Bible Teller - Bible Verse, Jesus Christ, God

When Was Jesus Born?

2019-12-17T10:49:00.001+05:30

When Was Jesus Born?

When Was Jesus Born? Let's learn about birthday of Jesus by exploring historical and biblical evidence along with study made by some historian scholars. This is an effort to find out whether Jesus Christ was really born on 25th December on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day

Did you know that the first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on the 25th of December was actually in 336 AD? This was during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine. He was the first Christian Roman Emperor. A few years later Pope Julius the first officially declared the 25th of December as the date of the birth of Jesus would be celebrated.

Now December 25th might have been chosen because the winter solstice in the ancient Roman midwinter festivals called Saturnalia and Dies Natalis Solis Invicti took place in December around this date. So it was a time when people already celebrated things but there is strong biblical evidence against the fact that Christ was truly born on December 25^th. In fact most theologians and historians believe that Christ was born in the spring sometime between March and April.

So today using the word of God let's see if we can discover Christ's actual birthday. Some of you might ask why is it important to know what day Jesus was born and to that I answer it's the day that God became a human being, the day that the word became flesh. Don't you want to know what day in history that actually happened?

The Death of King Herod

To begin with we need to understand the death of King Herod. If you remember King Herod tried to kill baby Jesus. So Joseph took Jesus and ran away to Egypt the family took refuge in Egypt and when they heard King Herod had died they went back to Israel.

Let's read Matthew 2: 15, ‘He remained there until the death of Herod this was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the Prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my Son”. Here it says that they were there until the death of King Herod. In Matthew 2: 19 and 20, ‘but when Herod died behold an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “get up take the child and his mother and go into the Land of Israel for those who sought a child's life are dead”. See here it says that when Herod died the angel came to Joseph in a dream and said that those who sought for the baby's life were dead. So go back to Israel. So it's important to know when King Herod died.

Now King Herod died sometime between March 29th and April 4th that year.

Keep reading and I'll explain how these dates are reached historically.

King Herod died in the year 4 BC. March 29th in the year 4 BC is the solar calendar date, the Gregorian date if you will. However, according to the Hebrew religious calendar March 29th of that year is the first day of the first month. Historical records show that Herod died in the 34th year of his reign. The Jewish people didn't use the solar calendar but the religious calendar to figure out the reigned years of the kings.

So starting from March 28th and before that would have been King Herod's 33rd year reign and after March 29th it would officially be King Herod's 34th year of reign. So March 28th is the last day of King Herod's 33rd year of regional reign so if Herod died in the 34th year of his reign he would have had to have died after March 29th of that year.

Now how did we reach April 4^th? In this year the year 4 BC Passover was April 11^th. From the Jewish calendar March 29th is the first day of the first month and Passover is on the 14th day of the first month. So that means that March 29th is the first day of the month and April 11th becomes the 14th day of the month. Now the Greek historian Flavius Josephus records that on that day the king was Archelaus, the son of Herod not Herod himself. That means the Herod had already died before that day. Josephus also wrote that after Archelaus became king he had a time of mourning for seven days. He mourned Herod for seven days. So Herod's death had to have occurred at least seven days prior to April 11th so that would have been April 4^th. This means that Herod died sometime between March 29th and April 4^th.

Now why is it important that we know when Herod died? If Herod does not die baby Jesus cannot go to Jerusalem to perform the purification rites. See Jesus came to earth to fulfil the law that's why in Matthew 5:17 the Bible says, “I came not to abolish the law but to fulfil it”. So since Jesus came to fulfil the law Jesus has to abide by the law. He has to keep the law that means that Jesus didn't completely ignore the law at all times but in situations where he could fulfil the law and keep the law he did those things.

The Purification Rite

So now we need to understand the purification rite. Under the Old Testament law, when a woman gives birth to a baby, she has to go through a purification rite. So the second thing we need to understand is that purification rite.

When she has a baby boy she is unclean for seven days. Then after that she needs to go through 33 days of a cleansing ritual. When you combine these you get 40 days before she is completely purified. That means a mother who has given birth cannot go into the temple or even touch any of the items within the sanctuary for 40 days. Then on the 41st day the mother goes into the temple to give her offering of sacrifice which will make her fully purified, this is God's law.

So Mary and baby Jesus also have to keep this law. So on the 41st day they have to go into the temple to perform this purification ritual. However, if King Herod is still alive they cannot go into the temple to perform this. In order for Jesus to go through this 41 day ritual God had to kill King Herod.

Let's read Luke 2:22, ‘and when the days for her purification according to the Law of Moses were completed they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord’. Here it says that the days of purification were completed. The word in Greek here is “play-tho” which means “it's full”. This means when the 41st day came when the days were full, Mary and the baby Jesus came to worship God. In other words it wasn't a little less or a little more than 41 days it was exactly 41 days that they came back to Jerusalem for this ritual. So in order for them to fulfil God's will he enabled them to come right on the 41st day. So they could fulfil those days.

Let's read Leviticus 12 verses 1 through 4, ‘then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the sons of Israel saying, When a woman gives birth and bears a male child then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed." If you know exactly what day Jesus performed this purification right then you can count back 41 days to his birth. Now hold on to that thought.

Where Did Baby Jesus Take Refuge?

Let's shift gears for a moment. I want to focus for a minute on where Jesus took refuge in Egypt. Check the map of the Mediterranean, see where Cairo is located. Many people think that Jesus took refuge in that area.

Also, see this map of Israel. See where Jerusalem is. And right under Jerusalem is Bethlehem (Sorry Bethlehem is not indicated in the map. It is right under Jerusalem). So to come from Bethlehem all the way from Cairo is about 250 to 265 miles.

Now the Sinai Peninsula in the wilderness is full of rocks not even a single blade of grass grows there. Matthew 2 verse 11 through 13 States, “after coming into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother and they fell to the ground and worshipped him. Then opening their treasures they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod the Magi left for their own country by another way”.

Now when they had gone behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy him”. When we look at this passage it says on the night of Jesus's birth Herod was going to kill the babies. So on that night they ran away, they fled.

Now they have an infant child and a mother who was not healed from her wounds to walk through the wilderness would that make sense? In those days the border between Israel and Egypt was at the place called ‘the brook of Egypt’ and right across the border in Egypt is a place called El Arish. El Arish is about 91 miles from Bethlehem. That is a more plausible location for where baby Jesus took refuge, isn't it? They say a male adult can walk between 15 and 25 miles a day. So El Arish is a place you could flee to in a few days. So one can safely assume that Jesus took refuge in El Arish and after Herod died God called baby Jesus back to Israel.

Matthew 215 states, ‘He remained there until the death of Herod this was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the Prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son”. It says that Jesus' time in Egypt was a fulfilment of Hosea 11:1 which says out of Egypt I called my son.

So now we can understand exactly where in Egypt Jesus fled. We can conjecture that the baby Jesus fled into Egypt and that is where he was circumcised because he was circumcised on the eighth day.

Read Genesis 17 verses 10 through 14, “this is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a sign of a covenant between me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall my covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” Here it says circumcision has to be done on the eighth day. So even if Mary had just given birth she could travel the 91 mile journey to El Arish in just eight days.

Luke 2 verses 21 through 22 states, ‘And when eight days had passed, before his circumcision, his name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.’ It says circumcision was performed on the eighth day and in verse 22 it says according to the Law of Moses they performed the rite of purification. That means verse 21 was eight days after the birth of Christ and verse 22 was something that happened 41 days after Jesus's birth. So there is a 33 day gap between these two verses.

Now we're almost there. Let's see if we can come to an understanding about the time and distance of travel between these places. What's important here is the date of April 11^th. This is very important. In 4 BC, April 11th was Passover. So on April 11th at Twilight just before sunset they killed the Passover lamb. If you look at Exodus 12 verses 1 through 6 it says, ‘they take the Passover lamb on the tenth day of the first month and on the fourteenth day they slaughtered the lamb.’ Passover in the year 4 BC on the solar calendar is April 11^th.
Now on the eve of April 11th the Israelites started to give sacrifices. However, due to events that had transpired prior to his father's death, King Archelaus had to send a Tribune in command of a cohort to reason with a group of people mourning the loss of two teachers and 40 youth that his father had killed for destroying a Golden Eagle that he had placed over the temple. And wait until Archelaus could return from Rome and then he would deal with this. However, those who came from Archelaus were stoned and many of them were killed. So the Greek historian Josephus records that after midnight Archelaus suddenly ordered the entire army within the city to the temple. Josephus records that the death toll that night was 3,000 people and Archelaus sent heralds around the city announcing the cancellation of Passover.

Now imagine that for Passover everyone from all over the nation would come to Jerusalem but on April 12th the king sent them all away to their homes. That means that Mary and Joseph could not perform the purification rite on the 12^th. When Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to perform the purification Rite they met Simeon and Anna and when they were performing the purification Rite they were not bothered by any soldiers. This means that they must have performed the right before April 12th because on April 12th they could not perform any of these rituals.

Now in order to know about the route of travel we need to figure out the distance between El Arish and Nazareth. A lot of people think that Mary and Joseph went straight from El Arish directly to Jerusalem to perform the rituals. That's why they can't figure out what the Bible means. Because the Bible clearly states that they didn't go straight from El Arish to Jerusalem but first went to Nazareth of Galilee.

Let's read Matthew 2 verses 19 through 23, ‘but when Herod died behold an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “get up take the child and his mother and go into the Land of Israel for those who sought the child's life are dead”. So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother and came into the Land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee and came and lived in a city called Nazareth this was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophets he shall be called a Nazarene.’

Clearly the Bible states that Joseph was afraid to go to Jerusalem. So he went to live in Galilee. Now from El Arish to Nazareth is about a 150 miles. This is a distance that they could make in about six days. Remember that we've already discussed that an adult male usually walks 15 to 25 miles a day. If you're really slow you can make it about 15 miles a day and if you walk fast you can cover 25 miles a day. Especially if you have a donkey you just throw all of your luggage or the woman and the baby on the donkey. Exodus 4:20 is an example of this, ‘Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey.’ It says that Moses brought his children and says that he put them on a donkey as he walked. Also, in a separate instance from Beersheba to Jerusalem about 50 miles, Abraham put all of his things on a donkey and he and Isaac walked a three-day journey. This means that they walked two full days.

If you divide fifty by two days you walk 25 miles a day. So we can see if they had a donkey, they could cover 25 miles a day. If Joseph had placed Mary and Jesus riding on a donkey they could have covered 25 miles a day. It was also customary in those days to have women and children ride on donkeys during a long journey. Some people say that Joseph and Mary were really poor so where did they get the donkey from. Remember the Magi they brought gifts for Christ. One of those gifts was gold they had gold. They could sell the gold and buy eight donkeys if they wanted to. So the distance that they would have covered is about a hundred and fifty miles. It would have taken them around six days. Next we have to think about the distance from Nazareth back to Jerusalem. From Nazareth it is about 65 miles to Jerusalem. However, going from Nazareth to Jerusalem is an uphill journey. So it takes a little longer. We can assume that it took them somewhere around three days to make it. So nine days of travel total.

Another thing we also have to take into consideration is the Sabbath day. They can't travel on the Sabbath. In the year 4 BC, April 7th was the Sabbath and a lot of scholars think King Herod died somewhere around April 1^st.

The True Date Of Jesus' Birth
So let's put all this together. Let's say this is the month of April. Here we have on the 1^st April Herod's supposedly died and then we have the 7^th April which is a Sabbath. Let's say, early in the morning of April 1^st, they start out, they can walk six days, cover 150 miles from El Arish to Nazareth. Then on the 7^th day, this is the Sabbath, so they can't go anywhere. They prepare a place to live and gather the things that they will need to perform it's a purification right when they reach Jerusalem. So if they start to leave on the eighth day they can arrive in Jerusalem on the 10^thApril. They could perform the purification rights before God on the morning of the 11^th. Then after they finish they can return to Nazareth because that's where they continued to live. Now remember on the eve of the 11^thand into the 12^th Archelaus has killed three thousand people.

When you take all of these things into account it is correct to say King Herod died on April 1st and when you count 41 days backwards from April 11th Passover in the year 4 BC you come to the date of March 2nd in the year 4 BC. That is the day that Jesus must have been born in order for Mary to fulfil the purification rites on the morning of the 11^th. So Jesus Christ the Saviour of mankind the seed of the woman promised to Adam who came to destroy the works of the devil was born on Friday March the 2nd in the year 4 BC. So we now know When Jesus was born. And how that is for Christmas trivia! Share this with your family at Christmas dinner and show everyone how smart you are if you enjoyed this study please like my article and share it. Don't forget to subscribe so you can keep up to date with my latest articles when they're released and Merry Christmas to you.

Proof of Jesus and Bible

2019-12-15T14:14:00.000+05:30

Proof of Jesus and Bible

Proof of Jesus and Bible. Is it crazy to believe that there was a man named Jesus who actually lived died and then rose from the dead? Is believing in the Bible just based on myths and legends of something that happened and was written down thousands of years ago? Well my goal in this article is not to merely provide you with my opinion, my goal is to provide you with a set of historical facts that lead to incredibly strong evidence that Jesus is who he said he is. This article is packed with good info. I am going to talk about his life the reliability of the Gospels and New Testament, his skeptics, his miracles, fulfilled prophecies and his death and resurrection.

Is there any proof that these things actually happened? Well you might be surprised so let's find out to start off. I want to take a look at the New Testament Gospels which for those of you who don't know are biographies of Jesus.

The New Testament Gospels

The New Testament Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. How do we know that these Gospels are telling us the truth about Jesus and aren't just some man-made fairy tale? Many of you reading this may not accept the New Testament as being the inspired Word of God but what you can't deny is that they are an ancient set of historical documents. What we want to know is are these historical documents reliable and how do we know that they are accurate? This may come as a surprise to many of you reading but all of the New Testament Gospels were written in the first century which is remarkably close to when Jesus was actually alive.

The Gospel of Mark was the first which was only written about thirty years after Jesus died and then Matthew Luke and John shortly after that. What's crazy about this is that at the time of these writings eyewitnesses of Jesus were still around. If these writers were passing along false information, if they were passing along unreliable history we would expect eyewitnesses to say wait a minute this is not what actually happened. All of the Gospel writers were either eyewitnesses or they were interviewing eyewitnesses to gain information about Jesus.

If you think about that in today's terms, 9/11 was almost 20 years ago. It would be very difficult for someone to be passing along historical writings about 9/11 that were not accurate because everyone that lived through it would be there to confirm or disprove whatever they were passing along.

Now a good way to test the New Testament Gospels is by seeing if there's any evidence outside of the New Testament that corroborates what the New Testament tells us. What's really cool is there is actually a remarkable amount of documents in corroboration outside of the New Testament.

Evidence to prove Bible

The writings of Josephus are among the most incredible. He was a Jewish historian in AD 93. He published the work called ‘The Antiquities of the Jews’ and this is one of his writings. “Now there was about this time Jesus a wise man for he was a doer of wonderful works a teacher of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. Pilate condemned him to the cross those that loved him first did not forsake him and the sect of Christians are named for him are not extinct to this”.

So that's pretty cool that here we have a reliable Jewish historian outside of the Bible confirming that there was a man named Jesus and he was a man of wonderful works and that he had followers who did not leave him and that he was condemned to the cross.

Is Jesus real?
So changing gears a little what about the miracles that the Bible claims Jesus performed? Is there any way to corroborate those the Gospels claimed that Jesus walked on water, healed the blind, and raised the dead and many other miracles? Really good evidence of this is that Jesus' contemporaries which is people who liked him people who were indifferent towards him and even the people who opposed him. All acknowledged that he did extraordinary things. Now of course those who liked him and believed in him said he did these extraordinary things because of the Spirit of God while the people who opposed him would admit that he did amazing things but they said that it was because the devil was helping him.

The Talmud which is not a biblical text says that Jesus performed magic. So here we have another source outside the Bible confirming that Jesus did perform amazing signs but they called it magic because these people did not believe he was from God. However, they are acknowledging that he did perform extraordinary miracles.

I once heard a story of a man who wrote down this verse and he took it to his work and read it to all of his co-workers and asked them who is this verse talking about. The verse reads "he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" and everyone's response was immediately yeah that's talking about Jesus from the New Testament. And then the man excitedly responded no it's not from the New Testament it's from the Old Testament and was written eight centuries before Jesus even came and you can google this this verse was written in Isaiah 53: 5-6 prophesying Jesus' hundreds of years earlier. So this brings us to one of the most amazing things we find about the Bible which is that against all mathematical odds Jesus fulfilled dozens of prophecies that were written centuries before he was born.

Fulfilment of Prophesies

Scholars have determined that Jesus fulfilled at least four dozen major prophecies. Some skeptics claim that he somehow engineered this or that they were self-fulfilling prophecies which is really quite silly because some of these prophecies were ones he couldn't have possibly fabricated such as being born of a virgin in Bethlehem or living as a suffering servant. These would have been quite difficult to engineer.
Other prophecies include that the Messiah's ministry will begin in Galilee, he will perform miracles, rise from the dead, be betrayed by a friend, die a violent death and one of my favourites in Zechariah 9:9, “the messiah will ride into Jerusalem on a donkey” which was written 500 years earlier. The reason I love this one so much is if you look at a donkey's back there's actually a black cross on it and what's really incredible is that one of the prophecies written in Psalm 22:16 was dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. This was written about 300 years before crucifixion was even invented and while Jesus was here on earth he made some really radical claims. He claimed to be the Son of God and he claimed that the only way we could get to God would be through him and that him and God were the same being.

Now anyone can make these claims but what proof do they have? You can claim to be God. I can claim to be God but it doesn't really mean anything. However, if Jesus claimed to be God and died and rose from the dead well that's pretty good evidence that what he was claiming was true. So as you can see the resurrection of Jesus really is the pivotal point of Christianity. That's why Paul wrote in first Corinthians 15:17 and “if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile”.

Proof of resurrection

So if you can prove his resurrection you can prove he really is who he said he is. To weigh the validity of his resurrection we must first consider his death. Many sceptics claim that he merely fainted on the cross and didn't actually die and then escaped later as part of a conspiracy. What that said chances of surviving a crucifixion are extremely low not only that but in the Roman army if you were looking after a prisoner and you let him get away your life would be taken in the place of his. Yeah the Romans were very good at killing people they were experts in it and actually prided themselves on it.

Possibly the most definitive statement of Jesus's death was recorded in the Gospel of John which reads “one of the soldiers pierced Jesus side with a spear bringing a sudden flow of blood and water”. And now medical experts today know that this sign of water and blood is actually a sign of a rupture of heart. Three days after Jesus's death his tomb was empty. In the book of Matthew tells us that the chief priests devised a plan and gave the soldiers money to claim that Jesus's disciples came during the night and stole his body.

Now here's the question if the body is still in the tomb why the chief priests are telling everyone the disciples have stolen it. The claim that the body was stolen confirms that Jesus's enemies acknowledge that the tomb was actually empty. If you have a stolen body you must have an empty tomb and if the tomb was not empty Jesus's opponents would have surely gone and gotten the body and shown it as soon as the disciples began proclaiming the resurrection.

So even though there is strong evidence that there was indeed an empty tomb that still doesn't prove that Jesus rose from the dead. So our next question is, is it really true that hundreds of people really saw Jesus after his crucifixion? The Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Corinthians that Jesus was raised on the third day and appeared to Peter then to the twelve disciples and into more than five hundred others at the same time and last he appeared to me.

One of the strongest facts and greatest circumstantial evidence that Jesus really did rise from the dead was the explosion of growth in the early Christian Church in the face of intense persecution. In the second century the Roman historian Tacitus who is considered to be one of the greatest Roman historians of all time wrote this “Nero inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class, hated for their abominations called Christians by the populace”. So you can actually look this up. This is written by a non-biblical source.

So where we are getting at is that even the most sceptical critical scholars recognised that the earliest disciples believed that Jesus was raised from the dead. This is an indisputable historical fact. It's very important to realise this that there is no question that Jesus's disciples and earliest followers actually believed he was who he claimed to be.

Earlier Christian persecutions

Now my question to you is how strongly would you have to believe in something to be willing to be tortured and killed for that belief? After Jesus's crucifixion the disciples of Jesus lived lives of incredible hardship for twenty thirty forty years and suffered greatly and eventually were put to death without renouncing the belief that they had seen Jesus risen from the dead. I mean what were they gaining? They were running around abandoning their families being put to death in many cases and you have to remember that they aren't just dying for something they believed in but are dying for something they actually saw with their own eyes. It's much more difficult to explain that way. If someone’s belief is wrong will he or she die for such belief? Even if there is a small doubt in someone’s mind about his her belief then will he die for such belief?

There are two individuals that I want to touch on for a minute who provides such strong evidence that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. What's interesting about James is that he was not a believer in Jesus during Jesus' lifetime but he later became a believer and not only that but was put to death for his faith. In a similar way Saul who was a Jewish Pharisee and serious persecutor of Christians later became the apostle Paul writing most of the New Testament.

So you have to ask the question what led to this radical transformation of these former sceptics. I mean it's easy for someone to end up believing something that they want to believe it. For example if you want to believe that someone is loving and kind and they really aren't, well you can sometimes talk yourself into believing that if that's what you want to believe. But what's very difficult is finding someone who wants to believe something that they were actually standing against.

What's so interesting is James and Saul did not believe in Jesus before the crucifixion. They thought he was insane actually. So what happened after his crucifixion that led them to living a life willing to die for their faith?

When Jesus was executed his disciples were rightfully afraid. They scattered and were fearful for their lives. They had believed Jesus was the son of God but once they saw him dead their hopes were crushed. But shortly after we find them taking a stand in Jerusalem proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of God. How do we explain this? The only rational explanation is that something happened to them between the death of Jesus and three days later. According to their own words it was that they saw Jesus risen from the dead for themselves.

Now we understand that there's nothing we or anyone can say to convince someone that Jesus is who he claimed to be. Only God can do that or in the words of Jesus after Simon Peter realized he was the Messiah, Jesus said to him, blessed are You Simon, this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my father in heaven. But our hope and our prayer is that through this God will reveal to you that it actually takes more faith to not believe in them than it does to believe in them.

Conclusion

As for us these are not the only reasons we believe that Jesus Christ is a son of God and our Lord and Savior but are just a few. I invite and strongly encourage you to seriously consider whether or not Jesus is who he says and that could be as simple as a prayer asking God to reveal himself to you.

And so I will conclude with this a quote from CS Lewis, Christianity if false is of no importance and if true is of infinite importance. That's some of the reasons why we believe Jesus is who he claimed to be. There's incredible evidence and incredible history that support that belief.
Also read Who is Jesus

Who is Jesus

2019-12-03T10:46:00.002+05:30

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? Jesus Christ who are you? We can't escape him. We try to run from him but there he is. He keeps popping up everywhere. Our greatest philosophers write about him, our greatest historians write about him, our greatest poems and plays are about him, our greatest architectures are about him.

Even in Russia when it was a Soviet Union, if you go to the Kremlin, it's all filled with paintings and pictures about Jesus. You go anywhere in the Russia (Soviet Union) and you'll see images in art and much of the music has to do with Jesus. They can't escape him

Jesus Scripture

He was a man just like you but he was more than that, he claimed to be the unique only begotten incarnate son of God. In fact he claimed pre-existence.

The scripture says in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God. Before time began he existed. He said before Abraham was I.

No wonder they got angry, no wonder they threw stones at him, no wonder they tried to kill him and no wonder they eventually did crucify him. He stood and said I am God. Was he who that he claimed to be the son of the Living God?

Well we know some things about him we know he was a man. Jesus was completely human. He was representative of man because the Bible says he was identified, he was numbered with the transgressors.

We know that he was hungry, we know he got thirsty, we know he got tired, we know that he had the joys of friendship, we know that he wept at the tomb of a dead loved one.

We know that he had all the characteristics of a man and yet very interestingly the Bible says that he never committed a sin in fact he stood in front of the people of his generation and he said I've never committed a sin. Wouldn't that be something for a man to come along 33 years of age and say who of you have ever seen me commit a sin?

Jesus was tempted in every point like as we are. He went through every temptation you've ever been through. There isn't a trial or our testing or a temptation that Jesus has not been through before you and he resisted them and overcame them all.

Son of God

One day he asked his disciples who do men say that I am and Peter answered and said well some of them say you're John the Baptist come back, are you a Jeremiah? You're Elijah? He said I'm really not interested in what the people say I'm interested Peter in what you say, what do you say.

Peter said thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God and Jesus said Peter you've done well you've passed your examination. But Peter those are not your thoughts. That thought to Peter came from God. He has always existed from everlasting to everlasting.

He is God the Bible says and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. In other words, the Word of God, the eternal God, became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and lived like a man among us. That's what the Bible teaches and when you come to Jesus Christ you have to accept that he wasn't just another revolutionary, he was not just another great man, but he was God in the flesh.

Teachings of Jesus

All the ethics that he taught never a man speak like that man. When you get hit on one side he says turn the other cheek. He never said what to do after that but he did say forgive seventy times.

How about the little irritations from your wife or your husband? Do you forgive him or her seventy times seven? The secret of a happy marriage is “two good forgivers”. And that's what it is, two good forgivers, people that can forgive each other. Jesus taught that we're to forgive.

He taught a revolution in the way we're to live. He taught us that it wasn't just our outward actions that God judges but it's the inward.

Moses said that in the Ten Commandments ‘Thou shall not commit adultery’ but I tell you that if you even look on a woman to lust after, you've already committed it. Moses said ‘Thou shalt not murder’ but I tell you if you have hate in your heart against your brother without cause you're already guilty.

He lifted man's ethics to the highest plane and demanded that we live that kind of a life he himself lived. The scripture says that he judges the inside. The Attorney General of the United States once said, that America is imperilled more from within than without and so are you today in your personal life.

David said in sin did my mother conceive me. Jesus said, out of a heart proceed evil thoughts and murders and adulterers and thefts and blasphemies. All the evil in the world comes from the human heart that's got to be changed. And that's why Jesus said you must be born again you must be converted, you must have a new beginning and he can do it.

How do you explain Jesus? Jesus Christ are you what you say you are? You know they only brought three charges against him to crucify, they said this man loves sinners that was one charge. The second he healed on the Sabbath day. On the third he claimed to be the son of God. Was he the son of God?

By God’s authority Jesus came unto them and spoke unto them saying all Authority has been given to me. I know one thing he forgave sin and no prophet ever did that. Jesus himself forgave. He said thy sins are forgiven.

Authority of Jesus

Jesus had authority over nature. One day, one night he was in a storm. The Lightning was flashing. The Thunder was roaring. The sea was raging. The wind was blowing.

The disciples were afraid and Jesus was asleep in the boat. And he stood up in the boat and said please be still. The Lightning quit its flashing and the Thunder quit its roaring and the rain ceased to fall and the wind quieted down in the sea and nature obeyed him.

There's something up here more powerful than nature. Jesus could take a storm like that and turn it around. He could take the lightning and throw it back in the cloud. He has power over nature. Why? Because he's the god of nature. Those his laws are screaming about him, they tell that Jesus is God.

He had authority over disease. I read somewhere that some years ago Mao Zedong in China claims to have cured 80% of all the deaf people in China and one of those men that came back on the ping pong team said that Mao Zedong is the Jesus Christ of China.

Jesus did make the blind to see, he made the Deaf to hear, and he made the dumb to talk. He raised the dead. According to the record, he had authority over demons.

If you ask me do you believe in demons I surely do. And Jesus confronted demons time after time, he could cast them out and people that were insane under the powers of demons would regain their sanity. And then look at the death he died did ever a man die like Jesus?

The lightning flashed and the thunder roared and the earth began to shake and even the soldiers confessed that this must be the Son of God. Anyone that can see Jesus on that cross and not be touched has a heart of stone.

They first took off his clothes then they took long leather thongs with steel pellets or lead pellets on the end and beat him across the back until he could hardly stand up. Then they put a crown of thorns on his brow and his face was bleeding and they laughed at him and they spit on him and they mocked him.

With one snap of his finger 72,000 angels had already drawn their swords ready to come to his rescue and wipe this planet out of existence in the universe and Jesus said no to this end. He dragged and lifted and hauled that cross.

Jesus is for everyone: No Discrimination

Don't you black people ever forget one thing the man that helped Jesus carry that cross was a black man and don't ever forget another thing Jesus belongs to Africa as much as he does to Europe and Asia.

He was born in that part of the world that touches Africa and Asia and Europe and Jesus was not a white man nor was he as black. We don't know what the color of his skin but it must have been a dark color like the people of his day because he was a man like them. Don't ever say it's a white man's religion or a black man's religion. It's a world religion. He belongs to the world.

Forgiveness

When he died on that cross and they nailed him they put the nails in his hands and you know what he said forgive them they know not what they do, forgive them. Could you forgive somebody that's putting nails in your hands and you know you didn't deserve it.

He didn't squirm, he didn't yell, he didn't scream. He just said Lord forgive him they don't know what they're doing. That's how he confronted the violence of his day and then on the cross he said my God why have you forsaken me. Then he dropped his head and said it's finished. What did he mean? He meant your plan of salvation was finished.

God can now forgive you of all your sins because Jesus had finished God's plan for your salvation. Because you see God knows every one of you by name he has the hairs of your head numbered.

God looks upon you as though you were the only person in the whole universe he sees you and you alone. And on that cross Jesus had the capacity to think of you and he loved you enough to stay on the cross.

Was there ever such love? Is that when he could have been rescued and taken back to heaven and to sit on his throne but he didn't? He said no I'm doing it for the joy that is set before me. Because he saw that he would be raised from the dead, he saw that they would be a gathering in the generations to come of a people for his name that would make up his body.

He saw the day when we will reign with him in his kingdom. Yes, they laid him away in a tomb and that's where Jesus Christ the Superstar leaves him out.

Resurrection of Jesus

If you don't have the resurrection you don't have any gospel. Jesus Christ is alive and when they went out to the tomb that morning they heard the greatest news the world has ever known. He is not here. He is risen, he is alive today.

The thing that inspired the disciples to turn the world upside down in their day is the resurrection. They went everywhere declaring that Jesus is alive. You know some of us Christians live as though Jesus is dead. He's not dead, he's alive.

I know you're going through your troubles and your trials and your temptations and your testings and your pressures and you're under satanic attack all the time constantly. I think in many ways in some ways it's easier not to be a Christian in this world because the devil may leave you alone.

The moment you receive Christ as Savior you're in for it unless you live on your knees and live in the scriptures and keep your guard up and have your spiritual armour on at all times. Because if you let down even one day as a Christian you're in trouble.

The moment you receive Christ you see all the world is going this way. You turn around and start against the tide as a Christian and that's hard but you know it's hard to be a sinner too the older you get because the Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard.

I watch sometimes the programs on television where they have crime. I have never in my life seen criminals work so hard for the money they get. It looks like to me they could get a legitimate business and have a much easier time.

Jesus Christ is alive and if he's not risen from the dead, if he's not alive then there is no such thing as Christianity. We all can turn the World into much better place. It can be done with power of Jesus. That's it.

Jesus coming into our heart. Even if I had no proof whatsoever no scientific proof that Jesus ever lived I still would trust him because of what he's done for me the joy and the peace and the security and the love that he's given to me. His grace that is mine today and then the satisfaction that he gives to those who have trusted him.

Who art thou Lord Jesus Christ?

Are you who you say you are? This is the question that every one of you today are going to have to answer who is Jesus. If Jesus claimed to be God knowing he wasn't God then he's a liar and we will have to say Jesus you're a liar you're a fraud and a hoax and you're the biggest fraud in the history of the human race or if Jesus thought he was God and did not know the difference then he desperately needed mental health. He needed several psychiatrists.

The third alternative is that he was who he claims to be, God in the flesh. I believe that the evidence is overwhelming that he is who he claims to be, the son of the Living God. But I cannot prove it scientifically but I can prove it by the lives that he transforms every day I can prove it because in my heart I don't say I think I hope. I say I know and you know there's another element in our lives that we don't think much about and that's the element of faith.

You think of the faith that you have to have every day. You have to have faith that your wife didn't put poison in your coffee this morning, you have to have faith in her. She might have felt like it but she didn't. You have to have faith in the bank when you write a check and sign it.

You have money in the bank, you have to have faith that the bank's going to pay it. You have to have faith in the government when you pull out a dollar bill. You have faith that back of it is a dollar that people will accept. It is money. Everything we do is by faith.

Conclusion: Jesus Christ is our Lord and God

Who is Jesus? Let’s put the same faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you will know who Jesus is. You accept him by faith and he comes into your life and into your heart and you know that he's who he claims to be.

Also read who is God, who is the Holy Spirit

Bible verses about Love

2019-11-25T17:41:00.001+05:30

Bible verses about Love

Bible verses about Love teach us how love is above everything. Both the Old and New Testaments have many verses on Love. 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 sums up what is love. Here are my selection of 50 Bible verses about love.

1 John 3:1

Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

1 John 4:9-11

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Psalm 136:26

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 15:13-14

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Isaiah 54:10

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ live in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Romans 8:37-39

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 15:9-10

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Romans 5:5

The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

1 John 4:19

We love him, because he first loved us.

Psalm 36:5

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 86:15

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Bible verse about God's love John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:4-5

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace you are saved.

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you... to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

Hebrews 12:6

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.

1 John 4:7-8

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one who loves is born of God, and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God; for God is love.

John 17

O Father,..I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me;...that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

John 14:21

He that hath my commandments, and keep them, he it is that love me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 16:27

For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

Psalm 63: 1, 3

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water. Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Song of Songs 2:4

“His banner over me is love.”

Ephesians 5:2

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

Jude 1:21

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Psalm 109:26

Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!

1 John 4:16

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15
For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then we were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

What is Love? 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

Love is always patient and kind; love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, it is never rude and never seeks its own advantage, it does not take offence or store up grievances. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth. It is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes. Love never comes to an end. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if tongues, they will fall silent; and if knowledge, it will be done away with. For we know only imperfectly, and we prophesy imperfectly; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will be done away with. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and see things as a child does, and think like a child; but now that I have become an adult, I have finished with all childish ways. Now we see only reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face. Now I can know only imperfectly; but then I shall know just as fully as I am myself known. As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.
Jeremiah 31:3

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

Deuteronomy 10:17-18

For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favourites, accepts no bribes, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing.
Psalm 36:7

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Titus 3:4-5

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.

I believe you have been blessed by this Bible verses about Love. Please continue to meditate and to read it over and over again, and allow these life-changing Scriptures and Bible verses from the Word of God to reach deep into your heart and help you experience the steadfast and unfailing love of God which has been abundantly poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Christ the King Feast History and Homily

2019-11-20T11:50:00.000+05:30

Christ the King Feast History and Homily

Christ the King Feast is a comparatively recent addition to the church's liturgical calendar. It was introduced by Pope Pius XI in 1925, but why at that time did Pius XI introduce a feast dedicated to Christ the King?

History of Christ the King Sunday

Pius XI first encyclical letter had been published a few years earlier in 1922. That encyclical was called in Latin ‘Ubi arcano Dei consilio’ which means ‘When, in the inscrutable designs of God’. It was written just a few years after the end of the First World War. And the Pope then wrote, “Since the close of the great war the nations of the earth have not as yet found true peace” and he goes on to say, “that conditions have become increasingly worse because the fears of the people are being constantly played upon by the ever-present Menace of new wars, likely to be more frightful and destructive than any which have preceded them.” How prescient were those words!

With the rubble of war still lying about him the Pope begged people to look rather to the peace of Christ in the kingdom of God.

In 1925 Pius XI published a follow-up encyclical establishing the Feast of Christ the King he again wrote about peace and notes that the evil present in the world was due to the fact that the majority of people had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives and he went on to say that as long as individuals and States refused to submit to the rule of our Savior there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations.

What was happening in the world at that time? well recall in 1922 the fascists had seized power in Italy, by 1933 the Nazis had gained absolute power in Germany and some years earlier the Bolsheviks had seized power in Russia. All of those regimes were hostile to God to religion and to the church.

This cartoon by Michael Leunig is an interesting commentary on what was happening in the world at that time. God speaks from the heavens thou shalt not kill. The Prophet copies down the words. Then the Prophet conveys God's words to the people thou shalt not kill. But humanity is rebellious. The Prophet is killed as God looks down upon the world in dismay. And then God is shot having murdered the Prophet and cast got down from the heavens.

The crown now belongs to man. He is now supreme, he alone is king such is the kind of world that the Soviets the Nazis and the fascists sought to establish.

Bible Verses for Christ the King Feast

The homily for the Feast of Christ the King. The gospel for this Sunday comes from the Gospel of St Luke chapter 23 verses 35 to 43. With the feast of Christ the King we come to the end of the church's liturgical year.

Homily for Christ the King Feast

With the end of the liturgical year we say farewell to St. Luke but before bidding him farewell let's reflect upon how Luke portrays Christ the King. Now remember that we have a three-yearly cycles of readings. In the lectionary year A is the year of Matthew, year B is the year of Mark but for the Feast of Christ the King and year B we have a guest appearance from the Gospel of St. John and then in year C which today comes to an end we have a reading from the Gospel of St. Luke.

In year A, the year of Matthew we have the king sitting in judgement. Just as the shepherd separates sheep from goats so will the king separate people one from another some will be called to his right others to his left and the verdict is pronounced. It's not a simple matter of good versus evil. In this case it's a matter of doing good or doing nothing. Those who fail to reach out in compassion to their brothers and sisters are turned away. Those who reached out to the very least of their brothers and sisters are welcomed into eternal life.

In year B we have a confrontation between Jesus and Pilate, the Roman governor. It's the centrepiece of the passion story in John's Gospel. It represents a clash of kingdoms. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Caesar. So Pilate asks are you the King of the Jews. This question shows that Pilate has seen through the ploy of Jesus accusers. He knows that they're bringing him to trial on a political charge. The Romans reserved to themselves the right to appoint client Kings in their empire. To claim that title independently of Rome is tantamount to leading a rebellion and hence, deserving the death penalty.

Jesus replies mine is not a kingdom of this world. Now Jesus isn't saying that his kingdom belongs to a purely spiritual realm. His reference is to its origins. It has come from God. So he isn't talking here about the kingdoms location but about its character, it comes from God not from this world. And it does not come by violence or imperial might. Pilate replies so you are a king then and Jesus replies yes I am a king.

Why is Jesus called Christ the King?

So by way of mockery Pilate has the charge for which Jesus is to be executed placed on the cross, Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews. It's written in three languages Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

In John's Gospel, Jesus the King reigns not from a throne but from the cross the symbols of his kingship are not crown, orb and sceptre but thorns, nails and cross. This image of Christ crucified is certainly not what a passerby would have witnessed on that first Good Friday. This image portrays a theological truth, Jesus Lord and King although dying on the cross nevertheless reigns triumphantly from the throne of the Cross. He has destroyed the power of sin and death. And the shedding of his blood has set us free.

As we come to the end of year C in the liturgical sigh, we have St. Luke's account of the crucifixion of Jesus. The Evangelist tells us that Jesus was crucified between two criminals but it's only St. Luke tells us what the criminals who are executed alongside Jesus say to him. One of them told Jesus, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well” but he's rebuked by the other criminal “Have you no fear of God at all? You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. And he then turns to Jesus and says, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And in Luke's gospel the last words that Jesus speaks to another human being before he dies are words of welcome to this criminal who was crucified alongside him, “Indeed I promise you today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Kingdom of God

Now this has been an enduring theme in Luke's gospel. Jesus welcomes the outsider. He is the very embodiment of God's hospitality, many times in Luke's Gospel we have Jesus at table with all manner of people. That in itself is a parable, not a parable in words but a parable in action.

This is what God's kingdom looks like and the reaction of people like the Pharisees had, this man welcomes sinners and eats with them. They are exactly like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son when the younger brother comes to his senses and returns home after squandering his inheritance. You'd think that his older brother would be happy but he's not resents the extravagant forgiveness his father has lavished upon his brother. It's not fair he says, it's not right.

That same kind of resentment is evident in Jericho when Jesus tells Zacchaeus the chief tax collector that he must stay at his house. How did the people of Jericho react? They all complained when they saw what was happening. He's gone to stay at the house of a sinner. Again bitter resentment at the welcome and hospitality that Jesus extends especially to those who many consider to be outsiders people like Zacchaeus.

And the parable of the Good Samaritan again found only in Luke's Gospel is a story that Jesus tells in response to the question ‘who is my neighbor’. A priest and a Levite pass by the man who'd been left to death for dead by robbers. He who was a fellow Jew. It is the despised Samaritan and outsider, as far as Jews were concerned, who in this story is the true neighbor.

Also read
Who is God
Who is the Holy Spirit

Farewell to St. Luke's Gospel

As we bid farewell to Luke, let us recall what we find only in Luke's Gospel. The emphasis upon the hospitality of Jesus especially at table, a true parable of God's kingdom. The despised Samaritan the outsider who is the true neighbor, the father who lavishes his unconditional love and forgiveness upon his wayward son, the hospitality extended to Zacchaeus another outsider and finally today the last words Jesus speaks to another human being before his death words of welcome to yet another outsider, “This day you will be with me in paradise.”

Conclusion and the message

Luke's gospel presents us with a model of discipleship. The community of disciples should extend the same generous hospitality and welcome as their Lord and Master, Christ the king.

Prayer for healing and protection

2019-11-15T18:28:00.001+05:30

PRAYER FOR HEALING AND PROTECTION

Prayer for healing and protection is so powerful that it can heal any sickness and disease. It will protect you from all evil. Prayer for those who suffer will give strength to stand in times of adversities.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Most Holy Trinity, Immaculate Virgin, angels, archangels and saints of heaven, descend on me. Found me, Lord, mold me, fill me with you, and use me. Hunt away all the forces of evil, destroy them from me, so that I may feel good and work well.

Hunt away the evil spells from me, the sorceries, the black magic, the black masses, the invoices, the ligatures, the curses, the evil eye; the diabolic infestation, the diabolical possession, the diabolical obsession; all that is evil, sin, envy, jealousy, perfidy; physical, psychic, moral, spiritual, diabolic disease. Burn all these evils in hell, so that they never again touch me.

I ordain and command with the power of almighty God, in the name of Jesus Christ the savior, through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin, to all the unclean spirits, to all the presences that molest me, to leave me immediately, to leave me definitively, and to go into the eternal hell, chained by St. Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, our guardian angels, crushed under the heel of the Immaculate Virgin.

PRAYER FOR PHYSICAL HEALING

Lord Jesus, I adore you and thank you for the faith you gave me in baptism. You are the Son of God made man, you are the Messiah Savior. At this moment I want to tell you "There is no other name under heaven given to men in which we can be saved". I accept you, Lord Jesus, in my heart and in my life: I want you to be the absolute Lord. Forgive my sins, as you have forgiven the sins of the paralytic of the Gospel.

Purify me with your divine blood. I put my suffering and my illness at your feet. Heal me, Lord, with the power of your glorious wounds, with your cross, with your Most Precious Blood.

You are the good Shepherd and I am one of the sheep of your sheepfold: have pity on me. You are the Jesus who said: "Ask and it will be given to you".

Lord, the people of Galilee came to lay their sick at your feet and you healed them. You are always the same, you always have the same power. I believe that you can heal me because you have the same compassion that you had for the sick you met, because you are the resurrection and the life. Thank you, Jesus, for all you will do: I accept your plan of love for me. I believe you will show me your glory. Before you even know how to intervene, I thank you and praise you. Amen.

PRAYERS FOR INNER HEALING

Lord Jesus, you have come to heal the wounded and troubled hearts: I pray you to heal the traumas that cause upset in my heart. I beg you, in particular, to heal those who are the cause of sin. I ask you to enter my life, to heal me from the psychic traumas that struck me at an early age and from those wounds that caused them all my life.

Lord Jesus, you know my problems, I place them all in your heart as a Good Shepherd. I pray to you, by virtue of that great wave open in your heart, to heal the small wounds that are in mine.
Heal the wounds of my memories, so that nothing that has happened to me makes me remain in pain, in anguish, in worry.

Heal, Lord, all those wounds that have caused sin roots in my life. I want to forgive all the people who have offended me; look at those inner wounds that make me unable to forgive. You have come to heal the afflicted hearts, heal my heart.

Heal, Lord, those intimate wounds of mine that cause physical illness. I offer you my heart: accept it, Lord, purify it and give me the feelings of your divine heart. Help me to be humble and gentle.

Grant me, Lord, healing from the pain that oppresses me because of the death of loved ones. May he regain peace and joy for the certainty that you are the resurrection and the life.

Make me an authentic witness of your Resurrection, of your victory over sin and death, of your presence as a living among us. Amen.

PRAYER OF LIBERATION

O Lord you are great, you are God, you are Father, we pray to you for the intercession and with the help of the archangels Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, so that our brothers and sisters may be freed from the evil one. From anguish, from sadness, from obsessions.

We pray to you, deliver us, O Lord, from hatred, from fornication, from envy. We pray to you, deliver us, O Lord, from thoughts of jealousy, anger, death. We pray to you, deliver us, O Lord, from every thought of suicide and abortion. We pray to you, deliver us, O Lord, from every form of bad sexuality.

We pray to you, deliver us, O Lord, from the division of family, from every bad friendship. We pray to you, deliver us, O Lord from every form of curse, invoice, witchcraft and any hidden evil. We pray to you, deliver us, O Lord.

Let's pray: O Lord you said: "I leave you peace, I give you my peace", through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, grant us to be freed from all curse and to always enjoy your peace through Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

Kíríe eleison. Lord our God, or sovereign of the ages, omnipotent and omnipotent, you who have done everything and everything will transform with your sole will; you who in Babylon have transformed the flame of the furnace seven times more into dew and that you have protected and saved your saints, three children.

You who are a doctor and doctor of our souls: you who are the salvation of those who turn to you, we ask you and invoke you, frustrate, drive out and put to flight all diabolical power, every presence and satanic machination, and every evil influence, every evil or evil eye of evil and wicked people operated on your servant (name).

Grant that in exchange for envy and spell there will be an abundance of goods, strength, success and charity; you, Lord who love men, stretch out your mighty hands and your very high and powerful arms and come to help and visit this image of yours, sending on it the Angel of peace, strong and protector of soul and body, that will keep away and drive out any evil force, every venom and malice of corrupting and envious people; so that under you, your servant, protected with gratitude, sings to you: "The Lord is my rescuer and I will not be afraid of what man can do to me".

And again: "I will not be afraid of evil because you are with me, you are my God, my strength, my powerful Lord, Lord of peace, father of future centuries".

Yes, Lord our God, have compassion on your image and save your servant (name) from any damage or threat from an evil spell, and protect him (name) by placing him above all evil; through the intercession of the more than blessed, glorious Lady the Mother of God and always Virgin Mary, of the resplendent Archangels and of all your saints. Amen.

PRAYER FOR SICK

Lord Jesus, during your life on our earth you have shown your love, you have moved in the face of suffering and many times you have restored health to the sick bringing back joy to families. Our dear (name of the person.....) he is (seriously) ill, we are close to him with all that is humanly possible. But we feel powerless: really life is not in our hands.

THANK YOU FOR SICKNESS

O Lord, sickness has knocked on the door of my life, uprooted me from my work and transplanted me into "another world", the world of the sick. A hard experience, Lord, a difficult reality to accept. And yet, Lord, I thank you for this illness: it made me touch the fragility and precariousness of life, it freed me from so many illusions.

Now I look at everything with different eyes: what I have and what I am, does not belong to me, it is your gift. I discovered what it means to "depend", to need everything and everyone, not to be able to do anything alone.

I felt loneliness, anguish, despair, but also affection, love, the friendship of many people. Lord, even if it is difficult for me, I say to you: "Your will be done!" Please bless all the people who help me and suffer with me. And, if you want, give healing to me and others.

PRAYER FOR HEALTH

Almighty God, source of life and remedy of all evil, give me the security of your presence so that it can have confidence only in you. For this reason, wrapped in your love and your power, may I (name of person) receive healing and salvation, according to your free will.

Among my sorrows you alone are my strength. Thank you, Lord, because you are with me. Amen.

PRAYER FOR PATIENCE

O Lord, patient rescuer, you accepted as the will of the Father the bitter cup of your passion and your death. Listen to my complaint, and your example helps me to endure my suffering to participate, at least in part, in your passion.

May the patience with which I bear my pain express the profound gratitude of my love for you, you who are the crucified Christ. Amen.

INCREASE MY HEART

I bless you Lord, for all those who now sleep a peaceful sleep. I pray for those who cannot sleep, tormented in soul and body. I lift my heart to you who look at me in the darkness of the night; I rejoice in this merciful look of yours, which envelops me tenderly and reassures the whirlwind of my agitation. My eyes are turned to you, oh Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO SUFFER

Lord, I have a soul full of bitterness and I risk being overwhelmed by discouragement. And yet, You had foreseen this suffering of mine! I then go wondering why you did not use your omnipotence to avoid it. But I immediately think back to the fact that, in order to save the world, you yourself chose, among a thousand formulas at your disposal, that of sorrow, and paid yourself in incredible measure.

If the pain did not have in itself an immense power of redemption and good, you would not have chosen it for the implementation of your plan of love, and even less would you have reserved it for your dearest friends.

It is undoubtedly a strange, almost disconcerting law. But you assure me that it is the law of life and salvation. Give me, then, oh Lord, the strength to accept it, in the clear vision of this its priceless prerogative.

Give me the profound conviction that this suffering of mine melts with your passion and your pain, and thus acquires incalculable value. If in a moment of weakness if I make a gesture of revolt, protesting my innocence, remind me, O Lord, that you yourself, though infinitely good, have been crucified! And it renews in me the courage to accept what this mysterious law of pain holds for me, which every day is restoring the right to hope in the world. So be it.

PRAYER FOR THE GOOD HUMOUR

Lord, give me good digestion and also something to digest. Give me the health of the body and the good mood needed to maintain it.

Give me, Lord, a simple soul that knows how to treasure all that is good and does not get scared at the sight of evil but rather always finds a way to put things right.

Give me a soul that does not know the boredom, the grumbling, the sighs, the groans and not allowing me to feel too much for that too cumbersome thing called "I." Give me, Lord, the sense of good humour. Grant me the grace to understand a joke to discover a little joy in life and be part of it also to others. Amen.

CLOSING PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I have said this prayer from the bottom of my heart. May this prayer for healing and protection gives strength to all who are indeed in need of strength and protection. You alone are our Lord Jesus. Help us. Amen
Also read, Bible verses for healing

Bible verses for healing

2019-11-13T16:34:00.000+05:30

Bible verses for healing

Bible verses for healing are so powerful for those who trust in God will receive immediate health and relief from pain. Have faith in our Lord Jesus. Do not doubt. There are 50 verses taken from Old as well as New Testament.

Psalms 91:16

Because he loves me says the Lord I will rescue him I will protect him for he acknowledges my name he will call on me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Exodus 15:26

He said if you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians for I am the Lord who heals you.

Matthew 8:13

Then Jesus said to the Centurion go let it be done just as you believed it would and his servant was healed at that moment.

Exodus 23:25

Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.

Matthew 12:15

Jesus withdrew from that place a large crowd followed him and He healed all who were ill.

Deuteronomy 7:15

The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt but he will inflict them on all who hate you.

Matthew 9:22

Jesus turned and saw her take Hart daughter he said your faith has healed you and the woman was healed at that moment.

Deuteronomy 30:19

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live.

Matthew 14:14

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Psalms 103:1-5

Praise the Lord my soul, all my inmost being praise His Holy Name, praise the Lord my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the Eagles.

Psalms 107:20

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them. He rescued them from the grave.

Nehemiah 8:10

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Proverbs 4:20-23

My son pay attention to what I say, turn your ear to my words, do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart for they are life to those who find them and health to one's whole body.

Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed.

Jeremiah 30:17

But I will restore to you health and heal your wounds declares the Lord.

Joel 3:10

Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say I am a warrior.

Matthew 8:2-3

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said lord if you are willing you can make me clean. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. I am willing he said be clean, immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Matthew 18:18-19

Truly I tell you whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

Mark 11:23-24

Truly I tell you if anyone says to this mountain go throw yourself into the sea and is not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen it will be done for them therefore, I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

John 10:10

The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

Romans 8:11

And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit who lives in you.

II Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Galatians 3:13-14

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written cursed is everyone who is hung on tree. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Acts 3:16

By faith in the name of Jesus this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him as you can all see.

Ephesians 6:10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore, put on the full armour of God so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything to stand, stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Philippians 2:13

It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.

II Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:35

Do not throw away your confidence. It will be richly rewarded.

I Peter 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

I John 3:21-22

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, and we will receive from him anything we ask because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

III John 1:2

Beloved, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you even as your soul is getting along well.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life neither Angels nor demons neither the present nor the future nor any powers neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 91

I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress my God in whom I trust.

Because he loves me says the Lord I will rescue him. I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with long life. I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.

Jeremiah 30:17

But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds declares the Lord.

Luke 4:40

At sunset the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness. And laying his hands on each one he healed them.

Psalm 108:4

For great is your love higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his Compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 31:8

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.

Psalm 119:76

May your unfailing love be my comfort according to your promise to your servant.

Isaiah 49:13

Shout for joy you heavens, rejoice you earth, burst into song you mountains. For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Micah 7:7

But as for me I watch and hope for the Lord. I wait for God my Savior. My God will hear me.

Matthew 5:4

Oh blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Romans 15:13

May the God of Hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Nehemiah 8:10

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

May you receive healing and good health. May all you find relief from all your pain and sick. Believe in word of God. May this Bible verses for healing give you strength. God so powerful, with his word he created everything. His word dwells among us in Holy Scriptures. Jesus Christ is Our Lord. Amen.

Also read Bible verses about Love

Judgement of God how will he judge us

2019-11-12T17:40:00.001+05:30

Judgement of God, how will he judge us?

Judgement of God,how will he judge us?, God will judge us by 5 things Ten Commandments, The Law of Love, Jesus Christ himself, Sins of omission, missed opportunities.

God’s Judgement

God knows your sins, you can't hide 'em from him. There's no use trying to cover up. You see, the first big cover up in history was Adam and Eve. They tried to cover their sins with fig leaves. Every man that's ever committed a sin has tried to cover it up. But we cannot cover from the x-ray eyes of God. He sees, he knows. And he's going to judge us.

You say, well, I'm feeling fine. I haven't been judged yet. Ah, yes, but that Day of Judgement is yet to come. There's going to be a future Day of Judgement when everything you've ever done and everything you've ever said and everything you've ever thought is going to be brought to light. And God has his computers and he has his cameras, he has it all stacked away. It'll all be brought out, even the thought processes of your mind.

The Lord says, by the Lord, actions are weighed. All the ways of a man are clear in his own eyes. But the Lord weighs the Spirit. The nation, the world tonight is being weighed. You are being weighed in the balances of God. Our sins are great in the eyes of the Lord. And we're being weighed in his balances. And many thinking leaders believe that the handwriting is already on the wall and the judgement is already beginning to take place. But God weighs us as individuals.

How will God judge us?

Ten Commandments
The Law of Love
Jesus Christ
Sins of omission
Missed opportunities

Ten Commandments

What's he going to weigh us by? What's on the other side of the scales? You see, here's the scales. Here's you, and here's what God weighs you by. First, he'll weigh you by the Ten Commandments.

How do you stand up with the Ten Commandments? Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not murder. All of these are taken in the Ten Commandments, and the Bible says if we offend in one point, we are guilty of all. If you've broken one commandment one time in your life, it's the same as breaking all of them.

Well, you say, well, of course I've broken at least one or two of them. Well, then you're guilty of all. And that's the reason the Bible says we're all guilty. That's the reason Jesus said you that are without sin pick up the first stone and throw it at this woman taken in adultery. None of these religious leaders could do it. Because we all have sin. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And all are under the judgement of God.

The Law of Love

Then not only are we going to be weighed by the Ten Commandments, but we're going to be weighed by the law of love. Matthew 22, Jesus said, ”Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind”. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments, said Jesus, hang all the law and all the teaching of the prophets. It's all summed up in love.

Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul? And do you love your neighbour.

Now, your neighbour means anybody that's in need. Jesus taught that in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Anyone who's in need, you love that neighbour as much as you love yourself. That's what Jesus said. We're going to be weighed by that law.

Jesus Christ himself

Thirdly, we're going to be weighed by the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Psalm 89, for who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? Isaiah said, To whom will be likened to me and make me equal and compare me, that they should be like me.

God says, be ye holy, for so I am holy. If you don't know, Jesus Christ was the only righteous and the only holy man that ever lived. And if we don't live like Jesus and live as good as Jesus is, then we come short of God's requirement and God's expectation. And you say, who in the world can live like Jesus? Nobody. That's the reason you all have to say I'm a sinner.

Sins of Omission

God is going to weigh us by Christ. He's going to weigh us by the Ten Commandments. He's going to weigh us by the law of love. But he's also going to weigh you by your works, those sins of omission that you weren't even conscious of.

In Matthew 25, Jesus reminds us, for I was hungered, and you gave me no meat. I was thirsty. You didn't give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in. I was naked, and you didn't clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you never came and visited me. But the people will say Lord, where did we see you naked and sick and in prison and thirsty? Then he answered them this way. In as much as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.

Now, that strikes every person in this arena. And we come short, and then Jesus pronounced judgement. He said, those that are guilty of the sin of omission, and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto life eternal.

You say, well, I'm sort of devastated. How can any of us weigh up? We can't. Jesus said in Revelation three, I know your works, that you're neither hot nor cold. I would that you were hot or cold. So then because you're lukewarm, I’m going to spew you out of my mouth, he said. Listen, there're going to be a lot of people that are going to miss heaven that you think are going to be there.

Missed opportunities

And then fifthly, he's going to weigh us by our opportunities. By our opportunities. To whom much is given, much shall be required, he said. Think of living in America, with all of its advantages, a church on almost every corner, a Bible in almost every hotel room, millions of Bibles available, the gospel by radio and television. Think of living here. He's going to judge us by the opportunities we had. Think of the Christian literature that's available at bookstores. And we don't take advantage of it.

To whom much is given, much is required. You say, well, even on that score, I can't make it. No? But the glory of this whole thing is that there is a gospel. And the gospel is good news to people like you who are sitting there saying, well, I'm guilty.

Sacrifice of Jesus on the cross

The good news is that God sent his son Jesus Christ to the cross to die for you. And God took those sins of yours and those failures of yours and laid them on Christ. He became sin for us. Now he said, the just and the righteous are going to get to heaven.

How am I going to get a justness and a righteousness of my own when I don't have him? I'm a sinner. I don't weigh enough to get to heaven. But on the cross, Christ provided a justness for me. He provided a righteousness for me that I didn't have. And I am acceptable tonight by God, not because I've been good or because I've read the Bible or because I've preached to crowds of people. I'm acceptable because of Christ. I'm accepted into the beloved because of him. And that's your privilege at this moment.

You can appropriate what Christ did on the cross to you right now, and you can leave here weighing enough to get to heaven, weighing enough to have your sins forgiven, weighing enough to live a new life. Thou art weighed in the balances of God and found wanting. Are you found wanting?

Conclusion:

Judgement of God, how will he judge us? He will judge us by 5 things, Ten Commandments, The Law of Love, Jesus Christ himself, Sins of omission, missed opportunities.
Also read, who is God

Who is the Holy Spirit

2019-11-12T09:58:00.000+05:30

Who is The Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit, the comforter it means advocate a one who helps alongside. That word comforter, that is what the Lord Jesus Christ was promising just before he was to die on the cross and be resurrected and ascended to heaven. Then he was going to send a comforter, someone to help alongside.

Who is the Holy Spirit Scripture?

The scripture teaches that he's a person. He's not an engine or an influencer, he's God and we're never to refer to the Holy Spirit as 'it’.

There's some mistranslation in the Authorised Version because in those days when this was translated several hundred years ago they referred to certain things about the Holy Spirit as 'It', because it was a new term. But he is not something but he's someone and holy, indicates that he's only within himself Holy Spirit.

Now the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. There is a Trinity, God the Father, God the Son God, the Holy Spirit. Now the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is omnipotent. The word omnipotent means all-powerful.

The Holy Spirit Bible Verses

In Micah 3:8, it says I'm full of power by the Spirit of the Lord. And then the Bible says, if the Holy Spirit is present everywhere at the same time, whoever shall I go from thy spirit, or where shall I flee from thy presence, said the Psalms in 139: 7. You can't go anywhere and get away from the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is everywhere. That's the reason when you have a sense of guilt put there by the Holy Spirit many times. That guilt will go with you even if you travel to a faraway Island trying to get rid of it the Holy Spirit convicting you of sin.

The power of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is not confined to a body. The Holy Spirit can be all over the world at the same time and he said it's expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Holy Spirit cannot come unto you. Now the Bible also teaches that he has all knowledge. Read this in 1st Corinthians 2:10, “but God had revealed unto them unto us by his Spirit for the spirit searches all things that deep things of God”. The Holy Spirit is here searching your brain, searching your heart, searching your mind, searching your soul.

In the book of Revelation he is spoken of as having seven eyes which is symbolic indicating that nothing is hidden from his searching glance and perfect knowledge and this ought to lead all of us to walk daily before God. And then the Bible says he is eternal in Matthew 9: 14 we have the phrase the Eternal Spirit.

The Holy Trinity

He is Co eternal with God the Father and the son like we have ice and water and vapour. Three things but they're all the same but they take different forms. The Holy Spirit is one of the Trinity equal with God the Father and God the Son. He is also holy and the word holy is used concerning the Holy Spirit one hundred times in the New Testament. ‘be ye holy even as I'm holy’ is God's command.

But it is the Holy Spirit who alone can impart divine holiness and the Bible says without holiness no man can see God. What does that mean? That means that before you can get to heaven you have to have the righteousness that is equal to that of Jesus Christ. On this you might think, I can never have that. No you cannot but when Christ died on the cross he died to provide you with a road of righteousness which the moment you receive Christ you're clothed in. Then so that when God looks at you he no longer sees your heart filled with its invented sin and it's wickedness but he sees the blood of Christ and you are accepted because you're clothed in his righteousness. You are declared righteous, you're declared righteous by the judicial act of God because he accepts the atonement of Christ on the cross for your sins and that's a wonderful thing to know. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus Christ who is the truth.

The Bible also teaches, where he is there is Liberty. The Holy Spirit liberates us. One famous leader once said, that ‘the best test of freedom is not in what we are free to do but in what we are free not to do’. Now the Holy Spirit not only convicts but he gives new life. The Bible says that we're dead in sins. Do you realise that you're as a walking dead person, you're dead toward God? You're spiritually dead, your soul is dead, your spirit is dead, your body is alive but you're dead. The real you is dead.

Work of the Holy Spirit

What needs to be done for a dead person? He needs to be made alive and that's the work of the Holy Spirit to make you alive. Jesus said, you must be born again and that word actually means to be made born from above, born by the Spirit of God. You see man without God is dead and life is at best of bore. Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Have you been born again?

He also indwells.God says through Ezekiel, he dwelled with you and shall be in you. Jesus said in chapter 14 John, “know that you're the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you”.

The Holy Spirit comes to live within you, the Holy Spirit also baptises. He baptises us into the body of Christ.

I believe the Scriptures teach that we're at least one time baptised when we receive Christ. We are baptised into the body of Christ. Have you been baptised into the body of Christ? That's not just joining a church, that's really coming to Christ as Lord, master and Savior and being baptised into his body. He also empowers us for service but you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me power, supernatural power.

Fruits of Holy Spirit

Then he produces the fruit of the Spirit. When you receive Jesus Christ you want to be a person of love and joy and peace, long-suffering and gentleness, goodness, faith and meekness, temperance, self-control that's produced for the Holy Spirit. Those are attributes of Jesus Christ himself. Love, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith meekness and self-control. He had it all. You can have it all but it has to be done by the Holy Spirit through you. You cannot of yourself live the Christian life. You'll be a total flop and failure. It has to be the Holy Spirit living it through you and producing it in you and he will do that you see.

Romans 7 and 8

Read Romans chapter 7, that's a chapter of defeat but then you pick up the next chapter Romans 8, you'll find the Holy Spirit is mentioned eight times and it's a chapter of victory. You can have victory in the Holy Spirit. We're told to walk in the spirit and then he magnifies and glorifies and exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. He shall not speak up himself. If you find a person coming along saying the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit never talking about Jesus Christ, you can know that that man is not speaking from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit exalts Christ, he exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not come to talk of himself and then he fills us.

Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

The scripture says be not drunk with wine but be filled with the spirit and that means to be continually filled with the spirit you have to be emptied of your selfishness and your own desires and your own gratifications so you can be filled with the Holy Spirit. And that's a command be filled with the Holy Spirit. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? You can be by faith filled with The Holy Spirit, you can say all the ever known sin in my life has been forgiven, I've confessed every known sin, by faith I believe I'm filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Worst sin

But also you can sin against the Holy Spirit and the worst of all sins of the sins against the Holy Spirit. You can anger the Spirit. As I pick up the Bible I do discover the wrath of the Spirit. In Psalm we read how often they rebelled and grieved him in the desert. The translation is they disobeyed and made angry the Spirit of God. They rebelled and angered his Holy Spirit therefore, he turned to be their enemy and himself fought against them. Wouldn't it be terrible to have the Holy Spirit as your enemy because you anger him? The word grieve means to make very angry.

I would urge every one of you to be very careful lest you rouse the wrath of the Spirit. My spirit shall not always strive with man. God said way back in Genesis 6 in the days of Noah, ‘the Spirit of God ceased striving and the flood came and the world was destroyed except for eight people’. The Holy Spirit can be lied against. In Acts 5:4, ‘Thou hast not lie unto men, but to God said Peter’. They acted a lie, they pretended to be what they were not, they were hypocrites and they acted out a lie.

The Holy Spirit can be tempted, how is it that you've agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord. Many times sinners say well if God is God let him strike me dead. You can tempt God. Thou shalt not tempt the LORD thy God. You can wait too long, you can tempt God too long and the day of the time will come when it's no longer possible. And then the Holy Spirit can be resisted. You do always resist the Holy Spirit as your father's did so do you. You can resist the Holy Spirit and some of you know that you need Christ but you've been resisting the Holy Spirit. That's a sin against the Spirit. A solemn thing to resist the Holy Spirit is you detect his voice and yet you deliberately do nothing about it. It's a dangerous thing.

Also read
Christ the King Feast History and Homily

Final Closure

We all know who the Holy Spirit is. Let’s not resist him nor deny him. Let him filled us with all his gifts and then let’s produced the fruits. Let’s become a person like our Jesus Christ is. Amen

Is God Merciful

2019-11-08T16:14:00.000+05:30

Is God Merciful?

Is God merciful? If yes, then how merciful is God? Is his mercy unconditional? We know God is rich in mercy, and is mercy endures forever. But does is give us license to sin?

God is Merciful

The Bible tells us that God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Bible also tells us that God is rich in mercy and that God's mercy endures forever. What does it mean to say God is merciful? God's mercy is a sign of God's love for us.

God loves us unconditionally and God wants us to be with him in heaven. But because we are human with a fallen human nature we sin, we make mistakes, sometimes we choose to do bad things. But God is merciful which means that no matter what we do God will never stop loving us and he will forgive us for our sins.

What it means to say that God is merciful we can also look to Jesus on the cross.

What is Mercy?

God's mercy means that even though we do not deserve to be in heaven God has made heaven possible for us.

What is sin?

Sin separates us from God. It is when we choose to do something bad, something that goes against God's will.

God has shown us in the Bible and through his church, how he calls us to live and what it means to be holy and when we sin we turn away from God and how he wants us to live.

What are some examples of sin?

The Bible shows us many examples both in the New Testament and Old Testament. We can look to Exodus the Gospels and Paul's letters for just some examples.

It is a sin to take God's name in vain or to not put God first in our lives. It is a sin to lie, cheat, steal. It is a sin to gossip, to hate other people, to be rude, selfish, disrespectful to others. It is a sin to do drugs, get drunk, to tease people, to be a bully, to talk back to our parents, to be jealous. These are just some examples of sin.

God’s Mercy

When we sin we do not fully love God. But God is merciful which means that even when we sin and turn away from him God continues to call out to us asking us to come back to him.

Mercy is God loving us even when we do not love him.

Because of humanity's sinfulness human beings could not enter Heaven. Humanity had rejected God and so the gates of heaven were closed. However because of God's merciful love, God sent His only Son Jesus to become man. Jesus Christ true God and true man walked among us and taught us and then Jesus loved us so much that he freely offered himself as a sacrifice on the cross for us.

Jesus did this as a love offering to God to pay the debt for all the sins of humanity past present and future.

Because of what Jesus did on the cross humanity was redeemed which means the debt owed for our sins was paid. When Jesus did this the gates of heaven were opened. It was now possible for all humanity to once again have access to heaven to be with God forever.

God's mercy and grace

This does not mean every person is automatically going to heaven but for any person who truly loves God, Jesus made it possible for them to be with God forever in heaven. This is mercy. Because of God's mercy he always offers us grace to help us get to heaven and to help us in difficult times in this life. Because of God's mercy he promises that he will bring good even out of bad situations for all those who love him.

If we are in pain or sad or suffering God will bring good out of it. God listens to us loves us and wants to help us since God is merciful and will always forgive us.

Is God's mercy unconditional?

Does it matter if we sin and disobey God? Does this mean we can live however we wish because God is so loving and merciful? Not at all, sin does matter. How we live has eternal consequences. God loves us and has made heaven possible for us but when we sin we disobey God.

All sin rejects God and his love in some way and when we sin gravely we are rejecting God his love and rejecting heaven. If we love God and want to be in heaven forever we will listen to God, love God and obey God.

It is true that because we are human we do at times make bad choices and commit sins. When we sin we disobey God and turn away from him. Sometimes we do sinful things because they seem fun or exciting even though we know it is wrong but God calls us to be holy and virtuous.

We need to avoid sin and when we sin we are not pleasing God and we are not fully loving God. But we should always try to do what is right and good.

If you are being tempted to sin pray to God for help. If you do commit a sin stop what you are doing and immediately pray to God and tell him you are sorry. Tell God you love him and do not want to sin again. If we love God we will hate sin, we will be sad and contrite for what we have done. And for those who love God and repent, God's mercy is so great there is nothing we can do in this earthly life that God will not forgive.

However if a person disobeys God and sins and does not care if it is wrong or makes excuses as to why their sinful act is okay, they are showing God that they do not truly love him or at least that they love themselves more than they love God. Those who are not sorry about their sins are not wanting God's mercy. God cannot be merciful to those who refuse his mercy by continuing to sin.

Pope Francis has said, God is merciful and patient he understands us he waits for us he does not get tired of forgiving us if we return to him, sorry for having sinned.

Prodigal Son parable

A great parable that can help us to clearly understand God's mercy is the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke chapter 15.

There was a man who had two sons and one day the younger son asked the father to be given all of his inheritance the son took the money and left home he then spent all of the money living wildly doing many sinful things. He enjoyed himself for a while but then soon had wasted everything. He became homeless without work or money. He does find a job working on a farm with pigs but eventually realises how sinful he had been.

He decides to return home because he is very sorry for all he has done. When he goes home his father runs out to meet him and the son tells his father how sorry he is. His father embraces him and forgives him. He is glad the son has come back.

The Bible tells us that while this son was living in sin he was lost, he was dead to the father. This is because the son had left home and abandoned the father and because he had chosen to live a sinful life. But as soon as the son is sorry for what he has done and goes back to his father repenting, the father has mercy on his son forgiving him and welcoming him back home.

The father says my son was lost but is now found he was dead but is now alive again. This is what happens to us when we choose to sin especially grave sin we disobey God and walk away from God. We become lost but as soon as we repent and are sorry for sinning God has mercy on us and rejoices that we have come back home to him.

Let us never forget how much God loves us. Is God merciful? Yes, of course but we have to try hard to do what is good and right. And when we sin repent so that God can shower his merciful love on to us. God is rich in mercy. If you are truly sorry God will always forgive you no matter what you have done in this earthly life. Amen

Bible reading for today and reflection

2019-11-08T11:36:00.001+05:30

Bible reading for today 8th November and reflection

Bible reading for today 8th November is taken from Romans chapter 15 verses 14 to 21. And Gospel reading is from Luke chapter 16 verses 1 to 8. Lets reflect upon our Lord's teachings.

Today’s 1st Reading Romans 15:14-21

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, 20 thus making it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man's foundation, 21 but as it is written, "They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him."

Response in Psalms 98: 1-4

1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvellous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2 The LORD has made known his victory, he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Today’s Gospel Luke 16:1-8

1 He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' 3 And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.4 I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?' 6 He said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?' He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Reflection
We read it in this parable where Lord is saying, ‘What is this I hear about you’, of course this is just a parable, in actuality God does not need to hear anything about us since he is all-knowing yet he may very well say to us what is this as he looks over the record of our lives and reminds us that we are accountable for all our free actions.

Let us take a look in our prayer now. At the face of this father who asks what is this my son what is this my daughter. Does it perhaps express concern over a wound in our soul over something that has marred the beauty of our image as sons and daughters of the father?
A full account, yes we will have to give that full account of our every deed and the image we carry.
The sacrament of reconciliation prepared by thoughtful and prayerful examination of conscience offered us the opportunity to give that account piece by piece as a preparation for that final art.

Lets examine carefully our own image by examining our conscience. Is this our present image we are going to carry to our Lord when we finally see him? or do we need to change our image in our own eyes and in the eyes of our Lord?

We have been given many graces, are we taking advantage of it? The good Lord accuses us of being squanders. This isn't the only place in the Gospels where the word appears. Recollect that the prodigal son was accused of squandering his father's wealth. Certainly if we squander something for good and for the glory of our Lord then we will not be squanderers.

What about all the graces that God has given to us, our faith, a Catholic Church, the sacraments, the Scriptures, the example of the Saints, the rich deposit of Catholic tradition, the means that have been placed in our hands today, the time we have been offered, the talents we have been given. Are we squanderers when it comes to graces given to us? How can I respond better to the many gifts of our Lord has given me, How can I better invest my talents for the sake of the kingdom of heaven?

Let us pray, Jesus Christ awaken me to your gifts and make me enthusiastic and generous in using them for the good of the brothers and sisters you have put at my side. Through my daily examination of conscience help me to be a good steward so that one day I may arrive with you and enjoy you in paradise as my eternal reward.

Jesus Christ, where else can I turn each day but to you. One day I will make that final turn to you and it will last for all eternity, yet in everything else you set the pace, you take the initiative and you are the protagonists. You will turn under my way first and I will assist, to strive daily to make that final turn. Lets take the message from Bible reading for today and reflect upon it. At this moment of prayer, I rehearse for that final turn to you. Lord bless me today and give me the graces to work for you. Amen

Who is God

2019-11-07T12:53:00.002+05:30

Who is God?

Who is God? With changing times many parts of the world have forgotten the name God. Science and technology have taken over. Can mere denial of God’s existence will truly change the truth and the fact? Does God really exist? Who is God in Bible?

Does God exist?

Do you ever stop and think about God? Many people are thinking about God today. Because we've seen that science does not have an answer to all of our problems. We are seeing that technology cannot solve all of our problems.

And so thousands of young people in Europe and in America are beginning to talk about God. Some of them are going to India to see if they can find peace in their hearts. Some of them are going and studying yoga. And they're going into all sorts of different sects and groups searching for God. Some of them are going out into the desert and sitting under the stars and watching the stars.

Have you ever wondered about God? Someone asked me one day, "Can you prove God exists?" And I answered, "No." I cannot put God in a test tube. I cannot put God in a laboratory and say, "Here's God." How do I know that God exists? All the evidence seems to indicate that he does.

I look up in the starry sky and I say, "There must be a God." I look at the beautiful nature round about me and I say, "There must be a God." I see the birth of a baby, as I watched that, I knew that there had to be a God." But there's another reason. Deep in your heart, you have a conscience. And your conscience tells you, there must be a God. Something down inside tells me, there must be a God.

And the bible tells us that this God is the creator of all the universe. In Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth." Knowing that passage in Genesis 1, there is no explanation, there's no attempt to prove God. It just says, "In the beginning, God." Because everybody believes in God.

Oh, but you say, "I've met some Atheists." You met some Atheists who hadn't had any real trouble yet. But you find a person who claims he's an Atheist and let someone announce to him that he has terminal cancer and he'll say, "my God, help me." Or he get into a battle, or get into a difficult spot, he'll say, "my God, help me." Yes, all men know that there must be a God. He is the creator. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made.

Who is God in the Bible?

Now, the Bible tells us God is a spirit. God doesn't have a body like yours. If God had a body like yours, he would have to be in one place at one time. But God doesn't have a body like yours. And God can be in Africa. He can be in Asia. He can be in Europe.

He can be in America, all at the same time. He can be on a planet. He can be on the moon, at the same time. I've talked to some of those who recovered fully from terminal illness when doctors had given up on them. And they told me that they knew all the way, there must be a God. I talked to some of the prisoners of war for eight years in jail, they knew there was a God.

The Bible tells us that God is unchanging. He never changes. Fashions change. Every part of our culture and life changes. And vast changes are underway throughout the world. Fashions change. Culture changes. Technology changes. But God never changes.

The Bible says, "I am the Lord God, I change not." The Bible says, "There is no variableness nor shadow of turning with God." God has not changed in thousands of years. Ten thousand times ten thousand years from now, God will be the same. God is from everlasting to everlasting.

God does not change. The Bible also tells us that God is a holy God. Absolutely holy. The Bible says, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil. Thou canst not look on iniquity." God is holy and righteous, and you'll never understand God. You'll never understand about God and God's dealing with us until you understand that God is absolutely pure. And God is absolutely holy. And God cannot even look upon sin with any approval what so ever.

And then the Bible tells us that God is a God of judgement. In Ecclesiastes 12:14, the Bible says, "God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." There's a judgement day coming.

You're going to be there. If you're outside of Christ. And every secret thing will be brought to light. Everything that you hid, everything that you did that you didn't think anybody knew about. All of your thoughts. All of your motives. All of your intents. All of your actions, are on God's computers. And God is keeping a record. And someday, you're going to have to stand before a holy God and give an account at the great Judgement Day.

Jesus said, "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof on the day of judgement." The apostle Paul said in his great sermon at Athens, "he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world by that man, Christ Jesus." There's a day of judgement coming. He has appointed a day. It's all set. You're going to be there.

And every secret thing that you've ever thought or done will be flashed on the scoreboards up in heaven at the judgement. And the whole world will see what you really were down inside. God is a God of judgement. But the Bible also teaches that God is a God of love. That God loves.

God is Love

I'm glad that's in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation that God is a God of love, and mercy, and grace. And that God loves everybody. I don't care who you are. He has the hairs of your head numbered. He sees the sparrow fall. He's interested in you. And he loves you.

Now, there are several Greek words that are translated love. Eros means sensual love, sexual love. Phileo means friendship love, the love that I would have for a friend. But when the writers of the New Testament were trying to find a word that would describe the love of God, they invented a new word, Agape. The divine love.

A love that we cannot know outside of God. There is no love that you can think of in human relationships comparable to the love that God has for you. And that God has for me. God loves you. You say, "But boy, I don't deserve such love. I'm a sinner, I've broken God's law. I've failed him a thousand times." I know.

That's the beauty, and the greatness, and the thrill of God's love. That no matter what you've done, he loves you. For God so loved the world. God loves you. And God loved us so much that he gave his son.

Also read
Christ the King Feast History and Homily

Mere denial of God’s existence, whatever excuses or reasons we might give, will not change the truth and the fact that God exist. And who is God? God is love, he is our creator, creator of science, creator of wisdom. We all are going to see him one day, so be prepared. Amen.
Also read who is the Holy Spirit

Put God First

2019-11-05T15:59:00.002+05:30

Put God First

Put God First in everything that you do. It’s important to find morning inspiration to put God first. How to put God first? Do we know what your true potential is? How important is time? We should not waste even a single day.

Why it is important to Put God First?

It’s amazing what happens when you give God that first little bit of time. And I believe that you’ll be you. You’ll find your time with God so fruitful that then you’ll start making ways to get more out of yourself, you will discover your true self.

You don’t have to go to God every morning for your daily bread, your daily wisdom, daily direction, God already knows what your needs are and what is best for you. As our Lord has said to us, 25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6: 25-27).

Too many times we’re trying to do things only in our own strength, our own intellect, our own ability. That’s going to limit us. God can see things that you can’t see. He knows the right people who should be in your life. He knows where the danger is where the dead ends are.God knows how to catapult you into your destiny where you have an advantage.

Are you taking time for your daily bread? Yes of course, all of us do have time for daily bread. But unfortunately when it comes to daily prayer we rush out of the house, we give excuses like I am in a hurry, I don’t have time today, I got to get to work, I live by this principle, I don’t need prayers etc.

People who give excuses are not who they think they are. They have not known their true potential yet. But for that they have to put God first in their lives.

How to put God first?

Never meet with other people before you meet with God. Take time to acknowledge God, say God I need you today, lead me, guide me, keep me on the right path. As the Scripture says, Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me (Psalms 5:8). Not only will your day go better, but God will keep you from making mistakes. Start every day with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is so important. What are you thankful for, do you thank God daily for even little things?

There’s so much to be thankful for. When you wake up in the morning, Say thank you for grace, thank you for mercy, thank you for understanding, thank you for wisdom, thank you for parents, thank you for love, thank you for kindness, thank you for humility, thank you for peace, thank you for prosperity.

Say thank you in advance for what’s already yours. True desire in the heart for anything good is God’s proof to you sent beforehand to indicate that it’s yours already. That itch that you have, whatever it is you want to do, things that you want to do to help others, the desire to grow and to make money.

This itch is God’s proof to you sent beforehand already to indicate that it’s yours and anything you want good you can have. So claim it, Work hard to get it. When you get it, reach back, pull someone else up. Each person can teach one person. Don’t just aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference. Don’t ever waste a day.

Morning inspiration

What are some of your mornings like? Do you go to bed intending to get up and spend time with God, but then when the alarm goes off you hit the snooze. Then you hit the snooze again, and then you hit the snooze again.

And then you’ve laid in bed too long and so then you get up of course now you have no time for anything. And you’re in a frenzy, and you’re in a rush, and so that makes you grouchy. You know you should have spent time with God but you didn’t do it and the whole day basically just becomes a nightmare.

If you don’t spend time with God you are going to have an ordinary day, a day which is as good as waste of time or sometimes even more difficult. This will happen day after another after another if you don’t put God first.

How important is time?

Time is vital. At whatever age we are, we always have the tendency to think that we still have more than enough time. I think when you’re in your 20s, maybe even 30s, maybe even 40s you don’t think too much about time. But a year ago it occurred to me that almost half of my life was over. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away (Psalms 90: 10).

I just became much more aware of time. And how foolish it is to waste any day that you have. You know there’s something really interesting about time. We all get the same amount in a day every day is 24 hours. Some people are very fruitful and effective and some people just waste their time day after day after day. That’s a choice that we make, but there’s one thing about time, once it goes by you never get it back.

So how tragic it is to waste any day of your life, I think we need to live every day like it was our very last one and live it to the absolute fullest glorifying God that we can live it according to his will.

Let’s find inspiration every morning to discover our true potential, let that morning inspiration come from God. Let’s learn to Put God First every day. Amen
Also read who is God

All Souls Day importance

2019-11-01T17:20:00.001+05:30

All Souls Day importance, is a day of remembrance when we pray for all departed souls who are believed to be in purgatory, and we remember our own dead by visiting their graves and praying for them.

All Souls Day importance

The month of November is traditionally linked to the commemoration of the dead, the day is called as All Souls Day. Even those who do not usually attend them during the rest of the year, go to the cemetery, pray more intensely for the loved ones who have already passed on to the other life, program Masses in their suffrage.

It happens especially on November 2nd, not surprisingly in the popular word "day of the dead". In reality the Church remembers in each Eucharist those who have already preceded us in the encounter with the Lord but in this period their memory is stronger and heartfelt.

What is the significance of All Soul's Day: Why do we pray for the dead?

It seems a paradox but it is not at all. We pray for the dead to celebrate life, because we believe they are alive in the Lord, to accompany them on the path of approaching Him. With prayer, in fact, we help souls struggling with an itinerary of purification.

We speak of the Purgatory that the Compendium of the Catechism at number 210 defines as "the state of those who die in the friendship of God, but, though confident of their eternal salvation, they still need purification, to enter into heavenly bliss". And the following number adds: "By virtue of the communion of saints, the faithful still pilgrims on earth can help the souls in purgatory by offering suffrage prayers for them, in particular the Eucharistic Sacrifice, but also alms, indulgences and works of penance".

However, beyond these theological motivations underlying the commemorations of the dead there are also spiritual reasons on the edge of the psychological. In fact, praying for the dead means believing that there is a life beyond this, that we will meet the Lord, that there is a direct link between earth and heaven. But it is also a way to feel closer to the people we have loved, to thank them for being there, to learn from the memory of their lives, what the Lord wants to teach us.

Works of mercy

The Catholic Church explicitly asks to commemorate the dead. Indeed, the last work of spiritual mercy invites us to "pray for the living and the dead" by linking directly to the corporal "to bury the dead". "

The Church - Pope Francis said during the general audience of November 30, 2016 - prayed for the dead in a special way during Holy Mass. The priest says: "Remember, Lord, your faithful, who have preceded us with the sign of faith and sleep the sleep of peace. Give them, Lord, and to all those who rest in Christ, bliss, light and peace "(Roman Canon). A simple, effective memory, full of meaning, because it entrusts our loved ones to the mercy of God.

We pray with Christian hope that they are with Him in heaven, waiting to find ourselves together in that mystery of love that we do not understand, but which we know to be true because it is a promise that Jesus made. We will all be resurrected and we will all remain forever with Jesus, with Him.

When is All Souls Day celebrated?

Always, despite different ways and nuances, all peoples remember and pray for the dead. In the Church their commemoration has been present since the ninth century but already some two hundred years before in the monasteries one day a year was specifically dedicated to this celebration.

As for the choice of November 2nd, the story takes us back to the year 928. It was then that the Benedictine abbot Odilone invited all the monks of the Cluniac Order to opt for that date. At the base the story that made him a brother returned from the Holy Land. A Odilone, always very attentive to the souls of Purgatory to whom he dedicated prayers and sacrifices, the monk said that, following a shipwreck on the Sicilian coasts he met a hermit, who often told him to hear the suffering voices of the souls of Purgatory and together the cries of the demons who screamed right at him, the abbot Odilone.
The tradition of commemoration of the dead was then officially accepted by the entire Church of Rome in 1311.

All Souls Day Prayer

There are of course many religious and mystics who have looked to the dead. Served Father David Maria Turoldo, in his prayer-poem asks for the gift of better understanding, through them, the mystery of life.

"We do not ask you, Lord

to raise our dead,

we ask you to understand their death

and to believe that you are the Risen One:

this is enough for us to know

that, even if dead, we live

and that we will not succumb

to death forever. Amen".
Yes, we have learnt the All Souls Day importance.

Today's Bible readings

2019-11-01T11:35:00.001+05:30

Today's Bible readings for All Saints Day are taken from Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 (1^st), 1 John 3:1-3 (2^nd) and Gospel from Matthew 5:1-12. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”.

Today's Bible readings for All Saints Day

Today's Bible readings First Reading Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

2 Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads." 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen." 13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Today's Bible readings Response in Psalms 24:1-6

1 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; 2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]

Today's Bible readings Second reading 1 John 3:1-3

1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Today's Bible readings Gospel Matthew 5:1-12

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Today's Bible readings Reflection

Our time on Earth will come to an end one day. Then we will have to stand in front of Our Lord. Are we worthy enough to see Our Lord? As mentioned in Today's Bible readings 1^st reading, only those will stand in front of Our Lord who are pure and faithfully have come out of the great tribulation. “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”. We will face difficult times in our life on Earth but even in that time we must not lose faith and hope. All out tribulation will not go in vain. As it is written,

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5: 3-5). Let us not lose hope in the time of adversities. Difficult time will pass one day. Let us come out of it as washed and white with pure heart.

The response in Today's Bible readings Psalms also reflects on the importance of purity. Only those will ascend the hill of the Lord and will stand in his holy place who have clean hands and pure heart.

We are children of God, and as his children are we not supposed to be clean and pure?

Today's Bible readings Gospel reflects on 10 Beatitudes. They clearly sets out guidelines as to how we should spend our life on Earth. There is a blessing in every of our hardship. Be merciful and kind. For all our tribulation reward is great in heaven. Let us pause and pray for all who are being persecuted, who are facing tribulations in their daily lives. Our prayer for them will give them hope. Amen