123 My Monologues & Musings : Mary, the Expecting Maiden Mother on the Road to Bethlehem

123  My Monologues & Musings : Mary, the Expecting Maiden Mother on the Road to Bethlehem 

Musings of Mary: the Expecting Maiden Mother on the Road to Bethlehem.

“This is our seventh day on the road to Bethlehem to get our names registered for the Census.Yet another four more days to go. Though normally it takes only a couple days travel, we needed more days as I was into the ninth month of my pregnancy. So we decided to take much more time. We had planned out to cover the distance of about a hundred and forty kilometers in about two weeks’ time with many stop overs and brief breaks.

As i sit at the end of the seventh day my thoughts fly back to the sudden and shocking appearance of the angel.

It has been very turbulent times ever since the angel Gabriel appeared to me.Those initial days of my pregnancy and the subsequent developments had made me conclude that my wedding plans with Joseph has irredeemably been shattered.

He was fully justified in his decision to put me away and back off from the wedding as he was not responsible for my pregnancy.

Then the angel appeared again, this time, to Joseph, and tried to explain the unexplainable mystery of the miracle baby in my womb.

I could and would never fully grasp the agony which he had been through.

Yes, he had been through very agonizing emotions and antagonising thoughts within himself.

I was praying hard  to Yahweh Adonai that he pull through.

And I was sure he would.

He grew from his initial heavy hearted acceptance of his role. And he began to consider his role of the foster father as a highly privileged honour and a blessing. He has been real good care of me and do talk about the Divine Baby to be born.

I do admire my Joseph and adore him as he is  unique a Jew who was neither an arrogant nor a male chauvinist. He has been meticulously planning this trip. He seemed to be very much worried about the safety of the Baby to born and of my own safety, and rightly so.

My Joseph is a Just Man indeed!

My soul glorifies the Lord….

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

Looking into myself and at myself,

As a pregnant young woman who is well into her Trimester,

On a pure natural and human level,

I was worried all the way through our journey to Bethlehem.

I was worried about anything untoward happening… a fall...an unusual bleeding.. a sudden burst of the fluid.. anything could have happened which would have harmed my baby….

Oh, No! I couldn't even imagine…!

All the while, my mind kept on reminding me the words of the Angel, Gabriel,

“the Lord is with Thee..”

It took time, energy, and effort to calm my anxiety ridden emotions of fear and foreboding.

I was convinced in my mind but it was difficult to take my heart and it's feelings along.

When i said my “fiat”,

When i said “my yes”,

When i gave my consent,

Never did i know that I had to go through such trials and tough times!

In hindsight, in fact, it was only a beginning of trials…

With the constantly guiding presence of my Lord and with my Joseph standing by me,

I knew for certain that:

My baby is safe and secure.

And we shall reach Bethlehem!”

My soul glorifies the Lord!

And my rejoices in God my Savior …

Oh, Blessed Mother,

You are an inspiration for me and for millions of us humans!

Thank you! for what you are!

Be a special source of strength and inspiration to all those expecting Moms,

Especially those expecting Mom who are having tough times.

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

Thank you for the gift of your Mother!

I thank you, Jesus for your :

Unsolicited gift of life for me!

Uncountable blessings for me!

Unlimited Patience with me!

Untold Forgiveness for me!

Unflinching faith in me!

Unfailing Hope in me!

Unconditional Love of me!

Amen!

JoAchen

Monday, 21st December, 2015

Joachenmonologues@gmail.com

Dear Reader,  These Reflections are a part of my journaling of the Prodigal Priest in me as I struggle to return to the Home of our Heavenly Father. As I keep holding you in my prayers, I request you to include me in yours.

Thank you!

122 My Monologues & Musings : Joseph, the Husband of the Expecting Maiden Mother

122 My Monologues & Musings : Joseph, the Husband of Expecting Maiden Mother

Musings of Joseph,

“I was really getting worried as Mary, my wife, was drawing nearer to the final stages of her pregnancy. I was very much concerned and was praying for the safest delivery!

It has been an ordeal indeed for eight plus  months.

Ever since our marriage was fixed and the betrothal had taken place:

I had been dreaming,

dreaming of having a happy married life, dreaming of having our own kids,

wanting to have at least a couple of smart sons,

imagining playing with them, and

watching them grow up!

I kept on building castles in the air.

I loved to dream like any other would be father would have dreamed.

But I was shattered when I learned of her pregnancy even before we started to live together as husband and wife!

The entire dreamy castle complex i have been building collapsed like a pack of cards.

It was sleepless nights and restless days for me.

I didn't know what to do..

I was going mad..

I was angry with her for having cheated me..

At first, I was determined to take her to the court of elders and have her stoned to death for being unfaithful.

Though she desperately wanted to talk to me and explain to me, I wasn't in a mood to listen to her.

I couldn't bring myself even to look at her..leave alone talking to her or listening to her.

I thought to myself:

what was there to talk and explain?

Wasn't it so obvious what she did?

Now does she want to explain it away?

I couldn't believe her doing such an unpardonable crime of breaking the bedrock of conjugal promise.

It could have been that she was forced upon!

Whatever!

I just couldn’t imagine marrying a girl who wasn't made pregnant by me.  

No way!

But at the same time, I couldn't even think of subjecting her to the ordeal of a summary trial and have her stoned!

I happened to love that much.

Equally, I couldn't even imagine to have her as my wife, even for a moment!

I told her:

Mary, whatever you say,  

Sorry, I just can't bring myself to love you and accept you as my wife! ……...

Well, as I was mulling over these thoughts,

the very same Angel Gabriel who appeared to her came to me and tried to explain to me about the Divine Intervention resulting in the pregnancy of my Fiance.

I couldn't grasp it..

Yet I had to grapple with it.

Never heard of such thing!

I didn't know what to do!

I kept on asking myself: Why me?

Why is it the legitimate dreams of a would be spouse are being shattered?

What did I do to be so punished?

Well, my initial shock and disappointment began to subside and turn into a kind of

grudging acceptance of mysterious happenings.

As the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I began to see Mary, my Pregnant Fiance in a more acceptable way.

My cold shouldering attitude towards Mary began to transform into a warm and caring concern.

But then a new problem began to crop up!

The Census!

Despite her advanced stage of pregnancy

I was thrust into a situation where I had to take my Fiance down to Bethlehem for registering our names for the Census.

It was a long, dusty, dangerous road over a hundred kilometers or so from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

It really got me worried about the safety of Mary and of the baby to be born!

I was haunted by the real possibility of Mary going into labour pain on our journey as such a journey would normally require a minimum of two days.

I was constantly plagued with the thoughts:

Will we able find a place to stay once we reach Bethlehem?

If not, what would I do?

Oh, Yahweh, my God,

What should I do? …..

I kept on asking. …..”

Dear St. Joseph,

Despite being a Just Man, you were subjected to mentally agonizing and torturous times during the final stages of the the pregnancy of your Fiance!

It was an odyssey of a perilous ordeal!

I do admire your steadfast faith and your steady growth of awareness of the Divine Designs for your life!

How I wish to keep on a steady growth of pilgrimage of faith!

May my return, as a Prodigal Priest, to the Home of my Heavenly Father, be hastened!

May my personal pilgrimage of my renewal and growth from my Nazareth to Bethlehem be on a steady course!

May the Divine Child be born over again in the Bethlehem of my heart!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

I thank you for your:

Unsolicited gift of life for me!

Uncountable blessings for me!

Unlimited Patience with me!

Untold Forgiveness for me!

Unflinching faith in me!

Unfailing Hope in me!

Unconditional Love of me!

Amen

JoAchen

Joachenmonologues@gmail.com

Monday, 14th December, 2015

Dear Reader,  These Reflections are a part of my journaling of the Prodigal Priest in me as I struggle to return to the Home of our Heavenly Father.

121 My Monologues & Musings : International Mountain Day

121 My Monologues & Musings : International Mountain Day

Oh, God of Mountains and Hills,

Mountains and Hills have always caught the fascinating of us humans.

They are majestic and mysterious.

Almost every religion and every faith has its worship intimately intertwined with mountains and hills.

In the Judeo-Christian faith, starting from Mount Moriah of Abraham and Isaac, Mount Sinai of Moses,

Mount Zion of Yahweh,

Mount Carmel of Elijah,

Mount Hermon of the Psalmist,

Oh, God, You have been:

Indwelling and Inspiring,

Instructing and Informing Your Children.

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

You started out from the

Mount of Temptations.

You had spent forty days and nights,

Aone with Your Father, Didn't you?

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

Often either early in the morning

Or late in the evening, you went up

To the hills to be alone and to pray!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

The Mount Tabor Experience was peek into your Divinity.

Like Peter, I love to be up in the clouds always, without any hassles and hardships.

But you keep reminding me as you did with Peter, that real life is below down.

You did experience the hardships a number of times and finally at the Base of Mount  Olives on Gethsemani which took to the Mount Calvary, right?

Yet it was not the End as many thought and had wanted.

There was Resurrection culminating in your Ascension on Mount Olives!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

May we respect and reserve the Mountains and Hills and use them only in a constructive manner!

Oh,Jesus, My Lord and My God,

These days, we, your children ravage the hills and mountains ridding of their mystique and mysteriousness.

Very systematically we deforest them.

Very shamelessly we denuded them.

Oh, Jesus My Lord and My God,

May we your children rediscover

Our lost Solitude and Silence.

May we foster the habit of searching

For our ‘little hills’ of prayer!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

Thank you for blessing me

With the privileged opportunity

To find a perching on a Hilltop Shrine!

I do relish the solitude and silence up here!

May I keep on discovering and nourishing On your Silent Presence in this Solitude!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

I thank you for your :

Unsolicited gift of life for me!

Uncountable blessings for me!

Unlimited Patience with me!

Untold Forgiveness for me!

Unflinching faith in me!

Unfailing Hope in me!

Unconditional Love of me!

Amen

JoAchen

Joachenmonologues@gmail.com

Friday, 11th December, 2015

International Mountain Day

Dear Reader,

These Reflections are a part of my journaling of the Prodigal Priest in me,

as I struggle to return to the Home of our Heavenly Father.

120 My Monologues & Musings : Human Rights Day

120 My Monologues & Musings : Human Rights Day

Oh, God of Freedom,

You know fully well that we your children love to indulge in unlimited freedom.

At the same time, we know as  well as You:

There can never be unlimited freedom for us which would result in chaos.

So You envisaged for us Rights and Duties for each one of us, Your children, right?

But we have a real strong tendency and inclination to violate the rights of each other.

We are tempted to deny the Rights of our fellow humans.

Be it:

Religious Rights,

Political Rights,

Financial Rights,

Social Rights.

And often enough, we yield to such temptations personally and collectively causing untold injustice, humiliations, and misery to many of our fellow humans.

This has been so from time immemorial.

Through Your Prophets and through Your own Son, Jesus, we have been kept reminded of it and have been reprimanded for its violation.

In order to keep on conscientizing ourselves we observe today as:

The Human Rights Day.

May we be sorry individually and collectively for the Human Right Violations we have been perpetrating!

May we make make reparations!

May we never repeat them in future!

May we be ready to protect the Human Rights  of the week who find themselves defenseless!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

You have  been very vocal as well as active

in protecting:

The rights of the poor,  

The rights of the women and widows,

The rights of children, and

The rights of sinners.

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

Looking into my own past,

I have failed!

I have at times violated rights of the weak.

I have misappropriated their opportunities and privileges!

I want to keep myself in check and instead of violating their rights of the weak, I want to help them to protect their rights.

Whenever my rights were threatened,  

I would vigorously and fiercely defend them!

I want to show the dedication in defending the rights of others.

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

I thank you for your:

Unsolicited gift of life for me!

Uncountable blessings for me!

Unlimited Patience with me!

Untold Forgiveness for me!

Unflinching faith in me!

Unfailing Hope in me!

Unconditional Love of me!

Amen!

JoAchen

Joachenmonologues@gmail.com

Thursday, 10th December, 2015

Human Rights Day

Dear Reader, These Reflections are a part of my journaling of the the Prodigal Priest in me as I struggle to return to the Home of our Heavenly Father. As I keep holding you in my prayers, I request you to include me in yours.

Thank you! 

119 My Monologues & Musings : Crimes of Genocide & Corruption

119 My Monologues & Musings : Crimes of Genocide & Corruption

Oh, God our Loving Creator,

Today, we, your children, and reminded of the heinous Crime of Genocide,

From the time Cain committed the first ever murder, we, your children, have been mercilessly killing and murdering each with devilish hate and vengeance!

We have ruthlessly tried to exterminate an entire group of people:

In the name of Race,

In the name of Religion,

In the name of Language,

In the name of Color,

In the name of Caste,

In the name of Country,

In the name of Ethnicity,

In the Natural Resources and Wealth,

Our past and our present are mired with this

horrendous crime.

Every now and then we engage in massive massacring of an entire section of humanity.

Oh, God, our Loving Creator,

May a more civilized sense prevail on us!

May we learn to control our Hate!

May we learn to cultivate Tolerance!

May we learn to see in each other Your Image and Likeness!

May we learn to live in Peace and Harmony!

May we learn to love of Enemies!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

Looking at my past and present life,

I have often entertained Prejudice and Hate regarding sisters and sisters who are different from me in Race, Religion, Caste,

Color, Language and what not!

I have thought of an entire section of them as bad and evil!

I am sorry!

I want to keep trying to see Your Image and Likeness in each of my sister and brother!

Genocide,” a term used to describe violence against members of a national, ethnical, racial or religious group with the intent to destroy the entire group,

Oh, God of Justice and Equality,

Today we, Your Children, observe as

Anti Corruption Day.

We have been exploiting each for Economic and Social Enrichment through Corruption and Malpractice of every sort!

Corruption is rampant in our daily lives!

May we, Your Children learn to be just in our dealings!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

Looking at my life,

I can identify instances and events I in which I have coveted and tried to have opportunities, power and positions I haven't deserved.

I am sorry!

I want to try not to engage in corrupt practices every sort!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

I thank you for your:

Unsolicited gift of life for me!

Uncountable blessings for me!

Unlimited Patience with me!

Untold Forgiveness for me!

Unflinching faith in me!

Unfailing Hope in me!

Unconditional Love of me!

Amen

JoAchen Joachenmonologues@gmail.com

Wednesday, 9th December, 2015

118 My Monologues & Musings : Mother Mary, the Immaculate

118 My Monologues & Musings : Mother  Mary, the Immaculate

0h,  Mother Mary, the Immaculate,

You are immaculate from the moment of you were conceived by your Mom.

You were and are full of grace ad the Angel addressed you!

It's so difficult to grasp, to imagine that a human being is full of grace and untainted by sin.

I have no intention to delve deep into a theological speculations.

It suffices to me to think of you and to hold you as someone with no inclination to evil and sin.

Oh, Mother Mary, the Immaculate,

I am so different from you!

I am almost always inclined to evil and sin.

I have tendency to entertain and immerse myself in selfish and  self destructive thoughts and desires!

At times I am even hotly pursued and haunted by these evil thoughts and tendencies.

Whenever I reflect on you and on your life,

I am awed of you!

Oh, Blessed Mother,

Most of the time your predominant  thoughts and feelings revolved around:

Praise,

Thanksgiving and,

Serving the needy,

Right, Mother?

You kept on singing  your ‘Magnificat’

All through your life, Didn't you?

You kept on gratefully wondering at the ‘great things’ the Almighty has been doing for you, Weren't you, Mother?

Your empathic feeling to serve the needy,

Be it, your cousin Elizabeth, be it at Cana,

You did volunteeringly reach out to help whenever you noticed, Right, Mother?

Looking at my life,

Being a priest, i have often entertained the thought that every blessing I am given, is something I do deserve!

Therefore I don't feel like praising and thanking the Lord!

That's often a part of me!

Then, I am often held back to venture out to serve and help others!

I have all sorts of excuses for not doing it.

I am a priest, that too a senior priest!

So I should be served!

The ‘Elizabeths’ in my life, they rather serve me!

I often don't care to bother about ‘Canas’ in my life!

I often think: ‘it's not my cup.of tea”!

Oh, Blessed Mother,

May Your life and examples shake me up.from my egoistic attitudes!

Thank you, Oh,Blessed Mother!

You are truly Blessed and Full.of Grace!

May I have your Mindset to keep singing:

My 'Magnificat'

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

Thank you for giving us your Mother as our Mother as well!

Oh, Jesus, My Lord and My God,

I thank you for:

Unsolicited gift of life of life for me!

Uncountable blessings for me!

Unlimited Patience with me!

Untold Forgiveness for me!

Unflinching faith in me!

Unfailing Hope in me!

Unconditional Love of me!

Amen

JoAchen

Joachenmonologues@gmail.com

Tuesday, 8th December, 2015

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Dear Reader,

These Reflections are neither pure scientific exegesis nor are they any highly theological explanations. They are a part of my journaling as a Prodigal Priest in my struggle to return to the Home of our Heavenly Father. They are also a part of my ongoing pilgrimage towards my personal renewal and spiritual growth. As I keep holding you in my prayers, I request you to include me in yours.

Amen