News - November 2021

“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, 'We have found the Messiah' - which means the Christ - and he took Simon to Jesus." John 1:41-42

(Grace and Peace!) Saint Andrew was one of the first disciples of Jesus. We can be sure that Andrew would never have guessed that the person he was bringing to Jesus would become our first Pope. Through the example of Saint Andrew, we should learn how to bring our family and friends to Jesus. May we never disregard any of our acquaintances and try to bring them to Jesus through our silent prayers and our good example.

“So by our baptism into His death we were buried with Him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glorious power, we too should begin living a new life.” Romans 6:4

(Grace and Peace) Christianity is a belief in the greatest events ever to have taken place in the history of the world: God became man, He died, was buried and rose again from the dead. When a person is baptised in the Name of Jesus, he or she is mysteriously united with His death, burial and resurrection. But without total faith in these events, baptism is rendered powerless, and we still live as slaves of sin.

“But the souls of the upright are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them.” Wisdom 3:1

(Grace and Peace) “But the souls of the upright are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them.” Ws 3:1 Torments are of two kinds - one is the brief torment of the body, and the other is the eternal torment of the soul. The moment a soul receives Christ, it is clothed in uprightness since all stain of sin is washed away by His Blood. From that moment, the soul looks forward exultantly in the hope of sharing God's glory. While opportunity presents itself, let us do all we can to win the prize of God's Heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

“My mouth shall always praise the Lord, let every creature bless His Holy Name for ever and ever.” Psalm 145:21

(Grace and Peace) Anyone who has truly experienced God cannot but help declaring His praises with their heart and lips. Let us ask God with all our hearts to grant us a true and deep experience of His goodness. Let us also prepare ourselves to experience Him. God grants His divine touch only to those who earnestly seek Him with all their hearts.

“An idler is like a stone covered in filth, everyone whistles at his disgrace.” Sirach 22:1-2

(Grace and Peace) Spiritual idleness is a greater evil than physical idleness. Being physically idle brings material poverty, being spiritually idle brings about spiritual poverty, or lack of grace. Attaining Divine Love is the only means to cast out an idle spirit. Looking at the Cross, let us make a fresh resolution never to idle away the great gift of time, but to make it fruitful in works abounding in love!

“No, I hold myself in quiet and silence, like a little child in its mother's arms, like a little child, so I keep myself.” Psalm 131:2

(Grace and Peace) The soul of the Blessed Virgin filled God with the greatest possible consolation. When He looked at her, He forgot the sadness that human beings gave Him by their indifference and disobedience. She alone, of all human beings, consoled God most perfectly by her faithful love, her deepest humility and boundless generosity. On this the day of her presentation, let us rejoice at God’s masterpiece of creation, Mary!

“And may He so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.” 1 Thessalonians 3:13

(Grace and Peace) Holiness of heart helps us to walk in the ways of God, turning neither to right or left, keeping our foot clear from evil. The secret of holiness is Divine Love. Divine Love makes us blameless and irreproachable in God's sight, and we become good friends of God and His saints.

“But You delight in sincerity of heart, and in secret You teach me wisdom.” Psalm 51:6

(Grace and Peace) The saints teach us that two kinds of knowledge are necessary for persevering in God's grace - the one is knowledge of God, and the other, the knowledge of oneself. The virtue mentioned in today's Scripture is concerned with knowledge of ourselves. The knowledge of our littleness, weakness and sinful nature impart sincerity of heart towards God. Without this knowledge, we can become vain, blind, short-sighted and puffed up in thinking.

“Make music for the Lord, all you who are faithful to Him, praise His unforgettable holiness.” Psalm 30:4

(Grace and Peace) Our soul can be compared to a powerful stringed instrument, whose sound echoes throughout the very universe. The Scripture commands us to pluck the strings within our soul skilfully with love. The moment we lose our love, our strings immediately go out of tune. Our being willing to love and forgive brings back to us the Love of God like a powerful rain. Let us pray, “Come, Creator Spirit! With your help we will sing the joyful and eternal song of the redeemed, praising God’s unforgettable love and holiness.“

“Pilate said, 'So, then you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” John 18:37

(Grace and Peace) Pilate never suspected that it was the King of the Universe Who stood before Him, in a purple robe and crowned with thorns. He could not grasp the words of Jesus which testified of His Eternal Kingship. This most gentle King loved His subjects so much that He could not bear to see even a single one perish for lack of knowledge. Without hesitation, He left His Kingdom for their sake and came to testify to the Truth to them.

“For Your faithful love towers to heaven, and Your constancy to the clouds.” Psalm 108:4

(Grace and Peace) God's love for us is faithful, which means He has set His heart on loving us forever, whatever the cost. God is the best person we can ever love, so let us try to know Him more and more. The more we know Him, the more we will find out that He is the only Love, and an inexhaustible source of joy.

“How blessed are those who keep to what is just, whose conduct is always upright!” Psalm 106:3

(Grace and Peace) Being just and upright means to do what is right in the eyes of God and men, and also to render to each what is rightfully due to them. But those who wish to imitate God's uprightness go a step further - they return good for evil and love for hatred. God shows his uprightness when after the numerous faults of humankind, He gives the verdict of "not guilty" for all those, irrespective of nationality, who put their faith in the life, death and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ.

“You are built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:20

(Grace and Peace) God has willed that His Church be built on the strong foundations of the Faith and Teaching of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Therefore let us take great care that our own spiritual life is built upon the Faith of the Apostle Peter and the Wisdom of the Apostle Paul. Peter is the Rock, and Paul the Chosen Instrument. Together they present the Church holy, radiant and beautiful to Christ.

“Glad heart means happy face, where the heart is sad the spirit is broken.” Proverbs 15:13

(Grace and Peace) Joy of heart is something we experience deep within, when we know that we are loved by God. No earthly pleasure can come anywhere close to this boundless joy. Joy first starts its appearance when we make the slightest sacrifice in God’s honour. The more we love, the more we sacrifice. The more we sacrifice, the more our joy keeps increasing. This joy cannot be kept inside - it radiates from our heart, face, mind, soul and intellect.

“You are not your own property, then; you have been bought at a price. So use your body for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:20

(Grace and Peace) Our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. As living tabernacles, each of us carry our Lord in our hearts. Let us realise that when Christ comes in us, we are no more our own property but Christ’s dwelling place. The price of our soul is our Lord Himself - Who has given his own Body and shed His precious Blood for us on the Cross. Let us use our bodies only for His greater glory.

“Now it happened that He was in a certain place praying, and when He had finished, one of His disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’” Luke 11:1

(Grace and Peace) When a disciple of Jesus expressed his deep and earnest desire to learn how to pray, Our Lord rewarded him with the revelation of the ‘Our Father’. How great indeed are the revelations that Jesus has prepared for those who truly desire to enter into a deeper knowledge and union with His Father! Let us earnestly express our deepest desires to our Lord so that He will teach us how fulfill the Will of our Heavenly Father.

“A mild answer turns away wrath, sharp words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

(Grace and Peace) Wrath, as the Bible says, caused Cain to perish. Wrath is the rejection of the suggestions of the Spirit of Wisdom, which is a mild and gentle spirit and therefore hastens to make it’s home with fools. Mild and gentle words, which issue from the wellspring of wisdom, have the divine power to drive out the spirit of wrath and bring peace and healing.

“I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship’s sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.” Luke 11:8

(Grace and Peace) In the Gospel, there is the parable of a man who made his friend get up and do what he wanted at an inconvenient time in the night. Jesus tells us this parable to make us understand that even the most difficult requests will be heard if we have but one virtue - loving and earnest persistence. Let us be persevering in our prayers, fully confident that the Lord will always grant all that is best for us.

As men and women made in the image and likeness of God, we were created to know the truth, to find in that truth our ultimate freedom and the fulfilment of our deepest human aspirations. In a word, we are meant to know Christ, who is himself “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).

“Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head.” Luke 9:58

(Grace and Peace) Just as it was two thousand years ago, even today Jesus has nowhere to rest His head. As He knocks on our door, He is met with coldness, indifference and ingratitude everywhere. Are we willing to open our hearts to Him? Are we willing to let Him rest in our hearts? Let us invite our gentle and loving Lord into our hearts and homes. If we give Him a place to rest on earth, we can be sure that He will give us a place to rest in Heaven.