Jesus’s Passion in Holy Week

On 13th April 2025

Passion of Christ Part V

 

We all will suffer death in our body, but God will raise us on the Last Day.

 

  The Psalm 88, the church is identified them as anticipating the kind of suffering that Christ endured. There are other two Psalms(22, 69) also mentioned about the sufferings and afflictions Jesus to be faced before his death on the Cross. Psalm 88:1–4 (NJB): Yahweh, God of my salvation, when I cry out to you in the night, 2 may my prayer reach your presence, hear my cry for help. 3 For I am filled with misery, my life is on the brink of Sheol; 4 already numbered among those who sink into oblivion, I am as one bereft of strength. This Psalm is very closely related to Jesus' punishment of being thrown into the dungeon, as ordered by High Priest Khaiaphas. While we visited the Holy Land we have read this chapter when we gone down to the dungeon and many were crying while one lector red this chapter as per the instruction from the priest(Fr Eugene) That is why pilgrims visiting the Holy Land travel to this deep well to experience Jesus' agony. Many visitors to the dungeon read this Psalm and ponder on Christ's sufferings. We might ponder on the aforementioned verses and reflect on them. Jesus cried out to his Father for rescue while he lay in this hole for one day and one night. He lost all of his power since he was alone in the dungeon, which was full of darkness. There was no one to help him, and no light could penetrate the dungeon. We know how much he suffered before his death on the Cross.

Word of Life

 

On 12th April 2025  

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Lord, make us upright to follow and obey your statutes 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill.  (Matthew 5:6, NJB) Our father, St. Joseph, the patriarch of the Holy Family and the spouse of the Virgin Mary, was a just man, as we can see. A magnificent saint and silent servant of God's kingdom, he never spoke but obeyed God's commands. His Heavenly Father was pleased with him and gave Joseph custody of His Son and Mother. He was an upright man and never want to despise Virgin Mary even he found she was pregnant. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally (Matthew 1:19, NJB) God has chosen St Joseph because he was in hunger and thirst for live in uprightness. This way he found favour in the Lord to be the head of the Holy Family. “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will perform my entire will.” 23 To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, (Acts 13:22–23, NJB) As God had discovered, David having a good heart. As promised by the Heavenly Father, God has chosen David as King of Israel and bestowed upon him an eternal kingdom and dynasty through Jesus Christ, Son of God and son of David. King David was an honest, upright and faithful servant of God. Let us pray to our Lord, to make us upright and faithful servant like St. Joseph and his father King David. 

A Pilgrimage to the Church of Lady of Perpetual Help

 

On 3rd April 2025

A Pilgrimage to the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

  We went to Our Lady of Perpetual Church in Fujairah(UAE) on Sunday, March 30, 2025, as a pilgrimage to attend Holy Mass and for a holy hour of adoration. All of us had a unique experience. Since I could recall my conversion to Catholicism, it held great significance for me. Our Lord patiently waited for my soul during a protracted procedure. My conversion brought to memory how deeply Mother Mary cared about my decision to become a Catholic when I first began to meditate. She is a strong instrument or Co-Redemptrix of preparing people for Jesus and his kingdom, making them his disciples, and assigning every one of them a specific mission. The Holy Spirit reminded me of all my past experiences while I prayed in the church. The Holy Spirit was reminding me of all the earlier experiences I had with Mother Mary (Our Lady of Perpetual Succor) while I was praying in the church. She and I first interacted when I was a child, and my family would visit my mother's residence in a nearby village. We all sleep in the house's main hall, brothers, sisters, and cousins. On the majority of those times, I was able to sleep beneath the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor. I can see her face when I raise my eyes, and she might glance at me since she was dear to my heart, not me. Somehow, she never stopped staring at me, even if I didn't want to acknowledge this. I was reminded to pray Our Father, Glory be and sign of the Cross as she was staring at me, so I did so as I lay down to sleep. Since our church is known as the Marthoma Syrian Church, a sect that is distinct from Kerala's Orthodox and Jacobite churches, we never mention Mother Mary in our prayers at home or at church. At home, we never say the Rosary. The second incidence occurred in Muscat in 1979 when I was twenty years old. I was really depressed at the moment I lost my job. After noticing my predicament, a friend of mine who lived in my neighborhood called me to his house one day and told me to remain composed and pray to Jesus in perseverance. He was the one who taking me to Church on Sundays for to attend the Mass in Marthoma Church and he was a Marthomite. He was carrying a Catholic Bible, which I was unaware had two different translations; it was a POC Malayalam Catholic Bible, and since he was not a Catholic, he should never read it. What surprised me even more was that he had taken a picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor from the Bible. "This picture of Mother Mary has had a great impact on my life," he said, adding, "I ask her for intercession for many of my sufferings and she never hates me, always hears my pleas, and helps me." Then I noticed that he was sobbing quietly and that tears were streaming from his eyes. None of these suggestions made sense to me or had any immediate impact. In order to alleviate my sadness, my roommates have taken me to a neighboring government hospital to see a psychiatrist. After speaking with the doctor, he told me not to worry and sent me on my way. I miraculously recovered and began working for a different multinational company.

   I was thinking why should I be honored by the visit of Mother Mary, as St Elisabeth said: Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?  (Luke 1:43, NJB) Later during the years of my conversion, I understood Mother Mary had healed me from the mental depression. The above two incidents in my life got a great impact in my life for the searching the truth of my faith. Then in 1990 I got married to a Catholic girl. After the marriage, in 1997 I got the conversion by attending two of the retreats. Lord has provided me the truth, through the Word of God, consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17, NJB) When I got the real conversion in 1997, I was recollected both the incidents of encountering Mother Mary. I make it short the intervention of Mother Mary in my life and its never ending. She has presented me to Jesus, and I thank her all that wonderful things she has done in my life.

 

Word of Life

On 26th March 2025

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Lord, teach us to mourn for our sins 

   We should mourn for our sins. When we lament God will console us. Mt 5: 5 Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted. We can see in Scriptures how David was lamented for his sins. He wrote Psalm 51 to lament for his sins. The verses 1 and 2 is his lamentation for his sins. Prophet Nathan came and told King David about the sin as he has done, that is he slept with Bathsheba. Then David is pleading to God for the forgiveness of his sins and renew his heart and not to thrust away from the spirit of holiness. Same St Peter cried bitterly, when Jesus looked at him, Peter was remembered how he denied three times. ⁶⁰ Peter said, ‘My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.’ At that instant, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed, ⁶¹ and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord’s words when he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will have disowned me three times.’ ⁶² And he went outside and wept bitterly. When Jesus looked at him, he could not control himself and cried bitterly for what he had done towards Jesus and went a lonely place to pray. 

 

The Feast of Transfiguration

On 16^th March 2025

The Feast of Transfiguration 

God spoke to them, ‘this is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him’.

   Mk 9: 2-8 ‘There in their presence (Peter, James & John) he was transfigured, his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, Rabbi; he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ Jesus was transfigured today as we are celebrating the Feast Day of Transfiguration of our Lord. When we visited Holy Land, this prophecy became true as we saw the huge church with three different Altars to honor Elijah, Moses, and Jesus. The first church was built in 400 A.D, but Muslim Invaders destroyed it. In the time of the Crusaders, the Benedictines built a Monastery there. Many of the Benedictine Monks were martyred on this mountain. This is the place called the Altar of God (the natural Altar) as Fr. Eugene and our guide was explaining to us.  We could see many caves there; those were used by the monks as individual cells to pray and live. When we see this mountain from far, it’s an amazing experience. The Muslim invaders destroyed that one also. Again, the Franciscans came to rebuild it in the 17th century. The Franciscans were there always to protect the church when it lay in ruins. It came to my mind that our Lord had given another key to St. Francis just as he has given to St. Peter for the safe keeping of His household in a perfect manner. 

 

  This mountain is very blessed with the serenity and the silence of nature allowing one to hear properly what God spoke to his people. As my personal experience, I was just recollecting my memories, at a night Jesus had visited me in my early years of conversion. It was a mountain experience for me. Jesus came to meet me in the form of Eucharist and embraced me in a night which I cannot forget. He also brought Mother Mary to give me in that night. Since I experienced this, I never missed the Holy Mass in my life, unless there may arise any difficult situation. We felt the presence of God everywhere. God spoke to them, ‘this is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him’. ‘Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them anymore but only Jesus. God the Father is asking us to listen to Jesus while we are reading and meditating the Word of God. We can hear his voice while we are praying by humbly in the presence of him. 

 

  This holy mountain (Mount Tabor) was one of the places Jesus touched me with his gentle Love. 

 

 

Word of Life

On 10th March 2025

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Lord, make our heart gentle and humble like you.

Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance Mt 5:4. Our gentleness is a virtue to obtain many blessings from the Lord. Jesus was humble and gentle in heart as mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 28-30 for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul, Mt 11: 29 Jesus is always ready to have us on his shoulders to give us rest from all the troubled waters in our life. Then again Jesus says in Gospel of Mathew, Shoulder my Yoke and learn from me, Mt. 11: 29 When we are gentle and humble, we can trust in Jesus and bear any load or cross in our daily lives. Jesus says once more: Yes, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light It is difficult to bear the burdensome crosses in our lives. But put your faith in Jesus, and trust in him whole heartedly. During todays Holy Mass the Celebrant(father) said in his homily: "Your see, how David became penitent when he sinned against God's will, the sin in flesh, by sleeping with a woman, the wife of his trustworthy soldier. When God became enraged with him, David recognised that he had offended our Lord. David sincerely repented when he penned Psalm 51. David has been forgiven by God, let us pray to our Lord, "Jesus, I trust in you."".  We all may sin, but we must also repent deeply and get over all kind pride in our mind and heart,  but should ask the Lord for forgiveness. Never get weary of pleading for Jesus' pardon.

The Word of Life

 

On 15th Feb 2025  

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Lord teach us, how to be poor in spirit 

Jesus was giving his sermon on the mount on the bank of Galeelli. He was instructing the crowd how can anyone obtain the Kingdom of Heaven. Then he began to speak about how we become poor in spirit.Those are poor in spirit always lead a life in humility. When humility comes we will serve others in a gentle and humble way. Humility is a special grace, and Br Shaji says: it’s a most difficult virtue to practice, if it comes we are able to love and serve others unconditionally. “This is what he taught them: 3 How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”