You don’t need Jesus… You want only saints. Right?

Sheena George

 “You don’t need Jesus… you want only saints. Right?” asked our parish priest in  Mumbai who was dejected by the poor response to the feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus. His disappointment was not without reasons: only a handful of people – not even one-tenth of  2000-strong Catholic population in the area -- turned up for the feast last week. The church should have been full. When he looked at the empty benches, he became more melancholic. 

The savagery of ecumenical purges in Iraq, Syria, Egypt: Christians being wiped out

  Jerry Johnson, president of the National Religious Broadcasters, played a clip of Egyptian television’s coverage of a Christian who was beheaded at a conference of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox church leaders in Washington recently.

Satan, that odious mountebank, is cheating us when we judge others.

Sheena George

 We are good at judging others. We mean most of us, Christians. We get some kind of pleasure in prosecution of others through judgments. Inevitably, most of the time, nay all the the time, we go wrong while making judgments.

Pope Francis stops car to bless young disabled woman

  Pope Francis stopped the car that was transporting him to see a young disabled woman and her family on the side of the road during his June 21 pastoral visit to the region of Calabria in southern Italy.
 A video posted online by a family in the southern Italian region of Calabria depicts the encounter with the Holy Father. The Pope passed by the highway near the family’s house as he returned from Cassano allo Jonio, where he spoke out against the mafia.
 The family members waited with banners reading, 'Please Pope stop here to see an angel who has been waiting for you', and 'Please come and bless little Roberta'. When the Pope saw their signs, he asked for his car to stop, and immediately went to greet and bless the people, according to Vatican’s news.va.
 Once the vehicle stopped, the Holy Father descended, approached the woman, who was laying on a moving stretcher, blessed her, kissed her and greeted her family and the children around her.
 The young woman – Roberta – is disabled and cannot travel far from her home, because she is dependent upon a machine to breathe. Her family voiced their gratitude to the Holy Father on Facebook. “I still can't believe it, thank you Holy Father...I thank the Pope for having given us a moment of great joy,” her sister, Pamela, wrote.
 “Today we can say that Christ stopped in Sibari in the vestments of Pope Francis,” added Ivan Vania, a friend who helped make the posters calling the Pope’s attention.

Don’t store up your wealth in this world

Thomas Mathew Vattakunnel

 If you keep all your savings in the bank or stock markets, will it help you? Jesus says it’s meaningless. Bible gives clear answers. It’s not worth storing up wealth in this world, which is a short period.

Vatican slams excessive speculation in financial markets

'Speculation in food prices is a scandal which seriously compromises access to food on the part of the poorest members'

'Don’t try to prevent your son or daughter from selecting this vocation...'

ON A WING AND A PRAYER
 Sabu Aruthottiyil of King Jesus Ministries, Kerala, India, is one my of favourite evangelists who regularly comes on Shalom TV, a Christian charismatic channel. He recently spoke succinctly and pithily about the vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. In a nutshell, his message was “don’t try to prevent your son or daughter from selecting the vocation to the priesthood or religious life.”

Many people claim to be in Church but have only one foot inside

  Who offers the best critique of the Catholic Church? It’s none other than Pope Francis himself. He never misses an opportunity to punch holes in the ivory towers in the church. He calls a spade a spade and comes down on the misdemeanors and felonies in the church.

Bulgaria beggar donates thousands to church, treated as saint

Vessela Sergueva, AFP

  SOFIA: A 100-year-old beggar in a threadbare coat, "Grandpa" Dobri, is already celebrated as a saint in Bulgaria - a symbol of goodness in a country ravaged by poverty and corruption.

You’re not your kid’s friend or master... you’re just a guardian of this gift from God. By Simmy Joshy

CHRISTIAN WAY OF PARENTING

 “My daughter is like a friend to me,” my friend once told me. “We’re friends. I don’t treat her as a daughter.”
  Fine. But there’s something beyond all that. You must be a guardian of your kid. This principle must come first. Friendship and other things can come later.

This’s no bamboozlement… it’s the sacrifice by Jesus

Sheena George

  Rev Fr John Koovakunnel is an unassuming Catholic priest, young and unpretentious to the core. Born and brought up in Pune, which is around 150 kms south-east of Mumbai, Rev Fr John is a Catholic theologian in the making and fully engrossed in prayers, church services and related activities. His parting sermon at Little Flower Church, Nerul, near Mumbai, gave me new insights into the Holy Mass. Even as I was writing this piece he would have already moved to his new parish of Panvel, near Mumbai.

The Science of the Saints: Dr Scott Hahn’s treatise again

 Dr Scott Hahn, evangelical Protestant who converted to the Catholic Church and chronicled his journey to Catholicism in the famous book ‘Rome Sweet Home’, is undoubtedly an inspiring writer and speaker.

Pope Francis says papal retirements could become normal, favours celibacy for priests but "door open to change"

Pope Francis says papal retirements could become normal in Church

REUTERS, ROME, MAY 27: Pope Francis said on Monday he would be open to retiring eventually like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, instead of ruling for life, adding that the concept of a "pope emeritus" could someday become normal in the Church.

Pictures -- Pope Francis in Jerusalem

‘They live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived…’

 On Saturday, May 24, I had a chance to attend the funeral service of an old neighbour in Mumbai. “When we live we never realize that we’re going to die. We realize about the reality of death only at the end stage,” the priest said, quoting the words of my late neighbour who was suffering from cancer.

Pictures -- Pope's visit to the Holy Land

For a big miracle, we need to perform our small role

By Thomas Mathew 

  I have heard many people complaining about miracles not happening in their lives. They say that they keep on praying and seek God’s blessings. They ask for healing of their near and dear ones. But they don’t get answers. There’s no healing. 

Nuns & roses for Jesus and you

By Sheena George

    When I recently flew from Mumbai to Kochi, I met a Hindu girl from Nashik, which is nearly 200 kms north of Mumbai. Seated next to me on the flight, the 19-year old girl struck a conversation with me. “Are you a Christian?” she asked. She might have seen me doing the sign of the cross.  

Trickle-down theory and resisting the economy of exclusion

  The influence of Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and other Leftist economists on Vatican is conspicuous if one goes by the Papal documents and speeches from Vatican these days.

Harvard 'black mass' event met with shock, outcry

Harvard 'black mass' event met with shock, outcry :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Dying persons release countless photons which form the ghostly body of light -- By Dr Jose Paul

Research studies establish Biblical truth about spiritual bodies

 “What will happen to me after my death? Can you tell me about the death experience?” my father used to ask me during his last days.
He died at the age of 97 due to old age illness several years ago. My father thought that his son being a senior doctor who has seen thousands of deaths during his long years of medical practice knew something more about it. There was nothing wrong with his thoughts. But the truth was that I could not answer his questions then, because the near-death experience is something which no one has reported with certainty.

Dr Jose Paul MD

  What happens to us after death or when we face near-death experience? Latest research studies agree with the existence of spiritual bodies mentioned in the Bible. Damaged or dying atoms of our physical body release countless photons which is light energy. These photons can have consciousness. Photons, which are indestructible, are the foundation of the new pure and perfect body. Bystanders sometimes see foggy light leaving the physical body of dying person. I would like to connect science with Bible. The entire universe is created by light. Life gets transformed from one form to another. Read on.

NEAR-DEATH STAGE

  I have seen the end stage of many dying people. But the appearance of each one varied from person to person. In most of the young children, death appears to be a very calm event and the breathing stops very gradually. In the case of old people I have seen them making jerky movements affecting the face and lips. Some people appear to bend their body forward and stop breathing suddenly. Some people have convulsive movements affecting their eyes and forehead. A few people make shrieking sounds. Some people appear as if they were going to talk something but die suddenly without making any sound.

  Jerky movements of the lips are very common. Movements of the limbs like myoclonic cramps appear in some people. I have seen one 28-year old man dying of cardiac arrest while playing volley ball. Following each cardiac massage, he used to shout ‘njekku…njekku’ (massage… massage). After some time, his heart stopped and he died. What I mean to say is that some people are fully conscious till the last moment. But in most of the cases, the consciousness is lost just before the end, and people stop responding to pain, touch and call. In my opinion, death appears to be a painless process as the patient is unconscious at the end. I feel that death is not a nightmare as we fear. I have seen people appear to smile and die as if death is an enjoyable process.

  One of my hospital sisters, who is also a nun, had an accidental electric shock and was almost dead. She was not breathing, heart beating was not heard and pulse not felt. But after some time, she took a long breath and appeared as if she was coming back to life. She was almost in coma for a long time and recovered.

After recovery, she explained her near death experience (NDE). She felt as if she was watching a film where various events from her childhood were shown. She felt somebody pointing out her sinful acts during her lifetime. She was telling ‘I am sorry Lord’ every time. Some of you might have read the experience of dying people, like travelling through a tunnel aiming at a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

  This may be called a near death experience (NDE) but nobody could mention the after-death events, although some people have said that after the end of the tunnel they have reached another universe which was full of joy and peace. A few people have said during this period they could meet their near and dear ones. But we are not sure how true this is. I was wondering what exactly was happening at the time of death and after that.

WHAT BIBLE SAYS

  As we read from the Holy Bible, in St.Paul’s first letter to Corinthians 15:40, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 44. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 49. And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
  Luke 20 says: “Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels." 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 says, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."

PHOTON BODY EXISTS, THEY HAVE CONSCIOUSNESS

  Lately I was surprised to read some research results affirming these biblical truths about death. Research conclusions by Dutch scientist Maureen Venselaar explain the scientific reasons for some features of Near Death Experience (NDE) in one consistent Coherent theory based on astrophysical phenomena. She gives the explanations for the five phases of NDE.

When people are severely traumatized they lose conscience. They hear strange noise and feel vibrations and many small explosions in their body. Near death people receive another consciousness and a different ‘ghostly body’ almost instantly made of light energy. They see their own body in the death bed. They don’t feel any change in their personality with no feeling of pain but in peace. They can hear and see but cannot communicate with earthly people.

  According to Maureen, who belongs to the Institute of Noetic Sciences, damaged or dying atoms of our physical body release countless photons which is light energy. They could hear explosions within the body. These photons can have consciousness, with our daily consciousness transformed into another broader transcendent consciousness. These photons are indestructible. So next life can be eternal life. These photons can carry information about who we were and are. As near death trauma gets more severe near death people see themselves moving away from their physical body. They see earth, moon and stars, They realize they are getting as small as a sand of grain with their body of light. Then a tunnel opens and they travel through the tunnel faster than speed of light to a heavenly light at the end of the tunnel. This light is like a magnet. They experience sounds and colours.

  Maureen’s research says the more we reach the end of this life, more photons are released from our physical body. More photons means more compact our new body gets. As beings of light our ‘ghostly’ body of light is reduced to a tiny dot. The effect of gravity that cause contraction of a substance can lead to a black hole. It is a real hole in the fabric of space. It s not black but surrounded by light.

 LIFE REVIEW AT THE END OF TUNNEL

 Our travel through this tunnel gets faster until we reach the end of the tunnel to a great light. Only dead people cross this border and enter the other world. At the end of the tunnel, the NDE people have a life review, meeting other beings of light. Communication is instant like telepathy. Then there is a moment of Judgment, but that moment is full of grace and love. The reason seems to be light=love=knowledge/information. They know all the answers to all the questions of mankind. They also see two whirl tornadoes like two large sand glass, the upper tornado spinning clockwise and outward, the lower tornado spinning anticlockwise and inward.

 As scientist Stephen Hawkins says, theoretical model of our universe and the other universe is like a sandglass. It has an upper tornado and a lower tornado spinning in opposite directions. As NDE people they can travel through this tunnel to the edge of our universe. That is, this tunnel is the door to another astral universe.

Experience in the last phase is as follows. Near death people can sometimes choose between blue/green beam of light or a red/pink beam. It is like they know blue beam means continuing their life on earth and red means end of life on earth, but receiving an eternal life in another universe.

  Near-death people entering back into their physical body experience a reversal of all these processes they have gone through. They have forgotten all the wisdom they knew, when they were nearby the heavenly light. The red and blue colours they have seen may be due to Doppler effect. Matter looks blue/green means life on Earth and red/pink is created by matter which travels away from us.

 As near-death people, we return to earth with our compact out-of-body essence (during our journey through the tunnel/the private intra-universe wormhole). After this journey we will unfold nearby/in our physical body due to the reduction of the force of gravity. All the light-energy flows back into (the atoms of) the physical body and connect with it. Electromagnetic values probably change again. And after a while if our trauma doesn’t get worse we’ll gain our daily consciousness.

  It is said that love never ends. This is true as per Biblical description and the research experience. Jesus has said “I’m the light of the world”. God is love. So one can say that the spiritual body and photon body aims at the one point, that is love. Life is eternal as I have mentioned earlier. So we can see that love also is eternal.

  You might have seen Laser shows, where you see the shadow of living things. The photon bodies of NDE people could be explained as it is similar to the laser show. In aura photography one could see the aura light around a person. This explains presence of photon bodies. Many a time patients after amputation complains, pain over the leg which is already amputated. This explains the presence of photon body in the place of physical body.

 LIFE CONTINUES AS PHOTON BODY AFTER DEATH

  What I am interested is the similarity between the biblical description and the research findings. I shall be happy If I could give a small prick to to those who believe the Holy Bible with brain, more than the heart, as I was once. In the Bible as well as in the research experience we find a tiny interval between the near death experience and the actual death, when there is a change occurring in the physical body.

  The physical body is converted into a shadow of the physical body by the condensation of the photon particles in the light, according to the research experience. The spiritual body and photon body can pass through objects unnoticed by others. The spiritual body of Jesus is mentioned in the Bible as seen in Mathew 28:9. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him, says Mark 16:12.

  Jesus later appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. As Luke 24:36 says, Jesus appears to the disciples -- while they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

According to the research experience, the photon body can recognize their loved ones while travelling through the black hole and the tunnel. The aim of the body is towards a light. The spiritual body of Jesus was taken up to Heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father.

  Jesus had said “I am the light of the world” and “I and my Father are one”. Therefore the spiritual body of Jesus had gone to the Father who is the light. In Ephesus 2:6, we read that together with Christ Jesus, He (God) also raised us up and seated us in the heavens. As we read in the Bible, the life is being continued even after death. The research experience also agrees with this, saying that the life continues as photon bodies after death. In both the cases the life never ends and we live forever.

 One is not sure about the next universe where we are going to live, as nobody has reported the after death experience. The apparitions described by religious people may be the spiritual bodies or the photon bodies of the dead.

References:

1. Maureen Venselaar, PhD

2. Holy Bible

(The author is Director and Senior Consultant in internal medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital) 

29.8 million in slavery around the world; India leads with 13.3 mn

  Believe it or not, there are an estimated 29.8 million people enslaved around the world.

  The countries with the highest numbers of enslaved people are India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Taken together, these countries account for 76% of the total estimate of 29.8 million in modern slavery, according to Global Slavery Index released by Walk Free Foundation. 

John XXIII and John Paul II inscribed in the Book of Saints

  Half a million people attended the ceremony held in St. Peter's Square for the canonisation of the “two Pope saints”: John XXIII and John Paul II on Sunday. Since it was opened to the public at 5 am, the square and its environs were filled with faithful from all over the world; Polish pilgrims, however, constituted one of the largest groups.

When I managed to say “the Precious Blood”, the evil presence was gone. By Sheena George

 It was a cold winter night in December, with only one or two days left to usher in the new year. As I was sleepy, I hit the bed after the evening family prayers and an unusually long personal prayer.

Easter 'Urbi et Orbi' Message of Pope Francis

Empty churches: Ain’t we still crucifying Jesus Christ?

Holy Week thoughts from Mumbai

  Our parish priest in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, narrated this story during the Good Friday homily last week. It was about a husband and wife in a family who used to fight all the time, day after day. Life was horrible for them because there was no peace at home and their days were filled with rancour and acrimony. One day, the husband died, that too in the same state of bitterness and animosity.    

Our Jesus, your Jesus…. the hostility on Calvary Hills: A Holy Land travel story

 POSTCARD FROM JERUSALEM

  "Move fast. Don't stop," shouted the burly Greek Orthodox priest who was controlling the crowd lined up outside the main altar at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the walled old city of Jerusalem. It's the holiest of the holy places on earth for Christians -- yes, it's Golgotha, on the hills of Calvary where Jesus Christ was crucified. This is also place where Jesus was buried (the Sepulchre, or tomb).

Confront Satan, cast him out… or he’ll destroy you

  As the countdown for the passion of the Lord Jesus that started six weeks ago has now entered the last round, the Holy Week, it’s time for Christians to intensify their battle against Satan, the obnoxious and detestable charlatan. For, this imposter is still roaming around, trying to hoodwink you and me and prevent us from entering the Kingdom of our Lord.

Passion play at Oberammergau

  What’s the major attraction of Oberammergau, a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany? It’s famous for its woodcarvers and the NATO School. The town is also famous for its production of a Passion play, the story of Jesus Christ for the audiences that flock in from around the world.

'Holy Spirit is the soul, lifeblood of the Church and of every Christian'

 Pope Francis embarked on a new cycle of catechesis on Wednesday, dedicated to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, drawing specific attention to wisdom and how it draws us closer to God.

Lenten reflections from Mumbai

 For Christians, Lent is a period of profound grace through reflection, repentance and reconciliation. This year also our parish in Navi Mumbai arranged a very special opportunity – a three-day retreat -- to help us grow in our relationship with God and deepen our commitment to a way of life, rooted in our baptism. However, only around 500 people, out of nearly 2,000 parish members, turned up. Their (1,500 people) loss is our (500) gain.

Pray like Moses did, face-to-face with the Lord, like a friend, freely, with insistence and good arguments

By Thomas Mathew Vattakunnel

 When you pray, don't hold back. When you're communicating with God, tell him exactly what's wrong and insist on holding him to his promises.

Vatican seeks ways to implement 'Joy of Gospel'

 The document is meant as a stimulus for Catholics, parishes, organisations and the church hierarchy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Vatican is exploring ways to implement the proposals in Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis that created waves across the world for its bold and fervent approach. 

Meet the Catholic bishop who stood up to China

Meet the Catholic bishop who stood up to China | ABS-CBN News

Pope Francis leads by example, goes to confession

WATCH THE VIDEO
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/multimedia/2014/03/28/francis-becomes-first-pope-to-go-to-confession-in-public/

(Most of us may not have seen a priest or a bishop going to confession. But here you can see the video of Pope himself going to confession).

New website encourages return to Confession during Lent

New website encourages return to Confession during Lent :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

This is hard teaching; who could accept that?

 Many Christian groups still talk like the way scribes, Pharisees and teachers responded to Jesus’ “hard teaching” 2000 years ago.

SHEENA GEORGE

'We started the channel without even INR 100,000 (around US dollar 1,640) in our bank account'

New Catholic Charismatic television channel set to take North America by storm

  On April 27, two former popes (John Paul 2nd and John 23rd) will be declared saints by Vatican. On the same day, another historic event will take place. Shalom Television will launch its Catholic services in North America, covering the US and Canada. It's not a mean achievement for a small Syro-Malabar Catholic group from a developing country like India to launch a television channel in the most advanced country in the world.

Pope proposes, they dispose…. Where’s compassion, benevolence and empathy?

The saga of a college professor

When I saw this man prostrating before a ‘god man’ statue…. I realized I’m among the luckiest to know the real God

Who’re the luckiest persons in this world?

By Sheena George

 One day when I was passing by a religious place of another faith, I saw a man prostrating before the statue of a ‘god man’ who lives in another part of the country. I was amused by this ardent expression of his faith without any inhibition. But I thought all his faith was in vain.

Two Popes set to become saints on April 27

  The countdown has begun. In 44 days, the Roman Catholic Church will create history. Pope John Paul 2nd and Pope John 23rd will be declared saints in an epochal event on April 27, 2014. The canonisation ceremony in Vatican will be attended by the two living Popes: Francis, who will officiate, and Pope Benedict, who retired last year.

John Paul 2nd

‘Rome sweet home’ for Word of Life founder Ulf Ekman

Europe's leading protestant pastor embraces Catholicism; Ekman's wife Birgitta was raised in India where her parents were missionaries 

Pope's message to Kenneth Copeland

 Pope Francis recently sent a video message to Word of Faith leader Kenneth Copeland, urging a reconciliation between Catholics and Charismatics.
  The video was sent through Anglican Episcopal Bishop Tony Palmer who played it before a group of cheering followers at the Kenneth Copeland Ministries meeting.
 This video starts with a message from Bishop Palmer. After Pope's message, Copeland prayed for Pope which was videotaped and sent back to Pope.
 Click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA4EPOfic5A&feature=share

Satan, that obnoxious and detestable charlatan is roaming around, trying to hoodwink you– By Thomas Mathew Vattakunnel

LENTEN REFLECTIONS

Don't enter into dialogue with Satan

Blockbuster Bible epic ‘Son of God’ touches people’s hearts in lent season

 A new movie depicting the life of Jesus Christ is making waves across the world, smashing many box-office records in the lent season.

It's not drama... and don't look at your watch

LENT REFLECTIONS

  It was time for Holy Mass in a Mumbai church on a Sunday evening. The parish priest came to the altar but he was disturbed to see the empty chairs and benches in the front. For, the vast majority of people were sitting in the last rows of the spacious church a la waiting to watch a film in a cinema hall.

'I touched the TV screen and prayed along with the priest... and Hannah started getting better' -- By SIMMY JOSHY

Just give Him a chance to act
 My five-year old daughter Hannah used to suffer a lot from wheezing, or 'sibilant rhonchi' in medical terminology. We had spent several sleepless nights when our little girl faced breathing difficulties.

Has Christ been divided?

  We started writing about Jesus almost three months ago and generally got encouraging words from many people. However, we were also shocked by the rabid and bigoted comments from readers of our blog from other Christian communities in the US and Europe.

It's all about faith… we can't be Christians who resort to casuistry and ideology

Even demons know entire theology, they have Denzinger memorised... but they do not have faith

  We can recite the Creed theoretically even without faith and there are many people who do so. Even the detestable demons do it.

The prodigal son -- By Dr Jose Paul M.D.

  One evening a young man came to my room asking for an appointment for spiritual counseling and prayer. He might have seen the notice I have put on the notice board offering spiritual help for anyone who needed.

Cardinal Alencherry's concern over people leaving Catholic Church in India

The question is apposite and needs some deep soul-searching. Are people scampering from Catholic Church in India? Cardinal George Alencherry, the head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India, recently expressed concern over people leaving from Catholic Church in India.

Why do they see apparitions… this time in the Eucharist in our church -- By Sheena George

The perfect food for this life and beyond

By Sheena George

  It was a chilly Wednesday evening just two weeks ago, but the Little Flower Church, our parish church situated on a hillock in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, and encompassed by several Hindu temples, was humming with activity.

The transformation of a doctor

By Dr Jose Paul M.D.
  This is the real story of a doctor. You can call it a story of metamorphosis or transformation.

Pope's Lenten message for 2014 focuses on poverty and sacrifice -- By Thomas Mathew Vattakunnel

  It's quite appropriate that Pope Francis' message for the lenten season 2014 is based on the verses drawn from Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, "He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (cf. 2 Cor 8:9).

When people turn to the other spirit (alcohol) and grieve the Holy Spirit

  This writer was a witness to these incidents:

* The occasion was first Holy Communion of the neighbour’s daughter. After the Mass, everyone gathered at a restaurant for the celebrations. Sticking to the tradition, a cake was cut and wine was served in a small glass. So far so good. 

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.

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.