Jesus has Risen . . . Halleluiah

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My hope is in his cross. . .

This is a very good meditation suitable for this time of the year. Enjoy the video and music which starts after few seconds:

As we watch this video, may we be united in our prayer, praying for our own needs and the needs of the entire world who wait and watch for Christ.

Happy Easter to all readers. Hope you benefited from this blog during the Lent.

This video was prepared and used as a part of the ‘Prayer around the Cross’ in St John the Baptist’s Church Clontarf, on Good Friday 2010, evening.

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by his wounds you have been healed. . .

He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account. (Isaiah 53:3)

Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4)

But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

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What is faith? How can we talk about faith? etc.

Journey of Faith

This may be the last question to be addressed in this Lenten Reflection on questions raised by young people. The coming days we will have some very short reflections about our Lord’s suffering and passion. Thank you Jeby for asking today’s question.

This is a very difficult question which we often do not ask but once asked it can trigger a lot of other questions burning within. It is a question very similar to, ‘What is poetry?’, ‘What is love?’ etc.

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How can you be truly sorry for something or be really pure again?

by His wounds you have been healed (1 Pet 2:24)

Being truly sorry for something can best be explained by our repentance for the very act and most importantly by our resolve to avoid such situations in future. We had a discussion about forgiveness in this site before (March 2 and 3, see the Calendar on the right column to get it).

I feel by this question Angela is touching a concept once dealt by Saint Francis de Sales, called “Affections of Sin”. This is a common feeling of all of us who are sinful:

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If God is a loving God how can he take a mother away from a young family?

A tough question and is not dissimilar to all of the other suffering type questions we dealt with already. This is a very unpleasant situation for all of us. Our compassion towards the young family can make itself visible in different forms directed to different people. All emotions are to be listened to:

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Why the Church is too slow when compared with the modern world?

Like a water lilly

This is a question which can come to the mind of any person who is enlivened by the Church rooted in the modern world. I suppose, this  is an expression of our concern for the Church also. Our desire that the Church should not be falling behind is also clear in the question. Thank you Toji, for the question.

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At the end of life we die or cease to be; but what does this mean from a faith point of view?

Thank you for asking a very interesting question.  The question suggests that you are thinking deeply about life, death, the hereafter and your religious beliefs.  You seem to be searching for answers that will help you make sense of your faith and all the mysteries of living and dying.

There are some other issues associated with this question:

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Why does religious persecution exist? What can we do about it?

This is a good and genuine question which may be asked by all of us who reflect about occurrences of everyday life.  In the recent incidents in Nigeria when a number of women and children were brutally murdered, many of us thought, ‘In the name of religion! Why?’ When this question arises in our mind the underlying sense of justice, idealism and longing for peace also become explicit. The second part of the question captures the enthusiasm and sincere desire to contribute to the wellbeing of the society. Well done.

There are different kinds of religious intolerance or persecution and dealing with underlying anger may be a way to go forward:

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Does my deceased father still know me?

Thank you for asking this interesting question. From the way you have asked the question I realise that your father has died. I don’t know when this happened but I do know that the death of a loved, especially your father can be a really painful experience. Please accept my sympathy. It is very understandable that you would think about whether your deceased father would still know you or not.

I believe that your father still knows you and loves you in a very special way. Once we establish a loving relationship with people especially with our parents those relationships do not unravel in death.

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If God created Lucifer, why doesn’t He just destroy him and end all suffering and evil?

Thank you John, for this question.  Why can’t God be little more easy on us? This is a natural question. At the same time, there are different implications in this question.

(1) God created Lucifer as a good angel.

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What is Lent? Why do we observe it? (part 1)

(The first question in ‘Question Time’ asked by Gerard McHugh is taken into consideration today and tomorrow for discussion. Thank you Gerard for asking this question.)

Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ – his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection.

The practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in:

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How can I help as much people as I want to help in little time?

(I did a volunteer work in Africa and since then my head is messed because there is so much I wanna do but I can’t do enough to help all these kids, you know.)

The context of this question is very clear when we have read the above lines of explanation by the questioner.

This is a great question. As it not only confronts the external world but more importantly it is looking within and asking, “What do I do?” The question really captures the enthusiasm, genuineness and a deep rooted concern of young people for their brothers and sisters.

What do I do?
We (can) do two things.

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How to find our way back to God? (continued from yesterday. . .)

Finding our way back
The first step to finding our way back is already taken if we know that we are lost. To know where we are in our journey will help us understand if we have deviated from the path.

A self reflection to understand how we have lost touch with our God will also help us re-establish our relationship. Do these possible reasons given below distance yourself from God?

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I have recently been trying to re-establish my relationship with God as I feel lost. What’s the best way to do this please? (Part 1)

Thank you for being honest about feeling lost and about trying to find your way back to God.

in the middle of nowhere

Being Lost
Being lost is a hard place to be.  We can feel abandoned, frustrated and afraid. When we feel lost the world can seem a very dark and difficult place to be. We are not sure who to trust and what direction to go. We can often feel angry and want to blame others or ourselves.

• Being lost can happen to any one at any time.

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The Son of God getting the help of a man?

Let us watch a video, today being Friday, about the passion of Jesus Christ.

He was so down to earth that he had to get the help of a mortal like you and me to complete his journey. Watch it now to see who helps whom. This also shows the meaning of our call to life, you are also called to help God, in doing so, He raises us to the level of the divine.

Take time to meditate on the video:

The dignity of human life as being called to assist God in His saving action is visible in the video.

What do you think? Write your comments on the video  in the comment box.

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How can you preach about God, Jesus, miracles and heaven when there’s no simple, definitive answer?

tap answers

Thank you very much for the question. This question is applicable to most of us because often, we all look for simple and definitive answers or we are trained to look for them. True – we don’t have all of the answers. We’re surrounded by big questions all of the time. There’s enough going on in our own daily lives and in the world to challenge us without having the answers to even bigger questions!

Jesus never had one simple answer either.

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What is happiness?

The language of happiness for youth can be defined by the language of ‘ING’ words. What are those ‘ING’ words you ask?

This is a question asked by all of us? Thank you for raising this question.

Every moment in our life is a pursuit of happiness, is it not?

Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. – Denis Waitley

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. . . How can we know we will be happy in the afterlife, if there is one like that? (part 2)

. . . Continued from yesterday. Read yesterday’s post to get the connection – either you can scroll down in the ‘home page’ or go to the calendar on the right hand side column and click on a date to a day’s reflection.

Strategies to Cope when Suffering Happens:

• Remember that suffering is part of life:  You have not been singled out to suffer;
• Suffering does not last for ever:  All thing pass;
• Seek spiritual help;
• Remain steady and grounded;

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If we aren’t able to live this life happily, how can we know we will be happy in the afterlife, if there is one like that? (part 1)

Thank you for your very interesting question.   This is a very real question that we all think about at times but are perhaps are afraid to ask.  You are really courageous to ask difficult questions about life and faith.  By asking this question you have created the opportunity for all of us to reflect on some issues that are complex, and challenging.

When I first read your question I felt afraid because I was challenged to sit and reflect on some serious aspects of what I believe in about this life and the next.

Two key issues that came up for me as I reflected on your question were:

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