JESUS' MODEL

Abstract: A culture of life has to be promoted in this world. This is a culture of love taught by Jesus. It is the challenge of a true disciple to promote this culture of love. For this one has to make Jesus as his role model. This makes one to love, serve, forgive, surrender and undertake sufferings like Jesus for the love of God and neighbour and become HIS model in this world. A true disciple of Jesus is other oriented. He has to shed his self-centredness and fill his heart with love for God and love for neighbour. This is the beginning of a new culture, a culture of love, in fact the culture of life. This can bring real transformation in this world.

Modeling is an important profession these days. It gives handsome perks and publicity. A lot of young people are interested to build a career in this field. Many a people are fascinated by models. They try to dress and groom themselves like these models. Many of them follow these models blindly. Have you ever thought of Jesus to be role model in your life? Some frown at the very thought of it. Does he got that style, that glamour and charm to be a model? These thoughts come because you might not have experienced him...you might not have followed him.... or you might not have understood him. Pause for a moment to have a recollection. It will be good when you become aware that it is time to renew your life by turning back to your Lord. Try to understand Jesus as a person who likes to have a good relationship with you and try to experience His loving care and compassion towards you. Take up the challenge of following Him as a disciple. His life is always a challenge for His disciple who wishes to follow him closely and enact Him in this world with a vision. The vision to transform the culture of this world from a culture of Death to a culture of life.. a culture of Love.

Jesus challenges all of us to enact Him.... Just as HE has loved..Just as He has served..Just as He has forgiven..Just as He has prayed.. Just as he has accepted the sufferings... all for the benefit of THE OTHER. This is the core of Christian living. A living is a life centered on Jesus as one’s role model.

Love of Jesus is self emptying and unconditional. He teaches his concept of love through his words “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.”(Jn 15/13).He not only teaches by his words but also practices this by his deeds through his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Jesus was aware of his mission. He came not to be served but to serve others even to the extent of offering his life as a ransom to redeem us. For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.' (Mk 9/45). He teaches the importance of service in the life of a Christian through his high drama at the last supper where he humbles himself to wash the feet of his disciples before the last supper. Jesus’ message was always centered on compassion and forgiving love of God the Father. He exhorted his disciples to forgive the trespass of others so that God forgives our trespasses. “give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, ⁴ for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.” (Lk 11/3-4a). Jesus practices his teaching on the cross where he begs his Father to pardon those who offended him (Lk 23/34). Jesus throughout his mission seeks and does the will of the father unto the last. At Gethsemane we see Jesus in great trouble. Mental pain of Jesus is revealed here. Even at this moment his prayer is Lord your will be done not mine. “Father,' he said, 'if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine.' ” ( Lk 22/42). This is Jesus attitude to prayer, always accepting the will of the Father. Jesus is aware of the sufferings he has to undergo in his mission and its culmination. It is through the sufferings that He undertakes he redeems the humanity. The concept of suffering servant of God depicted in the book of Isaiah (Is 53/3-12) is revealed through the life of Jesus. We find Jesus offering his life of suffering, passion and finally his sacrificial death on the cross to the redemption of humanity. Jesus’ self emptying love, self giving service, forgiving love, surrendering to the will of the Father and sacrificial suffering are the challenges that one has to undertake when one accept Jesus as a role model.

Accepting Jesus as our role model entrusts us with the duty of modeling Jesus in this world, the world we live. This is our greatest challenge and responsibility. We should be the models of his self emptying love and self giving service, forgiving love, self surrendering prayer and sacrificial suffering for the benefit of others. We should be able to manifest this all through our life. All this happens when we shed our self-centredness and fill us with love for God and love for neighbour and there by become other oriented. This is the beginning and blooming of a new culture, a culture of love, in fact the culture of life. This will bring real transformation in this world.

RECONCILIATION

Abstract: Season of Lent is a period of recollection. Recollection should lead into the awareness of one's estrangement from God (if any). Awareness should develop a longing to be with God. Longing for the relationship with God leads one to examine the worthiness his/her life. True examinations will make one humble before God. This will lead to repentance which brings transformation in one’s life. An estranged son of God reconciles with God through awareness, longing, examination, repentance and transformation (ALERT) to become the inherited son of God.

Relationship with Jesus is the core of Christian living. Liturgical season of Lent is the apt time to recollect about our relationship with Jesus and prepare ourselves for a renewal. In catholic tradition liturgical season of lent begins with Pethratha Nzhayar. The Syriac word Petratha has the meaning 'to return', 'to pass through', 'to finish' or 'to end'. The weeks of Great Fast is the season of looking back at one's own life and prepare for a real reconciliation with Jesus. The faithful has to reflect and meditate over the life, passion, death and burial of Jesus Christ. He must feel the loving care of Lord the Father who gives his own Son for fulfilling the promise of salvation, the self emptying sacrifice of the Son to redeem the humanity and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This must lead him to a total conversion (metanoia).

The Parable of the prodigal son (Lk.15/11-32) is a real model to experience the true repentance which is followed by reconciliation with God. The prodigal son leaves his father to live a life of his own enjoying all worldly pleasures. In course of time he loses all his assets and struggles for a living. In the midst of his sufferings he comes to his senses (LK 15/17). This is his awareness about his wretched situation. He longs to be with his father (LK 15/18 a). His conversion begins now. He examines his present situation which leads him to repentance (LK 15/18b). He understands his mistake and is prepared to confess before his Father. This brings a complete transformation in his life LK 15/18-19). This leads him to a total conversion (metanoia). It is this conversion that makes him to return to his loving father in humility to be reconciled with him.

Like the prodigal son we too are carried away by the whims and fancies of this world ending up in a broken relationship with loving God. Just as the prodigal son came into senses we too at some point of life should become aware of the loving God and His providential care. This should create a longing in our hearts to be united with Him. This should lead us to conversion examining our situation and feeling the compassion of the Lord (LK 15/7, 10). Repentance is the fruit of this examination where one understands his short comings and humbles himself before God (LK. 15/21). Here occurs the complete transformation from a estranged son of God (sinner) to the inherited son of God (LK. 15/22-2). Let is liturgical season of LENT help us to examine our lives in the light of Jesus self emptying love and his compassion to approach the sacrament of reconciliation with true repentance and humility. Let this help us to celebrate EASTER with a renewed heart.

References

http://www.catholic.org/bible/

http://www.nasranifoundation.org/petratha.html

ART OF CHRISTIAN LIVING

Abstract: The core of Christian Spirituality is to have a deep rooted love relationship with Jesus. Art of Christian living-Christian Spirituality begins with a knowledge in Christ. Knowledge of Jesus Christ must challege us to follow Him. True experience with Jesus is the fruit of this close flowing. Thrilled with the Jesus experience one shares and bear witness to Jesus. Jesus invites all his disciples to experience Him and bear witness to Him'

The core of Christian spirituality is the love relationship with Jesus. As we know the growth in relationship with a person occurs through a series of steps. Once we are introduced to a new person, we try to learn about his whereabouts by interacting with him and his friends we know. As we learn more about him we may begin to appreciate some of his words and deeds. Later on we will experience this person more in our heart and we will begin to follow some of his values and practices. Once we are closely knit we share our experiences with this person to more friends and the relationship is further strengthened. Slowly this relation may turn up to a lifelong friendship. In the similar way our relationship with Jesus also should bloom up to an everlasting friendship. St. John in his Gospel (Jn. 1: 35-42) depicts the interaction between Jesus and some of his first disciples. Here John the Baptist introduces Jesus to two of his disciples as Jesus passes by. Both of them follow Jesus and experience HIM by being with HIM. They are thrilled by their experiences with Jesus. They come back and share their experiences. Andrew, one among the two shares his experience with Jesus to his brother Simon and takes him to Jesus.

The introduction of first disciples with Jesus, their interaction and experience with Jesus followed by their sharing with their friends and relatives about Jesus is a very good model to understand the growth of relationship in Jesus in the life of every Christian disciple. A Christian disciple should Know Jesus, Follow Jesus, Experience Jesus, Share Jesus and finally must bear Witness to Jesus through his life. This is the art of Christian Living- in fact the art of Christian spirituality. Knowledge about Jesus is the first step in the art of Christian living. Knowledge of Jesus must challenge one to closely follow Him. A disciple starts to appreciate the exhortations and preaching of Jesus and show eagerness to follow Him. The close following with Jesus binds his relationship with Jesus through daily encounters with Him. At this level one’s knowledge about Jesus transforms to a deep rooted experience with Jesus. Once this level is reached a disciple will experience the loving relationship and intimacy with Jesus in his heart. He then shares his ’Jesus experience’ with others. He bears witness to Jesus through his presence, words and deeds.

To master the art of Christian Living a Christian disciple must start his journey with a knowledge of Jesus that challenge him to follow his master. It is the spirit of Jesus that gives the strength to take up the challenge and guides him to his destination. Jesus himself has promised that His Father will give this spirit in abundance to those who seek ardently (Lk. 11: 10-13). The closely following disciple will experience the love of Jesus and love for Jesus and love for his fellow beings in his heart. Sacramental life will become more meaningful. The disciple freed from the bondage of egoism and self centeredness is oriented to the other- his neighbour (LK.10: 36-37). At this level real transformation occurs. The transformed disciple is thrilled by ‘Jesus Experience’ which he shares with his fellow beings. The culmination of love relationship is to share disciple’s experience through his presence, words and deeds. At this stage they become models of Jesus Christ in the world. They become the salt of the Earth and light of the World fulfilling Jesus’ exhortations (Mt. 5:13-16). All the saints have experienced a transformation from the mere knowledge of Jesus to a deep rooted loving relationship and intimate experience with Jesus Christ in their life. This has given them the courage to challenge worldly values against Gospel values. Jesus invites each one of his disciples to experience Him and give witness to Him through his presence, words and deeds in this modern world. Let us whole heartedly accept this invitation and say LORD HERE I AM... let our ongoing transformation begin now.