Today we celebrate the feast of the martyred apostles STS SIMON AND JUDE
If I ask anyone "who both are?" Many would refuse to tell many things about them. It doesn't mean they do not know about them but because nothing great is said about them...
St. Peter has a great legendary oration and was acknowledged by Jesus as Rock so on and so forth...
St. James has a great history of being a bishop of Jerusalem and a first apostle martyr and written an epistle of much importance.
St. Paul... Ha.... Need not say about his monumental works...
St. Matthew... A wonderful evangelist...
St. John... Close to Jesus, evangelist, theologian etc...
What about STS SIMON AND JUDE... what are they famous for...?
Atleast about St. Jude we know something but about Simon we know practically nothing....
Let us try to explore something about them...
Historically all the apostles except a few were missionaries... Like our India's apostle St. Thomas...
Sts Simon and Jude were also missionaries by ministry. They are verbal evangelists who practically converted many people from the middle East region.
What colossal lesson we could learn from them...
If we could keenly observe the title given to SIMON... it is said that he was a zealot. St. Simon was against the inhuman rule of Romans. He thought to himself Jesus as the Revolutionary and hence he followed Jesus. No big details were given in the Gospels about St. Simon but still we could see the transformation of him from a zealot into a missionary.
Jesus chose him purposely to have a crystal clear understanding of the attitude for the kingdom of God. So then St. Simon was fighting for the worldly freedom and Jesus changed him for to fight for a heavenly regime.
His death is still confusing... Some say he was crucified by King Trajan some others say that he was cut by a saw. Whatever it may be. HE DIED FOR JESUS.
ST. JUDE in his own ways a Martyr too. We came to know about him through the said history and by the experience of St. Bridgette who has got visions of Jesus' suffering. In which Jesus himself acknowledged St. Jude as the patron for hope of the hopeless.
We now flock to St. Jude's shrine... But still what symbolises St. Jude...
Is it the staff he holds??? Or the Fiery Split tongue on his head ???? Or the scroll with Jesus' face???... What else...
He is symbolised by the very commitment to his promise to Jesus and the simplicity on his mission.
We could see many famous apostles... But amidst them these two were hidden and simple... No much talking but much mission... In fact they were the hidden protectors of faith which no one can easily take out from them.
Let us also pray to Jesus to be his hidden companions kept within his heart for a greater mission of spreading God's word through our lives.
Let us pray
O Jesus the saviour, may my heart bend towards your beautiful heart and melt in your precious blood for a mission for your love. Amen.
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Augustine.
Augustine is always a favourite personality to the religious, social and philosophical world. He is known not only his valuable contribution but also for his life of sincerity.
We all know the life history of St. Augustine. (If not, check out this blog, on the saints page). Here I would like to state only one thing.
Being sincere is sin is also a way to sacredness.
You may wonder how dare should I say that. It is not I but St. Augustine says.
"There is no possible source of evil except good."
Augustine was a sinful personality. He was prodigal but studious, he was loitering but loyal, he was a man of heresy but logical, he though committed adultery yet openly confessed, he had a stubborn rotted heart but open for correction...
Thus God took away all the negative sides apart from him and gave a intellectual understanding by his own spark of belief on God.
A tiny opening of heart was needed for God to enter inside. Augustine allowed God to pierce through his heart's pinhole. Hence he says, "I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace."
We also need this piercing experience. And only a open heart will experience that. Our belief should go with our understanding for a wider knowledge of God yet not fuller.
"Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand."
Let us contemplate on the life of St. Augustine and make ourselves go closer to God. For God accepts us as we are since he loves. We are also called to do so. For
Love is the beauty of the Soul.
Let's Pray:
You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Amen.
Happy Solemn Feast of Assumption of Our Mother Mary
For Christians all over the world this day is a very special day. They commemorate the Assumption of the Mother of God. As an added joy to this celebration India celebrates the 74th independence Day and hence theologically this feast go hand in hand with our country. Our Lady of Assumption is the principal patroness of India.
I personally believe that Mother Mary comes into play whenever the Church encounters heretical oppositions. Faith of the Church, so to say, is on the lap of Mother Mary. For she protects the Church as Guardian and loves the Church as Mother. Hence God uses Mother Mary till now as a Holy vessel to carry the Church amidst all the struggles.
For example the heretical priciple of Jesus half human and half divine (Nestorianism) or Jesus was only a human and not God or the heretical understanding of the divine incarnation had been demolished by the christological doctrine stating Jesus as fully human and fully divine sent by God and conceived in the womb of Virgin Mary and by the Mariological Dogma of Mary, Mother of God. (Council of Ephesus & Council of Chalcedon).
The heresy of the Ebionism teaches that Joseph is the natural father of Jesus and that Mary and Joseph conceived Jesus in the way that all parents conceive children. This was then condemned by the Council of Lateran and the Christological doctrine of Incarnation and Marian Dogma of Perpetual Virginity was proclaimed.
Likewise the Assumption of Our Lady was also a dogma promulgated to defend heresy of Christ's Godliness. This Dogma supported the Salvation schema of God. If Christ is considered to be New Adam and by law of God New Eve has a role in it. Hence Mother Mary came into the scene to play as New Eve.
Pope Pius the XII pronounced this Dogma on 1st November 1950, which was also the time soon after the second world war. Loss of lives and the movement to secularism brought forth a great deviation in the Church. The dogma of Assumption proves the message of Holy life lead to a heavenly life. To start the renewal of faith Our Lady of Assumption came with a great message of freedom from earthly clutches for a heavenly life is possible.
Along with Immaculate conception our Church has Four beautiful, defending, care taking, indelible Marian Dogmas.
But what important message we could actually get by integrating the Assumption of Our Lady and our country's Independence Day. I would like to take out message from the synonyms of the word Assumption and the meaning of the word Independence.
Assumption: to be lifted up, to be taken into, to be accepted, Welcomed
To be Lifted up...
It is our duty to lift up the lowly as God does to mother Mary. If God has endowed some of us with good health, position, power, employment... It is our utmost responsibility to help those who are below and in need of lifting hand... Why don't we give one... Mary lived a life of lifting up people. She encouraged the apostles after Jesus' ascension. We should also imitate Mother Mary and lift up the lowly.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
Luke 1 : 52
To be Taken into...
The feast symbolises that BVM is taken into heaven. This represents two message: the willingness of the taker and and the worthiness of the taken. In this mixed and heavily populated country with high density of poor, marginalized, needy, oppressed people where can we find the worthiness of the person?
The worthiness can only be considered from the conscious willingness of the taker. The taker should opt for the poor, marginalised, needy and oppressed. If the the very quality of being poor or marginal or needy or oppressed becomes my worthiness to be considered. Mother Mary opted for the needy when she visited Elizabeth, for the poor when she interceded at the wedding feast at Cana, for the marginalized when she took care of Apostles and Mary Magdalene and For the oppressed and broken when she stood under the Cross.
To be Accepted...
Acceptingpeople with all their inabilities is a heavenly character and Mother Mary possessed that virtue. We could see in the Bible that Mother Mary accompany Jesus throughout his earthly journey. Hence Mother Mary would have definitely accepted the nature of Jesus into her and so as to accept the people whom Jesus had accepted. Jesus accepted the sinners, tax collectors, even those who considered Jesus as an enemy and walked with them so as Mother Mary too. We should have the same mind of Christ to accept the those who are against us, sinful, unworthy etc. The very first step to imbibe this virtue of acceptance is to accept our own state of sinfulness and unworthiness.
God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
Luke 1 : 53
To be Welcomed...
Many would have felt an unwelcomed sight from others when we go as an uninvited guests. God comes to us as an uninvited guest and so we always give out an unwelcomed indifferent sight on him. Being welcomed in a place is always cherishing.
Welcoming needs three things: An inviter, a guest or an invitee and most importantly the prepared place.
If our hearts are prepared well we are always ready to invite God into us. Mother Mary qprepared her whole self always to invite God into her. Hence she conceived Jesus, the son of God into her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore God has welcomed her into heaven. We also need this preparation of heart, mind, body and soul so as to attain the heavenly kingdom.
The above said messages of Assumption well connect the independence day of India. The reall freedom not only existed outside the body but also of the mind and heart of each and every one of us. The real detriment of caste Discrimination, untouchability, poverty, harassment happens only if the true freedom of self happens.
Let's Pray
O Lord, lift me up as I am lowly, take me up as I am in need of you, accept me for I am sinful and make me ready to be welcomed. AMEN.
Let us watch this beautiful assumption scene 👇👇👇
Let us listen to this song 👇👇👇 and praise God for giving us such a wonderful Mother.
I do not know why do people judge me out of my appearance???
👆Have you ever faced a situation where people thoroughly mock at your appearance and mused on this question in your life?
Perhaps 80 - 90% people have experienced such situation. For many that moment had become a turning point in their life.
We live in a world of appearances and hence we are judged out of our appearances. But what makes this world judge or mock us?
Is being bonny a problem? Or being fat? Or being dark? Or being woman a problem?
I remember the murder of George Floyd - a victim of Racism; Sushant Singh - a victim of Nepotism; and many many many incidents line up this queue.
Transfiguration of the Lord conveys a deeper meaning today. Jesus got transfigured himself for a greater purpose to establish the kingdom of God on earth through His death and Resurrection. His transfiguration was a complete transformation of heart, mind and soul as a symbol of readiness for the service of Humankind.
We need this transfiguration to face those humiliating chaos of inhuman attitude. We see faces today covered with a mask and perfectly transfigured. Yet Transfiguration of the heart does create a revolution. Humanity has lost it's touch of humane love. Corona has created a back door for the casteism, untouchability and discrimination to creep into the human race. No human is free from existing social evils. Hence obtaining freedom lies only in a drastic change of human attitude by shedding off the discrepancies causing humanity in havoc.
We should not think like disciples who wanted to enjoy that moment of transfiguration but should live like Jesus who started His journey from that moment. Once if we attain transformation of self and transfiguration of heart our real journey starts from that particular second.
We need to be figured in Christ
Serving humanity should be our focus...
Being human should be our attitude...
Stamping on casteism, untouchability, racism, useless religious atrocities should be our way...
Alas, my dear brethren, how little purity is known in the world; how little we value it; what little care we take to preserve it; what little zeal we have in asking God for it, since we cannot have it of ourselves.
No, my dear brethren, it is not known to those notorious and seasoned libertines who wallow in and trail through the slime of their depravities, whose hearts are .... roasted and burned by an impure fire .... [sentence incomplete - Trans.] Alas, very far from seeking to extinguish it, they do not cease to inflame it and to stir it up by their glances, their desires, and their actions. What state will such a soul be in when it appears before its God! Purity!
No, my dear brethren, this beautiful virtue is not known by such a person whose lips are but an opening and a supply pipe which Hell uses to vomit its impurities upon the earth and who subsists upon these as upon his daily bread. Alas! That poor soul is only an object of horror in Heaven and on earth! No, my dear brethren, this gracious virtue of purity is not known to those young men whose eyes and hands are defiled by glances and .... [sentence incomplete - Trans.] Oh God, how many souls does this sin drag down to Hell! .... No, my dear brethren, this beautiful virtue is not known to those worldly and corrupt girls who make so many preparations and take so many cares to draw the eyes of the world towards themselves, who by their affected and indecent dress announce publicly that they are evil instruments which Hell makes use of to ruin souls -- those souls which cost so much in labours and tears and torments to Jesus Christ! ....
Look at them, these unfortunates, and you will see that a thousand devils surround their heads and their breasts. Oh, my God, how can the earth support such servants of Hell? An even more astounding thing to understand is how their mothers endure them in a state unworthy of a Christian! If I were not afraid of going too far, I would tell those mothers that they are worth no more than their daughters.
Alas! This sinful heart and those impure eyes are but sources of poison which bring death to anyone who looks at or listens to them. How do such monsters of iniquity dare to present themselves before a God Who is so holy and so set against impurity! Alas! Their poor lives are nothing but an accumulation of fuel which they amass to increase the flames of Hell through all eternity.
But, my dear brethren, let us leave a subject which is so disgusting and so revolting to a Christian, whose purity should imitate that of Jesus Christ Himself, and let us return to our beautiful virtue, which raises us to Heaven, which opens to us the adorable Heart of our Lord and draws down upon us all sorts of spiritual and temporal blessings....
St. James tells us that this virtue comes from Heaven and that we shall never have it unless we ask it of God. We should, therefore, frequently ask God to give us purity in our eyes, in our speech, and in all our actions....
Finally, we should have a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin if we wish to preserve this lovely virtue; that is very evident, since she is the queen, the model, and the patron of virgins....
Do not try to please everybody. Try to please God, the angels, and the saints – they are your public.
Pentecost is the birthday of the church and today (feast) is the day in which the church is constructively & theologically built. We could even say it is a BLOODY CHURCH. Because the church is built by the blood of the martyrs.
We could see two characters in this day. St. Peter and St. Paul.
The former is a chosen one from the so called least state and raised to a higher level. The latter was chosen from a so called higher state and was sent to the least of spirit.
This is what the real revolution would be. God breaks the statical hierarchy by them today. God brings them together as a beautiful combination of center and the periphery.
St. Peter was a hard broken rod and a short tempered man. St. Paul stammered the Jews for following Jesus.
Both are damn shit sinners. Peter practically denied Jesus. Paul destroyed Christianity. But Jesus turned them into pillars of Christianity.
In Paul God found the strength to destroy and so He used him to create. In Peter God found an urge to live an earthly life and so He used him to die for the heavenly kingdom.
What a beautiful plan it was!!!
Don't worry if you are a broken pot in front of human beings. Psalmist would say, *"Trust and take refuge in the Lord than to believe in Mortals (humans)."* Ps: 118:8
Let's not brood over the human trials on us. Always keep our heart straight to the heavenly light where you can no more find the dark shadow.
Church is not really a Capitalistic Construction, it should not be, but a Captivating Conjunction of Faith, Hope and Love.
Let's Pray:
O Lord dear to my heart.... Rule me within and let me not rule others outside. Bring me closer to a place where I can stand side by side with Love and Mercy. Amen
As we celebrate the Birth of St. John the Baptist, I thought of reflecting on his birth and our birth.
SJB born to prophesy the coming of Messiah... He was not born with silver spoon rather with a metal staff. His birth is a great example for our existence.
Was he born only to prophesy Messiah's coming or something else???
His purpose of coming is not only to announce Messiah's arrival but also to prepare the path that nobody has trodden.
His famous dictum is this... Repent.
Thus the path to kingdom of God is our heart.
But is only repentance his news?
Perhaps some more too...
His life is of both words and actions...
He was a field revolutionary. While he was in his mother's womb he leapt when Blessed Virgin Mary wished Elizabeth... He began his revolution at that very moment. He was then fostered by BVM's Magnificat.
We could see that spirit when he confronted the King for his adulterous relationship.
So he is a man of virtues: Honest, Humble, True to God, Courageous, Simple and sounding.
Let us examine ourselves...🤔🤔
# Do we really have the courage to confront immorality of a person?
If you do the world will question you: "Why do you worry about them, let them be on their own." If you don't do the world will mark you as indifferent and coward
# Do we really prepare our hearts for Messiah?
If yes the world would say good actor, expecting publicity. If no, then the world world would say:"Your prayer life is poor."
# Do we really fight for justice?
If yes, then you are an immoral person to the world since you question positions.
If no, then you are a selfish for the world.
Whatever we do there are people who criticize everything. It also happened to SJB and Jesus as well.
Let's take the least trodden path of SJB.
Let's pray:
Lord the Fighter of justice so honest let me also have courage in choosing the narrow way like St. John the Baptist. Amen
