Do not worry about tomorrow

Ash Wednesday began the season of Lent, when the Church observes a 40 day period before Easter. Lent was earlier called the Quadragesima, which comes from the Latin word for forty. Lent means springtime. It is a time to renew our relationship with God - just like in spring everything blossoms with new life, so in our spiritual lives, we should blossom like new flowers.

Jesus said:

Ask and you will receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives and everyone who seeks finds, and the door is open to anyone who knocks.

Which one of you hands his son a stone when he asks for bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you, then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will give good things to those who ask Him

Matthew 11:7-11

and:

Do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow nor reap. They gather nothing into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they? Can any of you by worrying, add a single moment to your life span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say "What are we to eat?" or "What are we to drink?" or "What are we to wear?"

Matthew 6:25-32

The common thread in both sayings of Jesus is faith. If one has faith, one would not worry about tomorrow, trusting that God will provide. The sisters of Missionaries of Charity, to name a good example, do not have any income other than donations from people. They live out this trust in Providence, and their needs are actually provided for. How difficult it is to actually trust everything to Providence.

Fasting is a way to leave aside the worry about food, and remember God. It helps to foster solidarity with those who have little to eat. By fasting or abstaining from things that we like, we live out the message of Jesus, that "life is more important than food and the body more important than clothing". We come to terms with what we really are - creatures of God, who enjoy all good things because of His Providence and Mercy, not because of our merit.

Avoiding things of this life that give us joy is one way of living our the sentiment to God that our real treasure is not the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the things we enjoy, but God Himself. God is far greater than any of these. We have the gift of faith, through which we know, more surely than anything else, that God will keep His promise to grant us eternal beatitude if we are faithful. We hope that we will see God face to face and spend eternity with Him, and we live with that hope always.

Christ my Light

Living in this world is a constant journey.
There are problems you thought were not there.
There is a place you do not know has thorns too.
Even after prayer and faith, the works of God,

There are burnt down embers of a beautiful forest.
That forest is our lives, sweet and true,
But the burning embers is the reality of life,
And the offering of our hands before our Lord.

But will we offer it to our precious Savior,
Who can change it and make it good?
Who can cleanse it for the better?
Who can take all the darkness away?

How long can a man bear a cross, I ask.
But how foolish am I when in false expectation,
I expect roses coming now, when my Lord is there,
Walking every step with me.

He it is who bears my cross each day,
To carry pain and remorse and huge burdens,
To have gone into the depths of sin and shame,
By coming here to us and conquering all.

Yes, my all-­conquering Savior is the light now,
My solace and peace and comfort and faith,
Each day he looks at me like he did the Cyrenian,
He's the one who bears the weight of my heart.

Have Faith

All of us have trying times. Jesus was put to the test and so are we. Our Lord calls us to have faith at all times. To trust in him and his promises. Our Lord always keeps his promises, far more than any human person. Let me share some promises our our Lord from the Bible:

"As you sow, so shall you reap"

"In the measure that you use, will it be given to you"

The lesson we have here is clear and strong. So shall you reap. will be given to you.

Both words are affirmative. Some of us may have a darkness when we do good. When we love. There may be apparently no returns. Yet, the Lord tells us like as if it already is confirmed.

Indeed, so shall you reap. There is nothing more than sow that is said here. Therefore, do not worry because sometimes in hard times, you may only sow and sow and sow and apparently be hurt and pained and shamed.

Do not worry because the Lord tells us in the affirmative. It is true. O yes it is that the rewards will come. Maybe a month, a year, a few years.

So love, love and love more. Love in good times and bad. Love when it is returned and when it is not. Look at the meaning of what our Lord did. The rewards of the souls were after Jesus died.

At one point, Christianity was a message in the hearts of 11 faithful men afraid of the world and branded as traitors. These, who did not leave the Lord when he said:

"And you, would you also want to leave?"

Let us take the example of Saint Peter, who says:

"To whom shall we go, Lord? You have the words of eternal life."

A poem on faith:

Whenever there's a problem,
Wherever there's despair
Just bow your head in prayer and know
That God will always be there.

When things look bleak and dreary,
When it seems that no one cares,
Have faith, my friend, in our Lord
And he will answer all your prayers.

I know sometimes it's hard,
Things don't seem to work out right,
But it truly is quite pointless
To kick or scream or fight.

When you really need an answer,
On HIM you can depend.
Only FAITH can move a mountain -
So, have FAITH in God, my friend!

Stairway to Heaven

Reality is just a subset of truth. Life on earth is just a shadow of heaven. Where science ends, faith begins. Faith gives us the wings to go beyond where science can take us. The wisdom of the Almighty goes far beyond the valleys of sin and death. Because Christ conquered both through his Sacrifice. Enjoy this poem and let it take you on the wings of faith. Experience the gentle journey and joy of a blessed heart.

I hold on to a quiet light,
Glistening on my window pane.
We're starving Lord, your people here,
Dying to see your holy way.

I know you set a path for me,
A holy place you have from me.
At night I feel so lonely, Lord,
Because inside, I am not yet there.

To a beautiful chapel Lord, take me,
To a bright, warm place, lead me.
To that door that leads to the stairway,
To the path that leads to you.

Shall I ask what you meant, Lord?
When you showed me that stairway?
The stairway you created in me,
Behind the door to that chapel, Lord.

Your way is most perfect, Jesus,
Your spirit leads me on.
I shall not doubt or worry,
Just trust in you all the way.

We always want to reach the peak,
But you want us to smile all the way,
Even as we are imperfect and hollow,
Your love is all we need, Saviour.

Heaven and Nowhere Else

God blesses us with things that can take us to where he wants us to be. Indeed, in the Bible, the Eucharist and in prayer, we have those wonderful things that can take us to the special place God has prepared for us. See and enjoy this poem from the heart, be refreshed by the blessing and grace of saying yes to God.

To you, Lord, my yesterday, my today,
Years have I known your precious way.
Will I ever find a better way?
Nothing will stop this now!!

Ever with you I will be,
No one can turn me anywhere else.
My work, my hands, I offer thee,
Surrender my breath and heart to thee.

I know your road may be narrow,
But popularity is not for me.
I may lose friends on the way,
But your eternal promises are too great.

How can I lose my inheritance?
How can I abandon those paths of truth?
No man ever has known a better heaven,
Your thunder and power descending on me.

Halleluiah to the God above,
Amen to your will in me.
Today, tomorrow, time has no end,
His reign is for ever.

A smile, a touch, a warm embrace,
Your presence fills me up.
May my work be ashes,
And my body a burning ember.

My flesh be your slave,
My desire tested in your fire.
I shall never be alone,
As long as you love me.

O look dear people at that everlasting love,
Far from all the things of earth,
Turn to the great, keep him as your goal,
And all things else shall come your way.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure in a field. A man sells everything he has and goes back and buys that field."
Matthew 13:44

We need to talk

A thought crossed my mind yesterday. I have felt lonely. I need to talk to someone. But yesterday, I realized that with God it is the same way.

God has all the nature of love. He is FULL of love. This is why he sent his son - Jn 3:16. And just as we would want to talk to someone whom we love, so also, God wants to talk to us. He watches us, his beloved children every moment seeing us ignoring him. He wants only to talk to us.

Prayer is not a means to go higher in Gods eyes. That is only a consequence. Prayer happens because we need to talk to the one who loves, just as we would want to talk to a person we love. When I think of prayer this way, the doors to pray open readily.