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The Feast of Exaltation of the Cross

 
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“I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified“ (1 Cor. 2.2)

As we are living in an age of self will and pleasure, we are prone to sin and disobey commandments. Later when we suffer as a consequence of this, we cannot erase it from our lives. But God in His eternal wisdom and love, sent his Son to take away our sins and to die on the Cross on our behalf so that he may raise us from the death of sin to eternal life. Lord we thank you for it.

Today the whole world is fighting against Christ and Christianity. Therefore we pray to you Lord Jesus, that your Mighty Power which raised you from the dead and made you sit at the right hand of the Father (Eph. 1.19,20), bring back the unbelieving world to the feet of the Cross of Christ. May the Merciful Father redeem the whole world through the atoning Sacrifice of His Son. May the glorification of the Cross come into the life of every believer.

“Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, for the Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1.22-24).
‘We adore you O Christ and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world’.

Mary Pereira




Birthday of Mother Mary

img-20160908-wa0004God knew from all eternity that man would sin tempted by the devil. In order to outdo the cunningness of the devil, God promised a Saviour for the human race. The eternal wisdom of God planned a mother for the Saviour who would not partake of the sin of Adam, but would have the grace that Adam and Eve had before their fall. Therefore the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity willed one thing: The Mother of the Saviour would be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and be the beloved daughter of the Heavenly Father. She would be willing what God wanted her to will and thus she would become the handmaid of the Lord.

With this plan God created Virgin Mary, through her parents Joachim and Anne, already from the moment of conception, free from the original sin  and its consequences. Therefore when Jesus came into the world he said: Father, “you have prepared a body for me“ (Heb. 10.5).

The birthday of Virgin Mary  is the ‘Mother‘s day‘ for every believer in Christ because Jesus said from the Cross to the believing disciple: “This is your Mother“ and to his Mother: “This is your son“. “From that hour the disciple took her into his own home“ (Jn. 19.27). Do I take Mother Mary into my heart and mind, into my life, my family and give her the due love, respect and dignity that Christ and John gave her?

Jesus said: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and  my mother“ (Mt. 12.50). Only if we do the will of our heavenly Father, we can become the  brothers and sisters of Jesus, sons and daughters of Mother Mary.

Prayer: Mother Mary help us to live like you, one will with God and say like you: “I am the handmaid of the Lord“.

Fr.James Mariakumar SVD