A poem of Repentance

 Repentance

Lord, I have no words to describe
Your mercy and Your kindness.
You have been gracious and full of blessings.
In days when life was murky and encounters bitter,
Your mercy and kindness became my help and healing.

But I forgot Your mercy and Your kindness.
I wavered from the paths of righteousness and integrity.
I was foolish and misguided.
I walked along ways that were wrong and unholy.

My lapses, failures, and sins are many.
I do not know how I strayed so far.
Misled by thoughts and feelings impure,
I treated them as trifles of no significance.

Forgive me, Lord.
Send the rays of Your blessing
Upon my withered life and wayward heart.

As I look back, in the evening of my days,
On the paths I have trod,
Shame and repentance fill my soul.
Yet I marvel at how You have protected and guided me
Despite my many faults and failings.

Again and again, You gave me strength
To rise, to walk the right path,
To choose what is good and true.

Lord, Your mercy knows no bounds—
I thank You with tears of gratitude
For Your compassion and forgiveness.

And when my mind and body grow feeble,
When words of thanks can no longer be spoken,
Be with me still—
My strong shield and faithful protector.

Archbishop Mar Mathew Kavukatt

 Archbishop Mar  Mathew Kavukatt

For Eliot, many are hollow men —
Stuffed men, with no depth in their lives.
But once in a while, there arise souls
Like Arnold’s Scholar Gypsy —
Inspiring hearts, offering comfort and consolation.

Archbishop Mathew Kavukatt belonged to the rank of such great men,
Always finding time and offering his resources
For the welfare of those entrusted to his care.

Tall and lanky in appearance, endowed with a gentle, comforting voice,
He was rich in mercy and compassion.
Never did he reject a needy hand;
Always willing to help, always ready to soothe
Those who came to him in hope.

Oh, how I loved his words and quotations
Explaining the intricacies of Church doctrines,
Inviting everyone to draw closer
To Jesus, our Redeemer.
His words flowed with the sweetness of honey —
Never hurting or antagonizing,
But always guiding, showing the right way,
Helping people to overcome the storms and tribulations of life.

I was deeply touched by his counsel;
I will never forget the day he urged me
To pursue higher studies —
Opening before me the path of a teacher’s life.
It was his direction and encouragement
That inspired me to learn in universities
Across India and abroad.

Like the sequoias, whose towering heights
Dwarf the trees around them,
The Archbishop stands tall among all others
In his expression of mercy and compassion.

How lovely were his ways —
More tender than the roses and lilies in his garden.

He is with his heavenly Father now,
Yet his voice, his words, and his kind deeds
Live on in our hearts and memories.
Death does not touch the Archbishop,
Negating Willa Cather’s proposition —
For he lives forever,
Through his love and mercy
In the hearts of those he touched.

He is a shepherd, like his Master,
Willing to carry the lost sheep
Upon his shoulders.

 

Priestly Prayer

 Parce, Domine

A Priestly Reflection

O Lord, I have no words strong or beautiful enough
To convey my heart’s joy, my love, my gratitude.
I can only echo the words of Your great servant, Thomas Aquinas:
Laus et jubilatio — praise and joy.

The path I chose was marked by strain and denial,
Yet through those days of formation, of self-deprivation,
You guided me to a place of joy and peace.
In times of darkness and confusion,
You showed me the right path.

I remember Your call as I walked home after Mass,
Alone, my rosary beads slipping through my fingers.
To work for You and preach Your message
Became a silent mission within my heart.

Your call came decisively on that quiet walk from church.
I was sixteen; the world was opening lightly and brightly before me.
My friends planned for college and bright futures,
But You were already within me, strong and insistent.
I did not think of academic life or a prosperous career,
Though academically I was well-placed.

Yet You worked wonders in my life,
Granting me the grace to study both in India and abroad.
Your kindness and generosity defy words.

My years as a teacher, my time as a college president —
These were Your gifts, enabling me
To touch and guide the lives of many young people.
Countless were the chances You gave me
To help them blossom and bear fruit.
Seeing their growth and achievements,
My heart overflows with joy.

I knew the priestly life would demand sacrifice,
But You were always there — my support, my guide.
Through every phase of my priesthood,
I felt Your presence shining within me,
A radiant light revealing Your will.

Through storms and tribulations,
Through thick clouds and thunder,
Your light never ceased to shine.
You were my lodestar on this priestly journey.

Your words have made me gentle and compassionate.
Your walk upon the sea, and the words, “Do not be afraid” —
These have been the rock upon which I stand.

I remember, too, my failures and lapses,
My sins and falls.
Yet You were always there to lift me,
To set me on my feet again.
In those dark moments, Your words —
“I came to call sinners, not the righteous” —
Brought me courage and peace.

Is a priest’s life a gift or a mystery?
As the great evangelizer, Pope John Paul II, once asked.
I have seen, O Lord, Your hands stretched out upon the cross —
Hands not of wrath, but of caress,
Drawing me into the embrace of Your love.

Now, as the evening of my life
Approaches the shores of eternity,
I see red and orange rays
Breaking across the horizon of my days.
Friends depart. Conversations grow fewer.
The urge to labor fades.

And so I can only pray:

Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo;
Ne in aeternum irascaris nobis.

Spare, O Lord, spare Your people;
Be not angry with us forever.