Thursday's in Lent || Infant Jesus Shrine Nashik || 03 March 2022 || 7pm ||

a very good evening to each one of you we begin with a few moments of silence asking for good sense to prevail in russia in ukraine and in so many other parts of the world which are engaged in conflict in war in disharmony [Music] spirit of the [Music] spirit of the leaping god fall the pressure on [Music] feel [Music] foreign oh [Music] beginning today thursday and continuing for the other five thursdays in the season of lent we will present from the shrine at 7 00 pm indian standard time this program which we have titled thursday's inlet there are two reasons why we have chosen thursdays for our presentation and the first reason is that thursday is the day dedicated to the infant jesus and so as part of our program we will also recite the nupina the second reason is that almost every single parish or other institution will have the stations of the cross on fridays and you can attend them either online or in person we at the shrine are different and that is why we will have a sort of combined station of the cross and a lenten theme every thursday we have titled it thursdays in lent today is the first thursday in lent immediately after ash wednesday and so the theme of my presentation will be preparing for lent this presentation is divided into five parts in the first part i will begin with the hymn which will set the overall theme for our meditation our prayer and our reflection [Music] if you wish to be my disciple deny yourself and follow me if you wish to be my disciple deny yourself and follow me there might be some of you who might be saying to yourself father has forgotten the words the words are if you wish to be my disciple take up your cross and follow me and i will say no in all the three synoptic gospels jesus says this but many people forget that what he says before taking up the cross is that we must deny ourselves taking of the cross comes after self-denial if there is no denial of self the cross becomes heavy the cross becomes cumbersome the cross becomes burdensome but when the self is pushed to the background then the cross like the cross of jesus becomes light and we can carry it courageously and that's why if you wish to be my disciple deny yourself first then take up your cross and follow me so the first point is that denial of self is what joel calls us today rend your hearts not your garments in one word joel is calling for an internal disposition is calling for an attitude of the mind and of the heart the germanistic meister eckhart summarize this very beautifully when he said you should bother less about what you ought to do and think more about what you ought to be because if your being were good then your works will shine forth brightly maester record pick this up from joel and from jesus joel asks us to do the same he says do not rend your garments rend your heart and how do i rent my heart very simple i do it through metanoia repentance as it is translated in english which means a new mind a new vision a new way of looking so the first thing i am going to do today is i am going to have a new way of looking at things of looking at persons and of looking at events that is the first point newness is the core of the season of lent jesus calls us the prophet's calls for us god is calling us to this newness the new vision this new vision is explicated in the next three points that i will make and the first is with regard to arms giving before jesus speaks about these three pious practices he says whenever you give arms whenever you pray whenever you fast what does it mean first jesus does not say if you give arms if you pray that means you're not free to pray or not to pray but neither the jesus says give arms pray fast no there is no compulsion jesus by using whenever leaves the listener free so you decide when you want to give arms you decide when you want to pray you decide when you want to fast there is no obligation there is no compulsion there is total freedom whenever you give arms whenever you give arms two things you must keep in mind as the internal attitude and the first is this that i give without expectation in my giving there is no barter exchange polonius in the play hamlet tells his son lerties neither a borrower nor a lender b for the loan of loses itself and the friend and so one way to avoid being a borrower or a lender is to give freely there's no question of lending them giving freely giving without expectation of return is that possible yes how jesus has shown us how and the second corollary to this give bit of expectation is expect in gratitude from the ones who you help expect even in gratitude from the ones whom you help if you do that you're on the right track you know what it means to give arms what kind of arms can you give while you might give material things you might give food you might give clothes you might give a meal other arms that you can give especially to the members of your family are an encouraging word a word which pulls them up a word which enhances them a word which builds them up another way of giving arms is apologizing not through words but apologizing by changing your behavior another way of giving arms is to laugh even in this corbett 19 situation we can laugh about so many things there is no need to be morose no need to be sad because it's not going to help us it's not going to help us by being morose and sad so we can be joyful we can laugh and make others laugh these are ways in which we can give arms however whenever we give arms it must be with no expectation whatever whenever you fast now while even doctors today will recommend that fasting once a week is good even from the physical body point of view is good from your health point of view there are so many other things that we must fast from in the season of lent can i fast from my anger can i fast from my jealousy can i fast from my envy can i fast from gossip can i fast from back biting can i fast from a negative perception all the time can i fast from looking always at the black spot on the white wall these are other ways in which we can pass and i would recommend very strongly that during these days because almost every single news channel will tell you how many people have died because of kobe how many people have died in ukraine how many people have died in russia who's getting ready for a nuclear war my suggestion is if you have to really watch the news watch it for only five minutes every day otherwise it's going to depress you there is hardly any news which builds up so avoid television about social media whenever possible we have to use it for our work sometimes we have to use it for our employment sometimes and that is fine but don't get so caught up in social media that you want to know everything that is going on everywhere sometimes and i would say many times it will lead you to feeling depressed so look at your situation around you if you ever feel you want to do some exercise breathe deeply three times a day four times a day breathe in take in all the beauty of god breathe out all the tightness breathe out all the anxiety so we can fast from so many other things besides food and it is true it is good to fast from food because we show that we are more than our food and drink we are sim we are not human beings who are dependent totally on food and drink we can go for days without food and none of us is going to die and so therefore while we might fast from food which is a good way of fasting i would suggest these other ways of fasting like from jealousy like from anger like from mb like from gossip like from back biting these are also beautiful ways to fast the second point connected with fasting is what jesus says do not let anyone know that you are fasting in other words there are many people who want the whole world to be aware that they are fasting and they are in the season of land so the clothes that they wear the hair that they have unkempt will show to people that they are really in the season of land there's no need to do that you can put nice oil on your hair you can comb your hair well you can have a good shape if you are a man and then you can fast and that fasting will be seen only by the father in heaven pray jesus gives us one of the most beautiful prayers ever told ever recited ever written and that is what is known as the lord's prayer i summarize this prayer into three parts and if we keep these three paths in mind i think we are on the right track and the first is god jesus always began with god for jesus god was the primary cause jesus knew that bread was bought from the baker but the baker is the secondary cause god is the primary cause and that is why we ask and petition god for something as magnificent as the kingdom and also for something as mundane and as ordinary as bread god is in control during these days we may not have felt the presence of god those who have lost jobs those who have taken a sadly cut those who have lost relatives friends family members because of kovit those who are experiencing so many health challenges connected with kovid it's not easy to believe that god is on our side and yet in gethsemane even though god appeared to be absent god was even more present than every one of us realized and so we have to believe that we have to know that god is with us the name which god gave is i am in greek ago me not i was so our god is not a god of the past not i will be a god is not a god of the future but i am a god of the present a god of them now a god who walks with us and this name which was given to jesus is the name emmanuel and emmanuel translated into english means god with us our god is not only with us our god is in us we are privileged every eucharist to receive the lord into our mouth into our bodies into our hearts what greater privilege there is than to carry god with you to have god in you constantly to never feel the absence of god to know that god is always present so begin with god the second is the regular not my wants often we confuse our wants with our needs you and i need very little to be happy a lot of what we have is surplus can i give it away lent has a connection with springtime and spring cleaning is something that you can do now spring cleaning means i look into my home i look into my closet and i see what are the things that i don't need can i give it to somebody who needs it because these are my wants let me convert my wants i convert my wants into my knees then i'm on the wrong track i need to stay with my needs i need to be aware of my needs and i need to as much as possible use only what i need and that's symbol is bread jesus symbolizes that through the word bread bread was the staple food at the time of jesus it was not a luxury it was what common people ate so this is what jesus is asking us to pray for not comforts and luxuries but the ordinary basic necessities of life and finally the third part of the prayer others and with regard to others the main point is forgiveness and forgiveness means i accept the other as i accept myself in the golden rule jesus says do unto others what you would want them to do unto you this is part of the lord's prayer then when jesus talks about forgiving others just as god forgives us and that is unconditionally with no remorse with no ranker with no anger in our hearts and finally this is how we can be ambassadors for christ who is an ambassador an ambassador is sent to another country another land and that ambassador in that country or land represents everything that his or her country is so when people look at the ambassador when they meet the ambassador when they converse with the ambassador when they interact with the ambassador they get a glimpse into the country from which the ambassador comes who are we we are ambassadors for christ so through these ways of our arms giving our prayer and our fasting people must interact with us people must converse with us people must meet us and after meeting us must say that they have met christ metanoia arms giving prayer fasting being ambassadors for christ these are five ways in which we can continue living out the season of lent amen if you wish to be my disciple deny yourself and all know me if you wish to be my disciple deny yourself and follow me [Music] we'll have a short silent adoration now after which we will recite the novena prayer and i will give the final blessing [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] i have brought this box of petitions with so many people who come to the shrine in person put in the petition box we remove those petitions from the petition box and we arrange them and put it into this box which we keep here on that particular table before our blessed mother every thursday the day of the infant jesus i have brought this box of petitions physically i am bringing before the lord all the petitions that you are making in your hearts and i am putting it into this box the lord will do what is best for you you and i have to ask for what we need with confidence do not feel shy do not restrict yourself to one petition but most importantly do not only make a petition for yourself make a petition for someone else even maybe someone whom you consider an enemy make a petition for that person have the courage to do that faith confidence trust oh jesus you said ask and you shall receive seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened to you through the intercession of mary your most holy mother i knock i seek and i ask that my prayer may be granted make your petition but please make a petition for someone else jesus you said all that you ask of the father in my name he will grant you through the intercession of mary your most holy mother i humbly and urgently ask your father in your name that my prayer may be granted make a second petition and make a petition for a second person also oh jesus you said heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass through the intercession of mary your most holy mother i feel confident that my prayer will be granted make a third petition and make a petition for a third person also we make this bread your infant jesus in your name who with the father and the holy spirit live and reign forever and ever amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] let us spend a few moments of silence asking god for peace in russia in ukraine and in all other parts of the world so [Music] let us ask our blessed mother mary the queen of peace to intercede for all the countries which know strife hail mary full of grace the lord is with thee blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus holy mary mother of god pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death are men hail mary full of grace the lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus holy mary mother of god hail mary full of grace the lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy spirit thank you for your participation god bless you and your families good night and see you next thursday a reminder however that every afternoon at 12 noon we telecast the eucharist online every afternoon at 12 noon we telecast the eucharist online god bless you good night [Music] you

Channel: Shrine of the Infant Jesus Nashik

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Keywords: Vasai mass, holy spirit church, nandakhal church, nandakhal, diocese of vasai, missabalidan, archdiocese of bombay, our lady of sea church, Remedy Church Vasai, Archdiocese of Bombay, our lady of remedy, gass church, shirlaywadi church, rajodi church, mardes church, bhuigao church, Amala Ashram, st ann's cathedral nashik, Fr. Trevor Miranda SJ, holy cross church nashik, ST. ANNE’S CATHEDRAL, devlali church st patrick, Nashik, Food from the heart and to the heart

Id: O7pxOo23uIw

Length: 40min 0sec (2400 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 03 2022