holy spirit - Logos Retreat Centre

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15
(Private Circulation only)
A Logos Retreat Centre Publication, Bengaluru
Vol. 6
Issue 3
Bi-monthly
May - June 2016
COME
Inside
HOLY SPIRIT
Calledto
ourside
Dangersof
PremaritalSex
Howtoovercome
yourfears?
"Together
withMary"
4
7
10
14
C
Editorial
ontents
LogosRetreatCentre
29,PrakruthiTownship,1stMain,
P.B.#4326,Babusahibpalaya,
Bengaluru-560043
Tel:9742234234/080-25603252
Email:[email protected],
www.logosretreatcentre.com
04
07
DangersofPremaritalSex . . . . . . . . . . 7
Rev.Dr.MathewIllathuparampil
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AboutLogosRetreatCentre
LogosRetreatCentreislocatedinBengaluru.This
is one of the many Retreat Centres run by the
Vincentian Fathers, who also run Divine Retreat
Centre,Potta.VincentianCongregationhasspread
itswings far and widein ourcountryas wellas
abroad. The wonderful Lord Jesus continues to
workmightyandmarvellousdeedsinthisRetreat
Centre through the preaching and healing
ministrydonebytheVincentianPriests.
Many healings and deliverances have been
receivedandhavebeentestifiedbythemanysick,
woundedandheartbrokenpeople,whocomeand
attend the Retreats/ Prayer Services which are
conductedhere.Agoodnumberofthemcontinue
toregularlyattendtheseBibleConventionsherein
ordertogetspiritualnourishment.
Do come and taste the Lord Jesus in our Logos
RetreatCentre.
Rev.Fr.JoseVettiyankalVC
NoelFernandes
12
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MoralTheology
10
"TogetherwithMary"-asonthedayof
Pentecost!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Fr.SamKoonamplackilVC
14
Priesthood:closetothe
HeartofJesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Sacrament
Fr.LysonVargheseVC
YestoChrist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
16
ChristExperience
Florence
GospelofLuke:
AGospelofMercy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
18
ScriptureReflection
Fr.JimilMealkarapurathVC
TheMercyFeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
ElizaPaul
20
Allthearticlesinissue2are
inspiring...worthreading,spendingtime&
applyingindailylife.
DirectorandChiefEditor
Editorial
Calledtoourside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
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NoelFernandes
L.S.P.Mahalakshmi
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CherylHartley
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BabuThomas
CarolLewis
Ness
Joyce
Whattodowhenyouaresick? . . . . . . 3
ChiefEditor
Editor
DearLogosVoiceteam...
Testimonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
RetreatCentreProgrammes . . . . . . . 27
What to do when you are sick?
Introduction
Mostofthepeoplearedeeplytroubledand
worriedwhentheyareaf lictedbydeadly
andincurablediseasesbecausetheythink
thatthereisnoremedyforit.Thereisno
incurablesicknessintheBible,Godcanheal
it – “Behold, I am the Lord, of all lesh: is
anythingimpossibleforme(Jer32:27)”.This
GodispresentinourtimesintheBlessed
Sacrament and the Blessed Sacrament
heals.Ithasthepowertohealthepeople
who sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament
(CCC 1509). You have to do three things
when you are in sickness: call upon the
nameoftheLord,askfortheprayersofthe
people who have the gift of healing and
haverecoursetomedicalremedy.
PrayertoGodinoursickness
KingHezekiahfellsickandwasatthepoint
of death. Isaiah the prophet came to him
andsaid,“ThussaystheLord,setyourhouse
in order for you shall die, you shall not
recover”. Then Hezekiah turned his face to
the wall and prayed to God and said
“Rememberme,O'LordIbeseechthee,howI
havewalkedbeforetheeinfaithfulnessand
withawholeheart,andhavedonewhatis
good in thy sight”. And Hezekiah wept
bitterly.ThenthewordofGodcametoIsaiah,
“ThussaystheLord,theGodofDavidyour
father:Ihaveheardyourprayer,Ihaveseen
yourtears;behold,Iwilladd15yearstoyour
life”(Is38:1-5).Sowhenyouareinsickness
cryandprayinthepresenceofGodandyou
willbehealed.
Seektheprayers
When King Abimelech and his family was
sickhecriedandprayedtoGodbutnothing
happened.ThenGodsaidtohiminadream,
“CallAbrahamandhewillprayforyou,and
youshalllive”.SoAbimelechroseearlyinthe
morningandcalledallhisservants,andtold
themallthesethings;andthemenwerevery
much afraid. Then Abimelech called
AbrahamandthenAbrahamprayedtoGod
andGodhealedAbimelechandhishousehold
(Gen20:7,8,17).Thatmeanswhenyouare
in sickness your personal prayer alone is
notenough.Afteryourpersonalprayer,as
KingAbimelechdid,seektheintercession
of others who have the gift of healing
because God has given to some gift of
h e a l i n g t o m a n i f e s t t h e p o w e r o f
resurrection (CCC 1508). A certain man
calledProf.Schmidtwassufferingfromthe
4 th stage of cancer and was suggested
surgery,chemotherapy,radiationandsoon.
He would be impotent and life-long in
diapers, the doctors remarked. He was so
depressed. He came to Logos Retreat
Centre, attended the 5 days retreat and
went home. He consulted his doctor. The
doctor diagnosed that he was cancer free
andsaidthatheneedednomoretreatment.
LaterhecametoLogosandgaveadetailed
testimonywithallthemedicalproof.
TakeMedicine
You are in need of medicine and doctors
when you are in sickness. The book of
Sir38:1–14,saysyouareinneedofmedicine
anddoctors.Godcreatedmedicinalplants
andgaveknowledgetomanastotheuseof
itforhealingsicknesses.Sir38:9saysthat
whenyouareinsicknesspraytoGodand
takemedicine,Hewillhealyou.Sometimes
our life directly depends upon medicines
anddoctors(Sir38:13).
Conclusion
Tessy, a professor in a college came to
Assumption Church in Bangalore when I
was preaching the word of God. For 14
yearsshehadbeensufferingfromurinary
incontinencyandshewasindiapersfor14
years.SheprayedtoGodfor14years,took
medicinebutnothinghealedhersickness.
Then she came to me for prayer. I prayed
over her, but instantly nothing happened.
Whenshewassleepingthatnight,shewoke
upwithaseverecoughandsneezes.Butnot
even a drop of urine dripped. Then she
realized that she was completely healed.
Two years went by and she came to the
LogosRetreatCentretoglorifyGodthrough
hertestimony.Therefore,wheneveryouare
sufferingwithincurablediseasesapplythe
abovementionedthreeprinciples.
Pray to God very sincerely through the
beads of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and
seektheprayersofthepeoplewhohave
thegiftofhealing.Finallytakemedicine
ifitisneededandwaitupontheLordfor
Histime.InHistimeyouwillbehealed.
Recentlyhadtheopportunitytodistribute
300LogosVoiceindifferentchurchesbefore
&aftermass.Iwaspleasantlysurprised
whenalltherespectiveparishpriestsgavea
positivereplytodistributeLogosVoice.
Peoplereceivedthesamegladly.
Godworksalong...hehasblessedmeandmy
familyinaspecialwayafterthis.Am
learningtogrowinLove.
Keepupyourgoodwork...TeamLogosVoice.
Regards
Raghu
Bangalore
DearFr.
ThankyouforthewonderfulLogosVoice
magazine.Itismypleasuretosubscribeto
suchawonderfulmagazine.Ialwayslook
forwardtoreadingiteverytime.The
articles/faithbuildinginterviews/
testimonies/saints/youthcatechism
teachingsareallindeedrefreshingly
beautifultouchinguponallalmostallthe
areasthatweneedinourCatholiclife.I
keepthemallandrereadthemoften.
WheneverpossibleItrytodistributeto
otherssothattheyarealsoblessedthough
thewordofGod.
Itisarealblessingformeandsurelyabalm
tomysoul.Iconsideritmy"prescription"
ratherthana"subscription"....delvinginto
thepagesislikeadoseofagooddrugwhich
indeedisthepowerfulwordofGod!
MayGodblesstheentireLogosVoiceteam
Regards,
Teresa,Bangalore
DearFr.
Justwantedtodropyouanotetellingyou
howmuchIenjoyyourmagazine.Your
articleinthelastissue"Heisnothere!
WhereisHe?"reallytouchedme.Ireally
experiencedtheloveandhealingtouchof
Christinthetestimoniesaswell.
Keepusinprayers,
AngelDivya
Bangalore
CALLED TO OUR SIDE:
Holy Spirit and the Mission of Mercy
“If Christ is the Head of the Church, the Holy Spirit is her soul”
HisGraceMostRev.GeorgeAntonysamy
istheArchbishopofMadras-Mylapore
T
“EverPresent,TruestFriend,
EverNear,ThineaidtoLend."
ThisisalsothepromisethatJesusgave
us before He left His disciples. After
Jesus announced to His disciples that
He would be leaving them soon, He
said,“IwillpraytotheFather,andhe
willgiveyouanotherCounsellor,tobe
with you forever, even the Spirit of
truth…Youknowhim,forhedwellswith
you,andwillbeinyou.”(Jn14:16–17).
been “called to our side.” The Holy
SpiritistheCounsellorwhoisalways
presentwithGod'speopleandreminds
us of all that Jesus said and did. The
Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who
guidesus,andservesastheguarantee
oftheeternalinheritancepromisedin
Christ.
Wealsoreadaboutthepromiseofthe
HolySpiritintheOldTestament.The
Lordsays,forexample,inEzek36:2627,“IwillputmySpiritwithinyouand
causeyoutowalkinmyways.”Butthere
isaqualitativedifferencebetweenthe
promiseoftheOldTestamentandthe
promiseofJesus.IntheOldTestament,
theSpiritofGodwouldcomeonpeople
and then leave them. God's Spirit
departedfromKingSaul(1Sam16:14;
18:12).David,whenconfessinghissin,
askedthattheSpiritnotbetakenfrom
him (Ps 51:11). But when the Spirit
was given at Pentecost, He came to
God's people to remain with them
forever.WemaygrievetheHolySpirit,
butHewillnotleaveus.
TheParaclete
The original Greek word translated
“Comforter” or “Counsellor” in the
Gospelisparakletos,whichmeans“one
called to the side of another”. This
Counselloris God the Holy Spirit, the
third Person of the Trinity who has
Jesus says, “I will not leave you as
orphans;Iwillcometoyou.”(Jn14:18).
TheHolySpiritisJesus'wayofbeing
with us till the end of the world. The
LordJesusisthe irstParaclete.During
Hislifetime,JesuswastheShepherdof
Hisdisciples.Heguidedthem,guarded
hesearelinesfromthepopular
hymn ''Holy Spirit, faithful
Guide'writtenbyanAmerican
farmer Marcus M. Wells. As he was
workinginhiscorn ieldonaSaturday
afternoon in October 1858 near
Hardwick,NewYork,hewasinspired
to compose a song about the Holy
Spirit.Marcusfelturgedtowriteabout
the Holy Spirit as a true friend, ever
p re s e n t by h i s s i d e . H i s hy m n
continues to inspire us to an ever
deeperexperienceofthepresenceand
activityoftheHolySpiritinourlivesas
atruefriend,evernearandeverready
tohelp.
4|LogosVoice|May–June2016
t h e m a n d t a u g h t t h e m . A s H e
approached the time to leave, He
started preparing them to receive
another Paraclete. He promised His
disciples that the Holy Spirit would
dwellinthem,takingtheplaceoftheir
Shepherd'sphysicalpresence.
The Spirit Perpetuates Christ's
Mercy:
DuringHisearthlyministry,Jesushad
guided, guarded, and taught His
disciples;butnowHewaspreparingto
leavethem.HepromisedthattheSpirit
ofGodwouldcometothedisciplesand
dwellinthem,takingtheplaceoftheir
Master's physical presence and His
MinistryofMercy.
As one called to our side, to help our
in irmities and to guide us, the Holy
Spirit enables us to experience the
Mercy of God. There are many ways
that we experience the presence and
activityoftheHolySpirit'byourside'
as the mercy of God. He stands by us
andprayswithus(Rom8:26-27).He
enlightens us when we read the
scripture(Jn14:26).TheSpiritworks
inustogiveusHispeace(Jn14:27),His
love (Jn 15:9–10), and His joy (Jn
15:11).Hehelpsusinourtasks(Acts
8:29).Hestrengthensuswhenweare
te m p te d ( Ro m 8 : 2 ) . T h e S p i r i t
regeneratesus(Jn3:5-8;Titus3:5).
TheSpiritisChurch'sSoul:
WehaveoftenheardtheChurchbeing
described as Christ's mystical body.
Now, all that Jesus was, the Spirit of
GodisnowtotheChurch.PopeLeoXIII
intheEncyclicalDivinumilludmunus
(1897) said, “If Christ is the Head of
theChurch,theHolySpiritishersoul”.
StAugustinestates:“Whatourspirit,
is for our body, the Holy Spirit is for
Christ's body, which is the Church”
(Sermon267,4).
ItisthepresenceoftheHolySpiritthat
enablestheChurch,sinfulasweare,to
beandtobecomeatruesignofGod's
kingdomhereonearth.Thereforewe
proclaim with St Paul that where sin
abounds, grace abounds even more.
(Rom5:20).
L u m e n g e n t i u m , t h e D o g m a t i c
Constitution on the Church, No 42
teachesthat,“TheHolySpiritdwellsin
the Church not as a guest who still
remains an outsider, but as the soul
that transforms the community into
“God'sholytemple”(1Cor3:17;6:19;
Eph 2:21) and makes us more and
morelikehimselfthroughHisspeci ic
gift, which is love (cf. Rom 5:5; Gal
5:22). Love governs, gives meaning
a n d p e r f e c t s a l l t h e m e a n s o f
sancti ication.Thelifeandmissionof
theChurch,asasignofGod'sloveand
mercy, is made possible by the Holy
Spirit,whostandsbyoursideagainst
thetestoftimeandchange.
The Sprit Renders the Church
Merciful:
Speaking in his weekly general
audienceinSt.Peter'sSquareafterthe
inauguration of the Extraordinary
Jubilee year of mercy, Pope Francis
said that "only a merciful Church
shines.Thenecessaryworkofrenewal
of the Church's institutions and
structuresisameansthatmustbring
us to make alive and enliven the
experienceofGod'smercythatalone
can guarantee a Church that is a city
uponahillthatcannotremainhidden."
ThisidealthatPopeFrancissetsforus
can translate into reality when we
become attuned to the inspiration of
theHolySpirit,theCounsellorbyour
side.IntheprayerfortheJubileeYear,
we pray to the Holy Spirit to enliven
theChurchwiththemandatetomercy.
We pray, “Send your Spirit and
consecrate every one of us with its
anointing,sothattheJubileeofMercy
maybeayearofgracefromtheLord,
and your Church, with renewed
enthusiasm, may bring good news to
thepoor,proclaimlibertytocaptives
andtheoppressed,andrestoresightto
theblind.”
CalledtotheSideofthosewhoneed
Mercy:
Just as we experience the presence
and activity of the Holy Spirit as a
faithfulfriendandCounsellor,weare
called to re lect that same mercy
This Counsellor is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity who has
been “called to our side.” The Holy Spirit is the Counsellor who is always
present with God's people and reminds us of all that Jesus said and did.
MoralTheology
mercytothosewhoareinneedofit.
The mercy we receive from God
through the Holy Spirit makes us
resemble Him. Mercy, therefore, is a
signoflovewhichwesharewithour
fellow human beings. Starting from
thewaywetreateachotherinlife:to
feel compassion for one another, to
support each other in moments of
dif iculty,tobindthewoundsofthose
who are wounded and to strive to
overcome con licts, hate, jealousy, to
refrain from passing judgement on
o t h e r s w h i c h c a u s e s h a r m
(MisericordiaeVultus,14).
Themostconcretewayofsharingthe
mercy we have received from God
during this jubilee will be to recommit ourselves to the works of
mercy. The spiritual works of mercy
include: to counsel the doubtful,
instruct the ignorant, admonish
sinners, comfort the af licted, forgive
offences,bearpatientlythosewhodo
us ill, and pray for the living and the
dead. The corporal works of mercy
are: to feed the hungry, give drink to
thethirsty,clothethenaked,welcome
the stranger, heal the sick, visit the
imprisonedandburythedead.These
arewaystohelpthesufferingandthe
needy.
MercyasSpirit-InspiredMission:
It is unfortunate that our modern
worldisbecomingimmunetohuman
s u ff e r i n g . A m a n o r a w o m a n
abandonedtodieonapavementdoes
not seem to hurt our conscience
a n y m o r e . Yo u n g s t e r s l o s t t o
addictions, wives battered by their
abusive husbands, workers denied
their fair wage, farmers losing their
land to debts, middle class families
that struggle to make ends meet,
tribalsdisplacedfromtheirancestral
lands,therisingcostofhealthservices
–theyjustnolongerseemtodisturbus.
Whatisevenmorehurtingisthefact
that these innumerable stories of
agonyunfurlrightunderournose:in
our families, our neighborhoods, our
villagesandcolonies,ourparishesand
anbiyams.Westillchosetoturnaway
orcrosstheroadasitwere.Wehave
become thick-skinned to corruption,
injustice,poverty,structuralviolence,
u n e m p l oy m e n t , d e s t r u c t i o n o f
ecology and the list is endless. The
Spirit'svocationtomercycanbelived
o u t o n ly wh e n s u c h u n h e a l t hy
immunityisbroken.Thefailuretodo
somethingonecanandoughttodoto
alleviatetheabove,amountstothesin
of omission. The Spirit's vocation to
mercy is a spirituality of active
engagement. Mercy changes us and
reformsus.Ithelpsustojudgeothers
in a different light, with forgiveness,
toleranceandcompassion.
He promised that the Spirit of God would
come to the disciples and dwell in them, taking the place
of their Master's physical presence and His Ministry of Mercy.
Thevocationofmercyinspiredbythe
Holy Spirit cannot be reduced to a
simplistic feeling of pity. When faced
with the poignant reality of human
suffering, it is not enough to be
overcomebysympathy.Itshouldgrow
into empathy, where one not merely
feels for the other but feels with the
other.Thisisthequalityofmercythat
isrecommendedintheopeninglines
ofthepastoralconstitution,'Gaudium
etSpes':
“Thejoysandthehopes,thegriefand
theanxietiesofthemen(andwomen)
of this age, especially those who are
poororinanywayaf licted,theseare
the joys and hopes, the grief and
anxieties of the followers of Christ.
Indeed,nothinggenuinelyhumanfails
toraiseanechointheirhearts.Thatis
whythiscommunityrealizesthatitis
truly linked with mankind and its
historybythedeepestofbonds.”
ArchbishopRinoFisichella,President
of the Ponti ical Council for the New
Evangelization,theCouncilorganizing
theJubilee,saidon05May2015,“The
idea of the Jubilee came from the
Spirit, not just from a desire as the
Popewasinspiredthroughtheaction
oftheHolySpirit”.MaythesameHoly
Spiritcontinuetoinspireustoalifeof
mercy, called to the side of our
brothersandsisters.
Dangers of
Premarital Sex
Despite the fact of the increasing number of premarital sexual relationships,
it is still definitely immoral and therefore unacceptable
T
henumberofpeopleengaging
i n p re m a r i t a l s ex i s n o t
decreasing in our country, if
sex-surveys are to be believed. Some
people wrongly think engaging in
premaritalsexisanormalpartoftheir
personalmaturation.Otherstakeitas
partofanexperiencewhichtheydeem
necessary to enter into married life
later.Somecountitasamatterofan
experiment , testing the sexual
compatibility of the would-be couple
orofothers.Someunmarriedpeople
think it is quite natural to give
expression to their sexual emotions
through premarital sex. Yet some
otherstakeitasmatteroffun,making
itjustrecreationalsex.
Premaritalsexneednotbetakenasan
unusually modern phenomenon. But
itsexpressionsaremuchmorevisible
nowthaninthepast.Therearemany
cultural and social reasons why
premarital sex gets at least a tacit
s o c i a l a p p rova l a m o n g c e r t a i n
sections of the society, in spite of its
knownmoralunacceptability.AsPope
JohnPaulIIwroteinhisencyclicalThe
GospelofLife(#23):“Sexualitytoois
depersonalized and exploited, from
beingthesign,placeandlanguageof
love, that is, of the gift of self and
acceptance of another, in all the
other's richness as a person, it
increasingly becomes the occasion
andinstrumentforself-assertionand
the sel ish satisfaction of personal
desires and instincts”. The so-called
sexual freedom is displayed as the
normamongteenagersandadults.
Despite the fact of the increasing
n u m b e r o f p r e m a r i t a l s e x u a l
relationships, it is still de initely
immoral and therefore unacceptable.
Below we shall consider the reasons
t h a t m a k e p r e m a r i t a l s e x
unacceptable. Those reasons will
surely reveal the negative effects of
premaritalsexwhichinturnmakeit
obviouslyundesirable.
ContrarytoMarriedLife
Onlyinmarriagesexualityhastomake
i t s f u l l — p h y s i c a l o r
genital—expression.For,marriedlove
isthesolidandstablefoundationupon
whichsexualityhastotakeitsphysical
expression. Genital love is a sacred
sign of a husband and a wife's
covenant of love and they share that
love in union with God. Thus by
marriedlove,husbandandwifeenter
intoacovenantallovewhichisfaithful,
permanent,exclusive,andself-giving.
Thisunderstandingiswellillustrated
by Jesus in his response to the
Pharisees'questionregardingdivorce:
“Have you not read that at the
beginningtheCreatormadethemmale
and female and declared, 'For this
reasonamanshallleavehisfatherand
May–June2016|LogosVoice|7
Premarital sex involves spiritual harm, meaning that it is a sin (1Thes
4:3). Such people shall not enter into the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:9).
Fornicators attract the anger of God against themselves (Col 3:5-6).
motherandclingtohiswife,andthe
two shall become as one?' Thus they
are no longer two but one lesh.
Therefore let no man separate what
G o d h a s j o i n e d ” ( M t 1 9 : 4 - 6 ) .
P r e m a r i t a l s e x v i o l a t e s t h i s
theological or God-designed plan of
sexuality. So engaging in premarital
sex derails the purpose of sexuality
with all its negative effects, some of
whicharestatedbelow.
PhysicalEffects
Premaritalsex,basicallybeinganact
in the human body, has physical
effects. It will cause one to lose
respectforhis/herbody,aswellas
thebodyoftheones/heisinvolved
with. Once the personal respect is
lost, it becomes easier to indulge in
promiscuoussex.Losingrespectwill
not be limited to sexual relation
alone, rather it will pervade one's
wh o l e l i fe . T h a t i s why m a ny
premarital affairs end in mutual
distrust, condemnation and hatred.
Only in marriage it is possible for
sexual relationships to reaf irm the
dignity and uniqueness of each sex
partner.
EmotionalEffects
Since sexual act is not merely a
physical event, it will have its deep
emotionalimpressionontheperson.
The emotional baggage that often
comeswithpremaritalsexcanleadto
sexualdysfunctionsinmarriage.Guilt
is an emotional consequence of
premaritalsex.Itwillhavelongterm
effects on future relationships in
marriage.Howevermuchonemight
approve of premarital sex, in the
heart s/he knows that it is wrong.
Therefore, guilt cannot be escaped
from. We shall not be misled by the
idea that guilt is a religious feeling,
cultivated because of religious
reasons. It is basically a moral
emotionwhicheverybodyshares.
Premarital sex dislocates emotions
f r o m t h e c o n t e x t o f a s t a b l e
relationship enshrined in marriage.
Inanunstable, leetingrelationship,
emotionswillbeorphaned.Itwillnot
offerfulljoyofthesexualact,except
physical pleasure. Because, there is
no total mutual giving ensured in
marriage.For,thereisnolastingbond
between the partners, except a
workingarrangement.
People engaged in premarital sex
oftenconfusebetweensexandlove.
Theythinkengaginginsexoutsideof
marriage is love. They may even
confusetakingasgiving.Byoffering
sexonemaybeinrealitybuyingthe
securitytheotherpartyprovidesor
evenotherprovisions.Manytimesyoung
peopleare misled by these emotions
andthinktheyreallyareinlove.
RelationalIssues
Premarital sex is bound to unleash
relationalissues.Oncesexbecomesan
active element in one's life, other
aspects of the relationship have little
chance to develop. When one enters
intomarriagewithanotherperson,itis
very likely to create frustrating,
disturbing and destructive moments
especiallybywayofcomparisons.Ifthe
earliersexualexperiencesinvolvehurt,
pain, mistrust, exploitation, or guilt,
then one is bound to carry them over
into marriage. As we know, the most
importantsexorganisthemind.When
twopeoplelearnaboutsextogetherfor
the irsttimewithinmarriage,theyare
creating vivid and unforgettable
memories.Thesearepositivememories
that bind two people together in a
loving, trusting union without any
interferencefromthepast.
Premarital sex is not “safe” always as
manytendtothink.Premaritalsexoften
leads to children born out of wedlock
a n d r a i s e d b y a s i n g l e p a r e n t .
Consequently, parental relationship
duetochildrenisdenied.
SpiritualDangers
Sexuality is not merely a relational or
personal issue. It has to do with our
relationshipwithGod.Weareexhorted
to lead a chaste life by God. There are
many texts in the Bible in this regard:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God” (Mt 5:8). “Watch your
heartwithalldiligence,forfromitspring
theissuesoflife”(Prov4:23).“Weareto
bewiseinwhatisgoodandinnocentin
whatisevil”(Rom16:19).“Abstainfrom
sexualimmorality...Godhascalledus
forpurity”(1Thess.4:3-5,7).Thereare
spiritual consequences whenever we
disobeyGod.“Godwilljudgefornicators
andadulterers”(Heb.13:4).
inpromiscuouslife:sexualsinsbrought
destructiontoSodomandGomorrahin
Genesis 19. Due to sexual sins, heavy
trouble and grief came to Lot and his
daughters, to Shechem, Reuben, Judah
a n d Ta m a r, S a m s o n a n d D av i d .
Spiritually, sin, including sexual sins,
separatesusfromGod(Isa.59:1-2;Hos.
5:6). That is the meaning of being
punished.
Brie ly,premaritalsexinvolvesspiritual
harm, meaning that it is a sin (1Thes
4:3).Suchpeopleshallnotenterintothe
kingdomofGod(1Cor.6:9).Fornicators
thesinofpremaritalsex,s/hehasstill
hope and ways to overcome the
situation.Afewstepscanbesuggested.
1. Admit that you have sinned and
repent as Jesus commanded in Luke
13:3.Repentanceisnotmerelyfeeling
remorse. It is changing the course of
your life. So take a strong decision to
avoidsinandthewaysofsin.Ourpartis
repentance;God'spartisforgiveness.
2.AcceptGod'sforgivenessandmercy.
He is willing to forgive, if we are
repentant. God always keeps his
promises.“Godisfaithfultoforgiveand
cleanseusfromallunrighteousness.”(1
Jn1:9).
3. Forgive yourself. Not only that God
forgives us, but we have to forgive
ourselves.Forgivingourselvesispartof
receiving God's forgiveness. Christ
didn'tcometosavetherighteous,butto
savesinners(Mk2:17;Lk19:10).
Therefore, beware of
your imagination, what
feeds your mind and
imagination; the type of
film you watch, the kind
of materials you read.
Read the Bible daily. Get
strengthened by the
Word of God
attract the anger of God against
themselves (Col 3:5-6). The spiritual
punishmentforfornicationisindicated
intermsofdeathintheOldTestament
(Deut22:13-21).
4.Keepawayfromthecircumstancesof
sins. This is a necessary fruit of
repentance.Ifyouarereallyrepentant,
you will have to totally abstain from
relationshipsandsituationsthatinvite
you to premarital sex. In practice,
d i s a s s o c i a t e y o u r s e l f f r o m
immoral/ungodly peer group. Keep in
mind St. Paul's exhortation, “think on
right things” (Phil. 4:8; Rom. 12:1-2),
notoldsinsofthepast.
5.Takepracticalspiritualsteps.
Therefore,bewareofyourimagination,
whatfeedsyourmindand
imagination;thetypeof ilmyou
watch,thekindofmaterialsyouread.
ReadtheBibledaily.Getstrengthened
bytheWordofGod.
Rev.Dr.MathewIllathuparampil
We indGodpunishingpeopleengaged
Whatnext,ifIamfallen?
Ifsomeonehasunfortunatelyfallento
istheRectorofSt.JosephPonti ical
Seminary,Aluva,Kerala
How to overcome your fears?
There is no incurable sickness in the Bible, God can heal it
O
vercome fear by staying
focused on Jesus and talk to
Him. And also talk to His
Father directly. Trust in Jesus and
pray. That will help you to overcome
yourfears.Whatistheoriginoffear?
Originoffearisfromanyeventwhich
has no remedy or answer. But God
helps one to overcome it. The Bible
says,“Fearnot,forIamwithyou.Ihave
calledyoubyname”(Is.43:3-5).”There
are366daysinayear.Andthereare
also366versesintheBiblewherewe
read“Fearnot,Iamwithyou”-onefor
eachday.
In a retreat, I said, “If any have fear,
please raise your hand”. Almost all
raised their hands. One man in the
front didn't. I thought he was full of
courageandhadnofear.Iaskedhim,
“ W h a t i s t h e s e c r e t t o y o u r
fearlessness? Theanswerfrightened
me. “Father I have fear, to raise my
hand and acknowledge that I have
fear”. We have fear of one or other
concerns of our life such as driving,
coming onto the stage, people,
animals, insects, reptiles, ghosts etc.
Howdoweovercomeit?Followingare
sometipsforit.
into my shell until it goes away.”
Bennysaid,“ButIdon'thaveashell!”
So Benny went to see his friend, the
zebra and said, “I'm afraid of my
shadow.WhatcanIdo?”
The zebra said, “When I'm afraid of
something I just run as fast as I can
untilI'mfarawayfromit.”
Bennysaid,“ButnomatterhowfastI
run my shadow is still with me.”
lionandsaid,“I'mafraidofmyshadow.
WhatcanIdo?”
The lion said, “I'm not afraid of
anything. But if I were, I'd just roar
untilitgoesaway.”
problemsthatneverseemtogoaway.
ButaslongaswelooktowardsJesus,
ourproblemswon'tseemasscary.
Heb 12:2 says, “Let us ix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith.”
Let'sprayaboutthat.FatherGod,we
know that there will be things in life
that scare us, so we pray that you'll
always help us to keep our eyes on
Jesussothatourproblemswon'tseem
asscary.
2.LetustalktoGodtoovercomeour
fearsGod'sphonenumberis333. So
Jer33:3says;“CalltomeIwillgiveyou
theanswer”"Therighteouscryoutand
theLordhearsthem."Ps34:17(NIV)
Benny said, “But I'm a rabbit. And
rabbitscan'troar.”
T h e p a s t o r ’ s c e l l p h o n e a n d a
companion with a cell phone are
neededfortheact.
giraffe and said, “I'm afraid of my
Thepastorwasaddressingachildren's
meeting in the Church, then the cell
phonerang!
The giraffe thought for a minute and
thensaid,“WhenI'mnibblingonthe
leaves at the top of the trees, I don't
even notice my shadow because I'm
lookingupinsteadofdown.SoIthink
if you keep your face toward the
sunshine, you'll never see your
shadow.
What'sthatnoise?Oh,no!Somebody's
cellphoneisringinginChurch!Uh-oh!
It'smine!I'dbettergetthat.(Hetakes
the phone out of his pocket and
answers.)
1."Letus ixoureyesonJesus,the
author and perfecter of our faith."
(Heb12:2)(NIV)
BennytheBunnylivedinthezoo.He
had lots of friends at the zoo, but he
hadabigproblem;hewasafraidofhis
shadow!Andhecouldn'tgetridofit.It
just followed him wherever he went.
OnedayBennywenttohisfriend,the
turtle and said, “I'm afraid of my
Bennythoughtthatwasaprettygood
advice. So ever since that day he has
focused on the sunshine, and even
thoughhisshadowwasstillthere,he
wasnotafraidofitagain.
Hello? (Acts surprised and looks up
toward the ceiling. Looks back at the
c h i l d r e n , p o i n t s u p w a r d a n d
mouths,“It'sHim!”)Yes,Lord.Yes,this
isSteve.Thekids..?They'rehere.OK,
I'lltellthem.I'lltellthemthat,too.OK.
Isthatall?Alright,thanksforcalling.
Goodbye–ImeanAmen.
The turtle answered, “Whenever I'm
afraidofsomething,Ijustpullmyhead
You know, it is the same with us
Christians. Sometimes we have
(Closes phone and turns to the
children.) Guess who that was!
Sometimes we have
problems that never
seem to go away.
But as long as we
look towards Jesus,
our problems won't
seem as scary.
Well…doyoureallythinkthatwasGod
onthephone?No,ofcourseitwasnot
Him.Iwasjustkidding.Butlet'stalk
abouttalkingtoGod.
Firstofall,doyouneedacellphoneto
talktoGod?No,wedon'tneedaphone.
Doyou needto talk out loudorcan
youjustprayinyourmind?
HowaboutwhereyoucantalktoGod?
SurewetalktoGodhereinchurch,but
whereelsecanyoutalktoGod?(Solicit
suggestionssuchasathome,atschool,
walkingdownthestreet,etc.)
Well, you can talk to God anywhere,
anytimeaboutanything.AndtheBible
saysthatGodwillbelistening.Ps34:17
says, “The righteous cry out, and the
Lordhearsthem.”
So if you have something on your
mind,Godwantstohearfromyou.It
doesn't matter when and it doesn't
matter where. And you don't even
needacellphone!
Whenyouprayyouwillgetananswer
from God for all your problems. The
questions and problems which have
noanswerwillgeneratefear.ButGod
hasananswerforeveryquestionand
every problem. What is that answer
which gives us consolation? The
answer is “Everything will be turned
forthefavourofallthosewholoveGod
and are called for his purpose” Rom
8:28.Wewillestablishasincereloving
relationshipwithGodthroughprayer.
Prayer(talkingtoGod)isaconscious thismodelofprayerofinnerhealing.
constantconversationwithGodwhich
will result in an intimate loving “Jesus, you are the same yesterday,
relationship with the Almighty. today and forever. Come into my
yesterdays;intomywoundedfeelings
That's something we should pray andnegativeeventstotransformthem
about:HeavenlyFather,wethankyou formyfavourandgood.Jesus,Ipray
that we can talk to you anywhere, overallthesenegativesthathappened
anytime about anything. We pray in my life and over feelings such as
you'll help us to remember to do it rejection,unforgiveness,sorrows,fear,
moreoftenandwethankyousomuch lonelinessandfailureetc.Iprayover
for listening to us. We pray this in them all. Jesus! Come into my bitter
experiences and change them into
Jesus'name.
sweetmemories.Iprayandforgiveall
thosewhohaveoffendedmeunjustly
3.Innerhealingprayer
It is a spiritual technique through and pray that you bless them more
which we ask Jesus to go to the past thanyoublessme”.
stages of growth and to erase the
painful memories registered in the Thenaddtoit“ForthesakeofJesus'
brainaspartoftheunconsciousmind. sorrowful Passion, Abba Father, have
OncealadynamedRitaThomascame mercyonusandonthewholeworld
toLogoshavingwithafearofsittingin a n d o n my sy m p to m s o f i n n e r
closed rooms and spaces. She was wounds”(10Times).
suffering from claustrophobia. She
couldnoteventravelbycarorsitinthe Conclusion
ChurchduringHolyMass.Duringthe Fear is a general factorwhich affects
inner healing prayer and adoration thewholesystemofthehumanbody.It
sheinvitedJesusintothepaststagesof startsfromthethinkingandisdeveloped
growthanddevelopment.Miraculously inthemind.Itaffectsthewholesystem
she was freed from that great fear of the human body. If you have a
registered in her brain. Recently she serious problem of fear, you are in
came to Logos and shared her needofaninnerhealingretreatoryou
testimonyofhowshewasfreedofthis willhavetotrytheabovementioned
fearofmanyyears.Ifyouhaveseveral three tips. If you do not overcome
kindsoffear,pleasecomeandattend your fear, fear will overcome you
an inner healing adoration and very soon. And the whole human
p r a y e r s . T h e n i n s t a n t l y o r system will collapse. In short, fear
prevents you to achieve
progressivelyyouwillberelieved.
somethinggoodinyourlife.
Youcanalsoprayathomeaccordingto
DirectorandChiefEditor
Open the eyes of my heart, O’ Lord
The eye is the mother of the five senses.
Through the eye lot of inputs are received into our mind.
T
here are two worlds around
us,amaterialworldwhichwe
canseewithourphysicaleyes;
and a much beautiful spiritual world
which we can see with our spiritual
eyes. To perceive the material world,
Godhasgivenus ivephysicalsenses
namely eyes (sight), touch, hearing,
taste, and smell. Beyond these ive
physicalsenses,wehave ivespiritual
senses which God has given us to
perceivethespiritualthings.Through
thesesenses,wegetinputsphysicalas
wellasspiritual.Thephysicalsensesif
notcontrolled,giveustheinputsthat
lead to pleasures of this world and
makeuscommitsins,wearingoutour
soul. Spiritual senses give us the
inputsthatdrawusclosertoGodand
help us grow spiritually. When our
outersensesaresinful,thenweblock
the inner force of our soul striving
afteritsCreatorGod.
These physical and spiritual senses
cannotbeactiveatthesametime.One
ofthemwillbeactivewhiletheotheris
dulled depending on the choice we
make,whethertogetattachedtoGod
ortotheworld,forBiblesays;“Noone
canservetwomasters;foraslavewill
eitherhatetheoneandlovetheother,
orbedevotedtotheoneanddespisethe
other. You cannot serve God and
wealth”(Mt6:24).
In the beginning when God created
Adam and Eve, they enjoyed the
friendshipofGod,sawGodfacetoface
andeverydaywalkedwithGodinthe
eveningbreeze.Theirphysicalsenses
wereusedonlytomeettheirmaterial
needsandtopraise&glorifyGodfor
His marvelous creation. However,
when they fell to the temptation and
committed sin, their physical eyes
(thus all physical senses) were
opened,therebytheirspiritualsenses
became dull. “Then, their eyes were
opened”,whichmeanstheirfocusand
priorityshiftedfromGodandspiritual
matters, to the material world and
they disobeyed God. We must make
constant efforts by prayer and
detachment of this world to activate
our spiritual senses. St. Paul tells us,
“LivebySpirit,Isay,anddonotgratify
the desires of the lesh. For what the
leshdesiresisopposedtotheSpirit,and
whattheSpiritdesiresisopposedtothe
lesh; for these are opposed to each
other,topreventyoufromdoingwhat
youwant”(Gal5:16-17)
Eyes(sight):Theeyeisthemotherof
the ivesenses.Throughtheeyelotof
inputsarereceivedintoourmind.The
HolyBiblesays,“Theeyeisthelampof
thebody.So,ifyoureyeishealthy,your
whole body will be full of light; but if
youreyeisunhealthy,yourwholebody
will be full of darkness. “(Mt 6:22). In
thesemoderndays,lifeisdominated
byshamelessfashionsunbecomingof
Christian modesty; abuse of media
a n d i n t e r n e t t h a t p r o p a g a t e
nakednessandpornography;obscene
commercials, and crass glamour
magazines. One has to cautiously
guard one's eyes from the in luences
around. Otherwise these inputs
receivedwillbestoredinthememory
o f o u r m i n d a n d t h r o u g h o u r
imaginations will make us fantasize
and commit mortal sins frequently.
Jesus said; “But I say to you that
(Eph 1:18)
everyone who looks at a woman with
lust has already committed adultery
with her in his heart” (Mt 5:28). We
knowDavidsawawomanbathingand
ended up in committing adultery
physically; the two judges lusted for
Susannaandlosttheirliveseventually
(DanCh.13).Weneedtotrainoureyes
and our minds that lust doesn't
overtakeus,throughoureyes.LikeJob
said“Ihavemadeacovenantwithmy
eyes; how then could I look upon a
virgin?”(Job31:1).
In the modern consumerist world,
whereplentyofmallsarecomingup
displaying luxurious goods, varied
food stuffs in attractive packaging,
innumerablecolorfuldazzlingfashion
items,weshouldbewaryofwhatwe
are drawn to. The more we look at
them,themoreweare illedwiththe
desiretopossessthem.Asaresultwe
keeponamassinggoodswhicharenot
necessary for our daily living. We
compareourlifestylewithothers.We
wanttoamasswealthtobecomerich
overnight.Thiswillleadustoprideof
possession.Biblesays;“Allthingsare
wearisome;morethanonecanexpress;
the eye is not satis ied with seeing, or
the ear illed with hearing” (Ecc1:8).
“The eye of the greedy person is not
satis ied with his share” (Sir 14:9a).
“Rememberthatagreedyeyeisabad
thing…Thereforeitshedstearsforany
reason.”(Sir 31:13). We read in Bible,
h o w p r o p h e t B a l a a m b e c a m e
spirituallyblindwhenhewasluredby
king Balak with the wealth of this
world. But God was merciful to him.
Biblesays;“ThentheLORDopenedthe
eyesofBalaamandhesawtheangelof
theLORD…”(Num22:31a).Whenour
physical eyes are activated to the
created things of this world, our
spiritual eyes will be dull to see the
supernatural spiritual things around
us. That is why God commanded the
Israelites;“Youhavethefringesothat,
whenyouseeit,youwillrememberall
thecommandmentsoftheLORDanddo
them, and not follow the lust of your
own heart and your own eyes” (Num
15:39)
Touch:St.Paultellsus“Itiswellfora
man not to touch a woman” (1Cor
7:1b).Weneedtoguardthissenseand
examineourconscience,ourintention
andthewaywegreetothers;whether
itissincereornot.Onecannotclaim
thathis/her ingerisnotburntdespite
touching ire. One should not justify
one'sactionanddeceiveone'sself.The
sense of touch brings us in direct
physical contact with the other
person. That is why St. Paul teaches
theseriousnessofsexualsin;“Doyou
not know that whoever is united to a
prostitutebecomesonebodywithher?”
(1Cor6:16).Anysinfultouchshouldbe
avoided.
Hearing: In our modern world the
spiritualsenseofourhearingisdulled
duetohighoutputmusicsystemsand
sound pollution due to manmade
machines. Loud senseless music is
called and considered as music of
satan. Only in silence, our spiritual
senseofhearingwillbeactiveandwe
canhearthevoiceofGod.Elijahheard
thevoiceofGodinsilence(1Kg19:1113). Samuel heard God speaking to
himinsilenceofnight.(1Sam3:10).
WecanhearthevoiceofGodspeaking
tousdeepinourconscienceonlywhen
ourmindiscalmedandinsilence.We
mustguardoursenseofhearingbynot
listening to any blasphemous/
erotic/psychicmusic, ilthylanguage,
sinprovokingwordsordirtyjokes.
S m e l l : B y n a t u r e , w e a r e n o t
comfortable with everything that we
smell. Some smell is pleasant while
someothersarerepulsive.Wecannot
smell everything that is pleasant. In
these days where innumerable
perfumesareavailablewithdifferent
fragrances, we should be careful to
avoid those perfumes which kindle
deeppassions.
Taste: Taste buds are very much
essential for us when we consume
food. We need food to maintain our
bodyandhealth.Howeverifthissense
is not morti ied, it can make us
gluttonous.Alsocertainfoodcanmake
uslazy,someothercankindlelustand
other passions; yet some others
intoxicate and some others kick our
psyche.Weshouldcheckwhatweeat
forourspiritualwell-being.
Conclusion:Oursoulalwayswantsto
bedrawntoGod,butwehamperthis
when our outer senses are drawn to
sin. We must control, mortify and
makerightuseofourphysicalsenses,
lest they provide inputs to commit
cardinal sins. Every day we need to
Spiritual senses give
us the inputs that
draw us closer to God
and help us grow
spiritually. When our
outer senses are
sinful, then we block
the inner force of our
soul striving after
its Creator God
washoursenses,pastsinfulmemories
and our imaginations with the
preciousbloodofJesus.
WeneedtopraytoGodconstantlyto
open our spiritual eyes that we may
see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
(Lk24:31),toseethedivineprotection
ofHeavenallaroundus.(2Kg6:17).
TheHolyBiblesays;“Looktohim,and
beradiant;…O’tasteandseethatthe
LORDisgood;”(Ps34:5a,8a).Thebest
o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x p e r i e n c e
supernaturalgiftsonearthiswhenwe
receiveJesusintheHolyCommunion
inourheart;forTheHolyBiblesays;
“ButanyoneunitedtotheLordbecomes
onespiritwithhim”(1Cor6:17).Arewe
abletoseeHim,touchHim,hearHis
voice,taste His goodness and smell
the divine fragrance when Jesus
comesintoourheart?
The knowledge of the reality of His
presence (through the opening of
theeyesofourheart)inandaround
u s i s t h e g r e a t e s t
spiritualgiftever.
NoelFernandes
isapreacherforEnglish&Kannadaretreatsin
LogosRetreatCentre.Heisalsoacounseller
fortheEnglish&Kannadaretreats.
"Together with Mary"as on the day of Pentecost!
The infilling or rekindling or baptism in the Holy Spirit is
received through faith and prayer which we can obtain
when we pray with Blessed Virgin Mary.
W
hyisitsoimportantthat
we pray along with our
Blessed Mother? What
happened when all the apostles
togetherwithsomewomen,including
MarythemotherofJesus,aswellHis
brothers prayed in the upper room
beforethePentecost?
DidweknowthatSheisthe“Supreme
Masterpiece of the Holy Spirit" the
Mother of the Church and therefore
can obtain for us the Power of the
HOLYSPIRIT?
St. Alphonsus Liguori says, “Mary
obtains for us grace; for….it is the
willofGodtodispensethroughthe
handsofMarywhatevergracesHe
ispleasedtobestowuponus”.Thus
prayingtoourspiritualMotherbrings
aboutinusaspiritualcomfortandshe
can lead us to have a great intimacy
with the Blessed Trinity. Therefore,
when we pray to Mother Mary for a
powerfulintercessionorasweprayto
her,wecanobtainanoutpouringofthe
enlightening and strengthening gifts
oftheHolySpirit.
Indeed she is the irst woman, who,
when greeted by angel Gabriel, was
told“TheLordiswithyou.”Though
perplexed, she continued to listen to
theangel,(Lk1:28-32)whorevealed
toherthemightyworkoftheLord,but
shejustasked“HowcanthisbesinceI
amavirgin?”TheangelGabrielsaidto
her (Lk 1:35) “The Holy Spirit will
comeuponyouandthepowerofthe
Most high will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will
beholy;hewillbecalledSonofGod”
Mary then just said “Here am I, the
servant of the Lord; Let it be with
meaccordingtoyourword”.Atthat
momentsheexperiencedthedescent
oftheHolySpiritandtheImmaculate
Conception[thegiftofimmunityfrom
sin,(evenoriginalsin)accordedbythe
Fathertoher–CCC491], was illed
withfullofgrace.Thusshebecamethe
irstpersonintheNewTestamentever
to have been possessed by the Holy
S p i r i t . T h i s g i v e s u s a c l e a r
understandingthatMotherMarywas
chosen well before, by the Almighty
Mother Mary prayed
from the day of
Ascension until the
day of the Pentecost,
that the apostles
would know the Holy
Spirit, whom she
already knew.
God from Heaven for various God
experiences. Throughout her whole
life as the Immaculate Conception to
themomentoftheConceptionofJesus
andthereonfor33longyearsshewas
in constant communication with the
Holy Spirit. She understood the
mysteryoftheHolyTrinitybetterthan
anyone,anexperienceoftheultimate
heavenly Divine Bliss. The virginal
conception of Christ our Lord, the
birth of the Catholic Church on the
Pentecost which is the Mystical
conceptionoftheBodyofChrist–yes,
shewasprofoundlychosentoprepare
theApostlesforthePentecost.
WhatisPentecost?
The iftydayperiodfromEastertothe
PentecostSundaycommemoratesthe
descent of the Holy Spirit on the
Apostles on the Pentecost day. The
HarvestfestivaloftheJewscelebrated
onthe iftiethdayafterthesecondday
ofPassover,whichinturncorresponds
totheHebrewShabuoth.
After the cruci ixion of Jesus the
apostleswerefaithless,wentignorant
about the Holy Spirit, denied Christ
andwereafraidofthehappenings.But
Mother Mary prayed from the day of
Ascension until the day of the
Pentecost, that the apostles would
know the Holy Spirit, whom she
already knew. While the apostles
p r a y e d a n d w a i t e d w i t h o u t
knowledge, Mary prayed with the
knowledgeoftheParaclete.
( A c t s 1 : 1 4 ) “ A l l t h e s e w e r e
constantly devoting themselves to
prayer,togetherwithsomewomen,
includingMarythemotherofJesus,
as well his brothers”. And on the
Pentecost morning 120 faithful
received the Holy Spirit. Through
her,theHolyTrinitywasrevealedto
the people of God. The Holy Spirit
inspired Saint Luke to include these
detailsforourbene it.
Dear believer in Christ, I would say,
MotherMaryisaveryhumblewitness
for Christ. She was among those
who thereafter (Acts 2:42)
"…devotedthemselvestotheapostles'
teaching and fellowship to the
breaking of bread and the prayers”.
Shewillcontinuetoprayforus,inthis
eraasour"Co-Redemptrix".Sheisthe
true,humbleservantofourLordand
Saviorwhoseobjectiveissavinggrace.
So,whenweprayalongwithher,the
same effects brought about by the
anointing of the Spirit upon the
group of Apostles, can also come
uponusasitisknownthatwhenwe
prayorspendtimewithpeople illed
with the Holy Spirit we can be
possessedbytheHolySpirit.
In the old testament (1Sam 10:1-13)
signi icantlyverse5-6“Afterthatyou
shall come to Gibeath-elohim at the
placewherethePhilistinegarrisonis;
there as you come to the town, you
will meet a band of prophets
comingdownfromtheshrinewith
harp, tambourine, lute and lyre
playinginfrontofthem;theywillbe
in a prophetic frenzy. Then the
SpiritoftheLordwillpossessyou,
andyouwillbeinapropheticfrenzy
alongwiththemandbeturnedinto
adifferentperson”..
As prophesy is a charism, when we
interactwiththeonewhoprophesies,
there is a possibility of it being
handeddowntous,aswellas,
webeing illedwiththe
HolySpirit.Ifwecanspendtimewith
thepeople illedwiththeHolySpirit,
we will be blessed. Like again in the
NewTestament,Lk1:41-45helpsus
tounderstandthatElizabethbecame
the irst worshipper of the Divine
PresenceinthepersonofHolyVirgin
Mary,whowaspossessedbytheHoly
Spirit,consequentlyElizabethandthe
childinherwombwere illedwiththe
HolySpiritmakingitleapinecstatic
joy.
These are two instances which
substantiate our learning and reveal
why it is so important that we pray
insistentlyalongwithMaryforanew
P e n t e c o s t . F o r M a r y i s t h e
“MasterpieceworkoftheHolySpirit”
and when we pray in union with the
Mother,whoissounitedwiththeHoly
SpiritthatJesusistheunion'sblessed
fruit,shecanalsode initelyobtainfor
us the gift of the Holy Spirit and
Jesus.TheHolySpiritwillmanifesta
renewalinallofus-inourjourneyto
salvation- to receive the gifts of the
Paraclete in greater abundance. So
that the blazing wind of the Holy
S p i r i t m a y l o w
powerfully (Lk
24:49).
The in illing is a gift offered to the
children of God and is the “Power
fromonhigh”whichJesuspromised
to His disciples. The in illing or
rekindling or baptism in the Holy
Spirit is received through faith and
prayerwhichwecanobtainwhenwe
praywithBlessedVirginMary.Andas
a result we will get the power to
overcomesin,becomeboldenoughto
witnessChrist,drawdivinecomfortto
solveallourproblemsandenjoygood
h e a l t h , p e a c e a n d p r o s p e r i t y
throughoutourlife.
Prayer:O’God,whogavejoytothe
world through the resurrection of
Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ;
grant , we beseech Thee, that
through His Mother, the Blessed
VirginMary,wemayobtainthejoys
ofeverlastinglife.
istheAssistantDirectorofLogos
RetreatCentre,Bengaluru.
BlessedMotherMary'sunionwithGod
uniteshertothetendermerciesofGod.She
intercedesforallofuseverymoment.Why?
Thereasonisthattheverypresenceofthe
MotherofChristismademeaningful
wheneverweaskforherintercession.
Mar–Apr2016|LogosVoice|7
Sacrament
PRIESTHOOD:
CLOSE TO THE HEART OF JESUS
Priesthood is a call by God to be a mediator between God and mankind according
to the model of Jesus Christ, the supreme High Priest and unique mediator.
Praise the Sacred Hearts of Jesus
andMary.
The mon t h of Ju n e is a mon t h
dedicated to re lect upon the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. This is the perfect
monthtore lectuponthebeautyofthe
Sacrament of Priesthood. St. John
Maria Vianney (the Patron Saint of
Priests) said that 'Priesthood is the
closenesstotheheartofJesus.'Tothe
question,'Whysomeoneisgiftedwith
priesthood?';theanswerissimpleand
itisthat'Jesusloveshim.'Itisnotatall
theworthinessoranyqualityofthat
human but simply the love of the
Divine.
As we know there are 4 types of
vocation of life agreed in the Holy
Catholic Church. 1) Single life 2)
M a r r i e d L i fe 3 ) P r i e s t h o o d 4 )
Religiouslife.Allthesevocationshelp
ustokeepourselvespureinmindand
body,towitnessJesusChristandHis
Kingdom. To enter deep into the
subjectIreferandquotemainlyfrom
the following text: The Charter for
PriestlyFormationintheSyro-Malabar
Church, published by Syro-Malabar
CommissionforClergyandInstitutes
of Consecrated life from Kochi in the
year2007.
Priesthood: What do we mean by
sacrament? “The Sacraments are the
ef icacioussignsofgrace,institutedby
ChristandentrustedtotheChurch,by
whichdivinelifeis'dispensed'tous”
(CCC1131).Sacramentsaretheways
in which the invisible grace lows
t h r o u g h v i s i b l e s i g n s . T h e
understandingof'howPriesthoodisa
sacrament' will give us the beauty of
thatcall.Itispurelytheinvisiblegrace
ofGod lowinginahumantominister
Divine. Priesthoodisagreatblessing
for the people of God and for those
who are its recipients. Personally I
feel that Priesthood should be called
theSacramentofallsacraments. Itis
because there can exist no other
sacrament,asperthepresentsystem,
withoutthesacramentofpriesthood.
By his ordination, the priest
is sent by the Father through
the mediatorship of Jesus
Christ to work in the Church
by the power of the Holy
Spirit for the salvation of the
world. There is an intimate
union of priest with the
Trinitarian God.
Priesthood is a call by God to be a
mediator between God and mankind
accordingtothemodelofJesusChrist,
the supreme High Priest and unique
mediator. Hence,theNewTestament
times must resemble Christ, the
unique High Priest of the new
covenant(Jer31:31-34;Mt26:28;Heb
8:6-13;9:15-23;10:1-18)whoperfected
thepriesthoodoftheOldTestament.
The Priest in the Old Testament:
ThepriestoftheOldTestamentwasan
intermediary between God and man,
representing God before the people
and mediating for the people before
God.Peopleapproachedpriestsforthe
followingfunctions:
a)ToknowthemindofGod(Judg8:56;Num27:21;Mal2:7);
b)ToknowthewillofGodinTorah–
the law book – (Deut 31:9-10; 2 Kgs
17:27;Ezek22:26)
c) To offer sacri ices and offerings
which are ways of mediation (Num
6:22-27;Deut10:8;21:5;1Chr21:13)
TheOldTestamentpriesthoodwas
tothedescendantsoftheLevitetribe
andfamily.Theyhadtokeepthetribal
purityandphysical itness(Ex29;Lev
8;Lev21).Yahwehgrantedforgiveness
through the priestly mediation (Ex
30:10;Hag1:1,12,14;2:2-4).Thusthe
Old Testament priesthood was more
anof icethanavocation(Heb5:1).
The Priest in the New Testament:
TheNewTestamentpicturesJesusas
theHighPriestexercisingthepriestly
functionsinauniquemannerthrough
His passion, death, resurrection and
glori ication. Since Jesus is both God
andman(Heb2:17-18),thesacri ice
ofJesusisthegreatestsatisfactionthat
manhaseverrenderedtoGodandthe
greatesttestimonyoflovethatGodhas
ever given to humanity. Also the
priesthood of Jesus takes away the
priesthoodfromthetribeofLeviteand
makesiteternalandforeveraccording
to the order of Melchizedek (Gen
14:16-20;Heb7:3).Hewasamerciful
andatrustworthypriest.
TheministryofJesusaccordingto
the New Testament, is divided into
three: prophet, priest and shepherd.
LikewiseaDecreeontheMinistryand
LifeofPriests(PresbyterorumOrdinis–
PO)oftheSecondVaticanCouncilcalls
the priests to share in this threefold
ministry of Jesus by proclaiming the
WordofGodtoallpeople(Prophetic
role), to administer the sacraments
andleadpeopletobuildupthechurch
ofGod(Priestly);andthirdlytobetrue
pastors and grow in holiness in the
spiritofChrist(Shepherd'srole).
it is directed at the unfolding of the
baptismal grace of all the Christians
andthebuildingupoftheChurch.
Ministerial Priesthood: By his
ordination, the priest is sent by the
Father through the mediatorship of
JesusChristtoworkintheChurchby
the power of the Holy Spirit for the
salvation of the world. There is an
intimate union of priest with the
TrinitarianGod. IfhestandsforGod
hecanseeGodstandingforhim.Sucha
gracefulcallisvocationtoPriesthood.
CommonPriesthoodandMinisterial Throughthesacramentofpriesthood
Priesthood: There is only one apriestacts'inpersonofChrist'and'in
priesthood, the priesthood of Christ. person of Church'. He is representing
However, there are two ways of ChristandChurchbyhislife.
p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n i t : c o m m o n
priesthood of all the baptized (1 Pet The different facets of Ministerial
2:5)andministerialpriesthoodofthe priesthoodaresummarisedthus:
ordained. Theministerialpriesthood 1)Itisaradicalcallandresponse:It
impliesatotalcommitmentoflife(Lk
is at the service
9:62) with risks and sufferings
of the common
attached to it. It demands a total
p r i e s t h o o d
detachment from the world, thus life
(CCC 1547) in
of celibacy becomes very meaningful
the sense
(1Cor7:32-35).
that
2)ItisanApostolate:JesuscalledHis
disciples (Mk 3:14-15) to send
them.(Mk6:7-13).
3)MinisteroftheGospelandProphet
of the Kingdom: Proclamation of the
WordofGodistheprimarytaskofthe
priest who shares in the mission of
Jesus(Deut18:15;Heb1:1-2;Lk4:1821;PO4).
4)MinisteroftheSacraments
I conclude, by thanking God that He
called me to be a priest. “To me,
therefore,youshallbesacred;forI,the
Lord, am sacred, I who have set you
apartfromtheothernationstobemy
own”(Lev20:26). Iseekyourprayers
for me, all the priests and the
candidates aspiring for priesthood
and the little boys at
homewaitingtorespond
t o t h e v o c a t i o n t o
priesthood.
Fr.LysonVargheseVC
istheDirectorofDivineMercyRetreat
Centre,Elavur-nearChennai
to
Christ
Hidden Hand
Touched By God's
Mighty Hand...
Interview with
Ms. Martha Lourdes Francis
This is about a youngster, for who
Godwasjustafantasyinhermind.
This interview details the way the
teen life was to her in school. And
then an incident that had her
strickenwithgriefandanguishbut
lateronhowthatsameanguishtook
atwisttoherSpirit illedlife…………
What was your life all about as a
youngster in your teenage before
youmetGodinSpiritandTruth?
I,MarthaLourdesFrancishailfroma
staunchCatholicfamilyfromChennai.
Iusedtopraymerelyoutofasenseof
dutywithnorealizationofthereality
of God. God was someone
seated behind the clouds,
answering whatever we
ask of Him. I was a rude
natured person with a
strained relationship at
home as is the case of
m o s t t e e n a g e r s i n
general.BadlyIn luenced
by a circle of friends for
gaining popularity in
s c h o o l , I w a s e v e n
encouragingtheminstead
of standing for what was
right, instead of obeying
the book of Sir 18:27
“When sin is all around,
o n e g u a r d s a g a i n s t
wrongdoing”… Iwasdoing
wellinstudiesatSt.Michael's
AcademyChennai.Ihadsome
interestinmusicatthebackof
my mind. I loved sports and
other activities. Everything
seemed perfect and colourful
untilthatdreadfuldayinClass9.
Mywholeworldcametumbling&
crashingdownwhenInoticedahuge
lumponmylefthandnearthewrist.
Thedoctorsadvisedthattheonlyway
out was a surgery, and after that I
wouldlosethemobilityofmythumb
for the rest of my life. Since I was in
class 9 and the next academic year
w a s c l a s s 1 0 w h i c h w a s v e r y
important, my parents decided to
postpone the surgery until the
completionofschooling.Mylefthand
became useless and I was asked to
refrainfromeveryactivitythatIloved
andthathandslowlybecameasgood
as dead. I lived with the lump for 4
w h o l e y e a r s w i t h q u i t e a n
embarrassment as the lump was
visible and that made me cover my
handbyputtingthehandinthepocket
constantly.
When did our Almighty Lord Jesus
touchandhealyoumightily?
Afterschooling,IjoinedtheCollegeof
Engineering,Guindyin2008.Around
that time, my sister Maria who was
workinginBangalore,hadcomedown
to Chennai for attending a three day
retreatthatwasconductedinSt.Louis
Church,Adyar. WhenMariareturned
home after attending the irst day of
the retreat, she told me, “You are
wasting your time”. She zealously
invitedmetoattendtheretreat,butI
was not very keen. The next day my
cousinswereathome,theywantedto
meetMariaandsowewenttogetherto
theretreatvenuetobringMariaback
homefromin-betweentheretreat. I
satinthelastbenchoftheretreathall
waitingtomeetmysisterandaround
the same time I heard the preacher
declareahealingforalllumpsinthe
body. My immediate instinct on
hearingthatwastofeelthelump,just
tomakesurethelumpwasstillthere.
Buttomydismay,Icouldnot indthe
lump, and my wrist was completely
latandIcouldactuallyfeelmybones.I
was completely healed. That day I
realizedthatOurGodisindeedaliving
God who is just waiting to meet us
whereverweareandinwhateverstate
weare! Iwasamazedandastounded
by this marvellous miracle of our
Mighty Lord Jesus. Tears trickled
down from my eyes. Rom 5:8 “God
proves His love for us in that while
westillweresinnersChristdiedfor
us”. At this juncture, I realised that I
had wasted all these years without
realizingthatJesusisthereal&living
God. Jesus had healed me although I
hadnotapproachedHiminprayeror
inFaith,butmyparentsandmysister
Mariahadbeenferventlyprayingfor
the healing of my lump. “For I will
restore health to you, and your
wounds I will heal, says the LORD,
because they have called you an
outcast: It is Zion; no one cares for
her!”Jer30:17
“
aboundinginsteadfastlove.”
•MymindwasrenewedbytheWordof
God.Rev1:3“Blessedistheonewho
readsaloudthewordsofprophecy,
andBlessedarethosewhohearand
whokeepwhatiswritteninit.”
• God blessed me with a job of my
interestandinlinewithmyeducation
despiterecessionintheITsector.
After you received healing, which
directiondidyourspirituallifetake?
I realized God's unconditional love
through Christ's Cruci ixion which in
turntouchedmetremendouslyandI
realized that He died for our sins
althoughHeknewnosin.2Cor5:21
“ForoursakeHemadeHimtobesin
whoknewnosin,sothatinHimwe
p u n i s h a n d O n e w h o w o u l d
recompense justly when we were on
the right. This very wrong notion
abouttheLivingandMightyLordJesus
got reformed at the spur of the
moment when I was miraculously
healedofthelumpthathadappeared
onmyhandfromnowhere.Jesusmade
that lump disappear to nowhere and
madeeverythingnewinmylife.
Walking with Lord Jesus ever since
theLordtouchedyouinyourteens,
whatisthemessageyouhaveforthe
teens?
OurGodisaGoodFatherandaFaithful
Friend,andHeknowsoureveryneed.
We might have walked 10000 steps
awayfromtheLord,butifwetakethat
My immediate instinct on hearing that was to feel the lump, just to
make sure the lump was still there. But to my dismay, I could not
find the lump, and my wrist was completely flat and I could actually
feel my bones. I was completely healed.
That might y healing that you
experienced has brought about
'Graces' in your life. Can you share
themfortheGreaterGloryofJesus?
•Icompletelylostinterestinthesinful
thingsthatusedtogivemepleasure.I
gained courage to stand up and to
speaktomyfriendstoabstainfromthe
samesins.
•Christtook irstplaceinmylife.My
lifebecameorganizedandfruitful.
•Myheartwas illedwiththejoyofthe
Holy Spirit and my friends noticed a
visiblechangeinmyconduct.
• Interest in music and playing the
keyboard for the Lord, grew. Now
Jesushasgivenmethegracetoplayfor
HisGlory.
•TheCompassion,MercyandLoveof
Jesus led me to true repentance. Ps
145:8 “The Lord is gracious and
m e r c i f u l . S l o w t o a n g e r a n d
“
Yes
ChristExperience
might become the righteousness of
God.” I apprehended myself from
sinful habits not because I feared a
tyrantGodbutbecauseofthelovethat
IhadforHim,whodrewmeoutfrom
thepitwhileIwasstillsinkinginsin.
The moment I experienced this
unconditionallove,mylifetookahuge
turn and my heart was illed with
gratitudeforallthethingsthatIhad
takenforgrantedallthoseyears.
Inmyschooldays,IwasjustaChurch
goingChristian,prayingoutofasense
ofduty.IneitherlookeduptoGodwith
love and faith nor had I understood
God'slove.MynotionaboutGodwas
very ambiguous. God was someone
b e h i n d t h e c l o u d s c o n s t a n t l y
controlling everyone by curtailing
everyone'sfreedom-agruellingGod
who when we were wrong would
'onesmallstepinFaith'towardsHis
Kingdom, He will come running to
embraceusinHisarms,Mt6:33“Seek
ye irsttheKingdomofGodandHis
righteousness and all these things
shallbeaddeduntoyou.”Everystep
that we take with Him is like an
adventure ride and He never fails to
surprise His children with His 'Good
Gifts'. Hewalkswithus,picksusup
when we fall and is ever so patient
withus.Hisloveforusistrulyamazing
anditisthisPreciousLoveofGodthat
willguideusandkeepusfromfalling
ateverystep.TrustinJesusatalltimes
for He will never ever let you down.
Remember Dear Young
OnesinChrist-that'one
smallstepinFaith'!
AsinterviewedbyFlorence
Florencemanageseffectivelyacorporatelifeand
theeditorialactivitiesofLogosVoiceministry.
Gospel of Luke:
A Gospel of Mercy
For the Gospel of Luke, salvation is universal, merciful,
and the joyful view of repentance.
Introduction:Mercy,compassionand
pitycanberegardedassynonyms.In
theNewTestament,Jesus'responseto
thosewhocametoHimforhelpisseen
in two ways: inward and active. To
portray the inward expression of
c o m p a s s i o n t h e G r e e k v e r b
splagnizomai is used. The inward
feeling led Jesus to action; giving of
sighttotheblind,cleansingtheleper;
teaching the ignorant; feeding the
hungryandraisingthedead.Theverb
splagnizomai reveals to us the deep
a n d p o w e r f u l m e a n i n g o f t h e
ex p re s s i o n “ t o b e m ove d w i t h
c o m p a s s i o n .” W h e n J e s u s wa s
confronted with human need, the
GospelssaythatHewasmovedinHis
bowels, as we might say, “his heart
went out to these people” or “they
broke his heart,” that is, He had
compassion on them. The Greeks
regarded the bowels as the seat of
violentpassionsuchasangerandlove;
theJewsregardedthemasthecenter
o f t h e m o re te n d e r a ff e c t i o n s ,
especially kindness and pity. The
“bowels”wereforthemwhatwemean
by“theheart.”
God's Merciful Love in Luke: The
biblical scholar MenkenMarten
through his analysis of the Greek
terms splagnizomai and splangna in
the Gospel of Luke, has shown the
evangelist's special interest in
highlightingthemercyofGod.Itisnot
thatthewordsaremorefrequentthan
elsewhere,buttheyoccurassplangna
inLk1:78andsplagnizomaiinLk7:13;
Lk10:33andinLk15:20.Ineachcase
theyconstitutetheturningpointofthe
p a s s a g e , d e m o n s t r a t i n g t h a t
compassion is “the most important
element” in the passage. This, of
course, its the generally accepted
view that the Gospel of Luke is
especially concerned with God's love
fortheneedy,thepoor,thesinnerand
thatthislovemanifestsitselfinJesus.
Opening of the Gospel with Two
Canticles of Divine Mercy: God's
mercyisseenascompassioninaction
anditisrealizedinGod'svisitationin
thepersonofJesus.Thisweseeinthe
openingchaptersofLuke.Thebirthof
theMessiahrevealsGod'scovenantal
mercy and faithfulness to save His
unworthypeople(Lk1:50,54,72,78).
ThetwogreatcanticlesofMagni icat
and the Benedictus teach us the
uniqueharmonyofthemercyofGod.
TheMagni icatisessentiallyahymnof
thanksgivingtotheGodforHismercy,
whichisbestowedonthosewhofear
Him from generation to generation.
The phrase used in Lk 1:78 is
splagnaeleous, which literally means
through the "bowels" or "guts" of
G o d ' s " m e rc y," - a p h ra s e t h a t
expresseshowdeepthemercyofthe
Lordforhumanityis.
ParablesofDivineMercyinLuke :
The message of the merciful love of
GodpermeatesintheGospelofLuke.It
isvisibleinmanyoftheparablesofthe
GospelofLuke,namelytheparablesof
Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37), the
richfool(Lk12:16-21),therichman
andtheLazarus(Lk16:19-31)andthe
Pharisee and the tax collector (Lk
18:9-14).TheparticularsectionofLk
15:11-32,whichisgenerallyknownas
the "parables of mercy” is unique to
this Gospel, and it centers upon the
themeofDivineMercy.
Collection of Mercy Parables in
Luke15:Chapter15oftheGospelof
Luke,isoftenconsideredastheheart
of the Gospel because of the three
parablescollectedtogether,whichare
uniqueoftheLucanportraitofJesus.
TheyareseenastheparablesofDivine
Mercy. Jesus' saving ministry is
characterized by seeking out, inding
thelost.Hisparablesofthelostsheep,
thelostcoinandthelostson,illustrate
thejoyinheavenoverasinglesinner
whorepents.Theessentialunityofthe
t h re e p a ra b l e s i s s h o w n m o s t
obviouslyinGod'sdelightinasinner's
repentance(Lk15:7,10,24and32).
ScriptureReflection
T h e i r s t t w o
parablesleadustothe
climaxpointinthewonderful
parableofthecompassionatefather.
Themainideainthe irsttwoparables
deliversthemessagethatthereisjoy
in heaven or in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who
repents. Humans are forever losing
things, including themselves, but in
God's perspective, it is essential to
rememberthatjoywillresultinbeing
foundagain.Inallthethreeparables,
whatis"lost"isthesinner,becauseof
hissins,andtheonewho indshimis
the merciful Savior-God. These three
parables, therefore, focus on one
particular form of God's Mercy,
namely, His Mercy that meets our
needs of forgiveness and moral
renewal.
Emphasis on the Universality of
DivineMercyandSalvation:Forthe
GospelofLuke,salvationisuniversal,
The Gospel
of Luke has
traditionally merited the title
"the Gospel of Mercy." The
theme of God's merciful love
really ties the whole book
together from beginning
to end, Mercy of God
being its theme
merciful, and the joyful view of
repentance.Asuniversal,itisintended
for all men and women everywhere,
whatever their racial or social
background, whatever their past
record of moral success or failure.
Jesus' care for the outcastes reached
itsclimaxonthecross.TheoneWho
has sought to save sinners and seek
out the lost throughout His life now
a sks God's forg iven ess for His
torturers (Lk 23:34). Jesus died
betweentwocriminalsandHiswords
totheone“TrulyItellyou,todayyou
willbewithmeinparadise,”(Lk23:43),
shows His compassion even at the
point of His death on the cross. The
universality of the Divine Mercy is
visible from beginning to end in the
GospelofLuke.
Conclusion: The Gospel of Luke has
traditionally merited the title "the
GospelofMercy."ThethemeofGod's
merciful love really ties the whole
booktogetherfrombeginningtoend,
Mercy of God being its theme. A
collection of parables in Chapter 15
are unique to Luke, and it highlights
themercifulloveofGod.Finally,Luke
places special emphasis on the
universal scope of Divine Mercy.
Compassionisalifethanathought.It
istobelivedratherthanpreached.In
pity and sympathy, God's heart goes
outtothehurtingandtheneedy.The
p e o p l e o f G o d t ra n s l a t e G o d ' s
compassionintoactionparticularlyas
they go about in God's name and
enabling others to lead holistic lives.
Reaching out in compassion enables
us to understand others with deep
empathy and without condemnation.
It leads us to constructive action to
alleviate their suffering.
Itshouldleadustoaccept
persons and situations
w i t h o p e n n e s s a n d
compassion.
Fr.JimilMealkarapurathVC
istherectoroftheVincentianSeminaryinAhmednagar,
Maharashtra.HehasdonehismastersinScripturalStudies.
The Mercy Feast
th
- 17 year of Divine Mercy feast celebration at
Logos Retreat Centre, Bengaluru
S
Rev. Dr. George Arackal VC (Divine
Retreat Centre, Kolkata) Rev. Dr.
Augustine Vallooran VC (Divine
Retreat Centre, Muringoor), Fr. Vijay
JosephfromHyderabadandBro.Jude
ThesewordsofOurLordJesuscapture
Antoine from Malaysia. We also had
theessenceofthisgreatfeastofDivine
anointed praise and worship by Bro.
Mercy. This was the 17th year
Glen & Sis. Teresa (Divine Retreat
celebration of Divine Mercy feast at
Centre, Muringoor), Bro. Vincent
Logos Retreat Centre, Bangalore. It
(Divine Retreat Centre, Muringoor)
wasatimeofgreatjoyandfellowship
andtheGospelmusicbandFaithfully
for all ‘Logosians’. Over 5000 people
Yours(Bangalore).
gatheredtogethertoreceivetheWord
thatwassharedbyHisGraceBernard OurDirector,Rev.Fr.JoseVettiyankal
Moras (Archbishop of Bangalore) on led us through the Novena and
this great feast day of Mercy. The Adoration on all days, imprinting in
biblicalthemechosenforthenineday ourheartsthattheDivineMercyisnot
conventionwasthesameasthatofthis justadevotionbutawayoflifethatwe
Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy need to live out in every way. Our
declared by the Holy Father -“Be attitude towards every human being
merciful, just as your Father is shouldbemarkedbymercy.Thisisa
merciful.” (Luke 6:36) The feast was necessary condition for receiving
preceded by a novena which was graces by means of this devotion.
prayedtogether,asacommunitywith Three ways in which we can be
the chaplet of Divine Mercy during merciful to one another is by our
EucharisticAdoration,followedbythe words, our deeds and by our prayer.
celebrationoftheHolyMassandthe OurattitudetowardsGodmustbeone
sharing of the Word by anointed of childlike trust. Trust and Mercy is
preachersforninedays.
the essence of this devotion. Various
peak to the world about my
M e rc y, l e t a l l h u m a n k i n d
recognise my unfathomable
Mercy.(St.Faustina,Diary848)
O n t h e l a s t t h r e e d a y s o f t h e
convention,wewereledinprayerby
aspects of God’s mercy and how we
should practice it were emphasised
upon by the preachers. We were
remindedthattheDivineMercyfeast
isnotonlyadayforworshippingGod
inHisMercybutalsoatimeofspecial
grace for all people. As Catholics, we
often ind ourselves running after
healing and blessings but we were
reminded that we need to seek God
our loving Father who is waiting to
shower us with His blessings and all
thehealingweneed.Wewereaskedto
put on the Armour of God daily
(Ephesians6:10-18)andtobestrong
inTheLordbecauseourenemiesare
notof leshandbloodbutthedifferent
forcesofdarknessthatprevailinthe
spiritual realm. It was emphasised
thatweneedtheWordofGodtobea
part of our daily spiritual walk. We
wereremindedthattheWordofGodis
meanttobeourdailybreadandnota
cakeforspecialoccasions!
PopePiusXII’sassertionthat“thesin
ofthecenturyisthelossofthesenseof
sin” –could not be truer in this
millennium. We were told about the
greatneedtocryoutforGod’smercy
againstthemultipleformsofevilthat
weighuponhumanityandthreaten,it
b e f o r e t h e h u m a n c o n s c i e n c e
succumbs to these powers and loses
its sense of the very meaning of the
word Mercy. It is perhaps for this
reasonthattheLordwanted,through
St.FaustinaandotherwitnessesofHis,
to proclaim the joyful news of His
Divine Mercy. Contrary to what is
thought by those who reject God’s
mercy,itdoesnothumiliatemanbut
lifts him up from the ground and
restoreshisdignitytohim.Itrestores
tohimhisgreatnessasahumanbeing,
having been created in the image of
GodAlmighty.
We w e r e r e m i n d e d t h a t T h i s
ExtraordinaryJubileeYearofMercyis
theopportunemomenttochangeour
lives!Andthatanimportantemphasis
in this Year of Mercy is the extent of
absolution of sins through the
SacramentofPenancethroughallthe
priests in Churches throughout the
world for certain sins that could
previously be absolved by only
bishopsorafewpriestspermittedby
thebishop.
We were told that the Holy Year of
Mercywillbeatimeforthefaithfulto
re lect on the corporal and spiritual
works of mercy. We were reminded
thattheHolyFathercallsustoenter
more deeply into the heart of the
Gospelwherethepoorhaveaspecial
experienceofGod’smercy.TheYearof
Mercy is a time to rediscover the
corporal works of mercy(feed the
hungry,givedrinktothethirsty,clothe
thenaked,welcomethestranger,heal
thesick,visittheimprisoned,andbury
thedead).Evenifwearenotabletodo
allthecorporalworksofmercygiven
oursituations,todowhatispossible
and not forget the spiritual works of
mercy (to counsel the doubtful,
instruct the ignorant, admonish
sinners, comfort the af licted, forgive
offences,bearpatientlythosewhodo
us ill, and pray for the living and the
dead).
HisExcellencyLawrencePius(Bishop
ofDharmapuri)spoketousontheeve
of the feast of Mercy about several
examplesthatSt.Faustinagaveinher
Diarythatwouldhelpusunderstand
that“Mercy”istheverynameofGod.
HisExcellencyencouragedallofusto
taketimetoreadSt.Faustina’sDiaryas
it would reveal to us what Mercy is
fromGod’sperspectiveandnotasman
understandsit.SomeexcerptsfromSt.
Faustina’s diary that can widen our
understandingofGod’sMercy.
“Helpme,O’Lordthatmyeyesmaybe
merciful,sothatImayneversuspect
or judge from appearances, but look
forwhatisbeautifulinmyneighbours’
soulsandcometotheirrescue.
Helpme,thatmyearsmaybemerciful,
so that I may give heed to my
n e i g h b o u r s ’ n e e d s a n d n o t b e
i n d i ff e r e n t t o t h e i r p a i n s a n d
moanings.
Helpme,O’Lordthatmytonguemay
be merciful, so that I should never
speaknegativelyofmyneighbour,but
h a v e a w o r d o f c o m f o r t a n d
forgivenessforall.
Helpme,O’Lord,thatmyhandsmay
bemercifuland illedwithgooddeeds,
so that I may do only good to my
neighboursandtakeuponmyselfthe
moredif icultandtoilsometasks.
Helpme,thatmyfeetmaybemerciful,
so that I may hurry to assist my
neighbour, overcoming my own
fatigueandweariness.Mytruerestis
intheserviceofmyneighbour.
Helpme,O’Lord,thatmyheartmaybe
merciful so that I myself may feel all
thesufferingsofmyneighbour.
Iwillrefusemyhearttonoone.Iwill
be sincere even with those who, I
know,willabusemykindness.
AndIwilllockmyselfupinthemost
mercifulHeartofJesus.Iwillbearmy
own suffering in silence. May Your
mercy, O’ Lord, rest upon me. O’ my
Jesus,transformmeintoYourself,for
Youcandoallthings”(Diary163).
This prayer clearly summarises that
DivineMercyisnotjustadevotionbut
awayoflifethatweareencouragedto
livebytrustinginGod’swillwhichis
love and mercy and that
would result in great
t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a n d
miracles.
ElizaPaul
isanactivememberofLogosministry.
SheisacounsellerfortheEnglishretreats.
Witness
Witness
4
4
Christ
Christ
Testimonies
ANTHONYRODRIGUES
HealedoffearandfrequentUrination
Healedofseverekneepainduetoanaccident
MynameisAnthonyRodrigues,am57yearsoldandIcomefromGoa.Icameforthisretreatwithalotof
burdensinmyheart,andtheLordhasfreedmecompletely.
Ihavealwaysstruggledwithfearinmylife,Iusedtobescaredtoevensitinthefrontrow.Butforthis
retreatIwasgiventhe irstrowbytheLordandtheLordhassetmefreefromthisfear.
Forthelast2years,Iusedtogetupatleasttwiceorthreeeverynighttopassurine.ThedayIlandedat
LogosRetreatCentrethisproblemdisappeared.TheLordhashealedme.AllGlorytoJesus!
MynameisRitaPatrickHanda,am63yearsoldandIcomefromPune.Ihadmetwithanaccidentjusta
weekpriortomyarrivalhere.IwassufferingwithseverekneepainbuttheLordmadeitpossibleforme
toattendthisretreat.Duringtheretreat,Ireceivedcompletehealingofmykneeandamfeeling ine.
ThankyouJesus!PraiseYouJesus!
Healedofshoulderpainand illedwithjoyintheSpirit
MynameisBanyllaJyrwa,am18yearsoldandIamfromBangalore.Duringthisretreat,Igothealedof
theshoulderandwaistpainIusedtosufferfrom.Iusedtofeelverytiredatalltimes,whetherIworked,
studiedorprayed.ButaftertheretreatIfeeltheHolySpiritishelpingmetodoallthiswithease.Iused
to inditdif iculttosayHalleluiah,butnowIamabletofreelypraise.
BANYLLAJYRWA
Testimonies
AfterIconfessedmysins,Ifeltlightandveryhappy.Icontinuetobejoyfulinmyheartandsmileatall
times.Thishashappenedtomeonlyafterthisretreat.ThankYouJesus!
RITAPATRICKHANDA
Healedofseveralhealthproblemsandmanyinnerwounds
My name is Sr. Anthony Mary. I am 39 years old and I come from Bangalore. During this retreat I
experiencedalotofpeaceinmyheart.
1) Iwassufferingfromaseverecontinuousheadacheontheleftsideforabout3months.Iamnow
healedofthiscompletely.
2) Amhealedofearitchingof3years.
3) Amhealedofmanyinnerwounds.
PraiseYouJesus!ThankYouJesus!
SR.ANTHONYMARY
HealedofSevereMigraineandvariousworriesandanxiety
MynameisMarthaFrancisandam24yearsoldandIamfromBangalore.Iwashealedofsevere
migraineof3yearswhenIcametoattendtheretreatinNov2015.DuringthisretreatIexperiencedthe
loveofGodandreceivedimmensepeaceandJoy.
MARTHAFRANCIS
Iwashealedoffear,anxiety,worriesandreceivedinnerhealinganddeliverance.Ialsoreceivedthegift
offaith.WhenIbegantheretreatIwasrunninghighfever,butIwascompletelyhealedduringthe
Adorationintheretreat.ThankYouJesus!
Healedofasevereheadacheof12years
MynameisSr.Lalitha,am30yearsoldandIcomefromBangalore.Ihavebeenhavingasevereheadache
forthelast12years.Duringtheretreat,Iwashealedcompletely.IthankGodforthisblessing.ThankYou
Jesus!
SR.LALITHA
HealedofSevereShoulderTendonitisandanger
HealedofLowerbackpainandseverekneepain
MynameisNirmalaArokia,am39yearsoldandIcomefromBangalore.Iwassufferingfromasevere
shoulderpainforthepast3years.ThediagnosisrevealedthatitwasShoulderTendonitis.Duringthe
Innerhealing,IprayedaskingtheLordtohealmeandtakeawaytheproblemofanger.Iwashealedof
myshoulderpainandalsomyanger.Asacon irmationFr.Josealsoannouncedit.IthankJesusforthese
healings.
MynameisDianaD'Souza.Iam56yearsoldandIcomefromBangalore.Iwassufferingfromlower
backpainontheleftsideandaseverekneepainoftheleftlegforthelast6months.Igotanattackofviral
fever and the temperatures would not reduce even after taking medicines but during the healing
serviceIreceivedcompletehealingofallmyhealthissues.NowIcanalsowalkproperlywithoutany
pain.ThankYouJesus!
NIRMALAAROKIA
DIANAD'SOUZA
Receivedimmenseinnerhealingandspiritualhealing.
HealedofBackacheof10yearsandreceivedpeaceofmind
MynameisMrs.ReenaCutinha,am54yearsoldandIamfromBangalore.
Forthepast10yearsIhavebeensufferingfromseverebackache.DuringthehealingsessionIhave
beencompletelycured.ThankYouJesus!Iwassufferingfromseverethroatinfection;Iwashealedof
thistoo.Ihavealsoreceivedpeaceofmindthroughtheinnerhealing.ThankYouJesus!
MynameisSr.Jacinta,am20yearsoldandIamfromBangalore.Iwashealedofthesevereheadache
thatIhad.Forthe irsttimeduringthepraiseandworship,mywholebodyandheadbecomelightand
allmyheavinessdisappeared.Duringtheretreat,thevariousquestionsinmymindaboutfaithwere
answered.IexperiencedalotofInnerhealingduringthesessions.Iamhealedandchangednow.Idid
notexpecttoexperienceallthis.ThankyouandPraiseyouJesus!
SR.JACINTA
REENACUTINHA
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Fr. SEBASTIAN
PADINJAREKUTTU VC
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Fr INNOCENT
PUTHENTHARAYIL VC
Fr ALBIN
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Superior & Parish Priest
Director,
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Adminstrator
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Assistant Administrator
Director,
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At Logos Retreat Centre, retreats are
held in English, Malayalam, Kannada &
Tamil. Different retreats are held
throughout the year including Inner
Healing retreats, Growth retreats,
retreatfortheReligious,Youthretreats,
andChildrenretreats.Variousoutreach
programmes are also organized for
differentparishes,schoolsandcolleges.
Bookingsfortheresidentialretreatscan
be done in advance or one can walk in
directlyonthedayoftheretreatitself.
6.00am–English,6.45am–Malayalam
3.00pm–DivineMercyChaplet&Adoration4.00pm–HolyMass
(Rosary,JerichoPrayer,Preaching&HealingService,
Counselling,HolyMass)inKannada10.00am–5.30pm
(Rosary,JerichoPrayer,Preaching&HealingService,Confession
&Counselling,HolyMass)inEnglish10.00am–5.30pm
2.00pm–5.00pm(PreachingtheWordofGod,PraiseandWorship,
EucharisticAdoration)inMalayalam.5.15pm-HolyMassinMalayalam
1.30pm–5.00pm(PreachingtheWordofGod,DivineMercy
Chaplet,HolyMass)inTamil.5.30pm–HolyMassinEnglish
2.00pm–5.00pm(PraiseandWorship,PreachingtheWordofGod,
&EucharisticAdoration)inHindi
2.30pm–5.30pm(PraiseandWorship,EucharisticAdoration,
SharingtheWord),5.30pm–HolyMassinEnglish
1stSaturday–Malayalam,2ndSaturday–Tamil,
3rdSaturday–Kannada,4thSaturday–English
Ranjitha
Chicken
Centre
Please bring Holy Bible, 2 bed sheets,
toiletries etc. All residential inner
healing retreats start at 4.00 pm on
Sundayandendat4.00pmonThursday.
HowtoreachLogosRetreatCentre-From:MajesticRailwayStation-Busno:302A,302F(17Kms).CantonmentRailwayStation-Busno:302G,
303C(12Kms).CityMarket-Busno:302C.Peenya-viaR.T.Nagar-Busno:252B.Vijaynagar-viaR.T.Nagar-Busno:300G.K.R.Puram-Busno:400,
404.RingRoadbusno.500,501.AirportviaHebbalflyover,takeleftandcometoBabusahibpalaya(35KMs)
For More info Contact: Fr. Jose Vettiyankal VC, Director - Logos Retreat Centre
No.29 Prakruthi Township, 1st Main, P.O. Box. 4326, Babusahebpalaya, Bengaluru - 560 043
Tel: 080 0 2560 3252; Mobile: 097422 34234
Email: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
Website: logosretreatcentre.com / www.frjosevettiyankal.org

holy spirit - Logos Retreat Centre

Transcription

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