May 16 (Mk 9:14-29)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS1 Comment

The onion is one of the most simple and commonly available vegetables.
>>It is widely used, especially in the preparation of a number of Indian dishes.

It’s interesting to notice the structure of an onion: it consists of several layers.

If one tries to peel off one layer after another, the result would be, that one would be left with nothing…just emptiness!

Our practice of Christian Faith can sometimes be likened to an onion…formed in layers.

Over the years, many layers may get formed …
>> layers of pride: feeling that I have achieved much in spiritual life
>>  layers of self-dependence: feeling that I can manage all things
>> layers of ‘only external piety’: feeling that external devotions would suffice
…and many others!

But, often, when we encounter difficulties, we find that these layers get “peeled off”…
… and we find ourselves “lacking in faith”
Often, when we face challenges, we find that these layers get “peeled off”..
… and we feel “empty in our faith”

Many times, such experiences of “being peeled off” is necessary…
… in order to not become self-reliant; instead to be God-reliant
… in order to not swell up in pride; instead to humble oneself to trust in God!
… in order to not have a mere external show of faith; instead to grow in interior holiness!

Yes, Christ peels our life like an onion to make us realize our emptiness…
… and recognize and realize His Power in our life!

The Gospel of the Day presents this experience of the disciples, in the presence of Jesus, their Master…
… an experience of being peeled, to find themselves in emptiness
…an experience of being unlayered, to find themselves in blankness

We have concluded a journey of fourteen weeks (nearly hundred days) of walking intimately with the Lord in His Passion, Death, Resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit…
… starting with the Ash Wednesday in the season of Lent
…  through the Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday
…  the Ascension and the Feast of the Holy Spirit – the Pentecost.

As we resume the Ordinary times of the Liturgical year, we are presented with the message to make an examination of the “quality of our life of faith”.

The Gospel passage in focus is that of some of the disciples of Jesus, who failed to heal a possessed boy, and the chiding that was followed by Jesus.

Jesus, was along with His “chosen within the chosen” disciples – Peter, James and John –  on the mount of Transfiguration (Mk 9: 2-13)

Meanwhile the other disciples were approached by a father, who brought his son – possessed by a demon –  to them for a healing.
>> They were however unable to heal.

The father expresses this to Jesus, Who had come down from the Mount of Transfiguration:
“I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so!” (Mk 9: 18)

Why were the disciples unable to drive the demon?
>> Why did they fail in their task of healing the boy?

It was a moment of embarrassment and awkwardness for these disciples: being unable to cure the boy

In Mk 6: 7, we read: “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out, two by two, and gave them authority over unclean spirits”
>> The power to cast out demons was delegated by Jesus to the disciples

Yet, they failed to heal the demon-possessed boy.

Why?

Jesus answers – through a cry of lament: “O faithless generation…!” (Mk 9: 19)
>> Jesus points to the lack of faith in the disciples

He drives home a very important dimension of Faith that we need examine constantly:
>> “Do you really believe in Me…? Or is your faith more in your own-self?”
>> ” Are you totally dependent on Me… ? Or are you being more self-reliant?”

The disciples had indeed found success in their ministry (Mk 6:30)
>> They also had witnessed the mighty powers of Jesus and were in astonishment (Mk 6: 34-51)

But somehow, perhaps, their faith had still not grown…their faith was still peripheral
>> Layers of self-dependence, pride, ‘only external piety’ etc could have been formed!

Therefore Jesus, their Master…
… peeled and “unlayered” those layers

This “peeling of layers” was a necessity for the disciples…
… to begin to depend more on the Lord and His Authority, rather than their power
… to be always humble to allow to the Lord to be given all glory, rather than self-exaltation

Have I formed such layers in my practise of the Christian faith?
… Layers of pride? Layers of self-reliance? Layers of “only external piety?

Then the Lord will often take us through situations of difficulties, awkwardness and even humiliations or embarrassment…
… in order to not become self-reliant; instead to be God-reliant
… in order to not swell up in pride; instead to humble oneself to trust in God!
… in order to not have a mere external show of faith; instead to grow in interior holiness!

The Lord wishes that we grow higher in our faith… that we love Him more deeply, for His sake alone.

Let us allow Him to strengthen our faith, by the “peeling of layers” which may cause us to remain stunted and stagnant in our faith…
>> And in all such experiences…
… May we cry out, in faith: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mk 9: 24)

God Bless! Live Jesus!

May 15 (Solemnity of Pentecost)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS1 Comment

An old beggar-man lay on his deathbed.

As he was departing from this world, his last words to his only son who had been a constant companion during his begging trips were:

“Dear son,” he said, “I have nothing to give you except a cotton bag and a dirty bronze bowl which I got in my younger days from the junk yard of a rich lady.”

After the death of his father, the boy continued begging, using the bowl his father had given him.

One day, a gold merchant dropped a coin in this boy’s bowl.
>> The merchant was, however, surprised to hear a familiar clinking sound.

“Let me check your bowl,” the merchant said.

To his great surprise, he found that the beggar boy’s bowl was made ofpure gold.

“My dear young man,” he said, “why do you waste your time begging?
That bowl of yours is made of gold!
>> It is worth a huge amount of money!

Realise that you are a rich man.
>> Be aware of the worth of the treasure that is with you, and live a life worthy of it!”

How often is our Christian life also lived in such ignorance of the treasure that we possess!

We fail to realize that as Christians, we have been blessed with immense spiritual riches.

Today, on this Great Day of Pentecost, we are invited to open our hearts to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and to become aware of the greatness of our vocation as Christians.

image
Pentecost, El Greco, 1600, Museo del Prado, Madrid

On the day of Pentecost, in the Upper Room, as the disciples were gathered in prayer, along with Blessed Mother Mary, “the Holy Spirit filled the entire house in which they were” (Acts 2:2)

It is to be noted that the word used to describe the coming of the Holy Spirit is the Greek word “aphno” which means “suddenly”
“And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind…” (Acts 2: 2)

The coming of the Holy Spirit was “sudden”.
>> This energetic entry of the Holy Spirit is a glimpse to one important characteristic of the person of the Holy Spirit: Vitality!

The Holy Spirit is a spirit of life… of energy… of vivacity… of animation… of dynamism!

Where the Holy Spirit is, there is the great movement of the will, the mind and the heart!

It was this “sudden” coming of the Holy Spirit, that transformed the small group of Jesus’ disciples into mighty warriors of the Kingdom of God.

Fear was transformed into power…
> Timidity was changed into boldness…
>> Uncertainty was converted into conviction…

Our own lives need an encounter of this “life-transforming”  experience.
>> Is my Christian life, dull and slow – merely laced with routine actions of prayers and sacraments?
>> Is my life of faith, lethargic and tepid – simply being pulled on, without any particular awareness or lived without any enthusiasm?
… then, we need the mighty movement of the Holy Spirit to impress life and vitality to our life and our faith!

The Holy Spirit is undoubtedly one of the most shy person of the Blessed Trinity and therefore, also often, neglected in our daily prayers or devotion
>> The study and awareness of the Holy Spirit is certainly, in general, given lesser priority and importance in comparison to the other Persons of the Trinity
>> The Feast of the Pentecost is very often not accorded the “solemn” tone in comparison to other feasts like Christmas or Easter

But let us realize, that in the Holy Spirit and in the celebration of this Feast, we have a great treasure to cherish and enjoy.

>> Each Christian ought to build an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.
>> Each Christian must become more aware of the role of the Holy Spirit in daily living

How wonderful it would be if we could inculcate a few practical resolutions to grow in our intimacy and union with this Powerful and Dynamic Personality of the Blessed Trinity:

… wishing “Good Morning, Holy Spirit ” to Him as we begin the day, thanking for His protection and seeking His help through the day
… invoking a tiny chaplet, “Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and minds” as we begin a particular activity or work
… making a short examination of conscience at the end of the day, introspecting our lives in overcoming sin, being grateful for His guidance and seeking to grow spiritually in holiness, with the power of the Holy Spirit
… co-operating with the Holy Spirit to become effective agents of unity in our homes, our communities, our places of work and our churches.
… purposely creating a few seconds of silence in the schedule of our works or our activity or through the course of the day, and talking to the Holy Spirit, as a friend, in the cave of our heart
… listening to the still, gentle voice of the Holy Spirit in the depths of our being, speaking to us to be more active to read God’s Word in the Bible and to partake of the Sacraments more frequently especially Confession and Holy Eucharist.

The Lord has blessed our lives with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
> He longs to be empower our lives…
>> He earnestly wants to be in total control of our lives…

But for this, He needs our permission…
A permission in the form of…
… longing for Him
… making sincere efforts to live a life casting away sin

Let us realise that by the Grace and Power of the Holy Spirit, we are all rich!

May we be aware of the worth of the treasure that is with us, and live a life worthy of it!

Wish you a very Happy Feast of the Holy Spirit – the Pentecost!

Happy Birthday to our Mother Church!
> May we receive the sweetness of the Holy Eucharist more worthily and enthusiastically!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Power Pulse – Day 9

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POWER PULSE

( In Preparation for the Feast of Pentecost)

DAY NINE: HOLY SPIRIT – THE GIVER OF GIFTS

 

REFLECT

 

The Holy Spirit is the giver of Gifts.

> The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord

 

A spiritual gift is an ability granted by God, which helps the person to grow in holiness and effectively serve the people of God.

 

We need to pray constantly to receive these gifts of the Holy Spirit…

WISDOM:  It is the perfection of faith. Through wisdom, one comes to value those things properly, which we believe through faith

>> Wisdom detaches us from the world and makes us relish and love the things of heaven!

 

UNDERSTANDING: Understanding is the ability to grasp and understand, in a limited way, the essence of Divine Truths.

>> While Wisdom is the ‘desire’ to contemplate heavenly things, Understanding helps us to penetrate to the core of revealed truths (of course, in a limited way!)

 

COUNSEL: Counsel is the gift of supernatural prudence.

>> Counsel allows us to understand the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to judge rightly, what we should do in a particular circumstance.

 

FORTITUDE: Fortitude gives us the strength and the courage to be strong in the face of difficulties

>> Fortitude is the virtue that makes us to overcome fear and to remain firm in our will, even in the midst of obstacles

 

KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge enables us to ascertain God’s purpose in our lives and His reason for placing us in our particular circumstances. 

>> Knowledge is the gift to discern effectively between the impulses of temptation and the inspirations of grace.

 

PIETY: It is the virtue by which a person is disposed to render worship and service to God, in the way He deserves.

>> Piety is an instinctive affection for God that makes us desire to honour and worship Him

 

FEAR OF THE LORD: This is virtue that desires not to offend God, even in the slightest of ways possible

>> Fear of the Lord comes, not because of the Lord’s punishment, but arises from an immense love for Him – wanting to respect the Lord and live a life pleasing to the Lord always  

 

 

EXAMINE:

Can I pray to the Holy Spirit to bless me with His Gifts…?

… to help me to grow in holiness of life and live a Christ-like life

… to help me to use these gifts to lead others to sanctity in Christ

 

PRAYER:

Holy Spirit, the Giver of Gifts, fill me with your seven-fold gifts.

 

 

May Your Gifts…

>> help me to understand the Divine mysteries and live them faithfully in my life

>> cause me to trust in Your Providence, and to bring many more to the Love of God

 

Fill me with your gifts… enable me to walk with You… inspire me to lead others to You, Amen!

 

Come Holy Spirit…Come into our hearts… and renew us, in your mighty love and fire!

May God Bless us!

May 14 (Feast of St Matthias, Apostle)

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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.

This is one of the few incidents mentioned about the simple yet precious saint, St Mathias.

image
Saint Matthias, Peter Paul Rubens, 1611, Museo del Prado, Madrid

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 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!

Power Pulse – Day 8

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POWER PULSE

( In Preparation for the Feast of Pentecost)

DAY EIGHT: HOLY SPIRIT – THE ONE WHO UNITES

 

REFLECT

One of the great tragedies that we encounter in our modern world is that of “division”

 

> Communities “split”…

>> Societies get “divided”…  

>>> Hearts get “separated”…

… on the basis of caste, colour, creed, language etc

 

The evil spirit of “divisiveness” is rampant everywhere!

 

It is the Holy Spirit Who alone can unite us and help us to cast away this negative force.

>> St Paul speaks of “strive to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3)

 

How does the Holy Spirit unite us?

>> He unites us to Christ and to be persons oriented to do the Will of God ( Eph 4:1ff)

>> He unites us to one another by helping to know each other as “members of the One Body” ( 1 Cor 12:13)

 

 

EXAMINE:

Can I seek the assistance of “Holy Spirit  – The Unifier”…?

… to help me to be more united to the Will and Ways of the Lord

… to help me to accept other persons as “members of Christ’s body” and to go beyond peripheral dimensions of life, to live in peace and unity

 

PRAYER:

Holy Spirit, the One Who unites us to Christ and to all people, cast away the forces of evil that cause division in our lives.

 

Unite us…

>> with the Will of the Father, so that, like Jesus, we too may always work for the growth of the Kingdom and the glory of God

>> to see beyond aspects of “division” and instead to build relationships on commonalities and thus move from being “advocates of division” to be “agents of unity”

 

Unite us in Your love… bring us together to enjoy peace and harmony… join our hearts in loving fellowship, Amen!

 

 

Come Holy Spirit…Come into our hearts… and renew us, in your mighty love and fire!

May God Bless us!

May 13 (Jn 21:15-19)

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A young man was supposedly crazy about his girlfriend.

He spent an entire evening telling the girl how much he loved her.

He said that he couldn’t live without her…
…  that he would go to the ends of the earth for her
…  yes, go through fire for her, or die for her.

But as he was leaving he told her,
“I’ll see you tomorrow night dear…
…. if it doesn’t rain!!”

A whole evening was spent on lavishing sweet words of love…
But as he left her…
…. he made conditions in his expression of love
… he put forward clauses in his demonstration of love

How often is our love also such..
>> We tell to people in our live that we love them… but fail to show it in actions
>> We tell to others that we care for them a lot… but do not show them in deeds

And how much more true is this in the case of our love of God…
We profess our sentiments of love, but fall short of living it up in our commitment

The Gospel of the day 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 evangelisation

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 remoulds 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…
… realising our weaknesses and shortcomings…

Yet….
              …trusting in the goodness of the Lord…
              … hopeful in the mercy of the Lord…
            
Let us, as tell the Lord…
              “Yes, Lord, I love you!!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Power Pulse – Day 7

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POWER PULSE
( In Preparation for the Feast of Pentecost)
DAY SEVEN: HOLY SPIRIT – THE ONE WHO EMPOWERS US

REFLECT:
Human Life is a long journey…
… with many twists and turns
… many deserts and storms encountered.

There are many moments…
… when we feel fearful and afraid to move on ahead in life
… when we feel drained off all energy and collapsing with spiritual exhaustion

We need a Booster… an Energizer…
>> It is the Holy Spirit Who is the Mighty Spirit “to empower us”!

In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you”
>> The Holy Spirit is POWER – DUNAMIS
… like the dynamite, can cause a a mighty upheaval to make one to listen and do God’s Will
… like the dynamite, can cause a blast of our sinful ways and make us walk in His paths

EXAMINE:
Can I draw power and strength from “The Holy Spirit  – the One Who empowers us”…?
… allowing Him to work mightily in our weakness and areas of fear and anxiety
… trusting in Him to supply with energy and vigour to keep us vibrant followers of Christ

PRAYER:
Holy Spirit, the One Who Empowers, may your powerful anointing fill my life

Empower me …
>> with courage, when things around me fall apart and infill me with the dynamism of Your vitality
>> with hope, when traces of meaninglessness and worthlessness creeps into my mind

Endow me with Your strength… saturate me with Your holiness… imbue me with endurance, Amen!

Come Holy Spirit…Come into our hearts… and renew us, in your mighty love and fire!
May God Bless us!

May 12 (Jn 17:20-26)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS1 Comment

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 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!

Power Pulse – Day 6

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POWER PULSE

( In Preparation for the Feast of Pentecost)

DAY SIX: HOLY SPIRIT – THE COMFORTER

 

REFLECT:

Life is very often a roller-coaster – of emotions, of circumstances, in relationships

>> There are days when things seem to be so good and fine

>> But there are also many days when life seems so bitter, harsh and even unfair

 

This is more so, when one tries to live an honest and a genuine Christian Life – following the teachings and commands of the Lord.

>> Therefore the Lord promised to send “Holy Spirit, the Comforter” (Jn 16:7) to strengthen us and keep us reassured and consoled.

 

The word “Comforter” would mean…

… the One Who runs to our side and picks us up

… in legal terms, the One Who would aid or counsel for the defense

 

The Holy Spirit is our sure assurance of Comfort…

… strengthening us in our moments of crisis, confusions, calamities and uncertainties

… lifting our dropping spirits, raising our falling hearts and energizing our tiring minds

 

 

EXAMINE:

Can I truly invite The Holy Spirit to “be the Comforter of my life”…?

… banking on His power in my weaknesses, failures and helplessness

… drawing courage when everything seems lost and I experience a lot of pain in life

 

 

PRAYER:

Holy Spirit, the Mighty Comforter, help me to depend on You, in my moments of struggle and sadness.

 

Comfort me …

>> with new vigour and hope – when it gets difficult to continue with the tasks entrusted to me, with

>> with enthusiasm and energy – when I fail to be understood by people and when situations turn hostile to me

 

Console me with Your gentleness… empower me with Your peace… cheer me up with Your love, Amen!

 

 

Come Holy Spirit…Come into our hearts… and renew us, in your mighty love and fire!

May God Bless us!

May 11 (Jn 17:11-19)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS3 Comments

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!