my Articulate Heart

Often times we claim ourselves to be better than those around us recounting the goodness and charity we display. But by doing that, we are being hypocritical because we are attempting to take undue credit of what belongs to God while shamelessly ignoring and rejecting the ownership of what really belongs to us, that is our sinfulness. The "goodness' we have is because God in His mercy reclaimed, redeemed and restored certain flawed areas within us. The sinful nature within us remains so because it does not yet belong to God and we refuse to hand it over to Him to be redeemed and to be made Christ-like. We are all, without an exception called to be holy as Christ is. We become Christ-like when we are totally owned by God. God does not do it without our permission. We, by accepting our frailty, consciously yearning to be pure, surrendering our selfish nature and sinfulness to God and patiently waiting for Him to transform us into His nature, set ourselves on this path to Ho

Our bodies are created to express and communicate God's very nature. The original language of the human body is to be a "self gift" to the other. When our bodies conduct itself in a way that is contrary to God's love, it violates it's own integrity and speak lies. The message, our bodies communicate in the nuptial union between man and woman is "I give myself to you freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully". But if the union is out side of marriage, the act is incapable of fulfilling these demands and thus their bodies lie to one another. Even within marital relationship when couple use each other for the gratification of their own lustful desires, they speak a lie with their bodies. In sexual union, when the couple, by way of contraception, reject the gift of life - the very reward God grants them for participating in his divine life, they lie with their bodies and declare that God's love is not life giving or fruitful. When Judas betrayed Je

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

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

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

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

Today, in Delhi, the capital of India, hundreds of women are shouting slogans and staging mass protests desperately seeking protection of their kind from guess who, men!. The slogans say " Teach men how to respect woman", " Woman are not objects of Pleasure" and likes. The very men whom God ordained to protect, nourish, respect and honor woman is now destroying, plundering and devastating womanhood. Men have stooped so low giving themselves to the carnal desires of the flesh objectifying and utilizing woman, thus doing exactly opposite of what was expected of them. As this horror unloose in front of our eyes, there already in full power, behind the curtains, takes place murder of thousands of innocent babies in the name of freedom, career and pleasure. They have sugar coated it and called it "planned parenthood". The very mothers who are ordained to protect, nourish, respect and honor new-born children are now the ones who consent with men to brutally t