June

Some graceful view from the Basilica in June. 

A new look picture of Lady of Ransom on the 500th Jubilee year. 

Etched in our memories as we leave the Basilica and get on with our lives wherever it is..

A lucky Sunday

Fr. Antony Valumkal took charge as the Rector and Parish Priest of the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadam in 2021 when we were reeling under the Corona induced panic and lockdown. Since then attending his Service was a blessed part of my Sunday Hours at the Basilica. Highly Educated and surprisingly humble, the Rector, won the hearts of all those who engaged with him. The History seminar he organised at the Basilica was my personal high point of his tenure. 

The Rector, church folks say, used to love his quite hour at the Lady of Ransom in the evening after the Basilica was closed to the public for the night. That Spiritual Union one can possibly achieve in deep meditation at the church dedicated to the Holy Spirit is the reason why many visit Meenakshi Amma's memory bearing Church. 

I was away when the Rector was ordained the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Verapoly and missed the event. 

Luckily, on this Sunday, while I was there at the Basilica, there was a small event at the Basilica which he attended and I could see him from a distance. 

Best Wishes and I am sure, Your Excellency, that you will miss your quite hour at Vallarpadam. 

A summer Sunday

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry.” - Jn 6: 35

Coming to Lady of Ransom after a month.

The Altar is still under maintenance, dome above is glistening like a sky. The clouds of centuries ago.

This is the Lady of Ransom I goes to at Kanyakumari. Probably built by the same missionary fathers of the Mercedarian Order who was involved with our Vallarpadam too.

And, strange though it may sound, deep and abiding faith does result in every kind of hunger being met. Christ is indeed the bread of life!

Summer months are tough. Those who work in the sea find it difficult with the heat and phases of no wind and patches of "Cat Paws". The catch is few.

Some unlucky among us find themselves let down by their mates in these tough months.

Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

Acts 7:60

Forgiveness comes easier when we blame the sin, and not the sinner.

Good Friday, March 2024

The Good Friday Observance at the Lady of Ransom Church, Kanyakumari. 

Palm Sunday

The temperature was only 32 degrees. But at Kanyakumari with three seas around water gets heated up quickly and warms up the land. With less wind in these months, it is rather very warm. 

Here are some pictures from the St. Roch Church at Vavathurai in Kanyakumari from the Palm Sunday. 

State of Mind

Happiness is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with our being rich or poor etc..

An inspiring and a heart warming story

Katharine Hepburn’s childhood, in her own words.

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.

There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were  well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their  parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns,  animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their  excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It  would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say,  "You're my knight in shining armour." He was smiling and enjoying seeing  his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy  eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family  to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you  say?" The ticket lady again stated the price.

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his  eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20  bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any  sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped  the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.

He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his,  squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a  tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir.  This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad  gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.

Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside  us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

That day I learnt the value to Give.

The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasised because there's always joy in giving.  Learn to make someone happy by  acts of giving.”

~ Katharine Hepburn