An Adequate Response

The Holy Spirit is often described as the bond of love that exists between the Father and the Son. The mutual self-donational and self-communicative intimate bond between the Father and the Son is so perfect that perfect love exists between the two. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the Love between the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and the Son. This divine mystery occurs because the goodness of God must be communicated and shared.

But the Most Holy Trinity must communicate its goodness. This explains the existence of the whole of creation. It affords a place for the Most Holy Trinity to communicate its goodness and share God's divine life. We are then called into existence out of pure love. Humanity has the capacity to receive and enter into a relationship with divine love. We also have the capacity to communicate, share, and love the Most Holy Trinity.

This is the call to holiness and wholeness in the life of every person, the call to respond to the love of God poured into our hearts. What is the right and adequate response to a God who would give himself to us - and even die - so we might know the depths of his mercy and love?

There is only one proper response - the gift of self. We give ourselves in loving service to the one who gave himself in loving service to us.

Holiness is setting oneself aside for the purposes of God.  We realize our lives are not our own. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And so, if we claim a relationship with him, we are bound to God and offer ourselves in service to our sisters and brothers, who are also the children of God. This service in love brings us  wholeness at both a personal and communal level.

When we allow the love God into our lives, we can be healed from all our sins, the injuries other people may have inflicted upon us, and our selfish desires. This offers true freedom, which allows us to reach out to those  in need, show them the love of God, and bring healing to their lives.

In doing go, our pain begins to take on new meaning. The story doesn't end in pain, but rather, mutual healing. The result is a whole community in unity who can offer fitting thanksgiving and praise to show their love of God.

Grapes From Heaven and Graves From The Earth

I like grapes. Don't you? It is a Christian fruit I believe. I think whoever loves Jesus, would no doubt love grapes, because the Gospel are full of grapes.

Jesus often spoke of grapes and wines and vines and vineyards in His parables. He turned water into wine. He spoke of the workers in vineyards, about sending labourers to God's vineyard. He used 'vine' metaphorically to expound His loving bond with us. "I am  the vine and you are the branches," he said.

A beautiful blessed and soothing fruit!  Isn't it?

Why so much of talk about grapes?

Well, it is to symbolise our relationship with God. To represent all the good things we receive from God, and all the good things we can give back to God.

During Holy Mass we remember grapes very meaningfully.

Our sweat, our energy, our good will, our joys and sorrows, our hopes and expectations, our trust in God, et al, are all offered to God through the annointed hand of the Priest. God accepts our offerings and He in turn gives us back the most precious gift a human can receive the body and the blood  of our precious Lord! In fact Jesus chose the fruit of the vine to transform into His precious blood.

So, when I say grapes from heaven, it means everything that comes from the God's abundance.

But are we ready to receive?

How can we make ourselves worthy of heavenly grapes?

The answer is clear. Simply do what Jesus says. You don't need deep theology or philosophy to please God or obey God.

"Do as He says" said Jesus' mother to the servants at the wedding at Cana. They simply did as they were told and filled the vessels with water. And Jesus performed a miracle.

Water became vine. Fruit of man's obedience transformed into a gift of heaven.

Jesus can and will do miracles in our lives too if we do as He says.

What does He say?

"Seek first the Kingdom of God. and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6 : 33).

So, this is our homework. Are we doing 'as He says' ?

Are we seriously seeking  the kingdom of God here on earth? Or are we striving to build our own earthly kingdom?

Are we seeking our own vain glory, our comfort and pleasure at the cost of others'pain? Are we engaged in a crazy rat race to compete with others to become popular and powerful? Are we going after money, material possessions or improper sex? Are we neglecting our duties  and responsibilities towards our dependents? Are we running after imaginary gods, soothsayers, astrologers? Are we dishonest?  If so, we are not seeking God's kingdom, we are digging our metaphorical graves for our 'breathing dead bodies'.

Think about Jesus. Believe His words. We don't need deep theology or philosophy to please God or obey God.Do as He says, if we need a miraculous transformation. We can either be nourished by Heavenly grapes or perish in earthly graves. The choice is ours!

When God Calls

We all receive annunciations in life; whether they are good or bad we should always seek guidance from God and reliable people about them.

We have all heard annunciations. "I am pregnant" "I got a job" "We bought a house" Some annunciations are tragic: "You have six months to live." "There's been an accident." "We found the body."

In many annunciations, it may seem that we do not have a choice. However, we do. We can choose how to respond: Will we be joyful or upset over the pregnancy? Will we focus on the new job's benefits or deficiencies? Will we anticipate moving with eagerness or bitterness? If we have only six months to live, will we enjoy the time and repair relationships or will we wallow in self-pity? In an accident, will we accept God's will or will we dwell on "what it's?" If a body is found, will we surrender the soul to God's mercy or will we allow grief to paralyse us?

God is my comfort

God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin because Gabriel means "God is my comfort. We usually comfort three kinds of people, especially the sick, the bereaved and the fearful".

Mary was fearful when she heard the Angel Gabriel's announcement.  "Who, having heard, was troubled (Lk 1:29) And thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. She was troubled because of her modesty and from prudence she wondered at the new form of blessing".

The Angel went on to say, "Behold, thou shalt conceived in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son (Lk 1 :31). And thou shalt call his name Jesus. " Note that we read of five persons who are called by God before they were conceived in the womb.

The first was Isaac, of whom Genesis 17 says: "Sarah, thy wife shall bear thee a son and thou shalt call his name Isaac" (Gen 17 : 19).

The second was Samson, of whom Judges 13 says, "The Angel said to the wife of Manue: Thou shalt conceive and bear a son" (Judges 13: 3).

The third was Josiah, of whom 1 Kings 13 says "Behold, a child shall be born  to the house of David, Josiah by name."

The fourth and fifth were John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Unforeseen Consequences

Annunciations have far reaching, unforeseen and even unthinkable consequences. Biblical annunciations reveal that the children had roles in God's plan, but their parents could never have imagined how their children would fulfill their roles.

God told Abraham, "I will  bless her (Abraham's wife Sarah) and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her" (Gen 17:16).  God then revealed Isaac as the son's name. Trusting in God, neither Abraham nor Sarah could possibly imagine that God would ask them to sacrifice this promised son, although God deemed sufficient the willingness to do so. Isaac grew up to become the father of Jacob, who became father of the Israelites and Esau, who became father of the Edomites.

Would Samson's parents have hoped that their son would someday love a conniving woman who would betray him to his enemies? Through this betrayal began the deliverance from the Philistines, thus fulfilling the angel's prophecy.

Josiah's father Amon was an evil king, just as his father Mannaseh had been. Both cared about power, not God's laws. Could either of them have imagined that Josiah would rediscover the Jewish law and have the people live it?

How could Zechariah and Elizabeth have projected that their son John would have a penchant for the desert, which caused him to live an ascetic life while calling others to repentance?

Could the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph possibly foresee that the innocent Jesus would "save His people from their sins" (Mt 1: 21), by offering Himself as a sacrifice to be tortured and murdered as if He, instead of us, had sinned?

Seek Counsel

Annunciations frequently change the course of our lives and the lives of others. Therefore, it is helpful to seek counsel. Annunciations are part of God's plan. That is sufficient reason to find joy in the annunciation through which God is trusting us into sanctity.

In Samson (meaning 'their sun') we see those who preach  the word of God, who in word and example should be the 'sun' of those to whom they preach. When tragedy arises, we should turn to the Word of God, to scripture and to counselors who can enlighten and support us.

In Josiah (meaning ' place of insence, or of sacrifice') we see true religious, in whom is the insence of devout prayer and the sacrifice of mortified flesh. Prayer and penance, whether in gratitude or in reparation or supplication, should follow  every annunciation. Prayer helps us deal with the news. Those with religious vocations recognise the need for prayer and are conscientious about praying. It is prudent to ask religious to pray for and with us.

In the Baptist we see all penitents and good secular folk who baptize and sanctify themselves in the  Jordan River (The River of Judgment), that is, in tears and confession, in bestowal of alms and in other works of mercy. In Jesus the Saviour we see all good prelates of the Church. This reminds us to turn to a good priest for prayer, insight and guidance, particularly if the annunciation brings overpowering and confusing emotions.

Look Within

No matter whether the announcement is delightful or tragic, we should look inward to see how we should change to deal best with the news. We can consult holy, spiritual people, including Priests and religious, for insight. Most importantly, we should pray because prayer opens us to God's grace and guidance.

Christian Way of Life : A Call to Discipleship

As a prelude to this article, I wish to commence by referring to the words spoken by the Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjit during the homily delivered at the 125th Jubilee Mass in St. Anthony's shrine, Dalupotha, Negombo which needs to be reflected upon, wherein he said, "A Christian is a person who journeys with the cross and lives a life according to his or her faith. Christ life was a sacrifice. To be a true follower of Christ is not easy. It is difficult and it is also a sacrifice."

These words, no doubt are based on the words of our Blessed Lord from Sacred Scripture wherein He says, "If anyone wishes to come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. Whoever losses his life for my sake will find it." (Lk 9 : 23 - 24) and in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship "The cross is laid  on every Christian. The first Christian suffering which every man or woman must endure is to hearken  to the call to abandon the attachments and to forsake the values of this world. It is that dying  to that 'old man' which is the result of the encounter with Christ as we embark upon  this journey as disciples of Christ, "we are called to surrender ourselves to Christ in union with His death, we give our lives to die in Christ, thus we begin the Way of the Cross in union with the sufferings of Christ.

Christian life is not easy. In the words of Rev. Mother Mary Angelica, the foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network "Heaven does not come cheap, only hell does." Christian life entails a life - long commitment to Agape love as personified in the life of Christ who loved us unconditionally even to the point of enduring an excruciatingly agonising and tortuously cruel and humiliating death on a cross. It was all undertaken lovingly for our salvation without expecting anything in return. It was to show us the way to respond to the call to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect who makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and His rain to fall on the just and on the unjust and Jesus' call on His disciples to love even their enemies and pray for those who persecute them so that you may be children of your Father who is in Heaven (Matthew 5 : 43 - 48).

We as Christians are called to experience perfect Joy in suffering and as exemplified by St. Francis of Asisi by his life he manifested this joy in bearing with the contempt of this world and he pointed out to brother Leo, his confrere  with the exhortation, " Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ gives to  his friends is that of conquering oneself and willingly enduring suffering, insults, humiliations, and hardships for the love of Christ,  for we cannot glory in all the marvelous gift  of God as they are not ours but God's  as the apostle says "what have you that you have not received?" But we can glory in the cross of tribulations and afflictions because that is ours and so the apostle says, "I will not glory save  in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

How Difficult It Is For Us To Die?

This is most of us, in our day to day lives don't want to do anything that we will have to work hard for. Especially if it doesn't bring us any material reward. God has not become our priority because it is too difficult for us to live according to the way He wants us to live.

St. Paul says that when we were baptized into Christ, we were  also baptized into His suffering. And that we must believe that we have died to sin and that we are living for God. In the Gospel Jesus says that  whoever doesn't reject his own life for Christ is not worthy of Him.

Jesus gave up His life and His Divinity for us.

How far are we willing  to go, for Jesus?

Let us pray for strength. That on this earth, as we live as pilgrims who will return home someday, that we will be able to give up ourselves and put God on the top of our list.

Saint Maria Goretti

Maria was born at Corinaldo, Ancona in Italy into a poor but loving home and was one of six children. She was baptized the day after she was born. Her father Luigi Goretti was a farmer. Her mother Assunta, was a poor orphan girl who did not know how to read or write. Luigi and Assunta loved God, Mother Mary and each other.

When Maria was six, she played  like other children, running through  the grass, picking flowers, laughing and smiling. Maria played more often with her younger brothers and sister, and kept them happy so they would not trouble their mother.

Then the family moved to the Pontine Marshes where Luigi, along with his partner Mr. Serenelli and his sixteen year old son Alexander, lived together on Conte Mazolenni's farm as tenant farmers. Luigi became very ill and died there leaving Maria and her family helpless.

She was a friendly girl and everyone loved her. A cheerful grocer Giovanni, gave Maria an apple one day, after she had finished paying for her groceries. But Maria did not eat it.

Instead, she thanked Giovanni and put it in her pocket saying that her brother Allesandrino loved apples. Then he gave her a cookie, which again she put in her pocket saying that she would give it to her little sister Ersilia. Giovanni finally gave her another cookie and said he would be very hurt if she didn't eat it herself. So Maria not wanting to offend him, ate it.

She went to Mass everyday even though it meant  a two-hour walk. Maria received the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as she could. When she came home,  whe thought the children their prayers and told them Bible stories. Alexander who often joined the family for the rosary slowly began to notice how pretty Maria was.

He tried to make Maria sin. She absolutely refused and did her best to avoid him. One day when Maria was alone in the cottage mending clothes Alexander asked Maria to come to him, and when she refused, he dragged her into a room. When she tried to scream, he stuffed a hand-kerchief  into her mouth and angrily  stabbed her 14 times with a dagger and then ran away.

When they found her, Maria was quickly taken  to a hospital but she died about twenty-four hours later. During her last hours she received Jesus in Holy Communion with great joy. She then told the priest that she forgave Alexander with all her heart, for the love of Jesus and hoped God would forgive him too.

Alexander was sent to prison  for thirty years. For a long time,  he did not feel sorry for what he had done.  Then one night Maria appeared  to him in a dream, walking in a garden and offering him a bunch of lilies. She said, she hoped he would  come to heaven one day. From that moment on, he was a changed man.

He wrote a letter to the bishop, begging God's forgiveness for the great sin he had committed. When he was freed from prison after twenty seven years,  his first visit was to the Goretti home where he asked Maria's mother for forgiveness, which she granted.

On April 27, 1947,  Pope Pius XII appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica  with Maria's 82 years old mother, Assunta and declared Maria 'blessed'.

Three years later, on June 24, in a grand ceremony  that had to be held outside the Basilica because the crowds were so huge, Maria was declared a saint. The Pope called her "a martyr of holy purity". 

Today she is the Patron Saint of teenage girls and modern youth.

Consequentially, you too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. Rom 6 : 11

It's about the reward that awaits those who serve Him even indirectly. It's about those who show kindness towards those who serve Him, One becomes a sharer  to the rewards of a disciple.

The story of the rich couple. They welcomed prophet Elisha on his missionary tour. God rewards them for this deed. He promises them a child. The couple that welcomed the prophet who was passing  through their town on missionary tours. The childless couple showed kindness to a servant of God, a prophet and God rewarded  them with the promise of a child. This was the reward for being charitable towards a servant of God.

Christ became victorious by God's grace. But we all know how hard it was for Him to be victorious. His was a hard life on earth, full of sacrifices and suffering. In the end it was his death on the cross that gave Him the victory of the resurrection, a birth to a new life.

This same victory is assured to those who are baptized.  That is the reward given by God to those for becoming  His followers through baptism.  That is also the greatest gift that a man could receive.  It is given for being baptized. 

The Gospel places the disciples on an equal footing with Jesus. Thus we become sharers of the same gift as those who dedicated themselves to serve the Lord.

Those who have not taken up to direct preaching of the Good News as their mission, should understand that it is their responsibility to look after the needs of the servants of the Lord.   They should provide them with their daily needs, security and shelter. The satisfaction of a genuine servant of God is realized when one listens to the Good News and takes steps to change his sinful life. New life will be the greatest charitable act by which one could honour or entertain a servant of God, as Christ works unceasingly to change the sinful ways of man. He is committed to that; it is for this that He gives His life. Therefore, the greatest act of charity one could do is to listen to Christ's  message and change our sinful life. Whoever does this will be rewarded with the greatest gift; that of union with God.

Whoever receives you receives Me, and the One who sent Me

At the very climax of the Discourse, Jesus makes a promise. Those who receive the Christian missionaries - designated as "prophet", "righteous man", "little ones" and "disciple" - will be rewarded.

Why will they be rewarded? That is because by receiving the disciples of Jesus they will receive Jesus Himself and God the Father: "Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me." The disciples, Jesus and God the Father are thus identified. A disciple is a Vicar of Christ and God. He becomes, in some sense, God incarnate and Jesus enfleshed to the people.

How does a Christian missionary become God incarnate and Jesus enfleshed to the people? He is a prophet - someone who proclaims the Gospel on behalf of Jesus; he goes from door to door and announces, "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". He is a righteous man - someone who is right in the eyes of God. He is one of these little ones - someone who remains small,  humble and insignificant. He is a disciple - someone who follows Jesus' instructions in the Missionary Discourse in particular. Thus the Christian missionary who acts as a prophet, righteous man, little one and disciple makes the presence of God and Jesus felt by the people whom he goes. People receive him; they are rewarded in return.

People will be rewarded, just as in the days of prophet Elisha. The prophet was sojourning in Shunem. A woman of influence in the city received him - she "urged him to dine with her", she welcomed him and gave food whenever he passed that way; she arranged a room with furniture for him to stay; thus, she lavished care on him. In return, he promised her, "This time next year you will be fondling a baby son." She gave a birth to a son! The story does not end there. One day the lad fell ill and died in the lap of her mother. But Elisha resuscitated him. The woman, who received "the man of God", was thus rewarded.

Who rewards those who receive the Christian missionaries? Did the Roman Empire reward the original Christian Missionaries? It rather martyred them! Let us turn to Saints Peter & Paul. For almost 20 years St. Peter found hospitality in many homes in Rome. Let us visit them again: The church of Santa Pudentiana was built on the ancient house, owned by the Patrician Pudens, a Roman Senator and the father of Santa Pudentiana. The family had provided hospitality to Peter. Later his two daughters, Saints Praxedes and Pudentiana were martyred! The church of Santa Prisca rising on the Aventine Hill and dating from antiquity was built above the former house of the matron Priscilla and her husband Aquilla who welcomed Peter. This house, cited in the Letters of Paul, was known for. having given hospitality to Peter. The remains of a Roman house are still visible. He had baptized a lot of people in a concave capital, which is conserved inside the right nave of the Church. The church was dedicated to Santa Prisca, the 13 year old girl of Priscilla and Aquilla, decapitated by Claudio! Her relics are kept in a crypt.
The church of San Paolino alla Regola is built over the house in which St. Paul stayed. It was there that he was arrested. What befell the householders is part of history!

Thus at a time, when Christianity was officially decreed baned, Rome rewarded death to those who house the Christian disciples. But those valiant men and women, young and old, of Rome did not wait for human approval or disapproval. Neither cross nor shackles could after their welcoming the disciples of Jesus. They feared only God: "and do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the One, who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna". They, including Saints Praxedes, Pudentiana and Prisca, were rewarded by God!

Prayer and The Sunday Homily

Pope Francis recently emphasized that

@ Preparation for preaching is so important a task that a prolonged time of study, prayer, reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to it. (EG 145)

@ A preacher who does not prepare himself and who does not pray is dishonest and irresponsible. (EG 145)

@ A homily results from three movements : pondering, ordering and creating.

@ Pondering involves prayerful reading, meditation on the text,  followed by careful study.

@ Ordering aims at determining a homiletic focus,  organising as preacher's 'pondering'.

@ Creating is the shaping of a homiletic text. This movement involves a decision about homiletic structure.

@ An effective homily requires, prayer, preparation and knowledge of the congregation, and an invitation to the "holy spirit".

@ The homily must be truly the fruit of prayerful meditation.

@ No sign of the Cross at the beginning or at the end of the homily.

Wedding

@ Emohasis should be made on the "Mystery of Christian Marriage".

@ Keeping in mind that there are non-Catholics and non-Christians as well.

Funerals

@ Should be based on the love of God manifested in Christ Crucified and Risen.

@ The belief in eternal life, and the communion of Saints.

@ The merciful judgement of God, and the never endinf life of heaven.

No Matter How Big Your Problem, You Can Find Comfort In The Sacred Heart Of Jesus

I was at first confounded to learn that Padre Pio said the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every day for all his spiritual children and for everyone who asked for his prayers.

It would have been a very long list of people to commend to the Sacred Heart of our Lord - and praying one novena for the many intentions of so many seemed to me to be spreading the grace thin.

But then I was immature in my trust in our Lord and underestimating the magnificent power of prayer that appeals directly to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, full of love for us.

Following Padre Pio's example, I decided to come before our Lord's heart with large intentions and our Lord has not been found lacking in generosity.

One favour that I believe was granted by the Sacred Heart stands out in my mind. I was on my way to a prayer vigil outside an abortion clinic. It was only going to be me and another lady. I knew from experience that normally about a dozen pregnant women would go in for an abortion during a two-hour span. I prayed to the Sacred Heart for the intention that not one girl would go in for an abortion during the two-hour vigil. Standinh outside the clinic for those two hours that day, not one girl went through the clinic doors for an abortion. I believe that the Sacred Heart (with Padre Pio on the case, too) took the mothers and babies into His heart and protected them.

Now I readily appreciate that the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. I recommend everyone to offer the novena to the Sacred Heart for every kind of pressing intention, no matter how big the problem is, and experience Our Lord's immeasurable kindness.

Servant

"I don't want to drink from this glass because the servant drank from it,"  stated Juju.

"I washed it afterwards.  Anyway, what does it matter. because a servant is also a human being," commented  Jojo

"If Jesus can lower Himself to the level of a servant, why can't you and I treat our underlings better?" chimed in Jeje

"Let's face it. You and I are still feudal in our outlook. In America, a maid comes and cleans and goes away and is paid in dollars by the hour. Here we grudge paying the so-called lower classes. Household work has to be done and a labourer is worthy of his hire," said Jojo.

"Yes. Also did you know that you should not use the word 'housewife' but say proudly 'I am a homemaker'," said Jeje.

"I did know that. Those who cook and clean should also be admired and given a kind word," commented Juju.

"There are many wives who do unpaid work in the home, cooking, cleaning and caring for children. However, society only recognises a person who earns a salary," said Jojo.

"Yes. A homemaker's job is never done. She cannot clock off at five p.m. Sometimes she has to work till late at night and still get up early in the morning," said Jeje.

"If you stay in a hotel, you are paying for the services of a housekeeper who will change the bed sheets and the towels. Usually these things are done for you free in your home," conclude Jeje adding, "Let us pray to God for the insight to understand the unseen workers."

Saint John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist is one of the greatest or perhaps the greatest among the saints in the Christian world. This has been confirmed by no less a person than Christ, who said, "Among them  that are born of women, there has no risen one greater than John the Baptist."

Though John the Baptist was a kinsman of Jesus who lived during Jesus' time, John led an extremely austere life style. Clothed in camel hair with a leather belt around his waist  and for food ate locusts and wild honey  and went about preaching.  He said, "There comes one after me who is mightier than I whose sandal straps I am not worthy to stoop and loose." (Mark 1 : 7)

When he was asked by the people who he was, he said, "I am the voice of one crying  in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord. As foretold by the prophet hundred of years ago." ( John 1: 23) Very outspoken, John never hesitated to speak out and defend what he felt was right. He had even chided King Herod Antipas for his life style.

John's mother Elizabeth who was advanced in age but barren and her husband  Zechariah had prayed to God for a child. One day, while Zechariah was at prayer, the Angel Gabriel appeared to him to convey good tidings of joy, that his wife had conceived and shall bear a son and his name shall be John. Marry who was also, at the time with child visited Elizabeth, who lived in the hill country of Judea. When Elizabeth saw Mary and heard her salutation, the baby in her womb is said to have lept for joy. Elizabeth thereafter filled with the Holy Spirit cried out, "Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb and whence is that mother of my Lord should come to me." (Luke 1: 43). Mary replied, "My soul magnifies in the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1 : 46-51)

After John grew up into maturity, he began to preach, calling all to repent and shun evil. He had also the privilege of baptising Christ in the River Jordan.  Like Christ, John was a much misunderstood person. 

The nativity of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated by the Church on June 24.

Water is Our Life

Water is a gift from nature. All living beings and plants need water to live. We need water for different purposes. We can live without food for a few days. But without water we cannot live at all. We need water for our daily activities like bathing, cooking, washing, et al. Mostly we need water for agricultural purposes.  If there is no water there are no food.

But sadly, people do not use water sparingly.  People waste water. In urban areas, we can see people living their taps open. At other times people do not close the taps properly. They keep the taps half open.

Humans also polute water in many ways: Insecticides, weedicides and fertilizers used in large quantities in farming are some examples of the ways of water pollution.  Some factories release waste material into water ways.  People dump garbage into water ways.

We should control ways of water pollution. We can do this by helping to keep our sources of water clean. In agriculture we should not over use chemicals. Another way of preventing water pollution is to build cleaning treatment plants in factories.  If we stop throwing waste into lakes, rivers and seas they will  be clean and beautiful forever.

It is the right time now for the government to impose severe laws to protect  our water ways. People who pollute water ways should be punished severely. Island wide awareness programmes should be organised to teach the public about the value of water.

The Living Bread and Blood

Jesus our Saviour is the only living bread,
Which by all the sinful souls are fed,
Without this bread sinful souls starve and die,
For it gives us nourishment,  strength and our needs supply.

Thank the Lord for He has given us His flesh,
A flesh that breaks sin, guilt and hell,
In Jesus alone saints and sinners find,
The food needed to fill and console the empty mind.

Praise You Jesus who gave Your life as a sacrifice,
To sinful men  with hearts cold as ice,
Jesus Thy flesh and blood always heals the wounded soul,
For this is the flesh and blood that pleads pardon for us all.

A mighty sum was paid for our debt,
And all sinners were at freedom set,
And from all curses Jesus has made us free,
For this is the only flesh and blood that spoke for you and me.

POPE FRANCIS

P = Pope Francis by name is  - the man of the year
O = Our beloved father most holy so dear
P = Preaching and practising no doubt about it all
E = Example of humility and simplicity for us all.

F = Father of the nation, Good Shepherd of the flock
R = Reforming the lives of those who are spiritually lost
A = Always gives a winning smile so sweet
N = Never says no to any one he meets
C = Caring for the poor - the sick - and the lame
I = In this selfish world - unselfish he become
S = Saint Francis - Someday in Heaven will surely be named.

Wind Beneath My Wings

Walking down the seafront alone, Where I can find peace on my own.
On this lovely and quiet afternoon.
People may come and go,
but they will leave me with a sweet smile and hello.

All I have at the moment,
Is wind beneath my wings
Whispering to me how good God is,
Embracing me with all  the love that it has to offer.
Telling me sweetly how precious I am in God's sight.
Guiding my humble feet to the right path of life.

Cheering me up when I am feeling down and sad,
Rejoicing with me when my heart sings beautifully.
Oh, wind beneath my wings!
How can I hold you so dearly and so tightly?
And never to let you go if I could.

Thank you for always reminding me,
That life is just only a passing moment.
And looking for all eternity,
Is where I belong to be as I prayed for.
To be with the Triune God is all I need.
And to embrace the Father's love forevermore.

God Watches Over His Children

In this modern world run with advances in technology and science and free thinking, religion has become a second option and something that people don't care much for. There are people in the world who believe in atheism, that is, they don't believe that there is God. Some people in the world now don't feel that they need God. They are more afraid of thieves and murderers so they build high walls and fix cameras at gates thinking that they can protect themselves.

This is what Jesus is addressing. He says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." Jesus also says, "But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my Heavenly Father." (Matthew 10 : 26 - 33).

In this world that challenges our Faith, and in this society that cares much for the body than for the soul, let us think about how strong our own faith is. Are we ashamed of bearing witness to Jesus? Are we also more careful of our body and neglect our soul?

When Jesus Steps Into My Life

When I pray for others and I have no time to pray for myself
That is when Jesus prays for me

When I love others and I am not loved in return
That is when Jesus loves me

When I smile with someone and the smile is not returned to me
That is when Jesus's smile is upon me

When I care for others and yet others do not care for me
That is when Jesus cares for me

When I meet the needs of others and don't expect anything in return
That is when Jesus meets my needs

When I share a meal with the poor That is when Jesus blesses my food and water

When I spread a ray of hope in another's life
That is when the hope of Jesus will fill my heart

When I forgive others for the wrongs they have done to me
That is when Jesus forgives me for my transgressions

And when I become blessing to others
That is when Jesus' blessings fall a fresh on me!

God Is Always Searching For Us

What is the most important and basic characteristic of our Christian religion? For the natural religions, it is always man searching for God. When tribals slaughter animals to offer their blood to their gods. This signifies man's desire to search and to please an Almighty God.

When Muslims fast and cleanse their bodies in preparation for a very long meditation, it is still man in search of God. When Hindus burn themselves and offer their burning bodies to god, it is also man in search of God. For the natural religions, man is always in search of God. Man longs to see God face to face. But in Christianity, it is the other way around. It is not man in search of God: it is God in search of man. That is the good news for us. From the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and the lost son, we see that God is in search of us. God is looking for us. However, this does not mean that we can lie back and indolently wait to be discovered by God. No! The message actually is this: We are all so important before God that God cannot rest, that God will always be restless, until He is able to see us and have us in His bosom. That is the good news. The Lord tells us in the Gospel that He is always in search of all of us because we are important and precious to Him (Lk 15 : 3 - 7).

We hear that right from the very book of Genesis (Gen 3 : 9 - 11), the first book of the Holy Scriptures. What does God say to Adam? "Where are you? Why are you hiding?" And Adam says, "I am hiding because I am naked." This and many more Scripture passages clearly show that God is looking for man, is always in search of man. Saint John the beloved says, " It was God who loved us first. It was not we who loved God, but it was God who loved us first. We are only responding to God's love."

From the Book of the Prophet Hosea, the Lord says, " Come back to Me with all your heart; do not let fear keep us apart." Again, it is God in search of man. God is interested in man. God is never growing tired, never resting, until we are found and are with Him. Saint Augustine says, "O Lord, how late have I known you and yet my heart is restless until it rests in you."

When we understand that God is in search of man (us), more so than man in search of God, our spiritual experience is greatly enhanced. What does this mean in terms of communication? Over and over we try to hear God's voice to find direction in our lives and we spend countless hours in search of Him, only to find out that God has been always close-by, but because we didn't recognise Him. We have run away from Him. We consider God mysterious and almost unattainable, but the great mystery is that God is always with us and in search of us.

Let us thank God for such unconditional love. Let us thank God always for searching for us because we are important and precious in the eyes of God. We are precious because we are created in the image and likeness of God and given the grace of experiencing Him always. God is present in us, around us and everywhere in the world. Let us  ask the Lord to open our hearts, minds, eyes and ears to recognise His presence in us and in our midst.

With the grace and light of the Lord. Let us try to become aware of our goodness, talents, gifts, and enormous blessings received from God instead of remembering, dwelling and worrying over the little failures, shortcomings, pain and suffering we have experienced in the past or at present. Let us try to develop a positive attitude of thanking and praising God for what we have received from God.

Wrong

"Today is my birthday and I want  it to be special though I am not celebrating with friends or loved ones," announced Janaki.

"Congratulation. But I don't want you to think that everything will go right for you today or any day", said Khrisna who was a psychologist.

"Why not? I have not done anything wrong or hurt anyone. So why should my life not be perfect?" asked Janaki.

"I think the mistake many of us make is to think that "I am on top of the world and I want the world to be the same for you and me", in the words of the song. We are all frail humans and we are bound to make mistakes so no day  is perfect even though special nice things may happen", explained Khrisna, adding, "the secret is to enjoy the nice moments and build memories so that one can tide over the bad periods  which will inevitably come."

"Thank you for warning me. That is true, I have had my bad times and when I look back, there were times in my life when I felt like committing suicide. So many wrong things have happened to me. It is true that I too have done wrong things but my family and friends have hurt me over the years," said Janaki.

"I think that you should stop thinking of the past and dwell on TODAY. Tomorrow is promised to no-one. If you can wake up in the morning and get out of bed without assistance, thank God for a New Day. As for me, the next thing I do is to count my blessings like reasonably good health and eyesight and for enough money to eat and drink two meals for the day. At sunset, I think back and give thanks for helping me through the day," concluder Khrisna.

First Martyrs of the Church of Rome

Historico - Liturgical Note

Christians always kept in memory the famous fire in Rome on July 16, in the year 64, and the subsequent martyrdom of a large numbers of Christians by Nero. We learn from Tacitus that some  were thrown to the wild beasts and others were burned at the stake as human torches. However, only the Roman Martyrology  mentions June 24 as the day for the feast. The Jerome Martyrology, on the other hand, mentions 979 martyrs on June 29, immediately after the eulogy in honour of St. Peter and St. Paul. This feast was extended to the entire city of Rome in 1923 but it was not celebrated  universally in the Church until 1969.

Message and Relevance

The significance of this feast is expressed in the Opening Prayer of the Mass, in which we ask God, who "sanctified the Church of Rome with the blood of the first martyrs," to help us "find strength from their courage and rejoice in their triumph." There has been an evolution  in the biblical concept of martyrdom. In Judaism martyrdom was an act of obedience to the Law, and there was a gradual development of hope in the resurrection. For Christians, however, martyrdom is understood in Christological context, because the eschatological power of God worka through the cross of Christ. The passion of Christ was in part the result of the violent opposition and hatred of satan, but at the same time his passion and death were oriented towards a glorious Resurrection. Christian martyrdom is in a sense a continuation  of the warfare that satan waged against Christ; at the same time it is a manifestation of the divine power that was victorious through the Cross ( 2 Cor 12 : 9). That is why martyrdom connotes the presence of the Spirit, who can overcome all human weakness. Through our fraternal devotion  to the martyrs we are confirmed in the faith because they are for us a sign of the spirit of God.

In addition to the Christological and Trinitarian aspects of Christian martyrdom, there is an ethical dimension. Here it becomes a weighty argument in favour of the truth of Christianity when we contemplate the heroic courage of the martyrs who are offered to us as examples. It is in this way that we "find strength in their courage and rejoice in their triumph" (Opening Prayer). The office of readings contains. an excerpt from St. Clement's letter to the Corinthians, written  between the years 96 and 98. After speaking of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, he speaks of "a great throng  of the elect who gave us the finest example of endurance in the face of many indignities and tortures." He concludes: "we ought to put aside vain and useless concerns and go straight to the glorious and venerable norm which is our tradition, and we should consider what is good, pleasing and acceptable in the sight of him who made us. Let us fix our gaze on the blood of Christ, realizing how precious it is to his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world."

These nameless men and women martyrs that we honour today are expiatory lambs of anti - Christian hatred. They represent all who suffered or are suffering religious persecution throughout the world.

Opening Prayer: Father, you sanctified the Church of Rome with the blood of its first martyrs. May we find strength from their courage and rejoice in their triumph.