Intercessors of the Lamb

I write, being recently inspired by our Pope's general audience address on Prayer. Our beloved Pope touches on many things in his address but I would like to focus on one part which is closest to my heart- the efficacy of Intercession. 


He starts with the Old Testament. Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in practices so disgusting to the Lord, that he was forced to raise his hand against it in perfect justice and pay those citizens the wages of sin, death. Total annihilation! The last time God did something like that was during the Great Flood. Even then, He repented and swore never to destroy earth because of man's sinfulness. Yet here He was again, speaking of destroying the citizens and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. I can not imagine the filth of those nations to induce God to pour out his wrath in such a measure upon them!


But suddenly, God revealed another side of his nature- his infinite Mercy. God's perfect justice meets his perfect mercy when a sinner repents, changes heart and chooses righteousness. God will not punish the innocent with the wicked but his divine justice seeks a goodness to base his mercy on. He needed one, just one righteous man to implore mercy for behalf of the unrighteous.

It is never that a sinner is not allowed to plead his own case, but it is that he cannot. Sin blinds the sinner (Gen 19:11). He does not see his own guilt or does not consider his doings as evil, and therefore is unable to repent. Into this gap, Abraham, who knew most closely the heart of God, stepped in. This is the place where the unforgettable dialogue between man and God takes place.

Abraham asks, if righteous God would destroy the city if 50 innocent men were living in it. God relents on the plea of a righteous man. "I will spare... I will not destroy... I will not do it". He forgives the entire guilty population for 50 innocents! As Abraham continues to plead with God and the number dips, 45...40...30...and finally 10; the greater the mercy of God grows.


This is the power of intercession. Abraham, our father in the faith, set an example for intercessors of all time. To not only understand in a deeply intimate way the intention of God to save suffering mankind but also to lend our voices and hearts to His desire.


If the sinner cannot ask for mercy, then the good man must ask on his behalf.

"To pray for those who are in mortal sin is the best kind of alms giving. For the love of God always remembers such souls when you pray."

           St. Teresa of Avila

God of Small Things

Have you ever notice the more you introspect about anything in the natural world, the more complex it turns out to be...


He who built the firmament also drew the piercing detail of each snowflake,


and coordinated the prefect synchronization of a flock of birds...


or maybe when God wants to intervene he does so in the most innocuous manner touching upon the smallest things in our lives, things we probably haven't noticed existed in us for years...


and then your whole world changes.



I found it strange that God wanted me to fast off worry, worrying, passive anxiety and all their toxic cousins this Lent. I couldn't believe it. Such a small thing...I was willing to give up better stuff like no TV or movies or better still, no YouTube or facebook. Ask big, Lord!


I agreed not realizing how much of myself I would learn. It wasn't such a small deal at all. God had just touched my an alpha-problem (that is, before he tackles my next alpha-problem). 


I am a natural worrier! It's just that the thought never occurred to me or I was too busy worrying  to really notice that I was a worrier. I am a ball of knotted-fear, from which radiates worry and anxiety and spills over as a looming cloud of negativity. What I used to term as 'Devil's Advocate' stance was actually my mask to hide my insecurities and fear. 


What if....? Maybe, but....? How can we be sure? I think we need to look at the other side? Should we wait a bit...


Sounds familiar? You are hedging risks...Not that it is a bad thing in financial planning but you can't hedge risks with God. His plans are so outrageous and his proposals so extravagant that it is impossible to consider the full implications of failure. Think Abraham...how could he cut short his loss of not having an heir after having sacrificed Issac or Esther, die standing up for her people or die being one of them?


But there is a solution. Trust! 'Trust in God, Trust also in me', said Jesus (John 14:1). And that changes everything.


God was suggesting a solution- Let Go and Let God Take Over! Change of management. Not very pleasant. It means a reorganization. Change the way we have been living and responding to situations all these years. 


But do not despair. Our God is also called the Lord of the Breakthrough (1 Chron 14:11). Trust his grace to abound as you take this leap of faith. It is the only thing which sustains me as I walk into this brave new world. 


So pray for me, folks. Pray for yourselves as well and all those who need tiny interventions. Our God of Small things leaves no pebble unturned...