Saturday, September 23, 2017

VIGILANCE

"Be vigilant; guard your mind

against negative thoughts."

The Holy Buddha

SUPREME LAW

"Nonviolence is the supreme law of life."

Hindu proverb

TRUE WEALTH

"The first wealth is health."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

CONTEMPLATION

"What a man takes in by contemplation,

that he pours out in love."

Meister Eckhart

WHO ARE THE BLESSED?

"Blessed are the merciful:

for they shall obtain mercy."

The Gospel according to

Saint Matthew

SECRET OF HEALTH

"The secret of health for both mind

and body is not to mourn for the past,

not to worry about the future,

or not to anticipate troubles,

but to live the present moment

wisely and earnestly."

The Holy Buddha

THE HOLY BUDDHA

"We are formed and molded by our thoughts.
Those whose minds are shaped by
selfless thoughts give joy when they speak
or act. Joy follows them like a shadow
that never leaves them."
The Holy Buddha

HOW TO LOVE

"Love the whole world as a mother

loves her only child."

The Holy Buddha

Friday, September 22, 2017

DESECRATION

"In women's bodies the 'temple of God'

has been continually desecrated

with crimes that range from the

womb to the tomb."

'Mary in our search for Fullness of Life', p 216

1 Corinthians 3:16

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

Edited by Fr R.K. Samy. 'Mary in our search for Fullness of Life'. 2006. NBCLC, Bangalore.

QUARRELS

'Mr. Winston Churchill said a wise thing,

"If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future." '

William Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, page 132

Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible, Gospel of Matthew, Vol 1: CH. 1-10. Revised Edition. 1981.

Saint Andrew Press: Scotland.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

ELIJAH'S MANTLE AND THEREAFTER

Elisha takes Elijah's mantle and performs a miracle [2 Kings 2:13-14].
The same mantle that marked the beginning of Elisha's ministry with Elijah now marks the transition to his continuing ministry.

The mantle of power which fell on Jesus at the Jordan,
passes on to believers
who are to carry on His work.

Has His mantle fallen on to you?

2 Kings 2

Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

2 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”

4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

13 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 “Look,” they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.”

“No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.”

17 But they persisted until he was too embarrassed to refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him. 18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

Healing of the Water

19 The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”

20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.

21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” 22 And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.