Don't Pray, Chat

 (25)

 It was years back, I happened to read a very touching story about three men in an island, away from the maddening world. Their aim was to meet God. They were very famous across the world. One day a Bishop of the neighbouring island was passing by and wished to meet these famous men. So he requested the captain to do the necessary arrangements. The captain stopped the ship and arranged a boat for the Bishop, who reached the island safely. The three men, long, short and stout, frugally dressed welcomed him very lovingly. The Bishop introduced himself as the head of the catholic church of the area.

Then he asked, “Gentlemen,  how are you planning to achieve the goal of meeting God?” Then one of them replied

“Sire we have only one prayer, you are three and we are three bless us.” The Bishop nodded smiling. He asked them,

“Did you know, Jesus taught us a prayer?” They nodded in the negative and requested the Bishop to teach the prayer.

The Bishop willingly taught them the prayer, “Our Father thou art in Heaven Hallowed Be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation and deliver us Lord from every evil. Amen.”

“The specialty of the pupils were, when they prayed, their sound boomed the whole island and everyone who passed the island, kilometers away too could hear it. Anyway to make it short, the three men learned the prayer and by evening the Bishop left them, happy that he was of help in helping them meet God.” All smiled.

“The Bishop sat on the deck facing the island, hearing the prayer. He could no more hear the prayer as the ship moved away as darkness settled, but suddenly, he saw three lights moving towards the ship. The Bishop immediately called the captain,

“Are there any light houses nearby or any small islands?”

“No sire.”

“Then what is that moving light? I think its coming towards the ship.”

“I am not sure, sire.”

“Then, its better we stop the ship, and look what it is?” The captain nodded and stopped the ship. And to the surprise of all the passengers including the Bishop was shocked .”

“What sight was it Rafael?”

“The three men were running across the ocean, like on hard ground, to reach the ship.”

“Wow!!!! Just imagine, on the surface of the ocean.” All nodded.

“Yes Mathew, its simply unimaginable.”

“Why did they come?”

“They forgot the prayer, which the Bishop taught, so they came to ask the Bishop.”

“Just imagine the shock of the Bishop?” All smiled

“Yes, it was not only shock, it was an eye opener for the Bishop.” All nodded. Rafael continued, “he acknowledged it openly.”

“How come?”

“The Bishop humbly told them, “with all the prayers I have, I still have to travel this ocean by ship. So your prayer is the right one, continue the old prayer. That is the best one.” The three men nodded, climbed down the ship and returned the same way as they had come.”

“Ohhhh!!!!!!!!! Its so touching, isn’t it?” all nodded

“Yes, Rebecca, the right prayer which really comes from the heart would always be very touching, it would be simple and it should come from the very depths of you and it should be very very personal, a heart to heart talk, then it cannot go elsewhere. 

"Now - a - days, Heart - to Heart talk can be possible when we chat in the facebook." All smiled and nodded.

"Exactly That is the best prayer, then why don't you guys chat with God?" All nodded.

“But Rafael, How come they were able to walk on the ocean?”

"The three men had only one aim, to meet God and they came to this island to pray and they didn’t change the course elsewhere. So as the prayer life progressed, the inner person resurrected from the maze of worldliness, ego, evil thoughts and actions." All nodded

"That is when we get the aura or  the inner light which radiates out, it is then  if he wants, he can transform land to ocean and the ocean to land, such is the power of prayer. It is not simply story regarding the aura and transformation, it’s a fact. For those people who have conquered self which can be achieved only through the way of the cross, resurrect from  the maze and the inner light radiates.”

“That might be the reason, why Jesus too had this aura and He too walked on the ocean after the Resurrection. That means we can achieve it.” All nodded. Rafael too smiled and nodded

“Good, I’m glad, you started thinking in depth the secrets of the Bible. Now, when you read the Bible, you’ll know that there is something, which God wants you to know, but how would you get it?”

“Through prayer?”

“Exactly through prayer and the prayer Jesus taught is the perfect prayer, but there is one thing, which you should really take care to note. Some etiquettes to follow”

“What is it Rafael?”

“God wants us to accept Him as Our Father and not God, call him, Father, not God.”

“Really? How did you know, Rafael?”

“Jesus is God and He Himself told, when He taught us the prayer “Our Father in Heaven” and not Our God in Heaven” all nodded

“Then before the death of Jesus, He did one last important act that made us the sons and daughters of God.”

“Really, When did it happen?”

“When Jesus was on the cross, “Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." What does that mean?”

“Now we too became the sons of God. So rightfully, we should call God, Father, isn’t it Rafael?”

“Yes Monica, you are right.”

But Rafael,  its easier said but very difficult to accept it so easily”

“Yes, that’s true,I’ll give one example, you are going to meet your dad in his office, you might not be well dressed or, you might not be that beautiful or smart. You’re scared to face him, but to your horror, if he smiles, when he sees you and comes to you, when he is with his overseas colleagues or big officials and introduces you to the whole gathering, as, “My daughter or My son. How would you feel?”

“My heart would burst with emotion. I would give my life for him.”

 “When your dad acknowledged you openly, what role you gave for your father? As that of a provider? or just as a father?”

“Above all that, Rafael. He has my whole heart, Rafael, If he can openly acknowledge me, then I can openly acknowledge him as that of a friend, guide, confidante and my father.”

“Exactly Mathew,  He was just your father before the meeting but after the introduction, when he openly accepted you, he became much more . God our father has done so much for you and still why is it difficult to accept Him as Father?” All nodded

“Replay all that God has provided you and openly acknowledge it, naturally you’d accept the fact that God is indeed more than a father.” All nodded.

“ That doesn’t mean that you should deny the worldly father or mother. Just make sure you know that God the father is much above the worldly fathers and mothers because, they they too pray because without God’s intervention nothing goes right. So you know where they stand and where God stands.” All nodded.

 “God wants you to share with Him all fears, love, hurt, joys, everything and no matter what, He’ll handle it for you.” All nodded.

“I would like to say a very touching story of Lord Krishna and his His best friend Kuchela. All nodded.

“They both were class mates in school, at that time it was gurukul, where the pupil stay with his teacher, until he completes his studies. So the two friends were very close in the gurukul. After education, they separated their ways, Kuchela was a poor Brahmin, so he followed the footsteps of his father and Krishna a prince. After many years, Kuchela married and started his family life, but the poverty persisted. And he never begged or asked for help from anyone, fed up of this situation, his wife asked him to go and ask his friend, Krishna to help him. “Since He is a prince, He would be able to help you.”

“Hearing this, Kuchela was very glad, not because he would get help, but because, he would be able to meet his old friend. So he set out very early to the palace of Lord Krishna, with pounded rice, which Lord Krishna liked very much. When he came to the corridor of the palace, the sentry blocked his path and asked him to wait until he get permission to go inside and after sometime, to Kuchela’s as well as the Sentry’s surprise, the Lord himself came to the corridor to welcome him. Kuchela was served delicious food, clothed royally, seeing all these abundance, Kuchela wanted to ask, but stopped himself from asking. The time came to leave, he got up to leave. At that moment, Krishna saw the small bag and asked,

“What is in the bag? Is it for me?”

Kuchela replied, “Actually I thought you would like pounded rice, but what you have here is far superb, than this.” saying so Kuchela tried to hide the bundle. But Krishna was no person, who would deny himself of what was brought to Him. He took the bundle and opened it. Seeing the way Krishna was gobbling the pounded rice, brought a contented feeling in the heart of Kuchela. He bid goodbye. Krishna didn’t give anything. But still Kuchela was happy. At least, Krishna didn’t forget him. As his house neared, Kuchela, thought about his wife and children, “What would they say, when they see me empty handed?” Thinking so, he came near his house and there instead of his hut stood a small palace.

“Oh God, my family, where are they? Where is my family?” He started crying and shouting his wife’s name, kids name and from the small palace came a very beautiful lady , like a princess and touched his feet.

“May God bless you my child. Do you know where my wife and children is?”

“Swamy, I’m your wife.”

“You can never be my wife. My wife doesn’t own a cloth which has no tear. Then how come you become my wife?”

Then the story unravels, at the moment when Kuchela reached the corridor of the Lord. He knew what Kuchela wanted and was granted. A big house, gold, land, food, whatever.”

“Do you know what this story means?” All nodded in the negative.

“Take the time to be with God, He would do the rest. You do not have to put a list of what you need. You just have to give your presence to him, he will royally accept you and fulfill all your needs. So what is the first important thing you need when you pray?”

“Accept God as My Father.”

“Good and the second one?”

“Be present for God.”

“Exactly, Now for the third one we’ll discuss it tomorrow?” All nodded

...to be contd....(26)....

Until then... Take care.....Bye

Meena