St. Sebastian Church

We are in the month of December, a month of joy celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ on that blessed Christmas Day. Years ago, this good news of immense joy and happiness changed the course of every silent night to come because this story of Christmas is the story of God’s relentless love for us – Father sending His only beloved Son on Earth to redeem mankind. Jesus said, “Come, follow Me”. Where do we find Him? Do we look out for Him in the manger? Definitely not. Jesus has shown His people His path of forgiveness and assured that whoever seeks Him shall find Him. Jesus, by living an exemplary life, taught everyone to follow the path of goodness and to perform good deeds, follow the path shown to us and we will find JESUS. Let us remember that we are all put on the Earth to make a difference. We were not created just to consume resources, to eat, breathe and take up space. God has designed each one of us, to make a difference with our lives. Read more

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus”, which means “coming” or “arrival.” As a season of the church year, Advent is the four weeks before Christmas that prepares us to celebrate the Nativity, the birth of Christ, on December 25th. Christmas is a big mystery. We do not understand how exactly God comes to be among us in human form. Taking time to prepare to celebrate Christmas allows us to enter more fully into the mystery.

THREE TEACHINGS OF ADVENT SEASON
1. Preparation
Advent is a season of preparation. We are preparing to remember and to celebrate the birth of Jesus. During this time, we remember the prophets that foretold Jesus’ birth (Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6) and the nine-month journey of Mary and Joseph before the birth of Jesus (Luke 1-2, Matthew 1). We prepare ourselves for the birth of Jesus Christ by lighting the four candles on each Sunday. Each candle has its own significance and message for us.
The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes Hope (Prophecy Candle). The second candle, also purple, represents Faith (Bethlehem Candle). The third candle is pink and symbolizes Joy (Shepherd’s Candle). On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” which symbolizes peace. Read more

On the 8th of December the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The observance of the feast began with a Papal Encyclical when Pope Pius IX gave it the status of Dogma in the Papal Bull “Ineffabilis Deus” in the year 1854. Several years later, in 1858 the Blessed Mother Mary appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes in France stating, “I am the Immaculate Conception”.

According to Catechism of the Catholic Church 487 – 492, 508, Immaculate Conception means that God chose Mary from all eternity to be the Mother of His Son. In order to carry out her mission she herself was conceived Immaculate. That means that, thanks to God’s Grace and in anticipation of the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary was preserved from original sin from the first instance of her conception in the womb of her mother St. Anne. Mary is a part of God’s Plan. Christ who receives His human flesh from His mother, receives this gift from a person who by a singular gift from God, herself comes to be born into this world without sin. Read more

The feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year. If both these are on Sundays, then the feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on 30th December. This year on Friday, 30th December, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. On this day, we offer our families on the altar, to ask God’s blessings on them and obtain for them the guidance of the Holy Family.

A family is the first institution set aside by God, to foster mutual love, respect and understanding. St. John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation, so goes the world we live in.” We all grow up in a family. The Holy family has much to teach us about family life. The Holy Family of Nazareth is put before us by the Church, as a model for our families. The church has purposely not used the term ‘Perfect Family’ or ‘Ideal Family’, for us to avoid seeing the Holy Family as an unreachable goal. Read more

Was Lohia’s call to all Goans, “The immediate aim of our movement is to win the right to assemble, to organize and to publish. Our aim is to create a new Goa, where every single Goan is a worthy and happy citizen who tries to acquire the dignity of full democracy and is willing to live and die for a free and united Hindustan”.In 1946, at the time when the rest of India was inching towards freedom, on the invitation of Goan academician and writer, Dr Juliao Menezes, Ram Manohar Lohia arrived in Goa. What was originally a visit to a friend, evolved into a movement for civil liberties. When the Goans heard of Lohia’s arrival, nationalist leaders rushed to Menezes’s residence to apprise Lohia of the plight of the Goans.18th June 1946, was the beginning of the end of the Portuguese rule in India. 76 years ago, the first cry for freedom emanated from the streets and sands of Goa launched by freedom fighter, nationalist and socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.  Read more

(27th December)

The Apostle John is traditionally considered the author of the Gospel, of the three New Testament letters and the Book of Revelation. He is one of the sons of Zebedee. St. John and his brother, St. James the Greater, were given the nickname “Sons of Thunder” by Jesus Himself. St. John is known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” or “John the Beloved.” His Gospel is a very personal account. He sees the glorious and divine Jesus already in the incidents of his mortal life. His symbol is an eagle (for far-sightedness, or vision). He is sometimes called ‘John the Divine’. John wrote his gospel to convince people that Jesus is the Messiah, but his Gospel also strengthens the faith of those who already know that Jesus is the Messiah. Read more

St. Francis Xavier (San Francisco Javier or Xavier in Spanish) was born on  7th April, 1506, at Javier Castle, near Sangüesa, Navarre, Spain. He is considered to be the greatest Roman Catholic missionary of the modern era who was actively involved in the establishment of Christianity in India, the Malay Archipelago and Japan.

His three qualities are noteworthy in today’s modern world.
Enthusiasm: He was known to have conducted his life’s work with great vitality and zeal.
Passion driven achievement: Francis set high standards for himself and had ambitious plans for the future. He was a man of quick perception and sound judgment. Francis conducted His work in the spirit of magis; a Latin term meaning “more” and used by Loyola to underscore good character in service to others. Read more

Cleft lip and cleft palate is quite a common birth defect that occurs alone or as part of a genetic condition or Syndrome.  Cleft lip and cleft palate results when facial structures that are developing, in an unborn baby, don’t close completely. The lip forms between the 4th to the 7th week of pregnancy. As the baby develops, during pregnancy, body tissue and special cells from each side of the head grows towards the Centre of the face and join.  A cleft lip occurs if the tissue that makes up the lip doesn’t join. Cleft lip can be on one side or on both sides of the lip. Read more

Tadev:  Tuka Dev boro dis dium, Simao Titiv.

Simao: Tukai Dev kurpa dium, Baba Tadev.

Tadev:  Kollttam – nam kollttam, khoimcheanuch Dezembracho mhoino suru zalo, nhoim?

Simao:  Oi, hea vorsache dis, mhoine veginuch soron gele ani xevottacho mhoino hajir zalo.

Tadev: Khoxalkaiecho ani movjecho mhoino ho kiteak thoddeach disamnim ami Natalanchi Porob vhodda dobajean monoiteleanv.

Simao:  Oi Tadev, punn amchim adlim Natalam kai borim zatalim, atamchim tankam sor korunk zainam.

Tadev: Oxem kiteak mhonnttai tum, Titiv?          Read more