March 26th : Jesus is the light

Last Sunday we heard about Jesus as giver of life and today we hear Jesus as light of life. One of the teachers once shared a story about a blind girl in his school. After the gym class one day, the girl was in the locker room getting for the next class. All of a sudden all the lights went out in the locker room and all the girls started screaming. The. Kind girl asked the girl standing next to her. What happened? The friend told her that lights went out and they couldn't see. The blind girl calmly turned to her friend and said, don't worry, take my hand, I will lead you out. 

The blind girl's classmate learned a valuable lesson on that day- she may be blind but she isn't disabled, she just sees in other ways or different ways.

The story of the blind man in today's gospel teaches us that blind man was poor and isolated  but he saw much more than anyone else. In those days, society had a lack of knowledge about disabilities. The stereotype people alienated and outcasted people with disabilities. They were not even allowed in the temple to worship, because they were seen unclean. Who is really blind here, it's the society. The society was blind. The society lacked insights to accept everyone as they are and see love of God in all. 

When the story unfolds, disciples asks,

Who sinned disciples asked? The blind man and parents? This is the question of the society put through the mouth of disciples by John. 

If we see a homeless man in the street and turns our face away from him/her. If we see an immigrant and fear him taking our jobs, if we see a man with beard sitting next to us as terrorist, if we bully someone for having different sexual orientation, we are sick and we are blind like the society of that time. 

In reality, the blind man was not disabled by his blindness but he was disabled by the ignorance and prejudices of the society. The society told him you are blind and therefore you can't worship God in the temple. 

I do help in a soup Kitchen with our students. One day I was talking to a homeless man. He said, thanks for treating me as a human being. He said when I am in the street, many people avoid me alienate me, and turn my face from me thinking all homeless people are bad. I said I do this because of what Jesus taught me, he gave me light and I wish everyone has light from Jesus.

By healing the blind, Jesus is trying to give insight to the society. And he says to them, God's works is in everyone. God's love is in everyone, all are children of God. 

As story develops, Jesus gives him his sight back. The light that comes to him is the light of Christ. He was enlightened. He first recognized Jesus as a man, then a prophet and then son of God and finally he calls Jesus as Lord and worships him. The healed man attains faith, and this is the highest grace that he receives from Jesus: not only to see, but to know Him, to see him as the light of the world”, yes, we need this enlightenment. We need to pray for this. We need light of Christ. 

“Many times a good act, a work of charity, provokes gossip and questions from people who do not want to know the truth. They spread negativity and hatred … The cured blind man is first interrogated by the astonished crowd – and then by the doctors of the law.  We as Catholics, Christians should not be negative and speed hatred. Our God is love and our life is of light.

The transformation of the blind man invites us to remind us our faith journey. It reminds us to ask the question, Whether we really know who Jesus is. Who do I say, Jesus is- what does this mean in our daily living. What's in our heart? Do we see with eyes of God? Are we blinded by prejudices and stereotypes? Do we alienate and isolate people? 

St. Augustine  interprets that the blind man represents the human race. Sin is the spiritual blindness. When Jesus heals the blind man and allows him to see the light, he literally sees, which can be taken as a sign that he sees the errors/ shortcomings of his ways and wants to correct them by following the ways of God.

St. Paul tells us we are called to live as the children of Light. For light produces every kind of goodness. We have to bring light of Christ to where there is darkness. 

Blind man opens up to the light of God and His grace. Sometimes, unfortunately, we are like the doctors of law, we judge others, even the Lord. Today, as we listen to the Gospel, we are invited to open ourselves to Christ's light, so that our lives might bear fruit and eliminate our behaviour that is not Christian; we are all Christians, but we all at times behave in ways which are not Christian, which are sins. We must repent of this, and eliminate these forms of behaviour … to behave like 'children of light', with humility, patience and mercy. … Those doctors of the law had neither humility, nor patience, nor mercy. … We must not be afraid to be children of light. Let us open ourselves to the light of the Lord, He Who always awaits us, to let us see better, to offer us more light, so we can be reborn to new light. 

I would like to conclude with an ancient blessing from India: 

asato mā sadgamaya

tamasomā jyotir gamaya

mrityormāamritam gamaya

Oṁ śhānti śhānti śhāntiḥ

From ignorance, lead me to truth;

From darkness, lead me to light;

From death, lead me to immortality

Om peace, peace, peace

Fr. John Pozhathuparambil

3rd Sunday Ordinary time: Our Call

You all know the religion Buddhism was founded in India but they declined  in India.There are a few reasons researchers put forward. One of them is the lack of missionaries and their spirit. When you think about how Christianity spread in the whole world and still alive in the world, the reason is our missionaries and lay people who took Jesus words so close to their heart, went around and spread the good news. 

And we are here today, in part, because of them—and because of the men who responded. We’re here because fishermen mending their nets listened. Because they dropped everything. And they followed.

In time, what they did, the choice they made, transformed the world.

Two thousand years later, that invitation is still out there. Christ still calls. To every one of us. The words of this gospel are being repeated again and again this evening  in churches around the world. Jesus comes to us where we are—whether it’s on the banks of a  lake, or an office in Louisville or a kitchen in Poplar Level Road or house in New Burg Road. He comes to us and offers that invitation.

Come after me. I will help you do things you never imagined.

This call Jesus gives 'come and follow me' is individual, very personal. The fisher men answered right in time. Didn't say, let me retire then I will follow, let me get rich and settle myself and I will follow you, let me get marry and have children and then I follow you. They flowed him as they heard the voice of Jesus. 

We need to appreciate our own call to be Christ’s disciples. The mission of preaching, teaching and healing which Jesus began in Galilee is now the responsibility of the Church

Whether we are married, single or religious we are all called to respond to Jesus and preach his words. Dear brothers and sisters, we are reminded of this today about our call to proclaim Jesus to the people. we are called to announce the good news to everyone, but not everyone will listen. Once we’ve done our work, we should move on and not obsess about those who won’t listen. Why do some respond and some don’t? We don’t know, but that’s ultimately up to God. Today we are reminded our duty as Christians is to flow him and to make Jesus as our priority.

Look at the first disciples in the Gospel, They for their part, might have preferred to keep their jobs, to remain with their families, to stay with the life that they knew. When they see Jesus and hear his words to them, they make a different choice, however; they take a risk, step out in faith, leave behind that which is comfortable and secure. 

Remember your baptism a candle was given to you or parents and told keep this candle burn brightly. You are here today because you are still keeping that light, may be few of them are flickering. We are today reminded what it means to be Christian. Today we are asked to reflect how I am responding to Jesus call in my everyday life? 

There was a broken statue of jests under the statue someone wrote, Jesus has no hands but yours. Yes, he needs us to proclaim his words and preach his message. 

I recommend few simple practical things to help us to keep Jesus calling going on.

1. Saying grace in private and in public. It will remind you and other people around to remember God before the meal. 

2. Wearing a cross under your shirt; wearing a rosary. People notice it am may say “I didn’t know you were Catholic,” or “What’s the deal with that medal you’re wearing?” 

3.Saying a rosary when you travel. 

4. Saying God bless you when someone sneezes. 

Matthew tells us that the people to whom Jesus brought his ministry had been sitting in darkness, but that Jesus' coming had brought them a great Light. 

As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us ask the Lord Jesus to give us the strength and perseverance to answer His calling so that we may faithfully serve the Lord according to His will. 
Fr. John Pozhathuparambil

Epiphany 2017

Is 60:1-6 | Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6|Mt 2:1-12

Following our Star… following our dream…

 Dear Brothers and sisters in Jesus

Paulo Coelho's master piece, The Alchemist is an inspiring story which has been translated at least 69 languages. It is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way, he meets different personalities and no one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to overcome the obstacles along the way. Number of times, we would feel that Santiago may drop to follow his dream, because the obstacles are either demanding or huge; but we see the next moment, that he comes back on his course to follow his dream. The story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

The Feast of Epiphany makes me to think in the same line of the novel Alchemist, wise men who followed the star in order to find the real treasure in their life. Did they have obstacles on their way? Did they think about dropping their journey- we don’t know; but I am sure, anyone who search for any treasure in their life has to pay for it. Because, any adventurous trip includes risk. Adventurers have always aroused our admiration and our skepticism. To the cynical observer, the Magi must have seemed foolish to go following a star. These astrologers had to be a little crazy leaving the security of their homeland to venture forth into a strange country presided over by a mad man like Herod. Nevertheless, to the person with the eyes of Faith, the Magi had discovered an immense secret. Not only the secret of the star that they followed, but also the secret of the universe and secret of their existence.

Three groups of people that we meet in the gospel today. These people represents three attitudes of humanity. First, we meet Herod and his dependents. The dominant emotion that rule them is hatred. Hatred towards everything and everyone. They kill everyone whom they see as the potential threat to their comfort zone and destroy everything, every system that challenges their ways. Second, we meet the Priests and Scribes of Jesus’ time. They represent the people of indifference. They are knowledgeable people who can articulate reasonable discourses on anything under the sun. The danger of this attitude is they close themselves from the light of truth or ignore the presence of truth. Why do they do it? Because they are comfortable in their selfish motifs and they don’t want to change themselves.

The third group of people are the Magi, who are willing to open themselves to the reality and who are capable to change themselves according to the light they follow. These group of people are courageous people who are willing to cross their comfort zone and who are willing to follow their dream. Moreover, the Magi represents our own longing for the Ultimate Truth; our own search for God.

Dear brothers and sisters,

These attitudes can be seen any community like ours. If a community is dominant with the attitudes of Herod, it would be a closed community. No novelty will happen there. Because they don’t expect changes. If the community is predominantly with the attitudes of priests and scribes of Jesus’ time, it would be an indifferent community. No life would be there. It exist for the sake of existing. Finally, if the community with the heart and minds of the Magi, it would be an open community where everyone is welcomed, where new ideas and life has immense value. Moreover, this third group of community will be a God centered community where everyone is in search for their Ultimate truth.

This epiphany, the feast of Manifestation, is inviting all of us to explore the heart of the Magi, because we have a common dream- a dream of making this sacred ground for everyone to feel comfort and everyone feels everyone as part of their life and that they are related to each other.

PS. I know that your Sunday obligation is over. But don’t forget your community obligation tomorrow. The home coming celebration of Holy Family. Be part of tomorrow’s event- because we are related to each other.

Mary Mother of God 2017

Mary, Mother of God

Nm 6:22-27 |Gal 4:4-7 | Lk 2:16-21

         

  “When the giant trees fall” is a beautiful short story written in the background of a historical event that happened in India. It is a story of a mother and her child who happened to be in a Catholic convent to save their life from a communal riot. In October 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her soldiers who were the follower of a religion called Sikh. The main characters- the mother and her son belong to this community and the violent people are behind them to end their life. The mother and the child somehow get into a convent. The story begins there. Though, the historical background is so cruel and sad, the story brings out the joyous& creative side of our life.           

           The mother superior of the convent decided to give shelter to the mother and her innocent child in their cloister. The convent is filled with old nuns who have never expressed the joy and hope in their face. Everyone seems to be so gloomy and there was no life left there in the convent. They existed for the sake of existing.

            Now, what happens when a kid comes into a place? Of course, it looks around for a while, give everyone around a scary look. Once the child is comfortable in the new place, it starts to explore everything. The child is exploring the reality around; but we, adults would call that activity, that noble activity- messing up. Within the short span of time, the face of the convent is changed. The silence is broke, the nuns started to run after the kid everywhere. There was laughter, joy, fun and of course, life.

            We are still in the octave of Christmas and our joy is today coupled with the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This is also the day that we remember with joy and gratitude how Mary and her Divine Son Jesus, like the child and his mother in our story, transformed a hopeless, joyless and sinful world into a place of joy and happiness.

          What is the traditional belief about the feast? The feast answers the question, “Why do Catholics honor Mary?” Non-Christians sometimes believe that we, Catholics worship Mary as a goddess who gave birth to our God.  Non-Catholic Christians argue that there is no Biblical basis for honoring Mary and that Catholics worship her and make her equal to God. They fail to understand why we honor Mary and name Churches and institutions after her.  They do not understand what we mean by calling her the Mother of God. The truth is that Catholics do not worship Mary as we worship, adore, God.  We honor her, respect her, love her and seek her intercession, praying, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners."  We do not, ever, equate her with God nor replace God with her. Rather, we honor her, primarily because God honored her by choosing her to become the Mother of Jesus.

        I think it is very ideal to celebrate the beginning of a new year by celebrating the feast of Mother Mary. In 1967, Pope Paul VI instituted the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In his encyclical on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he wrote, "This celebration, assigned to Jan. 1 in conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the holy Mother …through whom we were found worthy …to receive the Author of life.” The solemnity shows the relationship of Jesus to Mary. It’s a perfect example of how we should venerate Mary under all of her titles and is a good foundation for our understanding of Mary’s place in Christology. The Church puts the feast of this solemnity on the first day of the New Year to emphasize the importance of Mary’s role in the life of Christ and of the Church. We commemorate the various saints on different days of the year, but Mary is the most prominent of them all. She has a special role and mission given to her by God. She is a powerful intercessor for all of our needs here on earth. In celebrating her special feast day, we acknowledge this great gift for the Church and world; we call on her to be actively involved in our daily life; we imitate her virtuous life as a great inspiration; and we cooperate with all the graces we get through her.

             William Barclay, a professor of Divinity and a biblical scholar from Scotland, speaks about three ways to make New Year meaningful. He says, there should be something to dream, something to do and someone to love. As a community of believer at Holy family, we as a community should have something to dream- a dream about a still more active and vibrant  community; secondly, our community should engage more in our society for common needs and finally we should say ourselves I am not alone; I am part of a family and a community.

        I began this reflection with a story of a mother and a son. So ends with a conversation of a dad and son.

A boy asked his father, "Dad, if three frogs were sitting on a limb that hangs over a pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the limb?"

The dad replied, "Two."

"No," the son replied. “Here is the question again: There are three frogs and one decided to jump, how many are left?"

The dad said, "Oh, I get the point! If one decided to jump, the others would too. So there are none left."

The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."  

Does that sound like our last year’s resolutions? Great inspiration and great resolutions, but oftentimes we only decide, and months later we are still on the same limb of doing nothing.

May You a Graceful New year

Amen.

Reference: http://cbci.in/Sunday-Reflections.aspx 

Second week of Advent: Have a desert experience in your life

I was in New Mexico last Wednesday and Thursday for a meeting. And I took shuttle from El Paso airport  to Las Cruces.  At some point I went through deserted areas. Desert, I noticed is a place of silence. It is a place where distraction and attachments are eliminated. 

In the Bible desert has an important role in the spiritual journey. We read, Israelites had to pass 40 days through the desert to get to the promised land. Jesus spend 40 days in the desert before he started his ministry. Today's gospel, Mathew tells, we hear a voice of one crying out in the desert. And this voice says, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

This advent season church is saying to us that we also need a desert experience in our lives.  We need time and place where distractions and attachments are eliminated and where we can hear God. What God is saying? What God wants from me? Is there anything that I need to change in my life? Yes, we need a desert experience during advent. That's why church recommends fast and pray during advent. 

Christmas is a time of distractions shopping, greeting cards, lights, cooking, gifts, lots of attachments and distractions. In this busy time of the year we may forget to prayerfully to look in to ourselves, especially where we are with our spiritual journey. 

We have stories about elephants in India. One of the stories is when elephant drinks water, it stirs up the water. You may ask why? It's scared to look at itself. It's scared to see how huge it is. We are sometimes very much like elephants, scared to look in to ourselves. So we keep ourselves too busy, we avoid all reflective times, we use earphones, headphones, loud music, partying to keep ourselves busy. Someone said, busy means being under Satan’s yolk. Dear brothers and sisters, this advent season recommends that we need a time away from distractions, time alone to reflect where we are? What God wants is to do?

In the gospel reading,  John the Baptist is preaching to us, repent and prepare the way for the Lord. He is asking us to form your life, have more quality of life. The word he uses is metanoia. According to google, Metanoia can be defined as "a transformative change of heart; especially: a spiritual conversion. The term suggests repudiation, change of mind, repentance, and atonement. 

The message of metanoia is to change your attitude. Change your ways of perusing the world. Start thinking my life belong to God, my life is not all about me. Stop thinking of yourself as your project. Turn around and build yourselves on God, change your ways. This is the greatest message of the advent. Change yourself and be prepare to receive Jesus in your heart.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are not too late; we are not gone too far from the grace of God. when Christ comes to our lives, whatever opposed to him must be cut off. Therefore, we just read in the scripture, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. It's not saying God is cruel. It is saying that we can't embrace God with our sins. We need to change ourselves. What's is needed to be cut off hast to be cut off. 

One of my friends was alcoholic. One day I recommend to go for a retreat. He said, no I will not, because I know I have to change and I have to avoid my pleasures. One good thing is he was so truthful. If God wants to come to our lives we have to change, give up our sins and repent.

Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus is Emmanuel and he wants us to be with us, let us spend some time in advent in silence and give up our sins and accept him in our hearts and minds. And we will be able to say on Christmas Day, yes, he is with me, with in me, around me, hosanna!

Solemnity of Christ the King - November 20

This is the last Sunday in the Liturgical Year and we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The proclamation of Jesus Kingship is dominated in the preaching and teaching of Jesus. “To the other towns also I must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent.” (Luke 4:44) He taught his disciples to pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” (Matt. 6: 10) He told them to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (Matt. 6: 33)  “Jesus said to his apostles: ‘as you go make this proclamation: The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 10:7)

 

The story of the crucifixion, proclaimed on the Feast of Christ the King, reminds us that the Reign of Jesus isn’t a reign of glory and power, but of service, love, and complete self-giving in order to rescue human beings from evil, sin, and death. Instituting this Feast of Christ the King, Pope Pius XI declared: the peace of Christ in the reign of Christ. This means that we live in the peace of Christ when we surrender our lives to him every day, accept him as our Savior and King and allow him to rule our lives.

 

Caring King. Jesus does care for His people. Ezekiel 34 speaks of the Lord in terms of a shepherd who cares for his flock. It summarize His care, I myself will look after my sheep … I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered … I myself will give them rest … The lost I will seek out … The injured I will bind up. The sick I will heal. So Jesus is a caring King. He’s been good to us. He has led us, rescued us, purified us, instructed us, and graced us.

 

Conquering King. Jesus has destroyed the power of many sins. He cleanses the temple of our soul. He has conquered so much of our pride. And one by one, He is diminishing lust, greed, anger, envy, and replacing them with greater love, compassion, and kindness.

 

Concealed King. He is the newest King of all. He is a King who is hungry, thirsty, sick, and lonely, a foreigner, in prison, and a stranger. He is in the needy. He is in the discouraged ones who cannot find a job; He is in our children who need to be taught and encouraged; he is in the co-worker who just lost some body; he is in the friend who was diagnosed with cancer. He is in the lost youth or family member who needs instruction and needs to be drawn back to the Sacraments. He’s in us, in our struggles and needs.

 

Yes, Jesus is our King, a caring and intimate King, a conquering King who never forces, a King who is hungry and thirsty, a King who washes our feet, a King who comes to serve rather than to be served. He is a King, one who rules with love. We meet Him every day: in the Eucharist, in the poor, in His Word, in the events of our day and in our very self. He is just one prayer away.”  So let the devotion to Christ the King brings peace and reconciliation in our society, with love and justice and peace.

 

So this feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority of any kind to compare their use of power or authority with Jesus. They have to use their power to serve others and building up of a more just society.  Never use the power in any way that might cause pain to others and it should help to alleviate pain. Jesus as the King of love has anew commandment of “Love one another as I have loved you,” and we love others as Jesus loved, unconditionally and sacrificially. During this Holy Mass let us pray that nations and individuals will be humble enough to look at how Jesus used His power and bring about the kingdom of God. Let us always remain loyal to Christ the King who is the Head of the Body, the Church.

~Fr. George Munjanattu

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C

THIRTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Mal 3:19-20a // II Thes 3:7-12 // Lk 21:5-19

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

We all are well aware that Halloween is over a couple of weeks before and yet I feel like this Weekend as a scary weekend/Sunday. Why do I say? The readings we just heard are not pleasant; it speaks about judgement and punishment. It is simply in black and white; it reminds us about the end of everything.

So, let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, a poor woman with her infant child lived in a remote village who struggled to find her daily living. Her poverty was so intense and she was even afraid that her only child would die deprived of nutritious food. She cried to God to open some ways so that she and her child will live happily. God heard her prayer, of course, God hears any intense prayer, and send an angel to her. The angel appeared to the woman, consoled her and told her God heard her prayers and wanted to give her enough of wealth so that she and her child can live safely in the rest of their life. In a short span of time, the angel led the woman and her child to a cave. The cave was closed and at the entrance of the cave the angel gave some direction to the woman.

The angel told,

“Look, this is a cave covered with full of wealth. You are given an hour of time and you are free to take as much as treasures from here with in this time. After an hour you have to come out of the cave and the doors of the cave will be closed; it will never be opened for you. So be sure that don’t forget to take the most valuable treasure of your life.”

The woman went inside the cave with her child. You can imagine she was stunned by the enormous wealth stored in the cave. Then coming back to her senses, she laid aside her baby and began to grab gold and precious stones. Time to time, the angel reminded about the time and told her don’t forget to grab the precious one. Finally, the time arrived, she has to get out of the cave. She worked until the last minute and managed to get out. The doors of the cave was closed for ever. The woman was so happy that she has collected the wealth for generations. She looked everything once again and began to hold it with pride. Then she remembered about her child and realized that she forgot to take the baby from the cave. The Baby is inside and the doors are closed. The woman cried out to God again with great pain. The angel came back. And told her: Honey, I told you each time don’t forget the most precious one; but you didn’t get me. We have no way to get into the cave. What is the worth of those wealth if she loses the child for whom she collected the wealth?

We heard in the opening of the gospel that the people of Jesus’ time were so proud to say about the beauty of their only Temple. They were so admired about the beauty and riches and they thought that the beauty will be there eternally. Just as the people in the Gospel, we tend to admire the beauty and riches of the Temple which means the beautiful reality of this world or the firmness of our human institutions, as if they were permanent, eternal and able to offer a solid foundation for our hope. However, on the other hand, just as Qoheleth says (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4), "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" No human reality can stand firm, all is mere appearance, all these things we experience (again, even our solid institutions) will disappear.[1] This is a contrasting situation in which we tempt to think transitory objects are real and the Real are momentary.

What is the attitude of people that we meet in today’s Gospel?

The people of Jerusalem praised the temple for its permanence and they placed their confidence in the transitory things. They were glorifying momentary and perishable things as if they were perpetual and eternal. Here, Jesus message is clear: none of the things that could offer security and firmness to their lives (including the most important religious reality, the Temple), would stand for a long time.[2] It is true in our life too none of the things that we are holding now including our wealth can offer security in our life. These are transitory which may lead us to God if we make good use of them.

This is the question, then we are asking today?

Where am I clinging to? Am I holding on God or things that have only momentary values?

St. Augustine raises a wonderful question. When soul depart from one’s body, we say the person is dead? What happen to a person if his / her soul loses God? St. Augustine Says the person is spiritually dead. Because, just as the soul, itself, is the life of the body, in the same way, God is the life of the Soul.[3] So if God is absent, away from one’s soul, how we can say that a person has life in its fullness. For that person it is the end of everything.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I encourage you all to listen to the Spirit and ask yourself whether you are experiencing the presence of God in your life and in your family. You may have a God problem in which you find some difficulty to believe something, something that is not meaningful to your rational mind. That is ok. But i am asking you keep looking for God who is missing from your soul. Because, If God is away from your center of life, your soul, what is the worth to say that you have a life and you have everything else? So don’t forget to hold on to the most precious thing in your life.

Friar Tony Vattaparambil

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[1] http://www.frnick.com/homilies/american_bible_society

[2] Bonventure, Commentary on Luke( Franciscan Institute Publication, NY:1969-1970.)

[3] Arthur A. Just, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament III, Luke (Inter Varsity Press, IL: 321)