A little boy one day approached his father who he knew, was well versed with the terms used in the Bible, with a doubt.

“Daddy,” asked the boy, “what is the meaning of Cherubim and Seraphim. We hear it so often in the Bible.”

The father, appreciating the Biblical curiosity of his child, after some thoughtful moments answered:

“Cherubim is a word which means “knowledge”

>> The word Seraphim stands for “flame”

It is commonly understood that Cherubims are angels that excel in knowledge of God…

… and the Seraphims are those who excel in Love for God.

“Ah,” answered the boy, “In that case, I wish and hope, that when I die, I will be a Seraphim!

>> I would prefer more to love God, than to know everything!”

Do we also desire to Love God…?

… more?

The Gospel of the Day is the encounter of Jesus with His chosen Disciple Peter…

… who “knew Jesus” a lot

… but was yet to “love Jesus completely!”

The incident presents St Peter grappling with his weaknesses in expressing his love for his Master…

… and Jesus, knowing very well the frailties of his chosen one, entrusting great responsibilities on him.

Jesus in His post-resurrection appearances to the Apostles, engages in a special one-to-one conversation with the Peter, the leader of the chosen ones…

It’s interesting to see the choice of the Lord for Peter as the leader of His chosen ones.

Peter was a fisherman by profession…

· Like the waves, his faith and trust in the Lord would also often waver…

· Like the winds blowing heavily, his zeal for the Lord would also often vacillate…

Yet, the Lord chooses him to be a “fisher of man” for His Kingdom…. expecting him…

… to be like the fish – finding life and vibrancy only by being in the waters of grace and mercy

… to be like the net – gathering up the children of God and keeping them together

… to be like the boat – not being stuck on the shores, but ready to launch into the deep waters of evangelization

Peter had undoubtedly a lot of interest and zeal in the Lord… and in His Mission.

Yet by nature, he tended to be more emotional… indecisive…fluttering

And this caused him to deny the Lord three times, during the passion of the Lord..

But the Lord, in His infinite mercy, restores the brokenness in the relationship, with His healing love.

Our lives too, so often, resembles that of Peter.

· We fluctuate in our commitments to the Lord…

· We easily break many of the resolutions made to the Lord…

· We very often go astray, despite having experienced much love from the Lord…

Yet, Jesus does not abandon us.

· Like the Shepherd, who comes after His lost sheep…

· Like a Potter, who re-moulds His work when dis-shaped…

· Like a Physician, who attends with patience for His ailing patient…

The Lord comes to us…

And with much hope puts forward the same question, that He asked Peter:

“Do You love Me?”

The Lord awaits an answer…

It will be easy to jump in and say “Yes, Lord, I do love you”.

But…

· Let our answer, not just be triggered by emotional feelings…

· Let our answer, not be simply impelled by a ritualistic custom…

Rather, from the depth of our inner-being…

… acknowledging our sinfulness and failures…

… realizing our weaknesses and shortcomings…

And yet….

… trusting in the goodness of the Lord…

… hopeful in the mercy of the Lord…

Let us, tell the Lord…

… “Yes, Lord, I love you!!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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

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

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

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

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

The little boy knew the love of his Father towards him…

… and so he dared not hurt his Father.

·      He was not afraid of the punishment of the Father.

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

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

·      True Love casts away all fear!

·      True Love drives away every anxiety!

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

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

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

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

·      All His life, He sought to do only the Father’s Will

·      All His life, He sought to reveal the love of the Father to the world.

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

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

·      Jesus wishes to tell us that we have a Father who is deeply interested and caring for us.

·      Jesus wishes to convince us that our lives are secure in the Providential care of the Father.

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

·      Some of us may have a wrong notion of God being interested only in finding my wrongdoings and punishing me for the same…

·      Some of us may have the wrong notion of God being too holy and majestic that makes Him unapproachable, unavailable and inaccessible!

But Jesus seeks to drive away all such false impressions.

He tells us that the Father…

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

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

He tells us that the Father…

…. is surely the Lord and Master of the Universe, and is totally aware of even the calamities or hardships that befall our lives

But in all those hard moments, the loving Father keeps us safely in the palm of His hand, not allowing us, His beloved children to get hurt or harmed!

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

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

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

God Bless! Live Jesus!

The Question-Answer column of a particular youth magazine, once had a query as follows:

“I’m puzzled about life, and I wonder if you could help me?

Am I different from everyone else of my age?

> Or do they wear false masks as I do?

I go to parties and dances and act as if I were enjoying myself like everyone else I know.

> But I am not enjoying myself at all!

I always feel that there is something missing, and I don’t know what it is. . .

Behind the laughing and the fun I think I look at life just a bit more seriously than most I know.

> I see more in life than just having a good time.

Do you think this is wrong at twenty?

In a few years will I see things differently?

> Or should I take off the false face now, and act the way I feel?”

The expressions of this young man, faced with a dilemma in life, resonates with the thoughts of many people in the world…including perhaps, ours…

>> We get a feel that there is certainly “more” to life…

… than just the peripherals that I daily engross  myself in…

>> We get an impression that there certainly is something “higher” in life…

… than just being limited to the external comforts of life…

An answer to this vital dilemma of our life is given expression by the Lord in today’s Gospel: We live in the world, but we do not belong to the world!

Jesus prays to the Father: “I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them safe from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (Jn 17: 16)

The call of a Christian is to live as a people “set apart” for Christ.

The Lord wishes, desires, wants and makes it a must that the one who follows Him, must seek to follow Him fully, wholeheartedly and unreservedly.

>> But the Lord was also very much aware that this His desire for a people “totally set apart” would face a lot of challenges and crisis from the Evil One.

>> He knew that His followers would struggle much in living a pure life in the midst of many impurity, uncleanness and contamination.

>> He knew that His followers would find it hard to preserve holiness in the hub of wicked temptations, ensnaring enticements and luring persuasions

We often find ourselves lost in this strange maze of the world….

>> We immerse ourselves too much in worldly activities and works….

… But, somehow at the end of the day, when lying down on our beds, we, perhaps, feel ourselves lost and not having a true sense of satisfaction!

>> We plunge ourselves to enjoy a lot of worldly pleasures, comforts and luxuries…

… But, somehow, after having been sort of saturated with those externals, we, perhaps, find ourselves still unhappy or experiencing a void!

>> We engage ourselves in an excess use of the social media, networking sites, chatting applications and remain attached constantly to modern communication gadgets…

… But, somehow, though we are in contact with many people, we, perhaps, realize that there is a grave presence of loneliness and not having genuine relationships of love and true care!

And therefore, Jesus, the ever-practical, sensible and realistic Master…

… firstly, prays for His followers for strength and courage: “I pray for them…. Holy Father,  keep them in Your name… ” (Jn 17: 9a, 11b)

… secondly, reminds His followers on the need to set their hearts on Him because they belong not to the world: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (Jn 17: 16)

This then ought to be our strength and hope, as we seek to live a Holy Christian Life in this world, often corrupted by sin and transgressions.

1. Knowing that Jesus has, and is praying for us….

>> In His prayer, we can find hope and blessings

>> In His prayer, we can find encouragement and support.

2. Setting our heart entirely on the Lord and not being totally attached to the aspects of the world

>> In His Love, we find meaning in our relationships

>> In His Presence, we ought to engage all our activities

Light passes through pollution, but doesn’t get contaminated!

>> Every Christian, a reflection of the Light of Christ, ought to be such…

… focussed on the Lord, seeking to be pure and unsullied, in holiness and sanctity.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

The earthly life and ministry of Jesus is presented in the Bible mainly through the Four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

Of these, Mathew, Mark and Luke are termed as the Synoptic Gospels (synoptic meaning ‘same view’) because they have a common view.

The Gospel of John reflects a Christian tradition that is different from that of the other Gospel.

It differs significantly from the synoptic gospels in theme, content, time duration, order of events, and style.

One important distinction that is seen between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John is that, while some events are very clearly and narratively described in the Synoptics, the elements of the same are found in the Gospel of John, either figuratively or in more detail.

One such event is the Temptations.

• The temptations of Jesus find a clear mention in the three Synoptic Gospels as a one-time event.

• But the Gospel of John would present the same temptations, not as a one-time affair, but spread through the life and ministry of Jesus.

Another event we see is the Institution of the Holy Eucharist.

• The narrative of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist finds a specific mention in all the three Synoptic Gospels, at the time of the Last Supper

• The Gospel of John presents a very long teaching on the Holy Eucharist (Jn 6) and clearly presents the implications and consequences of being a Eucharist through the washing of the feet and His explicit commandment of love (Jn 12)

Another event or incident that finds a mention in two of the Synoptic Gospels is the Lord’s Prayer – the Our Father.

But it doesn’t appear as one-block of prayer in the Gospel of John.

However, the Gospel of John also presents a very extensive teaching and displays a method of prayer.

The Gospel of the Day is this beautiful expression of Jesus praying in the Gospel ofJohn and presents to us elements which need to become part of our own prayer life.

The Seventeenth Chapter of the Gospel of John is traditionally called as the High Priestly prayer of Jesus.

The Gospel passage of the day (Jn 17: 1-11) presents a few basics and essentials of prayer:

1. Jesus prays for the glory of the Divine

Every prayer ought to be an expression of praise, worship and exaltation of the Holy Name of God.

Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to Your Son, so that your Son may glorify You!” (Jn 17: 1)

The lips of the Lord moved in praise of His Father and seeking the glory that was due to Him.

• Is my prayer an expression of my desire to ‘lift up the name of the Lord on high?”

• Or does my prayer degenerate into merely asking for things and wanting to focus the attention on me, than the Divine?

2. Jesus prays for the gift of eternal life for His people

Every prayer ought to have its intention aimed towards eternity!

Jesus prayed, “.. just as You gave Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all You gave Him” (Jn 17: 2)

The purpose of the Lord was clearly focussed on eternal goodness and everlasting benefits.

• Is my prayer an articulation of my longing for heaven and centred towards seeking the higher-things of life?

• Or do I get limited in my prayer with merely earthly and transitory things of life; not that they are unimportant, but whether they snatch away our minds from the true needs and requirements of life?

3. Jesus prays with an expression of His intimacy with God and His People

Every prayer ought to be a manifestation of my unity with the Lord and the people to whom I am connected.

Jesus prayed, “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you and you gave them to me… ” (Jn 17: 6)

The prayer of the Lord showed that He was in intimacy with the Father and was in close union with the people in His life

• Is my prayer a sign of my close friendship with the Lord as well my close binding with the many people in my life?

• Or am I failing in my prayer due to a breakage of relation with the Lord due to sin, and suffering from disturbance of mind due to damaged and hateful links with the people in my life?

4. Jesus prays for the unity of the people and safety from the evil

Every prayer ought to make me closer to the Lord and His people and cause to me stay further away from the evil.

Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one” (Jn 17: 11b)

The heart of the Lord moved to seek to protect the people He loved and also grow in greater intimacy

• Is my prayer constantly drawing me to purge away sins from my life, so that I can remain in His name, and also make me assist His people in service?

• Or does my prayer life make no effect on me to stay away from the evil and fail to be expressed in loving actions of charity and help?

The Lord desires that just as He prayed, in close intimacy with His Father, we too may grow in our life of prayer and union with the Heavenly Father.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

There goes a legend in the early Church…

The pagans, once forced a holy person to drink a potion of poison, as part of persecutions against the faithful.

>> This holy person had been imprisoned.

He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed others who had been blinded by the potion.

When he left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them.

The holy person was St Mathias.

Today is the Feast of this Apostle, St Mathias.

>> He is the Apostle, chosen by lot, to go “into the place of the traitor Judas”.

The Acts of the Apostles describes:” that he may take his place in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell.” ( Acts 1:25)

St Mathias had one of the most unique privileges as well as one of the most awkward moments.

He had the unique privilege of being counted the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.

>> He had the unique awkward moment of taking the position left blank by Judas, the betrayer.

It is usually hard to fill up empty spaces of vacancies and opportunities.

>> And it indeed gets too hard to fill up the vacancy of being counted among the exclusive Twelve Apostles.

This task gets too complicated especially if the vacancy was created as a shameful result of “betrayal” and “treachery”

St Mathias had to fill in the gap left by the “traitor” Judas Iscariot.

>> Yet, Divine Providence had it that St Mathias should replace Judas, to be “counted as one among the Twelve”.

Life sometimes is such…

>> We are asked to take up tasks that may seem highly uncomfortable

>> We are invited to draw up duties which may seem highly insulting

Are we willing to accept them, seeing God’s providential hand in them?

>> Are we ready to undertake them, knowing God’s Will is at work in that?

St Matthias stands in the place of the traitor Judas

>>But not as another traitor…

… but as one who knows the treachery of human hearts and the need for Heavenly Grace.

The Feast of St Mathias is a reminder of this naked and frightening, yet remarkable and bold truth:

>> There is a possibility of being a traitor in all of us… like Judas

>> But there is also the glorious chance of being His faithful apostle…like St Mathias.

>> There are elements of betraying God, within each of us…

… like Judas

>> But there are also graces of being passionately committed to the Lord…

… like St Mathias.

May St Mathias intercede and inspire us…

… to be docile to accept God’s strange Will working in our lives

… to be bold to take up the challenge of filling up gaps caused by betrayal and uneasiness

… to be aware of God’s mighty Providence guiding every action of the Church and the world

Happy Feast of St Mathias, the Apostle

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A very poor family by the name of Carpenter, lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

The oldest boy was given education in the city, with the help of some family friends, who generously financed his studies when they realized he wanted to become a doctor.

The boy Carpenter, graduated with honors…

… but declined all job offers to practice medicine in the city.

He decided to go back to the mountains, where there were many sick people and few doctors.

For many years he ministered to the sick.

>> Some paid, most couldn’t.

>> He gave his very best and helped everyone he could.

In his old age he was in broken health himself and almost penniless.

>> Two small rooms above the town grocery store were his home and office.

At the foot of the creaky stairs leading up to his office was a sign with these words: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.”

One morning someone climbed those stairs to find their devoted doctor dead.

The entire community was plunged in grief.

>> They wanted to erect some kind of monument to him.

But they decided to simply write these words on a large tombstone: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.”

Today, on this Ascension Day, the Church proudly displays the placard of hope and salvation: “Dr Carpenter is upstairs!”

>> But unlike the doctor boy who died, Jesus –the Divine Doctor of our souls – is alive…

… and continues to heal people and bring salvation to all people!

Yes, “Jesus, the Dr Carpenter is upstairs!”

This is the day…

… in which Jesus ascended to the heavens, as a culmination of the glory of the Resurrection

… on which Jesus gave the mission mandate of preaching His Good News to the entire world.

In our proclamation of the Apostles’ Creed, we affirm:

“… He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty!”

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is a declaration of various pointers for our reflection…

1. The Ascension is an event that reminds the glory and majesty of the Lord, who is sovereign over all

The Lord ascended.

Elsewhere in the Bible, we have incidents of persons being taken up to heaven

• Enoch was taken up by God: “Then Enoch walked with God and he was no longer here, for God took him” (Gen 5:24)

• Elijah went up: “As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between Elisha and Elijah, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2Kgs 2: 11)

• Mother Mary was ‘assumed’ into heaven, body and soul (Dogma of the Assumption)

However, Christ ‘ascended’

>> It was His Power that made Him to ‘go up’ to the heavens.

This is a tremendous demonstration of His Divinity, His Glory and His Power!

2. The Ascension is an event which radiates hope to the suffering and optimism to the distressed

The interesting saga of Christ’s life, beginning with….

… His simple yet powerful event of His Birth…

… His ordinary yet impressive event of His ministry…

… His agonizing yet impactful event of His passion and death…

… His glorious and spectacularly amazing event of the Resurrection…

… finds its joyful and resplendent finale in His Ascension to the heavens.

This is a beautiful exhibition of how a life, lived in faith and commitment, even if it has to go through the barbed wires of pain, humiliation, suffering and uncertainty…

… has a splendid and magnificent ending!

3. The Ascension is an event that urges us in our commitment to be Missionaries for the Kingdom of God

The Lord’s concluding words to His apostles constituted a binding mandate…

… to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation

… to be an instrument of His power to cast out demons, to speak in new tongues, to endure poisons, to lay hands on sick and restore them to recovery.

This is a dutiful reminder of how the Lord trusts and has immense confidence in each one of us to be the proclaimers of His word.

• The Lord wishes to reign over in our hearts.

• He wishes to be the sovereign ruler of our lives.

May the Feast of the Ascension be a reminder for us to open our hearts to let the Lord to be in total command of our lives.

May…

a. The conviction in His love

b. The zeal to be His Missionaries and

c. The passion to make this world a holier place

… help and strengthen us, to be “doctors of healing and love” in our world of suffering and pain!

Yes, “Dr Carpenter is upstairs!”

Happy Feast of the Ascension!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A young man was to be sentenced to the prison for a serious offence.

>> The judge had known him from childhood, for he was well acquainted with his late father.

His father was a famous legal scholar and the author of an exhaustive study entitled, “The Law of Trusts.”

“Do you remember your father?” asked the magistrate.

“I remember him well, your honour,” came the reply.

Seeking to probe further, the judge said, “As you are about to be sentenced and as you think of your wonderful dad, what do you remember most clearly about him?”

There was a groaning pause.

Then the judge received an answer he had not expected.

“I remember when I went to him for advice.

He looked up at me from the book he was writing and said, ‘Run along, boy; I’m busy!’

When I went to him for companionship, he turned me away, saying “Run along, son; the writing of this book must be finished!’

Your honour, you remember him as a great lawyer.

But I remember him, only as a lost friend!”

The magistrate muttered to himself, “Alas! He finished the book, but lost the boy!”

The busyness of the father resulted in the boy failing to receive love, and thus ended up into bad ways of living.

• Every person longs for love…

• Every person longs to be cared for…

The father in this story, achieved great success in his worldly life, but failed miserably to love and care for his son.

However, in absolute contrast, we have our Heavenly Father, who is deeply in love with us, His children, and who never ceases to express His caring affection to us, at every moment.

Our Heavenly Father is also busy… but busy in loving His children, and expressing His constant care.

The Gospel of the Day is a testimony to Jesus affirming the assuring and loving presence of God, our Heavenly Father.

Jesus declares these beautiful words, which ought to be inscribed in golden shades, on the canvas of our hearts, “… the Father Himself loves you…” (Jn 16: 27a)

This is indeed one of the mightiest and loftiest truth that we all need to know, experience, be convinced of, and live constantly in its assurance…

… the truth that “The Father Himself loves us!”

Every person longs for love and longs to be cared for…

Human love, however, sometimes fails to answer to this basic and essential need.

• Sometimes people around us get too busy, to even care for us…

• Sometimes, people from whom we expect love, fail to understand our need…

• Sometimes, people who ought to care for us, fall short of their responsibility….

All this could leave a feeling a hurt within us.

All this could imprint a wound of sadness inside of us.

But in such moments of feeling lonely and desperation, especially, Jesus assures and promises us that we are not abandoned or left lonely…

Instead Jesus emphatically proclaims that just as He was loved by His Father, we too are loved by our Heavenly Father!

• It is confidence in this tremendous love of the Father…

… that will make us to seek whatever we wish in life, knowing that our prayers will be answered, in the way and the time, that He, My Father wishes! (Jn 16: 26)

His Love will make me delight in His Will, letting go of my personal desires!

• It is conviction in this unconditional love of the Father…

… that will make us to enjoy a deep sense of joy and bliss, knowing that in any situation of gloom or sadness or tension or worry, He, My Father, is taking me through! (Jn 16: 24)

His Love will make me want to do only His Will, setting aside my individual wantings!

Our Heavenly Father, our Abba is in deep love of each one of us…

The Crucifix is the proof of this “mad love” of the Father.

May we, with His grace, deepen our love and conviction in the Amazing Love of the Father.

• He is busy.. but busy expressing His tender love to us.

• He is busy writing… writing His letters of His precious love to us.

May we be privileged to hear:

“Wow!! He finished his/her life, and gained eternal life!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A Christian who was known for his deep faith in God was going through an extremely sorrowful time.

>> In the time of recession, he had lost his business

>> His beautiful house was made to be vacated

>> Adding to that, he also lost his precious wife to death

Yet, he steadfastly held on to his faith.

One day, while he was out, walking in search of employment, he stopped to observe some people who were doing stonework on a large church.

He observed that one of them was chiseling a very small triangular piece of rock.

“Where are you going to put that small triangular stone”, he asked curiously.

The watchman replied:

“Do you see that little groove, right atop the tower?

>> Well, I’m shaping this stone down here, so that it will fit in up there!”

Tears filled the man’s eyes, as he walked away hearing those words.

>> For God had spoken to him in his troubled situation of life, as he felt the Lord reminding him: “Well, I’m shaping the stone of your life, down here on earth, so that it will fit in up there in heaven!!”

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus declaring the reality of the presence of pain, suffering and sorrows in spiritual life, and yet those factors being pathways and passages to experience deep joy and bliss!

Not negating the actuality of the darker side of life, Jesus also mightily displays the large canvas of life which is enveloped in the light of happiness…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” (Jn 16: 20)

Jesus was making His Apostles aware of the realities of His passion and death.

> He had come into the world to die!

>> Death was the goal and fulfilment of His life.

To the delicate and fragile minds of the Apostles, the Lord gives a very practical analogy: the pains and the bliss of motherhood…

“When a woman is in labour, she is in anguish, because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world” (Jn 16: 21)

This analogy of the Lord sheds light and hope for our sufferings and pains in life too.

Mothers know the pain of giving birth to a child.

To others, this pain, though not experienced, can be vaguely understood as being a very painful experience.

>> The pain is too excruciating…

>> The pain causes to think that everything within is being pulled out, with a piercing pain…

>> The pain sometimes makes the person to even cry out ‘I wish this never happened to me’ ….

Jesus says that the hardships, sufferings and trials that we undergo in life are such.

But the moment, the child is delivered and the mother sees the innocent face of her tender babe, the whole scenario of emotions changes…

>> The excruciating pain is replaced by a thrilling excitement and exhilaration!

>> The nerve-wracking ache is replaced by a heavenly joy and happiness!

And Jesus, such will be our joy too, if we are also faithful and loyal to the Lord, in pains and sufferings!

This is indeed a higher spirituality… a higher level of holiness…

>> To cherish joy, even in the midst of pain

>> To radiate happiness, even in the thick of sorrows.

It is to this elevated floor of sanctity that the Lord invites us.

>> He is with us to hold our hands

>> He is wanting to embrace us in love, as He beckons us to come nearer to Him.

When life chisels the rock of our life with pain…

>> When problems chip away the bits of consolations in us…

… With hope, trust, faith and strength,

>> Let us be remind ourselves the assurance of the Lord: “Well, I’m shaping the stone of your life, down here on earth, so that it will fit in up there in heaven!!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A young man had joined a new parish.

After a couple of Sunday Masses, he went across to an elderly person, whom he had observed to be quite joyful and in good cheer.

The young man asked him: “I have been noticing over the last couple of weeks that you radiate a great sense of joy.

Is there any particular philosophy that you follow, which makes you always rejoice?”

To that, the elderly man, smiled and reaching out to his shirt pocket, handed the young man a small handwritten-card and said: “Have this for yourself, and you will never be sad!”

The young man, curious to know what it was, read the words on the card:

“Fret not – God Loves you! (John 13:1)

Faint not – God Holds you! (Psalm 139:10)

Fear not – God Keeps you! (Psalm 121:5)”

Fret Not, Faint Not, Fear Not!

>> These were three assuring phrases that the man had made the philosophy of his life

… and those words, kept him always joyful and in good cheer.

Life is very often “uncertain!”

>> Such uncertainties, often put us through tensions or anxiety or in an “uncomfortable” state of mind!

However, the Lord always assures us in such “uncertain” situations: “Fret Not, Faint Not, Fear Not!”

The Gospel of the Day presents the disciples undergoing “an experience of uncertainty”…

… and Jesus assuring them with hope and courage.

Jesus told His disciples, “A little while and you will see me no more; again a little while and you will see me” (Jn 16:16)

But these words of Jesus put the disciples into a state of dilemma

>> They failed to grasp the meaning of the words of Jesus and were confused!

They began to have a discussion on the phrase of Jesus – “a little while”

>> “What does he mean by ‘a little while'”? (Jn 16: 18)

>> How long was this “little while” going to be?

>> How does He define the phrase “a little while”?

If they knew exactly how long this “little while” would last…

…. then they would have been more courageous and patient

But now the disciples find themselves to be confused and in dilemma.

However, Jesus the Good Shepherd, knew the confusion of His little sheep

>> Jesus, the Master, knew the perplexity of His simple followers

But He doesn’t define the phrase “a little while”

>> He doesn’t say that it is a particular moment of time, that can be considered as a countdown!

>> He doesn’t refer to it as being an exact measure of time, to which one can count and gauge!

Instead, Jesus defines “a little while” in terms of an experience…

…an experience of weeping and lamenting turning into rejoicing

… an experience of sorrow turning into joy (Jn 16:20)

Is our life today in a state of crisis and confusion?

> Is our life today passing through waves of troubles and the deserts of anxiety?

>> Is our life today moving along the rough terrains of calamities and the valleys of brokenness?

Then the Lord assures us…

… “In a little while” and things will be fine!

… “In a little while” and the sunshine will appear again!

We might complain… How long is this “little while”!

>> We might argue…. this “little while” is being too agonizing!

But the Lord invites and challenges us to look to Him, telling us…

“I too have had my painful and agonizing moments… in My life and especially on the Cross

I too had My experience of feeling ‘how long is this little while going to last’…

But I stood firm and patient in trusting the Will of My Father…

… I held on the mighty Providence of my Father and knew that a bright morn awaited Me”

Yes, Jesus, through the Gospel wishes to encourage us and strengthen us…

… in sufferings, to love Him strongly!

… in hardships, to trust in Him deeper!

… in uncertainties, to depend on Him greater!

Surely, life will take us through many experiences of “uncertainties”

… We may tend to lose our patience!

… We may feel like giving up!

… We may want to quit!

But let us turn to the Lord for strength, grace and courage…

… and listen to Him whispering to us…

“Hold on my Child! I am with you….embracing you in my arms!

In Me, your weeping will be changed to rejoicing

In Me, your sorrow will be turned to joy!”

May the assurance of the Lord: “Fret Not, Faint Not, Fear Not”…

… be our hope and confidence!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A law-school professor was telling his class what to expect of the final examination.

“The question paper will be nearly 14 pages long” he explained, “ and it will take at least four hours to answer all the questions!”

Hearing that, the entire class groaned with murmuring.

As the class grumbled, the Professor added, with a tone of consolation:

“Don’t be worried.

>> In this tough exercise of the examination, all of you will be in the same boat!”

At this, one student, with a naughty grin spoke up:

“Yeah, Sir… We all will be in the same boat.

>> Just that, the name of the boat would be Titanic!!”

(Titanic was the name of the boat that had a tragic end – sinking into the ocean after a crash with an iceberg and leading to the death of nearly 1500 people in the year 1912)

This little humorous incident (without being too critical or analytical), when looked from a global spiritual perspective, points out a grand and complex reality:

There are many examinations in life, which tends to drown our life!

To some questions of life, answers will be found.

>> But to many, there will be a mysterious silence.

Humanity does not have an answer to all questions in life.

Yet, life encourages us to walk ahead, with trust and hope.

As Christians, this trust and hope finds a greater meaning and strength, because we have the assurance and promise of the Lord that He is with us, and the Answers to the Examinations of Life will be revealed to us…

… in and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of the Day is this assurance of Jesus that even though many things are not understood in life, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us, in time and as needed, the mysteries of life and of our faith.

The Lord had been with the disciples for quite some time and had instructed them on many teachings.

>> Even at the final discourse, in the context of the Last Supper, Jesus teaches His chosen ones many things.

Yet, He still has many more things to tell and teach.

But like a loving parent, who knows the grasping power of the child….

>> Like an understanding teacher, who realises the comprehending capability of the student…

Jesus knows, that the disciples would not be able to understand still further His teachings.

And so He says, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (Jn 16:12)

But He does not leave the Disciples in this state of hanging in mid-air…

• He assures them of the Might Power that will follow His going away from the disciples.

• He promises them that the Holy Spirit will descend on them and they would realise, gradually, the power and depth of His teachings!

“But when He comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you to all truth” (Jn 16: 13)

Our lives too remains a blank question-paper, with questions hurled at us, and answers found wanting!

Situations and circumstances put forward many uneasy, awkward and even unanswerable questions to us.

>> We look for answers.

>> We seek for solutions.

Sometimes we get.

>> But many times, we fail to obtain.

It may lead us to desperation.

It may even lead us to anxiety.

But the Lord assures us…

… that He has the answer to every question in the world

… that He has the solution to every problem of our life.

But not all will be told to us, or revealed to us, at once.

They will be conveyed to us, at the appropriate time, in the appropriate situation.

From our part, what is simply needed is…

… an openness to His Spirit

… a trust in His Divine Providence

… a constant seeking to know His Will

The underlying principle for this simple, yet, seemingly hard to practise philosophy of life, is the fact that “God Loves Us” immeasurably, and that every moment of our life, is taken care by Him.

• His glory fills the heavens and the earth.

• His knowledge permeates in every event of life.

Life will constantly place before us “tough exams”

>> We may sometimes complain and grumble

In frustration, we may sometimes even feel that “lives may turn out to be like the Titanic!”

But let’s not lose hope…

>> May we rather, seek to grow in this faith and trust in the Lord.

God Bless! Live Jesus!