NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
Ignatius J A
We have heard people using the word new life. This word has a deeper meaning than what strikes us. Anything that has been discovered acquired or experienced recently or for the first time or different from the previous is called NEW. Life means capacity for growth and continued change. Thus the word new life means capacity of the person to grow and change continuously based on anything that the person has acquired or experienced recently which is different from the past. The phrase “New Life in Christ” means, a person who has experienced or discovered God’s love in his/her life either for the first time or in a deeper manner, changes the attitude of life in line with Gospel teachings of Jesus Christ.
We have come across situations were people acquire wealth all of a sudden. As a result of having acquired wealth, they lead a new life different from the previous. A child separated from its parents due to unforeseen circumstances undergoes untold suffering. The moment the child re-unites with the parent, it starts to lead a new life entirely different from what it was leading prior to the unification with the parent. Person addicted to certain habits, which leads him/her to the point of death, changes or gives up the old habits and starts to lead a new life. We can go on and on narrating incidences of people acquiring a new life on account of wealth, re-unification, giving up habits etc. New life in Christ is something unique.
A person has a new life in Christ when he/she experiences either for the first time or in a deeper manner God’s love in his / her life. Having experienced God’s love, he/ she wants to love God in return. The best way to love a person is to do what that person desires or to keep his/her commandments. Even in our own day-to-day life, when we love a person, we try to do what pleases them. To show our love for God, we must keep His commandment. Jesus Christ gave us two specific commandments. One, “You shall love thy God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind – Mathew 22:37. This is the first and the greatest commandment .He wants us to love him in totality. He is a jealous God. He insists that you give top most priority to him and to Him only. Second, ‘You shall love your neighbour as your self’ – Mathew.22: 39
When Christ emphasized the importance of loving our neighbour, he made it clear that the world must be united through love. Special attention to the word neighbour is of importance. Dictionary defines neighbour as any fellow human being, need not be a person living next door only. Jesus himself gives the definition of neighbour through the parable of the good Samaritan –Luke.10: 30- 37. In the eyes of Jesus a neighbour is one who shows mercy and compassion to any person who is in need of help. The kind of help a person requires varies. It could be physical, spiritual or economical.
Jesus said “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these you did it to me’ Matthew 2: 40. Human race is one big family; we are all children of God, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, colour, nationality and language. Hence, whatever we do any one member in this big family, we are indirectly doing it to God. St. John explains beautifully about our love for God and neighbour when he says "Those who say, I love God and hate their sister and brother are liars, for those who do not love a sister or a brother whom they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen" -1John 4: 20.
We are pilgrims on this earth. A pilgrim is a person who journey’s to a sacred place. To reach the sacred place the pilgrim has to use a mode of transportation. During the pilgrimage the pilgrim encounters persons and has fellowship with them. Each one of us, who have experienced God’s love and power in our life, should plan for our glorious pilgrimage to the Father’s house. The mode transportation in this spiritual journey should be love. In our journey we encounter people and fellowship with them. Nature of our fellowship should be to share people’s problems and difficulties. We must extend a helping hand to reduce or remove their burdens. This is what God expects of us in our journey through the neighbour to the Father’s house.
Every encounter in our day to day life with people living in our neighbourhood, people whom we interact in schools, colleges and workplace, people whom we meet in our parishes and prayer group are God given opportunity to strength our love relationship with God and his people on this earth. The more we refine the transporting vehicle i.e. Love; used in the spiritual journey, the pilgrimage to the Father’s house through our neighbour will become pleasant and enjoyable.
As we are children of one Heavenly Father, God desires that we should live as one family. St. Paul in his letter to Romans tells us “Live in harmony with one another”-Romans12: 16. Clothe yourself with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony—Col 3:14 .As we live in this big community, we must bear with one another and forgive them just as the Father forgives us all our sins of omission and commission. To do this, we must put on the mind of Christ. Word of God tells us in Romans 13:8 “One who loves another has fulfilled the law”.
A person who hears the word of God and experiences God’s love and power in his/her life, gives up the past and turns to live a New life in Christ. He /she realizes life on this earth is only a passing phase. He believes life on this earth is insignificant compared to the glorious life that awaits him/her after death.
He/ she realizes they came from the Father and must return to Him .He /she realizes the Father so loved us that He gave his only begotten son to redeem us. We thirst to love God who loved us first. To love God, we must keep His commandments i.e. to love God first and than love our neighbour. We are convinced the sacred and holy place in our earthly. pilgrimage is Heaven. Thus each one of us can have a New life in Christ in the year 2002. We can focus this New life in Christ to the Father through the neighbour which will be more pleasant, enjoyable and fruitful.
FOR SUGGESTIONS PLEASE WRITE TO :- littleheaven2000@hotmail.com
