The Flickering Light at the End of the Tunnel.

Hope at times makes no sense, and we tell ourselves to not keep our hopes high so that we won’t be disappointed later, and I read one of my friends IG story asking “What does ‘This too shall pass’ mean anymore?” This is definitely one of the greatest testing time of our lives, we dread the news each day, I hate looking at my phone every morning for the fear of more “not so great news”, and I dread the times when the phone rings unexpectedly. Ironically, to our human eyes when we look for a justification for “This too shall pass”, all we see is more cases around us, or us coming into direct contact with a Covid positive unknowingly, or family members being tested, close ones and acquaintances dying, news of possible floods as if a pandemic wasn’t enough.. As if that wasn’t enough, of riots, explosions and plane crashes? All like an icing on the cake of 2020!

A Tear Stained Letter-3 Max’s Response

Dear Eric,

            Thank you for your handwritten letters. They remind me of my childhood days when we used to read the letters from our grandparents at Christmas. I am pleased to read them. I like the idea of being productive by eliminating the distractions of social media! Kudos on your progress, man! Hope you, Dana, Steven, and Trevor are all good. I’m sorry about my delayed response to your letters. We were away for an early vacation and our phones and laptops were submitted.  

            With regard to your first letter, you have many genuine questions. All of those questions do not come from mood alteration. They are in fact existential questions which are quite sobering. Let me address all those questions now:

Rejoice in the Lord

“Blessed are they that mourn,” and “woe unto them that laugh”  said Christ. How does St. Paul then say, “Rejoice in the Lord always”? The laughter of this world is what Christ talks about when he says “Woe unto them that laugh”. He also blessed those that mourn, not simply for worldly reasons but those who are pricked at heart, who mourn their own faults, and take count of their own sins. For he who grieves for his own faults, and confesses to, rejoices. Because you lead a life of suffering for Christ , rejoice. Or when your communion with God is not hindered, rejoice..

Rejoice in the Lord is a command that we are bound to adhere to. It is not an option. The source of our rejoicing is the salvation. The faith of the church is based on the belief in the Holy Trinity.  The love of God the Father, the grace of his only begotten Son and fellowship of the Holy Spirit is more than enough reason to rejoice. How can the trinity be a source of rejoicing for me? I thought it was just another theological teaching .

The love of god the father  is accepting human beings as his own children.  Imagine that tomorrow  a rich millionaire decides to adopt me with no conditions attached. Wouldn’t I be deliriously joyful to inherit all that belongs of the millionaire though I have no reason to deserve any of his wealth? How much more happier should we be that we have been called the children of God. We have seen husbands and wives divorce. But nobody divorces their child no matter how bad he or she is. That is why baptism is a sacrament that is not repeated. Even if I may sin or mess up my life I don’t have to be baptized again to be called His son. To God I am a son just like Jesus is his son. He looks at me and sees Jesus in me. Isn’t the love of God the Father worth rejoicing?

The word grace means to receive a gift that one does not deserve. Similar to the grace time of 10 minutes while writing an exam, grace when a loan doesn’t have to be repaid. What if I am a sinner and I don’t deserve grace? Nobody deserves grace, that’s why its called grace. Sometimes, like the prodigal son we lose everything god has given us. Our purity, talents, our sanity. But His outstretched arms welcomes us back always, each and every time because our sins have been paid for by His blood.  When we come here to receive holy communion there are no pay back conditions and list of punishments to be followed to be able to receive his body and blood.  If anyone comes to me I will by no means cast him out.  Unconditional grace of the son. Isn’t that reason enough to rejoice ?

Because I am a son and I am in the image of lord Jesus forgiven by his grace, I am given something that even prophets in the Old Testament would die to have a little bit of which is the gift of Holy Spirit living in me, guiding me, blessing me, making me in the image of Christ, uniting me with Christ, giving me love joy peace and all the fruits of the spirit. It gives me everything that nothing in the world can give me.

Fellowship of the spirit is sealed in to us in Baptism and confirmed again during our Confirmation. However far can I go from his presence this seal cannot be broken..? Isn’t this fellowship reason enough to rejoice?

Why is it then that we don’t feel joyful? Because we allow our emotions to rule us and not our faith. I am so used to paying for my faults that I can’t comprehend free grace. I cant discern that my sins have been paid for. So I go back to paying heed to  my feelings that eventually take me away from God.

Mother Mary’s response to that news of the angel Gabriel is beyond our understanding. Despite the fear and godly wonder and a whole gamut of emotions that must have run through her teenage mind , she allowed her faith to take over and not her emotions.  Which is why she said “my spirit rejoices in god”

The lives and examples of all the other saints including St.Paul who went through a lot of torment and yet uttered this verse, is enough reason for us to follow this commandment.

May the love of the Father, the grace of the only begotten Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit keep us rejoicing in Him always.

Coincidences are God planned incidents.

Veeta was on her second interview for the day when I met her. She happened to be sitting next to me on the bus and for a minute I thought I was on the wrong bus and she reassured me I was on the right one and we started talking for the next half an hour or so until my stop arrived. That was an interview I was going to where I came across this person.

Mr Khanna was an 85 year old retired auditor who happened to sit next to me during one of my long waits at an airport. What started out as a conversation to hand the newspaper over took multiple turns into the past and I could see his eyes shine as he was telling me stories of the days in which he could jump and run.

These are two of the people who have crossed paths with me in two of my journeys that I was reminded of today.

I did not know why certain things happened, why I went for that interview if God knew this job wasn’t fit for me. Why did I go till the last round of the interview if I’m not going to get that job. Why this? Why that? Basically a lot of whys!!

That’s when I got a tiny answer today, a mom with two kids was traveling in the bus i took today and I helped the mom, maybe that was why I had to be on the bus today. I randomly smiled at a lady (who definitely thought it was creepy) and perhaps that’s why God wanted me to go that way today.

A lot of things that seemed like coincidences are actually God working behind the scenes for the good of all who love Him and who he cares for.

So it’s okay to not be called back after every interview. It’s okay if we had to go the hospital multiple times for a lot of tests. It’s okay to get low marks.

God is in control. He knows what is best for us.

When God takes the drivers seat

In our Uber/Ola trending world, how would you feel if your driver could not read the google map and drop you off at the right location?

Not so calm, especially if that is delaying you to your very important meeting that you absolutely must reach on time and since you left home extra early you thought you could save a few pennies by booking the pool/share.

I have felt so helpless that I have no clue where I am nor how to reach my next destination, all I could do was trust my driver to take me to my right destination how much ever time it takes.

If I can give up so much of trust to a man who was matched to me through the wonders of technology to safely(sometimes not so safely) still drop me at my destination, why can’t I let God take the drivers seat in my life?

I used to think that proper study of situations and scenarios would help me list out the pros and cons and help me in my decision making. I have hated waiting for things from my food to my results to my flights. God has never ceased to surprise me in any of these areas now that I look back.

I learned to relinquish and eventually let go of the drivers seat of my life when God asked me- “Why are you downcast,O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?”

Psalm 42:5a

And he answered to my cries“ Put your hope in God”

Now I enjoy the views, the scenery, the rain, the sunshine, the mountains and the valleys as my father in heaven is behind the wheels.