Firefly

I remember a short story in malayalam which was published in a special edition of famous news paper. I do not remember the author. The story begins with a man who is depressed and was thinking to take himself. While spending a night in a lake, thinking about comitting suicide he saw a firefly. He felt as if the firefly saluting him and calling him. This moment shook him and gave up the thought about commiting suicide. A firefly could make somone happy and inspire to give up taking his life!

If a firefly can save someone's life and make him happy, how much more potentiality we have to make other's life happier! A word of appreciation, a hug, a smile, a positive stroke from you can change someone's life. Let us try to bring happiness to others through our gift of life.

When you begin your day

When your day begins, you may think it is just another day in your life. But this is not just another day, this is the one day that is given to you. Today is given to you, it is a gift! This is the only gift that you have right in front of you. And your only appropriate responds should be gratitude as if it is the first day and last day in your life. 

And when you begin the day by opening your eyes, you should thank God for giving the eyes to see today. Look at the trees, birds and beautiful flowers around. Look at the sky,it's in constant change! Look at the face of people you meet, they carry incredible history. Look at the water it gives life. You can have many many thoughts of the incredible nature. If you have this kind of positive attitude when you befgin your day, your day becomes inspiring, positive and beautiful.

What is important is your faith

Recently I was taking to an Indian priest who started working in Louisville diocese. He was a retreat preacher in India and used to preach twenty thousand people every Wednesday. Here he comes to celebrate his first mass in the newly appointed parish and he as an Indian priest was shocked to see twenty people on a Wednesday morning Mass.
Church is very vibrant and alive in India. During Sunday service church is packed and people stand outside to attend Mass. Thr priest was so disturbed and I got a chance to talk to him. I brought the story of the woman suffering with haemorrhages. Jesus asked,“Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, Who touched me?” I told my friend priest what matters is not the crowd but one who has faith. Crowd does not stand for faith nor we cannot measure faith with packed churches. I think I could convince him to work here joyfully.
Let me invite you to close your eyes and imagine you are attending a Sunday mass and church is packed. Ask yourself are you one of the crowd or one who is stand out with faith? If you are still with the crowd let us try to touch Jesus.

It's possible with Jesus

I have been the director of our retreats for few years. In India retreat preacher is supposed to be a miracle worker. I always felt that I was not fit in to that category of miracle workers, but always trusted in the power of God. I thought, if God wants he can. I remember this was one of the first retreats I was leading. I made a solemn arrival to the parish accompanied by a group of friars. The pastor gave us a warm welcome, as we were talking to the pastor, an unconscious woman was brought to amidst of us, carried by two ladies. Pastor said, Fr. John, your first client has come. I felt like earth splitting and I am falling in to the deep but I tried to act like I know what to. I asked the ladies to take her to a private room and will be there soon. I was sweating, I told the pastor let me put on my habit. I went to the room and Friars gathered around me, they knew I am in trouble. I started striking on my chest, my God what am I going to do? Friar Angelo said I have an idea, I have a bottle of oil blessed by Fr. Saviourkhan Vattayil, a famous preacher and miracle worker in Kerala, you may anoint on the forehead of the lady and pray. I said okey, agree, give it to me. He opened his bag and we were shocked no oil in it, not even a drop! It is really a wonder how the top of the cap broke in a circle and lost oil. I thought God is giving me trouble, He is sometimes like this. One of us suggested to refill the bottle and use it. I said I am not going to refill it, God has ordained me with the same power as Fr. Saviour.
I entered the room shivering and told her with an authoritative voice, I am a Franciscan Friar, I am going to pray over you in the powerful name of Jesus. She made a strange noise. I asked the two accompanying ladies to go out, i did not want anybody see what is happening in the room, just me and God! I had a bottle of holy water and a cross, I put my hands on her head and prayed in the name of Jesus through the power Jesus has given me through the Ordination, I ask whatever evil is on her get out of her in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I poured holy water on her, she started shivering. I thought my God, it is getting worse. I touched her shoulders, she opened her eyes and looked at me said, Father something went out of me! I still did not know what has went out of her, she shared her story, she was an auto ricksha driver and talked about her family.
When I opened the room, pastor and friars were waiting, they were amazed to see the lady was normal and walking. I think I had a proud look on my face. She went happily with the ladies. The news spread in the village and this miracle of Jesus increased the faith of the people and thousands of people attended the retreat. I remembered what Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible"(Mt. 19:26).

Good morning God

Many people consider religious life as a kind of stereotype way with a special look on face, no smile, constipated movements and always spiritual. I have two pictures of Jesus with me, one is Jesus playing basketball and another is Jesus playing guitar. I am afraid to show them to my grandma because I do not know how she is going to react. I have seen on Internet a picture of laughing Christ. Those kind of pictures are very rare. I always have thought why cannot we relate with God more lighter, sweeter and enjoyable way. Why people always fear God and do not love Him? Why can not we talk to Him like a friend? Why cannot we talk to him like we talk to one of our family members? I have heard about a little girl's prayer, in the morning as she wakes up, she says 'good morning God' and in the night she says 'Good night God'. Is not that a beautiful prayer and is not that a beautiful relation with God. Do not you think that our God deserve it? God should be part of sorrow, joy, study, thinking, dance, eating etc. Is that fair we look at God as somebody up above?
St. Francis may be one of the saints who expressed the joy and happiness in front of God. A legend says: one day Francis wanted to praise God and he took two sticks and played on them as violin and praised God. It may look funny to us but he was really expressing himself without any constipated look or stereo type praising God.. Some thinkers have given us the idea that religious life is only a celebration of Good Friday, no it's also celebrating the joy of Easter.
I remember another story from Francis Assisi, it was the fasting day and one of the friars started crying in the middle of the night and you know what Francis did, he waked up all the community members and broke the fasting and ate grapes with the friars.
I think humour, joy and laughing are important in religious life. God loves all these.

What the river taught me

My family lives near a river, I miss river wherever I go and this may be the reason whenever I see lake or river my heart leaps with joy. River teaches lot many life principles. "It is in the water the first life begun and the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Gen.1/1). When Heraclitus looked at the river, river thought him a life principal that nothing is permanent; life is a flux therefore, he said that you cannot step twice in the same river'. In the novel "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse, Siddhartha’s most profound realizations have come out of what he has learned from the river. River is important in many writings and river taught many truths to people. I was siting on the shore of the river where I spend my younger days. I thought what I have learned something different from this river. Yes, it's about how devil cheat us. If you have fun time fishing, you know how we cheat fishes. We throw attractive things or food to the river and we patiently wait for the fish to swallow. Fish may think that it is because we love fish we throw food in to the river. But it is cheating, we know. Once the fish swallow food we treat the fish very differently, we may fry or make delicious curry. It is in the same way devil attack us, he throws beautiful things to us and he patiently awaits. Once we are hooked, he takes us to places where we have ever thought about. That may the reason St. Francis asks God 'why did you create temptations so beautiful'.
I know with my story the teaching of river is not over, the stories of the river may flow like a river flows, you too may have story to add with this and I welcome your story and let us make it a unending link, a chain and a circle. Let the story never end.

God uses our weakness

"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me" this is St. Paul's words in Corinthians. I am not a morning person, If I wake up so early in the morning I feel the day is spoiled. I like to sleep. As a religious during formation time and as a member of Franciscan community I had to wake up early for morning service, I did but let me confess, not with full energy. I liked to be around people and enjoyed friendships. When I joined the seminary, I knew that much of friendship and social nature were not expected from the religious. I remember about the rector's diary where he wrote things to be corrected and my dairy was almost full with remarks; very talkative, found talking. When life progressed I learned new terms; cloister, pin drop silence, obedience etc. which were not in my vocabulary!
As a student I was not a bright student but creative. I liked gardening, writing, reading and dancing. I felt bad about me, I thought am I fitting in this religious culture and discipline? I had no answer but I trusted God can work wonders through a person like me. But until recently I could not realise the meaning of what St. Paul said.
Now at this age in my life, I would like to say with St. Paul "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." When I started working for the ministry for young adults in USA, I realised being a night person is a blessing. I celebrate holy mass at 9pm, students love to be late to go to bed and this is the time they get active, best time for activities. Secondly, I learned creativity is very important because students love creativity and they like to come out of stereotypes. Thirdly, my sociable nature is very important for this ministry, it is through socialisation we connect the young adults to God, I love it.
I am sharing this because you may be feeling bad about yourselves, bad about your weaknesses, trust me God can make that in to blessings, he can work in your weaknesses.

Warning: do not use this post for excusing your weakness:)