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| Rev. Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C. |
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A lot of
people staggering through life in the moments of their desperation ask the
question “Who is there for me to sort the problems of my life? Who can I count
on in the difficult moments? Who will stand by me in the dark days?” A similar question was asked by the three
women heading to the tomb of Jesus early that Easter morning: “Who will roll
the stone for us?” They reached the venue with this great burden in their heart
when to their great surprise they found there the stone rolled back. Jesus was
raised to life in glory!
In the
early Church, the Resurrection was the theme of their discussions - the quest
of their mind and the seeking in their intense prayer - Who broke the seal of
the tomb and raised Jesus to life? St.
Paul St. Paul St. Paul
The
mystery of our life in Christ is being revealed here. More than our human endeavour to obey what is
commanded and reject what is prohibited, Christian life is a joyous
proclamation of what the Holy Spirit does in us at every moment. The Spirit of
God breaks us from bondage to the culture of death to the liberation of a new
life in Jesus.
“Sanctified By The Spirit For Obedience To Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:2)
St.
Peter testifies to this offer in an experience of love. His own life was
transformed from the grief of failure to the great joy of being forgiven by the
merciful look of the Master. After having denied Jesus, he was sitting in the
corner, his soul languishing in guilt and fear. In this moment of desolation,
St. Luke describes that Jesus turned and looked at Peter (Luke 22:61). This look conveyed to him the assurance of
forgiveness and the offer of a new life in the Holy Spirit. Looking into the
eyes of Risen Lord, Peter would solemnly declare - “Lord, you know everything; you know that I
love you more than anything else.” (John 21:16-17) From then on, his
life became a response to the love he experienced in the depth of his heart.
This
life of commitment to Jesus was strengthened by the anointing of the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost. With this testimony of his own life, he
declares in his first sermon - “God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death,
because it was not possible for him to be held by it… Thou wilt not abandon my
soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption” (Acts 2:24,27).
Peter continues to tell the people to surrender their own lives to God in faith
and thus receive the same Holy Spirit. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all
that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (Acts 2:38-
39)
St.
Peter makes it clear to us how to receive the Holy Spirit and lead a new life
in Him. As Jesus offered Himself to the Plan of the Father - “becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8) - we need to surrender our lives totally to God. This surrender will take us in
ways we never charted and cannot always make sense of.
“The Spirit Of The Lord Shall Rest Upon Him” (Isaiah 11:2)
Ever
since Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit by the river Jordan
This
firm commitment to the Father was challenged when He was kneeling and sweating
blood at Gethsemane. For a moment, He became so tense that He thought that the
Father’s Will was an impossible destiny. Jesus stood breathless at the thought
of being crucified and buried. In Gethsemane ,
He threw Himself on the ground pleading with the Father, seeking an alternate
way. He “began
to be greatly distressed and troubled… and fell on the ground and prayed that,
if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.” (Mark 14:33-35) However
at one moment in the comfort of the Messenger of the Father, He surrendered
Himself to the Father’s will, “not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” (Mark 14:36)
Once
he made this total surrender he got the strength of the Holy Spirit and told
the disciples “The
hour has come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let
us be going.” (Mark 14:41-42) From that time on, He never wavered from the
path of the Father, even when His Body was subjected to extreme torture, He
fulfilled the prophesy as the Suffering Servant of God -
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like
a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth-” (Isaiah
53:7)
When He was betrayed and
pushed away by His disciple into the hands of the executors His soul did not
resent this, rather He held Judas as a friend. When He was condemned most
unjustly by Pilate, he did not condemn the judge rather found an argument to
justify Him - “You
would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore
he who delivered me to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:11)
The
thieves crucified alongside Jesus also reviled Him, challenging Him to save
Himself and them. However He did not retort or defend Himself rather He
continued to exude graciousness. When one of these thieves recognizing His
divinity turned to Him, Jesus took him to Paradise
with Him. In the midst of extreme cruelty, He did not for one moment allow His
Heart to be contaminated by self-pity or anger. Goodness and love burned in His
Heart so powerfully that He was able to pray for all those who persecuted Him, “Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) The anointing of the Holy Spirit remained
in full strength in His Heart after He surrendered Himself to God’s Will at Gethsemane.
Not for a moment did His Heart give in to despair or hate!
“To Set The Mind On The Spirit Is Life And Peace” (Romans 8:6)
At
Gethsemane when He was freshly anointed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of His
total surrender to the Father, three things seemed to have happened to Jesus.
Firstly,
the Holy Spirit revealed to Him the whole truth of His Passion and Death. Earlier
He had said that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth leading us to the whole
truth (John
16:13). The whole truth of any event is the place it has in the Plan
of God which is always for our welfare. In His tension and turmoil, His human
heart was clouded and He could not understand why He had to go through this
horrific path. This was why He was asking His Father for a way out of it.
However He was given the revelation though He had known it all the time, that
the Cross was for the salvation of the humankind as the Father had planned it.
Once the whole truth was revealed, His Heart was never disturbed even when the
most atrocious would happen to Him. Hence He could tell Simon Peter who drew
the sword to cut the ear of Malchus, “Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given
me?” (John 18:11) He accepted
every moment of the pain not from any human hand but from the Hand of His
Father. Therefore, He was able to plead forgiveness for those who broke Him -
because ultimately they were not responsible.
Second,
the Holy Spirit anointed Him with “Power from Above”, as He had explained the
function of the Holy Spirit strengthening man in his struggle to be faithful to
God. “I send
the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed
with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) The natural human reaction to the heinous
betrayal and unjust condemnation and cruel Crucifixion would have been anger
and despair. However in the midst of inhuman cruelties, Jesus kept the Love and
Goodness of the Holy Spirit flowing incessantly from His Heart to all around -
dispelling the darkness of hatred to transform Calvary into the venue of love
unparalleled.
Third,
the Holy Spirit comforted Him in what should have been the deepest hour of
anguish and mindless suffering. Even when none of His own was there to comfort
and defend Him, He stood in the strength witnessing to the Presence of God. At
the Last Supper, He had already been assured of His Father’s comforting
presence - “You
will be scattered and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father
is with me.” (John 16:32) In
the warmth of this comfort, He could reach out to others even in the torturous
path to Calvary. Though burdened by His Cross, He comforts the grieving women
of Jerusalem (Luke
23:27-28). Hanging on the Cross,
He comforts John and His Mother, entrusting them to each other.
“I Can Do All Things In Him Who Strengthens Me” (Philippians 4:13)
I
remember talking to a lady who came for the retreat. She was in deep distress because
she was pregnant, carrying the fourth child. As soon as the husband came to
know this, he shouted at her asking her to abort the child. He blamed it all on
her saying that she should have known better and avoided the pregnancy. In her
distress she confided with her mother who consoled her and encouraged her to
keep the baby. However at the insistence of the mother-in-law, the husband
threatened to divorce her if she did not consent to go for the abortion.
She
was terribly confused about the decision she had to make. On the one hand, she
had to save the marriage by consenting to the husband’s condition. Certain
times it occurred to her that the husband perhaps had a point since she herself
was working full-time as a teacher and he was often away on business tours. Why
to bring a baby to the world if she could not give the necessary attention and
love? On the other hand, she felt a terrible pain in her heart when she thought
of killing the baby growing in her womb.
I
advised her that the decision she had to take should not be based on feelings
and emotions, or practical reasoning but on the Plan of God for her. The Word
of God clearly tells us that the fruit of the womb is the gift of the Lord (Psalm 127:3). The baby is conceived in her womb not by human
decision but by God’s decision to bless them with a child. This child is a
heavenly blessing and not a mistake or miscalculation to be struck off. I
persuaded her that above all circumstantial and personal inconveniences, she
had to make a commitment to God’s Will. Once she surrenders her life in the Hands
of God, God will take charge and anoint her with the Holy Spirit. She asked me
whether the husband would abandon her, for then it would be impossible to bring
up the children. Moreover if the mother-in-law is displeased, she would make
her life miserable at home. I told her that these are wrong questions and such
preoccupations should not influence her decision. I told her to repeat the
prayer of Mother Mary, “Here am I, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me
according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Mother Mary became the Handmaid of the Lord by
making the Word of God the rule of her life and God’s Plan the destiny of her
living. It was with her assent to surrender to God’s Word for her that the Holy
Spirit could overshadow her and fulfill God’s supreme plan of salvation through
her life.
In
prayer, this lady retreatant was able to make a decision to keep the baby. I
assured her that once she has made a commitment trusting in the faithful love
of God, He will turn everything to her good. I quoted to her the promise in the
scriptures, “We
know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are
called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) I spoke to the husband on the phone and prayed
for him. When she returned home, the husband did not speak to her for a few
days, resenting her decision. However she was able in the Comforting Power of
the Holy Spirit to show him a lot of love and affection. The mother-in-law was
terribly irritated at what she termed as arrogance and selfishness. Still the
lady gave birth to a baby boy who soon became the apple of the eye of everyone
in the family.
Very
often what the Lord asks of us may seem unreasonable and beyond our strength.
It is easy to opt for human suggestions and manipulations to opt out of the way
the Lord calls us to follow. But life in all its fullness comes our way only
when we set ourselves to follow the Lord. The promise is given to us that the
Holy Spirit will enable to understand and to fulfill the Plan of God.
Let Us
Pray:
O Lord
God, we praise You for Your Love is faithful and You never abandon us. You gift
us Your own Spirit to strengthen, comfort and guide us in the Way of Truth.
Lord in all the moments of our life where we were crippled by grief and fearful
of our helplessness, reveal to us in the Power of Your Spirit, that You are
with us and will see us through our trials to accomplish Your Superior Plan for
our happiness.
Lord,
we surrender our life situations, plans and solutions. With Mother Mary we
pray, “Let it be done to us according to your Word.” Anoint us with Your Spirit
that we shall in the confidence of Your Presence live our lives according to
Your Plan and be channels of Your Peace and Love.
Amen.
