Encouragement

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“Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:10

William Shakespeare, the greatest English writer, poet and playwright had penned in his masterpiece -‘Romeo & Juliet’, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Truly, it is the person that we love and not the name and fame attached to the person. Our heart is drawn to the heart of the other person and this is what encapsulates our whole being.

We have also seen through History various famous authors who significantly wrote under a pseudonym. I must admit that I too wrote for almost a year for my community website under the pen name-‘Melanie’. Perhaps it was just an innovative idea to have a dash of mystery where people are completely unaware that you are the writer of the article. Speaking of which, my words have always taken great delight in proving me wrong. The creation wants to be above the creator similarly like the world today. Mankind wants to prove that he knows more than God but forgets that in a flash of lightning, fate can take an unexpected turn with no control over it.

As we all know that there is no name greater in heaven, on earth and below the earth than the name of ‘Jesus’. His Sacred Heart draws us to Himself. When we call on His name in total faith, we can be sure that He will heed to our call. He holds our life in His hands. He existed before the world began and was Wisdom himself in the creation of the universe. He is the Tree of Life. We are all christened in the power of His name.

Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, those who share in the glory of the Transfigured world in heaven, who lived their lives in an exemplary way, ready to be martyred for their beloved Creator. Their names are written in the anvils of heaven but to quote from what Shakespeare wrote, it is not their names that count as much as the deeds that they performed, their saintly actions due to which they merited heaven. We are all too familiar with this song, “When the Saints go marching in, I want to be in that number.” A very upbeat and inspiring song. We can almost envision the saints in their triumphant march into the heavenly paradise.

Besides these, we still have so many living saints in the world today who are right now undergoing persecution for the sake of spreading the gospel in one way or the other, who do not flinch a bit when faced with the threat of their own lives. Their gaze is firmly fixed on heaven. They can be fully assured of their heavenly reward.

One of my most famous hymns in childhood used to be; “Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go Lord, if you lead me, I will hold your people in my heart.” I felt the fulfillment of this song during my first spiritual talk in my parish.

May the Lord give us the strength to answer to His call, to undertake the mission that He has set before us. May we also strive to follow the examples of the lives of Saints and their heroic deeds as we journey through this pilgrim world on earth remembering to pray to them as they are always interceding for us from heaven since they are now with the Lord himself.

Maria Franco
 

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