An year end thought!

As the year departs, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to know you. 

May God bless your endeavour of acquiring and sharing knowledge.

Wish you health and contentment, may you continue to be the light to all around you. 

St. Nicholas Day

On December 6th is the feast of St. Nicholas. He is actually the predecessor of Santa Claus who was created by the brilliant marketing of Coco Cola since 1930. 

St. Nicholas lived between the 3-4 th Century originally known as the Nicholas of Myra in the Southern Turkey of the Roman Empire before the Byzantine phase of Rome. He brought people together when there was social division and civil unrest. He helped women and children who had no one and no where to go to. Later a bishop he became a saint for the quality of his life than being martyred which was the norm of the catholic period, then. Children keep a single boot outside their door on December 5th which will be filled with sweeties and gift goodies next day morning. The practice started the tradition of giving gifts on the day which later extended to Christmas and is followed by all the churches - protestants, eastern and orthodox.

Cyprus

Pope's visit to Cyprus, the land of the Apostle Barnabas 

Cyprus

November Thoughts

Life is slowly coming back to normal after the curbs of the pandemic lock down is being eased and lifted. Though the restrictions are still on in public spaces caution has become more personal. Wearing double mask, maintaining social distancing, using hand cleansers...

Those of us who used to find our bread from crowd based industries like Tourism, Event Management etc. the work is yet to pick up. 

Nostalgic November brought the candles back to our lives with many being lit at the tombs. I enjoy lighting them at dusk and dawn when the darkness move to light and light to darkness. Twenty minutes or so of the change over and the candles do glow beautifully when the darkness sets in early and stays longer in the month of November when we remember our dead. A pack of this thin and small candles were just right with its twenty minutes light and perfectly fit our budget with 32 a piece per pack for Rs.60. With the opening up after the lock-down their prices went up to Rs.80.

As our income did not improve life is demanding many sacrifices in the form of abstinence from unwanted expenses to maintain the most wanted. Its interesting how our society copes with maximum for some and minimum for others in their way of life. But it has been so in all the generations. We read about it in detail in the Gospel how a few in the Roman society lived and how Jesus became dear to the other half who were poor, helpless and needy. No wonder, our closeness to God has improved during these tiring times, just like those miserable in the mighty and opulent Roman Empire. 

Nostalgic Sunday mornings of Tropical Winter

In the cool and gentle mornings of January, I like waking up early on a Sunday morning getting ready and driving all the way to Vallarapdam when it is still dark for the 6.15 am mass. In the tropical winter months sun rises at 6.30 am and the mornings are so adorably pleasant.  No doubt, the morning rides through the empty roads singing aloud becomes one of the most cherished memories of the first months of the New Year. 

There is a tea shop just outside the highway on the first turn to the village of Vallarpadam, stopping there to have a hot cup of tea along with a  warm "Mulaku Vada" (a snack made of dough mixed with green chilly and onions and fried in oil) with many a early risers who stand around the tea-shop talking sipping their morning tea adds to the joyous experience of my early morning visit to the church. 

Though Pandemic has broken our means of life it has also taught us to value of little joys which in fact adds up to our lives beautifully. 

 

Not Knowledge but love.

 Knowledge alone will not change a man, the experience of love will.

Sunday 17 January

At noon on Sunday. The day was dry but hot. Yes, folks are visiting the pilgrim centre even though the church is closed. 

Boiled Meat, cabbage, carrots, beans and pasta. 

Thank God for the Kindness of those who invited me for a breakfast. 

Occasional delightful surprises such as this mark the day out during these difficult times, in terms of food.

Stay With Him

Pandemic and its all around consequences are putting us through all sort of unexpected situations and difficulties. Loss of work and income, the stress and strain we feel when the payment due date for loan installments, credit card payments, school fees of children, medical and hospital emergencies arrive etc. are pushing us over our normal bearable limits and are literally butchering our emotional and physical well being these days. 

On a spiritual reflection, we understand, this is the time for these types of reactions and emotional experience, which is but one of the many sort of emotions the creator has built into us. Let us not stop praising and worshiping God just because the emotions we are experiencing at the moment are not pleasant. 

Best wishes.
 

Happy New Year

Also on Makara Sankranti, the Tamil and our new year as per the old tradition. 

I wish you on this day, the grace, strength and strong willed commitment to use your God given intellect, education, language and eagerness to learn to engage in work your destiny has bestowed on you and make a decent living out of it. 

I believe friendship among men/women is helping each other to achieve this goal. If a man/woman do not have a job he enjoys it is difficult for him to find happiness. 

Best wishes.