To The Cardinals, Bishops, Arch-Bishops and Priests.
My People,
People often think that to be a part of witnessing a miracle or feeling the presence of Jesus or Mary, one needs to go visit the Holy places. If you can afford, good for you. But where Jesus is, Mary will be there. We often forget that the biggest miracle that takes place is at every celebration of the mass.
The Sun has stood a billion years
on and the light that reaches us is still as powerful as the day the Sun came
along.
The Stars they
twinkle – we look at them and hope.
The Moon continues to make us wave
new dreams.
The winds they blow soft and
sometimes they roar.
Prayer lights
up the entire universe and is more powerful than the Sun. Prayer is our association with God and it beautifies our
lives making us as beautiful as the Stars in the sky. When we pray our prayer becomes a reality, and we in turn become calm and the moonlight lights up the sky. A Prayer is a soft whisper from our heart to the heart of God, but it is more powerful than a
typhoon or tornado and can move anything that comes in its way.
Prayer is a strong force; it is a conviction
of the heart to move the Heart of God. Amen.
I have had problems with people and no matter how bad it got, I never ever quit being around them. This is God’s grace on me.
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Don't be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
'cause I've seen the dark side too
When the night falls on you
You don't know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
So if you're mad, get mad
Don't hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too
Well I'm a lot like you
When you're standing at the crossroads
And don't know which path to choose
Let me come along
'cause even if you're wrong
I'll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the
desires of your heart.”
Faith = Ability to move mountains.
Faith + Prayer = God’s will.
We
should pray:
· With
a conviction of our dependence upon God.
Desire is the
strongest motivator in prayer. Faith
is the most essential aspect of prayer. Believe and you shall have them.
When we ask the Lord, we must have such a desire for the thing
we need, that we will not rise until we have it. But all this in total
submission to God’s will.
Prayer is a belief that God hears and answers. God places a desire
in our heart. The angel that God sends brings the needed blessing. But before
we call on Him, before we pray, we have to be convinced — that it is with the
Will of God. And when done, it is ours and there is no force on this Earth
that can take it away. Amen. Daniel 10
Archangel Raphael – by my side always.
Tobit Page 444 on my Bible.
My Signs : 444 and name Raphael
Day 21st February, 2016
– Fr. Byron.
It was a very long wait to be a
part of the Celebration of mass where I heard Fr. Byron. Each and every word
was so crystal clear. I loved the entire celebration. The hymn, ‘I love You,
Jesus’ was wonderful.
Fr. Byron celebrates the mass with
such tenderness, that I find it hard to explain. I learnt saying, ‘Abba Father’
from him.
I loved the homily – The mountain
top.
Fr. Avon gave us this narration of one of the acts on mercy. The nuns brought in a person, who was dirty and smelling foul and looked after him for a month and during that time he had no relatives whatsoever. The nuns took him in since the neighbours complained of him smelling and the man had no one who would care for him. A month later he died happily. The nuns gave him a proper burial. Days later a person appears knocking at the convents door with a document claiming to be the son (from the US) of the elderly man who had recently died. The son wanted to know where his father was buried, and the location of the grave so that he could have the body exhumed to prove his kinship to the deceased (his father).
· This was for the want of property.
· The mercy was shown by the nuns.
Fr. Avon narrated to us another act
of mercy. Husband and wife both worked. During pregnancy in one of the fights
the mother-in-law hit/kicked her Daughter-In-law in the stomach and the D-I-L started
bleeding and was taken to hospital. The baby born was disabled due to the
trauma. On a visit to Goa, one of the ladies requested the parents of the
priest that when Fr. Avon comes visiting home - to have him visit and pray over
the family and bless the home.
On his visit the woman said that
she had 2 daughters she first showed Fr. Avon her own daughter (25 years of age)
who was on bed and also her mother-in-law whom she introduced as the other
daughter. This lady looked after both of them as is she had two daughters.
23rd Feb 2016 – Fr. Avon
stated that the difference between marriage and a wedding is that a marriage is
a sacrament.
·
Children are a gift of God.
·
We must encourage and give our time to children.
Celebrations should be non-inclusive of alcohol, since most of us celebrate every occasion with that and we mess children's lives with the usage of alcohol hampering
their happiness causing them to grieve. Sometimes we rob children of their
innocence.
Day 20th March, 2016 – Palm
Sunday.
Fr. Leslie Malya
spoke in Marathi (Passo Service)
Fr. Leslie has a
power of conviction in his voice. It’s wonderful to listen to him sing, when he
does. These are his strengths of what I know. To me he is a powerhouse.
Day 25th March, 2016 –
Good Friday.
Fr. Lenny – played the guitar. Most
shy and simple.
Fr. Reuben Tellis – 3
hour Agony Service.(Fr. Reuben Tellis spoke on the Last 7 words)
I was battling with
the thought of being a nothing. Fr. Tellis spoke on being successful and the other of having God. I got my answer.
I am privileged to be nobody but somebody that God loves.
Day 4th March, 2015 – I
was in Mt. Carmel’s by 10:40-10:45 pm for the Eucharistic Adoration. For the
day it was meant to be 24 hours. I had come with the intention to stay till
05:45 am.
There is this person who has a
lovely way of singing. Let me tell you my experience and maybe you would
understand what I felt. From the moment I entered I heard singing. He spoke
fine to a certain point. Then he spoke of how we should love and become better
people, and then we would have better places, schools and better whatnots and better Church. And for a moment I
thought it was a slip of tongue and he would come back and correct it. But see
he continued talking which means that he thought the Church needs to be
improvised or maybe he himself did not understand what he was saying. The Church is the Mystical Body of
Christ. Tell me how do we make Christ better? Yeah, we as people can
become better.
We all need to be reassured or comforted, and if one does that for anybody that’s a wonderful thing to do. But when you speak about the importance about the person the percentage would never come in the topic, of course unless someone asked for it. Considering that no one asked – tell me what must I think? He stood on the altar – with the Eucharist there, can we talk like this in the presence of Jesus?
This was all a little too much for me. I did not tell Jesus what I felt. I was just shocked.
And then he invited the people to come before the Altar. People came and completely fell prostrate. It kind of astonished me. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I need to learn these things. But I thought only the Priest could give such an invitation knowing that this is in the Church itself. Fr. Lenny is at the confessional. Fr. Ashlyn now has entered and is seated and in prayers. This gentleman crosses the Eucharist and goes towards Fr. Ashlyn to convey something. Then he crosses over and comes back. And he completely falls prostrate (face down) on the Altar itself. Isn’t it amazing?
These are the only 2 times in a year that I know of when a Priest falls prostrate in the Church. If you know something, do correct me.
· When as people we fail to follow the celebration of the mass and what the Priest is saying and have to continually look into our cells for what I understand is a replication in text of the mass.
· When one of the choir members brought in her baby and was feeding the baby farex during the celebration of the mass. It was Fr. Williams 10:00 a.m. mass. This happened on the 13th of March (if I am not mistaken) a Sunday.
· When people visit the Eucharist and have their cells on instead of keeping it on silent.
· When we fail to treat the Altar as sacred – rather People go inside and out of the Church through the Altar without a second thought.
21st March 2016 – Fr.
Ashlyn’s 7 yrs as Priest. Heavens Se7en.
There was also the 3 hours of
Eucharistic Adoration. It was the most beautiful 3 hours I have been to. I had
a full 3 hours with Jesus and I could hear Jesus loud and clear. No
interruptions. I thanked Fr. after the 3 hours, I don’t think he understood how
grateful I really was.
27th March, 2016 –
Easter Vigil.
Fr. William announced he will be leaving Mt. Carmel’s. When I came home, I started talking about Fr. William and my cousin asked me don’t you like Fr. William? I told him, I’m finding it difficult to let go.
Will – refers to God’s will.
This is my prayer for you:
May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May you always walk in sunshine?
May you never want for more?
May angels rest their wings right beside your door?
May love and laughter light your days?
With joy that long endures.
And in this life when your toughest day is done-
May you always remember
When the shadows fall—You will never walk alone.
Fr. Ashlyn spoke on “It is Finished.” I loved the topic and the way Fr. rendered it.
I missed on being for the missions on the 26th. I was late.
There
are times, when heading home from work, I would have to climb the staircase at
the station and by the time I reached the top, I would be completely
breathless. There were days when it was too painful and tiring to catch my own breath.
On
one particular day, there were no thoughts in my head; I just walked to the
top. I felt good. There was nothing of me, in me. I was breathing-but did not
experience anything of myself. Jesus taught me to empty myself out and let God
in. I am still learning. The Spirit of God always teaches me with the least of
ways and then leading to the bigger areas of life.
Philippians
2:5-8 "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing
to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in
the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and
became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."
We need to empty out ourselves of all that is
and makes us vain. All that I am, all the earthly things that I would call or
look at as possessions are nothing.
Jesus humbled Himself, and God lifted Him up.
Christ-like humility
is the way we should live. Place God first. To be meek is
to empty oneself of all selfishness and ambition.
Fr. Ashlyn in one of our Bible study classes spoke of Pride and how it
goes unnoticed amidst all our characteristic traits. Upto that specific moment
I never thought much of it. Yes I have a certain kind of pride, but yes it was masked. Now I know and I pray for God’s grace to help me make it
through.
When
I made my confession (23rd March) I told Fr. Alvaro that I am sorry
and I am confessing for a lifetime of pride since I never ever confessed this
sin before. What it is basically and I never realized – that other things
somehow seem to act as a cover-up to pride.
We can live our whole life through; I know I have with thinking that I
am not proud. But it is not the first lie is it? This is the other sin I
confessed to since I always thought it was anger. But sometimes it was pride. Which is not the truth is then a lie.
If
I say, I do love God then I must empty myself of all pride and self-love to
make room for God.
To
empty ourselves of our pride is not easy.
Did you know that once we get rid of pride we can actually begin to feel the
emptiness in our hearts? Ask for the grace of God. Remember where pride is God
can’t be. Practice humility. We need to empty ourselves and allow the love of
Christ to completely fill us.
The First Word:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
On the Cross He hung like a criminal, rejected by the world and abandoned by His beloved Father. In the mercy of God, we receive His forgiveness even when we do what we know to be wrong.
Jesus prayed forgiveness for all from the beginning of time to the present moment. We ought to follow the way of the master and do likewise. Forgive.
“Amen I say to thee this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43
Of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus, one continued to be scornful, while the other crucified criminal sensed that Jesus was being treated unjustly. After speaking up for Jesus, he cried out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus then promised him Paradise on that very day.
We hurt God with our actions every now and then. We talk of love and mercy, but we fail to show it to one another. We fail to make the time to be good listeners. Let’s imitate our Master-Who showed unfailing love and mercy on the cross and said the above words. When we begin with our families, it will always extend to the outside world. If not yesterday then let the journey to love begin today.
“Woman, behold thy son ... Behold thy mother.” John 19:26
As Jesus was dying, His mother was standing by the Cross with John by her side.
Mary watched her son’s death with unbearable agony. The extreme torture of crucifixion, the pain which the Holy Virgin endured in the Passion of her Son exceeded all the pains which a human heart can endure. The reason why Jesus refers to Mary as woman, is to only make us understand that she was the great woman foretold in the Book of Genesis, who would crush the serpent's head: I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. Genesis 3:15 The Blessed Virgin Mary, who, by means of her Son, would crush the head of Satan.
St. John was the disciple beloved by the Lord, that we might understand that Mary is the mother of every Christian who is beloved by Jesus Christ.” Jesus said to Mary, Behold thy son."
As explained of what I understood with the Grace of God by Fr. Ashlyn during Bible study class.
The Fourth Word:
“Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:46
Jesus uttered these words with a loud voice. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he quoted Psalm 22:1-2 (As explained by Fr. Reuben Tellis 25/03/2016 with reference to Psalm)(3hour agony)
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.
What we do know is that sin separates us from the love of God. The Father abandoned Jesus because He took upon Himself the punishment for our sins. Jesus felt fear and He felt completely rejected by the Father. What it must have felt in His heart-words would never be enough to describe.
There will be moments in life, when the cross we carry will become heavy to bear. Remember our master leads by example. Jesus paved the way for us to follow. Take that step in faith. And trust that He will walk with you and me. And we will remember that we need to take the first step. As faithful as He is - our God will take the other 9. That’s how wonderful He is at His promise.
Whenever it feels like you are all alone, just remember His promises. The Bible is a promise itself. It is OPEN all you need to do is READ.
The Fifth Word:The Sixth Word:
- Make bread out of stones.
- Jump from a pinnacle and rely on angels to bear you up. ...
- Worship the devil in return for all the kingdoms of the world.
- Peter had said, You're not going to go to die. Christ saw behind that temptation the devil himself.
- In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus felt a struggle and prayed: Abba, Father, not My will but Thy will be done. Being in agony, He prayed and His sweat became as it were great drops of blood fallen down to the ground.
Jesus uttered these words with a loud voice. This was in conformation with what Jesus had said during His life, that He voluntarily sacrificed His life for His sheep as in the beginning of the topic I have mentioned John 10:17-18
Jesus, I commend my soul to Thee; Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit;
Jesus told me on the 27th
March, that I sang the most beautiful song that has ever been sung which no
composer has ever written. I asked Jesus which one is it? Jesus told me ‘the
one your heart sings to mine.’
If I could recall all the sentences
on love, it would be so amazing to give you an account of the words Jesus
speaks with, they are full of tenderness and your heart never will remain
yours. Even now I can feel my heart beat. You want to tell Him, I want to say,
“Jesus my heart is yours forever.”
With all my Love,
For Love Prevails!
AnitA.
