6th Sunday of Easter (B).
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 4-48; 1 Jn 4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17

We are all precious in the eyes of God. God has created us for a
purpose and we all have some mission to accomplish in our lives. The
important verse in today’s Gospel is ‘You have not chosen me, I have
chosen you’. We, often, mistakenly think that it is we who have
chosen our God. But it is God who calls us even into existence. We
are not creatures of accident. We have not come into existence, just
because our parents decided to love each other. We were born and we
are alive today because God wills it.

God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I
knew you and before you were born, I consecrated you (1: 5).” God is
aware of our existence, and we are embedded deeply in the mind of
God. Jesus very beautifully said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a
penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your
Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be
afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows (Mt 10: 29-31).”
We may be unwanted by people; we may be rejected and shunned by
people. I may be an unwanted son in the family; or you may be an
unwanted mother or daughter in the family, but keep this in mind: we
are wanted by God; we are worthy, we are precious in the eyes of the
Lord. In prophet Isaiah, the Lord said, “Because you are precious in
my sight, I love you (43:4)”. And He said, “I have carved you on the
palms of my hand (49:16).”
We are called and chosen by Jesus for three things:
1.We Are Chosen For Joy: A Christian needs to feel joyful always. He
or she should rejoice always - in good times and in bad. St. Paul
wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice (Phil 4:
4).” St. Paul was in prison and he was almost certain that he would
be put to death, yet he was able to advice his disciples to
‘rejoice’.
William Barclay, the Biblical commentator said, “Christian joy is
independent of all things on earth because it has its source in the
continual presence of Christ... The Christian can never lose his joy
because he can never lose Christ.”
We need to be joyful because we have royalty, victory and dignity. We
have a royalty, which is given by God; no matter how humble our birth
is, we are the children of God. We have a victory and we meet life
and all its demands in the conquering presence of God.
2.We Are Chosen to be Jesus’ Friends: Jesus has called us to be His
friends. He said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I
do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not
know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because
I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father
(Jn.15: 14-15).”
Nowhere else can people call God as a friend? The Greeks looked at
gods as vengeful and jealous. The Jews looked upon God as ‘El
Shaddai’- God Almighty or the One on the mountain. They considered
God as the all-powerful. Even the holy prophets considered
themselves as the servants of God.
It is Jesus who has brought in this new kind of relationship between
God and us. Now we are the friends of God, because of Jesus. Joseph
Scriven wrote: “What a Friend we have in Jesus; all our sins and
grief to bear! What a privilege to carry, everything to God in
prayer!.

3. We Are Chosen for Love: As the disciples of Jesus we are sent out
into the world to love one another. Jesus said, “I give you a new
commandment: Love one another, just as I have loved you.”
Love that comes from God must enable man to love and enable him to
abide in it throughout his life. We have to bear rich fruit that will
last. (15:14,16). That means we have to do our duties and live in
this world in such a way that everything we do should be the outcome
of love. Our actions must manifest God’s infinite love for us. Love
should be a criterion of our deeds.
We are urged to show to one another the kind of God’s love Jesus
revealed, as we live as members of a Christian community.
To love one another is not a platitude but a prescription, not a
counsel but a command. Laying down of one’s life will often mean a
lot of little ways of laying downs of our selfishness for the good of
others.
But it is also possible to lay down even one’s life for others. Has
not Christ’s command inspired martyrs and soldiers and missionaries
in every century since the time of Christ? When we are selfish and
refuse to love, we build a wall around ourselves and condemn
ourselves to a winter of loneliness and bitterness. But when we love
and care, the wall falls down and we experience springtime of joy and
peace.

After Mother Theresa received the Noble Prize, someone asked her,
“How can we solve the world’s problems.” She replied, “Go home and
love one another.” The thing that is destroying the world today is:
hatred and intolerance. God has called us not to be agents of death,
but rather to be the agents of love and life. It is only love, which
can save the world from destruction. And love shall be the only thing
that is eternal. St. Paul wrote, “Faith, hope and love abide. But the
greatest of these is love (I Cor 13: 13).”

May God Who created and called us for a purpose, and planted His love
within our hearts, help us to bear fruits worthy of His calling.
Prayer: Give me the gift of laughter, Oh, Jesus! I pray though tears
should over near; Give me the gift of laughter for each day Laughter
to cast out fear.

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

5th Sunday of Easter (B)
Acts 9:26-3 1; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8
Today's readings describe the boldness of faith. The first reading
tells about a new convert named Saul, who would later become known as
Paul. Even as a relatively young Christian he "spoke boldly in the
name of the Lord." St. John tells us that if we keep the commandments
and do what pleases God, we will "receive from him whatever we ask."
Jesus says pretty much the same thing in the Gospel: "If you remain
in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will
be done for you."
Let me tell you about a woman who asked boldly. Her bold request came
in the middle of a crisis. She was pregnant with her second child,
but it seemed the baby had come at the worst possible moment. Her
finances were terrible and communication with the baby's dad even
worse. She was seriously considering an abortion. However, she
remembered seeing someone wearing the Precious Feet pin. It
represents the feet of a child at ten weeks of gestation about a
third of an inch long but with perfectly formed miniature toes. She
reflected that her unborn child had such feet and she decided, in
spite of all difficulties, that she would have her baby.
Difficulties did come. Several months later the doctor told her that
she had placenta previa, a condition which "may cause serious
morbidity and mortality to both child and mother."
But God never sends a test without also giving grace to meet it. That
evening the young mom began to pray. God inspired her to speak to her
unborn child. Placing her hand above her womb, she said she was sorry
for her initial reaction and that now was thankful for the beautiful
gift and would do all she could to protect and care for her little
one.
On her next visit to the doctor, she learned the placenta had
returned to where it belonged.
This is a true story. It illustrates the power of prayer. Ask boldy.
Ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
The story also illustrates why bold prayer has such power. We can see
in the mother and her unborn child an intimate union physical,
emotional and spiritual. In fact there is no earthly bond more
intimate than that of a mother and the child growing within her.
Nevertheless, as baptized Christians, you and I have a bond with
Jesus even more intimate than a mother and her tiny child. Like the
mother who nourishes the unborn child with her own blood, Jesus
sustains us:
"I am the vine, you are the branches." (Jn 15:5)
Most people sense a potential within themselves, something they could
be or do - which is not being realized. Only by remaining in Jesus
can we become that person. "Without me you can do nothing." But
united with him we can achieve something incredible bring glory to
the Father. (Jn 15:8)
Not that we are so great or so strong or so beautiful in ourselves.
But the life that flows from Jesus makes all the difference. If we
allow it to enter our souls, if we do not cut it off by bitterness,
then "ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you." The
problem is that most of what we ask for is small potatoes finances,
safety, health, vindication, emotional well-being, etc. Those things
are wonderful, but why not ask for something really big?
Let me make a comparison. Many people - especially in the south -
think about Bill Gates and how he could solve their financial
problems. Well, suppose that Bill Gates said to me, "I like you, ask
me whatever you want." If I were smart, I don't think I would ask him
for stock options or even for a hundred million dollars. Better to
say, "Bill, could you make me a member of your family?" If he
considered me as his son or his younger brother, I could propose any
project or need to him.
It is the same with God. If he tells you to ask for anything, would
you say, "please let me win the lottery?" What you should really ask
for is to become his true son or daughter. Consider that God made all
the galaxies. Astronomers tell us there are a hundred billion of
them, each with about a hundred billion stars. And God has given our
planet an astonishing abundance. Next to what God possesses, the
greatest human fortune is like a dust particle.
But there is more. When the mightiest star has finally burned out,
God will still exist. His glory will continue to shine. May you and I
be part of that glory!
Ask God to help you understand what you really want. And it will be
done for you. Ask boldly. And like St. Paul, act boldly in the name
of the Lord. Amen.

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

4th.Sunday of Easter( B)
Acts: 4: 8-12. I Jn: 3:1-2 Jn: 10: 11-18.

A new preacher came to deliver his first sermon in a rural parish,
but no one showed up except one shepherd. The preacher wondered
whether to proceed with the service. The shepherd said, “I can’t tell
you what to do, I’m just a shepherd. But if I came to feed my sheep
and only one showed up, I would feed it.”
The preacher thanked him and gave the prepared hour-long sermon,
which stretched to an hour and a half. When he finished, he asked the
shepherd if he had liked it. “Well,” the man replied, “I don’t know
much about sermons; I’m just a shepherd. But if I came to feed my
sheep and only one showed up, I will not give her the whole load.”

The Patriarchs, Moses and King David were shepherds who lead their
people well. But the later rulers, instead of caring for the people,
began to plunder them. In prophet Ezekiel, God lamented about the
wicked shepherds who instead of caring for the people were plundering
them. He promised that He would take away the flock from them, and He
Himself would become their Shepherd.

The term shepherd implies an image of responsible leadership,
devotion to duty and concern for others. When the prophets of the Old
Testament spoke of Yahweh as the true shepherd, they understood him
as one who really cares for His people.
Jesus proclaimed that He is the Good Shepherd; He assumed the role
and character of a shepherd. King David who himself was a shepherd,
and who understood the needs of the sheep and the many cares of the
shepherd, sang, “The Lord is my Shepherd (Ps 23:1).” Knowing our
needs and His ability to supply them, Jesus called Himself as the
Good Shepherd.

A Good Shepherd Knows the Sheep. The first thing a shepherd would do
is to set a mark upon the sheep so that if it goes astray, as most
sheep often wander, the shepherd may seek and bring them home. Jesus
is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep intimately. He knows them by
their name.

He said, “I know them, and they follow me (Jn.10:27).” Doubtless,
Jesus knows us thoroughly; for He had even numbered the stars and
called them by their names; he has even numbered the very hair on our
heads. St.Paul said,:“The Lord knows those who are His (2 Tim 2:19).”

A Good Shepherd must have Skill in Pasturing of the Sheep. He not
only knows where good pastures are but also leads the sheep into
them, which shows his goodness. King David sang about the Lord, “He
makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me besides still waters
(Ps 23:2).” Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is ever mindful in providing
for us. He said thrice to Peter, “Feed my sheep.”

A Good Shepherd Watches Over His Sheep. Knowing the nature of his
sheep to wander easily, a good shepherd keeps a careful watch over
them. If they go astray, he brings them back to the fold.

Jesus came to save the lost sinners. He said, “The Son of Man came to
seek out and save the lost (Lk 19:10).” A good shepherd, not only
watches over the sheep, he, also, looks out for any impending danger.
Jesus watches over us carefully.
A Good Shepherd Defends His Flock. The shepherds usually carry a rod
and a staff.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, had saved us by laying down His life.
Prophet Isaiah said, “God will feed his flock like a shepherd; he
will gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom and
gently lead the mother sheep (40:11).”

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has a special affection for the weak and
the sinners. When He was sitting in Mathew’s house and having dinner
with the other tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees complained
to His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with the tax-collectors
and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no
need of a physician, but those who are sick (Mt 9:10-12).”

A Good Shepherd Rejoices Over the Finding of the Lost Sheep. He knows
all his sheep, and when one of them is lost, he takes note of it and
goes in search of it. When he finds such a one, he rejoices over it,
more than the safe ones. Jesus came in search of the lost sinners.
When one sinner gets saved, there is great rejoicing in heaven.
If Jesus has done so much for us, it is appropriate to ask ourselves
whether we are faithful sheep of Jesus. We agree that Jesus is the
good shepherd: he has done marvel for us. But what do we do for him?

Do we follow Jesus, the good shepherd? Do we accept him, his word
and his deed in the Sacraments? Do we come back to him after we go
astray? Are we grateful to Jesus for the gifts he offers US? Do we
live like the good sheep of the ‘good shepherd’?
Are we ready to share our life with others as the good shepherd did
at the cost of his own life? The image of the shepherd, as Jesus
presents himself, indicates Jesus love and concern for us. Jesus
suffered, died and rose again from the dead to make us sharers of the
Father’s love. we are so fortunate, for as we sang in Psalm 100, “We
are his people, the sheep of his flock. Alleluia!” Can we say truly
and sincerely that the risen Lord is our Good Shepherd?.

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

3rd Sunday of Easter( B)
Acts 3: 13-15, 17-19 , 1 John 2: 1-5 Luke 24: 35-48

We have another appearance of the Risen Christ. In each of Jesus’
Resurrection appearances, He reveals Himself to a disciple or an
apostle and then instructs that person to go tell others that He is
risen. Through these appearances, the Lord is taking this group of
disciples, broken apart and scattered by His crucifixion and death,
and is revealing them together around the truth of His Resurrection.

In the appearance recounted in today’s Gospel reading, the Lord
establishes the features that will be part of every authentic
Christian community until the end of time: His peace, His presence
and His purpose.
He appears to the Apostles and His first words are“Peace be with
you.” He gives them His peace because they were in turmoil, confusion
and guilt. These “followers” had abandoned Him and denied Him despite
their strong claims that they would do otherwise. They knew that they
betrayed their Master. They were sorry but they couldn’t turn back
the clock. Jesus knows of their repentance. He comes now and says,
“Peace be with you” to let them know that they were forgiven. That
was why their fear turned to joy. They were forgiven!
This is the message of Jesus at every Mass today and in all our
sacraments. It is the message of forgiveness that comes with
repentance. Forgiveness and repentance go together. Unfortunately,
people try to separate them.

Some people love repentance and do it all the time but do not really
believe that there is forgiveness for them. Others want forgiveness
but without repentance. But put them together and we have a wonderful
Easter truth.
No matter what we may have done, whatever our past, however horrible
the things we did, our repentance can bring new life, healing,
forgiveness, and peace. We can become a new creation.
St. John writes in today’s second reading, “if anyone does sin, we
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One.”
St. Peter says in the first reading, “Repent that your sins may be
wiped away.” Wiped away! The peace that comes from forgiveness is
Jesus first great Easter gift to the Apostles and to us.
Then, there is, of course, His presence, His real presence. “It is I
myself.” It’s really me! Today, Jesus is truly among us through His
Holy Spirit when we pray and when we gather with fellow Christians in
faith. He is present in the Eucharist as the most vivid way He would
remain with us. He is with us not as a memory or a model but as
surely as He was with the Apostles in that upper room.

The presence of Christ is a wonderful gift. As we look at all the
individuals in church on Sunday, we can reflect on the fact that the
Risen Lord is at work in the lives of each of them, each with his or
her own story, his or her own needs, his or her own aspirations and
He is present to each as though that person were the only one. He
comes to each one in the Eucharist with the particular graces that
individual needs for his or her life.
The enduring, lasting, permanent, real presence of Christ to us is
Christ’s second Easter gift to the Apostles and to us.

Finally, besides His peace and His presence, there is also His
purpose.
The Lord sent the Apostles to be witnesses of this new way of life,
of this new truth that entered the universe, that in the middle of
this old world there is a new creation at work and growing. The Lord
sends us to witness to the same truth.
The Church has had many great, heroic witnesses to Christ’s life and
teaching. There are many saints, canonized and not yet canonized, who
had a mission to fulfill. We are given a purpose as well.

We are all used to making Lenten resolutions, what we will give up,
what penance we will try to perform. Why not make some Easter
resolutions such as sharing the peace and presence of Christ with
others or at least with one other person?
Maybe we can be a little like a spiritual Johnny Apple seed, sowing
seeds of truth, care, honesty, and fidelity in our world. Maybe those
seeds will become a spiritual orchard. Faith in Christ when it takes
shape as a parish, gives stability to a community. Faith in Christ,
when it takes shape in us, gives stability to our lives.

The Resurrection of Jesus was the first sign and the guarantee of the
huge harvest that was to follow, the harvest of forgiveness and peace
He brings, the harvest of His presence in so many human lives, the
harvest of mission as we try to share something of Christ with
others.

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts.5:12-16. Rev.1:9-13, 17-19. Jn.20:19-31.

The Second Sunday of the Easter season invites us to reflect on God’s
infinite love and mercy for His people, as taught by Jesus, and to
practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Divine Mercy
Sunday.

St. Faustina and the Image of the Divine Mercy: St. Faustina of
Poland is the well known apostle of Divine Mercy. On the 30th of
April, 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter, at 10:00 a.m., His Holiness
Pope John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in Saint Peter’s Square
and proceeded to the canonization of Blessed Sister FAUSTINA.
The new Saint invites us by the witness of her life to keep our faith
and hope fixed on God, the Father, rich in mercy, who saved us by the
precious blood of His Son. During her short life, Jesus assigned St.
Faustina three basic tasks: 1. to pray for souls, entrusting them to
God's incomprehensible Mercy; 2. to tell the world about God's
Generous Mercy; 3. to start a new movement in the Church focusing on
God's Mercy. At the canonization of St. Faustina, Pope John Paul II
said: “The cross, even after the Resurrection of the Son of God,
speaks and never ceases to speak of God the Father, who is absolutely
faithful to His eternal love for man. ... Believing in this love
means believing in mercy."

“The Lord of Divine Mercy” a drawing of Jesus based on the vision
given to St. Faustina, shows Jesus raising his right hand in a
gesture of blessing, with his left hand on his chest from which gush
forth two rays, one red and one white. The picture contains the
message "Jesus, I trust in You!" . The rays streaming out have
symbolic meaning: red for the blood of Jesus, which is the life of
souls and white for the water which justifies souls. The whole image
is symbolic of the mercy, forgiveness and love of God.
Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples for the first time after His
resurrection. The first words he spoke to them were Peace be with
you. Peace was the gift the disciples needed most and the Risen Lord
gave them peace as a gift.
The disciples had left everything- their family, their occupation,
and their hometowns and followed Jesus for three years. And suddenly
their master was arrested and crucified. Their hopes and dreams were
shattered and they were left high and dry. They feared that they too,
like their master would meet with cruel fate in the hands of the
Jews.
They were confused and agitated in their minds. It is in their
deepest of their misery that Jesus came to redress them. They needed
peace and Christ gave them peace.
The peace, which Christ gave them, is lasting, deep and eternal. This
peace is lasting because it is independent of conditions and
circumstances; it is a peace which no sorrow, no danger, and no
suffering can take away. Jesus said, I have told you these things so
that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart, I have overcome the world.Jn.16:33).

We can enjoy this Christ given peace by our faith in Jesus.
Jesus through his death on the cross had reconciled us with God. We
experience the peace of Christ by believing in him. St.Paul
said,“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.(Rom 5:1).

We can experience the peace of Christ by Loving God’s Word. God
speaks to us through the Bible. The word of God has been a great
source of comfort and healing to myriads of people down the centuries
Jesus said. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. (Jn.16:33).
We can experience peace of Christ by participating and partaking in
the Sacraments. Jesus works out reconciliation with God and with the
other human beings by his death and resurrection.

The Sacraments are the means of salvation because they participate in
and perpetuate the death and the resurrection of the Lord. Through
the Sacraments the church unites and reunites the Christians with God
and with the other fellow beings. They are the means of breaking down
the barriers erected by sin.
Speaking about the Eucharist St.John Chrysostom said, “Let us learn
the wonders of this sacrament, the purpose of its institution, the
effects that it produces. We become one body, members of his flesh,
and bones of his bones. That is what the food that he gives us
effects, he joins himself to us that we may become one whole, like a
body joined to its head”.

We can experience the peace of Christ by surrendering our Lives to
Christ.
When we surrender our lives to Christ, we experience his promise of
peace. We know that our lives are in his hands and there is nothing
going to happen to us, which Christ and we cannot handle together.
When we surrender our lives to Jesus, an unquestionable assurance
develops within us which gives rise to a peace based on the fact that
all things will work for good to those who love God.(Rom 8:28).Today
we gather again as a community to praise and thank the Lord. As a
community we listen to his word and share his love and peace.

May the Lord who gave peace as a gift to His disciples, grant us all
His peace. As we are enthused by the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us
pray: “Lord, make me an instrument of peace.” Shalom,’ peace be with
you all!

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

Easter Sunday Homily ( B)
Acts.10.43,37-43. Col.3.1-4. Jn.20:1-9.

Today, we celebrate Easter- it is the feast of New Life. It is the
victory of Jesus over sin and death. It is the celebration of the
resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our
Christian faith. It is the greatest of the miracles--it proves that
Jesus is God. That is why St. Paul writes:” If Christ has not been
raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your faith is in vain…
But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who have fallen asleep” (I Cor 15/14, 17, 20).

We read in the Bible that some women came looking for the body of
Jesus and they did not find it. Until Good Friday, man played and
acted in the life of Jesus, and once the body of Jesus was laid in
the tomb, God took over the action.
Good Friday belonged to man. But Easter Sunday belonged to God.
St.Paul said, “Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Father (Rom: 6:4).” The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the
manifestation of God’s power.
The evil actions done by man on Good Friday will always be defeated,
and Easter will be the final word in the battle between good and
evil. To those who are on God’s side, victory will always be theirs.

What are the benefits of the Resurrection?
Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, and sprinkled blood that
speaks more eloquently than that of Abel. Abel’s blood called out to
God for vengeance against Cain. Jesus’ blood calls out for mercy for
His people
When Jesus first appeared to the disciples, the first thing He said
to them was, “Peace be with you (Jn: 20:19).” Peace with God is a
gift of Jesus’ resurrection.
After His resurrection, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, “Go tell my
brethren, that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God
and to your God (Jn: 20:17).” Jesus by the virtue of His
resurrection has removed the unworthiness of sinners and has made us
worthy to call God as our Father. By grace and mercy of Jesus, we can
call Him as our Father.

In the Old Testament, there were different sacrifices offered in the
temple of Jerusalem for the forgiveness of sins, and for asking the
help of God. The Death and the Resurrection of Jesus has made the Old
Testament sacrifices not needed anymore.
By the Resurrection of Jesus, evil is overcome and death is defeated.
St. Paul very mockingly asked, “0 death! Where is thy sting? 0 death!
Where is thy victory? (I Col: 15:53).

Till today no one had won against death except Jesus. St Paul in his
letter to the Roman (6:4) said, “As Jesus Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the
newness of life.” Jesus by His death has given us new life- new life
on this earth and in the life to come.
The disciples after the resurrection of Jesus began a new life- a
life, where their sins were blotted out, and a new life in the spirit
they began. Our sins are washed clean by the blood of Jesus and we
can begin a new life, in the friendship and fellowship of Christ.

What does Easter invite us to do?
It invites us to open our hearts to the risen Jesus and let him do
for us what he did for his disciples and the people to whom they
preached after the first Easter.
Easter is about the good news that the risen Jesus is in our midst
ready to work miracles for us, if we let him.
It is in and through us that Jesus has to work today.

Yes,we must be instruments for continuing his mission.
The flowers, the candles, the music, and all the Easter appointments
are symbols of the Life worth Living. They are symbols that the
world has been transformed by the Power of the Cross. There is hope
in the world. That Hope is Jesus Christ. No matter what our present
situation may be, we need to keep our focus solidly on the Lord. We
have to stop defining ourselves by what we have or by what we do. We
need to be defined by who we are. We are Christian.
Everything about our lives belongs to the Lord. Every attitude of
our lives must reflect His Love and His Presence.

We must be completely engulfed by the Love of the Lord. Everything
that matters in life reflects His Love. Life is chaos without Christ.
But with God there are no limits to our ability to love. This is our
Christian dignity! We are followers of Christ and sharers of His
resurrected life through our personal acceptance of our baptism. We
possess Jesus Christ. We have the source of life that can never be
taken from us.
We proclaim today as a Church, “Alleluia, praise the Lord. Jesus is
alive. He is our Savior. He is our Redeemer.
Let us always hold the light of Christ in front of us and faithfully
follow it into life eternal. Someone said, "He who carries his
lantern behind, casts his shadow before."
If we do not have the light of Christ leading us in front and
faithfully follow Him, we would be walking in our own shadow of
weakness and sin, leading us to death and not life. Hence, let us
take all the care that Christ is always in front of us, leading us
through the troubles of life into everlasting happiness. Then we can
sing genuinely: Yes, Jesus is truly raised, alleluia!.

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

GOOD FRIDAY HOMILY “The Transforming Power of Suffering Love”
Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9; Jn 18:1-19:42

A man walked into a Cross Shop one day, complaining that his cross
was too heavy and rough, and that he needed a new one. He tried out
all kinds of crosses, but found each one unsatisfactory - either too
short or long, too rough or smooth, too heavy or light. Then he
picked up a cross that felt just right and declared that he would
take that one. The shop owner, somewhat disappointed, told him that
was the cross he came in with!

Can you see your cross as a blessing?
Good Friday is all about the transforming power of suffering love. It
takes two pieces of wood to make a cross. That is important for us
today, as we celebrate Good Friday and venerate the cross.

The vertical stick could represent God’s love for us. God so loved
the world that he sent his only son to die for us. Beaten, scorned,
laughed at, ridiculed, tortured - he accepted it all out of love for
us. He took upon himself all our sins. He, the Lamb of God; he, the
High Priest, willingly suffered for us to free us from the
consequences of our own sins.

Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, a
central piece in the Christian notion of salvation. He states that
Jesus took away sin by absorbing and transforming sin. How?

The image he uses is that of a water filter. A filter takes in impure
water, holds the impurities inside of itself, and gives back only
pure water. It transforms rather than transmits. We see this in
Jesus. Like the ultimate cleansing filter he purifies life itself. He
takes in hatred, holds it, transforms it, and gives back love; he
takes in fear, holds it, transforms it, and gives back freedom; he
takes in jealousy, holds it, transforms it, and gives back
affirmation; he takes in Satan and murder, holds them, transforms
them, and gives back only God and forgiveness. And, in doing this,
Jesus doesn’t want admirers, but imitators, He doesn’t want fans, but
followers. The Garden of Gethsemane invites us, everyone of us, to
help absorb, purify and transform tension and sin rather than simply
transmit them. Such is the love of God for us revealed in Jesus’
suffering on the cross.

The horizontal stick represents God’s call for us to love one
another. It is our response to God’s love in Jesus, and completes the
cross. There are two horizontal arms to the cross, and two ways that
we can love one another.

The first way is through relationships. God greatest hurt is our
broken brotherhood.
How important - indeed, essential it is that we learn to love,
forgive and accept one another. Otherwise, our religion and
professed belief is a sham. How can we claim to love God, yet go on
being rude to each other; take advantage of each other; accuse each
other; put each other down; gossip about each other; suspect each
other; avoid each other; stay away from gatherings because of our
aversion to and fear of each other? Have we not yet learned the most
basic truth of our faith; that what we do to the least of our
brothers and sisters, we do to Jesus?

Yes, one arm of the cross is relationships; how we
get along with each other is the measure of our relationship with
God.

The second arm of the cross is service. God’s message through the
cross is that we must serve one another. Jesus spoke clearly about
that when he said that if anyone wants to be his disciple, they must
take up their cross and follow him. It is not easy to sacrifice
ourselves for the sake of others, but that is what the cross means.
Jesus showed us what it means by accepting to die on the cross for
us. The bottom line of following Jesus is that we must let go of our
hunger for power, control and glory, and learn to serve one another,
to wash each other’s feet each day as we did on Holy Thursday.

In some ways it has become more complicated to live the message of
the cross today.
One has to be careful that one does not get lost in serving others to
the neglect of one’s self, such as happens with work-a-holism and co-
dependency. There is a difference, I am learning, between care-
giving, which is healthy for everyone, and care-taking, which is not.
Care-taking means that I am serving, not out of love, but to get
something out of it for myself. We must learn to love in a truly
unselfish and healthy way.

As we continue to celebrate today, let us pray that we may have a
stronger and stronger faith in the power and depth of God’s love for
us, and that we may respond to that love by learning to truly love
each other from the heart, through loving relationships and humble
service. Amen.

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

Palm Sunday(B) - 2012
Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47

The Church celebrates today as both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday.
It is on Palm Sunday that we enter Holy Week, and welcome Jesus into
our lives, asking him to allow us a share in his suffering, death and
resurrection. This is also the time we remember and relive the events
which brought about our redemption and salvation. That is why the
Holy Week liturgy presents us with the actual events of the dying and
rising of Jesus. The liturgy also enables us to experience in our
lives, here and now, what Jesus went through then.

A question that has always puzzled me is: Why was there such a
dramatic change in the mood of the crowd of people in Jerusalem from
Palm Sunday to Good Friday? Why the change from “Hosanna to Son of
David” to “crucify Him!”?
One answer, I think, has to do with expectations. When we are all
excited and on an emotional high because our hopes and expectations
are about to be fulfilled and they are suddenly dashed to the ground,
we are not only terribly saddened but we many times get angry.

The people of Jerusalem hoped that Jesus was going to be their long-
expected Messiah, God’s Anointed One would be like King David and who
would lead them to throw off their hated Roman rulers and give them
the freedom of their own autonomy. When it appeared that Jesus was
going to be a different kind of Messiah, one who appeared to be
gentle and forgiving and therefore perceived as weak, their
frustrated hopes turned into anger, particularly anger at Him. That
appears to be what upset Judas, the one who was so concerned with
money and power, and caused him to betray Jesus to the Jewish and
Roman authorities.

So the question arises: What do we expect God to do for us? Just what
kind of a Messiah do we expect? And when God doesn’t answer our
prayers the way we want Him to, how do we react? What is our own
response? I think you know the answer. You and I have seen it in
others; perhaps we have even seen it in ourselves. We get mad at God.
We turn and walk away both from Him and from His Church. The
uncomfortable truth is that “Judas models” our own turning away from
Christ. Let’s face it. We all have some fickleness in our hearts. Not
only that, but all too often we join the thinking of the crowd around
us, are swept up by what is popular and fail to be fixed on what is
right.

Let me challenge you. Instead of asking what we want God to do for
us, why don’t you and I turn the question around today and ask
ourselves: What does God want me to do?

We now enter into Holy Week and once again God our Father gathers us
up into His Christ. God knows fully well what is in the human heart
but He is undeterred by our failures and weaknesses.

Let us try to answer 3 questions today: 1) Does Jesus weep over my
sinful soul as he wept over Jerusalem at the beginning of his Palm
Sunday procession? 2.Do we welcome Jesus into our hearts? 3.Are we
ready to surrender our lives to Jesus during this Holy Week and
welcome him, singing our “hosanna,” into all areas of our lives as
our Lord and Savior?

Today, we receive palm branches at the Divine Liturgy. Let us take
them to our homes and put them some place where we can always see
them. The palms are meant to remind us that Christ is the king of our
families, that Christ is the king of our hearts, that Christ is the
only true answer to our quest for happiness and meaning in our lives.
And if we do proclaim Christ as our king, let us try to make time for
Him in our daily life; let us be reminded that He is the one with
whom we will be spending eternity. Let us be reminded further that
our careers, our education, our finances, our homes, all of the basic
material needs in our lives only pertain to our life in time and will
vanish, for us, with our death. Let us prioritize and place Christ
the king as the primary concern in our lives. It is only when we have
done so that we will find true peace and happiness in our confused
and complex world.

Let us always remember that a Christian without Christ is a
contradiction in terms. Such a one betrays the Christian message.
Hence, let us become transparent Christians during this Holy Week,
enabling others to see in us Jesus’ universal love, unconditional
forgiveness and sacrificial service in our families, and communities.

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

5th.Sunday of Lent ( B)
Is. 31:31-34 Heb. 5:7-9 Jn. 12:20-30

We all love a life in this world. We like to live as long as we can.
We plan for a better, deeper and meaningful life. We look for new
ways, directions, orientations and dimensions to make life
fulfilling. But how often we experience the contrary: suffering,
sickness and death.

Trials and difficulties intensify our longing for a fuller life. At
any rate we want to cling to life. Modern science offers man a
pleasant and comfortable life. Modern propaganda promises him ways of
making life enjoyable and he believes in them.
But what happens ultimately? He ends up in despair. Again we confront
our limitations, emptiness, and false calculations. Then again we are
on the look out for means to make our lives gratifying and happy.

People came to Jesus to experience life in fullness and expected from
him satisfaction of their desires. Jesus’ reply was amazing- and they
did not understand that reply. Because Jesus said: “He who loves his
life loses it; he who hates his life in the world will keep it for
eternal life.” It is immaterial for us to know how they reacted to
Jesus’ words.

But how do we now react to them? What does Jesus mean by this paradox
of losing and gaining life?
It is a paradox and a bitter one. Because of this bitter sayings,
Jesus lost many of his followers. In that he was poor in public
relations but then he came not to please but to lead people to know
the truth. Jesus what he preached, he practiced.

Jesus teaches that only death brings life. He gives an example: A
grain of wheat is fruitless so long as it is preserved, but once
sowed and buried as if in a tomb, then it produces fruit; it lives a
new life.

Dying to self would often mean, sacrificing one’s self-will, for the
sake of God’s will, which is his law, “placed within us and written
upon our hearts” (Jer 3 1:33). God wills only our good and the
greatest of his laws is our greatest good. Our difficulties are
overcome when our heart obeys God’s will. The mother and guardian of
all virtues is obedience.

Dying to self very often means sacrificing ourselves for the sake of
others. Only by dying to our self-seeking and vain ambitions, can we
bring life to others, spreading joy and inspiring hope in them.

In this light we understand the text: “The blood of the martyrs is
the seed of the Church.” They sacrificed themselves and contributed
to the life and the growth of the Church.
By burying our own personal ambitions, selfishness and narrow-
mindedness we become children of God and members of the living
Church.
Jesus teaches that by dying to earthly life we attain eternal life.
Selfishness urges man to look for earthly security. Jesus says that
those who treasure life will never enjoy it. A typical example of
self-surrender and dying to self is found in the words of St. Joan of
Arc who prayed to the Lord in the face of death: “1 shall only last a
year, use me as you can.”

Jesus teaches that Christian vocation is to serve. Our attitude to
life should be one of love and service. Love is the wealth of life.
Jesus told us, life is fruitful in proportion to which it is laid
out. Our highest 1ife does not consist in self-ex-pression but in
self-sacrifice. It is not what we take up but what we give up that
makes us and others rich.

Our focus should be on Jesus. Fixing our focus on anything other than
Christ is disastrous. When Adam and Eve took off their focus from God
and looked at the forbidden fruit, they fell.

When Peter took off his focus from Jesus while walking on water and
began to focus on waves, he began to drown. We miss God’s best when
we do not have Jesus as our primary focus.
The paradox in Christian life is that we attain fullness of life by
giving, renouncing, in love and service of others. More than anyone
of us Jesus suffered bitter agony and death on the cross and showed
that suffering is meaningful.
Jesus taught us this and proved by his life that it leads to eternal
life. And what he promised once again he repeats to each one of us
today: “if a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my
servant will be there too.” (Jn. 12:26).

When we meet with crisis and struggles in life, we may feel like
what’s the use? I feel like giving up. I feel depressed. People say,
“I just feel devastated.” Others say, “I can’t take the pressures.
I’m so depressed. God has abandoned me”. Some quit church. Give up on
being a Christian. Give up on the Lord. It’s too hard.
Dear brother and sisters! There is one thing that reconciled him to
the cross and that is found in John 4:34 when Jesus said, “My food is
to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

"Do Little things with great love" - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.

4^th Sunday of Lent( B).    2 Cron.36.14-16,19-23. Eph.2.4-10.    Jn. 3:14-21

 

The essence of the Gospel, the core of Christian spirituality and the ground for every man’s hope finds expression in these words: God so loved the world that He gave his only Son so that every one who believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” There are people who believe that God is not interested in man.

He simply lets things happen according to the course of nature. There are some who believe that God is far away, He is very remote, enthroned in His own world with no care for men. Some others think that God is a strict judge who punishes human beings, to enforce His Commandments.

Jesus proclaims a different God. The God of Jesus is not the indifferent harsh judge, but One Who is concerned about man, one who becomes like man, and loves him as a Father. His love is expressed in words and deeds. He is a God Who loves man so much that He sends His only Son to the World.

That means: God takes the initiative in the salvation event, all because He loves man. God is love. That is the central theme of John’s Gospel. In the history of salvation God does everything for the sake of man.

He does not love only the people who love Him. He loves everybody, even the unloving, the unbelieving, the obstinate, the sinful, the greedy and the vengeful.

God’s love is more than a mother’s love. In prophet Isaiah, He said, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.(Is.9:15-16).”  

In prophet Jeremiah the Lord affirmed, “I love you with an everlasting love (3 1:3).” All God’s actions flow from this: He loves us profoundly and unconditionally.

God loves the whole world, not a particular race or a nation. Nobody is excluded from God’s love. St. Augustine says: “God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.”

Who is God and what does He want?John Powell, Professor at Loyola University in Chicago, tells of an incident that occurred during one of his theological courses. A certain attendant, Tommy, a very unusually-fashioned man, seemed to go about like an atheist in residence.’

 He constantly objected about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father-God. When he came to the end of the course to turn in his final exams, he asked Powell in a rather cynical tone: Do you think I will ever find God?” After a little shock Powell said, ‘Tommy! I don’t think you will ever find God, but I am absolutely sure that He will find you.”

God is like the ‘hound of heaven,’ ever after us: He is so faithful that He is never tired of us. God loves us in Jesus

What is the Purpose of God’s Love

The purpose of God’s love is to save people from eternal damnation and grant them eternal life. Sin brought death into the world, but Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has brought us salvation. When Moses lifted the bronze serpent in the wilderness (Num 21: 4-9), all who looked at it were saved from the poison of the snakebite. 

 

Similarly, all who believingly look to Christ on the cross are saved from the death brought by the deadly poison of sin.

God sent His Only Begotten Son, not so much to judge and condemn the world, but to save it. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost (Lk 9: 10).”

Jesus is the revelation of God’s love, the prefect expression of the Father. His love is manifested in sacrificing himself for others. He said: “A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.” Yes, Jesus died on the cross because he loved us: he forgave sins and reconciled us with the Father. Through his death he brought us to life when we were dead through sin.

We know for sure that God loves because He sent Jesus to us. Jesus loved us and died for us on the cross. Today’s gospel inspires us, enkindles hope in us, and urges us to love and forgive like Jesus who loved and lived for us. How do we respond to his abiding love? Let us thank him and praise him in the Eucharist.

In this season of Lent we prepare to celebrate God’s gift of himself to us by recognizing that he has made each one of us worthy of receiving this gift. We are lovable because God loves us. We who are created in the image of God must learn how to love that image we reflect. We have to learn to love ourselves in a way that recognizes his unconditional love in our lives. This is the love we celebrate in the Eucharist; it is the love we must carry into life as children of light.

Follow Rediff Deal ho jaye! to get exciting offers in your city everyday.