In the centre of London stands an iconic building – St Paul’s Cathedral.
This majestic structure is built in the shape of a cross…

… with a large dome crowning the intersection of its arms. 

>> At 111.3 metres high, it is one of the largest cathedral domes in the world.

Climbing up 259 steps inside the dome, one reaches the “Whispering Gallery”.
The speciality of this gallery is:

>>When one stands on one side of the circular gallery, and whispers…

… these soft tones of sound can be heard, on the other side – even 30 metres away.
The sound bounces back many times on the smooth walls of the dome…

… and the whisper can be heard even at a far distance.

What is said, even in the lowest of tones, can be heard, on the opposite side of the dome. 

In the spiritual realm, the entire space is like this “whispering gallery”…

… even the lowest of tones, are heard by our Loving God.
>> No matter how low we whisper, He hears!

>> No matter how silent be our prayer, He hears!

Are we able to have such a trust and confidence in our prayer life? 
 

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful initiation by Jesus to help us to know, grow and deepen our understanding of God as being a Loving and Caring Father…

… as the One Who listens to our every prayer – including the ones whispered in the lowest of tones!

  

Today’s Gospel passage begins with Jesus issuing a warning on the danger of making prayer a mere “lip-service”

>> “In praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do….” (Mt 6:7)

 
 

What was Jesus meaning by the clause “heaping up empty phrases as the Gentiles…”?

 

One of the notable Gentile groups at the time of Jesus, were the Romans, under whose occupation the Jews were living.

 

It’s noteworthy to see some of the aspects of the ancient pagan Roman prayer:

1. All sacrifices and offerings required an accompanying prayer to be effective.

>> It was declared that “a sacrifice without prayer was thought to be useless and not a proper consultation of the gods.”

 

2. Prayer – the spoken word was considered the single most potent religious action.

>> And knowledge of the correct verbal formulas were the key to efficacy.

 

3. An accurate naming was vital for tapping into the desired powers of the deity invoked.

>> Hence public religious ritual had to be enacted by specialists and professionals faultlessly…

… even a small a mistake would require that the action, or even the entire festival, be repeated all over!

 

( A historian named Livy reports of an occasion when the presiding magistrate at the Latin festival forgot to include the “Roman people” among the list of beneficiaries in his prayer…

… the festival had to be started all over!)

 

The Greek word used for “empty phrases” is “battalagesete”.

>> It means to stammer, babble, talk gibberish, or to repeat the same things over and over mindlessly!

 

 

With this in background, Jesus emphatically declares that prayer is not about “heaping empty phrases”.

 

 

In this context, it also good to provide the Catholic understanding and logic of some of the prayers, which are perhaps considered as repetitive (eg: The Rosary, Novenas, Litanies.. etc)

 

 

Are all these standard prayers mere “heaping up of empty phrases…?”

 

>> No!

 

The Bible teaches us many examples of repetitive prayers…

>> The angels continually – day and night – sing “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev 4:8)

>> Psalm 136 repeats the words “for his steadfast love endures forever” nearly 26 times in 26 verses!

>>Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane prayed in the “same words” three times (Mk 14: 32-39)

>> Jesus, in fact, also commends the fact of continually praying, through the example of the widow and the unjust judge (Lk 18: 1-14)

 
Thus, it is seen that the Bible has many examples of repetitive prayer.

>> Therefore, the repetitive Catholic Prayers like the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Novenas, Litanies etc… are scripturally well-supported

 

>> When prayed with honesty and devotion, they become means to allow the heart…

… to praise God and understand His mighty works

… to grow in His love and come to a deeper awareness of His Providence

… and pray with Mother Mary and the Saints and intercede to them for our intentions

 

 

>> Prayer is not rattling off a few external words and feel satisfied in having done that…

… It is opening up, in dependence, the interiority of our hearts, to the One Who knows all!

 

>> Prayer is not going through a series of stipulated and organised system of words…

… It is allowing the heart to “mean what is said”, and to cause the lips express what the heart feels!

 

 

It is to this effect that Jesus says “Your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him” (Mt 6:8)…

… and teaches us the beautiful prayer – “The Our Father”!

 

Jesus presents the beautiful understanding of God being a Loving and Caring Father…

… The Father, in heaven, Whose Name we acknowledge to be most Holy and Worthy

… The Father, Whose Kingdom becomes the target to Which we ought to aspire

… The Father, Whose Will is to become the compass and blueprint of our life

… The Father, Whose providence nourishes us with daily bread for our sustenance and well-being

… The Father, Who extends His Immense Mercy to us, which we receive only if we forgive in turn

… The Father, Who strengthens us in our moments of trials and temptations

… The Father, Who rescues us from all evil by tenderly holding us in the palm of His Hand

 

 

Yes, Jesus wants us to understand and experience God as a Loving and Tender Father.

 
May we realize that in the spiritual realm, the entire space is like a “whispering gallery”…

… and even the lowest of tones, are heard by our Loving God.
>> No matter how low we whisper, He hears!

>> No matter how silent be our prayer, He hears!

Let this be our trust and confidence in our prayer life…

… and thus throw ourselves, into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father!

 God Bless! Live Jesus

Children studying in school have to time and again undergo a particular experience: The experience of facing their parents with the report card of their examinations, to get it signed.

 
The report card has a particular column, which requires the parent or the guardian of the child, to assess the marks card and then put in the signature of approval.

 

 

It’s interesting to note the varied experience of children before getting the report signed….

 

Those children who have done well and are confident of having performed up to the expectation of the parent, stay fearless and secure.

>> They remain cheerful, joyous and unafraid!

 

Those children who are not sure, what would be the reaction of the parents, undergo a tremendous level of anxiety and nervousness

>> They remain apprehensive, tense and uneasy!

 

Those children who know that they have performed extremely badly and are guilty of having let down the expectations of their parents, experience higher levels of guilt and misery and some even casualness or indifference!

>> They remain distressed, listless and remorseful.

 

This experience for the children is similar to a “trial of judgement”

 

 

The Gospel of the Day presents the scene of the Last Judgment…

 

And probably, before the throne of Judgement, the people of the world would also be going similar feelings as that of the children waiting with the report card – feelings of cheerfulness or apprehensiveness or remorsefulness etc..

 

The passage presents the Son of Man seated in His majestic and awesome glory and all the nations awaiting His judgement. (Mt 25: 31-32)

 

 

The sheep, placed on the right side, are the chosen ones to enjoy the bliss of the Kingdom.

>> The goats, placed on the left side, are the condemned ones to suffer the fire of punishment.

 

 

One of the important aspects to be observed in this passage of the scene of the Last Judgement is the manner in which the Lord looks at human actions…

 

The Bible says, “Humans look on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7)

 

 

One of the common question that both the groups, the sheep as well the goats, posed was: “When did we know…”

 

 

The sheep were taken by surprise, at the occasions which the Lord found them doing good…

>> They remained unaware of those situations, though they did the good in God’s sight.

>> They remained unaware of those occasions, though they did the needful in God’s sight.

 

 

The goats are taken by surprise, at the occasions, which the Lord found them missing to do good…

>> They remained unaware of those situations, where they failed to do the good in God’s sight.

>> They remained unaware of those occasions, where they missed to do the needful in God’s sight.

 

 

> We may not realise the occasions of doing good…

>> We may not realise the occasions of having missed doing good…

We may externally engage in many good works, but it may fail to find approval in the Lord’s sight.

 

 

>> This calls for cultivation of an inner disposition to do good.

>> This calls for building of an inner character to be charitable.

 

Ø From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks…

Ø From the abundance of goodness within, good actions flow…

Ø From the abundance of kindness within, kind conduct emerges…

Ø From the abundance of love within, charitable behaviours proceed…

 
Let this season of Lent be an occasion to grow in cultivating love deep within.

>> Let this season of Lent be a time of forming a character of goodness and kindness.

 

 

The Day of Judgement is certainly to be a glorious one…

 

If we fail to build up a character of goodness and charity, we may go through feelings of anxiety or fear or even dread!

 

But trusting in the mercy and compassion of the Lord, let us, as the little children of our Heavenly Father, be hopeful and confident!

 
Let’s prepare ourselves well, to be optimistic in getting the Report Card of our Life, signed with approval, by our Heavenly Father!

 

 

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Once, the trees of the forest formed an association in order to rebel against the ‘axe’, which had caused much harm to all of their folk.

The trees – The redwood, the teak, the cedar, the oak, the cypress, the Sequoias, the banyan and many others – convoked a meeting…

… and decided that none of them would allow the axe to have wood for its helve (= handle of the axe).
But the axe attended the meeting… 

… and pleaded to speak just for a couple of minutes.
The request was granted and the axe spoke:

“I can very well understand the difficulties that all of you have faced, as a result of my nature.

>> And I will definitely not stand in the way of your decision.
But I just have this one suggestion:

” Each of you – be it the redwood or teak or cypress or banyan or any other…

… You look so majestic and splendorous.

>> People look at you, and raise their minds to the Creator for such marvellous creations.
Will you want your beauty and brilliance to be blocked by the small bushes and trivial creepers that grow in front of you and around you?
So just allow me, to be given some wood only for this purpose…

… that I may cut down those irritating and disturbing plants and creepers

>> And thus your grandeur can be beheld without any block!”
This proposal seemed very viable and practical for those majestic trees…

… and thus beguiled… 

>> They allowed to give wood to the “axe” – for the ‘good and harmless’ proposal.  

Do we need to continue to hear the story further?
Well, you guessed it right…

>> The moment the axe was furnished with wood for its handle…

… it chopped down all the trees – sparing none!
Thus the wisdom of the ages comes to highlight: “Watch for the beginnings of evil…”
St Francis de Sales says: 

” We must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation…

… for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold, when he knocks.”

The Gospel of the Day, on this first Sunday of Lent, is an account, from the Gospel of St Mathew, of 

how Jesus resisted temptations and emerged victorious by the power of the Spirit, to proclaim the Gospel of God!

 

The Gospel passage begins with the verse: 

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” (Mt 4: 1)

 
>> In Jesus, we encounter a God…

… Who has a very human face – sharing in sufferings, partaking in miseries and participating in hardships.

… Who understands us, in our weak moments, consoles us in our painful situations and who empathizes with us in our trials and temptations.

 

Jesus knows what it is like to struggle with temptations and enticements…

>> Because He Himself was tempted!

 

Jesus knows what it is like to ward off the beasts of our vices and evil tendencies…

>> Because He Himself was among wild beasts!

 
Yet, in all His trials, He emerged victorious and triumphant!

 
The reason?

>> He had a tremendous infilling of the Holy Spirit!

>> He had a unshaken determination to be focused on doing God’s Will!

>> He had a indomitable resolve of being faithful and true to His mission and commitment!

 

And these reasons of Jesus, are also the techniques for us to overcome the allures of temptations….

> Can I grow continually in the infilling of the Holy Spirit?

> Can I learn, despite any hardships, to constantly seek and do only God’s Will?

> Can I cultivate the steadfastness to be singly focussed on the mission of His Kingdom?

 
We live in a world which is often, like a wilderness…

… dry in spiritual fervour… heated up with material desires…arid in religious enthusiasm

 

We live in a world where there are often, many wild beasts…

… ferociously corrupt and unhealthy practices…menacingly abusive evil lifestyles

 

 

We need to resist the temptations arising from such situations and stand firm in our focus and commitment to the Lord and His Kingdom.

The account of the ‘First Sin’ in Genesis 3:1-7 clearly gives us the pattern that is followed in every temptation to sin:

1. A sin is proposed

2. The person is either pleased or displeased with the proposal

3. The person either consents or refuses

 
We see the same pattern being followed in all the three temptations of Jesus (Mt 4:3-10)

>> And we have the same pattern followed in all our temptations as well – whether we are aware or not.

Our Blessed Lord in His beautiful prayer “The Our Father” taught us the remedy to resist temptation…

“and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..”
Yes, the easiest recourse to overcome temptation is: “To Pray”

St Francis de Sales says:

“As soon as you feel yourself tempted, follow what little children would do when they see a wolf or a bear…

… they run at once to their parent’s arms or atleast call out to them for help and assistance”

It is a deeper and purposeful focus on Jesus Crucified that would come to our aid in our moments of temptations. 

We also need to, especially, in our ‘smaller’ temptations, which like bees and flies may constantly seek to disturb…

… make sure that we don’t fall into anxiety or worry

… and instead, perform the contrary virtues 

(eg: 

>> For vain-glory thoughts, think of the triviality of this earthly life

>> For anger, perform deeds of charity and forgiveness

>> For pride, do acts of humility

>> For lust, dwell on the purity of the Lord)

 The Lord today exhorts us to not get caught up in the snares of temptation…instead be victorious and triumphant by the Grace and Power of Him – our Saviour, Model and Master!

 

 
Let us not allow any “wood” to be given to the “axe” of sin…

… and thus prevent any eventuality of we “being chopped ” of our life in the Lord!
 
God Bless! Live Jesus!

A young man was browsing through a huge library.
As he was admiring the various titles of the publications, he came across a small pamphlet on which were written the following words:

“I am responsible. 
I am responsible for a number of haunting experiences in the world…

… pillows being wet by sobs

… noble hearts broken in the silence of a dark corner

… cruel misunderstandings that make life look dark and dirty

… gentle and sensitive natures, seared and smeared with stains

… old-time friends splitting apart and turning their backs on one another

… and many many more!

Use me, therefore, responsibly…

… Else, I would continue to be responsible for many such ignominies!
Yes, I am responsible!

Wanna know my name?
I am the Tongue!

>> And all these my works are called: The Crimes of the tongue!”

Yes, the “crimes of the tongue” are a major source of a number of haunting experiences in the world. 

>> Are we also promoters of such “crimes of the tongue”?
 

The Gospel of the Day is an account of Jesus, the Great Physician of Galilee, in His rounds of healing sick patients…

… and encountering some critical persons who reveal a dark side of human life by their “slanderous and harsh” tongues and committing the “crimes of the tongue!”

 

Levi, the tax-collector heeds the call of the Lord “to follow Him” ( Lk 5:27)

 

In his great happiness of being accepted and the joy of following his new-found love, Levi hosts a grand party.

>> This feast is a wonderful time of sharing for various other tax collectors as well.

 
But this time of joy and happiness, becomes an occasion for some people to “wag their tongues” in negative talks and remarks!

 
As the saying goes…where two or three are gathered with a vicious and malicious mind, there is the assassination of the character of few people!

 
The Pharisees and their scribes, seeing Jesus sharing the joyful companionship of the tax collectors, began to murmur and grumble: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Lk 5: 30)

 
Jesus clarifies His mission of coming to the world to heal the sick and to cure the ill. (Lk 5:31)

 

He is the Great Physician of Galilee.

 

This Great Physician, clearly examines the “tongues” of the Pharisees and the Scribes and identifies their sickness…

Ø Their tongues spoke ill of people who were being saved.

Ø Their tongues criticized the people who were given a redeeming status in the society.

Ø Their tongues lashed at out the Lord who came to bring acceptance and love to the outcast.

 

The words that their tongues uttered …

… revealed the low-state of their life.

… revealed the negativity that was widespread in their life.

 
The Great Physician today wishes to examine our own tongues: our words and our speech.

>> Are we also persons whose tongues lash out in harsh criticism and rash judgements?

>> Are we also persons whose tongues hit out in negative comments and unkind criticism?

 

The Great Physician is here to heal us…

>> Our tongues easily reveal our sicknesses to Him.
 

St Francis de Sales, mentions about this aspect, in his book, ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’…

“Doctors get a good knowledge of the health or the illness of a man by examining his tongue.

Our words are signs of the qualities of our souls”

 

The state of the tongue reveals the state of the health of the person.

>> The condition of the tongue gives an indication of the well-being or illness in a person.

 

Similarly, the words, which the tongue speaks, reveal the state of our inner life.

>> Our speech, which the tongue utters, reveal the condition of our spiritual life.

 

 

This time of the Lent is a great opportunity for us, to improve in this area of our life.

 

The Great Physician has His prescriptions ready….

Ø His Holy Word, which can sweeten our tongues with patience and charity.

Ø His Holy Eucharist, which can cleanse our tongues in sanctity and holiness.

 
May we use the tongue, responsibly…

… else, it would continue to be responsible for many ignominies of life!

Let us be healed and cleansed by the Divine Touch of the Great Physician…

… and avoid all “Crimes of the tongue!”

God bless! Live Jesus!

Two wives were sharing their experiences about their husbands.
The first wife shared:

“My husband is a very good man. But the only trouble is he does not understand my weaknesses.
He comes home every evening and bombards me with a barrage of questions: 

>> ‘Did you do what I told you?’

>> ‘Did you waste any time today?’

>> ‘Did you complete all the works on your to-do-list?’
He always demands. He always expects.

>> As much as I try, I cannot satisfy him.
The worst thing is, he is always right!
I cannot meet his expectation, because I am not able to!”

The second wife shared:

“My husband is a very good man. And the advantage is, he understands my weaknesses.
He comes home very evening and engages in dialogue-questions with me: 

>> ‘Hope you had a good day today’

>> ‘I wish that you got some rest today’

>> ‘I hope you did not strain yourself much, completing all the works’

He always understands. He always encourages.

>> As much as I put in the effort, he appreciates me.
The best thing is, he is always right!
I can meet his expectation, because he makes me able!”

Do we want to know the name of the two husbands?

>> The First: Mr Rigid!

>> The Second: Mr Compassionate!

What about us?
How are we in our Christian lives?

>> Mr Rigid?

OR

>> Mr Compassion?

 

The Gospel of the Day presents this contrasting attitude of human tendencies in the Person of Jesus and the Pharisees…

… over the stagnant practise of an important devotion: Fasting!

 

The disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus with an important query:”Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?” (Lk 9:14)

 
The Mosaic Law commanded only one day of fasting – the day of Atonement.

 

The Book of Leviticus prescribes this fast: “On the tenth day of the seventh month…you are to enter into a solemn fast and refrain from all work, because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. In the presence of God you will be made clean of all your sins. It is a Sabbath of all Sabbaths. You must fast. It is a perpetual ordinance” (Lev 16:29-31)

 

But it is to be noted that the Pharisees and apparently, the disciples of John had also adopted another tradition: that of fasting two days a week.

>> This was considered to be a very pious and pride action among this group.

 
In Luke 18:12, we find the Pharisee who boasts of fasting twice a week, as he makes his prayer, in contempt of the tax collector.

 

It is to this fasting, that the disciples of John refer to, when they counter Jesus with the question: “Why don’t your disciples fast?”

 
But Jesus opens their eyes to see the rigidity in their thought and practice.

 >> The practice of fasting was…

… for atonement of one’s sins.

… a time of mourning in seeking for the restoration of Israel.

… a period of waiting for the Messiah who would redeem their nation.

 
But somehow all these basic aspects of fasting were forgotten and apparently, lost.

>> Their practise of fasting had grown stagnant.

>> Their mindset in skipping meals had become sluggish.

>> They failed to realise the reason and meaning for their fasting.

 
The Lord declares Himself as the Bridegroom, who has come to restore the glory of Israel. (Mt 9:15)

>> The time of mourning is over.

>> The period of fasting is no longer.

It’s time to rejoice with Him, who is the Bridegroom and Saviour – Jesus!

 
Yes, when one loses sight of the original purpose, the actions become mere lifeless customs.

>> When one fails to know the actual motive, the conduct becomes a mere obsolete ritual.

 
A custom, devoid of its purpose and real intention is dead and decayed.

>> A tradition, conducted without the true motivation is irrelevant and trivial.

>> A ritual, performed without knowledge of true meaning is an immaterial routine.  

 

The Season of Lent calls for us to make extra sacrifices, especially through the form of fasting.

What is my attitude to fasting and penance?

 

Has it become rigid…

… devoid of its original purpose of sanctification and growing in closeness to God?

 

Has it become stagnant…

… becoming a mere yearly custom and tradition with no effect on one’s life?

 
Am I ready to undertake the powerful style of fasting as presented in Isaiah 58: 6-7:

A fasting…

… to lose the bonds of wickedness and to undo the thongs of the yoke

… to let the oppressed go free and to share the bread with the hungry

… to bring homeless poor into the house and to cover the naked

 
Our fasting, penances and sacrifices are to be a joyful one… because we have Jesus, the bridegroom with us.

 

>> His presence with us, is a matter of joy

… yet we fast and do penance, to share joyfully in His suffering and pain.
>> His presence with us, is an occasion of rejoicing…

… yet we make sacrifices and discipline ourselves, to find deeper meaning in His Cross.
>> His presence with us, is a period of celebration…

… yet we have self-control and abstain oneself, to be united closer to His redeeming action.

 
Let us not get “rigid”.

>>Instead, with “compassion”, let us open our eyes to the real purpose meaning of our fasting and our acts of penance.

 
Yes, let us examine: 

How are we in our Christian lives?

>> Mr Rigid?

OR

>> Mr Compassion?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

 A story is told of a young woman who wanted to join a particular college, with a reputed fame. 
As she filled the application form, her heart sank, when she read the question that read: “Are you a leader?”

Sticking to her principle of being honest in life, she wrote “No”…

… and submitted her application…

… expecting the worst!

She knew, that this question would be the stumbling block for her admission to college. 

But to her great surprise, she received the following letter from college:

“Dear Applicant,

A study of all our application forms this year reveals, that we will have 1, 547 new leaders in college. 
So we are accepting you as our student, because we feel that it is necessary that all those ‘so-called leaders’, have atleast one follower!”

Well, that pretty much sums up human tendencies isn’t it?

… a tendency whereby people would dilute their ideals for seeking a position or favour!

… a tendency whereby people would want to be only leaders, but fail to be a follower!

Is our Christian life also characterized by these tendencies…?

… to dilute Christian Values for the sake of one’s favour?

… to project our personal merits and crave to be a power-monger rather than a follower?

The Gospel of the Day presents the mighty challenge of Jesus, to those who wish to follow Him…

… being uncompromising in one’s commitment

… being willing to be a follower of Him, the Sole Leader!

Jesus says: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23)

 
One of the key aspects, when we analyze the ministry of Jesus is that Cross would be an integral aspect of His life and ministry.

 

The Lord never shied away from the Cross.

>> And the Lord never shied away from teaching about the Cross.

 
He doesn’t use attractive advertisements to allure more followers…

He doesn’t preach an easy life to gather in more disciples…

>> But He instead preaches and proclaims the Cross!

 
The Cross is a symbol…

… of total self-giving

… of total commitment

 
We are in the season of Lent.
It’s a time of getting back to the basics of our life…

… to re-dedicate our love and consecration to the Lord

… to review our life more closely in relation to our faith

 
The Lord sets before us choices continually in life.. (Deut 30:15)

… the choice of life and death

… the choice of good and evil

… the choice of blessings and curses

 
But all these promises of the Lord are valid, only if we are seeking and are eager to follow His commandments and to walk according to His paths.

 
Our Christian lives today are often found to be characterized by…

… pragmatism: following Christ and His Ideals only for our personal gains and desires!

… comfortability: following Christ and His Ideals only when it is easy and undemanding!

… dilution: following Christ and His Ideals without sincerity and watering down as per convenience!

… power-mongerism: following Christ and His Ideals only to gain power and popularity!

The Cross comes as a huge blow to all such “easy philosophies!”

The Cross was the choice of the Lord…

… a result of deep obedience and total commitment.

 

The Cross needs to be our choice too…and this requires…

… deep obedience to the Will of the Lord.

… total commitment to our call and consecration as a Christian.
 

The Lord promises much happiness and joy…

… but these will be delivered only if we make the determination and resolution to follow Him closer and to live as per His commands!
 

Let us be bold and courageous to embrace a Life of the Cross…

… without pragmatism, without comfortability, without dilution, without power-mongerism!

>> And stick on to the Christian Principles…

… even it means, rejection from the world and its ways!

Yes, shall we be ready…

… to embrace this call and exhortation of the Lord?

… to get attracted to a life of the Cross – total discipline and deep dedication?

                   
God Bless! Live Jesus!

A legendary story goes is told of a holy person who lived an extremely virtuous life. 

>> The goodness in him diffused, as a flower would spread its fragrance. 
So impressed were the angels, that they came down to enquire on his secrets and even to offer him special gifts of miracles and thus he could gain more popularity and fame. 
>> They offered him the gift of the “touch of his hand” – so that he would be able to heal the sick or raise the dead…

… But he refused, saying that “God alone could heal”
>> Then, they offered him the “power of conversion” – so that people could turn to God in repentance…

… But he refused, saying that “the Holy Spirit alone could work repentance in souls”
>> Then they offered the power to be a “model of goodness” so that many more would be drawn to him by the virtue of his life…

… But he refused, again, saying that “if all are drawn to him, people would be away from God”

Puzzled, the angels asked him what gift did he desire!
The holy person replied:

“Grant me the gift of humility…

… so that I might do good to all, without me even knowing it!”

And so the angels interceded to God…

… and he was blessed:

>> Wherever his shadow would fall, where he himself could not see it…

… the shadow would cure sicknesses, heal broken hearts and bring back people to God in repentance!

Humility was the virtue that was sought by the virtuous person…

… and it was this simplicity to allow the Lord to take complete possession of all his goodness, that exalted him to climb the ladder of sanctity higher! 

 
Yes, Humility is the prime virtue that needs to embellish the life of every Christian.

 

 

Today we begin the Season of Lent.

 

The Gospel of the Day is a teaching by Jesus on the prime importance of doing away with pride and instead, beautifying one’s life with sincere humility .
 

Jesus, through the Sermon on the Mount continues to target the key areas of one’s Christian living.

 

Today He speaks on the three core practices that were essential pious practices of His time: almsgiving, prayer and fasting.

 

Jesus condemns these devout exercises becoming instruments to show-case one’s pride and exhibit pomp and self-glory.

 

• With respect to almsgiving, Jesus says…

… “sound no trumpet”

 

• With respect to prayer, Jesus says…

… “shut the door and pray to your Father”

 

• With respect to fasting, Jesus says…

…”anoint your head and wash your face”

 

 

One of the fundamental aspects in the Spirituality of Jesus is His emphasis on the intention of the heart.

>> Sin is…

… when the heart rejects the working of the Spirit.

•

>> Holiness is…

… when the heart accepts the grace of the Spirit.

 

• When the heart consents to evil, sin occurs

• When the heart consents to grace, goodness is affirmed.

 

>> An act of almsgiving happens, when the heart willingly gives – in generosity and with wholeheartedness

>> An act of prayer happens, when the heart seeks communion with the Lord – in openness and with faithfulness

>> An act of fasting happens, when the heart self-sacrifices and renounces – in sincerity and with willingness

 

When the intention of the heart is genuine and sincere, then one remains least bothered of external attractions and publicity…

… there is no desire to seek for attention and appreciation for one’s devout actions

… there is no inclination to want acknowledgement and recognition for one’s pious deeds

 

And this is the ideal to which Jesus invites us:

>> A religion that spreads not simply on the basis of external shows..

…but on the basis of genuine spirituality

 

>> A faith that grows not merely on the strength of pompous deeds…

… but on the foundation of true dependence and trust in the Lord

 

 

Is my practice of religion resembling a peacock’s display of feathers – wanting to flaunt one’s pride and vain glory – but in the process…

… exposing one’s unattractive face of life?

… revealing one’s cheap side of life?

 

 

Let us give heed to the wisdom from the book “Imitation of Christ” and seek to grow in humility and dependence on the Lord:

 

“Do not think yourself better than others lest, perhaps, you be accounted worse before God who knows what is in man.

>> Do not take pride in your good deeds, for God’s judgments differ from those of men and what pleases them often displeases Him”

 

 

May this Season of Lent help us to take concrete and practical decisions to practise the three pillars of Christian Piety – Fasting, Almsgiving and Praying…

… in its truest sense. 
>> And may this be our prayer to enshrine all our activities: 

“Grant me the gift of humility…

… so that I might do good to all, without me even knowing it!”

Wish you all a Very Happy and Blessed Season of Lent. 

>> May this season of lent, be a time – to revive and renew – and thus grow in Holiness!
May our Blessed Mother of Compassion intercede for us.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

In India, booking tickets and getting a confirmed seat to travel by the Railways (trains) is sometimes a stressful affair.

 >> The massive number in the people travelling makes this process a very competitive one, with all jostling to get confirmed seats.

 

To those who manage to get confirmed seats, there is a sense of relief.

 

But those who fail to get confirmation, and obtain a waiting-list ticket instead, are made to face a lot of tension and worry.

>> There is tension as to whether the tickets would get confirmed in time, so as to be able to travel hassle-free…

>> There is anxiety as to what is to be done and what are the other alternatives, if the possibility of confirmation is very less…

 

An assurance of confirmation makes the journey pleasant and tension-free.

>> An anxiety over the confirmation adds immense apprehension to the possibility of journey.

 

Our lives in the Lord, is a spiritual journey…

>> The greater assurance we have in the promises of the Lord, the more pleasant will be our journey

>> The stronger our assurances in the Word of the Lord, the swifter will be our progress in this journey towards the Lord

 
The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus declaring His assured promises to those who follow Him, sincerely and wholeheartedly.

 

 

Jesus tells to Peter and the other disciples:

” Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age….and eternal life in the age to come” (Mk 10: 29)

 

This incident takes place right after the encounter of the rich young man with Jesus (Mk 10: 17-22)

 

This man was proposed by Jesus to sell all his possessions and then follow Him.

> The man, however, found it hard, to let go off his attachments, and instead let go of the Lord.

>> He went away sad! (Mk 10:22)

 

Peter, as the leader of the disciples, however, contrasts this “possessive and worldly” tendency of the rich young man by telling Jesus, ” We have given up everything and followed you” (Mk 10: 28)

>> Perhaps, there was a growing concern among the disciples…

… as to whether their radical decision to commit themselves to the Master would go in vain!
>> Perhaps, there was an apparent fear within the disciples…

… as to whether their decisions to leave their professions, their families and their aspirations to follow the Lord would go fruitless!

 
And so the Lord, with a candid straight-forwardness replies that their sacrifices would surely assure them of rewards of a much higher quality and eminence.

 
How often do our lives also sometimes sink in hopelessness, thinking whether our expressions of faith would end up in meaninglessness!

 

Sometimes even fearful thoughts and anxious emotions may cross our mind…

… will the various sacrifices and pains that I take up for the Lord, go in vain?

… will my unshed tears, my unspoken prayers and painful sighs, end up in futility?

… will the efforts I make to grow in love and nourish others in faith, lead to fruitlessness?

 

But the Lord assures us, that none of these efforts – small or great, noticed or unnoticed, seen or unseen – will escape the penetrating eyes of the Lord and go unrewarded.

>> All our actions, done in love has an assured reward!

 

What is however, most essential, is our total focus on the Lord and unflinched commitment to Him.

 

The Lord most certainly assures us of rewards and gifts.

>> But, in this pursuit, may we not stray or lose focus of Him!

 

>> Our lives ought to be impelled by the love for the “God of rewards”, than merely the rewards of God!

>> Our lives must be lived in faithfulness to the “God of gifts”, than being fascinated only to the gifts of God!

 

May the Lord Himself be our greatest reward… our finest gift!

 

The journey of our spiritual life comes with a “confirmed ticket” from the part of the Lord.

>> There need be no anxiety… no undue worry!

 

 

God Bless! Live Jesus!

An incident is told of a Christian man named Johansson, when passing out of a church, was encountered by his friend Albert. 
It had been a very long time that Albert had seen Johansson in church.

>> They began to speak about their past memories, their present careers and their future plans. 

Among the several things that they spoke, Albert mentioned: “I understand now that you are in great danger!”
He had said that statement pretty seriously, and so Johansson felt quite taken aback.
With a surprise look, he queried: 

“Well, as far as I know, I do not foresee any danger to my life. 

May I know what exactly are you meaning by the statement?”
With a concerned tone, Albert replied: “I get to know, that you are getting rich!”

Albert, the friend, was according a warning to Johansson, because of the inherent dangers that “richness” could lead into…

The Gospel of the Day is a lesson on warning… 

.. A rich young man who was made to realise the fleeting nature of wealth and possessions by the Lord.

The young man in the Gospel approaches Jesus to ask, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10: 17)

When Jesus gives him list of commandments, that need to be followed to help ensure a passage into eternal life, the man replies, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth” (Mk 10: 20)

We underline a few aspects of this young man…

>> He did desire for a life of eternity and followed the commandments

>> He did nurture a sense of being pious and devout, to please the Lord
However…

… he probably failed to live up to the intentions of the commandments

… he possibly got lost into only keeping the letters of the commandments; not the spirit!
>> He got attached to doing God’s commandment…

… but failed to break his attachments with the riches of the world.
>> He possessed the good will to follow God’s teachings…

… but failed to let go of the possessions of his life.

The Lord realised this “pitiable” condition of the young man.

>> He was wealthy in the world, but was unable to be rich before God

>> He was obedient to the laws, but was unable to be obedient to give up his attachments.
Therefore, the Lord, knowing this state of the young man – devout yet not properly focussed – “looked at him, loved him, and said, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then, come, follow me'” (Mk 10: 21)

This young man could represent any one of us: 

>> We seek to be pious…

… but find it hard to let go of our possessions
>> We seek for holiness in life…

… but go through a struggle to give up our attachments
>> We seek to follow the Lord wholly…

… but stumble to give ourselves entirely to the Lord

Yet, the Lord does not give up on us…

> He looks on us…

>> He loves us…

And He invites us, to have the proper focus in life!
We need to realise…

… that it is not material possessions that ought to occupy our hearts; rather, our hearts needs to be possessed with the Love for the Lord.

… that it is not worldly treasures that should be our prime motto in life; rather, a life, dedicated to the Kingdom of God and helping the needy with the resources we have.

As we prepare ourselves to enter into the Season of Lent this week…

… let us pay attention to the words of the Book of Sirach:

“How great is the mercy of the Lord, His forgiveness to those who return to Him” (Sir 17:24)

May we give heed to this great warning accorded by the Lord…

>> And be possessed by the Lord…

… so that we may have a wonderful life of eternity with the Lord of all treasures!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A top ranked official, was extremely efficient and skilled in all his works.>> However, he suffered from constant bouts of ulcer in the mouth, stomach upset and headaches.
Several medications couldn’t solve this problem.

Finally, a close friend of his, who had been away abroad for some years, met him..

… and knowing of his problems, suggested:

“I have the solution for all your physical troubles.
With all your works and responsibilities, you daily take up a lot of tension and worry.
So all that you need to do is…

> Choose any one particular day of the week. 
Whenever you get a problem that causes you anxiety…

>> Write it on a piece of paper….

>> Drop it inside a ‘Worry Box’…

… and then completely forget about it. 
This ‘worry box’ is to be opened on that particular day of the week.”

The official tried this method of “writing the anxieties and problems on a paper, dropping it into a ‘worry box’ and opening it only on a Sunday.”
To his surprise, he found that most of the things that had disturbed him over the past six days were already settled.

>> It would have been useless to have worried about them.

That’s when he realised, his foolishness in being anxious and worried about a lot of things in life…

… things that deserved no attention for worry or anxiety!

>> And behold, in doing so, he also found his health to be regaining to full force.

Is that not pretty similar in our lives as well?
We often fret and worry about a lot of things in life…

… only to realise, that most of them, do not actually deserve the “anxiety attention and the worry weightage.”

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful reflection given by Jesus on this nagging factor in our life – anxiety and worry.

 The Lord firstly invites us to have a clear conviction regarding our loyalty: to God or to mammon.

>> He says, “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt 6: 24)

 

We can be faithful and committed to only one of them.

 

To whom have we pledged our loyalty and allegiance…?

>> To the True and Living God who alone is worthy of every honour and who alone is able to bless our lives with true joy and happiness….?

… or to false and make-believe effigies of money, wealth and possessions which may give momentary satisfactions but fail miserably in rendering true peace of mind…?

 
When we have made this pledge and commitment to the Lord, He invites us to “live” this commitment.

 

One of the strongest signs of “living” this commitment is to “trust” in Him!

>> And the external sign of “trusting” in Him is to not get into the vice of “anxiety”

 
Jesus asks this very practical and logical question:

“Can any of you, by worrying, add a single moment to your life-span?” (Mt 6: 27)

 

All of us..

… surely, as we live our lives have our quota of tensions and troubles.

… without doubt, as we discharge our duties, will have our share of pressures.

 
But do we let these tensions and troubles and pressures to get converted to needless “worries” and undue “anxieties”?

It is said that “worry is wasting today’s time, to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles.”
Worries and anxieties cause us…

… to miss the beautiful gift of the present – Today

… causing blockage in the golden chances awaiting ahead – Tomorrow

… as a result of the cloud of undue pressures and fears of the past – Yesterday

 
Humans, as we are, stresses and strains are sure to come our way…

… but, does my Christian Faith help me to convert such circumstances to occasions to trust in God deeper and build our faith stronger?

 
>> For a person on deep faith, situations of tension are made into moments of seeking God deeper and experiencing His providence.

>> For a person of higher trust, circumstances of worries are transformed to occasions of cherishing God’s presence and developing an approach of stronger reliance and dependence.

 

There is no doubt that life will constantly hurl ‘bricks of worry and anxiety’ on us

>> Discouragements are an easy trap for us to stumble in our life of faith

>> Anxieties are easy snares to corner us with fretfulness and fear.
But as Christians, we need to be courageous to use these ‘bricks of worry and anxiety’ into castles of “confidence and success!”

The evil one, in life…

… seeks to hamper our desire to seek the Lord and work for His Kingdom

… attempts to tarnish our good intentions to be a messenger of His Kingdom

 

Do we succumb to those attacks of “anxiety” and “worry”?

… or do we stand firm, in faith and trust, placing our faith in the Lord, entirely?

 

Worries and anxieties often eat up our life…

… and many of us even suffer physically, spiritually and socially.

The Lord, our best friend, advises us today:

“Write down your worries and anxieties on a piece of paper… (i.e. speak to me in Prayer!)

… put them into the “worry box”… (i.e. Offer them to My Heart!)

… and open it once a week… (i.e. On a Sunday – the Sabbath Day, set apart for the Lord!)

>> And you will realise, most of the things that had disturbed over the past six days, were already settled.”

Yes, let us firmly pledge our loyalty and allegiance to our Loving God…

… and trusting Him at all times, boldly declare, with hope:

“I seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”!

 
God Bless! Live Jesus!