Any Place is the Best Place to Find Love

At the end of everything what matters is love. Age gives way, beauty melts, wealth only glitters, power keeps sinking and it stinks.
Love is something that keeps you thinking. It reminds you to remember. It has no sense of time. It keeps you nagging to the point of irritation when you are distracted.
It’s not the number of years - to wait and weight love. A passing comment, an acknowledgement of recognition or an attentive look can make a lasting impression. August gatherings are not august occasions. Where you encounter love is what counts, better if it was and is across the table over a cup of tea.
Never forget to remember what matters is love. It has no age, no time bound and any place is the best place to find love.

A song like this can remind us to remember.

In the face of Tragedy

In utter hopelessness I heard him pray in despair: “God, are you there when people need you? Did you die for these people? Or you eliminated them because they are too poor to be around? Did you also die for him? What was his crime? Was he too good to be around? Are you jealous and afraid to lose him? You have no answer. Are you saying you also died for her? Why did you take on her then? Why did you allow her to perish in guilt? Why do you come up with such mask and give false hope? Are you a just God or a compassionate God? Don’t tell me you are both. But if you are a just God, fine go ahead, but don’t border me anymore and expect me to be around. I can take care of myself. You don’t need to save me. I am already doomed. I make a big mistake believing you all along.”
I keep hearing these screaming souls all over – tragedies after tragedies. I hear souls crying out in despair, in anguish and grief, lonely and depressed passing through the darkness of no hope. And I’ve got no answer. I only have one + sign - the cross. Go beneath the rugged cross. You got to have an answer. Yes, you got to be there and no sermons for God’s sake.

NB: The earth that shook part of Haiti on 12th January 2010 left 1000s buried beneath the debris, 200 seminarians in record, priests (number not ascertain) and an Archbishop. Did God make a mistake?

A Tangkhul Naga Among the Magi to Arrived at the Vatican Crib

Today is 6th January, Epiphany of our Blessed Lord and after returning back from the parish ministry I passed by St. Peter’s Square, Vatican. And what I saw was more than a surprise. I thought of the wise men from the east but certainly not one from the region of Northeast India, least to say Manipur hills. My joy was obvious when I saw a lady clad in Tangkhul Chongkhom (traditional shawl) found herself right behind our lady at the Vatican crib.
I thought to myself, after all Rome is not too far from Manipur, I mean the Church is one. And if Rome is the mother Church, she cannot be far from any others. In fact, she is closed to every member. She is the symbol of unity. She always gathers. The presence of this little piece of shawl is only symbolic of her actual presence in our land and culture.

Another Feather to Your Life

A year gone and another comes in. Some people think it is cyclic and are too optimistic - others fear it is passing by and forget to appreciate what life is all about. We celebrate life one day at a time.
Definitely there is a bit of confusion with feasts and celebrations over the past one week. It looked sort of like jumbled up toys. Too rich a liturgy for a distracted sort of me – the birthday (JESUS) to Martyrdom of Stephen, of St. John, the Holy Family to Mother of God and NEW YEAR. Anyway I am not questioning the wisdom of the Church.
My own movements were a bit of over exaggeration. Back from North Italy (Piemonte) on 28th Dec. and out to Marche - S. Severino on 29th and to Marcerata the next day or to Civitanova the following day. In fact, I did spend in these three places for the NEW YEAR 2010 – the eve, the day, and the night fall. What a nice way to bit farewell and welcome.
A NEW YEAR 2010 FOR ALL - LIVE TO LOVE ANOTHER YEAR

Children have the upper hand

If we have the eagerness to celebrate life as much as children do, we definitely have fewer problems. It’s -9o here at Cassine on 20th December 2009 and the cold is – well imaginable but that’s not going to stop them from pulling their mother’s apron to the piazza to ride on the trenino, visit the presepe, and most importantly tickling the aging at the hospice to moments of laughers with their presumptuous gifts and Christmas carols. I see the impatience of these children to celebrate but such impatience would have been a treasure in our adult world.
And watch out, we are definitely going for a white Christmas. Some think it unfortunate but I think it is romantic and poetic so the song reminds us. In truth, it takes you back to the manger.

It's time for Christmas

Be it in the Christian world of the West or the world of other faiths, Christmas is still phenomenal to our planet. In a sense Christ is proclaimed worldwide even if it is for many a season of profit making. Bringing together families, relatives, friends, acquaintances and communities definitely is the height of Christmas regardless of one’s faith. I always loved and highly value this aspect of coming together.
Unconsciously this thought was conscious to me as we (me and Breson) spent our time with friends from S. Elena di San Severino Marche on 13th December 2009. They (eight in number) came to Rome for no particular intention if not to visit us and exchange Christmas wishes. That make a lot of sense to friends.
We passed off the day having nothing to do in particular (that wasn’t the purpose) but found no sufficient time. We participated at the Angelus with Papa at St. Peter’s Square, enjoyed ourselves a leisure lunch to the self service Ciao Restaurant at Termine, make a merry go round the city – passed the Christmas stalls, visited P. spagna, fontana di trevi, monte citorio, Pantheon, P. Navona or along the trastevere. This is good for a meaningful Christmas celebration in context. We can definitely carried forward such wonderful experience into the Christmas event and pray for each other more concretely even when one is not physically present to each other. I offer the same complement to everyone, friends in particular to a happy Christmas preparations and to the meaningful celebrations.

See friends of the Day (video clip).

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FEELING AT HOME IN NAPLES-POMPEII

I, together with Breson and Marwein make a dashing visit to Naples-Pompeii on 5th and 6th December 2009. In a word, I felt quite at home. As you alight the train, you will be surprised to see the leaking roofs at different parts of the station. Walk in through the street, you sense the shit all over, you will not be surprised of the blasting horning from all directions and if you are crossing the road you got to be very careful, they get right through you. People are definitely rough and tough and rustic and less discipline. And of course, they look suspicious too. There is sufficient disorder here and I felt at home at the very first sight as we ourselves are from a house of disorder-India. I made no comparison with other cities of Italy, be it in its orderliness, beauty, aesthetic and artistic consciousness or whatsoever. Naples has its own originality in its disorder. We had a different experience altogether.