Why I love Jesus and His Church..

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19)

Jefferson Bethke's video, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus", with 1.4 million hits, is going 'viral'. 

Today there was this response from Fr Robert Barron. Not that every sort of allegation against the Church needs to have a response, but what Fr Barron says here makes lots of sense.

Another video has also been published as a catholic response.

For some people, they search for truth and eventually find it; whereas for some others, truth searches them out; but there are still others like Pontius Pilate, who, when they come face to face with truth, can only ask "what is truth?" and sadly, walk back, for they have too much to lose..

For you my child...

Dear Lord,

This is my prayer for her.

That she may know you, not because you are my God, but because she would realise that you alone are her Father, who knew her before you knit her in her mothers womb.

That she may love you, not because of fear or obligation, but because you would give her the gift of faith; the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen.

And that she may dedicate her life to you, not out of compulsion, but because of the knowledge that you are her God, who waits for her with love undefiled in the tabernacle, a love that is patient and kind..

This prayer, O Lord, I make my own today.

(Quoted from Khalil Gibran's The Prophet - On Children)

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
 
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

So Help me God...

Feed my lamb..

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” 
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

On the shores of Tiberius, early on a morning, when there was little hope, nor faith nor joy, a man commanded Simon Peter, "Feed my lambs"...

Wishes and prayers for all the 22 new cardinal designates, named by Pope Benedict the 16th during today's angelus. As a member of the Syro Malabar Church, I am especially happy to see the name of Archbishop Mar George Alencherry, also among the twenty two new cardinal designates. Congratulations to all and especially to Mar George.

It was also hugely uplifting to read the response of one of the cardinal designates, the Archbishop of New York, Timothy M Dolan to this news. As the New-york times rightly puts it, Archbishop Dolan is one of the rising stars of the Catholic Church in America. In his response, he says,

"let’s be frank: this is not about Timothy Dolan; this is an honor from the Holy Father to the Archdiocese of New York, and to all our cherished friends and neighbors who call this great community home."

It is precisely this no nonsense approach that makes Archbishop Dolan so endearing to most Catholics, especially the young of the Church. He is precise in saying that the office of the Cardinal is more about the Archdiocese of New York than about the person of Timothy Dolan and the same is the case with Mar George Alencherry as well. As the head of the Syro Malabar Church, this is a gift from the Holy Father and the global Catholic Church for the small church in Kerala, acknowledging and recognising us, even though we are, but a tiny drop in the ocean of the Holy Mother Church.

Although on the one hand,  this is not about the person of Timothy Dolan, or of George Alencherry, or of any one of the other 22, on the other hand, in a different dimension, ultimately, this is entirely only about the person who is being made the Cardinal. Well, this is a paradox, but this paradox is what Christianity is all about. Today's feast of Epiphany is about the coming of the three wise men, to pay homage to the "King of the Jews", the saviour of the world. Yet, every Christian who has experienced the love of God at one point in his or her life, 'knows' deep down, that Christ would have come down from Heaven and would have definitely died on the cross, even if it were to save me alone. The gospel is all about breaking the barriers of one's self in search of God, and when eventually I see Him in the face of my neighbour, I move closer to finding the God in me. The grain of wheat that falls down into the ground and dies, only to bear much fruit..

As Pope Benedict says, Christianity is all about a God who comes in search of man, a God whose heart is restless for man, and a Christian is one who realises that the man whom God is searching for, is me indeed. When God calls a person to a higher office, yes, the office takes precedence, and yes, there is grace given from above for the fulfilment of the responsibilities associated with the office, but most importantly, God is more concerned about the person and much lesser about the office. The love of God is searching out new ways to bring me closer to Him; to His Son, through His Spirit. The call of the above twenty two to this higher office is in one sense God's infinite love leading his children into the fullness of His knowledge. When I realise this, all I can do is stand in wonder and awe, and proclaim, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"

O God, give your wisdom and power to your chosen ones that we may be your witnesses, where you have called us to be... 

A Christmas Gift

As my wife and me stepped into The Royal Hampshire County hospital in Winchester in the morning of 23rd December 2011, little did we realise that this would be the day when we would see our sweet precious little (custom-made, of course) gift from heaven. We had waited for more than nine months, played with her, told her umpteen number of stories, sang her all the songs we knew, prepared our home and our hearts for her, and finally, after 40 weeks, were told that the baby was in a breech position. For the medical staff, a detail which was missed; for us a huge shock :), just because we literally ate TENS machines, gas & air and epidurals for breakfast, lunch and supper.

On 23rd morning, the doctor tried to turn the baby around with the ECV procedure, but our child wont budge (so much like her father, "Any less than 4 horns for the rabbit, sorry not listening.."). Baby Anna Claire was born at 14:27 via C-section that afternoon.

As I took her in my arms that day, and every single time I have looked at her after that, I can not but marvel at this wonder of Gods love. God does indeed love the world passionately.

Every single day since, I have asked myself and my God this question, "Lord, what did you see in us to entrust us with this precious child of yours. What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Ps 8:4)". And little by little, in my learning's as a father, I have understood more and more the unconditional love of the Father in Heaven. In the book of Job, the Lord asks Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?... Who marked off its dimensions?... who laid its cornerstone?" (Job 38). In the same way, my child, I do not know the moment you were conceived in your mothers womb, nor how you grew in there. My hands did not shape you, nor did I breathe life into you. I was not there to take care of your little fingers and toes, nor to cuddle you to sleep. But I do know the one whose hands did shape you and who did breathe his spirit of life into you, and its my life's purpose now to lead you to the knowledge of Him, who knew you before I even dreamt of you.

O Lord, your gift is perfect beyond all measure and comparison. When she smiles, my heart glows up. And when she cries, it is my heart that bleeds. Little by little, I am beginning to know the love of a father, and getting a glimpse of the love that let his son die for me and for you. A love that is difficult to comprehend, a love that is irrational, illogical, yet a love which sustains us.

From the moment daddy heard that you have started growing in mummy's tummy, daddy wanted to dedicate this song to you. To you, little angel from Heaven, with lots of love...