Feast

Retreat Prior to Mary's feast at Vallarpadam

Beautiful Gateway to Our Lady of Ransom Church

Evening Sun lighting up the Vallarpadam Sky

The new building near the highway lit by the evening's golden sun

With the annual retreat and the Marian pilgrimage this year's feast is just about starting at Vallarpadam. I was lucky to be there on a Monday evening.

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.

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...

Lamps of life

I have been desperately trying to clear some exams for  a license which would give me more opportunity to work on history and in tourism. Ever since the program was announced by the authorities in February, I have kept aside everything and kept working for it. Unfortunately, the program has not moved much from the application stage. The authorities have extended the last date for application thrice. The lack of backup plan to survive has devastated me.

Often, the pressure of the situation blew me away. Most of the time making me even forget how to pray. During such timea, it takes a lot of effort to find comfort through spirituality as everything seems lost. Difficult indeed, but for ordinary folks like me, what else is the way to stay alive. Sooner or later comes back to my God.

Deliberately trying to stick to the ritual of lighting a lamp at dawn and at dusk is one of the ways, that ensure I offer my day and thought to God without fail. Lighting lamp has a big significance in our Hindu Tradition. In old testament, the way the arc of the covenant should be respected with light and lamps are detailed very clearly.

Personally, when we light a lamp we are offering to God all our emotions of the day, anxieties, joys and everything we have in flames to the Divine Creator, who is light himself. It gives me joy to contemplate on how Meenkashi Amma lighted lamps at the altar of Lady of Ransom centuries ago. She sure would have lighted a lot of lamps everyday.

May the light in our lives, burn brighter.

Our prayers are with all those who lost lives in Oklahoma twister and through other natural calamities all over the world.

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.   

  

Lent Days

The month of "Kumbh" is the breakaway month from the cooler winter months after the monsoon into the hot summer days. Its also the time when the summer fruits bloom. The mango trees looks beautiful with its yellow blooms. Usually, the hot days brings the air pressure down in the land and the water vapour from the sea moves onto the shore, sometimes resulting in very consoling rain. Its called "Flowering rains". It brings the blooms of the summer fruits down, the flowers will be all littered over the courtyard, a beautiful sight.

Beautiful part of the Kumbh month is the clear blue sky and the amazingly clear sunsets. The picture is the sky from my home a few days ago before the flowering rain.

Lent days are going good. Most of the time I attend the 7.15 am mass. There is an inspiring preganent young lady at the church who attend the morning mass regularly with her full bump. She make me wish that every carrying woman have such a happy and peaceful months. Yeah! One should be lucky indeed.

Some countries, like UK, they have the Pancake  race to mark the beginning of the Lent days. They have event everywhere even the MP's have to run around with a frying pan tossing pancakes. Every society have their own customs and events. What is mine..?

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.