ജപമാല പ്രഭാഷണം: “മറിയം നമ്മുടെ മാതൃക”

ആരംഭം

പ്രിയ സഹോദരങ്ങളേ,
ഈ വിശുദ്ധ ജപമാലാമാസത്തിൽ, നാം ഒന്നായി മറിയത്തോടൊപ്പം പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കുകയാണ്.
അവൾ നമ്മുടെ സ്വർഗ്ഗീയ അമ്മയും, വിശ്വാസജീവിതത്തിലെ മാതൃകയുമാണ്.
മറിയത്തിന്റെ ജീവിതത്തിലൂടെ ദൈവം നമ്മോട് പറയുന്ന സന്ദേശങ്ങൾ നമുക്ക് ഇന്ന് ആലോചിക്കാ

മറിയം — വിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ മാതൃക

മറിയം തന്റെ ജീവിതത്തിലെ എല്ലാ ഘട്ടത്തിലും ദൈവത്തോടുള്ള പൂർണ്ണ വിശ്വാസം പുലർത്തിയവളാണ്.
ദൂതൻ ഗബ്രിയേൽ അവളോടു പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ — “നിനക്കു ദൈവകൃപ ലഭിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു” —
അവൾ പറഞ്ഞു:

“ഇതാ, ഞാൻ കർത്താവിന്റെ ദാസി; നിന്റെ വാക്ക് എനിക്കു നടപ്പാകട്ടെ.” (ലൂക്കാ 1:38)

ദൈവത്തിന്റെ പദ്ധതികൾ അവളെ ഭയപ്പെടുത്തിയോ സംശയിപ്പിച്ചോ ഇല്ല.
മറിയം വിശ്വസിച്ചു, അനുസരിച്ചു, ദൈവത്തിന് തന്റെ ജീവിതം സമർപ്പിച്ചു.
നമ്മളും അവളെപ്പോലെ ദൈവത്തിന്റെ ഇഷ്ടം നമ്മുടെ ജീവിതത്തിൽ നടപ്പാക്കാൻ തയ്യാറാകണം.

മറിയം — വിനയത്തിന്റെ മാതൃക

മറിയം ദൈവം തിരഞ്ഞെടുത്ത ഏറ്റവും മഹത്വമുള്ള സ്ത്രീ ആയിരുന്നെങ്കിലും,
അവൾ പറഞ്ഞു:

“എന്റെ ആത്മാവ് കർത്താവിനെ മഹത്വപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു, എന്റെ ആത്മാവ് ദൈവത്തിൽ ആനന്ദിക്കുന്നു.” (ലൂക്കാ 1:46–47)

മറിയത്തിന്റെ മഹത്വം അവളുടെ വിനയത്തിലും ആത്മസമർപ്പണത്തിലും ആണ്.
ഇന്ന് ലോകം അഭിമാനത്തിലും അഹങ്കാരത്തിലും മുങ്ങുമ്പോൾ,
മറിയം നമ്മെ വിനയത്തിലേക്കാണ് വിളിക്കുന്നത് — ദൈവം പ്രവർത്തിക്കാൻ ഇടവിടുക.

 മറിയം — പ്രാർത്ഥനയുടെയും ഇടപെടലിന്റെയും മാതൃക

കാനായിലെ വിവാഹത്തിൽ മറിയം ശ്രദ്ധിച്ചു: വീഞ്ഞ് തീർന്നു.
അവൾ ഉടൻ യേശുവിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു, പിന്നെ ദാസന്മാരോട് പറഞ്ഞു:

“അവൻ നിങ്ങളോടു പറയുന്നതെന്തും ചെയ്യുവിൻ.” (യോഹന്നാൻ 2:5)

മറിയം അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്ന അമ്മയാണ് — അവളുടെ മക്കളുടെ ആവശ്യം അവൾ ദൈവത്തോടു പറയുന്നു.
അവളുടെ ഇടപെടലിലൂടെ ആദ്യ അത്ഭുതം നടന്നു.
ജപമാലയിലൂടെ, അവളോടൊപ്പം നാം നമ്മുടെ ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ എല്ലാ വിഷമങ്ങളും യേശുവിനോട് സമർപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

 മറിയം — സഹനത്തിൻ്റെയും പ്രത്യാശയുടെയും മാതൃക

യേശുവിനെ കുരിശിൽ തറയ്ക്കുമ്പോൾ, മറിയം കുരിശിൻ കീഴിൽ നിന്നു.
അവൾ തളർന്നില്ല, പരാതിപ്പെട്ടില്ല — മൗനത്തിലും കരുത്തിലും അവൾ ദൈവത്തിൽ ഉറച്ചു നിന്നു.
അവൾ നമ്മെ പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്നു:

കഷ്ടതകളിലും പ്രത്യാശ നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്തരുത്; ദൈവം ഒപ്പം ഉണ്ടെന്നുറപ്പ് മതിയാകും.

ഇന്ന് നമ്മളും വേദനകളും പരീക്ഷണങ്ങളും നേരിടുമ്പോൾ,
മറിയം നമ്മെ കൈപിടിച്ചുനടത്തുന്നു. അവൾ പറയുന്നത് —
“കുരിശ് ദുഖമല്ല, രക്ഷയുടെ വഴിയാണ്.”

ജപമാല — മറിയത്തോടൊപ്പം യേശുവിലേക്കുള്ള വഴി

ജപമാല വെറും ആവർത്തന പ്രാർത്ഥനയല്ല,
യേശുവിൻ്റെ ജീവിത രഹസ്യങ്ങൾ ധ്യാനിക്കുന്ന ആത്മീയ യാത്രയാണ്.
ഓരോ “മറിയേ നമസ്കാരം” എന്ന പ്രാർത്ഥനയും നമ്മെ യേശുവിൻ്റെ മനസ്സിലേക്കും മറിയത്തിൻ്റെ ഹൃദയത്തിലേക്കും അടുപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

മറിയം എല്ലായ്പ്പോഴും യേശുവിലേക്കാണ് നമ്മെ നയിക്കുന്നത്.
ജപമാലയിലൂടെ അവൾ നമ്മെ പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്നു —
സ്നേഹം, ക്ഷമ, വിനയം, വിശ്വാസം, പ്രത്യാശ — ഈ പാതകളിലൂടെ മാത്രമേ നാം യേശുവിനെ കണ്ടെത്തുകയുള്ളു.

നമ്മുടെ ജീവിതത്തിൽ മറിയം

• മറിയം അമ്മയായി നമ്മെ കാത്തുസൂക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.
• അവൾ നമ്മെ ഇടപെടലിലൂടെ സംരക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.
• കുടുംബത്തിൽ ജപമാല പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കുമ്പോൾ അവൾ സന്നിഹിതയാണ്.
• മറിയത്തിന്റെ മക്കളായ നമ്മൾ പ്രാർത്ഥനയിലും ദയയിലും വളരുന്നവരായിരിക്കണം.

സമാപനഭാഗം

പ്രിയ സഹോദരങ്ങളേ,
മറിയം നമ്മുടെ മാതാവാണ്, എന്നാൽ അതിലും വലിയതായിട്ട് — നമ്മുടെ മാതൃകയും ഗുരുവുമാണ്.
അവളുടെ ജീവിതത്തിൽ നാം കാണുന്നത് ദൈവവിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ പൂർണ്ണതയും,
വിനയത്തിന്റെ സൗന്ദര്യവും, സഹനത്തിന്റെ ശക്തിയും, പ്രാർത്ഥനയുടെ പ്രത്യാശയുമാണ്.

ഇന്ന് നാം അവളോടൊപ്പം ജപമാല പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കുമ്പോൾ,
അവളുടെ ഹൃദയം നമ്മെ യേശുവിലേക്കു കൂടുതൽ അടുപ്പിക്കട്ടെ.
നമ്മുടെ കുടുംബങ്ങൾ, സഭകൾ, സമൂഹം എല്ലാം മറിയത്തിൻ്റെ സംരക്ഷണതണലിൽ വളരട്ടെ.

“മറിയമേ, ജപമാലയുടെ റാണീ,
ഞങ്ങളുടെ രക്ഷാർത്ഥം പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കണമേ.
ഞങ്ങൾ മക്കളെല്ലാവരും നിൻ ഹൃദയത്തിലേക്കു അടുപ്പിക്കണമേ.” 

Faith: A Journey Through Body, Mind,and Spirit

Introduction 

Faith is a concept that transcends religious boundaries, deeply embedded in the human experience across time, culture, and belief systems. While often associated narrowly with doctrinal belief or religious affiliation, faith in its purest form is a multidimensional experience. It can be understood as religiosity at the level of the body, dialogical at the level of the mind, and peace at the level of the spirit—irrespective of all faith. This layered perspective invites a holistic understanding of faith that resonates across traditions, philosophies, and inner landscapes.

1. Faith as Religiosity in the Body

At the most tangible level, faith expresses itself through the body—through practices, rituals, symbols, and the embodied life of religious devotion. This is the realm of religiosity, where faith takes visible form in daily actions: prayer, pilgrimage, fasting, sacraments, or meditative posture. These physical expressions are not merely symbolic but serve as conduits through which internal belief is made external, and the sacred is woven into the rhythms of the material world.

In this domain, faith becomes a discipline of the body—one that cultivates presence, humility, and connection through repetition and reverence. It reminds us that spirituality is not just abstract contemplation but also an incarnated, lived experience.

2. Faith as Dialogue in the Mind

Moving inward, faith evolves into a dialogical process within the mind. Here, it is no longer just a matter of inherited tradition or outward expression, but a space for inquiry, reflection, and inner conversation. At this level, faith engages the intellect—questioning, understanding, doubting, and discovering.

This form of faith is dialogical in two senses: it is both an internal dialogue with oneself and an external dialogue with others. In the former, we grapple with belief, uncertainty, and meaning; in the latter, we engage in respectful interfaith discourse, philosophical debate, and mutual learning. Rather than undermining faith, such dialogue strengthens it—transforming it into a dynamic, evolving relationship with truth.

Faith in the mind does not demand certainty; it thrives in the fertile ground of curiosity and humility. It recognizes that belief is not static but fluid, shaped by learning, experience, and the honest confrontation with life’s complexities.

3. Faith as Peace in the Spirit

At its deepest level, faith is not confined to doctrine, ritual, or reasoning. It is an inner peace, a spiritual state of being that transcends all conceptual boundaries. In the realm of the spirit, faith is not a belief in something, but a resting in that which simply is—an experience of unity, presence, and wholeness.

This level of faith is non-dual and universal. It is the peace that passes understanding, the calm that remains when beliefs fall away, and the silence beyond all language. It is found in the mystic's stillness, the sage’s serenity, the seeker’s surrender. Here, faith is not something one has, but something one becomes.

And it is here that the paradox of faith reveals itself: at the deepest spiritual level, true faith exists irrespective of all faith. That is, it transcends the divisions of religion, culture, and thought. It is the same inner peace found in the heart of a monk, a poet, or a child—beyond the name by which it is known.

Conclusion: The Unity of the Threefold Path

To view faith as religiosity in the body, dialogue in the mind, and peace in the spirit is to understand it not as a single act of belief, but as a journey of embodiment, reflection, and transcendence. Each level is not isolated, but interwoven; the body informs the mind, the mind opens the spirit, and the spirit deepens the meaning of the body and mind alike.

This threefold understanding honors the full spectrum of human experience—action, thought, and being—and reminds us that faith, in its truest form, is not the possession of any one tradition, but the common language of the human soul.

God in Process - The God Who Feels, Moves, and Walks With Us

Scripture Readings (suggested):

• Exodus 3:7-8 – “I have seen the misery of my people… I have heard their cry.”
• John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
• Romans 8:22-28 – “All creation is groaning… and the Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”

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Introduction: Where Is God When the World Hurts?

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

Have you ever asked the question — Where is God when I’m in pain?
When war breaks out… when a child dies… when we cry out in prayer and hear no answer?

Today, I want to share with you a vision of God that is deeply comforting, deeply challenging, and maybe even a bit surprising — a vision of God in process. A God who is not far off, not untouched by suffering, not a cold ruler above the clouds — but a living, feeling, moving God, who walks with us in every moment of becoming.

1. Not a Distant King — But a Loving Participant

In many traditional images, God is portrayed as all-powerful, unchanging, and unaffected by the world. But is that the God we meet in Scripture?

Think of Moses at the burning bush. God says:

“I have seen the misery of my people. I have heard their cry. I know their suffering.” (Ex 3:7)

This is not a God who stands apart. This is a God who feels, who listens, who responds. This is a relational God — a God in process.

The theologian Alfred North Whitehead spoke of this vision of God. He described God as having two sides:

• One side that is eternal, holding all the beauty and possibilities of what could be.
• And another side that is in time with us, who responds, feels, and grows in relationship with creation.

God is not a distant monarch — God is a companion in the journey of life.

2. God Who Suffers With Us

Friends, this is good news for all who suffer. Because if God is only distant and all-controlling, then what do we do with evil? What do we do with pain?

But Whitehead’s insight — and more importantly, the witness of Scripture — tells us:

God does not cause suffering — God suffers with us.
God does not control the world by force — God moves it forward by love.

This is the God revealed in Jesus Christ — who wept at Lazarus' tomb, who suffered on the cross, who took on our pain to redeem it.

God is not the unmoved mover — God is the most moved mover.
As theologian Jürgen Moltmann said:

“Only a suffering God can help.”

3. God of the Present Moment – Always Offering More

Whitehead spoke of God as constantly luring us — not forcing, not commanding — but inviting us, moment by moment, into deeper life.

At every crossroads, every pain, every joy — God is there, whispering:

“Here is a better way. Choose love. Choose peace. Choose truth.”

God doesn't override our freedom, but honors it. And in every choice, God works — even in our failures — to bring about healing, meaning, and new creation.

As Paul says in Romans 8:

“In all things God works for good with those who love Him.”

Not that everything is good — but that God works within everything to bring about the good.

4. Our Response – Walking with the God Who Walks with Us

So what does this mean for us?

• It means God is not done with us. You are a work in process — and so is the world.
• It means every moment matters — because God is present in it, calling you forward.
• It means we are co-creators with God — our prayers, our choices, our actions really matter.
• And it means we can trust that God feels with us, and never leaves us alone.

Conclusion: God Becoming with Us

Beloved in Christ,
We are not alone in our suffering.
We are not abandoned in our confusion.
And we are not finished yet.

God is with us — not as a static judge, but as a living presence, constantly drawing us toward love, beauty, justice, and truth.

As John writes:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
That Word still dwells among us — still calls to us — still becomes with us.

So let us walk with the God who walks with us.
Let us trust the God who is always becoming — always loving — always calling us.

A Preferential Option for NI: Reclaiming Human Wisdom in the Age of AI

Introduction

In an age increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI), society is confronted with a critical question: When should we turn to machines, and when should we trust the mind and heart of the human person? As AI rapidly expands into education, healthcare, agriculture, communication, and even spiritual life, the ethical imperative becomes clear: we must adopt a preferential option for natural intelligence, using artificial intelligence only when human capabilities are insufficient or unavailable.

This principle, drawing inspiration from the “preferential option for the poor” in Catholic Social Teaching, is a call to reaffirm human dignity, preserve ecological sustainability, and resist technological excess.

The Case for Natural Intelligence

Human intelligence is holistic, relational, and context-driven. Unlike AI systems, which operate on data-driven logic and pattern recognition, natural intelligence is embedded in embodied experience, emotional nuance, ethical discernment, and creative intuition. These uniquely human faculties evolve over time through struggle, memory, community, and culture.

Preferring natural intelligence means:

• Trusting teachers, mentors, and elders over algorithmic tutors.
• Relying on the intuition of farmers, artisans, or healers honed by years of experience.
• Honoring indigenous knowledge, oral traditions, and cultural wisdom that AI cannot replicate.

Natural intelligence is not only ethically richer, but also environmentally sustainable. The human mind does not require massive data centers or rare-earth minerals to function. It runs on food, rest, and relationships — not fossil fuels.

When Is AI Justified? A Subsidiarity Approach

The principle of subsidiarity — long rooted in ethical philosophy and Catholic social thought — suggests that decisions or tasks should be handled at the most local, capable level before escalating to higher powers. Applying this to AI:

Artificial intelligence should be adopted only when natural intelligence is genuinely insufficient.

In this framework, AI is complementary, not competitive. It is used:

• To process large-scale data that exceeds human capacity (e.g., climate modeling).
• In dangerous or inaccessible environments (e.g., disaster zones).
• To provide accessibility tools for those with cognitive, visual, or mobility challenges.
• As a support, not a replacement, in teaching, counseling, and caregiving.

AI, then, becomes a servant of humanity, not its substitute.

Dangers of Disregarding This Principle

Without discernment, the overuse of AI risks multiple forms of degradation:

1. De-skilling and Dependency

Replacing natural intelligence with AI leads to loss of human skills — from writing and reasoning to driving and diagnosing. Future generations may grow dependent on systems they no longer understand.

2. Erosion of Human Dignity

In education, healthcare, and pastoral care, relational presence cannot be outsourced to machines. Reducing human beings to data points or behavioral profiles undermines their inherent worth.

3. Environmental Costs

Large-scale AI requires enormous energy, contributes to e-waste, and depends on extractive industries for hardware components. Preferential use of AI may contradict sustainability goals unless tightly controlled.

4. Social Injustice

As AI replaces human labor, it can deepen inequality, displace workers, and benefit the few who control the technology — unless ethical frameworks and redistribution are built into adoption policies.

Natural Intelligence and Integral Ecology

The preferential option for natural intelligence aligns deeply with the vision of integral ecology, as proposed in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’. It encourages a relationship between humanity and technology that is mutually respectful, just, and in harmony with the earth.

Rather than embracing AI as a default solution to every problem, we are called to slow down, discern, and ask:

• Is this task better performed by a machine — or by a human being in relationship?
• Does this use of AI enhance or erode human community?
• What are the unseen costs — ecological, spiritual, and social?

These are not anti-technology questions — they are pro-human and pro-creat

Conclusion: Let Human Wisdom Lead

In a world fascinated by artificial intelligence, we must not lose our reverence for natural intelligence — the slow, patient, luminous gift that arises from human experience, ethical growth, and spiritual seeking.

Let us embrace technology wisely, guided by a principle that says:

“Let human wisdom lead; let artificial intelligence serve.
Use AI not to replace human minds, but to uplift them when needed — and only when needed.”

This is not resistance to progress. It is a deeper vision of rightful place, responsible use, and reverence for the human soul in the digital age.