“Holding the hands of our Blessed Mamma Mary, the Mother of God and marching forward, joyfully and fervently on the path of Faith, Hope and Love in this New Year 2026”

(Based on the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God – the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord – New Year’s Day)

A preacher began his homily:
“If it were to be announced officially, that a large asteroid is going to hit the earth…
… and we are into the last 24 hours of our life

Phone networks would crash…
… with people frantically calling loved ones, to say the words they always meant to but never found the time for: ‘I love you,’ ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘Thank you,’ and ‘I forgive you.’

Social media feeds would overflow…
… with heartfelt messages, sharing regrets, memories, and last goodbyes.

Homes would become sacred spaces…
… as families huddled together, holding hands, cherishing the warmth of one another’s presence.
Tears would flow freely…
… tears of regret for wasted time, tears of gratitude for moments shared, and tears of hope for reconciliation with God and others.
Worship spaces would overflow…
… not with weekly attendees, but with those who hadn’t prayed in years, seeking God’s mercy and a sense of peace.

People would scramble to forgive…
… racing to mend old wounds, reconcile broken relationships, and release grudges that have burdened their hearts for too long.

Possessions would lose their value…
… no one would care about their bank balances, cars, or houses anymore. What mattered would suddenly be people!

Silent prayers would rise…
… as even those who had denied God would turn their gaze heavenward, pleading for forgiveness and salvation.

Strangers would become friends…
… as the barriers of pride, prejudice, and indifference dissolved in the urgency of shared humanity.

Parents would hug their children tightly; Spouses would look at each other with tears in their eyes…
… recalling the joys, struggles, and love that bound them together.

Unspoken dreams would remain unfulfilled…
… and people would ache with regret for all the times they postponed living for a ‘someday’ that never came.

And yet, my dear brothers and sisters, none of us knows when our last 24 hours might truly begin.

Why do we wait for such a moment to speak the words that need to be said?
Why do we wait for the last hour to forgive, to love, to pray, to live as God calls us to?

Why wait for the last minute and the last hour?

CAN WE DO THAT… THIS YEAR… THIS DAY… THIS MOMENT?”

We are on the first day of the New Year… and on the 8th day after Christmas – the Octave Day.

We notice that the hustle and bustle of Christmas, the celebrations and merriment of the Festival are waning down…

The Crib and the Christmas Tree and the brightly shining stars have faded away

The large number of people in Church for Christmas have probably reduced to a slender one today
The joy and devout mood of the faithful which was on high, has slowly reduced

Is the message of Christmas slowly being left behind…?

But the Church still dynamically and emphatically keeps up the True Spirit of Christmas.

This Octave Day of Christmas fittingly celebrated as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is
a reminder to this fact
… that Christmas is not a one-day event; rather a celebration for life.
… that spiritual exercises and movements can’t be limited; rather need to overflow every day

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is a dogma of the Church and Devotion to Mary is one of the great treasures of the Church.

However, often, there are many doubts arising and controversies created over Mary..
… being considered and called as the Mother of God.

But the logic is pretty simple and easy to understand actually

Premise 1: Mary is the Mother of Jesus
Premise 2: Jesus is fully God and fully Man

Conclusion: Mary is the Mother of Jesus, fully God and fully Man.
And therefore, Mary is the Mother of God!

In honouring Mamma Mary with this title, we acknowledge, and give glory to Jesus, fully God and fully Man…
… and declare the divinity and humanity of Jesus emphatically.

Thus, the title – Mary, Mother of God
– is an excellent proclamation of the basic aspect of our faith – Jesus is both God and Man!

The Motherhood of Blessed Mamma has many implications for us…
1) We are assured of Maternal protection and care in our journey towards the Lord when we face crises, problems and difficulties.

2) We are challenged to respond to God’s inspirations, just as She said “Yes” to God’s call to be a partner in the salvation of the world.

3) We are invited to be faithful and committed in being united with Jesus, in the face of any hardships and troubles that come our way.

4) We are exhorted to be committed and focussed on Jesus and Him alone and to make His Life as the aim, the goal and the foundation of our life.

On this first day of the New Year 2026, the Lord invites us to check and examine our Spiritual Health on the Spiritual Thermometer.

Am I fervent and zealous in my commitment and consecration?
Am I passionate and ardent in my Love for Jesus, my Lord?
Am I charitable and caring in my dealings with my brothers and sisters?

It’s that time of the year, when we are called forth to make some resolutions…
… as we enter into a New Year!

Are we ready to sincerely “keep up” our resolutions…
… or are we going to make it a mere customary practice and follow the crowd mentality: “Resolutions are made to break!”

In this New Year 2026, let us “be blessed, and become a blessing to others!”

Blessed Mamma, the Mother of God, along with St Joseph and all the Saints and Angels, invite us to hold Her hands…
… and march forward, joyfully and fervently on the path of Faith, Hope and Love.

Merry Christmas🎄 and wish you a Very Happy Feast of Blessed Mamma!

May the Lord Jesus, Who is born for us, be our Light 🕯️and Love ❤️

Wish you a Blessed and Holy New Year 2026!

God Bless! Let us always… Live Jesus!

“Ushering in the New Year by allowing Jesus, the Word to take complete flesh in us!”

(Based on 1 Jn 2:18-21 and Jn 1:1-18 – The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas)

Let’s play a game together.

(I know, it will be a bit impractical to play…
… yet, let’s give it a try!

As they say, “there is no harm in trying to achieve something worthwhile in life!”)

The name of the game is “Guess the Word!”

Ok… Ready?

Here we go…

All that you need to do is to “Guess which word I am thinking now…!”

Yeah, you read it right… Just guess the Word that I am thinking of… now!

Did I hear someone say “God?”

Well… You are wrong!

“New Year?”
… Wrong again!

Hmmm… “Resolution?”… “Cross?”… “Celebration?”… “Chocolate?”… “Christmas?”

Sorry… but they are wrong

Another try? … Ok

“Selfie?”… “Food”… “Suffering?”… “Mass?”… “Books?”… “Flower?”… “Sleeping?”
… or some other words?

Well… sad to say… all your guesses turned out to be wrong!

The right answer
… the word that I am thinking of now is “Pencil!”

Did anyone get it right?

I doubt…

If you ask me, why was I thinking of a “pencil”
… I will say, “Well, just simply! No particular reason!”

It would have taken you a very long time to guess that word…
… and probably, you would even have never guessed that word!

Not that it was too difficult or something abstract…

But simply because there is almost no other way you can think the Word that I have in mind…
… unless I myself tell it to you!

The point is… “The Word that was thought” will be known only if it is “revealed!”
… Is it not?

Now let’s take this concept of “Guessing the Word” to the Divine Realm…

Human Beings at every point of time in every civilization, every culture, have sought to know and establish a link and relationship with the Divine
… to know what is the mind of the Divine
… to guess what is the plan of the Almighty
… to discern what is the thought of the Supernatural

Some philosophers sought to crack this code by drawing out many theories

Some sages and prophets spent time in deep contemplation and wrote many literature
Some noble thinkers dedicated their entire lives to put forward doctrines and teachings

Some of these we call it as religions.
Some as way of life.
Some as philosophies of life.

But none of them were able to know and discern the Divine clearly.

It was just as we played the “guessing the word” game…

Many guesses were attempted… some were close… yet, none were fully right!

The Word in the Mind of the Divine would be known only if it is revealed!

And that spectacular instant of revelation is what we call as Incarnation of the Word!The Divine Historic Moment when the Almighty revealed His Word is called Incarnation!

We read in today’s Gospel reading… John 1: 14, “And the Word became flesh!”

The Word in the mind of God took human form in Jesus!

Jesus is the visible, the revealed and the manifested Word of God!

Jesus is the Son of God… Jesus is God, the Son!
Jesus is the Word made flesh… Jesus is God in human flesh!

What is the impact of this most unique and most spectacular event of history
… Incarnation?

Humanity which had strayed has found another chance to be re-united.

Human beings steeped in sin were provided with an opportunity to be redeemed.

This is what makes Christianity different from all other ways of life or religions

This is what makes Christianity unique among all other philosophies of life

It is utter absurdity for philosophers, for the Infinite to become finite

It is purely mythical for the naturalist, for the Transcendent to be understood
It is totally unscientific for the rationalist, for Fullness to be reduced to limitedness

But this is The Truth.

This is the Reality.

In Incarnation, the God of Love was now wrapped in human flesh.
… the Almightiness of God moved in a human arm.
… the Love of God now beat in a human heart.
… the Wisdom of God now spoke from human lips.
… the Mercy of God reached forth from human hands.

You and I are the beneficiaries of knowing the answer of this game “Guessing the Word” which humanity was engaged with the Divine, for centuries!

JESUS IS THAT ANSWER!

And JESUS CAN BE THE ANSWER to all the problems and difficulties of our lives.

Have we allowed Him – Jesus, the Word – to take flesh in ourselves?

Have we permitted Him – Jesus the Word – to have an impact in our lifestyle?
Have we consented to Him – Jesus, the Word – to become the totality of our lives?

We are on the last day of this year 2025
… and at the threshold of yet another New Year 2026!

As we thank the Lord for the gift of this year…
… with its ups and downs
… with its learnings and experiences
… with its joyful events and sad moments

Let us also realize that…
… There can be no spectacular resolve
… There can be no greater discovery
… There can be no better resolution
… There can be no higher decision
… than to allow Jesus, the Word to take firm and absolute control of our lives!

Are we ready to usher in the New Year, with Jesus, the Word taking complete flesh in us?

Yes… He is The Only Way… The Only Truth… The Only Life – JESUS, THE WORD REVEALED AND MADE FLESH!

Thank You, Lord, for the Year 2025 that has gone by.

We seek to be Holier and “belonging to You more” in this New Year 2026!

Come Lord Jesus, help us to be Pilgrims of Hope and Missionaries of Mercy…
… anchored in Your Holy Word and the Sacraments!

Merry Christmas🎄
May the Lord Jesus, Who is born for us, be our Light 🕯️and Love ❤️

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Pursuing the task, and prevailing in our aim to discover ‘why we are born’”

(Based on 1 Jn 2:12-17 and Lk 2:36-40 – The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas)

There is a famous quotation which goes thus:
“There are two great days in a person’s life – the day we are born…
… and the day we discover why!”

One of them is easier and simpler than the other.

Its just a date and a moment in history.

It could be something like the 19th of January or the 2nd of November or the 29th of December or the 17th of June or the 28th of November or the 16th of January or the 9th of May or the 5th of August etc…

This was the day, we first made our appearance on this earth.

This day is special.

The other day is also special…
… but it’s not easy to discover it!

In fact, it is an arduous task and a patient undertaking.

That is day we figure out why we are on this Planet Earth.

That is the day we come to a greater realization of our Life.

The first day tells that I am here in this earth!

The second day would tell us “why” I am here on this earth!

To discover the meaning and purpose of life and seek to live it fully well, will make our lives satisfying and truly happy.

It could happen…
… in one day!
… over a period of some years!
… over one’s whole lifetime!

Yet, the most important thing is to “keep seeking for it and be alert for its discovery”

Am I in this all-important process of discovering “Why I am born in this world?”

The Gospel of the Day points to a person who discovered greatly this aspect of the purpose in life, and dedicated her whole life for it – Anna, the Prophetess.

We are still in the festive passages of Christmas – the Nativity of our Saviour.

Joseph and Mary have brought their Beloved Child, Jesus, to the temple to be presented to the Lord.

After the ritual purification rites and customs, the Holy Family of Nazareth is encountered by Simeon.

He who was docile and open to the promptings of the Spirit discovered the Glory of God.

At the same time, another woman was also eagerly waiting for the Messiah…
… in constant eagerness and longing – Anna!

‘Anna’ is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Hannah, which means, ‘Grace’

Like the Old Testament Hannah, this Anna is also characterized by prayer and fasting

She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.

Asher was one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Asher is considered to be one among ten of these tribes, which had strayed away from the path of the Lord…
… that were taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 BC, before the northern Kingdom fell.

However, “some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem” (2 Chr 30:11).

So, Anna belonged to that small remnant of the tribe of Asher that had humbled itself to seek protection and providence in the Lord.

Anna was, however, a widow

She was a widow for a very very long time…
… for over seven decades, she had been a widow.
It was a tremendous grief to live so long without the love of a husband.

Sorrow can cause two consequences to a believer….

It can make one hard, bitter, resentful and rebellious against God
or…
It can make one kinder and dependable on God!

Sorrow can cause our faith to be spoilt
or…
Sorrow can cause our faith to take deeper roots!

Anna, the widow, chose the better part!

She chose to reveal and revel in the Grace of God and live a Gracious Life!

And this process of discovering “why she was born in the world” made her to…

1. Practice a life of purity: She lived in holiness and integrity.
2. Pray constantly: She lived in the temple continually and was incessantly fasting and praying
3. Persevere Patiently: She battled loneliness and depression and persevered successfully to meet the Lord.
4. Proclaim Boldly: She challenged others in their cozy life by proclaiming the Messiah and His promises!

Life is constantly calling and challenging us to discover “the day why I am born”

It’s easy to while away our time in comforts and pleasures of this world.

But that will certainly not serve the goal of our existence here on this earth.

Each of us have a specific task and responsibility entrusted by the Lord.

This role is proper to our own vocation as in family life or in a consecrated life.

In God’s precious eyes, there are no small or great responsibilities.

He values and treasures each and every duty – small or big- with equal measure.
Every task, when performed with immense love and dedication has its greatness.

Anna, the old lady, “Young and Vibrant at Heart” teaches us today…

To pursue who we are to be – to discover “why I am born!”
… by Practicing a Life of Purity
… by Praying Constantly
… by Persevering Patiently
… by Proclaiming Boldly!

Merry Christmas🎄
May the Lord Jesus, Who is born for us, be our Light 🕯️and Love ❤️

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Being inspired by the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to make our families ‘havens of love and care!'”

(Based on the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph)

A classic and popular story – source unidentified – is told about a kid narrating a story of how his mother, once, after a long, hard day at work…
… had placed a plate of bread, sausages and burned omelette, in front of dad.

Yet all that the dad did was reach for his omelette, smile at the mom and ask how the child’s day was at school!

He even went on to add some pepper on that omelette, and eat every bite!

Later, the child heard mom apologizing for burning the omelette.

But Dad, without any fuss – in fact, with a great sense of calmness – replied: “Honey, don’t worry, I love burnt omelettes!”

Later that night, when the child went to kiss Daddy good night, he asked, if he really liked omelette burned.

Daddy wrapped the child in his arms and said: “Your Mamma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired.

And besides – a little burnt omelette never hurt anyone!”

Family life presents so many opportunities for doing good…
… reaching out in love with generous positive works
… protecting one another by avoiding unnecessary negativities

Do we make efforts to make our families “havens of love and care?”

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Family of Nazareth – Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Family Life is indeed, very dear to God’s Heart

The Old Testament and the New Testament provide several instances of salvation occurring in the context of a family.

When Jesus, the Eternal Word became flesh (Cf. Jn 1:14), He was born in a Family.

The Holy Family of Nazareth, as the beautiful model and example to every family to nurture care, teach us important lessons:

1. Discern and do God’s Will – this is the vital rule

At every stage of life, Mary and Joseph sought to do the Will of God and fulfilled it with utmost sincerity

2. Take the lead and strengthen each other, especially in a crisis

In their tough situations, Mary and Joseph proactively listened to God and took the initiative to steer the family out of danger

3. Avoid judging each other; support with mutual understanding

Tense situations became moments of prayer instead of blame
Troubled circumstances gave an opportunity to stay with each other!

4..Joyfully fulfil one’s responsibilities, without complaint or blame

Each member of the Holy Family assumed total responsibility and undertook every duty that had been entrusted to them

5. Find strength in prayer and in God’s Word

In every crunch situation, they turned to God and made the Word of the Lord their guiding principle of life!

It is said that “where God guides, God provides.”

The life of the Holy Family is a beautiful testimony of the protective and providential care of the Lord.

Our families are also called to become gardens that are nurtured and nourished by the protective showers of God’s Love!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in its extensive exhortation on families, teaches us: “The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion, and for this reason, it can and should be called a domestic church.

It is a community of faith, hope, and charity.
It is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit…
… in the procreation and education of children, it reflects the Father’s work of creation.
… it partakes of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ.

Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it in charity.

The Christian family has an evangelizing and missionary task.” (Cf. CCC, #2204-2205)

All of us, in families, are called to holiness – this is God’s Will!

Holiness is not easy, but it is made possible with God’s Grace!

Holiness in a family is deepened and enhanced through…
… faithful sacramental life with constant reconciliation
… sharing of meals and exchange of thoughts and feelings
… willingness to forego hurt feelings and celebrate differences
… regular prayer life along with reading the Bible and devotions
… openness to listen to one another and support in tough times

Family life presents so many opportunities for doing good…
… reaching out in love with generous positive works
… protecting one another by avoiding unnecessary negativities

Let us joyfully accept the “burnt omelettes of each other’s weaknesses, failures, angry moments and hurtful feelings”

Let the beautiful example of the Holy Family of Nazareth inspire all of us…
… to make our families “havens of love and care!”

Happy Feast of the Holy Family!

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, we love You!

God Bless! Live Jesus!