“Resigning ourselves to the complete power and providence of the Lord!”

(Based on Acts 6:1-7, 1 Pt 2:4-9 and Jn 14:1-12 – 5th Sunday of Easter)

A visitor was once walking along a high part of the shore of the Dead Sea.

As he casually was strolling across and relaxingly enjoying, he lost his balance and fell into the water.

Swimming was an activity he had never learnt!
Desperation was a weakness that hastened to him quickly!

He could not swim and, in extreme anxiety, lest he should sink and be drowned, he began to fling his arms about frantically!

Was his life going to be terminated?
Was his enjoyable walk awaiting an anti-climax end?

At last, exhausted by wildly moving his arms for help, he felt he could do no more.

Then he found something strange happening…

The waters bore him up!

The water of the Dead Sea is so heavy with salt and other minerals that when he lay still in it he found he floated on the surface!

When he frantically moved his arms, in despair, there was immense fear of drowning..

But when he became still, he experienced the calm of support and strength!

Drowning was an impossibility, so long as he resigned himself to the power of the deep!

In our life of faith, are we ready to “resign ourselves to the power of the deep?”

The Gospel of the Day is an assuring lesson by the Lord – the Way, the Truth and the Life – to His disciples to trust deeper and place their hopes in Him.

The Gospel begins with the statement: “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (Jn 14: 1)

We need to highlight the context of this particular statement:
Jesus is having The Last Supper, with His chosen disciples…
… in a few hours from now, He will be undergoing an immense “agony” in the Garden of Gethsemane
… a little later, He would be undergoing excruciating humiliation and a painful death on the Cross.

Yet, with this impending dangers, the Lord is at peace within Himself

He not only nurtures a peace within; He even assures this peace to His followers exhorting them: “Do not be troubled!”

What gave Jesus this tremendous power to have inner serenity and peace, in the face of agonizing trouble?

It was His relationship with His Abba… His Heavenly Father!

He came to this world solely to do the Will of His Father…
… and it was the assurance of the Father, with Him, that would be the secret of His Success in Mission!

As Christians, don’t we also face immense pressures and difficulties in life?
… persecutions in witnessing our faith in the society
… challenges to live an authentic Christian life in a corrupt society
… struggles to live a holy life, in the midst of alluring sinful tendencies

What can give us power to have inner serenity and peace, in the face of such agonizing troubles?

It is only our relationship to the Father, through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit!

It is PRAYER alone that can take us through the storms of life!

The Psalmist says, “I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8)

To be able to sleep in the midst of severe storms, is a sign of tremendous peace of mind!

Isaiah 43:2 promises:
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown”

The one, who has faith and trust in God…
… has absolutely nothing to be anxious about, even amid any storm or squall

Jesus teaches His disciples this important spiritual principle: The higher one is in union with God, the lesser will be the anxiety-factor in life.

Even when Jesus faced the greatest storm of His life – His passion and death – He was able to go through the crisis in peace and serenity.

Before being arrested and taken for being crucified, Jesus assures peace and joy for his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (Jn 14: 27)

The Lord today invites us to have this same kind of faith and trust in Him and His Divine Providence.

Let us realize that we are a chosen generation – God has called and chosen each one of us to live a life in Him by totally trusting in Him!
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light!” (1 Pet 2:9)

Faith and Trust in Him also demands that we set proper priorities and make choices for the Lord and His Kingdom.

The community of disciples, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, is a beautiful inspiration for all of us to set proper priorities for the Lord.

When they realized that there was a danger to side-line the ‘Word of the Lord’ to other ‘works of the Lord,’ they set apart a few people for the charitable service while they others devoted to prayer and ministry of the Word:

“It is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word!” (Acts 6:2-4)

Life will, undoubtedly, bring with it many storms and tempests in life.
We may experience lots of fear…
We may feel the end is near…

But the one who trusts in Him – the Way, the Truth and the Life – is assured of safety and security!

The more we are close to the Lord, the deeper would be this faith and confidence!

Drowning in life is an impossibility, when we resign ourselves to the complete power and providence of the Lord.

The power of the Lord is with us and beneath us…
… waiting to bear us up!

Do we trust?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“‘Learning Jesus’ more and more, by faithfully attending His School of Love and doing away with ‘spiritual illiteracy’ in our lives!”

(Based on Acts 13:44-52 and Jn 14:7-14 – Saturday of the 4th Week of Easter)

A priest – very devout to the Word of God and a good preacher – was asked, “Father, can you tell us, what makes you to be so passionate about the Word of God?”

The priest thought for a couple of seconds and replied:
“As I began my studies of the Bible, I began to realise…
… that I used to treasure the encouraging letters that were written by my parents when I was in the seminary!
… that I would time and again take these letters – though I knew the content of it by heart – and would get a special feeling, every time I went through them!”

And he added, “I realised this great truth: When you fall in love with the sender, you fall in love also with the letter of the sender!

The same is true of God
When we fall in love with God – the sender of the Word of God – we fall in love with the Bible!”

Have we fallen in love with the Word of God?
… or are we living in “spiritual illiteracy?”

Spiritual Illiteracy could be described as…
… the inability to know or understand the promptings and inspirations of the Holy Spirit
… the lack of keenness to know about the Lord, His Teachings and His Mission
… the failure to have any interest in knowing God and His infinite love and mercy

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus revealing the spiritual illiteracy of His Apostles, “Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me…?” (Jn 14:9)

The context of this statement is the Last Supper Discourse that Jesus gives to His chosen disciples.

The disciples had been, probably with Jesus for nearly three years…

They had seen Him performing many miracles
They had heard Him speak of the glorious Kingdom of God.
They had experienced Him endowed with the special favour of God
They had touched Him and received powers and graces for the mission.

Yet, when Jesus speaks about the Father, the disciples express their ignorance.

Jesus, therefore, puts forward the question, “Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me…?” (Jn 14:9)

Our lives can also resemble these disciples – in ignorance of the Lord.

We may remain “illiterate” spiritually, even though we have been admitted for a long time in the school of Jesus.

We may be “illiterate” in knowing…
… the vision of Jesus in building His Kingdom on the earth
… the feelings of the Lord in being passionately zealous to save all people
… the value of the sacrifice that Jesus has offered for us by His passion and death
… the depth of glory that is promised to us as a fruit of the Resurrection, if we follow Him

This spiritual “illiteracy” causes us…
… to remain unaware of the power and workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives
… to become lethargic and uninterested to know more about the Lord and His Word
… to be lukewarm and indifferent to explore the Lord deeper, especially in His Sacraments.

The call of the Gospel is to rekindle the fire to know the Lord more intimately and closely.

The book of Hosea (Hos 4:6) places a warning if we are to continue in this “illiteracy”:
“My people perish for want of knowledge!

Since you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from my priesthood!
Since you have ignored the law of your God, I will also ignore your sons”

A revolution is to be triggered so that “spiritual illiteracy” can be wiped away!

This is also a wonderful opportunity for us to examine the possible means of “knowing” the Lord and the many opportunities that we squander away in “knowing” Him deeper…
… Do I set apart, some time at least, daily, reading the Bible – His Holy Word?
… Do I spend time, without any fail, in quiet prayerful moments with the Lord?
… Do I maximize my possibilities of meeting the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?
… Do I pick up opportunities to listen to His Spirit in the various situations of my life?
… Do I ignite the sparks of desire to participate in the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist and Confession?

St Paul points to the fact of how many Jews failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah…
… and thus missed out on “living a life in Him”
… and how the Gentiles would “learn the path to eternal life!”

“And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.’” (Acts 13:46-47)

Jesus desires that we know Him more…
… not just ‘about’ Him
… not just intellectual knowledge
… not just His teachings or wisdom
… But Him!
He wants all to have an “experiential” and a “living” experience of Him!

Let us realise that, “when you fall in love with the sender, you fall in love also with the letter of the sender!”

“When we fall in love with God – the sender of all the Word of God – we fall in love with the Bible!”

Let us “learn Jesus” more and more, faithfully attending His School of Love and doing away with “spiritual illiteracy” in our lives!

LEARN JESUS to LIVE JESUS to GIVE JESUS!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Overcoming our ‘spiritual paresthesia’ and fully cooperating with the Grace of the Lord!”

(Based on Acts 13:26-33 and Jn 14:1-6 – Friday of the 4th Week of Easter)

In the late 1970s, a young man named Ian Waterman, just 19 years old and full of life…
… was suddenly struck by a rare neurological condition.

Overnight, he lost his entire sense of touch, balance, and bodily awareness…
… though not a single muscle was paralyzed.

He could move, technically…
… but he no longer knew how.

Without his sense of body position, he was trapped inside himself.
Doctors told him he would likely never walk again.

But Ian was determined.

Through slow, painstaking effort and immense mental focus, he retrained his brain to walk again…
… by watching every movement visually.
He had to constantly think about every step, every motion…
… because the natural, effortless connection with his body was gone.
(Later he would be referred to as the “man who lost the body!”)

Ian’s story is striking…
… not just medically, but spiritually.

Because what he experienced physically, is what many of us go through spiritually.

We often lose our awareness of God!

We go through the motions – Mass, prayer, acts of charity…
… but the connection with the Lord feels dry, distant, numb.

We become spiritually numb.
Detached. Disconnected. Distant.

We are walking.

But not with Him.

We are alive.

But not aware.

We are moving.

But without meaning.

This is what we could call “spiritual paresthesia” – a loss of sensation to grace, to the presence of the Lord, and even to sin.

But we are not doomed to stay there.

We are called to have intentional cooperation, spiritual discipline, and the Grace of God…
… as the Lord cries out to every soul numbed by routine, by sin, by indifference, with the proclamation:
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!” (John 14:6)

This reply of the Lord came in response to the query of Thomas, the Apostle who asked Jesus, “Lord, we do not know, where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5)

Thomas, along with the other disciples, had by now, spent quite a lot of time with Jesus, their Master….

They had encountered Jesus as The Way….
… the Way Forward: when sicknesses and problems of life had crippled the lives of many

They had encountered Jesus as The Truth….
… the Truth Uncompromised: when lies and malicious forces sought to thwart the plans of the Kingdom of God

They had encountered Jesus as the Life….
… the Life in Abundance: when hopelessness and sin would cause people to give up any aspirations for life

Yet, the disciples failed to recognize these aspects in Jesus.

They were perhaps, in a state of “spiritual paresthesia”…
… being numb to understanding Jesus
… unable to sense the words and depths of the Words of Jesus.

And so when Thomas put forward the doubt: “Lord, we do not know, where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5)…
… Jesus emphatically declared, “I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE!” (Jn 14: 6)

The Lord wanted the disciples to overcome their “spiritual paresthesia”…
…and come to be aware of the Reality and Greatness of His Presence in their life!

Perhaps, we too often find ourselves in a state of “spiritual paresthesia” or “spiritual numbness!”

One of the main factors, which can cause this state of “spiritual numbness”, is the reality of sin in our lives…
… which many times, we either deny or fail to acknowledge.

In the teachings of Jesus, one of the stand-out factor was His uncompromising attitude with respect to sin.

And perhaps, this is where Jesus as a Holy Person stands out incomparable with all other great spiritual or philosophical leaders of the world.

This is also where Christianity as a religion stands out unmatched with any other belief system or practice of spirituality.

For Jesus and in Christianity…
… there is an uncompromising teaching on the need to root out sin and evil offences
… there is an absolutely unparalleled insistence on removal of sin for spiritual progress
… there is an unsurpassed assertion on being holy and pure to be in communion with Him

Let’s realise: “The devil doesn’t always roar—sometimes, he just numbs.

Quietly. Slowly. Deadly!”

We need to make an honest examination of our conscience…

Is our life suffering from a “spiritual Paresthesia” or “numbness to what is holy” or a “lack of sensation to sin”…
… Do I continue to pursue, persevere or promote deeds of sin, even though I am aware of it, or has been brought to my notice?
… Do I fail to be sensitive to issues of immense sin and evil happening in and around me, in people and situations, and instead become indifferent and uninterested?

A persistence in this spiritual “Paresthesia” or numbness can very dangerously sever our relation with the Lord.

The Lord declares that “In My Father’s house, there are many rooms…” (Jn 14: 2)

St Paul reminds us of the wonders of the Resurrection of Jesus and the promise of blessing that is enshrined to everyone who follows Him:
“… we bring you the Good News that what God promised to the fathers; this He has fulfilled to us their children, by raising Jesus!” (Acts 13:30-33)

Yes, the Lord wishes and desires, that all of us….
… should dwell with Him!
… should enjoy eternal life in Him!
… should reach the heights of holiness!

But this also requires our genuine co-operation to the Grace of the Lord…
… by seeking to get over our spiritual Paresthesia or numbness…

This process of getting out of this spiritual “Paresthesia” will involve “disciplining” in the form of reparation, penance and atonement.

Let us be willing to…
… let go a life of sin
… embrace the words of the Lord
… and live it joyfully and fervently in our life!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Remaining firm and joyful in being an ‘ambassador for Christ and His Kingdom!'”

(Based on Acts 13:13-25 and Jn 13:16-20 – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter)

In 1994, Rwanda became a place of terror.

While the world turned its back, and the embassies were evacuating their citizens…
While even United Nations peacekeepers were packing their bags and boarding flights out of Kigali…

There was one man who chose to stay.

Carl Wilkens.

An American missionary.

Not a soldier or a diplomat.
Not even a politician.
Just a man who had tasted the love of Christ…
… and could not walk away while thousands were walking to their deaths.

The U.S. embassy urged him.

His own government told him: “It’s too dangerous.”

But he said, “If I leave, who will help them?

Who will speak for those who have no voice?”

He stayed – risking his life to protect Tutsis from genocide.

He hid them. Fed them.
Drove through bloodied streets to bring aid.
And through his courage, hundreds were rescued!

[Source: Wilkens, C. (2011). I’m Not Leaving. EPPress.]

Carl Wilkens became, in effect, an ‘ambassador’ of compassion…
… his presence reflecting a higher Kingdom, one rooted in Christ’s love and courage.

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus, the “Ambassador” of His Heavenly Father…
… and in turn, invites each of us to be His Ambassador and of His Kingdom in our world.

Jesus says: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send, receives Me, and whoever receives Me, receives the One who sent Me” (Jn 13:20)

Jesus came into this world to reveal the love and mercy of God.

He is the Love made flesh and the Mercy incarnate.

While on earth, Jesus was the perfect Representative of God, His Almighty and Beloved Father.

Finding deep communion in long hours of prayer, Jesus would emphatically give witness to His Father…
… by His mighty deeds of power, spectacular wonders of healing and His heart-touching words of eternal life.

This mission of being the Ambassador of the Father, was however, not without its shares of pain for Jesus…
… He had the face the pain of being rejected by His own people
… He had to bear the agony of being betrayed by His own chosen one
… He had to face the humiliation of the worst form of execution known those days

Yet, none of this could deter the Lord from choosing to be the “Ambassador” for the Kingdom of Heaven.

He today invites each one of us to be an “Ambassador” for Him and His Kingdom.
… Being convinced and passionate in preaching the message of the Lord and His Kingdom to others.
… Making our very lives as a witness of the Love and Mercy of God.
… Seeking the good of all and uplifting everyone.
… Bringing others to faith in Jesus and make His message of love and holiness to spread to all.

St Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians echoes this call and invite of the Lord, to be His Ambassadors…
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Cor 5:18-20).

Let’s realise that “you don’t always need a pulpit to preach…
… you need a life that proclaims Christ!”

Let us remain firm and joyful in being an “ambassador for Christ and His Kingdom!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Orienting our lives more and more to the Lord, and seeking to live more intimately connected to Him!

(Based on Acts 12:24-13:5a and Jn 12:44-50 – Wednesday of the 4th Week in Easter)

“I keep six honest serving-men…

They taught me all I knew;
Their names are ‘What and Why and When, and How and Where and Who’”

— Words of the author, Rudyard Kipling who is famous for his book, “The Jungle Book”

This concept of 5W’s and 1H – What, Why, When, Where, Who and How – is extensively used in journalism, especially while writing a factual news story.

It is said that one of the classical methods in writing the opening paragraph of a news story should contain answers to…
… as far as possible, all these 5W’s and 1H.

The Gospel of the Day describes St John presenting a ‘Recapitulation Passage’ on Jesus.

This passage gives a neat answer in tune with the concept of 5W’s and 1H…

WHO is Jesus?
WHAT did Jesus do?
WHY did Jesus come?
WHERE did Jesus come?
WHEN did Jesus come to be?
HOW did Jesus come?

1) Who is Jesus?
St John presents Jesus as ‘the Saviour of the World’: “… for I do not come to condemn the world, but to save the world” (Jn 12: 47b)

Jesus is not the one who condemns or denounces or reviles a person…

Instead He is the One who saves, the One who redeems and the One who atones.

Have I accepted Jesus as the Saviour of my life…
… or is He just some great teacher or just a wonderful philosopher or even just a great Man in my life?

Do I grow in my conviction that the “WHO” of Jesus primarily consists in Him wanting to save me from my sin, and wanting me to lead a holy and sanctified life, so that I can belong to Him completely?

2) What did Jesus do?
St John presents Jesus as ‘speaking the Word of Life’: “Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge Him; the word that I spoke, will condemn him…” (Jn 12: 48)

Jesus, the Eternal Word, spoke His words, which guarantees life, and life in abundance (Jn 10:10b)

That is why St Peter confessed to Jesus, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6: 68)

Am I keen in listening to the words of Jesus, that He speaks to me, especially through His Holy Word in the Bible?

Do I seek to live and base my life on these Words and teachings that the Lord speaks to me?

3) Why did Jesus come?
St John presents Jesus coming ‘to lead from the darkness of death to the light of eternal life’: “I came… so that everyone who believes in me, might not remain in darkness; … His commandment is eternal life” (Jn 12:46, 50)

The Lord, who is the light of the World, came to the world so that all may share in His Life, His Eternal Life.

Am I fixated in the mundane pleasures and transitory luxuries of the world, and giving no heed to the spiritual side of my life?

Do I orient my life towards to the higher aspects of life, gazing heavenward, and preparing my spiritual life to be worthy of eternal life?

4) Where did Jesus come?
St John presents Jesus as ‘coming to this world’: “… I come into the world…” (Jn 12: 46)

This is a significant lesson that we are taught: that Jesus came into this world.
He came to sanctify and redeem our world.

At Incarnation, Jesus descends to our world… sinful, corrupt and prone to evil tendencies.
He does not abandon this world…
He does not give up on any of us…
He does not forsake us in our misery…

Do I make space for Jesus to enter into my world, even if I am aware that I am sinful or prone to bad habits or constantly falling into failures?

Am I willing to accept the transformations that will be demanded of me, when Jesus descends into the realms of my life, and exhorts me to be walking with Him on His way of the Cross?

5) When did Jesus come to be?
St John presents Jesus as ‘existing with the Father, from eternity’: “… and whoever sees Me, sees the One who sent ME; … I say as the Father told Me” (Jn 12: 45, 50b)

Jesus, the Son, is the visible image of God, the Father.

With the Father, He has existed from all ages, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
He is the Lord who is unchanging.
He is the Lord who is all-knowing and all-loving.
He is the Lord who has the complete control over my life.

Do I possess the faith to be firm in my trust in the Holy Providence, knowing the Jesus knows everything, especially in my moments of hardships and trials?

Am I reflecting the image of God in my life, just as Jesus reflected the image of His Heavenly Father, knowing that this is possibly only by being in close union with the Lord, in devotion and discipleship?

6) How did Jesus come?
St John presents Jesus as ‘coming as the light to the world’: “I come into the world as light… ” (Jn 12: 46)

Jesus came to the darkness of our world, by being the Light.
All His teachings radiate with truth
All His deeds shine with holiness

Am I firm in my principles and values to hold on to the teachings and commandments that the Lord, lovingly invites me to live?

Am I courageous to be the shining light even when many forces of darkness around me, try to put off this holy radiance of the Lord?

When we offer ourselves wholly to the Lord, His Spirit will lead us and guide us…
… just as we see in the Acts of the Apostles

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said:
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.

Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2-3)

Let us orient our lives more and more to the Lord…
… and seek to live a life that is intimately more connected to Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!