Friday, June 22, 2018

Why do Catholics venerate Mother Mary and Pray to Her?

Why do the Catholics venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary and Pray to Her? Is it not idol worship? Why to honor Mary and Saints? Why so much importance is given to the devotion of Mother Mary in Catholic Church? 

These are questions frequently asked by most Christians belonging to Protestant / Pentecostal denominations. Sometimes this question arises in the minds of even Catholics who are active in Charismatic Prayer movements. When Lord Jesus is our intercessor, why do we need the aid of other mediators? Answers to these questions are given by many anointed persons who have received numerous blessing through the intervention of Blessed Mother Mary. As I am also one of the billions of devotees who continue to receive innumerable blessing of the Lord through Mother Mary (even though I too had been nurturing the above mentioned doubts for a long time in life), I proudly and gladly wish to share the Divine Promptings by the Holy Spirit of God about Mother Mary.

I don't intend to explain in this post who Mother Mary is to those people who do not know who Lord Jesus Christ is. I am very sure that whoever truly Believes in the Saviour of the humanity Jesus Christ and the Holy Word of God will easily become ardent devotees of the Blessed Mother of God, if they meditate (with openness) certain events / versus in the Holy Bible.

Though there are many incidents and circumstances in the Holy Bible that command and warrant special devotion and veneration to the Blessed Mother Mary, in my opinion the wedding event at Cana is more than enough to understand the preeminence of the 'humble woman' chosen by the Almighty God, before the ages to be HIS Mother when HE is to take incarnation as a man to redeem the mankind in the fullness of time. 

As I stated above, if you have an open heart to know the Holy Will of God about respecting HIS Mother, please read the below narrated Biblical Passage (John 2:1-11) several times meditatively. Remember, if you already have your own presupposition (fed by some persons) in this matter, you will never get to know God's Wish.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out at the wedding, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water-pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer quality wine;but you have kept the good wine until now.” This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. 

In the above passage in the 'Word of God' we see the Lord saying that His hour had not yet come. Yes, the Lord can never and will never commit an err. Even though His time had not yet come for His self-manifestation and to perform the first miracle, At the request of His Mother, He makes the marriage venue at Cana for His Manifestation and acts immediately! In other words, if I say Mother Mary also played a significant role in planning and executing the redemption mission of Lord Jesus, can you refute it?

We see in the 10 commandments given by God, after the first 3 pertaining to God, the fourth one is to honour one's parents (father and mother). When God wants the people to give utmost respect to their father and mother, how can we expect God to not respect His own Father and Mother? In other words, when God who is pleased when you and me respect our worldly parents (who are sinners), how much more will He not be delighted when we venerate His dear and most Blessed Mother who is 'Full of Grace' and capable of filling others with Holy Spirit with her mere presence and by just making a verbal greeting?

In the Holy Gospel of Luke Chapter 1 verse 43 we see St Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist-who got special privilege to prepare the way for the Lord and to baptize Him-) filled with the Holy Spirit of God asks Mother Mary, 'And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?' (Lk 1:43)

After meditating and reading the above passage and after seeing an elderly and saintly person filled with the Holy Spirit venerating and proclaiming and declaring a universal Truth that the humble and Holy woman who carried the Son of God in her womb, is the Mother of her Lord (God), all people under the sun who believe in the God of Baptist John, Zachariah and Elizabeth and who believe in the Most Holy Spirit of God, will surely believe that Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of their Lord Jesus (true God incarnated and assumed human form) and deserves very high veneration and honor. Still if anyone has difficulty in accepting her as the Mother of God, I feel pity for that person and am afraid that he/she is possessed by some evil spirits that hate and oppose Blessed Virgin Mother's special authority granted by the Most High God to crush the head of satan! May the Mother of God pray for that person to gain vision..!



Thursday, June 14, 2018

How to go to Heaven without Purgatory? Easy shortcuts to Heaven!

(image courtesy: catholicismpure.wordpress.com)
The saddest and most unfortunate of all things about the human beings is that they never like or bother to think or talk about death, though everyone knows that death is an inevitable fact. The people who toil hard for amassing wealth for the sake of this world's life, without ever minding about the life immediately after death, deserve pity. Whether you believe it or not, you who are reading this article and me the one who is writing this will all very surely die...! 

No science or scientist could ever predict the day or hour of his death. We have been seeing the sudden demise of many top leaders and rich celebrities. Many famous doctors who helped to extend the lives of many people, unfortunately could not do anything to extend their own lives.... Death has no discrimination of any kind, whether rich or poor, young or old, handsome or ugly, healthy or weak, everyone born on this earth will be visited by death ... without any notice!

You and me are lucky as we got an opportunity to ponder about death when we are very much alive and sound. Just think about the person who died on the spot, the other day in the road accident. Or those people who died suddenly and unexpectedly in the natural calamity! What would be the condition of his/their soul/s..? Did he/they get a chance to welcome death with due preparation? Lets pray and strive that no one encounters death in such a condition without any preparation. Because the eternal Life that starts immediately after death is a real fact and it has NO END..!

What the Catholic Church teaches about the Particular Judgement on the spot of the death bed, is true and final. It is up to each individual whether to believe it or not. Through many Mystics and Saints God has given a number of revelations and visions to underline the existence  of Heaven, Purgatory and hell. The bliss and ecstasy experienced in Heaven or the awful and dreadful sufferings experienced in Purgatory or hell is not conceivable or imaginable in our human understanding. It is the wish of the Heavenly Father that all HIS Children should reach HIS Kingdom to live with Him for ever.... 

According to the revelations given to Saints, the pain and suffering undergone in the Purgatory is incomparable. Great Saints like Augustine and St. Isidore say that "The least pain in purgatory is much greater than the biggest pain suffered in this world"...! Likewise St Paul describes that which God has prepared for His children, "no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined" (1 Cor 2:9).

Dear friend, if you wish to possess an entry into the Kingdom of God (Heaven) without needing to go through the painful and horrible purification process (sufferings) in the purgatory, certain easy and practicable tips are listed here. Please do not neglect or postpone to try it. Many people speak silly of the purgatory because they are not able to comprehend the severity and duration of sufferings the souls are undergoing there.

If you take an oath now to pray the Holy Rosary Prayer everyday starting from today without fail, you will receive special insight and help to detest sins and all that is worldly, from Blessed Mother who is always concerned about the welfare of souls.

By offering to God all (small or big) endurances in life without murmuring and by making small sacrifices for the sake of God's Love, one can not only avoid purgatory, but also become a Saint easily like Lisieux's St Teresa of Child Jesus (Little Flower) whose spirituality was of doing the ordinary things, with extraordinary love. As she used to say what matters in life is not great deeds but great love! 

Meditating and Praying the 15 Prayers of St Bridget for one year without break will make a devotee move closer to Lord Jesus and grant him/her a happy and peaceful death which will help the soul go to Heaven without going to the Purgatory. This Prayer will also help many sinners in one's family repent.

Another way to go to Heaven royally without entering the purgatory is to pray earnestly for an opportunity to have a death for the sake of the Word/Name of God and become a Holy Martyr!

Please read the following article carefully again and again, written by Rev Fr. Paul Hendry O' Sullivan O.P, a servant of God and try to practice them as they will surely help you to get a peaceful death and go to Heaven with loads of virtues, without suffering in the purgatory.

https://www.ewtn.com/library/spirit/avoidprg.txt

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

St Anthony's Miraculous Pilgrim Church at Chengalam in Kerala

The Holy Syro-Malabar Catholic Church dedicated to the honor of St Anthony in Chengalam in South India is one of the oldest pilgrim centers in Kerala and the first in central Kerala. This Church popularly known as the 'Padua of Kerala' has many distinctive characteristics attributed to its credit. Miracle worker Saint Anthony's Church in Chengalam lies in the Kanjirappally Eparchy and is highly regarded as a center of numerous miracles by people of all walks of life without any difference of caste, creed, religion or region.

The foundation stone for the Church was laid in 1913 in the land donated by one Iype Avirah Thachaparampath, which is even now commemorated and celebrated as Kallitta Thirunnal on the first Tuesday of October every year. The newly reconstructed magnificent Church was consecrated in 2016.  Chengalam Church is the one and only Pilgrim Center of the Divine Mercy in the Syro Malabar Church. 

The splendid Adoration Chapel built at the ground floor of the Church is probably the most impressive attraction of all. The Chapel has the holy relics of 12 Saints out of them most of them are contemporary ones along with the non decaying tongue of St Anthony of Paduva. Devotees throng to this Holy Chapel which is believed as a dwelling place of the Merciful God, even from far off places, spend hours voluntarily in Adoration and receive umpteen number of physical, spiritual and mental blessings and favours from the Divine Mercy through the intercession of all these Saints and the Blessed Virgin Mother. The Chapel is open to the devotees for adoration from 07.30 am to 07.00 pm.

Holy Mass and Novena Timings:

SUNDAYS: 

(Holy Qurbana) 05.30 am 07.15 am 09.30 am 06.00 pm 

TUESDAYS: 

05.30 am Holy Mass.
06.30 am Holy Mass and St.Antony's Novena.
11.30 am Holy Mass and St.Antony's Novena. 
06.00 pm Holy Mass and St.Antony's Novena.

OTHER DAYS: 

(Holy Kurbana) Morning 06.30 am Evening 06.00 pm

Main Feast Days:

1. Annual Church Feast (Pally Valia Perunnal):

    Celebrated on the second Sunday of February every year.

2. Foundation Day (Kallitta Thirunnal):

    Celebrated on the first Tuesday of Every Year.

3. St Anthony's Feast Day (Marana Thirunnal):

    Celebrated on June 13th every year. An event named as 'Anthony Sangamam' is organised on this Feast Day on which hundreds of people who are named as Anthony gather here on this day.

Live Telecast watch online.

The Holy services of the Church can be viewed online by clicking this link.

Contact numbers and Location:

Please click this link for getting the contact numbers of the Church and its location.

Note: Do not hesitate or delay to make a visit to this St Antony's Church at Chengalam as early as possible and to grab numerous blessings of the Lord and for immediate solutions to any problems.

Friday, June 8, 2018

Philokalia (Love Of The Beautiful) Retreat By Bro Mario Joseph

Dr Mario Joseph, who was formerly an Islamic Molvi (Mufti) known as 'Sulaiman Imam' was born in an orthodox devout Islamic family in the north eastern part of Kerala in India. After completing his Islamic studies, while serving as the clergy in a Mosque in the Wayanad district, his deep knowledge in Quran and thirst for meeting true God led him to pursue and find Jesus Christ. After knowing and getting convinced fully that Jesus Christ is the 'God' mentioned in Qur'an, he studied further about Lord Jesus, loved and believed in Him and accepted Holy Baptism in the Holy Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit from a Catholic Priest.

Ever since Imam Sulaiman accepted Christ as his Saviour and Redeemer and became a Catholic and got christened as Mario Joseph, obviously he started being persecuted very cruelly by his own dad and other members of his religion. He withstood them all for the sake of the 'Love of the Beautiful God' and today he is an acclaimed Bible evangelist striving hard to spread the 'Message of Truth' throughout the world, particularly among the people of his own communities who are still too stubborn to believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate Saviour of the humanity even though that message is clearly mentioned in the Qu'ran. Being an ardent devotee of Blessed Virgin Mother Mary (Mariam), about whom alone Quran has mentioned with prominence as 'Maryam' Imam Sulaiman desired to be known as 'Mario Joseph' thereafter..!

Dr. Mario Joseph is passionate about spreading the 'Truth' and he tours around the world to accomplish this mission. He is welcoming any Muslim under the sun with an open heart to know this Truth which cannot be hid forever. He is using the social medias for the pursuit of this goal. Hundreds of pious Muslims from many Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia are understood to have become followers of Christ through the work of Bro Mario.

'Philokaliawhich means 'Love of the Beautiful' (or more aptly 'Beauty of Love') is the name of his mission to spread the Love of God among the humans. Philokalia [Love of the Beautiful] Retreats are held regularly in Christeen Retreat and Revival Center in Kalathipady near Kottayam. This retreat under the spiritual guidance of Rev Fr Binoy Lean Capuchin endeavors to inculcate the True and Unparalleled Love of God in the minds of humans specially the youth instead of hunting for the fake love and momentary pleasures that the world can offer. 

Those who want to know more about or wish to participate in a 'Philokalia' Retreat can contact Christeen Retreat Center or Brother Mario Joseph's team through the below given numbers. 

Christeen Retreat Center Phones: 9495 000 245, 9495 000 244, 9495 000 243

Dr Mario Joseph's team: 96450 87174

Subscribe to Bro Mario Joseph's 'Philokalia Official' Youtube channel:


Bor Mario Joseph's facebook page: