“Returning to the Lord, in humility, and growing in holiness, in this Season of Lent!”

(Based on Joel 2:12-18, 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 and Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 – Ash Wednesday)

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 he desired!

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 exercises of devotion becoming instruments to show-case one’s pride and exhibit pomp and self-glory.

With respect to almsgiving, Jesus says…
… “sound no trumpet” (Mt 6:2)

With respect to prayer, Jesus says…
… “shut the door and pray to your Father” (Mt 6:6)

With respect to fasting, Jesus says…
…”anoint your head and wash your face” (Mt 6:17)

Prophet Joel expresses the fervent desire of the Lord to return back to Him with sincerity of heart:
“Yet even now,” says the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning…
… and rend your hearts and not your garments.” (Joel 2:12-13)

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 very often a flaunting of my pride and vain glory?

It is also interesting to note that these 3 practices also refers to the 3 dimensions of Love: towards God, towards others, towards oneself

Prayer: Reminding ourselves to grow in the Immensity of God’s Love
Almsgiving: Reviving our basic duty of caring and being responsible to one another
Fasting (Penance): Rediscovering the worthiness of our lives and commit to grow in holiness

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”

A few practical tips could help us to make this Season of Lent, more meaningful:

It is said that habits – to make a new one or to break an old one – generally take around 21 days
These 40+ days of Lent are a chance for us to “double” our efforts towards…
… positively growing in a “good virtuous habit”
… negatively rooting out a “not-so-good vicious habit”

(A few examples:
… Reading a portion of the Bible daily
… Learn by heart, some verses of the Bible and make it a personal prayer
… Identify the “root vice” of life, and practice the opposite – “the root virtue”
… Try to frequent Holy Mass / spend time with the Eucharistic Lord, as much as possible
… 40 simple acts of kindness
… Abstain from something that is “dear” and offer it is a sacrifice for someone in need
… Revive personal/family prayer
… Reduce time spent on the internet/social media
… Visit a home of charity or those in our vicinity who needs a help
… Abstain from gossiping/back biting/ irritable words
… Bring a person(s) closer to Christ/Church)

Can we choose, on this day, a habit in our personal life, which we need to “make or break”…
… for these days of Lent?

The Season of Lent covers a period of 7 weeks

Seven – a number of fullness and completeness is a call for us to grow in the Virtue of Charity.

We could identify 7 people – corresponding to the 7 weeks of Lent, who need our help.

This help may be any of the following:
… spiritual help
… social acceptance
… materialistic needs
… emotional assistance

May this Season of Lent – “the acceptable time given by the Lord” (Cf. 2 Cor 6:2) – help us to take concrete and practical decisions to practise the three pillars of Christian Piety – Fasting, Almsgiving and Praying…
… in its truest sense.

As St Paul reminds us: “…we entreat you on behalf of Christ, BE RECONCILED TO GOD…!” (2 Cor 5:20)

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!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Ten Commandments – The Third Commandment

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God…

… in it you shall not do any work. (CCC # 2168)

“Growing in the assurance that God is always holding us, and remaining calm and confident in this journey of life!”

(Based on Sir 35:1-12 and Mk 10:28-31 – Tuesday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

One day a person who was going through much spiritual and mental perplexity called up his friend.

He knew that his friend was able to remain sturdy and confident, even in the midst of troubles of life.

And so he desired to learn from him this secret to stay calm

“Tell me,” the anxious friend asked over the phone, “how is it that you can trust God so easily? How is it that you always got hold of God?”

For some time, the person was silent.

And then, taking a deep sigh, he replied, “It surely did take me a while to know and learn this.

But let me be honest with you.

Even now I have my moments when I don’t know if I have got hold of God…
… but one thing I have learnt over the years: ‘God always has a hold of me!”

It was the assurance that God was always holding him…
… that allowed this person to remain calm and confident in his journey of life.

Are we ready to grow deeper in this fact: that God is always having a hold of me…
… and this assurance that translates to a life of trust and confidence!

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!

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!

How often do we 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!

When we grow in the assurance that God is always holding us…
… we can remain calm and confident in this journey of life.

Yes… GOD IS ALWAYS HAVING A HOLD OF ME!

Are we ready to grow deeper in this awareness?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Ten Commandments – The Second Commandment

The name one receives is a name for eternity.
In the kingdom, the mysterious and unique character of each person marked with God’s name will shine forth in splendor.
“To him who conquers … I will give a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it.

Then I looked, and Lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (CCC # 2159)

“Being possessed by the Lord, so that we may have a wonderful life of eternity with the Lord of all treasures!”

(Based on Sir 17:20-24 and Mk 10:17-27 – Monday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

A story is told about Phythius, an ancient King of Lydia ( Lydia – a place in the present day Turkey).

Phythius was very wealthy, but also very greedy, and he would spend as little as possible.

His wife – the Queen – was however, greatly determined to cure him of this “wealth mania!”

One day when he came home hungry from a long hunt, she told the slaves to place before him dishes that were filled with gold…
… gold that was fresh from the royal gold mines.

The King stared down at his gold-filled plates, admiring them for some time, and then he asked for some food.

“Food?” his wife asked, feigning surprise, “But surely they have brought you what you love best in the world, haven’t they?”

“What are you talking about?” the King replied, as he lost his temper, “Gold can’t satisfy my hunger.”

“No?” the Queen answered, “Is it not foolish then to have such love for something that cannot be useful so long as you hang on to it?

Believe me; gold is truly of service only to people…
… who exchange it for the good and useful things of life.”

The rich young man in the Gospel of the Day also faced a similar “wealth mania”…
… and was reminded that “riches come to have true value, only when given in service, to the needy”

Are we also facing a “wealth mania” in our lives?

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 gave him a list of commandments, that needed to be followed to help ensure a passage into eternal life, the man replied, “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 realized 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 focused – “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!

It is not material possessions that ought to occupy our hearts; rather,.

It is not worldly treasures that should be our prime motto in life; rather…
… our hearts need to be possessed with the Love for the Lord
… and our life dedicated to the Kingdom of God and helping the needy with the resources we have.

Our life is totally in the control of the Lord.

Our material possessions will be of no avail, when we leave this world.

Let us instead be possessed by the Lord, gather the precious stones of His grace and love by works of charity and hold on to Him…
… so that we may have a wonderful life of eternity with the Lord of all treasures!

Let us give heed to some of the wise and noble sayings of holy people…
… who have described the necessity to be detached from the riches of the world…

St Bede the Venerable: “He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor.”
St Alphonsus Liguori: “Those who desire nothing from this world are masters of the whole world.”
St Gregory the Great: “Be not anxious about what you have, but about what you are… Make use of temporal things, but set your heart on eternal things.”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Ten Commandments – The Second Commandment

God calls each one by name.
Everyone’s name is sacred.
The name is the icon of the person.

It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it. (CCC # 2158)

“Improving the quality of our lives, and our credibility in being a leader, with the Grace of God and our sincere cooperation with the Lord!”

(Based on Sir 27:4-7, 1 Cor 15:54-58 and Lk 6:39-45 – 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C)

In a particular town, there lived a cobbler, who was unable to make a living by his trade.

Driven to despair by his poverty, he accommodated himself in another far-away town and began to practise medicine.

He sold a drug which he claimed to be an antidote for all sorts of poisons.

Towards this end, he also created a great popularity campaign through advertisements and boastful proclamations.

Unfortunately, in a short period, the cobbler himself happened to fall sick to a serious illness.

The ruler of the town sought this as a nice chance to test his medicine’s capability and the man’s genuineness.

For this, the ruler called for a cup, and filling it with water, pretended to mix poison with the cobbler’s antidote…
… commanding him to drink, with a promise of a handsome reward.

The sick cobbler, overcome with much fear and trembling, confessed that he had no knowledge of medicine!

The ruler then called the people of the town and addressed them:

“Oh, how foolish are you! You have not hesitated to entrust your heads to a man…
… whom no one could employ even to make shoes for their feet!”

Often, perhaps, it so happens that we too…
… get fooled in life
… get led by incapable people
… get ourselves to be a slave to unbecoming things

We become blind and perhaps, we also lead others to stumble!

Our Blessed Lord in today’s Gospel invites us to a deep examination of the quality of our lives and our credibility in being a leader

Jesus says, “Can a blind man lead a blind person? Will they not both fall into a pit?” (Lk 6: 39)

This verse is a reference to two sets of people:

One, the guide
Second, the one who is led.

We could find ourselves in either of these categories or sometimes even both.

We could be a guide or one who is guided or both – a guide as well as one who is guided.

In any of the cases, one needs to examine one’s quality of life.

Am I shrouded in the darkness of being in ignorance and apathy…
… disinterested to learn and unwilling to know more…?
… causing others to be misled and creating confusions and misunderstandings…?

Am I a person who is sunk into the dark abyss of being prejudiced and unforgiving….
… unwilling to be open to the truth and adamant in considering even to review or re-examine my viewpoints…?
… blinded to accept differences and failing to cherish diversity and thus constantly being at loggerheads with others…?

Am I veiled continuously under the dark shades of being unjustly critical and judgmental…
… full of pride and being unable to let go of my selfish interests and self-centred wants…?
… enamoured by pleasure in looking for opportunities and means to put down others or find faults with others…?

Our Blessed Lord invites us to make an honest review of our lives and to be always willing to ring in positive transformations.

The book of Sirach reminds us: “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks.

As the test of what the potter moulds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just.” (Sir 27:4-5)

The level of honesty of our heart is reflected by our words and life

We need to nurture purity and holiness in our heart!

This Sunday is an invitation to all of us, to put into the practise the beautiful saying:

If you use the head with which you reprove others to reprove yourself…
… there will be fewer faults
If you use the heart with which you forgive yourself to forgive others…
… we will build better and beautiful relationships

Let us improve the quality of our lives, and our credibility in being a leader…
… with the Grace of God and our sincere cooperation with the Lord!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Ten Commandments – The Second Commandment

The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God…

… and calls on the Saviour’s grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. >> The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties. (CCC # 2157)

“Joining the Lord in painting the ‘Great Mural of Salvation’ and in turn, offering the ‘brush of goodness’ to people around us!”

(Based on Sir 17:1-15 and Mk 10:13-16 – Saturday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

In a grand cathedral, an acclaimed artist stood before his massive mural (= painting or other work of art executed directly on a wall/ceiling)…
… his brush gliding across the wall with effortless grace.

The townspeople watched in admiration, speaking about how this masterpiece would be remembered for generations.

A young boy, barefoot and covered in dust, watched from the shadows, mesmerized.

His small fingers mimicked the strokes in the air…
… as if painting along with the artist.

Finally, gathering his courage, he stepped forward and whispered, “Sir… can I help you paint?”

The artist barely turned, too immersed in his work.

His first instinct was to dismiss the boy.

This is no child’s game.
This is art.
This is history in the making.
But something in the boy’s eager eyes made him pause.

He sighed, dipped a small brush into the paint…
… and handed it to the child.

“Just a small corner. Don’t ruin it!”

The boy’s heart pounded.

With shaky hands, he made a single, careful stroke…
… then another.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
The colors blended under his touch.
He felt something stir within him—something powerful, something alive.

Years passed.
The grand mural became famous!

But another name rose to prominence…
… the boy, now a master artist himself, whose paintings graced the greatest halls.

When asked about his journey to greatness, this boy would always smile and say: “I became an artist…
… the moment someone let me hold the brush!”

Do we sometimes hold back the brush from someone who longs to create?

Do we sometimes turn away the small, the weak, the unnoticed…
… assuming that they don’t matter?

The Gospel of the Day presents little children who are brought to Jesus

“Little children are brought to Jesus to be prayed over and to be blessed.” (Mk 10:13)

But sadly, the disciples prevented the little ones from being brought to Jesus!

The disciples of Jesus perhaps felt…
… these little children were a disturbance in the hectic and occupied schedule of Jesus!
… these little children were an unnecessary burden to an already overburdened Jesus!

But Jesus, the Care-provider, reprimands and reproofs this attitude and approach.

He reminds everyone that…
… He is the Home to the homeless
… He is the Shelter to the shelterless
… He is the Hope to the hopeless

He invites the little children to be brought to Him and to help them feel His Homely Presence!
… to be touched by His Healing Presence!

How often this sad trend happens in our ‘frantic and frenzied’ world: Little things in life often not being given the due importance…
… and are discarded or pushed away.
A kind word withheld.
A talent ignored.
A chance denied.

We may never know what greatness we are preventing.

At the same time, let us also realise that we ourselves may have such ‘rejected’ experiences: People might prevent us and situations might discourage us.

But, let’s realise that the Lord has a Home for each one of us!

The Gospels are a testimony to this fact…

Sinners found their solace in the Sanctifying Presence of the Lord!

Sick people found their remedying cure in the Healing Presence of the Lord!

Broken souls found their a regrouping catalyst in the Restoring Presence of the Lord!

Outcasts groups found their accepting embrace in the Welcoming Presence of the Lord!

But the question is very often also: Do we go to the Lord….?

We often ignore the ‘small’ things – prayer, gratitude, acts of kindness…
… only to realize later that they were the biggest things all along.

In my work-dominated life…
… Do I fail to spend, a little time in the Homely Presence of the Lord?

In my high-styled life…
… Do I miss to realize & enjoy, the little joys in the Providence of the Lord?

In my passive life…
Do I take for granted, the favours that I obtain in the Mercy of the Lord?

In my tension-filled life…
Do I neglect the blessings, that I receive through the bounty of the Lord?

Let’s have this in mind: Even if the world pushes us aside, Jesus always has space for us.

The Lord never gets tired of us

Let us go to Him…
… to seek comfort and solace!

As we “march” into a new month, the Lord invites us to join Him in painting the “Great Mural of Salvation”…
… and in turn, let us offer the “brush of goodness” to people around us!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Ten Commandments – The Second Commandment

The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!” (CCC # 2157)

“Being faithful and committed in our relations by mirroring the magnanimous, unshaken love of God!”

(Based on Sir 6:5-17 and Mk 10:1-12 – Friday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

In a small town in France, Louis and Zélie Martin began their married life with love and hope.

But life soon tested them.

Financial struggles.
The pain of burying four of their nine children.
The slow agony of Zélie’s battle with cancer.

Any of these could have broken them.

But they held on.
Not because it was easy…
… but because they chose to!

They believed love wasn’t just about emotions.

It was a promise.
A sacred bond.
They didn’t let suffering weaken their commitment.

They stood together…
… through every storm
… through every tear
… through every silent prayer whispered in the night.

Years later, their love bore a lasting fruit: One of their children would be known to the world as St. Thérèse of Lisieux (The Little Flower)

Before she was a saint…
… she was a little girl who watched her parents love with courage, sacrifice, and unwavering faithfulness.

And then, the world learned something even more powerful.

The parents who raised a saint…
… became saints themselves.

Louis and Zélie Martin were canonized together – the first married couple in history to be declared saints.

Their love was not just beautiful.
It was holy.
It was heroic.
It is eternal!

Marriage is a sacred institution – a precious covenant – that demands a lifelong commitment and a faithful dedication, despite the ups and downs of life.

The life-love-story Sts Louis and Zélie Martin, beloved parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux reminds us…
… true love does not give up.

It fights.
It stays.

It finds strength in faith

The greatest love stories are not written in words, but in sacrifice.

And this is the love Jesus calls us to – a love that mirrors the magnanimous, unshaken love of God…
… when He expounds His teaching on the sacredness of the Covenant of Marriage.

The passage begins with a testing interrogation by the Pharisees, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” (Mk 10: 2a)

St Mark clearly points the intention of the Pharisees in asking this question to Jesus: “To test Him” (Mk 10:2b)

Jesus was in the district of Judea, across the Jordan (Mk 10:1)

Is there something specific in this particular detail being mentioned – “across the Jordan?”

“Across the Jordan” was the place where John the Baptist had been working (Jn 1: 28)

By mentioning the place, St Mark alludes to the outcome that had befallen on John the Baptist.

John the Baptist had got into great persecution because of his open-condemnation…
… of the adulterous relationship of King Herod with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. (Mk 6:17)

By putting forward the “same question of divorce” before Jesus, the Pharisees were laying a much greater trap…
… If Jesus condemned divorce, it could amount to an act of treason against King Herod, the ruler of the land!

John the Baptist had lost his head due to the strong stance on the issue of divorce

Now Jesus, is also being snared into such a life-threatening trap!

But Jesus remains the Person that He is – uncompromising, unflinching, convinced, bold and daring!

A big lesson for us too, to learn from Jesus…

There will be situations in life when people get into our skin, trying to put us into confusion and even states of danger…
… Can we still remain undaunted and courageous to stand firm on our convictions and principles?

Jesus came to the world to demonstrate the magnanimity of God’s Love.

This magnanimity includes…
… His unconditional manner of loving us, irrespective of our worthiness
… His unreserved faithfulness to us, despite our many acts of betrayal and disloyalty

It is this model of God’s love that becomes the blueprint for us in loving others, and especially in a marriage relationship.

Partners, pledged in love to each other in marriage, ought to imitate the love that God has for us…

We have cheated and strayed away from what God wants of us…
… He still loves us and is faithful to us

We have, on innumerable occasions, spat at His face by our shameful deeds and defamed His name by our sinful acts…
… He still holds us close to Him and remains loyal to us

We have, despite many warnings, purposely hurt Him in thoughts, words and deeds and even rejected His graces by not co-operating with His Will for us…
… He still waits patiently for our return and constantly seeks to draw us to Him

We have failed Him many times, but He has always made efforts to try to win us
We have hurt and pained Him much, but He has still longs for us, with His soothing balm of acceptance

It is this “magnanimity of God’s Love” that becomes the basis, the inspiration and the ideal in every marriage relationship.

Therefore Jesus says, “What therefore God has joined, let not man put asunder” (Mk 10:9)

We live in a world where the quickest solution to many problems is found in “throwing it away!”

And the same mentality affects human relationships too… especially to those in marriage.

The challenge therefore is to dare to swim against these worldly currents and bring in the “Jesus Culture of Faithful Commitment” in human relationships, especially of marriage.

Theoretically speaking, this sounds quite good and wonderful.

But when it comes down to the actual practice.. in married lives… it is undoubtedly a very hard effort.

“But what is impossible for humans is possible for God” (Mk 10:27b), is the assurance of Jesus.

When the going gets really hard and we want to call it ‘quits’ in our relationships…
… let us look to Jesus who said “Yes to the Will of God” in the painful agony at Gethsemane

There may seem no hope ahead…
There may appear only meaninglessness ahead…
Still, can we say Yes to God’s Will – to be faithful and committed?

When none of our efforts of restoration work out and we get ‘fed’ up and feel to have reached the ‘limit’ in relationships…
… let us look to Jesus Crucified, who was never ‘fed’ up with our misdeeds and our constant misunderstanding and misuse of His love

It may look like the end of the road…
It may seem that all the past was mere fantasy and the future appears to be non-existent…
Still, can we hold on to Hope in God – to be true to our promise and be loyal?

The promises made…

to our Faith in Baptism
to the spouse in Marriage
to the Lord in Consecrated and Priestly Life
… all demand an undissolved commitment, an undiluted faithfulness and an unmixed dedication.

Let us grow in the understanding of “being faithful and committed” in our relations…
… and mirror the magnanimous, unshaken love of God!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Ten Commandments – The Second Commandment

This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord.
The patron saint provides a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession.
The “baptismal name” can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue.

“Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment. (CCC # 2156)