A Little Thing Called Trust

Abraham was old when he had his only child. The child, he was fully aware, was a gift of the Almighty and Abe knew he had to live as if the child was loaned to him. He was grateful to even have the opportunity to be able to raise a child. Sarah and Abe had everything they needed, but always longed for a child. After all, a child is the only way you can leave a part of you behind. God told him that he will be the father of many nations, but it was a shame that he couldn’t even have a child of his own.

The Destination called ‘Purpose’

Ever wondered what your purpose in life is? Perhaps it is a question that keeps you up at night!
I know I have pondered over that multiple times myself, and as a student of Philosophy, I’m surrounded by people who wonder the same. If that wasn’t enough, I read and study about the works of people who, over time, have encountered the same conundrum. The answer to this big mystery is merely in the journey of life.

If You Love it, Set it Free..

There is a very famous and overly-used statement in the English language, “If you love it, set it free. If it comes back, then it is meant to be“. The reason I call it over-used is because we seem to use that when it comes to our earthly relationships, but we tend to abuse it when it comes to our divine relationship with God. How often do we let go of God and then come back to Him? How often do to we fall back in the same pattern of getting hurt and hurting, arriving and leaving? Through the various ups and downs, through all the going and coming, there is one thing that is certain – it is easier to let go than to hold on, but we tend to let go of the right ones and hold on to the wrong.

Letting go is a divine act of  Man. Acceptance is a divine act of  God. 

No matter how many times we fall astray or let go of God, He still sets us free, relying that one day we will realise the quality of His love for us and come running back to Him. He lets us leave every time we decide to, but He doesn’t let go of us. He gives us the freedom of making our own choices when we decide to go, He tries to stop us but never forces us. His love is so abundant, so gracious that it accepts every single one of our flaws and loves us the same – as if nothing happened.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself.”

-Luke 10:27

Let us consider the story of the good Samaritan here. The priest and the Levite saw the wounded man and simply let go of him and moved on, going about their business. But the Samaritan looked at this man with pity and accepted him as one of his own. Nursed his wounds, took him to the closest inn where he paid the innkeeper to look after the man. He even agreed to bare the additional expense of this man’s recovery.
Here is a fine example of letting go and accepting. If the Samaritan didn’t let go of his pride and accept this man as his own brother, he would’ve surely perished!

Like St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless unless they find their rest in you.” That is the state we, as humans, are constantly battling. Our restless hearts are always looking for attachments, looking for connections but none of them last. Simply because we were not meant for this world. Even if this world tells you a million times that you belong, just one whisper from the Lord will make you realise that you don’t. You were made for something greater, nothing short of extravagant. So every time you find yourself out in the world losing a battle, and straying far away from home, fear not! We have a God who doesn’t let go of us even when we think we are too far gone. Just remember to look for Him and you will find Him holding on to you as if His life depended on it!

What a friend we have in Jesus!

To be Based on the Assumption!

John 20:29 – “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

My name causes a lot of stir among people. Some are surprised, some confused and others are indifferent to it when they hear it for the first time. A lot of people laugh and call me an ass, but hey! That’s still a part of my name. Others assume its meaning and the rest just call me an assumption. No matter the joke, the last man person to be affected is me. Why? Not only because I’m so used to it, but also because my name is unique.

The etymology of my name goes back to one significant event in the history of the Catholic Church. Apart from being one of the three people who was assumed into heaven, Mother Mary was also born without original sin. Yes, she was immaculate from the time of her conception. This gave her the grace to be able to say “yes” to the angel and become a conduit for our salvation. So what exactly gave her the grace to say yes even when she couldn’t see? Let’s me shed some light there.

But, fun fact, out of all humanity, Jesus was the only one who got to pick his mother!

1. She was filled with grace
   It wasn’t just the angel that proclaimed it, just her cousin Elizabeth and her child- John who also recognised this fact. Mother Mary was radiant!
2. She was full of charity
   Imagine discovering that you’re pregnant and then rushing to the hill country of Judah to help your cousin who is also with a child! Just when you thought she got it easy, she decided to make a move and help her cousin with her pregnancy.
3. She was obedience to the word of God
   Even though her plans and God’s plans never always matched, she said yes to him over and over and over again.
4. She loved beyond measure
   She was hurt, she was broken and her heart was even torn into a million pieces, but she still picked the pieces up and loved; loved beyond expectation. Loved beyond measure.
5. She was sacrificial
   There was a lot of sacrifices Mary made from the time she said yes, till the time she was assumed into heaven. For three years her son was absent from home and she watched Him die, that alone required tremendous sacrifice.

1. She trusted
   Even when she couldn’t see, even when she couldn’t believe, she trusted. She submitted her plans, her life and she complete will to be in union with that of the Father. She trusted even when she couldn’t see.
2. She persevered
   Try, try and try till you succeed, perhaps this was the motto of Mother Mary’s life. She is an exemplary model for everyone going through difficult times. For better or worse, she was married to the will of God.
3. She endured
   It was not easy being the mother of God, there would’ve definitely been days where she wondered why she was chosen, but she stood true to her calling and understood her vocation well.
4. She was persistent
   She never ever ever gave up. From the time of the annunciation, to the time of His birth.. from the time He was found in the temple even till the time she watched Him die on the cross. She persisted and pursued her faith.
5. She prayed
   Not once, not twice, but always! It is hard to stay in constant communion with God, but she managed to do it all the time.

Firm Faith!

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Not so long ago, when I was on my way back home I heard this commotion that caught my attention. There was a passenger on the bus that travelling to a place she had never been to before. She had an idea about the name, but no clue about her destination. As she sat on her seat, the driver of the bus probed her about her destination. She confidently said, “Narayanapura!“ The driver was puzzled, because that stop passed a while ago. Did he forget to tell her? Did she forget to get off? What happened and why is she still on the bus?? By now he realised that this is her first time on this unfamiliar route so he informed her that her stop had gone by. She didn’t move. He told her again, this time he was angry. But she didn’t budge. By now he had stopped the bus, “What are you doing still sitting there? I told you your stop passed and you’re still here! How are you going to reach your destination now?” Sheepishly she smiled and turned around and pointed at a man. She said, “My brother knows the place. He is still on the bus so I know my destination has not arrived yet.”

Her statement released a lot of stress for the driver. He asked her brother what the name of the destination is. He said, “Nagawara”. The driver rived the engine. The destination was still a long way off.

When I look back at this incident, I’m amazed by the firm yet child-like faith that this young lady possessed. She did not know the route, or the destination or even the name. Yet, she sat there holding onto the comforting idea that her brother was in control and, that her brother had a plan. How privileged are we that we don’t just have a brother, but a father and friend accompanying us in the journey to a place prepared exclusively for you and me! A place that is filled with angels. A place so divine that every single fault, every single flaw and every single struggle is just overshadowed by the wonder and greatness of its beauty. Often we may get confused with our destination and believe that we have arrived, but the truth is –  the journey is long and the road is narrow. So unless you have a firm faith in your triune companions, the destination will still feel like its miles away.