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Mother Mary, Pray for our Readers.
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06 Seasons change but jesus doesn’t
08 bringing out the beads
10 cross, christ and me
12 Let’s stop and think
14 if god has a plan, why pray?
16 youth for God
20 Loneliness: A silent plague
22 A regretful judgement
04W
aiti
ng In
Hop
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meet
s the
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OUR HEAVENLY PATRONESSOur Lady Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.
OUR PATRON BISHOPS
Bishop Joy Alappatt,Auxiliary Bishop of the St. ThomasSyroMalabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago, USA
Bishop James Massa,Auxiliary Bishop of the Brooklyn Dioceseof New York, USA
Bishop Jacob Manathodath,Bishop of Palghat, India.
Bishop Robert Byrne, AuxiliaryBishop of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, UK.
Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan,Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Ireland.
Bishop Joseph Srampickal,Bishop of the Syro Malabar Diocese ofGreat Britain.
Bishop Bosco Puthur,Bishop of the Syro -Malabar Eparchy ofSt. Thomas the Apostle, Melbourne, Australia
IMPRIMATURBishop Joy Alappatt,Auxiliary Bishop of the St. ThomasSyroMalabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago,USA. Date: April 21, 2016
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDRev. Fr. Xavier Khan Vattayil,Rev. Fr Soji Olikkal.The Editorial Board wish to give allthe Glory to God. Without his divinehelp the production of this magazinewould not have been possible.
FOR GENERAL INQUIRIES:[email protected]
FOR SUBSCRIPTION OR BILLINGINFO: [email protected]
KINGDOM REVELATOR USA766 Clover Ridge LaneItasca, IL. 60143
PLEASE VISIT US AT:kingdomrevelatorusa.org
Kingdom Revelator I 3
We can all agree, there is something specialabout newness. After nine months ofsickness, tears and pain, the first cry of anewborn baby changes everything. Within afraction of a moment, there is suddenlynothing else in the world more spectacularthan this tiny human being. This month, aswe move into the season of spring, evennature unites itself to millions of Christiansacross the globe rejoicing in new life. Aftera long forty days of preparation, the feastwe have all been waiting for has finallyarrived – Happy Easter!Christ conquered death and opened to usthe doors of eternal life; indeed, this is acelebration much more than chocolate eggsand treasure hunts. Rewinding quickly tothe crucifixion, Jesus took upon Himself thepunishment for all the sins of mankind. Hewas then put to death and for two days, allhope was lost. The game-changer was on
the third day; Jesus rose from the dead.The resurrection of Christ is essentiallythe peak point of Christianity. Itembodies the teachings of Jesus in theNew Testament, fulfils the promisesfound in the Old Testament and confirmsthe divinity of the Son of God. It alsoechoes the three theological virtues offaith, hope and charity.What does this mean for us? In one of hishomilies last month, Pope Francis spokeof “parked Christians”. In other words,Christians who have come to a standstillin their journey towards heaven. TheHoly Father challenges each one of us,who has received the “first gift of grace”through Baptism, to move forward andtake risks. In a post-resurrection world,we ought to be the voice of hope inbroken societies saying again and again,He has risen!
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Waiting isn't as badas you think. MerinThankachan fromBlackpool, UKexplains.
Kingdom Revelator I 4
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Kingdom Revelator I 5
Jesus, who was aware of suchhuman weaknesses, instructed Hisapostles to remain in Jerusalem forthe promise of the Father (Acts 1:4).In anticipation and obedience, theapostles waited and their rewardcame on the day of Pentecost.Each one of them was reborn inthe Holy Spirit, and clothed withdivine power, they preached theGospel fearlessly. It is through thissame Spirit that we receive anabundance of grace to have faith,hope and love in Christ.How then can we be assured thatour hope is not in vain? The New
Testament overflows with many ofGod’s promises concerningsalvation, redemption,forgiveness, new life, freedomand eternity. St Peter also teachesus that “According to his greatmercy, he has caused us to be bornagain to a living hope through theresurrection of Jesus Christ fromthe dead, to an inheritance that isimperishable, undefiled, andunfading, kept in heaven for you”(1 Peter 1:3-4). So for Christians,the celebration of Easter remindsand fully assures us of a hopefulfuture with the risen Lord.
The New Testamentoverflows with many ofGod’s promisesconcerning salvation,redemption, forgiveness,new life, freedom andeternity.
Iwant it – now. Fast food, high-speed internet, TV on demand,same-day delivery; we are living in a
world where the probability of instantgratification dictates what, why,where and when we do things. Youmay have heard people say there is notime like the present, and anymention of the word ‘wait’ is typicallymet with groans and complaints.Often, we are quick to act on thisimpulse of wanting immediatepleasure which has left many with theconcept that the faster, the better.However, is this always the case?In the 1960s and 70s, a famous study –now known as The MarshmallowExperiment – was conducted byresearchers at Stanford University. Agroup of children were left in a roomfor fifteen minutes and were offered amarshmallow each. If they resistedthe urge to eat the first marshmallowuntil the researchers returned, theywere to be rewarded with a secondmarshmallow. In short, the resultsshowed that the children who wereable to resist temptation and wait forthe long-term reward showed positivetraits later on in life.During this Easter season, there is a lotwe can learn from those children (andnot just about marshmallows). Firstand foremost, there is the beautifulconcept of hope that goes hand inhand with waiting. As St Paul writes,“If we hope for what we do not see,we wait for it with patience”(Romans 8:25). Admittedly, it is easyto say yes to the quick fixes that comeour way. However, as Christians it isimportant that we never lose sight ofthe world to come. Just as the childrenwho waited in expectant hope of agreater reward, we too are to wait ineagerness for His return.By nature, it is difficult to believe inthings we do not see peripherally. But
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Ilive in a suburban city in the UnitedStates and am surrounded by churchesof different denominations. I love
driving, and whenever I am on the road, Ilove to read the messages on thebillboards of these churches. One fallmorning, as I was driving by, thefollowing message caught my eye:“Seasons change but Jesus doesn’t...” Ipaused to reflect on the meaning of this
Kingdom Revelator I 6
Rani Joseph fromWashington DC,
shares herthoughts about
how God is atwork in us all
the time.
message, which went along perfectlywith the autumn scenery surroundingme. Out of all the seasons, autumn, thetime when leaves are painted withglorious hues of yellow, orange and red ismy favourite time of the year.Yet I know that this beauty won’t last toolong, and is only a sign of the approachingcold months. In a few weeks, all theseleaves will fall, leaving the trees looking
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Kingdom Revelator I 7
season. What looks like deathto us, therefore, is simplyGod’s protection of Hiscreation and a way ofpreserving life.In the spring, all these treeswill bloom again with newleaves and beautiful flowers.In our lives and in ourrelationship with God, we gothrough seasons too. Job fromthe Bible is the perfectexample of this. After losingeverything in his life he says,“So I am allotted months ofemptiness, and nights ofmisery are apportioned tome. When I lie down I say,‘When shall I rise?’ But thenight is long, and I am full oftossing until dawn. My flesh isclothed with worms and dirt;my skin hardens, then breaksout again.” (Job 7:3-5)Yet we see God restoring allthat he had lost and blessinghis latter days much morethan his former days (Job42:10). You may be a personwho once took pride inwealth, a reputableprofession, good health andso on, but may now besuffering through sickness,death of a loved one, or someother trial. You may feelsimilar to a tree that has lostall its leaves.On the other hand, if yourfaith is not strong and you arenot in a state of grace, thenyou may also feel as thoughyou are dead inside. Theenemy may make you thinkyou are a big sinner, unworthyof God’s love, but Jesus tellsyou otherwise. He came tofind the lost sheep. He said, “Ihave come to call not therighteous but sinners torepentance” (Luke 5:32). TheBible tells us, “So if anyone isin Christ, there is a newcreation: everything old has
passed away; see, everything hasbecome new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).Like these trees that come back tolife when the season changes, youtoo can find a new life in Christ.It doesn’t matter whatever stageyou are in. If you are in Christ,there is always a second chance,and He can renew and restore you.God says, “Do not remember theformer things, or consider thethings of old. I am about to do anew thing; now it springs forth, doyou not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19).He reassures us that even if oursins are greater than the sand ofthe sea, one drop of His mercy isenough to cover them all.Wherever we are in our lives, letus repent and choose to be withour Lord Jesus Christ. There isalways hope, salvation, love,mercy, and everything you need inJesus. Right now, He is waitingwith open arms for your return. Letus enjoy that unconditional love,joy, and happiness that flows fromabove. Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday, today, and forever(Hebrews 13:8). Our lifecircumstances, just like seasons,may change, but Jesus doesn’t.
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lifeless. One who is not familiar withthis sight may even be tempted to askwhy no one is cutting them down. Inreality, God is at work even then,preparing them to survive the bittercold of the coming winter.Deciduous plants lose their leaves toconserve water to survive winterweather and to regrow new foliageduring the next suitable growing
Kingdom Revelator I 8
Like every head teacher of a Catholic school whoflicks through the Catholic media every month, Ienjoy casting my eye over the differentactivities and the varied experiences of theyoung people in our Catholic schools. Whenreading about our schools there is a real beautyto the consistency of positive stories, but thereis a sameness there too. A chapel has beenblessed, a secondary school has twinned withone in Africa, some year six students are leadinga Mass, there has been a Mission Week. Theseare all such wonderful expressions and I’vealways enthusiastically reported them whenthey’ve occurred at Trinity.
My SchoolingComing from Australia, I had thegood fortune of being educated bythe Marist Brothers. The ‘LittleBrothers of Mary’, started bySt Marcellin Champagnat in 1817,were sent to the New World in themid nineteenth century, bringingtheir mission of educating thechildren of the poor to burgeoningCatholic communities. With aparticular devotion to the BlessedVirgin, there was a constantcompassion and kindness duringmy schooling. There was also adevotion to the rosary.I can remember being encouragedbefore rugby games to pray adecade by our erstwhile coach, orclear instructions in schoolnewsletters to pray a full rosary fordifferent causes and for Brotherswho may be ill. My father who hadgrown up with a daily householdrosary, and its sanctity andimportance was something thatnever left me.
Occasional PrayerAt Trinity school, over the past sixyears of my headship, my beadshave been produced for the schoolat times of crisis and mourning. Ifound that the sense of comfortand familial homeliness was apalpable one. But, crisis passed,they would be hung up again onmy wall, and we would once againenter the demanding machine ofschool improvement.
A Different ApproachI’m not sure what has prompted achange this year. Come Octoberthough, when we as headsresurrect the seasonal liturgies andmessages, I felt the need to do itdifferently. The beads themselvesare not prayers – but the fact that Ionly felt their smooth hue in myfingers when a child was inhospital or when October bumpedaround undermined, I felt, the
Chris Gabbett,the head teacher
at TrinityCatholic School inLeamington Spa,
England shareshis experience on
introducing theRosary to his
puplis.
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Kingdom Revelator I 9Kingdom Revelator I 9
beauty and the magic of therosary.I dearly wanted my students tofeel the same as I did about therosary. There are so manymessages that we arecompeting with! Children aregrowing up so, so fast, and insecondary schools now we areseeing children in year seven as‘worldly wise’ as year elevenstudents five years ago. Thepressures of social mediaensure that there is no quiettime – so few places forreflection.
prayers at first were nowleading, the Apostle’s Creedwas becoming rote, theseparate mysteries becomingfamiliar. More than thatthough, I started to see achange in them, and felt achange in me. One day, onthe walk to school, my handabsently reached into my coatand pulled out the woodenbeads, and I was away. Manyof the children shared similarstories.
Encouraging StudentsI began to identify a core ofstudents who, regardless of whenthese were held, arrived. Somestarted bringing their own beads.Either gifts from an aunt or agrandparent, or an heirloom dugout, there was a sense that therosary had become a chance tocommunicate their faith across thegenerations. Then, the nextbattle… the children leading therosary.October became November. Myseasonal head teacher ‘duty’ wascomplete. But we still met everyweek: About fifteen students,sometimes more, sometimes less.The ones who mumbled the
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Introducing The RosaryIn early October, members of thecommunity started seeing,messages on the school Twitter,Instagram and Facebook feeds,inviting them to a rosary in theschool chapel. We tried to makethese as compelling as possible,bedecked with Pogues lyrics andcolourful images, but the messagewas the same – our day would stoponce a week, for half an hour, sowe could devote some time toprayer. Crucially, we did theseduring lesson time. I needed thestudents to see, that duringOctober, we could prioritise prayerabove lessons, above chatting andabove targets.
The ResultsOur rosary group is small, butperfect. Not all are Catholic, but allhave drunk so deep of itssplendour. We said a rosary everymorning during Advent and saidone in front of the BlessedSacrament on Remembrance Day.We have planned pilgrimages toWalsingham and to Rue de Bac thisyear.Of most importance though is thatall of us, myself included, havefound within that beautifulrepetition and meditation our ownsacred space, where we leave ourpressures at the door of the chapeland bring in nothing but our sinsand our hope. I am so glad I choseto bring children to the rosary.
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The Trinity School Chaplaincy team with Archbishop Bernard Longley
I needed thestudents to see, thatduring October, wecould prioritiseprayer abovelessons, abovechatting and abovetargets.
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Kingdom Revelator I 10
Accepting the CrossHope is at the centre of Christiansuffering, for the life of Christ shows usthat after the crucifixion comes theresurrection. When faced with suffering,how does each one of us react? Do weaccept it is as part of God’s plan or do weimmediately try to run away from it? Wecan see from the lives of many saintsthat they rejoiced during struggles, asthough they had received an abundanceof blessings. Through the eyes of faith,many considered their tears to be jewelswhich could be stored up as treasure inheaven (Matthew 6:20).After tears and heartache, the days willcome when Jesus grants us theopportunity to look back on how far Hehas brought us from the pit of despair:"He sustained him in a desert land, in a
Rosemary Joyfrom
Birmingham,UK reflects onhow Christiansshould take uptheir cross and
follow in thefootsteps of
Christ.
howling wilderness waste; he shieldedhim, cared for him, guarded him as theapple of his eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10). Inthe desert of suffering, God will cover uswith the mantle of His protection andlove (Psalm 91:4). Even when everythingaround us is changing, He will remainconstant; He will be our refuge and therock upon which we can confidently standamid the wildest storms: “In you my soultakes refuge; in the shadow of your wingsI will take refuge, until the destroyingstorms pass by” (Psalm 57:1). Standingunder the shadow of Christ withunwavering trust in His love, let us acceptthe sufferings that come into our livesand be like Jesus; He embraced the crosswith eagerness and affection knowingthat without the crucifixion, there can beno resurrection.
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Kingdom Revelator I 11
Imitating ChristThe word “Christian” is derivedfrom a Greek word meaning“little Christ”. To be a Christianmeans to be like Christ and to belike Christ means to take up ourcross every day, and follow Himwho carried His cross withsubmission and patience. “Ifanyone want to become myfollowers, let them denythemselves and take up theircross and follow me” (Luke 9:23).Despite being beaten, bruisedand weak, Jesus did not give upon His journey towards Calvary.He knew that like “grain iscrushed for bread” (Isaiah 28:28),His body had to be trampled,spat and hung upon a cross tosave us.Keeping our eyes fixed on thecross, let us try to imitate ourLord who did not abandon the
Kingdom Revelator I 11
I See Christ Beside MeWhen my mind feels like it’sfighting a battle no one sees, I seeChrist beside me, wearing a crownof thorns for me.When my body feels like it can’ttake any more pain, I see Christbeside me, falling under the weightof the cross for me.When my tears fall down my cheekswith no one to wipe them away, Isee Christ beside me, shedding Hisblood for me.When my friends and familyabandon me, I see Christ beside me,praying all alone in the garden forme.When my heart tells me I’msuffering alone, I see Christ besideme, offering Himself for me.
cross but held onto it tightly.When we look at oursufferings in the light ofChrist’s sufferings, we willreceive strength from theHoly Spirit to walk the way ofthe cross like Jesus did.St Don Bosco once said, “Yourreward in heaven will makeup completely for all yourpain and suffering.” Pain isnever the end. Rather, it isthe ladder through which wecan climb up to heaven if weoffer it to Jesus. Christclimbed up to Mount Calvarywhere He conquered deathonce and for all. Therefore,just as He carried the crosswith strength drawn from Hislove for each one of us, weought to press on towardsthe goal for the prize of theheavenly call of God in ChristJesus (Philippians 3:14).
Kingdom Revelator I 12
ChitchatA priest once addressed a group ofchildren during homily asking why it isimportant to be quiet at church. A childreplied, "so you don't wake up thepeople who are sleeping". Jokes aside,I'm sure we have all witnessed thestandard drill of people greeting eachother and exchanging pleasantriesbefore the start of Mass. Yes, I've beenthere too. However, church is a holyplace wherein we encounter the mostimportant person in the Eucharist. PopeFrancis advised Catholics to spend theirtime in silence before Mass, preparing to“meet Jesus” instead of engaging in“chitchat”. Getting into the habit ofreaching church ten minutes early everySunday and spending some quiet time isa simple way to put this into practice.
Rajni Manojfrom Derby, UK,
shares somefood for thought
aboutparticipating in
the Holy Mass ina worthymanner.
“My house shall be called a house ofprayer for all the nations” (Mark 11:17).
Running Late and BackbenchersImagine a visit to a much awaited movieor going to a concert on Sunday. Most ofus can nod in agreement that even adelay of 5 minutes would be treated as acomplete loss. Once there, we would allbe racing to get the best seats at the frontfor we are often starstruck by celebritieswho have sadly not done a single thingfor you or me. Now, how many of usarrive late and opt for the back benchesat Sunday Mass? When arriving late,many of us feel no disappointment athaving missed out on this sacredcelebration.Mass is an appointment with the King ofthe universe and an opportunity to spend
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some time with Him. Jesus, whowe encounter at Mass, died apainful death on the cross so thatwe may have eternal life. In thewords of Pope Francis, "Theencounter with God is a livingencounter, it is not an encounterof a museum. And we go to Mass,not a museum!" Wouldn’t it begreat to choose the front rows ofchurch then to meet Jesus, theKing of the universe?Next time we arrive late or opt forthe back bench in church out ofdisinterest, let us remindourselves that there is no greaterprivilege than to meet Christ in theEucharist. Pope Francis remindsChristians saying, “This is thegreatest grace: to experience that
the Eucharist is the privilegedmoment to be with Jesus and,through Him, with God and withour brothers and sisters”.
Dressing to Impress!Every day, many of us go throughthe process of frantic decision-making on how to dress toimpress. In November 1957, PopePius presented the still-validprinciples of modesty in dressing.He remarked, "no matter howbroad and changeable the relativemorals of styles may be, there isalways an absolute norm to bekept, style must never be aproximate occasion of sin.” Certainfashions and styles "createconfusion in well-ordered minds
and can even be an incentive toevil.” The Church knows andteaches that the human body,God's masterpiece in the visibleworld placed at the service of thesoul, was elevated by Jesus to therank of a temple. As an instrumentof the Holy Spirit, it should berespected as such. When going toChurch, dressing sensibly andwearing modest clothes is a simplesign of respect for such a holyplace. Generally, people are easilydistracted by what they see and itis therefore our responsibility tomaintain the solemnity of achurch. If we turn to the PapalAudience and Vatican dress code,we can get a clearer picture ofwhat the Church teaches aboutmodest dressing.
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Kingdom Revelator I 13
Extracts from Pope Francis’ recentcatechesis on the Mass
Kingdom Revelator I 14
It is true that God knew us before wewere formed, even before we steppedout into this world. Jeremiah 29:11 says,“For surely I know the plans I have foryou, says the Lord, plans for your welfareand not for harm, to give you a futurewith hope.” Now if God has alreadydecided who I will become, where I willgo and what I will do, is it worth askingHim for things like admission to aparticular school or university, or help inpursuing a certain career? Does it makeany sense to go to Him on account of ourneeds if God already has a well-preparedplan for us? At the end of the day, wouldour supplications be meaningless?
Ask and Expect to ReceiveA very contradictory response to thispoint of view can be seen in the Bible:“Therefore I tell you, all that you ask forin prayer, believe that you will receive itand it shall be yours” (Mark 11:24). Howcan our reasoning come to terms with thisverse from the Bible? There is a seriousmisunderstanding among many Christiansthat prayer is all about asking for thefulfilment of one's own personal questslike money, fame, good results, success,etc. We ask God for favours according toJohn 16:24, “Ask and you shall receive”,while we seldom care to understand whatthis really means. Our needs should beproved before God and our conscience.Surely, we are to ask God for anythingwith the faith that He will not fail toprovide - unless we are asking forsomething that would ultimately harmourselves and the people around. 1 John5:14 says, “And this is the boldness wehave in him, that if we ask anythingaccording to his will, he hears us.”
If God has alreadyprepared a
specific plan forus, why should
we botherpraying?
Aleena Sandy,a 9th grader from
Kerala, Indiaoffers an
explanation.
An Open and Contrite HeartWhile praying, we should not have themind-set that nothing will change oreverything will change because of it.Rather, have the faith that God can do theimpossible through our prayer. Prayerdraws us closer and closer to our Creator.If you think that your prayers are uselessand a mere waste of time, it's just thatyour problems, distress, struggles,hardships, obstacles, sins, etc are placedat a higher level in your life than youropenness to God’s will. Once youapproach God with a sincere, open andcontrite heart, you will start becomingfully committed to God, which in turnmakes prayer pleasing to Him. You simplyhave to lay down everything, resolve towillingly give up your pride, gloom, oranything else that pulls you back in lifeand replace them with prayer. We praybecause we need His help and guidanceto make the right choices.
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Kingdom Revelator I 15
God – The Final AnswerDon't pray to impress God; Hedoesn’t need that. “Because youare his sons, God sent the Spirit ofhis Son into our hearts; the Spiritwho calls out, “Abba Father”(Galatians 4:16). This is exactlywhat we are to do today, call out toGod our Father. It's time to stoppraying to impress or inform Godand start praying to invite God intoour hearts and into our lives. Godwants us to depend on Him and Hisgrace. If He had kept everything
ready at the table, we would starttaking things for granted and wewould stop viewing God as thefinal answer to all our questions.
Persevering in PrayerGod knows our needs even beforewe ask and He very well knowshow to answer them perfectly. Hejust wants us to go to Him inprayer, be with Him and place ourcomplete trust in Him. Then, whenHe gradually unfolds His plan inour life, we will accept it willingly.Last but not least, never stop
praying even when it seems thatyour prayers aren't gettinganswered. How are you to decidewhen God is going to give you ananswer? What if He thinks that youshould be answered the next timeyou pray? So, get out of your socialmedia accounts and web browsers.Instead, open up a spiritualaccount and click on the link thatconnects you to God. As the sayinggoes, make prayer the steeringwheel of your life, rather thanyour spare wheel.
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Kingdom Revelator I 16
Rachel fromTasmania,
Australia sharesstriking examples
of how God hascalled and used
young people tobring about His
plan of salvation.
Have you ever wondered towhat God is calling you?Have you thought about what you
want to do with your life? Do you want to bea sports star, an actor or a singer? Maybe afashion designer or a model. No matter howwe see ourselves, it is important that wethink about our roles as young Christians andgood citizens of the world. Sometimes itfeels like the contribution of the youth isignored by society, by our families, our
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schools and colleges. Somepeople consider that youngpeople are foolish, silly, emptyheaded and useless, but God doesnot see us this way.Young people can have a veryimportant part to play inspreading God's kingdom. In factit is when we are young that wehave the energy and drive tomake a real difference in the
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Kingdom Revelator I 17
world. “Remember your creator inthe days of your youth, before theevil days come and the years drawnear when you will say I have nopleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).God has used young people overthe ages to do His work. Here are afew examples.
Mary, The Mother of JesusMary was in her teens when theAngel Gabriel visited her andinvited her to become the mother
offered his lunch of five loavesand two fish to Jesus. He didn'tknow that this small offering wasto be used to feed over fivethousand people and yet this littlelad willingly handed over hisbasket of food to Jesus. This boy'scompassionate heart andwillingness to share allowed Jesusto perform the great miracle ofmultiplying the loaves and fish.This small contribution wasenough to feed the hungry crowd,
of Jesus. In Jewish culture, girlswere betrothed and married intheir teenage years. Luke 1:26-38describes how she was willing tobear the consequences of being anunmarried pregnant teenager sothat she could become the motherof the Saviour of the world.
The Feeding of the FiveThousandJohn 6:6 and Mark 6:34 tell thestory of the young boy who
with twelve baskets of scraps leftover.
The Healing of NamaanNamaan, the Commander of theSyrian army, suffered from leprosy(2 Kings 5:1-14). His wife had atrustworthy slave girl who wasdescribed as an honest child ofGod. This young girl wanted hermaster to know the healing powerof God so she suggested to himthat he visit the Prophet Elisha
who lived in Israel. Elisha toldNamaan that he would be cured ifhe washed in the river Jordanseven times. When Namaan didthis, he was healed.
King Josiah2 Chronicles 34:1-14 tells the storyof Josiah, who was eight years oldwhen he became the king ofJudah. He reigned for 31 years. Hepleased the Lord and when he wastwenty years old, he abolishedidolatry from the land. In his midtwenties, he restored the templein Jerusalem and found the bookof the Law which had been lost formany years. Moreover he renewedthe covenant that the Israeliteshad made with God.
JeremiahThe Prophet Jeremiah was calledby God before birth (Jeremiah 1:4-7).He started his ministry when hewas young and served Godfaithfully for forty years.
DavidDavid was a young shepherd boy,who used to protect his father’ssheep from bears and lions. As ayoung man, he volunteered totake on the giant Goliath singlehandedly. Goliath had alreadybeaten many bigger and betterfighters and David knew that hecould not defeat him alone, so hesought God’s guidance. A coolhead and inspired thinking gavehim the idea that he could use aslingshot with accuracy to defeatGoliath and so he went on to saveGod’s people.
What About Us?It doesn't matter how old ortalented we are. If we place ourlives in God's hands and allow Himto work in us, He will use us tochange the world and make a greatdifference to the lives of others.“Let no one despise your youth,but set the believers an examplein speech and conduct, in love, infaith, in purity” (1Timothy 4:12).
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Kingdom Revelator I 18
It has been a period ofrecurring news storiesreporting on different
types of storms across theglobe; winter storms Graysonand Irma that hit the coasts ofFlorida, Ockhi in India, Emmain the UK and the list goes on.As humans, in our daily lives,we too experience storms ofsome kind at one point or
Maria Thoonkuzhy fromSalisbury in the UK, explains
the importance of waitingpatiently for His time duringdifficult periods in our lives.
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another which brings us to the nextquestion. Do we remain resilient duringsuch trials or do we give up?
Amidst the Sweeping StormLife is a mix of chaos and calmness; wenever know when a storm is going to hitthe ship of life. During times of trialsand tribulations, have we ever giventhe opportunity for our Lord to ask,“Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”
Kingdom Revelator I 19
(Matthew 8:26). Or have weremained strong in our faith andallowed Jesus to say to us gladly,‘Your faith has saved you. Go inpeace’? A person who is rooted inprayer and faith will not fall down,despite constant storms. The Bibleclearly illustrates the potentialoutcome of two people and theirattitude while building theirhouse in the following passagefrom the Gospel of Luke: “Thatone is like a man building a house,who dug deeply and laid thefoundation on rock; when a floodarose, the river burst against thathouse but could not shake it,because it had been well built. Butthe one who hears and does notact is like a man who built a houseon the ground without afoundation. When the river burstagainst it, immediately it fell, andgreat was the ruin of that house”(Luke 6:48-49). There are times inour own lives when the enemytries to take away happiness andserenity from our homes.However, as can be seen in theabove passage, if our house isbuilt upon the firm foundationof faith and fervent prayer,our homes will not beshaken even amidst aviolent tempest. Let us notthen rely completely onourselves and be like thefoolish man, who on arrivalof a storm, failed to preventthe ruin of his home.
In His TimeAt other times, we mayexperience severe trials andreceive no immediateconsolation. The devil will, in suchinstances, remind us of how wehaven’t received answers toprayers and tempt us to abstainfrom prayer. However duringthese moments, we ought toremind ourselves that Jesus issleeping calmly in the boat,
more obstacles may appear in yourway and the summit of success canappear like a spot. Sometimes outof our insecurities, we try to wakeHim up from the stern of our life’sboat, with the same words as Hisdisciples: “Lord, save us! We areperishing” (Matthew 8:25). Whenwe overcome the storm and regainpeace and serenity, there is aquestion which we ask God:“Where were you all this time?”We may receive the answer, “I wasextending my sleep to test yourfaith.”
The Other Side of the LakeSt Luke tells us that Jesus told Hisdisciples, “Let us go across to theother side of the lake” (Luke 8:22).Why did Jesus insist on Hisdisciples going over to the otherside of the lake? He was sure thata storm was coming. In fact, Jesusreveals His lordship here. Peter,one of the passengers in theunsteady boat who cried inanguish at the onset of thestorm, is later depicted in theBible as sleeping peacefullybetween two soldiers inprison, on the night beforeHerod was going to releasehim (Acts 12:6). Thedifference is that Peter, inthe latter incident, wasstrengthened by faiththrough the help of the HolySpirit.
Gentle BreezeIt is strong faith in Jesus and
the anointing of the Holy Spiritthat helps us to remain calm
amidst the tormenting battles oflife. God sometimes allows us topass through these difficultsituations, but He has alsopromised, “I will never leave youor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).When the storm in our life meetsthe Saviour, He will transform itinto a gentle breeze.
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watching how we sail amid thestorm. In times of agony, will yousimply find fault with others, say itall happened because of destinyand keep away from prayer?Remember that after He finishestesting, in His time, He will wakeup and rebuke the storm. “Whenhe has tested me, I shall come outlike gold” (Job 23:10).
Equation to Overcome Life’sTempestWhen we hear about a storm, it isquite natural for us to becomefrightened of the anticipatedoutcomes. Whether it be a smallwind or an uprooting tempest,faith is the greatest factor in theequation for overcoming thestorm. Let me explain with asimple arithmetic equation.Success over life’s tempest =prayer x faith. When prayer and
faith are balanced, you willsucceed over life’s tempestsmoothly and it will be a setbackto the devil who tries to uprootyou. When either of the valuesdecreases or fades away, thesuccess factor starts to diminish,
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“I willnever leave
you or forsakeyou.”
(Hebrews 13:5)
It was one of those days whereeverything just felt so slow, cold andbleak. After college, I came home with
a list of things to do and ended up doingnothing. I was feeling worn out anddrenched with no motivation or energy.Sitting in front of the computer clickingfrom one YouTube video to the next, itsuddenly dawned on me – ‘I am alone’.Many of us are either going through orhave gone through such periods ofloneliness, where everything just seemsso dark and uninteresting. To distractmyself, I turn to my phone to talk tofriends and for the first time, everyoneseems to be quiet; in fact, I didn’t evenwant to talk to anyone. Then I turn towatching videos, but they seem so boring.Everything seems dull, everything seemsso pointless and everything feels like a
waste of time.It can be a very scary experience whenwe go through situations like this. Inreality, many of us young people eitherhave gone through extended periods ofdarkness or are experiencing this rightnow. If you think about it, we haveeverything we need. We have friends wecan talk to, phones we can use to ring andtext people, computers with really goodinternet to watch things – yet why do westill feel like we are alone?
LonelinessIf we are honest, we know that wesurround ourselves with many of these“things” so that we can be distracted fromthe reality of being alone. Loneliness is apowerful and negative emotion. It has
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One of ourSehion Youth
members talksabout howwe can be
distracted fromthe reality ofbeing alone.
Kingdom Revelator I 20
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Kingdom Revelator I 21
caused and still causes manyyoung people to becomedepressed. Even when we are inthe midst of a fast-pacedenvironment, crowded by whatfeels like a billion things to do, weoften come to a point wheresuddenly one day it dawns on ushow lonely we are; we feel likeorphans.The reason we feel alone isbecause in that moment, for thefirst time, we encounter the realus. Most of us young people don’tlike to look in the mirror and seethe real us. Instead we wouldprefer to stand in front of themirror to hide our wounds, coverup our blemishes and wear a maskthat hides our weaknesses. Manyof us like to be kept busy withwork or friends or doingsomething, so that we are neverleft in silence to think. Some of ushave many “friends” and want tobefriend everyone in order tonever be left alone. Others wantto hide behind the computerscreen and escape into a fantasyworld where everything seems soaction-packed and adventurous.Yet many withdraw themselvesinto their own inner world andconfine to its four walls.
Root of the ProblemMost of our loneliness anddesperation to find an alternativeto hide our vulnerability comesfrom not having something stableto turn to. Though we have ourparents, but at times we tend tocomplain that they don’t seem tounderstand us. We considerrunning to our friends, but thenwe realise that they too havelimited means to help us and weare worried about how they willjudge us. We think our phones andour computers are a solution butthey only seem to cover theproblem up - the root of theproblem still remains.
Not AloneIt is in this state that Jesuscomes and tells us that even ifwe go unnoticed or no onerecognises our loneliness orsadness, “I will not leave youorphaned” (John 14:18). “If myfather and mother forsakes me,the Lord will take me up”(Psalm 27:10). It is in thosemoments where we thinkeveryone has forgotten us thatour Lord tells us “can a womanforget her nursing child, orshow no compassion for thechild of her womb? Even thesemay forget you, yet I will notforget you” (Isaiah 49:15). OurLord will not leave us alone. Hetakes notice, especially ofthose who are broken-heartedbecause God came foreveryone. Our Lord says “I havecalled you by your name, havegiven you a title though you donot know me” (Isaiah 45:4). Healso says “you are precious inmy sight, and honoured, and Ilove you” (Isaiah 43:4). Whenwe are in our moments ofdarkness, our Lord desires us tocall and seek Him. God sodesires us that like the lovingfather He says, “You will call meFather and will never cease tofollow me” (Jeremiah 3:19).
A Loving FatherGod is the only person who isgoing to be there for us nomatter what. Our parents canget frustrated at us and canthrow us out; our friends canget angry with us and stopspeaking to us; our televisions,computers and phones are onlyas useful as the people wehave in our lives to share themwith. Ultimately, everything inthis world can pass away, butthe love of Jesus Christ willnever diminish for us.
Remember the incident where awoman caught in adultery isthrown at Jesus’ feet and thePharisees and Scribes challengedJesus to throw a stone at her(John 8:1-11)? Sometimes, we feellike that woman surrounded by athousand voices alwayscondemning us, making us feel solittle and useless. Jesus howeverdoes not belittle us, in fact Hecomes to our level as He did withthe woman, holds our head in Hishands, looks into our eyes withlove (Mark 10:21) and says “do notfear for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).
God’s love for us is unconditionaland it is not reliant on the statethat we are in. If we want toexperience God’s love every dayand His presence in our lives, thenwe simply ought to just bring ourbroken selves to Jesus where Hewill mend our broken hearts withthe wood of His Cross and pourinto our hearts unconditional love.
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Kingdom Revelator I 22
A Heart Moved to HelpA certain elderly man came in with his concretemixer truck to clean it before heading to thebatching plant where it would be loaded with aready mixed concrete. I watched as he struggled toremove remnants of cement that were alreadyglued to the drum in the outlet area of his truck. Hewas trying hard to smash them off with a hammer,but it was clear that he was not accomplishingmuch, since he did not have the advantage of youth.Getting rather uncomfortable with this sight, I wasmoved to offer him my assistance. Besides, I hadnothing else going on.I took the tiny hammer from him and asked him tomake way for me to get up to the outlet area of histruck. Bit by bit, I cleaned off the cement remnants.In less than an hour I was done. It was an exhaustingjob even for me with all my youthful might. As Icame down the ladder, I could see a smile on hisface and I felt fulfilled for having lent him a helpinghand.
Crushing DisappointmentHowever, to my surprise, he uttered no words ofappreciation. I handed him his hammer and all hesaid to me was, “Finished?” I nodded in affirmationas I left him to clean up my dust-covered body. Heleft not long afterwards, and I felt a greatdisappointment within me. I had not offered himmy help because I needed his thanks, butnevertheless I felt bad having received none fromhim. In the end, I concluded he was just anungrateful man who probably thought it was myresponsibility to help him anyway.
A Lesson to RememberThe next morning, as I made my way to the recyclingplant, I saw him approach me. With a huge smile, heshook my hand and asked me to get a cup of tea. Ithought to myself, “I cleaned your truck yesterdayand now I have to get you a cup of tea?” To mysurprise, he reached into his pocket and offered meenough money to buy ten cups of tea. Insisting thatI accept it, he said, “Thank you, I am so grateful foryour help yesterday.”As I left him, I was elated that he had been trulyappreciative of my help, but at the same time, I wasfilled with deep regret for judging him wrongly theprevious day. I did learn a huge lesson that day, asJesus taught in Mathew 7:1-2, “Do not judge so thatyou may not be judged.For with the judgment youmake you will be judged, and the measure you givewill be the measure you get.”
Thaddeus Ihezie,residing in the
United ArabEmirates,
shares a lifelesson about
making hastyjudgements.
One beautiful Monday morning, I arrived at workvery early and decided to clean the little pitbelow the concrete recycling plant where I
work. Then, after washing the dirt off me, I stoodwatching as men arrived at work from a nearby camp,trekking to their respective work areas. It was like thesight of soldiers preparing to go into battle, highlyspirited but not yet in formation. The sky above wasnever more brilliant. It was indeed a beautifulmorning.
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Kingdom Revelator I 23
CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE PUBLISHED BY: SEHION MINISTRIES UK
All the baptised, whatevertheir position in the Churchor their level of instruction inthe faith, are agents ofevangelisation, and it wouldbe insufficient to envisage aplan of evangelisation to becarried out by professionalswhile the rest of the faithfulwould simply be passiverecipients. (EvangeliiGaudium: 120)
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