Farewell 2012

My beloved year. Thank you for the lessons.

Singing Auld Lang Syne..:

We can listen to the rendering of this song on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acxnmaVTlZA

To learn more about the tradition, wikipedia link :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne

Carols

 The family who is a regular with Carols was out this year too. The dad, always shuts his eyes when I take their picture. This year too he did it on me.

A bunch of new young kids on the block...:)

Star Collection

 

Stars from my neighbourhood. Another year, another memory. Except for two houses, which was rebuilt, there was not much change in their star position. One of the two houses, had a big Tamarind tree infront of their house, on which they used to hang their stars and light for Christmas for more than 40 years was cut down this year. 

Merry Christmas

 Our Crib at home.

 The crib at our local church.

 Big time cribs, outside the church with bigger "everything".

 The star welcoming and wishing the parishoners of our local church.

 A tale of light all around. But the power went for half an hour everywhere. Though powercut was officially lifted for a day.

Another Christmas day. Usually I am broke on Christmas. No matter how hard I try. It has become a kind of tradition for me now (not my parents, I should say!). But this Christmas was not big different.I stayed home mostly and worked on a dream, that kept me going when the rest of the neighbourhood was celebrating.  Two little children gave me company. God bless them.

Did not go to Mary at Vallarpadam. Could have. Chose to stay back and finish something which I got with Her blessing.

Conviction

An early morning visit to Vallarpadam. When I got there, the morning mass was just about over, and the church goers already left. Few of the elderly parishoners stayed back and was finishing their rosary.

The church looked pristine and clean in the December morning sunlight. Its been a while since I have come to Vallarpadam. Took some pictures and stayed around for a while.

Returned with the conviction, that faith meant, keeping our harmony with God and believing Lords Will will prevail in our lives. Lord is always merciful and compassionate.

Later in the day, the same thought, I shared with a grieving heart and I could feel the way Lord was using my conviction, to console.

Thank you Jesus, the way I felt, the satisfaction from the effort to touch a heart positively is my offering for my GOD for the day. You gave me the heart to do it.

Kochi Muziris Biennale

Continuation

Kochi - Muziris Biennale for an average Malayalee like me is an opening to the world. To see, how artists around the world reflect on social, philosophica, spiritual issues.

Its my attempt to search for the theme at the various venues, art forms which reflect on the true liberation of a man's spirit with true knowledge.

The light of our heart!

What does our heart reflect, the light or darkness?

How come can a young man, kill 20 innocent children? Was he that bad? What brought him to such a frame of mind?

Does the belief that on December 21st the world is going to end, has anything to do with that young man's behaviour?

Ignorance of spiritual truth, can be destructive ?

Channukh

Wishing all my friends who are celebrating Channukh this week (December 8th to 16th) in the true tradition of Mother Mary a wonderful celebration. Just like Judith (Yahudith) was inspired by Yael, may we all be inspired during this festival of light, to live The way and to do everything possible by us for who are In The Way.

Mindfulness

From the litte we have, how much we can give. "The widow, offered everything, all the little copper coins she had. Her only means of existence."

Whether it be money, thoughts or deeds, how come we have only little, when God has blessed each one equally with one or other talents to live with.

Ignorance that stop us from the true liberation, continuing being slave to our own unwanted thoughts, dogmas, philosophies....

The liberation, the freedom, from the belief, the Kingdom of God is in us, within, each one of us and that we should be a free soul to realize it and live it to spread our wings and fly.

So What is our call, to invite a soul to our religion, to our philosophy...our way of life.. or to help a soul to free itself from all its earthly bondage with true knowledge...:)

To be continued..:)

Greetings of the Season

May all of Lord's creation, find Harmony in Him and enjoy, His goodness and wellness!

True offering

Micah 6“What shall I bring when I come to Yahweh and bow down before God the most high? Shall I come with burnt offerings, with sacrifices of yearling calves? 7Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams, with an overabundance of oil libations? Should I offer my firstborn for my sins, the fruit of my body for my wrongdoing?”
 8“You have been told, O man, what is good and what Yahweh requires of you: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.




One of my best friends, a hindu, survived a tumour in his brain. He and his family had thanks giving offerings to make at many temples. When he went to the Meenakshi Ammen temple at Madurai, he asked me to accompany him. For me, it was one wonderful chance to visit the old city of temples and to see the art and culture of that dearly beloved historical town once more.

While being there, I was fondly reminded of the rich spiritual tradition our country has.How much of importance and significance we Indians give to stay close to God and remain spiritually clean.

Yes, indeed, What Micah 6 : 8 reveals is very true, what our God our Lord want from us is to be just and compassionate and walk humbly with God.

All the faith and religion is solely for this purpose, we will learn with experience of compassion. No amount of rituals or practices or fasting wont save us unless and until our mind accept that truth and delight in it.

The picture is that of an young bride, who got married at the temple when I was there. May all her wish come true and she be happy. Or rather May she have the grace and wisdom to be happy no matter what life bring for her.  

Jasmine

Jasmines are flowers offered to God in worship. South Indian women  wear them on their hair too.

A beautiful sight, a beautiful feel.

My favorite of all the flowers for worship. Simple and regal. Its sweet fragrance a nostalgia. Always.

Colors of life

At the seminary where I have a class, we planned a photo-shoot for making Christmas cards for the coming season. I took around 220 pictures of each students and the priests there. But unfortunately the pictures did not come good. I pushed my old camera to the extreme for better quality and it took a lot of unwanted colors, making each frame a mockery. A disappointing venture, especially when I am in no position to replace my old camera. 

No matter how bad or hard life's circumstances be, if we stay close to GOD and keep our thoughts in Him in everything we think and do, things gotta turn around. That's our belief. The blind man who called out to Jesus, "Son of David.." was granted his wish. Jesus merely asked him, "...What is that you wish that I do for you.."

So basically, it's all about our faith. That, He can do everything. Everything is possible for Him, if we keep ourselves worthy for His Divine grace.

I wish for my two friends, who has told me that their peace is wrecked, that they find their harmony soon. May they have the grace and strength to win over everything that is wrecking their peace.

Thank You

After a few weeks I went to Lady Of Ransom yesterday early morning. I enjoyed the cool lonely walk up to the church from the highway. Seeing the bright colored dome of the church from a distance was very consoling and comforting. 

Being a week day, there were not many in and around the church. The schools kids were just about arriving to the school which is in the church compound itself. Those who come early were playing around in the Rosary park. 

I had a special mention of my mother whose death anniversary was last week. Like me she too was a frequent visitor at Lady Of Ransom. As I sat there in the freshly painted and polished inside of the church, I was grateful, that I got an opportunity to teach "Accounting" again to a batch of seminary students, of the very congregation which was my mother's favorite. Since I had moved away from that subject to "Art and Art History" lately, I was happy I take up that classes, even with considerable strain on my time. 

Thank you Mary at Vallarpadam, You with Your infinite grace and bearing help us to be true to ourselves and our faith.

Smile

Sorry to admit, but I do not have any more of fresh pictures from Vallarpadam. Not surprised though, its been over five weeks since I went there. Work mostly, on Sundays too.

Come to think of it, I have been blessed with one of the best opportunity of work at one hand, but on the other hand I have a lot of troubles to deal with.

That's more or less how my life has been, a mixture of both at the same time - good and bad, happiness and sadness, weakness and strength...

With age, I have learned to be strong with Lord, never to let anguish overtake me... (Smile)..but its not easy...(Smile).

Inspiration

Dr. Bettina Topoll, Germany.

An inspiration, to live. We all have our own troubles in life, Jesus and our Faith in Him is our Way to live our life without letting the troubles get the better of us.

“Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17)

A honour to have met you Doctor. You are a true inspiration indeed. May our Lord keep you well and let you be an inspiration to many around you.

Reward of the Obedient

Reward for obedience to the Lord 

Psalms 128
1 Blessed are you who fear the Lord
 and walk in his ways.

 2You will eat the fruit of your toil;
 you will be blessed and favored.

 3Your wife, like a vine,
 will bear fruits in your home;
 your children, like olive shoots
 will stand around your table.

 4Such are the blessings bestowed
 upon the man who fears the Lord.

Some times, we search for reasons, why life is not good for us, why we are not successful, why our labor is not bearing fruit, why we are not married or why our marriage is not happy?

Psalms 128 has the answer to it all.

Story of a purse

Mine was worn out, it was with me for over five years. Good thing about it was, I never ran out of money, there was always something in my purse. As if by a miracle. 

Seeing the sad state of my purse, a friend gifted me with this new one around the time we visited Lady Of Ransom together. I have not used it for a long time, thought of starting with it today. 

My lord, bless my friend with the grace to live life by YOU!

God

Oh! My GOD, please stop me from dwelling on the sad parts of my life, strengthen me Oh! Lord to look forward, hopefully.

My Fort and My Shield!

For a few months now, I have been talking spirituality and was laughed at behind my back by "my own". 

But GOD who saw my heart, gave me an opportunity to talk about the same subject to a wider range of folks who appreciates it very much and compliments me!

Who would have thought, one day, Americans, Israelites, Britishers and French would like me to tell them about Indian spirituality with references to Bible. Thank You Jesus, my Lord and my fort, you did not let me fall off and die when I was heart broken. Keep me Lord, in You 'n' Your ways, always!

True Blessing.

Proverbs 19:14

"14House and wealth are inherited from a father but a sensible wife is a gift from Yahweh."

The ongoing Soorya festival was a blessing to me. It took my mind out of my plaguing worries. I was fascinated by some artist couples who do the classical art forms. I was wondering about the family atmosphere they might have to cherish and practice such fine arts which is the manifestation of spirituality. 

No wonder then, we should be really careful about the persons whom we take into the holy and the most holy place deep inside our hearts, if they do not have the inclination to respect the purity of their own souls and those of others by birth they can destruct our soul-its peace- and our everything. 

I used to believe anyone can turn to God anytime, but I have realised lately that not anyone, only some, have the mind to turn to God, to make Him their way of life, to enjoy His feast of peace and happiness. They are chosen by God, even before their birth. But it is true, God do not go by caste or creed. 

Thank you My Lord, for blessing me to turn to you, to find peace in You. Please keep me that way till I die. Thank you Jesus. 

PS: The picture is the new altar at the Lady of Ransom, built for the parishioners. 

A request!

My Lord and My God!

My joy and my peace, when I am tired and lonely with twists and turns of my life, please gift me a companion, who will talk to me about YOU and YOUR WAYS and help me live better in every way!

The Dome, my eyes search for..

Usually, as soon as I get down at the bus stop in the highway at Vallarpadam, I can see the Lady of Ransom's dome, if my mind is free of worries, I will start praising the LORD in my heart as I walk upto the Church. But lately, peace is not what I have. 

My father was not highly educated, still he sent me to college. Though he was not capable of helping me with academics, he took care of the financial part and provided a home with good enough atmosphere for studies. I did not disappoint him as I went all the way to two masters. I recollect with a relish, how proud he used to be when my exam results came. I believe that was the best I could give my father. 

When life gave me a chance to bring someone back to life from the depth of worst, I gave it my best, just like my father. I prayed and dreamed that 'someone' would give the best, unfortunately even after enjoying the best for a while, that 'someone' did not had the heart to continue, to keep on walking THE WAY. I was broken hearted. 

Though, I have sidestepped from that 'someone's' life, for it to take its own natural course, the memories come up my mind often and destruct me. Today, I got an invitation to attend one of the Soorya classical musical festival. All through the evening rendering, I kept humming the psalms of worship and adoration, it took me to another level of spiritual heights. I had a similar experience during the fireworks of our local temple at Maradu, which is famous for its "vedi kettu". 

Thank you my LORD, for helping me convert my miserable situation into an opportunity to be one with you and find some peace.

The flame

Psalms 144:1

1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle .

The flames that is raging in my heart....

I am imperfect my god, I cannot love completely with my own heart, please come into my shortcoming, please let me, please help me love with your true love, unconditional love. 

Save me, O! LORD from the consequences of my imperfections-anxiety, fear, disappointment, anger. Fill my shortcomings with your perfection My LORD, liberate me O! Jesus, from the bondage of these emotions.

Love

John 15:12
"This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you."

Oh! My God, Thank you for teaching me how to love, forgive me for the times I have hurt, I have let down those who have trusted my love. 

Help me Lord! Please help me, to forgive who deliberately booted my trust and enjoyed it like children playing in the mud. 
 

Guardian Angel

Oh! my guardian angel, comfort me, console me.. I am broken and lost. 

Psalms 55: 13-15

13If it were a rival insulting me, I could bear with him; if it were a foe in pursuit of me, I could hide from him.
 14But it is you, an equal of mine, my bosom friend, my companion 15whose fellowship I enjoyed as we walked together in the house of God. 

Emotional Trials

2Samuel 14 :14
"Even God does not bring the dead back to life, but the King can at least find a way to bring a man back from exile".

Feeling lost and lonely...

A drop of sadness

I remember my mother fondly during the convention days, when she was around, she used to make it a point that we attend such retreats. She said and did anything and everything to ensure we go there!

I pray for all those families, specially for someone I know personally, who could not think for themselves or there was no one in their family who is concerned about their spiritual well being (especially when they are so remorse struck) to make them go and attend such a spiritual feast.

I am sorry my friend, you missed a chance of self-help, may our good LORD continue to protect you and guard you and may you have the wisdom to give your everything to Him to refresh your life the best way.

Vallarpadam Bible convention 2012

 For us, a bible convention at Vallarpadam at the Lady of Ransom church is a dream come true. We all have been waiting for something like this for a long time. This is the place, this is the church (first church in Asia to be dedicated to the Holy Spirit) where the words of living water should flow.

 On the 125th anniversary of the diocese of Verapoly, the authorities decided to celebrate it with a convention. Fr. Xavier Khan Vattayil and his team members lead the convention.

 It was a spiritual feast for everyone around the place. The spirit, the crowd, the wonderful opportunity to praise our LORD along with thousands of others.

 The convention started on 12th of September Wednesday, from the day one the ground was full, amazing the times we are living is making us live on the edge and the comfort spirituality is offering.

 A day was lost, on Saturday, the haarthal in protest of certain govt. policies made it difficult for peoples from far to come, but those who were blessed with a vehicle got an easy ride as the traffic was less. But the ground was full on that day too.

 It was a rainy week all the way, the sun when it comes out during our monsoon is impossibly hot. But for us it did not make a difference, the cool breeze from the Arabian sea, did had an air conditioning effect.

 The usual visitors to Vallarpadam, they come from all over India, were surprised with the crowd and the loud worship. I wish they too understood the language and the message. We don't know when we get the message we need to change our life, in Fr. Panckal's (Divine, Muringoor)  words, the POWERFUL WORD OF GOD, that can bring the change we need in our life.

 A lot of volunteers put in their effort, to see through the five days of the convention. Everything went well, in rain and the sun. After all, its not the physical comfort that matters, when one is longing for the spiritual well being.

 For me, once again it were days of joy. I like worshipping OUR LORD along with like minded people. The convention brought a lot of people from different levels of life, all of them came for the LORD and the spirit was unbelievably Jesus like. I kind of drank it all. I was so happy.

All the pictures were taken a week earlier, when they were setting up the venue. I wish I had a small camera, I could have carried it on the convention days.

School Re-union

An school re-union after 27 years. Wow! what a feeling.

School days hold the most beautiful memories of my otherwise unhappy childhood. Though I was just an average student who was promptly corrected for the shortcomings often (those days it was a humiliation, indeed), it was at school I met my friends, the friends I made in my innocent years. The self-conscious and shy child as I was, I have not even talked to all my classmates then, but when I grew up, my school days became the most cherished memory of my life. When ever I passed through, that road where my school is,  at Thripunithura, something pulled at my heart, made my heart beat faster. 

Of all the 25 students, except for the three everybody came at re-union. I was one among the three. I did not go. Just held back for an emotional reason, for a friend whose emotional worries I am sharing these days, did not wanted to indulge in a joy alone. Was it a fair decision, the other friends were equally eager for the re-union? Smiles.

"We became friends in our innocence,
No matter how far and how long, 
Life take you all, I will remember,
Each of you, till the day I die!"
 

Hope

Zechariah 9:16

When the day comes, the LORD will
save his people,
as a shepherd saves his flock from
danger.

9:17

How good and beautiful the land will
be!
The young people will grow strong
on its corn and wine.

Triumph

How is it possible to quench my thirst if I do not pull up the water from the well? Yes we do have to take the effort to pull up the water and we cannot expect anyone else to do that for us.

I was loosing sleep over a reaction and an  attitude of a person, on whom I had spent considerable time and spiritual energy to restore peace to that person's anguished heart. Lately, somehow, I had a feeling maybe the person is taking me for a ride, giving me all the attention to keep the friendship going but no honest like for the spirituality I was talking about hour after hour. I should admit here, this was just hunch of a feeling without any basis.

But the fact is it took on my heart like a wild fire, making me think wild thoughts and go sleepless. When it became unbearable, I took the matter to our LORD, and He advised me through James 2 where the Apostle warns against being prejudiced in treating people. Though he mentions there about treating people differently based on their appearance, I took it for a direct warning for me not to discriminate a mind baselessly. Then I am breaking the commandment of "love your neighbor".

I thought about it for a while, then I understood, why should I have even a need to think bad about someone, especially when I am not certain about the facts, then I knew am putting more of my intellect, more of me into the matter than the love of GOD. I should approach the issue with a subdued heart which is tamed in prayer and filled in love than the rash, sensitive worldly mind.

James 2:13

For GOD will not show mercy when He judges the person who has not been merciful: but mercy triumphs over judgement.

That set my mind free. The next time we met up, we got on like a fire as ever before.

Thank you my LORD for making me pull up the water from your ever full well of Wisdom.

Onam

I somehow has the habit of being broke around festivals. This time too it was no different. As the day grew and the unusual rains on an Onam day dampened the spirit, I became a miserable wreck.

To you Oh! my LORD, I offer all those, who are lost and lonely, who have no one to speak to, no love and no where to go in these holidays, console us My GOD-Jesus, you who know what it means to be lonely and dejected.