When Rev Fr Lijo Brahmakulam started his bike on a Monday morning to rush for an urgent meeting, a man came running to him. “Father, please bless this rosary for me,” he told the father. “Can you come later? I’m urgently going somewhere… please come some other time,” Fr Lijo told that man.
However, as the guy, a Hindu, was persistent, Fr Lijo got curious and sought an explanation. The story is something like this: his daughter couldn’t sleep in the night and she used to stay awake and cry. Almost a year ago, a priest gave him a blessed rosary for his daughter. Lo and behold, his daughter started sleeping well after wearing the rosary. However, two days ago, she lost this rosary and she was back to square one. She couldn’t sleep at night for two days. So an anxious father came running to the priest to get a rosary blessed for her.
The bottom line is that a non-Christian believed in the power of a blessed rosary. A Hindu by religion, he had faith in the power of Jesus Christ. His faith worked a miracle for him. The power of Lord’s protection surrounded his daughter. When she lost the rosary, his daughter was bereft of this power.
We Christians don’t have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. I have heard priests and pastors saying that non-Christians getting blessings and grace abundantly from Jesus. Christians attend numerous prayer meetings, worships, adoration, Holy Mass and wear rosary, but we hardly have any faith. There's no change in us. The result is that we don’t get blessings and grace from our Lord. There will be at least ten rosaries in a Catholic family. However, there’s no blessing and grace of Lord in that family. Why?
Please read Luke 17:6: Jesus replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.” We have little faith in Jesus. We don't take His presence seriously. That's the reason for sons and daughters going wayward and going out of the protective cover of Jesus Christ. They get into the trap laid by devil.
Rev Fr Dominic Valanmanal, Director of Marian Retreat Centre, Anakkara, India, says, “it's time that we stand up and raise our hands, pray and seek His blessings. We don't do that. When we pray, we don't pray with faith." Both Fr Dominic and Fr Lijo ask faithful to raise their hands, day and night, and pray. You may be in a depressed state or facing a nervous breakdown. You may be unhappy over lot of things. Your children are going out of control. You are on the verge of losing your job... Whatever it's. "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book, says Psalms 56:8.
God is listening. Not a drop of your tear will go waste. When the appropriate moment or situation comes, your prayers will be answered. You must have that faith and conviction. "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours," says Mark 11:24. Again, lets go James 1:6, "but when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
However, our problem is that we pray without any faith. Sometimes, our prayers are mechanical. For example, the family prayer in many Christian homes has become mechanical or as some kind of routine like brushing the teeth or taking bath. It's of no use. When you pray, pray seriously, stand up and raise your hands to heaven. No doubt, heaven will open up and you will get abundant blessings. The answer to your prayer will be instant if you follow what Jesus tells us in Bible. God won't listen to your prayer if have enmity, revenge or jealousy to anybody. Leave all that aside, and make peace with your enemy.
In Bible, we read about a religious leader named Jairus. His daughter was lying on her deathbed and so Jairus goes to Jesus and tells him about his situation. As soon as Jairus spoke his faith, Jesus was attracted by that faith and went with him. That's faith.
If you pray intensely and with faith, God will answer your prayers. In Mathew chapter 17, Bible tells us disciples were unable perform a miracle. "When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” says Mathew 17:14-19. Jesus then made the mustard seed comment.
The fact is that if you have faith as much as the mustard seed, even you will be able to perform miracles that Jesus did. But we pray with several "ifs and buts". We do it mechanically as some kind of ritual. Pray with passion and devotion. Pray during day and night. Pray when everyone is asleep. It's also a way of walking with Jesus. It will help us in keeping devil at bay.
However, as the guy, a Hindu, was persistent, Fr Lijo got curious and sought an explanation. The story is something like this: his daughter couldn’t sleep in the night and she used to stay awake and cry. Almost a year ago, a priest gave him a blessed rosary for his daughter. Lo and behold, his daughter started sleeping well after wearing the rosary. However, two days ago, she lost this rosary and she was back to square one. She couldn’t sleep at night for two days. So an anxious father came running to the priest to get a rosary blessed for her.
The bottom line is that a non-Christian believed in the power of a blessed rosary. A Hindu by religion, he had faith in the power of Jesus Christ. His faith worked a miracle for him. The power of Lord’s protection surrounded his daughter. When she lost the rosary, his daughter was bereft of this power.
We Christians don’t have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. I have heard priests and pastors saying that non-Christians getting blessings and grace abundantly from Jesus. Christians attend numerous prayer meetings, worships, adoration, Holy Mass and wear rosary, but we hardly have any faith. There's no change in us. The result is that we don’t get blessings and grace from our Lord. There will be at least ten rosaries in a Catholic family. However, there’s no blessing and grace of Lord in that family. Why?
Please read Luke 17:6: Jesus replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.” We have little faith in Jesus. We don't take His presence seriously. That's the reason for sons and daughters going wayward and going out of the protective cover of Jesus Christ. They get into the trap laid by devil.
Rev Fr Dominic Valanmanal, Director of Marian Retreat Centre, Anakkara, India, says, “it's time that we stand up and raise our hands, pray and seek His blessings. We don't do that. When we pray, we don't pray with faith." Both Fr Dominic and Fr Lijo ask faithful to raise their hands, day and night, and pray. You may be in a depressed state or facing a nervous breakdown. You may be unhappy over lot of things. Your children are going out of control. You are on the verge of losing your job... Whatever it's. "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book, says Psalms 56:8.
God is listening. Not a drop of your tear will go waste. When the appropriate moment or situation comes, your prayers will be answered. You must have that faith and conviction. "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours," says Mark 11:24. Again, lets go James 1:6, "but when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
However, our problem is that we pray without any faith. Sometimes, our prayers are mechanical. For example, the family prayer in many Christian homes has become mechanical or as some kind of routine like brushing the teeth or taking bath. It's of no use. When you pray, pray seriously, stand up and raise your hands to heaven. No doubt, heaven will open up and you will get abundant blessings. The answer to your prayer will be instant if you follow what Jesus tells us in Bible. God won't listen to your prayer if have enmity, revenge or jealousy to anybody. Leave all that aside, and make peace with your enemy.
In Bible, we read about a religious leader named Jairus. His daughter was lying on her deathbed and so Jairus goes to Jesus and tells him about his situation. As soon as Jairus spoke his faith, Jesus was attracted by that faith and went with him. That's faith.
If you pray intensely and with faith, God will answer your prayers. In Mathew chapter 17, Bible tells us disciples were unable perform a miracle. "When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” says Mathew 17:14-19. Jesus then made the mustard seed comment.
The fact is that if you have faith as much as the mustard seed, even you will be able to perform miracles that Jesus did. But we pray with several "ifs and buts". We do it mechanically as some kind of ritual. Pray with passion and devotion. Pray during day and night. Pray when everyone is asleep. It's also a way of walking with Jesus. It will help us in keeping devil at bay.
