Mary – Mother of God

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On 1st January, the Church keeps the solemnity of the Dogma of Mary- the Mother of God and also begins the New Year with the blessings of Mother Mary, who gave birth to the Son of God, which we celebrated on 25th December.

This dogma of Mary- Mother of God, was proclaimed by the Council of Ephesus in 431. Mary is called “Mother of God” which translates the more accurately stated Greek term “Theotokos” or “Birth giver of God or God Bearer.” In order to understand how Mary becomes the Mother of God, we need to know that in Christ there are two natures, one divine and one human, but only one person. His eternal divine nature was united perfectly to the human flesh offered from Mary’s own human flesh. The heresy Nestorianism teaches that Mary was the mother only of the ‘human Jesus’ and not the ‘divine Jesus.’  On the contrary, the Catholic Church teaches that Christ is one person with two natures: divine nature and human nature. Hence Mary is the mother of the Divine Person who is the Son of God. Logically, she is the Mother of He who is God the Son. She is the Mother of God, though not the Mother of the divine essence of the Trinity. Read more

Epiphany

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Epiphany, in the Western church, is celebrated on January 6, completing the 12 days of Christmas. Traditionally Epiphany marks the visit of the Magi recorded in Matthew 2:1–12. (In the Eastern church, Epiphany is also an observance of the Baptism of Jesus and the revelation of the Trinity.) The wise men—Gentiles from another culture—recognized Jesus’ kingship and bowed before Him in worship. Well before Paul’s teachings in the Epistles or Peter’s vision (Acts 10), this event conveys a truth of great theological significance

It is clear enough to see that the story traces the quest of these Magi to find the one who was born king of the Jews. They arrive in the palace, they receive directions, they are met by king Herod, they visit Bethlehem, and pay homage to the child. Read more

Republic Day 2021: History, significance and interesting facts

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Republic Day has been celebrated every year in India on January 26, since 1950 to honour the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect. India will be celebrating its 72nd Republic Day this year.

Republic Day has been celebrated every year in India on January 26, since 1950 to honour the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect. India was a colony of the British for over 200 years and became independent from the rule of the British Raj following the Indian independence movement. While India became independent on August 14, 1947, it still didn’t have a permanent constitution, and Indian laws were based on a modified version of the British established, Government of India Act 1935. Read more

St. John Bosco

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Every year we celebrate the feast of St. John Bosco on 31st January. This year being a Sunday, the Church will celebrate the feast the next day i.e. Monday 1st February 2021.

This is a feast that is celebrated in a big way at the Shrine of Don Bosco in Matunga, Mumbai. Devotees have flocked here with deep faith in this wonderful Saint. Their answered prayers and miracles are being recorded in the “Madonna” which still comes to our homes, free of charge. As children we were great fans of the then comics, but our spiritual food was always the “Madonna”. We didn’t have a Bible in our home in the ‘50s and ‘60s, so the Madonna in its simplicity and charity gave us food for thought. With time, though the simplicity continued the contents had more depth especially for the adults. Read more

A walk to Old Goa

admin Pormoll

Everyone has various reasons and different ways like walking, kneeling or fasting to endure a sacrifice towards God or a favourite Saint you believe in. Some do it for retrospect, some do it for good health for self or for others.

I had  my own personal reason for this sacrifice, which we call ‘Angonn’ in konkani and decided to walk from Margao to Old Goa on 2nd December 2020. Read more

Stress

admin Pormoll

The corona virus pandemic has changed life and changes can be hard.  These are stressful times as we don’t know what the future holds for us.  But we must move on and make the most of every moment of our life.

Stress is a person’s physical or emotional response to the demands or pressure of daily life & all of us face it at some time. Read more

Working to Retire Early

admin Pormoll

“Hey Vishnu!” Clinton called from the water cooler where Sneha and Reshma were already talking excitedly.

As Vishnu approached the exuberant group, Clinton patted his back in a friendly manner and asked, “So, you are coming to the club tonight, right?”

Vishnu smiled, and politely declined the offer.

“What, man! Today we are getting our first paycheque. We ought to celebrate!” said Reshma, who seemed incredulous at the idea of not partying when you have the money.

“Come on, brother. Don’t be a scrooge, let’s go and party, we deserve it after a month-long hard work,” cajoled Clinton. But Vishnu was firm.

“I am not a miser, dear. I just want to manage my money responsibly so that when I need it, it’s there for me.”

“Oh, big words,” Sneha pulled a face at Vishnu. Read more