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Showing posts from January, 2013

Yoked to Jesus

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“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  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. Rather than being compelled to fix those whom God has entrusted to my headship by m
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Man, the initiator of love and forgiveness

When there is crisis in the family, it is the husband who must take the lead to forgive and reconcile no matter who is at fault. This is because husbands share the role of Christ the initiator of love and forgiveness. Husbands are called to love their spouses just as Christ loves the Church [Eph 5:25]. The bibles says " While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"  [Rom 5:8]. Christ initiated love and offered his forgiveness unconditionally to the erring mankind, his beloved spouse. St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians states " He washed her clean by his own blood and presented her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless [5:27]. In our fallenness, men have falsely assumed themselves to be invincible and superior to woman. He seeks to earn respect and authority by virtue of his maleness and strength and not by his character. Let him do so by being meek, patient and understanding as Christ was even
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When morality takes a plunge

When we lower ourselves and allow our sexual morality to take a plunge, our own consciousnesses question us. We seek desperately to silence it and stay justified. The guilt that haunt us is not because we have broken some social law but because we have broken the very law stamped within our bodies - to be a Gift! Our bodies are created to be "a self gift". God created it in His own nature.  Bible says "God created man in his image and likeness" . [Gen 1:26] St Paul writes "I urge you, then, brothers, remembering the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, dedicated and acceptable to God; that is the kind of worship for you, as sensible people. [Rom 12:1] The fallen man because of his swollen pride and lack of meekness, tries desperately to justify his act and begins to hate those who lay bare the truth before them. They plot ways to destroy them. We see a classic example of this in Mark 6:17. Herodias, originally wife of Philip, now w
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Are you ready yet?

This generation is led away to think that "attraction" and "love" are one and the same. Alas! they are awfully different. They are the extreme ends of the same track. The lack of understanding to distinguish attraction from love will land us in big mess especially those who tend to think that they are in love and are ready to use their sexual gifts. Attraction to the opposite gender is the natural longing given to man and woman to constantly remind them of their deep rooted need to self donate. It is not love yet. It is only a feeling that must elevated,  in due time, to a higher commitment of sacramental marital love. Marriage indeed is the only fitting sacred alter where the supreme gift of self must be mutually offered. Sex outside of marriage is like throwing away precious pearls to swines. These are the very pearls that make up our core self. Our sexuality is what we are. Masculinity and femininity are the key factors that distinguishes each individual and a
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Have something to die for

Let there be men who would give up their lives to defend the dignity of woman, no matter who she is. This statement might sound too stupid and you want to say "life is worth more than that!". Then, let me ask, have you anything that's worth dying for? In our days we do not hold any values or virtues so close to our heart that we consider death than compromising it. Our ideologies have undergone a dramatic change. No one is willing to give up life but wants to preserve it by any means - to make it big in life. The "other person" does not matter any longer. All that matters is I, me, myself. In the past, People have given up lives, choosing not to say a lie. Bodies have been brutally mutilated because they refused compromise on their values. Men have given up lives defending the dignity of woman. Woman have laid down their lives for their men and children. Many have chosen to die rather than defiling their innocence and having to live in sin. Who dares to t
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