Grace and Knowledge: A Contemplation on Mary's Feast

by Mathew G. Daniel, Manjinikara

The Man and Wife, Adam and Eve were sent out of Garden of Eden as they disobeyed the creator. Lucifer and his disciples succeeded in deceiving man and his wife. This history is well known to all, I hope better than me. 

The next generation under the influence of Satan lead such a life couple of thousand years, that in His wrath the almighty decided to destroy the entire life upon the earth. Thus we read Genesis 6:6 “And it repented the Lord, that he hath made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart “.

In the Tenth generation, He finds Noha the son of Lamech righteous before God. So asked him to make an Ark of Gopher wood. This we read in the book of Genesis: Genesis 6: 14-15 “Make thee an Ark of Gopher wood……."

He made an Ark as directed by the Almighty. It was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. He made it 3 stories. The upper deck was occupied by Noah and his sons, the middle by his wife and the wives of his sons and the bottom was occupied by all the beasts, seven pairs each from clean and 2 pairs each from the unclean beasts entered into the ark. 

The interesting thing in the construction of the Ark was that he made it at the foot hills from where the gopher tree was cut. Those who saw him making a boat at the hill side humiliated and laughed at him and asked how he shall carry such a huge boat into the sea side. Noah was God fearing and he never questioned God but just obeyed what was commanded to him. 

The one who laughed at the will of God perished and the obedient was the one who found the Mercy of the creator. 

The flood destroyed everything except the inmates of the Ark. The merciful was kind enough for the well being of the inmates. He commanded Noah to keep sufficient food for himself and for the creatures. This we can read in chapter 6 verse 21.

Knowing the kindness of his father Jesus said. Mathew 6 : 26 “ behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. yet your heavenly father feedth them. Are ye not much better than they ?”  This is what we call heavenly providence.

Peter compares this incident as a living symbol for baptism in his First Book chapter 3 verse 20.

I would like to call your attention to the significance of the total destruction that has taken place about 4000 years ago. God always cared for those who were righteous before him. 

He will stand with us in the fire pit as well as in the lion’s den if you are Daniel of this century. He will let you run away to the nearest city if you are Lot before his fire of wrath be showered upon the wicked as it has happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Peter confirms it in his first book chapter 3 verse 12 “ for his eyes are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers. But the face of the lord is against them that do evil. This is the reason that Prophet Malachi reminds us : 4: 1 “For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them; saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. “

The main problem that we always face is the lack of faith in the creator, man is always like a child, who remains adamant on the fulfillment of desire. If any of our prayers is not answered immediately we become restless and begin to think of alternatives. 

I would like to tell you a small story : Once a man has sewn a seed in his courtyard while watering it he prayed “Oh ! Lord please give me a plant of fragrant and beautiful flowers from this and also a beautiful butterfly to adorn the flowers.” 

After a few days to his greatest disappointment he found a plant in the species of Cactus full of sharp thorns growing from the seed. He burnt with anger and began to curse the Almighty. As he was about to pull out the plant from the earth his wife intervened and requested him to let the plant though cactus remain there for some more days and see if the answer to his prayers comes of it or not. She recited Job 37 : 23 “Touching the almighty we can’t find him, but he is excellent in power, and in judgment and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.”

To listen to others when we are in fury is good, especially one very close to you. In a couple of weeks to his greatest disappointment he saw an ugly caterpillar on the stem of the growing plant. As he was about to destroy the creature his better half once again intervened and said “ My dear please don’t jump into conclusions so hastily, wait patiently till the God’s plan work out completely in our life, as we read in Job 39 : 1 “Knows though the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth ? Or canst though mark when the hinds do calve." 

Thus the caterpillar also got spared from the wrath of the man. 

After a another couple of weeks, the entire courtyard and the vicinity was filled with a strange fragrance. The man was greatly delighted to see the thorny cactus, which he wished to destroy has been blossomed into a beautiful flower with marvelous fragrance beyond his expectation. The ugly caterpillar has been transformed into a beautiful butterfly with thousand colors on his wings.

He knelt there near the cactus and prayed to pardon his ignorance which has tempted the Creator as his forefathers did on their way towards the Promised Land.

What shall be the conclusion ? Today’s Thorn is Tomorrow’s Flower and Today’s ugliness is Tomorrow’s Beauty, if you allow God to plan for you.

Please believe that what you want is not always what you need, God is infallible and knows it better than you. So allow him work out the Master plan that he has already started before you were in the womb of your mother. Don’t run away from him or grudge against him as some others do, since man is short lived, we may not get a chance for the second time 

The 16th Century English Poet Robert Herrick signifies the importance of the brevity of our life through the comparison of a flower in his famous poem 

‘The Daffodils’

Fair daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the even-song;
And, having prayed together, we Will go with you along
We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a Spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay
As you or any thing.
….Robert Herrick

My brothers and sisters please keep it in mind that we have only a short span of life which grows for nothing but to decay as a flower or anything else.  Though our body may get decayed as the poet says !!

Why don’t you trust in the words of the Psalmist who says : 10: 3 “ The lord will not suffer the Soul of the Righteous to famish, but he casteth away the substance of the wicked “

His body and Blood has removed decaying of our body rather our body shall be transformed to glorification as it was of our Lord Jesus so that we shall also sit where he sits. And we all know very well that it is the right side of his father as witnessed by the first martyr of Christianity proclaimed in Acts 7 : 56 “And said, Behold I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.” 

Here the Ascended Jesus is addressed as Son of man. If he is the Son of Man, how does he get the flesh and blood of man to be called as son of man (If God willing we will discuss this subject later on). In simple verse his blood and flush was a share of Virgin Mary, which in return he gave us to drink and eat to avoid famish of our soul to fulfill the prophecy of David in (Psalms 10:3)

In a nut shell, the Devotion of Mother Mary and the Obedience of the Son of man constituted the salvation of mankind, who had been driven away from the Garden of Eden as we have seen in the Introduction of this lesson. 

During the Feast of Mary I wish we all shall acquire those two qualities of Mary and Jesus, or else why do we avoid certain food and other activities. Let us be righteous before the creator so that we shall see the exact meaning of what Peter says in his second book chapter 3 verse 18 “But grow in grace and in the knowledge our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to him be glory both now and for ever, Amen.”

That grace is the glorification of our mortal body and knowledge is the insurmountable faith which shall not be shaken by the sight of thorns or caterpillars.