"Who had the power to sin and didn’t,and could do evil but didn’t?"......

"Happy are the rich
who are without blame
    and who don’t follow after gold.
9 Who are they,
so that we might praise them?
    They have done wonders
    among the people.
10 Who has been tested by wealth
and been found perfect?
        For them it will be a reason to boast.
    Who had the power to sin and didn’t,
    and could do evil but didn’t?
11 The possessions of such people
will be secure,
    and the congregation will tell
    of their acts of charity."- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 31:8-11

  The verses that stands out is "Who had the power to sin and didn’t,

    and could do evil but didn’t?" can we do this in our life? There is temptations and chances that our mind slips off to small things that make us sin. Let us be vigilant in all times and ask Gods wisdom to fill us in our mind and thoughts so that we stay in connection with our Father always and He will give us power to win over such situations, transforming us each day to a pure creation ,Gods Dear ones.

CLOSER TO GOD

" Draw near to God and He will draw near to you"

                                                                   -James 4:8

The first thing that we have to do ,if we feel lost in Gods care is to check ourselves. We must examine our status, how far we are from God? When we try to dig out answer for this, we come to realize that, it was us who went far away from the love and care of God. 
Let us try this together in prayer, leading to realizations and humbling ourself through confession, breaking the boulders of actions in our way to God and gaining the freedom as the son and daughter of God the Father.If we feel lost from Gods love,stop what you are doing, give a rest to what is troubling your mind and think:

1. About our actions and activities that we did in our life that was not in union with Gods wish. Try to recollect the times that we did something that resulted in the loss of our unity with God. Scan our past days, to find out our chores that we did according to our own will and not with the wish of God. Once we realize this,let us say sorry, humble ourselves in confession, destroying all the claims of satan upon us due to our unrighteousness and get closer to God.

2. " Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them." 1John 2:15        By loving something in the world means, we are building an idol of the world in our heart and is longing for it, this reduces the love of our eternal Father in us. Everything in this world is created by our Father in  Heaven, and He has given it to us. Hence while in the world we must use everything of this world according to Our Fathers wish, giving thanks and praises to Him. So that we receive everything from His hand Pure and holy.

3. Seek for God sincerely in Our heart and then He will act for us.

"“Do you want to get well?”

 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked." John 5:6-9

4. The one who does not commit sin, even though there was good conditions for him to sin, due to the love of God in him, such persons will be loved and honored by God. Let us stand aloof from sin with the power of God in us that keeps us vigilant always through Holy Spirit.

Let us completely submit to Gods hands and ward off the worldly human. Let us reflect Gods love from us. Let God take our control and Mother Mary teach us the complete submission and humbleness and guide us and pray for us in our journey to God and Jesus. 

" Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mathew 5:48

Prayer

God our father, you know we are weak,help us to realize our ways and guide us to point it to you.Mother Mary help us guide us and pray for us in our life's journey and lead us in right way to Jesus love. Amen

Reading

Psalms 119:9-16

Psalms 119:33-64

The Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary

-Mother Mary leads us to Jesus through Her prayers and intercession and guidance all our times and in hour of our death. Mother Mary has no prayer or wish of Her own, She intercedes for us in accordance with Lord Almighty and Jesus. The intercession She did in the wedding of Cana,

" His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”- John 2:5

-Mother Mary shows the perfect submission to God and with full proof belief in Him

"And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her"Luke 1:38

-In Mary's song of praise, we find Her glorifying the Lord for everything She is ,

Mary's Song of Praise

 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
 And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
 as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”Luke 1:46-55

- Mary Mother lived in silence of holiness. Right from the revelation of the birth of Jesus, till Calvary, when Mother held Jesus's body in her hand we can see this silence. Which made Her serene and peaceful love of God.

" But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."Luke 2:19

-The Ultimate sufferer.

Mother Mary through out her life, lived in the memories and thoughts of Jesus. Each incidents that happened in Jesus life, She joined together to form the perfect Rosary, which She recited as intercession for us sinners, to lead us to Jesus.

-The Mother that Jesus gave us through Lord Almighty.

"When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.-John 19:26-27

We are all with this Mother. Jesus, when ascended to heaven gave us a friend 'The Holy Spirit' and a dear Mother 'Mary', so that we are never alone in this world. We must realize this and be in Her love and care with the Holy Spirit speaking to us how to reach Jesus nearer and nearer each day.

-The dear daughter of Lord. Mother Mary lived purely. She lived in spirit, controlling the weaknesses of the human body. Each weaknesses she submitted to Lord and gained strength from Him will full belief. This made God to crown Her for us to intercede and guide us in our weaknesses.

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" Revelation 12:1

In this day of Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, let us understand our Mothers love to us and the continuous prayers that She is interceding for us. Mother Mary is the one who rows our life through all the struggles of this world, helping us to reach safely to our Lord and eternity.

Prayer

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

      

The Essence of Life

I don't get anything what I want. I never get satisfied. My mind hurts me of an unsuccessful person in me. I feel depressed, I feel frustrated. I get angry and I use my anger to rebel against my condition. I feel anger to my family members. I myself has given me a status of a well contained individual. But I find me unfruitful. I have may be more of everything but is left unused/waste. All because I feel I am unsuccessful.

In my limitations, I try to establish myself where ever I get into. But I find it left unnoticed. I try to do many things but I get blocked everywhere. I feel everything getting blocked. I feel to me like pouring water on an inverted pot. Oh, I am staggering in my way, I feel my feet trembling and falling into iniquities. What will I do? I feel terrible. This is when tears roll down my eyes, I look up and cry to someone, whom I feel is with me when I am alone and rejected, someone who was calling me all the time when I dint remember Him, yes the one who is with us always but we never try to know. OUR FATHER.. I start hearing a voice from Him. “My child you are sad because all these time you were living for you, you were taking care to become glorified as you., to establish the 'I'. YOUR PRIDE IS BLOCKING YOU OF EVERYTHING”

Isn't this FATHER marvellous? We feel Him when we are alone, when everyone leaves us or when we are completely shattered of this world. But the reality is that He is and was and will be with us all the time. We realise Him and His love only when we find ourselves helpless, it is at that time we feel that we are nothing, all that we have are mere mirage. If the essence in us is not there, all our gains and the thing that we feel we have attained and conquered are meaningless. This essence, I wish to proclaim as THE FATHER-SON-HOLY SPIRIT.

In our emptiness we discover and realize this Trinitarian Love, or in beautiful words it is only a humble heart that find this wonderful love.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”-1 Peter 5:5

We always think we are someone important and we feel a need to get noticed and recognised everywhere. But we never think or realize that, the actual reason we are being recognised is because of the Gods mercy that is upon us and He is within us. In this stage, let us think about the donkey who carried Jesus in the streets of Jerusalem. All those who gathered were praising and singing spreading fresh leaves and flowers through out the way it passed. Is this donkey so important or famous that it was praised a lot? No, the praises and welcome that it got was because of the Jesus whom he carried on his shoulder

By bowing humbly for the master and carrying Him on the back, the Donkey walked in the streets of Jerusalem. An envelop of praises, showers of leaves and flowers that carpeted the street- this was what the donkey was guided into. It walked all the way that its master asked to walk carrying on the back. But the donkey did this with submission, silence and satisfaction, succeeding in the wonderful mission assigned to it by the Lord Almighty. This should our mentality while living this life on earth.

It is God who is assigning us the plan/duty of life. He selects us for a mission. While progressing in this, we should be like the Donkey. We must be always aware that the World see Jesus while looking us, the world hear Jesus while we speak, the world feel Jesus in us while we help them. We must reflect Jesus while we walk through our life. The goodness, praises, comforts life the carpeted street of Jerusalem that we experience is only because Jesus is living in us. We must recognise it and walk humbly with perfect submission, carrying Lord in our heart to successfully complete Gods plan for us and working for Him untiringly with silence.

“You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. -John 15:16

Hence let us realize this and humble ourselves before the Almighty without whom we are nothing. Let us always remember in everything we do that it is God who build us everyday and everytime,He is our Father who loves us and cares us every second of our life.

Prayer

Lord thank you for helping us realize our value because of You in us. Help us to humble ourselves before everything and everyone so that we remain as Yours forever. Amen

Reading

John 15:1-17

Sufferings- A Great Weapon

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
                                                                         -John 3:16

Our dear Father gave us Jesus,to show us how to live in this world as His children and to teach us how to defeat the worldly powers and temptations to reach to our everlasting home with eternal life. He gave us Jesus, through His great sufferings and sacrifice, to save us and purify us from the claims of satan and to receive the new life of His Holy Spirit so that now we are living with the life of Jesus.

Hebrews 2:15-18 says to us that;

'Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps. He helps the people who are from Abraham.  For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins.  And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.'

Jesus was sent with the great plan of God the Father that through His sufferings and sacrifice, all His children are saved. This is our mission that God showed us through Jesus. We,through our life not only intend our salvation but the salvation of many souls through us. Because sufferings are a great weapon to fight against the powers of the world. The worldly powers cannot fight against the weapon of sufferings. We understand this from the book of Job.Even in great suffering Job remained in God and believed in Him.

When we are in any suffering, physical, mental or anything, we must never brood on the cause and state of our suffering. what we must do during that condition is that, submit our pain and suffering to the Cross of Jesus and for the many people who can be in the same state as we are. We must then pray for their deliverance along with our suffering. The cross of Jesus Christ is the promise of hope to Resurrection. Along with us God is delivering many souls. Never waste any of our sufferings, the strong power and belief that we attain during this times are the ones that make us complete in God.

"God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—wanted many people to be his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through his suffering."-Hebrews 2:10

Suffering is a time given for us to realize many things. It is a time that we realize that we as Gods children has to encounter this from the powers of the world,but if we submit it to God,He is there with us to help us in this state. Suffering help us to realize Gods love to us and His presence for us. It is the time we get closer to God.Hence let us use our sufferings of this world for good.

Prayer

Lord, when sufferings and pain encircle us help us to submit it to your Cross and for the many who are in the same state and give us strength to to renew ourselves through the pain and fight against the evil so that we are being molded complete as You. Amen

Reading
Psalms 16
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

The Marvel of the Cross

In the days of our life, there are times when we get bombarded by thoughts and emotions. a trigger from some incidents can immerse us in depression. We may feel lost, we may think stupid, we may cry with suffocation, we may find ourselves bursting out and helpless. At that point of time, our mind will be noisy, our mind and thoughts will never be under our control. We will wander within us to find relief/escape. But never go down, let this lead us to a great realization.This is the best suffering and a great weapon which can be submitted for all those who are in the same situation. this is the best suffering and weapon that can be submitted to fight against this world.

Whenever we are in such a helpless situation, never allow this emotions to sustain for long. we must burst out in tears and cry , then wipe our tears and submit the suffering that we are experiencing in our mind and all our thoughts to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Pray to Lord that 'Lord at present this situation is making my mind stressed,i am suffering due to my emotions, depression..caused due to an incident. I submit my suffering to your Cross. Use my suffering to deliver many souls who are in same condition, use my suffering to fight against the worldly powers ruling me, use this suffering to bring me nearer to you. I submit my mind and me to You'.

After this prayer, we can hear our Lord answering to us that....."My Child there is a Resurrection after the Cross".

The peace that will fill our mind after this is beyond words. Not only that, the though/incident that was troubling us will never be in our mind any more. It has lost its power to rule us and use us to destroy us and others.Our mental sufferings are the greatest weapon to use against satan and the best medium through which God cleanses us and bring us nearer to HIM.

Hence whenever we are facing such situation and utilize it with God and the Cross of Jesus with perfect submission and realize that there is a resurrection awaiting.

Prayer

Lord help us to realize during the times of mental stress and depression, to submit them to the Cross and to cleanse with Your Blood. Let this suffering of our mind be submitted for the deliverance for many souls. We submit it for your plan.Deliver us oh Lord ..Your promise is eternal..there is a Resurrection awaiting.Amen

Reading
Philippians 4:6-7
1 Peter 5:6-11
Psalms 94

Open our Hearts,Submit ourselves to God, let us live through Him.

We think that we are perfect,we think we are right, we think we have done everything, we think we are complete and full...but in the moment of silence, when the spirit speak to us, we may not have answers to many questions, nor we will have justifications for our actions. We are revealed naked in our spirit...we realize how miserable we are.

"You say you are rich. You think you have become wealthy and don’t need anything."But you don’t know that you are really miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked."-  Revelation 3:17-18

As our nakedness is revealed, we may feel frustrated, helpless and angry. But God says...

 I advise you to buy gold from me—gold made pure in fire. Then you will be rich. I tell you this: Buy clothes that are white. Then you will be able to cover your shameful nakedness. I also tell you to buy medicine to put on your eyes. 
                                                                                                         -Revelation 3:18

Our God loves us even then..He was loving us even before we realized this. How great is His love and mercy. "God gives to them who doesn't deserves it" That is His mercy.The realization of which helps us to humble ourselves before God and to everything and anyone. Humbleness is the spark of the Gods spirit in us...When we are humble the eyes of our spirit opens.

"Then you will be able to see.

 “I correct and punish the people I love. So show that nothing is more important to you than living right. Change your hearts and lives. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me."                                        - Revelation 3:19-20

Let us realize this and open our doors to the Lord.

Loving God thank you for making us realize the nakedness of our spirit. Thank you for helping us to gain the virtue of humbling. Because as the 'I" in me reduces, it is YOU oh Lord that is increasing in me. Let me live through You and share You to everyone that You give me.

Amen.

Reading

Psalms 51:1-17

Renew the Received Holy Spirit

 "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.John 20:22

1. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to see that we can do what Jesus asks of us.

2.The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to answer Jesus’ call, to do what God asks of us even when it is difficult.

3.The Holy Spirit helps and guides us along our way of life with God.

4. Gives us courage and helps us to spread Jesus’ message of peace in our world.

5.The holy spirit comes to us with seven gifts from God-JOY, LOVE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS,UNDERSTANDING, RESPECT and COURAGE

6. The gifts of the Holy Spirit helps us to follow the right path on our journey through life towards heaven, and they fill us with Gods goodness.

7. The Holy Spirit come into our weaknesses and faults to strengthen us and purify us ...the Comforter to hold the feeble hearts and raise to Lords shelter as we will call Him ABBA.

Let us enjoy our freedom in God with the Holy Spirit in us...the freedom with power in Lord who conquered and defeated this world.

Jesus sent us the Powerful Spirit to be with us in this world,helping us to transform ourselves like Him. The spirit works in us and helps us to recognise how unique God has created us and send us to this world and use the precious gifts that He has given us to win this world and spread the message of peace to the whole world with courage and protection.

Let us renew the Holy SPirit that God has given us in baptism and confirm the power of it.

 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.-2Timothy 1:7

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,…Romans 8:15

Let us recognise the spirit with its gifts in us and live as Children of God.Thank You Father Jesus and Holy Spirit. Amen

 We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us.
                                      -Romans 5:5

Nearing to the day of Pentecost, how do we view it?

When we think of Pentecost, we think of tongues of fires and Holy Spirit. It is something special happening to the apostles and special people. We view this sometimes as audience who see something that brings goosebumps on us.  Is this our state? 

Jesus says to the Apostles,

One time when Jesus was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, “Wait here until you receive what the Father promised to send. Remember, I told you about it before.  John baptized people with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit...the Holy Spirit will come on you and give you power. You will be my witnesses. You will tell people everywhere about me—in Jerusalem, in the rest of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.” Acts 1:4-5,8

While Jesus went to Father in heaven, He asked the disciples not to go anywhere before they received what the Father has promised to send..The Holy spirit, which will come upon and will give power. This power is the power of Jesus through Father, that conquered the powers of this world. Only with this power, the Apostles were able to challenge the world and defeat its temptations and traps.

This power is the same power that we all should long for. Hence let us not be audience any more, but let us be the anointed of God. Rather than giving goosebumps, let this Pentecost give us the power to live in this world defeating its mighty trials and temptations.
Let us thank for Gods mercy that He is showing on us. when we think of ourselves sincerely, into our deeper minds, we realize that we are not worthy of any of the happiness and blessings that we have now. accounting on our actions, we do most of the things for our satisfaction and getting a praise for our deeds. We do everything for a reward.Are we living for gaining praises from others? Is that our existence? If so , let us realize now that we are fools. We will be shattered by this world. And if we are alone in the battle field, the world shall squeeze us of our life and leave us useless, alone . but someone is with us always.who gives us more than we want and expects no rewards but love. He is our Father-Father in Heaven.

"But God gave me mercy because I did not know what I was doing. I did that before I became a believer.  But our Lord gave me a full measure of his grace. And with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."-1 Timothy 1:13-14

He is giving His grace to us. He asks us to take off our minds from the worldly pleasure and temptations and to set it on our everlasting life with unending happiness that is treasure in the right hand of Father in Heaven through Jesus Christ. It is this life that we must live. The life of resurrected Jesus, that defeated the world and is free of worldly slavery and sins. We must gain this freedom in Jesus and then receive the world from the hands of God. Then we shall never be trapped or enslaved any more.

For this God asks us to denounce all our wishes and thus defeat the emotions and passions that is trapping us to sin. when we do this we will find it difficult to fight with the strong pull of the world, here arises the need of the POWER- the everlasting power from God- The Holy Spirit. 

" God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come."- Colossians 1:11

Yes we need this strength to defeat the world in us , around us and help others to win the same. It is this strength that Jesus gave the apostles in the day of Pentecost. He gave this to all those who seeked it and all those who gained it were able to multiply it by giving to others who were weakened by this world. we have received this through our Baptism, but never think of it.Let us realize it and renew it.
The Pentecost is for each of us. We are finding ourselves tumbling in the way of God, slipping in our life. The more we try to be good, the more we fall down.But let us now realize the glory of the Holy Spirit that we received in our baptisim. Submitting all our weaknesses and sins, let us pray and cry to God for giving us and renewing this power. The power of His Spirit, the voice of God, Christ Himself living in us. Let us remove the darkness in our hearts with the ever shining light of God. Let us live with the power of God and which led Jesus, His apostles and all holy people, helping them to stand steady in faith and love to God and defeat the world by setting the minds on everlasting happiness.

In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”
                                                                                  -John 16:33

God the Father, You know that we are weak, we accept our sins and weaknesses and realize that we alone cannot fight with the worldly powers, we need your power, the power that led Jesus to victory. Give us the power of Your power- The Holy Spirit. Teach us your way, let us follow your teachings as your children, through Jesus and love You and Jesus sincerely and not for our selfish needs.You have given us the Spirit that makes us call you Abba..let us realize that and renew the Holy Spirit to conquer the world . In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Amen

Readings

John 16:4-15

Acts 2:1-5

Psalms 51