Divine intervention

                                                            The magical Beginning of the New Year 2013



The eve of New Year 2013 was indeed the Best one ever I could remember.

Unlike other times, our family made it a point to stay awake till the midnight for attending  the midnight mass.It was quiet a miracle that the sleeping Beauty of my house- mummy somehow battled hard with sleepiness and drove car safely to church.As for my Granddad , the  stubborn and strict octogenarian fortunately did not have any objection to go past the lonely stretch of road in order to attend the service in the church 3 km away.

It was past 11 at the night of 31st December , 2012. Some memories that year gave me were quiet unforgettable and I am sure I will cherish those moments close to my Heart. So I had promised myself to end the beautiful year by visiting the divine Fathima Church. This church is the place  where I prayed during my best and worst phase of student days and also later.

The Church was decorated vivaciously. The altar was decorated with beautiful red and blue flowers. Christmas crib was thoughtfully designed to give the look and feel of snowy winter night in Bethlehem. And to the right side of altar towards aisle stood my Divine Mother Fathima. The church group had decked the platform on which my revered mother stood surrounded with cotton which represented snow.

The holy proceeding was in full swing. First the adoration, followed by the arrival of a group of Holy men-the Priests totally six in number. This included learned and blessed clergymen. They made a pompous entry to his Holy abode with the Silver Cross held high above the crowd. I was overwhelmed with the sense and duty of Christian community which we represent with pride. Passion of Christ filled the Hall and my mind was flooded with the scenes of his crucification. The sacrifice the Heavenly Son had endured for the redemption of mankind made me realize of the duties which we mortals have to fulfil in the world.

Then came the playful and cheerful boys and girls donned in white resembling little angels with baskets of jasmine praising the Almighty and wow! There was our dearest Vicar Father Adolf Washington carrying the splendid and beautifully decorated crown befitted for the Monarch held high. It was  majestic sight indeed!!! Might be I was dreaming as it was the odd hour of night but for a moment I thought I was in Buckingham Palace attending the coronation ceremony of the Prince of Great Britain. And to my astonishment the humble lady in white with hands folded and heads bowed in humility was coronated. Yes , Mother Mary now adorned the beautiful crown-the first Lady of Roman Catholics, the Holiest among the women to have ever lived.

When it was time for sermon, most of the listeners were already in beautiful world of sleep and dreams including my serene sleeping Beauty. Three Priests delivered sermon in three different languages- Kannada, Tamil And English. I should admit it modestly -I could understand only the kannada and English Mass as I couldn’t decipher the meaning of Tamil Sermon.

The Kannada Mass conveyed message of dutifulness one has in this world. I relate it more to what Krishna tells in Mahabharatha about Karma. The gist of the sermon goes like this -wretched is the man who wants the world to change into a peaceful, and loving place. Foolish is he who prays unremittingly to God begging to take away the crime and negativity away from the world. For God commands him to first change himself, his ideas ,approach and perception towards the world so that his deeds might inspire the people around him. We can not expect this world to be perfect as it is made perfect with its imperfections .The world is made perfect with good and bad. The nature presents elements of negativity to check our spiritual strength and commitment to our Heavenly Father.  Its our responsibility to address the flaws tactfully and make this world a beautiful place to live in. In short its your actions that count . On how you are able to fulfil the duties allocated to you in the world- duty towards family , society and yourself. I could easily associate this with my occupation. The assignments given to us irrespective to how new it is to us has to be executed skilfully by making use of the resources around us . Our commitment and sincerity to our work is the only source of true peace and satisfaction.

As for the third sermon, it sent a beautiful message-Trust in God, Have faith in him for he will never abandon you. The Priest begins like this- “As we enter the New year, many people will be worried and filled with anxieties, fears and doubts of what this year has in store for them. Some youth might be worried about the job which he had been trying to find for a long time, or the anxious parent worried about his son’s future or the retired employee who faces several health problems and spends most of his pension for his medications. ” He urges us not to worry at all as worries are never going to help you outcome the difficulties. He quotes the beautiful lines from psalm of how God lovingly looks after the birds in the sky and flowers on the ground as he provides them everything vital for their existence. Unlike human they do not need integuments to protect themselves from the warmth or harsh winter. He carries all of us in his palm. He makes sure he is with us every time to help us, to guide us and to forgive our mistakes. The Priest asked us to give first preference in life to the Divine one, then everything else shall follow. He urged us not to yearn to know what is in store for us in near future and to have faith in ourselves when we do a good deed. He put a question before us – is it necessary for you to consult an astrologer or a palm reader to know about where will you be in future? Why be curious about future if you keep your full faith on God. When I considered his words, my anxieties, fears left me and I found myself in peace. I realized that there is always an opportunity for a fresh start for our endeavors and dreams.

He also enlightened us with the significance of the Blessed Virgin. She whole heartedly took the greatest  responsibility of giving birth to His Divine son. She ensured that the Holy One in human form be tended with love and she disciplined him and was a true mother whose well wishes and prayers never left her son even though he had to leave his family in order to preach the good news to the humanity. She bravely suffered the pain of seeing her son being a martyr for the salvation of the mankind. These words imply the responsibility each Christian girl in the society. The priorities of the world might have evolved with constant developments technologically, socially and educationally. Women can no longer be confined within the four walls of her husband’s house or her Parents’ house. In modern society, women have a responsibility as an employee to the organisation and society she serves, a responsibility towards herself to fulfill the dreams and goals she has nurtured for herself and responsibility towards her family and her Beloved. Therefore today’s women are burdened with numerous responsibilities which they ought to fulfill elegantly and joyfully and be inspired by the blessed life of Holy Mother.

I had never truly believed in miracles and viewed world as a stagnant , merciless place which seldom changed. But from past few days. It feels as if like magic the mist of darkness and ignorance left me for good and l am filled with hope and faith in good times as well as in the bad times. The world seems to be the best and most challenging place to leave in. I feel the glory and grace of heaven which they speak in scriptures is there on the very planet where we reside.  I don’t know whom I should thank – to Almighty Father or to the people through whom he guides me day in and day out . Thank You for helping me find reason and hope again. J This is how 2012 magically  parted ways and the new fresh year 2013 greeted me with love and hope. J