direction.

He gives the message ‘re-routing’ and amazingly shows the way to proceed ahead.

Of course, all we need to ensure is that our destination is Holiness!

Let us entrust ourselves to the GPS of our lives and imitating the Lord… knowing that
… God’s Plan of Salvation (GPS) for human beings is His Mercy!

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE

The Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount, and the apostolic catechesis describe for us the paths that lead to the Kingdom of heaven.
Sustained by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we tread them, step by step, by everyday acts.

By the working of the Word of Christ, we slowly bear fruit in the Church to the glory of God. (CCC # 1724)

“Engaging ourselves in radical Christian charity and humility!”

(Based on Dt 34:1-12 and Mt 18:15-20 – Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

Online social networking services, over the last few years, have achieved immense levels of popularity and usage.

Many use them, on account of their…
… versatility in finding and maintaining contacts
… easy to use features and the availability of readily accessible tools
… resourcefulness which helps to gain a lot of information and entertainment

One of the features that is available on most of these networking sites/apps is the option to “unfriend” someone.

To “unfriend” means to remove someone from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking website.

The technique to do that is pretty simple:

Going to the person’s profile
Hover over the ‘Friends’ button at the top of the profile
Click on “Unfriend’

It’s as easy and straightforward as that to “throw” someone out of the friend list!

Real life too, sometimes falls into this “simplistic” technique to “unfriend” people from life – especially people who are close to us and who ought to deserve “repeated” chances before the ties are severed…

… Someone offends us – either out of ignorance or perhaps due to some reason – but we easily “break ties” with that person

… Someone speaks a bad word about us and we take so much offence that we lose all our peace of mind and devise schemes to terminate or harm that person – either physically or socially or mentally

… Someone acquires a bad name – out of false rumours or maybe even out of some true incident; but we make a mountain of the mole and go on to further critically damage the image of that person

Our life sometimes makes it so easy “to unfriend” someone…
… sometimes, even our own family members, or close friends or some other person who has played a deep role in our lives.

The Gospel of the Day invites us to reflect in depth on this our trend to “unfriend” people from our lives, without even giving them further chances or opportunities to remedy themselves.

Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone” (Mt 18: 15)

Jesus was a person who had an important principle in all His teachings: the need to strive towards perfection.

In Mt 5: 48, Jesus says, “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect”

It’s this pursuit of perfection in human relationships that makes Jesus to invite us in being careful and cautious with respect to severing our relationships with one another.

“Friendship”, it is said, “is delicate as a glass – once broken it can be fixed but there will always be cracks”

Jesus, therefore warns us on the need to “handle with care” our relationships.

The “pursuit towards perfection” makes it inevitable for a Christian – a follower of Christ, to go beyond one’s own limitations and situations in maintaining relationships…
… by preserving and perfecting the fine ones
… by mending and restoring the broken ones.

It is easy to say “I don’t like you any more” because of some bad experience
… but it takes Christian Gentleness to respect and accept a person, despite his/her faults or failures

It is easy to show a person the exit-door in our relationship due to some misunderstanding or ego-clash
… but it takes Christian Humility to let go of one’s “proud and adamant mentality” and lower oneself to try to understand better the person in fault and his/her situation and background

It is easy to harbour grudge and to nurture ill-feelings and to spread the contagion of malicious talks regarding a person whom we don’t like
… but it takes Christian Charity to allow the honey of Christ’s love to permeate our hearts and to be able to find goodness even in the midst of a slush of ‘apparent dirt’ in the person

Our lives, families, communities and societies are being plagued by a number of cancers with respect to relationships:

Backbiting and spreading false rumours about people and situations
Cooking up bogus stories and building up on some true incidents to fashion an “interesting and spicy” report regarding particular persons
Actively engaging in forming groups and cliques against someone in order to satiate one’s own pleasures and get through one’s personal agenda for life

Are we ready to be bold to let go of all such tendencies to which we can be prone and instead engage ourselves in radical Christian charity and humility?

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE

The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices.
It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else.

It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement – however beneficial it may be – such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love. (CCC # 1723)

“Like our Blessed Mother Mary, properly channelizing the God-given Freedom towards excellence of life, blossoming of virtues and the Glory of God!”

(Based on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Blessed Mother Mary & the Independence Day of India)

The Feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother Mary is celebrated in variety of ways, all over the world.

In some of the small towns of Rome, there is a very symbolic custom.

It is called as L’Incinata – the Bowing Procession.

The people in the village carry a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary down the main street.

This is symbolic of Mother Mary on Her way to heaven

From the opposite direction comes another procession, carrying the statue of Jesus.

This is symbolic of Her Son Jesus coming to welcome Her

Under an arch that has been prepared with branches and thousands of flowers, the two processions meet.

The statues are then made to bow to each other, three times…
… It is symbolic of Jesus welcoming His Beloved Mother at the gates of heaven.

Then the combined procession continues, with the people carrying the statues side-by-side to the Church….
… Symbolically indicating, Jesus taking along His Mother to Her throne in heaven!

This ‘bowing procession’ so very beautifully and symbolically represents the wonderful event of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother Mary.

It celebrates the Son-King sharing His Glory with His Mother.

Human kingdoms have followed the tradition of the son who is the King of the Land, crowning his mother, as the Queen of the Kingdom.

The Old Testament bears witness to this fact:

King Solomon on assuming charge of the throne, after King David, raised his mother Bathsheba to his side, to be the royal queen (1 Kings 2: 19)

This was also a foretaste of what was to follow…
… Jesus, the King of Kings awarding the throne of glory to His Mother, Mary and raising Her to be the Queen of Heaven and Earth!

The feast of the Day – the Assumption of Mother Mary – is one of the four Marian Dogmas that the Catholic Church pronounces.

A dogma is a doctrine that is solemnly proposed by the Church as formally revealed in Scripture or Tradition.

The four Marian Dogmas are:

1. Mary as the Mother of God
2. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary
3. The Immaculate Conception of Mary
4. The Assumption of Mary into heaven

The declaration of the Dogma of the Assumption of Mary is as follows:
“By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

This Dogma of the Assumption was proclaimed on November 1, 1950, by Pope Pius XII in the Apostolic Constitution “Munificentissimus Deus”

The Dogmatic Proclamation of the Assumption was not defining something new in the Church…
… rather it was an official recognition of the centuries-old belief on Christians about the Assumption of their Heavenly Mother.

The celebration of the Feast of the Assumption teaches us one important aspect: The Assumption of Mother Mary is the sure hope for us, for a life of eternal glory!

Our Blessed Lord came to this world to “die” and “win” salvation for human beings.

This act of salvation had its total co-operation in the Person that God had chosen as His Own in the Divine Plan – Mother Mary.

From the moment, She said “yes” to the messenger of the Lord to become the Mother of God’s Child…
… She placed Herself in a position of “constantly being under the scanner to say a Yes” to God’s Will!

Her Yes to God, meant a “No” to many things in Her personal life…
… her own individual desires
… her own undisclosed dreams

She would become the epitome of the one who lived the teaching that Jesus would later expound during His ministry:
“No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God” (Lk 9: 62)

Her echo of “Yes” reverberated and resonated all through Her life…
…. in times of loneliness
… in times of immense pain
… in times of utter hopelessness

It was this daring faithfulness that made God to bestow on Her the privilege to share in Her Son’s Glory!

This is wonderful story of the Assumption.

This then is one of the great promise and assurance that God gives to each one us through this Dogma of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother Mary.

Does life grind us, with its daily toils and do we undergo immense pain and suffering…
… sometimes even unbearable and agonizing?

Does life grill us, with many incidents of misunderstandings, exposition to calumnious talks…
… and total absence of positive encouragements and unconditional acceptance by people?

Does life gnash us, with constant tensions and difficulties that never seem to leave us alone…
… and paralyze us with innumerable jolts of depression and despair?

Then, the Assumption of our Blessed Mother comes to our rescue, with a hopeful answer to all such miserable questions!

We need to be reminded that Mary had exclaimed, “Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38)

Mary was an ordinary human being.

She too had Her ordinary and humble beginnings.
She too went through common life’s struggles and strains.

But through these “ordinary” circumstances…

God “raised” Her to the Heights
God “assumed” Her into Glory
… simply because She “found favour with God” and lived a life worthy of that call
In total submission, humble obedience and loyal faithfulness!

This then is our call too…

As Baptized Christians, we too have “found favour” with God.
We dwell in “ordinary” circumstances of life – with hardships and pains.

But if we also…
… seek and live the Will of the Lord at all times
… constantly submit to what He wants
… and dutifully bow to His mercy and grace

Then the glory which Jesus has “won” for us at Resurrection, can be ours!

God’s plans are indeed wonderful…

In the “Story of the Fall,” a mother (Eve) had been involved intimately with a man (Adam) and humanity fell into the sea of sin!
In the “Story of the Rise,” a Mother (Mary) was involved intimately with a Man (Jesus) and humanity is promised to “assume” to the skies of glory!

Are we ready to co-operate with God’s plans in our lives, just as Mother Mary did…
… and thus receive the “Privilege of Assumption into Glory” just as Mother Mary received?

Let us grow in our Love for the Lord and for the Blessed Woman who bore God in Her womb…
… and was borne by God into heaven, and not left in the grave to turn back into dust!

Today, the Great Land of India celebrates her Independence Day.

May all Indians grow to understand the true meaning of freedom…
… and like Mother Mary, properly channelize the God-given Freedom towards excellence of life, blossoming of virtues and to the Glory of God!

Happy Feast to Jesus, Our Great King and to Mamma Mary, His Glorious Queen-Mother!

Happy Independence Day to all Indians, all over the world!

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
It is true, because of the greatness and inexpressible glory of God, that “man shall not see Me and live,” for the Father cannot be grasped.
But because of God’s love and goodness toward us, and because He can do all things, He goes so far as to grant those who love Him the privilege of seeing Him…

… for “what is impossible for men is possible for God!” (CCC # 1722)

“Being grateful to our Crucified Lord, remembering that ‘PAIN PASSES, BUT BEAUTY REMAINS!'”

(Based on Deut 10:12-22 and Mt 17:22-27 – Monday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

An incident is told about a master painter, who had a very fervent student-disciple.

The master was suffering from a severe bout of arthritis.

It was very painful for him to paint.
He had to hold his brush between his thumb and index finger.

And as he painted, the student-disciple often heard him crying out in pain.

On one such occasion, the student asked the old master:
“Why do you go on painting, if it hurts so much?”

The master looked up to his disciple, and with an assuring smile replied:
“Remember always, son…
… Pain passes, but beauty remains!”

Every selfless act of suffering and struggle indeed leaves an imprint of lasting beauty and splendour.

In the canvas of Salvation History, the Son of Man indeed had to go through much suffering…
… but the painting finally reveals the Great Truth: “PAIN PASSES, BUT BEAUTY REMAINS!”

The painting of salvation indeed displays immense Generosity and magnanimous Mercy of the Lord, Who paid a “ransom” to save His people

He spared no efforts in getting His people released…
… by suffering on the Cross
… shedding His Blood
… giving up His life
… and rising from the dead

Have we fallen in love with this MASTER Who gave Himself up for us?

Are we willing to live our life in obedience, and in imitation of the command of Him, Who ransomed His life for us?

The Gospel of the Day presents an interesting, yet a ‘not-too-familiar’ passage of Jesus and His disciples being asked to pay the Temple tax.
“When Jesus and His disciples came to Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your Teacher pay the Temple tax?” (Mt 17: 24)

What was this Temple tax?

The Temple tax was …
… a symbolic gesture in gratitude for what the people of Israel owed to God, for their redemption from slavery in the land of Egypt.

It was a Jewish tax with its origins seen in Ex 30: 12-16:
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel… The half-shekel shall be an offering to the LORD.”

This offering was to be an “atonement money”, which would be used for the service of the meeting tent (Ex 12: 16)

In later centuries, this half-shekel was adopted as the amount of the Temple Tax – the one that all Jews were supposed to pay once a year for the upkeep and maintenance of the Jerusalem Temple.

The Temple Tax was thus an “atonement” money

It was a “ransom” money!

It is fascinating to note that the incident of this “ransom/atonement” money is mentioned immediately after Jesus spoke of His Passion and Death.

Jesus told His disciples in Mt 17:22-23:
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day”

The incident of the Temple tax, which is the atonement/ransom money, is mentioned…
… immediately after Jesus speaks of His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

Is there any connection between these two incidents?

The Temple tax was in gratitude for the redemption of Israel from slavery
… Jesus would now free all people from the slavery of sin by His Death and Resurrection

The Temple Tax was paid as “ransom” money…
… The Blood of Jesus would now be the “ransom” that will be paid for redemption of humanity.

Jesus did not resist His disciples from paying the Temple Tax…
… as we would see in the incident of the miraculous catch of the fish with a coin in the mouth (Mt 17: 27)

But the perfect payment of the “tax”…
… would be done by Jesus Himself – by His Sufferings, Death and Resurrection!

Jesus would not just pay the tax…
… He would also give Himself in complete obedience to the Father

Thus, He would becoming the “tax” – the ransom and the atonement money!

1 Tim 2:6 says, “Jesus gave Himself as a ‘ransom’ for all”

Mk 10:45 says “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ‘ransom’ for many”

It is interesting to also note that this incident of the Temple Tax brings reminds us of the former occupation (trade) of two of the disciples of Jesus:

1. Matthew… who was a tax collector (Mt 9:9)
   (Probably that explains why this incident is mentioned only in the Gospel of St Matthew)
2. Peter… who was a fisherman (Mt 4:18)
   (That’s why Jesus asks Peter to “go to the sea, take the first fish that comes up, and open the mouth to find a coin…”)
   Matthew and Peter could represent any of us…

Maybe, like Mathew – the Tax Collector…

We are collecting a lot of things in life…
… but still not finding peace in life!
We are occupied with material dimensions at our “own tables”…
… or find ourselves at the receiving end of not being accepted and being looked down by others.

Maybe, like Peter – the fisherman…

We are fishing in the waters of life for contentment and satisfaction…
.. but fail to have a catch!
We are putting in a lot of effort to fish for success, yet finding none…
… or find ourselves drowning in a sea of sin, hopelessness or despair

Whoever we are…

The Lord extends His loving invitation…
… to leave our “tables of collection” and follow Him!
… to cast away our “nets of fish” and follow Him!

He has become the “Ransom”…
… in Whom we can find the ‘collection’ of all joys and contentment of life!
… in Whom we can witness the ‘great catch’ of salvation and redemption!

By this great act, He gave the “Ransom”…
… for our freedom from captivity!
By His humbling sacrifice, He paid the “Atonement money”…
… for our salvation for eternal life!

Let us fall in love with the Man Who gave Himself up for us!

Let us be willing to live our life in obedience and imitation of His commands Who ransomed His life for us!

When our Christian witnessing takes us through struggles and pains, let’s be grateful to our Crucified Lord, remembering: “PAIN PASSES, BUT BEAUTY REMAINS!”

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE

Such beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man.

It comes from an entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace that disposes man to enter into the divine joy. (CCC # 1722)

“May we amend our attitude of ‘running away from silence by wanting noise always,’ and thus experience the Presence of the Divine!”

(Based on 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a, Rom 9:1-5 and Mt 14:22-33 – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A)

A young man went to a sage, whom he had often seen going to a forest.

Curious to know what the sage did in the forest, he asked him:
“I wonder what you do in the noise of that forest, everyday!”

The sage replied: “Have you any time tried to hear the voice of the forest?”

“Voice?” queried the young man in surprise, “I never hear voice.
I only hear noise.

And the only noise I hear in the forest is when the woodcutter crashes the wood, or the leaves and the fallen branches break beneath his foot.”

“Ah, that’s the difference between you and me”, said the sage, as he continued:
“I still myself in silence, in the forest, and I hear clearly the voice…
… of one limb of a branch grinding against another
… of the fall of a nut
… of the flutter of the wings of birds
… of the scamper of a rabbit
… of the gentle stirring of the wind!

That’s the difference between you and me…
… You run away from silence by wanting noise always!

I seek for silence, by moving away from noise!”

What about us?

Do we also run away from silence by wanting noise always…
… or do we seek for silence, by moving away from noise?

We live in a world of noises.

Noise is everywhere.

Music. Talks. Discussions. Commentaries. Arguments….

Apparently, much of life’s beauty is drowned in this sea of noises.

The word “noise” apparently comes from the Latin root word of “nausea” which means a sensation of vomiting and uneasiness….

Are we surrounding ourselves with too much noise – too much of an uneasy environment….
…that we even fail to listen to the Voice of the Spirit of the Lord?

We need to quieten ourselves.
We need to hear… the still, soft, gentle voice of the Lord!

The first reading of the Day presents the remarkable experience of Prophet Elijah encountering the Lord in a tiny, whispering voice (1 Kings 19: 11-13)

The Gospel of the Day begins with Jesus spending quiet moments with His Heavenly Father (Mt 14:23)

What is our attitude to Prayer?

1. Shopping-list Attitude
   We reduce our prayer time to mere presenting to God all our various wants and demands and desires and requirements.

Much of time is spent is considering God as a mere giver and granter of gifts and objects.

2. Complaint-Box Attitude
   We spend much of our prayer time in whining and cribbing about the various disturbances affecting our life.

Prayer gets reduced to a time of only grumbling and protesting and raising many grievances.

3. Character-Assassination Attitude
   Though not much acknowledged, we may spend our prayer time in speaking the ill of others, in making comparisons to the lives of others and even wishing the negative of other people for our advantage.

Pleasure is found much in speaking of the faults and negatives of other people and prayer acquires an “other-centeredness”, but in a very negative sense!

4. Recitation-competition Attitude
   Prayer becomes reduced to a mere recitation of a fixed set of prayers, holy invocations and muttering of words.

Sometimes, much of this mumbling of expressions go without any concentration, or even knowing and meaning the value of the words.

Of course… It is not necessary to get critical and too self-conscious of our style of prayer.

But we also need to know: Prayer is more of a relationship…
… Prayer is spending time with our Heavenly God…
… Prayer is just “being” with Him!

Prayer is more…
… of giving myself as I am to the Lord… than mere receiving!
… of experiencing the silence of the Lord….than mere babbling words!
… of a communion with the Lover of our Souls…than mere external expressions!

The readings of the day invite us to a Life of Prayer…
… to a Life of Discovering the Power of Silence
… to a Life of finding quiet moments with the Lord.

Am I able to discover silent moments in my working activities?
Am I able to feel God’s presence in the things and objects that I use and handle?
Am I able to realize the gentle charisma of the Lord in the din and noise of the day?

Storms in life are bound to happen…
Waves of hardships are sure to hit our boats of life…
… but if we are rooted in a true spirit of prayer and communion with the Lord, we will be firm & strong.

In true silence and serenity, we will be hear the words of the Lord:
“Take courage, it is I!
Do not be afraid!” (Mt 14: 27)

Let us seek the Lord…
… in true prayer
…in serene silence
… in the midst of life’s noises and clamour and clatters!!

Yes, may we amend our attitude of “running away from silence by wanting noise always…
… and instead seek for silence, by moving away from noise

And thus experiencing the Presence of the Divine!”

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE

God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to paradise.
Beatitude makes us “partakers of the divine nature” and of eternal life.

With beatitude, man enters into the glory of Christ and into the joy of the Trinitarian Life. (CCC # 1721)

“Pulling ‘both the oars’ of faith and works so that the ferry ‘of our lives’ may move across the river!”

(Based on Deut 6:4-13 and Mt 17:14-20 – Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

Two men were once seriously disputing the relative importance of faith and works…
… when they came to a ferry (boat) over a river.

As they started across they asked the ferryman his opinion on the subject.

Was faith alone enough in life?
… or was also works of faith important for a good Christian life?

In answer…
… the boatman, who was a strong believer in God, pointed to his two oars.

“One,” he said, “I will call faith, the other, works.

If I pull only on this one oar – the right oar – I get nowhere, but go round in a circle.
Just so if I pull only on the left oar.

But when I pull on both oars, then the ferry moves across the river.”

That was indeed a very sensible explanation, describing the relationship of faith and works.

The Gospel of the day is the incident of how the disciples fail to heal the boy and how Jesus intervenes to cure and teaches the importance of possessing strong faith.

This Gospel passage is preceded by the Glorious event of the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-3)

These two incidents show contrasting dimensions…

On one side, immense glory being revealed and the Divine splendour being manifested
On the other, lack of faith being exposed and the failure in the Kingdom ministry

On one side, the three disciples basking in the light of heightened faith and devotion
On the other, the other disciples being lost in the darkness of inability to put the faith to effectiveness

How often is this the experience of our own lives too…

There are some moments when we experience the loftiness of God’s glory and power
There are other moments when we fail miserably to evoke His presence and are unable to feel His

There are some times when faith makes us to feel that everything is so glorious and wonderful
There are other times when our faith hits rock-bottom and our spiritual life loses its sheen and all seems so miserable

This is the reality of our lives – contrasting experiences of glorious faith at some instants and miserable lack of trust at other

But the Gospel of the day ends with an encouraging exhortation by Jesus to have a strong and sturdy faith – the faith the size of a mustard seed

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Mt 17:20)

When the disciples were unable to bring about a healing to the epileptic boy, the Lord sure did rebuke them for their “lack of faith”.

But after having healed the child, He does not linger with the reproaching or admonishing attitude…
…. instead as a loving friend and a caring master, gently but firmly encourages them to be stronger in their faith.

This is the approach that He has towards us too…

He knows that we have our weak moments and situations of disbelief and doubts
He knows that there are periods when our faith is merely on the lips and not really from the depths of our hearts
He knows that there are times when annoying circumstances encroach our faith-life and all our efforts in devotion meet with bitter conclusions

Yet, with firmness and fondness, Jesus invites us to keep seeking to grow in our trust in Him and have faith of the size of the mustard seed.

Let us pull “both the oars” of faith and works…
… so that the ferry ‘of our lives’ may move across the river!

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE

The New Testament uses several expressions to characterize the beatitude to which God calls man:

• the coming of the Kingdom of God; – the vision of God: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
• entering into the joy of the Lord
• entering into God’s rest. (CCC # 1720)

“Bracing ourselves up for a challenging, yet exciting ride with the Lord!”

(Based on Deut 4:32-40 and Mt 16:24-28 – Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

Some of us have been to amusement parks…
… filled with many jolly and amazing rides.

One of the common yet interesting rides in these parks are the Roller Coaster rides….

The ones, which are constructed at dizzying heights
The ones possessing several dangerous and heart-wrenching ups and dips
The sight of which fills many a weak-at-heart persons, to have giddy feelings!

To those, however, who take up this challenge…
… it’s a sheer ecstatic and thrilling experience!

Welcome to Christianity – a Real-Time Roller Coaster Ride!

The ride is not easy…

But the Thrill of the Ride…
… is truly a genuine experience of Remarkable Joy and Peace and Happiness!

Chapter 16 of St Matthew’s Gospel continues the Theme of True Discipleship.

After having revealed Himself as being the Heroic, Awesome and Suffering God-Man, Jesus spells out clearly the demands of being His True Disciple:

To deny oneself…to take up one’s cross..to follow Him! (Mt 16: 24)

To follow Christ, we need to follow His terms!

We need to…

Lay down something…
Lift up something…
And then Follow the Lord

We need to…

Lay down our personal pleasures and comforts…
Lift up our daily duties…
And then Follow the Lord

The Lord demands.

The Lord expects.

Am I ready?

Am I a Christian who is zealous and devout and religious on a Sunday…
… but tepid and listless and impractical through the weekdays?

Am I a Christian who loves to wear religious articles around my body…
… but fail to adorn my actions and deeds with charitable and sanctifying works?

Am I a Christian who enjoys rattling off prayers and reciting many devout ejaculations…
… but fall short of translating those good words into a life of honesty and gentleness and humility?

Am I a Christian who takes the pleasure and benefit of being a member of the Church…
… but come to a sticky end in standing by the Church in Her moments of crisis and scandals?

Am I a Christian who relishes listening to Gospel Music, decorating houses with devout pictures and even spreading devotions to many saints…
… but not make the grade when it comes to living the Gospel values and morals?

Very often, our activities and works are centered only on acquiring the things of this world.

Surely, we have our own daily needs and wants

But beyond all these, a Christian ought to realize, that we are “pilgrims on this earth”

As St Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3: 20)
As St Peter says, “… As aliens and sojourners… keep away from worldly desires” (1 Pet 2: 11)

Jesus says, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mt 16: 26)

Sometimes we hoard up only material wealth and riches…
… failing to seek for the God who blesses us with the needs of our life!

Sometimes our prayers become only petitions for transient things…
… failing to raise a word of thanks to the Lord Who always sustains us!

The Lord invites us to take up the challenges of being a Christian.

As Christian, our lives have to be qualitatively different from others!

Let those who see us – be it in our workplaces or in our friend’s circle or any other place – make remarks such as…
… “Ah! Here is a person who displays a lot of trust and hope in a living God!”
… “Here is somebody who remains firm even in difficulties, because he/she knows there is a Loving Father caring and protecting always”

Yes, Christianity is indeed a Real-Time Roller Coaster Ride

To those who take up this challenge…
… it’s a sheer ecstatic and thrilling experience!

At Baptism, we have signed a document…
… which entitles us to the Great Privilege of being the Child of God

But by Baptism, we also have agreed to many terms….
… which obliges us the Great Duties of being a Soldier of God!

Being a disciple and soldier of Christ is a demanding affair.

Let us brace ourselves up for this challenging, yet exciting ride with the Lord.

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – THE DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS

The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of human acts: God calls us to his own beatitude.

This vocation is addressed to each individual personally, but also to the Church as a whole, the new people made up of those who have accepted the promise and live from it in faith. (CCC # 1719)

“May our Crucified Lord – the greatest embodiment of Sacrifice – fill us with the grace and courage to live a committed Christian life, like St Lawrence!”

(Based on the Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr)

The year 258 AD saw a massive killing campaign unleashed against the Christians by the Roman Emperor Valerian.

Popular lore has it that a young Deacon had been placed in charge of the Church’s riches.

These treasures included the Holy Grail which was supposed to be the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper.

Emperor Valerian, who had just killed the Pope had set his eyes also on finishing off this young Deacon.

Having a good knowledge of the Church’s riches, the cruel Emperor commanded the Deacon to hand over all the “treasures of the Church” to him or that he too would suffer a dreadful death.

The deacon requested for a few days to collect together the vast amount of wealth.

Three days later, the Deacon, mustering immense courage, threw open the palace doors to deliver the “treasures”.

His hands were all empty – no silver nor gold nor any other precious ornaments.

Instead, flaunting behind him were the poor, the blind and the crippled of the town.

When he reached the throne, the Deacon daringly announced, “These are the true treasures of the Church!”

The Emperor was mightily enraged.
He sentenced the young fellow to a death by torturous grilling!

Literally, the executioners followed the command – barbecuing the Deacon to death on a gridiron.

However, the valour and the dare displayed by the faithful soldier of Christ was so great that, after a few minutes of being roasted, he said to his executioners, “This side is done… Turn me over on the other side!!”

That could be the height of boldness and courage, right?

And what’s more… call it Divine humour, the Church has named this Deacon as the Patron Saint of comedians, butchers, chefs and roasters!

Classic one, isn’t it?

The name of this Daring Deacon is St Lawrence, whose feast we celebrate today.

His daring life goes on to prove…
… that a passionate love for Christ can overcome any pain and persecution – including death!
… that the worth of being a true disciple is total fidelity to the person of Christ and to His Kingdom, even if it means bearing hardships and difficulties

We are invited, as the Gospel of the day says, “to be the grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies” (Jn 12: 24-26)

Our Blessed Lord expounds one of the most basic principles in nature:

New life emerges only when there is a sacrifice
Transformation in life happens only when a sacrifice is involved.

Vegetables, before being served at table…
… needs to be pulled up from the heart of the earth
… and passed through the torment of fire in being cooked

Meat, that comes with its tasty appeal, at the food table…
… needs to be first submitted to the slaying by the knife
… and passed through the flaming ordeal, in being rendered edible

Sacrifice, therefore, is nature’s way of passage to experience new life!

The Lord takes an appeal to this basic principle in saying that “unless a grain of wheat dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12: 24)

At the time of Jesus, farmers would drop one grain of wheat at a time, in its cultivation

The soil would be ploughed and shallow trenches dug out to create the bed for the seeds.
The wheat grains, one at a time, were dropped into the trench and covered with loosened soil

A little sneak into the wheat yielding statistics (roughly – since it varies from place to place, depending on the soil, seed variety and other factors) reveals the point that Jesus explicated about “a grain of wheat which dies, yields much fruit”

If we consider an acre of land…

Two bushels of grain would yield around 40 bushels of wheat
That translates to, around 150 kg of grain yielding around 3000 kg of wheat!

Simplifying it, gives an equation (very roughly): 1 kg of grain sown would yield around 20 kg of wheat!

That’s enormous, isn’t it?

This is the power of sacrifice that Jesus alludes to, with an example from nature.

As Christians, we are challenged to live a life of Sacrifice, in order to yield the harvest of God’s Kingdom.

Greater our sacrifice, greater would be the fruits that are yielded for the glory of God and His Kingdom!

The Gospel passage refers to two ways of making this sacrifice…

1. Dying to the world
   “He who hates his love in this world, will keep it for eternal life” (Jn 12: 25)
2. Serving the Lord wholeheartedly by following Him
   “If anyone serves me, the Father will honour me” (Jn 12: 26)

Can we personalize these two dimensions of sacrifice….?

Dying to the worldly values which glorify the self – power, positions and honour- and instead seek to live in humility, self-discipline and selflessness!

Constantly making efforts to serve the Lord in every aspect of our life – words, deeds, thoughts – and leading a life that brings glory to God and serving His people in every little way possible

Giving up sins – both personal and social – and constantly rejecting alluring temptations to remain fixated by worldly standards; instead focussing on the transcendental dimensions of life

Prioritising the Lord and His Kingdom in every aspect of our life and remaining focussed on Him alone – even amidst persecutions or hardships to give up the Gospel Lifestyle

St Paul reminds us to become cheerful givers – offering ourselves totally to the Lord and His Kingdom (Cf. 2 Cor 9:6-7)

St Lawrence, today stands as a beautiful model and example of total self-giving

The courageous and bold Deacon, St Lawrence is a powerful model for us to lead a life of Christian Sacrifice.

May our Crucified Lord, who is the greatest embodiment of Sacrifice, fill us with the grace and courage to live a committed Christian life!

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 – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – THE DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS

We all want to live happily
In the whole human race, there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated.
How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life…
… let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul
… and my soul draws life from you.

God alone satisfies. (CCC # 1718)