Love Prevails!: A LOVE so perfect . . . .

My people,

Good Morning! Isn’t it the most fantastic word that you have heard? Thank God, on a Sunday you get to meet The One you love.

Paul in Colossians 1:10 says: “Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in knowledge of God”.

I am truly sorry. After Church and home this is my next favourite stop. I missed you. I was terribly sick and am still a lot stressed out due to illness. My family has gone for two days and I feel like a week has already passed. I love people. I love the chatter. Call me crazy. I think that’s what happens when you live with Cancerians-you get their emotional side (which is good). My mum, my cousin, my brother and the rest of them-all cancerians. This week, starting Thursday, I have got a week’s off from work and the reason being-health issues. And I think the break will do me good.

So I’ll begin the way my French teacher used to ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’, Amen.

What do you do when you love someone? How do you tell them what they mean to you? What do you do? How do you let them know, what do you say?

Ill be loving you forever
Deep within my heart,
Deep within my soul,
You are everything I want,
You are everything I need
and from that moment until forever I will always love you!

Words they make the world a better place to live in, if we only choose them wisely.

I can now understand why this song was such a rage in its time and why the Beatles sang, ‘I want to hold your hand’ and isn’t that what is felt when you are with your beloved. Isn’t that what you want to do?

You are my fire
The one desire
You are, you are, you are.

So if I say, I love you, if I said you are everything I desire, If I told you-you are my world to me, that you are all the words I write, what would you say?

You my love, are my beloved. Would you understand?

I love the words taken from Westlife’s song-I’ll be lovin you.

If I wrote the words - I have to write-on love, the words in a lifetime would never be enough. So these are part of the words from the song, for now let it suffice.

You are the sun,
You are my light,
And you’re the last thing on my mind,
Before I go to sleep at night.
You’re always around,
When I’m in need,
When trouble's on my mind,
You put my soul at ease,
There is no one in this world,
Who can love me like you do,
That is the reason that I,
Wanna spend forever with you.

Love is amazing. One look from your beloved and one look at him makes your heart pound. The very sight of him makes any place of the earth a wonderful place to be in. When you see him smile, it brings happiness untold.

To catch a glimpse of him, you know you could walk a million miles you could walk to the ends of this earth.

And every minute with him is so precious that the heart aches with an ache that you never want to think off when you are away. It is a terrible ache – a pain, indefinable.

If there is ever anything that I could say to you-among the many things, that could be said-this would be one of the so many things, ‘You are the only one my heart will ever want.’

Sometimes a situation looks impossible to the human eye-It could look to be beyond human hope. Just remember, when you understand Love, you will know ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

As Christians, we are not asked to do something complex-as we love to make it sound. Jesus has given us the command to love, really how difficult is that?

Jesus chose to suffer with love in doing the will of God. He chose to suffer the crown of thorns, the nails on His hands and feet and being whipped while tied to the pillar. He was spat on, mocked at. He was made to carry the Cross through the streets. Yet in all His love, never did He ever feel humiliated-He loved us so much-that His heart bled to do well (good). Isn’t it why it is called Good Friday?

Jesus, the Son of God with all the LOVE in the world-died to save us from sin. On a Friday, Love did win. Love triumphed over evil.

Now is it really difficult? Give LOVE a chance …..

Matthew 22:37-40 states- And Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the great and first commandment.
And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

John 13:34 states- A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

John 15:13 states- Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Paul tells us-Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:12-13

Am I becoming more like Christ? Examining your walk with Christ means looking not so much at what you are doing, as at what you are becoming. Such a walk cannot be achieved by human effort alone. It happens by the work of the Holy Spirit, through faith in His Word.

Day 4th May, 2014 – Fr. Alvaro gave his shortest homily ever. It comprised only for a span of two minutes. And he chose to speak on – Did not our hearts burn. Listening to Fr. Alvaro's shortest homily did make me miss hearing him, so much. Whatever, Fr. Alvaro said touched my heart, so here goes,

Luke 24:32 states-They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?"

Jesus had fulfilled that which had been prophesied; of His passion and triumph of life over death.

On the Emmaus road Jesus approaches the two disciples and joins the conversation. Jesus wasn’t there besides them simply to help them to find solutions. Jesus told His two listeners, "Did not the Christ have to suffer these things..."

Jesus explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Jesus started with Moses and worked His way to the prophets.

Moses represents the Law… The Law pointed to Jesus!

The prophets revealed prophecy… They spoke of Jesus!

As Jesus revealed these things to these men, He ignited a fire within their hearts.

These men reached their destination and they invited Jesus to remain with them. Their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. They were simply excited about how Jesus explained the scriptures and revealed the truth about the Messiah to them and they desired for Him to continue.

Have you sat down to hear a sermon and when it was over you felt that you wanted more? When you encounter the risen Savior you will NOT want that experience to end! There will be a “spiritual hunger”. And when we possess that spiritual hunger Jesus will remain with us just as He remained with these men on the Road to Emmaus.

He broke the bread, gave thanks, and suddenly He was no longer a stranger. Their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the Bread. Their hearts were burning inside of them. The source of a burning heart is a walk with Jesus.
The word “burn” means to set on fire. When we have a burning desire for Jesus in our heart and we have a spiritual hunger Jesus is there. Not only is He there but He will make His presence known.

And if you are going to grow in your walk with the Risen Savior it REQUIRES time in His Word! Believing the Word of God requires faith!

Jesus knows all your doubts and concerns. He sees your heartbreak, and He wants to take you further in your faith.

These are truly the basics of a walk with Jesus:

Spending time with Him – in prayer. And

Spending time in the Scriptures – The Bible.

Let the love of Jesus set your heart on fire. Let the flame ever burn.

The trusting heart always says, "All my steps are ordered by the Lord. He permits my sufferings, temptations and trials—but never more than I can bear. He is Lord over every event and situation of my life."

A perfect heart is also a broken heart!

The Psalmist David said, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite [crushed] spirit" Psalm 34:18

Brokenness means more than sorrow and weeping, more than a crushed spirit, more than humility.

This is truly a broken heart: one that first sees the church and families in ruin and feels the Lord's anguish. Such a heart grieves over the reproach cast on the Lord's name. It also looks deep inside and sees, as David did, its own shame and failure. But there is a second important element to this brokenness, and that is hope. The truly broken heart has heard from God:"I will heal, restore and build.“

Day 12th May, 2014 - I was a little bit hurt. After the 7:30 mass as I was walking and I looked into the sky there was this beautiful phase of the moon and I thought I have never seen it so beautiful. This happens to me mostly, it is a recurrence as such-after the moon there is always a 111. I do not understand. Abba, Father, please help me understand. Your will be done.

We see what we want to see. We speak about the apostles not being good listeners. So if you do not listen-then how will you understand? Listening and understanding go hand in hand.

On looking deep into their hearts, Jesus chose these men as His Apostles, He knew them. They were every bit lovable, they were His and only Jesus knew them.

On the mission, the 3 years with Jesus and untold number of miracles, that the apostles witnessed, yet they did not understand.

And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. Mark 14:27

The disciples all forsook Jesus and fled, when they saw him in the hands of His enemies. They felt fear and doubt for the moment if whether He was indeed the Son of God. They fled like frightened sheep. When our Lord, Jesus rose from the dead, He found them all in the same place; and then He revived their faith and courage.

To be Apostles from being fishermen or tax collector, it’s a different lifestyle.

So for the Apostles, it was a gradual transition. In reality it was a process through which they were growing. They were just fishermen, used to the hard life, being days on end in the sea, facing storms, not knowing when and if they would come home. Jesus knows.

After the resurrection, Jesus did not suddenly appear to His followers and terrify them. He came to them where they did not at first recognize Him. Like on the road to Emmaus.

Love does not condemn. Jesus did not treat them like deserters. Jesus understood. See if I run a day, and the One who loves me, JESUS is crucified and killed, and I realize what I have done. I recall the wonderful times, the words, the miracles, part of the prophecies. I know I should have stood by Him.

When Jesus came and stood with His Apostles, he greeted them with these words “Peace be with you.”

With this greeting, Jesus showed them Perfect love. He held nothing in His heart other than love. The other name for Love is Peace. When you experience this Christ like love you will feel a boldness that is in no comparison to anything else. That’s what the Apostles experienced.

Once the Apostles received the infilling of the ‘Holy Spirit’, they were never the same. Their lives were forever changed.

Jesus always knew - there was never any doubt. Love always wins! Amen.