2012 February Bulletin
2012 January Bulletin
2011 December Bullettin
Vicar's Corner
The season of great fast begins this year on 19th of Februrary. This liturgical season is very significant in our life. Traditionally Valiya nombukalam is observed with more pious and spiritual activities by the faithful. Because it brings out the sum total of the salvation history. We remember during these days specially the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. By observing the lent and participating in the liturgy let us know Jesus more deeply and try to experience Him personally in our daily life. There fore let us prepare ourselves interiorly.
Queens Mission is elevated to a status of a parish on 8th of January 2012 the feast day of St. Basil. Let us thank God for the blessings which we received during the past years. A parish is like a family. The togetherness and the sense of belonging have made us to grow into a strong community (koottayma). May God bless abundantly our Parish in the future.
New Year always brings to us joy, vigour and hope.We are ready to celebrate it in different ways, by attending in the mass or in some spectacular programme. I think New Year is an occasion to thank god for the blessings which we received in the past year. We might have made some resolutions and decisions in the last year and it is the appropriate time to be reflected upon the resolutions we made.I would like to quote Lk 2; 19 “Mary treasured all these things and meditated about them”.Let us treasure all the blessings which we received. Often the blessings are wasted, ignored, or treated with indifference.Because we donot treasure them.It is an important element in our family life.Later on Mary reflected and meditated upon it. Treasuring is coupled with the prayer, this is what blessed mother teaches us.Look back the past year and looks at Jesus, pray and meditate let that be the pattern of the New Year.We are also celebrating the feast of st. Basil on 8th January. Let us invoke the blessings from the saint,a saint who earned the title of “great” during his life and Doctor of the church after his death.He was a man of great personal holiness.He was a monk and foud a monastery and wrote monastic rule which has proved the most lasting of those in the east.The feast day celebration also brings us the togetherness and the “family” feel as a parish.I wish you all happy, healthy NEW YEAR. And Feastal greetings.
“Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Lk 2; 8-9)
Christmas brings light where darkness is.The light of the star guided the shepherds towards the Lord.
Perhaps we have been living in emotional darkness and depression. Perhaps we have been living in spiritual darkness, or with tormented souls. But now a light shines in our darkness, a light that cannot be overcome. Certainly we are all concerned with those dark forces that surround us in today’s world, but those concerns -- economic depression, terrorism, global warming, growing secularism, family troubles, marriage troubles, darkened relationships with others, and so forth – can no longer hold us in their dark imprisonment. Here in this church, in God’s house, we find ourselves now gazing like Joseph, at this mysterious child cradled in His mother’s arms. Here God’s call invites us to see beyond what is oppressing us. Here God calls out to our hearts to accept Him in response to His insistent call of love for us. Here we, with the shepherds, respond to the heralding song of the angels and run toward Bethlehem, not away from it.
Now a days Chritmas has become more secularised in its celebration all over the world especially in America.Unfortunately more and more the traditions and songs that are popular in the mind of the people today are predominantly secular in origin.In TV and other mass media we get a secular “holiday” imagery.It has a purpose to increase spending by increasing the desire for consumer goods- not to help you grow closer to Christ.
The shepherds, the wise men, and finally Joseph and Mary through their life bring us clearly the message of “simplicity” and complete “trust” in God.
I wish you all the family members MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR....
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to those on whom his favour rests” Lk 2; 14
Christmas brings light where darkness is.The light of the star guided the shepherds towards the Lord.
Perhaps we have been living in emotional darkness and depression. Perhaps we have been living in spiritual darkness, or with tormented souls. But now a light shines in our darkness, a light that cannot be overcome. Certainly we are all concerned with those dark forces that surround us in today’s world, but those concerns -- economic depression, terrorism, global warming, growing secularism, family troubles, marriage troubles, darkened relationships with others, and so forth – can no longer hold us in their dark imprisonment. Here in this church, in God’s house, we find ourselves now gazing like Joseph, at this mysterious child cradled in His mother’s arms. Here God’s call invites us to see beyond what is oppressing us. Here God calls out to our hearts to accept Him in response to His insistent call of love for us. Here we, with the shepherds, respond to the heralding song of the angels and run toward Bethlehem, not away from it.
Now a days Chritmas has become more secularised in its celebration all over the world especially in America.Unfortunately more and more the traditions and songs that are popular in the mind of the people today are predominantly secular in origin.In TV and other mass media we get a secular “holiday” imagery.It has a purpose to increase spending by increasing the desire for consumer goods- not to help you grow closer to Christ.
The shepherds, the wise men, and finally Joseph and Mary through their life bring us clearly the message of “simplicity” and complete “trust” in God.
I wish you all the family members MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR....
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to those on whom his favour rests” Lk 2; 14
Easter day speech by Samson Zachariah
A good friend once told me, “Let go, and let God.” This is what I believe to be the true meaning of Easter.
Last week, I went to a retreat held by my school. Its intent was to train young leaders for their own school community. One of the parts of the retreat was to share personal experiences with the members of your group. A girl from my group talked to us about all the wrong and terrible things she did. Tears filled everyone’s eyes as she wiped her slate clean. There was pin drop silence since she started speaking, and it continued until she finished lifting the burden off of her shoulders.
The next day we talked, and I noticed that she had something different about her; she smiled more, and her personality seemed to brighten up the whole room. When we went back to our personal groups, she told us about how she went to confession, made the admirable decision to change her whole life, and how she was trying to put that decision into practice. Everyone in my group was so overjoyed at her conversion that it inspired us to live our lives better with Jesus.
That night, at the time of intercessory prayers, I told her that I was going to pray for her always. I would pray that she would truly live out her conversion and be the child and leader, that God invisioned her to be.
After our prayer, our group leader handed us index cards with the name of a person in our group on it. So, I asked God to please allow me to get the girl’s name. Then, it was my turn and I was the last one to pick. I picked one, and it had her name written on it. It was then I knew that God was truly there listening and blessing each person in our little circle.
The girl I was talking about is a real life example of what the miracle of Easter is all about. It is about recognizing our faults and mistakes no matter how grave they are, saying sorry for them, and offering it to God. Once we achieve this, we must embrace God’s love in our lives and keep it there. Then allow it to grow, fill us, and then spread it to the other people around us, until the world returns to its original purity. So, if anything is inside you, keeping you from God, just remember to always “Let go, and Let God.” Thanks you
HAPPY EASTER!
Last week, I went to a retreat held by my school. Its intent was to train young leaders for their own school community. One of the parts of the retreat was to share personal experiences with the members of your group. A girl from my group talked to us about all the wrong and terrible things she did. Tears filled everyone’s eyes as she wiped her slate clean. There was pin drop silence since she started speaking, and it continued until she finished lifting the burden off of her shoulders.
The next day we talked, and I noticed that she had something different about her; she smiled more, and her personality seemed to brighten up the whole room. When we went back to our personal groups, she told us about how she went to confession, made the admirable decision to change her whole life, and how she was trying to put that decision into practice. Everyone in my group was so overjoyed at her conversion that it inspired us to live our lives better with Jesus.
That night, at the time of intercessory prayers, I told her that I was going to pray for her always. I would pray that she would truly live out her conversion and be the child and leader, that God invisioned her to be.
After our prayer, our group leader handed us index cards with the name of a person in our group on it. So, I asked God to please allow me to get the girl’s name. Then, it was my turn and I was the last one to pick. I picked one, and it had her name written on it. It was then I knew that God was truly there listening and blessing each person in our little circle.
The girl I was talking about is a real life example of what the miracle of Easter is all about. It is about recognizing our faults and mistakes no matter how grave they are, saying sorry for them, and offering it to God. Once we achieve this, we must embrace God’s love in our lives and keep it there. Then allow it to grow, fill us, and then spread it to the other people around us, until the world returns to its original purity. So, if anything is inside you, keeping you from God, just remember to always “Let go, and Let God.” Thanks you
HAPPY EASTER!