THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Meeting God - the Moment of Truth

Remembering St. Irenaeus - 28th June, 2016

Amos 3: 1-8, 4:11-12; Mt 8: 23-27

Amos poses a series of questions all amounting to make us aware of the real meaning of trying situations in life. When everything goes well and we are in perfect control of our lives, we can experience a joy that can make us grateful to God. In moments of crisis or moments of trouble and want, how do we respond: that is the moment of truth, the moment of reckoning, the moment that reveals my true inner worth. In these moments the joy that the Lord can give comes in the form of that serenity which is true and deep -a serenity that characterises the saints like Irenaeus whom we celebrate today.

Peace or problems, joys or sorrow, confusions or turmoils, the serenity remains when we learn to meet God, at those moments of truth! We need to grow over the habit of doubting and questioning the presence and the power of God amidst the varied types of struggles we find ourselves through. I am always reminded of that story of the little girl who brought lunch for her dad who was digging a well and was almost a 40 feet below in  the pit. When she told him that she wants to come where her dad was, the dad said 'just jump and I will catch.' She retorted, 'but i cannot see you its all dark in there!' The dad from within shouted back, 'but I can see you clearly from here, just jump'... and she jumped into her dad's arms!

WORD 2day: 27th June, 2016

Is God on your  priority list?

Monday, 14th week in Ordinary Time

Amos 2: 6-10, 13-16; Mt 8: 18-22

Is God on my priority list? This is the question that came to my mind when I dwelt a little on the readings today. The question does not mean, do I go for the eucharist everyday nor does it mean do I read the Bible every day nor whether I spend a fixed time in prayer everyday! It means, whether God really matters to me, whether what God wants absolutely matters to me, whether God is the first on the list of criteria that would affect my choice or decision making. If it is so, the way I live by myself, the way I relate to persons irrespective of who they are and to what strata of society they belong to, the way I look at the world and the reality around me, would be totally different. God may be one of the important considerations in my life, but that will never suffice. God has to be by priority - the first criterion and an absolute criterion!