THE HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY ON EARTH!

The largest Christmas star in our retreat centre - outside the building I live in!

It's 6 days to Christmas Eve and everywhere I look people are getting ready for Christmas - lighted stars of so many beautiful colours and shapes are all over our retreat centre. It makes me feel happy just looking at these stars! For the past two days, I have been watching a group set up from scratch a Nativity crib - the love with which they are taking so much effort do so is really heartwarming. It makes me want to join them as poignant Christmas memories rush back of when I would make the Nativity crib in my parents' home - right up to the last Christmas I spent with both of them in 2003.

I  have always loved putting up the Christmas tree, making the crib and just putting up the Christmas decorations and all the twinkling lights! i never ever found it tedious or tiring! I remember my parents  often reminding me to get ready for the Vigil Mass as I would still be busy doing up their home - I usually arrived home the day before. At first, they would say that they are old so there was no need to make all these efforts - but after midnight mass, they would always tell me how beautiful their home looked with a joyful smile on their faces - that was always enough for me! It is something I REALLY, REALLY miss doing, as here, we have many male volunteers who do an excellent job of decorating our retreat centre. 

Well,  I have been getting ready the goodies for our annual Christmaas Divine Homes visit - so I am happy knowing the joy this annual Christmas visit bring to our Divine Family members - esp the orphaned children, the elderly destitutes, the AIDS patients and the mentally ill patients. They expect us to  show up as it has been a Divine Christmas tradition since my 1st Chrstmas here in 2004. How time flies - this will be my 8th Divine Christmas!

The YouTube music video below, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" by the group Alabama, made me feel so grateful and thankful to Jesus for being born on earth - and bringing true joy into all our lives. Jesus' birth is when God's Light & Grace shone down upon ALL of mankind on earth living in darkess - and His Light is always shining brightly waiting to be the beacon in our lives!

I hope you and all your loved ones will sing around your Christmas tree,  "Happy Birthday Jesus", as your gifts are shared with His Love in your hearts - Jesus is in our midst!

Wishing  each of you, your families and friends

        A Most JOYOUS, HOLY & BLESSED CHRISTMAS!      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

LOOK WITH THE EYES OF LOVE!

"Look with the eyes of  Love" - this phrase struck me deeply for some reason in December last year. It was not the first time I had heard it in a homily  but on that particular day, I guess God chose to reveal to me what I should really be doing!  i am sure many of you have felt like I did after hearing a  touching homily, a phrase that seems to haunt your heart -  a "special" call from deep within your soul that God is asking something of you. 

This phrase kept repeating itself deep within me - like it was  a drip of water falling on one's forehead nonstop!One cannot ignore it. So I started reflecting on St. Paul's beautiful explanation of what " Love" is in the Bible (! Corinthians Chapter 13).  Every word in this chapter suddenly seemed to be filled with great meaning for me. It was definitely not the first time I was reflecting on this chapter but now it took on an urgency of how I must strive to live!

"Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs." (I Corinthians 13:5) Oh dear! I can distinctly recall the times I have been irritable especially with people I most care about. In those times. I have also been selfish because I was obviously thinking of myself first. Well, I do not have to explain much more what it was like with others. It gets even worse as I become judgemental too.

So as 2011 started, the GRACE I yearned for God to give in His Fullness was "Love" - His Love - the unconditional love that I felt so  deeply Jesus asking of me during the 1st Mass in Bethlehem of my Holy Land pilgrimage in June 2009. I still remember till today with great clarity the feelings that overwhelmed me and how I wept non-stop silently. As the priest said. "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those called to His Supper", I had a deep and profoundly touching  spiritual experience and my little heart could not contain Jesus' Love for me! As I was in meditation that night, I realized that indeed true love in its purity does bring pain. Yet, it is an exquisite pain that one will willingly bear for the joy that we receive far outweighs the pain.

So after 2 1/2 years since my Holy Land experience, I know Jesus has been able to start converting my heart - because I want Him to! I started looking with the "eyes of Love" at everyone I meet or have dealings with and to be conscious that we are all children of God.  In fact, I am also obviously irritating and offending others too! Thus, I have learnt to really try to "let go". The bible verse - "love does not keep a record of wrongs" - is another gift I started praying specially for. It is not enough to forgive, I had to learn to forget!  It is something I found more difficult when it was with people I really care for. Truly "looking with the eyes of love" is a great way to live! Now, I feel peace when I see the good in each person ... what's more I feel greater joy when I am with people I love and care about. The main point is 'peace and joy' becomes an intrinsic part of my day-to-day living because of "love". However, I expect this goal to be a "work-in-progress" throughout the rest of my life!  

God's greatest gift of Love to us - Jesus our "Emmanuel" was born on Christmas Day to save us with His Amazing Love! That is why Christmas season is such a Blessed and Joyous time of the year. It is about JOYOUS LOVE - for all of mankind. Hatred will never conquer the world for love will always triumph - "Love is eternal". (I Corinthians 13:8) 

My Christmas wish for each of us is that God's Love will be gloriously manifested in us - that all of us will be His Love "in action" to everyone around us.  The 1st YouTube video at the top of this post "Inspirational Quotes on Love" is very uplifting and  apt.

Christmas Vigil Mass

For the first time, in Divine, there will be a 2-Day Christmas Vigil and Celebration on 24 and 25 December 2011. I am greatly looking forward to this special event as we share it with retreatants from all over India and overseas to celebrate the Birth of Jesus, Our Saviour.  I feel deep joy every Christmas that I have spent here in Divine. It is always a special time seeing the joy in our large 3,000 member Divine Family cared for by our Divine Charitable Trust on a longterm basis - from the youngest orphan child, the mentally ill patients, AIDS patients, to the elderly and especially the Vincentian priests and lay volunteers who live their lives so generously that I forget to remember that at times.  So many of them serve silently day in and day out. 


Well this is a special season so I would like to share a 2nd YouTube video below "Sharing Our Divine Christmas Joy" which is of special memories I have had here with some friends and of Christmas in Divine. Many of you keep asking me where i am and what I do -  here are glimpses of our large Divine Family who have captured my heart!

Wishing each and every one of you a Most Blessed, Holy & Joyous Christmas!

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

Martin Luther King Jr.