How the Helper salvaged me from severe hardships… He can solve your problems -- By Dr Jose Paul M.D.

  One of my friends recently called me to say that he would like to talk to me for two minutes about something. I thought he wanted to consult me regarding some illness. But it was something very different.

Internet, a gift from God, says Pope

 When Pope Francis talks about the need to get into 'digital highways' and 'internet connectivity', everyone sits up and takes notice. There was a time when internet was dubbed as a tool of Satan to corrupt and trap people. It's no more Satan's tool. 

Feasts of saints becoming less spiritual and more pompous

  Is the jamboree in the name of celebrating the feast of saints turning the attention away from our saviour Jesus Christ to saints?


   Our parish priest narrated this story in one of the homilies.
  When the father was serving in a Mumbai suburban parish many years ago, he used to conduct Novena for St Joseph every Wednesday. Parishioners and even outsiders used to throng the church on Wednesdays.
  So far so good. However, the sad thing was that on week days only few people used to come for Holy Mass -- the re-presentation of the ultimate sacrifice on Calvary.
  Intrigued by this no show for Holy Mass, the priest asked the parishioners, “Why you don’t come for Holy Mass?”
  One parishioner replied, “This area is infested with robbers. They will attack us. That’s why we don’t come for the Mass.”   
  The priest refused to believe and continued, “but you come in large numbers for the Novena of St Joseph.”   The parishioner said, “St Joseph will protect us from robbers.”
The priest nearly fell off the chair with that reply.
  Is Jesus Christ not capable of protecting you from robbers? Shocking. Whom do you believe? Who is your Saviour? Saints or Jesus Christ?
  The laity in the Catholic Church in India, Kerala to be precise, is still confused. Or shall we say ignorant? If that’s so, this ignorance is unpardonable and indefensible. Is the jamboree in the name of celebrating the feast days of saints in the Catholic church turning the attention away from our saviour Jesus Christ to saints? The festivities, illumination, fireworks and other embellishments on feast days of St Sebastian, St George, St Joseph, St Antony etc. are mind-boggling. In many parishes, celebrations have reached ridiculous levels with fireworks display, chariot processions and music bands adding to the cacophony. To top it all, commercialisation has added a new dimension to the celebrations in some places.
  Of course, these saints are martyrs and torchbearers of faith, but the central figure is and must be Jesus Christ. He is Son of God and your Saviour. Saints can’t take that position.
  Saints are good models of faith to emulate in this world. However, salvation comes through Jesus Christ. You often see a big crowd during the feast days of saints but Holy Mass, especially during week days, in many parishes witnesses only a thin attendance.
  This writer agrees that feast of a saint is an occasion to celebrate, give respect and proclaim the faith. But we sometimes forget that these are solemn spiritual occasions. Over the years, feast celebrations have become more colorful and competitive with parishes trying to outdo each other in displaying money power and pomp. It has also become an occasion for drinking sessions in many places. 
  “The spiritual dimension of the feast is often lost in the eagerness to make the feasts colorful,” one Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic church wrote in a letter to laity.   Does Jesus Christ want all this? He’s looking inside your heart, your attitude and approach. What have you learnt from these saints? Have saints  brought about any change in our thinking and lifestyle?
 This writer was a witness to another incident that happened inside another Mumbai church. As usual, less than a dozen people were attending the Holy Mass. A big group of children, teachers and office-goers came inside the church to pay respect, venerate and pray in front of the statues of saints. Ignoring the Holy Mass, many of them started praying in front of the statues of saints and the priest celebrating the Mass got agitated and flared up. He stopped the Holy Mass and admonished the crowd gathered near the statue. “You don’t want Jesus Christ? Why are you running after saints when Holy Mass is being celebrated, where real God is present,” he reacted angrily. He restarted the Mass only after the crowd in front of the statues dispersed.
   Aren’t they missing the woods for trees?  
  The Catholic bishops in Kerala often call for austere and more spiritual celebration of Church feasts, but their sage advices fall on deaf ears. “The feasts are becoming less spiritual and more pompous and commercial. We need to take corrective steps,” an Archbishop was quoted as saying. 
 We have to celebrate feasts of saints, but our  celebrations should not become a show of money and pretentiousness. But celebrate them differently, in a spiritual atmosphere, to change our mindset.    

Syrian holocaust may wipe out Christian settlers of 2000 years

Their plight is met with near-complete silence and inaction by Western Christians.

My encounter with God... By Dr Jose Paul M.D.

Don't be afraid, your Father in Heaven knows what you meed

  This encounter happened almost 20 years ago on a sultry day in Bahrain. I was staying in a multi-storied building in the downtown area. I was very much in need of money but there was nothing left. I felt lonely, depressed and dejected. After a tiring day, I retired for the night. Although it was pitch dark, suddenly I felt that my room was filled with light. Its luminosity and radiance was something indescribable.  

Great Christian books one must read

 Books can change your life.  The following are some of the all-time great books that Christians must read to enhance their spiritual growth, knowledge and faith. 
 This list was compiled by our friend Brandon Vogt (you can read about it in http://brandonvogt.com/best-catholic-books-of-all-time/) with the help of a list from Fr John McCloskey. I have added Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation 'Evangelii Gaudium' to the list. 
 This is a fantastic list. You can think of making a library of these books at home. However, these books come only after the Holy Bible. You can't categorise Bible or compare it with others. It's special. It's Life. It's the Word of God. 
You can start collecting these books now:

 Theology and Basics of Catholicism

Adams, Karl - The Spirit of Catholicism
Bouyer, Louis - Spirit and Forms of Protestantism
Catholic Church - Catechism of the Catholic Church
Guardini, Romano - The End of the Modern World
Guardini, Romano - The Lord
Hahn, Scott - Rome Sweet Home
Kreeft, Peter - Christianity for Modern Pagans
Newman, John Henry - Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine
Newman, John Henry - Parochial and Plain Sermons
Ott, Ludwig - Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma
Pieper, Josef - The Four Cardinal Virtues

History and Culture

Belloc, Hilaire - The Great Heresies
Belloc, Hilaire - How The Reformation Happened
Belloc, Hilaire - Survivals and New Arrivals
Carroll, Warren - Christendom I: Founding of Christendom
Carroll, Warren - Christendom II: The Building of Christendom
Carroll, Warren - Christendom III: The Glory of Christendom
Carroll, Warren - Christendom IV: The Cleaving of Christendom
Crocker III, H.W. - Triumph
Dawson, Christopher - Christianity and European Culture
Knox, Ronald - Enthusiasm
Leclercq, Jean - Love of Learning and the Desire for God
Walsh, William - Our Lady of Fatima
 

Holy Men and Women

Chesterton, G.K. - St. Francis of Assisi
Chesterton, G.K. - St. Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox
Day, Dorothy - The Long Loneliness
John XXIII, Pope John - Journal of a Soul 
Merton, Thomas - The Seven Storey Mountain
Muggeridge, Malcolm - Something Beautiful for God
Newman, John Henry - Apologia Pro Vita Sua
Suarez, Federico - Mary of Nazareth
Trochu, F. - The Cure of Ars
Wegemer, Gerard - Thomas More: A Portrait of Courage
Weigel, George - Witness to Hope

Literary Classics

Alighieri, Dante - The Divine Comedy
Benson, Robert Hugh - Lord of the World
Bernanos, George - The Diary of a Country Priest
de Cervantes, Miguel - Don Quixote
Eliot, T.S. - Christianity and Culture
Endo, Shusaku - Silence
Hopkins, Gerard Manley - Poems and Prose
Newman, John Henry - The Idea of a University
O'Conner, Flannery - The Complete Stories
Percy, Walker - Lost in the Cosmos
Percy, Walker - Love in the Ruins
Sienkiewicz, Henryk - Quo Vadis
Tolkien, J.R.R. - The Lord of the Rings
Undset, Sigrid - Kristin Lavransdatter I: The Bridal Wreath
Undset, Sigrid - Kristin Lavransdatter II : The Wife
Undset, Sigrid - Kristin Lavransdatter III: The Cross
Waugh, Evelyn - Brideshead Revisited

Spiritual Classics

Aquinas, St. Thomas - My Way of Life/Summa Theologica
Augustine, St. - The City of God
Augustine, St. - Confessions
Catherine of Siena, St. - Little Talks with God
Chesterton, G.K. - The Everlasting Man
Chesterton, G.K. - Orthodoxy
John of the Cross, St. - Dark Night of the Soul
Lewis, C.S. - Mere Christianity
Lewis, C.S. - The Problem of Pain
Lewis, C.S. - The Screwtape Letters
Oursler, Fulton - The Greatest Story Ever Told
Teresa, Bl. Mother - Meditations from a Simple Path
Teresa of Avila, St. - Interior Castle
Teresa of Avila, St. - The Way of Perfection
Therese of Lisieux, St. - Story of a Soul

Spiritual Reading

A'Kempis, Thomas - The Imitation of Christ
Aumann, Jordan - Spiritual Theology
Baur, Benedict - Frequent Confession
Baur, Benedict - In Silence with God
Boylan, Eugene - Difficulties in Mental Prayer
Boylan, Eugene - This Tremendous Lover
Burke, Cormac - Covenanted Happiness
Chautard, Jean-Baptiste - The Soul of the Apostolate
de Caussade, Jean-Pierre - Abandonment to Divine Providence
de Montfort, Louis-Marie - True Devotion to Mary
de Sales, St. Francis - An Introduction to the Devout Life
de Sales, St. Francis - Treatise on the Love of God
Escriva, Jose Maria - Christ is Passing By
Escriva, Jose Maria - Friends of God
Escriva, Jose Maria - The Way, Furrow, The Forge
Escriva, Jose Maria - The Way of the Cross
Faber, Frederick - All for Jesus
Garrigou-Lagrange, Fr. Reginald - Three Ages of Interior Life
Liguori, Alphonso - The Great Means of Salvation and Perfection
Liguori, Alphonso - Uniformity with God's Will
Louis of Grenada, Venerable - The Sinner's Guide
Lovasik, Lawrence - The Hidden Power of Kindness
Manzoni, Alessandro - The Betrothed
Martinez, Luis - True Devotion to the Holy Spirit
More, St. Thomas - The Sadness of Christ
Perquin, Bonaventure - Abba Father
Rohrbach, Peter - Conversation with Christ
Scupoli, Lorenzo - Spiritual Combat
Sheed, Frank - Theology and Sanity
Sheed, Frank - Theology for Beginners
Sheed, Frank - To Know Christ Jesus
Sheen, Fulton - Life of Christ
Sheen, Fulton - Three to Get Married
Tanqueray, Adolphe - The Spiritual Life
von Hildebrand, Dietrich - Transformation in Christ

Miscellaneous

John Paul II, Bl. Pope - Crossing the Threshold of Hope
Masson, Georgina - The Companion Guide to Rome
Monti, James - The King's Good Servant but God's First
Rice, Charles - 50 Questions on the Natural Law
Sertillanges, A.G. - The Intellectual Life
Stein, Edith - Essays on Woman
Francis, Pope - Evangelii Gaudium

Beware of false teachers -- By Thomas Mathew Vattakunnel

“The Spirit says clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times: they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons. Such teachings are spread by deceitful liars whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron” (1Timothy 4:1-2)

 We are bombarded with various talks, sermons and speeches about Christian faith. We can see various types of preachers around but make sure we follow and practice only one model. Who is that model preacher? 

Why generations call her Blessed? By Sheena George

 "Why do you worship Mother Mary?” This is the perennial question of my Protestant friends. My explanation never satisfies them, but I’m not bothered about their satisfaction.

This's sacramental blackmail, hypocritical neo-clericalism: An Archbishop vents fury

 By clericalising the Church, the hypocrites of today drive God’s people away from salvation, Bergoglio reminds priests... and he and dubs them as followers of the hypocritical gnosticism of the Pharisees

Is there a way to handle mental persecution? -- By Simmy Joshy

 The word persecution reminds us of the physical tyranny suffered by people from different walks of life. In the biblical context also there are umpteen evidences of persecution and sufferings, mostly physical, faced by the disciples and followers of Jesus. Are we, the Christians of this century, free from persecution? Definitely not, perhaps the manifestation at physical levels might rather be lower.

THE SECRET BEHIND TRUE HAPPINESS – By Dr Jose Paul M.D.

  Are you happy? Not always.

  Why? Here is the answer.

  Happiness is a state of mind resulting from peace. What you need is peace, quotidian and all-encompassing peace. You should have peace with your spirit, mind and body. Peace cannot be understood as pacification or the mere absence of violence. You should have peace with the people around you and the surrounding world. Is it possible? I would say practically impossible in this largely profane and cut-throat world.

Don’t make church “a museum piece” or “a toll house”… it’s “not for chosen few”

The Vatican document remains out of public scrutiny

  Evangelii  Gaudium (or The Joy of Gospel), brought out by Vatican, is a harsh critique of the entire Church, including parish, diocese, priests and faithful. It demolishes the precepts and concepts within the church, and takes everyone to task for various omissions and commissions.

  Though it’s more than a month since the apostolic exhortation was brought out, it’s yet to reach the Christian community across the world. It remains a mystery that this document has not yet come into the public limelight.

 These are some of the gems from the document:

 DON’T MAKE CHURCH A MUSEUM PIECE: In some people we see an ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine and for the Church’s prestige, but without any concern that the Gospel have a real impact on God’s faithful people and the concrete needs of the present time. In this way, the life of the Church turns into a museum piece or something which is the property of a select few.

 CHURCH NOT FOR CLIMBING SOCIAL LADDER: A spiritual worldliness lurks behind a fascination with social and political gain, or pride in their ability to manage practical affairs, or an obsession with programmes of self-help and self-realization.

 It can also translate into a concern to be seen, into a social life full of appearances, meetings, dinners and receptions. It can also lead to a business mentality, caught up with management, statistics, plans and evaluations whose principal beneficiary is not God’s people but the Church as an institution.

 CHURCH NOT FOR CHOSEN FEW:  The church should be in contact with the homes and the lives of its people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen few. The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.

 WHY CHURCH  IS NOT CLOSER TO PEOPLE? We must admit, though, that the call to review and renew our parishes has not yet sufficed to bring them nearer to people, to make them environments of living communion and participation, and to make them completely mission-oriented.

PRIVATISED LIFESTYLE: We must reject the temptation to offer a privatized and individualistic spirituality which ill accords with the demands of charity, to say nothing of the implications of the incarnation. There is always the risk that some moments of prayer can become an excuse for not offering one’s life in mission; a privatized lifestyle can lead Christians to take refuge in some false forms of spirituality.

 WEB OF OBSESSIONS & PROCEDURES: I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life.

  NOT A TORTURE CHAMBER: I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs us on to do our best. A small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties.

 NOT ARIBTERS OF GRACE: The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak. These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators.

 CHURCH IS NOT A TOLL HOUSE: The Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.

Put your thoughts and desires to test… and see whether they’re from Christ or antichrist -- By Thomas Mathew

Do not to trust every spirit, but test the spirits

  One of the most important points in the Christian life is to distinguish what comes from God and what comes from the false prophets, or followers of antichrist.

Persecution of Christians set to rise in 2014

22 pastoral care workers killed in 2013, almost double from 13 in the previous year

 A team of police officers stormed the NanLe County Christian Church in China on November 16, 2013 and arrested Pastor Zhang ShaoJie, removing him to an undisclosed location.

Watch out, our enemy is roaming around -- By Sheena George

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
  When I sat down to write this piece, I was wondering -- why should I write? Will someone read it? Will it be a waste of time and energy? After some dithering, I realised -- if I'm able to give some useful thoughts to at least one person, then my efforts won't be in vain. The reason is that our enemy is roaming around us, causing moral revulsion among us.

Early morning is the best time of the day -- By Dr Jose Paul MD

 Are you a senior citizen? If yes, this is for you. Even if you aren't, it's worth reading this and trying it out. It can rejuvenate you physically, mentally and spiritually.