What do we do when we run out of wine?

John 2, 1-10 which speaks of The Wedding Feast of Cana is one Bible passage that greatly inspires me.

We see Jesus, His Mother and the disciples at a wedding. When the wine runs out, Jesus’ mother somehow comes to know and tells Him, “They have no wine.”

At this juncture, let’s reflect on the pre-wedding day preparations. The families of the bride and groom must have spared no time, effort, money to make sure the wedding reception would go well. They must have spent time deciding on the venue, whom to invite, what the menu and refreshments should be. They must have cooked the best food, acquired the best wine they could afford; in short, gone all out to ensure that the day was one which would be memorable and talked about for a long time to come.

In our lives too, we make plans. We prepare checklists. We go through these lists time and again to see if we have missed out on anything. We even try to anticipate what could possibly go wrong, where the gaps could be, and work to plug them.

And then, something unexpected happens. Something we never thought or prepared for.
Everything gets thrown out of gear.

Read more

Is Alleluia really our song, my song?

Halleluiah! Greetings in the name of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!!! As the wonderful Eastertide liturgies and readings remind us, may we truly believe, in the words St Augustine made popular, that, ‘we are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song’.

But is Alleluia really our song, my song? Is it really true in my life and yours? Are we constantly praising God (’Hallel’ is the Hebrew word for ‘praise’, and ‘Yah’ is the short form of ‘Yahweh’.) Or have we reserved our “Praise the Lord” only for prayer meetings and which evaporate in the daily chores, difficult situations or trials we face.

In Ps 34 the psalmist says, “I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips”. Yet we often find ourselves grumbling, afraid, negative – possibly like the disciples locked up in the room in fear (Jn 20:19). But to them (and likewise to us), Jesus appears and “breathed on them and said, “Receive the holy Spirit.” (Jn 20:22)

That’s it. The Holy Spirit – the only power by which we can live lives of ‘continuous and spontaneous Alleluias’. There is no other way, other than the in-dwelling Holy Spirit of God, who “transforms us by the renewal of our minds” (Rom 12:2). So, this month as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost – we pray that we may experience our own Pentecost and for the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our life.

Indeed, the work of the Holy Spirit is essential in preparing “the bride” – us as a body and us as individuals for Christ. And so, I take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Holy Spirit for the guidance He has given us, each month, as we prepare this Monthly Intercessory Diary. Truly, as we put this together, month on month, we are amazed by the congruence and clarity He brings in directing our hearts and minds to intercede for the needs of the Church, “the bride of Christ”. Indeed, the Spirit intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will. (Rom 8:27)

This month we accompany (in prayer) our Pope Benedict XVI on His first visit to the Holy Land. We specifically pray the prayers of the Good Friday General Intercessions for Christians of other denominations, the Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths.

In this ‘her own month of May’, we entrust our intercession through the maternal and loving hands of Mary, who “was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit” (Lk 1:35) so that Jesus may be born and who waited on the Lord ‘in one accord’ (Acts 1:14) for “power from on-high” (Lk 24:49), so that the Church may be born. May this Pentecost be, for each one of us, a falling in love, more and more, with the “Lord and Giver of Life”.

I end with the words of Cardinal Suenens, “As I look to the future, I cannot avoid stressing the role of the Holy Spirit in the church of tomorrow”. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit, Lord, and we shall be created. And thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

May 2009

Daily Intercessions through the Word of God – May 2009
Sanctuary Intercessors – India Branch of FBB
International Catholic Charismatic Missionary Intercessors of the Fellowship of the Burning Bush (FBB)
The ‘Intercession Diary’ has the approval and blessings of the Bishops’ Team of the Archdiocese and contains intentions of our Cardinal and the Bishops
(Join us in agreement to intercede each day according to the Scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit how to pray to actualize God’s promises in each situation)

Day/Date Interceding According to the Mind of Christ

Fri
1/5/2009

2 Chr 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
We lift up our State of Maharashtra, meaning the great land, with its diverse cultures and a modern cosmopolitan outlook. As we celebrate today the formation of our statehood, may we first thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed on us. Let us pray that the light of the Gospel would penetrate the hearts of those in darkness, remove the shackles and break the bonds of those under oppression, give hope to those under the yoke of superstition and ignorance, and bring peace to those who are troubled and in pain. As we celebrate ‘International Workers Day’ today let us thank God for all those individuals and various social organizations in the 1800’s that fought against the inhumane conditions and long working hours. Let us pray for workers all over the world who have been hit by the recent recession that they would find new hope as they put their trust in Christ

Read more