christmas

Good morning everyone!On behalf of our parish, I would like to welcome you all for this celebration. Last year, i had a great opportunity to come to this event and it was so inspiring and wonderful. yourchidren did a great job and our sisters deserve to be recognized for their wonderful dedication and amazing work. Year after year, they help your children to understand the real meaning of the birth of Christ with many spiritual activities.
Children you all know about the story of the three wise men who went to see the child Jesus in Bethlehem. They look with them gold, insense and perfume as their presence. And there is a story about a fourth person who was neither a king nor a wise man but a small boy. Since he was poor, he could not take with him neither gold nor any precious thing with him. When he reached Bethlehem, he came to know that the three kings already visited the child Jesus and offered him their gifts of gold and precious things and he with hesitation entered the manger and bowed before the Child and said, " God...I don't have anything to offer your Son Jesus but myself and then he prayed to God and went home and thirty years later when Jesus was walking along the sea of Galilee, he found that person. yes, he was Simon peter... who became the first disciple of Jesus.
Today what can we give Jesus as his birth day presece.... he doesn't want gold....incense or anything precious but he wants us. yes, the best gift that we can give to Jesus is ourselves. So let us give ourselves and pray that everyone will come to know Jesus who is full of love.

The coming of the Lord

About that day, on one knows neither the angels nor the Son but Only the Father.

Each year at this time, the Church invites us to meditate upon the, "last things" namely
death, judgment, heaven and eternal punishment or hell.
1. Death:

For us Christians, death is not an end but a beginning. It is a new beginning to
everlasting life. In the gospels, Jesus says' "do not let your heart be troubled but trust
in God and trust in me. And I am going now to prepare a place for you and after I have
prepared a place for you, I will come to you and take you with me so that where I am, you
may also be.
The great emperor Alexander had three death wishes. He wanted his coffin carried by
physicians to show to the world that no one can stop death not even physicians.Anyone who
enters into this world has to exit. He wanted gold, silver and precious things be thrown
before his coffin till graveyard to show to the world that nothing is precious but only
what we do for others and he finally wanted his hands dangling from the coffin to show to
the world that he came into this world empty handed and is going away empty handed.
We will be judged according to our chiristian living and that is why for us Christians,
death is a celebration and joy.

2. Judgment:

We believe that on the last day, the same Jesus suffered and died on the Crosss for us; the
same Jesus who rose to life and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, will come to
judge us. He will judge us with compassion and love.
Once, a man who was passing by a road, noticed a blind child begging with a sign saying,"I
am blind, help me with money".Eveydody passed by but no one helped the boy. The man put
some coins in the bowl and rewrote something else on the sign pad. And he went on his way.
when Other people passing by, started donating money to this blind child upon reading that
sing pad. Beggar child was surprised and amazed. He knew that someone came earlier, donated
him some coin and re-wrote his sing pad, but he didn’t know what he wrote.
Now that person, was again passing by the same road. He stood near that blind child and
noticed that child’s bowl was full of coins. Child also recognized him and asked what
exactly he wrote that people started donating him coins? He replied, “Nothing much, Son. It
gives the same meaning, though I used different words.”. He said “I wrote - Today is such a
beautiful day but I can’t see it, I’m blind.”
The gospels say Jesus will judge us according to our charitable activity. Anything we do to
the least of our brothers or sisters we do unto him.

3. Heaven:

Jesus' second coming will open wide the gates of paradise for those who believe and follow
Him.
Once a soldier came to a spiritual master and asked: " Is there really a paradise and a
hell?"
"Who are you?"asked the master.
he replied, "I am a soldier".
The master looked at him and laughed and said, "what kind of king will have you. you look
like a weak and feeble person who even walk properly"
The soldier got so mad and he began to draw his sword. The master looked at the sword and
said, "it looks so dull and you want to cut my head off with this"
the soldier now actually drew his sword.
the master then remarked: "Here open the gates of hell!"
hearing the master's words, the soldier put his sword back and bowed down before him and
then the master said,
"Here open the gates of paradise".
No one knows the day or the hour of the coming of the Lord but as He promised, he will come
with His angels and archangels to judge us. And His judgment will open the gates of
paradise for us who believe in Him.
And the forth one is about eternal punishment or hell, and we who were baptized into the
holy catholic church and we who put our faith into practice, need not to be afraid of
eternal punishment because our home is paradise and we are called to enter into life
everlasting one day and until then let us continue our spiritual journey with hope. Yes,
HOPE is a good thing and it is the best of all things. Amen.

ALL SAINTS DAY

Today we celebrate the feast of all saints day. Today we remember known and unknown saints,
who put their faith into practice and helped others to know the love, kindness and the
forgiveness of God our Father.

Once a farmer who got so old that he could not labour in the field anymore, used to spend
all day just sitting on the porch. His son who was still working in the field, would look
up from time to time and would see his dad sitting on the porch. one day the son got so mad
thinking that his dad was not doing anything, made a wood coffin, dragged it over to the
porch and asked his dad to get in. Without saying anything, the dad climbed inside. The son
took the coffin to a mountain top to throw him down. And before throwing him down, the dad
spoke,"son, may i suggest something?" what? the son asked, throw me over the cliff, if you
wish but save this wood coffin because your children might need it one day.

Saints are living among us, teaching us the values of life and living; teaching about God's love
and forgiveness. They are blessed because theirs is the kingdom of God.

The sermon on the mount teaches us the way of life. It teaches us to understand and accept our
life and of others. The sermon on the mount gives faith in present and hope in the future.

Once a saint visited a village and the news spread like wild fire. And people came from
everywhere to see the saint, and a man made a long and difficult journey to visit the
saint. when he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the
door, the man said, "I am here to see the saint". The old man smiled and led him inside, as
they walked through the house, the man looked everywhere to meet the saint. But before he
knew it, he had been let to the back door and was put outside. The man looked at the old
man and said, "I want to see the saint". The old man looked at him and said, "you already
have my friend, you already have". "Every one you may meet in life, even if they appear
plain and insignificant... see each of them as a holy person, a saint and then you will come
to know the secret of life.

On this all saints day, we not only honour the memory of countless known and unknown saints
and holy men and women and also thank God for giving ordinary men and women a share in his
holiness and heavenly glory as a reward for their life. And we thank God for blessing us
with gifts of love and forgiveness and thus a way to put our faith into practice.
Saints were people who did ordinary things in an extra-ordinary way. We are all called to
become saints by living out the gospel message.

one day people in a small village in Italy approached St. Francis and said to him, "we have
wolf problem. It kills the animals and terrorize our children and people, we don't know
what to do. please help us and St. Francis approached and talked to the wolf and then he
said to the people, "feed the wolf and it will go away"

a small act of Charity can bring big change in others. saints were people who by doing
small things make a difference in someones lives.

what is the best way to become a saint in twentieth century?
Is it to do what St. Anthony did in the forth century; turn our backs on the pleasure of
the world and live apart from society in a desert?
Is it to do what St.Francis did in the thirteenth century? turn our backs on material
wealth and preach the gospel wherever we can find a crowd?
Or is it to do something like St. Elizabeth did in the nineteenth century: raise a family and
spend the rest of our life working with society's sick and needy?
The answer to the question is Now don't become a saint by doing what god made somebody else to do but we become a saint by
doing what God made us to do.

yes, holy men and women and saints inspire us to find out our call and achieve our holiness by living it out each and every day. So as we are celebrating ALL SAINTS DAY today, let us ask God to bless us and thus we will reach holiness by living according to our call. Amen.

FAITH BRINGS SIGHT

FAITH BRINGS SIGHT

In today's gospel, we meet with Jesus, the crowd and the blind man.
We meet with Jesus:God as He promised sent at last His Only Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Jesus who came among us preached the good news, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and even raised the dead to life. He said that we all children of God and we belong only to God.
once a teacher showed a hundred dollar bill to his students and asked who wanted the bill
and every one raised the hand and then He crumpled the bill and asked, "now who wanted the
bill and everyone still raised their hands and then he threw the bill on the floor and
grinded it with his shoes and asked, "now who wanted the hundred dollar bill and everyone
still wanted the bill" then he looked at the students and said, "even though the dollar was
crumpled, grinded and thrown on the floor, it never lost its value.

And in the same way, even though we go away from God and experienced much pain,
difficulties and challenges, God never changes his love and thus he sent his only son Jesus
to be with us.In today's gospel, Jesus heals a blind man and said, "Son, your faith has saved you, go in
peace"

2. Then we meet the crowd:when the blind man cried with the loud voice saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on
me". the crowed tried to stop him. But He never stopped calling out for the Lord.

Once Mother Theresa went to a rich man and stretched out her hand and asked for donation to
run her orphanage, the rich man who was against Catholicism, said, no and spit on her palm.
But Mother Theresa smiled at him and then stretched her another hand and said, "that spit
is for me but now please give something for the poor" Right there the rich man was
converted into Catholicism and dedicated his whole life for Christ and for the poor.
when we ask God without ceasing, it will be given to us. Even though the crowed tried to
stop the blind man from getting help from Jesus, he never gave up and then He received
sight from our Lord.

3. In today's gospel, we see the strong faith of the blind man.
The blind man had a very strong faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel says if we have
faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains, and if we have faith and say to a
mulberry tree, be uprooted and be planted in the sea and it would obey us.
once there was a mother who saw her son going away from God and facing challenges and she
without ceasing prayed for her son more than twenty years and finally because of her
prayer, her Son became a great teacher of the Church and he is none other than St.
Augustine.

Today's gospel invites us to pray without ceasing, without stopping. Let us continue to
pray to God and experience His love and kindness each and every day. Amen.

PRAYER HEARD

Dressed well

Coloured hair

Smelled good

As usual,

I went to Church

Sat at the back

Closed my eyes

Began to pray

But,

All I saw in my mind was

Plate full of food

Bacon and eggs

Fried potatoes too

Toasted bread

On the side

With glass full of

Orange juice too.

Unable to pray more
Went to home
Opened the door
There in kitchen
My wife who
Wanted DIVORCE
With smiling face
Making my favorite breakfast.

Blind prayer

Blind prayer

I was going to bed

thinking of

changing the world

a better place to live;

making the sun shine

a little brighter,

asking the flower

to bloom everyday

And showing humanity

a happier way to love.

I was going to bed

thinking of

wiping the tears of the poor

with my giving

helping the needy

with my generosity

using my energy

to make the humanity

to smile every day.

And as usual

when my GUIDE DOG barks

I know it is another day

to see humanity happy.

MISSION SUNDAY

Mission Sunday

Today our Catholic Church celebrates, "Mission Sunday". And Today our holy Catholic Church
invites us to support missionaries who dedicate their lives to bring the Good News to all.

One day a man came to a spiritual master and offered two gold coins and asked, "Master,
what should I do to become a missionary?" The master took one of the gold coins and threw
it in the river, the man right away jumped in the river to find it but he could it. He
asked, "where did you throw the coin?". The master again took another gold coin threw it in
the river and said, "right there". Then the master looked at the man with compassion and
said, "if you want to become a missionary, you should know how to unbind yourself from
material things that will bind you".
By the very nature of the sacrament of baptism, we are all called to become missionaries of
the word of God at home and in society. when we bind ourselves with Christ, then we are
called missionaries.

once a man came to a master and said, "master, I want to be a lay missionary and before
going on mission, I would like to stop drinking alcohol or at least to know when to stop
drinking, I want to know the limit. The master said, "look at those four people, when you
see those four people as eight people, then stop drinking and you will be fine" Then the
man thanked the master and said, "master, by the way... they are not four people but only
two".
Our missionaries have so many challenges such as learning new languages, cultures and
customs.And they have to face many immediate practical challenges such as weather, food
and physical and psychological surroundings.

Once a European missionary went to Tanzania and was preaching the good news of Christ among
people for many years and one day a group of British soldiers came and all the children ran
to welcome them and were singing and dancing for them and then they came to him and said,
"we saw white foreigners today". The missionary looked at them and said, "look at me, I am
white and I am a foreigner too". They looked at him and said, "No.. you are not a
foreigner. you are our father".
Today our missionaries need our prayers and help because they spend their lives doing great
things for others. Today Christianity is spreading everywhere because of their dedication
and commitment.

Once there was a fight between two african tribes in Niger and a man from one tribe killed his neighbour who belonged to the another tribe. when the tribe won, they wanted to take revenge of the killer and they callled wife who witnessed her husband's death and asked her to point out the killer but she refused to do so saying, the missionaries who were here, taught us how to forgive and accept others. If we go as eye for an eye way, then the whole world will be blind. I forgave him and you should forgive him too. yes, Christian missionaries did and are doing wonderful mission of changing the world a better place to live.

Jesus, after His resurrection asks his disciples to go everywhere to preach the good news
and promised that he would accompany them till the end. As we pray for our missionaries, let us also remember that we are all called to preach the
Good News of Jesus Christ by our way of life each and every day. Amen.