Unveiling Jesus Through His Passion

By Pooja Chilukuri

Do you wonder if God truly loves you? Does religious performance anxiety weigh you down? Do you struggle with feelings of guilt and unworthiness?  If so, then it may be time to lift the shroud of religious requirements and uncover the heart of Jesus.

My own spiritual quest led me from Hinduism to Christianity and ended in a religious setback. As I gravitated towards unbelief, Jesus met me-not in church, but in my closet at home. Thereafter, I set out to reinvent my faith, to rediscover Jesus through the gospel stories. A renewed vision of Jesus led to spiritual healing and transformation. I felt a pressing burden in my heart to share this Jesus. Hence, these reflections were conceived.                                                      ~ Pooja Chilukuri

This book, Unveiling Jesus Through His Passion, is the first in a series. It contains meditations for the Passion Week, from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday. It is not a book of teachings, doctrines or exposition of scripture. It is an invitation to pierce the religious veil and to connect with a very personal Jesus, whose heart beats for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Healing River Press
• Release date: Apr 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781732585836

Book preview

Introduction

In 1993, I made a decision that changed my life forever. I took a giant leap of faith from Hinduism to Christianity. What began as a sincere seeking after Jesus’ teachings ended in a religious setback that deepened the hole in my soul. I wondered if God had been a figment of my imagination- at least I wished for it to be so. In 2010, when I contemplated severing any ties with Jesus, He met me - not in church, but in my closet at home. I recount my journey in my memoir, And Then There Was Jesus, which was published in 2015.

Experiencing the Spirit of Jesus (The Holy Spirit), in a deeply personal manner, led me down the path of reinventing my Christian faith. I was hungry to rediscover Jesus through the gospel stories – to see him heal the sick and raise the dead, to listen to his conversations with the religious and political leaders as well as the masses and to glimpse into his heart of love for both his friends and enemies alike. In my book, Once There Was Jesus © 2018, these gospel stories are retold as narrative poems.

As Jesus continued to reveal his meekness and power (one may wonder how these might co-exist), his unconditional love began to fill the deepest crevices in my inmost being. Slowly but surely, I found my way back to myself. Such is the transformational power of seeing Jesus - not the Jesus who has been covered by the shroud of religious doctrines, denominational requirements or church culture, but the real Jesus. I felt a pressing burden upon my heart to share this Jesus, especially with those who are struggling to find spiritual freedom amidst rigid religious systems. Hence this book, Unveiling Jesus, was conceived- the first in a series.

This book is a compilation of reflections on Jesus, as they pertain to his passion, from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Day. This is not a book of teachings nor exposition of scriptures. These meditations are intended to draw your awareness to Jesus’ heartbeat for you.

These reflections alone can by no means completely uncover the depths of Jesus’ heart. As I draw near him, each day the veil is lifted a little bit more. Yet the more I get to know him, the more there is to know. The apostle Paul nailed it: "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully (1 Corinthians 13:12)

If you are experiencing burn out due to religious striving and weighed down by your denominational requirements or feel disconnected from your true self, then