For years I have heard people say that you age in your mind before you age in your body. I thought I knew what that meant and I could imagine what it would be like, that is, until I went to India a few weeks ago. Then I experienced it for real. As you all know all my vacation plans were interrupted. I landed into a host of problems starting with arriving on the wrong date and not finding anyone at the airport to take me home or to welcome my friends to India. Whose mistake was it? Mine; no one else’s. I told them the wrong date of our arrival! You might ask, “How could you do that?” That is a long story for another time.

But it was a blessing in disguise because had I arrived a day later I would not have been able to support my family at the death of my niece’s husband, at the time I was scheduled to arrive! His death was a tragic accident and then from there it went downhill with one thing after another. Stress! All around stress! After the first two days I felt like I was 75! I felt like it, I acted like it, and of course it was not a bad thing, but I was there for vacation. On the plus side, I was respected more, listened to, and my words carried heavy weight. I felt good about that but I was very tired both internally and externally.

Then I realized one thing that I enjoyed―being respected and listened to. But I surely did not want every word I said to weigh a ton. I wanted to be light in every way. I just wanted to see the sunrise and sunset, hear the birds, and listen to the gentle wind. I wanted to enjoy the rain and listen to the crickets and frogs. I just wanted to live life every day without the weight of the problems that bogged me down. I did not want to be responsible for too many things other than those that were fun for my babies and family.

I have had problems in life in the past and I am sure I will have problems in the future but I did not want God to exhaust them all in one month while I was on vacation! (Am I supposed to knock on wood here or what? All we have is plywood.) Problems and difficulties, stress and stress again make us feel like we are aging faster than we actually are.

Now that was just a glimpse of my life’s problems during my vacation. How about problems and struggles for you? I am sure with all the problems going on in the world of dollars and Euros, many of you are anxious. I know for a fact that some of you have lost tens of thousands from your retirement accounts and other investments. All of a sudden we are aware that life becomes hard to live happily every day. Anxieties take over and stay for the night.

So, stop for a minute. I do not want you to age like I did while I was in India. Aging is not bad; actually it is a wonderful blessing. But let us not carry a ton of weight in our hearts with the fears of life that drag us down. In every stressful situation we face, sweating blood, there is a shade that brings coolness. Begin to enjoy those things that do not require money―our children, families, church, parks, gardens, walks, community, and how about God?

How about enjoying God for a change? How about being with the people of God? How about letting our fears reach toward the hands and heart of God like the woman in the crowd? For now let us not worry about faith. As I said on Sunday, God will interrupt his journey for you, if only you will reach out for God.

I feel young again and my body feels young again. Now I know what it feels like being old and being young! I am young with God and old without. There is still life out there and life in abundance if only I can open my eyes. Life around us is vibrant and ever new.

We are only young as long as we are able to see and change along with the changing life around us. God is in the midst of all that is changing but not change itself. Therefore let us remain young at heart, vibrant in mind and ever new in spirit with that is unchanging and eternal – God.

Blessings in abundance as you read this.

(C) Fr. Jos Tharakan

Everyday we experience Christ in our lives. For some Christ comes in the form of a friend or a family and for others it is in the form of a surprise such as a gift, a flower, a card or a call. That means all of us have the potential to be Christ without going anywhere but being simply caring. That care can be expressed by may be a phone call, or may be a personal email or may be a simple ecard or may be a thought.

Now about you. Can you be Christ to someone today?

Blessings

Fr. Jos

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. Genesis: 1: 26

The sixth day must have been the proudest day in creation when God decided finally to create mankind in his/her own image, in his/her own character, and likeness and most of all love.

I am still ecstatic of the day and will be forever when I saw my daughter’s face as she was taken out of the womb of my wife and her mother. She looked like me, am sure and she will all her life. My wife proudly says she looks like her and all her life she is going to. When all the doctors and government officials were busy looking for an identifying mark for my daughter, I did not care a whole lot about it. For I knew without a shadow of doubt she is mine and she looks like mine and will be forever and different enough to spot her in any crowd. I want her to be able to love and care for the world like me, but better than me and greater than me at the least. I can go on and on, and my wife will too.

If this is what I feel it must have been the proudest feeling for God after we were born through God. For God knew in his or her heart that we looked just like him or her and that too for ages to come requiring no identifying marks to distinguish one from another. I am also sure God must have certainly hoped that we love and care for the world as much as God did. For we were created in the image and likeness of God and God alone! and all others who claim it are really faking it to claim what is God’s. So, rejoice you have the greatest inheritance you can ever imagine. Let us also behave like we are the children of God!

—————————————————————
© 2007: Rev. Jos Tharakan. Requires permission to reproduce. Email: fathersjos at gmail.com

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!