Good Friday, random thoughts to enhance your fast and strengthen your faith in the Divine

As I opened my mail box and went into a few social networking sites this morning, I was welcomed with a few mails and postings which read: “Christ has died for you and me.”
Good reminder for a person like me which certainly triggered a few questions in my mind:

Did Jesus really die for you and me?
The Bible (John 10:36) says, “Are you saying to The One whom The Father sanctified and sent into the world, “You blaspheme”, because I said to you, 'I am The Son of God?”
Imagine yourself getting into the busy market place and telling everyone that you are ‘Son of God.’
How would you react to someone self is proclaiming that he/she is ‘son of God?’
Well. Of course, crowd would react differently. But what is your personal reaction?
Would you go with the crowd or would you go with your own reaction?
If you do not have an opinion, definitely you have to go with someone’s opinion.
Do you see some reason why at all Jesus had to died for you?
Why should someone do such self-sacrifice at all for your life?

Jesus died for self-proclaiming himself as ‘Son of God.’
Did Jesus try to introduce a new concept of belief about God?
Did he reaffirm the traditional idea of God who is above everything?
Did he try to affirm self-responsibility than relying on the God Almighty?
Did he try to try to break away from the concept of dependence to self-reliance?
Did he try to challenge the traditional notion of God in the Jewish society?
Did he try to impose his arrival as the traditional concept of messiah whom the Jews were waiting for?

Is the proclamation of ‘Son of God’ a selfish motive?
‘Son of God’ is a title of Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible.
 In the New Testament, ‘Son of God’ is applied to Jesus on many occasions.
It is often seen as referring to his divinity, from the Annunciation through his birth, crucifixion, resurrection and beyond.
In the New Testament, Jesus is declared to be the ‘Son of God’ on two separate occasions by a voice speaking from Heaven.
Jesus is also explicitly and implicitly described as the ‘Son of God’ by himself and by various individuals who appear in the New Testament.

Why did Jesus declare himself as the ‘Son of God?
Was Jesus smart enough to axe the stem of Jewish faith?
As the saying goes, “if at all you grab, grab by the balls.”
Imagine, if someone comes out of the blue to your place declaring he/she is your son or daughter?
What a shock, what surprise, what a shame, what a mystery?
It is just a personal matter, still what kind of a reaction it will impact in your life?
If such a small declaration can vandalize your life,
Imagine, what it would do when someone declares someone as ‘Son of God,’
Trying to assert the divinity of man in the Godhead of your belief.
Remember, your faith is your faith and values of your life.
When your faith if questioned your values are shaken and shattered.

Was Jesus’ declaration as the ‘son of God’ the need of the hour?
Traditions can be broken when you axe straight to the stem.
People become superstitious and irresponsible when they are moved by faith.
Your life is your responsibility.
You have come to this world alone. No one can live your life.
No one can die for you. But you need to find your reasons to live.
Make life as a happy event.
Live life and make the LIVING a happy and wonderful experience at every moment.
When you are trodden by any sorts of faith, you tend to forget LIVING.
Remember, LIVING IS THE JOY OF LIFE.
It is an experience that life can offer you at every moment.
Without LIVING, life is a bunch of burden to yourself, society and nature.
So to awaken you from the slumber, someone should have the guts.
Guts to openly declare, “I am the Son of God or I and Father are one.”

If we look at the Eastern tradition we can also notice,
The Vedic aphorism saying that ‘ahaṁ brahmāsmi.’
Means "I am Brahman."
It is the clear sign of a self-realized person.
A person who is different from you and me.
A person who has guts to challenge the tradition.
A person who has faith in himself, but aware that he is part of the Divine.
He is part of the Brahman. (I and the Father are One).
‘Whatever is in the Universe, is present in me’ (and ‘whatever is in me, is part of the Universe’).

Do you ever come across or overwhelmed with such thoughts?
Do you ever dare to challenge the traditions?
Do you ever dare to question your own beliefs and faith?
Do you ever consider yourself as part of Brahman and Brahman in you?
Do you ever see life as your own responsibility and all what happens in life too?
Are you ready to accept life the way it discloses to you and handle the responsibilities by yourself?
Still not blaming the situations and people around,
Taking the whole responsibility to the self,
Then you become a role model for those who are not able to do it by themselves.
Then people will start saying like the mail I got in the morning:
Christ has died for you and me.

Wishing you all a Happy Good Friday
Joji Valli
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