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Jesus :  We enter into this prayer with a few minutes of intense and consciously observed silence, a silence more of the mind and heart than of the external surroundings… you may combine this effort at remaining silent with a slower rate of breathing as this also helps in keeping the mind under control… The deeper the inner silence, the better will be the prayer you make because then you are more disposed to listen to all that the Spirit says to you in the secret of your heart.  After you have quieted your mind, turn your thoughts to last week’s prayer and pick out any instances where it helped you face the difficulties of the week in a better manner… Are there any lessons that you can learn from this prayer experience for today?  This applies both to the time of prayer that you will spend now in Church and also to the rest of the coming week!

[Pray and reflect in silence]

Jesus : You will have noticed in the Gospel passage how I made use of the opportunity presented by My disciples when they put their question, to teach them and you too a very important lesson regarding the inner meaning of My redemptive work.  I came that people may live in the light, may see the truth of the reality around them (Jn. 3:18-21).  So, this person’s blindness, even if from birth, was not the result of his sin… whatever may have been its origin, it was a God-given chance for Me to show the process by which a person comes to the light.  Once they had understood this process, others could also follow it and gain access to the true Light, which is Myself!

Notice, first of all, that since the person was blind, I had to ‘enter’ into his consciousness through sound and touch. I spoke to him and anointed his eyes with the paste I made. But then I needed the person himself also to collaborate in the process – in this case, I asked the blind man to go to the pool and wash himself. If he were not prepared to do even that much, he certainly would not have received the tremendous blessing of having his eyesight restored to perfect health.  Often, it is the laziness of the person concerned, or even his/her lack of faith that prevents him/her from receiving God’s favours. But for the one who is ready to take a risk and seek the favour and further do whatever he is told, practically nothing is impossible!

You : Lord Jesus, I take the point You make.  Sometimes, I too am somewhat lazy or disbelieving and so miss out on some of Your important blessings. I want in the future to avail myself of every gift You offer me.  Do not allow me to be so stupid as to pass these wonderful opportunities by.  I realize that this hour of prayer too is one such blessing – I look forward to some special blessings that I am in need of today!  I recall the incident of blind Bartimaeus sitting by the roadside begging when You were to pass that way.  Realizing what a marvelous opportunity was being provided him, he shouted louder and louder. Even though those in the procession scolded him for his interference, he did not give up until You called for him and eventually restored his sight. I like his dogged determination which finally obtained for him Your favour and blessing.

Jesus :  But, let us move on to the remaining steps of the process.  Having committed himself to action, the man now finds himself in deeper trouble. He is accosted by the Pharisees and he cannot give them a satisfactory answer.  Nevertheless, the great favour he received made him vocal and brave to take on the Pharisees, come what way; eventually he would even challenge them, for which he would have to pay even more, this time with excommunication from the local synagogue!  But far from being an evil, this expulsion would only serve to encourage him to cast his lot now with Me totally.  That is a typical way in which God acts.  While he leads you on, he ensures that he closes the door after you have crossed the threshold, so that you do not retrace your steps and return to your former ways.  While initially this may seem very scary, if you can trust the Father, you will find yourself entering deeper and deeper into communion with him.  But whatever be the further steps the Father needs you to take, be sure always that he knows what he is doing and will never let you down.  In fact, he will encourage you at almost every step, especially when you have been generous in taking the first few difficult steps.

In your life too, look back and see if there has been any such process that has taken place.  The actual circumstances could vary with each instance, but the pattern will be more or less the same. If you can recognize this pattern in your own life-situations, that would be great… keep repeating to yourself in the silence of your heart, that “it is good to trust the Lord totally and let him work things out for you” … ‘the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want …’  Should there be such situations in your life currently, visualize how you can cooperate with the Spirit even more enthusiastically, so that you open yourself to receive all that he wishes to shower on you.

You : Lord, but I notice that in the bargain, the man lost his own family too – out of fear his parents seem to have disowned him and left him to face the music on his own.  How would he have lived his life after all these events?  It is sad that his parents did not benefit from the courage shown by their disadvantaged son!  Had they been able to do this, would not they also have benefitted from the situation?  Lord, is that alright – kind of jumping onto the bandwagon … in matters that are good and according to God’s will?!?

Jesus :  You are right, but then, having regained his sight, he was now better equipped to face life on his own.  Besides, he would now have gained a new family (the Christian community) who would integrate him into their community life and he would soon feel at home.  Rather, with his enthusiastic readiness to share his experience with others, he would hardly have the time to worry about himself and his little daily crosses. He would certainly need to keep the larger picture in view and work steadily to spread the Kingdom of God around him.  Besides, with the increased sense of purpose in his life now, he would barely be able to concentrate on the ups and down in his own personal life, but would seek to make up for the number of years when he was dependent on the goodwill of others around him.  He had received a lot of love and consideration from so many people of goodwill, and now it is his turn to pass it on – which is something he would have gladly and gratefully undertaken.

You will notice that a true Christian is always a joyful person, ready to express his love and gratitude to God through the people who are in need of his services around him. From the moment he had been touched by the grace of God, he was a new person, with a new outlook on life, a new vision of God, of others, of self and of the world.  As long as he keeps to this new vision, nothing will be able to get him down.  But the moment he begins to focus on himself, his real problems will start.  As in all other matters, here too the Self is one’s main enemy and so the more one works to eliminate the Self, the greater will his progress in the spiritual life be!

As you move into deep silence, focus on the inner thoughts and feelings of this blind man who recovers his sight and see (in your mind’s eye) how he faced life from then on… inevitably you will find yourself comparing your attitudes with his.  What do you find in him that can benefit your life today?  In silence, calmly contemplate the scene and dialogue with Me, or respond to the Spirit inviting you to areas of change that will benefit you and make you a better instrument to spread My kingdom…  This time of silence is your real prayer and so put your heart and soul into it – but always be alert and attentive to what the Spirit guides you to do…

As you prepare to emerge from this deep silence and stillness, move into a few petitionary prayers for others in need. For today you could remember all those who are physically (and otherwise) handicapped and have to depend heavily on others for their existence.  Pray also for all those who assist them in their needs. This situation of need is ideally for the good of both parties if they respond generously to God’s call!  Conclude your prayer with a burst of praise for God’s marvelous ways of dealing with his beloved children and finally make a short vocal prayer or sing a stanza or two of a common hymn.

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Jesus : Today we have yet another aspect of life’s challenges to reflect upon and since these are so vital for a happy life on earth, begin with a sufficiently long period of silence in which you calm your mind and heart… Should you be plagued with extraneous thoughts and feelings, make some of these distractions the subject of your prayer – it might open up some avenues for your personal reflection and growth for this week … but you would need to listen deeply to the real message these distractions give you!  Do spare some time for a brief review of last week’s prayer and the living out of its key message!  Did you find some aspects of the pattern outlined for you in last week’s prayer in your own life – and of course, benefit from it?

[Time for silent reflection and prayer]

Jesus : For this week we have the important theme of the “new life” I offer a person.  First of all notice that this new life cannot be yours unless you first die to the present level at which you live.  If there is no real break with a certain ‘way of life’ or life-style, there can be no rising to a new or higher level of the spiritual life.  Cast a quick cursory glance over your life to see if there is any area in which you recognize the Spirit leading you to such a ‘death.’  It could be a simple habit of laziness (as happens when you seek to rise on time, or of being punctual for your work, or disciplined enough to stick to your given task rather than waste time with some trivial matters that can easily wait…).  The important point here is that you make a conscious, clear-cut decision and place it in My hands.  Next, implore the Spirit to take over your life in this area – and watch the miracles happening. The Spirit and I want you to rise higher and higher and constantly keep calling you upwards, but often our pleas fall on deaf ears. Perhaps you are more preoccupied with the few surface wounds you receive in the bargain!

And so, We then have to take more drastic measures, giving you a jolt, something that shakes you up.  You receive what is sometimes called ‘a wake-up call’ – and this you cannot really side-track: it demands your full attention urgently.  Of course, you can still refuse to cooperate, but at the risk of paying a much higher price.  You notice in the Gospel story, the death of Lazarus was a jolt to the entire family, and each member was challenged to re-structure his/her life if they wished to rise to the higher level.  Martha was challenged to deepen her faith and stop worrying overmuch – remember she was the one who fretted and fussed over so many things, whereas only one thing was necessary! I had pointed this out to her earlier during my casual visit to their home, but things had not changed very much…  Mary was more reflective and perceptive yet she too was taken to a much deeper level of intimacy with the Father … in the spiritual life, there is always room for further growth and progress.  And so, one should not rest on one’s laurels, imagining that all the work has been completed, once and for all!

Can you now remain in silence and reflect on your own situation?  Is the Spirit calling you to a deeper level of life at which your one concern is solely the Kingdom of the Father?  Such single-mindedness is difficult, but that is what the Father leads you to, so that your spiritual contribution towards the growth of the kingdom can be much more effective.  Consider the events that in your mind seem to be ‘set-backs’, misfortunes or even downright neglect on God’s part… look a little more deeply and you will discover that you can certainly look on them from a totally different angle – one which is more selfless and Christ-like, and one which will enable you to profit much more.  What you should aim at is a deepening of your faith, meaning thereby the inner conviction that the Father can never choose something for you which is bad or harmful. Even philosophically, that is not possible at all. God is by nature good, in fact, he is Goodness itself, and so whatever he ordains for you is basically good.  Once all your doubts in this regard have been put to rest, you will experience no difficulty in entrusting yourself into the Father’s hands.

You : Lord, as I listen to You week after week, I can see the depth of spiritual wealth that You share with me.  I realize too that it is not merely listening that You expect of me, but a genuine effort to practice all that You teach me.  And that too must be something repeatedly attempted, till it becomes a habit with me – else it will soon be lost in the hurly-burly of life.  I need to let the roots go deep into my very being and only then can I hope for some lasting change…

Jesus : Yes, that is important and I am happy that you are able to pick out this key point. So, continue in deep silence for as long as you have time and can take it… as you approach the end of your prayer time, spend a few minutes in Intercessory prayer for the needy.  For today you could remember some bereaved families in your neighbourhood and pray that the persons concerned will benefit from their experiences.  End your prayer in the usual way, with a burst of joyful praise and thanks through a short hymn or vocal prayer.

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Jesus :  With today’s liturgy we enter into the most sacred week of the Year. There are several important lessons I would like to place before you, but the key point is that you must be able to take them in.  I wouldn’t want you to suffer from spiritual indigestion because if this did happen, then all would be lost.  So, spend some quality time in deep silence, preparing your heart and mind to listen to all that I say to you and to act on it decisively… Don’t forget also the brief review of the week’s spiritual effort.  In this Lenten season, you would undoubtedly have put a lot of sincere effort into your day’s timetable – did you find that the prayer you made last week helped you face these trying situations?  Did you notice any progress in the way you handled tough situations, or did things go the other way?  A brief but sincere review would help improve the results for the coming week.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : For this evening’s prayer, you could take a reflection or two from the Procession ceremony or even from the Passion narrative that is read during the Eucharist.  If you wish to take the Triumphant entry you could notice how I prepared for the event in such a way that My disciples would see the link between the Old Testament scene and the present happenings.  Remember God’s ways are strange and quite different from the way people think. In God’s view, the true greatness of a person lies in his ability to submit himself to a higher power and work together with the Power which is God himself.  The world looks at things differently – worldly greatness requires that a person project himself, brag about his great qualities and seek to impress others with his achievements, throw his weight around and in general, make his presence felt. Yet, from your own experience you will have noticed that this kind of popularity does not last long.  People soon forget such persons because it is themselves they project in all that they do.

You : Lord, while I can see the wisdom of what You say, I can also feel the pull of the worldly way of being popular.  Yet in my quieter moments I do appreciate all that You teach both by word and example. Enable me to remember Your example when the temptation to go the way of the world is really strong.  I know from experience that earthly popularity is short-lived because I have seen it not only in Your life but in several other instances as well.  Yet …

Jesus : That is true!  But don’t imagine that I was taken in by this show of loyalty because in less than a week, things would have changed and turned around almost 180 degrees – the very same people who shouted their hosannas were the ones who vociferously shouted for My blood and death on a cross! What helped Me in this situation (and this would apply for you too in such circumstances), was a clear awareness of what the Father asked of Me.  I needed to alert the people that the Promised One was in their midst, but to always keep in mind, at the same time that God’s ways are not what people will readily appreciate… they would need to look deeper and reflect a lot more before they can see the wisdom of God’s ways.  Even My close disciples would find it difficult to grasp this inner meaning and after the initial lapses they would finally come to accept the Father’s choice of the way of the Cross.

For this week, could I suggest that you take the Passion Narrative and read it slowly and prayerfully, pausing at every word that strikes you… remain for as long as it offers you food for thought and prayer… look particularly for what seems strange in that given context, something that does not really fit in [to your normal way of thinking] – that will most likely give you the clue to discovering God’s ways which are different…  Try that now and don’t be in a hurry to finish. Even if a big chunk of the story remains to be covered, it really doesn’t matter… cover little but with some depth and that will offer you much greater benefit.  Even as you read and reflect, listen deeply to what the Spirit inspires in you and from time to time, pause to dialogue with him… Should you have a large portion of the Passion Narrative unfinished, then you could think of taking it up during the Week, especially when you spend time in prayer before the Altar of Repose on Holy Thursday night… when you have come to the end of your hour of prayer, turn to the usual petitions for others and the concluding burst of praise and thanks.

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Jesus : We enter into this prayer with the usual few minutes of deep interior silence which by now you would have come to appreciate and treasure for its power to keep you focused during this hour of prayer. Be as thorough as you can in clearing your mind of all unwanted thoughts and feelings so that you can be fully at My disposal during this hour. We will be reflecting on Mary Magdalene’s experience of My risen presence, but note that she was the only one there at the tomb because she cared!  She gave of her all and hence was blessed with that very special grace… Your efforts too will be similarly blessed.  Don’t forget the brief review of last week’s prayer and the way it inspired some little betterment in your life, especially enabling you to reach out to those in need more genuinely and consistently.

[Time for reflection and prayer]

Jesus : Now that you are ready, you could read the text of the Gospel slowly and prayerfully, noting every detail. Mary came to the tomb very early in the morning – indicating that she just couldn’t wait to do all that she had in her mind.  What she thought of possibly was to complete the burial rites which could not have been done because the Sabbath came in between.  Her approach was not: ‘what difference would it make now that he is dead? Let me attend to my own work now and get on with my life!’  Deep attachment to a person is an expression of great love and self-sacrifice.  This attitude of self-giving is what made Mary to go ‘very early in the morning’ perhaps wanting to be there before someone else did the needful.  Her one preoccupation was the kind deed she had in mind.  How often do you find yourself experiencing that much zest and dedication? Does it happen with regard to any work you need to do in the home for the sake of the family? Or, do you see it when dealing with friends and neighbours, at your place of work, or in your commitments at the Parish?  And further, how often do you find this happening?  If it is only once in a way, then you would need to look into this attitude a little more closely and do something about making it a more permanent feature of your life-style.  If it is fairly frequent, then you could praise and thank the Father for having inculcated this attitude in you!

If it happens only rarely, maybe you would do well to further sit in silence and reflect over this attitude of life and see what a difference it would make to so many people whom you think you love.  Love has its own degree of finesse and attention to detail which one sees nowhere else! It is like the mother who excuses herself after watching TV for a while with the family, saying that she is tired and wishes to retire for the night. Two hours later when the movie the others were watching ended, the family found her still busy ironing the clothes for the week! Well, that’s characteristic of mothers (maybe all women) all over the world.  But it is not necessarily a characteristic of women only – all need to learn to attend to details, especially when it is a matter of love – love for God, but shown through love for his needy children.  This attention to detail is what makes a person to be like ‘an island of excellence in an ocean of mediocrity!’ Do spend some time in deep silence checking how you could develop this quality even if doesn’t seem to be prominent in your life right now!

You : Lord Jesus, thank You so much for drawing my attention to this quality which I certainly need to attend to if I wish to make a difference in the lives of people around me.  And, when one goes to look critically at it, it costs so little – just perhaps a teeny-weeny sacrifice overcoming one’s self-centredness… or possibly a keen desire to ‘stretch’ beyond one’s comfort zone. Just the other day I remember reading an account of a person who launched a whole nationwide movement of collecting partially used pieces of soap from hotels, recycling them and making them available in an appealing shape and form to poor people across the globe – thus preventing the spread of microbial diseases rampant in those areas! How ingenious and yet proportionately how little effort was needed to work this out! Yes, Lord, let me remain in silence and see if there is something that the Spirit inspires me to do along these lines.

[Time for silent reflection and prayer]

Jesus : Now we could also reflect on the benefit that Mary got out of her assiduous waiting at the tomb – she became the first (as narrated in the Gospels) to witness and understand the fact of My resurrection.  Had she chosen to remain at home, would that have happened?  Had she thought only of her own preoccupations and not of Someone else, she certainly would not have received that privileged gift which so few actually did receive!  Reaching out to others generously, especially opening your heart to share with others something (even your time) which you would rather spend on yourself works marvels in your life.  You can almost feel yourself jumping to a higher level of thinking and behaving – and just imagine what would be total result if you do this kind of thing regularly!?!  How many blessings do you not forfeit simply by being self-centred and engrossed in matters that benefit only or even primarily yourself?!

After all, isn’t this really the deeper meaning of My Resurrection, that now that I am not shackled by just one earthly ‘form’, I can reach out to all people of all times and energize them to rise about their petty concerns and make a difference in the lives of others.  You have possibly heard of the “Smile Cards” that so many generous people use to such great effect all over the world.  A person leaves a Smile card with some money in it at strategic places like a shopping centre or mall frequented by poorer people – inside there is a brief note suggesting the receiver passes on the good deed if and when convenient!  Generally, the receiver is enthralled to get this little extra help in his/her financial situation, but soon finds him/herself moved to share something similar with others in need.  Using her little extra money, one woman bought some lottery tickets from her church social wing only to win a prize – all of which she anonymously donated to the Meals on Wheels or some such organization which specializes in helping the needy!  Could you be a link in a chain of something like this?

You : Lord, how kind of You to suggest this – I certainly can and without too much expense of time and money.  Lord, I like this kind of a ‘mission’ and would be grateful for any more suggestions You have… I am so slow in thinking out these, even though they don’t call for a great amount of brains or initiative… Let me remain in silence Lord during which the Spirit can touch my basically self-centred life and inspire me with something I can do for others!

[Time for silent reflection and prayer]

Jesus :  As you come to the end of your prayer time, spend a little time praying especially for the persons whom you intend helping this week… You could also pray for people you know who at present at least, are more caught up with their own needs and wants - finally, conclude with a burst of praise and thanks to the Father and continue this praising well into the week ahead!

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Jesus : (You) Lord, I am convinced of the need of deep silence and stillness at the start of my prayer session and so I will launch into it in a moment – I have seen its beneficial effects and wish to make the most of this precious time with You. Send Your Spirit upon me, Lord, to guide and inspire me throughout this hour of prayer… I shall also include the quick review of the last week’s spiritual effort – it was indeed a special and unusual week in which I tried to be new and risen as you suggested, like an island of excellence  in an ocean of mediocrity.

[Time for silence reflection and prayer]

Jesus :  In this Gospel passage which I recommend that you read slowly and reflectively, we see Thomas announcing the principle by which many people today guide their lives, viz. “seeing is believing.”  While that is not the best of all guiding principles, in this hour of prayer you could begin by assuming that it is worthwhile following it.  What is says is that when I ‘see’ for myself only then will I be convinced.  This sounds more like another version of the question that John the Baptist’s disciples asked about Me – ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?!   Today too, many skeptical or even cynical persons say the same about Christians – they claim a lot but finally do so little!  What they want to see is their own unselfish attitudes and actions in daily living – only then will the prayers and other devotions these devout Christian people practice really make sense and inspire others for the better!

Our own great Indian sage, Rabindranath Tagore said something similar didn’t he?  “Don’t pray to God to help the poor and needy around you – rather, you be the Good Samaritan who goes out of his way to help whomever you see as being in some kind of need or other… or something close to that!  Again it is said that ‘what you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say!’ Nietzsche, the great European philosopher taunted Christians saying, ‘You say that Christ has risen; show it to me in your lives and then I will believe in his resurrection!’ Underneath all these statements is the truth that ‘actions speak louder than words’… if the Risen Lord has really entered your life, then you have necessarily to be transformed… you have to be different and outstanding at least in a few significant areas of your daily life.   

You :  Lord, there seems to be a lot of truth in these sayings and it is quite a fair challenge that is thrown out to all Christians – that they make their actions speak more than their words!  For after all, it is much easier to talk than to show through consistent deeds that our lives have really been surrendered to You and are now filled with the power of Your love.  For ‘what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander!’  If my own life cannot change in spite of the power of the Risen Christ residing in me, then how can I tell others that their lives will change?  Lord, as I stay in silence, I earnestly ask Your Spirit to point out to me the areas in which I do not yet ‘walk my talk’, areas of my life where my talk is more boastful than my deeds.  I already can pick out a few instances, but I would like to really experience Your risen power in my life much more powerfully and so I want to give it my all! I desire to spare no efforts to make Your risen presence in my life a living reality!

Jesus : That is a very generous gesture.  Remain in silence then and listen deeply to the Spirit… place all your gracious desires in My heart for I too wish that you become a living witness to My risen presence in the world of today.  The more people there are who can become such witnesses the easier it becomes for Me to reach out and transform the entire world!  Ask the Spirit to lead you particularly in areas of common concern, like the rampant corruption in our country, the lack of respect and concern for the elderly and sick members of our families, taking advantage of the uneducated and simple people around us, gender discrimination and the like …

When you have exhausted the topics which the Spirit points out to you, and if you still have the time, you could reflect for a little while on the role of faith in your life. I say this because My risen presence can be apprehended only through ‘faith’. Now realize that faith is not something which can be worked out in your mind – there are no proofs available for a faith-proposition; one has to accept it only on the basis of the reliability of the other person’s word.  This of course, presumes that you know the other person well and are convinced that he will never deceive you.  Check to see how much you really trust the Father who can neither be deceived nor deceive anyone.  Now this is easily said, but in practice you will notice that your entire life is riddled with fear – fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what others will say and a thousand other shades and brands of fear.  The point to be kept in mind always is – your personal experience of the Father’s fidelity to his promises! This is the one thing that will make all the difference in your life!  Once that is clear, there is nothing that can ever shake you from your resolve to give of your all to the Father for his project of transforming the entire world into a loving Paradise for all!

Move into silence and stillness and once more spend this quiet time appreciating better the qualities of the Father, on which your faith response is based. Visualize different situations in which your faith will be challenged and prepare how you would want to respond in each of those situations… spend as much time on each as you need.  It is always better to do little but do it thoroughly and out of love.  Besides, once you have worked out the kind of response you wish to give in one concrete situation, you will find that basically your responses will be the same in other situations also.  This kind or level of responding soon becomes characteristic of you!

Having spent all the time needed in this fruitful kind of silence, towards the end of your hour of prayer, turn to intercessions for the needy and neglected in your area and finally end with a burst of thanks and praise for the renewed experience of God’s goodness – expressed through a short hymn or vocal prayer.  If this is something you could easily repeat during the week, so much the better, as it will help recapture the spirit of this prayer all through the week.

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Jesus : As usual we enter into this prayer this evening with the usual few minutes of deep interior silence and stillness. For today, do this with the help of a considerably slowed down rate of breathing. Concentrate on your inhaling and exhaling and ensure that it is rhythmic and smooth, not jerky.  Also, focus on exhaling all your disturbing thoughts placing them into My safe and secure hands for this hour of prayer.  After about five minutes of this exercise, turn your mind to the review of the past week and pick out a point or two for improvement.  Place these insights also into My loving hands and allow My Spirit to inspire you with ways of doing better in the coming week.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : For today, the Gospel text you have is the Emmaus journey during which you will witness the tremendous transformation that takes place simply because these two disciples were sincerely searching for the answer to a fundamental question – but, of course, they were looking in the wrong place all the while.  They had developed a mental block with regard to personal suffering and couldn’t see how the Messiah, God’s chosen one of all people, should have had to suffer and that too so grievously.  These mental blocks are usually built up by personal as well as by community presumptions.  If you can start your reflection by reminding yourself that ‘God’s ways are never your ways’ but are disconcertingly and surprisingly different, then most likely you would be more open to accept that God can come to you in any form and manner and at any time, for that matter.  When you begin with this assumption, then all your puzzles become like an adventure in which you discover God in the most unlikely places and you also learn a lot more about the unique qualities of the Father.
 
However, you will have also noticed that the answer to all your puzzles lies in the Scriptures and a proper interpretation of the sayings found there.  You have to train yourself to listen to the Word with an open mind and then you will be amazed at what you hear.  Better still if you can be humble and open enough to allow someone else to explain the Scriptures to you, maybe from a totally different angle, you might benefit tremendously.  Particularly when you seem to have got stuck in a rut, it is not a bad idea to turn to someone else for help.  Another important suggestion is that you listen to the Spirit within your own heart and mind.  The Emmaus disciples spoke of  ‘their hearts burning within them’ and sometimes, this can turn out to be quite a noticeable disturbance which should normally alert anyone who is attuned to the Spirit. At such moments, stop and listen deeply, but make sure that your inner attitude is one of openness and generosity, else you might snuff out the gentle voice of the Spirit.

You : Lord, I think I recognize what You allude to – there have been times when I did sense the Spirit at work in my life, but it took me quite some time and effort to come to terms with the changes I had to make on these occasions.  But I eventually did make those changes, what a difference I also experienced – it was somewhat like the changes that occurred in the lives of the two Emmaus disciples – a new surge of life and enthusiasm, a readiness to get back to the Community and to the initial commitment I had made to You.  Lord, if you will permit, let me go back to some of those occasions and savour them again, so that I can learn more from them!

[Time for silent reflection and prayer]

Jesus : I hope you have also noticed that My way of intervening in the lives of these two disciples had two distinct parts or stages.  The first was in words, but there had to be effective action to back up those words.  And it was only when the two were fused together that the real meaning dawned on the two.  In your life too, if you wish to take a short cut in your discovery of Me, don’t waste too much time in theories and words, but get down to action pretty soon – and in general the action will move in the direction of divesting of the Self in your life,  the breaking of the bread of your life!  Further, the action you take will always be in favour of others; your one desire will be to share your blessings with others, be it in community or outside.  And it is in doing precisely this, sharing with others, that you yourself will understand My message more clearly. For, ‘it is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned, and in dying that we are born to eternal life’ as St. Francis of Assisi said so powerfully.

Spend some time in deep silence and stillness, reflecting on some incident where you found yourself stuck and unable to make progress… try and unravel the spot where you were stuck and figure out the reason for this obstruction.  Dialogue with Me about it, but above all, listen deeply to the Spirit as he leads you back through the event, pointing out the pitfalls and traps that you failed to even notice at that time …

[Time for silence reflection and prayer]

Jesus : If you still have time, get back to Emmaus and now accompany the two disciples as they hurried all the way back to Jerusalem.  Listen to their conversation now – what would be their preoccupation this time? Do you notice any change in them – more in their thinking and attitudes rather than in the exterior!  How do they behave when back in the community, especially when the others show that they had already learnt about the truth of My resurrection?  Would they have been disappointed, or better, re-assured?  Do you notice that in the course of their encounter with Me along the way, many of their negative traits had disappeared – they are more positive and ready now to witness to the difficult truth of My resurrection!  They too had become new, and that is understandable – because unless they themselves had become new, how could they convey to others the message of newness that My resurrection is all about?  After all the most powerful witness is the witness of one’s life itself!

Stay now again in silence and check how new you really are and in how many areas of your life!  Are there areas in which you still need to work hard to bring about some newness?  These would obviously be your ‘comfort zones’ where the Self is entrenched and is difficult to dislodge.  Bring these areas to My loving heart and leave them there so that they can be melted and disposed off once and for all, out of harm’s way.  Then listen deeply to what the Spirit suggests as alternatives…

As you come to the close of your prayer time, move into Intercessory prayer for those in need. For today, you could attend to those persons you know to be groping in the dark, as it were, or struggling with some spiritual problem or other, unable to find their way out: pray that the Spirit may guide them and that they be open to his promptings, that they be not discouraged or give up but keep searching with trust and fidelity to their daily duties … conclude with a burst of praise and thanks or a short vocal prayer said enthusiastically.

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Jesus : As you usually do, begin by quietening your mind and heart, ridding them of all extraneous thoughts and feelings. For this evening you could read Ps. 131 – and picture yourself like that quietened child in its mother’s arms – calmly and confidently awaiting whatever will be given to it.  Once you feel that you are sufficiently quiet within, turn to a quick review of your performance during the past week – is there something you can learn from this?  Dialogue with Me about this and register a point or two for improvement in the coming week.

[Time for silent reflection and prayer]

Jesus : Today’s Gospel passage should be familiar to you – it is about My being the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep… this Shepherd knows each of his sheep by name and cares for them individually.  While you know all this, today I would like you to reflect that if I am to continue this shepherding task today and in your area, I need your help.  Would you be ready to come forward and offer some effective help?  I am sure that the first question you will put before Me is: ‘what does all this entail?’  For one thing – I will bring into your life the persons to whom I want you to manifest My love in the way I would usually do it – selflessly and limitlessly.  These will most likely be people who are not terribly lovable in the first place.  That is precisely the reason that I need someone extra-ordinary to love them – generally others cannot reach out to them at that level which will really touch their hearts and lives and make a real difference.

However, do not be afraid that I will leave you alone to do this all by yourself.  First of all, I will give you several signs, not the least of them being a strong inner urge to reach out to these persons… no matter how much you seek to evade the task, I will keep pursuing you like the ‘hound of heaven’ till you finally accept – it is a non-negotiable assignment, but if accepted, it will bring huge blessings on you and those close to you.  Besides, before you can even come to know of this assignment, I want you to realize that I am busy preparing the path for you in mysterious ways but you will be able to see the connection between one event and the next as you actually launch into this mission.

All I ask of you is to step out in faith, because the task involves something seemingly distasteful and repelling – like brushing the almost yard long, tangled white hair of a very elderly man being wheeled in a chair at a busy airport in full view of hundreds of people.  You happen to be well-dressed and awaiting your flight to be called, but – here is the opportunity offered to you, since you experience a strong inner call and urge to reach out to this person.  Would you do that simple task in front of all the people who have already begun ogling at the scene?  As you begin your simple but daunting task with everyone staring at you, the old man starts to cry because (as he tells you in a minute) he has just been discharged from hospital where he has been for a long time, and is returning home to his equally elderly and frail wife – and didn’t want to appear so shabby before her… much as he would have liked to, he cannot brush his hair by himself because of his weakness, so … he is eternally grateful to you, a stranger who came forward and helped him in his need – and that too unasked!

As you complete the job your flight is announced and off you go hurriedly – happy as a lark, because you were able to reach out to a helpless old man (to whom I chose you to show God’s unconditional love), not worrying about what others would think of you!  But did you notice how different you were from Jonah who initially (and even right to the end) refused to lend Me a helping hand in converting the Ninevites… he eventually did the job but was still disgruntled, and that only made him much more unhappy…

Remain in silence and let the Spirit guide you in the challenge I place before you (and not before too many others) to be My instrument in loving the persons I send into your life… recall any incidents in which you felt the tug on your heart-strings inviting you to reach out to some very concrete person/s around you… review that situation and even if your response wasn’t all that positive at that time, visualize how you could have (or better would have) responded more generously and will, the next time you are given such an opportunity… My assignments to you are very special and are offered only to very distinctive persons because I am confident that they will do a good job for Me.  So …

Remain in silence as long as you can and as you usually do, then move into Intercessions for those who are in need around you and conclude with a burst of praise and thanks or a short vocal prayer!

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Jesus : Lord even before you could tell me, I have already begun the process of quietening my mind and heart so that I can be fully attentive to all that You say to me today in prayer. I have finally begun to realize the tremendous importance of this initial quiet atmosphere in which to make my prayer: I find I can really listen deeply to all that is said to me, and also remember it a lot better.  Secondly it also shows that I give importance to the time of prayer, not just fitting it in alongside many other items in a busy schedule, but that this is the most important task I undertake for today.  Lord, bless my little efforts today and enable me to be really in touch with you.  I have also prepared my review of the past week and the points I have learnt from this review…

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : There are several points that you can take for your reflection in the little passage of this Sunday’s Gospel reading. Notice first of all that I suggest, “do not let your hearts be troubled!”  The reason for expressing it like this is that most of the time you are the main cause of all the trouble you experience, because you allow yourself to be upset and anxious.  Whereas if you firmly yet calmly reminded yourself that the Lord is in charge of the situation and so you need not be worried - and stick to that line of action, you will soon notice that things begin to quieten down almost by themselves.  Or at least you will remain calm enough to think out a workable solution.  You would need to remember that every problem you face is a golden opportunity for you to deepen your faith and make it as strong as a rock. It will challenge you from various angles, but each time you remain firm, one facet or aspect of your faith will be strengthened.

You:  Lord, there is something I picked up as I read the passage prayerfully a few minutes ago. If I want to learn about the Father, all I need to do is to look carefully at You, for You are a perfect image and a reflection of the Father.  I am already familiar with some of the qualities which I have discerned in You like Your patience, compassion and so on and so I can focus more on the qualities I am not so familiar with.  Lord, I am particularly taken up with the way the Father places himself totally at the disposal of us, his creatures and gives us opportunities to share with him the work of inviting people to return to his love.

Jesus :  Yes, that is true. In fact, I was sent by the Father precisely to make him known in flesh- and-blood terms and images.  Yet, how much would people not have gained from this scheme of the Father if each one could make the necessary effort!  Remember again that the words of Sacred Scripture speak mainly to the outer reality – to understand God’s real message one would need to listen to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. When God speaks to people through the Sacred Scriptures it is somewhat like a person receiving a letter by post – what the person receives in his hands is the envelope with the address on it. On receiving it he doesn’t get the real message until he tears open the envelope, extracts the letter that is within and begins to read it… only then is there any real communication between the one who sent the letter and the reader.  In other words, receiving the letter alone is not enough; one would need to put in a fair amount of work before one is truly united with the person who wrote the letter. Similarly, it is only when people make the effort to really get in touch with the Father (which can be quite difficult if, e.g. the person is distracted or in a hurry to go some place, or is caught up only with the externals…) that there is real communication between God and human beings.  Now how often do you take the time and trouble to delve deep into the actual letter or message – and isn’t some period of silence needed for at least some people in the congregation to be able to do this?

You:  Lord Jesus how right You are!  I do not often stop to ponder what the real message is; generally I am satisfied with superficial ideas or with the usual message that I hear, which might not even be the real communication of the Father to me on this particular occasion.  How can I ensure that I really pay attention to the Father’s love?

Jesus :  In fact, doing this is quite simple, but you need to consciously train yourself to listen at a deeper level… you could deliberately set aside the surface message you get and look for something deeper… asking the Holy Spirit for help is also another great means at your disposal provided it is done genuinely and with a real desire to get to the core!  Further, it is good to remember that the more one gets rid of the Self even consciously seeking to eliminate it, the easier does it become to listen to God’s Spirit – the reception is loud and clear at all times when the Self is quiet.

So then, whenever you read the Gospel, look for qualities of God/Myself that are revealed therein. For this, you need to read in between the lines… once you pick up a given quality then stay with it for a while trying to see where else you would have picked up the same or a similar quality. For the Father reveals his deepest and most special qualities in a thousand different ways, in different circumstances and through a variety of persons and situations.  However, make sure that the quality you decide upon is really implied in the text and is not just something coming out of your own imagination.  As a matter of fact, whichever quality you alight upon it will no doubt be true since the Father possesses all qualities in infinite measure.  The important point then is to appreciate it for what it really is in a given set of circumstances…

Another aspect worth looking at is: how is this quality different from what one usually sees in human beings? In some respects it is the same, but in some other significant manner it is totally different. Thus, while all people are patient to some extent, when this same quality of patience is applied to the Father, it has a significantly different tone to it.  God’s patience is not a mere tolerance or putting up with a difficult person or situation.  Rather, it is allowing the situation to deteriorate even to the point of no return and then, at the last moment, with a sudden twist bringing it back to perfect wholeness! One can see this aspect of patience in the story of the Prodigal Son – it is only when the situation had reached a point of no return that it was finally reversed – and in what an unimaginable manner so much so that the son was re-instated totally and irrevocably!  If you can remember this difference for every quality that you discover in the Father, that would give you quite a lot to reflect on.  Remain now in deep silence and let the Spirit lead and guide you into a deeper understanding of who God is for you.

After you have spent quite some time in this reflection, you can turn your mind to praying for others, especially today you could pray that people may understand the true nature of the Father particularly through the time they spend in prayer.  Conclude your hour of prayer with the usual burst of praise and thanks and/or a short hymn.

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Jesus : Enter into this prayer with the usual few minutes of deep quiet and stillness which you consciously observe in order to discover the inner Nature of the Father and also to get in touch with him effectively.  Consciously control your breathing, especially the exhaling, ensuring that you breathe out completely and maintain a brief period of total reasonably long blank or retention of breath between each round of breathing!  Once your mind is still and at peace, you could review the last week’s prayer and living of it so that you can improve in some particular aspect for the coming week.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : Now that the time for My leaving the world drew near, it was important for Me to prepare My disciples for the pain of parting.  Having gone through the trauma of My cruel death on the Cross, they would naturally have been afraid of facing life alone.  That is why I had to comfort them with the assurance of sending them My Spirit to remain with them, especially in difficult circumstances.  We shall spend some time reflecting on why it is important to have these periodical difficult spells even in your life today.  As I said several times to My disciples, real religion is clinging to the Father in the depth of one’s heart and soul.  This clinging is expressed through external actions and words, no doubt, but the reality that matters is the strength of attachment within especially in difficult circumstances, and when no one even notices the struggle that goes on inside of you.

Now this can be tested only when the person works on his/her own!  It is something like a child learning to ride a bicycle. Initially, the one instructing him/her holds the seat firmly and runs alongside as the budding young rider keeps pedaling away steadily.  The instructor thus provides the rider a steady balance on the two wheels; this process is meant to continue till the child gets the feel of what it means to balance oneself on two wheels.  Once this is internally mastered, without warning the child the instructor could leave him/her on his own.  What generally happens is that if the child is not aware that s/he is now on his/her own, s/he experiences no fear and would most likely be able to manage to maintain his balance, unless something really out of the ordinary happens unexpectedly.  But the moment s/he senses that s/he is on his own, then s/he is likely to be afraid and begin to waver.  Yet even this will change and improve once s/he has internalized what it means to have a balanced posture on a bicycle.

Something similar happens with the disciple – as long as s/he is consciously aware that I am around, s/he does not fear even the greatest trial. But if s/he senses that I have hidden Myself, s/he is likely to succumb to all kinds of fears!  The key point then is to learn to internalize My presence through the Spirit’s guidance and strength – then there will be nothing that can disturb the disciple.  This is the kind of assurance I wanted My disciples to have… and in time, they did rise to the occasion!  That is what you also need especially in these difficult times when the enemies of the kingdom are so numerous and active all around you.

You would possibly be helped by remaining in silence and first of all identifying the areas in which you are most likely to experience this fear of being alone.  Next, you need to visualize how a particular form of fear attacks you personally, from which angle and for how long… and with what disastrous consequences.  Once you can ‘see’ the enemy it is easier to confront and vanquish him.  This you can do only in an atmosphere of complete silence and stillness and so move now quite consciously into that silence and start this ‘work’ calmly yet with sufficient determination and courage.  No sooner you identify one strategy of the enemy than you will need to place it before My Spirit and let him take over your prayer – you remain passive and receptive for as long as is needed, allowing him to mould and shape you into a fearless person, at least with regard to this one area that you have worked on…

If there is time, you could work in a similar manner on another area, but don’t go beyond two areas as it is difficult to maintain a pointed focus on too many of these themes during the week.  After all, the sum total of all the reflections you make here are meant to be a springboard for concerted action that leads into the realm of the Kingdom.  It is not mere theory that we are interested in here.  After you have worked with the guidance and help of the Spirit, place all that you have learnt into My hands and remain again for a few minutes in total silence. Finally conclude your hour of prayer with the Intercessions for those in need and the final burst of praise and thanks and a vocal prayer or hymn.

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Jesus : We draw near to the completion of the Paschal Mystery celebrations for this year, and so you would need to be alert to pick up all the practical applications that you will need to live out this mystery in the rest of the liturgical year.  So, begin this hour of prayer with a very careful few minutes spent in deep silence and stillness so that you can be fully attentive to all that I say to you this evening.  Watch particularly for repeated distractions as these generally indicate some unfinished business in your mind and heart … check whether any of these needs to be attended to urgently, if not you can confidently place them in My hands and focus wholeheartedly on our work together … When sufficiently attentive, turn your mind to a quick review of last week’s prayer and living – is there something you need to learn from this review?  Talk this over freely with Me and then launch into the prayer for this week!

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : You will readily understand the thrust of this week’s message. As the Gospel story reminds you, just before taking final leave of My disciples, I commissioned them to go to the very ends of the earth to proclaim the Good News to all nations and to bring all peoples into the kingdom of the Father.  I said earlier that it would be easy for you to gauge this, because that was the very reason why the Father had sent Me.  Having accomplished My work, I had to pass it on to My disciples, so that they could keep the movement ticking and progressing until the end of time.  You will also understand that the ultimate thrust of all My activity was this establishment of the Kingdom for all time, so that every single human person would hear the Father’s invitation and enjoy a close personal relationship with the Blessed Trinity.

Even in the Eucharist that you celebrate, the high point of the celebration is the final sending out of every participant on mission so that this work may continue unabated.  Every section of the Eucharistic celebration points to and has meaning in terms of this sending out.  Thus, in the Entrance Rite all My people are welcomed to spend quality time with the Father, Son and Spirit and having experienced how fulfilling this is, they will have something personal to share with others the rest of the week.  In the Penitential Rite My people are not only cleansed of their unchristian attitudes, but are also renewed, made whole and wholesome, so that their very presence in the midst of others will bring healing, reconciliation and peace!

You:   Lord, let me venture to explain the next bit.  In the readings, You remind us once more of how much the Father loves us, each one of us individually, and how much You are prepared to sacrifice for our sakes.  I remember being told that at the end of all the readings, we need to ask ourselves this important question as coming from You: “Have you seen how much I love you?  Now, therefore, if you will obey, you shall be My treasured possession…”

Jesus: That’s great – not too many people remember this when listening to the readings from Sacred Scripture. But then, notice also how this approach influences your readiness to give of yourself to this mission work of the Father, because he has a specific work for each one, each day of your lives.  The enthusiasm with which you will carry out this work depends on your personal experience of the reality of his love for you!  A Christian cannot afford to be a self-centred person, looking after only his/her own spiritual life and comfort.  S/he has to reach out to others, at least out of sheer gratitude, if not out of love for the Father and also for the neighbor.  What each one has experienced is what God wants for every single human being.  But he needs enthusiastic instruments to bear this message consistently and effectively.  And in this matter, I cannot help you by doing the work for you.  I have done My bit and through My Spirit I can keep encouraging you, providing you with opportunities and the like – but ultimately it is you who have to do the actual job of reaching out to others in need!

Could you now move into silence and stillness and allow the Spirit to point out to you how you could fulfill the task I have given to you during this week, especially since you have reflected on My completing My share of My assignment and returning back to the Father, not just to be in splendid isolation, enjoying My reward, but to inspire everyone of My followers more urgently…  Listen deeply to the Spirit and visualize what exactly you are going to do for this week. Place your plans, hopes and desires in the safe hands of the Spirit and as you prepare to leave, pray for those whom you will minister to this week… if possible pray specifically and individually for each person – that will make your efforts to reach out to them more pointed and effective.  Finally end your prayer with a burst of praise and thanksgiving, concluding with a short vocal prayer or hymn.

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Jesus :  We  enter into this prayer with the usual time spent in gently quietening your mind and heart, ridding it of all distractions and unnecessary thoughts and feelings. Focus your heart more on Me and what I am going to share with you – that will make a big difference in the way you work out this hour of prayer… Use the help of your breathing by making it slow and rhythmic… then make a quick review of your past week’s effort.  You will remember that I spoke to you about the need of taking responsibility for the spread of My kingdom of love among the people you usually interact with… how much did you allow God’s Spirit to act in you?  How spontaneously and generously was this done, on most occasions that were given to you?  How much did you side-track the Self that would certainly have tried to get in the way of your efforts?

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : The Spirit is My first gift to those who believe in Me, particularly in the fact of the Resurrection, because this is the most difficult truth to really believe and put into practice.  But you will readily understand that if a person can truly believe in the truth of My Resurrection then there is nothing that s/he will ever run short of.  S/he will have the very source of life and love right within him/herself, within his/her reach at every moment of his life.  Hence, there will be nothing that is too difficult for him/her; in fact, such a person will soon realize that s/he does not live life alone.  I constantly work together with him/her, suggesting what needs to be attempted, even when it looks foreboding and forbidding!  Even when s/he sets out to do something, provided that is within the ambit of My law of love, all the right things will fall into place even without his/her worrying about them.

Further, such a person just goes on doing what I inspire him/her to do, without worrying too much about taking the credit to him/herself, or seeking for praise and recognition.  It is as if an inner power or force keeps moving him/her from one task to another and bringing about such powerful blessings in persons around that one cannot but marvel at such a life.  And yet, externally, the person appears so ordinary and simple that no one would attribute anything great to him/her. I’m sure you will have already seen and recalled the perfect icon for this: Mary, My mother!  She was so much in line with the plans and designs of the Father, that She was never at a loss about what should be done.  And having accomplished one task, She moved on to the next without too much hesitation.  Her constant joy was to see the fulfillment of the Kingdom all around her.  In fact, the more problems she encountered, the more she seemed to flourish – because she saw every problem as an opportunity to allow My power to radiate through her.

You:  Lord, it is now not at all surprising that Your Mother Mary was the mainstay of the apostles and disciples after Your resurrection.  When they all seemed to be at a loss about what to do and how to pick up the threads of their lives, She remained steadfast and held them all together as one faithful group.  In her own quiet way She helped them tide over that difficult period, and once they had regained their confidence in You and in themselves, they were able to move out even further, even to the ends of the earth, proclaiming the Good News of Your kingdom.

Jesus: Now that you mention it, it is worth recalling that even one person who genuinely believes in Me and My resurrection is enough to enable a whole group to rally round and remain faithful.  Though, such a person will generally be a natural leader, one who understands God’s ways and more than that, is ready to pay the whole price to remain true to his/her calling.  Now that is the kind of person I would like to fashion you into – if you are ready to give all that it takes to attain to that level.  I need many more such persons if I am to make a real and significant difference in today’s world.  People generally admire such outstanding persons, but are more than reluctant to follow them because of the price involved.

Remain in silence now and just allow the Spirit to speak to your heart… listen attentively to all that he suggests and more than that seek to surrender totally into his hands. He has the perfect idea of what you should be if the Father is to be able to work through you in every circumstance.  As you silently follow all that the Spirit says to you, let him also rouse in you the sentiments and responses that are appropriate to God’s call to you.  See if you can visualize concrete instances in which you can practice all that the Spirit inspires in you… the more concretely you can do this, the better, as it will then be highly productive as you live out your life during the coming week.

Should any concrete action plan evolve in your mind and heart, work it out quietly and then place it in My hands through the Spirit, allowing him to finalize the details and inspire you to action.  Towards the end of your prayer hour, turn to some intercessory prayer for others: this week you could perhaps pray very especially for people who find it difficult to make up their minds about almost everything they wish to do… they seem to agonize over every decision they have to make… pray that they may be more open to the working of the Spirit as they go through life … conclude your prayer with the usual burst of praise and thanks and the concluding hymn.

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Jesus :  Enter into this prayer again with the few minutes of deep silence and stillness, more a stillness of the mind and heart than something merely external - but don’t under-estimate the power of bodily stillness too.  You may close your eyes and consciously slow down your breathing … once you notice that you are sufficiently quiet and recollected, then turn your mind and heart to a brief yet serious review of the past week – enquiring how you lived what you learnt in your prayer.  After all, prayer is primarily directed towards changing your life and making you a better instrument in My hands – so …

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : The Gospel passage that you have read at the Eucharist reminds you that the inner nature of God is not only a Trinity, three Persons sharing the one and same Divinity, but also that their interactions with one another are characterized by love.  The Gospel states: “God so loved the world that he sent his only Son…”  The Father’s confidence in the Son is so great that he knows that the Son not only understands his mind and heart perfectly, but also wants every single item that the Father himself desires.  He will not stray one iota from the Father’s plan and hence that plan is sure to see fulfillment when left in the hands of the Son.  For the surest sign of love is perfect unity (solidarity) and obedience. As a matter of fact, that is the way I lived all through My life on earth – always seeking to fulfill the Father’s will, no matter how difficult it was at times. This is seen most clearly in the prayer that I made in the Garden of Gethsemane.  After praying thrice, I finally surrendered unconditionally into the Father’s hands and right up to the end when I said, “It is accomplished” I did not waver a bit.  And wasn’t My faith in the Father vindicated through the Resurrection which took some time to be noticed, but was present right from the start!?!

Now, the Father’s plan is not only derived from his infinite love, but is also shot through at every step with that same infinite love.  Generally we imagine that God being also the God of justice would punish those who resist his will, that ‘no sinner is your guest’ as the psalmist says (Ps. 5:4-5).  And yet, that is what I was sent to demonstrate both in word and action that as a matter of fact, every sinner is a highly honoured guest at the Father’s banqueting Table, as long as s/he accepts the invitation and prepares him/herself accordingly.  The magnitude and prolonged period of his/her sinfulness does not matter at all – all that counts is the sincerity of his return to the Father’s love.  This shows the revolutionary and superiority of God’s love over the kinds of love that humans usually experience and share with one another.

The reason for this great magnanimity and generosity of God’s love is that he is the fullness of being and so no matter how much you disobey him, you do not make anything less for him; your sins do not discredit God in any way just as your praise and thanks do not add anything to his greatness (see weekday Preface IV).  Rather, when you sin, you only succeed in destroying yourselves against the greatness of his love.  Now this truth is very important to remember, especially when dealing with the Blessed Trinity – that God is pure and selfless love … the kind that humans find difficult even to imagine and so their appreciation of this love of the Trinity is often very shallow and insufficient.  Remain in silence for some time now and seek to drink in this truth… ask for the strength to truly believe that all three, Father, Son and Spirit are love itself and that Our love does not in any way depend on the response of creatures.  Remain with this thought till it almost becomes a part and parcel of your very thinking!

You:  Lord Jesus, it is difficult for us to even imagine that we can be loved in that fashion.  That perhaps accounts for the fact that we do not really entrust ourselves into the Father’s hands even when we say that we surrender.  Rather, we constantly seek for ‘proofs’ of God’s love for us… we seem to be surprised when we discover from time to time how much the Father really loves us, when it should rather be almost taken for granted that, that is the only way God can and does love us his beloved creatures!

Jesus: Today’s feast though also reminds you that this depth of love is to be found in all three Persons equally. So whether you deal with the Father directly, or with Me or with the Spirit, you experience exactly the same kind and measure of love.  In practice, some people find it easier to relate intimately to the Father – a good and striking example of this is St. Therese of Lisieux, and that was partly because of her experience of love in her own family, especially when dealing with her parents, more specifically with her father. Others find it simpler to relate to Me, particularly in view of the kind of life I lived while on earth – while still others relate better to the Spirit.  Actually, which Person you are more comfortable dealing with doesn’t really matter – what is more important is that you develop a childlike intimacy with him.  You are aware, of course, that there cannot be any jealousy and so on among the three Persons of the Trinity, and further there is perfect openness and transparency among Us.  Actually We delight to see some finding their ease and happiness with One or Other of the Three Persons for we are sure that eventually all will be One.

Move into deep silence now and allow this truth to sink into the depths of your being. Check out for yourself which of the three Persons you find yourself most comfortable with and why.  At the same time, it would be good for you to seek to develop a growth in and depth of intimacy with the other two Persons as well.  The key point to be avoided in dealing with all three Persons is fear – since this distorts all relationships and blocks all true intimacy.  However, it is also good to note that intimacy does not mean being casual with God or taking him for granted.  It calls for the deepest reverence and awe when dealing with any of the three Persons… it also calls for the ability to see yourself for what you are in the sight of God – his beloved, and to allow him/Us to love you the only way we can love – that is, totally, unselfishly and unconditionally!  Spend at least a good part of your time of silence  reflecting on this depth of intimacy which the feast of the Trinity calls you to… as you draw near the end of your prayer time, move into Intercessory prayer for others.  Today you could pray that your near and dear ones may develop a real depth of intimacy with the three Persons of the Trinity.

Conclude with a burst of genuinely loving praise of each of the Three Persons and wind up with a brief hymn.

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Jesus : As usual we enter into this prayer session with a few minutes of intense effort to quieten the mind and heart ridding them of all extraneous preoccupations.  The more empty and receptive your mind is the better will you be able to listen to My still inner voice. It is worth recalling that the external Word of Scripture that you read is largely only the vehicle of the inner message that the Spirit conveys to you in the depths of your heart.  But if this most secret area of your life is not accessible to the Spirit, what message would you really hear?  So, do put some effort into being still and silent.  Before we begin the dialogue do spend some time in a quiet yet meaningful review of your effort of the last week to live out what you learnt in prayer.

[Time for silent prayer and reflection]

Jesus : In this prayer today I invite you to explore a little more deeply the meaning of “anyone who eats this bread will live for ever!”  The Jews of My time were deeply aware of the central place that bread had in their lives.  No meal would be considered as complete, if there were no bread on the table.  For the Jews, bread was the very substance of their lives, and they could not imagine how life could be lived without bread.  So, when I said to the people, “I am the living bread come down from heaven” what most would have caught is that without My being part of their daily lives, in fact, the very centre of their entire lives, they would never be able to live their lives in a meaningful manner.

Now, does this not seem like a tall claim on My part?  Is it true that human life would not be rich and meaningful without My being part of it?  And does this apply to every single human being?  What about those who seem to be comfortable with some other way, the great sages and saints mentioned in other religious traditions?

You : Yes, Lord, that is exactly what struck me. If what You say is true, then what about all those millions of people who do not know You and hence have not made You part of their lives?

Jesus:  That’s precisely the point.  But when I say that “I” have to be part of their lives, what I mean is that ‘all that I stand for – all that I taught the people’ has to become the very substance of their lives if they wish to live happily here on earth and then even more so in heaven.  The essence of My earthly life is summed up in the Philippian hymn: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:5-11).

What I mean then is that this attitude of ‘living not for oneself but for others’ should become the basic pattern of one’s life, if at all a person is to be happy and successful.  Now, the natural tendency is to precisely put oneself first, to live for oneself only! When you look closely at all the problems in the world today or in any age for that matter, you will find that these problems stem from this basic selfish orientation in people.  Very few can swim against this strong current of the Self and be ready even to sacrifice their lives for others.  “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name” (Jn 15:13-16).

If you remain now in silence you will realize how difficult it is to live this kind of selfless life, especially in a heroic manner and with perseverance all through the year.  If you can, pick out the blocks that are concretely in your path preventing you from living for others, that would be a great help.  Notice the kind of excuses you give to dodge the challenges to this kind of living.  Now, it is precisely when a person can be wholehearted and generous in living for others that s/he truly lives life to the full – because only then is s/he free from within.  That is why I said, “he who eats … has eternal life!” The true life that s/he will live for all eternity has already begun even while here on earth. And what is more, nothing can stop you from living this ‘fullest level of life’ except yourself – if you choose to go back on your decision!  You will realize, therefore, that ultimately it is your own personal choice that determines whether you have the fullness of life or not – because My choice and determination is that you have it for as long as you choose not to reject it.  What then would be your decision?

If you have time to spare, you could reflect on this other important question: ‘How would one know whether one really lives life to the full?’  All through Sacred Scripture, there are various signs mentioned that would enable a person to figure this out.  Already in the Old Testament, we read, “The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him” (Ps 92:12-16).  Once you make Me the centre of your life, you will notice that all that you do, bears the stamp of My love.  Besides, within yourself too you will notice the marks of the presence of the Spirit as shown in Gal 5:22-26:  “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.”

Work out your decision in silence and ask the Spirit to stay by your side constantly and enable you to remain loyal to your decision.  In fact, once you taste it even for a short while, you will never ever want to go back.  You will be like the prodigal son once he had returned back to the Father’s embrace and love.  After working this out in silence for as long as you need, turn to a few intercessions for others, praying particularly for those who have not yet found the courage to make a firm commitment to My way of loving obedience to the Father.  End your prayer with the usual burst of joyful praise and thanks and a final hymn or short prayer.

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