Malankara World

Today with Jesus

Home, Sweet Home

by Rev. Fr. V.V. Paulose, Toronto, Canada

Today's Bible Verse

“Jesus went with his parents to Nazareth.” (Luke 2:51)

Discussion

Home, sweet home!

Reconnecting the human life with nature, parents, siblings and friends for refreshing and recharging the spent up fuel of weary human life with cold, insensitive computers and other electronic gadgets is a way of salvation and to find God and enjoy the wonders of his creation. We are cut off from nature and our families for the pursuit of tantalizing happiness, money, power and modern gadgets by solely depending on machines and its culture, and have lost everything, even the human touch. Man has become a machine with no genuine feelings. We are like an uprooted tree floating aimlessly on water. Simplicity, village ambience, serenity, plants and trees, streams and rivers, birds and animals are all a forgone era. Home, sweet home is a nostalgia. God made and put us in the Garden of Eden. Life is not refreshing without nature and homes. Wherever we are and whoever we are go, we need to go back to nature and our homes to refresh and recharge. Disconnect from all electronic gadgets and make time for families and connect with nature to enjoy the beauty of the creation and sap the elixir of life and its deep worthwhile meaning. Jesus was always with his parents and with nature - the Garden of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives, his father's carpenter shop, in the Sea of Galilee. "Jesus went to Mount Olives” (John 8:1).

Writer Dana Diak writes about her home in Poland after a long separation from it. Rogowo is one of the smallest villages in Poland where the life style is stress-free and one can find tranquility there. It was a small, 2 bedroom home with a large kitchen. In this little house, 7 healthy children were born and raised by 2 parents and a grandmother. We had everything we needed - a healthy environment and nutritious meals. The air and the birds are different here, the grass look greener, the sun is warmer, and the sky is lower. It has been 19 years since I left Rogowo, and I still call it my home sweet home - the place where I still feel loved and missed, and I know that if ever I needed anything, I would find help there. It gives me a sense of comfort and I gain so much strength from my visits. It clarifies my thoughts and reminds me of what is really important in life. No matter where I might live, my roots will always be in Rogowo. The purpose of these journeys is to see my parents, brothers, sisters, and friends, to reconnect with them and nature. There is no other source in my life to recharge and regain my energy. A price can’t be put on these experiences; they are so beautiful.”

“The tree of life was on each side of the river. It produces fruit 12 times a year, once each month. The leaves of the tree are for healing of all nations” (Revelation 22:2).

Prayer

Jesus, give us the opportunity to immerse in your creations - nature, the plants, birds, animals, water bodies, open sky, stars, planets, and even the celestial virtues. Let the earth belong to all, not to a wealthy few but access to all. Let the people who are away from their families be reunited. Let us feel and live as one family, one earth and one God. All we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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