Gods Own Words

The Spirit of Truth and the Whole Truth

Benny Nalkara, CMI The Church is the community of the disciples of Jesus who believe in him and proclaim him as the Lord. Jesus during his earthly ministry taught and trained his followers to continue his mission on the earth and asked them to be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts1:8). In […]

A Brother who Hugs, and not Snubs…

Jacob Chanikuzhy The Parish priest was visiting a family. He was greeted by the lady in the house who was pregnant with her second child. Her first child was a three-year-old boy. The priest asked her whether she had prepared the boy to accept the second child. She said, “Yes, of course. In fact, he […]

“They may be one”- Agapeic Unity not the Ritualistic Uniformity

Benny Nalkara, CMI The priestly prayer of Jesus (Chapter 17) marks the climax point of the farewell discourse in the Gospel of John. His focus on the glory of the Cross, his sense of fulfilment of the mission entrusted with him, his idea of discipleship and above all his unique intimacy with the Father are […]

“Father, forgive them, for…”

Jacob Chanikuzhy Contemporary American author Marianne Williamson rightly writes, “Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.” The admonition of Jesus, “Love your enemies” is more often preached than practiced. But there […]

“It is finished”: The Cry of Victory

Benny Nalkara, CMI Jesus’ seven utterances from the cross were not mere despairing cries of a helpless soul. They were expressions of His divine and human natures with the innermost feelings. As a human person, Jesus revealed God’s love in categories that derive from human experience. As the Son of God, Jesus’ utterances from the […]

Dolorous Turns of Lovely Dreams

Jacob Chanikuzhy As a seventeen-year-old teenager, Patriarch Joseph had exciting dreams about his future. These dreams were not simply the fascinations of an unrealistic mind. They delineated the divine plan about his destiny. Just as Jacob, his earthly father, gave Joseph a multi-coloured garment, so also his heavenly Father gave him a colourful dream. But, […]

A Virgin’s Womb and an Empty Tomb

Benny Nalkara, CMI “How can this happen?” This spontaneous question of Blessed Virgin Mary to angel Gabriel echoes the innermost feelings of any ordinary human being confronted with the existential challenges of life. To this question of Mary was the greatest good news to the world revealed by the angel: “Nothing is impossible with God” […]

Abuse and its Aftermaths

Jacob Chanikuzhy Desperate situations can be powerful catalysts that empower the weak and vulnerable people to invent ingenious solutions to their miserable situations. The story of Tamar in Genesis 38 is a case in point. According to this story, the Patriarch Judah had three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. Tamar was the wife of Er […]

Eviction-facing Indian Catholics to fight Muslim charity’s claims

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica