Tuesday, December 27, 2011

LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF GOD...



It is just five days to the New Year -2012!  These past few weeks, I have been spending time nights in prayer remembering all the blessed moments when I felt Jesus so close to me this year.  It must be the season but I always start really looking deep into my life as New Year approaches and the choices I had made - and what did it all mean?

Every New Year, we get a chance to renew or to make a firm commitment to joyfully live for Christ. I have been most thankful to all of you, Friends of Divine, who have shared my journey in Divine all these years. It makes me realize that I cannot journey to heaven in isolation - it is when together, as a family in Christ, we choose to make God's Kingdom of Heaven here on earth until eternity - that we truly live our Christian mission. Divine Charitable Trust's efforts to care for 3000 of the "least of our brethren" on a long-term basis and to proclaim God 's Word to the world could not happen without each of you as well as many loving benefactors'  prayers and financial support. Divine's charitable and evangelization works are totally dependent on God's Providence through caring individuals like our Friends of Divine! Should any of you ever feel inspired to lend a helping hand at any time in the future, you will find the Divine's 2012 Funding Needs section on this blog helpful.

Rev. Fr. Mathew Naickomparambil V.C.
Spearhead of Divine-Potta Ministry

No one I know will say living our Christiam mission with full zeal, faith and joy is an easy journey. But God will give us His GRACE to do so! In fact, I have found that it is much easier to just do what the world seems to think is right. If we were to listen to what the world says, I am sure there will be no priests, religious or lay missiomaries in the world. What's more for everyone who so generously serve in church ministries and in supporting mission works will also just get on with their own lives! It is hard to imagine Divine-Potta ministry surviving these past 21 years and bearing so much fruit! 

Why is that not so? For me, I know it is because in the midst of all the human voices giving me logical and rational reasons of how I should view my future and my life, there is a much more persistent and piercing voice deep in my heart - the Voice of God. Choosing to serve God in any capacity is never easy - there are so many reasons to choose the path that gives us material security, comforts and most of all success. Serving God often seems a thankless vocation - it is hard to explain even to loved ones. 

Well, all of us need to live meaningful and not superficial lives. What's more - each of us HAVE to make our own choice. The only peace we can achieve in life is training our hearts to listen to Jesus. It is not that He remains silent but rather if we are listening with our heart rather than with our mind. The only guarantee we will get is God's Promise - "Do not be afraid - I am with you!" (Isaiah 43:5)

In the midst of doubts and anxiety that comes when I think logically of what I should do, I always rediscover a beautiful aspect of my relationship with Jesus. it is when Jesus speaks to my heart and it is affirmed through the Word of God. It is very difficult to describe but when He speaks, it is a deep spiritual peace and faith that Jesus gives. His gentle, piercing crystal clear Voice from deep within my heart will drown out ALL the chattering voices of the world that clutter my mind. 


As we look forward to a Blessed New Year in 2012, my prayer is for all of us to embrace wholeheartedly God's Call to each of us. Let us draw others to Christ not through fear but through His Love, Peace and Joy! "For God's Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the righteousness, peace and joy which the Holy Spirit gives. And when someone serves Christ in this way, he pleases God and is approved by others." (Romans 14:17-18)  This can only happen when our own lives are put right with God.  This point reverberates in my heart whenever I hear it during the weekly retreat's homily. The Kingdom of Heaven begins here - I do not have to die to experience it! In fact, I witness it so often seeing/hearing the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical healings that take place in the weekly retreats here in Divine Retreat Centre. Nearly everyone leaves this centre with joy shining on their faces - the miracle of Jesus' Healing Love!

At the end, only one thing truly matters - "Is my heart at peace in answering Jesus' Call? " No one can answer this question for me or for you. It is ultimately only between Jesus and each of us re our response to His Call. It is not just a matter of what we can do but what are we WILLING to do? 

The Youtube music video above is VOICE OF TRUTH by Casting Crowns. 
  


May God bless you and all your loved ones this NEW YEAR 2012 
with the Fullness of His Grace and Love! 

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

SHARING OUR DIVINE CHRISTMAS JOY!





My dearest Friends in Christ

The Season of Christmas is a time when love and joy abounds amongst all people of goodwill. Every one of us like the shepherds on the Night of Christmas can tangibly experience the message of the Angel “Behold! I Proclaim To You Good News of Great Joy!” (Luke 2:10) – it is when HOPE enters into our lives for Our Saviour – Jesus Christ – was born on Christmas Day to bring us Salvation!

Let us not miss the great call that God is placing in our hearts this blessed season – that we too need to proclaim that Jesus our “Emmanuel’ is living amongst us to build up His Kingdom of Heaven – a Kingdom of “Righteousness, Peace & Joy” here on earth all the way unto eternity. When our life is put right with God, we become His righteous people and thus our lives will be filled with His Peace & Joy.

Our Christian mission is to live God’s Word AND to proclaim the Good News to the ends of the earth so that no person in trouble, sick, lonely and in despair will feel hopelessness and rejection.

At Divine, we stand at the end of this year to thank God for the 'Amazing Grace' that has upheld us right through the year. It has been a year of great openings in the proclamation of the Good News.



Our greatest joy and celebration has been the growing strength of Divine Vision. On 20 November 2011, the Divine Vision telecast in India was launched. After years of waiting and hoping, we got the licence this year to telecast our programs through the Goodness Satellite Channel. When our hope is in the Lord, we can never be disappointed!



We are having a growing audience in North America, UK, Europe and the  Gulf countries. And this for us is the affirmation of the thirst of God to reach His people and God's seal of approval on our efforts. The costs are daunting. To obtain telecast of the programs in every region, we have to pay colossal figures.



This Christmas marks the third Anniversary of Divine Television as a 24-hour Gospel Channel telecasting programs to most of the Northen continents. And if this has been possible, it is purely your openness to trust in us, pray for us and to support us.




There has been a growing attendance in our retreats too including many coming from different parts of the world. It is a blessing to witness so many going back determined to live for Christ and doing so! 

On behalf of the Vincentian Fathers of Divine Retreat Centre, I thank all of you for your prayers and loving support of our charitable and evangelization works. Through our Friends of Divine in Singapore, with much joy, I am happy to advise that we are finally able to purchase the new ambulance! It is greatly needed by the Divine Care Centre for the Mentally Ill and St. Vincent's AIDS Home residents for their hospital visits and the English campus too. We hope to have this new ambulance by the beginning of 2012.


There was much kindness and support for Divine's Hong Kong mission needs recently in November  by our caring Hong Kong Friends of Divine. 


I truly thank our committed long-term Friends of Divine in SIngapore and Hong Kong who never hesitate to lend us a helping hand willingly when Divine is most in need. You have made a real loving difference in helping our Divine-Potta ministry to rise up to the challenges God places in our hearts. 

My personal Christmas prayer for each of you is that you will always step forth with courage to live your Christian faith – to never tire of doing good, to be generous at all times, and to be active partners in  “spreading the Gospel”. I will remember each of you in a special way as we celebrate Christmas in Divine with our 3000 member Divine Family - the elderly, the orphans, the widows, the dying, the AIDS and cancer patients, the Mentally III patients, those being rehabilitated from various addictions and many of the volunteers in our retreat centre. 

Our world needs each of us to do our part – to be the JOY of our Lord by sharing His Love with every one in need. True love Is not a feeling – it is a commitment. This Christmas, let us commit our hearts to live for Jesus – not just this Christmas season – but every day of our lives! For this is the commandment that the Lord has given us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles so that all the world may be saved.” (Acts 13:47)

With grateful hearts, above is a YouTube video "Sharing Our Divine Christmas Joy" of joyful memories with some of our Friends of Divine from Singapore and Hong Kong and of Christmas here in Divine. 


Wishing you and your loved ones a Most Blessed & Joyous Christmas 2011
and may the New Year of 2012 be with  filled with Love, Hope & Peace!



Yours Lovingly in Christ
Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C.