First Friday in June Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacred heart of Jesus
The month of June is singled out, in a particular way, for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To celebrate the Heart of Christ means to turn toward the profound center of the Person of the Savior, that center which the Bible identifies precisely as his Heart, seat of the love that has redeemed the world. At the end you will have only Jesus and Mary. And they will be always there for you.
The Church dedicates the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During the days of June, we are urged to grow in our devotion to the Sacred Heart, so that we may remain more faithfully in the company of our Lord Jesus Who dwells with us always in the Church, especially in the Holy Eucharist. In fact, the fundamental image of the Sacred Heart is the crucifix depicting the pierced Heart of Jesus after He had died on the cross. Dom Dominic of Treves, a Carthusian monk who lived from 1384 to 1461, in promoting the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, wrote: Place all your sins in the Heart of Jesus. Through that Heart you should ask for grace and pardon, and should praise and bless God, not only for yourself, but for all who are committed to your care and for the whole Catholic Church, whose triumph you desire, invoking from the depth of your misery the depth of God’s mercy. Out of gratitude you will then often kiss a picture of the Heart of Jesus, of this most kind Heart, of this Heart in which are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. If you have not a picture of the Sacred Heart, you can make use of one of Jesus on the Cross.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has a richness of expressions. All of the expressions have a twofold dimension: 1) our ardent love of God in return for God’s immeasurable love of us; and 2) our reparation for the neglect, ingratitude and contempt which we and others have shown to Christ on the Cross, and on the altars and in the tabernacles of our chapels and churches. The two dimensions constitute a full response to the unceasing love of God for us, notwithstanding our frequent indifference and coldness before the signs of His love, above all, the Holy Eucharist.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart has two elements: consecration and reparation:
· We consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart by acknowledging Him as Creator and Redeemer and as having full rights over us as King of Kings, by repenting, and by resolving to serve Him.
· We make reparations for the indifference and ingratitude with which He is treated and for leaving Him abandoned by humanity.

Let us pray:-

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. We come to you with all our problems and pains. You are the only one who is never tired and weary of me. You give me comfort and consolation. Fill us with your love and mercy and never allow us to be away from your love and protections. I consecrate my whole life to your sacred heart with all its good and bad with full confidence that you will never reject and condemn me for my weakness. Make me and mold me as you wish me to be. Amen.

What a great Feast- Visitation of Mother Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
Only who has great faith and can count herself Zero could utter these words from the depth of her heart. With these words Mary first acknowledges the special gifts she has been given. Then she recalls God's universal favors, bestowed unceasingly on the human race.
When someone devotes all his thoughts to the praise and service of the Lord, he proclaims God's greatness. His observance of God's commands, moreover, shows that he has God's power and greatness always at heart. His spirit rejoices in God his savior and delights in the mere recollection of his creator who gives him hope for eternal salvation.
For the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Mary attributes nothing to her own merits. She refers all her greatness to the gift of the one whose essence is power and whose nature is greatness, for he fills with greatness and strength the small and the weak who believe in him. It’s not just uttering some words it is really an outpouring of her hearts. Witnessing God in public.
Zechariah and Our Blessed Lady are both good people, pleasing in God’s sight, and yet how different their response to the Lord’s message brought by the Angel Gabriel!
Our Lady’s question, But how can this come about, since I am a virgin? is one of enquiry. She believes and only seeks understanding. Gabriel’s reply, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow, is enough for her to be able to reply wholeheartedly and unconditionally, Let what you have said be done to me. Zechariah’s reply, on the other hand, lacks faith. How can I be sure of this? He does not really believe, and points out the reasons why: I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years. He wants proof. He lacks faith, at least initially, in the shock of the moment.
In both situations the Angel Gabriel appears without warning. Mary is greatly disturbed and Zechariah is overcome with fear. Gabriel tells both of them, do not be afraid. We too are constantly counseled in the Scriptures and through the teachings of the Church to be not afraid and yet, like Zechariah, we let fear take over. We too want to be sure of things. We want to know what will happen to us, what people think of us, what we should do – and all without the hard work of discernment and trusting faith in the Lord. Fearing ultimate responsibility, we want someone else to blame for the choices we make.
Mary and Zechariah both make their response to the Angel Gabriel’s message. Mary’s response is immediate and positive. Let what you have said be done to me. And her fiat, her response, is quickly translated into action. That was a Reflex action- a quick and spontaneous action. Aware that her cousin Elizabeth has also been greatly honored by God, she goes quickly to visit her, to share the good news – one woman with child to another. When Word of God touched the heart of Mary she started her journey to visit her cousin who is in need. The Word of God will compel your heart to do many charitable works in your life, if you allow the Spirit of God to work in your life.In her joy and wonder, her first thoughts and actions are for another. She who has become the mother of the Son of God knows, with Gabriel, that nothing is impossible to God. Her cousin Elizabeth has also acknowledged the Lord’s gift of the life of her son: the Lord has done this for me. How right, how magnificent, that these two women should come together to share their joy, to support one another and to thank God. And that is today’s Feast.
To understand the whole story we must ask the fundamental questions that have always stirred the human heart: what is it all about? Why am I here? Who am I? What is the real meaning of my life?
The simple answer is that each one of us is a precious child of God, made in his image and likeness. Each of us, like Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah and John the Baptist has been given a specific vocation that only we can fulfill. The first vocation of every human being, however, is to know, love and serve God; to recognize and acknowledge that we are creature and not Creator and we are not the ones who control the world. We exist through no action of our own, but through the action of our parents who in co-operation with God and human nature, conceived us. Thus every moment of our existence happens at the will of God. Thank God with our mother Mary for what we are and for our life.


The Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,my spirit rejoices in God my Saviorfor he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me blessed:the Almighty has done great things for me,and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear himin every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israelfor he remembered his promise of mercy,the promise he made to our fathers,to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory Alleluia 37 Years of God's Mercy

“Glory alleluia”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs5hW9geel4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmq9TnPt_UY

I remember the Poem lyrics of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
Psalm says in 66:16: "Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me". God gave me 37 years of Blessings. My whole life is a sign of God’s Providence from my birth till today.
When I celebrate my birthday today I thank God for my parents who gave me life, faith and religion. Though I studied 11 years for priesthood my faith which I treasure today is all what my parents gave to me when I was a small child.I thank God for enabling me to have a profound experience of the Love of God through my brothers and sisters.
Birth and rebirth, an earthly family and the great family of God: this is the great gift of God's multiple mercies, the foundation which supports us.
The Apostle Thomas' encounter with the Risen Lord: the Apostle is permitted to touch his wounds and thereby recognizes him -- over and above the human identity of Jesus of Nazareth, Thomas recognizes him in his true and deepest identity: "My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20:28). When I joined the Carmelites when I was just 16 years of age God gave me different chances to experience Him trough many people and events and from different Countries. When I left home I did not actually abandoned my home but I really expanded the four walls and the roofs of my home to the whole world where I went and it include even this great parish. Jesus did promise that He will give everything in 100 fold. He gave me everything in 100folds. I got many fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and friends and families all over the world who really took care of me as their own family member. When I look back to my life I have nothing to say but kneel down and raise my hands to heaven and cry out “Glory alleluia”. My life is a sign of God’s Providence.
God's mercy accompanies us daily. To be able to perceive his mercy it suffices to have a heart that is alert. Every moment is God’s blessings when we really look into it. How can we pay back to Him for all that He is doing for us? All are all God’s Just Mercy. If, however, we open our hearts, then as well as immersing ourselves in them we can be constantly aware of how good God is to us; how he thinks of us precisely in little things, thus helping us to achieve important ones.
A long while ago, a man was walking down an avenue and he saw some masons hard at work. He walked up to one of them and asked him, "What are you doing?" The man looked up and replied, "I am laying bricks." As he walked ahead he saw another one of the masons laying bricks. This particular mason was working with utmost dedication and concentration. He would pick each brick up, carefully align it after having put just the right amount of mortar, and then dexterously move onto the next one. Impressed with his skill, the man walked up to him and asked him the same question. "What are you doing, my good man?"
The mason looked up and replied, "I am building a cathedral."
I would like to thank the Lord all my family members, friends, benefactors and all of you with all my heart. I wish to end this with a prayer of the holy Pope, St Leo the Great: "Pray to our good God that in our day he will be so good as to reinforce faith, multiply love and increase peace. May he render me, his poor servant, adequate for his task and useful for your edification, and grant me to carry out this service so that together with the time given to me my dedication may grow. Amen".

Thank You.

HAPPY PENTECOST DAY

Come Holy Spirit and fill the heart of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Happy Pentecost Day my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Do we sometimes complain that we do not understand each other? Sometimes the husband does not understand the wife and the wife do not understand the Husband. Most often children complain that why my parents do not understand me? Why???
Some times it is very difficult to understand people whom are we so familiar earlier. If you find this misunderstanding in your day today life then kneel down and beg to God for a Pentecostal experience an out pouring of the Holy Spirit in your life…
Whenever human beings forget how limited we are and try to take the initiative in our dealings with God, what inevitably follows is disaster. An example is the story of the Tower of Babel that we are told in Gen 11 where human beings decided to build a tower that would reach to heaven. In this way they would have access to God whenever they wanted, in this way they could manipulate God. But in the process of building the human bridge to heaven God came and confused their languages. They began to speak different languages, there was no more communication, no more understanding among them, and they could no longer work together. The result was the proliferation of languages and human misunderstanding.
Does the story of Babel remind you of the story we read today from the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples of Jesus speaking in other languages? Actually the two stories are related. But Pentecost is not a repeat of Babel; Pentecost is a reversal of Babel, and this for three reasons:
1. At Babel human beings decided to build a tower to God by their own effort; at Pentecost it is now God who decides to build a bridge to humans by sending the Holy Spirit. Babel was a human initiative, a human effort; Pentecost is a divine initiative, a divine activity through the Holy Spirit.
What God asks of us as believers always seems impossible. And it is indeed impossible if we rely on our own initiatives and will power alone. But if, like the disciples, we realize that godliness is above us, and so commit ourselves to waiting daily on God in prayer, God will not be found wanting. At the opportune time God will send the flame of the Holy Spirit to invigorate us, and change us from lukewarm to zealous, fervent, enthusiastic believers. We have to put our trust in God and believe in His providence. God Provides.
2. Babel was a requiem of misunderstanding; Pentecost is a chorus of mutual understanding. The miracle of Pentecost is very different from the miracle of Babel. At Babel, the people came together with one language, understanding themselves. After God's intervention they dispersed no longer understanding each other. At Pentecost, on the other hand, people of different ethnic backgrounds (Persians, Asians, Romans, Egyptians, Libyans, Arabs, etc) came together unable to communicate, but after the miracle of Pentecost, they said, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that we hear them, each of us in our own language?" (Acts 2: 7-8).
The miracle of Pentecost was a miracle of mutual understanding, a restoration of that precious gift that humanity lost at Babel. Now, someone might ask, is there such a language that one could speak and everybody would understand in their own mother tongue? The answer is yes. 100% yes. And the name of that language is LOVE. Love is the language that all women and men understand irrespective of ethnic background. Everybody understands when you smile. Love is the language of the children of God, the only language we shall speak in heaven. And the Holy Spirit is the outcome of the Love of God the Father and the God the Son. The Holy Spirit teaches us the one language which unites us, the language of God’s universal love which knows no boundary. The Holy Spirit disciplines us with humility and with trust in God’s Providence, so that we may speak the language of divine love which makes us one and brings us lasting joy and peace. If you know the language of Love you will understand the feelings of other people. If you have all the degrees from all the Universities and if you do not know the Language of Love you will not understand your brothers and sisters.
3. Finally, Pentecost differs from Babel in its result. Babel resulted in the disintegration of the human family into different races and nationalities. Pentecost, on the other hand, brings all peoples together and reunifies them under one universal family. This universal family embracing all races and nationalities is called church. "Catholic" means "universal". On Pentecost we celebrate the birthday of the Church. Today is, therefore, an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to be active and faithful members of this family of God we call Church.
Fulton J. Sheen once said about the church that even though we are God's chosen people, we often behave more like God's frozen people. God's frozen people indeed: frozen in our prayer life, frozen in the way we relate with one another, frozen in the way we celebrate our faith. We don't seem to be happy to be in God's house; we are always in a hurry to get it over and done with as soon as possible. Today is a great day to ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle in us the spirit of new life and enthusiasm, the fire of God's love.
Don’t forget my dear brothers and sisters that “We can no longer move forward looking through the rearview mirror!
You may say now, “What can I do?" "I am only a single individual. What difference can I make?" Maybe we can learn something from the story of the black squirrel and the owl.
A black squirrel once asked a wise old owl what was the weight of a single snowflake. "Why, nothing more than nothing," the owl answered. The squirrel then went on to tell the owl about a time when he was resting on a branch of a maple tree, counting each snowflake that came to rest on the branch until he reached the number 1,973,864. Then with the settling of the very next flake -- crack! The branch suddenly snapped, throwing the squirrel and the snow to the ground. "That was surely a whole lot of nothing," said the squirrel.
Try to break down the tower of Babel we build and try to embrace the experience of the Pentecost where we can understand each other and Love each other and be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
What does mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? It means a radical change in our mind and in our deeds; it means to be a new creation, to have a new mind according to God, not according to the flesh, and to act according to God’s will, not according to our sinful egoistic will. God is Love, and His Spirit is the Spirit of Love. When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, all our deeds must be filled with love. St. Paul says to the Galatians: "Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh ... "But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace; patience, kindness, goodness; faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And he concludes: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another" (Gal. 5: 16-26).

Three days preparation for Pentecost Friday

Mary and the Pentecost
The disciples are gathered together in the Cenacle. They were all prepared to receive the Holy Spirit.
“All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." (Acts of the Apostles 1:14)
When the Spirit of God came on the day of Pentecost, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was there with all the Apostles, the disciples, and the holy women who had followed the Lord throughout his apostolate. It was in the presence of Mary, and united with her in prayer, that the Apostles received the Holy Spirit. How can we deny this action of the Spirit of God who renews on this day his coming at the creation of the universe, when, as Scripture says, "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2)? How can we not associate Mary - or, in Latin, "Maria", which means "the sea", that expanse of water which is surrounded by the lands of the world - with the mysterious waters spoken of in the book of Genesis, which constitute what we can call the first aspect of creation?
How must be our relationship with the Holy Spirit? Our vocation as new creatures is to follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to become spiritualized, divinized. Our Eastern Spirituality is a spirituality of divinization. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to divinize us. There are two phrases in St. Paul which summarize our relationship to the Holy Spirit. In I Thessalonians he writes: "Do not quench the Spirit", and in another translation: "Do not restrain the Holy Spirit", or "Do not stifle inspiration" (5:19). When we hear God speaking to us, and the Holy Spirit inspiring us to do good and to shun evil, let us not close our ears. Otherwise the words of Isaiah will be applied to us; "This people’s heart has groan dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed" (Mt. 13:15). That is quenching the Holy Spirit.
Another expression Paul uses in his Letter to the Ephesians is also worthy to keep in mind in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. He says: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (5:30). We grieve the Holy Spirit by our sins. This reminds us of Jesus weeping on Jerusalem: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused! Behold, your house will be left to you desolate" (Matthew 23:37-38). Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit by our sins, let us not cause Jesus weep on our house, the house of our soul, which will be destroyed if we "do not know the time of our salvation" (Luke 19:41-44).
When the Spirit of God came on the day of Pentecost, the first person he looked at was Mary, who was not an Apostle, but who was, as his spouse, even dearer to his heart; indeed, the Holy Spirit had taken Mary as his spouse on the day of the Incarnation of the Word: by the very fact that Mary had become the Mother of God and of Christ, she also became the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. So, as we prepare to celebrate the Eucharist of the Lord, let us have recourse to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and of us all: let us ask her to prepare us to receive her Son in the Eucharist, let us ask her that the Holy Spirit may always be ever more present throughout the Church of God and throughout the world!
Let us Our Mother Mary to be with us always in the walks of our life. Do not leave her company. When she is with us she will make sure we have the Holy Spirit. All the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy.
Cardinal Mercier's Prayer to the Holy Spirit*
O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to be submissive in everything that You permit to happen to me, only show me what is Your will.

Three days preparation for Pentecost Thursday

Have Space for Holy Spirit and be greatful to God

My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Do you have some space for the Holy Spirit in your heart or is it filled with someone or something? Many here may be familiar with the experience, or at least the story, of a scene that was fairly common a few decades ago. At a dance at a Catholic high school, if a young couple were clinging a bit too closely to each other during a dance, a teacher, usually a nun in habit in the story, would approach the couple with a scowl, tap them on the shoulder and say simply and forcefully: “Leave room for the Holy Spirit.” One thing this means is making sure that we go about seeking, searching, waiting and groaning in a way that will allow the Spirit to guide us in the quest for wisdom and truth. It means making sure that the questions we ask of life, of ourselves and of God are big enough to leave lots of room for the Holy Spirit to work in them.
And here are two even bigger questions, for all Christians who know that we need the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us: “How will I discern my true vocation in life: something more than just a job or an interest, but a calling from God to a certain way of living; to a set of commitments which both focus my life’s energies and set me free to become more fully my true self?” Or this one: “How can I, as a Christian, respect, protect, and learn to love all human beings, from the unborn to the impaired to convicted criminals to known terrorists?” These questions have room in them for the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God, have faith also in me. … I will go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am, you may also be. … I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This is what we are truly searching for: the untroubled heart that comes from knowing Christ as our way, our truth, our life in all the questions we face. We don’t usually realize it, but what we are seeking is that deep relationship with Christ which will transform us; we are groaning and waiting to be so united with Christ that he takes possession of our lives and casts out all our fear. We want to be able to say with St. Paul that it is “no longer I, but Christ who lives within me.” Then his joy will be in us and our joy will be complete. Christ’s love is what we search and seek and wait and groan for.
Let us try and develop an "attitude of gratitude," a habit of saying three little worlds: Thank you God. I believe this simple, little attitude can go a long way in starting us on the way to unity. I must thank God for my neighbor, my friend and all they do to make my life better. I must thank God for giving them their gifts and talents that hopefully they will use for my benefit. I will thank God daily for my own gifts and talents that I am able to use to serve others. We are all unique human beings. We are all destined by God to help each other, to respect each other, to thank each other, to affirm each other. This can begin today in our own families, in our work places, in our schools, in our parishes, wherever. This is certainly one way for unity to begin in our corner of the world. Keep some space for Holy Spirit.
St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy.
Cardinal Mercier's Prayer to the Holy Spirit*
O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to be submissive in everything that You permit to happen to me, only show me what is Your will.

Three days preparation for Pentecost Wednesday

Preparing for the Pentecost
Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit
"And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them” (Acts 2: 2-3).
Our personal Pentecost begins with the sacrament of Baptism and is made deeper through the sacrament of Confirmation.
Through the sacrament of Baptism, original sin is washed away, and we become temples of the Holy Spirit, children of God, and living members of the Church. Through the sacrament of Confirmation, baptismal grace comes to completion. It is through this sacrament that we are bound more perfectly to the Church and endowed with a special strength of the Holy Spirit to fulfill those promises made at Baptism.
Through these sacraments, the Holy Spirit enlightens us with ten special gifts. The three gifts that we receive at our Baptism are faith, hope, and charity. The seven gifts we receive at our Confirmation are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
We need to remember that through these sacraments we have received an amazing treasure of gifts. It is through our daily spiritual life that these gifts allow us to persevere on our journey to eternity and allow us to be effective and courageous witnesses of the Gospel.
The gift of faith allows us to see the invisible in the visible world. Hope gives us the ability to trust in God who is our Father. Charity provides us with the grace that we need to love God above all things and to love our neighbor just as Jesus loves us.
Wisdom detaches us from the things of this world and causes us to desire only the things of Heaven. The gift of understanding helps us to penetrate the truths of our Catholic Faith. Counsel enables us to see and choose correctly those actions that will help us give glory to God and ensure our own eternal salvation. Fortitude gives us the strength to overcome those obstacles and difficulties that present themselves during our sojourn on earth. The gift of knowledge shows us the path to follow and alerts us to the dangers that we must avoid in order to attain eternal life in Heaven. Piety enlightens us with a tender and filial confidence in God and allows us to joyfully embrace all that pertains to our discipleship with Christ. Finally, the gift of fear of the Lord fills us with a deep respect for God and makes us dread anything that may offend Him.
Along with the wonderful gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to us through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, we need also to remember the fruits of the Holy Spirit that we experience as consequences of the gifts. The fruits are signs or manifestations of his presence in our soul. St. Paul enumerates these fruits of the Holy Spirit as charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity. Certainly, as we read this list, we can see how beautiful our lives can be when we allow the action of the Holy Spirit to permeate our entire being.
Let us pray to the Holy Spirit:-
St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy.
Cardinal Mercier's Prayer to the Holy Spirit*
O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to be submissive in everything that You permit to happen to me, only show me what is Your will. Amen.

7th Sunday Easter C

Jesus is there for You

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

How wonderful it is to realize that there is some one always for us. Some one is caring us and thoughtful of us. Yes dear brothers and sisters, there is someone always thinking of you. Jesus. Isaiah 49:16 says “See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name; your walls are ever before me.” Jesus will always be there to lift us to our feet when our
wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
Do we not sometimes wonder whether Jesus actually thought of us, or whether he only had in mind his disciples who were right there before him when he prayed?
Poet Francis Thompson wrote his epic poem "The Hound of Heaven."
Francis Thompson himself was somewhat of a "lost sheep." He was a drug addict who suffered all his life. In fact, he only wrote one poem that became famous and that poem is titled: "The Hound of Heaven."
In this beautiful poem, Francis Thompson describes Jesus as the Hound of Heaven. Jesus is relentless in pursuing us.
The Hound of Heaven is always at our heels with amazing grace. This was true for the apostles who abandoned Jesus in his most needy hour; it was true for the drug addict in his worst days, and it is true for each of us when we seem to drift farthest away from God's saving power.
Here is how the poet describes his own attempted flight from the Hound of Heaven:

I fled him down the nights and down the days.
I fled him down the arches of the years.
I fled him down the labyrinthine ways
of my own mind; and in the midst of tears,
I hid from Him, and under running laughter,….
The poet then goes on for many verses and finishes with Jesus speaking these words to the soul who has fled from him:
All which I took from thee, I did but take, not for thy harms, but just so that thou mightest seek it in my arms. All which they child's mistake, fancies as lost, I have store for thee at home ,Rise--clasp my hand and come.
Rise, clasp my hand and come! Those words can rightly be attributed to the Risen Jesus. We too are to rise with him towards glory!
Do not ever think that we have no one for us. There will be always Jesus for you as the Hound of Heaven.

Today’s gospel passage is unique in the sense that this is the only place in the gospels where we get the assurance that Jesus thought not only of his immediate disciples but of us as well. It makes a lot of difference for us to know that Jesus thought of us, that he had us in mind as he died and gave his life for the salvation of the world that he actually prayed for us. We know that God always hears the prayer of Jesus. So, if Jesus prayed for us we would like to know what it was that he prayed for us about. What Jesus asked the Father in our behalf is basically two things: To be like Jesus and to be united like the Trinity.
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding. All but one…He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did. The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly." As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?" He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"
That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. Too many Christians are no longer fishers of men but keepers of the aquarium.
Secondly; Jesus really wants us to be one. When He says “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you,” He really means it and it is so astounding that we find it almost impossible to believe. Jesus wants us to be one in the same way that He and the Father are one. We cannot even begin to imagine this closeness—much less with someone with whom we totally disagree. How different our world would be if we really recognized that we are one! Most of the time we only want to be one with those who think like us and who appreciate us deeply. We don’t even want to consider being with people whose lives are terribly different from our own or whose way of thinking seems entirely foreign. Often we begin to find ways not to be around such people. St Augustine said; “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty; in all things, charity.” The only way that leads to unity is the way of love. To have a deep unity Jesus and St Stephen showed us some shortcuts:
1. They surrendered their Spirit, total life to God.
2. they forgave the others who persecuted them
3. And they prayed for people who killed them.
"God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go."
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Ascension

The Ascension of the Lord to Heaven
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Jesus leaves but he remains close to each person. He was leaving them but they remembered His words, "I will be with you always."
My dear brothers and sisters, do you ever felt that Jesus has left you? Abandoned you? Are there problems you feel you can't solve alone? Sure, 2000 years ago Jesus worked miracles for His followers but is He available to me, today? Yes, He is. You may have heard this story before…
One evening, a father who lived in suburb of New York, said to his 10 year old son, “I want you to join me at my office next week. We’ll take the subway and you can spend some time seeing how I spend my day. Then you’ll come home by yourself so you can get acquainted with traveling by subway.” The boy was a bit apprehensive about the prospect of coming home alone but his father assured him he would be fine.
On the morning they left, his father explained all the details of the trip to New York and gave him a written, detailed set of instructions for returning. After boarding the train, his father showed him the maps posted in the cars which identified all the stops. He explained that when they changed trains, the next train would be waiting for their arrival.
Everything went smoothly and they arrived in New York as planned. However, the young lad was still apprehensive as his father took him back to the station for the return trip home. He had the instructions, he had his father’s assurance he would do fine but he still worried.
As he waved goodbye to his father and boarded the train, he immediately went to the section where the maps were located. Sure enough, all the stops were outlined. He got off at the correct station and, just as his father had promised, the other train was waiting on the next ramp. He boarded and as he again studied the map he was relieved to see that his “home” station was just 6 stops away. Now, he felt more confident. When the train approached his station, he got up, stood in from of the exit door and when it opened he breathed a sigh of relief ... he had made it.
His mother was there to meet him and as he turned toward the rear of the train he saw her waving to him. He walked back toward her and suddenly, he saw his father leaving the car right behind his. His father had been with him all the time. There had never been any need to worry. His father took his arm and said, “Son, you know I will always be with you when you need me.” As he locked arms with his mother and father, a very confident, happy young man knew he was surrounded by those who loved him.
The parents here can relate very easily with the father of the young boy. Would you ever leave your child unprotected? If we feel that way, don’t you think Jesus is even more committed to our well being?
I think it’s very important for all of us to understand that no matter what the problem may be, no matter what the circumstances, Jesus has promised He will help us.
The Eleven are given a commission. With Jesus’ departure, it is their responsibility to continue the work that Jesus began. They, and we, are told to make disciples of all the nations, to baptize and to teach. This is an awesome task. In daily life, we proclaim the gospel by living our faith. In the power of his Spirit, we can do it. We are not alone. He is always with us. That mission was entrusted not only to priests and religious, but to everybody, to you. You are called by Jesus to preach the Good News where you live and work. Let us not be so busy that we forget about God.
A Jesuit priest, who was working in poor part of India, had no money to buy the cheapest tabernacle. So, he kept the Blessed Sacrament in an old orange container. Whenever he found himself going down for the third time, he would rush to the Blessed Sacrament. If he felt Jesus was not giving him His attention, he would knock loudly on the orange crate. He would say, "Master, wake up. Get moving. I need big help big time." He said eight times out of ten Jesus saved him. The other two times, he said, Christ told him to wait awhile.
We are so busy doing things; achieving, making progress that we can forget what life is all about, i.e., preparing to meet God in heaven. The Ascension of Jesus reminds us that we are ‘only passing through’ here, as we say. We are pilgrims on a journey. Just as Jesus’ earthly life was temporary, came to an end, and he ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father, so also our lives here are temporary, will come to an end and we will meet God in the next life. The Ascension of Jesus reminds us in all of our busyness not to forget what life is all about.
One of the lines in that prayer in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, our second reading today (Years A & C), is so beautiful and relevant. It is a most beautiful prayer and description of living life preparing for eternal life.
May God our Father...enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. (Eph 1:18-19)
All partings are difficult. It is never easy to say, “Goodbye.” The time also came for Jesus risen from the dead to return to heaven from earth.
There is a heaven and we need to get there. There is a hell, and we need to do everything that we can to avoid the possibility of loosing our immortal soul. Our number one priority is to get to heaven. What are you willing to do to get there?
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Happy Moher's Day

“God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Happy Mothers Day to you all. There is probably no more unsung a hero than a true mother.
The book of Ecclesiaticus (17:24-30) states, “Honor your father and mother and forget not the groaning of thy mother. Remember that thou hast not been born but through them: and make a return to them as they have done for thee.”
In book of Tobit, when Tobias was growing old, he said to his son, also called Tobias, “Honor your mother, and do not abandon her as long as she lives. Do whatever pleases her, and do not grieve her spirit in any way. Remember, my son that she went through many trials for your sake while you were in her womb. And when she dies, bury her in the same grave with me.”(Tobit 4:3-4)
Today I wish to pick up three Mothers from the Bible.
1. First Mother is from 2nd Maccabees chapter 7. The Seven brothers were ready to die rather than transgress the laws of their ancestors. The executioners cut out the tongue of one and cut off the hands and legs, some of them were fried alive, second one’s skin were peeled off and tortured him limb by limb. Vv 20-23 says most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother, who saw her seven sons perish in a single day, yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord. Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with courage, she exhorted each of them in the language of their forefathers with these words: “I do not know how you came into existence in my womb; it was not I who gave you breath of life, nor was it I who set in order the elements of which each of you is composed…” in Verse 27-30 when the King Antiochus appealed her to advise her son to save his life the mother who lost her six sons already went to her last one and told him “Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months, nursed you for three years, brought you up, educated and supported you to your present age. I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them; then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things; and in the same way the human race came into existence. Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them.”
This is the faith of a brave mother who taught her seven children what is faith and religion. Seven children received the Martyrdom.
2. Let’s take the second Mother from the New Testament. Matthew chapter 20:20-28. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did homage, and asked Command that these two sons of mine sits, one at your right and the other at your left in your Kingdom.”
A mother is worried about the physical future of her two sons. She is craving for power and position for her children. Not like the first Mother who craved for the eternal kingdom and the spiritual life. This mother is only concerned about the position and very much concern about the power.
Dear mothers, let me ask you a personal question you need not answer me answer yourself. What are you craving for your children? Money power, Position or Jesus Christ our True Savior? Dear mothers even if you give the whole world to your children and if you failed to give Jesus to them you will realize later that you failed to give them the important thing in their life and you will pay for that in your life time.
3. The third but the most important mother which I wanted to focus on is our Mother Mary. If you follow her you will never fail in your life. She kept everything in her heart and pondered over it. He believed the word of God. She cared Jesus and followed him to the very end of it. Only a mother who has real faith could stand at the foot of the cross when her one and only son is dying. Follow her; ask her intercession and you will never be down.
It is not easy to be a good mother. It is always stressful and hard to be a good mother. A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience raised a glass of water and asked "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. Put all you problems before Jesus. Let go and Let God have His wonderful way. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
What does motherhood mean? First, it means sharing in the creative power of God. Conceiving, carrying, and giving birth to a human being is as close as any person can come to the act of creation. That is the beginning of motherhood. But it is far from the end. Motherhood is also nurturing, sacrificing, loving, and ultimately letting go. Chris Widener gave a Seven C's to be a successful Mother
1. Caring—have a deep care for others.
2. character—Let each and every experience shape and mold us as we experience them, always moving toward our goal and never allowing negative circumstances to destroy us but make us better people.
3. Choice—Eisenhower reminded us that our histories are written by choice, not by chance. Every movement you make toward your ultimate success and destiny will be because you choose to move toward it.
4. Concentration—we fail when we lose our concentration. Nothing should disturb our deep faith. The successful Mother however, stands firm, with their eyes transfixed on Jesus.
5. Confidence—Success comes to those who have the confidence to try, and more than that, the confidence to win. Each passing victory that you achieve builds more and more confidence in you to draw from the next time you go to fight another battle on your journey to success.
6. Consistency—Be consistent in your prayer life. Don’t give the good works.
7. Courage—No mountain is too high, no river too wide, no foe too large for the person who will choose to live out their dreams! They are courageous people who continue on even when others have quit. And for that they receive their reward!
Happy Mothers Day.

Happy Mother's Day

Follow Christ

To Jesus and not to Us

Paul and Barnabas , though they continually point to Jesus , are today worshipped by the people of Lystra as gods. We sometimes forget that we are people who should point to Jesus and not to us. I use to tell my people follow Jesus don’t follow people or person. We should be Christo- centric not Priesto-Centric.A theologian had a painting of the crucifixion in his study. It showed John the Baptist with a long bony finger pointing to Jesus. One day a visitor asked, "What is your job?" The theologian walked over to the painting and said, "I am that finger." Do our lives point people to Christ? Or do they turn them away from Him? Before you answer, remember what Gandhi said, "I would have become a Christian if ever I had met one." Today’s Psalm turns this around. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth.” We are what we are and we do what we do because of the mercy of God.
Brothers and sisters let us be careful. Let us not allow anyone to try to fool us by sowing confusion and do not allow anything to lead us away form the love of Christ. The Christian who is serious about his or her faith knows that he or she should be committed to following Jesus’ teachings, to doing everything possible to maintain the love of Christ. Jesus is the only one who can save us, “nor is there anyone other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
When we are in the moth of May we recognize Our Mother Mary as our model in looking upon the Face of Christ, for she conceived Christ in her womb through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. From the moment of His conception, before she could see Him, Mary began to devote her attention exclusively to Christ. Her response to the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel shows her total devotion in the vocation to which God had called her: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word? When we reach to Mary, then Mary will lead us to Her Son Jesus. To Jesus through Mary.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. (John 14: 21-26)
Let everything that we do may lead others to Christ.

5th sunday of Easter love others as Jesus loved us

Love one another as I have loved you!

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Shortly before Jesus is arrested, on the night before he was killed, Jesus tells his disciples a new commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Just take three things from this beautiful sentence-
1. The commandment,
2. The condition of the commandment, and
3. The outcome of the commandment.
1. The Commandment. This is Jesus’ last message, his last words, and the last important instruction for us. This is what we are supposed to do: love one another. There is no doubt no loops but, He says, “This is a new commandment I give you: Love one another.” That’s that. This is the job description for the rest of our lives. This is the work before us.
A farmer grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked. “Why sir,” said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.” He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.
2. The second thing to notice is that there is a condition to the commandment. The key to the commandment to love one another is the phrase “as I have loved you.” We have to love as Jesus loved. It may find easy to love but difficult to love as Jesus loved.
How did Jesus love?
Jesus allowed himself to be moved with pity and compassion when he encountered those in need. Many miracles performed by Jesus in the Gospels are preceded with the observation of Jesus being moved with pity. Jesus allowed himself to be moved to tears in the midst of sadness. He openly shed tears at the tomb of Lazarus. He shed tears over the city of Jerusalem. We may not be able to perform such miracles; however we can open our hearts, our minds and out treasure to help those in need. We can allow ourselves to feel fully the angst of those in need and respond. That is how to love. That is how Jesus loved.
Jesus loved by serving others, by helping others and by healing others.
Jesus did not condemn, but he also did not condone. This is exemplified in his words to the woman caught in the act of adultery -- Then neither do I condemn you, BUT go and sin no more. To love someone who has sinned is not to condemn them, but rather it is to forgive them and challenge them in a constructive, concrete way. Love seeks to heal, to build up, to challenge and to inspire. That is how to love. That is how Jesus loved.
Jesus sacrificed his life for us out of love. The sacrifice of life out of the love of others still occurs today; Parents greatly sacrifice for their children. Spouses sacrifice for each other, Priests, ministers, and religious brothers and sisters make sacrifices in the living out of their ministerial lives. To love is oftentimes to sacrifice. Love without sacrifice is no-Love. That is how Jesus loved.
How can we love like this? Where will we get the power to love Jesus in others in this way? In a letter to the people of Albania on 28th April 1997 Mother Teresa gives the key to being able to see Jesus in others. It’s a prayer. She wrote,
“To be able to love one another, we must pray much, for prayer gives a clean heart and a clean heart can see God in our neighbor. If now we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten how to see God in one another. If each person saw God in his neighbor, do you think we would need guns and bombs?”
We do not think every time we are talking to someone, “Jesus is in that person.”
In the lovely book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, there's a story about a man who came out of his office one Christmas morning and found a little boy from a nearby project looking with great admiration at the man’s new vehicle. The little boy asked, "Does this car belong to you?" And the man said, "Yes, in fact my brother gave it to me for Christmas. I've just gotten it." With that, the little boy's eyes widened. He said, "You mean to say that somebody gave it to you? And you didn't have to pay anything for it?" And the man said, "That's right. My brother gave it to me as a gift." With that the little boy let out a long sigh and said, "Boy, I would really like..." And the man fully expected the boy to say, "I would like to have a brother like that, who would give me such a beautiful car," but instead the man was amazed when the little boy said, "Wow! I would like to be that kind of brother. I wish I could give that kind of car to my little brother." Somehow that child understood the secret of Jesus' new commandment of love:” Love one another as I have loved you.” True love consists not in "getting" something from the lover, but in "giving" something to the loved one. "Wow! I would like to be that kind of brother.”
To love is to make oneself a gift for others and to receive others as a gift. That’s love and that’s how Jesus Loved.
3. Finally, notice the outcome of the commandment: “If you love one another as I have loved you, then you will be my disciples and everyone will know that you are my disciples.”
They would be known, not by the sign of the fish, or even of the cross, but by their mutual love, the fruit of their conversion. The depth, breadth, and force of the love we extend to others are the only tools with which we can measure the faithfulness of our actions and institutions. If I do not love, if I do not experience love, my life remains an enigma to me and empty of meaning. Love alone makes life worthwhile. Let us love each other as Jesus loved us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Trust in God

Don’t worry, God is with us.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus says that to us today in the Gospel with all the love and compassion that he had for those first disciples. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God. Have faith in me.”
Once I come across at the bottom of a poster some spectacular words. They read: "I am not afraid because I love." I thought to myself – this is a very powerful message.
Month of May is dedicated to the special devotion to our Mother Mary. What a person of faith Mary had to have been. Faith that somehow God would care for her in her pregnancy, in the childbirth, throughout her life, at the foot of the cross. Faith that his plan was working through this wonderful child of the common life. Faith that she was changing the diapers of the Son of God.

It can be difficult – indeed it is difficult in the midst of painful human experiences, even in the midst of human error – to hear these words, to understand their meaning and to embrace them as the Gospel intends.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

As Jesus spoke to his disciples in the Gospel of John, he was preparing them for his own death, an event also unimaginable and incomprehensible to them. “I am going to prepare a place for you,” he told them. “And then I shall come back to take you with me. You know the way.”

Jesus knew his disciples well enough to know that even the prediction of his passing would send them into a tailspin. “We do not know where you are going,” they protested. “How can we know the way?” His answer was simple. His answer was clear. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”

There was darkness ahead for Jesus. There was humiliation and unspeakable suffering in his future. We hear in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, “even though they found no charge against him that deserved death, they begged Pilate to have him executed.” Jesus was to face physical destruction. But for him, the moment of his greatest weakness and exposure to the effects of sin would become the moment of his greatest display of power. In the nakedness and shame of the cross, he clothed us all with redemption and fullness of life.


The Gospel is reassuring today. And, at the same time, it presents to us a call and a challenge that reaches into the most profound and very deepest parts of our being: “Have faith in God. Have faith in Me. Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

We need to remember, especially in difficult times, that faith, as the letter to the Hebrews tells us, is “confident assurance about things we hope for and conviction about things we do not yet see.”

The night always gives way to the dawn. The darkness always gives way to the light. And, in our faith we know that the cross always gives way to the resurrection. Jesus is the way. And our hearts are not troubled because his way leads us who believe, who have faith in God and faith in Him, to a vision of something larger than ourselves, stronger than the apparent claims of our weakest moments. His way leads us to a suffering that cleanses us of sin and bathes us in grace. His way leads us from a confusion that pleads “We do not know where you are going,” to the clarity that responds “To the Father through Me.”
When we see things happening in the church or in our world the way they should not, it is not time to blame God for abandoning us to our own whims and caprices. No, God is always with us. It is rather a time for serious soul searching, a time for us as individuals and as a church to ask ourselves: How can we get back on God’s track? What is God saying to us in these events and crises? We should not let our hearts be troubled. He will provide…

Miracles of Rosa Mystica in Kerala 2006 March 17

Bledding picture of Rosa Mystic in an ordinary house. How wonderful our lord. Mother Mary is with us to interceed for us the sinners.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4625058001623228874&q=rosa+mystica+duration:long&pr=goog-sl&hl=en

May Day-St Joseph

St Joseph the garden of all virtues

St. Jerome presents three reasons why God chose blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Mary and Jesus’ foster father. First, he tells us that Joseph was chosen so that our Savior’s genealogy would be known as coming from a line of kings for while both Joseph and Mary were of the kingly line of David only the male was considered to confer this distinction. Second, St. Joseph was espoused to Mary to preserve her reputation (and life) for pregnancy out of wedlock was a crime punishable by stoning. Third, Joseph was chosen to guard and provide for the holy family for, as we know, this family endured all manner of hardship.To these reasons, St. Ignatius adds a fourth. He says God pre-ordained that Joseph be the spouse of Mary so that the devil would be uncertain concerning the truth about our blessed Lord… was He the awaited Messiah or no?

If we examine the deeds of Joseph we find a soul boasting a garden of virtue.
Joseph never grew too anxious; he was confident in the call he had to be the foster father of Jesus. He loved his wife, Mary, and treated her with great dignity and care. He never said much. We see this from Sacred Scripture: He never says one word in all of Scripture, but in his silence, we find the wisdom of peace and joy.
We need a saint like Joseph today. In our busy and fast-paced world, we get caught up with the many distractions. We are thrown off guard by a little mishap. Look to Joseph as he led his family to Egypt, away from those who sought to kill Jesus. He was calm, directed, and full of trust. It was his strength in silence that led the holy family to safety.
In summary Joseph was righteous. He lived in obedience to the Mosaic Law.
He was forgiving; when it seemed that Mary had committed adultery and thereby sinned against God and him, Joseph forgave her and planned to divorce her without having her executed for her apparent sin.
He was a man of faith. He believed in the virgin-birth of Jesus on the basis of an angel's message in a dream.
He was decisive. He swiftly responded to the angel's warning and immediately took Jesus and Mary to Egypt to save Jesus from being murdered by Herod.
Joseph was patient. When he and Mary searched for Jesus three days and found him in the temple, there is no report of anger or revenge, only worry and relief.
Above all, Joseph was unselfish in his vocation as foster father to a most exceptional child.
Joseph's greatest glory rests on this fact: God sent Jesus to make all of us divine, and God sent Joseph to guide, protect and nurture the human nature of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
St. Joseph is our model. He is known to be the patron of the interior life. We should find ourselves praying daily, “St. Joseph, increase my love for the interior life.” This will give us the strength to be those contemplatives in the midst of the world that God desires us to be. St. Joseph is our guide, trust in his silent presence and follow his humble example.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.