Saturday 18 January 2014

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? 

Thursday 16 January 2014

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.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

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.

Saturday 11 January 2014

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.

Friday 10 January 2014

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.

Wednesday 8 January 2014

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.

Sunday 5 January 2014

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.

Friday 3 January 2014

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.

Wednesday 1 January 2014

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.

Monday 30 December 2013

They’re refugees… 2000 years later -- By Sheena George

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
There're "hidden exiles" within families who are treated like burdens... they can be your parents

  History repeats itself. What happened in Bethlehem 2000 years years ago, is resonating across the world in different forms now – in different countries and even within the families.

Friday 27 December 2013

The story of an exorcist

By George Mathew

 Fr Gabriele Amorth, the renowned chief exorcist of Rome, narrates his many experiences as an exorcist doing battle with satan in his book...

Wednesday 25 December 2013

The road to peace -- by Dr Jose Paul M.D.

 Do you want peace? Of course you want it. All of us want peace. There is no doubt about it. Achieving peace appears to be a gargantuan task, but achievable. There is peace to those with whom He is pleased.

Monday 23 December 2013

Reform your thought process -- By Simmy Joshy


Your reward depends on how well you can fix spiritual pollution 
 “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them,” says Mathew 15:11 in the Bible.

Saturday 21 December 2013

Christmas thoughts from Vatican



 Pope Francis on Thursday exhorted people to bring the “poor and marginalized” into their lives. And a seven-year-old boy did precisely that.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Pope slams Christians allergic to preaching

Pontiff talks about “scandal of preaching”.... says these "sad Christians" do not believe in the freedom that comes from preaching

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Why was Messiah born in a manger?

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
                                       
 Why was the much-awaited Messiah born in a manger? I was curious about this for a long time. Jesus Christ could have come in any manner as nothing was impossible for God. The Anointed One could have come to this world as an emperor or a rich man.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Pope Francis celebrates mass with 4 homeless men on his 77th birthday

 Pope Francis turned 77 on Tuesday and celebrated Mass in the Santa Marta guesthouse with 4 homeless men, his closest collaborators and staff from the guesthouse, all of whom afterwards greeted him with a birthday song.

Monday 16 December 2013

Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) -- By Pope Francis



APOSTOLIC EXHORTATIONEVANGELII GAUDIUM
OF THE HOLY FATHERFRANCISTO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY,
CONSECRATED PERSONS
AND THE LAY FAITHFUL
ON THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
IN TODAY’S WORLD

Sunday 15 December 2013

Pope makes waves again



Pope Francis takes on inequality and money power in Evangelii Gaudium, his first Apostolic exhortation
by George Mathew

  Pope Francis has once again proved that he's different. 'Evangelii Gaudium', the first Apostolic exhortation of the Holy Father has caused ripples across the world – even among non-believers and communists.