David

In Second Samuel, chapter 7 : 28-29, David is thanking the Lord of Israel for the good things He has announced through Prophet Nathan for the Kings family. True to God's promise David's name remained and Jesus who has descended from Him became the Lord to the whole world. It's not worthy that David, even at his height of glory was always committed to God and stayed humble before Him. He always prayed he remained that way.

I had to go through a personal set back this week. But with the Grace of the God, I could withstand it and remain hopeful in life. Just like the day and the night God has created, I take my happiness and sorrow to God and enjoy/bear it in His glory.

Picture of the Altar at Vallarpadam, yesterday. This Sunday is Peter & Paul's feast.

Mary's Assumption

In our own life, in our little ways to deal with the "everyday", Mary and her ways is a great inspiration. 

No surprise, she is found worthy to be crowned as the queen of life. 

Thank you Meenakshi Amma, for being our example in the way you remained a slave to Her ways, for life.

In the line of bread...

Mary and Joseph kept up their life, happily no matter how troublesome and difficult their days were. The strange land they were forced to live in or the trouble Joseph had to undertake to find work in new places or the worry and anxiety over the fate of their child Jesus, never took away the happiness and love they both shared even for a moment. They might have, just like our own faith require us to do, offered everything including their happiness and worries to God in their daily "time" with the Father, Almighty. 

Today the results of the national level exam which I had taken a few weeks back in the new subject I am pursuing now, came out. I have been selected along with 24 others to train at the Nation's premium institute for six months for an add on qualification. 

I am thankful to my God, not only for helping me through the qualifying exams, but also for giving me a mind to rely on Him everyday, for giving me the strength and grace to face and see through the troubles of each day and walk along the way He has so mercifully shown me.

Thank you Joseph & Mary, for being such an inspiration to believe in God, even when everything seems so bleak and impossible. Eventually, our lights will shine better. 

My friends, please join me in my joy and Gratitude towards God for this unbelievable miracle. 

Vasco Da Gamma

Last month we celebrated the 525th anniversary of the arrival of Vasco Da Gamma. Without the Portuguese influence, there would not have been the Church at Vallarpadam and also many other churches in and around Kochi.

It make one wonder why Portuguese had such a strong faith in Mother Mary.  They had built a church and honored the faith and celebrated their resort in Mary in all the lands they have shored. 

It was one heck of a sailing which Vasco Da Gamma in his ship Sao Gabriel undertook along with the fleet he lead to reach India. The turks  have blocked the other route to India, and the Europeans were desperate to find another sea route to the East for trade. That is why he took the risk upon the command of his King John II of Portugal to find the spice route. 

To sail around of Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa was a nightmare. Only the severest of faith can help a man from despair and destruction. Such was the bad weather in the channel of Mozambique. It was the faith of Vasco Da Gamma and the other sailors and their resort to Mother Mary which helped them survive the ordeal and let them sail through the coasts of Mozambique, Mambosa and Milindi, from there all the way across the ocean to Calicut favoured by the current and the Monsoon. 

On May 28th, 1498, Vasco Da Gamma, stood in front of Zamudiri (Zamorin) not as a conqueror but with all the humility of a trader asking permission to trade in the King Zamorin's land. 

Rest is history.

The rains

The monsoon is here. Rains after a long summer. Whole day rains. 

Church was still crowded this morning. I enjoyed walking up my 15 minutes to the church holding an umberella, walking along the road with rain water flowing and ofcourse fresh dog shit :) . Rains can be messy. 

Picture from the church, the tiled building is our old school. 

Every body has to be ready for the monsoon, umberella, rubber slippers et al..

Humbling experience

I had an invitation last evening, to a tenth marriage anniversary. I was hoping I would drop in and come back quickly. But the folks I went with stayed over the night there, so I had no choice but to stay the night at their outhouse near the backwaters. It was a beautiful, clean, cool night with gentle breeze and a lot of fresh air. 

Since I had an accounting class scheduled early morning on Sunday, I woke up early and decided to walk an hour's distance to my home so as to get ready and go for the lecture on time. It was about 5 in the morning. 

Half way through that village road, I heard some quick footsteps approaching in that morning silence. It was an elderly woman, around 7o, walking quickly for the 5.30 am mass. Inspite of her old age, she was committed to reach the church before the mass starts and was literally running all the way.  We walked together talking, rest of the way.

It was an humbling experience for me. I was never so committed in attending a full mass each time I attended the mass. What more to say, I missed my Sunday mass today. 

I am so glad, that old woman stands more justified before our God, for her simple, yet strong faith rather than anybody else's grasp or understanding of the theological concepts or spiritual gravitation. 

Thank you, My Lord, for this wonderful experience. How much more our simple Mother Mary would have been committed to her faith, and our very own Meenakshi Amma, Vallarpadam Mary's slave, in the way of practice of her faith. 

Very inspiring thoughts for me...

The Great Commandment

Deuteronomy 6

4.
Israel remember this! The Lord- and the Lord alone- is our God. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 
6.
Never forget these commands that I am giving your today. 
7.
Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working.
 8.
Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder. 
9.
Write them on the door-posts of your houses and on your gates. 

Certainly I have failed many times to keep the God's commandment. And yes, I have paid with my own life for it. The failures, the sufferings, the disgraces, the emotional worries etc. 

Being with the Lord is a beautiful experience. The commandments are the ways to maintain it.

10.
Just as the Lord your God promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he will give you a land with large and prosperous cities which you did not build. 
11.
The houses will be full of good things which you did not put in them and there will be wells that you did not dig and vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant. When God brings you into this land and you have all you want to eat, 
12.
make certain that you do not forget the Lord who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. 
13.
Honor your Lord, your God. 

I guess I have failed in honoring my Lord when my cup was full....

Thank your God for giving me the opportunity to realize this and correct my ways.   

  

Kindness and Mercy

When we offer our days and troubles at home and in life and count on His mercy and kindness, He opens door for us, from the very situations which we thought we will never get out, alive perhaps.

The experience of each day that way is an enriching lessons indeed.

Thank you God! for your kindness and mercy.

Happy Easter

HAPPY EASTER

The lent days and the recollection of the Passion of Christ helped me deal with my own life and its problems very much. Three distinct miracles added on to the re-assurance, that if we carry our Cross well, we will be comforted and guided through to victory. 

One of the miracle was so personally pleasing that it knocked me out emotionally with joy. It also made me open my eyes to the fact that, I am using only 10% of the chances and opportunities that God so lovingly bring to me.

The first miracle taught me, indeed it is us and the way we act under pressure, that save our situation, our day. For us to deal with a problem we need to have presence of mind. For us to keep the presence of mind we need to stay calm, not to be affected by the emotional aspect of the situation.

The rituals and practices help us a lot to stay put in the right way...Without it we go astray, our mind go here and there. Ligthing the lamp for God in the morning and evening is one of my most adored ritual. Well, about that, later. 

Wishing you all my friends, a Happy Easter. May you all have the grace and understanding to realize what is your cross and live it well. Good Luck and God bless.

PS: The picture is from Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadam.

Daily bread

Dear Lord! please bless everyone's way of earning bread!