St. Sebastian Church

All of us are entitled to our own ingenuity and creativity. But how authentic are our potentials if we are not provided with proper ambience and opportunities? Activities like Church bulletins surely help to assimilate the best that the Church can offer us as well as the best that we as parishioners can offer to the Church spreading fragrance like a stunning rose. By all means, ‘PORMOLL’ has been providential and thought provoking instrument in offering the parishioners as well as others ample chances to challenge our own potential and to hone our personal skills, in order to connect to our own self, to our parishioners and to the Church, making us more viable and ardent witnesses of Christ. I am reminded of the very beautiful message from our Holy Father Pope Francis “Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other. No matter how difficult it is…Life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you.” Read more

The sublime purpose of the birth of Jesus was the Redemption of humanity. Our Saviour bore the penalty of the sins of all mankind on the Cross so that those who believe in Him would be reunited with God the Father. Many describe this Redemption as the Divine Exchange which provided mankind with the gift of Salvation.

And so now, redeemed as we are, what is our response to this ultimate gift of heaven? Read more

One of the greatest Catholic legends of the 15^th century is a Spanish missionary called Francis Xavier.

He along with Ignatius of Loyola co – founded the Society of Jesus (SJ), and under his tutelage and leadership was one of the first seven Jesuits to take pledge of Chastity and Poverty in Paris under the leadership of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Francis was the first foreign missionary to visit India on the order of the then Pope and was instrumental for the rise and spread of the Roman Catholic faith in India. Read more

God cares for this world so He chooses people

The bible tells us that He predetermined that role of the prophets before they were conceived. Isaiah 49.5 and Jeremiah 1:5.

In a special way, Mary was chosen for the Salvation of humankind and therefore she received the privilege of being conceived free from the stain of original sin. Pope Pius IX says she received the benefits of salvation in Christ from the very moment of her Conception because God chose her to be the Mother of the Saviour. Read more

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because He has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’……Isaaih 61: 1-3

These words had been written hundreds of years earlier and spoke of a new freedom that was coming in the future. When Jesus stood up to read, He was saying the future had arrived. Liberty would come through Him.

What is the freedom Jesus was talking about ……… It is the Spiritual freedom. Read more

A family that prays together devoutly stays together. This is a very old quote but it is not old fashioned. It is true & relevant even today. We in the family must set certain time for family prayer and this should be priority in our life. God should be first, always. Daily Mass, Morning Prayer, personal prayer, Angelus, Rosary, Word of God, Reflection and so on. Mother Mary prayed and thanked the Lord in all circumstances (Magnificat). Read more

Bhurgim zaun asat avoi-bapaichea mogachi ani ekvottachi khunna. Avoi- bapaichem rogot hea bhurgeant asta. Jednam ek bhurgem hea sonvsaracho uzvadd polleta, tednam avoi-bapaichea kallzant khuxalkayechi zor vhanvta. Jednam hem bhurgem sonvsarak dolle dhampta tednam tich khuxalkayechi zhor dukhanchi ani vilapanchi zhor zata. Oslich zhor Judev avoi-bapain vhanvoili jednam Herod razan aplem rajponn samballunk tanchea supurlea bhurgeanche rogtache vall kele. (Mt 2, 16)

Hea inocent Ballancho Povitr Sobha Dezembrache 28ver, ugdass korta kiteak hea supurlea bhurgeamnim, Jezu pasot aplem rogot varoilem ani aplea rogtantlean tannim Jezuk govai dilo. Him bhurgim zalim Jezu pasot poilim rogt-sakxim. Tanchem rogot Jezun Aplea povitr rogtan duvun kaddlem. Hea bhurgeamchem rogot Jezu pasot varovlem punn Jezun somestam pasot aplem rogot varoilem. Read more

He came as a tiny Babe

that He might better understand our sufferings.

He was born into poverty

lest we think Him a monarch;

He came not to dominate;

but to motivate us;

not to condemn, but to forgive us;

not to oppress, but to free us;

not to compel, but to teach us the truest measure

Of unselfish Love.

E.B. Michaels

One morning during prayer time, the Holy Spirit led me to God’s word in Jeremiah 1:5.

“EVEN BEFORE I formed you in the womb I have known you;

EVEN BEFORE you were born I have set you apart and appointed you a prophet to the nations”.

This hit me hard. God my creator knew me even before He formed me in my mother’s womb! He set me apart for His work! It got me thinking that such a direct message implies a MISSION for me. Like Jeremiah I got a bit nervous about being a ‘prophet’ but I decided I could be a witness to God’s love. So I share my experience of God’s love in and through Jesus. Read more

As teachers, God has given us an important area of influence, and we have the awesome responsibility and privilege to be a light in this dark world. If we truly believe in Christ and the desire to follow HIM, then our faith must impact every aspect of our lives, no matter what our vocation is. The teacher’s life style and character are as important as their professional credentials. If you are a Christian teacher, it shouldn’t matter where you teach. Our goal should be the same – to show Christ to our students.

All of us can and should be intentional about showing Christ and His love in every way we can. God is LOVE: if we want to show Christ to our students, we must also love them – all of them. Even the ones driving us crazy. Love is a powerful force. We’ve seen its powers. We know what it is capable of. In our homes, in our classrooms, love is what makes the biggest impact, what changes hearts and minds. Read more