Enthusiasm

For the past couple of months, I've been juggling extra duties at my everyday job, venturing into Internet Marketing, being present to my wife and son, struggling in my faith journey while keeping my sanity at the same time! Needless to say, it's not exactly been a resounding success. In fact, there have been times when one thing seemed to want to swallow up another. Progress (if any!) has been slow.

But, while life was giving me another of its lessons in my face, I stumbled upon a couple of new things on the Internet today. First, I found there was actually such a thing as a Christian Social Networking website (much like the current favourites like Facebook, Friendster and MySpace). Which was amazing, because I'd never bothered to search for one - and, I don't know if that's a positive vibe or otherwise! Second, after registering and skimming through its pages, I read a gem of a devotional on the very meaning and power of the word "Enthusiasm", written by John Roos.

Which, after pondering, lifted my spirits no end. This is for all of us who may find the road a bit too rough, the paths a bit too rugged for now. Go here for some much needed "Enthusiasm"!

Awaiting The Holy Spirit

The Pentecost Praise and Worship and Novena to the Holy Spirit entered its 7th day today in my parish. I had planned to go for some of the days but somehow, owing to work and other factors, I hadn't been able to. It was a case of the "spirit was willing but the flesh weak" syndrome. Nevertheless, I managed to go today for the 8 pm service with my 7 yr old boy insistently wanting to tag along. And so, I went, I sang, I prayed with a couple of hundred others and returned home happy, grateful and thankful for the opportunity. My 7 yr old hero? Well, he had dozed off midway through the Praise and Worship! Presumably, resting in the spirit!

I was glad I went because I had the opportunity to hear my priest, in his homily, mention about true courage - not the physical kind, but the kind that Paul talks about in Acts 23:11 - the courage to stand up in the face of everyday trials. I'm sure all of us are familiar with that. Even right at this moment, there are people climbing Everest with the Olympic torch, trudging through sludge, snow and ice capped mountains. That requires a certain kind of courage. Not everyone has that.

But ordinary, everyday courage - just to stand up in the face of everyday trials, that requires real courage too. Every time a father reprimands his son, a pastor fulfills his priestly duties despite his own sufferings and pain, a government official speaks up for the truth at the risk of being branded a traitor by his own people, a journalist writes what he or she sees and not what he or she is told to write, etc., ordinary courage is at work in an extraordinary manner. We should not merely put aside this as an expected "sacrifice" rather we should celebrate it, with our hearts bursting for joy! For - this is Courage - indeed. May we remember all our "local heroes" - who quietly go about this most amazing act everyday, without fanfare, without recognition.

As we come to the Feast of the Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, it would be good to ponder a little on this message from the World Council of Churches. Read it here in full. The message ends with this prayer:

O, Giver of life,
who brought all things into being,
sustain and replenish your whole creation
that it may reflect your glory.

Come, Holy Spirit.
fill all life with your radiance.

O, Spirit of Truth,
who convinces the world of sin,
consume, as a mighty fire,
the powers of evil that bind your people
and set us free to walk in your light.

Come, Holy Spirit,
and illumine our hearts and minds.

O, Spirit of unity,
judge, restore and call us again.
bestow on us the gifts
that build us up into your people.

Come, Holy Spirit,
and light the flame of love
on the altar of our hearts.

O, Holy Spirit,
transform and sanctify us,
that we and all people
may have life in all its fullness.

Come, Holy Spirit,
Renew the whole creation.

Amen.

Of Stones, Pebbles and Sand

I was replying an email to an old friend earlier this morning when I remembered this old story from some time ago on the importance of getting our priorities right. In a period of my life when when I don't seem to have much time to do what's really important despite my best efforts, this insightful story lifts up my dampened spirits just that little bit more. So that I can learn to fly again!

One day, an old professor of the School of Public Management in France, was invited to lecture on the topic of “Efficient Time Management” in front of a group of 15 executive managers representing the largest, most successful companies in America. The lecture was one in a series of 5 lectures conducted in one day, and the old professor was given 1 hr to lecture.

Standing in front of this group of elite managers, who were willing to write down every word that would come out of the famous professor’s mouth, the professor slowly met eyes with each manager, one by one, and finally said, “we are going to conduct an experiment”.

From under the table that stood between the professor and the listeners, the professor pulled out a big glass jar and gently placed it in front of him. Next, he pulled out from under the table a bag of stones, each the size of a tennis ball, and placed the stones one by one in the jar. He did so until there was no room to add another stone in the jar. Lifting his gaze to the managers, the professor asked, “Is the jar full?” The managers replied, “Yes”.

The professor paused for a moment, and replied, “Really?”

Once again, he reached under the table and pulled out a bag full of pebbles. Carefully, the professor poured the pebbles in and slightly rattled the jar, allowing the pebbles to slip through the larger stones, until they settled at the bottom. Again, the professor lifted his gaze to his audience and asked, “Is the jar full?”

At this point, the managers began to understand his intentions. One replied, “apparently not!”

“Correct”, replied the old professor, now pulling out a bag of sand from under the table. Cautiously, the professor poured the sand into the jar. The sand filled up the spaces between the stones and the pebbles.

Yet again, the professor asked, “Is the jar full?”
Without hesitation, the entire group of students replied in unison, “NO!”

“Correct”, replied the professor. And as was expected by the students, the professor reached for the pitcher of water that was on the table, and poured water in the jar until it was absolutely full. The professor now lifted his gaze once again and asked, “What great truth can we surmise from this experiment?”

With his thoughts on the lecture topic, one manager quickly replied, “We learn that as full as our schedules may appear, if we only increase our effort, it is always possible to add more meetings and tasks.”

“No”, replied the professor. The great truth that we can conclude from this experiment is:

If we don’t put all the larger stones in the jar first, we will never be able to fit all of them later.

The auditorium fell silent, as every manager processed the significance of the professor’s words in their entirety.

The old professor continued, “What are the large stones in your life? Health? Family? Friends? Your goals? Doing what you love? Fighting for a Cause? Taking time for yourself?”

What we must remember is that it is most important to include the lager stones in our lives, because if we don’t do so, we are likely to miss out on life altogether. If we give priority to the smaller things in life (pebbles & sand), our lives will be filled up with less important things, leaving little or no time for the things in our lives that are most important to us. Because of this, never forget to ask yourself,

What are the Large Stones in your Life?
And once you identify them, be sure to put them first in your “Jar of Life”.

With a warm wave of his hand, the professor bid farewell to the managers, and slowly walked out of the room.

Take care of the large stones first - the things that REALLY matter. Set your priorities. The rest are just pebbles and sand. If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there will be no room left for the stones.

The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for things that are truly most important.

Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Take time to play with your children. Take your partner out for dinner. Take time to have a chat with your loved ones. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house and give a dinner party.

Sometimes the less important things in life can distract us, filling up our time and keeping us away from what really matters. I encourage you to take a moment and ask yourself, is your jar of life full of sand & pebbles or is it filled with large stones?

The Three Trees

I can't help it but every time Easter approaches, I recall this haunting story - of hopes and dreams that some somehow do get fulfilled, only not in the way we expect but in a gloriously unexpected manner. This point is ever more reinforced today as I continue my own stumbling journey to "Jerusalem" these last few days of Holy Week. May we never forget how much God loves us.

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" and he began cutting it down.

The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard."

The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down."

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in storage.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe.

The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said, "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was
carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.

When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong
enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you.

If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Author Unknown

The Spirituality of The Icons

Like so many times before, my Lenten journey this year has consisted of huffing and puffing along unfamiliar roads. And, much to my embarrassment, it's not been so much taking "the road less traveled" rather it has been more of "the road NEVER taken before!". But interestingly, all this stumbling, bumbling, tripping and failing has brought me to places I'd never dreamed of going to! And so, my latest stop in this journey to Jerusalem is here:

The Spirituality of The Icons of the Orthodox Church.

Now, this is something I'd heard of, off and on over the years, but, had never taken seriously till today. Interestingly, today's readings touch on the subject of "blindness" - of being born with perfectly good eyes that cannot see! Ouch! That hurts! But, let me move on to the story of the Icons. For a detailed explanation of religious Icons go here.

Jesuit priest Fr. William Hart McNichols at Creighton University (one of 28 Jesuit Colleges and universities in the U.S.A,) is also an accomplished Iconographer. In his own words:

"I honor and revere the Byzantine icons and the profound spirituality of the Orthodox Churches. I try to bring true devotion and prayer into the process of creating (writing) an icon - dependent upon the inspiration of the Blessed Trinity, the saints, holy ones, and the Mother of God. As a Roman Catholic iconographer, I have no intention of assuming to be Orthodox, but continue to pray with many others, for holy unity brought about by the Spirit, amongst the Churches. In the words of Julian of Norwich: "For love's sake, let its pray together to God, with God's working: thanking, trusting, enjoying for our good Lord desires to be prayed to in this way. "

So, I thought for this week, I will try to pray, contemplating on one of Fr. McNichols' Lenten Meditative Icons: Jesus Christ Redeemer Holy Silence. Maybe you would want to try it too.

Happy Stumbling!

Let's Go To Jerusalem

For many of us, me included, a retreat would be an excellent way to get out of the rat race for a while, away from the hustle and bustle and the noise that envelops our daily lives. Among other things, it could be a time to become more aware of ourselves, a time to recharge our depleted batteries and to make sense of the direction of our lives. Fortunate are those who can actually manage this. But what about the rest of us, who, for one reason or another, can't make it to a retreat? Well, now with the power of the Internet, "if you can't go to a retreat, then the retreat will come to you!". Here is an excellent online retreat from Sacred Space, the website run by the Irish Jesuits. This Lenten season, may this simple retreat help each one of us find our bearings in our own Journey to Jerusalem.

First Words

Why "Under The Fig Tree"? Well, I was searching for a Biblical metaphor or image to use as the title of a new blog specifically on Christian spirituality. This "quest" led me to one thing and another until finally, while stumbling around in the vast maze that is the world wide web, I ended up at the Catholic encyclopedia website www.newadvent.org where under the category "Plants in the Bible" I found this reference to the humble fig tree:


Figs (Hebrew te’ênim), the fruit of the fig tree (Hebrew te’ênah), Ficus carica, growing spontaneously and cultivated throughout the Holy Land. The fruit buds, which appear at the time of the "latter rains" (spring), are called "green figs" (Song of Songs 2:13; Hebrew pag, cf. Beth-phage), which, "late in spring" (Matthew 24:32), ripen under the overshadowing leaves, hence Mark, xi, 13, and the parable of the barren fig tree (Matthew 21:19, 21; Mark 11:20-6; Luke 13:6-9). Precociously ripening figs (Hebrew bikkurah) are particularly relished; the ordinary ripe fruit is eaten fresh or dried in compressed cakes (Hebrew debelah: 1 Samuel 25:18, etc.). Orientals still regard figs as the best poultice (2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21; St. Jerome, "In Isaiam", xxxviii, 21, in P.L., XXIV, 396).

And the further I read, the more I realized the less I knew - about figs and fig trees, metaphors and images, my faith, sacred history, anything and everything! I learnt how St. Augustine had interpreted the term "fig tree" as a metaphor for the human race. Then I remembered the story of the Fall, the subsequent exile and the fig leaves that offered Adam and Eve their first clothing. Talk about a real catechism class!

Finally, since just yesterday was Valentine's Day, I leave with these words from the Songs of Songs, again taken from the newadvent website:

'The fig tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come: My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, show me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely." - the story of Christ's love for his bride - which is each one of us.

Welcome! And, Happy Valentine!