Awaiting The Arrival

"Eagerly awaiting the arrival of our little one..." said the post of one of my friends on Facebook...

Earlier this month, my wife and I were looking back down the years and recounting our own experiences of the joy of childbirth... both our sons are born in the month of May (the month of Mary).... And the most memorable moment was being in the Labor Room at the time of birth. 

Today's Gospel (John 16:21) makes a reference to woman in labor... not the only one though...
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world."

The analogy very aptly draws our attention to the thin line between pain and joy... grief and happiness - from Jesus going away... to the coming of the Holy Spirit who empowers us in everything we do... if only we let him...

Today around the world, we start the Novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for Pentecost... and we seek to make our hearts ready to receive him and proclaim him at Pentecost. Let us too do our part in making room for the Holy Spirit... Come Holy Spirit....

Escape To Victory

Spotted a headline in the Sports section of the newspaper yesterday - 'Mumbai Escape to Victory'. While the report described the last over win for the Mumbai Indians over the Pune Super Giants in the IPL Cricket Final. 

Escape to Victory is also the name of the 1981 football movie featuring football greats Pele and Bobby Moore alongside Hollywood stars including Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine as the team of Allied prisoners play the Nazi soldiers in a challenging game of football that engineers their escape.

Today's first reading (Acts 16:22-34) has an account of another group of prisoners - Paul and Silas... They do not have to keep their nerves about the game, but surrender their all to the Lord in prayer.

In the earthquake that ensued, the prisoners were set free from their physical chains. But the jailer had a greater freedom, having being freed from the chains of death... and more importantly having received the VICTORY of faith. 

What chains am I caught in? What will it take to break free?

Giovanni Paolo II

Giovanni Paolo II 

that's Italian for John Paul II.

Saint John Paul II held the papacy for a whopping 26 years, from October 16th, 1978 to April 2nd, 2005. During that time he published 14 encyclicals, started World Youth Day, led the Church through a special jubilee for the year 2000, visited 129 countries, canonized 483 saints, instituted Divine Mercy Sunday, added the Luminous Mysteries to the rosary, and much more.

During his life and his pontificate, Pope John Paul II reached many, both Catholic and non-Catholic, with the depth of his insight into the human spirit. As we remember him today on what would have been his 97th birthday, we remember the words from his first homily as Pope.

Saint Pope John Paul II was a true example of God's love and mercy. One of his best remembered pictures is the one that appeared on the cover of #Time magazine in 1983 featuring him with Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who had tried to assassinate him two years earlier. 

Each of us is special in the eyes of God, who has made us in His own image and likeness. 

How should we live our life?

All of us are called to be saints...

Some years ago, I came across this CD paying tribute to Pope John Paul II featuring the song up above. 

Here's another beautiful song from Pope John Paul II-The Tribute Album - On Eagle's Wings (Michael Crawford).

Without HIM

May Your love be upon us O Lord, as we place all our hope in You (Psalm 33:22)

Had a different weekend with a family trip to a beautiful hill station close to Mumbai... where we participated in Mass on Sunday. The celebrant caught me by surprise, when he invited me, by name, to share the presence of God in my life. 

Yes, God has truly blessed me and my family in oh so many wonderful ways. And the more we thank Him, the more He showers His mercy and love upon all of us. All that I need to do is to stay connected to Him and His grace.

And in the Gospel of today, Jesus tells us how connected we should be...

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Yes, indeed! Without Him, I can really do nothing... Took me back to this reflective hymn from back in my childhood. 

Without Him I could do nothing

Without Him I'd surely fail

Without Him I would be drifting

Like a ship without a sail

But with Him I could do all things

And with Him I'd never fail

And over the stormiest ocean

With perfect peace I'll sail

Thank You Jesus

Three Wooden Crosses

We are in the Third Week of Easter... 

The number 3 has a special significance in Christianity... The Holy Trinity... The Third Day... what else...

There's this wonderful story that I came across some years ago... The Three Trees...

Did you like the story? You probably have heard many stories like this before... possibly at Catechism. Cut to the first reading of today... 

"How can I unless someone instructs me?"

Nine years ago, I responded to an announcement inviting volunteers to teach at Catechism at my parish at St. Michael's Church Sharjah. And my life has changed ever since... Thanks to the orientations, recollections, retreats and training courses I've attended over the years, I've learnt so much more about God and am so much better prepared to share about Him - wherever in the world He leads me. 

Chris Tomlin leading Praise for Our God... We got to praise Him in the morning, in the noontime, in the evening... at all times. Incidentally it's Chris Tomlin's birthday today... And as I was researching today's musical birthday for the other blog I write... A Musical Twist To Life, I came across a Country singer with a birthday today, Randy Travis... and a song with a story about Three Wooden Crosses.

A beautiful story to think about... but there's this beautiful picture of the three wooden crosses on a Mount of Calvary that remind me of God who hung there for my salvation... 

I'd included this picture on my blog post on Good Friday 2016 with some of the really touching tracks of the day... Give it a listen if you'd like to be touched by Jesus.