My dear children, when people share their testimonies, many of them quote portions of the Covenant retreats. Why? Because as we deal with the many burdens of Covenant life, it is through these Covenant retreats that we receive new principles and guidance. Within the Bible are divine experiences preserved by people who encountered God, teaching us how to deal with every kind of situation.
If someone asks, "Why is the Covenant necessary?" the answer should be, "For a deeper and higher experience of God." That is the basic answer. If someone asks, "Why are you making the Covenant?" your first response should be the same, "For a deeper experience of God." We must repeatedly teach our minds that the Covenant is for experiencing God. But what have we usually trained our minds to think? That the Covenant is for obtaining a job, acquiring property, or winning a legal case. That is how ordinary people often think, and I am not denying those needs.
However, I am now addressing those whom God has blessed with the grace to renew the Covenant. Being able to renew and continually live the Covenant is itself a great blessing.
Some people make the Covenant once and complete it after ninety days. That is alright. They may have made the Covenant primarily because of a particular blessing or need. We should respect them and allow them to proceed according to their understanding. But those whom God has blessed to renew the Covenant must listen more carefully. Even if you did not understand everything at the beginning, once you enter the Covenant, it becomes God's responsibility to wipe away your tears as quickly as possible. But to remain in the Covenant is something more. It is not merely a channel for receiving one blessing.
Think of the effort involved in renewing the Covenant. You must come here, stand in line, attend the class, distribute the devotional materials or newspaper, and continue carrying out charitable and missionary works. We take on significant responsibilities for God. Some people carry out these responsibilities merely because they think, "We renewed the Covenant, so these are the rules we must follow." They do everything only as a legal obligation. My children, one thing must be very clear: we can never live with God merely through legal obligation. Our relationship with God is not a legal relationship.
A husband and wife may live together legally. They may have children, educate them, build a house, live their lives, and eventually die. It is possible to live a marriage merely at the legal level. But we cannot live with God in that way.
We may think that by obeying the commandments and receiving the Sacraments, we automatically live with God. That is a normal and necessary path. But the deeper truth is this: whether we speak of heaven, the Kingdom of God, eternal life, or spiritual life, it is fundamentally person-centred. It is based upon a Person.
Who is that Person? Christ. Everything else describes the different experiences and conditions that arise from our relationship with Christ. Whether we speak about eternal life or the Kingdom of God, our relationship is with Christ.
This is where the Covenant truly excels. It quickly raises an ordinary believer who lives merely by rules into a believer who possesses a deep spiritual intimacy with God. The essential reality within the Covenant is this intimate spiritual relationship.
When we ask who presents the highest model of intimacy with Jesus among the apostolic community, the answer is not the apostles themselves. The final and greatest model of intimacy with Jesus is not one of the Twelve Apostles. There was an apostle sent to the apostles. She represents the highest expression of this intimacy. Who was the apostle sent to the apostles? Mary Magdalene.
In John 20:17, Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to Me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'"
Notice the words, "Go to My brothers." That is a missionary mandate. Jesus was commissioning her. Missionary work is an important part of the Covenant. Yet the apostle of this first missionary work was not St. Peter or St. Paul. It was Mary Magdalene. We must reflect on how she became such a missionary.
What did I say earlier? If someone asks, "Why is the Covenant necessary?" the answer is, "For an intimate relationship with God." That is the meaning of the Covenant. Who is the Gospel model of this intimacy? Mary Magdalene. No one else. She was uncompromising in her intimate love for the Lord. My children, whenever you carry out missionary work, remember Mary Magdalene.
A few days ago, while reflecting on her life, the Lord revealed another mystery to me. Sometimes Mary Magdalene was like us. She reached a point where she had no idea what to do next.
Early in the morning, perhaps around three o'clock, she arose and prepared frankincense, myrrh, and other spices. She crushed and mixed them into a paste so that she could anoint the Lord's body. Because evening had come quickly on the day of His death, they had been unable to complete these rites before His burial. That unfulfilled desire remained as a deep ache within her heart. True missionary work should arise from such an ache. It should not be merely, "Father Joseph told us to distribute the newspaper, so we distributed it." That understanding must be corrected.
Missionary work becomes acceptable before God when it flows from the ache created in our hearts by our love for Jesus. There are still many people who do not know the Lord. If I truly love God, there should be a longing within me: "I wish I could help them come to know the Lord." My children, this is the longing from which missionary work should arise.
What tremendous fruit the Covenant is producing! Every day people come and share remarkable testimonies, not minor ones. A few days ago, a young woman named Menu shared her testimony. Her testimony concerned an interview at the British High Commission office. She was attending an interview for the position of Finance Secretary at the British High Commission in Delhi. Approximately 4,000 people had applied. After the filtering process, only four candidates remained. Menu was one of those final four candidates invited to the office in Delhi.
She had made the Covenant in 2022. Her mother made the Covenant in 2024. The mother and daughter live faithfully in the Covenant. Whenever they are in the country, they come and renew it properly. When they are away, they renew it online. They live within the provision and power of the Covenant.
As Menu prepared for the interview, she took the Bible because she wanted to hear what the Lord was saying. After reciting the Creed, she opened the Bible and prayed, "Lord, this interview at the British High Commission is normally suited to people who have lived in Britain for years, who speak highly fluent English, and who possess excellent knowledge of economics." Out of four thousand applicants, she had reached the final four. She knew very clearly, "This is not by my merit. This is the provision of the Covenant. It is not my ability, but the Lord's grace." Many people who were more qualified and more experienced, including those with experience in British offices, had been eliminated during the filtering process. Yet she had been selected. So she humbly asked the Lord, "Lord, I have no idea what they are going to ask me. Please give me some guidance."
Mary Magdalene was also someone who reached a point of saying, "I have no idea what to do." Pay attention whenever you reach such a state. This is a problem many people face. They do not know how to move forward. Young people often come to me and ask, "What should I do now?" Some may have attempted the B.Ed. examination five times and failed. Then they make the Covenant and come to see me, saying, "I have no idea whether I should continue with B.Ed. or do something else." When they are sincere, I sometimes receive a message for them. But as I told you last week, when you ask in this way, you must be living the Covenant faithfully and completely. You must be firmly rooted in the Covenant. Once the Covenant reaches a mature level, you will no longer need Father for every answer. If you listen to the testimonies of senior Covenant members, you will understand that God speaks directly to them. He tells them clearly what to do, how to do it, where to go, and to whom they should submit an application. He speaks to them in black and white, or gives them a clear sign.
When Menu prayed, "What should I say when I reach there? What will they ask me? I have no idea," the Lord directed her to Matthew 5:13.
Matthew 5:13 says, "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can its saltiness be restored?"
She had asked Jesus about the interview at the British High Commission. Jesus, in effect, told her, "You only need to make sure that the salt does not lose its saltiness. I will take care of everything else." She understood the message in this way: "Go to whichever High Commission you are called to. It is not ultimately they who will select you. I am the One who will select you there. Your responsibility is to preserve the saltiness of the salt." She then remained in the Lord's presence for some time and asked, "Jesus, what does the saltiness of the salt mean?" Immediately, the Holy Spirit inspired her, "Recite the Creed with faith." That gave her great clarity. Why? Because many people recite the Creed without faith. Faith is one thing, and the Creed is another. This is a common mistake, not only for her but for many of us.
We often recite the Creed as though it were an ordinary prayer. But the Creed contains tremendous spiritual strength and power. It cannot be recited merely like another prayer. It is a proclamation of faith. Therefore, every statement must be proclaimed attentively and consciously. As we declare each truth, we should ask our own minds, "Do I believe this?" Otherwise, it becomes only an automatic recitation.
We must examine ourselves and confirm, "Do I truly believe what I am saying?" The highest declaration in the Creed is, "I believe in one God." Believing in the one God is not merely repeating a sentence. It is a spiritual and mental disposition. That faith continues growing as we mature. As our faith grows, we also become stronger. After saying, "I believe in one God," what do we proclaim? That He is the Creator of heaven and earth. Then we say, "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord." We cannot simply rush through these words. When we say, "His only Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ," and continue, "He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary," we should say it with folded hands, bowed heads, and hearts filled with reverence. We may even kneel as we proclaim that the Son was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
The Creed is far more important than we often realize. Even if we lived an entire lifetime, new experiences of God could continue flowing from the truths contained in the Creed. That is why the Lord told her, "When you recite the Creed, recite it with faith. We will take care of the rest when you reach Delhi." The message was very precise. In other words, "Preserve your spiritual life. Do not allow your connection with God to weaken."
My children, this is what I also want to tell you.
The most important reality of the Covenant is that it establishes a two-sided relationship with God. It is a bilateral covenant. Therefore, the same seriousness and commitment that God shows toward us must also be reflected in how we respond to Him. This is where Mary Magdalene rises to an entirely different level.
While everyone else was asleep, Mary Magdalene arose alone before dawn. Perhaps it was around three o'clock in the morning. She took frankincense, aloes, myrrh, and the other spices, crushed and ground them, prepared them into a paste, placed it in a vessel, and carried it with her. It may have weighed two or three kilograms. Imagine how much effort that required. She carried everything and set out before dawn, before others had even awakened. This is where the apostles were left far behind.
Missionary zeal arises from an intimate relationship with Jesus.
During Mary Magdalene's journey, she had only one concern. What was it? "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the Lord's tomb?" That was her only concern. She was not worrying, "It is dark. What if thieves attack me?" Or, "What if someone carries me away?" Those are the kinds of fears that normally occupy us. When we carry out evangelization, our anxieties are often about ourselves: "What if someone mocks me?" "What if someone insults me?" "What if I am humiliated?" In such moments, we ourselves become the centre, rather than God. Do you understand? Even while doing God's work, if all our concern is about how others will treat us, then we are placing ourselves at the centre. That is why people say, "Let someone else go first." "I will give the material only if others are also giving it." "What will I do if they laugh at me?" When we call others merely so that we may feel safer, we are taking measures for our own personal security. But when evangelization becomes centred on personal security, it is no longer true missionary work.
Mary Magdalene is the model for missionary work. Her only question was, "Who will move the stone for us?" She was a woman, and the stone was enormous. I have seen such tombs. When I visited the region, I entered the tomb of Lazarus. It is extremely difficult. One has to bend low and almost crawl inside because the main entrance is sealed by a huge stone. Such a stone may be six or seven feet high and nearly a foot thick.
Mary Magdalene knew the size of the obstacle. She had no idea who would remove it. Yet she still went out in the darkness.
When we say that we have entered into Covenant with Jesus, the legal and formal aspects are carried out here. But the heartfelt and intimate spiritual dimension of the Covenant is fulfilled through the growth of divine love. As you complete each stage, rather than merely praying, "Lord, fill me with more love for You," God's love actually grows within you through the works of the Covenant themselves. As you continue carrying out Covenant works, the Lord gradually takes upon Himself your anxieties about employment, career, marriage, and other areas of life. He takes possession of those burdens. Then you are no longer consumed by the smoke and fire of anxiety.
If, even after making the Covenant and renewing it once or twice, your anxieties about these worldly matters remain exactly the same, then something is lacking. It may mean that we have not yet entered into a true intimate relationship with God or received the necessary anointing.
A few days ago, a young woman named Hermia shared her testimony. Hermia is a college professor. I believe her testimony has already been shared with you. It is worth listening to.
Approximately three hundred marriage proposals had come for her. Some of you become completely discouraged after only three marriage proposals fail. Immediately, mothers begin saying, "My daughter, what is happening to us?" Then they go around speaking without wisdom. There is very little anyone can do with such uncontrolled emotional behaviour. It is not something that can easily be placed before God and handled. Even I become frustrated hearing it.
If two or three proposals do not work out, some mothers immediately lose all peace. They say, "What is wrong with you?" "All your friends are already married." "Even the neighbours' daughters are married." By speaking this way, the mother herself drives the unmarried daughter into distress.
If the daughter studies late at night and does not wake up early the next morning, the mother says, "This sleeping habit is the reason your marriage is not happening." Mothers blame everything.
Then the daughter may say, "Mother, please stop talking." Sometimes she may even address her mother disrespectfully. There is no justification for that. But if the mother behaves irrationally, what can the child do? As mothers grow older, especially if you have a daughter who is twenty-three, you must remain aware that you are her mother. There are mothers who have not grown spiritually even as much as their own children.
Recently, there were student protests in Delhi concerning an examination. When the NEET examination was postponed or disrupted, some students died by suicide. The discussion then focused on resolving the issue and compensating affected families. Certainly, if the government mishandled the matter, those families should receive appropriate compensation. But I found myself thinking about something else. Why did the other students not die by suicide? Around twelve lakh students sit for such examinations. Yet there may be only one or two lakh available seats. That means nearly ten lakh students will not receive a seat. Should all ten lakh then die by suicide? Why did only some children reach that point when the examination was postponed? We must think seriously about this.
This is especially important for mothers. My own mother had one particular weakness. Whenever someone died anywhere in the neighbourhood, even if the person was not closely related to us, my mother would sit and cry loudly. My father would often say, "I cannot manage you." Because of her nature, if news of a death came, sometimes the family would even hide the notice from her. Otherwise, she would spend the entire day crying. Do you know how deeply such behaviour affects children? If mothers cry uncontrollably over every matter, children begin losing their sense of security. That is the greatest problem.
My first request is this: do not cry helplessly in front of children, especially those below ten or twelve years of age. If a mother repeatedly cries loudly in front of them, their confidence and sense of safety are weakened. Children naturally run to their mother for comfort. The father may not be at home, or they may fear being scolded by him. So they come to the mother for refuge.
But if the mother herself is constantly crying and collapsing emotionally, what will happen to the child? The child's mind will have no stability. Then even a small difficulty may be enough to push that child toward self-harm. This is something we must take very seriously.
Those who make the Covenant should first decide, "I will not cry helplessly over every matter."
There are tears that arise from love for God. I am not speaking about those. But when something unpleasant happens in life, crying endlessly does not solve anything. What benefit does it bring?
Suppose your husband begins an inappropriate relationship with someone else. If you sit at home crying or refuse to eat merely to threaten him, it will not help. If you leave and go to your parents' house, you may only make it easier for him to bring the other person into your home. That is not wisdom.
The Covenant should keep you rooted in love and clarity. We must understand what it truly means for a person to be recognised by God as living the Covenant. It happens when, according to the Covenant, we continually perform works of divine love. At times, God may ask us to do things we never expected. Only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit can we understand what God desires from us. Without the Holy Spirit, we grope about in darkness in the spiritual life. Only when we are filled with the Spirit can we clearly understand what God is saying.
You may ask, "Father, what must we do to receive the Holy Spirit? Is it enough to sing songs about the Holy Spirit?" You may sing the song and even drink a glass of water afterward if you like. But the Holy Spirit does not come merely because we sing a song. As far as I have understood, there are two essential ways by which we become filled with the Holy Spirit. We must practise them. The Scriptures themselves were written through the Holy Spirit. St. Peter teaches that Scripture did not arise from private interpretation. Men of God spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Spirit of God.
2 Peter 1:20-21 says, "First of all, you must understand this: no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came through human impulse. Rather, men of God spoke as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit."
This is my point. What is the Bible? It is what men of God spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That is why, when we take the Holy Bible into our hands, we immediately kiss it. By doing so, we acknowledge that it is anointed and inspired by God. The Word was written by people of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Do you know the easiest way to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Read the Word that was written through the Holy Spirit, slowly and with love for God.
In the Covenant, are you not asked to read the Word for half an hour? There is no benefit in reading it as though you were reading a newspaper. Even if you read for only ten minutes, three times a day, that is alright. But during those ten minutes, read slowly. Read it in such a way that your own mind can hear it. The external person reads the Word, but it is the inner person who must hear it. As you repeatedly allow your inner self to hear the Word, you become filled with divine love. How are we filled with divine love? Only through the work of the Holy Spirit, because love is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
What is the "first" fruit of the Spirit? Love. When we read the Word, which God has revealed through His boundless love, the Holy Spirit fills us. What happens when we are filled with the Holy Spirit? We are quickly drawn into the love of God. Together with that love come many other fruits: patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the distinguishing marks of a person who is a partner in the Covenant. We must constantly examine whether these qualities are present in us. Only such a person can truly progress in a Covenant relationship with God.
Sometimes explosive situations arise within families. Perhaps your mother-in-law or daughter-in-law says something insulting about your family. You may feel that if you do not answer immediately, you will lose the argument.
Then you say, "It is only because I have made the Covenant that I am remaining silent. Otherwise, I would show you what I can do." The moment you speak like that, the Covenant is broken there. Who is the Person with whom you have made this Covenant? Can an undisciplined or crude person casually enter into a Covenant with God? It is God with whom you have made the Covenant. Should we not remain conscious of that?
The first quality is love. What comes next? Patience. What is patience? Patience is also love. Patience is love that endures. The patience of those who accept the Gospel is enduring love. Such people cannot be defeated.
Governments throughout the world have imprisoned and killed countless missionaries. Did missionary work end because of that? No. From the blood of those missionaries, new missionaries continued to arise. Why? Because this is not about religious conversion. It is about conversion toward God. Anyone who has experienced the love of God will naturally hand that love on to others. Always remember this: we have never spoken to you using the degrading language of religious conversion. What have we said? You must come to know God. After knowing Him, you must live before others as a witness to His love for their good. That is conversion toward God. When you come to know God, you must share Him with others.
The Covenant naturally helps you grow in divine love. Once you receive genuine love for God, love arises within you. Then patience comes. Then kindness. Then goodness. Then faithfulness.
You may wonder whether everyone who calls themselves Christian possesses these qualities. I do not know whether every person who carries the Christian name has them. We have all seen the harshness and difficult character of some people. Some are born into Christian families almost mechanically, as though they came from a production line. They bear Christian names because they were born to Christian parents, but they may have no real relationship with Christ.
You, on the other hand, may be coming to know Christ for the first time. Yet you may develop a deeper relationship with Him than many others.
Why? Because Christ is not reserved for a particular group.
Christ is not reserved. Whoever is willing to invest themselves in the love of God can receive Him.
God is all in all. Christ is everything and is present for everyone.
Colossians 3:11 says, "Here there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian and Scythian, slave and free. Christ is all and is in all."
Do you now understand what I meant when I said that Christ is not reserved for a particular group? "Christ is all and is in all." Look at how beautiful that verse is. Christ has everything you need. Whatever your concern may be, whether it concerns your job, home, marriage, or any other difficulty in life, there is an answer in Christ. That is what it means to say, "Christ is all." And what does it mean that He is "in all"? It means that Christ is not only for Catholics or only for Christians. Anyone who sincerely desires to grow in the love of Christ and in the love of God can receive Him.
I told you about Menu and her mother. They live the Covenant faithfully and carry out their missionary responsibilities properly, without neglecting them. Before Menu went to the interview, the Lord told her, "Recite the Creed properly. I will take care of everything else." When she reached Delhi, she booked an Uber to take her to the British High Commission. The British High Commission is situated within a very large compound. She was supposed to enter through the eastern gate, where the office was located. However, the driver dropped her at the western gate. To reach the eastern entrance on foot would take about fifteen minutes. There was no other option but to walk. Menu could have complained, "Why has this happened to me? I made the Covenant, and still the driver dropped me at the wrong gate!" But because she was firmly living the Covenant, the Holy Spirit inspired her differently. She thought, "This is the fortress of Jericho. The Lord has dropped me at the western gate so that I may walk around it in prayer until I reach the eastern gate."
The Holy Spirit inspired her, "My daughter, you have been called to bring down the walls of Jericho. Pray as you walk." So she took small pinches of blessed salt, prayed the Creed, and walked toward the eastern gate. When she arrived at the office, they told her, "You are half an hour early. Please wait." Then came the next surprise. She had gone expecting an interview, but instead they told her that there would first be an examination. They gave her a laptop and asked her to complete the test. Many of the questions were unfamiliar to her. She had previously worked in a British military office in England, so she was familiar with the British system, but not with Indian procedures. Her mother had already advised her, "My daughter, study the Indian system as well. They may ask you about matters such as GST." But Menu had only looked at GST briefly.
Since the British High Commission office in Delhi functions within India, the test included many questions related to Indian economics and procedures. She attempted as much as she could on the laptop, but she felt that much of it had gone badly. She thought she had managed only half of it and had failed the rest. She called her mother and said, "The test has gone badly. I think I have lost the opportunity." Her mother replied, "Are we not living the Covenant? You are not the one who decides the outcome."
Two days later, Menu received a message informing her that she had been selected for the next stage. She returned to Delhi for the final interview. The role was highly challenging, and the interviewers asked her difficult questions.
Whenever she was unsure, she would quietly hold the Covenant offering in her hand and pray, "Mother, give me one word." Then a particular word would come into her mind. She would answer using that word. The interviewers would respond, "That is enough." Even she did not fully understand how the correct answer came.
When someone living the Covenant goes anywhere, no matter how powerful the institution or how difficult the question, there is Someone present who can provide the answer. Jesus knew this. That is why He told her, "Do not worry about the challenge awaiting you in Delhi. Preserve the saltiness of the salt." That was the central message. This is the same principle taught in Scripture: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness."
My children, those living the Covenant should seek first how to live the Covenant faithfully, not merely the intention they have placed within it.
Do not become preoccupied only with the place you want to reach, whether the bank will grant the loan, whether a legal matter will be resolved, or other such concerns. Those who have not made the Covenant may think that way. But if people who have made the Covenant continue thinking in exactly the same way, what difference is there between them and those outside it? That is nonsense. Do not live like that. Instead, seek how the Covenant can raise you into a person of a higher spiritual standard. Seek how it can deepen your intimate relationship with God.
As far as I understand, one of the most beautiful statements in the Bible is this: "He who did not spare His own Son, but handed Him over for us all, will He not also give us everything else along with Him?" That is God's position. He did not spare His own Son but offered Him for our salvation. Will He then refuse to give us everything else we truly need? God is not reluctant to give. The real challenge before us is different. We must live the Covenant sincerely and rise to its proper standard. As the quality of your Covenant life increases, your spiritual power also increases.
A young man named Sreehari shared a testimony here. He had developed a lump in his throat.
He went to Idukki Medical College, where the doctors told him that he needed a scan. After the scan, the doctor explained, "We need to conduct further investigations to identify what this is. We cannot yet decide when or how treatment should begin." The doctor did not yet know how the condition should be treated. He gave Sreehari only paracetamol and asked him to return after about two weeks.
The doctor's reasoning was valid. They needed time to observe whether the condition would grow or develop, identify the illness, and then conduct further tests. But Sreehari and his family became very distressed. When he came out of the hospital, they asked, "What happened? What treatment did the doctor prescribe?" He replied, "The swelling has not gone. They gave me only paracetamol for the fever and asked me to return after two weeks. They do not yet know what should be done."
Immediately, while still there, he took the Covenant oil, recited the Creed, and anointed the lump. Within about a day and a half, the lump had disappeared.
My children, the greatest risk in the Covenant is that God should not see you as a dishonest person. God must not see you as someone who is deceiving Him. If that happens, matters will not end well. If you act falsely before God, make the Covenant but fail to live it, and continue exactly as before with only one prayer, one church visit, family prayer, and nothing more, then you are being dishonest.
The Lord asks, "What extraordinary thing are you doing?" That is why we make the Covenant. Those who truly live it rise to a higher standard. Each day, they carry out new works of divine love. They become so firmly united with God that, when He looks at them, He recognises them as His own. This is where Mary Magdalene becomes our model. She carried aloes, frankincense, myrrh, and fragrant oils to the tomb. When she arrived in the darkness, she saw that the stone had been removed. Immediately, she turned and ran through the darkness to Peter. She told him, "I went to the tomb, but the stone had been removed. I could not find the Lord. Someone must have taken His body away." No one had yet told her that the Lord had risen. Like everyone else, she assumed that He was still dead and should have remained in the tomb.
Peter and John immediately ran to investigate. John, being younger, ran ahead, while Peter followed behind. They reached the tomb. When the three of them arrived, Peter came last. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there, with the cloth that had covered Jesus' head rolled up separately. But the body was gone. They stood there bewildered and astonished. Then, confused, they returned home.
That return was the greatest mistake. Peter had remained with the Lord almost until the end, although there was that moment when he denied Him. That failure remained as a mark against him until he later wept bitterly and was restored.
We should always remember this: whenever we act falsely or fail in faithfulness, our spiritual score falls.
Scripture says that Peter and John returned home. But one person remained. Who was it? Mary Magdalene. Why did she not return with Peter? Even if everyone else stops doing missionary work, you should not stop merely because they have stopped. If you measure yourself by others, you will descend to their spiritual level. Always remember that. You may imitate people in what is good, but never imitate anything that takes you away from God. Many people who have misled you are your own friends, relatives, neighbours, and family members.
The moment you try to live the Covenant faithfully, sisters-in-law, brothers, relatives, and others in the household may come against you like fighting cocks. Whenever an obstacle arises, they may say, "What great thing happened after making the Covenant?" They may speak in ways that discourage and weaken you. Even those who once stood with you may leave. Did you not see Peter and John leave? Suppose you had been there. You might have said, "The men have already gone. Why should I remain here alone?"
But even after the men had left, Mary Magdalene remained there, weeping. Then the level of her experience changed. She saw what appeared to be two angels, and they spoke to her. When they asked, "Woman, why are you weeping?" she replied, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have placed Him."
She said, "I do not know where they have placed Him." When I read this, the Holy Spirit impressed something upon my heart: she did not know.
Sometimes we also reach such a point in life. We do not know how to escape a situation. We do not know what decision to make. Like Mary Magdalene, we may reach a place where we simply do not know what to do. We may wonder, "Which country should I go to?" "What kind of work should I take?" "Which job should I choose here?" Some people come to me carrying photographs of three prospective bridegrooms and ask, "Father, which one of these men should I marry?" I pray and give them the message I receive. But I first examine the condition of their Covenant life. God must be able to speak to that person. If they have come only to test God or with some hidden motive, I filter that out immediately. When you come to Father, you must be sincere.
If your Covenant life is firm, sometimes simply bowing your head in prayer is enough for the Lord to speak to you. You may not even need to come to me.
In John 20:13, the angels asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She replied, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have placed Him."
Some ask me, "Father, the examination is very far away. Should I go?" The real concern is that there may be no one to take them there or bring them home at night. But when you enter into the Covenant, what is the first promise? "I will go with you." Wherever you go, even into darkness, the Lord will be with you. The Covenant offering you carry is not merely an object. It represents the presence of God. You should possess the conviction, "Even if I enter the darkest place, my Lord will be with me."
Many people do not have this conviction because they perform everything mechanically. My children, the Covenant contains many promises. Some may think, "If only I had a brother." Yet how many sisters suffer precisely because they have brothers? Some say, "I once had siblings, but they died when we were young. Then my mother also died." My child, that chapter is closed. God did not bring you into existence and sustain you merely because of your children, brothers, sisters, or anyone else. God Himself brought you into life and raised you.
The moment you give someone greater importance than God, that person becomes an idol. Idolatry is not merely about statues. Statues are representations. When we honour an image of the Blessed Mother, that honour is directed toward the real Mother in heaven. What we must examine is this: "To what am I giving greater importance than to God?"
Some people say, "If my father had not died, none of this would have happened to me."
But perhaps the same things would still have happened. Why? Because even now your father remains your god. You have not yet placed your confidence in God or grown in relationship with Him. Why am I standing here today? It is because my father died. Had my father still been alive, he would certainly not have allowed me to join the diocese. From childhood, he told me that I should join a religious congregation and become a religious priest. But the Lord, in effect, said, "Who is deciding whether you become a religious priest or a diocesan priest?" Even after joining the diocese, one can live a consecrated and missionary life. When I used to come here at three o'clock in the morning, there was no one present. I would visit the Blessed Mother, go and rest, and return later. Now, when I return, do you not see the place filled with people? It is God who decides.
Therefore, stop speaking things like, "If only I had a brother," or, "If only this person had not died."
End such helpless talk. When you stop depending on these things and place your trust in God, the deeper power of the Covenant will begin to work in your life. The Covenant can become depleted, just as a battery loses its charge. Why? Because even now, you may still be holding on to some imagined person or depending on someone as though they were very important. Those who have gone are gone. We must continue living. We must live the Covenant.
Did the Lord not say, "Because I live, you also will live"? He lives. My Jesus lives. Jesus works through wonders and signs.
John 14:19 says, "In a little while, the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live."
Those who have gone are gone. My own father died when I was studying in the tenth standard. I have told you this before. It happened around the time I was preparing to enter the seminary. The Lord took my father away at that time. What happened afterward? I entered the seminary and spent nearly two months crying. At that age, did I understand what was happening? No. Only many years later, after becoming a priest, did I understand that the Lord had arranged everything.
When someone leaves home or when God calls someone from this world, remember this: God does not leave with them. God remains. All of us must leave this world one day. Some leave earlier. Some leave later. That is the only difference. But there is One who never leaves.
God says, "Because I live, you also will live."
Disclaimer: All content in this article is credited to Dr. Fr. V.P. Joseph Valiyaveettil of Kreupasanam Marian Shrine, Kerala, India. This English adaptation has been prepared as a humble effort to make Father’s Malayalam YouTube sharings more accessible to a wider audience, with the assistance of translation and editorial resources.
Many of Father’s teachings were originally shared within the context of the Kreupasanam Covenant and may therefore include references or practices specific to that spiritual journey. Nevertheless, this blog is intended for everyone. Whether or not you are a Covenant member, it is my hope that these reflections, biblical teachings, and testimonies will encourage you in your own walk with God.
I warmly encourage everyone to share this website with others who may benefit from these reflections. May all who visit this page be blessed and drawn closer to God.
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