Our Lady of Perpetual Succor

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Succor and my Conversion

A Happy Feast of Mother of Perpetual Succor to All 

We celebrate the Feast of Lady of Perpetual Help today. I had a special encounter with this image when I was 10 years old but not more than 12. In those days during holidays or school vacations, we used to go to my mother’s home to stay.  In weekends I used to take my Papa’s Bicycle and ride to my mothers maternal home, 4 KM away from my home.  During our schools summer vacation We all cousins and aunties stay there for some days or weeks. were about 30 children. During nights, we all cousins(about 30 of them), boys were sleep together in the main hall except girls. I always get a place to sleep is, under the images Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. Whenever I look up before sleep I see the image of Mother Mary as there is a small light down those images, to venerate while praying. She looks gently and sharply towards me which always made me to pray at least one Our Father before I sleep. Every night it was same experience I had while I was Staying in my mother’s home. There was another image next to it was a Word of God from 1Th 5: 17 ’Pray Constantly’ and those letters were surrounded by flowers and fruits(Apple and Grapes)I was asking myself, how can a person can pray constantly. Her unwavering looks on me lead me to pray at least few minutes before I sleep. Later when I came into the Lord, I realise her intercession made me to convert to Catholicism. Apart from that my wife’s prayers also is there for my conversion. Whenever she asks for my conversion I tell her, when Mother Mary appear to me I will believe in her. Another incident was happened in Muscat. When the early years(late 70’s in Muscat I used to go to Sunday Mass in Mar Thoma Syrian Church. Usually I go to the Church with my neighbour, Varghese, a Marhomite in his Pick Up Car. Most of the time he invites me to go with him to the Church which I was doing almost every week in the early years in Muscat. Once I was in a deep depression, and he knew and understand my situation. I was just 20 years old at that time. He took me to his studio apartment where he stays alone. He started talking and asking me, what had happened to me and why I am in such kind  of depression. I told him that I feel lonely and wants to go back to India and do some job there. He started reading Bible and explaining about some verses from Bible to encourage me and tried to strengthen me. I don’t remember any of those Verses or any Word of God from that time. But I remember while he was reading the Bible(he was using a Catholic Malayalam Bible and it very unusual for non Catholics). After many years while I was reflecting it got this Verses from Scriptures is Search in Yahweh’s book, and read, not one of these will be missing, not one of them lacking a mate; for thus his mouth has ordained it, and his spirit has brought them together. (Isaiah 34:16, NJB)

he took a picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help from his Bible and explained to me how she was interceded for  him to overcome the difficult times and he started crying while holding the image in his hands. But I still not remember why he has cried. He was  a Marthomite and they don’t venerate Mother Mary. But my neighbour was different. These two incidents were came into my mind frequently before my conversion and even now I ponder those moments with a gratitude. I make story short. After many years,  immediate after the marriage the very next year in 1991, myself and my wife attended the retreat in Divine Retreat Centre. After many retreats in 1999 I got my conversion after I met Jesus in the Eucharist and Mother Mary and that was the day my real conversion was started and I embraced Catholic Church in 2000. The very next year I met our Brothers and experienced Jesus the Word of God, and Mary Mother of God and experienced the communion of saints. in one of talk of Br Victor, he said “all of you should recollect the moment or day you  experienced a spiritual encounter with Jesus or Mary or a Word of God you heard from someone which touched you very deeply. For me the above two  incident of the encounter with the image of Mary the Perpetual Succor was touched me then the Word of God touched me was The eye which looks jeeringly on a father, and scorns the obedience due to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, and eaten by the vultures. (Proverbs 30:17, NJB) Which was given me by my dad’s pastor friend when I was at 11 years old.  

Feast of Most Holy Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

The Word of Life

 

      13th March 2026

      The Word of Life 

    One who keeps the Law multiplies offerings; one who follows the commandments offers communion sacrifices.2 Proof of gratitude is an offering of fine flour, almsgiving a sacrifice of praise.3To abandon wickedness is what pleases the Lord, to give up wrong-doing is an expiatory sacrifice.4Do not appear empty-handed in the Lord’s presence; for all these things are due under the commandment. The offering of the upright graces the altar, and its savour rises before the Most High.6The sacrifice of the upright is acceptable, its memorial will not be forgotten.7Honour the Lord with generosity, do not stint the first-fruits you bring. 8 Add a smiling face to all your gifts, and be cheerful as you dedicate your tithes. Give to the Most High as he has given to you, as generously as your means can afford;10 for the Lord is a good rewarder, he will reward you seven times over. (Sirach 35:1–10, NJB)

• The Lord is requesting that we abide by the law and commandments. Jesus did not come into the world to eliminate the law; rather, he came to fulfil it. Therefore, Christians' lives are closely linked to obedience to the Lord's commands and regulations. Scripture makes it quite plain that obeying the law increases the offerings we make to the Lord. It is similar to fully participating in Holy Mass, the spiritual communion with the Lord, when we do the commandments. Lent serves as a reminder of all the wonderful things that the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished for us. The Lord Jesus, who was born, died on the Cross, and rose from the dead for us, is the real salvation that God the Father brought. The Lord will be pleased if we give up wicked ways, and refraining from wrongdoing will serve as an expiatory sacrifice. My child, have you sinned? Do so no more, and ask forgiveness for your previous faults………………. (Sirach 21:1-3 NJB) Ask the Lord every time for the forgiveness of our sins, and keep away our mind and body from the sinful ways. 

• The Lord is telling us not to approach Him empty-handed, that is whatever the blessings and talents God has given to us, we have to use it for the glory of God. Lord, I ask your forgiveness for my negligence in doing Your will. Whatever we do, everything is due according to the commandments of God. When we do our sacrifices uprightly, it will grace the altar and will be pleasing to God. Thanksgiving is the biggest sacrifice we are offering to our God. Our uprightness matters in front of the Lord, and its memorial will not be forgotten. Honor our Lord generously by doing the things He entrusted to us, and we honour Him by remembering His blessings and glorifying Him for the wonders and miracles He has done in our life. The Lord is so generous towards us, so give Him back generously without any measures and He is a good rewarder. 

The Word of Life

 

Word of Life

19th October 2025 

The Word of Life 

Words of Jesus 

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Again, you have heard how it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. * 34 But I say this to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; 35 or by earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great King. * 36 Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. 37 All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the Evil One.  (Matthew 5:33–37, NJB)

We should not break our faith and oath with our Lord. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain Ex 20: 7. Taking the name of God unnecessarily or misuse His Name is against the Commandment of God.  We may repeat our profession of faith whenever we participate fully in the Holy Mass. Never swear an oath in vain by taking the name of the Lord, which may lead us to grievous sin. If we say yes to our faith means yes only, if say no means no only. Anything more than this in the matter of faith is from the Evil One. We cannot serve Jesus Christ and Evil together, we will be answerable for that on the Judgement Day. 

Let us pray pray to Jesus our Lord to increase our faith, as he prayed for the Apostles and his disciples. 

Oh Little Francis Happy Feast of St Francis of Assisi

 

Happy  Feast of St Francis Assisi 

Oh Francis, you sacrificed many things of this world, you embraced the way of littleness to approach eternal life! 

St Francis was influenced me so much in my conversion. The book I read about him was named,The first life of St Francis of Assisi written by Thomas Celano. I don’t remember the name of the translator to Malayalam. From that book I got to know about the powerful intervention of Mother Mary to bring back a soul of a Friar to return of his vocation of priesthood. Our Lady gave a special Rosary of seven decades to the friar to make him embrace the love of Jesus. Later the Franciscans made this rosary [called Franciscan Seraphic Rosary] to recite in their Monasteries and Convents of Poor Clares and many other Franciscan Congregations. 

This inspired me a lot, thought how much St Francis also loved Mother Mary. Since I read this book I started knowing about Mother Mary, same my love towards St Francis also increased. I started reciting Rosary and love towards increased.  Then after many interventions of Mother Mary and St Francis I decided to become a Catholic. My spiritual life I started in the Gulf was associated with Franciscans as the Catholic Churches in the Middle East are run by Franciscans Capuchins. 

Oh, Little Francis

Oh! Little Francis 

The poorest of the poor 

You imitated Christ 

In everything you have done

You made an example 

To the young and old

You are the humblest servant 

Chosen by God, to serve the flocks of Christ

You left all the wealth of this world

To gain the wealth of Heaven

You poured out the charity 

On all the Creatures of God

Your love is inspiring 

Still in the hearts of millions

You were the channel of peace

Peace that the Lord has endeavoured 

Lord has given a key to you 

To open the hearts of the wearied souls

Help us to seek the life in holiness

The peace and joy in the Holy Spirit

You have loved the nature ardently

You praised God’s creations by giving Him thanks

You love peace among the nations

You never wants to be loved but to love all

The Words of Jesus

 Jesus is Word of God 

29th September 2025

The Words Of Jesus 

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

1 ‘It has also been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. * 32 But I say this to you, everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of an illicit marriage, * makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  (Matthew 5:31–32, NJB)

When someone divorce his wife or a wife divorce her husband they make their wife or husband an adulterer. This way the sin of adultery will be a punishable mortal sin. Whoever remarries a wife or husband becomes an adulterer.  So the Catholic Church never entertain divorces for a married couple but the church encourages them to reconcile with each other by giving them time to think about the future.  This is one way to overcome the divided life of them and the divided life of their children, which is very painful when the children live a life with a single parent. 

Let us pray for the married couples and their families to overcome any difficulties in their life and to live their life with full of love and compassion, by imitating a meek and humble heart of Jesus. 

The Word of Life

10th September 2025

The Words Of Jesus 

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Lord, ‘do not let lechery and lust grip me, do not leave me a prey to shameless desire.’

You have heard how it was said, You shall not commit adultery. * 28 But I say this to you, if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye should be your downfall, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand should be your downfall, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body go to hell. (Matthew 5:27–30, NJB)

Adultery is a grave mortal sin as per the commandment of God. When adultery is committed, we do it in our own body and sometimes involve others as well to do the same sin. When a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has committed adultery in her heart. So this way we commit adultery by our eyes, our mind and body. Never harm ourselves in such a kind of sin by our lustful eyes or mind which makes us fall into sin and even involves others as well. Never entertain our mind with lustful feelings which may corrupt us mentally and physically, will lead us to this grave sin. In Book of Sirach, a prayer is there to recite: do not let lechery and lust grip me, do not leave me a prey to shameless desire.  (Sirach 23:6, NJB)

Word of Life

3rd September 2025 

The Words Of Jesus 

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Lord, help us to forgive and forget our adversaries in all situations. 

So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. 25 Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 In truth I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:23–26, NJB

We have to reconcile with our brothers and sisters if there is any kind of bitterness or or any other kind of sins we done against them to be asked forgiveness. if the situation not allowing us to ask pardon personally forgive them in our heart without any bitterness in our mind or heart. Our willingness to forgive our neighbors or enemies are matter in the kingdom of God. If there is any dispute with any person reconcile with that person before the situation become worse. So better to talk to that person before he approaches the court of jurisdiction to file a case against us. Lord, help us to forgive and forget our adversaries in all situations. 

The Word of Life

24th August 2025 

The Words Of Jesus 

Meditating the Words of Jesus from Holy Scriptures 

Lord, teach us how to be faithful to You 

For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:20, NJB) We are called to be upright and leading holy life for the kingdom of God. unless we don’t surpass the uprightness of Scropines and Pharisees we will not enter into the kingdom of God. Have any of the authorities come to believe in him? Any of the Pharisees? (John 7:48, NJB) The Pharisees never believes Jesus is the Son of God or he came from God. Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of corruption. 28 In just the same way, from the outside you look upright, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:27–28, NJB).The Scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign from Jesus, he is the Messiah. Only one sign Jesus wants to recael to thwm that is of Jonah the prophet. He was disobeyed God and was thrown into the deep sea and God saved him in the belly of a Whale and third day he came out of the belly of the fish alive. Jesus same way Son of man will be died and third day will rise again from the dead. He replied, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Matthew 12:39, NJB)

Precious Blood of Jesus Christ

  

Today is the last day of July and this month we remembered the Precious Blood of Jesus which became our salvation. Only through the Blood of Jesus we receive the redemption and we receive the remission of our sins. How blessed we are, as we have the Eternal Priest who shed his own blood for us and purchased us with His Precious Blood, which is having the highest redemptive value on earth and in Heaven. Let us thank the Heavenly Father as He brought us His only Son to be sacrificed on the Cross as a true libation as it was His heavenly plan for our salvation.. 

Precious Blood of Jesus, Part XXII

Jesus said, this cup is the New Covenant in my Blood. 

  1 Corinthians 11:23–27 (NJB): 23 For the tradition I received from the Lord and also handed on to you is that on the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, 24 and after he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ 25 And in the same way, with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ 26 Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Therefore anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.

  St Paul spoke here about the Eucharist, which Jesus established as the Eternal Covenant  which we have received as the Catholic Church Teaching and tradition  which followed by Apostles and the disciples since the resurrection of Jesus. He acquired this information from the Lord. We all believe in this tradition and henceforth by attending the Holy Mass. We join the Priest in consecrating the bread and wine, which become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We all do this to remember Jesus' death and resurrection. He has given us his flesh, his Body, to eat and drink, and the wine becomes his Blood after the priest consecrates it. Through his Precious Blood, Jesus established the New Everlasting Covenant in eternity.

   So, whenever we attend the Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion, we should examine ourselves and our unworthiness. We must reconcile with the Lord before consuming him; else, we will be held responsible for the Body and Blood of Jesus our Lord!

Precious Blood of Jesus

 

St Bridget of Sweden meditating on the wounds of Jesus covered from the head to foot. She prayed fervently and invoke the Precious Blood of Jesus and ask Jesus to inscribe all the wounds upon her heart. 

On 23rd of July we celebrated the Feast of St Bridget of Sweden

On 25th July 2025

Precious Blood of Jesus, Part XVII

The blood of Jesus, the Sacrificial Victim makes the expiation of sins

Exodus 30:10 (NJB): Once a year, Aaron will perform the rite of expiation on the horns of the altar; once a year, on the Day of Expiation, with the blood of the sacrifice for sin, he will make expiation for himself, for all your generations to come. It is especially holy for Yahweh.’ In ancient Israel, priests sacrificed animals on the altar for the remission of Israelites' sins. The priest himself performs the remission of sins by sin offering for him. All of these sacrifices represent the single sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's only Son. Jesus had heard God the Father's voice confirming the fulfillment of His wish to make Jesus the eternal sacrifice for sin. It was fulfillment of the prophesy of Isiah. In Isaiah 6:8 (NJB): I then heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I, send me.’ Jesus tells his Father, ‘Here I am send me to fulfill Your mission’ Jesus was ready to be sacrificed for the whole humanity that was salvation Heavenly wants from Jesus, and it is fulfilled.