A thought for a Birthday

I am intrigued to thinking of the arrival and the departure of life on this day while thanking God for the gift of my life. Think of what a wise man would have said: ‘man has three friends; worldly goods, which at the hour of death must be left behind; parents and friends who will naturally accompany your body to the grave, shed tears but must forget you sooner; but good works which may have been loved very little will indeed accompany you and be remembered’. If only a good deed passes by everyday.
It does make sense. It is not enough to do, but it is necessary to do well what we do. Not enough to be alive, but necessary to live well.

The sea is blue and so are the skies. You always stand between them to make it one.

4th October 2009, Feast of St. Francis Assisi

This in fact is my third time in a row at Assisi in a year’s time with no regrets whatsoever. In fact, every visit to Assisi was unique. This time it was occasioned to accompany my Archbishop, Dominic Lumon and Fr. Francis Kalapurackal whose patron Saint’s Feast we went to participate. We reached Assisi at about 10.00 am and found an ocean of people crowding the entire vicinity of the Basilica. We could never possibly venture to go up to the upper part of the Basilica but managed to visit the tomb and returned back home as late as 9.00 pm. Captured video clip of the day.

To the Audience of the Holy Father

30th September 2009 was like any other day, like any other audience of the Holy Father that one may attend. But to me this audience was something special and memorable. My friend Anna Menghi make all the difference. Special people, special occasion, make the moment memorable. It was an honour to be with her and to lend a little helping hand for her movement as she has to be wheel chaired (impaired physically by polio). Apparently weak from her physical difficulties but superior in her intellectual acumen, God fearing, politically credible, keen in understanding people’s problems, and a person in whose presence you feel at ease. A one time Sindaco (Mayor) of Macerata (a province) and involved in many associations, ecclesial and social activities. I am privileged to find a friend in her. I shall remember this audience with unique memories of her. Find a video clip of the day.

A Pilgrimage to Medjugorie

I always thought of making a pilgrimage to Lourdes or Fatima but not Medjugorie. It was a surprise and unexpected turnaround, thanks to my friend Anna Menghi. The day started from 3rd until 9th September 2009. We left on a Pullman for Ancona Port and boarded for Split-Spalato, Croatia and spent the night on board. The next five full days were spent at Medjugorie with immense spiritual enrichments. We heard the testimonies of Maria and Ivan to whom our lady continue to appear daily. We visited many communities at Medjugorie to hear their testimonies of faith (Cenacolo, Oasis of Peace, etc). We made the journey to the apparition hill and way of the cross to Kresvac, the mount of the cross. The celebration of the Eucharistic meal, the endless procession of penitents to confessions, the depth of silence at the Eucharistic adoration, are incredible impressions of deep spiritual experience.

What I gather from Medjugorie is all ordinary; in fact too ordinary to believe that our lady chose such an obscure place – but Bethlehem or Nazareth is ordinary anyway. The extraordinary thing here is that everything is ordinary. At Medjugorie there is nothing to see without faith. Everything is simple, natural, apparently nothing supernatural.

Therefore, whether you believe in the apparition of our lady is – but owe to you if you doubt the manifestation of faith by the faithful and pilgrims here. At Medjugorie you find the presence of God (through our lady) more concretely and visibly. The message of our lady is simple: turn back to God (a call to conversion).