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5th Sunday in Lent - B Every death potentially leads to new life
April 2, 2006

Jesus: We continue with our method of prayer- reading the Gospel passage in the first person - as before. Begin with the usual moments of deep interior silence and stillness. Calm your mind and heart to be attentive to My words. When you are sufficiently still, briefly tell Me how you have fared in the past week, especially in putting into practice all that we shared in our prayer encounter.

[Time for silent reflection]

Jesus: Begin by reading the fairly long Gospel of the day in the first person: … ‘Mary was the one who anointed Me with perfume …’ In this way you hear the story as if I Myself were telling it to you. Pay attention to the high points of the story especially the encounter with the two sisters separately and the conversation that ensues, the raising of Lazarus and what happened after that.

The entire story is a deep reflection on the meaning and reality of death in this world. On the surface, death is a painful parting of a loved one and the intensity of pain is obviously linked with the fact of sin – that mysterious something which makes life difficult for us when we would like it to be smooth and pleasant. However, reflect on your own life and see whether it is true or not that when life runs smoothly you tend to take things for granted, even to forget Me altogether. So, these unpleasant incidents in life and ultimately death itself, help to give you the much-needed jolt or wake-up call and bring you back to the key aspects of life. Basically, what these unpleasant events do is to help you question the depth and intensity of your relationship with Me, the source of your very being. Is our relationship a living one, one in which there is constant inter-action, give and take, real life communication?

If there is a deep relationship then, even though the event is painful and baffling, it will end by bringing us closer to each other. Let us look at what happens to Martha. As soon as she realized I was there, she blurted out her pent-up emotions: ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!’ Now you can see that this is an emotional outburst which even contradicts some obvious basic truths. First, does God have to be physically close to persons for him to act in their favour? Recall the story of the Centurion whose faith led him to say – ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just say one word and all will be well!’ Martha, in her grieving had obviously forgotten that, or rather her emotions made her feel that if Jesus were around they would have been more comforted. God is always actively blessing us whether we feel him close or not.

Secondly, her words betray the understanding that death is something evil – and yet it is a natural fact for everyone. None of us would want to live for a thousand years, even if it were granted to us because we all know that as we grow older we get more and more feeble, dependent, unable to handle life by ourselves. So, through this story I invite all people to reflect that:
(a) Death is a parting from persons in this world, but it is a meeting up with the infinitely loving God.
(b) Death is an entry into the fullness of life, symbolized by Lazarus walking out of the tomb, free of all his earthly encumbrances.

However, I would want you to pay attention to this. Eternal life is not what I gave Lazarus when I ‘raised’ him back to life. I merely resuscitated him, brought him back to the same old level of life that he had before. Lazarus in this second lease of life would be no different from what he was before. This raising was meant to be only a symbol or reminder of the Resurrection that I offer all those who follow Me. Resurrection means a real raising of the person to a new level of life so that the person now continues to exist but, in a totally new way. This is brought out in the Scriptural texts by expressions like: ‘There will be no more mourning or weeping… every tear will be wiped away… For anyone who is in Christ Jesus, there is a new creation…’

This is the kind of life that a proper observance of Lent will bring you. For that you have to seek to ‘lose yourself’ in obedience and total trust in Me. Just as I obeyed the Father even unto death, death on a cross, so you too will be challenged to ever greater measures of obedience and surrender. Stay in silence and look into your heart and see whether you have the courage to surrender to that extent. You may dialogue with Martha and Mary about how they felt after Lazarus was ‘raised’, what lessons they learnt from the event and how it changed their lives and their thinking ever after… Having learnt these lessons, would there be some drastic changes in your present life-style? In which ways can you be a /new creation in this Lent?

As you near the end of your prayer, spend some time in deep inner silence once again. This time let it be a peace-filled silence: just a blank with no thoughts, words, desires or whatever. Just before coming out of prayer, spend a few moments interceding for the needs of others and conclude with the usual ejaculatory prayer or bhajan which you could repeat through the day.

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Palm Sunday – B The Cross accepted transforms my life
April 9, 2006

Jesus: We meet again in this most important of all weeks in the Church’s liturgy. Remain in silence as usual and regulate your breathing patterns to help you settle down in silence and stillness. Make a conscious effort to slow down your breathing and this will slow you’re your racing thoughts and feelings. When you have stilled your mind and heart, tell Me how you have fared in the week that has just passed. You would have been aware that you were going to enter into Holy Week … is there anything special that struck you?

[Time for silent prayer and reflections]

Jesus: One way you could spend your entire hour of prayer this week, is to read the full Passion narrative of the Sunday in the first person, slowly and prayerfully, pausing whenever you are struck by something on which you would like to dialogue with Me. This method of prayer is called the ‘Lectio Divina’, a prayerful reading of the Scriptures.

Another fruitful way would be to listen to Me answer some of your questions concerning the Passion in general. E.g. Why was there need of such intense suffering in God’s plan for saving the world from sin and death? Could there not have been another way, one that would be less painful? Why were the apostles not able to enter into the Passion with You – after all, they had shared everything with You for three long years! … Let Me explain some of these key points regarding the Passion.

Suffering and death are not of God’s making and it is never his design that we should suffer. If you read Is. 40:1-7 you will notice that God is pained that his people had to suffer twice as much as He had ordained. And so, he works to make their return as smooth as possible. He orders the pagan nations to prepare a way for his people: straight, level and smooth so that they travel back quickly and effortlessly. That much considerate and concerned is God for the welfare of his people who at that point of time were still unfaithful and disobedient to God.

When the Father planned or chalked out the way for his people, he worked out what would be the best, quickest, safest, least painful, the most beneficial and so on. He placed this plan before them and said: “If only you will obey … you shall be My treasured possession…” Had the people followed God’s plan step by step, everything would have been quite different. It is not as if there would not be any pain – because pain is something natural, it is a part of life itself. But that pain would not cause any distress in our minds and hearts. We would not ask: ‘Why, how long, why me’? and so on. We would have seen it as part of God’s loving plan and so even when we fail to understand the reason or sense behind that pain, we would have accepted it as something known to God, our loving Father, who gives us the best.

Part of this plan of God is that we learn to share our blessings with one another, especially with those who, for some reason, have received less. The more generously we shared even our very selves, the more would the world have been a happy place to live in for everyone. It maybe that some would have ended up having less than what they could have possessed, if they had not shared, but everyone would be happy. Of the first Christian community we are told: “There was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:32-35). We would have learnt the art of being happy by entering into the happiness of others.

The ‘suffering’ present in the world today stems from the fact that people go against these two fundamental points: obedience and sharing our blessings. We have somehow come to twist the whole situation around and see these two qualities or obedience and sharing as attitudes that reduce our well-being. Now this is what the Passion shows you in bold relief: obedience to the Father may sometimes lead to total rejection and death; but that is not the end of the story. There is the ‘resurrection’ which is the final answer. The sharing part is shown in the Last Supper scene, where taking the bread and breaking it as a symbol of My self-giving, I said: ‘Take and eat …’ It was given to everyone who cared to come and eat … And then I added: Now, you My disciples, if you wish to continue to save the world from its mad self-destruction, ‘do this as you remember Me.’

Stay in silence before this mystery of life and death. As you look back over your own life, you will notice innumerable examples where practicing these two qualities brought you true peace and happiness. Keeping some of these pictures in mind, remain in total silence and stillness for as long as you can … let Me speak to your heart … as you come towards the end of your prayer, reach out to others through petitions for their needs. End your prayer with the usual bhajan or short hymn which you could repeat several times during the week. Thus it will be easier for your prayer to influence your entire week.

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Easter – Year B Risen = New – in all aspects of life
April 16, 2006

Jesus: We have some important things to share in this hour of prayer and so ensure that your mind is totally receptive and still, remain in deep inner silence. Consciously slow down you breathing and calm your mind by focusing on just one point – My presence to you. Share also some of the things that struck you, especially as you participated in the Holy Week services. These are extremely rich with regard to the meaning of life and death for all people. Were you also able to live out some of this ‘paschal mystery’ in your life during this week? Share some of these experiences briefly with Me.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: Begin by reading the Gospel passage in the first person… focus especially on the line: “I am not here, I have risen as I had said…” What does it mean to say that a person has risen from the dead? For one thing, it does not mean that the person has come back to the same level of life physically, so that s/he simply continues what was there previously. The key elements are:

(a) Life has not been destroyed – God never creates anything in order to destroy it, or to annihilate it, to send it back to nothingness. In its very being it continues and as that particular creature it gives praise and thanks to the Father for all eternity. So, the more you are what you are meant to be in the design of God, the more thanks and praise would be give to the Father by your very being – and that too all through eternity. You will remain in heaven as a ‘model’ of God’s handiwork. But then, how does one become what one is called to be? The only answer is - obedience. If you can see obedience not as a difficult, self-destroying sort of submission to an autocratic Power, but as ‘entering into and flowing with the tide of Life’ – maybe it would not seem so impossible and difficult.

(b) Life is raised to the highest level of sharing in God’s own being/life itself. However, the measure in which a person shares in God’s life is the measure in which s/he has divested him/herself of the Self. So, the more ‘dis-obedient’ and self-centred you have been during your stay on earth, the less will you share in God’s life. But, everyone will share in some measure at least. The point of course, is to share in it as much as possible. And so, My resurrection has important lessons for you to learn and practice while here on earth. Learn to see every event as an opportunity to increase your capacity for love. For, God is love and the greater capacity you have built up will stand you in good stead at the end.

(c) The risen life is not something that will be a reality only once a person passes away from this world. It is present right here and now, even in this world, in so far as a person becomes more and more ‘human’ as s/he goes along. To become more human means at least that one becomes more ‘obedient’ and sharing or communitarian in one’s attitudes especially when dealing with others; that one can live in peace and harmony with all kinds of people, seeing them as brothers and sisters. We have been created in the image and likeness of God, and since God is three-in-one, we too are at our best when we live in harmony with others. Every private victory or conquest over oneself is a sharing in My risen-ness. If you make it your life’s ambition to gain as many private victories over yourself as possible each day, what a difference would there not be – in the whole world? In every difficult situation, therefore, first ask yourself: Is there something that I have contributed to make this situation difficult? Can I do something about my share in it? What can I change in myself that will change the entire situation for everyone? Working in your areas of influence rather than grumbling about areas of concern will make a big difference for everyone around.

Take any of these reflections that strike you and remain in silence, allowing it to sink into your consciousness – listen deeply and with as much stillness as you can muster. That itself will go a long way towards transforming you personally and making you share in My resurrection. However, towards the end maintain total silence and stillness for some time. As you emerge from prayer, spend a few minutes praying for others and finally end with a short prayer or hymn.

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2nd Easter – Year B Faith: God’s gift to us
April 23, 2006

Jesus: Once again we meet and begin our prayer session with a period of deep silence and stillness. These sessions of prayer that we have are very important since they imperceptibly shape your Christian living. Hence, the more effort you put into them, the more you will benefit from the prayer. Pay conscious attention to your breathing – make it a slow and rhythmic as you can. After you have stilled your mind and heart, spend some little time telling Me of your spiritual efforts of the past week.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: Once again read the Gospel passage for the day in the first person, putting I where you get Jesus/he … Thus you hear of what the Apostles perceived as happening on that first Easter evening. Try also to feel the ‘peace’ and relief that would have quietened the agitated minds and hearts of the Apostles as they desperately tried to figure out the meaning of all that was happening to them. Their worlds had been turned upside down by the events of the past days and weeks. They needed to integrate all these experiences and discover the inner meaning behind them.

There are several important themes in this reading, all flowing from the central fact of the Resurrection. With My returning to the Father, the long exile of humankind has been ended and hence there is true and lasting peace now between God and human beings. They no longer need to fear God, because the Redemption which He himself had initiated has now been fulfilled – on his side at least. We would still need to accept this gift form the Father for the process to be complete. Feel this peace deep down within yourself, even to the very marrow of your bones. Feel it in the context of the fears that usually plague you, the insecurities you experience, the doubts you harbour… Know that I have conquered all that is evil and that too permanently and universally. There is no one excluded from this victory as long as he desires to be one with Me. Renew your commitment to remain in My love …

There is also the theme of missioning: the victory is for all people and unless every single person knows of this gift offered to him, he will not be able to make full use of it. Hence, I need messengers who will not only tell others about this victory, but also give others a taste of it by the example of their own lives. Hence, if you are willing to be My messenger, you will first have to allow Me to triumph in your own life first. Bring to Me, therefore, the key areas in your life where you easily fall prey to the enemy: your laziness, duplicity, ambiguity and the rest. As you consciously place these areas under the influence of My radiating love, let Me burn away all the evil that remains in you. At times you might find it difficult to admit the presence of this evil in you, after so many years of following Me. Yet, that does not matter at all – what is important is that right now you want to come fully under the power of My triumphant love.

The other idea is to let your life now be ruled by the power of the Spirit whom I impart to you. Remain open and receptive, so that the Spirit can fill your life. Admit him into the every nook and cranny in your life, where your false Self usually hides from My love. Invite him repeatedly to abide in you and to take over all your thoughts, decisions, fantasies – in fact every aspect of your life, so that you could be truly a powerful witness for Me.

Then there is the aspect of faith – based not on what you see and feel for yourself, but founded on My word and fidelity. Bring into your prayer also all those who are challenged to believe not only in what they do not see, but even in the very opposite of what they see. Bring to mind some concrete persons whose faith is shallow, or challenged beyond their strength

Avoid the temptation of rushing in order to complete all these varied aspects. You need not complete them – what is more important is to savour each for as long as it offers you matter for communicating with Me. Towards the end gradually slip into deep silence and stillness so that the Spirit can act directly on you while you are still and silent. As you emerge from your prayer remember a few people around you who are in need, especially those who are desperately struggling to remain faithful to God. Conclude with the customary hymn or bhajan.

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3rd Easter – Year B Various ways of meeting the Risen Lord
April 30, 2006

Jesus: As we meet again for our weekly encounter, begin by setting your mind and heart at rest so that you can be fully attentive to My voice. As St. Paul reminds you: the resurrection is the greatest truth on which your entire faith rests – if that truth fails to inspire you in your daily activity, then your life cannot but be insipid and frustrating. “If Christ has not risen, your faith is in vain.” So, work earnestly to make your mind receptive. Consciously slow down your breathing and blank out your mind of all extraneous thoughts and feelings. Share also some of the activity of the past week.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: The Christian community in which St. Luke worked somehow came to believe that the Risen Lord would be found only in the tomb. Seeking to move them away from this way of thinking, Luke shows them different ways in which the Risen Lord is found not among the dead, but among the living. “Why do you look for the living One among the dead?” To understand this truth and all its implications more effectively, first read the entire passage in the first person.

In the dialogue I, the Risen Lord had with the two disciples what emerges is that the Risen One is found not among the dead, but in the living community of believers - in the breaking of the Word (I led the two disciples through the Scriptures, explaining …) and in the breaking of the Bread after reaching Emmaus. Later, as they shared their faith-experience with the community at Jerusalem, I, the Risen Lord once again stood among them. There in Jerusalem, they encountered Me in the sharing of the fish and in the breaking of the Word once more. Next I commissioned them to be witnesses of this and finally I led them out as far as Bethany, to the place where My Passion began, and having blessed them got them to walk their way to Calvary and death for in their suffering they would meet Me in yet another way. You notice that all these ways are simply part of the life of any person today. Almost every aspect of daily living can become a place to encounter the Risen Lord and benefit from My presence.

Take each of these seven different ways and reflect on them in My presence, listening deeply to what I have to say to you particularly about how you today are to meet Me in your day-to- day life. Decide on one or two of these ways which you will attend to in a special manner during this week and present them to Me. Allow Me to empower you to discover Me in these ways and enrich your life with My peace, joy and love. Move into complete silence and stillness as you allow Me to work on you interiorly. The more still and silent you are the better. As you emerge from this stillness, reach out to others in petitionary prayer for their urgent needs and end your prayer session with an ejaculatory prayer or bhajan.

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4th Easter – Year B The Risen Lord shepherds us with tender devotion
May 7, 2006

Jesus: We once more enter into our prayer time with a few minutes of conscious shutting out of all that may prove to be a hindrance to genuine inter-personal communion between us. While it may be difficult, yet try to work this out studiously as the effectiveness of your prayer depends largely on this inner silence. After some time when you feel more relaxed and calm, speak to Me about your efforts of the last week: let us review together the progress you have made and be aware of the things that block that progress.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: Today’s passage is already in the first person and so there will be little effort you need to make in this line. While it might be difficult for you to work out the qualities of a good shepherd, since you don’t have personal experience of shepherding in the big cities in which you live, yet there are parallel situations that can still speak to us. Think of yourself as the owner of a chain of retail shops whose ambition it is to reach especially those persons who are at the bottom of the pyramid – the poor, the marginalized, those living in remote or inaccessible villages. The concern of such an owner would be not just to set up retail shops but to ensure that they provide the kind of merchandise the people need, at prices that are within their reach. He might even seek to work out loaning schemes that are advantageous to both the people who are his customers and also to his own enterprise. Now all this is not just theory, but has been worked out by several enterprising ‘good shepherd’ kind of persons in several third world countries, even in India.

The result of dealing with such a company is that trust is built between the client and the MNC because what stands out is the obvious intention of the owner to benefit not just himself but primarily his customer. Once this trust is built, there is a genuine bonding between the two. If the company can maintain the trust of clients and even increase it step by step, there is nothing that the client will not approach them for, because s/he is convinced that they desire their good and welfare. Now transpose this to the spiritual level where we experience the obvious good that Jesus wants for us and works out for us in ingenious ways, in almost every department of our lives. Once our trust in him is firm, then we know that we are safely ensconced in his powerful and loving hands. Nothing will ever be able to shake our trust in him.

Allow any of these insights to revolve in your mind as you review the various facets of your life: spiritual, material, intellectual, social, emotional, moral and so on. Spend as much time in each section as you need. It is better to cover less but with greater depth, than to skim over many but with little lasting effect. Then, slowly yet decidedly move towards total silence and stillness. Remain in this silence for as long as you can and as you emerge spend a few minutes reaching out to others – you can be a powerful agent to bring God’s love and peace to others. End with a short hymn or prayer.

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5th Easter – Year B Obedience ensures a fruitful and happy life
May 14, 2006

Jesus: Once again, it is recommended that you begin your hour of prayer with a few moments of perfect stillness and silence. Even though this exercise is somewhat difficult, yet much of the success of your prayer will depend on it. You could concentrate on your breathing, making it more regular and slow. This will almost automatically calm and quieten your mind and heart too. When you are ready, you could share with Me how you fared in your attempts to live out what you prayed the last week …

[Time for silent prayer]

Jesus: Most of the passage is already in the first person and so you could read it straight through. It is also fairly easy to pick up the key points. First of all, I want you to realize that suffering has a very definite role in your life – it helps to prune you and enable you to produce more fruit. The Father’s wish is that you produce fruit in plenty and so he sends you all that will foster this luxuriant growth in you. But if suffering is to produce this beneficial effect in your life, you will have to receive it in a special manner. If you resist or question or fight back in any way, that would place blocks making it difficult for the effect to be seen. On the other hand, it does not mean that you would need to submit meekly like a sheep that is led to the slaughter. The best guide in this matter is My own prayer in Gethsemane. I too asked the Father to take away the Cup of suffering if that was possible - but finally left everything in His loving hands.

In the next Gospel segment, I recommend that you make your home in Me – which really means that you be so united in mind and heart with My thinking that your thoughts and decisions are the same as Mine. But this cannot happen unless and until you are deeply united with Me – unless you spend quality time with Me on a regular basis. It need not be a large portion of time, but it must be regular and sufficiently personal. This means that in your prayer, you spend quite some time listening deeply to what I have to say, that you make the effort to understand all that I suggest, because My thoughts are quite different from your thoughts. And then comes the most important part, which is putting it into practice. If you only listen and do not practice, then you are like a man who builds his house on sand: you know what the fate of that house will be when the storm comes.

This link between us must be something living. Now the first result or ‘fruit’ of this living relationships is that it grows, improves, deepens, increases. The measure of the increase of a relationship is the measure of trust that exists between the two parties. Do you see your trust in Me growing? Does it carry you through difficult circumstances without too much self-doubt, fear and anxiety? Not only would you be more trusting in Me, but your trust will be infectious – seeing your faith, others around will also learn to trust. Recall also that trust is a quality that cannot be forced – it just happens as a kind of by-product of regular interaction and repeated experiences of love and fidelity.

Another ‘fruit’ you will notice in your life is that your prayers are always answered. This happens for obvious reasons: when you trust Me, you will not ask for or want anything that goes against the Father’s will. You know from experience that whatever the Father wants for you is the best. So, you ask and desire only what the Father wills and that is what will happen in practice. Even if you desire something other than the Father’s will, you will not be disturbed when you do not get it. Above all, the more conscious you are of the fact that I am now ‘risen’ and that by remaining close to Me you share in My risen-ness, the more ‘fruitful’ will your life be.

Pick out any of these reflections that have struck you and in silence seek to personalize them. Listen deeply to that still inner voice of the Spirit and respond generously and spontaneously. Towards the end of your prayer, move into total silence and stillness – this will allow the Spirit to act on you without too much disturbance. Before you conclude, spend a few minutes in quiet intercession for the needs of others: remember very specially those who do not seem to be united in Me like branches in the vine. End with the concluding hymn but ensure that at least one line of this hymn sums up all that you have prayed over today – you must repeat it often during the week and thus recall what you have prayer here with Me.

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6th Easter – Year B Inner security flows from being genuinely loved
May 21, 2006

Jesus: Welcome to this hour of prayer which we begin in the usual manner by striving to calm and quieten your mind and heart. Even though this takes some time and is difficult, it is worth spending a few moments on this difficult exercise. You could use the help of a slower rate of breathing which you consciously adopt. When you experience a greater quiet within you, share briefly how you have tried to live out your prayer of the last week.

[Time for quiet prayer and reflection]

Jesus: We continue with our reflections on the Gospel, which again for this week hardly needs transposing into the first person. Hence, read the passage slowly and prayerfully. When you remain in My love, inevitably everything falls into place and so you experience a deep sense of harmony and peace. And this level of peace is something no one else is able to give you, because it comes from deep within. You are now closer to being what you were originally meant to be when God created you. Stay in silence drinking in this peace but if you find that you cannot still experience it sufficiently, the reason may be that you need to surrender something into My hands. Listen deeply and the Spirit will point it out to you.

In this work of surrendering also, be as gentle and calm as possible. Here too it helps to link it with your breathing. Breathe in slowly, consciously feeling the air enter into your nostrils and sink deep down into you. Retain your breath for a reasonable while and then exhale slowly and completely. It is with the exhaled breath that you surrender all the blocks and obstacles into My hands. Recall one or two instances in which you have experienced My love and fidelity: this will facilitate the letting-go. It is important to feel yourself dropping, as it were, into My secure grasp. If needed recall the way in which the mother eagle teaches its young one to fly. She herself pushes it out of the nest which is perched on a very high rocky cliff. Since the little one doesn’t yet know how to fly, it drops down like a stone … experiencing tremendous fear. But the mother eagle watches carefully and before th young one can hit the ground, she swoops down and picks it up on its wings and soars away into the sky. The process is repeated several times and little by little the young one gains confidence enough to take off on its own. The key point for you today is to feel the security the young eaglet experiences even as it is hurtling to sure death but is suddenly rescued and is secure on its mother’s back. If it is not yet correctly positioned, the mother attends to that by adjusting her wings, even as she soars into the sky. That kind of security is what you should feel as you nestle in My powerful hands. [Time for silent prayer].

In the Gospel passage I suggest that the way to remain in My love is to obey. And I place before you the example of My own life and behaviour. I too remained in the Father’s love by keeping his commandments – even when what he asked of Me was to lay down My life to show our love for you. If you too can rise to that level, there should be nothing that you really lack, for the Father’s love will flow into you abundantly and uninterruptedly . The test of whether you are really in My love or nor is that you ‘know all the secrets of the kingdom.’ It is amazing how much you will understand of God’s ways once you are truly close to him. Only a true friend, one who has the key to the other person’s heart, as it were, really understands him – and so it is between the Father and you.

And which is the greatest command the Father gives you? It is to ‘love one another as I have loved you.’ This is a difficult thing to do, and yet, it is the easiest injunction I could have given. If you have truly tasted and appreciated My love of you, it would be very easy to love others. Besides, it is the Father himself who puts his love into you heart and through his Spirit teaches you how to love. Take one example from the Old Testament. Recall how David loved – both Saul the first king and Absolom, his own rebellious son. In both instances, the other person was really difficult to love, because no matter how kind and accommodating David was to them, they consistently acted treacherously towards him. Where did David find his almost superhuman way of loving them and consistently doing good for them? Wasn’t it the power of the Spirit in him? All that David did was to keep himself open to the Spirit and refuse to stoop down to a base human vindictive level of relationship. You too can do that. Recall any person in your life who treats you in that way, like a Saul or Absolom. If you are really following in My footsteps, you will certainly come across such persons in your life. The Father brings them into your life in order to train you – and also to show his power present in ordinary human beings like you. Against this background, pray for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit on you today … visualize yourself loving this person ‘even unto death.’

You can almost defiantly claim from the Father the power to love in this manner, because He reminds you: ‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you … and I appointed you to bear much fruit.’ So, the Father has to provide you with that measure and quality of love, so that you can produce the required fruit and glorify his name.

But also note the warning, that all this kind of loving behaviour will not make you popular – rather it will attract the anger and persecution of the persons around you. And this means in practice that you will have to suffer even more because you choose to love in this way. Recall any ‘persecution’ that you are called to suffer because of your being faithful to My call. Place that in the hands of the Lord and accept from him the strength to continue to be faithful. Continue to dialogue with Me over all this and as you reach the end of your prayer, move into deep silence and stillness … stay this way for a fairly long period.

In conclusion, reach out to others through Intercessory prayer and end with a short hymn or bhajan.

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7th Easter – Year B
May 28, 2006

Jesus: We enter now into the last week of the Easter season. You have received the key instructions necessary for you to be an effective disciple. Now what remains is that you go out and proclaim the Good News not so much in word, as through the example of your very life. Before this important commissioning can take place, I need to spend some quality time with you – to attend to the finishing touches of your training as a disciple. So, enter into this prayer with the usual time of silence and stillness… Then, tell Me how you were able to live out the prayer of the last week.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: For this Gospel passage you will have to make the effort to read it in the first person: “And I said to My disciples: Go into …” When I send My disciples out to preach, I don’t just throw them to the wolves, as it were. I assure them of My continued presence with them, shown through the divine power at work in and through them. The text goes on to say that the disciples did as I had bidden them, ‘while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.’

As I sent out those disciples, so today I wish to send you to the people around you. The mission and the conditions are the same today too – provided you step out in faith and share the Good News as so many of them did. Just to remind you of the gist of this Good News: God is on your side, He has blessed his chosen ones with every good gift … you are now a child of God already – live as a child of God, in love and peace with everyone around you. When you can build around you a community of persons who live in peace and harmony, then you will know that God’s kingdom has come. The ideal in this matter is that there be ‘not a single among them who is in need.’ In this endeavour do not allow anything - no adversity or fear, to stop you. Focus all your attention on My presence amidst you and you will see how everything goes smoothly – not necessarily according to your plan or to your advantage, but in line with what the Father has worked out for you. The peace I leave with you will abide with you always.

Remain in silence, and visualize what you can do to further God’s kingdom in and around the place where you live, your place of work, the people you travel with or rub shoulders with each day … Visualize how you can be a messenger of peace and fellowship and make a difference wherever you are. Is there any particular person who needs a special expression of your love: someone who is grieving, suffering, misunderstood and rejected, lonely and depressed … begin by praying for that person and later see if you can reach out to him/her at least by phone or letter.

To help you in this prayer, you could take the words of the popular hymn : The world stands in need of liberation – sing it softly and meaningfully, keeping an open ear to listen to what I have to say to you regarding your mission today … then move into deep silence and stillness for as long as you can stay that way. Conclude with a few intercessions that arise from your heart and make the hymn or bhajan the last act of this hour of prayer.

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Ascension – Year B The Christian is an extension of Christ today
June 4, 2006

Jesus: The feast of the Ascension reminds you that I am no longer with you in the ordinary way in which I was with My disciples, in flesh and blood, as it were. I left them in this bodily form – yet I am present to all of you in a far deeper and more powerful manner. Stay in silence and feel that deeper presence within you – commune with Me at this depth and share briefly how you lived your prayer in the past week. Use the help of a slower rate of breathing, especially of breathing out completely.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: Begin again by reading the Gospel passage in the first person. “After this, I said to Peter ‘follow Me’…” Now that I have withdrawn physically from the world, you are My visible representative to everyone you meet and interact with. They must be able to see My characteristic features in you. You notice how Peter falls short of this when he is more interested in what will happen to John than in what he is supposed to do to witness to My presence. You too must try to avoid this pitfall – to be more interested in what others do rather than in what you are expected to do. Each one is given a certain responsibility in this world, and if each one does his little bit, the Kingdom of God will be taken care of adequately. But in general, many people tend to neglect their own allotted tasks and interfere with what others are supposed to do. What a colossal waste of time and energy this is. Is it any surprise therefore, that the Kingdom of the Father does not make much progress?

Consider this truth calmly and dispassionately: it has taken 2000 years to get just 1.7% Catholics in the whole of India – for that is what the number of Catholics in India today is. At this rate, it will take another 98,000 years to get a full 100% Catholic India. Granted that I have clearly told you that My followers will always be a small minority, like the salt, the leaven, the mustard seed. Yet in a land that is naturally religious and inclined towards spiritual realities, that has given birth so famous worldwide religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, that My following should be so small is certainly something that should make My followers think and question whether there is something they can do to improve the situation. Besides, you recall the expression of Gandhiji which is repeated so often: ‘I love the Jesus of the Gospels, but I will never become a Catholic’ – evidently because there were huge discrepancies between the Christian teaching and the practice of the same faith. Is that true today too, especially in the area where you live and work? Can you do something to change that impression? Can you show people around that there are Christians who are courageous enough to live out the demanding implications of their faith? The number of Catholics may be small, but their quality must certainly be worth reckoning with!

You remember what an impact Mrs. Gladys Staines made when she rose above feelings of vindictiveness to the point of forgiving her husband’s assailants and choosing to remain in India to serve the very same people who put them to death. We can never forget the positive influence Mother Teresa wielded wherever she went. What would India be like if we had just 100 Mother Teresas and Gladys Staines? Why can’t we have more such people among us? Where are such persons formed or ‘fabricated’? Well, many of them are trained and toughened at My feet, before the Blessed Sacrament! But, this does not happen when people come into My Eucharistic presence only to ask for favours. It is when they come to learn from Me who am meek and humble of heart, obedient and loving even unto death – that they go back transformed. Would you like to be one such person? Open out your heart and soul to Me as you remain in deep interior silence and peace.

After several minutes of deep silence, from your heart filled with My love, reach out to others who are in need … and then conclude your prayer with the usual short hymn.

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Pentecost – Year B The Spirit fosters life of risen Lord in us
June 11, 2006

Jesus: We draw near to the end of the Easter cycle and from now on you will be invited to deepen the quality of your Christian commitment each Sunday. Enter into this prayer with the usual time of silence and stillness – with the help of a slower rate of breathing quieten your mind and heart to listen to what I have to say to you. Also make sure that you share your experiences of the past week, as I am keen on seeing how you handle the difficulties that crop up.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: Once again, begin by reading the passage in the first person: “The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which I had directed them …” We see in this passage how the disciples still were not too sure about the implications of My resurrection. They needed ever clearer assurances of My continuing presence with them, especially in times of difficulty. Against the background of the Jewish teaching from which most of Matthew’s community originated we notice that they needed to see more deeply and consistently the fidelity of God to all of his promises. I had shown them conclusively that God had brought about an all-round fulfillment of all his promises in My dying and rising. But it is one thing to know or hear of this “good news”, and quite another to be deeply convinced that this is the reality we are dealing with and living out today.

However, little by little the Matthean community accepted the challenge of continuing My work as I had commanded them. They not only extended the membership of the group, but also organized it into a well-knit community that really cared for and loved one another in spite of all the difficulties they experienced from within and from without. They were able to reveal My continuing presence within such an organized community – something that is normally very difficult to do. For, once a community settles down, inevitably more and more rules and regulations mushroom, sometimes stifling the very spirit of the group. The problem exists even today and is seen very often in the new charismatic groups that arise everywhere. Initially they function so harmoniously and effectively, but as their numbers begin to increase and others join in who perhaps do not have the same enthusiasm and spirit as the founding members, more and more ‘dos and donts’ begin to appear – and gradually though imperceptibly the element of fear and punishment creeps in.

Reflect on your own participation in Church life and activities in your parish today – how free do you find yourself in dealing with existing structures? How personal are the relationships among the people and those in authority? Keeping all this in mind, pray very specially that in every unit of the Church’s organization particularly where you live and work, enough room may be given to God’s Spirit to truly inspire the members to give of their best. We all want a more participative and servant Church, but there is a yawning gap between desire and achievement. Unless persons are thoroughly steeped in the spirit of the risen Lord, this kind of harmonious living is really difficulty to achieve.

A special comment on the quality of life in your own family might be in place here. If the Spirit is to work mightily in the Church, it must begin in each family – the relationships in a family are much closer and warmer, yet in practice there are also greater hurdles to overcome within a family, as we tend to take one another for granted within the closeness of a family. Spend some time praying for each of the families you know – your own, neighbours, relatives, friends, your SCC group and so on.

Towards the end of your prayer, spend time in deep silence and stillness before moving into the Intercessions and final hymn.

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Body & Blood of Christ – Year B Live what you celebrate
June 18, 2006

Jesus: We meet again for our weekly appointment and even as I welcome you lovingly for this time together, it is important that you place only Me at the centre of your attention during this hour. There are several other things that will claim your attention, but how much you can focus on Me alone is the test of the depth of love you have for Me. So gently yet firmly put aside all other distractions. To help quieten your mind, you could repeat a ‘mantra’ several times – one of your choice, or: ‘Lord Jesus, Son of God, fill me with Your love.’ You could also consciously seek to slow down your breathing while reciting this prayer. After a while, tell Me of your experiences of this past week – is there something that could be improved?

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: Begin by reading the passage in the first person: “On the first … My disciples said to Me: …” We see that I made very specific preparations of the place where the Passover would be held, leaving it to the disciples to attend to the rest of the minute details. I had several important lessons to drive home on that occasion and so the setting in which the meal was to be held was important. The key message to them was: this Passover meal is very significant and should be seen in the context of God’s plan to share life with human beings in covenant. My response of total loving self-surrender during the meal was also part of God’s mysterious plan for Me and for the rest of mankind. The fact that everything happened according to ‘what I had told them’ indicates that God is in charge of the situation and even though it involves leaving and dying, that would not be the end of the story of My life.

In your life, how would you know that things are unfolding according to God’s plan? One simple way would be to see how much of Self is involved in what you plan for the day. When your plans fail and things seem to go in the opposite direction that could well be God’s way of saying: ‘Now I am taking over, leave things to me.’ How easy do you find it to adapt yourself to unforeseen circumstances? Do you feel lost and insecure in such situations? Can you cheerfully let go without always double-checking whether you are on the right track or not? Do you fall in line totally with the new arrangement, without trying to drag things back to the original plan?

Coming now to the Supper itself, notice the differences in the way Mark recounts the story from what you hear in the Eucharist each day. There are two or three important changes: first, Mark does not say: ‘Take and eat,’ but simply: ‘Take, eat: this My Body.’ The focus is largely on the self-gift. Stay with this thought for a while and see how much in practice do you appreciate this gift of Myself to you and all mankind. Please note that the word ‘body’ does not mean mere flesh. For the Israelites, it conveyed the idea of ‘self’, person, the entire being. So what I handed over to My disciples was My very life, whole and entire.

The second difference is that when it comes to the Cup, the disciples all drink of it and only then does Mark have Me pronounce the words of interpretation: ‘This cup is My blood…’ The reason for this is that earlier, when James and John had come with their request to be given the seats of either side of Me (Mk. 10:32-42), I had challenged them: ‘Can you drink the cup that I am to drink?’ And they answered: ‘Yes, we can!’ Later the remaining ten were indignant with these two because they stole a march on them – they thus indicated that they too were ready to drink of the Cup – if that was what was needed to obtain the all-important seats on either side in the kingdom. And hence, Mark has all the disciples drinking of the Cup to express their desire to share in My sufferings. But when the Passion actually began, Mark has this sad comment: ‘They all forsook him and fled!’ (14:50). He recounts the Last Supper in this way because several of his own disciples were doing exactly the same. They were living during the Nero persecution and so hundreds of them faced the prospect of martyrdom – and several apostatized, abandoning their commitment to die and rise with Me. Can you spot this kind of behaviour in yourself too – a generous readiness to gift of yourself during the Liturgy, but in actual practice, a pulling back when the crisis hits you.

This is a very serious question that is placed before you as you enter into the Ordinary Time of the liturgical year. Having engaged in the Lenten liturgies with great gusto, you will now be challenged to live out your commitment even when the going is rough. And you can be sure that there will be ups and downs in your life, almost every day of your life. In silence recall some concrete instances where you too behaved like the disciples, very fervent during the liturgy, but quite indifferent the rest of the day. Bring these areas to Me in prayer and re-live them, but now see yourself being faithful because you realize vividly that I am with you, that My Spirit provides you with all that you need to conquer this situation. Re-live each such situation and conclude by placing it in My powerful hands. You will notice that the next time you face such a situation, your response will be very positive and Christlike.

[Time for silent prayer]

Towards the end of your hour, move into total silence and stillness: maintain a hopeful attitude within you. There is no need to be sad or ashamed of your previous failings. I share My victory with you, for I am still the ‘Risen Lord’ of history. Also do not fail to reach out to the needy with at least a few intercessions – and conclude by silently singing a hymn – if possible: All to Jesus, I surrender …

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Trinity Sunday – Year B With Jesus no storm is too threatening
June 25, 2006

Jesus: We begin this hour of prayer again with a brief period of total silence: remain as motionless as you possibly can and drive out all distracting reflections and feelings. Foster instead feelings of peace and a sense of floating comfortably in the ocean of My love. Once you have acquired a certain measure of peace, recall some of the instances in which you were challenged to live your self-giving as we had reflected last week.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus: In the arrangement of Mark’s gospel, having announced that the Kingdom of God is near, he shows Me working a number of miracles, all of which were designed to prove that God’s power is at work in the world. But it would take My disciples a long while to be thoroughly convinced of this. Towards the end of the first half of his gospel, Mark will still have the disciples providing only half the answer to My question: ‘Who do you say that I am.’ In spite of all the miracles, all they could say is that “You are the Christ!” They did not yet recognize Me as the Son of God – though all of them certainly knew that this power to calm the tempestuous sea can come only from the Father. In one way, their reaction is not surprising for “no one can come to Me unless the Father draw him.” Isn’t it tragic that after being called to share life with Me, they should stop short of the whole mystery of God present to human beings. Yet, somehow that has been the story of almost all whom I call. They begin generously but when it comes to taking the plunge and committing themselves totally, they somehow pull back out of fear.

How are things in your life? Do you also opt for only what you can take of the Father’s love and care – in small doses, and one step at a time? Nothing great is done in this way. It is only those who are daring enough to go the whole way who will do great things for God. In your case, you have besides the example of others, the proof of My resurrection – so what more would you really need to get you going? And you will always notice that the Lord seems to be asleep, unconcerned, almost forgetful of your safety. Unless you have a deep experience of the Father’s fidelity to you, you would inevitably tend to get frightened.

The feast of the Blessed Trinity that you celebrate this Sunday reminds you that you have all the three divine Persons at your ‘service’ once you commit your life to them. The Father leads you, the Son accompanies you and the Spirit empowers you – in every project that emanates from them. Hence, all that you need to do is to ensure that what you launch into or embark upon is really God’s will. Also, the fact that you encounter storms and insurmountable obstacles is a sure sign that you are doing God’s work. These difficulties are meant to test your faith – to check whether you rely on your own resources or on God’s strength and secondly to see if you trust in his presence and power. Knowing that these obstacles are like the mother eagle who itself pushes the young one out of the nest to teach it to fly, all you need do is to hang on in faith, no matter what happens. As the mother eagle swoops down under the falling eaglet and picks it up on the wing, so will God rescue you, usually at the very last moment, when all seems lost.

After I calmed the sea, the disciples must have realized how foolish they really were: they had Me with them in the boat, and yet they were afraid that they would sink and drown. When I dwell within you, is it at all possible for you to suffer any harm? In silence, seek to deepen your faith so that henceforth nothing should ever disturb your peace of mind. As Paul says: “If God is for us, who can be against us… What can ever separate us from the love of Christ – can suffering, persecution, hardships or even death? No in all these things, we are conquerors. Spend some time praising and thanking the Father for his faithful love … just admire how good God is to all those who put their trust in him.

Finally move into silence and remain in that calm atmosphere for as long as you can. Permit Me to work on your mind and heart from within and transform your very thinking. One your basic paradigms change, everything will indeed be new. You will become a new creation! As you come out of this deep inner silence, spend a few minutes in intercessions for others. Conclude with the usual hymn or bhajan.

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