Thanks to God

We are about to say good bye to present year 2008. It is time to thank God for all the blessings that we have received in this year. Expression of gratitude comes from acceptance of giver of that blessing. The source of any blessing, whether we deserve it or not, is acknowledged. That is what we call thanking. Certain blessings we really we deserve them. But certain others we did not deserve at all. God’s love is the answer to it. He loves us like a father.


Let us make an evaluation of what we have done in this year 2008. All of them were to the best of our choice. Each of our decisions was the best of that time. Those would have been different if our attitudes were different. So we have done our best for which God is happy with us.


Looking at some of them we feel it could have been better. If so make it for the coming year. Let us not regret about it but be grateful to God for his blessings and plan for next year.


Of course we will take with us the good achievements of the 2008 to work in 2009.


Prayer: God we thank you for everything that we could do in this 2008. Also we feel so grateful and obliged to all your blessings for the year 2008.

Christmas with Children



Christmas is the celebration of the great love. God the father showed this to us through the life of Jesus Christ.

Christmas became a memorable experience for the residents of our locality in Housing Board Colony, Rewari, Haryana.

On 25th December 2008, we put up a Christmas programme for the children of our locality with the help of Bro. Leo Antony and the families of Mr. Muniram and Mr. Bajaj Rao. Miss Manisha of 8th standard was the organizer of the programme. Fr. Thomson OFM Cap from Bawal Ashram was present for the celebration.

The response of the children and their parents were very impressive and enthusiastic. To my surprise more than 50 children took part the Christmas evening. It would be a cherishing memory in their hearts for a long time.

The function started with a short prayer followed by cutting of the cake. There were dances, story telling, narratives etc. The children enjoyed snacks with cake there after.

Another interesting part of it is that they themselves came and decorated the house and surroundings for the programme.

The people of our locality always appreciate our presence and activities and give lot of encouragement and support for our growth in the capuchin way of life.

CHRISTMAS


The birth of Jesus was so planned and the parent was so prepared. The birth was acknowledged by shepherds. This is the way a person is born. Jesus was fully human. This means, in the perfect way of the birth of the human being child Jesus is also born. The angels’ singing was heard by shepherds.

The birth of any child is in the same way. But many do not experience all these, because there is no enough preparation.

Christmas is also a time to remind us about the need of preparation of new child and recognition of the birth.

May the CHRISTMAS BLESSING be with all my readers.

Take care of God within

Parents have duty to care and bring up their children. If the children are spoiled all blame the parents.

There is divineness within a person. This holiness has to be cared like a parent cares his child. It needs constant attention, care and so on. This means one has to take care of oneself. Caring oneself is caring the God within the person.

The God within has gift of God. It is our duty to care and nurture it to its completion. There comes our spiritual success.

Ageing

Years ago when I saw the Haley's comet it dawned in me that this event is seen for the last time. Last week when the moon became closer after a period of 15 years I wondered if I would live to see it once again. It is the same as seeing our children growing amidst us as they mature with the constant dose of our belief and philosophies. This is what we live by in the process called ageing. We must gracefully accept and go day by day to live with our commitment of our belief. This deep routed spiritual faith should mold us to accept age as the maturing element in certifying us to reach our prime in life.

Often we find ourselves conscious of our appearances. Many tend to have all the beauty care to see that their youthful image is maintained. The women are too conscious as their social order of weakness tends to make them feel attractive. Men also in the years try to see that they want also an appearance of attractive elegance. Many spend money/hours to therapies including facial, dyeing, grooming and rejuvenation including many of the religious taking pains to trim, shape and dye to display a sense of youth with visible sagging skins. Is it that we are afraid to age? Why can’t we accept and move on to grow above such physical feature. Isn't wisdom coming within us with every grey hair or are we trying to hide? The answer being that though our body’s age it is the mind that should remain young. Didn't Jesus say: Unless you become like little children – innocent - you will not see the kingdom of heaven?

Moses went up into the mountains and returned with the greatest wisdom displaying the Ten Commandments. According to the bible he lost his youthfulness after being in front of the burning bush, returning as a changed wise man with long grey hair and beard. It was the first display of greatness of a person laced with spirituality, induced with wisdom.

What makes one to run away from such a situation? Isn't it the fear of death? Many times we tend to hide ourselves behind the mask of reality. To look at death in a different manner is to accept everyday as a day lesser. Live with great respect to the Creator make it different, accomplishing/learning something everyday to build us into a wiser person. As we see the sun rise and set it is also important to equate it to our lives, accepting every day been given to us as another life.

It is how we make use of the times of our lives, living every moment of it in good times and bad with good determination avoiding reasons for comparison.

Children should be taught to value time, to be accountable for usage of time in studies, sport and leisure. As they grow up, the management of time should be so disciplined that they should never regret having lost much of it for wasteful unproductive need nor laziness or excessive sleep. We need to use every moment of it to learn as much as possible of the miraculous reality of life, the wonders of the universe, the magic of sciences or the personality/history of humanity.

Somehow talents are born with such indulgences of interests sown into our personality. Many of us have so many unborn talents but we leave it to hibernate. Our minds should be woken up every moment with sharing in spreading good values of life. It structures our brain to have the feel good factors to have contention to bring about our happy state of mind leaving besides any guilt feeling of wasted time.

The best time for one to consolidate and establish their foundation of life in the years from 23 to 45. Men should mainly take this as the best part of their life so that all strain and tensions can be absorbed by the youthful body. Working harder at these ages is important as much as financial management to steer the family they need to support. Proper discipline with the spouses can assure good happy living with contentment of their resources. Happiness comes with a ticker -- Live according to the situation, be cheerful, and think you are fortunate. Money alone will never buy happiness but love will. Time spend to overindulge in work should be restrained.

Growing older we could never take as much of the strain as we did years ago. It would be better to reduce strains on body and mind with this feeling of satisfaction of the life spend. By contributing our knowledge with faithful humility our expression of giving wisdom enlightens us. We had graduated in projecting life with different prospective achieving doctorates/masters in guiding younger lives. This could be the best feeling reassuring us having navigated to achieve our goals with the best approach. No negatives or foolishness would stand up unless it had taught a lesson to accept, learn and grow on, continuing with the duty given to us - OUR LIFE.

Cultivation of many such views could develop many of us to face life in our pursuit for happiness. Time never waits but we must never let it pass without making use of it every moment. Such treasures are the best memorable moments of our life as we sit down in our last chapters to rewind and play as many times to be satisfied to ourselves, to fulfil our dreams with ideology sown in from our understanding of Our Way of Life.

Jesus Christ came to us 2000 years ago to spread the message for us to cultivate within a moral, social code of life. The ultimate aim was for us to grow in the images of God, to respect and live happily. There was no mention of fear inducement, no mention of action taken but only the principle thought that one needs to be happy one has to do certain sacrifices but with humility, unselfishness and faith. Sadly we are moving away from what the practical expression of the designed Christian life. Our time seems wasted on building infrastructures, establishments, and petty politics rather than improving lives of our brethren.

How much can we change? Who must take the initiative? Who must benefit?

All but for our struggle to have a Life and to be Happy in the second place.

Prepared by Mr. Donald D’Cruz -

Living with Terrorism

Terrorism has no heart, no feelings but humankind has to live with but we need to make corrections in our way of life.

Every citizen should wake up to patriotic feelings shed away differences of religion, caste, region and vote to bring impartial candidates. Support the law keepers to allow stringent

Enemy

Some animals are natural enemies because of hunger; humans are often mutual enemies because of greed and pride.

Disturb God

Jesus was always very sensitive to the needs of the people. A blind man asked Jesus for healing.

The man disturbed Jesus. And the disciples stopped him from disturbing Jesus. But He welcomed that disturbance. That is the love of God.

We are allowed to disturb God and blessed by God

Loving Touch


A wise physician said to me, “I have been practicing medicine for past 30 years and I have prescribed many things. But in the long run I have learned that for most of what ails the human creature, the best medicine is LOVE.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” I asked

“DOUBLE the dose” he replied

A Moment to Meditate

A Moment to Meditate - yes! We can.

Jesus is angry with the masses furiously asking them to get out of the church rather than a market place. In the recent times we find that commercialization of our faith and belief is eating into our system. Pictures of The Sacred Heart which we hold in the first door step of our houses , blessed and revered now finds place in garbage’s/ dustbins, kicked around in pavements, stuck on walls and corners where people deface. The pictures of Jesus of Mercy, Of Saints, are at no mercy too. Many of these are the advertisements for the numerous retreat sessions we have all along the year that many tend to believe it greater than the sacrifice of the Holy Mass. How are we going to get our people to understand the faith reposed in the catechism of the Catholic Church?

The second point is the disturbances that such session create to the neighbourhood that our identity as a peaceful community stands questioned. (Such movements by protestant / evangelistic groups were not approved by Catholic Church of our younger days)

Do we require to blare the shouts of Alleluia, with nerve racking blasts so that our multi religious society of elders and children keep quite rather be termed antichristian? What about our attitudes to watch this punishment to children studying for numerous exams? Are we persecuting them too?

At the drop of a hat we have people who attend retreat sent out to the common masses, the business communities with the pictures of our Lord maybe with a novena asking for donations to such retreats. Isn’t it high time that we have a standard to refrain us from putting people in such tight spot? What has happened to our missionary way of life? Printing a coupon is all what is required for collection not knowing how the poor manages, many of them out of fear would part while the affluent will stand up only to be noticed. Many ways could be thought to generate funds but without resorting to such ways. Also the transparency in such accounts should be published which never happens. We find also that many of the present younger religious hold the costlier mobiles, laptops, motorbikes and a/c cars for PERSONAL USE. How much are they contributing as we deny to our children many of such to contribute to needs within poor families and the Church.

I make this honest appeal to the religious community to hold retreats in a more spiritual way than resorting to shouts and chants to he heard in heaven, I am sure Our Lord is not Deaf.

...

...

Donald D’Cruz


Parents

Children are not only a gift of God, but also the work of God.

If God has given you children, then your first duty to God is to raise those children right. Your children are God's work for you. They're His children too, of course, but He wants you to take care of and train them.

Love

Love makes one feel very comfortable.

When I move away from love, I create a vacuum within myself that is quickly filled with negative emotions, such as anger, resentment, jealousy, bitterness, and frustration. Love, on the other hand, is a combination of positive feelings of tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and gratitude. I can begin by loving myself, others, and life in general.

Orissa Latest

In Orissa thousands of Christians have been attacked, rendered homeless, their homes ransacked and looted and burnt down, churches and even orphanages destroyed. The details about the destruction and killing in Orissa are more than the given number as many details are not available to us since we are unable to entering into these troubled areas.

Houses destroyed – 4009

Churches and institutions demolished – 96

Residences of Priests and nuns, Training centres – 14

People Killed /burnt to death -- 38

People displaced in refugee camps – 22236

People displaced in forests and other places – 40000+

The State Government has proclaimed that everything is under control. In fact not much is known about Orissa situation to the outsiders. This is due to a well planned strategy to boycott. On the contrary, Christians are targeted in every way. The Hindu outfits have planned to totally annihilate Christians from Orissa.

Orissa Today

  • Hindu fundamental groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad ( VHP) and Bajrang Dal (BD) are forcing all Christians, especially those from Kandhmal district, to become Hindus. It is not just a political agenda but a determined strategy to wipe out Christians. They follow particular pattern for this.
  • The Christian Dalit and Tribals are forced to convert to Hinduism under threat. The fundamental group announces a date fixed for conversion in a selected village.
  • Those Christian members belonging to the houses of that village are told to inform their family people to return from the relief camps or anywhere on that date.
  • They will be asked to convert to Hinduism. They are asked to sign a document that it is done freely. If they do not accept, they are tortured and killed.
  • If they become Hindus, they pay a fine of 1000 to 1500 Rupees.
  • As a sign of becoming Hindu, they will be asked to destroy Christian statues, break churches and even were asked to kill the Christians who were unwilling to become Hindus.
  • If they do not return, the Hindu neighbours are told that the houses, the lands belong to the Hindus. All their belongings are looted, burnt and destroyed.
  • Since the Christians do not want to become Hindus, they fled to forests and are remaining in Relief Camps. There are around 23000 people in 17 relief camps. NGOs and individuals are not allowed to enter inside these camps to do any help. Medical help alone is allowed and these people are watched closely.
  • The VHP and BD are specially hunting for priests, pastors and nuns and their families to be killed.
  • These groups use country guns, axe, swords, bows, arrows, crow bars etc. The bodies were chopped off and hewed, people were burnt alive, buried alive, women gang raped. Some dead bodies of Christians are found in the fields, on the roads etc.
  • Looting, arson and vandalization continue. The forces are mainly in the towns, main roads and are not moving to the interior. And hence crimes are freely committed by the miscreants with impunity.

Accusation

A Missionary was living alone in a mission parish. The people were so happy for what he was. Once a girl who was given a correction by him, accused him hurtfully.

The missionary did not defend himself or try to proof how innocent he was.

A few thoughts passed troughs his mind:

- when we are young we just speak out whatever we feel or think to be true even not looking at the consequence of the statement.

-the parents receive this back very badly from the retaliation of their own children.

-So the missionary realized he was enjoying the privileges of a parent.

He prayed that God may forgive and bless the girl.

Shindhu 8 — Radio Sri Chinmoy

Shindhu 8 — Radio Sri Chinmoy

Feed God's children

When we translate our care and compassion into positive action, the little we are able to do is multiplied by God's grace in such a way that it becomes more than sufficient for the need.

All that Jesus needs from us to feed the hungry crowds of the world is our “five loaves and two fish.”

Why didn't Jesus just go on and produce bread from thin air to feed the crowd? Because God needs our “five loaves and two fish” in order to perform the amazing miracle of feeding the five thousand.

God is Love

God is love, so we too are called to be love.

Our communion with God flows into communion with our brothers and sisters. And when love is put at the basis of relationships, the parish community is transformed into a communion of mutual love, and thus the communion of love that is in God is reflected in the world.

Solution to Problems

The shortest distance between a problem and the solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.

As it is

I don't put glass windows because - I love birds and don't want one to run into it and get hurt.

I don't wax floors because - I am terrified a guest will slip, get hurt and feel terrible (plus he may sue me.)

I don't disturb cobwebs because - I want every creature to have a home of one’s own.

I don't await Spring because - I love all the seasons and don't want others get jealous.

I don't put things away because - my husband will never be able to find them again.

I don't make gourmet meals when I entertain because - I don't want my guests to stress out over what to make when they invite me for dinner.

I don't iron because - I choose to believe them when they say "Permanent Press."

And finally: I don't pull weeds in the garden because - I don't want to get in God's way, He is an excellent designer!

Family Life

A happy Christian family has Christ as its centre and his teachings are the family guidelines. St. Paul enumerates some of them, such as “mercy, kindness, patience and forgiveness” (Col 3:12). The Christian values which must mark out a Christian family are summarised in more concrete terms by Dr. Paul Kelly, an orthopaedic surgeon and family counsellor, as “The Seven Cs”. They are:

-First, Commitment: a lifelong caring for the other, no matter what happens.

-Second, Communication: a willingness to take time to listen, dialogue and share one’s feelings.

-Third, Compatibility: an ability to get along, adjust and be flexible. [Understand and accept each other.]

-Fourth, Compassion: a capacity to understand weakness and sympathise with failure.

-Fifth, Confession: the readiness to say, “I am sorry”, to be reconciled and forgiven.

-Six, Conviviality: a sense of humour, to laugh at oneself and make others at oneself and to smile.

-Seventh, Children: one’s own, adopted, grandchildren or those of close relatives, with whom life and love can be shared.

Uniqueness

Many compare between persons of different places (=culture) to each other. How can it be so? No body can be compared with another; because each one is unique or rather each one is unique expression of God.

The character of a person is very much dependent on the climate of one’s home place. The habits, food pattern, behaviour pattern, way of dressing and so on.

Jesus always welcomed the uniqueness of persons, who were sincere to themselves, e.g.: Nathaniel at fig tree, Mary Magdalene at feet of Jesus, Peter with his denial, Thomas with his doubt, etc. Jesus never forced them to be different than what they were.

One should not be forced to become a different person but help to become what God wants one to be.

The duty of the parents is to find God’s plan to each one and guide accordingly. This is the reason we say, one should not be forced (including parents to children) to become another person. It does not mean that one should be allowed to do anything the person likes.

Holiness

Holiness is the real status of a human being. Man is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26). Holiness is one of the characteristics of God. So by creation man is HOLY.

We speak of dirt on a cloth because dirt is an addition to it. Many speak of the faults of a person. This is because faultlessness is the real status of a person.

Many wonder at holy people. Why? One must wonder only at a sinfulness of a person because it is an addition.

Jesus never spoke about holy people with wonder but he was surprised to see the sinners. He himself was giving special attention to the sinners. St. Paul says, “don’t you know you are the temple of the Holy Spirit.”

Normal stature of a human being is holiness whereas sinfulness is an addition.

Our Life

Of all the possessions we have, the most valuable is life. Human beings may still kill each other in wars; barbarism and disregard for human life may still belong to our age; human life may appear cheap when we see bloodshed so much. Yet it is only other people’s lives that men treat cheaply.

It is always true that one’s own life remains for ever the most previous. Yet, our Lord tells us in Mathew’s gospel: “Lose your life for my sake” (Mt 10:39). This saying of Jesus must have left his listeners staggered and bewildered by its sheer incredibility. We too will never understand Jesus until we understand that he came down from heaven in order to turn our worldly ideas about life upside down and to replace our worldly dream of the good life with a vision of a cross for eternal life.

Family: Parent-child

Many parents are trying their level best to take care of their children. But most of time children turn against them.

The children feel, “Our parents do not like us”. The parents feel, “Our children do not understand us.”

It is not enough that we give, but the other must be able to receive what we give.

Many children are not to obtain the love and concern of the parents in the way they present it. Some time a vacuum is created between them. Either of the two has to change or rather grow higher to the level of the other.

Why the parents fail? Their way of dealings may depend on their past experience and understanding. The expressions may differ from person to person. The children must feel the depth of love the parents have for them. If they both succeed in it, many of the parent-child problems can be solved.

Holy family, Joseph, Mary and Jesus, is the best example for us. The missing child, Jesus was found in Jerusalem temple. They were so much worried about it. But they handled this problem so lovingly. How? They prayed to God to know His will, and that was accepted and executed.

So also the parents and children must spend time together to seek and accept the will of God.

Improving our lifestyles within a Catholic view point

Many of Our children come to the turning point of their lives when they reach their 10th or 12th standard. The parents are in a mixed view point and tend to adopt the requirement of the situation than to access their interest or need. It is important to make them love their professional lives so as to continue enjoying life everyday.

Wisdom is knowledge gained by experience and the most sincere contributor for a child is their parents. It is important to the parent to teach what they have learned or gained. Imparting this abundance of wealth is the greatest gift of a Parent rather than send them easily to some tuition centres while working to make that money. As long as this is within their learning it is easier but seek professional help only as an alternative even at the same time trying to morally help with the lessons taught by such tuitions. In an age when most of the Indians are literate one need to sacrifice time to involve the child to confide in.

Creating a new bond of attachment and closeness improves the child to be motivated positively. It is also not the highest marks or percentages that are important but the contribution of such sacrifices for imparting the knowledge. Any grading will indicate only the aptitude of the person to what they are evaluated but on the scale of life we find such evaluations are impossible except by the Almighty.

If we look into the lives of animals we find how such cycles are nature bound, how a young cuckoo learns to fly, how a cub is made to hunt, how a herd protects a young offspring. We must learn many such Lessons of Life to be richly cultivated into our lives as what our creations was meant for. This cycle will contribute in a long way to bring about family unity and love with the importance of sharing knowledge.

Learning a profession is also not to be taken as a benchmark for making more money, as being selfish but as contribution for the society at large. How many of us take our time out to be with our children to sacrifice and give to them what we have gained teaching a lesson of our lives maybe a failure or a success story. If many of the children are told of the struggles of the Parents/ Grandparents/relatives, it would invoke a great feeling of responsibility to wake up in their lives. On the contrary we find many parents shying away to secretly shield their failures while trying to present themselves wealthy, giving to all want of their children. Perhaps this is one of the corner stones of many failed individuals.

The older generations were lucky in this respect to gain from the elders in a joint family arrangement but now that being destroyed the child have not been exposed to sincere relationships, sacrifices and love.

I hope that we can come back to our wisdom of ages to start all over again, shun away unnecessary luxuries while trying to focus to bringing up yet another responsible generation to live, enjoy and be happy in all their lives thereby praising God always.

-Donald D'Cruz, Bethan Ville, Mundakkal west, Kollam 691001. ddonalddcruz@hotmail.com

The Body and Blood of Christ

Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on the square in front of Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran, then presided at the Eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. (22 MAY 2008, 7 p.m. today)


In his homily, the Pope said that "with the gift of Himself in the Eucharist, the Lord Jesus ... raises us up again ... and puts us on the journey with the power of this Bread of life. ... The procession of Corpus Christi teaches us that the Eucharist wants to free us from all distress and discomfort ... so that we can resume the journey with the strength God gives us in Jesus Christ".


"Without the God-with-us, the God Who is near, how can we sustain the pilgrimage of life, either individually or as a society or a family of peoples?" asked the Pope. "The Eucharist is the Sacrament of the God Who does not leave us to journey alone, but puts Himself at our side and shows us the way. Indeed, it is not enough to keep going, it is important to see where we are going! Progress is not enough if there are no criteria of reference".

Family: Time than Money

A couple of weeks ago, I met a lady who runs a shop in nearby town. She speaks good English unlike other natives of Rewari, Haryana. In our short discourse, she disclosed that she was an Engineering graduate. She gave up her job-prospects only to take care of her family.

There are many people who count very much on taking care of their families. Let me put it my own way: they are aware of their primary duty. For a person who is called to family life, the primary duty is formation of the family. It includes sharing God’s love, concern, care – more time and space for the beloved ones.

According to a recent study many parents are spending only 30 minutes a day with their children. The children are too much occupied with their school and tuitions.

One must take care of the family with more time than money. Presence of a person makes present the total person – talents, love, concern, care, generosity, spiritual values, social values, and so on. Totality of the person is made available. Therefore family members must find time to be together.

Influence / temptation

We are very often influenced by others. Our character, likings, desires, decisions, etc. are formed on the Inspirations and suggestions of others.

This can be positive or negative. The positive part of it is called influence where as the negative is temptation. One can be influenced by others’ good character. Nevertheless, when someone influences us to commit a mistake we call it a temptation.

A person may inspire (influence) you to pray. Another may inspire (tempt) to lie. All these are influences. Many speak of temptation only in relation with the 6th Commandment. Equal importance should be given to all Commandments.

When such an influence is positive one, the influenced person may own it up. It may not be so in the case of negative one.

The one who falls into temptation may remain ignorant about the backdrop. However, one who brings about temptation is more sinful than the former.

According to the words of Jesus, it is better for those who cause temptation to be thrown into deep sea. Also Civil law speaks of persons who commit crime that they are more guilty of the offence.

Tolerance

The big we are, bigger the tolerance!

Tolerance of a person depends on his/she achievements or growth level.

Children are the least tolerant ones especially at adolescence. Parents are the most tolerant ones in family life.

The higher we grow, more tolerant we become; the lower we are, least tolerant we become.

Pentecost

Wish you all the BLESSINGS OF PENTECOST.

This is the birthday of the church.

Let the Spirit be active to make us united.

Pentecost

Christianity's most under-rated holiday

Pentecost, the season of the Holy Spirit, is otherwise known as the "birthday of the church." In theory, Pentecost should be recognized, along with Christmas and Easter, as one of the three most important holidays of the Christian Church. Here's why.

Where the term "Pentecost" comes from

Pentecost (or "the 50th day" in ancient Greek) is a holiday of Christianity commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, fifty days after the resurrection. (In the UK, it is referred to as Whitsunday, because of the white robes traditionally worn this day by those newly baptized.)

The Christian holiday also derives from the Hebrew celebration, Shavuot, which was held 50 days after Passover and was associated with the first harvest of grain in the spring. The Jewish holiday, also referred to in the Bible as "the feast of weeks," came to be identified with the revelation on Mt. Sinai when Moses received the Ten Commandments. It may also reflect still older, pagan festivals celebrating the return of life to nature following the "death" of winter. Given the importance of Passover, the Sinai tradition and the spring harvest festivals to both Jews and early Christians, one begins to understand the significance of Pentecost.

Why is Pentecost so important for Christians?

It is connected to Christianity's central image of God as Trinity. Over many centuries Christians have come to understand God in three ways. First, as God the Creator in nature; second, as the Son, in the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; and finally, as Spirit. The Spirit represents God as living and active in the world today. It signifies the fact that the Christian faith is not just about events that happened in the past, rather it concerns the present and the future. The Spirit is God's animating presence in the church, and indeed, in life itself. Hence, without its Spirit, the church is dead, and without the Spirit, all that is creative and wonderful in life itself ceases to exist.

A Mother

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavour by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.

-Washington Irving (1783-1859)

Influence of Mothers

Many scholars have concluded that you cannot really understand John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, unless you understand his mother Susanna Wesley. She was so instrumental in his life that she inevitably affected the movement and its direction.

Americans know that Abraham Lincoln led this nation through perhaps its time of greatest crisis; but who was it that made Abraham Lincoln the man that he was? I know what Lincoln thought. He said it was his mother.

The Joy of Success

The poet, Francis Thompson, once wrote: “Nothing comes and nothing goes, that is paid with moan; Jesus, facing imminent death, voices his feelings about pain and joy. He says sadness and pain in general will eventually be conquered by joy and happiness.

The example of a mother giving birth to a child is presented here to demonstrate how pains become lost in joys. When a mother converses with others about her baby, she doesn’t constantly discuss how painful it was to give birth. She rejoices that the child is alive and well and her attention is turned toward the future.

When we are in the midst of many projects, we often must suffer in order to bring them to completion. When the project is finished the joys of success crowd the sufferings from our minds. (John 16:20-23)

Giving and Receiving

Giving and Receiving

Everyone is familiar with the saying "it is better to give than receive," but few understand the meaning behind this powerful principle.

Why is it better to give than it is to receive? The more you give, the more you receive. Success and living life abundantly are rewards granted to unconditional givers.

An unconditional giver is someone who gives from the heart because they want to, not because they have to, or because they feel obligated to do so.

When people think of giving they often think money. You do not have to give money to be an unconditional giver.

When you give of your time, energy, resources, knowledge, skills, and/or talents, with no strings attached, you instantaneously set the Law of Giving and Receiving in motion. You become a magnet, attracting success and abundance.

The universal Law of Giving and Receiving is both spiritual and scientific.

The Spiritual basis of The Law of Giving and Receiving:

Whatever you sow (meaning whatever you plant, disseminate, scatter, disperse, or put out), you will also reap (meaning you will also receive, gain, harvest, accumulate, or get back). -Galatians 6:7

The Scientific basis of The Law of Giving and Receiving:

For every action (meaning for everything you do, every act, effort, or transaction), there will always be an equal or even opposite reaction (meaning there will be consequences and/or repercussions). -Isaac Newton's Law of Motion.

-Marenda Hughes Taylor

The Inner Self

If we are to live according to our true selves, we must first do some exploring to discover who we are.

Knowledge of how to find your inner self doesn't come all at once, nor does it come overnight. Most of us will never completely understand our inner selves.

The first thing you want to do is get into a relaxed state of mind. If you know a particular relaxation or meditation technique that works for you, use that to quiet your mind.

Once you are relaxed, bring your awareness to a certain part of your body and affirm to yourself that you are connecting with your inner self. I like to focus on the center of my chest because that seems to be an area where I have a lot of sensitivity, particularly when I feel excitement or distress.

Knowing how to find your inner self will play a great role in how you interact in your relationships with others and is a very important undertaking before you attempt to form a lasting relationship.

It is only through understanding your inner self that you can begin to deal with your issues, remedy past mistakes and learn how to feel good about your "self." As you work to develop the correct mindset on how to feel good about your self image, then how to find your inner self becomes easier.

Music

The Pope refer to "the spiritual value of the art of music which, in a special way, is called to infuse hope into the human soul, marked and sometimes injured by its earthly condition.

There is a profound and mysterious relationship between music and hope, between song and eternal life", he said. "It is no coincidence that Christian tradition shows the spirits of the blessed as they sing in chorus, captivated and enraptured by the beauty of God. But true art, like prayer, is not foreign to everyday reality, rather it calls us to 'irrigate' that reality, to make it sprout that it may bring forth fruits of goodness and peace.

Love and Fear

You were exposed to either the belief that you are separate from all other people and things in this universe or that you are one with all that exists in this universe.

These are the two belief systems that exist in our world today. These two belief systems come to the human experience via our thoughts, just as everything that has ever happened or ever will happen has come to us. All thoughts that come into our arena of thinking are based on one of two emotions. The two emotions from which all thoughts come to us are either love or fear. All thoughts that go through our heads are either love-based thoughts or fear-based thoughts.

Remember, love is the core of what God is. God is love. God is life. God, love and life are interchangeable. The process of life is the process of God experiencing love. If we all lived in the realm of the absolute, the only thoughts we would ever have would be thoughts of love because love is all there is in the realm of the absolute.

But we live in the relative physical world, so in order to know love as an experience we must also come to know the polar opposite of love, which is fear. Fear exists so that we can know and experience love.

Practicing Presence

Often, when our mind takes over, our ego has taken control, the ego likes to criticize us, telling us what we should or shouldn't do. This can distort one's reality and we can quite easily wind ourselves up over nothing.

Practicing presence is vital for a peaceful existence. When you are concentrating only on the present moment you are more able to act as an observer to your ego and decide not to pay attention to it, thus not taking your mind so seriously.

Worrying about the past or the future is futile because it doesn't exist, only the present moment exists, and when we realize this we can rid ourselves of a great deal of worry over things that are not real. If all there is is the now, then we realize that we really have nothing to worry about, because the beauty of the present and everything around us at that moment takes over, and we can free our mind from suffering. And because presence makes us more aware of our surroundings, we begin to appreciate nature more and experience joy in simple, everyday things, so that we no longer need to look to the future for pleasure.

Awareness Exercises

Walking up and down the stairs in your house or place of work, pay close attention to every step, every movement...even your breathing. Be totally present.

• When you wash your hands, pay attention to all the sensory perceptions associated with the activity: the sound and feel of the water, the movement of your hands, the scent of the soap and so on.

• When you get into your car, after you close the door, pause for a few seconds and observe the flow of your breath. Become aware of a silent but powerful sense of presence.

When you feel your mind taking over, remember to return to paying attention to your breath. Breathing deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth will always return you to the present. We can become present simply by becoming more aware of our breath.

These are some exercises that Eckhart Tolle talks about in his "Awareness Exercises"

Prayer

Pray as I pray

"You are an inspiration to others to Pray........."

May you be Blessed

Soul-Soothing Inspirational Movies - Virtual Therapy for the Soul

Love and Justice

Love is the ultimate norm for every action.

Love is what animates true justice and brings peace.

Nations need laws that are increasingly suited

to the needs of social and international life,

but above all, they need men and women

who order their own personal lives based on

the rule of love.

This order is justice,

and only in this order do laws have value.

Eight Reasons to Seek Good Everywhere

1. When you seek the good everywhere, you find it. Seeing how much good there is -- everywhere -- supports you in trusting God or a benevolent Universe.

2. When you look for the good outside of yourself, you can gain an amazing understanding of the people and situations that ebb and flow around you. Deep understanding is a foundation for inner peace.

3. When you look for the good within yourself, you deepen your awareness, your acceptance and your authenticity. Knowing the goodness in the core of your being strengthens your foundation of inner peace.

4. When you look for the good in yourself, you are affirming life and honoring the divine essence within yourself and every other living being. Honoring the spark of divinity in all of us connects you spontaneously with inner peace.

5. When you look for the good, quite often a warm glow of peace may fill you. Recognizing goodness naturally evokes your inner peace.

6. When you see the good and share your positive viewpoint, you start to change others' perspectives and to alter situations for the better. You become an angel to yourself and those around you, and your inner peace overflows naturally and abundantly.

7. When you look for the good, you begin to notice more positive feelings such as unconditional love overflowing in your awareness. This loving compassion for yourself and others naturally expands your inner peace.

8. When you look for and find the good in situation after situation over time, you will quite likely find that your practical life merges naturally with your spiritual life, and daily activities are in a very peaceful flow that mirrors your inner peace.

Jesus Image Found in Tree Log

A Bensalem, Pa., furniture maker says he's found a holy item and he's been taking care of it religiously. Craig O'Connor has a block of wood that he chopped from a pine tree. On it, is an image of a Jesus-like figure with its arms outstretched. The tree rings form a kind of halo around the figure's head.

"I was just covered in goose bumps," said O'Connor as he reminisced about his find. He had been helping out a friend, chopping trees in Burlington County nearly a year ago when he came upon the image. O'Connor said it looked like "Jesus ascending to heaven. Take me, that’s what it looks like to me. It's a natural stain, a natural sap stain."

By counting the tree rings, O'Connor believes the tree was at least 40-50 years old.

Life of Resurrection

In the life of Jesus, after his resurrection, we see him bringing peace, joy, consolation to many different people.

Death and violence and injustice did not kill Jesus and he does his work now in a different way. We are part of his risen life, and the way he works in the world today is through us. Whenever we look after the lonely or the down and out, try to make life’s conditions better for people who are in any way deprived, then we are sharing in the work of the resurrection.

The call of the resurrection to is to spread faith and justice in our world: faith in Jesus as the word and love if God, and the justice of God, seen in the words and life of Jesus, the risen Lord.

A Messenger of God


This is the ‘Mustard tree’ Jesus speaks of in the Gospel on which the birds can depend on.
  • He is Fr. Bobby Jose, on whom many depend on spiritually
  • He speaks, inspired by God.
  • He is a prophet, ‘Messenger of God’.
  • He speaks in words
  • He speaks more in deeds
  • His message is in ‘Shalom TV’

Faith and Community

A wall will not be strong with loose bricks; the bricks must be cemented together. So the early Christians formed themselves into a well-knit family. “The brethren devoted themselves to the apostles’ instructions and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers, sharing all things in common” (Acts 2:42).


We too need to belong to the community of believers to derive support from one another and grow in our faith. Our faith is never perfect; we are partly unbelievers. We need other’s faith to help our unbelief. Like life, our faith too has peak moments and zero moments. It too has mountain top and valley moments. When we are in a valley of doubts and our faith seems to flicker and threaten to go out, we need the community.

We need to belong to it also in order that we might experience the presence of the risen Lord. St. Thomas got his experience of Christ in the community of disciples. In the community he became a believer because there he met Jesus.

To be Happy

Don't do what you like,

but Like what you Do.

Easter 2008

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts:

1. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (27 7 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Wish you A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE of the PEACE, JOY and LOVE of the RISEN LORD! HALLELUIA!!!

http://www.cbcisite.com

Easter

If Easter says anything to us today,
it says this:
You can put truth in a grave,
but it won't stay there.
You can nail it to a cross,
wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb,
but it will rise.

Good Friday

Good Friday, anniversary of Jesus' death on the cross. According to the Gospels, Jesus was put to death on the Friday before Easter Day. Since the early church Good Friday has been observed by fasting and penance.

In the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican traditions, the celebration of the Eucharist is suspended; liturgical service involves veneration of the cross, the Passion narrative from the Gospel of St. John, and communion using bread and wine consecrated the previous day, Maundy Thursday.

Other forms of observance include prayer and meditation at the Stations of the Cross, a succession of 14 images, usually on wooden crosses, depicting Christ's crucifixion and the events leading up to it.

Calling the day of the Crucifixion ‘Good’ Friday is a designation that is peculiar to the English language. In German, for example, it is called Karfreitag, means "Mourning Friday". And that is what the disciples did on that day—they mourned. They thought all was lost.

I’ve read that the word good used to have a secondary meaning of holy. Perhaps Good Friday was originally God’s Friday. But I think we call it Good Friday because, in pious retrospect, all that tragedy brought about the greatest good there could be.

If we call it Good Friday, as in English, we are confessing the Christian hope that no tragedy—not even death—can overwhelm God’s providence, love, and grace.


Catholic Church

Catholic Church, Rewari Haryana

HOLY WEEK

Palm Sunday : 9:00 am, Sunday 16th , March

Maundy Thursday: 5:30 pm, Thursday 20th, March

Good Friday: 5:30 pm, Friday 21th, March

Easter Vigil: 7:00 pm on Saturday 22nd March

Good Friday

On Good Friday, the nature itself is sorrowful, silence and reflection. This day we join with Jesus in his suffering. Suffering is an unavoidable factor of human life. All the achievement tell us of the pain behind it. In our Christian living, we always enjoy the fruit of the greatest sacrifice of Jesus. This is the only day we recall the memory of that event. When we understand the depth of this sacrifice, we understand the depth of love behind that expression of love.

There was a son who was always against his father -for restricting in many things, not giving money as he wanted, not allowing to do anything he wanted. So he in his youthfulness always he was against his father. One day in the collage there was a fight and he was stabbed and hardly escaped. So he had to be in the hospital for long time. On those days he was listening to what others were telling. Then he realized the depth of his father’s love for him. He lost his mother when he was a child. With great sacrifices his father brought him up. Realizing the depth of love of his father, he began to express his love in return.

My dear brothers and sisters, today let us recall the depth of Jesus’ love behind this great sacrifice. This is only an example. This is the way that we have to love our dear and near ones. Let us realize that when we take care of our dearest ones, may be our child, our father; we are repeating what Jesus did on Calvary. Let us cooperate with Jesus. We are asked to repeat what he did for us.

Let us happily take up this cross, there may come someone to reduce the heaviness of it like Simeon. A Veronica may come to wipe the tired face of ours. Some may move along with us like disciples did to Jesus. Also there may be one who betrays us like Judas. And another to deny us, like Peter. Remember we are moving to Calvary the destiny, like Jesus, to the completion of the work that are entrusted to us by God. Let us take up the cross and follow him and reduce the heaviness of his cross.

Sin & Reconciliation (3)

He is clothed. The man who asked, what you have to do with me is telling, " have plenty of things to be done with you. Therefore he is at peace with himself.” The man is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Ready to relate with the society by symbolically wearing clothe. He is in his right mind. The result is that he wanted to be with Jesus. I want is fallow you. Jesus told no.
Jesus said go back to your people. Be with them. Get reconciled with them. Be there. And speak to them all the good things that God has done to you. He went to Decapolis, and proclaims the goodness, mercy, that God had showered on him.
Here is a point where we should come in. Not that we are all possessed by devil but we all are in same situation. We gradually isolate ourselves. We loose self confidence; we fail to know who we are. All kinds of immaturity set in our lives, small immaturity. It estranges ourselves from ourselves. And that gradually gets into our relationship with others. We get estranged little by little without realizing. .
Finally we find ourselves far from everyone. Consequently far away from them. Like this man we need to meet Jesus. This is the only way to get out of this enslavement. Jesus alone can give us that homeliness. Jesus only recreates it. And therefore we need to go to him like Zacchaeus, a beautiful character.
Let us accept the fact that sinfulness exists in the world, in us. Let us accept the fact because of sinfulness we have done so many things which we should not do and we did not want to do. And we are incapable of getting out of it. Let us accept that fact then go to Jesus like Demoniac and receive the healing touch and reconcile with God and one another and to ourselves

Sin & Reconciliation(2)

Secondly, he is alienated from the society, from brothers and sisters. And symbolically he does not wear cloths. He goes about naked. He declares “I don’t care for your feelings.” He seems to be having a heck out it. -going about naked all around. And he is alienated from the society. The society tries to enrol him by chaining him down. But he rebels. There is a total rupture between him and the society. The person is strange from the society. The second aspect of the sin.
When you are not happy with yourself, when you are not happy with your brothers and sisters, the people around you, when the human relationship is not in right order, there is an immediate consequence, you cannot relate. There is a reduction of relationship with God.
He knew that Jesus is the Son of the Most High, that is why he comes before and starts worship him. What have you do with me? You are son of God there is great border between us. There is nothing common between us.
Therefore he is a man alienated from himself God, society, himself. That is a complete sinner. Sin that must have started by small things in his life. He is slowly isolated from himself, from others and from God. Finally comes to the peak of his sinfulness where he is totally estranged from God, from others and from himself. It is at this moment that he meets Jesus.
Mark does not say what transpired between him and Jesus, because it is self evident. From the whole context of the gospel, why Jesus came to this world
But we see the consequence. The man who was an antisocial person, we see him clothed. Means he is telling, “I am now reconciled with the society, I respect the feeling of the society, I. respect the society. The don’t care attitude is thrown away.

to be continued....