When I was a young boy in the 1970s, Jesus was ''unneeso''(infant Jesus) for me. At the time of my first holy communion ,I remember,my elder brother saying,”Build a chair inside your heart for 'unneeso' to sit, by chanting holy japas.”During night I used to repeat japas in large numbers….joyous days....''unneeso'' comes to your heart...I prepared myself. And came ''unneeso'' with all splendor & joy! I felt as if I got a true friend! Slowly a problem started inside me. Some questions....This friend is not an ordinary one..He is son of God...Any mischievous act I do, my friend will catch ...And 'unneeso' may lose his good opinion about me...And he may quit the chair I built out of holy japas. I thought, as 'unneeso' has already come, now I can reduce the number of japas...But I was afraid ,this guy would notice it...After all God knows everything!
And after some months I realized that it is not easy to accommodate him any longer...I wanted to do all kinds of naughtiness....And inside my mind an adoration for heroes like Tom Sawyer & Huck started growing. What to do? Slowly my friend 'unneeso' disappeared from my heart. Deep in my heart I knew 'unneeso' did only good things to me...But I was hijacked by these heroes! Before parting, eeso said to me, "If you need me again, I am ready to come and sit in the chair inside your heart". I did not reply.
After many years I returned to him, I prayed to him, I tried to love him, I visited many a churches to see him, tried those japas to renovate the old chair inside my heart. And I felt Jesus is nowhere near me. It seems that Jesus lived long ago, 2000 odd years! He does not know me. And alas for me, I can’t visualize that 'unneeso' anymore because Jesus has become CHRIST in front of me ,now.
I felt sad....Suddenly...one day I remembered the promise which 'unneeso' had made, "If you need me...."I became enthusiastic again....I could hear Jesus saying "do not try to love me, love your neighbor first ...
I tried to love my neighbor...my pet animals...trees...people irrespective of cast, creed and religion...I started feeling the sweetness of love....the ecstasy of being loved.....I started experiencing Christ....Today morning I got an SMS from my friend: ‘It was not the nails that kept Jesus on the cross! But his love for u & me!’
