tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60708061318073225182024-03-23T15:44:34.323+05:30my Articulate HeartArticulated below are reflections and convictions precipitated while mulling over life's most important questions: where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I headed?Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-5849152608332143802022-12-07T11:21:00.003+05:302022-12-07T12:12:17.494+05:30Yoked to Jesus<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCK40UaFaNfZOsbHFopfzqTicN7gMuZ4xIg7h01DILB4KM0CMBYZRVpUEgyNOtOJBIfH2yiVWfYy5TzGtV7mig03ZcVYWHfXu4_u6AhyuDlEaHI2hYmiiQNzmj69gJpE0tk7YcxWMmf7u9UWRUppJNs5hSxefWv97_-mJQM8YSk2SHzsjOQ1yjxigl/s570/yokeiseasy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="570" height="611" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCK40UaFaNfZOsbHFopfzqTicN7gMuZ4xIg7h01DILB4KM0CMBYZRVpUEgyNOtOJBIfH2yiVWfYy5TzGtV7mig03ZcVYWHfXu4_u6AhyuDlEaHI2hYmiiQNzmj69gJpE0tk7YcxWMmf7u9UWRUppJNs5hSxefWv97_-mJQM8YSk2SHzsjOQ1yjxigl/w765-h611/yokeiseasy.jpg" width="765" /></a></i></div><i><br />“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” † Mathew 11: 28-30 </i><p></p><p style="color: #252525;">What is the labour and burden that Jesus is asking me to deal with? Perhaps I have to let go of the compulsive burden (or is it a sort of entitlement?) that my spouse and children should choose a spiritual path that I know to be right. Jesus accompanied Judas Iscariot to the very end but never deprived him of his freedom to choose his own destiny. Jesus on the other hand, uninterrupted by Judas's choice to reject him, continues to accomplish his mission. He does become a victim of Judas's betrayal but he seldom takes on the victim's identity. In divine wisdom, Jesus chooses to die in our place (and that of Judas) in a redeeming act of love.</p><p style="color: #252525;">Rather than being compelled to fix those whom God has entrusted to my headship by my own wisdom and craft, I must take every conflict, misunderstanding, and difference to the Lord. I must identify with his poverty and accept the privations and persecutions just as Jesus joyfully and willingly did.</p><p style="color: #252525;">Jesus said, <i>"Take my yoke upon yourself and learn from me, for I'm meek and humble, and you will find rest for your souls."</i> Jesus is inviting me to learn from him. To know Jesus is to know the Father. To know the father is to gain wisdom. Scripture says Jesus reveals the father to anyone he chooses. To be one of his chosen, He has invited me to be yoked with Him. The yoke represents my total obedience to Jesus. It is to allow myself to be disciplined by him as I walk alongside him, yoked together. </p><p style="color: #252525;">Why have I burdened myself with the impossible, a task that is beyond me? Must I not leave these concerns to the one for whom everything is possible? Jesus said, <i>"Come to me, all who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest"</i>. A soul at rest is a soul imbued with holiness.</p><p style="color: #252525;">In the book of Sirach, wisdom calls <i>"draw near to me" and "put your neck under the yoke."</i> (51, 23,26) I'm yoked with Jesus, and I learn from him. I see him as humble and silent. I notice that, in the presence of his accusers, he is not burdened by a compulsion to prove his innocence or defend his actions, though he knows he has done everything right. </p><p style="color: #252525;">Is wisdom the ability to give sound advice, or is it something entirely different? I see wisdom himself silent before his accusers and persecutors. Perhaps wisdom is an inner assurance of knowing and being known by the Father. Lean on Jesus so that I may gain wisdom and rest; for wisdom is found in Jesus, and rest is found in the holiness that comes from him. I want to know you and be known by you. May I never cease to gaze upon your holy face oh Jesus, humble and meek, for I choose to be yoked with you forever.</p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-35396114267259271422022-11-28T10:58:00.005+05:302022-11-28T11:00:35.067+05:30Diffusing Guilt<p style="color: #252525;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaYby-eauMdtw1jSp59jSfZkjVEwXx_31HS0jjJ64vOZNmiRvR_jGxAe7pGBjuOePTEC_bsCov_QBHNhn03aWulYgOpC61KVMdkKQA_dCJwa_QEqH2dYWHCMGYP0jcb5mLad4hwtyLPPK6Y0Egk0bNHQLV_tnHpn25nU6NYACPA4im7f7p9lXEPG5/s1200/pexels-rodolpho-zanardo-1259327.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaYby-eauMdtw1jSp59jSfZkjVEwXx_31HS0jjJ64vOZNmiRvR_jGxAe7pGBjuOePTEC_bsCov_QBHNhn03aWulYgOpC61KVMdkKQA_dCJwa_QEqH2dYWHCMGYP0jcb5mLad4hwtyLPPK6Y0Egk0bNHQLV_tnHpn25nU6NYACPA4im7f7p9lXEPG5/s16000/pexels-rodolpho-zanardo-1259327.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="color: #252525;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">Guilt is a destructive emotion. It is the vicious weapon of the adversary. Guilt builds up in response to the devil's accusation. The devil points fingers at us and accuses us of our wrongdoing. He does this in order to make us feel unworthy and obscure our identity as children of God. The deceiver does so after luring us into sin. and, more often than not, getting us hooked on and addicted to the wrong. Guilt plunges us deep into sin and shame. It is the devil's tool to keep us bound in darkness.</span></p><p style="color: #252525;">The opposite emotion is repentance. Repentance is the desire to return to one's inherent goodness. While guilt is the response to the devil's accusation, repentance is the response to God's merciful love. Repentance draws us closer to God. The question is, "Who do we choose to listen to when you trip and fall?"</p><p style="color: #252525;"><em>Godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10</em></p><p style="color: #252525;">When faced with guilt, consciously choose to believe the truth that you are a child of God, no matter what. In order to ground us, the devil primarily targets our identity. But when we choose to reclaim our indelible status as the Almighty's offspring, we begin to experience God's merciful and unwavering love toward us.</p><p style="color: #252525;"><em>If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9</em></p><p style="color: #252525;">Repentance is the first step in rooting out habitual sins. Repentance brings confession, confession brings forgiveness, and forgiveness brings sanctifying grace and the freedom to live truly as a child of God. When we live as children of God, the devil can no longer bind us in guilt.</p><p><i>There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1</i></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Rodolpho Zanardo: https://www.pexels.com</span></p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-58088473510667498362022-11-27T22:52:00.014+05:302022-11-27T23:06:49.466+05:30Vulgar jokes & sacred thoughts<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtACl6luSpQtDTJw5M9utNkFV-VbBdJeDEBp1pNmhbjUIg7YI_vq858OApThCqbzeCXs77dp6gZ_IM6d1Cch3swU1wx654EbzqoRCgZWI0KRB94_cs_RtzW4tmxm-xNphaobNAgGMqShEDYyGdr2oNUMQgodY_dee7HViQkPorNzxHCsVbRhpACPqw/s1200/Roasting_blog-fb.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtACl6luSpQtDTJw5M9utNkFV-VbBdJeDEBp1pNmhbjUIg7YI_vq858OApThCqbzeCXs77dp6gZ_IM6d1Cch3swU1wx654EbzqoRCgZWI0KRB94_cs_RtzW4tmxm-xNphaobNAgGMqShEDYyGdr2oNUMQgodY_dee7HViQkPorNzxHCsVbRhpACPqw/s16000/Roasting_blog-fb.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Vulgar jokes are a fad among the young. The adolescent years are crucial years of formation. Most youngsetrs give into the temptation to convene around smutty jokes as a way to "fit in" with the majority. Often, the jokes that garner the most attention are the ones in which men and women are referred to as mere sex objects to be used. At the end, the sacred gift of human sexuality is treated with humour and a lack of due respect.<p></p><p><i>The word of God</i><i> says "Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving". Ephesians 5:4</i></p><p>It is good to ask why a sacred subject like human sexuality becomes a public joke. The sensual and the sexual have traditionally been private matters. The privacy attached to these topics is not unintentional. What is holy needs to be veiled and protected because it is so priceless and sacred. We cannot afford to violate its sacredness or desecrate its holiness. But when a culture loses the sense of the sacred, the value and dignity of human persons, both male and female, take a toll. Human beings, their sexuality, and the act of procreation are reduced to a joke.</p><p>What is the consequence when a sacred topic like this becomes a subject for sensual entertainment and is treated with levity? It impacts our moral resilience. We lose our capacity to protect our own dignity by way of prudence and discipline. What is joked about becomes a sad reality in people's lives. Human beings are used and tossed around as objects of pleasure; they become vulnerable to abuse and misuse; their dignity is violated; and precious lives are taken away overnight, some consensually and others forcibly. </p><p>With the exception of those who help heal the brokenness of our soul and body, the topic of sex and sexual matters must remain within our hearts to cherish and prepare well for marriage. It is in marriage that my sexuality becomes a perfect gift for the one who loves me—a man for a woman and a woman for a man. The purpose of our sexuality is to unite soul and body in a one-flesh union and be blessed with new life.</p><p><i>The word of God says </i><i>“Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you. Mathew 7:6</i></p><p>Let the topic of sexuality be treated with dignity and honor. Let the sacred remain sacred. Let what is holy remain holy, veiled, and honourable.</p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0Kochi, Kerala, India9.9312328 76.26730409999999-23.091270707145906 41.11105409999999 42.9537363071459 111.42355409999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-46486386366338808312022-09-20T17:10:00.006+05:302022-11-27T22:53:32.051+05:30 Insight into sexual drive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIO4bnftMJGRiCxKdPCDvDR6JXwqimfKz0G-UcneGilaohQ05BpidO4CYcA91d4l60t7MWO7KkCq9aqgusWTH3Jv91Jex9U8D9ndWF3_QKBgbNDzlA7TFuKW38SR4WIzAWZjdkRbZda4tOXbmsmbT0AxKaj6K0fz1PgROngS_Ns6rfDHshuVR3K2tV/s2304/cullan-smith-1UAI5_PQg_E-unsplash%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2304" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIO4bnftMJGRiCxKdPCDvDR6JXwqimfKz0G-UcneGilaohQ05BpidO4CYcA91d4l60t7MWO7KkCq9aqgusWTH3Jv91Jex9U8D9ndWF3_QKBgbNDzlA7TFuKW38SR4WIzAWZjdkRbZda4tOXbmsmbT0AxKaj6K0fz1PgROngS_Ns6rfDHshuVR3K2tV/w640-h426/cullan-smith-1UAI5_PQg_E-unsplash%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Next time when you have strong sexual drive, know that there is something in it to praise God. The desire is a God-given gift. It is absolutely good and acceptable to God. It is meant to give glory to the creator. It is meant for the loving union between husband and wife. It is meant to point us to our eternal union with God. </p><p>Then where is the problem? </p><p><b>The problem is: </b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The world has deceived us into thinking that when we have a sexual drive it has to be gratified somehow. Unlike hunger, unattended sexual desire does not have any dire consequence.</li><li>World has manipulated our minds to associate sexual drives with the vices of pornography, masturbation, casual hookups, prostitution and other dangerous and soul crushing evils. It has gotten us to associate our sexual desires with specific body types, acts and fantasies. </li><li>World has fooled us into thinking that these vices are a neccessity to meet the natural needs of the human body and it is absolutely OK to indulge in them.</li><li>They have baptised these sexual perversions calling it a courageous act against the alleged puritanic positions of the Church. </li><li>They have called it freedom and proposed that as long as we do not harm anyone in the process, it is good to go. </li></ul><p></p><p><b>The truth is:</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>When the body yearns for sexual intimacy you need to give it what it truly needs not what it demands. </li><li>What it needs is the truth. Truth that real love requires us to wait. It requires us to be patient. It is willing to sacrifice.</li><li>I can thank God for the very force I feel inside. Understanding the potential it has, power it has, to love as God does. </li><li>When you have an invitation in your hand for a grand dinner at the best restaurant in town, you don't need that dirty, smelly garbage you habitually fed your body in ignorance.</li><li>Sexual desire and the unquenchable passion to become one with another is a subset of higher aspirations of the soul. Merely trying to feed it with just anything, damages us, body and soul. </li></ul><p></p><p><b>Real manhood </b></p><p>Real manhood exemplifies chastity continence, self restraint, courage, honour, patience, all in the name of authentic love.</p><p>Sexual union is earned as the right reward for committed love for the spouse. It is never grabbed for demanded. Sexual union and the pleasure it offers is God letting us taste a bit of heaven. Heaven cannot be grabbed. If the one-flesh physical union of man and women is is a foretaste of heaven, just as the holy earthly life disciplines us to attain it fully and justly, it is the self sacrificing marital life rooted in authentic love that disciplines and earns us the right and the reward of the heaven-like union between the spouses. The pleasure we try to grab without any sacrifice is a counterfeit to heaven. There, the one we are face to face with is the devil, not God. </p><p>If the counterfeit that plunges us into the abyss of eternal Godlessness is so desirable, that it drags us to indulge in it time and again despite knowing the dangerous consequences, imagine how unfathomably great and desirable should be the Holy communion in marriage that God ordained, which can be surpassed only by the eternal union with God himself.</p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@cullansmith?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Cullan Smith</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/passion?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-70152020293952188362022-05-25T10:57:00.005+05:302022-05-25T10:59:17.693+05:30Faith is not knowledge!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3mMK0eG7_SlcFjRHYI5L7AJBogIhj-eVx0zj2zchiH3fTODU0TuRPblbc8WuowUHgYTF9pIGzY6fzg1wDdGnivKT2Ye9NVF049zVyXY02FZN85_S6BhM02L-W95XzoM8m1Qp-t19hitnLNFmtVUQWRhkSLy0GcQjobTOBoUm9FkqNYLQCcch1Js3/s7636/brett-jordan-Yd4lXGfsXEk-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5274" data-original-width="7636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3mMK0eG7_SlcFjRHYI5L7AJBogIhj-eVx0zj2zchiH3fTODU0TuRPblbc8WuowUHgYTF9pIGzY6fzg1wDdGnivKT2Ye9NVF049zVyXY02FZN85_S6BhM02L-W95XzoM8m1Qp-t19hitnLNFmtVUQWRhkSLy0GcQjobTOBoUm9FkqNYLQCcch1Js3/s16000/brett-jordan-Yd4lXGfsXEk-unsplash.jpg" /></a></div><br />Faith is not the human act of merely consenting to theological knowldge but it is the divine act of submitting both our Intellect and Will to God's revelation. If the Intellect alone is employed, knowledge remains simply as true and good life-giving information. It does not transform our life nor does it give life. <i>Faith without action is dead. Jam 2:26</i><p></p><p>Will is the faculty of the soul which seeks to love that which is known. And 'loving' is not simply liking the information but the act of becoming what we have come to know. In other words loving is to freely act upon the information in such a way that knowledge becomes a living experience. If I come to know that in order to sustain my life I must drink water and if I do not act on this information and drink water, this knowledge does not do me any good. In order for my faith to be active and alive, my Will has to be in harmony with the Intellect. It also means both my Intellect and Will should be surrendered to God. The discord or the disharmony between the Intellect and Will is aftermath of the rapture that took place in the human soul at the fall of humanity. It is the consequence of original sin. Though the Will knows the information to be true and life-giving it is too weak to disestablish its preoccupation with the disordered selfish desires of the flesh. This is when we experience what St. Paul says in Rom 7:15 <i>"I do not do what I intend to do but do the very things I hate to do"</i>.</p><p>Man is created by God modelled after His own life - the life-giving life bubbling among the three persons in God. Thats why, in the human soul there is Intellect and Will as there is God the Father and God the Son in the Trinity. The agreement between the Father and the Son or the harmony between them is the third person, the Holy Spirit. If there is discord and disharmony within our soul, the Holy Spirit has a role to repair and heal this rupture. And thus faith is a theological virtue. </p><p>Faith is a gift of God. Jesus's death and resurrection paved the way for the Holy Spirit to enter our brokenness, heal and restore it. Our faith in Jesus heals and restores us and makes us sharers of divine life. Jesus tells St. Paul, in response to the helpless cry of the heart, "All you need is my grace". Grace is God's presence, it is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Grace perfects human nature. Our fallen nature will be perfected by divine grace. It will do so by enlightening the dull Intellect and strengthening the weak Will to expose itself in humble submission to God's love and respond as Mary did. A fortified Will will overcome the ungodly compulsions and the habituations of the flesh. It will purify the fleshly desires directing itself to life-giving love of God truly quenching it hunger and thirst for satisfaction and fulfilment. For God is the fulfilment of all desires. So as Jesus declares <i>"believe in God and and believing in me (Jesus) whom God has sent" -</i> <i>John 6:29</i>. Faith is obeying and living Jesus's life-giving commandments.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Brett Jordan</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/father-and-son?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-78313170685381614132022-04-19T09:24:00.005+05:302022-05-25T07:53:40.135+05:30Salvation and Purgatory<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQYFylP5DVFYxK_uylUgrzX6Fw0S5CsGAfKQMhGuVD1BMEsKwzcgyZ0C-8-KxT23SY4BbVlmb5H22GVUUxqAM7bp8qeW0mLV7BrfpdfBgzO3-_xe6VH_XaDtT0gzjALDN3mS6-sBP_DbFivvnn6U9bvbSCGGyzlz7V1cFi_oh68-HO1mLNWh6izlp/s1600/blog_face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQYFylP5DVFYxK_uylUgrzX6Fw0S5CsGAfKQMhGuVD1BMEsKwzcgyZ0C-8-KxT23SY4BbVlmb5H22GVUUxqAM7bp8qeW0mLV7BrfpdfBgzO3-_xe6VH_XaDtT0gzjALDN3mS6-sBP_DbFivvnn6U9bvbSCGGyzlz7V1cFi_oh68-HO1mLNWh6izlp/s16000/blog_face.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Can an unbaptised remain in his religion and still enter heaven when he dies if he lives well and does good to the best of his abilities?<p></p><p>Who could fathom the mind of God? Yet when we think about it, we know what baptism does to a person and how it helps us grow in love and makes us capable of doing good in the divine sense. Left to himself man of concupiscence is limited and his best is not best enough. He reaches his true potential only in relationship with God. We need divine grace for supernatural love, courage and goodness.</p><p>Baptism begets us the merits of Jesus's passion, death and resurrection. We are purchased for a ransom (God's own life - substitution) and freed from the dominion of sin and death. Jesus reminds us that unless the Son of man sets you free you are not free.</p><p>Salvation is not merely saving us from falling into hell but healing us from the tyranny of sin (from a state of eternal separation to eternal union with God) so that we become truly free and live life to its fullness here on earth and in a more glorious way after death.</p><p>--------------------</p><p>If purgatory assures the transform of a person into Christ-likeness, why not replicate and apply the same dynamics on people down here on earth and achieve the same result.</p><p>In purgatory a person is pure spirit and has no body. But on earth, we have spiritualised bodies corrupted by concupiscence. So the self mastery and holiness achieved here is of a higher value.</p><p>In purgatory man has no other preoccupations except longing for God, the fulfilment of all his desires but here own earth we have many preoccupations and challenges.</p><p>Upon entering purgatory it becomes crystal clear to the person the truth about God and divine life and how inescapable and desirable it is. Here on earth we need faith (in the divine revelation) and the will to submit ourself to self-mastery with a single mind and focus despite pressing challenges</p><p>What is that we have on earth that we don't have in purgatory other than the support of our near and dear ones and sacraments, which makes it worthwhile to suffer here on earth rather than suffer in purgatory?</p><p>Do we have the divine virtue of 'hope' in purgatory? I assume yes! It is in heaven that Hope and faith becomes irrelevant and we have only "love".</p><p>In purgatory, we burn with an undying desire and yearning to unite with God because our eyes have seen his love, power and glory upon our death but it is not ours yet. The primary pain endured by those in purgatory is the loss of the sight of God. They suffer from “a spiritual fever.” As that fever rages, it separates the soul from sin, a process almost equally painful.</p><p>“To the extent we’re attached to our sin, becoming detached from it hurts,” “Seeing it in all its horror — how it wounded us and wounded others, how it led us away from God’s perfect plan — no physical flames could be as painful as that.”</p><p>Can we have this experience on earth?</p><p>In purgatory we are purified by fire. The fire is the love of God. Then here on earth can we not be purified by the fire. Yes! The fire is the love of God. We have to see with the eyes of our heart and through the eyes of faith, God's immeasurable love, power and glory allowing it to purify us.</p><p>Can the person entered heaven through purgatory be as good in every sense as the person who entered heaven directly? Does God give the "same" reward to all? Or while reward being the same will people have different experience of the intimacy with God according to their measure of their love. Will the person wilfully subjected himself to purification while on earth has more "love" than the one purged in purgatory? Search continues...</p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-25124231398207916432022-03-28T11:53:00.008+05:302022-05-25T07:53:27.276+05:30Sin to Glory<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsjgxw6x6mzMnAwYl_rLmKiH3S0jbjDCl8bk3zLpgig0m26dxBvMz4P_1uDkU8c-QM5eLh0aMM-RvOcA12vVgH438w8I80Ipz1ieo9DKBL0-_WUmOP3CvnT0hSQXZnAtByu9jYVkXQOwvK97BFyW9omkdT3furnOC4-YBztYNol9v_a0RTS530NE-/s1000/toglory.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsjgxw6x6mzMnAwYl_rLmKiH3S0jbjDCl8bk3zLpgig0m26dxBvMz4P_1uDkU8c-QM5eLh0aMM-RvOcA12vVgH438w8I80Ipz1ieo9DKBL0-_WUmOP3CvnT0hSQXZnAtByu9jYVkXQOwvK97BFyW9omkdT3furnOC4-YBztYNol9v_a0RTS530NE-/s16000/toglory.jpg" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #262626;"><br /><div>We often think that the way to be saved is by applying the salvation that Christ wrought for us on the cross on to our lives through an act of faith. </div><div><br /></div><div>Christ should not be seen merely as the supplier of salvation but as 'salvation itself'. We are saved not by applying or believing some magical formula but by uniting ourselves; body, mind and soul to the person of Christ, in an act of unconditional gift of self. And as Christ rose into freedom and glory so will we also, from insanity to sanity, depravity to sanctity, sin to glory. </div><div><br /></div><div>Stare not into your own wretchedness and be discouraged. Fix your gaze upon Christ and be united to Him at all times, especially when we wallow in sin.</div><div><br /></div><div>St. Athanasius of Alexandria said "What has not been assumed has not been redeemed". Let Christ assume every bit of our unworthiness so we can partake in the redemption He ushers us into. </div></span></span><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">------------------</span></div><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@oppo?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">OPPO</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></div>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-72492728304319437002022-03-28T09:30:00.003+05:302022-03-28T11:59:34.983+05:30Wisdom is Eternal life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsj-SqqsLSdUS4zZHks1Uc3XmDruzOkSQdFgb0Tti93pvUUwkJ5X5BlLZ0XI1t8g9PduUQHGL_xkvkJZ8OaDGbkd4xl1dbZYLtVXOOefyCYr8FpmdBVnzYZdgGPURgiKTECQC98PBmPSHlWeaCX2qtA6RTzan58aq2k49LnRWRE-iZLgPE_Rd98W4/s894/90.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="894" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsj-SqqsLSdUS4zZHks1Uc3XmDruzOkSQdFgb0Tti93pvUUwkJ5X5BlLZ0XI1t8g9PduUQHGL_xkvkJZ8OaDGbkd4xl1dbZYLtVXOOefyCYr8FpmdBVnzYZdgGPURgiKTECQC98PBmPSHlWeaCX2qtA6RTzan58aq2k49LnRWRE-iZLgPE_Rd98W4/s16000/90.jpg" /></a></div><br />Wisdom is to know God. It is to understand what is pleasing to Him. It to be gained not for the sake of its utility to govern our lives or other's. It is to be desired so that we ourselves will come to rest in communion with God. As Jesus said “This is eternal life: that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). <div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>------------------</i></div><div><i>Wisdom is Eternal life. </i></div><div><i>------------------</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>This knowledge oh God is too good to my soul. May I relish it like pure honey...</div>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-31195815464524571372022-03-05T17:15:00.010+05:302022-03-28T11:54:22.687+05:30Intimacy Insights<p><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6EajfaH4uBEbGLHc3sTh3_R23K43e1Z7nbNWBnPIUvg2jpBzP7jM8lgJyXuVs_AirxGtAjnW2nZkyz9i_JWOJLZ3uSxdHbkrht3Hd5C1BlkzDQlcOhN05mE7ovWB1aSA2i7E_mF3p8CuWGD6jrzmn191I33PKXcN9lm-0dFiMxFKoqPa28uCW7qx6=s4707" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3117" data-original-width="4707" height="517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6EajfaH4uBEbGLHc3sTh3_R23K43e1Z7nbNWBnPIUvg2jpBzP7jM8lgJyXuVs_AirxGtAjnW2nZkyz9i_JWOJLZ3uSxdHbkrht3Hd5C1BlkzDQlcOhN05mE7ovWB1aSA2i7E_mF3p8CuWGD6jrzmn191I33PKXcN9lm-0dFiMxFKoqPa28uCW7qx6=w781-h517" width="781" /></a></div><div>Divine intimacy grows when the deep longing for the lover, naturally leads to unconditional submission of the beloved to the lover. This longing within is initiated and sustained by eros and is perfected by agape. It is a response to the self-giving, spiritual leadership of the lover who never ceases to seek me out from the depths of my helplessness.</div><div><br /></div><div>If Jesus is the bridegroom who comes seeking me and beckoning me to become one with his divine nature just as in pure nuptial union, can I deal with Him as Eve did with Adam in the state of original innocence (before the fall) and still be fair?</div><div><br /></div><div>Is it akin to how the loving wife deals with her loving husband who is the most powerful man in the world? When there is sincere and authentic love, the power, authority of the lover isn't something to be afraid of. Only the guilty needs to fear. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two things are necessary for divine intimacy:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>I should believe what God thinks of me (as precious, invaluable, honorable and beautiful and worthy of his love)</li><li>I should realise to the core of my bones that even the tiny fragment my life is fully dependant on God. It is His mercy and love that sustains me, even for a milli second.</li></ol>If intimacy Jesus seeks from me is like Eve's love for Adam before original sin, as a person severely wounded and debilitated by original sin, how can I purely pursue Jesus my lover today? Isn't my reality is very different? Am I not clearly impure and unworthy?</div><div><br /></div><div>Sin has caused me to cave in and hide myself away from beauty and light into doom and darkness. I have built around me walls of thorns and thistles and sealed it with ugliness and hatred, ignorance and pride, licentiousness and greed so that none may see me or come to me and that I may wallow in my guilt, self pity, lack of self knowledge and self esteem, totally unaware of my value and dignity. Doesn't the devil mastermind and oversee this distruction of my precious self, cause he is a murderer from the begining.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus, the lover of my soul comes seeking me, knowing fully well that I'm a Lily among brambles and precious stone covered in dirt. Nothing stops him. He walks right into my ugliness, clearing out the walls I built of thorns and thistles. His body bleeds with cuts and bruises. He looks weak and weary. He pursues me passionately despite gruelling pain and cruelty inflicted by evil. He reaches out to me from the wood of the cross. He pays the price for my life with his life. He clears the way for me to true life of freedom and intimacy with Him. I have found the lover of my soul. </div><div><br /></div><div>This journey that Christ makes to me is the passion of Christ. The journey that I ought to make in response to this is my spiritual life, the journey towards self mastery and divine perfection, holding me close to my lover who never ceases to see my worth and beauty, who will never give up on me. So He cries out <i>"Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like...." Song of songs 4: 1-15</i></div>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-26953251604459622402021-06-25T15:22:00.003+05:302022-03-28T11:54:34.492+05:30Stuck to my cage despite freedom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5si8OQjJf5WzhC6sXmrQzfcnQPKBvv5af7vJyIr1DnU1oko_mIByjkkwth4dcgXm16tS9sBZvC064GlbGT4OIpOm45VlJRxPbF5DrJ1jj-soeSJPx1ALsyzUEozDqvbUACNiCbCXSsNU/s900/1-uncaged-i-jade-reynolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5si8OQjJf5WzhC6sXmrQzfcnQPKBvv5af7vJyIr1DnU1oko_mIByjkkwth4dcgXm16tS9sBZvC064GlbGT4OIpOm45VlJRxPbF5DrJ1jj-soeSJPx1ALsyzUEozDqvbUACNiCbCXSsNU/w665-h900/1-uncaged-i-jade-reynolds.jpg" width="665" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>In my long and tardy pursuit towards holiness and true freedom, I realised that what kept me from making progress was the lack of asceticism. I'm like a freed domesticated bird perched on its own cage, caught between two worlds, refusing to fly off into true freedom. In order to grow in one thing we will need to cut ties with a few other things that work against the goal. It takes effort and patience to name and nail these attachments. We also need to give up our attachment to false convictions that we hold so dear. Jesus tells us that <i>“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. Mat 6:24. </i><div><br /></div><div>Asceticism is training and strengthening our will to choose what is good over what it is long accustomed to - namely the cult of selfish pleasure, attachment to comfort, sloth and lethargy, fear of the unknown, the list is long. Asceticism is a way of teaching us that there is a higher being to aspire for above and beyond all that appeals to us and that all these desires ultimately point to that higher being namely God. </div><div><br /></div><div>Growing in virtues are integral part of growing in holiness. Growth in one virtue helps us to grow in all as virtues are inter related. Same way one vice can affect many virtues. Our attachment to food and comfort directly affects our capacity to say no to sensual pleasures (chastity). Chastity is ordering our sexuality to the will of God in our state of life. It is the integration of our body and mind (matter and spirit). Our intellect and will are free to rise to its objectives - to know the truth and to love the truth. Love is the act of will, a total abandonment of self, our aspirations, and capacities for the good of the other above all for the love of God. The truth is that we are made for God and we have our being in God. </div><div><br /></div><div>True freedom is the freedom from attachments that have held us captive from aspiring and achieving what is true, good, and beautiful. It is the freedom to do what is good. It is not the abundance of reckless choices but the presence of a divine limit (commandments, rules, precepts of God revealed through the authority of Church)</div><div><br /></div><div>The vast expanse of the unending sky is beckoning...Let's get trained like an athlete preparing for a big event. Here the training itself is the competition and the reward is certain for all. Let us cooperate with our divine coach, the Holy Spirit who by divine grace transforms us and liberates us for the flight. <i>The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. John 6:63</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-56622351984834509982021-06-24T12:13:00.002+05:302022-03-28T11:54:44.175+05:30Rising above the mundane<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-O9adZ5njyEi_SiHrr1pKrQcQ6qHeZG9-wp73taVv1gqOEUwohRj2acar4vVD7XcGAU5_5kj0FSR9lp8uQuFcBEX9BlCDddZLKuzgLdFF6Hnco6fgkaLp1Jwket_HbVGjUZc6ZkzhngM/s1024/rise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="1024" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-O9adZ5njyEi_SiHrr1pKrQcQ6qHeZG9-wp73taVv1gqOEUwohRj2acar4vVD7XcGAU5_5kj0FSR9lp8uQuFcBEX9BlCDddZLKuzgLdFF6Hnco6fgkaLp1Jwket_HbVGjUZc6ZkzhngM/w640-h382/rise.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Marriage is an institution God established for man and woman to love as God loves. But marriages do face several challenges not because the institution itself is flawed but because the stake holders fail to measure up to it. When a partner turns abusive, family life becomes a real challenge. How as a catholic, we should survive an abusive marriage especially when there is a risk of harm to ourself and children.<p></p><p>First of all we must get our parish priest involved and take his guidance. Remember a parish priest is the spiritual father given to us by divine provision. It is operative that we take immediate steps to mitigate the situation and prevent further physical or mental harm to those affected. We must seek expert help to settle down and heal the hurts. Take time to understand how precious we are and our children despite the situation. Be convinced that this is happening to your marriage not because you are bad, or sinful. Know that our God suffers with us. Isaiah 53:5 says "he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed".</p><p>We also realise that God desires that we grow in holiness in ways that only God understands, within the very vocation we have chosen and not outside of it. We are called to unconditionally trust God when we cannot comprehend the meaning of all that is going on.</p><p>Marriage is an inseparable permanent bond that man and woman willingly enters to serve each other and raise a family. But the church recognises the effectiveness of a time of separation in times of extreme challenges such a abuse. This is called a separation of bed and table. While this is done we are called to spare no effort to truly understand the abusive spouse, offering him/her help to recuperate, heal, reconcile and reunite by our efforts and prayers. All our actions should be done willing the good to all involved including the abusive partner. This can get difficult. We are called to depend on the God's grace and rise above our self-centred desire to withdraw and evade responsibility and to dishonour the covenental promise that we have willingly entered. Remember it was "my yes" that God blessed and ratified, and sealed it with his pronouncement "what God has joined together let no man separate". </p><p>The life of a Christian is a unique call to greatness and greatness comes only through heroic, selfless acts of love operated solely by grace and mercy of God. True joy is a fruit of life emptied for the sake of the other. We see this joy on the cross. God loved us to the very end. God remains faithful to us despite our abusive relationship with him. So shall we be in Him with the one "we have chosen" to spend our life with, in the remaining years here on earth hoping for the fulness of our earthly marriage - the heavenly marriage with our eternal bridegroom - Jesus Christ.</p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-68517735479858450852021-06-24T09:30:00.001+05:302021-06-24T12:14:32.416+05:30Stumbling blocks<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielYz6WqwzmGd3m4SshQCMfgkhckeiRuH5E1olQUwlxhc1N193oFynztZjZJFdUlfcu_9VJ52QdGVXM60efmRVcnb6m0T9y3yvCn8Ob1V6gj6ts_v4BufuZsJhTfczu5cYzeKeXwDq6PU/s1200/stumble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielYz6WqwzmGd3m4SshQCMfgkhckeiRuH5E1olQUwlxhc1N193oFynztZjZJFdUlfcu_9VJ52QdGVXM60efmRVcnb6m0T9y3yvCn8Ob1V6gj6ts_v4BufuZsJhTfczu5cYzeKeXwDq6PU/w640-h426/stumble.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Eucharist and Cross never cease to be a cause for division. Mention of his imminent death and giving his flesh to eat are the events that lead to the withdrawal of disciples. And it continues to be so. While our Muslim brothers are stumbled by the Cross, our Protestants brothers are stumbled by the Eucharist. Reluctance to suffer and the element of mystery remains the stumbling block even to the modern day. <p></p><p>Lord we surrender our intellect to your revelations and will to your commands.</p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-52262632607177189192021-06-22T12:51:00.005+05:302021-06-24T12:14:22.709+05:30Is your spouse unattractive?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVCxVcPAXUfWtkywS-FlPsJSPWd65pn7qU78TyOrmqX2bvi_lhrf_2ssKvegMfF34H1INsrQ6eoi7aLEamD9HcE82JImq9qlmQ6eaGvHnTAv6zXUZFSfwqCTTlyxPwRyQXfpQ6jqIWK0/s2048/gregory-pappas-rUc9hVE-L-E-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVCxVcPAXUfWtkywS-FlPsJSPWd65pn7qU78TyOrmqX2bvi_lhrf_2ssKvegMfF34H1INsrQ6eoi7aLEamD9HcE82JImq9qlmQ6eaGvHnTAv6zXUZFSfwqCTTlyxPwRyQXfpQ6jqIWK0/w640-h426/gregory-pappas-rUc9hVE-L-E-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Looking at the bodies of our spouses, if all men can do is to despair, know well that our position is unreasonable and irrationally mean. We are obstinately attached to our pleasure domain and we feel we have a monopolistic entitlement to selfish pleasure. Our position shatters them. We are questioning their very existence. What could be more difficult than feeling 'I'm not enough' especially when it comes from the one to whom they have committed their entire life to.<p></p><p>Love involves an unconditional acceptance of the other as other. As husbands we should be able to gracefully look at our spouse's loosely hanging bellies riddled with stretch marks, hard and rough palms and cracked foot and spent out breasts and admire them, and sincerely say to her honey they are so beautiful! and that they have only become better. Say to her that those stretches and scratches are proof of the sacrifice you have made for me and our children. They are like the wounds on the resurrected body of Christ - the proof of his unconditional love for me and my children. </p><p>Something should be said as beautiful when it is remains true to its original calling. A flower when it withers after it has served it's purpose well, it is still beautiful. If we become blind and not able to see what is truly beautiful, it is because our intellect is dulled by our own selfish obsessions. Today beauty is seen as that which appeals to selfish tastes. Let us blame the world but since this character insufficiency has become a part of my nature I must acknowledge that I suffer this and take ownership of the flaw without blaming anything external to us. All that man is yearning for has an end and that end is God. This is the fundamental truth we must be convinced of. All our aches are our inner cry for a union with God. This reality is wired into us.</p><p>Let us ask oursleves the tough question. Do you want her or her services? Do you want her or her body Do you want her or her performance? Do you want the person or the utility of the person? </p><p>Every person deserves to be recognised for his/her true self worth and dignity. The value of the person is greater than all other goods one may have. Making an effort to love the person despite her /his brokenness and unlovableness will make us and our spouses truly beautiful. Our relationship will elevate itself to a realm unknown to us - the divine vineyard. This is the fertile ground for children to flourish into perfect persons. Such families will become a beacon of light to those around. These are hope of humanity. </p><p>Let us fall in love with love.</p><p><br /></p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-58777460712031792132021-03-19T07:48:00.027+05:302021-06-24T12:14:10.781+05:30My beloved so beautiful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA6bX1w7C3DLh8V0MgyvPXoJH__fAuzarDjBWVNbWZ1Osh3TefZxucWi2rZaNjH1iZ5O3fNnNqZZTqx2IqGV0l_uv7ZqDCfh6ES1AwEXFPrSpwatmPs9CQRexZQ6Gq2vG22GWupBbfco/s2048/freestocks-7_SgIqa688Q-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA6bX1w7C3DLh8V0MgyvPXoJH__fAuzarDjBWVNbWZ1Osh3TefZxucWi2rZaNjH1iZ5O3fNnNqZZTqx2IqGV0l_uv7ZqDCfh6ES1AwEXFPrSpwatmPs9CQRexZQ6Gq2vG22GWupBbfco/w640-h426/freestocks-7_SgIqa688Q-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Beloved, my journey towards the fullness of God’s glory is not a lone journey but one that I make along with you. This is how God has intended it for us. It is because we are made for each other. I long to be with you rest of my life. We can help each other especially in times of our weakness, selfishness and pride, so that we remain in God our father who has terrific plan for our future. Beloved, I will love you, respect you, defend you and serve you, donating my whole self as a gift to you, just as our God loves us, giving himself up totally for us. </span></p><p>We are equal before God but we are not the same. It is precisely through our differences do we complement each other. You make up for what I lack and I make up for what you lack. Beloved, it is you who complete me. And I’m happy that it is you who complete me just as God completes us. Through all this, I realize how special we are. Our Father has fashioned us in his own nature to love and to be love.</p><p>I will initiate love and forgiveness to you 24/7 because you are my beloved. It is you my love who sincerely receives all the love I initiate, nourish it and gives forth. It is together that we become fruitful. My true joy is in being totally yours. when you love me I come to realize how great and precious I’m. In your love, I’m able to grasp all the more deeper, the length and breadth of God’s love. I rejoice and thank God for you. How great a gift you are to me. Beloved, I long to be with you rest of my life.</p><p>I’m your head but what is the head without the rest of body. Do I have any life without you? It is you who complete me. </p><p>You are so beautiful. You are pleasing to my yes. Everything you have is beautiful. They draw me deeper into you. I’m intoxicated by your love. Sisters, do not arouse my love before my time has come. She deserves me totally. I’m hers and hers only.</p><p>Beloved nothing can increase or decrease your love. You are perfect just the way you are. No perfume could make you more worthy or any elegant costume make you any more elegant than you already are. No cosmetics can add to your beauty because you are already beautiful in my eyes. And no one will ever be as beautiful as you in my eyes.</p><p>You are my Glory. I’m so proud to walk along side you. You make me worth more. I thank the great hand that fashioned you bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh. At last I have found you. I will give the world for you for you are precious in my eyes. Let your love transform me oh love so pure. All I need from you is you. </p><p>Beloved, let us offer our bodies to God as a pleasing offering, holy and acceptable to Him and this is our true worship. May He grant us children according to his will. We will forever remain faithful stewards of this precious gift of life. My love, oh so beautiful, my heart is ready and is willing… </p><p><i>The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. Song of songs 2:8</i></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@freestocks?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">freestocks</a> on <a>Unsplash</a></span></p>Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-26628992556476738412020-04-10T11:13:00.002+05:302021-03-19T08:12:10.102+05:30The mystery of suffering <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJA-F1NR7-l8HikJwVFtEmHJOfCBER7zVrb74W28Wx0kubKZvl2VW9aWwrGMyB5pV7QbB5YktyaMTtVkC9O_CHElJ8KwEDUCa6IK6un9wxNxdzFqdm4qtyfI6je2v47Zn92zSqmSkJt4/s2048/quino-al-xEy9QNUCdRI-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJA-F1NR7-l8HikJwVFtEmHJOfCBER7zVrb74W28Wx0kubKZvl2VW9aWwrGMyB5pV7QbB5YktyaMTtVkC9O_CHElJ8KwEDUCa6IK6un9wxNxdzFqdm4qtyfI6je2v47Zn92zSqmSkJt4/w640-h426/quino-al-xEy9QNUCdRI-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Suffering is the consequence of sin. World cannot escape it. And it has never been able to come to terms with it, on its own. The temptation has always been is to run away, resist and brood over it. But our attempts were in vain. As sin increased, suffering, injustice and violence increased in the world. Humanity was crushed in the mess of its own making. But God did not abandon the us.<br /><br />The merciful Father sent his only Son to save us. He became a ransom for our sin and gave human suffering a new meaning and a new dimension. Thus we have a model before us. It is the model Jesus unboxed. Now in Jesus, suffering takes on a new meaning and a new dimension. Our suffering is no longer in vain. It now has the power to discipline us, sanctify us and save our souls. <br /><br />What was the Jesus model of coping with suffering? Did Jesus chase suffering away or vanquished it? No. Instead He plunged right into the midst of the very sin, injustice, and violence that humanity suffered. Though he was without sin, for our sake, He embraced a fate worse than that of a criminal. He exposed himself to the ugly and violent face of sin. He was rejected, mocked, beaten and spat upon. He suffered inhuman cruelty. But he did not utter a word or complain. He willingly suffered in our place, in order to overcome sin and set us free. With the little life that was left in him, he dragged himself to the top of mount Calvary, carrying the weight of our sins upon his shoulders. And he offered himself as a sacrifice, a sacrifice that will once and for all destroy the dominion of sin and death over humanity. <br /><br />He trusted his Father and was faithful to the very end. He knew that the final victory belongs to Him, and that the Good will triumph over evil. And on the third day he rose from the dead. He has won victory over sin and death. At every Easter, the victory chant rings aloud ‘Oh death where is your sting?’<br /><br />Because of the victory that Jesus won over sin and death, we now have an opportunity to join our suffering with that of the Lord. And when we do this joyfully, it becomes redemtive, and it remedies our own debts and disciplines our disordered soul. We also have the previlage of offering the merit of our suffering as peanance on behalf of others for the salvation of their souls. When the holy ones of God who have accomplished the perfection of their souls, take on suffering, the merit is gathered into the repository of the Church, which is at the disposal of the Church to generously distribute to the poor souls in need, through plenary indulgences. Through our joyful suffering and drawing others to heaven, we become true sons and daughters of God, in the body of Christ.<br /><br />Jesus was not abandoned in thick of his passion. His mother walked beside him all through the journey, sharing in her own way in his suffering. There was veronica, whose compassionate hands wiped his blood stained face. There was simon who helped him carry the heavy cross when there was no strength left in him to carry it any further. There was the theif who was crucified along with him who spoke up “this man is unlike us, he is innocent and does not deserve the punishment as we do”. In our lives too, when we go through our own passion, God will send consolation and strength. <br /><br />Finally what should be our attitude to suffering? We should welcome it as the saints did. And when we do, we should say with gratitude, along with them – Lord! who am I that you have chosen me to share in your own suffering. <br /><br />May the risen Christ be with us!<br /><br /></div>
Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-37947257767151606072019-08-18T19:09:00.002+05:302019-08-26T11:43:51.545+05:30The epidemic of pornography<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Pornography is silently destroying the lives of boys and girls, adults and the middle aged alike. It has successfully dismantled marriages and pulled apart families. It is corrupting priests and seminarians. It is making entry ways into convents and communities. It is invading every strata of human presence. Let us call spade a spade - Pornography is a disastrous epidemic of epic proportions.</div>
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What do we do about it? How do we protect ourselves and our young? How do we heal and restore those who are harmed by it. How to educate people about this intrinsically evil epidemic. How to empower them to willfully reject it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the divine design, man and women would enter into the sacred sexual union in the sacramental framework of marriage, fully prepared to become a gift to each other and become parents of the children their union begets, assuming responsibility, accepting hardships and challenges. This valiant marital commitment gave them meaning and purpose to their lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sexul union is foundational to humanity. Our future generation is dependant on the way we are engaging in sexual activity. Sadly, in our age, pornography has become the most imitable model that shapes our sex life. This generation is attempting to play out the porn sequence in their bed rooms. The marital bed that should have become the Holy Alter where man and women offered themselves mutually in love now turns into a laboratory where the perversions of pornography is experimented reducing the other to a mere specimen. In the process they are victimised, used, abused and dishonored. Such abusive relationships are incapable of maturing into authentic nuptial bond.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our culture is disatrously self centred. The well concocted recipe of pornography is an absolute match for this mindless life style. Another shocking phenomenon that takes place in marriages these days, especially with men is that, if his idea of woman’s beauty and sex is shaped by pornography, it becomes almost impossible for him to like the body of the spouse when he is exposed to her for the first time. Because all he could do then is to compare her body to the thousands of naked bodies he has browsed through before and despair. Because pornography associates sexual pleasure merely to the physical aspects of the body. Love, care, compassion, patience, self control, respect, temperance etc has no place in the sex popularised by the porn world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Pornography is a disastrous epidemic. Disastrous because it corrupts human minds, destroys marriages, promotes selfish pleasure, encourages rape, abuse, molestation, hookups and the culture of mindless sex. Epidemic because pornography has become accessible and available to all young and the old alike thanks to internet and mobile devices. It is a malicious virus infiltrating humanity at unimaginable pace.<br />
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Pornography is highly addictive. It weakens our capacity to make right moral choices. It promotes selfish pleasure at the expense of the other. It operates on fantasy and pleasure without commitment. Pornography degrades human beings to be mere objects to be used.<br />
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Sex in pornography is bunch of performers acting out in-front of the camera for money according to porn maker's imagination. The production often involves drugs, abuse, manipulation, false hopes, ill treatment and sexual diseases. There are also men and women who sell their private tapes for quick money to the industry. These eventually end up in the porn industry because of the easy money and the 'popularity'. Little do they know, all that their fans care about is their body and its utility to pleasure them. People choose to surrender their inviolable and invaluable dignity and self worth without thinking about the disastrous consequence. The title "porn star" and the hype created around it is a strategic business plan to lure young girls and boys into this trap, cleverly erasing the stigma and shame that are naturally attached to it. Pornography is a multi-million dollar business. It destroys the lives of not only those who watch it but also those who make it. </div>
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The authentic sexual union which is rightly ordered to be within the confines of the sacred bond of marriage is now made a public spectacle and an object of mass entertainment. Even normal life is becoming pornographic. Advertisements, movies, music videos, TV shows, have all become sexual. Society has lost its sensitivity. We easily put up with all kinds of sexual perversions. Marriage is regarded as a religious imposition that deprive people of their freedom to do what they please with their own bodies. Pornography is advised and prescribed as a self-help tool by the wise and learned of the society to those seeking help. No one dares to question because of the twisted and manipulate human right laws and ideologies that prevail. Perversion is accepted as freedom of expression. Morality has become a hateful term. Everyone is encouraged to act according to their preference. To make things all the more convenient, God is shown the exit door and Church is demonised and portrayed as anti-human.<br />
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Do the generation after us deserve what we are making them to be? <o:p></o:p><br />
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Pornograhy has dulled our conscience. Our young must have access to the truth and the right awareness before pornography introduces itself to them as their chum and birth right. </div>
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Sex was God’s idea. God has a plan for our sexuality. Everyone deserves to know the divine truth about Sex. Word of God tells us <i>“whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” - </i>Mathew 5:28. This betrayal takes place within the depth of our heart. Sex has supreme spiritual significance. Without the spiritual, sex cannot be fully understood or meaningfully entered into. </div>
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But the scripture also promises "<i>If the son of God sets you free you are free indeed</i> - John 8:36<o:p></o:p></div>
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The solution to the ‘pornography problem’ is not a revolt against the porn industry or the makers and actors of porn but a spiritual war waged within. We must wilfully renounce the lies of pornography. All we need a cleansing of self with the detergent of Divine Truth and His unending grace. We need to usher God back into our lives. We need to look again to the teachings of the Church for light. It is through the Church that God offered us the truth to live in harmony and with dignity. Yes there is solution to the epidemic of porn and the solution is spiritual it is a war within. Lets wake up!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-3108251405140542272019-08-12T13:25:00.000+05:302019-08-26T11:48:13.963+05:30The Second Honeymoon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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You have entered into your married life with lots of colourful dreams, hoping for a lifetime of unending bliss. But things aren't the way you imagined. Hope is faded, dreams turned pale and the basket is lost somewhere in the attic. You are pulling on, hoping someday at least your kids will grow up and fulfil some of your left over dreams. Or you are secretly married your work, hobbies or business craving some fulfilment. You feel your partner is partly if not fully responsible for this situation. You feel you married the wrong person. There is a big vacuum within and you are tired of pretending. Life has been unfair to you and you want to quit. You feel you deserve more. Yes you do.<br />
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Is it possible to restore your marriage? Answer is a resounding yes! Because the success of marriage does not depend on the goodness of the individuals involved. <i>"What is impossible for man is possible for God" Luke 18:27</i><br />
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Marriage is not a human arrangement but God's own idea. God instituted marriage so that through it we might become holy. Marriage is a covenant based on the promise 'to love unconditionally'. It is a covenant based on 'your promise' to your spouse whom you have 'chosen in freedom' to love as God loves.<br />
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How does God love? If we analyse the following passages we will know how.<br />
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<i>For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. </i><br />
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<i>Jesus who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-11</i><br />
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<i>Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. John 15:14</i><br />
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Divine love is the basis for human love. To Love is to become a sincere gift of self by willing the good of the other person. It is to become a self gift. God made a gift of self and died on the cross for us - willing our good. He did not count the cost. His self donating act of love was independent of our response to him. St Paul says<i> "Christ died for us while we were still sinners" </i><i>Romans 5:8</i><br />
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Love is not the good feeling I have for my spouse. Neither is it the attraction that I have for my spouse. Love is an act of will. It is a conscious self less act willing the good of my spouse. We must first love independent of the attraction and feeling. When we begin to love we will have in us genuine feelings and attraction based on truth which is unlike the initial attraction and feeling which was based on mere fantasy. Bible says <i>"We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19. </i>Just as Christ who initiated love, I must be the one to make an act of love first. Remember Marriage is a promise to love the spouse you chose despite all the odds. Your spouse was your choice. You chose him/her in total freedom. God accepted and blessed the 'Yes' you publicly pronounced to him/her at the alter in the presence of the parish priest, the witnesses, family members, friends and well wishers. For God, His word are unchanging. He expects the same from his children too for He said "<i>Let your Yes be Yes and No be No". Mathew 5:37.</i><br />
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Marriage is a project of a life time. Its success cannot be measured assessing the compatibility of the couple. Your marriage grows and matures in the measure of the effort you put to love your spouse expecting nothing in return. What we must seek from our marriage is not happiness but Holiness. Marriages that seek happiness turn out to be selfish and marriages that seek holiness turn out be a foretaste of heaven.<br />
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The key to success in marriage is the dependance on the sacramental grace available. Man and women, weak as we are, cannot love as God loves without God's help. Thats why Jesus raised marriage to the order of a sacrament. When a baptised man and women enters into the sacrament of marriage there is abundant Grace available. We grow and mature in marriage by tapping into this abundant grace. This is 'the way' we can and should reclaim our marriage and relive those honeymoon days. To build a healthy marriage, we must to pay the price. By building a healthy and joyful marriage you are not only helping your life but also contributing unimaginably to the welfare generations after you. Unmended, unresolved, broken marriages leave you and your children broken and unresolved so do the generations that follow.</div>
Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-6122849872597442262019-01-14T13:12:00.001+05:302019-01-14T23:30:23.005+05:30The glorious Trio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The mystery of the holy Trinity is fundamental to christian faith. The pattern of the life of a Christian is derived from the pattern of the life of the trinity because we are Gods children and are created in his image. The understanding of the Trinity will deeply enlighten our minds especially in understanding the many facets of our faith.<br />
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When a Christian refers to God he is referring to a communion of three distinct persons, In other words an indivisible union of three persons - the Father, Son and the Holy Spirt. The Father is eternal without a beginning, existed eternally and is without end. Father's knowledge, expression, words are also thus eternal and it is person whom we call the Son. Son is thus uncreated, begotten by the father. As light source and the light itself cannot be separated, father and son exists together in a self donating, all giving, relationship and this relationship or the love between them is the third distinct person whom we call the Holy Spirit. This is why we profess in the creed "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified"<br />
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God created you and I to have communion with Him and also with each other just as the divine relationship within the persons of the triune God. And thats why when God created us He created us male and female - to love as God loves ie becoming a self gift to the other person. The supreme relationship within the convent of marriage and friendships among human beings are modelled on the divine relationship in the Trinity.<br />
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The intimacy does vary with relationships. In marriage it is as intimate as to become one flesh. This is not simply union of two bodies but spiritual, emotional, and intellectual union. The sole purpose of all relationships that you and I experience in our life span is the ultimate union our whole being yearns for ie. the union of God and man which we call heaven. Every goodness we experience here on earth foreshadows something of this great mystery.<br />
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<i>Jesus said they (you and I ) may be in us (God) just as I'm in you and you are in me,</i> referring to the inner life Jesus shares with the father and the Spirit in the trinity and our union with the trinity.<br />
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So we are made for heaven. We are not earth bound but heaven bound with our spiritualised bodies so distinct from plants and animals.<br />
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We do experience hopelessness, loneliness and an inner divide because of our severed relationship with God. The second person of the trinity reincarnated as man, restored our lost relationship with God and adopted us back as sons and daughters of God. The effect of this redemption is merited by us in the sacrament of baptism and we are yet again on track to mature in all our relationships and by grace of God and by our co-operation with God's grace to discipline our flawed nature and ultimately become God's own - that is to be embraced into the very trinitarian communion.<br />
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The Church is like a <i>life chamber</i> that God established to nurture us like a mother nourishes her child and to manifest his presence more profoundly than the cloud that hovered over the Israel camp during the day and the pillar of fire by night by offering us his body to eat and and blood to drink as daily meal. <i>"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you". Jesus said I have come to give you life and life in abundance.</i><br />
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Holy Trinity thus is the beginning, end, model, meaning and purpose of human life. It is a mystery that so vital to our life. + Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.<br />
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Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-60123782416398803562018-09-04T21:08:00.000+05:302018-09-04T21:43:58.455+05:30I never knew you<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Prophesying, casting out demons and working miracles are signs of a true Christian. Jesus said these signs will follow those who believe (Mark 16:17-18). Yet in Mathew 7:22-23, we confront an angry, unruly Jesus who declares to the many believers who performed these signs in His name “I never knew you; depart from me evil doers”. They were denied entry into his kingdom despite the signs that followed their ministry.<br />
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Two questions arise here; first, why did Jesus say that He did not know these men when the truth is that God is all knowing? Second, why did Jesus not permit them into His kingdom even though their ministry was accompanied by these signs?<br />
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Did not Jesus know anything about these men? Off-course he did. In fact Jesus knew everything about them and that is precisely why He declares “I never knew you". To enter heaven we should be known by Jesus. Here the word ‘knowing’ does not mean just an awareness or knowledge rather a higher level of relationship. It points to a mutual abandonment or a becoming gift of self to the other. Where do we see examples of such a relationship? We see this primarily in the relationship shared by Father and Jesus in the blessed Trinity. If you examine the following statements of Jesus the depth of their relationship comes to light. “I and the father are one, no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son” and “I am in the Father and the Father is in me”. Jesus also says elsewhere “if you know me, you know my father”. We see such a relationship in the life of Mary. Granting God total permission, she says “behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word”. Then we see such a relationship in the loving, sharing commitment between man and women in marriage. The couple promise to donate themself as a gift to each other unconditionally come what may. We also see such a relationship exists in our bodies between the head and rest of the body - they are in perfect harmony.<br />
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So Jesus’ ‘I never knew you’ statement points to the imperfection of their love. And Why did Jesus not let these men into his kingdom? Because nothing unholy enters heaven.<br />
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Then what about prophesying, performing miracles, and casting out demons?. Fact is they are simply signs of a believer, and not the essence of a believer. The essence of a believer is perfect love and love is perfected in a one heart, one mind, one body union with Christ.<br />
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How does one unite himself to Jesus? By abandoning oneself to the love and mercy of Jesus and allowing the word of God to perfect us little by little bathing in the abounting grace poured out in the Sacraments of the Church. Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commands”. (John 14:15) “You are my friends if you do what I command” (15:14). If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.. (John 15:5)<br />
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Jesus said “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Father wills that we perfect our love, in union with Christ and be ultimately united to Him in the beatific vision for eternity.</div>
Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-72133970597003938102016-11-15T10:29:00.002+05:302019-08-30T19:47:49.492+05:30Plunging into the unknown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What if the Aston Martin Vantage GT12 is convinced that it is just a pull cart and lives like one, never knowing its power or potential. As a larva that does not know the fascinating butterfly it will soon become, man also does not know his own greatness or what he is destined to become. He lives in ignorance of what he is actually capable of. All that he is able to think up with his so called advanced intellect is so limited. It seldom measure up to the reality of who he really is or what he is capable of.<br />
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Man can only find himself fully in God - his creator.<br />
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Man does not become great by addition but by subtraction. Man tries to become great by adding to him degrees, possessions, wealth, health, superficial beauty, name, fame etc. He thinks he is the sum total of the value of all that he processes. He becomes great by letting go...<br />
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His greatness lies within himself. Because he isn't humble enough to look upto God, he fails look into himself and find the treasure. Godless man is driven by inordinate passions and desires and not by the light and wisdom of God. Greatest of his ambition thus is still earth bound and tiny.<br />
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Who is a godless man? You might think I'm referring to some self professed atheists and God haters. Error! I'm referring to all those who have not plunged into the unknown leaving their lives totally in the hands of God. Those who are 'in control' of their own lives are like the Aston Martin pull cart. Let me repeat - Man cannot reach his fullest potential except in God - his creator.<br />
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Salvation as you might think is not merely a saving act and but a discovery of self. It is discovering who I actually am. It is discovering my real greatness. It is about sharing God's own life, it is partaking in God's divine nature. It is nothing short of becoming a godlet.<br />
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Growing into true greatness means to unlearn the worldly knowledge and relearn everything in the light of the divine. Jesus said I'm the truth, He also said I'm the life, He went to on to say I'm the light. Jesus is the revelation of the Father in whom we have our fullness. It is the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that animates the life of God that God has given to us, to animate our lives. True greatness is ascending to the realm of the creator, gliding on the super natural grace he supplies. God wants us to ascend to his own Glory. He loves us so much that he wants to share everything with us.<br />
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If we choose to surrender and handover the reign of our lives to God and throw ourselves into his hands, trusting him without a trace of doubt, reordering our lives according to his commandments, we will be set free to soar heights and traverse depths unknown. This unknown is God. But He wont be unknown for long. Knowing God just as he knows us is Heaven. Heaven awaits us.<br />
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True greatness lies in abandoning oneself into the merciful, all powerful, protecting, caring, empowering, fatherly, yet mighty hands of God.<br />
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<i>Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43</i></div>
Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-6236086333722444522016-10-31T23:03:00.004+05:302020-08-12T12:22:05.871+05:30Six lane highways are not for all<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Mathew 7:14</i></div>
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Those who have not submitted themselves under the authority of the Gospel is not guided by the Truth but are tossed around by their own decietful desires. Such are faced with unlimited options as far the direction of their life's journey is concerned. They are guided by too many dim and dull lights. Everywhere there are mega offers and jackpots to entice the pleasure seeker. Their journey is wayward and aimless. They sway in all directions like drunkards. Their road thus is wide and entrance is wider. They will not reach any destination for they have none. The road they traverse is illusory and deceptive. They are trapped and are headed to eternal nothingness. No passengers in this extra wide highway care about each other. They are utterly selfish and always competing to get ahead of the other by hook or crook. Fear, anxiety, greed, jealousy and hopelessness linger in the air above them. Their souls are never at peace. Bible says many will choose this road - to doom.</div>
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On the other hand, to the one who seeks truth, the truth is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. The one who finds the truth and decides to walk in the way of the Gospel is guided by a single point of reference that is Jesus Christ himself. He is guided by the one and only light - the son of God. The road he chooses is a simple, single lane with no deviations or detours. The pilgrims who choose to walk this path, walk on a straight path and they do not sway or wander. They do not need a wide road nor wider entrance. Jesus is all sufficient for them. No one is in a hurry. No one is overtaken or overthrown. All are assured of the destiny. All are content and happy because Jesus is all sufficient. All seek to help each other and journeys faithfully till the destination embraces them. Their souls are at peace cause they have found rest.</div>
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We often think that it is God who made the path narrow and entrance small, making it difficult for anyone to walk in it. But fact is, it is our personal choice that defines the kind of road we would walk - six lane highways or the narrow one. Those who traverse the narrow road finds life. Lets choose Life. </div>
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Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-30001624480124258722016-10-04T17:40:00.002+05:302016-10-13T10:03:56.863+05:30Is your wife beautiful?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We live in a culture where beauty of the human body is falsely defined by pornography. So if you are a person who grew up with pornographic influence, it is almost certain that you have not liked your wife's body when you saw her naked for the first time. And it would be no different even now unless you have learned in the hard way to love her for who she really is.<br />
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The pornographic culture has deceived us to seek beauty in the body divorced from the person. Beauty of the person though perceived in the body, lies in the soul. Every person that God created is beautiful. If I'm unable to see my wife's real beauty, the problem lies in my heart. The effective tool to measure ones love for his wife is his ability to see and foster his wife’s beauty (TOB 92:4). </div>
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The onus is totally upon the husband to make his wife aware of her beauty by loving her - body and soul. A husband must find out where his wife doubts her own beauty, it is precisely there he should love her tenderly, helping her to uncover and discover her own beauty.</div>
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Authentic love seeks out beauty, finds her without blemish, and admires her thoroughly so as to get intoxicated by that beauty. This is the new wine - divine love - that Jesus restored at the wedding of Cana. The old wine of lust is now replaced with 'Agape' that ennobles 'Eros' - the pure desire for each other in man and women. Eros, in the absence of Agape turns lust.</div>
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It is this pure nuptial love, uncorrupted by lust that we see and experience in the Song of Songs. The lover in the song exults “Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats moving down the slopes of Gilead” (Song 4:1).</div>
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As we know, God designed marital love to be the foretaste of our eternal union with God - the very union we await in the 'marriage supper of the lamb'. Marital intimacy points to the this profound union with God. In this union, God awakens us to see our own true, integral beauty, that we are yet to uncover. And it also enables us to see such beauty in everyone who is in communion with us. Church calls this experience the communion of saints.</div>
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We all desire to experience love in such pure form. This is why we feel violated when we are cheated on by someone in our relationships. We have not lost our capacity to love as God loves. We can indeed grow beyond the corruptions of lust and this is precisely why Jesus came. He came to redeem our heart to love as He loves. He exhorts us saying "love one another as I have loved you", because He knows now we can. </div>
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Our culture, marred by lust has misled us into thinking that we are not loveable because our bodies do not measure up to the images that are glorified as beauty by the world. Our faith is not in Jesus who redeems the heart but in cosmetics and creams that alter our bodies and defuse authentic beauty. The problem is not with our bodies but with out hearts. The magical elixir that opens our eyes to see our own beauty in its purest form is Jesus. One who is able to love himself, loves others. The scripture says "He who loves his wife loves himself" [Eph 5:28].</div>
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Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-23674981458061502682016-08-09T14:53:00.000+05:302016-08-11T10:41:16.344+05:30Resisting Sin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sin destroys joy and freedom. It leaves us in fear and loneliness. Slowly but surely, we loose our self worth. The questions is how can we safeguard ourselves from the devastating consequences of sin and live joyfully and victoriously? Merely asking God to protect us from sin would not be enough because it requires our participation. It would be like asking a doctor to heal us and waiting to be healed doing nothing. In our daily struggle against sin, God expects us 'to do' a few things so that effort becomes effective and fruitful. And only in doing these things we cooperate with God's glorious plan for our redemption and eternal life.<br />
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Our situations may be unique and our vulnerabilities different. Yet it may be possible to draw out few guidelines that are applicable to all. Resisting sin effectively requires the following:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1) Great desire and will</span><br />
Most of the time we fall into sin because we do not really want to avoid sin. If you are taking your sinfulness lightly, and secretly cherishing the pleasures of sin, then know that you are in danger zone. To effectively struggle against sin we must have a strong and sincere desire and the will to shun sin.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2) Grow in a personal relationship with God </span><br />
A sense of sin and a desire for God comes from a relationship with God. Relationship with God grows by Prayer. Prayer fosters courage and a deep longing for holiness. In the absence of prayer, we become complacent and become indifferent to the symptoms of sin raised by the soul.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3) Faith and Hope in the redeeming power of Jesus</span><br />
Deep in our hearts we must believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus has already delivered us from sin and we are no longer slaves of sin. We must be filled with hope that redemption from sin is difficult yet attainable.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4) Be aware of our weaknesses</span><br />
From our past experiences we already know the areas where we are weak and vulnerable. If not, we must make an effort to identify them. It helps us to take adequate precautions.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5) Identify trigger situations</span><br />
If we study the pattern of our sins, we will know that certain situations trigger the fall. It could be when we are alone, when we have nothing to do, when we are hurt by someone, or after facing rejection and failure. Identify your triggers and be alert when you are in such situations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">6) Be alert and be wise</span><br />
Always be alert like a soldier who is watching the enemy movements. When you foresee a threat, revert to appropriate counter moves. Without a counter move we are likely to fall.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">7) Avoid circumstances</span><br />
Run away from sin as would from a serpent. [Sirach 21:2] Do not linger on when you know that you are treading the danger zone. Change course or scoot.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">8) Know that the enemy has powers and is super crafty</span><br />
The enemy is prowling to take advantage of our weaknesses. They can easily manipulate us into sin. Do not take them lightly at all.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">9) Surrender to the mercy of God</span><br />
God comes to rescue those who resist the devil [James 4:7] He is rich in mercy and is eager to save us. When you feel tempted and weak, throw yourself into the merciful hands of God. And scoot the scene or situation. And if you must continue in the situation, stay focussed on God, make sure your thoughts do not stray.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">10) Seldom rely on your own strength</span><br />
Our victory is in Jesus Christ alone and those rely on their own strength will surely fail. We cannot fight temptations on our own.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">11) Being in state of sanctifying Grace</span><br />
Personal Prayer, community prayers, reading, meditating the word of God and frequent reception of sacraments etc help restore God's grace in us. It is easier to fall prey to sin when we are not in the state of grace. Grace strengthens the soul by nurturing moral virtues like prudence and fortitude to effectively resist sin. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">12) Do not be proud that you have overcome sin </span><br />
The devil is crafty and is tireless. The bible talks about how the evil one returns with more wicked ones to take procession of the house from which he was driven away, making the situation worse than before.<i> </i>[Matthew 12:43]. Even after every victory, we must humbly acknowledge our weakness before God, and prepare to encounter next crafty move with great faith and hope.<br />
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Resisting sin is akin to dying on the cross. There is no resurrection without death. In your struggle against sin, have you resisted to the point of shedding your own blood yet?. Jesus did, Saints did, so must we.<br />
<i><br /></i><i>Our mandate is to be holy as the heavenly father is Holy. [1 Pet 1:15]</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>It is not easy for man, wounded by sin, to maintain moral balance. Christ's gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil. [</i><i>CCC 1811] </i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>The moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts, and perseverance in struggle. Divine grace purifies and elevates them. [</i><i>CCC </i><i>1839]</i><br />
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And if at all we fall into sin again, know that Jesus is waiting to restore us. Confess your sins. Do not procrastinate. He does not judge us nor does he accuse us. May we bathe in the mercy of God.</div>
Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-32667904332840696372016-06-08T11:34:00.002+05:302016-06-08T11:34:41.363+05:30When whip and thorns show up again!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Rough edges are there to smoothen me<br />
Pointed ones to poke me deep<br />
They exist in my life to remind me<br />
Of the distance I must tread to be good<br />
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Don't I know I'm Gods work in progress<br />
Becoming the maker more or less<br />
These are tools my maker uses<br />
To chip off parts not in his plan<br />
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Holy will I be if I permit and not resist<br />
Redeemed be my heart bit by bit<br />
Purifying me in the furnace of love<br />
Untill He sees his face shine in mine<br />
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Thank you Lord for the many gifts given<br />
That makes me sad but makes me wise<br />
They purge my still ungodly side<br />
To abide totally as branch in the vine<br />
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Pain and suffering are there to spare me<br />
From the surging fires of purging pyre<br />
Love cannot hate so I'm never alone<br />
Always by me is the shepherd so good<br />
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Your chastisement is a sweet medicine<br />
That makes me chaste and cleanses sin<br />
Never let me forget thy care and desire<br />
When thy whip and thorns show up again</div>
Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6070806131807322518.post-61271336467860528082016-02-14T12:36:00.001+05:302016-02-14T13:42:26.440+05:30The joy of Lent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The words we generally associate with Lent are the unpleasant ones like, desert, heat, dryness, wilderness, fear, beasts, hunger, thirst, loneliness etc. We may think, for Jesus, the forty days he spent in the wilderness was an unpleasant experience. But on the contrary, it may well be the best forty days in his life, spent in deep relationship with the father.<br />
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Jesus' victory over the crafty schemes of the devil at the end of his fast, is the proof of the immense strength one receives in prayer (dwelling in the presence of God).<br />
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Lent begins with a very powerful scripture passage where Jesus, soon after his baptism is lead by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Jesus, with extreme clarity, conviction and determination destroys every one of the temptations and commands the devil to get away and at once he does. The devil presents before Jesus, practical sounding, too good to be true worldly promises, suggestions and challenges, while attempting to tempt him. Complying to devils suggestions will make Jesus a celebrity overnight because the world in sin is under devils spell. Yet without a moment of delay or doubt Jesus declares to the devil that his offers are cheap and that he has found something incomparably better in the Fathers house, namely divine life, everlasting joy, peace that surpasses all understanding etc.<br />
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Jesus who was fresh out of baptism, full of the Holy Spirit was led into the desert for a deep and intimate union with the Father - away from all earthly attractions and bodily urges. It is this deep connection with the Father that prepares Him to face the devil. The confrontation with the devil is permitted by the Father because the Father knows that the one who is in Him is granted the wisdom, knowledge and the power to refuse and reject any suggestions that is contrary to the gift of divine life that God gives.<br />
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We observe abstinence during Lent. And we tend to think abstinence is the essence of lent. Choosing to abstain from food, activities or people that we are attached to is only a preparation for what is most important, and that is 'growing in fellowship with the father' - in other words prayer. Prayer as we know is a relationship with the father. In such a relational prayer, God gives us the necessary grace to obey His commandments, follow His will and reject the crafty schemes of the devil.<br />
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Lent is like spending summer holidays in the Father's house. Everything about it is exciting, challenging and fun. It is time for passionate conversations, discussions, new knowledge and understanding, experiences, corrections and most of all it is a season to experience the richness of the love of the Father. We certainly feel secure there. We feel wanted and loved there. We feel excited about life growing up. We immediately recognise our fathers' house to be 'our house' and that we totally belong there. May this lenten experience linger all through our life that the victory over the world and satan is ours not though our own strength but though the merit of Jesus the saviour.<br />
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Jacob Josehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07373698009200255551noreply@blogger.com0