TRUE FREEDOM COMES FROM OUR HEART

What does "freedom" mean? Are we living as free people or are we held back by unseen chains in our life? If we believe we have freedom, are our hearts filled with courage and hope to live with a firm purpose as Mahatma Gandhi who inspired millions of people? He truly believed - " We must become the change we want to see in this world." He lived his deep heartfelt conviction and helped bring independence for his beloved homeland, India, without advocating any violence.

The longer I live on this earth, the more I am convinced that many of us make the mistake of believing that the freedom to do anything is the same as having freedom in our hearts to do the right thing! We just have to look at the lives of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Eva and Hans Rausing and so many others who seem to have all the material wealth and freedom to do anything - and yet they could never have inner peace and true freedom of their heart. Their hearts were imprisoned by the invisible chains of sin - drugs, alcohol and living for their own human desires. They lacked HOPE and a true PURPOSE in life which can only come when we allow God to live in our hearts. The need for a Christ-centred life is what is always proclaimed during the Divine retreats weekly. Each of us need the spiritual discipline to train our hearts to recognize God's Voice and to live according to His Will - not to what people are telling us and expecting us to be or what we want based on our human desires.  When we have faith in God, our hearts are empowered tremendously to have hope and courage - for we know God's Promises in the Holy Bible. I personally find these three Word of God have constantly helped me to be steadfast in my ministry especially in moments of doubts and trials in my life:

• "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
• "My grace is all you need for my power is greatest when you are weak."  (Galatians 2:20)
• "Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fails. Love is eternal. (1 Corinthians 13:7-8) 

The week of 22-27 July 2012 was an amazingly anointed week  here in Divine Retreat Centre. The much awaited POWER 2012 - Divine's 7th International Youth Conference and Couples Retreat -"CHRIST IN YOU - THE  HOPE OF GLORY" (Colossians 1:27) took place. There were around 5000 retreatants in our English campus (including the resource people and volunteers) for Divine's International Family Renewal week - they came from all over India and from 25 countries around the world. It was a moment of great joy that for the very first time, the Apostolic Nuncio to India, His Excellency Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio inaugurated POWER 2012! Every one of us witnessed a great transformation in the retreatants and even in ourselves as the week went by. Each day, the joy and hope especially in the Youths were so tangible and infectious. 

There were tears and moments of deep intense reflections as they heard the Word of God dynamically preached by Rev. .Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C - Director of Divine Retreat Centre, Rev. Fr. Michael Payyapilly V.C.  - Asst. Director, Divine Retreat Centre, Rev. Fr. Joseph Edattu V.C. - Asst. Director (Malayalam Retreats), Most Rev. Julian Prowse - Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney (Episcopal Vicar for Renewal  & Evangelization), Australia, the "Rapping Friar" and star of World Youth Days - Rev. Fr. Stan Fortuna CFFR from New York, USA, Rev. Fr. Andre Patenoude known as "Our Lady's Trobaudor" from USA, Jude Antoine from Malaysia, Lalith Pereira from Sri Lanka and Divine's lay preachers.

Rapping Friar - Rev. Fr. Stan Fortuna CFFR from New York, USA

Our Lady's Troubadour - Rev. Fr. Andre Patenaude, USA

I cannot find the words to describe the beautiful Spirit-filled Praise & Worship sessions of the POWER 2012 music ministry bands: Divine's very own Singing Couple - Glen & Teresa La Rive and the Soul Welfare Band, and the greatly anointed music ministry teams: the FAITH Band from Goa, India  the EMPOWERED Youth Music Ministry Band from Sarawak, Malaysia, the Slovakian Singers from Slovakia and Sri Lanka's Risen Lord Community. The incredible Power of the Holy Spirit filled the retreat halls - the joy in the Youths and Couples prayerfully worshipping and also dancing in great joy for God with total freedom in their hearts was a sight to behold! It was just each of them  in union with Christ!

There were so many God-experiences that were shared by the youths and couples. I personally had quite a number of them from India, Malaysia, Qatar and Mauritius share with me their personal experiences of Jesus during POWER 2012. They know without a doubt - this was just the beginning of fulfilling Christ's mission in their lives. Their mission has begun! As for all of us in Divine, we can only thank God from the depths of our hearts for the huge privilege of being called to serve here and to do what He empowers each of us to do - "Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all mankind." (Mark 16:15) It felt like He brought the world to us in this special blessed week. The Divine Youth Team, the volunteers, the workers and most of all the V.C. Fathers will all definitely agree - in Christ, we truly witnessed the Hope of His Glory in all the retreatants as they returned to their own countries and homes. Every one of us know ONE true fact - we can only live with full freedom when we TOTALLY surrender our lives to Jesus. When He is in full control of every moment that we live, we are set free forever!  

At the top of this post is the YouTube pictorial music video of DIVINE's POWER 2012 MEMORIES - "Christ In You - the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27) set to Matt Redman's song "We Are the Free" which was the theme song for POWER 2012. 

 Let us pray for the Fire of the Holy Spirit to burn brightly forever 

in the hearts of every POWER 2012 retreatant.

 A great REVIVAL has begun!