“Making a conscious choice to rise above our depressive and anxiety-filled situations, and making our lives, a truly joyful one!”

(Based on Isa 11:1-10 and Lk 10:21-24 – Tuesday of the 1st Week in Advent)

A lady, who was known to be a devout Christian, was undergoing a long time of suffering.

As she was visited by some of her friends who came to console here, she was heard to be commenting:
“I have a beautiful robin that sings outside my window.

This bird strengthens me.”

Then with a bigger smile, she continued:
“I like him, because he sings in the rain!

When the storm has silenced almost, all other birds…
… the robin sings on!
And that’s how my life is!”

The lady – who herself was suffering and going through the storms of life – found great inspiration in the robin…
… the one which sings, even in any storm or rain!

That’s the life of a Christian!

Anyone can sing, when its sunshine…
… but when the clouds of hardships pour out the rain, can we sing?

The Gospel of the Day, presents Jesus Who is rejoicing in the Spirit…
… “In the same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, ‘I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth..’” (Lk 10: 21)

Jesus always displayed a great sense of joy and enthusiasm

He was a picture of calmness and serenity.

This was owing to His intimate relationship with His Father – His Abba!

He, of course, had His Own struggles…
… Rejection by His own people at Nazareth (Lk 4: 28-29)
… Very often facing the criticism of the people (Lk 5:30)
… Constantly being put under the scanner with questions (Lk 5:33)
… Facing the wrath of many religious leaders (Lk 6: 7, 11)

But none of these “storms” or “rains” prevented the Lord from singing the praises of His Father…
… and rejoicing in the Spirit

And He invites His disciples to also understand the great privilege they have received to experience the Love of the Father:
“Blessed are the eyes which see what you see…” (Lk 10: 23)

As followers of Jesus, we are also given the privilege to always be “people, who rejoice in the Spirit”…
… “people who can sing, even when it’s raining or in the midst of a storm!”

Are we often spending our days in sadness and complaint?
… or can we also become conscious of the many blessings, God showers on us… and thus rejoice!

Are we constantly looking for the negatives in our relationships?
… or can we also seek to treasure people, just for who they are, and begin to love them more!

Are we feeling that life is a burden and thus fail to have peace of mind and lightness of heart?
… or can we also begin to understand that as a Christian, we have the privilege to understand how God mightily works in our life, and is constantly showering His Love and Mercy on us!

Let us learn to imitate, Jesus, our Master, Who constantly “rejoiced in the Spirit”
… and thus make our Christian Life, a beautiful witness of God’s Love and Compassion.

Let’s listen to the words of St Mother Teresa of Kolkatta:
“Joy is a net of love by which we catch souls!”

Yes…
Anyone can sing, when its sunshine…
… but can we still sing when the clouds of hardships pours down it’s rains?

As we continue to nourish our spiritual lives in this Season of Advent, let us make a conscious choice to rise above our depressive and anxiety-filled situations…
… and to make our lives, a truly joyful one!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Combining strong belief in the Lord with good behaviour, to experience God’s mighty interventions in life!”

(Based on Isa 4:2-6 and Mt 8:5-11 – Monday of the 1st Week in Advent)

A preacher of the Word of God once said:
“There are two parts of the Gospel…
… the first part is called as ‘believing’
… the second part is called as ‘behaving’

When the first part joins hands with the second part, great miracles take place in life!”

How true!

When ‘strong belief’ in the Lord combines with ‘good behaviour,’ we experience God’s mighty interventions in life!

The Gospel of the Day is a wonderful incident of a man who combined “his deep faith with amazing actions of faith”…
… and thus experienced the mighty intervention of the Lord in his life.

As we enter into the Season of Advent, we are presented with the incident of the healing of the Centurion’s servant.

Jesus lavishes His appreciation for the wonderful display of faith.

This is a wonderful story of an amazing man with an amazing belief, who displays his faith in an amazing way!

1. The Centurion was an amazing person
   Centurions were responsible for commanding a ‘century,’ which was a unit of the Roman army consisting of around 80 to 100 soldiers.

They were well-respected for their leadership, discipline, and authority within the Roman military hierarchy.

They worked for the Roman Empire and were Gentiles.

This Centurion in the Gospel, however, was amazing, because of the fact, that he was very much concerned about his slave.

This was rare indeed.

In the Roman Empire, slaves had no rights.

They could be mistreated and even put to death.
It was said that “when your animals are old, you throw them out to die. You do the same with your slaves.”

So this is the amazing aspect about this amazing Centurion – He cared very much about his slave!

2. The centurion displayed an amazing faith
   The Centurion came to Jesus asking and pleading for help.

But when Jesus said that He would come to his house and heal him, the centurion was quick to answer him, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof” (Mt 8:8)

The centurion exhibits the spirit of a military man.

A soldier’s way of thinking is extremely logical and to the point:

When an order is given, instant obedience is expected.
His thought pattern was clear: “My commanding power goes beyond the realms of space. My presence or absence is no excuse for my soldiers to disobey!”

The Centurion fully believed that Jesus was a mighty commander with all powers subjected to Him.

And so a word was enough for the healing to take place!

3. The Centurion received an amazing response

The amazing expression of faith was enough for Jesus to admire and appreciate Him.
Jesus was astonished by this wonderful demonstration of confidence: “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel, have I found such faith” (Mt 8: 10)

We have seen many instances of people praising and appreciating the works and wonders of Jesus.

But, it’s one of those rare occasions, when Jesus publicly acknowledges and asserts the glorious faith of the one seeking for help.

The Lord, indeed, celebrates and commends this remarkable display of faith…
… and in turn, presents us with a compelling challenge to reflect on our faith journey!

In times…
… when we find ourselves amid a sea of negativity and discouragement
… when we face potentially devastating failures and despair
… when the daily struggles of life weigh heavily on us, leading to feelings of dejections

Can we also boldly say, “Only say a word, Lord… and I will be healed!”

As a famous saying goes, “It is easy to praise the Lord…
… But it is truly a challenge to receive praises from the Lord!”

When we have confidence in our love for God, we receive admiration from Him!

Through Prophet Isaiah, we are called to ascend the mountain of faith and to allow the Lord’s mountain to be established as the highest in the our life…
… to make sure that we give the highest priority to the Lord in everything we do

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord… come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!” (Cf. Isa 2:3,5)

Yes, we are made to realise that it’s not just enough to have a “belief at the lip-level”…
… but we need to translate them into good behaviour!

Indeed, when our strong belief in the Lord combines with our good behaviour…
… we experience God’s mighty interventions in life!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Making this Advent a time of true preparation with repentance, and with growth in holiness!”

(Based on Isa 2:1-5, Rom 13:11-14 and Mt 24:37-44 – First Sunday of Advent, Cycle A)

A story is narrated of a group of students who were taken around
different places in a village.

They came upon an orange orchard,
where an irrigation pump had broken down.

The climate was unusually dry and many of the trees were beginning to dry and die, for lack of water.

The man who was guiding the tour – himself a farmer – then took the students to his own orchard.

The students were surprised to see the green trees in this particular fruit garden.

To know the reason, one of the students enquired the guide: “How is it that trees in your orchard are so fresh and green; you are not even using irrigation!

Whereas, most of the trees in this vicinity are dying!”

“These trees could go without rain, even for another two weeks!” answered the guide…
… “You see, when these trees were young, I frequently and systematically, kept them away from water for some time.

This hardship, caused them to send their roots, deeper into the soil, in search of moisture.

Now my trees are the deepest-rooted trees in this area!

While others are being scorched by the sun…
… mine are finding moisture at great depth
And thus, they remain fresh and green!”

The early schooling in hardship…
… helped the trees to find strength in difficult times

And thus remained fresh and green!

Christian Life calls for a life of endurance in faith

It is this endurance that will help one to remain ever faithful, ever alert and ever ready in the service of the Lord.

The Gospel is a call to avoid all complacency and lethargy…
… and to be ever fresh and green in our faith, so as to be always ready for the Advent of the Lord!

We begin today – on this First Sunday of Advent – with a new Liturgical Year.

A Liturgical Year begins on the First Sunday of Advent and ends on the Solemnity of Christ the King.
For this Liturgical Year, the Lectionary Readings will be from Cycle A (Sundays) and Year II (Weekdays)

Each year is made up of six seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, the Sacred Paschal Triduum, Easter and Ordinary Time.

St Augustine teaches us that “the perfection of religion is to imitate the One Whom we adore!”

The Liturgical Year is a beautiful journey into the mysteries of Christ with emphasis on the fundamental truth that Jesus has redeemed us by His Passion, Death and Resurrection
… it is from this truth, that love flows – and in turn, we are empowered and encouraged to imitate Christ!

The Season of Advent is presented to the faithful as a time of waiting, conversion and of hope!

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church guides us, “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah…
… the faithful renew their ardent desire for His second coming. (Cf. CCC, #524)

We are reminded that Christ comes to us…
… in History – as we celebrate His Birth at Bethlehem
… in Mystery – as we celebrate His Presence in the Sacraments, prayer and our daily life
… in Majesty – as we prepare ourselves – in hope – for His Glorious Second Coming!

At the start of this new Liturgical Year and as we commence our preparation for Christmas, we are presented with (interestingly) a Gospel passage that speaks about the end of the world!

We are very strongly exhorted about the need to be ever ready and prepared for the coming of the Lord…
… and to avoid every tendency to be complacent and lethargic!

An impactful reminder given by Jesus is about the days of Noah:
“As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man… they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.” (Cf. Mt 24:37, 39)

While Noah was patiently building the ark and warning people of the impending judgment, they laughed, “It will never happen.”

Very similarly, we too live in an age where there is much casualness, lethargy and indifference concerning matters of spiritual life!

There is often a lot of disdain towards a life of holiness!

As Christians – as followers of Christ – we need to be alert, enthusiastic and enduring in our faith and pursuit of holiness.

Faithfulness, ought to become the hallmark of our lives!

Endurance in works of love, ought to become our lifestyle!

As we enter into this hallowed time of preparation for the Coming of Christ, let us be alert to live a life of endurance in faith…
… knowing that it is this endurance that will help us to remain ever faithful, ever alert and ever ready in the service of the Lord!

Let us take some practical decisions, that we can specially practise, in the coming four weeks of Advent…
… to revive our spiritual life
… to restore our relationships
… to revitalize our Catholic Faith
And thus prepare our hearts for a meaningful Christmas and to allow “the Word to take flesh in us!” (Cf. Jn 1:14)

Let these days of Advent truly become days of preparation – not just externally with decorations, sweets and festivities…
… but much more with repentance, and with growth in holiness!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Realise the areas of dissipation in our lives; seek for restoration, by rooting ourselves in the Lord!”

(Based on Dan 7:15-27 and Lk 21:34-36 – Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

Have you ever noticed how a brand-new phone behaves in the first few weeks?

Swift. Sharp. Smooth.
You touch it, and it responds instantly.

But after a few months, this experience changes.
Suddenly, the same phone looks tired.

Apps take longer to open…
The screen freezes at the worst moments…
The battery drains faster than your morning energy.

And we ask: “Why? I didn’t drop it. I didn’t damage it. What went wrong?”

Then the technician smiles and says,
“It’s not usually one big problem.

It’s the small, silent things that weakened it over time.”

And then he lists them…

Too many apps running quietly in the background…
…filling up memory, stealing processing power.”

Overcharging the phone…
… slowly heating the battery, reducing its long-term health.

Running the brightness at maximum all the time…
… faulty chargers…
… letting storage remain full, leaving no room for the system to breathe
… the bluetooth, the location services, both the mobile and WiFi networks being on at all times, increasing the load on the system.

And the technician ends by saying:
“None of these causes are dramatic.
None of them crash the phone in a day.

But together, slowly… silently… they dissipate the phone’s strength!”

Well…
… If a phone can lose power through tiny, unnoticed leaks,

Imagine what can happen to our spiritual lives…

When distractions run in the background of our prayer life
When hidden fears drain away energy from our hearts,
When unrepented sins quietly heat and damage our conscience
When small compromises in our daily choices increase the load on our wills

Suddenly we realise:
“I’m not as prayerful… not as focused… not as passionate as before.”

Not because we fell dramatically
But because we dissipated gradually.

“And that’s why Jesus cautions us today:
“But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation…” (Lk 21:34)

We are called to make amends, to revive and revitalise.

Dissipation is strong word which could have several parallel understandings…

With respect to morality:
Dissipation refers to an overindulgence in sensual pleasures.

With respect to behaviour:
Dissipation refers to a conduct that shows one is interested only in pleasure, money, etc.

With respect to economics:
Dissipation refers to an act of using all or a lot of money, time, etc., in a foolish way.

With respect to physics:
Dissipation refers to a physical process by which energy becomes not only unavailable but irrecoverable in any form.

Dissipation is a tendency…
… to squander away enthusiasm because of allowing monotony to creep into life.
… to lose vitality as a result of being indulged in continuous immoral behaviours
… to leak-out the energy and vigour in oneself, in small amounts and thus become lifeless
… to become disinterested and dispirited due to constant exposure to luxury and comforts

Dissipation is a terrible malady that has badly affected many people in the Bible…

The people during Noah’s time were dissipated with eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage…
… although God had sent out a warning of their destruction through Noah.

The citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah were dissipated with extremely immoral and corrupt practices…
… even though the people were given a forewarning of their possible.

The people of Israel were dissipated with frustration and dissatisfaction while travelling in the desert…
… and failed to understand the providential hand of God.

The disciples of Jesus were dissipated with sadness, shattering of hopes and brokenness after the death of Jesus…
… and failed to believe and trust in His great promises.

Let us examine our lives and check whether we too have fallen into a state of “dissipation”…

Maybe my prayer life is “dissipated” due to various distractions, excuses of lack of time, complaints of being tired or just simply a lack of interest…

Maybe my personal intimacy with God is “dissipated” since I don’t experience any joyful or experiential feelings or because some of my expectations of God are not met…

Maybe my relationships with people is “dissipated” due to some friction or misunderstanding or an indifference that has sneaked in without any particular reason.

Maybe my family/community life is “dissipated” because I feel disinterested or not so enthusiastic in going beyond some of my personal comforts or I feel lonely in not feeling accepted or loved.

In the book of Revelations, the Lord has this complaint, ” … I have this against you: you have lost the love you had at first.

Realize how far you have fallen. Repent and do the works you did at first” (Rev 2:4-5)

Dissipation begins when we live drifted…

Restoration begins when we live rooted!
In our daily busy lives, let us…
… pause for prayer and reset our priorities
… cut down the noise, and return to the Sacraments (esp Confession)
… allow the Lord to close the unnecessary ‘background apps’ draining your souls.

Let us seek to renew our initial fervour and zeal.

The Lord deserves not “dissipated” people, but “spirited” and “passionate” people!

Today we are concluding this Liturgical Year…
… and stepping into the New Liturgical Year – with ‘Year A’ Readings on Sundays and ‘Cycle 1’ for the Weekdays

This Liturgical Year has taken us through various phases in our life of faith…
… with the Readings constantly reminding us that, that “God’s Mercy is for all. You too, be so!”

Let us thank the Lord for this Liturgical Year – for all His Blessings, Graces, Protection…
… and as we start a New Year in our Liturgical Life – with the Season of Advent – let us surrender ourselves totally to the Providence of our Loving Lord, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother and St Joseph
… as we continually give heed to the words of our Lord, “And behold, I am coming soon!” (Rev 22:7)

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 Sixth Commandment – You shall not commit adultery – Male and Female He created them

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible.
This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial.
They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.
Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.

These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. (CCC # 2358)

“Remain Faithful, Trusting and Patient!”

(Based on Dan 7:2-14 and Lk 21:29-33 – Friday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

The story is told of a lone lighthouse keeper battered by one of the worst winter storms on the eastern coast of America.

Hour after hour, the winds slammed the tower… waves rose like angry mountains… and the cold cut like knives.

He was exhausted. Hungry. Half-frozen.
Every step up the lighthouse stairs felt like he was climbing a mountain with no summit.

But he had one rule written in his heart:
“Never let the light go out.”

So he dragged himself up those steps…
Refilled the oil…
Cleared the glass…
And kept the flame alive, even when the storm tried to swallow it whole.

When the storm finally broke, he discovered that two ships survived only because they saw his faint, flickering light through the blizzard.

When they asked how he managed to keep going, he said:

“The storm was stronger than me…
… but my duty was stronger than the storm.”

That’s the power of endurance!

The Gospel of the Day is an exhortation to being committed to the Christian Life of Endurance by trusting always in the Enduring Word of God!

“Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will endure forever” (Lk 21: 33)

Are we ready to rise to the challenge of this Christian Life of Endurance?

Words have immense power and potential.
They can cut
They can hurt
They can heal
They can build
They can make
They can break
They can crush
They can console
And God’s Word has ultimate control and infinite power.

God’s Promises through His words are forever.

This is clearly manifested when we travel through the pages of the Bible…

Abraham was called to a distant and unknown land.

He was promised descendants as many as the stars of the sky and the sand on the shore.
But nothing worthwhile seemed to be happening…
… God’s word seemed barren and infertile.

Yet, the enduring faith and the enduring trust of Abraham prevailed at the opportune time…
God’s Word came to fulfilment and great completion

Yes, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but His words will endure forever”

Moses was called to become the liberator of a nation.

He was promised complete guidance and absolute direction from God.
But often during the journey of liberation, Moses had to face the ire of the people.
… God’s word seemed empty and betraying.

Yet, the enduring conviction and the enduring confidence of Moses got him through…
God’s Word displayed great glory and a mighty witness.

Yes, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but His words will endure forever”

Job was blessed with immense comforts and vast riches.

He was however permitted to be tested by Satan and lost much of his security and wellbeing.
Hopelessness and wrenching despair seemed to be his best companion…
… God’s Word seemed to be abandoning and deserting him.

Yet, the enduring tenacity and the enduring perseverance of Job prevailed to the end…
God’s Word showered him with great and marvellous riches.

Yes, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but His words will endure forever”

What is my faith, trust and hope in God’s Word?

In moments of life-crushing events and soul-hurting situations…

Do I endure and trust in the enduring and eternal power of God’s Word?

In times when the asteroids of bad luck crash against the surface of my life…

Do I endure and remain firm in the enduring and everlasting strength of God’s Word?

In times when my family, community and my world gets reduced to total splinters…

Do I endure and be positive in the enduring and emphatic might of God’s Word?

The Lord has promised each one of us, immense blessings and graces through His Word.

At times…
… there are delays in the fulfilment of God’s Word, as in the case of Abraham
… there are frustrations in the following of God’s Word, as in the case of Moses
… there are misunderstandings in the listening of God’s Word, as in the case of Job

But the Lord invites us to remain Faithful, Trusting and Patient!

When life tries to shake the tower of your life…
… cling to the Light of His Word!

You are safe!
You will be an instrument of refuge to many!

Yes, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but His words will endure forever”

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 Sixth Commandment – You shall not commit adultery – Male and Female He created them

The sychological genesis of homosexuality remains largely unexplained.
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”
They are contrary to the natural law.
They close the sexual act to the gift of life. >> They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity.

Under no circumstances can they be approved. (CCC # 2357)