Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

Today, we celebrate one of the great solemnities in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Assumption. This special day commemorates the fact that after Mary’s earthly life, she was taken body and soul into heaven to be with her resurrected Son and adore the Most Holy Trinity forever. It is a remarkable truth that she now enjoys her body and soul united in heaven, anticipating the day when all the faithful will rise and dwell with God in a new bodily form.

In today’s gospel reading, we hear the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Luke describes a visit that left both the visitor and the one visited greatly blessed. Elizabeth addresses Mary as ‘the mother of my Lord’. She recognized that in welcoming Mary she was welcoming the Lord whom Mary was carrying. Elizabeth was aware that the Lord was visiting her through Mary, and so she declared Mary blessed. That is why we, too, honour Mary. We recognize that it was through her that the Lord visited us. Later on, in Luke’s gospel, the crowds come to say of the adult Jesus, ‘God has visited his people’. The really significant visitation is God’s visiting us in the person of Jesus, and it was through Mary that this visitation came about. We honour Mary because she was the gate through whom the Lord came to us. That is why, as she sings in her Magnificat, all generations have called her blessed.

Because she is the gate through whom the Lord first came to us, Mary has a unique relationship with the Lord. It is because of that special relationship with the Lord that she shares uniquely in his risen and glorious life before everybody else. That is what we celebrate today on this feast of the Assumption.

This feast is not only about Mary. It is also about ourselves. What Mary has become, we hope to be. The great things that God has done for Mary are a pointer to the great things that God wants to do for all of us. The doctrine of Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven brings home to us that our bodies are destined to be gloriously changed after death. How this will happen is utterly mysterious.

Recognizing that the Lord comes among us in embodied ways inspires us to be concerned about the welfare of people’s bodies. When in today’s gospel reading Mary sings of God as one who exalts the lowly and fills the hungry with good things, she acknowledges God as one who is deeply concerned about people’s bodies, about their physical well-being. Today’s feast calls on us to make that concern of God our own, and to give expression to God’s concern in the way we relate to others, especially to those who are broken in body or spirit.

We celebrate today by singing with Mary her great hymn of praise, the “Magnificat” (Lk 1:39-56). Apart from God’s favour Mary was but a lowly servant living in a “nowhere” town in the hill country of Galilee.  She was at the bottom of the social ladder.  Yet when God touched her womb she became a queen, the mother of the King of kings.  To this day she is honored millions of times a day as her “Hail Mary” is recited by humble Catholics throughout the world.  If you check it out, you will be amazed at the number of singing artists, both religious and secular, who have recorded her “Ave Maria.”  Truly all generations have and will always call her blessed.

And she is not the only one called blessed.  Each of us, being her sons and daughters, is also called blessed because we are special children of the Queen of heaven and earth.  Any low self-esteem problems we might have will evaporate if we drink in this truth about ourselves.

“The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.  He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.”

 

May the assumed Mary intercede for us with her Son Jesus to do the works she did so that finally, we shall, assisted by Mary, one day reach Jesus, and enjoy the joys of heaven.

 

ALL SOULS DAY

Today, All Souls' Day, the Church offers prayers to honor and to intercede for those who have predeceased us.
This commemoration also brings to mind our own mortality. It can be a day of mixed emotions, for, while we are saddened to recall the deaths of our loved ones,  we are also reminded of our resurrection. Because of our Baptism and the price Jesus paid for our sins, we too can share in the Resurrection.

A too common error among many believing Catholics is their attitude toward death and what happens immediately after death. All too many are convinced that their loved ones, immediately after passing from this life to the next, are already in heaven, even though such loved ones did not live an exemplary and holy life. Remember what the last Book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, teaches us: “Nothing impure can enter the Kingdom of God.”  Jesus also states: “Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.”(Mt. 5:8)

How often do we hear at funerals, referring to the deceased, these words: “Well, he is in a better place now!” or “Now he is no longer suffering.” Obviously, those who utter these statements toward the deceased have no bad will in the least. Nonetheless, these statements can cause great damage and the reason is crystal clear! If this person who has passed into eternity is in a better place, which of course refers to heaven, and if he is no longer suffering because he enjoys the perpetual bliss of heaven, then it is not necessary to offer any prayers or sacrifices for the purification of his soul. In other words, why waste prayers and sacrifices in praying for a soul who is already in heaven? They can pray and intercede for us.

However, we must arrive at the bare truth. Only those who are absolutely pure, without any stain of sin, without any attachments to sin and this world, and who have been totally purified of their past sins can have access to the Kingdom of heaven. Most of us would have to admit, with honesty and truth, that we probably have not arrived at that state, yet. In other words, only those who have perfected themselves in charity—supernatural love for God and neighbor—are ready to enter into the utter holiness and essence of the eternal Home of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Mary, the angels and saints!

Therefore, no matter who the person is and was, after he has passed from this life to the next, it is a salutary practice and most pleasing to God to pray, offer sacrifices, offer Masses and offer alms for the deceased. We should not canonize them before their time. Only the Holy Father, the Pope, has the right to declare officially that such a person is a saint in heaven.

Therefore, if such a person has died in the state of grace, but has not yet arrived at heaven, then his destiny is that of PURGATORY. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines Purgatory as such:

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC # 1030)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also quotes Pope Saint Gregory the Great, who is the origin and initiator of the “Gregorian Masses”—meaning 30 consecutive Masses for the deceased, on the topic of Purgatory with these motivating words:

“As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.” (CCC #1031)

Then the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers us a clear Biblical passage from the Old Testament, the Book of Maccabees (2 Mac. 12:46) that gives support and proof for the reality of Purgatory, as well as what practices we should undertake so as to help these poor souls in their suffering to arrive safely home in heaven. In a word, the souls in Purgatory are saved because they died in the state of sanctifying grace, but they are totally dependent upon the infinite mercy of Almighty God for final purification. However, the mercy of Almighty God is partially mediated through what we do for them while we are on earth. God wants us to do all we can to help these souls attain their eternal reward. Therefore, let us read and reflect seriously in an attitude of prayer the words once again of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: Therefore (Judas Maccabeus) made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sin (2.Mac.12:45). From the beginning, the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead: “Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice (Job.1:5), why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.” (CCC # 1032)

 We can only be truly consoled by trusting in the Lord’s words: I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even if they die, will live [Jn. 11: 25]. It is in this faith and trust in God’s goodness that we pray for the deceased. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied, says Paul in 1 cor.15:19.

We are reminded today, on All Souls Day, not only to pray for those who have died, but also to reflect on how well we might be meeting our own obligations with those entrusted by Christ to our loving care.

Why veil the statues in the Holy week and no Mass on Good Friday?

As you can see the statues in the Church are veiled during Holy week. It is not mandatory since the Vat.II, and so not all Churches do that any more. The rational behind this practice is that:

Christ hid himself from the rage of the Jewish authorities (John 8:59), as they threatened to stone him;  so now he is hidden from the world in preparation for the mysteries of his passion.

“The statues of the saints, too, are covered; for it is but just that, if the glory of the Master be eclipsed, the servant should not appear.

Another reason is that  our Savior’s divinity was almost totally eclipsed during the holy week, so great was his suffering. And even his humanity was obscured – so much so that he could say through his prophet: I am a worm and no man (Psalm 21:7). His face and whole body were so disfigured by the blows and scourges that our Jesus was scarcely recognizable! Thus, the wounds he endured hid both his divinity and his humanity.

 It may be possible that the Church covers the images of the Cross during these days, for the same reason that she refrains from offering the Sacrifice of the Mass on Good Friday.

St. Thomas tells us that “the figure ceases on the advent of the reality. But this sacrament [i.e. the Eucharist] is a figure and a representation of our Lord's Passion. And therefore on the day on which our Lord's Passion is recalled as it was really accomplished, this sacrament is not consecrated.” (ST III, q.83, a.2, ad 2). In this time in which we mystically enter into the historical realities of Jesus’ final days, it is not fitting to have the image, sign or sacrament of the Cross presented to the faithful.

Homily on the Canonization of St.Chavara Elias.

Today is the feast of Christ the King. Jesus the risen King has many courtiers in his heavenly mansion. They are called Saints. They are the ones (mentioned in the book of Revelation): those who sit on thrones around the majestic seat of Christ the king. A saint is someone who lived his or her life heroically, or in an extraordinary way witnessing his or her faith in Jesus.

Today we are proud to have two saints added to the list of the Catholic church from our native state:.Sts.Kuriakose Elias Chavara the namesake of this parish and Sr.Euprasia who was known as praying nun who lived in the order founded by St.Elias. It is an honor for us to have these two saints in one stroke added to the Syro Malabar Church.

What is it that, they did to have been elevated to the status of saints. Well, with Sr.Euprasia nothing outstanding is said about her other than she was a woman of prayer. Probably that would tell us what we as Christians need to do to be saints in our life. Just keep the connection with God always; be a person of prayer. As a burning bulb needs to keep its connection with the electric  power source or transformer, so we need to be connected with God. That is the only, and the only thing needed to become a saint. As Jesus told Martha: Martha Martha you are worried about too many things, but only one thing is necessary, Mary has chosen that part. Because holiness does not come from doing a lot of charities or doing the right thing. Doing the right thing for Jesus. If that weren’t the case the Catholic Church should have canonized Mahatma Gandhi as a saint. He may be called a saint in generic sense of being a good man, but to be a saint in the eyes of the Church, all our actions should be done in and through and for Christ. So, being united to Christ and living for him is the Primary and basic requirement to be called a saint. Holiness comes from God. It is God’s property. It can be ours only through faith in Jesus. And therefore, doing works of charity will not bring holiness unless that emanates from one’s closeness to God. That is why St.Paul says that we are saved through grace not by works.

Observing the life of prayer and holiness of Sr.Euprasia, the local people called her “Praying Mother”, and her Sisters in community referred to her as the “Mobile Tabernacle”, because the divine presence she kept within her radiated to all she encountered.

Thus, with a pure heart Mother Euphrasia gave her maternal love and tenderness to those who sought her help. She gave them the comforting words of Jesus’ Gospel and interceded for them. For each little kindness bestowed upon her she would reply, “I will not forget it, not even after death”.

Mother Euphrasia had a profound sense of Church and she personally felt the sorrows and problems of the Church of her day. Mother Euphrasia offered her life in sacrifice for love of God. She abandoned herself to his will and finally joined him on 29 August 1952.

Moving on to St.Kuriakose Elias Chavara, he was a priest in the Archdiocese of Verapoly. To bring the Syro Malabar Church history in perspective: Till 1887 the Syro Malabar Church was under the Latin bishops governance and only in 1923 syro Malabar Hierarchy was restored.

St.Elias was born in 1805 at Kainakary, near Allappuzha. In 1830 he went to Mannanam to direct the construction of the first house of the congregation of which the foundation stone was laid in 1831. On 8th December, 1855 he made the religious profession along with other 10 companions, under the name “Kuriakose Elias of Holy Family”.

In 1871, on January 3rd, Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, with a painful illness, died at Koonammavu monastery in Kochi. His mortal remains were later transferred from Koonammavu to Mannanam in 1889, two years after the Syro Malabar hierarchy was established.

He was the Prior General of all the monasteries of the congregation from 1856 till his death in 1871. When, in 1861, a schism threatened the Church of Kerala with the arrival of Mar Thomas Rokos without proper credentials from the Pope, Blessed Chavara was appointed the Vicar-General of the Syro-Malabar Church by the Arch-Bishop of Verapolly.

Blessed Chavara is gratefully remembered and acknowledged by the later leaders of the Church and by the Catholic community in general for his strenuous fight, strong stance , and effective leadership in thwarting `Thomas Rochos’ intrusion and saving the church of Kerala from schism.

What made  Kuriakos Elias a saint is not anything that he did, like his contribution to education; (I don’t’ want to go into there in detail as you all already know it), or the positions he bore, but his extraordinary trust in God and in his ability to transform that trust into actions of Charity. His trust in doing little things with extra ordinary trust in God’s providence.

So, what is that we are called to do here when we celebrate this day? Just to rejoice and celebrate? Yes, but much more. It is a call for us to strive to become saints. These two were declared saints not because they were religious priest or a nun. No. If that is the case you people have no chance. But because as I said earlier they trusted in the promise of God. Sr.Euprasia chose what Mary chose and Fr.Kuriakose chose what Mary and Martha chose in their lives. If their lives do not present an invitation for us to strive the path of holiness, then this means nothing for us. We are called to be human beings, not human doings. It is primarily our attitude to life and God rather than our actions that matter most. So open yourself/ourselves to this call of God to holiness and in that our efforts these two compatriots will help us. 

MOTHER OF GOD- NEW YEAR-2014.

A few weeks ago, when Pope Francis was selected as “Person of the Year,” a young woman of feminist leanings joked, “We should have a WOMAN as head of the church ABOVE the Pope,”.  Another woman who heard her immediately tossed back, “We have one- Mary.  Mary, Mother of God, is above the Pope in the Church!”   She is not God, but above any human being as the message of the angel indicated “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb too. She herself proclaimed: All generations will call me blessed.

Today we celebrate the New year, but as Catholics today we think and celebrate Mary as the Mother of God.  Mary’s Motherhood is the heart and reason for all our attention to and claims on Mary through the centuries.

Jesus once asked his disciples “Who do you say I am?” (Mt 16:15).  It is a question that never goes away, and every believer faces it again and again.  We can be quite clear in our mind about the Church’s answer to the question, but every believer has to experience the force of the question addressed to him or herself.  “Who do you say I am?”  In a sense it cannot be fully answered with words but only with one’s life.  It could have the right formulation but it has little significance if my life contradicts it or ignores it. 

Through the centuries every possible answer has been given.  Followers of Nestorius, the 5th-century archbishop of Constantinople said that Christ was two persons – the man Jesus and the divine Son of God.  This view was rejected at the Council of Ephesus (431 AD), which insisted that Jesus was one person with two natures, divine and human.  The most emphatic way they could say this was to affirm that Mary was not just the mother of the man Jesus, but that she was the mother of God.  This was to say that Christ was one person, not two.  If there were two persons in Jesus, Mary could not be the mother of Son of God. She could only be the mother of human Jesus, not of the Christ. Note that it is more a statement about Christ than about Mary – or rather, equally so.

In today's Second Reading, St Paul reminds us that through God's grace we have all become brothers and sisters of Christ and, therefore, children of God.

This is what happened at baptism. At that moment we were born again, supernaturally; God infused his divine DNA into our souls. The spiritual life consists of the gradual spread and development of that DNA, until each one of us becomes a mature, wise, and fruitful follower of Jesus Christ.

Today's Solemnity reminds us that if we have become Christ's spiritual brothers and sisters, we have also become spiritual children of Mary. She was his mother in the flesh, and she is our mother in grace. Representing all disciples of Jesus in John the apostle Jesus said: this is your mother.

In today's Gospel she teaches us one of the most important virtues of all: wisdom. St Luke tells us how Mary responded to the wonderful things that God was doing in and around her: "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart."

God did not tell Mary His entire plan. She had to walk in the dim light of faith, one step at a time, trusting in God, witnessing his action, and seconding it whenever she could. This capacity and habit of reflecting in our heart of God's action in our lives is both a sign and a source of wisdom. And we can never become mature, courageous, and joyful  followers of Christ unless we develop it.

Our culture has a custom of making new year resolutions. Why not make the resolution to spend this year learning from our spiritual mother how to let God put wisdom into our lives, by "keeping all these things and reflecting on them in our hearts" through praying Rosary every day. Rosary is a very powerful weapon to fight Satanic influences in our families if prayed together as a family.

As we make new priorities for life, let’s make sure that Jesus and Mary find a place in our plans and decision makings. When  wrestling with all the uncertainties of life, struggles, challenges that seem to keep coming our way, remember we can fight them all with the help of Mary and her Son.

In closing let me draw our attention to one of the important areas we should be paying attention to this new year. It is about redeeming our time.

What portion of our time does God have in my everyday life ? How much television are we watching? How much time to sports are we devoting? What are we doing with our time? If we don’t find time for God, he will not find time for us to. Let’s not always be pleasure seekers but seekers of Holiness, which gives us joy and peace.  Let’s start every day of our New year on our knees, one who kneels before God can stand up to anything in life. Wish you all a happy new year.

NEW YEAR -2012

NEW YEAR-2012.

Numbers 6: 22-27,Galatians 4:4-7;Gospel:Luke 2: 16-21

It is fortunate that New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. This brings us all together into the house of God. This, of course, is where we ought to begin a New Year. On a new year’s day a young man started out with a prayer: Dear Lord! So far this year I've done well. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I'm very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help. Amen. Though we feel to laugh on this, it tells us that we really need God’s help to keep us going in good track.
New year comes around with a lot of expectations, but behind them there may be some remorse too. The name "January" comes from the Roman god Janus, the god with two faces, one looking to the past and the other looking to the future. This is indeed a time to look back at the year that has just ended and to look forward to the new year ahead of us. How did I spend this one year of my life that has just passed? Did I use it to advance my goals and objectives in life? Did I use it to enhance the purpose of my existence? Could I have done better last year in the way I invested my time between the demands of work, family, friends and society, and the demands of my spiritual life? What things did I achieve last year and what did I fail to achieve? How can I consolidate the achievements of last year while reversing the failures and losses in this new year? Through soul searching questions like these we find that a review of the past year naturally leads to setting goals and resolutions for the new year. We do need to review our lives from year to year because, as Socrates says, the unexamined life is not worth living.
Today's newspapers are full of individual and collective new year resolutions. Most of those, however, are not resolutions at all but only wishes. What is the difference between a resolution and a wish? A wish identifies a goal one wants to reach, a resolution specifies the steps one will take to reach it.
A boy asked his father, "Dad, if three frogs were sitting on a limb that hangs over a pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the limb?" The dad replied, "Two."

"No," the son replied. “Here is the question again: There are three frogs and one decided to jump, how many are left?"

The dad said, "Oh, I get the point! If one decided to jump, the others would too. So there are none left."

The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."

Does that sound like our last year’s resolutions? Great inspiration and great resolutions, but oftentimes we only decide, and months later we are still on the same limb of do-nothing. Because, mostly they were wishes, not resolutions, involving the steps to achieve them.
Our lives are shaped much more by our attitude than by our circumstances. Everybody has struggles. My struggles are just more apparent than yours. That’s why I think my troubles are greater than yours.
The good news is what lies ahead is no surprise to God. In fact, He has already been where we are going. That reason alone empowers us to face every tomorrow with hope, knowing whatever touches us passes through His hands, with His permission.
Whatever the situation in which we find ourselves - a hardship, a disappointment, a decision to make - God has a solution, an answer that is right for us. We tell God about it in prayer but we also listen to what God has to tell us about it. Prayer is a conversation with God but sometimes all we do is pick up the phone, read out the list of our problems to God and drop the phone without listening to hear what God has to say to us. Let us today resolve to listen more to the voice of God, to treasure God's word and ponder it in our hearts. Then shall we be able to realize our new year resolution of a new life in union with God. Let us see this year as another chance given to us to get it right, to grow in familiarity with God our loving Father, and to grow in our awareness of ourselves as God’s beloved children.
Today’s Feast of "Mary, the Mother of God" is a very appropriate way to begin a new year. What better way to ring in the New Year than to celebrate the woman whose complete devotion to God played such a central role in our salvation? A Human woman is the mother of God, and God is the son of a human mother.
The gospel today presents Mary to us as a model of that new life in Christ that all of us wish for ourselves in the new year. There we see that Mary was prepared to do something to realize this goal. What did she do? We read that the shepherds, when they went to adore the Child Jesus in the manger, told all that the angels had said to them. "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Again after the boy Jesus was found in the Temple, we are told that "His mother treasured all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:51). Mary was a woman who valued the word of God, who treasured it and made time to meditate and ponder it. It is true that the holiness of Mary is attributed to the grace of God, but this should not make us forget that she needed to make an effort in order to cooperate with the grace of God. She pondered the word of God in order to discern what God was saying to her at every stage in her life as the handmaid of God.
St Luke tells us that "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." God did not tell Mary his entire plan. We know much more than she did about how everything was going to work out. She had to walk in the dim light of faith, one step at a time, trusting in God, witnessing his action, and seconding it whenever she could. But she paid attention. She pondered in her heart all of God's gifts to her, all of his words and deeds. Today in Holy Communion we will receive the Body of Christ, which was formed in the womb of Mary. When we do, let's ask our spiritual Mother, the Mother of God and of all Christians, to teach us how to take care of the precious faith we have received and renewed during these days, just as she took care of the baby Jesus.

CHRISTMAS-2011

CHRISTMAS.

After explaining childbirth the biology teacher asked her 4thgraders to write an essay on "childbirth" in their families. Susan went home and asked her mother how she was born. Her mother, who was busy at the time, said, “A big white swan brought you darling, and left you on our doorstep.” Continuing her research she asked grandma how her parents got her. Being in the middle of something, her grandma similarly deflected the question by saying, “A fairy brought me and my mother found me in our garden in an open box”. Then the girl went and asked her great-grandmother how her parents got her as a baby. “My mother picked me from a box found in the gooseberry bush”, said the surprised great-grandma. With this information the girl wrote her essay. When the teacher asked her later to read it in front of the class, she stood up and began, "I really wonder why there was not even a single natural birth in our family for four generations... Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s a non-normal birth never before seen or experienced because it is the birth of God as man – Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, as our Savior.

Larry King on CNN was once asked by some one on Christmas Day and told if Jesus were to come now and you are given a chance to ask him one question, just one question, what would that question be ? He said: He would ask: Are you born of a Virgin?. That is the proof that he was God. Is there any thing that God could not perform by human beings? God could give power to human beings and make them do things, even great things. Samson in the O.T. was a great man, man of power. He could kill several lions in just one stroke.

When we make things for our use, we make them useful for our particular purpose, special use. If we make a spade that is meant to make holes in the ground. If we make a ship that is meant to travel in water and so it would be fitted to be able to travel in water. So is with anything we make for our need. If God created every human being in this world through the union of a man and a woman, and make just one man exempt from that order of creation, it is for a purpose. Otherwise he would be irrational God, creating things with no purpose. Why do you think Jesus was to be born of a virgin and not from the cooperation of a man in this process?
If God wanted to come to the earth and save man, he could have come down on Good Friday and do the work of salvation in three days and get back to heaven on the third day. Why did he come down to the earth as a weak human being ? First of all to save human beings from our sins. Sin became part of human nature. It is not something outside of us that we can get rid of it of ourselves. Man could not forgive his sins himself, because it is in himself. He had to be forgiven by God, because it is primarily a sin against God, a separation from God. So someone who is in human nature and at the same time is above human nature and is able to free the sins from the human nature has to be involved in this process. That is why God became man and at the same time he remained God too. Perfectly man and perfectly God. That is why he was born of a virgin. If he was born of a virgin he is surely God. Because no one ever was born that way.

No incarnations in other religions ever claimed that right. The Quran clearly mentions, and even more vehemently defends than the Bible does, that Jesus was born of a virgin. It also admits that no one was ever born that way. If the Quran admits so, that is the clear proof that Quran admits Jesus’ divinity, even though, it tells that Jesus is not God in other places. Why would God let someone be born in a unique way, without a human father and he is just a prophet like any body else ? Are you saying God does things without meaning and purpose ? If you have a Muslim friend and ask him this question and see what he answers.

It is popular nowadays to say that all religions are basically the same. You may have heard the example of people who say that God is like a mountain, and the different religions are the different paths up the mountain. But to say that all religions are the same is neither respectful nor tolerant - it is either arrogant or ignorant. Religions do have some things in common, but they also have substantial differences.

Theologian Karl Barth stood before students and faculty at Princeton in 1963 during his Princeton Lectures. A student asked: "Sir, don't you think that God has revealed himself in other religions and not only Christianity?" Barth stunned many who were present when he thundered, "No, God has not revealed himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has revealed himself in his Son." Christianity is not a religion like all other religions of the world. The Church reveals the truth the Holy Spirit reveals to her. It is a complete manifestation of God for the humanity for the sake of building a living relationship with him.

No other religion can beat Christianity on two grounds both of which tell of Jesus’ divinity. First, is his Virgin birth. Even in the Hindu scriptures mentions are made about a man being born of a virgin bringing salvation for the humanity that prophesy has not been fulfilled in Hinduism yet, but only in Christianity. Secondly his resurrection of which the disciples were witnesses and for which they all died martyrs death. If it were a lie, none of the Apostles would not have given up their lives to defend that lie. You never hear people laying down life to defend lies, but only truth. No other religion can stand against this solid truths of Christianity.

Only we Christians have the privilege of saying, "The Word became flesh, and lived among us." God-with-us is a divine promise first to Israel, and through them to all of us, of God's unilateral faithfulness to humanity and God's eternal initiative toward all that is created. To put it even more plainly, Yahweh says I am going to be with you whether you know it or not, ask for it or not, or enjoy it or not. God is GIVEN once, and for all, and forever, to the human species and to the whole created world! That is the meaning of Incarnation, the meaning of Emmanuel, and the first and final meaning of Christmas. The other day I heard some one preaching on the word Emmanuel. Em-man-u-el- Man who knows you well. Though it is far fetched explanation, it sounds good to me.

The message of Christmas is that we are just travelers through this earthly life, and that God has come to travel with us, and that if we stay by his side, we are guaranteed to arrive safely at our final destination: the everlasting life of heaven, in the Father's house. That's why we can be joyful even in the midst of our tears and difficulties; because we know that our Redeemer lives and weeps at our side, and will never abandon us.

Our preparing for Christ’s rebirth in our daily lives is to cultivate the spirit of sacrifice and humility. It was by sacrifice that the shepherds of Bethlehem and the Magi were able to find the Savior. They were humble enough to see God in the Child in the manger. We too can experience Jesus by sharing Him with others, just as God shared His Son with us. Let us remember that the angels wished peace on earth only to those able to receive that peace, those who possessed the good will and largeness of heart to receive and then to share Jesus our Savior with others in love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and humble service.

Let’s all the blessings of the Manger Born Baby be yours at this Christmas and through out the New year.