by Rev. Fr. VV Paulose

Call the name of Jesus

“ Nazareth! Can anything good come from them? “ Nathaniel asked.” Come and see,” said Philip. (John 1:46)

It is the clarion call to all weary and the laden to come to Jesus and find comfort. Unmask all our hubris of false thinking of status; knowledge, name, power, beauty and futility of human strive to become a superman.

Years come and go, resolutions made and broke, days dawn and set but human life rolls and rolls with it’s own sufferings without an end of this saga of life like the curse of Sisyphus- The figure of Greek mythology who was condemned to repeat forever the task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again.

To brake this epic curse there is only one remedy, violently unmasking our hypocrite life and fall at the feet of the God and the Savior Jesus Christ. He is the only God who took human flesh and died and saved you and me. “He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw.” (John 1:39) Jesus said, “I am the alpha and Omega- the beginning and the end. To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6). “ Any one who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them eternal life.” (John 4:13,14)

25 years of my priestly life, I have never rested like this year from 23 December 2009 to 31 December 2010. I have gone through the separation from my loved ones and my pet projects and work. All these days my happiness and solace has been in prayer, fasting, and meditation on Jesus. Now even if the moon is in my hand, I will not be happier as I am now in the company of Jesus in Prayer. So I Invite all of my brothers and sisters to come and see where Jesus resides- in prayer. You will never ever be failed, bored and pitied later.

Try his name in faith for your daily practical life. My friend Rev Dn. Jino and I were coming back from Arakonam to Chennai in India at 11 PM by car after the Holy Qurbana at Arakonam. Due to the tiredness of long journey and the night service, I fell asleep on the wheel and lost control of the vehicle that I was driving. It went inside a colony of huts. The cracking sound of the bamboo sticks supporting the huts woke me from the sleep. When I regained conscious, I saw a group of colony people with sticks. They started to beat me without mercy. Realizing the danger I am in, I told them ”I am a Christian priest”. Immediately all the sticks went down and they spared my life. The power of the name Christ can never be measured. “For every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10: 13)

So with Great unfailing hope we can call Jesus’ name and start 2011. Let the echo of His name fill the four corners of the earth.