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Jun 01, 2017 1867 Chevalier Benny Punnathara
Evangelize

Raise Your Heart to Eternity

Queen Isabel, the empress of Spain died unexpectedly. The people of the nation grieved greatly at the death of such a smart and beautiful thirty-six year old queen. It took almost seventeen days for her body to be brought, with great pomp, from the city of Toledo where she had died, to the capital city of Granada. Before her burial, the coffin had to be opened up in order to officially declare her dead. The Viceroy of Catalonia, Francis Borgia, was the one designated for this task.

At the appointed time, Borgia opened the royal coffin. What he saw was the most beautiful face of the queen decomposed and very much disfigured. This made Borgia ponder deeply. He realized that beauty and royalty do not last beyond death. He took a pledge that he would no longer set aside his life to serve mortal kings, but instead he would serve the immortal God. This was none other than Saint Francis Borgia who later became the third Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

Bruce Lee was once a man who greatly influenced the youth. He, who was well known for his skill in the martial arts of Karate and Kung Fu, had spent his entire life training and strengthening his body intensely. But alas! One day he suddenly passed away. Rumors and theories were rife about the cause of his death. His body that was made fit by years of training, lay motionless within a few hours, and decomposed into soil within a few days. We worry and labor hard for bodies that eventually turn into dust; but how much do we care to strengthen our soul?

Unnecessary concern about our body will lead us astray. Undue concerns about our body—its weight, height, color, beauty, health, physical handicaps, etc.—can lead us to wrong behaviors and an unhealthy outlook towards life; whereas more concern towards the state of our soul will lead us to prosperity and salvation.

Let us examine ourselves: in a day, how much time do we spend thinking about our soul? Is it not true that we are greatly concerned about the health and look of our body, but are often not in the least bit concerned about our soul! One who is not concerned about the soul will not even be aware of heaven and hell! Let these words of our Lord inspire us to ponder and meditate on this question, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mark 8:36).

 Prayer:

Lord our God, Who has shaped man from the dust, help us to realize that one day we are to return to dust. Give us the desire to want to be with You in eternity. Teach us to direct our labors towards gaining eternal life instead of living for things that perish. Amen.

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Chevalier Benny Punnathara

Chevalier Benny Punnathara has authored many books on the faith life which have been translated into several languages. In 2012, then Pope Benedict XVI awarded the title of ‘Chevalier’ to Punnathara for his outstanding contributions to the Catholic Church and society. In addition to being the founder of Shalom ministries, Punnathara serves as the Chairman of Shalom Media. He and his wife, Stella, an author and speaker, live in India along with their two children.

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