THE KINGDOM Volume - 3

English
A book - serial to grow in the experience
of the Kingdom of God

A BOOK - SERIAL TO GROW IN THE

EXPERIENCE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD Copy Right: Thomas Paul
Volume - III

THOMAS PAUL The Kingdom Publications,

A/1-B, Garden Court, Opp. P.O.C, Edappally P.O,
Kochi - 682024, Kerala, India.
Ph: 0484-2806376
E-mail: kthomaspaul@gmail.com

Published by:
Mrs. Valsa Thomas for the Kingdom Publications.
Printed at: Viani Printings, Ernakulam.

THE KINGDOM
PUBLICATIONS
KOCHI

Contents
1. Let us rest a while
2. Let fire of Christs love be kindled on earth
(Holy Father addresses International Conference of
Catholic Charismatic Leaders)
3. The Kingdom of God and the Eternal Life
4. When we commit sin, do the Holy Spirit leave us?
5. Light, Love and Life
6. Spiritual gifts
7. A Message to the Mankind
A view on Second Vatican Council
8. Obedience The easy path to sanctification
9. Suffering and the Kingdom of God
10. Sin against the Holy Spirit
11. Love within the Family
Preface
5
Let us rest a while
It is my conviction to proclaim the Gospel without rest. Hence I
have always done so. But lately somebody advised me thus: Even
7 our Lord Jesus Christ called the disciples apart to rest for a while. To
substantiate this he quoted the following:
9
He said to them, Come away by yourselves to a de-
19 serted place and rest a while. People were coming and
going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even
23 to eat (Mk 6:31).
29 This verse touched me and my attitude changed. Hence on one
of the days following, I decided to take rest. I closed my room to
pray. Soon I heard a knock at the door. On opening, I saw a lady with
36 a young man at the door. He was afflicted with AIDS. They requested
consolation and prayers. I felt like saying I am taking rest, I cannot
40 pray now. But how could I ?. I had to pray with them. Thereafter
more people started to come in. Thus it so happened that I could not
44 take rest that day.
52 I took the Bible to read the above verse in its continuation. Then
I realised that even though Jesus went to a lonely place in a boat with
55 his disciples, even they could not rest ! When he disembarked and
saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they
were like sheep without a shepherd (Mk 6:34). Jesus and the dis-
ciples had gone for rest. But seeing the crowd he felt compassion for
them and he started preaching the Gospel. And we know what had
happened after that. Since it was a deserted place it was rather late
for the crowd to return to their respective villages. Realising this, Jesus
called the disciples (whom he had sent for rest !) and he said to them,
Give them some food yourselves (Mk 6:37). They thought of going
and buying food. But Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish
which the apostles had and he multiplied them. .....And gave them to
disciples to set before the people (Mk 6:41).
Let us reflect on this. Let us rest a while, was the Masters
advice. They heeded, and they went to a lonely place away from the
crowd, yet they could not take rest. Instead, their burdens and tasks
increased. It became not only the great difficulty of serving the 5000 Let the fire of Christs love
people but also of carrying the 12 basket full of leftovers (Mk 6:43-44).
The ministry became truly a great one, because it grew out of
be kindled on earth
compassion and sacrifice. He had used the time alloted for his rest to
serve others. Thus we have to discern the time to be used for rest.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. Holy Father addresses International Conference of Catholic
It was about noon (Jn 4:6). Charismatic Leaders
To take rest during noon time, he sent off his disciples to buy food. At
that time Jesus happened to meet the Samaritan woman. That turned On Friday, 30th October 1998, the Holy Father met partici-
out to become one of the most beautiful events in the Gospel. More- pants in the International Conference for Catholic Charismatic
over it became an occasion to open the door of the Word to the Gen- Leaders in the Paul VI Auditorium. Here is the text of his ad-
tiles. And thus did Jesus sum it up: dress, which was given in English.
My food is to do the Will of the One who sent me and to
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
finish his work (Jn 4:34).
Friends, now is the time to work without rest. I tell you, In greeting the International Conference for Catholic Charis-
look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest (Jn 4:35). matic Leaders, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,
because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world (Rom 1:8).
I avail this opportunity to thank sincerely Rev. Dr. Paul Thelakatt,
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal has helped many Christians to
Chief Editor, Sathyadeepam for going through the manuscript.
rediscover the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, in
With love and prayers, the life of the Church and in the world; and this rediscovery has awak-
ened in them a faith in Christ filled with joy, a great love of the Church
K. Thomas Paul and generous dedication to her evangelizing mission. In this year of
the Holy Spirit, I join you in praise of God for the precious fruits
which he has wished to bring to maturity in your communities and,
through them, in the particular Churches.

7
 As leaders of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, one of your
prime tasks is to safeguard the Catholic identity of the charismatic
communities spread throughout the world, stirring them always to Kingdom of God - (Continued from the previous volume)
maintain a close and hierarchical link with the Bishops and the Pope.
You belong to an ecclesial movement; and the word ecclesial im-
plies a precise task of Christian formation, involving a deep conver-
gence of faith and life. The enthusiastic faith which enlivens your
communities must be accompanied by a Christian formation which is
comprehensive and faithful to the Churchs teaching. Even a solid
formation will spring a spirituality deeply grounded in the sources of The Kingdom of God
the Christian life and capable of responding to the crucial questions
posed by the culture of our day. In my recent Encyclical Letter Fides and the Eternal Life
et ratio, I warned against a fideism which fails to recognize the im-
portance of the work of reason not only for an understanding of the
faith, but even for the act of faith itself.
We have seen in the previous chapter that the most important
The theme of your conference, Let the Fire Fall Again!, re- gift is understanding the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. We have
calls the words of Christ: I have come to bring fire to the earth, and seen how one can understand it by the power of the Holy Spirit, and
how I wish it were already kindled! (Lk 12:49). As we look to the thus how we can experience the Kingdom of God in our personal life.
Great Jubilee, these words resound with all their force. The Word of
God made flesh has brought to us the fire of love and the truth which If we are to glimpse the social, universal and eschatological di-
saves. On the threshold of the third millennium of the Christian era, mensions of the Kingdom of God, it is possible only when we have
how great is the evangelical challenge: go and work in the vineyard had experienced the Kingdom of God in our personal life and become
today (Mt 21:28)! a new creation. Our life must conform to that in expectation of the
eternal life one hereafter and also to that which would be of salvation
I accompany your conference with my prayers, trusting that it to our souls. This becomes possible if we experience the Kingdom of
will bear rich spiritual fruit for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal God in this world itself. And this is a foretaste of eternal life.
throughout the world. May Mary, Bride of the Spirit and Mother of
Christ, watch over all that you do in the name of her Son. To all of My Kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36)
you, to your communities and to your loved ones, I gladly impart my
Apostolic Blessing. Jesus answered, My kingdom does not belong to this
world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my atten-
dants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed
over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here
Pope John Paul II
(Jn 18:36).

8 9
 The kingdom that Jesus establishes is not of this world. But the
pilgrimage to that kingdom of God begins here in this world itself.
One of those two criminals crucified with Jesus said:
Jesus, remember me when you come into your king-
dom. And he replied to him, Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in paradise (Lk 23:42-43).
Here the good thief did not desire the kingdom of this world; but
the Kingdom of Heaven. Because he had found his saviour in this
world and believed in the kingdom of heaven and was led to
repentence. Even though he was a great criminal and sinner, he
obtains the eternal life thereafter.
What is Truth ?
So Pilate said to him, Then you are a king?. Jesus
answered, You say I am a king. For this I was born and
for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Ev-
eryone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. Pilate
said to him, What is truth? (Jn 18:37, 38)
Jesus came into this world so that we may attain a kingdom of
truth and love, a kingdom not of this world; a kingdom eternal and
everlasting. When we read that Jesus boldly declared to Pilate for
this I was born, and here we recollect what angel Gabriel said to
Mary:
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his
father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end(Lk 1:32-34).
The kingdom mentioned here is not just that of Davids - which
belonged to this world - the one already ended. The kingdom of
Jesus has no end. It is an everlasting kingdom. A kingdom of truth.
A kingdom of love. One of eternal life. (Holy Father to Synod
Bishops of Oceania-22 November-1998. Losservatore Romano)
10
To a certain extend, the good thief crucified along with Jesus
came to realise this mystery of truth. In a unique way he turned out
to be a prophet of that eternal kingdom. Hanging on the cross, he
opened his heart and pleaded: Jesus, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. Jesus responded immediately: Today you will
be with me in Paradise (Holy Father: 22:Nov:98).
Jesus has invited us to this kingdom of his which is not of this
world, and he also taught us to pray for it. Let Thy kingdom come.
It is to fulfill this command that the apostles, the disciples and the
evangelisers of all times have tried their best to expand the bound-
aries of his kingdom, by evangelisation. This urge is made fruitful
by a personal quest of man and the gift of the Heavenly Father (cf.
Lk 12:32). Only when we follow Christ in the pilgrimage of this
world, can enter the Kingdom of the Father as a new creation (Mt
19:28). Therefore the aim of each Christian is to follow Christ who
is the way, the truth and the life, and to possess the promised
kingdom. This kingdom is already bestowed today (Holy Father:
22:Nov: 98).
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the
most pitiable people of all (1 Cor 15:19).
Placing our hopes in Christ, not for this life alone, we should live in
hopes of the eternal life. We should live in holiness and in the expe-
rience of the Kingdom of God.
This becomes clear in The Parable of the Rich man and
Lazarus. We see here that each one is rewarded after death ac-
cording to his deeds in this life. The rich man ends up pleading from
hell for his brothers. He requests Abraham to send Lazarus to his
fathers house to warn them. And Abraham says: If they will not
listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if
someone should rise from the dead (Lk 16:31). Only by living in
obedience to the Word of God spoken through the prophets, and
11
thus by experiencing the kingdom of God in the world itself, we are
entitled to possess the heavenly kingdom after death. Hence Jesus
said thus: But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides (Mt 6:33). All these
things also includes the eternal life after death. Whoever believes
has eternal life (Jn 6:47). Jesus said to Zacheus: Today salvation
has come to this house(Lk 19:9). He said to the good thief. Today
you shall be with me in Paradise. All these words point us towards
the experience of the Kingdom of God Today which should begin
on this earth itself.
Kingdom of God and Holiness
It is when one gets an experience of the Kingdom of God at a
personal level that he enters into eternal life. He gets this experience
through repentance and sanctification. In the last chapter we under-
stood how we become new creations through inner sanctification.
And also the different inner levels to it. We need to study about this in
detail.
Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform
wonders among you (Jos 3:5).
Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where
you stand is holy ground (Ex 3:5).
Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom
of God without being born of water and Spirit (Jn 3:5).
The entire Gospel is filled with the call to holiness. The same God
who spoke to Moses from the burning bush is he who spoke to
Nicodemus in the late hours of the night, and is the very same God
who also speaks to each one of us. Jesus in his conversation with
Nicodemus spoke on absolute terms that without being born again,
one cannot experience the Kingdom of God. The same is spoken in
the Beatitudes. Blessed are the pure of heart; they shall see God
(Mt 5:8). It is only when we experience the Kingdom of God, we can
12
see God, and that we actually begin to experience God.
....what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do
know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based
on him makes himself pure, as he is pure (1 Jn 3:2-3).
But, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in
every aspect of your conduct, for it is written: Be holy
because I am holy (1 Pt 1:15-16).
We know much about holiness; and also we do speak about it.
But unless we make it happen in our personal life, we will not have
the living experience of the indwelling God within us. God is holy. If
we are to know his Word, and if we are to communicate with that
God, if we are to be one with that God and to have participation in
him, then we need to be holy. This is a must. The 5th chapter of the
constitution of the Church (Lumen Gentium) of the Second Vatican
Council is entitled Universal call to holiness. Let us pay attention to
what is taught by the Council in this chapter.
Faith teaches that the Church, whose mystery is being set forth
by this sacred Synod, is holy in a way which can never fail. For Christ,
the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is praised as being
alone holy, loved the Church as his Bride, delivering himself up for
her. This he did that he might sanctify her (cf. Eph 5:25-26). He
united her to Himself as His own body and crowned her with the gift
of the Holy Spirit, for Gods glory. Therefore in the Church, everyone
belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holi-
ness, according to the saying of the Apostle: For this is the will of
God, your sanctification (1 Th 4:3; cf. Eph 1:4). Now, this holiness of
the Church is unceasingly manifested, as it ought to be, through those
fruits of grace that the Spirit produces in the faithful. It is expressed
in multiple ways by those individuals who, in their walk of life, strive
for the perfection of charity, and thereby help others to grow. In a
particularly appropriate way this holiness shines out in the practice of
13
the counsels customarily called evangelical. Under the influence of
the Holy Spirit, the practice of these counsels is undertaken by many
Christians, either privately or in some Church-approved situation or
state, and produces in the world, as produce it should, a shining wit-
ness and model of holiness. (LG. 39)
The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and model of all perfection,
preached holiness of life to each and every one of his disciples, re-
gardless of their situation. You therefore are to be perfect,even as
your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48). He himself stands as the
Lord and the crown of this holiness of life. For he sent the Holy Spirit
upon all men that he might inspire them from within to love God with
their whole heart and their whole soul, with all their mind and all their
strength (cf. Mk 12:30) and that they might love one another as Christ
loved them (cf. Jn 13:34; 15:12). The followers of Christ are called by
God, not according to their accomplishments, but according to his
own purpose and grace. They are justified in the Lord Jesus, and
through baptism sought in faith they truly become sons of God and
shares in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy.
Then, too, by Gods gifts they must hold on to and complete in their
lives this holiness which they have received. They are warned by the
Apostle to live as become saints (Eph 5:3), and to put on as Gods (Rev 21:5).This means the promise of his grace that renews all things,
Chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of mercy, kindness, humility,
meekness, patience (Col 3:12), and to possess the fruits of the Spirit
unto holiness (cf. Gal 5:22; Rom 6:22). Since we all truly offend in
many things (cf. Jas 3:2), we all need Gods mercy continuously and
must daily pray: Forgive us our debts (Mt 6:12). Thus it is evidence
to everyone that all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank of status
are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of
charity. By this holiness a more human way of life is promoted even
in this earthly society. In order that the faithful may reach this perfec-
tion, they must use their strength according as they have received it, as
a gift from Christ. In this way they can follow in his footsteps and
14
mould themselves in his image, seeking the will of the Father in all
things, devoting themselves with all their being to the glory of God and
the service of their neighbour. In this way too, the holiness of the People
of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is brilliantly proved
by the lives of so many saints in Church history. (LG: 40)
Sanctification through Holy Spirit
Mentioned above are the authoritative teachings of the Church
about holiness. Rather than just being mere theses, they also tell us
the practical steps to be adopted in our lives. These steps we attain
by adorning the crown of the Holy Spirits gifts, by receiving the
fruits of the action of the spirits grace in his faithfuls, and by bearing
the good fruits of the gifts.
It is good to recall what we had learned as children in our cat-
echism classes. Why was the Holy Spirit sent to the Church? It is
to sanctify, teach and to guide the Church. The Church is the People
of God. And to sanctify the People of God that we are, the Holy
Spirit has been bestowed to our hearts. It is the Holy Spirit that is the
source of holiness. Now; God says: Behold, I make all things new
and the flow of the power of his Spirit which is already fulfilled on the
day of Pentecost. For it is again said: In the last days, I will pour out
a portion of my spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:17).
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. There-
fore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human
being but God, who (also) gives his Holy Spirit to you
(1 Thes 4:7-8).
For each one of us to obtain grace and peace in abundance in
the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification by the
Spirit for obedience and sprinkling with blood of Jesus Christ (1 Pt
15
1:2), this sanctification should make an interior transformation within
us. The call to holiness is the action of God by which one becomes a
new creation renewed through sanctification by the gifts of the Holy
Spirit. If we ignore this call, however great be the works we per-
formed, be sure we are not fulfilling Gods Will. Hence it resounds:
Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform wonders
among you (Jos 3:5). That it is; all these things will be given you
besides.
It is not sufficient to believe that we become holy through the
working of the Holy Spirit. We have to strive for holiness (Heb 12:14).
A good missionary is a saint
The Holy Father in his encyclical Mission of the Redeemer
(Redemptoris Missio) teaches us about holiness and missionary ac-
tivity.
Vocation to missionary life is the natural outcome of vocation to
holiness.
It is by committing oneself in the way of holiness that a mission-
ary becomes a true missionary. Holiness must be called a funda-
mental presupposition and an irreplaceable condition for everyone in
fulfilling the mission of salvation in the Church (R.M.90). If the mis-
sionary activity has to become a success, if the Kingdom of God has
to be proclaimed, it is possible only through those who by living in
holiness experience the Kingdom of God. Without holiness no one
will see the Lord (Heb 12:14).
The way to holiness
(Consecrated life - Vita Consecrata)
Repentance and Holiness are required in boundless measures
by those called by God to listen to Christ. This truth shall be con-
16
vincingly understood by all the sons and daughters of the Church thus
called by God. This requirement, which primarily as the call of the
consecrated to Seek the Kingdom of God is in fact a call for a total
renewal of mind. This is a call for self renunciation. And it is to live
entirely for the Lord........!! We can find that all through in the history
of the Church, men and women of holy disposition had been called in
by the Lord to overcome the trying times. And it was these men and
women who became the source for a new spirit and thus brought in
immediate blessings to the Church. Today we are very much in need
of such holy people. For this we have to pray with much fervour (Vita
Consecrata). In his Apostolic Exhortation consecrated life the Holy
Father Pope John Paul II emphasises on all aspects of the life of the
consecrated people. And these should be accepted in toto.
Holiness - a divine call
- and a challenge
I write this from Calcutta. This inspiration I got yesterday (13-
12-98) when I was praying at the tomb of Mother Theresa - Holi-
ness is a challenge. It is a challenge against impurity, against the
activities of satan, against the inclinations of the world and of the
flesh. Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit
is willing but the flesh is weak (Mt 26:41). Temptations do occur to
all of us. In the weakness of our flesh we do become slaves to our
temptations. But with the help of the Indwelling Spirit, the One who is
ever ready to help us, we have to challenge those tempting situations.
And by fervent prayers, by thirst for holiness, by imbibing the Spirit of
Christ who Himself rose to life by challenging such situations we
put to death the weakness of our body (cf. Rom 8: 11-13). In this
work of sanctification we need to pray for the assistance of the Ind-
welling Spirit. Then the spirit of holiness (Rom 1:4) will strengthen
our bodies in holiness.
17
You can be his master
If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin
is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you,
yet you can be his master (Gen 4:7).
Thus the Lord shows us the beginning of our challenge against sin or
impurity. If Cain had taken up the challenge and mastered it he would
not have committed such a great sin - the first murder.
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power
(1 Cor 6:14).
When we commit sin,
Dear friends, trusting in his power, accepting Gods Word to
do the Holy Spirit
master it, let us march forward towards the divine call for holiness. leave us ?
Let us face the challenge.

Daily, constantly let us pray like this.

Triune God indwelling within me, I consecrate myself in entirely
to you. Rise up within me in my weaknesses. Lead me to holiness.
Let your kingdom come in me. I consecrate myself for them so that
they also may be consecrated in truth (Jn 17:19). Give me the power
to contain my sinfulness. Amen.
Praise the Lord
Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit
take not from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation
and a willing spirit sustain in me (Ps 51:12-14).
These verses of the Psalm often generates doubt in us. Will the Holy
Spirit be taken away from us? God is light. He is more brighter than
the sun. Can the brilliant sun take away its brilliance? Can it give
darkness instead of the light? Holy Spirit is light. And darkness is sin.
Light has come forth to us to remove the darkness. But then, God has
given man the freedom to choose. The freedom to open the door of
oneself towards light or not. The one who closes his door towards
light remains in darkness. Isaiah chapter 55 shows the Spirit as a
source of life.

All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who
have no money, come, receive grain and eat! ........Lord
says: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are
your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heav-

18 19
 ens are above the earth, so high are my ways above
your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. For
just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down
and do not return there till they have watered the earth
(Is 55:1;8-10).
Just as rain and snow do not return, so is Gods Spirit. It will
never be taken away. He continues:
This is the covenant with them which I myself have
made, says the Lord: My Spirit which is upon you and
my words that I have put into your mouth. Shall never
leave your mouth, nor the mouths of your children nor
the mouths of your childrens children from now on and
forever, says the Lord (Is 59:21).
Lord has showered his Spirit on us not because of our goodness
but because of his covenant. What the Lord says through Jeremiah
about the new covenant is of significance.
If the heavens on high can be measured, or the founda-
tions below the earth be sounded. Then will I cast off
the whole race of Israel because of all they have done,
says the Lord (Jer 31:37).
The plans which the Lord has in mind for us is not for our woe
but for our welfare and to give us a future full of hope. This saying of
Jer. 29:11 is well known to us.
I will put my spirit within you........I will save you from
all your impurities (Is 36:27, 29).
God himself takes initiative for mans salvation. God comes
into man as Spirit. This makes known to us the infinite love of God.
And this love he bestows is unconditional. While we were still sin-
ners, Christ died for us(Rom 5:8). This is the uniqueness of Gods
covenant.
20
But when the kindness and generous love of God our
Saviour appeared, not because of any righteous deeds
we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us
through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ
our saviour, so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life (Tit 3:4-6).
Christ has bought us off by paying the price with his precious
blood and thus made each one of us his own. Through this transaction
we are reborn from our sins and are renewed by the Spirit. God has
showered his Spirit on all as a first instalment of that transaction
(cf. 2 Cor 5:5). That first instalment of the Holy Spirit is not to be
taken back, instead it is to make us his own.
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead be-
cause of sin, the Spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit
that dwells in you (Rom 8:10-11).
When we are dead because of the sin, that which then brings us
to consciousness of sin, to repentance and to conversion, is the work
of the Holy Spirit. And the same Holy Spirit, by going after it until he
finds it, grants a new life within the Kingdom of God to the lost sheep
(cf. Lk 15:4).
When he comes, he will convince the world concerning
sin and righteousness and judgement(Jn.16:8). The same
Counsellor and Spirit of Truth who has been promised is
the one who will teach, bring to remembrance, will
bear witness and guide into all the truth (D.V. 27).
The Holy Spirit, who takes from the Son the work of the
Redemption of the world, by this very fact takes the
21
 task of the salvific convincing of sin. This convincing
is in permanent reference to righteousness (D.V. 28).

We need to study specially what the Holy Father teaches about

the Holy Spirit in his encyclical letter Dominum et Vivificantem.

In this, Holy Father qualifies Holy Spirit as the saving spirit of

God. Christs farewell discourse at the Last Supper stands in particu-
lar reference to this giving and self-giving of the Holy Spirit. In
Light,

lov
ht
Johns Gospel we have it as the revelation of the most profound logic

lig
of the salvation mystery contained in Gods eternal plan. There we

e
find it as an extension of the ineffable communion of the Father, Son Love,
and the Holy Spirit. (D.V - 11).

Jesus said during his last supper

Life life

And I will ask the Fatther, and he will give you another
advocate to be with you always (Jn 14:16).
The very words of blessing of the Church teaches us that the
Holy Spirit will not be taken away from us. Let us accept it with great
expectation: And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Now and forever - Amen.
The Kingdom of God can be expressed by means of three mys-
teries. Light, Love and Life. By contemplating on these and by moul-
ding our lives accordingly, we can receive the fullness of life - the full
experience of the Kingdom of God.
God is Light
Let us first look at Light.
Now this is the message that we have heard from him
and proclaim to you. God is Light, and in him there is no
darkness at all. If we say, We have fellowship with him,
while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not
act in truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood
of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin
(1 Jn 1:5-7).

22 23
 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not
walk in darkness but will have the light of life
(Jn 8:12).
In this verse itself Jesus shows the relationship between Light and life.
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light, because their works
were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the
light(Jn 3:19-20).
Thus we understand that light is eternal life - the Kingdom of God.
And that darkness is evil. The state of one loving darkness more than
light is a painful status. That in itself is the judgement for that person. It
is quite difficult to understand this. Hence it needs a little explanation. If
one has seen and known the light, he believes in Christ. He partakes of
the Holy Spirit. In that state, if he yields himself to deep sinful inclina-
tions, then he loves darkness more than the light. At such times that
person becomes a prey to unbearable inner conflict. To hold fast on to
the light and to pray ardently during such occasions is the only possibility
for such a person to save himself from darkness or evil, and return to
experience the Kingdom of God.
There is no darkness in God !
This conviction should root deep in our hearts. The great truth that
God is Light and there is no darkness in him. By believing and under-
standing this truth, we should arrive at another conviction. Darkness
cannot come from God. Now we must reflect on this principle to apply it
in our life. We own a fellowship with God. The Triune God lives within
us. God is with us - Emmanuel. And that God is Light. In other words
we have a fellowship with Light. We should be conscious about this
fellowship; and every instant we must discern each of our actions on
basis of this truth. We have only one yardstick for our discernment:
Light or darkness? We can bring all our actions under these two head-
24
ings: Goodness which is light. Darkness which is evil. By this pro-
cess we can put to death the works of darkness - evil, by light -
goodness.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
has not overcome it (Jn 1:5).
This principle is the divine mystery. There is evil - darkness
in us. Hence we cannot remove darkness from ourselves. Dark-
ness can be removed only by the light. Darkness has not over-
come the light. The power of darkness is limited while that of the
Light is eternal. It is because we do not realise this that we tend to
love darkness and live in fellowship with darkness. If so, then we
are not in the Kingdom of God, but in the kingdom of evil. Who-
ever is not with me is against me (Lk 11:23). While in evil we
belong to a kingdom that is against the Kingdom of God. And we
conduct ourselves in darkness, in evil, thence it is a farce to say
that we are in fellowhip with light. In this context, Jesus tells - I
am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn 8:12). One who follows
me, one who follows light does not walk in darkness. Now, this is
a matter for each of our individual self. As said, we can segregate
each of our actions either that as belonging to Light or to darkness.
Consider the situation where a person gets angry at me. Which in
turn makes me angry and hate that person. Now; is the action of
that person that of darkness or light? Obviously it is darkness. If I
react in anger and hatred to that, the darkness does not abate. On
the contrary the darkness adds up. The chaos increases. It may
end up in blows. Where as if I have the discernment that only
Light can dispel the darkness, if I understand that love is the Light
that can counter the anger and hatred of darkness, if I love the one
who comes to me without opposing him in anger, I can conquer the
darkness. This is the core and essence of Christs teaching. Of-
fer no resistance to the one who is evil. When someone strikes
25
you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well (Mt 5:39).
On resisting an evil person, the darkness in our resistance and that in
him makes it darker still. Thereby the evil - satan wins. If you show
the other cheek to the one who strikes you, then darkness is being
opposed by light. Thereby darkness is driven off by Light. Here it is
the Kingdom of God that wins.
By countering falsehood with truth, and injustice with justice,
we can thus effectively throw light into each and every activity. And
we also become people who experience the light.
All good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there
is no alteration or shadow caused by change(Jas 1:17).
Heavenly Father is the source of light. Since that light happen to
come into the world, Jesus said: I am the light of the world (Jn
8:12). When did that light come into the world? It is at the very first
moment of creation.
God said: Let there be light and there was light (Gen 1:3).
Jesus Christ is that very light which was in the beginning - The
light of the world. That light is Jesus Christ who Himself is the Word.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things came to be through him, and with-
out him nothing came to be. What came to be through
him was life, and this life was the light of the human
race; the light shines in the darkness (Jn 1:1-5).
Thus we see here in stark clarity. It was the light which was at
the beginning. And that light was the Word. That light - the Word - is
Jesus Christ - the light of the world. And he comes from above, from
the Father of lights with whom there is no alteration of shadow caused
by change (Jas 1:17).
26
You are the light
of the world (Mt 5:14).
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain
cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put
it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where
it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must
shine before others, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father (Mt 5:14-16).
Till now we did meditate that Jesus is the light of the world.
Now; Jesus says that you are the light of the world. This is the state
when one experience the Kingdom of God within: The true light
which enlightens everyone was coming into the world (Jn 1:9). Now
that has already came. That light has by now spread far and wide.
Nobody keeps that light under a bushel. That light gives light to all.
Let the light in you shine before them. That is the apostolic spirit.
Why is it that many of us do not have that apostolic spirit? Is it not
because we are not in the light? That is why Jesus said: If the blind
leads the blind, both will fall into the pit.
In order that we may shed light,
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part
in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them,
for it is shameful even to mention the things done by
them in secret; but everything exposed by the light be-
comes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from
the dead, and Christ will give you light (Eph 5:11-14).
That you may be blameless and innocent, children of
God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and per-
verse generation, among whom you shine like lights in
the world(Phil 2:15).
27
 Each of us by experiencing the Kingdom of God in our lives,
need to be sanctified and become lights. Let us accept this challenge.
Let us reject the darkness in us, and consecrate ourselves to the light
inorder to become the children of light.

Three kinds of lights

Since Jesus said that we are the light of the world, what type of
light are we going to be? We generally see three kinds of lights. Let Spiritual Gifts
us reflect on them.
and Sanctification
(1) The candle
(2) The oil lamp
(3) The electric lamp Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
Every one of us should become all of these three kinds of lights. will be uprooted . Let them alone, they are blind guides
We shall study further about this in the next issue. of the blind. If a blind person leads a blind person, both
will fall into a pit(Mt 15:13-15).
What comes out of a person, that is what defiles. From
within people, from their hearts come evil thoughts, un-
chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All
these evil come from within and they defile
(Mk 7:20-23).

If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.
Jesus tells lovingly: leave them alone. Those who are anointed with
spiritual gifts are the people called by God. It is they who are to lead
the blind people. In them the gifts of the Spirit are working through
the supernatural action of the Holy Spirit. They are the prophets of
the kingdom of God and are filled with his power. If such specially
gifted people live in sin, if they do not lead a life of purity, then they
are not living in the Kingdom of God, but in that of satan. Even if
charisms and gifts are at work in them, they tend to scatter the King-

28 29
dom of God. That is why Jesus said: Whoever is not with me is
against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Lk 11:23).
We must understand that three forces are always at work to
extinguish the fire of anointment in those who have gifts and charisms.
These forces are: one the satan, two the world, and three the flesh.
These forces are within us. The impurity in our heart is that which
makes us unclean and draws us to greater impurity. Only if they are
sanctified, the gifts and charisms will operate in us. Jesus said: The
plants not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted (Mt 15:13).
It is made to happen by the initiative of God himself. We have to
surrender ourselves and pray earnestly for this sanctification to hap-
pen. This we need to do. For, only after removing our blindness, we
can lead other blind people. Only then the Lord can use us for that
purpose.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy na-
tion, a people of his own, so that you may announce the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light(1Pet 2:9).
Each of us, especially those who are gifted with charisms and
those who desire for it, should realise that we are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood and God`s own people. The radiance of God`s
power will be reflected in us only if we are sanctified. Hence sanc-
tification is an absolute pre-condition for us to be filled with the gifts
and charisms of the Holy Spirit.
God called out from the bush, Moses! Moses! He
answered, Here I am. God said, come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where
you stand is holy ground(Ex 3:4,5).
God called him: Moses! Moses! And he responded. God called
Moses because in His purpose he deigned to anoint Moses. Moses
was to be entrusted with a great mission. That purpose was to be the
30
call of God. Moses accepted the call and responded to it. Here I
am. After that, God gives a command that goes against to the very
call. Come no nearer. Remove the sandals from your feet for the
place where you stand is holy ground. It is an exhortation to holi-
ness. Without holiness no one can approach God to experience the
presence and closeness of God. If I am to receive the anointing that
the Lord wants to bestow, I need to walk in the path of holiness.
Gifts and charisms are in us. But they become operative and
made to manifest only if we are sanctified or renewed through re-
treats and prayers.
Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? Or who
may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless,
whose heart is clean (Ps 24:3,4).
We see in Moses a person who once happened to have killed some-
body in rage. When the Lord made Moses to walk through the path
of holiness, he experienced a great empowerment. Yes, God said to
Moses: stretch out your hand and your staff over the sea and divide
it. God will work wonders in us only if our hands are not stained and
our hearts are pure.
Sanctify yourself Tomorrow the Lord will do wonders
among you (Jos 3:5).
Whenever God anointed prophets, He was careful in the matter
of their sanctification. God told Jeremiah: Before I formed you in
the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet
to the nations I appointed you (Jer 1:5). God sanctified Isaiah just as
he sanctified Jeremiah and made him a prophet. He touched my
mouth with it. See, he said, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged (Is 6:7).
Many places in the Old Testament we find this principle.
Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy(Lev 19:2)
31
 I, the Lord, who have consecrated him, am holy.
(Lev 21:8).
Thus God have had sanctified every prophet since Mo-
ses. God anointed them by making them participants in
his holiness. By this same principle God has called each
one of us. For those who keep the holy precepts hal-
lowed shall be found holy (Wis 6:10).
The King Davids prayer is specially notable.
I acknowledge my offence and my sin is before me
always. Against you only have I sinned, and done what
is evil in your sight. That you may be justified in your
sentence, vindicated when you condemn. Indeed, in guilt
was I born, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold,
you are pleased with sincerity of heart, and in my inmost
being you teach me wisdom. Cleanse me of sin with
hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me, and I shall be
whiter than snow (Ps 51:5-9).
Holy Spirit
Sanctification Empowerment
In one, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, sanctification and empow-
erment take place simultaneously. And then the anointing becomes
fully operative. When Jesus was about to wash the feet of Peter, he
objected. You will never wash my feet. And Jesus answered him,
Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me(Jn 13:8).
And hence it means - only if I sanctify you, can you partake in my
divine nature and in my Kingdom and its powers - by this sanctifi-
cation alone you are anointed and empowered.
32
In order to grow in the spiritual gifts one needs to undergo spe-
cial sanctification. Over and above the ordinary essentially sanctifi-
cation, one must become sanctified in inner senses, conscience,
thoughts and imaginations. And we need to pray unceasingly to free
ourselves from the cravings and desires of flesh. We can be victori-
ous only if we attain sanctification of our spirit, mind and body through
the constant fight against the world, flesh and satan.
I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having
preached to others, I myself should be disqualified
(1 cor 9:27).
Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care
not to fall(1 Cor 10:12).
We will be able to attain new horizons of sanctification through our
daily personal prayer, through experiential consecration of Holy Eucha-
rist, through the sacrament of confession, and by daily meditating the
Word of God.
Sanctification of inner senses
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you
may know what is the hope that belongs to His call, what
are the riches of glory in His inheritance among the holy
ones (Eph 1:18).
Parallel to our external senses, we have inner senses. Through
the external senses, we see world and experience. Through the inter-
nal senses we sense spiritually, internally. What we see and hear
through external senses pass through the internal senses and pollute
them. They become impure in due course. Only when those senses
are purified and cleansed it would be possible to experience the work-
ings of the Spirit of God, and to discern and understand them. That is
why Jesus said: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see
33
God(Mt 5:8). Now, if the spiritual gift of vision has to be operative in
us, we need to cleanse our internal senses. Otherwise, much of what
we have seen in the past and accumulated in the inner chambers of
the heart will get mingled in the spiritual vision. As a result we will
not be able to discern truth.
To cleanse this, we can pray: O Holy spirit dwelling within me,
I surrender each of my senses and its corresponding internal senses.
Within them, from what I have seen and heard in the past, I pray;
uproot and discard all that has not been planted by my Heavenly
Father. All my internal senses, I surrender to you Holy Spirit indwell-
ing within me. Sanctify them, wash them clean with the Precious
Blood of Jesus. If we pray this continuously with our eyes closed,
the impure and fearful thoughts, the impure imaginations, pictures
and visuals occurred in the past will come to our memory. As we
pray to wash them away with the Precious Blood of Jesus these
shall get erased.
(N.B.: Before this prayer, we need to bring to our mind all
those persons towards whom we have hatred. One by one we
have to forgive them and love them.)
Sanctification of thoughts and imaginations
With the same prayer above everyday we need to cleanse all
the impurities that has entered through our thoughts and imaginations
into our unconscious mind. For, if there are impurities in thoughts, we
will not be able to discern the promptings of the Spirit.
The concern of the flesh is hostility towards God, it
does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those
who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom 8:7,8).
34
Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what
is the Will of God, what is good and pleasing and per-
fect (Rom 12:2).
Our thoughts and imaginations have intimate connection with
the functionings of the unconscious and subconscious minds. Only
when they are renewed, can we accept and understand the Will of
God. Or else our exhortations will be filled with worldly values.
How long will this continue ? Is my name in the hearts
of the prophets who prophesy lies and their own deceit-
ful fancies ? ...... and who lead my people astray by
recounting their lies ...... You are the burden and I cast
you off (cf. Jer 23: 26-33).
It is dangerous to use gifts and charisms without proper inner
sanctification. We do not become aware of the mistakes we commit.
Hence before the growth of gifts and charisms, we need to pray days
long like Jesus, offer prayers suplications with loud cries and tears to
the One for inner sanctification. We must progress with a firm love-
filled-faith that the indwelling Spirit will do all these for us. We
should not be disappointed nor dismayed; rather we must proceed
with courage. Sanctification is a gift for us from God. We need only
to accept this gift. For, he has promised that he will renew all things.
The Risen Lord followed the disciples on their way to Emmaus. He
spoke the Word towards their inner sanctification. Thereafter he broke
the bread and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and
they recognized him (Lk 24:31).
35

A Message
to the Mankind
This message was given by the Fathers of the council with
the permission of the Holy Father on the ninth day of the Second
Vatican Council. By the practice followed down the centuries,
Ecumenical councils used to speak only to the Catholic Church.
Sending a message for the whole humanity is considered a speci-
ality of the Second Vatican Council. Just as our Lady and the
apostles assembled prayful in Jerusalem after the Ascension of
our Lord, thus waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit, did the
Fathers of the Church assemble in the council.
We take great pleasure in sending to all men and nations a mes-
sage concerning that well-being, love and peace which were brought
into the world by Christ Jesus, the Son of the living God, and en-
trusted to the Church.
36
For this is the reason why, at the direction of the most blessed
Pope John XXIII, we successors of the apostles have gathered here,
joined in singlehearted prayer with Mary the Mother of Jesus, and
forming one apostolic body headed by the successor of Peter.
May the face
of Christ Jesus shine out
(Light of Christ, Light of the peoples -
Lumen Christi, Lumen Gentium)
In this assembly, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we wish
to inquire how we ought to renew ourselves, so that we may be found
increasingly faithful to the Gospel of Christ. We shall take pains so to
present to the men of this age Gods truth in its integrity and purity
that they may understand it and gladly assent to it.
Since we are shepherds, we desire that all those may have their
longing satisfied who seek God if perhaps they might find him as
they grope after him; though indeed he is not far from each of us(Acts
17:27).
Hence, obeying the will of Christ, who delivered himself to death
that he might present to himself the Church, not having spot or wrin-
kle ..........but that she might be holy and without blemish, we as
pastors devote all our energies and thoughts to the renewal of our-
selves and the flocks committed to us, so that there may radiate be-
fore all men the lovable features of Jesus Christ, who shines in our
hearts that Gods splendour may be revealed (2 Cor 4:6).
God So Loved The World .........
We believe that the Father so loved the world that he gave his
own Son to save it. Indeed, through this same Son of his he freed us
from bondage to sin, reconciling all things unto himself through him,
37
making peace through the blood of his cross, so that we might be
called sons of God, and truly be such (Col 1:20).
The Spirit too has been bestowed on us by the Father, that living
the life of God, we might love God and the brethren, who are all of us
one in Christ.
It is far from true that because we cling to Christ we are di-
verted from earthly duties and toils. On the contrary, faith, hope, and
the love of Christ impel us to serve our brothers, thereby patterning
ourselves after the example of the Divine Teacher, who came not to
be served but to serve. Hence, the Church too was not born to
dominate but to serve. He laid down his life for us, and we too ought
to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Accordingly, while we hope that the light of faith will shine more
clearly and more vigorously as a result of this Councils efforts, we
look forward to a spiritual renewal from which will also flow a happy
impulse on behalf of human values such scientific discoveries, tech-
nological advances, and a wider diffusion of knowledge.
The love of Christ impels us
Coming together in unity from every nation under the sun, we
carry in our hearts the hardships, the bodily and mental distress, the
sorrows, longings, and hopes of all the peoples entrusted to us. We
urgently turn our thoughts to all the anxieties by which modern man is
afflicted. Hence, let our concern swifty focus first of all on those who
are especially lowly, poor, and weak. Like Christ, we would have pity
on the multitude weighed down with hunger, misery and lack of knowl-
edge. We want to fix a steady gaze on those who still lack the oppor-
tune help to achieve a way of life worthy of human beings.
As we undertake our work, therefore, we would emphasize
whatever concerns the dignity of man, whatever contributes to a genu-
38
ine community of peoples. Christs love impels us, for he who
sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does
the love of God abide in him?
Two issues
if Special urgency confront us
The Supreme Pontiff, John XXIII, in a radio address delivered
on September 11, 1962, stressed especially two points. The first dealt
with peace between peoples. There is no one who does not hate war,
no one who does not strive for peace with burning desire. But the
Church desire it most of all, because she is the Mother of all. Through
the voice of the Roman Pontiffs, she never ceases to make an open
declaration of her love for peace, her desire for peace. She is always
ready to lend aid with her whole heart to any sincere effort on behalf
of peace. She strives with all her might to bring peoples together and
to develop among them a mutual respect for interests and feelings.
This very counciliar congress of ours, so impressive in the diversity of
the races, nations, and languages it represents, does it not bear wit-
ness to a community of brotherly love, and shine as a visible sign of
it? We are giving witness that all men are brothers, whatever their
race or nation.
The Supreme Pontiff also pleads for social justice. The teaching
expounded in his encyclical Mater et Magistra clearly shows that
the Church is supremely necessary for the modern world if injustices
and unworthy inequalities are to be denounced, and if the true order
of affairs and of values is to be restored, so that mans life can be-
come more human according to the standards of the gospel.
The power of the Holy Spirit
To be sure, we are lacking in human resources and earthly power.
39
Yet we lodge our trust in the power of Gods Spirit, who was prom-
ised to the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence we humbly and
ardently call for all men to work along with us in building up a more
just and brotherly city in this world.We call not only upon our brethren
whom we serve as shepherds, but also upon all our brother Chris-
tians, and the rest of men of good will, whom God wills that they be
saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For, this is the divine
plan, that through love Gods kingdom may already shine out on earth
in some fashion as a preview of Gods eternal kingdom. Obedience
The world is still far from the desired peace because of threats The easy path to sanctification
arising from the very progress of science, marvellous though it be, but
not always responsive to the higher law of morality. Our prayer is
that in the midst of this world there may radiate the light of our great
hope in Jesus Christ, our only Saviour. Obedience is the root of all graces and disobedi-
ence is the root of all sins.
Taken from the book titled Obedience written by Fr. Reneiro
Cantalamessa, the papal preacher, the above line is very significant.

Just as through the disobedience of one person the many

were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the
many will be made righteous (Rom 5:19).
Sin had taken its root on the earth through disobedience. Through
the disobedience of Adam, all mankind became sinners. To redeem
man from that sin, God the Father sent Jesus Christ into the World.

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also

yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of
God, did not regard equality with God something to be
grasped. Rather he emptied himself, taking the form of
a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in
appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to
death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God
greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that
40 41
 is above every name(Phil 2: 5-9).
However high a position we may occupy, it is only through obe-
dience can we be emptied in self. We will be exalted only by emptying
in ourselves. We block the channel of grace when we disobey. And
when we lack grace, the divine purification does not take place in us.
Thereby we are letting ourselves be drawn into the sinful kingdom of
satan. We move away from the experience of the Kingdom of God.
Let every person be subordinate to the higher authori-
ties, for there is no authority except from God, and those
that exist have been established by God. Therefore, who-
ever resists authority opposes what God has appointed,
and those who oppose it will bring judgement upon them-
selves ( Rom 13:1-2).
In our day-to-day life if we follow this law, even without our
being aware of it grace will flow plentiful into our lives. And we shall
remain in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes according to our reason
and understanding we may be well convinced that the authorities are
wrong. To this others will also add their convictions to ours that the
authorities in this particular regard are wrong. Thus conditioned to
human reasons, we disobey the authoritys. But it is worthwhile to
remember that it is not reason, but the will of God that matters. Now,
if what the authorities order happens to be against God and that it
leads towards sin, we need not obey that instruction. In such situa-
tions, in fact we need to pray earnestly for the authorities. In all other
situations if we do obey with the conviction that all the existing au-
thorities are established by God, we do share in the suffering of
Christ. God will raise us up. Our obedience will bring forth grace.
Pilate said to Jesus: Do you not know that I have power
to release you and I have power to crucify you? Jesus
answered them: you would have no power over me if it
had not been given to you from above (Jn 19: 10-11).
42
Jesus, even though he was the Son of God, accepted Pilates
authority without demur and obeyed him with the conviction that the
authority of Pilate was given by his Father. For all authority has been
established by God. Thereby he was convinced that he was obeying
the Father. He humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even
death on a cross (Phil 2: 8). Through this obedience Jesus was raised.
We often proclaim obedience is better than sacrifice. But we fail to
practice it.
When we are obedient to the traditional teachings of the Church,
the power of the Holy Spirit will continuously flow into us and we
experience the Kingdom of God within us. Submission to the Spirit
means the submission to the Church and to its leaders for it is the
same spirit who leads them. It is even possible that we are not able to
understand the teachings of the Church. But we shall come to know it
if we show submission. We need not necessarily understand the Di-
vine insights revealed during the past 2000 years and all that is given
by the Holy Spirit to the needs of the times. Because we may have
not grown to accomodate them. On the contrary, if we show submis-
sion to such divine mysteries, then we attain communion with the
Holy Spirit.
The teaching of Religious Life a Decree of the Second Vatican
Council is not only for the Religious but it is also for every state of life.
It is advisable that those who do missionary service study these teach-
ings.
The Religious give the complete submission of their mind to as a
sacrificial offering through their vow of obedience. And they join the
redeeming holy will of God permanently and securely. Christ came
into the world to accomplish the will of the God (Jn 4:34; 5:30; cf. Ps
39: 9). He took the form of the slave (Phil 2:7); He learned obedi-
ence from what he suffered (Heb 5:8). By i imitating this Christ, by
submission to the Holy Spirit, by growing in the kingdom of God and
43
by becoming fruitful in the Holy Spirits grace we obtain the virtue of
obedience. Obedience is the sign of a person being filled with the Suffering - continued from the previous volume
Holy Spirit and that one is experiencing the Kingdom of God. Jesus
standing in full submissiveness before Pilate is the sign of His fullness
in the Spirit.

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me

according to your word (Lk 1:38): says Mary who is obedient; which
again is a sign of the fullness of the Holy Spirit and of the Kingdom of
God.

Our very enviornments turn against us when we act against the

Will of God - just as prophet Jonah got into vexing troubles, problems
and storm because of his disobedience. And as happenned to Jonah,
we are also thrown out. Therefore dear brothers, inorder that we
may not experience shipwreck and are not thrown out into turbulent
seas, let us not run off to Tarshish. Let us return to Nineveh in obe-
dience! If anybody has already got into the ship to Tarshish, be quick
to jump off before being thrown out! Behold, God has kept in readi-
ness a whale to reach you to Nineveh.
Suffering
and
the Kingdom of God
Passion and Resurrection are the most important among the
salvific mysteries. As recorded in the three synoptic gospels, thrice
has Jesus predicted His suffering. In all these three predictions, it is
specifically mentioned that He will be resurrected after the passion
and death. There is no Resurrection without Suffering. And no ex-
periencing of the Kingdom of God without suffering. No Easter Sun-
day is possible without a Good Friday.

The first prediction

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the
elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed
and on the third day be raised
(Mt 16:21; cf. Mk 8:31, Lk 9:22).

44 45
 Jesus, not only foresaw the forthcoming suffering and proclaimed
it, but also he lived and preached his ministry keeping this truth in
mind. The truth that he will be resurrected on the third day of being
killed. The foreknowledge and hope of resurrection was his strength.
This is the greatest mystery of the power of the Kingdom of God.
The foreknowledge
of suffering and resurrection
Jesus foreknew that he would suffer much cruelty before be-
ing killed by his own people. This do happen in the lives of every
one of us. When experiencing suffering in our spiritual life and in
our family life, we should recognize this as the suffering that enjoins
us with Jesus and thus we should be able to say along with Jesus: I
must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders (Mt 16:21).
Isnt it a true fact? Against our self interests and convictions we
are forced to accept much from our elders, authorities, spiritual fa-
thers and parents. Even though we know that obedience is better
than sacrifice, in our life we dont foresee situations where we
can put this to practice. Hence we face a great urge against the
duty of obiedence towards those whom we should obey. He came
to what was his own, but his own did not accept him (Jn 1:11). We
shall beget the most suffering from our own - our family relations,
our community members. The one who ate my food has raised his
heel against me (Jn 13:18). Once a person launched a business in
partnership with a friend who for years had shared food from his
own plate. But the joint venture did not last long. His friend swin-
dled lakhs of rupees and disappeared from the scene. We may find
such situations arising in our lives too, when our close friends unex-
pectedly turn against us. Only if we can foresee the resurrection
which follows that crucifiction (suffering) we shall be able to joy-
fully accept that suffering.
46
Get behind me, satan!
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to
you. He turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Sa-
tan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as
God does, but as human beings do (Mt 16:22,23 cf. Mk
8:32-33).
The dark force that distances us from the spirit of suffering do
act on us in our daily lives. This action takes place on us through the
advice of many persons. Some would sympathise with us on our mis-
fortune. They may console us with the words let this not happen to
you. On such words that promise relief, we should understand that
here is the same force at work. The same force which we should
understand as the one that drew us to the pleasures of the world and
enslaved us by its attachments, inclinations and likings. This force is
not the Spirit of God. We should have the courage to say to such
temptations, begone satan.....you are a hindrance to me. This power,
this grace can be given to us only by the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of
the Redeemer of the world who after enduring the passion - arose!
Inclination towards the pleasures of this world is against God. You
are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do (Mt 16:23). It
is our thoughts more than our deeds that pain the heart of the Lord.
Hence we are not to live as per to our human thoughts.
The grace to endure sufferings
For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not
only to believe in him but also to suffer for him
(Phil 1:29).
Our spiritual growth must be guided by this Word of God given
47
above. As we do grow in the faith of Christ, for the growth to reach
its full maturity, we have to necessarily suffer for the sake of Christ.
That is to say, as our faith grows, our sufferings also grow. But we
dont perceive this as a grace. We undergo suffering with reluctance
and murmurs. The path towards the Kingdom of God is narrow. And
it is only through this path of suffering we enter into his Kingdom. We
should take it to heart this great mystery that it is only through the
cross we can attain resurrection.
Now, some ailments do not get healed even after our fervent
prayers. The reason could be that it is of Gods Will and grace to
suffer through such ailments. Do we acknowledge these as precious
blessings? - these pains and passions which the patients suffer? The
troubles which those who nurse the sick undergo ? Those in convents
and families who for years are bedridden are blessed in two ways.
One - through the sufferings of the sick. Two - through the sufferings
of those who treat them with love and patience. Through these suf-
ferings a lot of blessings are brought to the communities and the
families.
This we understand from the lives of saints. We read this in the
biography of the Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity: Facing death in
her sickbed she prayed joyfully: O my God I thirst to be completely
united with you. Then the Lord asked, What kind of death do you
prefer? A normal death or a death on the cross? Immediately Eliza-
beth said joyfully: death on the Cross. The Lord granted her desire.
Elizabeth did not die. Instead, she was raised to a greater sickness
and more intense suffering. Eventually, in full bliss she surrendered
her soul into the Lords hands.
Let us pray. O my Jesus, I accept the sufferings of my life. I
thank you for having made them into blessings. Now, reflect on our
sufferings and thank the Lord for all of them. Offer them to the Cross
of Christ.
48
For many, as I have often told you and now tell you
even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross
of the Christ. Their end is destruction (Phil 3:18).
Instead of thinking humanly think divine way and accept suf-
ferings. If we do not gain blessings through sufferings, then we be-
come the enemies of the cross of Christ. St. Francis Assisi, during
his life used to love sufferings and desired that there should be suffer-
ings in all his undertakings and hence yielded his mind and body will-
fully for sufferings. Thus he became a friend of the Cross. Because
of this God greatly exalted him. Those who humble themselves will
be exalted.
Second prediction
While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said
to his disciples, pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men. But they
did not understand the saying; its meaning was hidden
from them so that they should not understand it
(Mt 17:22-23; Mk 9:30-32; Lk 9:44-45).
When the Lord accomplishes marvellous and glorious deeds in
and through our ministries we should be conscious of the sufferings
that shall occur thereafter. The Lord specifically told this to his dis-
ciples:
Pay attention to what I am telling.
Let us pray that this Word may be written deep in our hearts. So
should be written in our hearts the Lords prophecy and teaching about
suffering and passion. Only thus shall we become disciples of Christ.
The hidden mystery
Its meaning was hidden from them so that they could not un-
derstand it(Lk 9:45). It is the Holy Spirit who reveal these hidden
mysteries in our lives and its formation.
49
 This God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the
Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God
(1 Cor 2:10).
It is not sufficient that we are filled by the Holy Spirit. As people
we must become as those led by the Holy Spirit. The mystery that it
was necessary that Messiah should suffer these things and enter into
glory (Lk 9:26) was revealed by the Holy Spirit: All these were im-
pressed indelibly upon the minds of the disciples after the pentecost.
It was only when they accepted sufferings and began to live as per
the mystery of the passion, that the Good News spread rapidly. Miracles
were accomplished through them. The Acts of the Apostles are what
the apostles had done through the power of resurrection. This is the
hidden mystery of the passion.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing
that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonour for
the sake of the name. And all day long, both at the temple
and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and pro-
claiming the Messiah, Jesus (Acts 5:41-42).
When we partake in the passion of Christ through our suffering,
we partake in the mystery of redemption. It is only then that the Spirit
of the Saviour shall reside in us. Proclamation of the Gospel can take
place only through the power of the Spirit. Now; when responsibility
is laid on us to evangelise the hundred crores of people of India, and
when tireless effort for the world evangelization is taking place, we
need to take it to heart this hidden mystery and yield ourselves for
sufferings. Only thus shall the efforts for evangelization bear fruits.
In other words, today what binds and resists the Evangelisation
process is our luxurious life styles and those rituals which bear counter
witness to the life and Cross of Christ. By virtue of our baptism, all of
us who have heeded his call of Come and follow me, are partakers
50
of Christs suffering, death and resurrection. But we do conform to
the age of this world. And hence however much we work towards
evangelisation, it will not be to the fulfilment of Gods will. Then the
Lord may declare solemnly: I never knew you. Depart from me, you
evildoers (Mt 7:23). Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will
of my Father in heaven (Mt 7:21).The will of the heavenly Father is
that which Jesus did. By accepting the chalice Jesus suffered, died
and then rose again. As Christians, this is applicable to each one of
us. Only then we experience the full power of resurrection.
Third prediction
Then he took the Twelve aside and said to them, Be-
hold, we are going up to Jerusalem and everything writ-
ten by the prophets about the Son of Man will be ful-
filled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles and he will
be mocked and insulted and spat upon; and after they
have scourged him they will kill him, but on the third day
he will rise. But they understood nothing of this; the
word remained hidden from them and they failed to com-
prehend what he said (Lk 18: 31-34; Mt 20:17-19; Mk
10:32-34).
He took the twelve aside and said to them. From this we un-
derstand that this was a teaching given specially to the apostles. Even
today Lord Jesus says the very samething by taking aside each one
of us who are growing in his discipleship. We may be ridiculed, spat
on our face, or spoken despisingly to. Rejoice and be glad in such
situations, for on the third day he will rise again (Lk 18:33).
They understood nothing of this (Lk 18:34)
In our own lives too, even when we experience light afflictions,
51
we understand nothing - but we too will rise again.
In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted (2 Tm 3:12).
We even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction pro-
duces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven char-
acter, hope (Rom 5:3-4).

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have

great recompense. You need endurance to do the Will of God and
receive what He has promised(Heb 10:35-36).

We grow when we understand this mystery. With love in our
hearts, meditation to partake in the sufferings of Christ, let us accept
the afflictions that we undergo in our daily lives. So that we shall with
confidence pray for the coming of his Kingdom. In order to obtain
eternal life, let us partake of his suffering by willingly accepting all
redeeming and unmerited sufferings, and thus through the experience
of the resurrection enter the Kingdom of God. Praise be to God.
(To be continued in the next issue)
Sin against the
Holy Spirit
Even at after the year of the Holy Spirit has ended in 1998, still
this day, many have doubts, fears and anxieties about the sin against
the Holy Spirit. Many keep asking me about this. I am not competent
to give an explanation on this. But our Holy Father Pope John Paul II
has answered this question very magnificently in the 46th para of his
Encyclical Dominum et Vivificantem. The important portion of the
Encyclical given below should be read, studied and meditated in the
spirit of prayer. It is very necessary to teach others of this. It is advis-
able to teach this by quoting the same Encyclical. Because this sub-
ject is such that it should not be of ones own independent
interpretation:-

Against the background of what has been said so far, certain

other words of Jesus, shocking and disturbing ones, became easier to
understand.We might call them the words of unforgiveness.They
are reported for us by Synoptics in connection with a particular sin
which is called blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This is how they
52 53
are reported in their three versions: Mathew: Whoever says a word
against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against
the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to
come(Mt 12:31f ). Mark: All sins will be forgiven the son of men,
and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin(Mk
3:28 f ) Luke: Every one who speaks a word against the Son of Man
will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will
not be forgiven(Lk 12:10).
Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit unforgivable? How
should this blasphemy be understood? Saint Thomas Aquinas replies
that it is a question of a sin that is unforgivable by its very nature, in
so far as it excludes the elements through which the forgiveness of
sin takes place (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theol. IIa-IIae,
q.14,a.3).
According to such an exegesis, blasphemy does not properly
consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather
in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through
the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross. If man re-
jects the convincing concerning sin which comes from the Holy
Spirit and which has the power to save, he also rejects the coming
of the Counsellor-that coming which was accomplished in the Pas-
chal Mystery, in union with the redemptive power of Christs blood:
the blood which purifies the conscience from dead works.
that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit connot be forgiven either in this
life or in the next, it is because this non-forgiveness is linked, as to
its cause, to non-repentance, in other words to the radical refusal
to be converted. This means the refusal to come to the sources of
Redemption, which nevertheless remain always open in the economy
of salvation in which the mission of the Holy Spirit is accomplished.
The Spirit has infinite power to draw from these sources: he will take
what is mine, Jesus said. In this way he brings to completion in hu-
man souls the work of the Redemption accomplished by Christ, and
distributes its fruits. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, then, is the sin
committed by the person who claims to have a right to persist in evil
- in any sin at all - and who thus rejects Redemption. One closes
oneself up in sin, thus making impossible ones conversion, and conse-
quently the remission of sins, which one considers not essential or not
important for ones life. This is a state of spiritual ruin, because blas-
phemy against the Holy Spirit does not allow one to escape from
ones self imposed imprisonment and open oneself to the divine sources
of the purification of consciences and of the remission of sins.
(The encyclical Dominum et Vivificantem- The Holy Spirit -
in the life of the Church and the world has been published by the
Kindom Publications. It is available from the office of the Kingdom
Publications. Rs 25/-)

We know that the result of such a purification is the forgiveness

of sins. Therefore, whoever rejects the Spirit and the Blood remains
in dead works in sin. And the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
consists precisely in the radical refusal to accept this forgiveness, of
which he is the intimate giver and which presupposes the genuine
conversion which he brings about in the conscience. If Jesus says

54 55

The Family - Continued from the previous issue
Love within the Family
It is from the love within our family that the love of ones
neighbour is born. And this love within the family springs forth from
the love of God. Every individual receives the love of God from ones
own family. For, the parents themselves have received it from God.
But it so happens that we as children never receive this love from our
parents in its fullness - because they themselves were not given in its
absolute fullness the love they desired. Therefore there is always the
want of love in us. And hence we are not able to love one another.
This want of love is made up by the Holy Spirit who directly imparts
love of God into our hearts.
Hope does not disappoint us, because the love of God
has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit that has been given to us (Rom 5:5).
The Holy Spirit dwells within our hearts in love at its purest. This
is the love between the Father and the Son - the love originating from
56
the family of God, that is, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. God
created man in His own image and after His likeness (Gen 1:27).
That likeness and image is the likeness of the divine Trinitarian family
love.
Male and female he created them
The Lord God said: It is not good for the man to be
alone. I will make a suitable partner for him....This one,
at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh......
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and
clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body
(Gen 2:18,23,24).
The image of God is love. God created family as one single
body filled with that love. This reaches its fullness when man and
woman offer each other in the sacrament of matrimony whereby
they are sacramentally filled with the Holy Spirit - which is to say,
with the love of the Father and the Son. That love flows into the
oneness of the man and woman. Thus they come to love each other.
Thus the family becomes the nucleus where Gods love gets trans-
formed as the love of one another.
God is love. If so, then satan is hatred. In the first family
created by God as one body of man and woman, satan worked his
evil scheme. And they distanced themselves from God - that is; from
the love of God and from the love of ones neighbour. It is in that
situation that they begot Cain and Abel.
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the
Lord asked Cain, Where is your brother Abel?He an-
swered, I do not know. Am I my brothers keeper?
The Lord then said: What have you done! Listen: your
brothers blood cries out to me from the soil
(Gen 4:8-10).
57
 Am I my brothers keeper? is the question echoing from many
families even today. Lack of love in the families is of such an ancient
heritage. May be that is why it is said: Everyone who hates his brother
is a murderer (1 Jn 3:15).
You and your household
will be saved
Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the plan of salvation to liberate man-
kind. This from the bondages of sin that arose from the first parents.
Each of us to experience that liberation, we need to be cleansed from
the bondages of hatred and of murder which has come down to our
families from the very first family. It is the Holy Spirit dwelling in us
who will accomplish this purification in each one of us. What we
have to do is to surrender these emotional faculties in us and pray for
purification.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom
every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he
may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to
be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the in-
ner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have
strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is
the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know
the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you
may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him
who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or
imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for-
ever and ever. Amen (Eph 3:14-21).
The power that is at work within us is able to restore with
retrospective effect the love of God which was being lost out to us
58
for generations. And this power accomplishes far more than all we
ask or imagine. It is so because the love of God has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us
(Rom 5:5). When we are filled with that love we put on the new
self created in Gods way (Eph 4:24) or we put on Jesus Christ
(Rom 13:14). And we put away the former man - Adams son - and
his way of life which has been corrupted through deceitful desires
(cf. Eph 4:22). So that we may be filled with all the fullness of
God (Eph 3:19).
The fullness of God is the love of God. The Trinitarian God by
dwelling in our hearts, make our hearts the Kingdom of God - the
heaven itself. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus emphatically points
out this love. After teaching them: Love your neighbour. Love your
enemy and such, he said how to attain this love.
So be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect
(Mt 5:48).
This perfection should begin in each family. For this purpose we
must bent our knees and pray before the Father from whom every
family in heaven and on earth is named (Eph 3:14,15).
We may be able to comprehend the breadth and length, height
and depth of Christs love and be filled with that great love which
surpasses all knowledge. Then Christ shall dwells in our hearts through
faith. We become rooted and grounded in love. And our inner self will
be strengthened (cf. Eph 3:16 -19).
Be rooted
and grounded in love
This is to be studied in detail. To be rooted and grounded in love
would mean to rectify the drain of the love which should otherwise
59
have reached us through our parents along the family tree. This rec- in circumstances, because of the innate lack of love of the parents,
tification would help attain the fullness in love. and because of the presence of the sinful old man in them, no child
receives the fullness of that love from his parents as God had intented.
If the root is holy, so are the branches (Rom 11:16).
Thus in truth none of us gets rooted in love. We can love others only
The verse above shows us an important reason why we are in proportion to the love which we have received. For, how can we
not able to love one another. This is the the root of all problems in give what we have not received ? Hence only when that want within
our families. A wife does not get the desired love from the husband. us is removed, can we get rooted in love. Only then there shall arise
A husband does not receive it from the wife. The parents miss it love in our families. Thus is the source of love in all the families. And
from the children. And the children from the parents. This is the only when this is received in its fullness, you and your household will
cause for the lack of peace in the family. But it is easy to rectify be saved. For that purpose, everyone should fervently pray thus:
this. The hatred and lack of love in the family rooted through gen- Holy Spirit, love of God indwelling within me, fill me with the
erations need to be first sanctified and then it must be sprouted and fullness of Gods love thereby rectifying the want of love in me. The
grounded in roots of love. love which I should have received from my forefathers through my
parents. Triune God, indwelling within me, fill me with that love which
God has given life to each one of us with its roots in love. Our
I should have received, but didnt, from the time I was in my mothers
life sprouted as follows. Upon Gods decision to create us, God had
womb.
first united our parents into one body through the sacrament of matri-
mony. A man and woman, until then unknown to each other, becomes
(We shall study this in detail in the next issue)
filled with the love of God through this sacrament. On the wedding
night, being filled with the love of God, they become one. And this
reaches fullness through their mutual offering to one another. The
foundation of each of our life was laid when our parents became one
in love. God had filled our parents with perfect love in order to give us
life rooted and grounded in love. We learn another principle from this.
Divine life is the mutual love between persons. As the divine life in a
person decreases, his divine strength also decreases in his inmost.
That is why St. Paul in the above letter writes this: that He may grant
you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with
power through his spirit in the inner self (Eph 3:16).

God bestows a one hundred percent love to our parents in or-

der to create us and to fill us with that love. But because of the forces

60 61
 THE
Kingdom
Sanctify yourselves
A book-serial to grow in the experience of the kingdom of God 3
Sanctify yourselves, for tommorow the Lord will
perform wonders among you (Jos. 3:5).
When he consecrated himself for holiness, miracles be-
gan to take place in his life. Leaving aside the job con-
nected with iron, steel and machines, he changed him-
self into a worker who joins human spirit with divine
spirit. He became a fisher of man (cf. Lk.5:10).
Divinization takes place in ones life through sanctifica-
tion. In him the experience of the Kingdom of God
begins on this earth itself. It is impossible to please
God without holiness. Excepting a few days, for the
last 3 years God has been using him to proclaim the
word of God tirelessly everyday from morning till
evening.
Thomas Paul
THE
Kingdom
P U B L IC AT I O N S
A/1-B Garden Court, Opp.P.O.C,
Edappally P.O, Kochi-682024 , Kerala, India.
Ph: 0484 - 2806376
Email: kthomaspaul@gmail.com