my Articulate Heart

How beautiful it would be if all of us wore cloths such a way that the "gaze of the onlooker" remains naturally on our face. One who gazes the face is able to see  and  recognize  far more than what meets the eye. Face is the window into the whole inner reality of a person . On the contrary, if cloths make the onlooker gaze everywhere else [except the face], it tragically limits his perception "skin deep" and is being tripped into the vice of commoditizing (utilizing) the  person for the gratification of lust and sensual entertainment. Lust is the chewed up residue of "man's innate desire to give himself as a gift to the other" devoid of Love [God] or in other words, it is Eros minus Agape. How unaware we are of the imminent danger of immodest dressing. The ready-made garment industry has  literally robbed us of our freedom to wear cloths of our choice. In the name of convenience we are forced to wear cloths that are designed with no moral obl

Jesus came not only to save us but also to make us children of God. It is a comforting "status" any human can rightly assume or be. But the danger of limiting God-Man relationship to only father-child dimension” truncates the expanse we are capable of treading as children into the reality of God the father. It is so because we reduce this relationship to our own understanding of a father-child relationship. In a typical human experience, the father [biological father] does not have the right, capacity or the gift to decide the destiny of his child [heaven or hell] however intimate their relationship may be. In our relationship with God as our father, we must not forget that God the father also is our judge who will decide our eternal destiny.[Mathew 10:28] In the movie “Chronicles of Narnia” Jesus is portrayed as an untamed lion [Lion of Judah]. Yet we see the children grow into a relationship with the Lion [Jesus] as intimate as that of a child to the father. This father

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus draws an interesting parallel between the Kingdom of Heaven and workers in the vineyard [20:1-16] At the end of the day, when Master settles the wages, he gives all servants, those who came in first hour and to those who joined in last hour, the same wage. People who came in the first hour feel cheated and thus complaint to the master asking for an explanation for the evident bias. Master does not explain but replies “Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?" [15] The truth is, much more than the wage at the end of the day, what should have fulfilled them is the honor of serving the master [Jesus himself].  The experience of any labour depends on the nature of the master. We have a master who ties a loin cloth around his waist, bends down to wash our feet. He rises up to be dragged on the streets and be nailed to the wood in order to take upon himself the punishment that should have been o

Our bodies are the defiled temples, destroyed yet restored in Jesus - to be the sacred dwelling of the Spirit of God. This process of restoration begins it's course in our own bodies when we believe in Jesus Christ who is the resurrection and life. Resurrection begets new life. God detests sin yet has tremendous compassion on the sinner. He clearly distinguishes sinner [Child of God] from his sinful nature. The same way, our bodies are to be perceived as a gift and it's corrupt nature, a show stopper [detestable]. The body is not to be discarded as less worthy but to be respected and restored to its original status though the renewal of our minds [according to the spirit]. St. Paul in Romans says Do not model your behaviour on the contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and mature. [12:02] The corruption of the temple [body] continues to retract us

We would like God to correct us if we go wrong. But when He does, we rebel having to change. The book of Job says "Happy is the man whom God corrects" [5:17] Correction demands breaking and a defenseless acceptance of defeat. Rarely do we amend our ways if God uses someone to correct us. God's correction escapes us either because we are not sensitive enough to discern or our ego doesn't permit us to change. Like the prodigal son, we choose to learn the hard way having to eat what is assigned to pigs. Our unteachability leads us to learn it the hard way. When God uses a difficult situation to correct us, the darkness may linger on without a distant light to anchor our hope. But when we have successfully yielded to this pedagogy of God, we emerge in the light, a light bright enough to lead us through imminent tunnels joyfully. This experiential learning leaves us with deep conviction about what is pleasing to God. But better is to accept correction as it com

Lord, much more than profound wisdom and great understanding, I desire a heart that is pure, lowly and contrite. This is truly what I need.

Fragmented and fragile I’m, that I willingly forfeit the joy of thy presence for cheap pleasure. I savour from your table all the day and quietly sneak out to devourer the rubbish as if it is a delicacy, until I’m done with it. Then I find myself far away, swept into a hostile world. My integrity, faithfulness and even existence, sinisterly questioned. I feel ashamed. The voices around me say “Stay here, we will give your unworthiness, company. I either am sipping from the malicious chalice of unrealistic pleasure or staring at it fearfully. In both the cases, this vicious chalice is my preoccupation. Deep down I long for it. The Truth fades to oblivion; knowledge takes a nap because I let them do. Truth aglow, knowledge ushers in. I see what is happening to me as if I were outside of me. The sweetness of your love enthrall my inside yet again. I can walk into your presence without a veil. You receive me with acceptance unconditional. Here I get up and walk.  The voices, still