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by Rev. Fr. V.V. Paulose, Toronto, Canada
"We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands." (1 john 1:1)
Jesus is God and his birth, suffering, death, and
resurrection are all still in action. Do you believe this?
Jesus is indeed God. He is eternal. He came to the world as a human. And each of
us have the right to encounter him in person and experience his presence in
different ways. Once we have the experience of Jesus, we cannot hide it under
the bush but has to be kept on the lamp stand as the light for others.
Christians are under persecution in everywhere. Due to the moral decline in the
society as a whole, the faith of the people are becoming cold. Many believers
are conforming to the world's standards, failing to stand up for Christ and
compromising their faith. False teachers are plentiful and they are contributing
for eroding the simple faith and holy way of life in Jesus. Life of saintly
people with conviction can remove the darkness that is encircling the mind,
heart, intellect, soul, and spirit of humans.
One day, Saint Padre Pio (1887-1968) of Italy heard a voice telling him that he
would receive the wounds of Christ, just as saint Francis had. In 1918, he was
praying in front of a crucifix and saw an unearthly light shining from the
container of the blessed sacrament. Later, he was found unconscious on the
floor, bleeding from wounds in his hands, side and feet. For the next 50 years
these wounds continued to bleed and never healed.
Each day Padre Pio lost about a cup of blood and suffered great pain. Doctors
were baffled by his condition. Countless people reported that he could cure
hopeless illnesses and many people claimed to have seen him, though he never
left his monastery. During world war II, a number of pilots reported seeing the
figure of a monk in the clouds and were unable to drop any bombs near Padre
Pio's monastery.
Taking the 12 disciples aside, Jesus said before his death, "He will be handed
over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon.
They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the 3rd day he will rise
again" (Luke 18:32,33). It happened exactly this way.
Jesus, let us have a personal experience with you. Let the marks of nails in your body remind us of your sufferings and keep us away from sins. Let us heal by your sufferings. We pray for those who suffer for no fault of theirs. Let us understand that suffering always leads to strong faith and good character and eternity. Give us the strength to take your cross and live a good life. All we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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