24th Sunday of Ordinary time. Year A

Last week Jesus was talking to us about something which we find very easy to give and difficult to take. Correction. Today Jesus is talking to us about something which we find very easy to take but find it hard to give. That is to forgive.

Let us be honest. None of us can go through life without getting hurt. After all we are humans and we have feelings. Naturally we will be hurt. Now what happens when we are hurt? As soon as we get hurt self-pity walks in to our front door. You welcome him inside. But once self-pity is entertained, it produces legacy of bitterness, resentment and anger. Then the memory of wrongs done to you  flow inwards where it festers. As a result it poisons your spirit, and destroys your peace and it destroys your health and your capacity to love. Some people have years of stored hurts inside them which is shown in their ill health. Now how to deal with the hurts? I know it is difficult to deal with the hurts, because they really hurt. But Jesus gives us the Mantra; Mantra of forgiveness.  Jesus tells Peter “you need to forgive not seven times but seventy times seven.” Make it a habit.

When he was teaching his disciples how to in Mathew as the fifth petition in the prayer he taught them to pray “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And he follows it up with the explanation in verses 14 and fifteen of chapter six. No other petition in the Lord’s prayers is explained like this. He says “”For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).Compare it with our First Reading Ecclesiasticus 8:2-4: Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. If a man nurses anger against another, can he demand compassion from the Lord? Showing no pity for a man like himself, can he plead for his own sins? My brothers and sisters, if “LOVE” is the soul of Christianity as I told you last week; “FORGIVENESS” is the ultimate expression of that love. Think of a world without forgiveness. It will be chaotic. Where there is no forgiveness, there is hell. Whether it is in the heart, or family or community, if there is no spirit of forgiveness, you can see hell there.

Secondly, Jesus tells a parable and gives us the reason why we need to forgive; and why we are obliged to forgive. Beautiful story of a forgiving king and unforgiving servant.

What I want to highlight in the parable is the equation of the respective debts in the parable. First servant, you know how much he owed to the king ? Ten thousand talents. What is a talent? A “talent” is a measure of weight, close to about 130 lbs, which was used to measure  gold and silver (and presumably other precious metals). In monetary terms then the talent was roughly equal to about 15 years worth of wages for the typical worker. The king in our parable is owed 10,000 talents, or about 150,000 years worth of income. This is no little debt. All of this debt is written off by the king. What a generous act of mercy.

Now he goes and finds his fellow servant owed only 100 Denarii. A denarius (plural = denarii) is a small silver coin that was roughly the daily wage for the typical worker. This is not a big dept. It can be written off or he can be given some more time to pay. What troubles the onlookers is a man who received so much of forgiveness was not able to forgive his fellow servant who owed him very little. Comparing to the values of debt he was forgiven, the debt of his fellow servant was nothing.

The point of this parable is clear that we need to be forgiving. Forgiving our brother or sister from your heart is the essence of Christian faith.  For two reasons.

1. We need to be forgiving because God has already forgiven us in Christ. 1 reason. Its our duty to forgive. Not generosity, but its duty.
2. We need to be forgiving because unless we forgive we cannot ask for forgiveness. This is the reason why we need to be forgiving.

Now, is it easy to forgive? Especially those who used us and abused us who caused so much damage to us?. No it is not so easy. But, Is there any other alternative? Vengeance can only lead to vengeance. Its only mercy that can lead to mercy. Go to any psychiatrist, he will say forgive and try to forget. Look at our God; how much we offend him. How we neglect him and use and abuse his creation. Is he not forgiving? That is why they say “To err is human and to forgive is Divine.” We are called to be forgiving like our God.

 

24th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Year C. Allow God to Find you

In the gospel today we read three classic parables taken from the gospel of Luke. Jesus uses these three parables to reveal to us about the nature of God and our own nature as human beings.
In the gospel we come across a God who is crazy if that is the word I can use and he is relentlessly in search for the lost. The reason why I say crazy is this: What shepherd among you when he loses one sheep leaves the ninety nine in the wilderness and goes in search of one lost sheep? Any sensible person would say, it is not prudent to risk the ninety nine for the sake of the one. It is basic economics. But this shepherd representing God goes in search of one. Bad economics or crazy shepherding???
Second, which woman turns her house upside down to find one lost coin not a 50 pound note? Nobody. And what woman will celebrate in such an extraordinary way calling everyone to share in her joy after finding a lost penny? Crazy woman
And finally which Father among you is willing to give away half your property to your Son who is living a life of debauchery? And which Father again is willing to accept him when he comes back without saying a word and celebrate his return in such an extraordinary way. He is not coming back after winning a Gold medal in Rio Olympics, but after wasting all his money in loose living. Crazy to celebrate.
My Friends, what does all these parables reveal to us about the nature of God? My friends, our God is a God who is madly in love with us. He does not want even a single soul to be lost. He forgets even basic mathematics to save a single soul. For human reckoning its crazy thing to do. But in divine reckoning it is supreme expression of love. A love which is in constant search for the lost.
Secondly, these parables reveal to us something about ourselves and our nature. How lost we are and where does our God find us.
Some of us are like the lost coin. Coin is something which is very insignificant and inanimate. It is dead not alive. It doesn’t even know it is lost. In spiritual life some are like this coin dead and inanimate. They don’t even know that are lost. They are spiritually dead. They don’t even know they are away from God. Nothing about God and spirituality is found in them. But God is ready to turn his house upside down to find these lost insignificant souls.
Secondly some of us like the sheep that is lost in the wilderness. Sheep that was in the fold but unfortunately was lost in the course of time and feels the absence of the shepherd and fold but could not find the way back. God goes in search of this sheep. Because he knows that it needs his help, it cannot come back by itself. He goes after those who need him to be there. At that time for him that one sheep which is in need of his help and bleats for his help is far more important than those 99 that does not need his help. This is divine logic.
Some are like the younger son in the parable of the Prodigal son. He wages a conscious rebellion against God. He knowingly and willingly makes a choice to go away from God. He finds God and religion as hindrance for his freedom. God respects his freedom of Choice and allows him to go, but waits for his return. When he returns after coming to senses(realising what life is without God) he celebrates his return. Because for him return of the sinner is more important than anything.
Finally, some of us are like the elder son mourning and winging because we feel that there is no recognition for us in the house. He complains, I have been always with you and worked for you like a donkey, but you never even gave a lamb for me to celebrate with my friends. How many of us are like the elder son mourning that God doesn’t care for us. We lead a good life, never miss our Sunday masses and our daily prayers. We even do lots of service, but God doesn’t care. He does not bless us. Look at the answer the Father gives him. Son all what I have is yours. There is no you and me. All I have is yours. The problem this elder son has is that he has not confidence in his father love. He lives in the house of the Father but considers himself as an outsider or servant. Father who was willing to give half his property to the younger one would have never said no to the elder son if he wanted to take a lamb or a calf to enjoy with his friends. Even though he lived with the father he is also far away from the father. And God goes out in search of him to bring him in.
In conclusion let us remember this one profound truth. God is constantly in search for our souls. Whether they are dead like the coin, or helpless like the sheep, or wandering like the prodigal son or mourning like the elder son, he is constantly seeking them to bring them to himself. We don’t know in which state we are in. One thing we can do is to allow ourselves to be found by him. You need not search for him, just allow him into your heart today to find you where you are and how you are. And he will carry you on his shoulders. May God bless you!

Do you miss the Joy of being with the Father??????????

The gospel we read today is an interesting passage from Luke. The reason why I say it is interesting is because, some call it as the parable of the prodigal son and some call it as the parable of the prodigal father. The word ‘prodigal’ means ‘being extravagant or spend-thrift.’ It is the father who is very extravagant in his generosity in the parable. So they call it as the parable of the ’prodigal father.’ But, I call it as the parable of the mourning Jack: the elder brother. In fact, if you observe, the parable was aimed for people like him I. e; The Pharisees and the Scribes. Look at the context in which the parable is said. Jesus proclaimed that ‘the kingdom of God is at hand; Repent and believe in the gospel.’ And he also said ‘he who has ears, let him hear.’ It was open invitation. It is the tax-collectors and sinners who had the ears to hear and they were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear him. Pharisees and Scribes mourn about it.

Jesus was speaking about a God of inclusive love (One who loves all) but Pharisees were for a God of exclusive love. In life, it is good to avoid the bad company or the company of the evil. It is good for our own spiritual benefit. But when it comes to God, we cannot tell him what is good and what is not good. We cannot tell him with whom He can relate and with whom He cannot relate. That is what exactly the Pharisees and Scribes were doing. And that is exactly what Jesus is condemning in the parable.

I am not going to explain the whole parable. I am going to skip the first two parts and go straight in the third part which involves the elder brother or son. He comes back from the fields, hears the music and sound and he does not want to go in. Because that is not the father’s house he expected. That is not the Father’s house he is used to. For him, Father’s house is a place of doom and gloom. No partying. How many of us still think that heaven is place of 24 hours silent adoration or 24 hours of chanting Gregorian chants. Someone said it is going to be boring. As far as I remember, Jesus gave us invitation to heaven as an invitation for a wedding feast. And I suppose wedding feast involves more than chanting and singing.

Ok. Coming back to the parable, the elder son does not go in. When the father comes to invite him, he accuses his father of being unfair. ‘You never gave me a little kid to celebrate…’ He whinges and mourns. How many times we have mourned and complained the God is unjust. He gave us nothing whereas he gave many things to others. But the father responds to him and says: ‘My son! problem is not with me. All I have is yours. If you wanted you could have had everything like your brother, not just a lamb or kid. Did I say no to your brother when he asked for whole share of property? No.’

The great irony here is my dear brother and sisters, the elder son was always with the father, but he never trusted or believed in the goodness of his father. He did not trust, so he did not even ask for a kid. He is the eldest son, the privileged one. But he always thought and behaved like a servant. But the younger one, He trusted his father when he asked for his share, and he trusted in his goodness even when he was far away and decided to return home. It is for joy and happiness he was searching and at the end he realised that it is in his father’s house, there is real joy and happiness. There is nothing compared to the joy of living with the father. Whereas the elder son never bothered about knowing what it means to be a son.

The truth that strikes my mind as I read this parable is this; Dear brothers and sister, like the elder son you and me can be always with the father, but still miss the joy of being with the father. The elder son was doing all the works of the father morning till evening, but still he missed that joy. From morning till evening we may be doing his works, prayers, novenas, but still we may miss that joy and happiness.

That is what we need to ask ourselves on this Laetare Sunday, Do we find that joy in relating to the father. Fear is born out of doubt but joy is the fruit of trust. If that joy is missing, it is time to pull up our socks and do something. Lent is the time. May God bless you all.

Assumption Sunday: Why be obsessed with Mary?

“Why do Catholics treasure Marian devotions and doctrines so much? Why do you give so much importance to Mary? Often our separated brethren think that we as Catholics. say “Jesus be quiet, we are talking to your mother.” We give so much importance to Mary at the cost of Jesus which is wrong. And they say “Is not the gospel all about Jesus Christ; what he said and what he did for us?” Then why all these celebrations of Mary? Immaculate conception, Annunciation, Mother of God, Assumption and so on? Why so many feasts?
The reason because, I think, we as Catholic Church are trying to tell the full story of redemption and to proclaim and celebrate the gospel in its entirety. What do I mean when I say this? As there was Eve present in the story of the Fall of Man, or the Paradise Lost, there is or there should be an Eve in the story of Paradise Regained or story of Redemption. As Eve had an important role in the fall of man she also has to play an important role in the Redemption of man. And she did play an important role as co-Redemptrix. I just want to highlight two incidents from the bible which our separated brethren use to argue other-wise, to prove the important role Mary played in the history of Salvation.
First incident is when Jesus was 12 years old. He was lost and after three days was found in the temple. Look at their conversation. Mother says, “Son, why have you done this? Your Father and me were searching for you in Sorrow?” His answer, “How is it that you were searching for me? Don’t you know that I have be doing my Father’s will?”
Second incident is when Mother Mary and Jesus were at Wedding of Cana. Here again mother says, “Son, they have no wine.” Son’s reply was, “Woman, what is it for you and me? My hour has not yet come.”
These are the two incidents out separated brethren use to put down Mary saying that her role as a mother was nothing and Jesus almost ignores her. But I want you to closely observe what happens in both the incidents. In the first incident, after all what he said, next verse says, “He went down with them to Nazareth, and was Subordinate to them. And Mary treasured all these things in her heart.” Here, Jesus as 12 year old boy thought that his time (Hour) has come for him to get going to redeem the world. But one look from her is enough to say that it is not yet time. So he goes down to be with them. And in the second incident, one look from her is enough to tell him the hour has now come to get going. She says to the servants, “Do as he tells you.” Get going.
Let us go little more deep into the mystery that is revealed here at wedding of Cana in the words spoken by our Lord. We divide them into three parts
1. Woman. Jesus calls Mary his mother, “woman” not as sign of disrespect, but honouring her role in the work of redemption, saying that she is the woman promised in the Genesis, she is the woman who crushes the head of the serpent, and she is the new Eve.
2. Correct translation for the second part is not “What it is for you and me” As Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “What to thee is to me” which has got a profound meaning. When mother Mary as new Eve says the world is need of salvation, Jesus the Adam says, Woman, (New Eve) your concern is my concern; your wish is my wish. Thus he reveals the intimate and loving relationship that exists between his as New Adam and His mother as New Eve. That they both desire the salvation of men.
3. But he says “the hour has not yet come.” As an anti-dot to what happened in the old testament, new Eve initiates New Adam Jesus into the work of Redemption saying “your time has come, your hour has come now to begin your ministry and get going on your path to Calvary.
Thus Mary as the New Eve has shared with Christ in everything, sinless birth, victory over death and assumption. Hiding any of these truths is not proclaiming the whole truth. Finally for me celebrating feasts of Our Lady for me is celebrating what God can accomplish in the lives of those who love and live for him. Amen.

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time B: Terrorism of Gossip

I want you to observe one strange thing happening in the Gospel. Jesus is in the midst of an important discourse on the Eucharist about bread of life. How it is better than manna and how it is going to give them eternal life and so on. These are truth of profound nature that are being taught. When this is going on what does some of the people do? Look at the gospel; one is whispering into the ear of the other “Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph, We know his Father, we know his mother, ….bla….bla …bla” What do you call this? Gospel says “they were complaining.” May be because the evangelist did not get the right word for it. Pope calls this as Gossiping.

Last year on the eve of Christmas Pope addressed the Roman Curia and listed about 15 ailments with which the Roman Curia is suffering. They are the common diseases with which not only the curia but all of suffer. One of those ailments is Gossiping. Gossiping is something which is found among those who consider themselves as good Christians. Pope warns, it may begin as simple chat about a third person but it may end up as a cold blooded murder. Beware of the terrorism of Gossip.  It is more dangerous than Al=quida or ISIS.

My dear brothers and sisters, today I thought I can break the silence of this most common aliment with which most of us suffer from. What is a gossip? A Sociology book says on an average every individual speaks about 18,000 words a day – a lot more than that. A lot of those words are not really very important, as we all know, so it’s not surprising that we all fall into gossip at one time or another.

Gossip is careless talk against people and about people in their absence. Moral theologians define gossip as defamation. When we gossip, we destroy the good name of another person. We “defame” them. The theologians also distinguish two kinds of defamation.

1. Detraction or slander is the unjust or unfair revelation of another person’s real but hidden or secret faults. If I tell to my friends about the past secrets of a friend of mine too, that’s slander.
2. The other kind is calumny which is the untruthful imputing of some faults to another which he did not actually commit.

St. Thomas says: “It is a serious matter to gossip and take away the good name of another, because among our temporal possessions nothing is more precious than our good name. If we do not have a good name, we are prevented from doing many good things. Therefore, it is said: take care of your good name, for this will be a more lasting possession than a thousand valuable and precious treasures. Therefore, killing this good name through detraction or gossip is grievously sinful.”

Psychologists and Social Scientists say that there are four kinds of gossip. Four reason why we gossip.

1.The first is Angry gossip. Suppressed anger is one of the most common causes of malicious gossip. People cannot admit to themselves that they are angry nor can they express their anger directly and still keep their dignity so they let their anger out in malicious gossip. To cure this is to discharge it in a harmless manner and get busy about something else.

2.The second biggest cause gossip is envy. When we have feelings of discontent and ill-will because of other people’s advantages or possessions, we are showing signs of envy.  Envious people often resort to Envious gossip with the clear intention of damaging the other person’s name or reputation. Such envious people are not really happy. Their very act of gossiping only serves to increase their feelings of self-hatred. Actually, they want to be like them but they are not free.

3.The third is Entertaining or Amusing Gossip. Some people feel they have to gossip in order to be entertaining. They try to give impression that they have access to private information. They gossip only to be admired and according to experts, their gossip is really just a kind of compensation for low self-esteem.

4. The last one is Insecure Gossip that tries to impress us with its importance by approaching us with a juicy tidbit of gossip. Usually these people have few real friends. They regard all others as potential enemies. Gossips who act in this way are basically insecure. They have an obsession to be liked. This is the only way they have of feeling safe.

The point is that, murmuring, talking so much and gossip do not solve the situation. Let us stop doing all these and identify the root cause our disease and talk to God and in this sense we may be able to discover enlightenment and grace. That we may be aware of this terrible disease that kills our spiritual life and our communal life. Amen

18th Sunday of OT. B. Call for a Spiritual revolution

All those who read world history must have read about the great revolutions that changed the course of the history. Think of French Revolution with the slogans of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Think of American Revolution or Russian Revolution, or the Glorious revolution of in the history of England.
There are three common factors involved in every revolution: 1. Increasing dissatisfaction over the existing system, 2. Revolt and Struggle against the old system and 3.Change to a new system. And the readings today invite for this kind of revolution. In the second reading today St. Paul writing to Ephesians calls for a kind of spiritual revolution. He says, “Your mind must be renewed by a Spiritual revolution.”
Mind you, it not a revolutions of the structure or the church he is calling for but the revolution of the mind. He also goes on to explain what he means by this in the reading. I just want to pick up some important nuggets from the second reading corresponding to the three important elements in any revolution.
1. Not to go on living an aimless kind of life. Not being happy with old life
2. Put aside your old self: (Overthrow the old)
often led by devil and corrupted by illusionary desires.
3. And put on new self, created by God’s way filled with goodness and holiness
So, the first thing is being not satisfied or not being happy with you old self which he describes as being often led by the devil who corrupts you with illusionary desires. In his epistles Paul often talks about this old self and nature which is sinful. Romans 6/12: says old self is a slave of sin. So you need to be dissatisfied with this old nature that leads you to sin. That is the first step in spiritual revolution.
Secondly, you want to put aside this old nature. For this you need to wage a spiritual battle. You need to wage a war. For this you also need spiritual equipment. We need to put on the full armour of God. He also explains what is this armour we need to put on in this battle against evil. Ephesians 6:14 ff: Truth as your belt, Righteousness as your breastplate, readiness to proclaim the gospel as shoes, Faith as a shield, salvation as helmet, word of God as the sword, And with all this add prayer. Using all this we need to wage a battle to overthrow the sinful self
Third step in Spiritual revolution is putting on new self. This new self is that which is created by God’s way or the Gospel way. The Gospel way that fill you with goodness and holiness.
It is this kind of Spiritual revolution that Jesus is also is asking for. He tells the people who come searching for him. “Do not work for the food that perishes. Do not be only bothered about worldly desires and satisfactions which a illusionary; but for work for things that last or be after thing that last.
As Abdul Kalam said “Be like an eagle that avoids rain by flying above the clouds.” This is real spiritual revolution of the mind. Where your mind raises to that level where you are beyond your desires and impulses and you look at your desires and say’ Hm Hm, is it this you want, ok I know what it is.” Come on. Chall chall,” I don’t need. You. It is up to this level we need to raise.
That is what Christian perfection is all about. That is our life is all about.

Story if you want to read:

2 – Fable of the Eagle and the Chicken:

A fable is told about an eagle who thought he was a chicken. When the eagle was very small, he fell from the safety of his nest. A chicken farmer found the eagle, brought him to the farm, and raised him in a chicken coop among his many chickens. The eagle grew up doing what chickens do, living like a chicken, and believing he was a chicken.

A naturalist came to the chicken farm to see if what he had heard about an eagle acting like a chicken was really true. He knew that an eagle is king of the sky. He was surprised to see the eagle strutting around the chicken coop, pecking at the ground, and acting very much like a chicken. The farmer explained to the naturalist that this bird was no longer an eagle. He was now a chicken because he had been trained to be a chicken and he believed that he was a chicken.

The naturalist knew there was more to this great bird than his actions showed as he “pretended” to be a chicken. He was born an eagle and had the heart of an eagle, and nothing could change that. The man lifted the eagle onto the fence surrounding the chicken coop and said, “Eagle, thou art an eagle. Stretch forth thy wings and fly.” The eagle moved slightly, only to look at the man; then he glanced down at his home among the chickens in the chicken coop where he was comfortable. He jumped off the fence and continued doing what chickens do. The farmer was satisfied. “I told you it was a chicken,” he said.

The naturalist returned the next day and tried again to convince the farmer and the eagle that the eagle was born for something greater. He took the eagle to the top of the farmhouse and spoke to him: “Eagle, thou art an eagle. Thou dost belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth thy wings and fly.” The large bird looked at the man, then again down into the chicken coop. He jumped from the man’s arm onto the roof of the farmhouse.

Knowing what eagles are really about, the naturalist asked the farmer to let him try one more time. He would return the next day and prove that this bird was an eagle. The farmer, convinced otherwise, said, “It is a chicken.”

The naturalist returned the next morning to the chicken farm and took the eagle and the farmer some distance away to the foot of a high mountain. They could not see the farm nor the chicken coop from this new setting. The man held the eagle on his arm and pointed high into the sky where the bright sun was beckoning above. He spoke: “Eagle, thou art an eagle! Thou dost belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth thy wings and fly.” This time the eagle stared skyward into the bright sun, straightened his large body, and stretched his massive wings. His wings moved, slowly at first, then surely and powerfully. With the mighty screech of an eagle, he flew.

Wish you Happy Easter 2015

What is good in Good Friday and suffering?

“If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever.”
― Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives

How true it is? Suffering and pain is part and parcel of human life. That is what we have seen in life. No body can escape suffering. And what I observed is, only when we suffer we think of God. Some of us when we are confronted by suffering we run to God seeking for a solution or relief. And others look up to heaven and question ‘Is there God? If he is there, What is he doing? Why can’t he do something? Either way suffering is immediately connected to God. He is remembered often in the face of trials, tribulations and suffering. We all dream of a world where there is no pain and suffering. Our dream seems to a dream only.

The Bible says that the cause of our suffering is sin. It is sin that brought suffering into the world. We read in Genesis 3/16-17 that because woman disobeyed god She will bear her children in Pain. Pain is the curse of sin. And to the man God says, ‘you will toil and sweat.” Sweat and toil part of suffering is the curse of sin. And ultimately curse of sin is death. Romans 6/23 “For wages of sin is death.” Death is the ultimate suffering.

Now God has sent his only begotten Son into the world from sin and death. That is the mystery of Incarnation. When God became man, he not only took human flesh, but also he took upon himself human suffering. He took upon himself poverty, exile to Egypt, refuge in Nazareth, hunger in the desert, anxiety about impending danger at Gethsemene and ultimately abandonment and death on the cross. He took upon himself every human suffering. That is the beauty, that is meaning of the mystery of Incarnation. He was one like us in everything except sin.

Now, by taking upon himself every suffering of humanity, what do he do with them? Did he demolish or destroy every human suffering? Did he do away with them. Unfortunately or fortunately ‘no’. Suffering is still there. Pain is still there. There was suffering and pain before Christ came into the world. There is pain even after he left the world. And there is going to be pain in the times to come. Then what did he do? Then what does it mean when we say he redeemed us? What does Good Friday and Easter Sunday mean for us?

Please carefully read what I try to explain. St.Paul writing to Corinthians in his first letter referring to death and Resurrection says “Death, Where is your power? Where is your sting?” 1 Cor 15/55. Jesus through his suffering and death has taken away the sting out suffering and death. They are no long capable of hurting you. By accepting cross symbol of suffering and death on Good Friday He turned it into symbol of Victory. He has changed the whole meaning of suffering. He has given a redemptive value to the suffering. Now when we suffer, we don’t suffer in vain. We share in the suffering of Christ. As Christ’s sufferings have a redemptive value so also the sufferings of every Christian who is willing to take up his daily cross to follow him. It is with this meaning St.Paul writes Colossians 1/24 “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” And in another place he says “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Jesus through his suffering has not taken away our suffering, Jesus through his death has not taken away our death. He has taken away the sting of suffering and death. Suffering and death is no longer a thing to be dreaded but a thing to be loved and welcomed. This is what is good about Good Friday. This is what St.Paul means  when he says in Philippians 1/21 “For me to live is Christ and to die is a gain.”

Do Not Worry!!!!!!!

The Worry Tree !

The Carpenter I hired to help me restore and old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. 

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

“Oh, that’s my trouble tree”, he replied. “I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”

“Funny thing is”, he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick ’em up, there ain’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”

Author unknown

2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,700 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.