IT'S SUNDAY 5 P.M. NOW









Every day is a ‘Thanksgiving Day'!


I have never waited for a Sunday mass to thank God. A Sunday or a Monday… it makes no difference, if I do not have the Lord in my heart… And, the only prayer that invites the Lord home – my heart – is my profound gratitude!


The beautiful story of Shabari, from the Ramayana, is one of the finest examples. If our hearts are pure and filled with gratitude, if we keep showing our trust and devotion to the Lord, then, no matter what the world thinks about our status in the society – how it judges us and treats us – the Lord will surely surprise us by coming to our homes… eat with us… stay with us!


Shabari was an outcast woman in the eyes of the self-proclaimed ‘pure souls’. But, she kept collecting the sweet berries from the jungle and offered to Lord Ram in cups made of leaves, with the unflagging hope, that He would come to her humble hut and accept them…


And, Lord Ram did. Not only did He surprise this frail poor devotee, He ‘shook’ hard the hardcore … the self-righteous fanatics!


There is a similar story in the New Testament. Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, who was chief of the Publicans. In those times, the Publicans were looked down upon by the self-righteous Pharisees, who assumed, that worship and God’s blessings were their exclusive privileges…


So, one day, when Zacchaeus heard, that Jesus was passing by their town, he wanted to have a glimpse of the Master. But, being a short man, he wouldn’t be able to get his eyes on Jesus in the vast crowd. Thus, he climbed on top of a roadside sycamore tree and waited for the Master to come. When Jesus reached near the tree, He saw a short man on the tree and shouted, “Zacchaeus, come down at once; for, today, I must stop at your house”!


All that Zacchaeus had hoped to receive from the Lord was just a ‘glimpse’… And, look, what he ended up receiving!”


To me, that’s what prayer and devotion mean… That’s who the Lord is… That’s what the ‘Thanksgiving Day’ means…


And, yes, that’s also why I should do fasting and repentance: to delay my gratification, but, not my gratitude!


Therefore, let me not wait till Sunday 5 p.m. to say “Thank you” …


Let me do it now, right now!







GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: internewscast.com

Video: On Demand News

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