NEW BEGINNINGS (4)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Breathe in all that is of God and from God…all that is true, honest, pure, admirable, noble, decent, virtuous, worthy of praise, good, loving, kind – all that deserves respect….

Breathe out all that is not of God and from God……..

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in quietness, stillness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……

Our last meditation was on the special name God has for each of us: Forgiven and Graced.

We meditated on the moment of new beginnings: God calls…forgives….and Graces!

In His Grace we begin NEW and in His Grace we move on…..In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)

This meditation is on the many thoughts and inspirations from the prophet Isaiah and St. Paul. Prayerfully read them and dwell on them for a few moments.

The prophet Isaiah calls his people to leave the past behind and celebrate the wonderful things that the Lord was doing in their life… “remember not the past…see I am doing something new”…don’t you see…I provide for my people all their needs, “your sins I remember no more” says the Lord (Isaiah 43:16-21).

Leave the past behind! The past may have been terrible….may have been great…but it is not with us now. Leave the past in the hands of the Lord and make the best of today.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. NOW IS THE MOMENT OF GRACE. Celebrate the Grace of the moment!

Paul says to the Ephesians and to us today: “God chose us in Jesus Christ and will raise us to everlasting life in Jesus Christ”. Therefore we must live holy and blameless lives in response to this noble calling. This life must be lived in Christ. In Christ we have been brought into the mystery of the fullness of God’s life and love (Ephesians 1:3-14).

God has chosen us in Christ. Be faithful to this noble calling. Live holy and blameless lives!

We have a noble calling and we should be faithful to that calling. We are called to live noble lives, lives of virtue, honor, mutual love, compassion for one another, peace and harmony. Then we will be “one body, one spirit” and we will share “one Baptism, one faith, one hope, one Lord, one God and Father” (Ephesians 4:1-6).

The life before knowing Christ was the “old self” with many desires and needs and the life after encounter with Christ was the “new self” with new values and attitudes given over to virtues of justice, peace and personal holiness. After meeting Christ, a person becomes a disciple and the disciple wears the kind of garment that the master wears……(Ephesians 4:17, 20-24).

Our baptism gives us a new garment…..calls us to wear the new garment and bring it unstained into everlasting life. To be clothed in the baptismal garment is to be clothed in Christ and to be clothed in Christ is to become Christ, to live Christ life.

Remember: You are renewed in the spirit and have put on a new self, recreated in truth and holiness…….you must live in holiness and truth.

We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. To be “sealed” meant many things to the readers of this letter, such as “being legally bound” or “being raised to a new status” or “being conferred authority” and so on. To be “sealed with the Holy Spirit” is to be bound to Christ and one another in a new fellowship, to be raised to a new status of “being children of God” and to be brought under a new authority, the authority of Christ.

We are to “imitate” God because “you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit”. We are called to follow the way of love, imitating God as his beloved children. We are empowered to live a life of love, imitating God, by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We are to live a life in the Spirit of Jesus. Many may have given themselves over to “foolish” ways, ways of drunkenness, debauchery, etc. The disciples of Jesus must give themselves to the Spirit and be filled with the spirit of Jesus…they must learn to live wisely, with the wisdom of God. (Ephesians 5:15-20)

Be rooted in the Spirit! Be wise in your day to day living!

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be faithful to their commitments just as Jesus remained faithful to his Father’s plan. God, in his love, is always faithful. In this excerpt, Paul says that he and his coworkers, Silvanus and Timothy, have always acted with integrity, remaining faithful to the Gospel they preached. God has always remained faithful to his promises. In Jesus, God said “Yes” to life and “no” to death; . Paul challenged the Corinthians to say “yes” to God and remain faithful to their “yes”. (2 Corinthians 1:18-22)

Paul exhorted the Corinthians to “imitate me as I imitate Christ”. It was imitating Christ and keeping his focus on Christ crucified that Paul ministered to his communities. This was to govern the life and activities of every Christian. So he advised the Corinthians to follow the way of Jesus and do everything for the honor and glory of God. Always seek the good of others and take care not to offend anyone. (I Corinthians 10:31 – 11:1)

Communal love and deference for the well-being of others must characterize the life of those who follow Christ.

Paul says, “The love of Christ impels us” – the love of Christ became the moving force in the life of Paul. This love, he says, makes us a “new creation”, with a new life style. This is God’s gift of reconciliation and peace. In Jesus, God has reconciled us to himself so that we may become “the very holiness of God”. How awesome and how challenging! (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)

Be faithful to your calling! You have been reconciled and called to the “very holiness of God”!

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be just as generous….just as they are rich in every respect, in faith, in knowledge, etc. they may “abound in charity”. Christ has become poor so that you may become rich by his poverty. (2 Corinthians 8:1-9)

Paul spoke of a “thorn in the flesh” which caused him great suffering……scholars have given various interpretations to the “thorn” in the flesh. Whatever the suffering was, from this letter, we know that he prayed, repeatedly, to be free from the suffering (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The relief that he prayed for did not come……..only a promise came, “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness”…..an assurance of Grace to live and work with the thorn and not to be freed from it….a promise of strength to face the obstacles, endure the difficulties for the sake of the Gospel.

The “thorn” had to be acknowledged and embraced as a suffering to endure and as an opportunity to trust in God’s Grace and to rely on God as the source of power and strength as a channel of God’s Grace, a channel through which God’s Grace is witnessed and revealed.

We read about the prophet Elijah becoming desperate, disturbed by the evil designs of Jezebel and the weakness of Ahab, king of Israel (1Kings 19:4-8) and prophet Jeremiah deep in despair because of the rejection and anger even of his closet friends. We find them crying out their pains and frustrations to God. They became strong in their trust and continued their journey and persevered in their efforts to fulfill their prophetic mission.

Take a moment….join the Psalmist (Psalm 42), express your longing, your hunger and your thirst for strength of the spirit, for the gift of Grace…….

Like the deer that yearns for running streams,

So my soul is yearning for you, my God.

My soul is thirsting for God, the living God.

When can I enter to see the face of God?

My tears have become my food night and clay,

and I hear it said all day long: “Where is your God?”

I will remember all these things as I pour out my soul:

how I would lead the joyous procession into the house of God,

with cries of gladness and thanksgiving, the multitude wildly happy.

Why are you so sad, my soul? Why sigh within me?

Hope in God; for I will yet praise my savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me when I think of you,

from the land of Jordan and Mount Hermon, from the Hill of Mizar.

Deep is calling on deep as the waterfalls roar:

your breakers and all your waves crashed over me.

By day Yahweh will send loving kindness;

by night I will sing praise to the God of my life.

I will say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning, oppressed by the foe?”

With cries that pierce me to the heart, my enemies revile me,

saying to me all day: “Where is your God?”

Why are you oppressed, my soul— why cry within me?

Hope in God; 1 will praise Yahweh, my savior and my God.

Take another moment….Remember the spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, giving you strength for all things that you have to face in life……..

Be Still for a few moments

Loving God,

Give me faith and trust, courage and patience,

strength and insight, discerning and trusting heart

and the wisdom to remain open to the transforming power of your Grace. Amen

Fr. Gus Tharappel, msfs

NEW BEGINNINGS (4)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Breathe in all that is of God and from God…all that is true, honest, pure, admirable, noble, decent, virtuous, worthy of praise, good, loving, kind – all that deserves respect….

Breathe out all that is not of God and from God……..

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in quietness, stillness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……

Our last meditation was on the special name God has for each of us: Forgiven and Graced.

We meditated on the moment of new beginnings: God calls…forgives….and Graces!

In His Grace we begin NEW and in His Grace we move on…..In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)

This meditation is on the many thoughts and inspirations from the prophet Isaiah and St. Paul. Prayerfully read them and dwell on them for a few moments.

The prophet Isaiah calls his people to leave the past behind and celebrate the wonderful things that the Lord was doing in their life… “remember not the past…see I am doing something new”…don’t you see…I provide for my people all their needs, “your sins I remember no more” says the Lord (Isaiah 43:16-21).

Leave the past behind! The past may have been terrible….may have been great…but it is not with us now. Leave the past in the hands of the Lord and make the best of today.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. NOW IS THE MOMENT OF GRACE. Celebrate the Grace of the moment!

Paul says to the Ephesians and to us today: “God chose us in Jesus Christ and will raise us to everlasting life in Jesus Christ”. Therefore we must live holy and blameless lives in response to this noble calling. This life must be lived in Christ. In Christ we have been brought into the mystery of the fullness of God’s life and love (Ephesians 1:3-14).

God has chosen us in Christ. Be faithful to this noble calling. Live holy and blameless lives!

We have a noble calling and we should be faithful to that calling. We are called to live noble lives, lives of virtue, honor, mutual love, compassion for one another, peace and harmony. Then we will be “one body, one spirit” and we will share “one Baptism, one faith, one hope, one Lord, one God and Father” (Ephesians 4:1-6).

The life before knowing Christ was the “old self” with many desires and needs and the life after encounter with Christ was the “new self” with new values and attitudes given over to virtues of justice, peace and personal holiness. After meeting Christ, a person becomes a disciple and the disciple wears the kind of garment that the master wears……(Ephesians 4:17, 20-24).

Our baptism gives us a new garment…..calls us to wear the new garment and bring it unstained into everlasting life. To be clothed in the baptismal garment is to be clothed in Christ and to be clothed in Christ is to become Christ, to live Christ life.

Remember: You are renewed in the spirit and have put on a new self, recreated in truth and holiness…….you must live in holiness and truth.

We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. To be “sealed” meant many things to the readers of this letter, such as “being legally bound” or “being raised to a new status” or “being conferred authority” and so on. To be “sealed with the Holy Spirit” is to be bound to Christ and one another in a new fellowship, to be raised to a new status of “being children of God” and to be brought under a new authority, the authority of Christ.

We are to “imitate” God because “you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit”. We are called to follow the way of love, imitating God as his beloved children. We are empowered to live a life of love, imitating God, by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We are to live a life in the Spirit of Jesus. Many may have given themselves over to “foolish” ways, ways of drunkenness, debauchery, etc. The disciples of Jesus must give themselves to the Spirit and be filled with the spirit of Jesus…they must learn to live wisely, with the wisdom of God. (Ephesians 5:15-20)

Be rooted in the Spirit! Be wise in your day to day living!

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be faithful to their commitments just as Jesus remained faithful to his Father’s plan. God, in his love, is always faithful. In this excerpt, Paul says that he and his coworkers, Silvanus and Timothy, have always acted with integrity, remaining faithful to the Gospel they preached. God has always remained faithful to his promises. In Jesus, God said “Yes” to life and “no” to death; . Paul challenged the Corinthians to say “yes” to God and remain faithful to their “yes”. (2 Corinthians 1:18-22)

Paul exhorted the Corinthians to “imitate me as I imitate Christ”. It was imitating Christ and keeping his focus on Christ crucified that Paul ministered to his communities. This was to govern the life and activities of every Christian. So he advised the Corinthians to follow the way of Jesus and do everything for the honor and glory of God. Always seek the good of others and take care not to offend anyone. (I Corinthians 10:31 – 11:1)

Communal love and deference for the well-being of others must characterize the life of those who follow Christ.

Paul says, “The love of Christ impels us” – the love of Christ became the moving force in the life of Paul. This love, he says, makes us a “new creation”, with a new life style. This is God’s gift of reconciliation and peace. In Jesus, God has reconciled us to himself so that we may become “the very holiness of God”. How awesome and how challenging! (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)

Be faithful to your calling! You have been reconciled and called to the “very holiness of God”!

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be just as generous….just as they are rich in every respect, in faith, in knowledge, etc. they may “abound in charity”. Christ has become poor so that you may become rich by his poverty. (2 Corinthians 8:1-9)

Paul spoke of a “thorn in the flesh” which caused him great suffering……scholars have given various interpretations to the “thorn” in the flesh. Whatever the suffering was, from this letter, we know that he prayed, repeatedly, to be free from the suffering (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The relief that he prayed for did not come……..only a promise came, “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness”…..an assurance of Grace to live and work with the thorn and not to be freed from it….a promise of strength to face the obstacles, endure the difficulties for the sake of the Gospel.

The “thorn” had to be acknowledged and embraced as a suffering to endure and as an opportunity to trust in God’s Grace and to rely on God as the source of power and strength as a channel of God’s Grace, a channel through which God’s Grace is witnessed and revealed.

We read about the prophet Elijah becoming desperate, disturbed by the evil designs of Jezebel and the weakness of Ahab, king of Israel (1Kings 19:4-8) and prophet Jeremiah deep in despair because of the rejection and anger even of his closet friends. We find them crying out their pains and frustrations to God. They became strong in their trust and continued their journey and persevered in their efforts to fulfill their prophetic mission.

Take a moment….join the Psalmist (Psalm 42), express your longing, your hunger and your thirst for strength of the spirit, for the gift of Grace…….

Like the deer that yearns for running streams,

So my soul is yearning for you, my God.

My soul is thirsting for God, the living God.

When can I enter to see the face of God?

My tears have become my food night and clay,

and I hear it said all day long: “Where is your God?”

I will remember all these things as I pour out my soul:

how I would lead the joyous procession into the house of God,

with cries of gladness and thanksgiving, the multitude wildly happy.

Why are you so sad, my soul? Why sigh within me?

Hope in God; for I will yet praise my savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me when I think of you,

from the land of Jordan and Mount Hermon, from the Hill of Mizar.

Deep is calling on deep as the waterfalls roar:

your breakers and all your waves crashed over me.

By day Yahweh will send loving kindness;

by night I will sing praise to the God of my life.

I will say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning, oppressed by the foe?”

With cries that pierce me to the heart, my enemies revile me,

saying to me all day: “Where is your God?”

Why are you oppressed, my soul— why cry within me?

Hope in God; 1 will praise Yahweh, my savior and my God.

Take another moment….Remember the spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, giving you strength for all things that you have to face in life……..

Be Still for a few moments

Loving God,

Give me faith and trust, courage and patience,

strength and insight, discerning and trusting heart

and the wisdom to remain open to the transforming power of your Grace. Amen

Fr. Gus Tharappel, msfs

NEW BEGINNINGS (3)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Breathe in all that is of God and from God…all that is true, honest, pure, admirable, noble, decent, virtuous, worthy of praise, good, loving, kind – all that deserves respect..

Breathe out all that is not of God and from God……..

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in quietness, stillness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……

Our last meditation was on the special name God has for each of us: Forgiven and Graced.

This is the moment of new beginnings: God calls…forgives….and Graces! And in His Grace we begin NEW!

I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the stony heart from their bodies and replace it with a natural heart, so that they will live according to my statutes and observe and carry out my ordinances; thus they shall be my people and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19-20)

The heart is a small vessel,

but all things are contained in it;

God is there, the angels are there,    -

and there is also life and the Kingdom,

the heavenly cities and the treasures of Grace. (St. Makarios)

The Spirit rushes in – even into the smallest and seemingly insignificant corners of our lives, with gifts that transforms us into Sons of God.

Abide in these thoughts for some time

God helps us to create new life……we do not have to stay in old patterns of living, thinking, feelings, behaving…new life is open to us…Grace, the gift of God makes this possible for us.

Take a moment….Remember God loving you….holding you tenderly….breathing life into you!

As you go through the day, be attentive to your breathing patterns……..this can connect us to God, our breath of life……….

Slowly breath in and out. Become aware of the life-giving flow of “Breath”. Breath in all that is “of God” and breath out all that is not “of God”.

Now breath in and breath out all that is “of God”…….

It is not always easy to believe that we have been forgiven and graced. It takes humble efforts to move toward life and to believe that we can make new beginnings, we can live again…….come to life and love again!

Be humble! Be patient with yourselves! Trust in the Grace of God and respond to His Grace to enable and empower you to begin again………………..

Go beyond your own discomforts, pains, loneliness, guilt or shame………to try to reach deep down inside for the gift of God dwelling within, for the love of God poured into the heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5)!

Enter the sacred space within with patience….with hope……..with abiding confidence in the forgiving, healing, transforming power of God’s Grace!

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Corinthian 2:3-5)

I pray that He would grant you gifts according to the riches of His glory. May he strengthen you inwardly with power through His Spirit. May Christ dwell in your heart……(Ephesians 3:16)

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

Take a moment….Remember the spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, giving you strength for all things that you have to face in life……..

Take another moment….express your longing, your hunger and your thirst for strength of the spirit, for the gift of Grace…….

As the deer pants for streams of water,
     so my soul pants for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
     When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42)

These ancient words of the Psalmist– over three thousand years old – express the hunger, the thirst, the restlessness, the longing, the urgency of the desire…..

When you look (search) for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart…you will find me………..I will let you find me………….(Jeremiah 29:13ff)

When we find our true self, we find God and when we find God, we find our true self. (Thomas Merton in New Seeds of Contemplation)

Thou didst call and cry out and burst in upon my deafness;

Thou didst shine forth and glow and drive away my blindness;

Thou didst send forth Thy fragrance,

and I drew in my breath and now I pant for thee;

I have tasted and now I hunger and thirst;

Thou didst touch me and I was inflamed with desire for thee. (St. Augustine)

This is my prayer for you:

• That you may live and grow in God’s Grace.
  

• that you may live gracefully.
  

• that all you are and all you do flow from God’s Grace
  

• that you may live well-disciplined lives and become Grace-filled, compassionate, gentle, noble, patient, optimistic, strong, virtuous and wise
  

• that you may be carried in God’s Grace through difficult days and times.
  

Pray your prayer for yourself:

Pray your prayer for those who journey with you:

Pray your prayer for those special people in your life:

Loving God,

Give me faith and trust, courage and patience,

strength and insight, discerning and trusting heart

and the wisdom to remain open to the transforming power of your Grace. Amen

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs

NEW BEGINNINGS (2)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Breathe in all that is of God and from God…all that is true, honest, pure, admirable, noble, decent, virtuous, worthy of praise, good, loving, kind – all that deserves respect..

Breathe out all that is not of God and from God……..

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in quietness, stillness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……

For all the harm I have done to myself, knowingly or unknowingly, I forgive myself……

For all the harm I have done to others knowingly or unknowingly I ask forgiveness……

For all the harm others have done to me, knowingly or unknowingly, I forgive them…..

Keep saying these words in your heart for some time

Begin Again…

Cleanse me from my hidden faults……

Restrain me from wanton (undisciplined, self-indulgent, hard to control, presumptuous) sins and let them not rule over me………..

May I be blameless and innocent……

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before you, O Lord… (Ps. 19:14-15)

Keep saying these words in your heart for some time

Our last meditation was on the special name God has for each of us. God chose us and calls us by name and continues to call us in this place, at this moment. We continue to reflect on the name that God has for us.

DEAR LORD, SOMETIMES, I FEEL DEFINED BY THOSE ASPECTS OF ME

THAT FEEL WEEK AND VULNERABLE. SPEAK, LORD, YOUR WORD, WHICH WILL DEFINE ME. GIVE ME THAT NAME WHICH WILL IDENTIFY ME. AMEN.

God gives us a new name: Forgiven and Graced! Listen to him calling you!

Your offences, your sins, I remember no more! (Isaiah 43:25)

As far as the east is from the west, So far has he put our transgressions! (Ps. 103:12)

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. And he was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods but he could never hit the target. And getting a little discouraged; he headed back to dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn’t you Johnny?” And then she whispered to him, “Remember, the duck?” So Johnny did the dishes. Later Grandpa asked if the children, wanted to go Fishing, and Grandma said, “I’m sorry, I need Sally to help make supper.” But Sally smiled and said, “Well, that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.” And she whispered again, “Remember, the duck?” So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he killed the duck. She knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. But I was just wondering how long would you let Sally make a slave of you.”

I don’t know what’s in your past. I don’t know what one sin the enemy keeps throwing up in your face. But whatever it is, I want you to know something. Jesus Christ was standing at the window. And He saw the whole thing. But because He loves you, He has forgiven you. Perhaps He’s wondering how long you’ll let the enemy make a slave out of you. The great thing about God is that He not only forgives, but He forgets. (MICAH 7:19) He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. God Bless You.

BE STILL FOR A FEW MOMENTS

The kindness of the Lord is from eternity to eternity,

Toward those who fear him. Ps.103:17

Yahweh knows what we are made of;

Yahweh remembers that we are dust. Ps. 103:14

Anyone who has ever done cleaning knows that dust must be handled carefully, even delicately. If not, it easily breaks up and scatters. The Psalmist reminds us that God relates to people gently, tenderly. God handles us delicately. God knows that we are soft, fragile, vulnerable, easily broken – much like a dust ball.

When we are discouraged and feeling, deeply, the pressures of life, it is good to remember: God knows how much we can handle – God knows what we are made of. With God all things become possible.

Remember…    God pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills…..

God redeems your life from destruction…..

God crowns you with kindness and compassion….. Ps.103:3-5

SO, there is no reason for…

Memories to stay damaged……

Resentments to grow…………………

Joy to be stifled……………………………..

Past to be hurting………………………………..

Future to be fearful…………………………………….

Guilt and shame to build up inside……………….

Many place more trust in the absolution of the priest than in the compassion of God. This is what Perugin, an Italian painter of the Middle Ages was tempted to do when he was dying. He decided that he would not go to confession if, in his fear, he was seeking to save his skin. That would be sacrilege and an insult to God.

His wife, who knew nothing of the man’s inner disposition, once asked him if he did not fear to die un-confessed. Perugin replied, “Look at it this way, my dear: My profession is to paint and I have excelled as a painter. God’s profession is to forgive and if he is good at his profession, as I have been at mine, I see no reason to be afraid”.

Prayer of devotee to the Lord Vishnu…..

Lord, I ask you to pardon me for three major sins:

First, I went on pilgrimage to your many shrines, oblivious of your presence everywhere;

Second, I so often cried to you for help, forgetting that you are more concerned than I am about my welfare;

And finally, here I am asking for forgiveness when I know that our sins are forgiven before we commit them.

Gently, reflectively, prayerfully read the following story…..

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles. An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and death, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.

I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.” May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.

Now slowly, gently raise your quilt to the light. Let the light shine through and heal and fill the holes. Allow the light of Jesus to touch, to embrace, to fill, to heal, and transform your life, your whole self into his image!

Remember……..    God pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills.

God redeems your life from destruction.

God crowns you with kindness and compassion….. Ps.103:3-5

Fr. Gus Tharappel, msfs