Jesus Your Saviour

To understand this scripture it is necessary to clearly understand the difference between spirit, soul and body. The basic understanding of soul and body is known to most. The English dictionary offers numerous meanings of the word spirit. The focus here is to understand some of the meanings of the word spirit related to christian teaching. To understand spirit we need to first understand what is matter. Everything that we can see and physically touch is called matter. Matter is found in 3 states i.e. solid, liquid and gas. Matter can be converted from one state to another. All matter is subject to the laws of science (laws of nature).  Examples of matter - stone, water, air etc. However spirit cannot be seen or physically touched. It is not subject to laws of science or nature. It can be further categorized into spirit persons and spirit things.  Examples of spirit persons - God, angels (good spirits) and devil (evil spirits). Examples of spirit things - t...

The words hunger and thirst indicate two kinds of sensations of the body generated by the brain which if not satisfied has certain consequences. Food and water are essential ingredients for the healthy sustenance of our body. When the body energy levels go down the brain generates a sensation called hunger. This is a call to take some action. Similarly when the water levels in the body goes down the brain generates a sensation called thirst. This again is an urgent call to take some action. If these calls are ignored then the state of hunger and thirst or state of want  will continue and if ignored for too long then organs in the body will start having problems one by one. Jesus uses this understanding of our material selves to know the requirements of the soul. The word of God is the food (and water) of the soul. Satisfaction (Happiness) is the greatest desire of the soul. Lack of the word of God will keep the soul in a continuous state of dissatisfaction (state of hunge...

The ‘Our Father’ is a prayer of the disciple of Jesus. God is the Creator and we are his creatures. No human can dare to call God father. But we who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour are accepted as brethren by him. Therefore the father of Jesus becomes our father and we his children. The 'Our Father' prayer comprises of the opening exclamation and seven petitions. The first three petitions are directed towards God and the next four are directed towards us. In the first three we give to God what is desired by him. In the next four we ask for what is needed by us. The 'Our Father' prayer is both personal as well as intercessory since we pray for self as well as others. Whenever we use the word 'our' we include ourselves as well as every human being. We are not only members of the church of Christ but representatives of all humanity as well. The 'Our Father' prayer is perfect or fully complete as it covers all aspects of prayer l...

When we read the word of God we should be able to discern from choosing the literal meaning and or the hidden meaning. Some scriptures can be taken literally. Others have to be taken on the hidden meaning. Still others should be understood on both levels. The scripture in John 6:54 has to be understood and accepted at both levels. A deeper study will reveal the the hidden meaning of this scripture is in fact a precondition for the literal meaning. The fact that many disciples left Jesus (John 6:66) is indicative of the fact that he literally meant that his flesh and blood had to be eaten and drunk to attain eternal life. The apostles stayed back because they had realized that there was no better option than Jesus. The phrase 'flesh and blood' is used in the bible to symbolically mean 'human nature'. Jesus uses this phrase in Matthew 16:17 to indicate that the revelation to Peter is given by God and not by someone who is of human nature. In Galatian...

Reflection and Meditation on  Matthew 4:1-11 Temptations are evil influences from Satan deceiving us to do things that displease God. The temptations of Jesus teach us how these will appear in our life and how to deal with them. All temptations can be classified into three categories i.e. temptations of the body, temptations of the mind and temptations of the heart. Jesus teaches us that the only way to counter temptations is the word of God. 1 st Temptation: Jesus is tempted to make bread from stones and thus do something contrary to the will of God. Jesus does not argue or debate but just quotes the word of God from the book of Deuteronomy (Deut. 8:3). This word of God was given to the people of Israel through Moses to remind them how they were unfaithful to God when faced with hunger in the desert. 2 nd Temptation: Here Jesus is tempted to misinterpret the word of God. Psalm 91:11 promises that God will put his angels in charge of those who love him and the...

Reflection and Meditation on Matthew 13:1-23 & Matthew 13:24-43 Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:1-23   The Sower is a person who sows (proclaims) the seed (the word of God). This parable tells us about 4 different types of persons who get to hear the word of God. The first person is compared to the seed falling on the ‘path’. The second person is compared to the seed falling on ‘rocky ground’. The third person is compared to the seed falling on ‘thorny ground’. The fourth person is compared to the seed falling on ‘good soil’. 1. The ‘path’ is a person who gets to hear the word of God. But due to lack of listening attentively he does not understand what is spoken. Due to lack of interest he has not allowed the word to enter inside him. The devil can easily divert his attention to other things and thus steals the seed. 2. The ‘rocky ground’ is a person who has listened attentively and allowed the word of God to enter him. But due to lack of meditation the ...

Jesus – The Church – The Pope – The Queen Mother The meaning of ‘the kingdom of God’ has to be understood at various levels. It must be borne in mind the kingdom of God is both heavenly and earthly. 1. The kingdom of God is a person. Matthew 6:33 uses the word ‘his’ for the kingdom of God. His refers to Jesus Christ. This scripture tells us to first abide in Jesus and do things that please him and promises that all things needed will be given to us. 2. The kingdom of God is an experience Romans 14:17 tells us that the kingdom of God is an experience of righteousness (love) and joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. An individual can be filled with the Holy Spirit only when one accepts Jesus as one’s lord, God and saviour. Only this individual will enjoy the real experience of love (ability to do things right) and joy (happiness of heart) and peace (calmness of mind). However what we experience now is just a foretaste. The fullness will be experienced only after the secon...

The gifts of the Holy Spirit can be classified into two categories. 1. Personal Gifts 2. Gifts of Service Personal Gifts These are also called as Isaiahian Gifts or Traditional Gifts and are listed in Isaiah 11:1-3 and are seven in number. The personal gifts are given to every person at the time of baptism. These gifts are given to help a person grow in holiness or to help a person to bear fruit. Although the gifts are present they have to be regularly stirred by prayer, study of scriptures and meditation. The measure of the gifts working in every person is different and depends on spiritual efforts of prayer, study of scriptures and meditation. At the time of Confirmation the gifts are stirred by laying of hands. Gifts Of Service These gifts are given to help others and promote the kingdom of God. These are unlimited in number and given to a person according to the will of God. A person may be given one or more of the gifts of service. St. Paul mentions about some...

*SAINT OF THE DAY* *WEDNESDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2017* *SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI* _*CONFESSOR*_ _(1181 - 1226)_ In 1182, Pietro Bernardone returned from a trip to France to find out his wife had given birth to a son. Far from being excited or apologetic because he'd been gone, Pietro was furious because she'd had his new son baptized Giovanni after John the Baptist. The last thing Pietro wanted in his son was a man of God -- he wanted a man of business, a cloth merchant like he was, and he especially wanted a son who would reflect his infatuation with France. So he renamed his son Francesco -- which is the equivalent of calling him Frenchman. Francis enjoyed a very rich easy life growing up because of his father's wealth and the permissiveness of the times. From the beginning everyone -- and I mean everyone -- loved Francis. He was constantly happy, charming, and a born leader. If he was picky, people excused him. If he was ill, people took care of him. If he was ...