St. Sebastian Church

From the middle ages right upto the meeting of the second Vatican Council in the 1960’s ministry in the church was seen as something that those ordained did on behalf of the community. The responsibilities of the parishioners was simply to pray, pay and obey. In the light of Vatican II a new understanding of the church surfaced as the ‘People of God’. The revised code of Canon law 1983, urged that pastoral council’s be established in every parish. The parish council is presided over by the parish priest together with the elected members. They are engaged in the pastoral care of the parish and help to foster pastoral action. Read more

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. And Jesus taught them a prayer which we all know today as the ‘Lord’s prayer’ – the Our Father (Lk 11: 1-4). The prayer has been handed over to numerous generations, translated into hundreds of languages and said at various prayers and services. But a small phrase within the prayer – do not lead us into temptation – always raised eyebrows, because that seemed to go against the very idea of who God is. How can a God who is ‘All Good’ and ‘All Holy’ lead us, frail human beings, into temptations? Keeping in mind these thoughts a need was felt to study the phrase in question and come out with a better translation of the phrase from the original text. Read more

Foreword:
When I was requested to pen a few lines on the topic “Grand Parents”, with a request that it should not exceed one or one-and-half page, that too by someone who is presently a grandparent himself, I was apprehensive because this was such an extensive theme, and I was sure that it was going to be difficult to adhere to that threshold. However as I narrate it in a nutshell and as a grandparent myself, it is a fact that, because I found this phase in my life the most gratifying, rewarding, and fulfilling and therefore in as much as I enjoyed writing it, I hope you all, will enjoy reading it. Read more

You are who you are, for a reason,
You’re part of an intricate plan,
You’re a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God’s special Woman or Man. Read more

Duh! Realizing that monsoons are approaching would really annoy me. Yes you read it right. I hate the rains. This was my thought a few days ago, but not anymore. You may call it my unearthing moment. The lush greenery all around, the pitter-patter of rain drops, the fragrance of soil, the rain drops hitting the tree leaves, the faded sunlight peeking through the dark clouds, actually looks breathtaking! It so happened that I found myself walking along the lake while it was pouring from up above. I heard the frogs, I saw the weeds along the shore, algae and moss thriving with life, the rain creating tiny ripples in the water, the insects and birds bathing in glory.. Yes it was my instance of truth, I was a believer filled with awe. I had fallen for the rain. Read more

Over several years of practice as a physician, I have noted a trend ,that people often dedicate a lot of time and energy towards physical health , while that of the mind is almost always sidelined or considered of less importance and for some ,they are totally unaware of the role of the mind on their health. But today, this trend is changing, and there is an increasing awareness on the importance of mental health and that it is equal or more important than physical health. The truth lies in the fact that, both health of body and health of mind are interlinked. Read more

Tradition tells us that Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, after evangelizing other parts of the East, came to India. He evangelized many parts of this country, especially the South and finally received the martyr’s crown at Mylapore. The feast of St. Thomas is celebrated on 3rd of July.
There are three scenes in John’s Gospel where we meet with Thomas the apostle. Read more

“Whosoever dies clothed in this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.” – words of Our Lady to Saint Simon Stock
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Mary being our mother wants us to be saved, for which she gave us a wonderful gift of the “Brown Scapular” with a promise that those who wear Her Brown Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire. Only a fool can doubt about Mother Mary’s promise and refrain from wearing the Carmelite mantel. Read more