The winter of 1931…in the land of Poland.

>> It was the Convent of the Sisters of our Lady of Mercy.

Sister Faustina was having another apparition of Jesus…

And this was to be a very special day…

She saw Jesus dressed in a white garment.

He held one Hand raised in blessing and the other hand touched his garment at the heart-level.

>> From that point in his garment, two bright rays of light emanated – one red and the other pale.

Jesus then spoke to her, “The two rays denote Blood and Water.

>> The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous.

>> The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls.

These two rays issued forth, from the very depths of My tender mercy, when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross”

He then said to her, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You.

>> I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapter and then throughout the world.

I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.

I also promise victory over enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory”

These private revelations to Saint Faustina led to the spreading of the devotion of the Divine Mercy of Jesus.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy of Jesus – commemorating His deep love for us in His Passion, Death and Resurrection and celebrating His immense compassion and longing for each and every soul.

The Gospel of the Day is another Resurrection account of the Risen Lord to His Apostles..

Thomas was not with the group on the previous occasion that the Lord appeared to His chosen ones.

>> And so when the Lord makes His appearance, He specially calls out on Thomas, to experience and believe in His Risen Body:

“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving but believe” (Jn 20:27)

Jesus came to the world to “save and seek the lost” (Lk 19:10)

Thomas, the Apostle was lost…

… was lost in doubts over the reports and talks about the Resurrection of the Lord

… was lost within himself on whether he could trust the words of his companions, who often had wavered, even in the past, over many matters

… was lost in missing out a chance to encounter His Master, since he had stayed away from the community.

But the Good Shepherd now comes in search of this “lost” sheep..

And this sheep, submits to the mercy and compassion of the Shepherd…

“My Lord and my God” (Jn 20:28) were the confessing words of Thomas to Jesus, His Master.

>> The Lord displays His wonderful mercy to Thomas, the “lost” sheep, who was willing to be found.

>> The Lord manifests His compassionate mercy, to Thomas, His “chosen” one, who was ready to humble himself before the Lord.

This then is the great lesson that we can learn ….

The Lord is willing to be found, by those who seek Him

>> The Lord is waiting to be experienced, by those who want Him

>> The Lord is wanting to be encountered, by those who long for Him

The Mercy Sunday is a wonderful invitation to plunge ourselves in the ocean of the Lord’s mercy and compassion.

Thomas sought to touch the Lord… but the Lord Himself touched his heart!

>> We seek the Lord…

… but the Lord seeks much more to come into our lives.

>> We long for the Lord…

… but the Lord longs much more strongly for our souls.

>> We search for the Lord…

… but the Lord searches much more to embrace us in love.

This Feast of the Mercy Sunday also is a beautiful reminder and invitation to experience the Love and Mercy of the Lord, in the two Treasures that Holy Mother the Church constantly offers – the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The Image of the Divine Mercy primarily points out to two Sacraments…

>> The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous – The Sacrament of Baptism

>> The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls – The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

In the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist… the mercy of Lord waits on us…

… to receive Him more frequently

… to live Him more in our lives

… to honour Him more often

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the mercy of the Lord longs for us…

… to accept His offer of life and blessings

… to receive us back, with all our sins washed away

… to go back to His embrace of sanctity by living a holy life

The priests of the Lord are reminded, on this day, of this powerful duty and task that they need to faithfully ensure… towards the celebration of the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

>> These are the two powerful channels through which the mercy of the Lord flows and the priests alone are chosen and entrusted to handle these Sacraments of grace and mercy!

It’s indeed the greatest privilege…

… and the same time, the most sacred duty and function for a Priest.

Therefore…

>> Priests have a bounden task, to be always willing to administer these sacraments…

>> Priests have a bounden duty, to be always open to allow God’s mercy to flow through them

Let this Feast of the Mercy Sunday be a day to re-consecrate ourselves to the Mercy of the Lord.

… Let this Feast of the Mercy Sunday be a day to re-commit ourselves to showing mercy and compassion to all the people in our lives.

With love in our hearts, let us cry out, “My Lord and my God” and with hope in the mercies of God, let us sing, “Jesus, I trust in You!”

>> Let us seek to live as Missionaries of Mercy!

May our Blessed Mamma, the Compassionate Mother of Mercy, always intercede for us!

Happy Feast of the Mercy of God!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “My past no longer concerns me. It belongs to Divine Mercy.

>> My future does not yet concern me. It belongs to Divine Providence.

What concerns me and what challenges me is today, which belongs to God’s grace…

… and to the devotion of my heart and my good will.”

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One of the common kids’ stories that is known to many of us is that of Jesus, after His ascension, going back to the heavens.

There was a lot of excitement in heaven, in having Jesus back to the heavenly realms.

>> The many little angels gathered around the Lord and asked His experience of being on the earth.

Then one of the angel put forward this question to Jesus,

“Dear Lord, you have done such a lot of good on the earth. You have sown the seeds of the Kingdom in the hearts of so many people.

But I have a genuine doubt… To continue this your good work, you have appointed only 12 persons. And most of those 12 are not very skilled or very able-bodied.

>> How do you think, you mission will continue?

>> How do you think this miniscule number of personnel can continue to spread Your Word?

>> Do you have any backup plans, in case, they fail?”

The Lord looked at the angel, with a deep pensive look… then with a gentle and hopeful smile, He said,

“Yes, I know that they are only a few.

I know that they are not very talented or highly capable.

>> I even don’t have any other backup plan.

But there is one thing I know…

I will be with them…

>> And above all, I trust them!”

These words echoed in the heavens… “I will be with them… and above all, I trust them”!

The Lord indeed trusts in His chosen ones to continue His mission on the earth.

The Gospel of the Day recounts the mandate given to the Apostles by Jesus, the Master, to spread His Gospel to the entire nations: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” ( Mk 16:15)

We are on the last day of the Easter Octave – the eighth day.

Over the last seven days, we have meditated on the various Resurrection accounts from the various Gospel narratives.

>> The encounter of the Empty Tomb by the women and Peter and John (Jn 20:1-9)

>> The encounter by the women, of the Risen Lord on their way back from the tomb (Mt 28: 8-15)

>> The encounter by Mary of Magdalene with the Risen Lord calling her by name (Jn 20: 11-18)

>> The encounter of the two disciples with the Risen Lord at the breaking of bread (Lk 24: 13-35)

>> The encounter of the Apostles with the Risen Lord appearing in the closed room (Lk 24: 35-48)

>> The encounter of the Apostles with the Risen Lord by the Sea of Tiberias (Jn 21: 1-14)

Today, in the Gospel of St Mark, we have a sort of summary of the many Resurrection narratives, closing with the mission mandate of the Lord, to “go into all the world” and reach out the saving Word of the Lord.

In all these various Resurrection narratives that are mentioned in today’s Gospel…

… one common element is noticed: There is a mention of an unbelief or uncertainty of the disciples.

>> When Mary Magdalene had the appearance of the Lord and reported this to the disciples…

… “but when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it” (Mk 16:11)

>> When the two disciples on the way to Emmaus spoke of the Risen Lord’s appearance to them, “they did not believe them either” (Mk 16: 13)

But later the Lord appeared to the disciples themselves and “rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed…” (Mk 16: 14)

The disciples found it hard to accept and believe in the Resurrection of the Lord.

>> They had been rebuked often by the Lord, during His earthly ministry.

>> Now they are again chided for their lack of faith, even after His Resurrection.

Despite this less intensity in their belief, the Risen Lord entrusts them with His mission of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom.

>> Despite this little passion in their faith, the Risen Lord hands over to them His task of preaching the Word of God to all the nations.

> That’s the trust of the Lord in His disciples.

>> That’s the faith of the Lord in His chosen ones

It’s His conviction that “I will be with them… and above all, I trust them”!

Like the disciples, we too may and will have our moments of…

… variations in faith…

… slackening in trust…

… and slipping in hope!

In all this, let us be assured that the Lord who has entrusted His task to us, will continue to trust in us, and assures His presence with us.

We are weak… we are fragile…

>> The Lord knows these aspects in us, much better than we ourselves..

He knew all this, even of the Apostles.

>> Yet, He wholly trusted them.

And He wholly trusts us too….

Let us place our hands in the hands of the Lord… and take up His task of being the Proclaimers and Witnesses of His Resurrection to the world…

… always being assured that the Lord promises, “I will be with you… and above all, I trust You!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

——————————–

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Consider how needful it was that the kind Savior should go and visit His disciples.

>> Their faith, their hope, their charity were all wavering.

Our Savior came to strengthen them: “It is I, Myself, My dear disciples, see my hands and my feet, and the wound in my side.”

——————————–

Every person’s life consists of various strengths, talents, abilities and aptitudes.

>> These strengths and talents help a person to achieve triumphs in life.

>> These abilities and aptitudes push the person to climb up higher the ladder of success

However, it is said that “one’s greatest strength can also be the reason for one’s greatest fall!”

Sometimes strengths and abilities themselves can become….

… the reason for great depressions in life

… the gateway to a person to being tempted into false ways

… the entrance for a person to abandon one’s true calling and vocation of life

The Gospel of the Day is a strong picturisation of this aspect with the person of Peter, the prime Apostle of Jesus, in focus.

We are on the last chapter of the Gospel of St John – Chapter Twenty One.

>> The chapter describes another post-resurrectional account of the appearance of Jesus.

The disciples, have been greatly disturbed and devastated by the death of their Master, Jesus.

>> Perhaps, all their hopes were crashed…all their aspirations had sunk.

Then, Peter, perhaps filled with greater sorrow than others, makes an important statement, “I am going fishing” (Jn 21:3)

>> He would have been more sorrowful because the Lord had always accorded a special attention to him.

>> He would have been more tearful than others because he was the one who had primarily and publicly denied his Master.

And so he takes another lead… this time however, away from the Lord… “to go fishing”

In Mt 4:19, we read that Peter had received the glorious vocation of following the Lord…

” Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”

This was the vocation of Peter…. This was his calling…

… to follow Jesus closely and personally and intimately

… to be a fisher of people, for the Kingdom of God.

But when faced with the greatest crisis of his life, he sought comfort and refuge, in what was probably, humanly speaking, his greatest strength – fishing!

All through his life, Peter was probably living close to the sea.

>> He knew the depths and the breadth of the waters.

>> They gave him a great deal of energy.

>> They filled him with a fresh dose of enthusiasm.

Fishing was his great strength.

>> Fishing was his way of life.

>>> Fishing was his big asset.

However, at the call of the Lord, Peter had given up this “earthly” asset and strength to embark through “newer” waters of life with the “Great Fisherman of Galilee”

The Lord had given him a “higher” vocation…to become fishers of people.

>> But now Peter, dejected and depressed, “leaves” this Divine vocation and goes back to his earthly strength and livelihood – fishing.

His strength and ability of fishing had also become….

… the reason for great depressions in his spiritual life

… the gateway to being tempted into false ways, leaving the way of the Lord

… the entrance for him, to abandon his true calling and vocation of life of being fishers of people

“One’s greatest strength can also be the reason for one’s greatest fall”!

But once again, the Lord comes to the rescue…

He had called Peter, for the first time, by the Sea of Galilee… by a miraculous catch of fish (Lk 5: 1-11)

>> He now again calls Peter, by the Sea of Galilee.. by a miraculous catch of fish.

… calls him to renew his commitment and love for the Lord

… calls him to go back to his vocation and give up his life for him

… calls him to leave his “earthly strength” of fishing, and to depend totally on the Lord!

The danger that Peter faced in his life can be a danger for us too…

>> Our greatest strength can also be the reason for our greatest fall!

What is the greatest strength of our lives?

Money? Prestige? Talents? Abilities? Self-Confidence?

Sometimes we find, that the very talents and abilities…. by which we are able to do the works, of the Lord, may themselves, become great snares of temptations…

>> We, therefore, need to be on the watch always… be on the guard at all times!

Sure, that it is the Lord Himself who has blessed us with various talents.

>> But all our capabilities, needs to find its source, strength and continuity, in and by the Lord.

May we put to effect all the abilities that the good Lord has blessed us with, for His Kingdom…

… and may we always be focussed on our Crucified Lord and be single-minded in our love for the Lord.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

——————————–

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “ Forget all that is not of God and for God…

… and remain entirely at peace under the guidance of God

>> This is the height of virtue

——————————–

It is said that an encounter with a mystery can cause one of the two reactions …

1. A fervent fear leading to veneration and devotion

2. A nauseating aversion leading to hatred and abhorrence.

The encounter with a mystery is always something overwhelming:

>> It causes either a transformation for the good or a change to run away from the truth and reality.

Mysteries are indeed powerful and can be life-transforming!

The Gospel of the Day presents this powerful dimension of the Apostles encountering the Mystery of the Resurrection, in the person of Jesus Christ, the Lord, risen from the dead!

The Resurrection Day of the Lord was perhaps the most baffling, confusing and puzzling day in the lives of the Apostles…

Just a few days back, they had witnessed the horrifying and painful death of their Beloved Master.

In their weakness, and fearing for their life, they had abandoned their Master.

>> Yet, heart of heart, these disciples would have been tremendously affected, at the loss of the One who had brought new hopes and expectations to their lives.

But now, the strange and surprising reports of the tomb being empty and the Lord appearing to two on the way to Emmaus have confused the poor disciples.

It’s in this state of fear, confusion that Jesus comes in their midst and appears to them.

>> “But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost” ( Lk 24: 37)

The disciples were face to face with a Mystery – the mystery of Jesus Christ, Resurrected.

And every mystery can cause two reactions…

… a fervent fear leading to veneration and devotion

… or a nauseating aversion leading to hatred and abhorrence.

The disciples were initially filled with a lot of fear and were startled deeply.

>> But as they slowly were in the presence of the Great Mystery, their hearts began to be filled with joy and holiness…

We are also witnesses to the Great Mystery of the Resurrection

What is our reaction?

>> Are we filled with fear and fail to live a life of true witnessing?

… Or are we filled with the calm and serenity that the Risen Lord promises?

There is a need to make an honest examination of our lives…

>> The Mystery of the Risen Lord is about joy and happiness

Do I radiate this joy to others…

… or do others only come across angry faces, irritated behaviour and unpleasant conduct in me?

>> The Mystery of the Risen Lord is about trust and confidence

Do I display this faith and belief…

… especially when we face many problems and crisis in life, to stand firm in hope?

>> The Mystery of the Risen Lord is about call to a new way of life…

Do I be courageous to embrace this new way of life in the Risen Lord…

… and be willing to do away with my sinful habits and tendencies to fall away from God’s presence?

The Risen Lord is in our midst, as He was with the Apostles…

… Especially in His Most Holy Eucharist

… Especially in His Holy Word of God.

Let us not be afraid of this Mystery…

>> Let us not have an aversion towards it…

… rather, let us grow in love of the Mystery of the Risen Lord… and seek to live it, more fully and more meaningfully in our lives.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

——————————–

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “When our lute is out of tune, we need to neither break its string nor cast it aside

>> We must rather listen attentively till we ascertain where the fault lies…

… and thus make that particular string tighter or more slack according to the need!”

——————————–

It is said that an encounter with a mystery can cause one of the two reactions …

1. A fervent fear leading to veneration and devotion

2. A nauseating aversion leading to hatred and abhorrence.

The encounter with a mystery is always something overwhelming:

>> It causes either a transformation for the good or a change to run away from the truth and reality.

Mysteries are indeed powerful and can be life-transforming!

The Gospel of the Day presents this powerful dimension of the Apostles encountering the Mystery of the Resurrection, in the person of Jesus Christ, the Lord, risen from the dead!

The Resurrection Day of the Lord was perhaps the most baffling, confusing and puzzling day in the lives of the Apostles…

Just a few days back, they had witnessed the horrifying and painful death of their Beloved Master.

In their weakness, and fearing for their life, they had abandoned their Master.

>> Yet, heart of heart, these disciples would have been tremendously affected, at the loss of the One who had brought new hopes and expectations to their lives.

But now, the strange and surprising reports of the tomb being empty and the Lord appearing to two on the way to Emmaus have confused the poor disciples.

It’s in this state of fear, confusion that Jesus comes in their midst and appears to them.

>> “But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost” ( Lk 24: 37)

The disciples were face to face with a Mystery – the mystery of Jesus Christ, Resurrected.

And every mystery can cause two reactions…

… a fervent fear leading to veneration and devotion

… or a nauseating aversion leading to hatred and abhorrence.

The disciples were initially filled with a lot of fear and were startled deeply.

>> But as they slowly were in the presence of the Great Mystery, their hearts began to be filled with joy and holiness…

We are also witnesses to the Great Mystery of the Resurrection

What is our reaction?

>> Are we filled with fear and fail to live a life of true witnessing?

… Or are we filled with the calm and serenity that the Risen Lord promises?

There is a need to make an honest examination of our lives…

>> The Mystery of the Risen Lord is about joy and happiness

Do I radiate this joy to others…

… or do others only come across angry faces, irritated behaviour and unpleasant conduct in me?

>> The Mystery of the Risen Lord is about trust and confidence

Do I display this faith and belief…

… especially when we face many problems and crisis in life, to stand firm in hope?

>> The Mystery of the Risen Lord is about call to a new way of life…

Do I be courageous to embrace this new way of life in the Risen Lord…

… and be willing to do away with my sinful habits and tendencies to fall away from God’s presence?

The Risen Lord is in our midst, as He was with the Apostles…

… Especially in His Most Holy Eucharist

… Especially in His Holy Word of God.

Let us not be afraid of this Mystery…

>> Let us not have an aversion towards it…

… rather, let us grow in love of the Mystery of the Risen Lord… and seek to live it, more fully and more meaningfully in our lives.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

——————————–

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “When our lute is out of tune, we need to neither break its string nor cast it aside

>> We must rather listen attentively till we ascertain where the fault lies…

… and thus make that particular string tighter or more slack according to the need!”

——————————–

A commonly known incident is told of a customs officer, who observed a truck coming up to the border.

The wary behaviour of the driver caused the customs officer to look at him with suspicion – of smuggling some goods – and he ordered a search of the vehicle.

The officer was pretty sure, that the driver was involved in smuggling something…

>> But even after a thorough search – of the panels, the bumpers, the wheel cases and other parts of the truck….

… he was unsuccessful!

Not convinced, but due to lack of proof, the customs officer had to wave the driver through.

This happened many times over the years – week after week….

The officer made the driver to go through rigorous searches: full body search, X Rays, Sonar…

… but nothing illicit was ever found!

Finally, the day arrived when the customs officer was to retire.

For one last time, the officer observed the same driver coming in…

… and he asked him: “I know you are a smuggler!

And I also know, very cleverly, you have been deceiving me all these years, and taking some goods beyond this check point.

Today is my last day at work.

>> So I pray you, to tell me what have you been smuggling all these years.

I promise that I will not tell anyone about it.”

Seeing the insistent pleading of the customs officer, the driver replied, coolly:

“Trucks!”

The customs officer had made a detailed check up of the driver, on several occasions.

>> But he missed the most obvious good that could have been smuggled: Trucks!

How often can this happen in our lives as well…

… We “miss the most obvious”!

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful incident to “open our eyes” to see the obvious – the obvious reality of our Faith…

… and thus, to be convinced witnesses of this Good News of the Reality!

The post-Resurrectional narratives today presents before us the incident of our Risen Lord appearing to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk 24: 13-35).

One of the striking features that this passage presents before us is the human tendency (weakness!) to “miss the obvious!”

The two disciples, who are on the way to Emmaus, had been greatly struck by the incidents that had happened over the last one week in Jerusalem.

This therefore, resulted in them failing to “read the signs of symbols”…

>> Their Master, Jesus, in Whom they had placed all their hopes, had undergone a cruel death on the Cross (Lk 24:21).

… The CROSS, however, seemed, to them, purely as a sign of humiliation and shame!

>> This was followed by the report of some women who had seen the empty Tomb of the Lord (Lk 24:22)

… The EMPTY TOMB, however, seemed, to them, purely as a sign of dashed hopes and broken dreams

>> This confusion was confirmed by some of the other members of the group, but Him they had not met (Lk 24: 24)

… This ABSENCE of JESUS, however, seemed, to them, purely as a sign of a lost prospect and an uncertain future.

>> As they walked on the way, Jesus explained the Scriptures to them, to open their hearts to what was written about Him (Lk 24: 27)

… The SCRIPTURES, however, seemed, to them, purely as a sign of falling on deaf ears and God’s words being found empty.

>> As they reached the village, Jesus made movements as if to go on ahead (Lk 24: 28)

… The MOVEMENTS of JESUS, however, seemed, to them, purely a sign of a traveller wanting to move on with His journey

A number of symbols were presented to these disciples…

>> Cross, Empty Tomb, Absence of Jesus, Scriptures, Movements of Jesus

… but all of them seemed irrelevant and immaterial.

>> They failed to make an impact!

They MISSED THE OBVIOUS!

That’s when, our Blessed Lord would “open their eyes” by partaking in one of the most important post-resurrectional ‘Expression of His Presence’: The Breaking of Bread!

“He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then He broke the bread and gave it to them…

… then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him!” (Lk 24: 30-31)

The ‘Breaking of the Bread’ opened their eyes… and they began to “See the Obvious”

>> The Cross began to be seen as the Symbol of Victory!

>> The Empty Tomb began to be seen as the Symbol of God’s Almighty Power!

>> The Absence of Jesus began to be seen as the Symbol of His Presence amidst the community!

>> The Scriptures began to be seen as the Symbol of God’s Promises being fulfilled!

>> The Movements of Jesus began to be seen as the Symbol of the Lord alluring them to invite Him into their hearts and homes!

This incident invites us to also have our “eyes opened” and “see the obvious” in our Faith.

>> And this experience is deepened by our participation in the “Breaking of the Bread”.

The “Breaking of Bread” is the Holy Eucharist.

This incident of the “Breaking of Bread” contains the elements (Scripture, Prayer, Blessing, Breaking of bread) of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, as stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church…

… “Eucharistic celebration always includes: the proclamation of the Word of God; thanksgiving to God the Father for all his benefits, above all the gift of his Son; the consecration of bread and wine; and participation in the liturgical banquet by receiving the Lord’s body and blood.”

There are moments in our life, when we like the Disciples on the way to Emmaus, walk dejected and disillusioned.

… things seem lost for us and the future holds no good for us

… darkness seem to pervade our every thought

Like those Disciples, we too are given a lot of symbols of God’s Presence…

… but we fail to find meaning in them!

It is therefore the Breaking of the Bread – the Holy Eucharist – that can strengthen our Christian Life and “open our eyes”…

… to “see the obvious”!

May this powerful incident of the Emmaus Experience, help us to resolve and renew a few commitments with respect to the Holy Eucharist…

… to be more eager to participate for the Holy Mass as often as possible

… to never be late for Mass; instead to prepare well, and participate with more enthusiasm

… to seek to spend more time with the Eucharistic Lord and encourage others to do so as well

It is the Eucharist that can help us to know and realize that even in our “saddest walks of life”, the Lord is with us – walking with us, and giving us many signs and symbols of Faith…

>> And thus, to have our “eyes opened”…

… and “see the obvious” in our Life of Faith!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

——————————–

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “ A good way of staying in God’s Presence is, is we are and ever wish to be…

… entirely at His disposal!”

——————————–

A beautiful song that retells the story of receiving the “New Life” in Christ…

… is titled: “Let me start again!”

The wordings of the hymn go thus:

“Let me start again, Pick the pieces of my brokenness,

Fill the spaces in my emptiness, Let me start again!

Let me start with You Lord, Everything begins in You,

All my winnings and my loosings, all begin in You!”

This song beautifully captures the lives of many people who have discovered the “New Life” after an encounter with Christ.

The Gospel of the Day retells one such incident of “picking up the pieces of brokenness…

… and starting a new life again”

>> The Story of Mary Magdalene

We are still near the tomb of the Lord.

Mary Magdalene, the soul who loved the Lord so deeply, is still lingering around the tomb of the Lord.

>> She had experienced Divine Love in a great manner.

Her heart could not fully accept that the Lord who had transformed her life was no more

>> Her mind could take in the fact that the One whom she loved so deeply had gone away.

… and so she kept waiting.

True love always seeks…

>> True love always seeks to break boundaries, do away with hurdles and cast away any barriers

Finally, when she did encounter Him, her eyes were kept away from recognizing the Lord.

But the Lord did recognize her…

… not just her physical pains.. rather also her mental agony and her spiritual longing!

Our God is a God who…

… is specially close to His people in their moments of pain and suffering

… is particularly near to His people in their times of affliction and tribulations.

And so He asks her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (Jn 20:13)

>> Mary had been incessantly weeping over the loss of her Beloved

>> Mary had been continuously shedding tears for the Lover of her soul.

However… these tears were not in vain….

… these tears were not lost in futility..

Rather, the Lord was storing them up carefully in a vial… in a bottle… in a wineskin

“O Lord.. You have stored my tears in a bottle” (Ps 56:8)

>> And these tears of affection, love and fondness was rewarded by the Lord, by calling her by name, “Mary!” (Jn 20:16)

The sweetness of that voice, calling out her name, wiped away every tear!

>> Her tears were turned to smiles… her mourning to comfort… her brokenness to immense joy!

Today, we are reminded the same…

>> We may have many broken pieces in our life…

It could be due to many reasons…

… maybe some personal crisis in life…

… maybe some brokenness in the family…

… maybe some tragedy or calamity to our closed ones…

Yet, the One who loves us the most – the Lord – is close to us…

… giving us the strength…

… offering to us the healing…

… to “pick up the broken pieces of our life” and to “start again!”

Just like Mary Magdalene, who continued to be faithful and longing for the Lord, let us also be steadfast to our God, despite our tears and pains and sadness.

>> This faithfulness to Him will surely win the reward for us…

… the reward of our names being called out by the Lord!

And thus, let us always trust and hope in the Love of the Lord…

>> As the words of that beautiful song “Let me start again” says:

“Come let me rise to greet the morning,

Let me catch the dew a-falling

Let the tidings of a new day keep my courage strong.

Let the darkness of my night cease…

… yes, the passion and anxieties.

With You there to hold me Jesus,

I’ll sing a bold new song!”

Happy Easter to all of you!

God bless! Live Jesus!

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Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “The quality of our life depends…

… on the quality of our love!”

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A commonly-known humorous narration is told about how Jesus and satan were having an argument about Who was better on the computer.

They said to each other: “Let’s set up a test that will run for three hours and then let’s see who does the better job!”

So Jesus and satan sat down at the keyboards and typed away.

>>They did spreadsheets.

>> They wrote reports.

>> They sent faxes.

>> They sent e-mails

>> They downloaded.

>> They did every known job.

But ten minutes before their time was up…

… lightning suddenly flashed across the sky

… thunder rolled

… the rain poured

>> And, of course, the electricity went off.

Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.

>> Jesus just sighed and remained cool!

The electricity finally flickered back on and they restarted their computers.

Satan started searching his files frantically, screaming:

“It’s gone! It’s all gone!

>> I lost everything when the power went out!”

Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out, all of his files that He had worked on from the past three hours.

Satan observed this and became irate.

>> “Wait! You cheated, how did You do it?”

Jesus just shrugged and replied, “Don’t forget, I am Jesus!

>> The meaning of the name Jesus is: God Saves!”

Well… the three hours of the agonizing Death of Christ on the Cross, was seen as a sign of victory by Satan

>> The Kingdom of darkness had been conquered… so it was felt!

>> The world of misery had overcome all goodness… so it was felt!

But it was God who had the last laugh!

>> God raised Jesus from the dead, and Life and Salvation became the last words.

The Resurrection – Jesus’ rising from the dead – was the most spectacular joke that God had pulled on Satan.

It was a reminder that whatever happens in life…

… when one has entrusted everything to the Lord, then ultimately: God Saves!

Resurrection is a Feast with a call to celebrate and enjoy God’s magnificent victory over Satan and the powers of darkness.

The Gospel of the Day is the account of the encounter of Jesus with the women, who had come to the tomb of the Lord.

• At the desert, Satan had sought to make Jesus a fool, by tempting and luring Him through many temptations. (Mt 4: 1-10)

• During His life, the Lord encountered many occasions, when He was subject to being in humiliating, mocking and testing situations

• In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord once again faced a trying time in battling to embrace God’s Will totally and completely (Lk 22: 41-44)

• On the Cross, the soldiers and others who persecuted the Lord, mocked and challenged Him to come down from the Cross (Mk 15: 29-32)

At every stage of His Life, our Blessed Lord was put into situations of being the “butt of jokes” and the “laughingstock” and a target for many a trial, tribulations and mockeries.

>> The Crucifixion was meant to be the greatest of all such “agonizing” mockeries!

But…

… Divine Wisdom always finds a way out to triumph!

… Divine Providence always regains the way to victory!

This is the message of the Resurrection.

The women who saw the empty tomb and encountered the Lord, were filled with a holy fear, a tremendous joy and a deep devotion (Mt 28: 8-9)

>> Divine Wisdom always, has the final laugh in every trial and tribulation!

Are we ready to share in the happiness of this “joyful” act of the Lord?

Life may bite us sharply with ensnaring temptations and evil tendencies…

>> Life may make a fool of us with mounting tensions and troubles…

>> Life may put us down badly with uncertainties and doubts…

We may often, find ourselves mocked.

>> We may often, find ourselves ridiculed.

But in all such situations, let us dare to look to our Crucified Lord…

… who Himself underwent painful mocking and unfair scorning…

>> Yet, had the final laugh, through the Resurrection from the dead!

The Resurrection gives us…

… every reason to rejoice, even in the midst of deadly trials…

… every cause to be joyful, even in the midst of heavy tribulations…

May the Risen Lord be the reason for us to rejoice and be joyful, thanking Him for the greatest joke ever – the crushing of Satan by the power of the Holy Cross!

Yes, in all moments of our struggles…

… even when the lightening of problems hit our lives

… even when the electricity of encouragement goes off

>> Let us entrust all our works and deeds to the Safe Hands of Jesus…

… because “God always saves!”

Happy Easter to all of you!

>> “Let Hallelujah be the joyful song that we radiate in all our thoughts, words and deeds!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Consider that after a deluge of sorrow, of torments, and of anguish…

… Our Savior rose from the tomb by His own power

>> He came forth by His own might.

Behold your Dear Jesus more triumphant than ever…

… behold the sign of Jonah come to pass

>> Behold your Dear Jesus alive!

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

>> The Holy Week commemorating 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.

1. Tomorrow, 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?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. On THURSDAY, we celebrate the Maundy Thursday.

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

Three commands were expressed by the Lord…

1. The Command of Love

2. The Command of Commemorating the God of Love in the Holy Eucharist

3. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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

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

Let us realize that “The love which is not the fruit of the Passion, is feeble”.

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!