LENTEN MESSAGE

A GREAT FALL AHEAD

The Lord said, “Earth and sky, listen to what I am saying! The children I brought up have rebelled against Me.” (Isaiah 1:2)

PART ONE

The crowd followed Jesus and some Pharisees on account of various questions, approached; in order to succeed in entrapping Him, asking, “Does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes?”

Jesus replied, “In the beginning the Creator made people male and female. And God said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife; and the two will become one.’ So they are no longer two but one. Man must not separate, then, what God has joined together.” Jesus snapped the trap, but they persisted, asking, “How did Moses, then, allow divorce?” He responded, “Moses gave you permission because you are hard to teach.” He continued further warning them, “I tell you, then, that any man who divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, commits adultery if he marries some other woman.”

A family adorns the earth to a heaven. God made family and He is seated among them.  When Sovereign God dwells among them, family life is the most graceful and easily manageable status. The first couple transformed the Garden of Eden into a paradise, as long as they obeyed God. A couple must be enveloped in gracefulness that arises with agreeing with God, over and above, their individualistic nature and desire. God created Eve, to complete the incomplete Adam. It was when their personal desires arose they began to blame each other, got enslaved themselves to fear, pride  and other such malice. All this happened when they refused God and when His Everlasting Grace departed from them. Till then what was a blessed family life with its beautiful responsibilities; when they began to prioritise themselves over God, everything tumbled down to be a burden, turning it into a workshop of the devil. With the veil of God’s grace removed from them, the couple soon ousted from the paradise to step into a world filled with tragedy and adversities.

During Annunciation, the grace emitted from Mary, the Mother of Jesus is remarkable. The angel said to her, “The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you.” (Luke 1:28) God chose her as the Mistress of the Holy Family and Joseph, a righteous man as the Head of the Family. This is the reason why a young man and woman are required to enroll in prenuptial courses and counselling that can transform them into mature individuals; capable enough to take up the duties of a husband and wife. These widely available courses prepare them to the responsibilities of this holy sacrament of matrimony and family relations. Your life on this holy land consists of many relations; each bringing its own set of responsibilities. It is foremost important to develop a relationship with God and communion with the heavenly beings, because we belong there; and is to return there after this short pilgrimage to be united with them. Their guidance will be a light in your life. A life in unity with ancestors, parents, relatives are also significant to expect a harmonious and peaceful existence. How can one expect harmonization in their marital life, pushing away and rejecting parents? It is not acceptable to God that you neglect parents for your convenience. They spent a good amount of their life sacrificing in terms of health, time, and wealth; painstakingly to care and settle you well. The pain others take for you is a sacrifice. Lord Jesus suffered for your pain; offering it all as a sacrifice. So whoever breaks the chord of relationships by denying their duty are inviting a crack or fall in his own life. Try not to hurt anyone unrighteous. The gravity of pain that you dish out to others is measured by the Sovereign God; He has not made it permissible to anyone to hurt or pain anyone. Parents, holding the position of the invisible God; ought to ensure they are careful not to hurt their children. It is easy to say, but it calls for right amount of endurance to put it into practice as it is a hereditary trait.  A drop of tear arising from a deeply hurt person is sufficient to break your family. Each one should safeguard every relation, considering it pure and holy. The Holy Bible says, “Happy are those who work for peace, God will call them His children!” (Matthew 5:9)

All your ancestors, relatives, parents, neighbours including all living beings are part of one family because we exist from the One and Only Creator. Accept all and everyone in His Name, love and console them.  Bear in mind, that today or tomorrow I have to leave this world and face my Creator; there I will be accounted for every tears shed because of me, especially my life partner, children, parents etc. These thoughts will transform you to a righteous and happy individual. Challenge yourself to take a decision to bury the old defiled nature and to refrain from it. Parents are not the creator of children; they are only the family line to continue God’s creation.

Dear Readers in Christ, your heart though feeble and wavering, yearns to come out of all these malice. Your desire to be a new person can only be fulfilled by the mercy and grace sprinkled by the Magnificent God. Only He can release you from the traps of those childhood incidents that outgrow you over the years leading to greater sins. If you have covered up your guiltiness, thinking no one is there to witness your cruel deeds; then you are mistaken. For the Holy Bible says, “The eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun.” (Sirach 23:19) He witnesses your darkest deeds. Last but not the least heaven and earth are witness of every deed of each human being.

(To be continued)

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favour and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

FAMILY – A PLACE OF EXTREME BLISS

PART II

The Bible says, “…Therefore what God has joined together, let men not separate.”  (Matt. 19:6)

Lord Jesus loved His people and his disciples more than his own life, but for all those love what response did he receive?

His lips knew no blames; He did not take refuge in loneliness. In spite of the sorrow that even His disciples did not see Lord Jesus the way He was, He refrained deviating from His aim till the end and fulfilled all His work patiently.

The Cross of Calvary is the true measuring rod of this love. To realize the attitude with which the Lord who suffered utmost pain, we have to visualize the Cross. Similarly, if we receive the Cross of our daily life by visualizing them in the same way, then our relationships will be like the full moon, which shines even in the dark. For this we may have to ask and receive Christ’s attitude daily.

It was not for His own interest that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself and received the Cross.

The Cross standing aloft reflects two major values

He Forgot Himself and He Sacrificed Himself

In marital relation too, the Love of Christ demands a similar attitude that man should sacrifice his interests and woman should forget her own pleasures. It is better if this is imbibed by us.

No man or woman can satisfy their life partner by giving one’s own love because everyone seeks and desires the same boundless love for themselves.

From the weak heart as big as a fist, we can offer only our weak love but great satisfaction and happiness will bloom if we daily imbibe and share the Eternal Love, which flows from the King of Love.

Love is not something that can be stolen or snatched.

When love begins to flow from undying springs, then it fails to get limited within the search for momentary happiness or desire to get anything in return.

If marital relation begins to take refuge in worldly emotions or evolves to be self oriented then these relations will turn out to be mere objects to satisfy emotions alone.

When couples begin to live freely with Godly thoughts, then all their emotional problems tend to melt and flow into nothingness.

Relationships will be strengthened when we realize that love means responsibilities that arise from mutual decisions.

Dear Ones, the hurt feelings you have inflicted on your life partner may be very deep, but don’t worry, only the sorrowful passions of our Lord Jesus can heal them. Neither person nor medicine can heal the wounds.

The path you seek and the victory we achieved may perhaps lead us to a guilty conscience with moments of downfall which are natural to human life,but what holds importance is how we handle them.

If we begin to waste our days with an attitude that the days are near, cipher and if we whisper that they are unsold, then the healing becomes impossible. There may be moments of argument and opposition in one’s life. In such moments, if you could cool down for a moment and turn to the Lord for guidance, give a thought to your responsibilities, then God will surely help you.

Personal relationship with Jesus i.e. personal prayer is essential to draw strength and hold united to deal the crisis in marital life.

The Holy Bible directs that “An excellent wife wakes up early in the morning and glorify God. Giving first priority to God is the initial responsibility of every wife.

Similarly the Holy Bible  states, “It is his practice to get up early and pray aloud to God His Creator asking the most High to forgive his sins. He prays with gratitude for his needs and increases his knowledge by reading the Word of God.” (Sirach 39:5-9)

The fact that husband and wife speak to Jesus individually everyday itself is a mighty blessing. Then the Holy Spirit will bless both of them with the required graces to sanctify their relationship, thus helping the couple to move in unity towards God. By mutually surrendering themselves, offences will be pardoned and bruises will be healed. Holy Spirit will train them with the manner to pray and to behave themselves with each other. When they together begin to seek the Will of God, the words of the Bible will be proved true:

“Whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray, it will be done for you by my Father in Heaven.” ( Matt 18:19)

Again the Lord says, “I will make my home with my people and live among them.” (2 Cor. 6:16)

Yes dear ones, what a mighty blessing has Father promised through our marital relation!

How then can we who neglect such blessing expect his prosperity?

God says, “Man should not separate what God has united.” We should not forget that sitting at the right side of the Father, Jesus will intercede for us and the Holy Spirit by his instruction and advices will guide us to walk on the true path.  If we co-operate with them, we will be able to turn ourselves into sacrificial offering as two candles burning in flames of true sacrifice.

He further says, “If you wish to, you will be able to obey the commandments. Whether you should be faithful or not, depends on your will.” (Sirach 15:15)

Christ will give you the strength just like Tobias and Joseph, the descendant of David, we shall also set aside all our depression and loneliness and accept our life partner from the hands of the Almighty. If you ceaselessly strive and seek help from the Lord of Hope, then you will be transformed into a cactus growing beside streams of life giving water.

By reading this message together and by casting away all the old lullabies of life, may God bless you in abundant grace to accept each other. Amen!

FAMILY – A PLACE OF EXTREME BLISS

PART I

The Bible says, “…Therefore what God has joined together, let men not separate.”  (Matt. 19:6)

Books and articles describing family life and included relationships are easily available. But those which are useful in leading these relations of love to improvement and one burning with an attitude of sacrifice, thus imparting greater depths of spirituality in Godly ways are rarely available. I pray in Christ, those who read these words may spread the fragrance of love and purity.

Dear ones in Christ ages have passed since the initial sacred marital life started. The Holy Bible teaches that “God our Father realized that it is not good for man to stay alone and so He made a most appropriate partner for him, out of his own flesh and bones that is woman.” (Gen 2:22)

Thus God the spirit of unity uprooted loneliness and put us together in his unity. Lord appointed first man and woman as husband and wife. So that by taking refuge in Christ and by being filled with God’s Love, they can there after instill that love in one’s life partner.

After filling in the relations, when the spirit of Christ begins to build unity among couples, only then life turns out to be truly harmonious, lyrical and united.

Thus, they can spread and build a wide canopy, perfect and complete this world by partaking in the work of creation. The foundation of matrimonial relationship was thus laid down. The Bible says  “Since this matter comes from the Lord, it’s not for us to speak ill or well about it." God also gave the guidance required for the successes of this relationship. (Genesis 24:50) 

“God was with them.”

In the Gospel, Jesus has given an ideal example portraying of the good of these relationship. The Bible describes both the wise one who built his house by digging deep on strong rock and also the foolish one who built his house on sand. “The house built on strong rock withheld the mighty wind and storm.

 But in adverse condition, the house built on sand fell flat on the ground with a loud crash.”(Luke. 6:46-49)

Jesus was not teaching us to build a house but was revealing to us the need to begin life on a strong foundation. The Holy Bible says “How happy you will be if you put it into practice.” (John 13:17)

One who desires to be victorious will surely live according to this direction. Then we will receive God’s grace which will enable us to resist all pleasures of life. Jesus Christ says “Dear children how wrong you are! It is because you don’t know the scriptures or Gods power.” (Mat.22:29)

Yes dear ones, like the unity prevailing in the blessed trinity, every couple should be united as one with the Lord.

The firmness of marital life lies in the extend of union it has with God. Where prayer is lifted up, there the marital relation too will be fixed up in love.

The Holy Bible says, “A family divided against itself falls apart.” (Luke 11:17)

It further states that the family that prays together stays together.

The Bible says in Old Testament, “Tri-chords are hard to break.” (Eccl. 4:12) These words teach us that marital relations can never be limited to two individuals alone. Through various examples, the Holy Bible clearly teaches that the strong hands and divine guidance of an unseen Holy Priest (Lord Jesus) is of utmost importance amidst them.

Lord himself says, “The maintenance of this relationship is impossible for human heart.” (Mark 10:27)  But it is very simple for your Heavenly Father, who always desires to see you in unity.

So dear ones, aren’t these words giving us supernatural hope for maintaining our marital relationship?

Through the Holy Spirit, Lord is ever ready to give us anything we ask for and even more.

Knowing the appropriate Word of God and by submitting to the will of his parents, Tobias, their only son decided to receive his life partner. He very well knew that the girl he was going to receive had been married seven times and each time, her husband died on the first night itself, but, believing she was made for him, accepted her from God’s hand.

On the wedding night, when they were alone in their chamber, Tobias told his life partner, “Come let us pray for God’s mercy.”

He further prayed, “I am receiving her not by bodily desire, but by innocent love alone. Have mercy on us; grant that we may grow old together.” Then they both said “Amen” and concluded. (Tobit 8:7-8)

The following chapter, it is mentioned that the Lord blessed them with a life of perfection in His sight.

This is an example of an ideal marital life given by our Heavenly Father.

The Lord said to Joseph, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife.” (Matt. 1:20)

Inspite of being believers, in order to follow this modern world we have long back trespassed God’s direction. Therefore, all the holy relations are in a pitiful state today.

Isn’t it wise to check our life once again? Is there any need for hesitation regarding the correction of our mistakes?

Many disasters have occurred in our lives because we have not accepted our life partner as he or she is and due to lack of mutual prayer.

Didn’t you wander for years together with complaint lodged on your lips?

How many times have you cursed the person who brought the proposal to you?

How many times have you repeatedly complained that ‘the cause of all your troubles was due to the carelessness on the part of your parents? Had they given a second thought to the proposal, you could have married another better person?’What all misunderstandings, so many doubts right from the day you got married?

The opponent (partner) then begins, “From the day I began my life with you…… I am left with nothing except my cries and grinding of teeth. You are in a state of numbness…What is remaining now? There will be no changes in these …….”

Lack of contentment, hatred, numbness of life etc. begin to develop and to add to all these arrives a disregard towards the Creator.

However God our Father does not desire all this from his children. He is always waiting by to see the unity and love of His children. He wishes that we take leave from these narcotics of selfishness and live free from its side effects which are rejection and loneliness.

Father says, “As Christ loved, so also you should love one another.” (John 15: 12)

(to be continued…..)