By Nishant Xavier J –
Our beloved Motherland India has been so richly privileged by our Lord Jesus Christ. He chose to send to us His own dear Apostle St. Thomas, to preach the Catholic faith in our country, win so many to our Lord Jesus Christ, and then heroically give his life in a holy martyrdom for the Church. A model Apostle, St. Thomas said, as we read in the Bible “Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (St. John 11:16), and as indeed St. Thomas did die for Christ, watering India with his Martyr-Apostle’s blood. The blood of the martyrs is always the seed of Apostolic Christianity.
There are more than 200 countries in the world. There were only 11 faithful Apostles. Only a few countries could be privileged to hear the apostles preach, and what is more, to have an apostle sleep in Christ there. And India is one of those countries, specially chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ in His Love for us! O what a blessing it is to be an Indian Christian! We are the people of St. Thomas!
Gospel Mission: We must seek the Kingdom of God first and the Lord’s eternal blessings most (St. Mat 6:33). Then everything else will be added to us also, according to the Lord’s Divine Promise – even economic blessings.
Planned Target: We must share the Joy of the Gospel, the beauty of the Church, the grace of Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion after it, with at least 100 million, or 10 crore, of our Indian brothers and sisters by 2030.
In India’s two southernmost states alone, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where St. Thomas preached, and where St. Thomas is buried respectively, there are more than a combined population of 10 crore Indians. Let us work with fire and with zeal, with love for God and our country, with joy in our hearts to try to bring at least 10 crore Indians to Christ by 2030! Not only is this a great goal to work toward, but also, in these times, it would surely catch the attention of the whole wide world as well!
As to how we can do it, what we really need are “Each One, Reach One, Every Year” strategies. Jesus and Mary have inspired a Prayer: “Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I love you. Save Souls” promising to save one soul each time any one says it. We must teach it to everybody, and get very many Roman Catholics in India and abroad to pray it always!
It can be one individual first and one family next. But we must all “spiritually adopt” a beloved non-Christian friend of ours and begin praying for him or her daily, consecrating and offering him or her to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, desiring to win their happiness.
Then, as our Holy Father His Holiness Pope Francis has so often told us, for e.g. in Evangelii Gaudium, we must also ask God to give us opportunities to share the Gospel with them, so that they too may know the joy of living in the Lord’s Love.
I. The Rules of “Spiritual Addition”
If 1000 dedicated people began today, whether priests or even lay Catholics, and prayed and worked as described above to each win one soul for Jesus every year, in 10 years that would be 10,000. In another 10 years, it would be 20,000. After 30, it would be 30,000 only.
II. The Rules of “Spiritual Multiplication”
Spiritual Multiplication consists in wining a soul every year for Christ, and then training that person to win another in turn! It is like the difference between giving a man a fish to feed his body, and training him to be a fisher of men himself – as our Lord so beautifully said to Saint Peter (St. Mat 4:19). Then, in 10 years, 1,000 souls would grow to 10,000 by 2030. Then, because there are now 10,000 Labourers in the vineyard of the Great Harvest of the Lord, 10,000 would grow to 1 Lakh next, within just 20 years! And after that it would be 10 lakh! What is so necessary for the Church are 24/7 dedicated apostles, whether priests, sisters, monks or laity.
Imagine if 1 lakh workers began today. Then they alone would reach 10 crore in 30 years! And each can win 1000s if we pray it 1000s of times in the next few years and work very hard so we can reach there faster!
We must ask for the Grace to be anointed with His Holy Spirit, and we must read the sacred scriptures often, as well as documents of Holy Mother Church.
By the 71th anniversary of our glorious Republic, may the loving united hearts of Jesus and Mary reign as King and Queen of our country and bless her with all spiritual and temporal blessings, which God so amply desires to give us all!
In Jesus and Mary,
Love and Prayers,
Now and Always.
(The second part will deal with Economic Vision for our country, on how we can get to $10 trillion).
Nishant Xavier lives in Chennai, India. He works in investment banking. He has a great desire that India will be blessed and enriched with the wealth and treasures of the Gospel and the Sacraments. He wishes to work for the uplift of the poor and so that India may become the most advanced, prosperous and successful nation in the world. You can reach out to him anytime with questions or thoughts on [email protected]