The Demise of Anne Fuselli,Nov21,18

This morning at 11.30 a.m. I got a call from Donna.I called back and heard the sad news that Anne had passed away all of a sudden around 7.30 p.m there in the States out of a ruptured ao

rta.Her last words, according to John, were:"Someone, please, come and  help me." I spoke to Donna too and she told me how she had taken her during the day to see Frank and later to her house to pick somethings from there.
All of a sudden, her life was over. This is a piece of news that I never wanted to hear. I thought she would live longer, helped by the treatment she was receiving. A couple of weeks ago, during my visit to the States, on my way to Washington DC from New Jersey ,I stopped at Donna's house and visited with her. She appeared to be very weak and fragile, having lost all her former glamour and appearance.
She was a pillar of support and she is no more. She had always more plans and hopes. All those plans disappeared within a moment. She could not be hospitalized. She could not get a priest to anoint her at the last moment. But the good thing is that she did not die in loneliness. At least Donna and the family were around her or near her. Her words and thoughts now remain unspoken and never will there  be another moment to listen to her opinions and comments. A big vacuum has set in. Her faith and love of the Lord were without a match. She was also  greatly attached to Our Lady.

 May the Lord keep her in His presence always and show compassion and mercy to her. I will always be remembering her in my masses.
The following is what I wrote on her on-line funeral book:
"Anne, you were a person of great faith and deep attachment to the Lord. You were a source of great comfort and help to many. You were always deeply interested in speaking about your faith in the Lord. Your departure leaves an unbridgeable gap in the hearts of those who loved you. Your family was very precious to you. Memories of the long association with you are fresh in our minds. I can never forget your inspiring words and pieces of advice. May the Lord keep you beside Him and give you the blessing to enjoy His deep love. May the Lord bless you. May your soul rest in peace." 

She was very proficient in the use of English language and was willing to offer her stylistic corrections and revisions. She wrote poems when she was happy and joyful. She participated fully in their parish programs. She created a group of interested people in her parish to watch Catholic films and videos. She was very much attached to P

adre Pio and would take his glove to sick people.

"She was a lovely rose that grew up in the land of dreams.

Horizons red with the bright evening rays of the sun inspired her.

Her  prayer-garden of  St. Francis was a lovely place of birds

Their cooing and whispers were heard in the green bower

Oh, how can one describe the beauty of the person who cared for these lovely roses and beautiful redbreasts.

Energy and dynamism were unmatched in her life

Rosary was her strength.

Speaking about the Lord was the joy of her life.

Turning to the Lord changed her life.

Helping the needy and the sick was her pleasant task.

Enrichment of her friends' and acquaintances' lives was her joy

O Captain , My Captain."

Visit to the US,Oct.18, 2

By the grace of God, my visit to the US was very smooth.Even though I made a few flights domestically, I was lucky that they went smoothly without any hitch.Since I am over 75, I had not much experienced any inconvenience during the security screening.Thank you Lord for the wonderful blessings you have bestowed on me.
As I went to churches in different States and cities in the US, I found in all these places tremendous vibrancy in  the participation of the faithful in the masses.
God has given me another year to work for Him and I will spend my time and effort for Him by trying to live out the Gospel message in my life.

Visit to the US,Oct.2018

Some of the memorable moments spent with friends during the visit.

Nouwen in his book " Our Second BIrth".

Henri Nouwen is a  spiritual writer whose books  have profound influence on the minds of those who look for guidance in spirituality.
 I was very much touched by the ideas in his famous book,"Wounded healer." I would always grab his books whenever I find any new ones in  book stores. Recently I  came across a few of his books  at St.Paul's Book store at Kochi.
Here are some of the precious thoughts that Nouwen has noted in his journal  "Our Second Birth."

"What a powerful and hopeful world( is ours). Life with all its turmoil is an opportunity to witness to God's love!And our witness will be irresistible when we realize that God keeps us completely safe...
But when we remain anchored in the heart of God, rooted in God's love, we have nothing to fear, not even death , and everything joyful and everything painful will give us a chance to proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus.
Only one thing seems clear to me.Everyday should be well lived. Did I forgive? Did I love?..I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and in the life to come....
It seems that sometimes distance creates closeness,absence creates presence,loneliness creates community....
All human beings have their tragedies--death , depression,betrayal, rejection..We seldom have much control over them.But do we choose to live them as occasions to blame , or as occasions to see God at work?
The whole Hebrew Bible is a story of human tragedies , but when these tragedies are lived  and remembered as  the context in which God's unconditional love for the people of Israel  is revealed, this story becomes sacred history.
Good Friday is much more than reliving the passion of Jesus; it is entering into solidarity with the passion of all the people of our planet, whether in the past, the present or the future. In Jesus all human suffering is collected .The broken heart of Jesus is the broken heart of God.The broken heart of God is the broken heart of the world.

Fr.Chettiath

Yesterday , I went to Kottayam to meet Fr.Chettiath who was my teacher at Alwaye Seminary. I worked as the  Bro.Prefect under him for my juniors. He was very happy to see me and expressed his feelings of joy during his conversation. He said he was very proud of me and always felt happy speaking about me. I was very delighted to hear all those nice words from him about my life as a student under him. He was a good professor, very modern , charming and articulate. I still have with with me a photo taken by him when I was standing with my friends after receiving the cassock.he was very supportive as well as inspiring.He lives in a spacious house surrounded by lush green trees, plants and vegetables.

Words on Fire,

Words on Fire is a collection of Sunday homilies in English according to the Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar.The book was released by Cardinal Mar Alencherry on Aug.22,18.The Cardinal praised the book as it is the first collection of homilies in English based on the Sunday readings of the Syro-Malabar liturgical calendar. This was written primarily for the Syro-Malabar  priests working for St.Thomas Syro-Malabar diocese of Chicago.Now that the Syro-Malabar Church is established in other parts of the English-speaking world, this book would be a good source of reference for priests and the laity working in the  dioceses of England,Canada and Australia.

Sr.Regina

Sr.Regina's funeral was held on Aug.1 at 11 a.m. She passed away at midnight  two days ago. A lot of people were present for the funeral as she was loved very much by the people of Changnacherry.She was in charge of the nursery school of St.Joseph's where a lot of the people who belong to the Metropolitan church had their early education.
She is also very much missed by her family as she was the connecting link for th members of the family.She took care of the needs of her parents when they fell sick and found means for helping them during their days of sickness as well as of convalescence.
In the last couple of years, she suffered much and did expereince several falls and surgery and the last one was very severe as she had to be bed-ridden for half a year because of th injury of her back.
She was a constant presence in my life , always coming to meet me or talk to me.She kept me filled with the news about my relatives from the mother's side of the family.
I miss her. She was younger and healthy before she succumbed to illness.God bless her and give her eternal rest.