“Being inspired by St Philip and St James to be His True Apostles and thus live to a saintly life!”

(Based on the Feast of the Apostles – St Philip and St James)

A story is told of a lady who was very much zealous in telling about Jesus Christ to the world.

This lady was blind and illiterate…
… and yet found different ways to spread the Gospel.

One day, she went to a Missionary Priest and asked for a copy of the Bible in French.

When she got it, she asked the missionary to underline the Bible Verse – John 3:16 – in red, and mark the page, so that she could find it.

(Jn 3:16 = “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Son…that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Eternal Life!”)

The missionary wanted to see what she would do with this Bible that was marked with red…
… and so he followed her.

The lady went in the late afternoon to a school…
… and made her way to the entrance.

As the school children came out, she would stop one of them and ask if he knew how to read French.

If the boy would say “Yes” she would ask him to read the verse that was marked in red.

Then she would ask, “Do you know what this means?”…
… and then go on to tell him more about Jesus Christ and living a Life in the Lord!

The missionary priest would later testify that this lady led nearly a couple of dozen boys to become missionaries of the Lord!

As followers of Christ, each of us are bound to tell the world about the Precious Life of “Living in God!”
How well are we doing our Duty of Proclaiming God to the world?

Am I a Faithful Apostle?

Today Holy Mother the Church celebrates the Feast of two Apostles St Philip and St James…

They lived a faithful and courageous life as followers of Jesus…
… and made Jesus more known to the world by their faithful life!

The Apostle St Philip was a native of Bethsaida, on Lake Gennesaret.

He was among the first disciples of Jesus (Jn 1:43)

(a) At the miraculous feeding of the multitude, it was to Philip that Jesus asked, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” to which Philip replied, “Two hundred denarii worth food will not be enough for them to have a little” (Jn 6:5)

(b) When through Greeks came to meet Jesus, it was Philip whom they met and it was he who reported to Andrew and they both went to Jesus (Jn 12: 21-22)

(c) It was Philip who told Jesus, in the Upper Room, “Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us” (Jn 14: 8)

The Apostle St James is called as the Younger or the Less, because he was the second of that name who was an apostle of Jesus – distinguishing him from James the Greater, the son of Zebedee

St James the Less was also called as James the Just and is sometimes also called as the “Brother of the Lord”

(a) He is the author of one of the Epistles in the New Testament
(b) He was also ordained as the Bishop of Jerusalem.

The Gospel of the Day (Jn 14: 6-14) presents Jesus declaring Himself as “The Way, the Truth and The Life” (Jn 14: 6)

These two Apostles, St Philip and St James by their life, gave a faithful witness to Jesus – “The Way, The Truth and The Life!”

We are called and challenged, by these Apostles to do the same as well…

Being ready to embrace Jesus as The Way…
… seeking to follow only His paths and doing His Will
… being bold to stand firm in the face of hardships, while walking on the Way

Being ready to embrace Jesus as The Truth…
… wanting to let go a life of dishonesty and hypocrisy in our actions of life
… determined in the conviction to live for Christ and His virtues in day-to-day life

Being ready to embrace Jesus as The Life…
… willing to utilize all our talents, gifts, resources in life for the glory of God and His Kingdom
… being brave to let go off anything which prevents us from living a life for the Lord

The Apostles St Philip and St James…
… were greatly purified in their following of the Lord, through various persecutions and hardships

And finally, gave their life in martyrdom to the Lord and His Kingdom!

When there is determination and passion for God, we look for ways and means, to preach about God and His Love to the world!

No blindness can prevent us from showing people “the vision of Divine Life”
No illiteracy can stop us from declaring to people “the Word of Life!”

Let us wait at the “entrances of people’s life” and…
… point the “the red and passionate Love of the Lord” to the world!

Wish you a Happy Feast of the Apostles – St Philip and St James!

Let us also seek and work to be His True Apostles and thus live to be a Saint!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE HOLY SPIRIT RECALLS THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

The Spirit and the Church cooperate to manifest Christ and his work of salvation in the liturgy.
Primarily in the Eucharist, and by analogy in the other sacraments, the liturgy is the memorial of the mystery of salvation.
The Holy Spirit is the Church’s living memory.
The Holy Spirit first recalls the meaning of the salvation event to the liturgical assembly by giving life to the Word of God, which is proclaimed so that it may be received and lived: In the celebration of the liturgy, Sacred Scripture is extremely important.
From it come the lessons that are read and explained in the homily and the psalms that are sung.

It is from the Scriptures that the prayers, collects, and hymns draw their inspiration and their force, and that actions and signs derive their meaning (CCC #1099-1100)

(MAY we WITH MAMMA MARY live in holiness)

MAY 0️⃣2️⃣ – Mary, Mother of Divine Grace

💭 To Reflect
Mary allowed herself to be filled with the Grace of God, and cooperated fully, to fulfil God’s Plan of Salvation for the world.

✅ To Practise
Allow God’s Grace to work in one’s life

🙏🏻To Pray
Mamma Mary, intercede for me, that I may co-operate with the Grace of God, and fulfil His plans in my life, Amen!

(MAY we WITH MAMMA MARY live in holiness)

MAY 0️⃣1️⃣ – Mary, Mother of God

💭 To Reflect
Mary accepted the call of the Lord to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate, and said a YES to HIS WILL

✅ To Practise
Seek & do God’s Will

🙏🏻To Pray
Mamma Mary, intercede for me, that I may always seek and do God’s Will in my life, Amen!

“Transcending and rising up higher, to live our lives in the grandeur of Jesus and His Everlasting Kingdom, instead of merely being fixated in slimy earthly pleasures!”

(Based on Acts 6:8-7:1 and Jn 6:22-29 – Monday of the 3rd Week in Easter)

There is an old legend of a swan and a crane.

A beautiful swan alighted by the banks of the water, in which a crane was wading about, seeking snails.

For a few moments the crane viewed the swan in incredulous wonder and then inquired: “Where do you come from?”

“I come from heaven!” replied the swan.
“And where is heaven?” asked the curious crane.

“Heaven!” said the swan, “Heaven! Have you never heard of heaven?”

And the beautiful bird went on to describe the grandeur of the Eternal City…
She told of streets of gold, and the gates and walls made of precious stones; of the river of life, pure as crystal, upon whose banks is the tree whose leaves shall be for the healing of the nations.

With eloquence, the swan described the beauty of the other world…
… but none of it, strangely, seemed to arouse the slightest interest of the crane.

Finally the crane asked: “Are there any snails there?”
“Snails??” repeated the swan; “No! Of course there are not!”

“Then,” said the crane, as it continued its search along the slimy banks of the pool, “you can have your heaven. I only want snails!”

The crane was satisfied with the lowly earthly “snails” and failed to have any interest for the divine “heavens”

How often we are also like this crane….
… interested only in earthly affairs, and least attracted to the heavenly realms
… busy only with gathering earthly pleasures but rejecting offers for heavenly happiness

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus chiding the people for following Him, just for the sake of earthly desires, and instead, invites and exhorts them to seek for higher and heavenly longings in life…

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (Jn 6: 27)

The people had witnessed Jesus’ great miracle of the multiplication of loaves.

Their hunger had been satisfied.
Their appetites had been gratified.

In Jesus, they found a person who was able to answer the bodily needs.

In Jesus, they found a person who was able to satisfy their material desires.

The people desired to crown Him as their King!

Is this not a trend in our society as well?

How often are the bread-givers and money-makers held in high esteem, even in our days…
… at the expense of people who are unable contribute much or do much work.

Think of the aged, the sick, the invalids in our own houses, communities and societies, who are unable to work or contribute anything materially…

How often do we neglect them!
How often do we put them down!
How often do we call them as useless!

We sometimes glorify people based only their work, their position and their activities…

The “being” of a person is often neglected
… only the “doing” of a person is exalted!

The “essence” of a person is often not given value
… only the “work” of a person is given credit!

But Jesus refrains from being a victim to this mentality of the society.

He refuses to be their “Bread-Boss!”
He rejects to being their “Materialistic-Messiah!”

And so when people, come to Him, Jesus recognizes their motive in seeking Him…
… and He chides them saying: “Amen, Amen, I say to you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs but you ate the loaves and were filled.

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (Jn 6: 26-27)

The Lord seeks to lead the people to desire for the higher realities of life.

And this is the wish of the Lord for each one of us too, that we…
… be interested not only in worldly affairs; rather, we be more attracted to the heavenly realms
… be busy not only with gathering earthly satisfactions; but, we accept and embrace more of heavenly happiness

It is true that “to the hungry one, food and other material wants demand higher urgency”

It is not denied that “to the one whose basic needs are not met, material satisfaction is important”

But having said this… one must also be willing to accept, that beyond these material aspects, the human person has greater needs – on a spiritual sense, that of the soul, towards the transcendental realities!

What is needed therefore, is a proper prioritizing…

Does God and the Heavenly realities mean more to me, than earthly desires?
Does Jesus and His Virtues occupy primal position in my life, than the worldly values?

A true prioritizing and firm conviction alone can help us to be the true witnesses of Jesus, the Messiah.

Jesus is our model and example, Who, in His life, accorded the first and primal place to God and His Will.

The lives of the saints and the martyrs are also proof for this fact.

In the Acts of the Apostles, 6:8-15, we read of how St Stephen, the first Martyr of the Church, “was filled with grace and power, and could withstand any persecution”, because he had a made a choice for Jesus and His Kingdom, above all!

He rejected all worldly promises and desires that blocked his view of the Kingdom!

Are we going to be a people, merely fixed in searching, through the slimy banks, for ‘snails’ of earthly pleasures?

or we going to be a people, who can transcend and rise up higher, to live our lives in the grandeur of Jesus and His Everlasting Kingdom?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
JEWISH LITURGY AND CHRISTIAN LITURGY.

In the liturgy of the New Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church.
The liturgical assembly derives its unity from the “communion of the Holy Spirit” who gathers the children of God into the one Body of Christ. This assembly transcends racial, cultural, social – indeed, all human affinities.
The assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become “a people well disposed.” the preparation of hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the assembly, especially of its ministers.
The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father’s will.

These dispositions are the precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the celebration itself and the fruits of new life which the celebration is intended to produce afterward. (CCC #1097-1098)

(Based on Acts 5:27-32, 40-41, Rev 5:11-14 and Jn 21:1-19 – 3rd Sunday of Easter, Cycle C)

An American reporter once visited the office of the great Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Niels Bohr, in Copenhagen.

(Niels Bohr is famous for his contribution in the field of quantum physics especially by his understanding of the atomic structure)

The reporter was amazed to find that over Bohr’s desk was a “horseshoe”.

(A horseshoe, by superstition, was considered to be bringing good luck and good fortune.

Horseshoe charms and amulets have been used, down through centuries and civilizations, to ward off the evil and bring in good fate!)

This horseshoe was securely nailed to the wall, with the open end up, in the approved manner (so it would catch the good luck and not let it spill out!)

The reporter said with a nervous laugh, “Surely you don’t believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck, do you, Professor Bohr? After all, you are a scientist!

The genius scientist, Bohr, chuckled and said,
“I believe no such thing, my good friend.
No… not at all!
I am scarcely likely to believe in such foolish nonsense.

However, I am told that a horseshoe will bring you good luck, whether you believe in it or not!”

The scientist, with his reasonable mind, did not have faith in the horseshoe bringing in any luck…

However, at the back of his mind, he still continued to possess the horseshoe, wanting to have any favours or luck, if it all it brought any!

The mind, with its reasons, said no, to an act which required faith…

The heart, however, still chose to seek and enjoy any benefits that it could bring!

Our faith in the Resurrection of the Lord, is perhaps similar….

Our minds sometimes, do not really have faith or trust in this mysterious miracle of the Resurrection..

Yet, we continue to hold on this mystery, expecting favours and benefits!

Isn’t it so?

Like the scientist, we refuse to be active acknowledgers of the object of faith and yet want to enjoy the benefits of the same…

We fail the live the life and fruits of the Resurrection…
… and yet, we wish to have spiritual gains…

We fail to actively profess and live our faith…
… and yet, we wish to enjoy many providential graces..

Is our Faith in the Resurrection of mere theoretical and pragmatic value or have we embraced it as our life-giving and life-motivating truth?

Is our Belief in the Resurrection, only a springboard to grab many blessings and favours or has it become the foundation stone for a passionate and vibrant faith?

The Gospel of the Day presents the Risen Lord encountering His Disciples and strengthening their belief and faith in His Resurrection.

The Disciples after the death of their Master, had been a frightened lot.

They were even unable to believe some of the appearance stories of Jesus, to people who were associated with them.

But the Lord today appears to them, and casts away their fears and apprehensions.

He invites His disciples to have breakfast with Him (Jn 21:10, 12)

Jesus invites the disciples to throw away their doubts, and instead to believe that He is truly Risen, in human flesh and blood

He invites the disciples to open their eyes, and dispel the shadows of suspicions, and instead be convinced of His Resurrection

This experience of the Risen Lord would find its empowerment, for the Disciples, on the Pentecost Day, when the Holy Spirit would fill them with power and strength.

It is this exhibition of power and force that we see in St Peter, when he boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Lord and Saviour (Acts 3: 13-15, 17-19)

The Risen Lord, became for the Apostles, the source, strength and summit for their expression of faith and trust.

Today, we are invited to have this similar faith – bold, passionate and zealous- in the Risen Lord.

However, sometimes, the Resurrection of the Lord remains only a mere “theoretical” dogma and fails to get converted to a “practical” and experiential reality in our life.

Our lives are still lived in “fear”…. Our activities are still conducted with “apprehension”
We live our lives without much “joy”… We spend our days without much “hope”

Our minds sometimes, do not really have faith or trust in this mysterious miracle of the Resurrection…

Yet, we continue to hold on this mystery, expecting favours and benefits!

The Risen Lord today invites us… to believe in Him more deeply and witness His life more radically in our lives.

He offers His Holy Eucharist as His Risen and Living Presence in our midst.
He gives His Holy Word as His Dynamic and Transforming Reality in our lives.

Let us grow more and more, in our conviction and love for Jesus, the Life and the Resurrection.

With St Peter, let us also proclaim and profess: “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You!” (Jn 21: 17b)

May our faith in Him, not be a “pragmatic” approach, just to receive favours and benefits… rather, may it grow, transform and bring renovations in our life!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
JEWISH LITURGY AND CHRISTIAN LITURGY.

A better knowledge of the Jewish people’s faith and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our better understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy.
For both Jews and Christians Sacred Scripture is an essential part of their respective liturgies: in the proclamation of the Word of God, the response to this word, prayer of praise and intercession for the living and the dead, invocation of God’s mercy.
In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the Word originates in Jewish prayer.
the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical texts and formularies, as well as those of our most venerable prayers, including the Lord’s Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer.
The Eucharistic Prayers also draw their inspiration from the Jewish tradition.
The relationship between Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy, but also their differences in content, are particularly evident in the great feasts of the liturgical year, such as Passover.
Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover.

For Jews, it is the Passover of history, tending toward the future; for Christians, it is the Passover fulfilled in the death and Resurrection of Christ, though always in expectation of its definitive consummation (CCC #1096)

Dear Reader of the Reflection Capsules!

As I once again wish you a very Happy Easter, I am happy to also inform that I will be travelling to The Vatican, Rome for a meeting of the Missionaries of Mercy.

I have an opportunity to join with the other missionaries for the Divine Mercy Sunday Holy Mass and an audience with our Holy Father, Pope Francis.

I assure of you my prayers, and request your prayers too.

📝 PLEASE NOTE THAT THE REFLECTION CAPSULES WILL BE RESUMED FROM MAY 01, 2022

Let us continually grow in our love of the Lord, and reach out His Mercy to one other!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

💫 DEAR FOLLOWERS OF THE REFLECTION CAPSULES, I wish you all a very Happy Easter!

May the Risen Lord be the Love & Light of our Lives!

Let us rise above the ‘dead situations of our life’ and encounter the Living One – the One Who is Risen, and seeks to reign in our hearts!

I pray for you. Let us joyfully share His Presence to all – through word and deed.

God Bless! 😊😊

The HOLY WEEK is the holiest week in the Liturgical Year!

And this HOLY WEEK can truly become a HOLY & HEALING WEEK if we make efforts to TOTALLY LIVE FOR GOD!

The HOLY WEEK is a reminder to all of us…
… that God has given HIMSELF TOTALLY FOR US!

And we in turn, are to GIVE OURSELVES TOTALLY TO THE LORD!

Let this week, be a time…
… to grow in greater personal intimacy in His Word
… to ‘fall in love with Him’ in the Holy Eucharist
…. and to dwell with Him, near His Holy Cross.

Let us try to perform THREE TASKS FOR THIS WEEK
a. READ: Read the last 3 chapters of all the four Gospels – in order to meditate deeper on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ

b. REPAIR: Repair our relationships, especially by praying for those with whom we are not very okay, and extending the forgiveness and goodwill of the Lord to them

c. RESOLVE: Resolve to overcome a particular bad habit/sin that has been nagging us for sometime, and/or cultivating a virtue in order to grow in our Christian life

Let we hold the hands of our Blessed Mamma and St Joseph – and imitate them – in seeking the Will of the Lord, always!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

We have entered into the Most Blessed Week in the Liturgical Calendar

The Holy Week commemorates the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord.

The Lord came to this world to die.

The shadow of His cross was cast on every event of His life.
And now, we are ready to mingle ourselves with those Sacred Moments of commemorating His Cross.

April 11, 2022
On MONDAY, we have the Gospel wherein Mary anoints the feet of the Lord (Jn 12: 1-11)

We could ponder on some of the aspects…
a. The deep love of Mary
… Least bothered of what others felt.
… Least mindful of her own shame or dignity
All that mattered to her was Jesus and love for Him

Can I grow in my spiritual life, to possess such a unique and undivided love?

b. Danger of piety being covered up under the cloak of materialism, duplicity – Judas.
His focus was moved from “Following the Lord” to “Plotting against the Master”

Is my love for the Lord, losing its sheen and getting corrupted with worldliness?

April 12, 2022
On TUESDAY, we ponder with the Lord in His final discourse to His disciples (Jn 13: 21-33, 36-38)

We could dwell on some of the aspects…
a. The various attitudes towards the Lord, highlighted through the Disciples
… John, the beloved disciple, who could remain close to His heart.
… Simon Peter, the wavering disciple, genuinely wishing to follow the Lord, but failing often due to human limitations.
… Judas, the betraying disciple, in whom darkness had slowly encompassed and the night of sin was being encountered.

Am I growing in my love for the Lord, to be His beloved, or am I still floating on the waters of uncertainty or am I going downhill into spiritual darkness, failing to hold the hand of the Lord?

b. The prime importance needed in preparation to receive the Lord in the Holy Mass.
The Apostles had the privilege to participate in the First Holy Eucharist.
… however one of them, received the Lord with a deliberate and purposeful sin in the heart, which led to bringing death upon himself, at the reception of the Life-giving Bread.

Do I make the necessary preparations to receive the Lord worthily in the Holy Eucharist, growing in awareness of His presence in our hearts throughout the day, and in turn becoming a Eucharist to the needy in the world?

April 13, 2022
On WEDNESDAY, we reflect on the downfall of Judas (Mt 26: 14-25)

We could contemplate over some aspects…
a. Judas falls into the sin of avarice
One of the greatest dangers in life is that of misuse and attraction to money.
The Lord said, “Where thy treasure is, there thy heart too” (Mt 6:21)

Is my life too much attached to worldly pleasures, riches, powers, my own talents and capabilities that I fail to depend on the Lord and make Him the only and ultimate treasure of my life?

b. An insider is the one capable of being the greatest traitor and betrayer.
Among all the people who knew Jesus, The Twelve were chosen to be the closest.
… they shared the inner-most life and secrets of the Lord.

And therefore, the greatest danger was from one among them; and Judas Iscariot proved this right, by agreeing to betray his Master.

As an insider in the Church, am I betraying the Lord, by leading a lukewarm life, a scandalous life or a disinterested life?

April 14, 2022
On THURSDAY, we celebrate the intimate and passionate Love of Jesus!

The word ‘Maundy’ comes the Latin word “Maundatum” which means Command.

Three commands were expressed by the Lord …
a. The Command of Love
b. The Command of Commemorating the God of Love in the Holy Eucharist
c. The Command of continuity of sharing in the Priesthood of Jesus, the Priest and Victim

Can I grow in this consciousness and conviction to carry out the commands of the Lord?

April 15, 2022
On FRIDAY, we live through the Passion, Agony and Death of the Lord.

He who was sinless made Himself sin, for you and me!
… He who was blameless took upon the whole blame, for you and me!

Shall we make and mould our lives for holiness, abandoning our sinful ways…
… to be in greater communion with the One who died so that we may have life, and life in its abundance?

April 16, 2022
On SATURDAY, we pray at the tomb of the Lord, contemplating…
…. His deep, immense and unconditional for each of us, personally
… His Divine Wisdom to redeem the world back to Himself, scripting the greatest story ever

Yes the days are here…
… with another chance to review our lives, and renew our love-life with the Lord.

St Francis de Sales says, “Calvary is the Mount of lovers”
… and, “The love which is not the fruit of the Passion, is feeble”.

Our Greatest Lover is crucified there…
… as an expression of His love for us!

Come, let us also tread to path towards Him on Calvary, with our Blessed Mamma
… purging our sins, growing in His love
… and thus seek to rise with Him, and sing our eternal song – “Alleluia! He is Risen”

Wish you a Blessed Holy Week!

God Bless! Live Jesus!