A common phrase that is often heard or read is…
“Most children walk to school…. but come back home running!”

Fairly true, in many cases, right?

It takes a long walk to reach school… as its often considered as “the not so interesting” part for a child – to study, to be under various rules, to be restricted to a classroom etc

>> But it takes a very short run to reach back home… as it is often considered as “the thrilling” part for a child – to play, to enjoy, to have fun etc…

Our attitudes to activities in life is influenced by our interest for it:
>> The greater the interest…
…  the higher is the enthusiasm in an activity;

>> The lower the interest…
… the lower will be the keenness for a particular work.

The Gospel of the Day presents two disciples who “walk away from home” in disinterest and dejection…. but later “who run towards home” with enthusiasm and passion!

>> The walk away…
…  was a dull tale of being filled with disappointment and confusion…

>> The walk towards…
… is an exciting story of being filled with immense joy and happiness…

The encounter of Jesus to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus is one of the classic Resurrection encounters.
>> This incident appears only in the Gospel of St Luke.

The disciples, who are unnamed, have obviously been shaken up very badly over the incidents over the last one week in Jerusalem.

Like the Apostles, these disciples also would have been badly affected…
>> Their Master, Jesus, in whom they had trusted and they had followed, had to undergo a shameful death – as that of a criminal.

>> It was humiliating…
… to be called as followers of a Criminal…
>> It was abasing…
… to be called to as followers of a Blasphemer…

Added to that, the accounts of some women who had seen the Empty Tomb of the Lord, added to greater shame and confusion.

Life was dealing harshly with them….
>> Gloom had descended into their hearts;
>> Grim had taken over their lives.

And so they “walked” .. disappointed and dejected… away from “home” – Jerusalem – to a village named Emmaus.

But this “walk” in sadness and gloom, was soon to be become a life-transforming event!

>> Moments of hardships often become moments to encounter the deep love of the Lord!
>> Situations of dejections often become situations to experience the immense mercy of God!

Jesus met them, explained the Scriptures to them.. and finally in the house, broke the bread… “and their eyes were opened!” (Lk 24: 30-31)

Their gloom was taken away….
>> Their mourning was converted…
>>> Their sadness was chased away

This experience “had to be shared”… This experience “had to be recounted”…
>> And so these disciples, who had “encountered” the Lord… now “ran”!

The walk away… was a dull tale of being filled with disappointment and confusion…
>> The walk towards… is an exciting story of being filled with immense joy and happiness…

How is our life?
>> Are we merely “walking” through activities and works in life, in dissipation….
Or are we “running” through our duties and responsibilities filled with joy and hope?

>> Are we merely “walking” passively in our spiritual life and our Christian witnessing…
Or are we “running” boldly and enthusiastically, overflowing with happiness and love?

The Lord walks with us… on our every journey, in our every activity…
>> But seldom do we seem Him… seldom do we “feel” His presence!

Those disciples realised this “feeling” of the Lord being with them at the Breaking of the Bread…
>> There lies the key…there lies the open secret…

Realisation of the Presence of the Lord in our lives, is guaranteed and facilitated by a meaningful and honest participation in the Lord’s Body and Blood – at the Holy Eucharist!

The Lord in the Holy Eucharist, calls and invites us…
… to experience Him, to encounter Him… to be transformed by Him!

Let the power of the Lord help us to overcoming our “lethargic and uninterested” walking in spiritual life…
… and instead help us to be filled with a powerful enthusiasm to “run” in His presence and announcing the Good News of His Saving Love to the world!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

One of the very beautiful verses in the Bible, not too known though… is from the book of the Psalms..

Psalm 56: 8, “O Lord.. You have stored my tears in a bottle”
>> Another translation would read, “…. You have collected my tears in a wineskin”

This verse speaks volumes of a God who is so intimately related with a person and expresses a very personal and close association.

God is a God who…
… is specially close to His people in their moments of pain and suffering
… is particularly near to His people in their times of affliction and tribulations.

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful witness to this loving concern and tender affection of God.. expressed by Jesus to Mary Magdalene.

We are still near the tomb of the Lord.

Mary Magdalene, the soul who loved the Lord so deeply, is still lingering around the tomb of the Lord.
She had experienced Divine Love in a great manner.
>> Her heart could not fully accept that the Lord who had transformed her life was no more
>> Her mind could take in the fact that the One whom she loved so deeply had  gone away.

And so she kept waiting.

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

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

But the Lord did recognize her…
… not just her physical pains.. rather also her mental agony and her spiritual longing!

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

>> Mary had been incessantly weeping over the loss of her Beloved
>> Mary had been continuously shedding tears for the Lover of her soul.

However… these tears were not in vain….
… these tears were not lost in futility..

Rather, the Lord was storing them up carefully in a vial… in a bottle… in a wineskin
“O Lord.. You have stored my tears in a bottle” (Ps 56:8)

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

The sweetness of that voice, calling out her name, wiped away every tear!
>> Her tears were turned to smiles… her mourning to comfort… her brokenness to immense joy!

Today, we are reminded the same…

We may be shedding many tears before the Lord…

It could be due to many reasons…
… maybe some personal crisis in life…
… maybe some brokenness in the family…
… maybe some tragedy or calamity to our closed ones…

All these may cause us to have tears…either externally or within the depth of our hearts

Some tears may be seen by others…most others, will go unnoticed, invisible
>> Yet, the One who loves us the most – the Lord – is storing up all our tears in His presence

Each one of our tear is precious to the Lord…

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

This faithfulness to Him will surely win the reward for us… the reward of our names being called out by the Lord!

God bless! Live Jesus!

It seems that in the Greek Orthodox tradition, especially in the medieval ages, there was a very strange custom…

… The day after Easter was devoted to telling jokes!

Yeah.. you read it right…. There was a day set-apart specially, to revel in jokes!

What was the logic or purpose behind it?

It was felt that this custom was in imitation of the cosmic joke that God pulled on Satan in the Resurrection.

Satan considered that the death of Jesus signalled victory for him.
>> The Kingdom of darkness had conquered, so it was felt…
>> The world of misery had overcome all goodness, so it was felt…

But it was God who had the last laugh!
>> God raised Jesus from the dead, and life and salvation became the last words.

The Resurrection – Jesus’ rising from the dead – was the most spectacular joke that God had pulled on Satan.
>> And this was celebrated, symbolically, with the custom of telling jokes.

Strange it might sound, but there is something worthwhile to reflect in the purpose of this custom…
>> It is a call to celebrate and enjoy God’s magnificent victory over Satan and the powers of darkness.

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

>> At the desert, Satan had sought to make Jesus a fool, by tempting and luring Him through many temptations. (Mt 4: 1-10)
>> During His life, the Lord encountered many occasions, when He was subject to being in humiliating, mocking and testing situations
>> In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord once again faced a trying time in battling to embrace God’s Will totally and completely (Lk 22: 41-44)
>> On the Cross, the soldiers and others who persecuted the Lord, mocked and challenged Him to come down from the Cross (Mk 15: 29-32)

At every stage of His Life, our Blessed Lord was put into situations of being the “butt of jokes” and the “laughingstock” and a target for many a trial, tribulations and mockeries.
>> The Crucifixion was meant to be the greatest of all such “agonizing” mockeries!

But…
… Divine Wisdom always finds a way out to triumph!
… Divine Providence always regains the way to victory!
This is the message of the Resurrection.

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

Divine Wisdom always, has the final laugh in every trial and tribulation!
>> Are we ready to share in the happiness of this “joyful” act of the Lord?

Life may bite us sharply with ensnaring temptations and evil tendencies…
>> Life may make a fool of us with mounting tensions and troubles…
>> Life may put us down badly with uncertainties and doubts…

We may often, find ourselves mocked.
>> We may often, find ourselves ridiculed.

But in all such situations, let us dare to look to our Crucified Lord…
… who Himself underwent painful mocking and unfair scorning…
Yet, had the final laugh, through the Resurrection from the dead!

The Resurrection gives us every reason to rejoice, even in the midst of deadly trials…
>> The Resurrection gives us every cause to be joyful, even in the midst of heavy tribulations…

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

Happy Easter to all of you!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Reflection Capsules won’t be sent this Holy Week.

Let this week, be a time…

… to grow in greater personal intimacy in His Word

… with Him in the Holy Eucharist

…. and dwelling with Him near His Holy  Cross.

May we hold the hands of our Blessed Mamma and imitate Her, in seeking the Will of the Lord, always!

 
God Bless! Live Jesus!

Many of us would have read the following, with a picture of Jesus Christ crucified…

It goes like this…
” I asked Jesus, how much do you love me?”
And Jesus answered, “This much”
And He extended His arms on the cross…

But there’s a sequel to this, which perhaps is not known much, but is worth reflecting..
Jesus then asked me, “How much do you love me”
I picked up the hammer and the nails….
saying, “This is how much I love You!”
… and began to crucify Him!

>> The Passion of the Lord is a result of our sins…
>> The Crucifixion of the Lord is a consequence of our disobedience…
As Isaiah would say, ” It was our infirmities that He bore and it was our sufferings that He endured” (Is 53:4)

We are entering into one of the Most important weeks of the Liturgical year… The Holy Week!

And we commemorate the start of this Holy Week, with the Passion Sunday, also known as the Palm Sunday.

There is a cute story of Little Johnny who was sick on a Palm Sunday.
>> This prevented him from going to Church that day and stayed home with his mother.

His father returned from church holding a palm branch.
>> The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?”

With joy, Daddy replied, “You see, Johny… When Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to welcome and honour him; so we got palm branches today”

“Aw, Good Lord!” grumbled little Johnny. “The one Sunday I can’t go to church, and Jesus shows up!”

The innocence of Li’l Johny made him to feel that He had missed the Lord when He come to town.

But when we think a little deeper, we also realise, that sometimes we are similar…
>> We miss the Lord so often!
>> We fail to take notice of the Lord very many times!

Every day at Holy Mass, the Lord, really, substantially and truly comes to us in the Holy Eucharist.
>> Do I miss to see and be nourished by Him?

Every moment, we have His Holy Word in the Bible, through which the Lord reveals and teaches more about Himself.
>> Do I miss the chance to read and experience Him?

Every now and then, we encounter the Lord through different situations and in many people in need, in despair, in absolute trouble.
>> Do I miss the opportunity to serve Him and to learn from Him?

The Lord today enters the town, riding on a donkey. (Mk 11:7)

The donkey has a specific symbolism..
>> In the olden day, military officers engaged in war and battles would ride on the most efficient animals: the fast and furious warhorses.

But after the victory in the war, the victorious officers would parade into the city riding on…. yes, a donkey.
>> That was the reason why the people shouted out when they saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

In the First book of the Kings 1: 38-4, we read of how Prince Solomon used the royal donkey of his father David, for the ceremonial procession on the day of his coronation.

The new Solomon, Jesus, the True Prince of Peace and the King of Kings today enters His city, Jerusalem on a donkey as well!
>> A new reign of peace was being signaled.
>> A new kingdom of love was being ushered.

Are we ready to welcome the King of Kings and the Prince of Peace into our lives?

>> He is not the glorious King of might and wealth…
.. But He is the Spectacular King who will reign on His throne of the Cross.

>> He is not the proud Emperor who parades much show and pomp…
… But He is the Wonderful Lord who displays His compassion and love by His wounds!

Are we ready to welcome this King into…
> Our lives?
>> Our homes?
>>> Our hearts?

The Passion of the Lord is about to begin…
Are we going to be part of the people who crucify Him?
>> Or are we going to be people who repent of sins and seek to live a life worthy of the King?

He Died for love of us.
>> He suffered to save each of us.

Are we going to remain stubborn and adamant and continue to be a people who shout, “Crucify Him”…

… Or shall we repent, fall on our knees, seek a transformation, and, with palm branches in our hands, truly exclaim and acclaim Jesus as the Lord, shouting, ” Hosanna to the King of Kings! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Wish you a Blessed Palm Sunday…
… and a Glorious Holy Week!

Let us be intimate with the Passion of the Lord and experience His tremendous love…so that we too may worthily and honestly shout, on Easter Sunday: “Alleluia! He is risen!”

God Bless! Live Jesus

Brenda was a young yet fearful woman who, once, joined her friends in rock climbing.

Although scared, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope and started up the face of that steep rock cliff.

As she climbed higher, the safety rope snapped against Brenda’s eye and knocked out her contact lens!

Down went the contact lens
… and down went also her clarity in vision
… and her hopes!!

Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed somewhere close… but it just wasn’t there.
>> She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.

When she managed get to the top, she sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff.

She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.”

She thought, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.”
>> Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom.

At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff.
One of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lost a contact lens?”

Well, that was startling enough, but how was it that the climber saw it?
An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it!

A miracle?
>> An unbelievable story?

Well.. anyway, later, when  Brenda told her father, who was a cartoonist, this incredible story, he drew a picture of an ant lugging and carrying that contact lens with the words:
“Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing!
I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy…
But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.”

Wow! Those are amazing words isn’t it?

One may not always realise the reason for many things in life…
… may not see any good in it
… may even feel it too heavy
But, if one trusts in the mighty and loving Providence of the Lord, the same burden or load will be a reason for a miracle!

Are you and I, carrying a heavy burden today?
Feeling the worthlessness of it?
Trust in God… He has a beautiful plan and purpose!

Hard to trust that?

Then look closer into the life of the wonderful Saint of the Day – St Joseph!
>> A person who was called for the most strangest and unique assignments in the world…
>> A person who would have often wondered what really is going on in his life…
And yet, a person, who firmly clung on to what was given to him…embracing the Will of God!

St Joseph is certainly, one of the most remarkable personalities in the entire Bible.
>> A person who never spoke in the Bible… but one who spoke volumes of deep trust, confidence and obedience through his life.
>> A person who is not noted for any flashy or spectacular incidents…but one whose personality shines bright for the promptness and immediacy in carrying out what God wanted of him.

St Joseph was tremendously blessed!
>> The one who had the absolute privilege of being closest to two of the Most Holiest Persons in this world – Jesus and Mother Mary!
>> The one who had the pristine honour of rendering the first adoration and worship of Baby Jesus at His birth in this world!

But with blessing also comes duty and responsibility!

And St Joseph is a brilliant example and model to doing one’s duties and responsibilities…
>> He sacrificed a possible life of worldly glory… in accepting to be the caretaking father of Jesus.
>> He cast away his doubts and possibilities of shame… in accepting Mary as his wife, despite the tremendous societal and religious pressure on him.
>> He bore every difficulty and endured many miseries… in helping Jesus, the Son of God to be born and to ensure safety for the Divine Child and Mother.
>> He went beyond all shades of comfort and walked the path of thorny hardships… in ensuring the Holy Family was protected from harmful powers.

>> Here is a Saint…

…  who challenges us to be totally and firmly faithful in carrying out the mission of God – be it small, unnoticed, unglamorous or insignificant.
…  who shatters our mind in wanting to have pleasures and comforts, by letting go of one’s personal gains and even logical reasoning, in order to preserve and promote the Plans of God.

Life tosses us, time and again…
… with hardships, doubts, misunderstandings, uncertainty, fear… and even remain unrecognised!
>> But through all these experiences, St Joseph invites us… to trust in the Lord, with a deep sense of serenity and confidence!

Yes, we may not always understand why things are thrust on us…
But let us be inspired by St Joseph, to unmistakably hold on, in doing God’s Will in our lives!

>> God’s Will may not be comprehended…but it certainly will hold us close to the Heart of the Lord!
>> God’s Will may not always appear to be clear… but it certainly will be a major factor in carrying out the plan of God for us, in our lives!

Yes, let this be our encouraging prayer…
“Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing!
I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy…
But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.”

Happy Feast of the Just Saint, St Joseph!
>> Let us rejoice with his Beloved Son Jesus and his Beautiful wife and our Mother, Mary!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“We are strewn all over the ground.

Some of us are considered useless….
>> Some of us are just stamped upon…
>> Some are made use in some hard labour…

Some of us… well..some of us, however, are made use for some inhuman practices.

This includes making use of some of us…
… to hurt others
… to cause pains and wounds to others
…and some even to cause fatal deaths!

Our life is often long… but sometimes, such kind of painful moments and incidents, ooze out any bit of feelings we may have (though we are considered not to be having any sentiments!)

Are you wondering who we are?

Well.. we are the family of stones!

Yep.. Stones!
Strewn all over…
Sometimes useless, right?
Sometimes just stamped upon, right?
Sometimes just made use for hard labour, right?

But sometimes, some of us, the stones … also become objects of injuring and causing pain to others…

One such occasion was when, as you read in the Gospel of St John 8..some of us were picked up by a gang of highly malicious, judgemental and selfish people, to cause death to a woman who was caught in an act of immorality.

>> We were ready to be thrown on that woman.
>> We were set to become objects of brutality and terror.

However, that day, we encountered the most amazing personality.

He had glorious eyes.
>> He had a breathtaking voice.
>>> He had a tremendous authority.

His name was Jesus!
>> And His one sentence, “He who is without sin, let him be the first to stone” dropped the jaws of all those blood-thirsty and cruel people.

We were all released from their hands.
>> We saw them all turning their backs and going home, in shame.
>>> We also saw, the wonderful triumph of mercy and love and compassion.

However, a few days later, some of us were soon back to find ourselves in the hands of those blood-thirsty men.
>> This time, the target was none other than that same charismatic person named Jesus.

You read about that in John 10:31, “The Jews took up stones again to stone Jesus”

We were left wondering why was this innocent man being targeted so badly.

>> He was after all preaching the Kingdom of God.
>> He was bringing the message of God’s Love and salvation to the world .

By His Life, He was declaring Himself to be the Messiah from God.
>> By His works, He was also proving Himself to be the Son of God.

But none of these “clear-cut” evidences were able to convince those people.
>> They still believed that Jesus was a blasphemer.
>> They still were determined to think that Jesus was a heretic.

And so they picked us up.. yes, we the stones… to indulge themselves in a blood-bath of the Blessed Man of claimed Himself to be the Lord and Saviour of the World!

Our thoughts go out to those people who wanted to stone….

>> God had blessed them with such beautiful hearts.
>> God had showered them with so much of wisdom to discern and understand.
Yet, they failed to make use of these divine gifts and instead, had hardened their hearts!

What a pity, that those human beings had become like us… stones!

Yes, just how could they become stone-hearted??
>> Stone-hearted…
… that they failed to be open to the possibility of God’s hand at work.

>> Stone hearted…
… that they were adamant to be closed to any explanation of the Lord.

>> Stone-hearted…
…  that they were stubborn to listen to the voice of God’s Spirit in their lives.

We, the stones, now appeal to you, dear readers….To be wary and examine your lives:

Are you also acquiring a nature like us, the stones…
…. hard to the feelings of other people and failing to understand them?
… rigid to the inspirations of the Spirit of God and not letting Him work in your lives?
… inflexible to have changes and transformations in life, to attune oneself to God’s Will?

There are many of us in the world…
Your streets, your roads… are all, indeed strewn with all of us, the stones.

But we sincerely beg you…
… not to let your hearts to become like us
… not to let your lives to be similar to our nature.

>> Let the world have more of, not stony-hearts, but tender, loving, understanding and compassionate hearts…

>> Let the world have more of, not hardened souls, but docile, open, submissive and humble lives…

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Christus Heri Hodie Semper – Christ, Yesterday Today Forever!
>> This was the theme of the Great Jubilee year 2000.

The theme highlighted the great aspect of the perpetual divinity of the Lord.

He is the same.. yesterday, today and forever! (Heb 13:8)

However, not all are able to digest this fact, that Jesus, could be fully divine.
>> Not all are able to grasp this aspect that Jesus, could be the Son of God.

It is such a debating discussion over the Divinity of the Lord that forms the chunk of the Gospel of the Day.

One of the constant companions of the Lord, all through His life was..being hated!

It was especially His declaration on having a Divine origin that generated greater sparks of hatred.

The debate continues between Jesus and the Jews.
>>The Jews had immense pride in calling themselves as the children of their Father, Abraham.

As the debate continues, the Lord puts forward the gem of His defence…the core of His revelation: ” Truly truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (Jn 8:58)

Those words hit the critics of the Lord, direct on the face…
“Before Abraham was, I AM!”

>> “I AM” was the title of God Yawheh!
>> “I AM” was the sole privilege of the Lord Almighty!

This was the name that was given by God to Moses: “I AM who am. This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you” (Ex 3:14)

>> It was pure blasphemy for any mortal to use it for oneself.
>> It was sheer heretical for any human to apply it to oneself.

I AM – the Name..
… demanded fear as to none other
… commanded respect as to no one
… contained awesomeness as in nothing else

And therefore, the Lord had to face the consequences of this “blasphemous” act:
“So they picked up stones to throw at Him” (Jn 8:59)

And so the life of the Lord expounds an important truth:
>> Where there is the mention of Divinity…
… there are forces of the evil seeking to cast it away.

>> Where there is the presence of the Divine…
… there are powers seeking to destroy the sacredness.

Jesus, the One hated the most, was the Most Divine.
>> Jesus, the One who was always contrary to the moods of the world, was the Most Divine

Fulton Sheen picks up this beautiful aspect, to present a secular, rational and a logical reasoning to see the Truth in the Holy Catholic Church.

We quote him here….

“If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world;
in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hated.
My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh.

If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world!

>> Look for the Church…
…  that is hated by the world as Christ was hated by the world!
…  that is accused of being behind the times, as our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned.
… which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth.
… which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils.
… which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God.
… which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth.
… which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men.
… which amid the confusions of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly it is other worldly. since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself.

But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved.
>> Therefore the Church is Divine.”

>> Our own lives sometimes becomes an object of hate when we stand for Christ, the Truth

> The more we tend towards being Divine…
… the greater is the opposition we face.

> The more we tend towards being Spiritual…
… the higher is the shame we encounter.

Jesus, is the same, yesterday today and forever

As His true followers, we too will have to undergo agony, pain, humiliation and even suffering….
>> Let us be firm in His grace and stand bold, facing the challenges to our faith
>> Let us grow in our love and commitment to the Holy Church and share in Her suffering.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

There is a simple fable, perhaps known to many of us… of a swan….

The swan – white, beautiful and spotless – was pitying a poor pig, who was in its muddy environment.

It began to describe to the pig, that further up the river, there was a beautiful country – with green banks and rising slopes.

The swan invited the pig to join the happy company of the white swans that lived in that “pleasant country”.

The pig was pretty fascinated and was willing to go.
>> But it asked a question: ” Is there any marshy swamp in that pleasant country?”

“Oh no!” replied the swan, “the land is free from all mud and mire”

“Ah Hmm…” said the pig with face cast-down, “In that case, I am sorry, I cannot accompany you!
I must stay here in the swamp!”

An invitation to move from the dirty swamp to a pleasant country was extended…
… but the offer was refused and rejected!

So true is this fable, with respect to  our own experience in spiritual life.

>> We are constantly exhorted, to advance to  live in holiness and purity…
… but we stubbornly choose to inhabit in sin, shame and ignorance!

>> We are often invited, to move  into a life of spotlessness and sanctity..
… but we remain satisfied to dwell with the unclean and dirty things of life!

The Gospel of the Day is a continuation of the Jews  getting into arguments with Jesus on the question of His Divinity.

>> The Lord invites them open their eyes to see and experience the Truth…
… but they close their minds, and choose to remain stubborn, in their own understanding

>> The Lord exposes before them the futility of being ignorant and the advantage of knowing the Truth…
… but they wilfully choose to remain stuck in their past knowledge and be unwilling to open their hearts to possibilities of change.

Jesus, the Truth-Incarnate, declares:
” You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free” (Jn 8: 31)

But the people retorted and answered: “… we have never been enslaved…” (Jn 8: 33)

They considered slavery from only a physical perspective!
>> They were extremely offended when Jesus considered them to be slaves!

But Jesus ( as he does always!) brings the focus into right perspective, and speaks of a deadlier form of slavery and a higher form of freedom…

>> A slavery to Sin…
… that causes one to be away from God and His people

>> A slavery to ignorance and error…
… that causes one to be closed to God’s Word and prevent His transformation to take place within

He invites to receive a Freedom in Him…
… that enjoins with knowing and doing the Father’s Will
… that liberates  one from the bondages of death, and leads into peace and joy!

The danger to remain stagnant in sinful or ignorant ways constantly lurks in our life:
>> The Truth of the Bible is often presented to us in appealing and interesting formats…
… but we often seek to remain ignorant or don’t show any interest to read and understand God’s Word

>> The beauty of the Sacramental Life and the Teachings of the Church is laid before our eyes…
… but we time and again, tend to be lethargic, casual and sometimes even, hostile to them

>> Our eyes often come into contact with the suffering lot of people, in and around us…
… but many times, we turn a blind eye to them and remain indifferent in our cosy lifestyle

Each of us needs a purification…
>> Each of us needs a movement…

A purification from our stubborn ways to a life of obedience and docility to God’s Word
>> A movement from a sluggish life of faith to being a fervent and committed Christian

Yes, Jesus is constantly extending His Nail-Scarred Hands to lead us to the “pleasant country” of holiness and sanctity.
>> Let us not deny his invitation and say:
“Ah Hmm…! I am sorry, I cannot accompany You!
I must stay here in the swamp!”

Instead,  let us make a self-examination of our state of life…
… realise the need to have a purification and a movement…
… and embrace and live with Jesus, the Truth, “Who sets us free”!

God Bless! Live Jesus!