“Reveal Your Holy Will to us O Lord” (Adapted from MATTHEW 6:9-10)
Feast of the Holy Spirit 2017
Feast of the Holy Spirit From 6.00 pm on Saturday 27th May 2017 to dawn of Sunday 28th May at Sri Prasansaramaya
Pubudu Press, 452, National Basilica Avenue, Ragama
FOREWORD It is fifty years since God our loving Father in His Sovereign Will deigned to respond to the prayer of our beloved Pope John XXIII : “Renew Your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost. Grant to Your Church that, being of one mind and steadfast in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and following the lead of blessed Peter, it may advance the reign of our Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen.” The response came on the 17th of February 1967 in the form of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon a group of about 25 young adults at the Duquesne University in Notre Dame. Since that event the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church has grown, deepened and has a presence in 165 countries as follows: Africa (44), Asia (27), Europe (42), North America (27), Oceania (11) and South America (14). Out of the 27 member countries in Asia Sri Lanka is a very active member of the ICCRS since its inception. The grace of God bestowed on Sri Lanka the honour of setting apart Reverend Fr. Siri Oscar Abayaratne a Catholic priest in the metropolitan diocese of Colombo to begin the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church according to His Sovereign Will. It happened in the year 1971 with a group of youth in a Colombo based parish. The proof that this movement is not a result of human effort is its phenomenal growth in numbers and spread within Sri Lanka and abroad, and also its pastoral outreach happening daily, weekly, monthly and annually through all available media including print, audio, video and internet. As you can see we are approaching the Golden Jubilee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Church in Sri Lanka in 2021. We identify ourselves as the “Kithu Dana Pubuduwa” – which means The Renewal of the People of Christ. From its very beginning the tradition of a journey inspired by an annual theme received at each annual Pentecost Rally became established. The people involved in the Pubuduwa Journey longingly awaited the Theme which they were convinced was a gift to them from God our Father received through His Son Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. The “Annual Theme” gave the people of the Pubuduwa a particular facet of God’s love to reflect upon, meditate and appropriate into their lives. The Theme we received for the last year was “The Lord is With You. Be Awake!” i
It was indeed a challenging theme. It gave us an opportunity to be reminded of God’s presence with us in our journey of life through ‘thick and thin’. This year God stirs up a radical response from those who are awake to His presence. It is the desire for His Holy Will for our lives to be revealed, whatever the cost.
“Reveal Your Holy Will To Us O Lord!” A will is possible only in one who is conscious. It is the presence of the will that gives us the ability to make decisions and to make choices. Scientific studies reveal to us that there is a wide spectrum of consciousness in the Cosmos or Creation. The spectrum stretches from the very primitive consciousness that is observed in a single celled creature like the Amoeba to the consciousness which enabled the animals and reptiles to seek high ground when the 2004 Tsunami was imminent. We as Christians believe that we as human beings have been gifted with the highest level of consciousness by God our loving Creator. It is still a consciousness less than divine consciousness which is beyond our comprehension but which has the potential of continuously reaching out for divine consciousness. To the extent human beings open themselves to the gift of divine consciousness, the Holy Will of the Lord our God will be revealed. The word holy implies totally “the other” – something totally different. To comprehend the Holy Will of God we need to reach out towards God’s consciousness – divine consciousness. God is present eternally; God creates time but is beyond time. He is eternal. God is present here, there and everywhere. He is omnipotent; transcendent and immanent. God’s divine nature is LOVE. He loves the whole of His creation even those who betrayed, condemned, tortured and murdered His only begotten Son. It is indeed a HOLY LOVE. So this is the God Whom we believe in and worship. GOD IS BEYOND TIME. GOD IS BEYOND SPACE. ii
GOD IS LOVE PERSONIFIED GOD IS HOLY! Let us ask ourselves whether we are truly ready to be recipients of the revelation of God’s Holy Will, which would be beyond time, beyond space and encompassed in His Holy Love. God’s Holy Will would definitely include each one of us personally, people of all races, all creeds, all creatures, all places, in short THE ENTIRE COSMOS. God’s Will would transcend all our personal likes, dislikes and agendas. For certain individuals, groups, and nations it might mean sufferings. But have no fear God’s Holy Will has the ultimate Good Of All His Creatures except those who knowingly and willfully reject His Holy Will. Dear brothers and sisters let us accept the honor bestowed on us by God Who has given us this awesome theme for this year. Let us ask the Holy Spirit of God to shower upon us the blessings we need to ‘Gaze upon Jesus’ Who took human flesh and lived this theme to the utmost, thus becoming “The Way” for us who have accepted the His invitation to “Come Follow me”.
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FIRST PREPARATORY NOVENA “THE LORD IS WITH YOU. BE AWAKE!” 1. Initial Praise: The disciples who were hiding in fear in the upper room even after the victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ received the power to bear witness to the resurrected Christ and inaugurate the Church on the feast of the Pentecost. There is an invitation for all of us in the Renewal to be filled with the power of the Lord during the forthcoming Pentecost Rally through a true repentance and renouncing the weaknesses and sin that we are trapped in. Let us sincerely repent for the occasions when we neglected the call to be awake to the presence of the Lord with us; when we faced certain experiences and situations in life; occasions when we met certain individuals. Notwithstanding our lapses in being awake, He steadfastly remained in our presence unnoticed and without our acknowledgement. Let us praise Him for His faithfulness. Pubudu Geethanjali No.06
2. Review the Good News of the previous year. A. “The presence of God with the chosen people of the Old Testament and those specially chosen by Him”. Throughout the Old Testament God was present with those whom He chose (Abraham, Moses, David) showering upon them the graces necessary to fulfill the mission entrusted to them. Also God showed Himself to be present at times in holiness, at times causing them to tremble in fear and at times in close intimacy. B. “let us be mindful of Jesus Christ who was perfectly faithful”. Jesus Christ the Son of God became Man as a consequence of the love God has for humankind. He was able to suffer the pain, loneliness, abandonment , shame and rejection during His life on earth because of His total faith in the presence of His Father with Him. 01
C. “The Lord is in the Blessed Mother” The words of last year's theme was adapted from the promise given the Blessed Mother by the Angel in Luke 1:28. We are challenged by Her when we reflect on how she based her whole life on the response she gave to that promise : “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word” The joy and the enlightenment always present in the Blessed Mother was the outcome of the silence and emptiness in her heart. Share your experience of being like the Blessed Mother. D. “The presence of the Risen Lord with the early Christian community.” The greatest virtue of the Christian life is Love. It is not possible to animate the life of Love nor to taste it without the Holy Spirit. It is to such a life that the Resurrected Lord called forth the first community of disciples no sooner they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Have you become conscious to the fact that we too have the same calling? E. “The Lord is present in me, in you, in others, in events, and in the whole of creation” God was present with us even before we came into our mother’s womb as an embryo. We receive power from God to face whatever the challenges, rejections, betrayals and misunderstandings that come our way. He suffers the pain and failures before us. Each time I become conscious of the presence of Jesus within me my life becomes transformed. It opens a door to not only to become aware of the Lord Jesus Christ within us but also to be conscious of Him in and within others. What is the degree of thirst within us to resurrect the abandoned Christ in creation?
03. Sharing of experiences and moving towards repentance. A. Share the occasions when you were conscious of the Lord’s presence and also occasions when you neglected to become conscious of the Lord’s presence. 02
B. Let us ask forgiveness from the Lord for the occasions when we disregarded or ignored the presence of the Lord and went against the Will of God.
04.Throughout tomorrow: Make a special effort to be conscious of the Lord’s presence in the people whom you meet and the events that you face.
05. Final praise: Sing the theme song of last year.. ***********************************
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SECOND PREPARATORY NOVENA GOD REVEALS HIMSELF Initial Praise: We observe how God revealed Himself to His Chosen people many a times in the days of old through incidents and various other ways. What God reveals in these ways is His purpose or His (hidden) Will. We can also see how God reveals His Will with regard to the behavior patterns of His people, laws and regulations and His Covenant. God chose the patriarchs, leaders of the people (Moses), kings and prophets to make these revelations to the people. Thus the self revelation of God took place from the days of old. Let us present ourselves before these revelations and enter into prayer. Pubudu Geethanjali No.267. 01. The Word For The Day: 02. The Latin root for the word revelation is Revelare. It mesns the disclosure of something concealed.. It is clear then that what is revealed is not something new but what has been in existence all the time but hidden from plain sight. • Divine revelation in the Old Testament The history of salvation begins with the person of Abraham. (Genesis 15). We can observe the way how God attested to His presence with His people throughout the Old Testament. God was with them during the following experiences: liberation from slavery in Egypt, (Exodus 12:37), Receiving the Covenant on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1 – 24), the Babylonian Exile and their return from it (Jeremiah 31:33).Through all this God seems to establish one fact and that is that the “Chosen people” belong to Him.(Jeremiah 31:33) . Whenever the chosen people of God break the covenant, He renews it and appeals for their return and patiently waits for them . God chose kings and prophets for this purpose. Read Hebrews1:1-2 beforehand and stress its importance. Although God revealed Himself in the Old Testament in various ways the revelation was brought to completion through Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. What was revealed through Jesus Christ was the distinctive inner divine 04
life of the Trinitarian God of whom He is the Second Person. He revealed the inmost being of God in its totality. The purpose in making this revelation to Man is so that s/he could become an intimate participant of that inner life of God. • The Divine revelation that Paul makes: What is special about the revelation made by Paul is that the entire revelation of God which remained a mystery from days of old has been revealed in Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:26 -27). Because The Mystery that is God has been completely unraveled in Jesus Christ it is clear that the mystery is no longer a mystery. We could also see how Paul explains the relationship between the present revelation and the revelation that is to come in the future. 1 Corinthians 13:12 – He says: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see Jesus Christ face to face.” • Divine revelation observed by Simeon the prophet: Luke 2:25 – 35. “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” He lived in faith and hope that the divine promise willed be fulfilled. Luke 2:25 – 35 We can see how the word of revelation that came through the man who was open to God’s was fulfilled in the life of the Blessed Mother. 03. Gaze Towards our life: Although the divine mystery has been totally revealed in Jesus Christ it has not been fully understood. Therefore what must happen now is not to expect a new revelation but to strive towards understanding that which has been already revealed. A. It is the Holy Spirit Who assists us in understanding Jesus Christ Who is The Truth. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; …” (John 16:13) In the life we lead after having accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, have we strived to see experiences we face through His eyes? 05
B. Jesus Christ Who fully revealed God to the people did so through His words and actions i. How ready am I to accept God’s revelation coming through the Holy Scriptures? Do I experience the nourishment coming through them? (through reading the Holy Scriptures) ii. Do I see that each and every action of Jesus was after listening and discerning the Will of the Father. Am I ready to say ‘Amen’ to the Will of God revealed through Jesus. C. The one who lives in communion with the Holy Spirit can experience God’s revelation. • A life of being led by the Holy Spirit can be led only to the extent that we exercise constant awareness to His/Her presence. Share your experiences of being aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. (ie. Awareness of the Holy Spirit seven times a day and the five-fold awareness of the Holy Spirit ) 04. Throughout tomorrow: John 15: 12 – 17 “I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” • Experience the friendship of Jesus throughout the day • Let us read the Word of God that has come through Jesus 05. Final praise – Pubudu Geethanjali 129.
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THE THIRD PREPARATORY NOVENA “THE HOLY WILL OF GOD” 01. Initial praise: • However much the people of the Old Testament experienced the love of God because of their fearful reverence for Him, they did not dare address Him by name. They spelled the name of God as YHWH without vowels so that they will not be tempted to use it frequently. They were so overawed of God that they were afraid even to speak the Name of God • In contrast the Lord Jesus Christ during His life on earth introduced God as our loving Father. Jesus addressed His Father as “Abba”, the equivalent in colloquial language would be “daddy”. The Lord’s desire is that we too have the same intimate relationship that He has with His Father. Let us open our hearts to Him. • Let us empty ourselves from everything. Be present to the present moment. Let us repent – turn around and focus our attention only on the Holy Spirit and praise Him. Worship God the Father. • Pubudu Geethanjali - no.134. 02. Review: • Were you able to understand the way God always acted to call back all those who desert Him through various persons who were given the task of proclaiming His unconditional and faithful love. • God’s creation is always proclaiming the eternal love He has for it. How have we understood that? How far are we ready to go in order to understand and experience it properly? Let us ask ourselves as to how ready we are to bow down to God’s Will when it is not going along with our wants and desires. 03. Today’s Good News: • Let us pray that the Holy Will of God be revealed to us and prepare ourselves spend the coming year led by the Spirit of God..It is important for us to do a little research into the biblical meaning of the word “Holy”. Some of the meanings gleaned are as follows: Unimaginably terrible Unapproachable like a furnace Touching would result in destruction 07
extraordinarily different, totally “The other” All these insights regarding the Holiness of God has love as the foundation. No father in this world would permit the painful sacrifice of a son for the sake of the salvation of others. God who is Love sacrificed His only begotten Son for the salvation of man. • The Holiness of God in the Old Testament: Genesis 18:16 – 33. The Holy God Who is the Creator permits Abraham to negotiate regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Appointing Moses who was guilty of murder as His messenger and fulfilling His promise to make him as God to Pharaoh. The Holy Will of God was revealed to the prophet Samuel who was about to anoint Jesse’s son Eliab as king of Israel to change the choice (1 Samuel 16:5-13 ) • The Holiness of God revealed in the choice The Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of His Son: When there would have been many suitable young women of royal and aristocratic descent the daughter of Anne and Joachim from the little known village of Nazareth in Galilee who had no such aspirations was chosen through The Holy Will of God to be the Mother of our Savior and Lord Jesus.. Though in the Jewish society at that time an unmarried young woman would be stoned to death the Blessed Mother who had conceived without the knowledge of a man is addressed by the Angel Gabriel in the following words “"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28) Thus she receives a great honor. • The holiness of God experienced through our Lord Jesus Christ: • After proclaiming that “You are my beloved Son, I am pleased with you” (Mark 1:11) the Father permits this Beloved Son to go through extreme pain and suffering to the point of shedding the last drop of His blood on the cross and dying and then victoriously resurrecting Him from death to crown Him as the Savior of the world. • The Lord sat by the well of Jacob in Samaria and sent His disciples to the village to get some food because truly felt 08
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hungry. But when He saw the woman who came to the well to draw some water He hungered to prepare her to be the instrument through whom to evangelize the Samaritan village. He prepared her for the “Samaritan evangelizing campaign” In Luke 22:42 -43 we observe that the Lord knew very well the suffering He will have to go through and pleads with His Father to take that suffering away from Him. But the Lord did not avail Himself of the easy opportunity of escaping His captors. But rather gave Himself up to them by identifying Himself as Jesus of Nazareth. This was proof that He did what He saw His Father was doing. It was totally another way of acting. It was holiness in action. To give a death sentence to a totally innocent man is gross injustice. Being spat upon is an unbearable disgrace. To be stripped naked in public brings extreme humiliation on a young man. Being able to bear all this up to the moment He was about to breath His last to say: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" is indeed bearing witness to the Holy love of His Father. The nature of God that St Joseph Vaz bore witness to: It was the Holy Will of God which inspired St Joseph Vaz to renounce the comfort of serving as a priest in the city of Goa and seek out the Catholic faithful who were under persecution in Ceylon and serve them. When John, St Joseph Vaz’s faithful companion pleaded with him to return to India when he was suffering from exhaustion, hunger and grave illness he chose to rather die than relinquish the mission he received from God. Undaunted by the Dutch rulers and their soldiers St Joseph Vaz travelled bare foot the length and breadth of Ceylon visiting Jaffna, Mannar, Galewala, Waha Kotte, in search of Catholics administering Sacraments. He travelled up to Kandy where he was instrumental in caring for patients suffering from serious diseases and also interceding publicly before God to end a drought lasting several years; which was miraculously answered with rain. Thus He showed the holiness of God. The Holiness of God seen in the life of Rev.Fr.Oscar – Swami Thattha: When inaugurating the activities that began the spread of the 09
fire of the Holy Spirit his ability to face the maltreatment handed out to those who supported him with equanimity is a clear demonstration of the Holiness of God he experienced. Responding to the call of the Lord to lead a life of simplicity choosing to reside in a wattle and daub hut with cadjan for roofing even to date. This is indeed the holiness of God resident in his heart. That he was able to project a vision for life, laying down the foundation for its continuous nourishment , and an environment to sustain it is proved by the fire of the Holy Spirit spreading to most of the Dioceses of the Sri Lankan Catholic Church and to several countries abroad. Now he lives a quiet life in his little hut having emptied himself of his founders role bearing witness to what he preached and taught. 04. A Gaze towards our life: (Sharing in small groups) How do we experience the holiness of God in and through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where we fulfill the command “Do this in remembrance of me."? It is the Lord’s way of fulfilling His desire to be with His beloved people. Are we able to experience the holiness of God manifested in the timeless flow of nature from the beginning of creation? Let us share the use of the gift of encountering the Lord according to the promise given in Mathew 18:20 05. Throughout tomorrow: Let us try to experience the holiness of God in and through the created universe and nature. Let us be conscious of the holiness of God integral to all that we eat and drink. 06. Final Praise: “Pubudu Geethanjali No.267. *************************************
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FOURTH PREPARATORY NOVENA “THE LORD JESUS WHOSE DESIRE FOR THE FATHER ENCHANTED HIM” 01. Initial Praise Our Lord, who came down to this earth for the salvation of the whole of mankind always fixed His gaze and directed His heart towards God the Father with the thirst of only fulfilling the divine Will. Thus Lord had His heart full of Praise to God Almighty. Throughout today let us be attracted to the Lord who only carried out the divine Will of God the Father and enter in to a Praise . Pubudu Hymn No. 42 - “Ahasa Polowa athara randi……” 02. Review and sharing of experiences: 03.The Word For The Day: St. Mathew 6 : 9 – 13 “Our Father who Art in Heaven” Lord would have received such emotion to address, God the Father in this manner because Son of God knew that God the Father is above all as the most holy, most high that could not be defined by word or measured in any way. In the Old Testament it is very rare to find any occasion of addressing God as Father. It was with great reverence that Lord Jesus addressed God as ‘our Father’. Also in understanding the great need to build up a relationship between God the Father and us. Lord identified it as the divine Will of God. “Hallowed be Thy name” (Let Your name be Holy ) ‘Name’ - was used by the Jewish people to define the character of a person. Lord addressed God the Father as “Hallowed be Thy name” for all to know and accept God and to reveal to others the Holiness and the power of His mission among men using it as a salutation made in the presence of God to reveal that it is His holy Will that man should honor the holiness of God. “Thy kingdom come” A prayer request to establish the rule of God the Father on earth. Lord who recognized that establishing God’s rule as the divine wish of God discloses in this way. The kingdom will not be established by us, but by God on our behalf. It is the holy Will of God. 11
“Thy will be done” Lord who prayed from the bottom of His heart to let God the Father’s divine Will be done had the thirst of carrying it out. Did Lord receive the freedom to accept that it was the divine Will even to sacrifice His own life at the end? It was the intense desire that Lord had towards carrying out the divine Will of God the Father. In the Prayer of the garden with the human helplessness and the human weakness experienced by the Lord, He is pressed to make the plea for the removal of the cup of imminent extreme suffering if possible, but with the next breath, prayed not do so if it is not the Father’s Holy will. Lord who taught the disciples that it is the divine Will to pray to God for the daily bread, the spirit of forgiveness, protection from all evil, could be seen as being fulfilled by Him in His life through the following examples. The Woman Caught in Adultery eg. St. John 8 : 1 - 11 The Samaritan Woman St. John 4 : 7 - 24 Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles St. Luke 6 : 12 - 16 04. Towards us Do we pray with awe and Godly Fear towards God the Father every time we address Him as our Father Who Art in Heaven? Is it the desire for the establishment of God’s Rule and God’s Will within our lives that we pray Holy be Thy name, Thy Will be done, Thy Kingdom Come? Or is it that we pray that our will be done as it were the Divine Will of God? Let us reflect and see. 05.Throughout the day tomorrow * Let us recite the Lord’s Prayer - Our Father Who Art in Heaven …. meaningfully. * Let us create within ourselves a desire to see God’s Will being fulfilled and God’s Rule being established in our lives. 06. Final Praise Pubudu Hymn No. 305
“Swargaye Weda Wasana”….
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FIFTH PREPARATORY NOVENA LORD JESUS, IN THE SUFFERING CARRIED OUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER 01. Initial Praise * In the same manner that the Lord Jesus, sacrificed His life in human form on our behalf, in order to Raise us up to God the Father, He was resurrected in the Spiritual form. * By the Paschal experience of Lord Jesus giving us a meaning for our sufferings and pain, we were also purified by it. This was carried out by connecting the pain and sufferings of Lord with our pain and sufferings. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God.” (Romans 8 : 28) * Let us offer our Praise and Worship to Lord and sing Pubudu Hymn No. 221 - “JesuneSaminde …….” 02. Gaze at the past * Let us recollect the divine message of yesterday and share some experiences with all. * Enter into a short time of Praise 03. Message for the day i. God the Father allowed His own Son to go through the suffering * God, Who is Holy Love by entering the human world, rescued man who was subject to pain and suffering, due to man’s own selfishness. * Lord took on Himself all the consequences of the sins of mankind and conquered not only the pain and suffering, but the main cause for all that, the powers of Satan the author of sin and the power of death the ultimate consequence of sin. * The power of the victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ over Satan and the power of sin has given us new life. Therefore Jesus Christ is our only Savior and Lord. 13
* St. John 10:15 “Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, I know my sheep and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” * St. John 10:17 “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.” ii. Lord Jesus of His own will consented to the three fold sufferings in His life. *The death and the suffering of Lord Jesus was not merely a life experience. It was the divine plan for the salvation of man. Everything happened in the Holy Spirit; Through the guidance of Holy Spirit; In accordance with the Holy Will of God the Father. Therefore He went through pain and suffering of His own will. Because it was God’s will. For reflection: Isaiah 50 : 6 - 7 “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pluck my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my Help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint; knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” iii The Lord Jesus was very well aware of the purpose of His suffering * The answer to the pain of human life is Jesus Christ crucified Who is alive. He will be the answer not for the problem connected with the suffering but for the sake of the suffering person’s life. * Lord never wished to escape from the death on the cross. Because the Lord knew that such happenings was part of the Holy Will of God. For Reflection: St. Mark 15 : 4 - 5 Again Pilate questioned Him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Romans 8 : 18 “ I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. 14
Romans 9 : 16 “ So it depends not upon a person’s will or effort, but upon God’s mercy. 04. Throughout Tomorrow: * Focus on the happenings of your day to day life. Develop a thirst to find out the Will of God in your prayer. * What does the Holy Spirit tell us about Lord being silent in front of Pilate. Reflect …… 05. Final Praise Pubudu Geethika No. 376 Obawahansege….”
“Aithikaraganimi mata dun
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thyagaya
SIXTH PREPARATORY NOVENA HOLINESS OF GOD DISPLAYED FROM THE LIFE OF THE HOLY MOTHER 01. Initial Praise * Pubudu Hymn No. 131 “Pura Hadawathin Sithathunsithin …..” * Let us join with this Great Mother who handed over every decision about her life into the Hands of God the Father with a deep Faith she had on her shepherd without any questioning, without any doubt, focusing her eyes on Him, and made a quiet undisturbed journey up to the Place Of the Skull (Golgotha) and formed the initial small community at the foot of the Cross and Praise God. 02. Gaze at the past * Let us gaze into the heart of the only begotten Son who in obedience and reverence to God His Father, prays crying with agony so that He may hold on to His life. * Let us turn to Lord who ‘by dying’ to His own Will accepted God the Father’s Will however hard it was and made it as it were His food. * In this age we are called to mirror –be a reflection- of the Lord’s life on earth. How ready are we to accept the occasions that come our way to renounce our plans and accept the Will of God? Don’t we act trying to fulfill our desire? Discuss 03. Message for the day Holiness of God shown by the Blessed Mother in her act of obeying the Will of God. * In the act of obedience to accept a pregnancy without being married which was the most humiliating thing that could happen without confiding in her parents, friends and relations and without divulging it to the man to whom she was betrothed to be married. 16
* Though accepting everything in a light manner as God’s Will saying “Let Thy Will be done” she ran the risk of accusations that will come from the society, the neighbors, and from the young man to whom she was betrothed to be married and the greater risk of being subjected to a cruel death in accordance to the Jewish law. * She accepted the message of Grace from the angel; believing and accepting it by proclaiming: “May it be done to me according to Your Word” despite the fact that it was not in accordance with the laws of nature for a virgin to become pregnant without a sexual relationship with a man. In accepting the Will of God taking the position of a slave with no rights. * God sends His Angel to announce that the young virgin, Mary who was set Apart to fulfill God’s Will. But There was no prior inquiry as to her willingness to accept the task. Thus She was challenged to die to her plan for her future and permit God to have His way in her life. * Though she would have had plans about the celebration of her wedding those plans had to be surrendered to the Will of God. She also had to forfeit her basic human rights in giving birth to her first born; a suitable place, the privacy and other necessary facilities for child birth. * She was content in pondering the glad tidings that the Shepherds brought relating the message of the angelic host, and also the greetings and gifts of the three Magi which gave authenticity to the message of the angel at the Annunciation. * When she heard the words spoken by Lord at the age of 12 years; When the Lord appointed her the Mother of the whole of Humanity through John the disciple; her spirit of submission when she absorbed the depth of responsibility cast upon her when she pondered in her heart. The moment Elizabeth was met receiving a complete Blessing of the Holy Spirit * On hearing a Confirmation from a third party for the first time of the Secret between God and man brought by the angel having been fulfilled 17
* Though it is not an easy thing to be freely accepted by a young girl of the society a girl getting pregnant in secrecy, Holy Mother took it as a special blessing of God’s Love . For Lord has looked upon the lowliness of His handmaid. When singing ‘Behold from now on will all ages call me “Blessed” ( St. Luke 1 : 48) * Although it was difficult for all who see and hear to understand this happening, Blessed Mother saw it as Holiness of God the Father in granting her such a call. “The mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is His name” (St. Luke 1: 49) God’s Holiness experienced at the Temple when presenting the Son of God * The holiness of God manifested in the revelation only to the Prophet Simeon and prophetess Anna of the bringing of the baby Jesus to the Temple for the Presentation according to the law of Moses. No one else knew of the event. * It was a normal practice for a day to bring many First Born Baby boys to the Temple, and among all of them Simeon took Baby Jesus into his arms and said “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign of God that will be contradicted, and sorrow like a sharp sword will piece your own heart (St. Luke 2 : 34 - 35). When the future is disclosed to Blessed Mother how she humbly bowed to it. Holiness of God experienced by Holy Mother at the Foot of the Cross * It was a time under the rule of darkness. A groan of pain coming from the Cross breaking the silence. It was a moment when all had their hopes shattered. When the eyes of all were looking at the defeat of all in the whole world, the eyes of the Blessed Mother were focused on her Son who had been enthroned on the cross having fulfilled the Will of God His Father. * The Blessed Mother sees how the plan of God is revealed even at this final moment through the words addressed to her and the disciple John. * When the eyes of everyone around was filled with tears, the Blessed Mother carrying in her hands the lifeless body of her Son sees the victorious fulfillment of the call, given to her Son by God the Father for the salvation of the world. 18
04. Towards us * At a time when mothers neglect their duties towards the home and family and are more concerned about issues of women’s liberation and freedom, how does the Blessed Mother see the vital role of mothers as mediators ? * When experiencing incapability in being submissive in the presence of one’s husband and children, let us pay heed to the life-example given by our Blessed Mother. * How is my ability to set aside my desires, my preferences and accept my spouse who has become addicted to alcohol, gambling and infidelity as he is, accepting the situation as the cross I need to bear in life? Discuss within small groups 05. Final Praise Pubudu Hymn No. 100 “Nimala Mariya Kumari Wage……..”
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THE SEVENTH PREPARATORY NOVENA “THE HOLY WILL OF GOD” Blessed Mother who carried out only The Holy Will of God 01. Initial praise: Yesterday we reflected on the life our Lord Jesus Christ who totally dedicated His life to carry out the Holy Will of God one hundred percent! We reflected deeper and deeper how He, in order to do His Father’s Will, had to shed tears, had to seek guidance in prayer, had to humble Himself, etc. He revealed His mysterious Love in doing so, because of the Love He has for us. Because of His immense yearning to save us. Because of the faith He has in us. In the hope that we too will be guided to carry out only the Holy Will of God. Therefore let us thank and praise our Abba Father who has given us the power of the Spirit of His only begotten Son in the hope and trust He has placed in us. Pubudu Geethanjali - No. 95 02 Review: Share in small groups the experiences received arising from the previous day’s reflection: i. Hebrews 5:7-10 : to what extent were you able to make this Holy Word a part of your life experience? ii.‘with loud cries and tears’ – what are your views on this? iii. ‘because He was humble and devoted, God heard Him’ – what do you feel? iv.‘even though He was God’s Son, he learnt through His sufferings to be obedient’ – what is our level of obedience to God? v. Share the experiences gathered from the small group discussions with the entire group 03 Today’s Good News: Luke 1:38 ‘I am the servant of the Lord, may it happen to me as you have said’ Yielding to the Holy Will means saying ‘yes’ to the unfolding of His actions by fully emptying of our will, hopes, etc. It is very clear the Blessed Mother fully yielded to God’s Will throughout her life. How was she able to do this? 20
Discuss in groups i. What is the meaning of the term ‘servant’? ii. Discuss how she experienced it. What were the problems and trials she had to face? iii. Discuss how God’s Holy Will was revealed through her life Share your insights with the group 04. A Gaze towards our life: Whose will is unfolding in our lives? How successful is it? We who extol and claim divine sonship, to what extent do we really respond to this calling? Do we discern God’s Will before we say or do anything? Do we have a good understanding of God’s Will? Do we now fully comprehend how this young human lass responded to God’s Holy Will? The meaning of the term ‘Amen’ is ‘Let Your Will be Done’ or ‘let it be so’. How many times have we uttered ‘Amen’? Has it become just a common word? 05. Throughout tomorrow: Let us reflect deeply on what we learnt from today’s Word Let us awaken to what extent God’s Will has been accomplished in our lives Let us dwell on the enormous gap between the ‘Amen’ uttered by the Blesses Mother, and the ‘Amen’ s uttered by us. Let us repent. 06
Final Praise: “Pubudu Geethanjali no.131 ********************************
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THE EIGHTH PREPARATORY NOVENA “The Holy Will Of God” The Hope that endured in the Blessed Mother at the moment of fulfillment of God’s Holy Will 01. Initial praise: • It is normal for a girl entering matrimony to have hope and expectation of becoming a mother. There were many ladies in the Jewish society of that time having the expectation of becoming the mother of the Saviour foretold in prophesies. However this high calling came only to Mary the daughter Joachim and Anna who were living in Nazareth. With her ‘yes’ to this calling, Almighty God carried her throughout her silent but admirable journey from Bethlehem to the top of mount Calvary. Let all of us praise Almighty God, in union with the Blessed Mother who undertook this admirable journey • Pubudu Geethanjali - no.132 02. Review: Share the experiences received arising from the previous day’s reflection: 03. Today’s Good News: In Jewish society where our Lord Jesus Christ lived the cross was considered a cursed thing. Walking towards the cross or touching it is not something anyone would have wished to do. Further, because death by crucifixion was considered such a degrading and the worst form of punishment given only to a criminal, no one would have wished it for any family member or close associate. But the Mother of our Lord Jesus stayed close to the cross (John 19:25). We can see how the journey that the Blessed Mother started in Nazareth by saying ‘Amen’ to God’s Holy Will extended to Jerusalem as its most profound expression • Throughout her life journey she had to bow down to God’s Holy Will Mother Mary at the foot of the cross of our Lord Jesus is witnessing the 22
moment of fulfillment of God’s Holy Will. This moment and incident is not something anybody would have imagined or wished • The Blessed Mother is thus a participant at the ‘hour of glory of our Lord Jesus at the fulfilment of Almighty God’s Holy Will’ - This moment was the hour when the whole of Creation was born anew - This is the hour of glory when the deepest love of the Holy Trinity is revealed to the world and the Holy Spirit is released/gifted to the whole of Creation - The hour where darkness met light and light overcame the darkness - The hour between life and death and death was defeated by life * At this hour the Blessed Mother is in total submission to God’s Holy Will being revealed. It is as a result of opening her ‘eye’ of faith in Almighty God that she is enabled to be in submission in this manner * Also as a result of the hope she has in Almighty God and God’s Love At this moment she must have been relying on the promises of God contained in the Old Testament ‘The Lord says, ‘My servant will succeed in his task; he will be highly honoured’ (Isaiah 52:13) ‘because you protect me from the power of death, I have served you faithfully, and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead’ (Psalm 16:10) Accordingly she was able to gaze with a deep and sure hope even at the sight of the sacrificial dead body of her Son, and also when taking the lifeless body to her lap, seeing through her eye of faith with a deep hope in Almighty God springing from the depth of her Spirit She ‘see’s at this moment: - The glorious body contained within this lifeless body - That light had overcome darkness in the whole of Creation - The Holy Spirit in action in the whole universe as a consequence of the saving grace of the overflowing love of God 23
04. Living the Word In all the life situations the Blessed Mother experienced, especially when faced with humanly unbelievably extreme difficult situations, she was able to face them and hang on to Abba Father in total faith and hope. Are we able to do likewise when faced with such unbelievably extremely difficult situations? How do we respond? In instances where we have had to face such life situations, have we been able to accept it as the Holy Will of God and say ‘Amen’ to it? The calling to offer His life in sacrifice was a task entrusted to our Lord Jesus Christ. All of us too are called to the foot of the cross. Have we been able to go to the foot of the cross with the Blessed Mother when we are faced with difficult life situations, of unrealized expectations, when we are blamed for no fault of ours, when misunderstood, when we feel rejected and dejected, and insulted and condemned, etc.? 05. Throughout tomorrow: At the foot of the cross: Read John 19: 25-27 and try to develop a close relationship with the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother, gifts bestowed on the community at the foot of the cross 06. Final Praise: By visualizing being there with her in that hour, develop a close relationship with the Blessed Mother who foresaw the Resurrection even at the foot of the cross through the ‘eye’ of faith “Pubudu Geethanjali no.304 First read the words of the hymn slowly and meditatively giving full attention to the meanings conveyed Then Sing *****************************
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THE NINTH PREPARATORY NOVENA O Holy Spirit, fill us with Your light, power to accept The Will of God the Father! 1. Initial Praise O Holy Spirit, who resides in us forever, you are the teacher who guide us to be obedient to the Will of the Father. Grant me the grace to empty the “I” from myself so that I could submit to God’s Will, and endure my hour of the cross, until the hour of resurrection dawns and I am able to behold God’s miracles taking place. Fill me with the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit. Pubudu Geethanjali Number 11Sudathum Magulai 2. Review the Good News of the Previous day 3. Today’s Good News • God’s holy Will and His plans are not always understood in terms of human wisdom. At times it is terrible. Therefore, there always will be a conflict between God’s wisdom and human wisdom. As a result, often we could be seen running away from God’s will. In that struggle we need special enlightenment and power to discern and also to accept God’s holy will. It is the light and the power of the Holy Spirit that will give us the power. • Jesus and the Blessed Mother who lived in accordance to Holy Spirit’s guidance is a challenge to us who live in the present era with competitiveness, modern technology and with preferences towards materialism. • Jesus received power of the Holy Spirit at His Baptism at River Jordan to walk with faith the different events that took place in His life with confidence, courage and dignity. They included His journey from the wilderness to His betrayal, to suffering and then the most painful and fearsome death to fulfill the will of God. (Matthew 3:13-17). • At the Garden of Gethsemane, He received power from the Holy Spirit to go through the painful struggle to be obedient, and not to give up and run away from the dangerous journey carrying the fearsome cross in fulfilling God’s Will to the fullest. (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22: 39-46) 25
• As a young girl, with the anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit she experienced at the Annunciation by the Angel, the Blessed Mother could set aside her own expectations for her future in order to accept God’s redemption plan for humanity. The power of the Holy Spirit enabled her to be obedient to the Will of God, in spite the fact that she was bearing a child without a husband, which at the time was an offence where the offender would be stoned to death, and God’s plan took precedence over the threat to her own life. • From there onwards to the foot of the cross, to bear up every difficult incident that happened to her, Blessed Mother experienced the power of the Spirit. Even to the extent to hold the dead body of Jesus on her lap without weeping and to stand erect to be called Stabat Marta at the foot of the cross, she experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. Thereafter, from the foot of the cross with the light of faith she had from witnessing Lord’s resurrection until she was raised to be crowned as the queen of heaven she experienced the power of the Spirit active in her. • The power of the Holy Spirit enables in us the light of faith and power and hope that will elevate us to be obedient to the will of God. 4. Gaze towards our life In our journey of life, so far, let us meditate, how much we could and the times we could not fulfill the will of God. The times we avoided willfully God’s will. Let us recognize, repent and return. 5. Throughout tomorrow Let us sincerely pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to help us seek and accept God’s will in all situations that we go through and to be obedient to his will. Let us also be aware to the awareness. 6. Final Praise Pubudu Geethanjali 223
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