Christmas Pictures

A picture Journey of a pandemic Christmas

After the mass, the church was closed according to the pandemic regulation and the crib was projected through the cctv. 

                     A Christmas lunch

A prayer

Oh! God, bless me with good thoughts and help me to express them in words. 

We pray, bless everyone with their bread..

world Fisheries Day

We live, We celebrate, We protect: Fishers, Oceans, Mother Earth, Statement of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), World Fisheries Day, 21 November 2020 https://worldfishers.org/2020/11/19/we-live-we-celebrate-we-protect-fishers-oceans-mother-earth/

The Fisher men of Vallarpadam

She was sitting at the far end of the church where the boats still arrive. I have known her for as long as I have been coming to Vallarpadam. At first, I knew her as the wife of a hard working fisherman, then as a helpless wife of the same  fisherman who have taken to heavy drinking and finally as as an enterprising honest woman who sells candles and flowers to the visiting devotees. I liked her last role because she was proud to earn her living rather than rely on devotees charity. Sun or shine, she was out in the church compound walking around and offering candles, her face always burned by the sun and energy sapped by the heat. But she always had a cheerful smile on her face and never cursed the devotees who turned down her candle offer. 

So when I saw her on the all souls day sitting under the tree by the jetty, a bit felling sad, I asked, " what has Corona done to you?"

She smiled and sat silent for a while and said, "church is closed for over six months now, nobody is coming to church and there is no candles sale any more."

Yes, it was a difficult situation, I assured her she is not alone in her anxiety and disappointment, we all are going through the same phase. 

"How come you are here at the jetty?" I asked a little surprised since I have hardly seen her at that side of the church. 

She pointed at the boat moored in the lake and told me, "they will throw me some fishes after a while for the dinner", shaking the paper bag she was carrying in her hand. 

It didn't take long to make out her situation, she gets rice from the govt. free and her curry from the kindness of the boat fishermen. The neighborhood brotherhood, helping hands in the time of need and the disaster. 

I was glad and grateful that this hard working lady is somehow surviving the Corona and its devastating impact. 

As I walked away I realised, I didn't have anything with me to spare for her, except my prayers for her. 

Fr. Abel of Kalabhavan

Remembering the very creatively gifted father on his death anniversary who ran the creative arts platform of Kalabhavan, which has been the stepping stone of many who made their careers and lives in the creative field. 

One of the best loved songs of Fr. Abel:

ഈശ്വരനെ തേടി ഞാൻ നടന്നു

കടലുകൾ കടന്നു ഞാൻ തിരഞ്ഞൂ

അവിടെയുമില്ലിവിടെയുമില്ലീശ്വരൻ 

വിജനമായ  ഭൂവിലുമില്ലീശ്വരൻ 

എവിടെയാണീശ്വരന്റെ കാൽപ്പാടുകൾ

മണ്ണിലൊക്കെ ഞാൻ തേടി കണ്ടില്ലാ..

എവിടെയാണീശ്വരന്റെ സുന്ദരാലയം

വിണ്ണിലൊക്കെ ഞാൻ തേടി കണ്ടില്ലാ...

കണ്ടില്ല   കണ്ടില്ലെന്നോതിയോതി

കാനനച്ചോല പതഞ്ഞുപോയി

കാണില്ല കാണില്ലെന്നോതിയോതി

കിളികൾ പറന്നു പറന്നുപോയി 

അവസാനമെന്നിലേയ്ക്ക് ഞാൻ തിരിഞ്ഞൂ..

ഹൃദയത്തിലേയ്ക്കു ഞാൻ കടന്നു..

അവിടെയാണീശ്വരന്റെ  വാസം

സ്നേഹമാണീശ്വരന്റെ രൂപം

സ്നേഹമാണീശ്വരന്റെ രൂപം  

ആബേലച്ചൻ

Couples @ Mary Vallarpadam

Husband and wife should be like hand and eyes; when the hand hurts, eyes cry, and when the eyes cry, the hands wipe away the tears. 

Gratefulness

Is our intellect added to us after we are born?

Intellect is not something that is added to us later. It must have existed in the self inorder to have manifested itself, later. 

"The tree must have been contained in the seed or could not have sprung out of it". 

So too, intellect must have been contained in the self from the beginning. 

With this context introduced, please go to the words of Jesus and also the Psalms:

"Gratefulness is the greatest offering that humans can offer to God."

Our intellect is the one that dissects all our emotions. The emotions are already pre-existing in our self. It merely come to us according to the situation and we experience it. 

The way we feel about our work, before, after and inbetween...all of that we are merely experiencing. With our intellect we work to avoid faults and failures in our work preparation and execution. The aspect of preparation in itself is an emotion we are experiencing. So is joy, apprehensions, disappointments etc..

Let us work our intellect well, discern our emotions and be grateful to God for the whole of it. That way we will be always above the emotional impacts that life brings us. 

A sunny day @ Vallarpadam

The offering at St. Mary's Basilica Vallarpadam

A usual offering of Rice preparation at Vallarpadam. Perhaps, due to the pandemic impact nobody touched it for a long time. In normal circumstances the pilgrims would have accepted it readily and the container would be empty soon. 

Messengers

After Yom Kippur, the three days of fast the Jewish congregation holds for repentance and fasting, I went to Vallarpadam on Tuesday. The Sun was breaking out of the clouds in short bursts which has been a relief from the 3 weeks of rain and grey days which was made even more gloomier by the fast growth of Corona cases in our Kerala. There were hardly anybody at the church except for an elderly gentleman who warmly responded to my greetings. 

Sometimes, God speaks to us through others what we need to know most. Of the many things he told me during our very interesting conversation what delighted me most was his interpretation of worship. He asked me whenever you come to church worship and adore God through Psalms and hymns before you go into recitals and prayers for favours. He also offered me a few words of simple praise and worship he keeps repeating. 

Yes indeed, God tell us, through the least expected means what we need to hear the most. 

Praise you God, the creator of heaven and earth, praise you Jesus, our way and truth to God, hallelujah! 

Sunday with Mary and Meenakshi Amma

The rain was raging all through the week. Fortunately, on Sunday, at noon, the sky cleared for a long while and I could join those who visited Vallarpadam. There were quite a few though the church continued to remain closed. Meanwhile in the parish church behind the Basilica a local sweethearts were getting married and the whole event in the Corona safety settings became so novel an idea in its simplicity. 

Sometimes, I wonder, what is that make me go to Vallarapadam Basilica on every Sunday and whenever possible. Is it the service or the miracles or the grandeur of the church itself...

I guess its an emotion I feel, the carefree, happy, secured, peaceful...

A happy family who brought their newborn to Mary along with the grandparents were gratefully offering their gratitude for the blessing and the sight of them earnestly thanking God was very inspirational. The young mother beamed a hearty smile at me which warmed my heart and made me wish that all those childless couples who seek Mary's help would one day soon get an opportunity to visit here smiling with the happiness of their wish being fulfilled.  

On the way back rode quickly to the Lady of Hope at Vypeen before it started raining again just to have a look around. The pandemic has wrecked the small town of Vypeen just like any other town of the Pandemic hit world and as I rode back all I could think was when will this tragedy end and folks can go back to their work and means of bread, normally 

Sunday

We had one low pressure in the Arabian sea in the previous week which did not bother us in Kochi that much but the low pressure in Bay of Bengal did brought a lot of rain to our town. During a short break in the rain on Sunday I rode to Vallarpadam. Inspite of the rain there were few visitors to the church, some of them were the parents of students who came from far away towns to attempt the under graduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. 

One such parent gave me the opportunity to explain the life of Meenakshi Amma at Vallarpadam. A pleasant experience to recollect Meenakshi Amma and her graceful life. 

I felt lucky that I could go to Vallarpadam and spent my "Quiet Time" today inspite of the Pandemic and the rain and remembered all those who wanted to but couldn't. 

while I was about to finish my time it rained again and I waited for a hour for the rain to stop. Though I could use the time well in the quiet solitude outside the closed church, I couldn't help thinking about the disastrous effect the pandemic is having on all our lives; if the people couldn't come for worship, especially those of us who need that spiritual refuelling every week, what purpose all these precautions will serve, as our minds and thoughts are gradually degrading and lead us to disaster eventually. 

Third visit in the months of Pandemic

There were some visitors today on the second Onam at the lady of Ransom. 

I have hardly seen much people around the church in the last six months of which the first three have been compulsory lock down. Nice change, hopefully life will get back to normal even though the pandemic is raging. 

Though strangers, feeling happy to remember those who came to the closed church today and prayed together standing  quietly outside, everybody lost  in their own world, offering to God, in their prayers the reasons for what brought them here. 

Thank you my Lord, for the renewing spirit, which was the need of the hour, help us deal with the tolls and worries of these days. We pray your grace stays with us and help us in thinking and doing what ought to be. 

 

Pandemic or not...

 With due credits to the one who wrote this;

Pandemic or Not…

The Pandemic has broken us,

Took away our jobs, means of bread,

Tearing down our dreams, everything,

That we have ever worked for.

 

Years of Study, hard work, blown away,

With the collapse of the world, to whose,

Ways we have adapted reluctantly, to feed and cloth,

Those who trusted us to live with.

 

The Pandemic has not made us afraid of death,

But of a life and living, afraid of being,

Turned to a speck of dust on the floor, to be swept off,

And dumped in the bin not to die but to live rotting in the heart.

 

We look upto you Lord, the one Who rose from the dead,

We trust in You, who knows panic and helplessness,

Strengthen our thoughts and bless our hearts,

To find opportunity in nothing and turn it into reality.

 

Bless our spirit, with strength and dare,

To drive away the demons of destruction clawing down,

Our confidence and belief, Help us Rise again,

Pure and Joyful, to be the man and woman you want us to be,

Pandemic or not…

B. Thomas, August, 2020

A song

Vallarpadam

Another visit to church during the pandemic induced post lock down troubled days.

The church continues to be closed to prevent the social spread of the virus. 

The never empty church and its candle stands stand bare except for the occasional visits of the parishoners. 

The national Shrine and pilgrimage centre, St. Mary's Basilica, hardly have any memory of being this empty and closed for so long. I wonder how it was in 1920 when a similar pandemic 'The Spanish Flu' choked the world, especially the port cities and coastal areas of India. 

A prayer for the day!

Everyday is a journey. At the end of the day we are grateful for the joy and sorrow. Tomorrow is another day, we don't know what we will have or not have. Always cherish the moment, the present for what ever it is...and do not forget the ONE to whom we are eternally bound . 

Best wishes to every one who are going through the Corona induced difficult times. 

" May we know what to think and what to do..." we pray God please grant us the grace, we ask this in name of our Lord Jesus. 

"The Idiots"

I am a nobody and has nothing, but I know Jesus you came for folks like me. 

This was our attitude even before Pandemic anxiety and joblessness made our belly groan with acid. 

Why should we be afraid, what do we have to loose, we were living a day at a time always, for what reason we should be worried now?

Buckle up comrades, be happy and be at peace, not our will but His prevails. Let us take it, whatever it is and live it. 

Picture from a week ago, at Vallarpadam, where church is closed, still 'some' come ..

Gratefulness

Feeling grateful for being able to survive when the industry and the work we were associated with has been completely wiped out. 

Only when we do not have something that is when we truly realise the real value of it. Let us be grateful and appreciate all our blessings.

Bread on the table

Thank you dear Lord for the food on our table in these difficult times. We belong to those class of people who do not have much reserves to fall back on. Our daily earnings are all we have. And it's been a while since we went to work. 

Show mercy on us our Lord...

Church during the Pandemics

Obscure and Marginal, the Jesus movement, during the time of the First Century Romans,  was not expected to grow or influence them, who then were the epitome of civilization the world had seen till then. Yet the message of love for one another that Peter, Paul, John and the rest preached and their disciples practiced, grew, not exponentially but remarkably. 

If we look at  how the Church grew over the centuries, we can see it was not a strategy or a master plan that worked, but the simple reality that the first community practiced the love that was preached to them and believed it was the way to live while Rome and its rich lived as masters in all opulence and luxurious glory of the time. 

With the arrival of  "The Plague of Cyprian (249-269 AD)" in the empire,  the world saw the Romans running for their lives, abandoning their sick in their beautiful homes, selfishly thinking of saving themselves alone. The health facilitators and the care providers the Romans had tried their best but could not contain the disease as they themselves were getting afflicted. 

While every one was leaving the city the very small community of the first century Christians entered the city and took care of the dying in a very selfless way practicing the love and sacrifice that was preached to them, often giving up their lives, getting affected by the plague and dying while the sick recovered. This selfless act of love and brotherhood during the plague and in the subsequent pandemics won many hearts and by the third century the number of Christians in Rome had grown to 3 millions in the empire. 

Ofcourse in those days, the medical knowledge was not that developed and nobody knew how the disease spread. They did not know carers could be the carriers no matter how asymptomatic they could be. During the modern times, the development of technology and medical knowledge has taught the world many things about the pandemic and the world know how to deal with such a situation with well developed medical systems and personnel. In these days, we can, still,  express our Christian love by maintaining the self isolation and preventing the spread of the virus through us, while the well established government machinery take care of the medical and other aspects of pandemic control.

Meanwhile, its still possible for the Church to advocate the long term goals of  social justice, equal income, the well being of the prison workers and others in isolation, universal health system etc. We know, in some countries, the government employees and some others are paid full salaries for the month they did not work during lock down while many others did not have the opportunity to work and was not paid for the days they did not work as their employers confirmed they did not have any money to pay.

The way the Church (all denominations) deal with  the pandemic and the situation will explain what they are and be the answer to the questions their detractors were raising in these very modern times. 

The Personal Union with God

The lock down is, rightly, extended for some more time to make sure the Pandemic Covid-19 is completely ostracized from our midst. Though the decision is absolutely necessary for our survival, for us the ordinary whose sustenance are dependent on our daily earnings, it has given some reason for anxiety and worry . Our resources are running dry, what will we do, will we have work when everything re-opens etc.

It is also noted that the churches and other places of worship will remain closed for prayers and worship. Alternative technology enhanced measures are on to live stream the prayer leaders and the worship they conduct giving us the chance to be part of it, the fact that these hardships have taught us is that our spirituality basically depends on our personal connect with our, God, the Creator.

Those who have that personal connection, those who can pray when they are alone and with themselves will continue to have that richness of union with our Lord and survive the crisis of our times.

Connect with God in your own way, in the fullness of your heart no matter where you are and who you are with. It doesn't matter whether we are by ourselves or with others or at a particular place. 

Happy Easter!

Wish you all the unbridled joy of Easter. Recalling to mind the happiness of Magdalene when she saw the risen Christ who was taken away from them on the Night of Thursday and killed on Friday. The last time she saw Him was on the cross and in Mother Mary's arms as they prepared Him to be buried. Lost and lonely, they spent the entire Sabbath thinking about every moment He had spent with them, sobbing with every breath in grief, disappointed at the lost. Perhaps, they might have remembered what He told them about the resurrection after three days, but to believe it or to even expect it under the political and spiritual set up they were in might have been stretching it too far.

Hence, her Joy on seeing Jesus. To think about her Unbridled Joy of seeing Jesus again, that He has Risen from the dead, that Father, the Creator, has glorified Him just as he glorified the Father,  is a blessing. From her, the apostles heard the news and was overjoyed, though some doubted, still it was a source of big comfort for them since Thursday night.

We stand in this generation as part of that long spiritual Chain, who has felt that same unbridled joy in the rising of the Christ, which Magdalene has felt, the apostles have felt,  the disciples who accepted Jesus's way through them have felt and all those over the generation who have walk in Jesus's Way have felt.

As mere humans and simple lifers of our present time, the everlasting and ever constant Easter is our only true joy which we hold in our heart as our treasure.

May what is written for us, fall on us in these times of Corona,  let us be joyful in our Lord, as long as we are here.

Thank You Magdalene, we share your joy and hold you in our hearts as our own. 

Easter in the times of Corona Virus

Completely locked Down during this historic Lent. Cannot recall an instance when the whole world went through a Lent as lonely as this. Thanks to the technology, people had a better access to church activities around the world, not just their Parish Churches.

The free time and the lone time encouraged taking an inward Journey, which turned out to be a blessing. Watching the movie on Jesus during the lock down was a big spiritual boost. Robert Powell's brilliant characterization of the 1976 movie Jesus of Nazreth stood out among the other movie alternatives.

Here is a you tube link to the movie which is 6 hours long.

Jesus of Nazreth

Urbi et Orbi

On Friday, 27th March, 2020, Pope Francis gave the world a special blessing, Urbi et Orbi which is practised only on Christmas and Easter, standing in the middle of the empty St. Peter's Basilica Square, alone under the temporary canopy while it rained steadily. As the Corona situation continues and getting worse in Italy and around the world, the whole country was under a lock down which kept the people away from the square. 

Dear Pope Francis, thank you for your spiritual leadership and for that wonderful feeling of being United with Christ and the God, along with you, the representative of the Apostolic spiritual chain of our generation. 

We Pray, God, all we longed for is the union with you through our Lord Jesus Christ. Please don't let the anxiety and the fear of the present time affect the peace and Joy we enjoy through that Union. Our only treasure and keeping in this world. 

May Your will be done....

Corona Sunday

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 as Pandemic. Wuhan, the city in China, where the Virus originated has been ravaged by the epidemic bringing that country to a standstill. In this new world of global economy and interactions, our own people who were in that city brought the virus to our country. It was bound to happen, the way world is interconnected now and it has happened. The precautionary measures taken by our state government helped to contain the virus to a very limited incidence. Still, precautionary measures meant avoiding public contacts among humans as the virus is spread from human to human.

Basilica at Vallarpadam

The empty Church

Its not often we see our Basilica without any pilgrims

I was coming to Mary and Meenakshi Amma after almost two months, being away on the east coast for work. To offer a mass in mother tongue is always very engaging. Tthe masses were cancelled except the morning and the evening ones. 

My God, help us contain the virus, may it not spread in our land and every country. Give us the forbearance to do things the way it is to be done to get rid of this disease. May all those who are in the frontline to fight the disease be blessed, the medical staff, hospital employees, government authorities, the transporters, policemen and everybody associated with the program, may all those and their families reap the benefit of serving the mankind at the time of this historic and disastrous pandemic. 

We pray for the grace to be by You, never to loose hope and faith. 

Advantages of Prayer

Prayer is a conversation with God,
Prayer liberates us from all wrong thoughts.

Even in our free time keep saying our favorite prayer,
Prayer will always generate positive thoughts in us,
Unfailingly, prayer will keep us away from all evil.

Even if the whole world rises up against us,
Plot and conspire for our fall, nothing, 
Will happen to us, if we are prayerful in our lives.

We will be peaceful in all circumstances,
The grace of the Lord will be in us.

No matter how adverse the situation is, 
Nothing will affect us. 

So, Let the day begin with a prayer,
Let us stay prayerful, whole day!