Spiritual Spark 🔥

"If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve other gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up" (Dan 3:17-18).

In the difficult and testing times of pandemic, people are coming to God and spirituality for comfort and solace, for healing and peace. Many believers expect God to work a wonder and stop this terrible crisis. Their petition is valid and that is what everyone desires, believers and non-believers alike.

However, the problem lies with those so-called believers, who say, "We will believe in you, O God, if you work out wonder. But if you don't do it, we will prefer to renounce our faith in you." This is not faith; it is a bargaining.

I find the response of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego quoted above very mature and enlightening. To paraphrase it for our time, it would be: "If God wishes to save us early, let him do it; but if he wants to take his time and wishes that we learn some important lessons for life through this prolonged crisis, let his will be done!"

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🙇‍♀️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Hear my prayer, O Lord! Let my cry come to you. Do not hide your face from me in the day of distress. Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call" (Ps 102:1-2).

The above words express the sentiments of most of the believers in these trying times. In fact, the words of Ps 102 are especially designed for this purpose.

The superscription of Ps 102 states: "A prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his concerns before the Lord". Indeed it is a beautiful prayer, we all need to read today. It is wonderful to meditate on the appealing words of this psalm.

The psalmist mentions that he lies awake, he is like a lonely bird; his days are like an evening shadow; he withers away like grass; he is like a prisoner, doomed to die, whom the Lord sets free. He also mentions that God has broken his strength, and the worldly reality is passing, but God is everlasting.

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼📖

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"The Pharisees said this to test Jesus, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground" (Jn 8:6).

On 28th March the finance minister of Hesse (a German state) committed suicide as he was unable to bear the pressure of the tremendous responsibility in the face of Corona Virus crisis. Dealing with pressure and crisis is a very important characteristic. Jesus in today's gospel shows us how to behave in extremely difficult situations.

The Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. They were all set to brutally kill her by stoning her to death. That was bad enough, but they had a further vicious agenda: to use the helpless woman as a bait to catch the big fish. They wanted to trap Jesus. Unfortunately there are people who try to seek their own profit in the times of crisis.

In such a pressure situation Jesus calms down, bends down and starts writing with his finger on the ground. In and through this, Jesus ingeniously distances himself from the crisis; he wins the necessary time to creatively respond to it and then he responds with a masterstroke. Every crisis has a solution. Let's follow Jesus' example and respond creatively!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼👇🏼

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"When Jesus saw Mary weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved... Jesus began to weep" (Jn 11:33, 35).

The central character of today's gospel is Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary. He was a dear friend of Jesus, who is first mentioned to be sick and later dead. He is dead for four days and is now stinking in his grave.

It is very difficult and unpleasant to identify ourselves with the character of Lazarus, who is completely passive and totally helpless. All he is doing is lying in his tomb and stinking. However a positive thing in favour of him is that he has loving people around him, who are shedding tears for him; even Jesus gets moved and weeps out of his love for him.

For the sisters of Lazarus and for Jews it was distressing and puzzling why Jesus delayed in coming even though he was informed that his dear friend was sick. The Lord delays to our great dismay, but he always comes on the right time. Let us believe and trust that God is aware of our distress and he will come and bring us out of our graves!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼⚰️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"O Lord my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me, or like a lion they will tear me apart; they will drag me away, with no one to rescue" (Ps 7:1-2).

The psalms of laments express the depth of distress in the heart of the psalmist and at the same time they express deep faith and trust in God. In the times of personal distress, it is a good practice to pray with the help of laments, which help us to get rid of psychological weight, which we keep carrying. These psalms help us to achieve a certain catharsis, release of pent up emotions.

Being locked up in the four walls and continually bombarded with the bad news from all over the world, many of us are piling up great fear, emotional stress and anxiety. Many of our fears may not be imaginary and unfounded. If these pent up emotions are not given proper release in prayer, meditation, Yoga or exercise, they can create domestic conflicts, blame-game and even lead to divisions in the family!

Like the psalmist, let us turn to God in the times of crisis and express before him our feelings!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🗣️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Ps 34:19).

Today is the eighth birthday of my nephew and he can't celebrate it as usual because of the national lockdown. He asked me, "Uncle, why did this happen on my birthday?" Many of us also ask similar questions: "Why did God do such a terrible thing to me?" Behind all these questions is a bigger philosophical question of the problem of evil: "why does good and loving God allow evil?"

It would have been great to explain to my eight year old nephew the meaning of today's psalm from which I have quoted above. But I chose the traditional way. I told him this happened because he keeps watching mobile all the time and he doesn't listen to his mom-dad.

Let us overcome the traditional idea of the punishment aspect and realise that in the times of trouble and difficulties God is the closest to us and we, too, are close to God!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🥳

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Therefore he said he would not destroy them, had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them" (Ps 106:23).

Ps 106 is a historical psalm and the above verse recalls the heroic intercessory action of Moses described in today's first reading (Ex 32:7-14). Old Testament often speaks about the wrath of God. It is considered as the punishment of God for human rebellion (grave sin) as exemplified in the sin of worshipping the golden calf.

Many people are considering the present crisis of Corona Virus as "wrath of God". We need to understand this aspect carefully. When we use such concepts without realising their theological significance, we tend to blame God and emphasize the aspect of punishment and not the aspect of mercy and love, which is the hallmark of God.

The crisis is human made and to avert it, like Moses, many dedicated selfless people (doctors, nurses, police, soldiers and others) need to stand in "the breach", in the thick of the battle to avert this crisis.

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼⚔️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Behold, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel" (Is 7:14).
"For nothing is impossible with God" (Lk 1:37).

Today we celebrate the solemn feast of Annunciation. On this important feast day, although Christians cannot visit the Churches for mass, they are encouraged to attend the Eucharistic ceremony online in their own homes with their family members.

This feast day is also the day of international pro-life celebration: the International Day of the Unborn Child. The term "missing women" was coined by the Indian Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen in 1990. According to him, more than a hundred million women were "missing" mostly because of the selective abortion of female foetuses.

Today let us especially pray for the pregnant women in these difficult times! May God and Mother Mary bless them and protect them!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🤰🏼

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea" (Ps 46:1-2).

Since the last couple of days, I have been touched by the message in the responsorial psalms. On Sunday I commented on Ps 23, yesterday on Ps 30, and today I wish to concentrate on Ps 46. These psalms express total trust and confidence in God precisely when everything is in utter chaos.

The opening verses of Ps 46 quoted above describe a catastrophe of cosmic proportion. It's an apocalyptic situation where earth, mountains and seas are disturbed. Everything is hay wire. In such a terrible distressing situation, the psalmist is at peace; he knows that he has a very present help in his trouble.

Let us make God our refuge, our strength; let us trust in him completely in these difficult times and pray for all those people who require strength and courage to face this terrible crisis!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🌻

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!
You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy" (Ps 30:10-11).

In the above two verses from Psalm 30, we notice two different moods. First part is a petition, a fervent prayer for help and the second part is a joyful thanksgiving. Such a combination seems very strange to us. How can one express two contradictory moods in the same breath? How is that possible?

This kind of prayer is found in many psalms and this phenomenon is called: "certainty of hearing". The psalmist is so confident that God is going to hear his prayer, that he already takes for granted that he has received what he has asked for and that is why we find the change in the mood from petition to thanksgiving.

Let us also be confident that sooner or later our God is going to hear us and help us!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🥳

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; FOR YOU ARE WITH ME; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Ps 23:4).

Today's Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent) is traditionally known as "Laetare Sunday", which means "rejoice Sunday". This Sunday is a call to rejoice in the midst of fasting season, looking at the forthcoming Easter. Today's gospel speaks about light and healing and today's psalm is the most consoling Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd".

This Psalm is very masterfully constructed. In Hebrew language, it consists of 55 words. 3 words are in the centre of the psalm and 26 words are placed on either side of these 3 central words. Number 26 is extremely sacred for Jewish people as it is the number signifying Yahweh, God the Father.

Three central words are "ki atta imadi", which mean "For / You / (are) with me." The central word of this central expression is "You", which is a pronoun for God. Let us put God in the centre, let us have confidence in him and we will not be afraid of anything!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🐑

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has wounded us, but he will bandage us" (Hos 6:1).

If we look at the situation of Europe today, especially that of Italy, it is accurately described by the two adjectives: "torn" and "wounded" in the above bible verse. Yes, the entire world is experiencing an unprecedented catastrophic situation.

As believers, we cannot be pessimistic. We always try to see the silver lining of the dark clouds. In this deadly pandemic let us hear the voice of God calling us for individual and collective repentance and change in our life-style.

This is the time to do self-retrospection; this is the time to humble ourselves; this is the time to slow down, to take a U-turn and come back to God, come back to family, come back to oneself!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼↩️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Those who are wise understand these things; those who are discerning know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them" (Hos 14:9).

The above quote is the last verse in the book of Prophet Hosea. Hosea is known as the Prophet of God's tender love. In this book, we hear God constantly calling his people to repent from their wicked ways and come back to him.

In response to today's reading the responsorial psalm reads: "I am the Lord your God. Listen, my people, to my warning." These words sound very relevant in the context of the present crisis.

We need to become wise and discerning and listen to the directives given to us by the authorities in these difficult times. Let us also use this crisis situation to turn away from our wicked ways and unhealthy life-style and start caring for others and for creation!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼👂🏼

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him" (Mt 1:24).

Today on the solemn feast of St. Joseph, let us beseech his powerful intercession to tide over the terrible crisis the entire world facing currently. Let us also try our best to emulate one of the many virtues of this great saint!

The above bible verse speaks about the obedience of Joseph. Joseph did exactly what Angel Gabriel told him to do, without questioning, without doubting and without any hesitation.

If we wish to overcome the present crisis, we need to also learn this virtue of obedience. The government authorities all over the world are trying their best and they are appealing to the citizens for their cooperation. In this tough times, it is extremely important that we obey the directions given to us, no matter how difficult and unpleasant, and also show our solidarity to those most in need!

Good day and may St. Joseph bless you and your family! 🙏🏼🛐

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children" (Deut 4:9).

The book of Deuteronomy puts a lot of emphasis on remembering God's saving help and instructs not to forget it, but to make it known to the next generation. Jewish people have taken this commandment very seriously. Hence Jewish People are also known as "people of memory".

Jews keep all their historical memories alive. They even commemorate Holocaust, the darkest chapter in their history. In good times and in bad times they see the hand of God saving them and guiding them.

We, too, believe that God's hand has saved and guided us through several difficult situations and will continue to do so, even in the present crisis of Corona Virus. That is our faith and that faith we wish to hand over to our next generation!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🌄

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place" (Mt 18:31).

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, we often focus on three characters: the lord, the first servant who owed him 10000 talents and the second servant, who owed 100 denarii to the first servant. The first servant was forgiven the astronomical sum of 10000 talents (1 talent = 6000 denarii), but he didn't forgive even a small sum of 100 denarii.

Today let us focus on the important role played by other servants. They see what has happened. They witness both the mercy of the lord and the merciless act of the first servant. They experience a strong emotion of "great distress" and wish to rectify the situation. So they report to their master.

In our day today lives we witness the acts of injustice and wickedness committed by our fellow human beings against others. Do we feel "deeply distressed" or have we become insensitive? Do we take action to remedy the situation or do we just remain silent?

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🗣️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy" (2 Kgs 5:1).

Today's first reading narrates the story of mighty Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He is described as a great man and had won great victories in wars. I was touched by the above sentence which states that in spite of his being a valiant warrior, he became sick with a skin disease.

Two days ago, during the news, an Italian commented about Corona Virus pandemie: "If it had been a war, we would have fought, but now is a different situation." One can indeed fight by taking precautions, but one is never fully secure.

I do not wish to sound pessimistic or resigned to fate. What I wish to stress is the fact that before sickness and death even the mightiest of human beings are helpless. That helps us to realise the limits of human beings, and humble ourselves before the mighty power of God, who has plans for our welfare and not for our harm!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼⚔️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

The Samaritan woman said to Jesus, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans) (Jn 4:9).

Today's gospel recounts a long and interesting story of the encounter of Jesus with a Samaritan woman. This story teaches us an effective lesson in dialogue. In today's world, although we are connected by internet web, we are also deeply divided to the extent that dialogue is almost becoming impossible.

The polarisation is almost complete when one always and almost exclusively interacts with the people having similar ideas and opinions and shuts out people with differing viewpoints. We are increasingly imprisoning ourselves in our own little ideological worlds and pass judgements on others without interacting with them or listening to them.

The dialogue between Jesus and Samaritan woman encourages us to move out of our comfort zones and open ourselves to interact and dialogue with "the others", whom we consider our enemies!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🤝🏼

Spiritual Spark 🔥

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." And he told them this parable (Lk 15:1-3).

Today's gospel passage narrates the famous parable of the prodigal son, or the parable of generous and merciful father. One discovers always something new and revolutionary insights in this beautiful parable. Today let us concentrate on the introduction of this parable and check our attitude and behaviour.

The first verse narrates that "all" the tax-collectors and sinners were coming "near" to Jesus. I find the words: "all" and "near" very interesting. The second verse speaks about Jesus "welcoming" and "eating" with them.

Jesus was so approachable and accessible, that all the rejected, fallen, and neglected of the society could come to him and could share meal with him, i.e. have an intimate relationship with him.

The face of mercy (misericordia vultus), the embodiment of the merciful prodigal Father, is in Jesus, who inspires each one of us to open our hearts to welcome the least, last and the lost!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼💝

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?" (Mt 21:42).

Yesterday's gospel spoke about the reversal of the fate of the rich man and Lazarus; today's gospel also speaks about a similar reversal. The rejected one becomes the most important one!

The Bible if full of such stories. Old childless Abraham becomes the Father of nations. The cheating and weak Jacob becomes the chosen and righteous Israel. Joseph, the slave becomes the prime minister of Egypt. And the list goes on and on.

The bible conveys a strong message that human strength is useless and the real strength lies only in God. The international crisis of Corona Virus is a practical demonstration of it.

God pulls down the mighty from their thrones and exalts the lowly! Let us humble ourselves before the mighty power of God!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🌁

Spiritual Spark 🔥

Abraham told the rich man, "Between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who wish to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us" (Lk 16:26).

The above verse describes the unbridgeable gap between heaven and hell, which makes crossing from one place to other impossible. The parable of rich man and Lazarus shockingly depicts that the poor will go to heaven and the rich will go to hell for the simple reason that those who have enjoyed themselves on earth will suffer in hell and those who have suffered on earth will be consoled in heaven (Lk 16:25).

God has put a chasm between heaven and earth, because we humans have created walls and boundaries, keeping the poor outside, hungry, naked, exploited, marginalised and suffering. Pakistani economist, Mehbub-Ul-Haq writes, "A poverty curtain has descended right across the face of the world dividing it... into two different worlds, two separate planets, two unequal humanities - one embarrassingly rich and the other desperately poor."

As long as we don't destroy this poverty curtain, we will continue to face the chasm between heaven and hell and will keep longing for a drop of water to cool off our thirsting tongues...

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼⚔️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors" (Ps 31:14-15).

In the days when the entire world is going through the pandemic of Corona Virus and people are living in fear, the above words in today's responsorial psalm are very consoling and strengthening.

We are familiar with the trusting words of Jesus from the Cross: "Into your hand I commit my spirit". Jesus quoted these words from Ps 31:5. It is interesting to read Ps 31 especially in the times of fear, trouble and suffering. The psalmist expresses his situation of great physical, mental and emotional suffering. However he also expresses great trust and confidence.

Four times the word "hand" is used in Ps 31. Two refer to the hand of enemies (vv. 8 and 15) and two refer to the hand of God (vv. 5 and 15). Like the psalmist, let us also be confident that our life is in the safe hand of God and he will save us from all our enemies!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🤲

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them" (Mt 23:4).

In today's gospel Jesus warns his disciples to avoid the actions and behaviours of Pharisees, who considered themselves superior and wanted people to treat them with respect and honour.

In India I have observed that those in authority avoid doing manual work. They literally lay burden on the shoulders of those under them and do not wish to bear any burden. Not doing manual work is seen as a status symbol.

In the last two-three years of my stay in Germany I have learnt about the dignity of labour. Every work is dignified and every person deserves our respect. I am greatly edified by the actions of great men doing humble works themselves instead of expecting juniors or those under them to do them.

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼👨‍🔧

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you" (Lk 6:36-38).

Today's gospel teaches us an excellent lesson on being merciful. The gospel encourages us to avoid two things and to do two things in order to be merciful. Two things to abandon are: (1) judging and (2) condemning. Two things to practice actively are: (1) forgiving and (2) giving.

It is important to look into our hearts and see sincerely how often we tend to judge and condemn people. The social media and news channels are further increasing our prejudices and without our realising we start fearing, disliking and hating others. We are slowly getting divided, polarised and poisoned. We must realise that in the measure we judge and condemn, dislike and hate others, in the same measure, we will be disliked and hated.

We need to break this vicious circle of judgement, condemnation and hatred by loving and forgiving. Let us develop giving and forgiving hearts and not judging and condemning hearts!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🌹

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine" (Ps 33:18-19).

Today on the international women's day, I was looking for a reference of women in today's readings. The first reading deals with the call of Abraham; the second reading is about the instruction of Paul to his disciple Timothy and the gospel is about the transfiguration of Jesus. Moses and Elijah are on Jesus' sides, and Peter, James and John are the witnesses.

In all these readings we see only men and do not see a single woman. That is a sad reality of our religious texts. But if we go and visit any place of worship, we find the overwhelming presence of devout God-fearing and God-loving women.

I chose a quote from the responsorial Psalm, which is somewhat gender-neutral. However there too God is called "he" (masculine pronoun).

Unfortunately we don't find anything wrong in our heavily patriarchal religious and social structures!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼👩🏻

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Mt 5:43-44).

Love is the mark of Christianity and love of enemies is the beautiful ideal of Christianity. That is Christianity at its best and is beautifully exemplified by crucified Jesus forgiving his executioners from the cross.

This ideal is known to everyone. Even in Indian school books we study this aspect of Christianity. However the hard question before us is: is "love of enemies" only an ideal or does it show itself in reality?

Fortunately we have the examples of Gladys Staines and the family of Blessed Rani Maria forgiving the murderers of their dear ones and bearing wonderful testimonies of faith. However, unfortunately the love of enemies is not the reality for most of Christians.

Today let us look into our lives and ask ourselves: "Do I love my enemies?" If not, let us further ask ourselves: "Do I at least desire to love my enemies?"

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼💝

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift" (Mt 5:23-24).

How difficult to put into practice, this teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount! At the same time, how urgent and relevant is this teaching for our time! Reconciliation is indeed the need of the hour.

An atmosphere of fear, distrust, suspicion and hatred is growing in our beloved country India. It is sad to witness the seeds of hatred sown into the hearts of people in the name of religion.

The word religion is derived from the Latin word "religare" i.e. to bind together. But unfortunately religions are becoming instruments of division. In this background, we need to turn to the ethical teachings of religion calling the believed for peace and reconciliation.

We cannot be reconciled with God before first getting reconciled with our brothers and sisters irrespective of their religion, caste, creed, color or race!

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🤝🏼

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you" (Mt 7:7).

The above bible verse is one of the most popular verses in the Bible. The first reading from the book of Esther recounts the fervent prayer of Queen Esther for God's help against the evil plans of Haman. Thus the connection of the gospel with prayer becomes quite clear.

In the above verse three gradually active words are used: ask (with mouth), search (with eyes and feet), knock (with hands). The intensity and urgency in the last verb "knock" is expressed by the popular phrase: "knocking at the gates of heaven".

The explanation given in the following verses of the Gospel doesn't focus on the persistent activity of asking, seeking and knocking, but on the gentle confidence and childlike trust in God. We are made aware that we are not banging our heads on the hard wall; we are not asking for favour from a tyrant. Rather we are dealing with a loving and very generous Father, more than willing to fulfill the needs of his children.

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🌼

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps 51:17).

In today's first reading from Prophet Jonah we hear the story of the conversion of the large city of Nineveh after the preaching of Jonah. In the ancient times, cities were not heavily populated as today's cities. The great city of Nineveh had the population of 120,000 (Jonah 4:11).

The citizens of Nineveh were violent people. However the preaching of Jonah about the destruction of the city brought about change in their life style. They repented, gave up their wickedness and started living better lives.

Very often in the face of death, humans remember their God. Before death and sickness we are utterly helpless. We feel ourselves broken. This brokenness of spirit makes us humble and when we become humble, the new life in God begins.

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼⚔️

Spiritual Spark 🔥

"When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for you Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Mt 6:8).

The above words are the introductory words before the famous "Our Father" prayer. In the Semitic worldview words are considered very powerful and effective. Today's first reading from Is 55:10-11 speaks about the power of the word of God.

It is a great virtue to control one's speech and use minimum words to express what one wishes to communicate. If we should be careful and diligent in communicating with humans, how much more we need to be careful in communicating with God.

On one hand, it is good to open our hearts fully to God and pour out everything before the Lord. That is only the beginning. As we go on progressing in spiritual life, we naturally gradually learn to reduce the words and slowly begin to communicate with God with blissful SILENCE as most of the saints did.

Good day and God bless us all! 🙏🏼🛐