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Monthly Archives: June 2014

Mary’s little Lamb

21 Saturday Jun 2014

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When I was in grade 1 of school, all that the nursery rhyme / poem ‘Mary had a little lamb’ ever meant to me was simply to impress my teacher and get a chocolate from her and a star in my report card. Now after more than two decades, that rhyme has been the inspiration of contemplating about something more significant and special and heartwarming.

Mary, the Blessed Virgin of Nazareth, was chosen to be the mother of God. She conceived Him by the Holy Spirit and she raised Him up under the shadow of the Spirit. The son of the living God dwelt among men, but at the same time, He was also the son of man. As an infant and child, Jesus had a modest and righteous upbringing, as God continually guided His earthly parents through His commands. On one hand Jesus was this adorable young Jewish boy, who would have spent His growing childhood praying diligently as The Law instructed, playing around the house with His parents and children around the neighbourhood, running towards and throwing around His arms around His parents and asking them to carry Him in their arms. And on the other hand, Jesus was also the little lamb of God, who was sent on earth as ransom to be paid for the remission of Sin in the world, by His very death on the cross one day.

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The rarity of information about the childhood of Jesus in the canonical gospels led to a hunger of early Christians for more detail about the early life of Jesus. This was supplied by a number of 2nd century and later texts, known as infancy gospels, none of which were accepted into the biblical canon, but the very number of their surviving manuscripts attests to their continued popularity. Most of these were based on the earliest infancy gospels, namely the Infancy Gospel of James (also called the “Protoevangelium of James”) and Infancy Gospel of Thomas, and on their later combination into the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (also called the “Infancy Gospel of Matthew” or “Birth of Mary and Infancy of the Saviour”). The other significant early infancy gospels are the Syriac Infancy Gospel, the History of Joseph the Carpenter and the Life of John the Baptist.

One of the most vivid documented witness / testimony of His childhood were about the time when He went to the Temple of Jerusalem with His parents to celebrate the Passover. This journey to the temple itself was nothing less than a spiritual experience for the Jews, especially to those who made this pilgrimage with their young children. And so, just like such families, Jesus would have travelled with His mother Mary and Father Joseph, on foot, or rode an oxen or ass, since it took several days to reach there. The distance from Nazareth to Jerusalem is seventy miles. The feast was held near the close of March or the beginning of April. This was springtime in Palestine, and the whole land was bright with flowers, and glad with the song of birds. As they traveled, parents told their children of the wonderful things that God had done for Israel in ages past. And often they sang together some of the beautiful psalms of David.

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Lamb of God (Greek: ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, amnos tou theou; Latin: Agnus Dei) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

This Lamb of God, Jesus, who was to be sacrificed, from the plague of sin that constantly devours men and women in the world, would have been this humble, gentle, fair, young lamb in the arms of his young, adorable and loving mother Mary. While sleeping, lambs seek out their mothers and will sleep as close to them as possible. The most adorable, young Lamb of God, Mary’s Jesus, would have been His mother’s singular delight when He would have cuddled with her while going to sleep. Just like a healthy lamb which usually stretches when it rises this little Jesus, lamb of God, would have been the apple of His mother’s eye, especially when his tiny little soft hands would be stretching as He wakes up in the morning and rubs His eyes, with a cute little yawn making His Mother waiting to run towards Him and hug Him rightly and kiss Him good morning.

A number of apocryphal texts, the Infancy Gospels grew up with legendary accounts of the intervening period, and these are sometimes depicted. These stories were intended to show Jesus as having extraordinary gifts of power and knowledge, even from the youngest age. One common tale has the young Jesus fashioning sparrows out of clay. When admonished for doing so on the Sabbath, he causes the birds to fly away.

Mary’s little lamb is the heavenly Father’s most precious possession. He is the lamb who willingly came into the world, to be born as a man, completely vulnerable to every possible assault of sin, corruption and death. He is the lamb who brought such immeseaurable delight to His beloved parents on earth, by being an obedient and righteous Son. He is the lamb whose gentle, kind and loving heart, calls every human person (irrespective or religion, belief, rationality, caste or creed), to be part of the flock of His Father, and enjoy an eternal feast in the pastures of heaven.

 


 

 

God’s mule or Satan’s Muse

14 Saturday Jun 2014

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Since the past many years, television audiences in many countries around the world have received the culture of the so called ‘reality shows’ with much appreciation and have either accommodated or enthusiastically accepted all sorts of content in this category of visual broadcast entertainment. This genre; if I may call it so, of TV entertainment, is produced for all groups of age and social preferences. It is undeniable that for the past few years or almost a decade now, reality shows have become programs with arguably the highest TRP rating across networks. One common feature of these shows is the selection process or auditions of participants who desire to take part and win if the show is a competition or make the most of the global platform such as the TV, for fame and future career prospects in the entertainment industry. The experience during these auditions either drains the contestant off emotions, rob…yes rob them from their real life circumstances & environments, present them with great opportunities, build constructive or exploitative relationships, or, molds or destroys their spiritual & moral principles. Nevertheless, the world watching them on TV is not only entertained but also emotionally gets quite attached to these entertainers & to their entertaining reality.

In a situation such as the above, the entertainer always has one objective in mind, and that is to ensure the audience is entertained. Most of the times if not all the time, it is what the audience wish to see; is delivered than what the entertainers wish to entertain with. The Bible we find there were entertainers too. There was Herod Antipater (Greek: Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπατρος, Hērǭdēs Antipatros; born before 20 BC, who entertained the whim of his brother’s wife Herodias (whom he had coveted), by commanding the beheading of John the Baptist upon the demand of Salome; Herodias’ daughter. Centuries before Herod there was Ramesses the First, the founding Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt’s 19th dynasty, who entertained the lust for slaves and their fatal exploitation by his people Egypt around  1292–1290 BC. There were also ‘priests’ of Baal; who is regarded in the Hebrew Bible as a “false god”. These priests whose confrontation with the Prophet Elijah is also mentioned in the Quran (37:123–125), sacrificed people even as young as children, to entertain and seek favors from this unseen and occult deity.

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Then the world has and continues to witness the atrocities and indescribable crimes of hate & immorality, simply to entertain deluded ideologies, principles, lust of mind & body, and worst of all to use God & religion for the destruction of man’s spirit, mortal life and even the soul, and to shamelessly justify it all by branding it as ‘the will of God’. There continues to be an influx of dictators, anarchists, Generals at war, false prophets, terrorists, pedophiles, rapists, cannibals, those with the lust for unnatural sexual orientations, so on and so forth. There are many other such characters who have in one way or the other been the muse for horrendous and obnoxiously camouflaged evil plots of Satan here on earth. The Prince of darkness has been convincingly fulfilling his desire of eternal destruction of man’s soul and his lust for perpetual separation of man’s soul from its maker whom he knows is the one true God. This is how he transforms the vulnerable among mankind, as his muse for evil and eternal damnation.

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On the other hand there are the righteous, the humble, the holy, the virtuous, the gentle, the patient, the compassionate, the merciful, the sincerely loving, the suffering, the godly, willingly submitting themselves to entertain the will of God – a will that calls for the good of all of humanity, preserves human dignity, nurtures the innate desire for holiness; embedded in our spirit by the Spirit of God Himself. Noah entertained God’s desire of renewing the face of the earth through ‘washing off’ all that was evil & corrupt in the world. Abraham entertained the will of God by letting himself be molded as the father of all nations, through passing one of the greatest tests of faith an earthly father could possibly have had to face. Elijah from the being, timid and unwilling became fearless and prophetic, thus entertaining God’s desire in His life and for His people. Moses who had no faith in his capacity of being the leader God destined him to be, obediently and faithfully submitted his will to the most Holy desire of God, to liberate His captive people, thus entertaining Divine providence among the nation of Israel – the chosen ones. David, Solomon, Esther, Ruth, Jeremiah, Daniel, Nathan, Jacob, Job, Hosea, Jonah, and then all those pivotal vessels of God in the New Testament, from the Blessed Virgin Mary up to the righteous of today, they have all surrendered their body, mind and soul to entertain the most immaculate and endearing will of God the most high. They all chose to be the mule that carried God into Jerusalem, the city of holiness. Thus choosing to be a vessel of humility and complete obedience to God.

The mule is highly patient, sober and tolerant like a donkey and courageous, vigorous and strong like a horse. An obedient child of God who’s only desire is to obey God’s will is like a mule who silently yet courageously, patiently yet vigorously carries God to ends of the earth, thus stretching the length and breadth of the heavenly Jerusalem here on earth. This is how a righteous person entertains God’s will as an obedient mule. The reality of God is eternally joyful, whereas Satan’s is a show which is far from reality. Beware. So, are you God’s mule or Satan’s muse?

Gregorian chant & pregnant!

06 Friday Jun 2014

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In the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini of the Holy Father our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, he proclaims the following – “Para 70: As part of the enhancement of the Word of God in the liturgy, attention should also be paid to the use of song at the times called for by the particular rite. Preference should be given to songs which are of clear biblical inspiration and which express, through the harmony of music and words, the beauty of God’s Word. We would do well to make the most of those songs handed down to us by the Church’s tradition which respect this criterion. I think in particular of the importance of Gregorian Chant.” (Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, on 30 September, the Memorial of St. Jerome, in the year 2010, the sixth year of his Pontificate).

In contemplating the emotional and physical state of mind which my dearest mother might have experienced while she carried me in her womb during this month in which I was born, I am led by the Spirit to dwell upon the bond which she would have shared with me then; being sacredly guarded and formed in her gentle womb – my first earthly abode. Science teaches us that during the last month of pregnancy, babies start test-driving some nifty skills like blinking and dreaming and regulating their own body temperature. By week 31 of pregnancy the baby signals from all five senses, perceiving light and dark, tastes of what the mother eats, and listening to the sound of the mother’s voice (I can hear you Mommy!). In week 33 alone of pregnancy they say, the baby grows by an inch, which is why the mom experiences some serious kicks and pokes in her gut!

Alright, now if you have started to think where this is all leading to, then I am glad that I have your attention, and that is for what I wish to share about how a mother could play an important role in transmitting an ancient and rich Catholic heritage, to her child in her womb, by using her body & mind’s exclusive dynamics, her unique & creative feminine nature so intricately & passionately designed by God. This antique yet rich tradition is the “Gregorian chant”.

gregorian chant notes

The Gregorian chant has always been regarded as the supreme model or sacred music. “Special efforts are to be made to restore the use of the Gregorian chant by the people, so that the faithful may again take more active part in the ecclesiastical offices, as was the case in ancient times.” Pope Pius X echoed the teaching of the Council of Trent and of many Popes who preceded him, who regard for the very special sacral character of the Chant. This is re-iterated by the Second Vatican Council in the decree on the liturgy – Sacrosanctum Concilium: “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy; therefore other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.”

Carrying a baby in the womb is carrying the gift of life which is exclusively available only from God, for God alone; who is Spirit, is the ‘giver of life’. I once read from a post on facebook by the ‘society of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen’, which referred to what he felt at the sight of a woman who was in her ‘family way’. He noted that a pregnant woman is the bearer of sanctity within her womb, and it is virtuous for a person to genuflect before that womb with child, for it is thus bowing in reverence before sacredness; that which is called life (who in person is Christ Jesus).

It is interesting to note that parents instinctively use a special low-keyed rhythm of speech to attract and keep their baby’s interest. Psychologists call this ‘motherese’. Your baby will further encourage you to speak in motherese by his/her intense response when you use it. Nevertheless, since the babies when are still in the womb, during the Third Trimester of pregnancy can listen to sounds that surround them, it is therefore a spiritual and serene experience to feed the baby’s senses with the spectacular nutrition of sacred music of the Gregorian chant. This chant which is as good to be compared to the imagination of the music of the choirs of heaven, is very natural to the human voice (this seems to transcend the East-West division in Christianity). Its intervals and patterns are easy to imitate – after a few tries – and the larger part of the repertoire is made up from stock phrases or ‘units’ rearranged in different patterns.

Researchers once asked pregnant mums to listen to various types of music through headphones and then measured their babies’ movements with ultrasound. Most babies became more active when the music was on, especially if their mum was listening to music she liked. What is fascinating is that though the music was not played for the babies themselves, they were yet responding to it through their mum’s emotional responses to the music. A baby in the womb has the sense of hearing formed in the 16th week. At this juncture I would like us to journey for a moment to the time when Our Blessed Mother – the Virgin Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who was with child in her old age (Luke 1:39-56). While at the event of “The Visitation”, St. Elizabeth was already six months pregnant and scripture testifies that she was old at that time. Elizabeth who herself was filled with the Holy Ghost; she cried out with a loud voice, “Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. How have I deserved to be thus visited by the mother of my Lord? Why, as soon as ever the voice of thy greeting sounded in my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed art thou for thy believing; the message that was brought to thee from the Lord shall have fulfillment.” (Luke 1:39-45). At this moment in the lifetime of Divine Incarnation (birth of God in the nature of Man & God – Jesus), sprung forth from the lips of the Immaculate Mary; ‘The Magnificat’! In the womb of his mother St. Elizabeth, baby St. John (The Baptist) rejoiced and soaked his being with this Divine rendition of sacred testimony which the Holy Catholic Church till this day sings in worship of God. The handmaid of The Lord; now becomes the handmaid of her pregnant cousin beloved Elizabeth, and thus nurses the spirit of her nephew John in his mother’s womb with verses that are later adorned as sacred hymn by the Church.

pregnant woman with husband listening to music

Sacred music, my friends, plays an important role in a Christian’s life. How wonderfully Christian it is for parents, especially for a mother – the vessel of life, to mold her child’s heart and mind with the illustrious compositions of music which elevate even the angels’ desires of worshiping God for all eternity. By doing so, the child is given a unique dignity it rightly deserves of being a hand-made creation of God and to the sanctity which God Himself gives irrevocably to life. Finally, the Gregorian chant, whose position in the cause of worship and liturgy is so esteemed, should be a virtuous recommendation for expecting mothers, that they may listen to it during the course of carrying their child in the womb, and that therefore; their child receives the pristine sound of such glorious music, that which heaven so joyfully appreciates and sings in praise of God Almighty. Such sacred music transports the mother and child in the womb; spiritually from the realm of time & space, into an indescribable realm of the cosmic world which is out of time & space. Therefore, since a Christian family is a miniature Church, it is right and just to sing praise to The Lord with music of the pious Gregorian chant, as Father, Mother and Child, even if the child is in the womb.


 

Re-building the temple

04 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Word Ignite in Uncategorized

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Man occupies a unique place in creation. “In the image of God” he is created and “in his own nature he unites the spiritual and material worlds; he is created “male and female”; God established him in his friendship.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church: Para 355.

The greatness of man’s creation by God has been made possible by the lowliest of all that we know as visible matter – that which we call dust. Contemplating on the symbolism of dust and the unique greatness of man’s being and dignity in God’s eyes, it compels my mind and heart to consider my kind; the human kind as a Divine revelation of humility. It is as though God created greatness within the mold of humbleness. This is also therefore symbolic to what it means to create or build a house of worship, or in other words, the temple of The Lord. This structure of worship, which we also refer to as the Church, where ‘the Church’ – the children of God; the flock of The Good Shepherd gather to worship and pray, is intended to be an embodiment of humility. The radiance of this humility is illuminated by the fact that it is one place where sinners and saints sit at the same table, partake in the same sacrifice, and dignify each other with the same heritage – the heritage of Divinity & holiness.

creation-of-adam-michelangelo

Consider this: the Holy of Holies whose nature is spirit and whose dwelling is above all comprehending reach, chose to create the most tangible, pure and sacred dwelling place such as the human person, for Himself to dwell, not in a way that a part or portion of His Divinity would be preserved in some other realm and that which the human faculty might bear would host the rest. Instead, God Almighty, according to His most Sacred and most loving being, chose to dwell within the being of a man, in all His fullness. The first man (and woman) was the virginal chalice in which the image of God (not to be misunderstood with Deity); was fearfully poured, embodied with all of His love, compassion, glory, purity and all those faculties which would have ensured eternal companionship and sharing in Divine sovereignty.

Towards the end of 100 Anno Domini, St. Irenaeus wrote, “….having become disobedient, [Eve] was made the cause of death for herself and for the whole human race; so also Mary, betrothed to a man but nevertheless still a virgin, being obedient, was made the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race….Thus, the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith. …But this man [of whom I have been speaking] is Adam, if truth be told, the first-formed man….We, however, are all from him; and as we are from him, we have inherited his title [of sin]. …Indeed, through the first Adam, we offended God by not observing His command. Through the second Adam, however, we are reconciled, and are made obedient even unto death. For we were debtors to none other except to Him, whose commandment we transgressed at the beginning. (Against Heresies 3:22:4; 3:23:2; 5:16:3)

Sin, therefore, is that mark on our soul which reminds us of the depriving of our immaculate relationship with the one who is Most Holy and Above All, both that are visible and invisible. It is a visible stain in the holy vessel which the Divine potter chose to pour incredible grace & dominion. It is brutal defamation of the temple which hosts the Creator of the universe, the giver of life. Now, that which has been built by the one who is Most Holy, upon its desecration has to be re-built with a power that does not depend on any source or power which is conceivable by any human or supernatural understanding. God created this temple; the human creation, and it takes only God to mercifully re-build this temple. But how does God re-build this temple which has been overpowered by a force and power (Satan) which is fiercely perilous for both the mortal and spiritual being of the human soul?

It takes God Himself to interfere between the now mortal state of His once holy vessel (human person) and His Arch enemy – the Devil. God begins His merciful work of re-building this temple from the very root of its substance. God, through the incarnation of Christ His Son, chooses to once again purify and fortify man’s sacred being by sanctifying the source of His earthly admittance into the created world. His love first brought forth through Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary – the Theotokos (Mother of God); the Ark that would bear the Seed of eternal destruction of Satan. He then humbles Himself to be born in a cattle shed, therefore re-building the sacredness of humility. Then by His own will He blankets mankind with love and compassion through proclaiming the Word to the peoples, thus re-building hope for heavenly joy. He heals the wounds of the flesh and of the spirit, where-by He re-builds the authority of The Spirit of God, who desires to pour himself in abundance upon the human race.  By willingly and unconditionally submitting Himself to unthinkable cruelty, wickedness, disgust, impurity, treachery, betrayal, profanity and sacrilege, He re-builds the dominion of forgiveness. As a sacrificial lamb, nailed upon a tree, to be slaughtered for the sake of man’s salvation, Christ Jesus once and for all reconciles all of humanity (living and those who died before Him, right from the beginning of time) with the maker all – the one who is His eternal & merciful Father. Finally, Jesus; the master builder of this temple (man), by His glorious resurrection; destroys Satan’s rule over man’s soul, and thus re-builds the door way to eternal life, in the presence of the one who is God the Almighty, with the company of His Saints, Angels and all heavenly & holy beings. Amen.

 


 

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