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Content DD Express Volume II, No. 1 - 20 September 2021 Editor: Joel D’Souza Editorial Team: Leroy Mascarenhas, Midnightstar Khongsit, Arkystar M. Chyne DTP, Layout & Cover Design: Alfred Menezes, Shaun Fernandes and Alan Manuel Consultants: Kennedy Philip and Melton Suares Published by: Divyadaan: Salesian Institute of Philosophy, Don Bosco Marg, Nashik 422 005 DD Express is a triannual publication, wherein the staff and scholastics of Divyadaan Salesian institute of philosophy contribute through articles, poems, drawings, etc. The cover page shows with the coloured squares signifies the variety of people approaching Mother Mary who is accepting them with open arms.
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Editorial - Fr. Joel D’Souza……………………………………………………………………………………….1 ARTICLES Mary in the Lives of Youth - Cl. Dominic Humtsoe….………………….....………………….2 Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Cl. Winston Pinto….……………..…………………..5 Mary in the Life of Jesus - Cl. Gedion Ramshon…...…………………………………………….7 Mary’s Yeses - Cl. Leroy Mascarenhas.………………………………………………………………...10 Mary Untier of Knots - Cl. Melvin Mathew………………………………………………………...12 Mary the Way to Christ - Cl. Midnightstar Khongsit…..…………………………………..15 Mary Our Guide - Cl. Shaun Fernandes………...….………………...……..……………………..17 Monti Fest - Cl. Winston Pinto…………………….……………………………………………………….18 Our Lady of Snows - Cl. Melton Suares……………………………………………………………….20 The Annunciation - Cl. Veenus James...……………………………………………………………...22 The Fifteen Promises of Mary - Cl. Arkystar Chyne.………………………………………...24 Finding God in Music - Cl. Melton Suares...……………………………………………………...26 POEMS Without You Oh Mother! - Cl. Avinash Tirkey.…………………………………………………28 My Lovely Lady Dressed In Blue - Cl. Dinimemon Shylla………….……………………29 Can these Words Love? - Cl. Lamkupar Nonglang…….......…………….………………..29 Thank You Mary - Cl. John Tundoubou.…………………………………………………………….30 Mary in My Life - Cl. Leo Myrchiang...…...…..………………………………………………………30 Totus Tuus Maria - Cl. Leroy Mascarenhas………………………………………………………...31 Dear Mother - Cl. Antony Praveen...…………………………………………………………………….31 Totally yours - Cl. Markus Muktieh.…………………………………………………………………….32 Faithful mother - Cl. Mebanteilang Lyngdoh...………………………………………………….32 Ignite in Me Your Wisdom Oh Mother - Cl. Bless Rumao...…………………………….33 Mary my Hope - Cl. Honest Pyngrope………………………………………………………………...33 All Thine: A Disparaged Gift - Cl. George Patton…………..…..…………..………………..34 ekrk efj;e eSa fQj thuk pkgrk gWwaW - Cl. Mahesh Vasuniya……………….………35 Litany of Our Lady Word Find - ……………………………………………………………………...…36 Smile a little! - ………………………………………...………………………………………………………………37
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reetings from Divyadaan. Every year in our Salesian houses we dedicate a month to honour Our Blessed Mother. We express our love to Mother Mary in various ways, like animated rosaries, sermonettes, prayer services and conclude with the Marian nite. This year at Divyadaan the theme of our Marian Month was 'Totus Tuus: Totally yours'. Totus Tuus was the personal motto of St Pope John Paul II to express his personal consecration to Mary based on the spiritual approach of St. Louis de Montfort. Through this theme, we in the community expressed our longing to be inspired by Mother Mary in our journey of holiness. This edition of Divyadaan Express entitled 'Totus Tuus' carries articles and poems composed by our brothers which is an expression of their love to Mother Mary. When this edition of our Newsletter reaches into your hands, we send with it our love and prayers for each of our families. We pray through the intercession of Our Lady of Vailankanni for the good health of each and every member of your family.
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Mary in the Lives of Youth
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evotion to the Blessed Mother is necessary for everyone's salvation and sanctification, but it is especially important for the youth to develop a habit of loving, honouring, and serving her, as well as learning how to imitate her virtues.
In his Treatise True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort declared, "All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for their mother." Children, more than adults, feel it natural to place their trust in their mother, to entrust themselves to her, and to confide all of their fears, worries, and troubles in her maternal concern. One of the biggest tragedies of our time is the vast number of children who have never heard of the Blessed Mother and who have never had the opportunity to discover that they have a loving Mother in Heaven to whom they can confide in with all of their worries. If children grow up knowing Our Lady, developing the habit of fleeing to her arms for protection, and attempting to emulate her holiness of life, they will have laid a solid foundation on which to construct the remainder of their lives. Our Lady, on the other hand, will take all those children who show a great devotion to her in their youth under her protecting mantle, and she will never abandon them. Even if they deviate from their early dedication, she makes it her personal goal to assure their everlasting salvation. “The richness of love in all the mothers of this world could never equal the love Mary has for each one of us,” declared St. John Bosco. Young people who want to keep their faith and innocence as they grow older have no other option than to imbue their brains and hearts with adoration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They should entrust themselves to Our Lady on a daily basis, asking her to protect and lead them throughout their life and, one day, to bring them to Heaven. As children grow older and face dangers to their purity and innocence, as well as temptations against chastity, devotion to Our Lady and a firm commitment to practice her virtues become even more important. “Devotion to the Blessed DD Express
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Sacrament and devotion to the Blessed Mother are not only the finest, but the only way to retain purity,” says St. Philip Neri. In today’s world, it is supremely difficult to keep purity and chastity completely intact. Our entire culture seems aimed at making young people forget the beauty and importance of the virtues of purity and chastity, telling them that they should do whatever they want Society employs every possible means to encourage them to not only disregard these virtues, but also disregard the Church’s teachings on life, human sexuality and marriage as well. A vivid devotion to the most pure Virgin, as well as a willingness to examine and imitate her exquisite attributes, is the only truly effective means of avoiding the world's snares. “Do you wish to satisfy your Heavenly Mother?” asks St. John Bosco. “Practice chastity, Her favourite virtue.” He also emphasises the significance of eye care: “Mortify your eyes now, so that you may view the grandeur of our Blessed Mother and the splendour of Heaven in a more pure way.” “Mary is Immaculate and hates everything that is contradictory to purity,” he stated to his lads, whom he always exhorted to great purity of heart and chastity in their way of life. “Mary would never love an unclean lad, and he will never progress.” In St. John, the beloved disciple, young men have a great example to follow. He was the youngest of the Apostles, and our Lord adored him for his purity and innocence. He was also the only Apostle who had the guts to stand behind the Blessed Mother at Calvary. How much Our Lady must have adored him! Young men should develop a tender, filial devotion to the DD Express
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Mother of God in the same way as the beloved disciple did. They may be like her knights: pure soldiers and missionaries on a mission to spread her love to the farthest reaches of the globe. This is a specific privilege and responsibility bestowed on young men pursuing a vocation to the priesthood; as priests, they will be loved by Our Lady in a special way, and they will have a special responsibility to respect her and preach her glories and virtues. The youth are the future's hope, and Our Lady is the key to awakening young people's hearts, minds, and souls to the beauty of the Truth. Let us pray for a revitalised love for Our Lady and a firm commitment to sharing the Gospel of Christ via her maternal mediation and aid among Catholic adolescents around the world. May Our Lady raise up a powerful army of young people to fight bravely for her against the powers of darkness in the struggle for souls, spreading her devotion and love to every corner of the globe!
Cl. Dominic Humtsoe
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Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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he Church is very rich in tradition. "There are many devotions within the Church's treasury, choose only a few and remain faithful to them." (St. Jose Maria Escriva). It is a human tendency to get bored with and try something new. Devotions help us to come close to God, they are not sacraments but sacramentals that prepare us to receive the sanctifying grace. The church and all the saints recommend us to have devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Mary brings us closer to Jesus. "If you
want to reach Jesus, you should use the same means which He used to reach you i.e. Mary (St. Louie de Montfort)." If you want your heart to be in love with Jesus, focus on being Mary's, and she will help you. If we have a very fervent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, she will keep, protect and sustain us on our goal to reach her Son. There are different ways by which we can show our love to Mary, wearing the brown scapular, or bringing her flowers on her feast day. To celebrate her feast day with special solemnity, one can do the 33-day consecration of St. Louie de Montfort. There is one devotion that stands out above the rest, which is at the highest ranks, the pre-eminent Marian devotion i.e. the praying of the rosary. The first impression of the rosary would be something which old ladies do in the Church, nuns do in convents or people do at funerals. According to the pious traditions (not legends or myths), our Lady gave the rosary in the 13th century to a man named Dominic, who was a great priest, a holy priest. Since that time we can be sure that the rosary has been there in the hands of all the saints. Bl. Alan de la Roche revived the devotion to the rosary. St. Louie de Montfort wrote the greatest book on the Rosary. St. Pius V asked all the Christians in the world to pray the rosary so that Rome and Vatican would not be taken over by the Ottoman Empire. He DD Express
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attributed the victory and saving of Christianity to the rosary. It was during the same century that when missionaries went through the whole world, they took the rosary and they taught the indigenous people about the Christian faith through the rosary. Now the rosary in itself covers many forms! Yes. The one which is very common and familiar is the five-decade rosary, which we pray: the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries. This rosary is called "The Dominican Rosary." There are other forms which include the Bridgetine Rosary, the Servite Rosary, and the Seraphic (Franciscan) Rosary. Though the rosary was given to the Dominicans, the church remains grateful to the Franciscans for the word 'rosary.' It was a vision given to a Franciscan novice where our Lady compared praying the rosary as crowning her with roses. The rosary has an endorsement not only from Saints but also from Popes. The Rosary is one of the most powerful devotional prayers of the Church! This is evident throughout its history. The major events in history include The battle of Lepanto & The siege of Malta. This powerful devotion has also transformed the lives of many people one among them was Bartholo Longo, who was ordained a satanic priest (now a blessed of the Church) who went on to build the world's greatest Shrine dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary in Pompeii in Italy. Let us look at ourselves, how do I pray the rosary? Under compulsion? Let us make maximum efforts to make this prayer our own and cherish it. Let us use the numerous indulgences which the Church offers us by these blessed beads and help the holy souls in purgatory.
Cl. Winston Pinto
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Mary in the Life of Jesus
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ary played an important role, in the Father`s mission, in the life of Jesus, first and foremost by accepting God`s invitation to be the Mother of his Son. The Earthly Life of Jesus began and ended with Mary, from the Annunciation to the Cross. The ‘Fiat’ marked the beginning of Jesus`s salvation ministry. Thus, Mary`s Faith in God made her see the “impossible as possible.” This was how the Angel Gabriel reassured her. When the woman in the crowd appreciated the blood relationship between Jesus and his mother, Jesus pointed out a different type of relationship that is of ‘listening to the Word and keeping it. Heavenly relationships are based on the reception of the Word. The relationship between Jesus and his Mother was not merely physical in nature, but spiritual. Mary represents the ‘good soil’ of the parable of the Sower, where the Word is received, nurtured and produced abundant fruit. Mary was always by Jesus`s side physically and spiritually. From the Annunciation, Mary was already in line with Jesus`s salvation ministry. This went on till Jesus`s passion and death. Her visit to Elizabeth marked the first sign of her union with her Son. She gave the joy of Jesus to Elizabeth. This can be seen when they had found Jesus in the Temple, for He said to them, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father`s house” (LK 2:49). They did not understand the Words of Jesus. Mary said nothing, but she
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treasured his Words in her heart. In the public life of Jesus, Mary made significant appearances. This is very much known at the very beginning when she was moved with pity at the very marriage feast at Cana, and her intercession brought about the beginning of miracles of Jesus. Mary advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, her loyalty to the Father kept her in union with her Son unto the Cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, suffering grievously with her only-begotten Son. Finally, Jesus gave her a Mother to his disciple, this He did when He said, “Woman, behold your Son” (Jn 19:26). In her life, Mary reflects even on the smallest sign of God, pondering them in her heart. She is a disciple who is an active witness of that love that builds up Christ in people`s hearts, the joy of the mission that she carried upon. She gives us the same love that she has given to Jesus, for she is our Heavenly Mother given by Jesus at the Cross. As a mother, she understands her children… St Vincent de Paul says, “Each of our days is marked with the protection of Mary, who is exceedingly anxious to be our Mother when we desire to be her children." She guides us; stand by us throughout our life, in Joy or Sorrow, success or failure she is by our side always as she had been to Jesus. She is interceding for us. In the Hail Mary, we pray, "And blessed is the fruit of your womb." She gives us Jesus the fruit. St Alphonsus de Liguori says, "Whoever desires the fruit must go to the
tree” which means “whoever desires Jesus must go to Mary: and whoever finds Mary will most certainly find Jesus.” May we not be afraid to take Mary, our Blessed Mother, into the home of our hearts? She has that specific mission of loving us, received from Jesus on the Cross, to love us, to save us! Mary consoles us above all by pointing out the Crucified One and Paradise to us. DD Express
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Throughout her life, she lived by Faith and was obedient to the Word of God. She is our perfect example of Faith. Faith is our capacity to recognize God's power to make the impossible possible, like Mary, and to accept one's helplessness before Him. Let us pray to her that as she accompanied Jesus throughout his life journey, she may also accompany us to live our lives faithful to the Word of God and to live in His grace always. The best way to venerate her is to receive Jesus whom she offered us, so that we 'hear the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit in abundant grace.
Cl. Gedion Ramshon
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Mary’s Yeses
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any will say that Mary said Yes only once. But if you look at it from a different angle Mary said Yes directly only once but she said Yes indirectly in the Gospel during other times.
The first time Mary says Yes is during the Annunciation. We are very familiar with this time of Mary’s Yes. It is when the Angel Gabriel asked her to be the Mother of God and after some hesitation, she said ‘Yes.’ This Yes was for the plan of God to be fulfilled through her. Surely it must have been difficult for her but she knew that the will of God must be done.
The second time she said Yes was when Jesus was lost and found in the temple. The Bible says, "His mother treasured all these things in her heart." This meant that she was silent. And when you are silent you say an indefinite Yes. She accepted the remark made by Jesus as the word from God. We are sure that any other mother would scold her child for such an answer, but Mary accepted it. She said Yes to it. The third time she said Yes was at the wedding feast at Cana. We can say this because only when you accept you can tell others what is to be done. In this case, Mary accepted Jesus’ answer and then told the servants to do whatever Jesus would tell them. This helpful nature only comes when you surrender and when you surrender you say Yes. Mary knew that Jesus would do something and said Yes hopefully when he told her that his time had not yet come. This Yes of Mary was to fulfil the will of God which he does in his own time. The fourth time that our blessed mother said Yes was at the foot of the cross. Jesus gave us his mother to DD Express
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be our mother. Just think that if Mary had to say a ‘No’, all of humankind would lose a powerful intercessor and a loving mother. Mary’s Yes helped in continuing the saving plan of God. Thus this Yes of Mary was in obedience to God’s will and his word. We see that Mary’s Yeses have influenced the life of Jesus in many ways. The best example is in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus submits to the will of the Father in the words, “…not mine but your will be done.” Mary features very few times in the Gospel, but every time she is seen she sets an example to us of the Great virtue of openness which leads us to say Yes! In our lives, we must always like Mary surrender ourselves to the Father and tell him Totus Tuus, Totally yours.
Cl. Leroy Mascarenhas
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Mary Untier of Knots
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o you have knots in your life that seem impossible to untie? Turn to Mary, Untier of Knots! The devotion to Mary, Untier of Knots is about 300 years old but became more widely known through Pope Francis. He promoted it throughout his papacy, and while he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The primary story behind the painting referring to Mary as an Untier of Knots goes back to St. Irenaeus, in the second century. St. Irenaeus presented a parallel between Eve and Mary, describing how "The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.” It was this quote that seemed to work in the mind of Fr. Jakob Rem, who counselled Wolfgang Langenmantel. The story of the devotion to Mary, the untier of Knots begins with German nobleman Wolfgang, who had been married to a noblewoman Sophie, but in the year 1612, the couple was on the verge of divorce. To save their marriage, Wolfgang decided to pay a visit to Father Jakob Rem, a Jesuit priest who lived at the monastery North of Augsburg. Over a period of 28 days, Wolfgang visited Father Rem four times and received advice from the holy priest, who was honoured for his wisdom, piety and extraordinary intelligence. Father Rem was believed to have experienced an apparition of Mary under the title of "Mother, Thrice Admirable." During their meetings, Wolfgang and Father Rem would pray together and venerate the Virgin Mary. On the day of their last visit together, Father Rem had been praying in the chapel of the monastery before the image of our Blessed Virgin Mary. When DD Express
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the two men met, Wolfgang gave his wedding ribbon to Father Rem. In the marriage ceremony of that time and place, the maid of honour joined together the arms of the bride and groom with a ribbon to represent their invisible union for the rest of their lives. In a solemn ritual act, Father Rem took Wolfgang's wedding ribbon and lifted it, and untied the knots of the ribbon one by one. As Father Rem smoothed out the ribbon, it became intensely white. Because of this Wolfgang and Sophie were able to avoid a divorce and continue their relationship. Some years later, Wolfgang’s grandson Hieronymus Ambrosius Langenmantel, who himself was a priest and canon law doctor, decided to donate a family altar to the Church of St. Peter am Perlach in Augsburg in commemoration of the turn of the century in the year 1700. Such donations were a common tradition at that time. The altarpiece was dedicated to "the Blessed Virgin of Good Counsel" and Father Hieronymus wanted it to represent the history of the Langenmantel family. A painter, Johann Melchior Georg Schmittdner, was commissioned to provide a painting for the family altar. He decided to base his painting on the story of Wolfgang, Sophie and Father Rem. Therefore, Schmittdner depicts the Virgin Mary as she is untying the knots of the ribbon of married life. The crushing of the serpent illustrates that Mary is the Immaculate Conception. The dove presents Mary as the Bride of the Holy Spirit. Angels assist the Blessed Mother; one presents the knots of our lives to her, while another angel presents the ribbon,
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free from knots, to us. Underneath Mary, the worried noble Wolfgang, accompanied by the Archangel Raphael, walks towards a monastery. Pope Francis, then Jorge Bergoglio, saw the painting in person while studying in Germany during a very difficult and dark time of his life. He brought the devotion back with him and introduced it in Argentina. He expressed how this particular image of Mary can help people, by bringing the difficulties of our everyday lives to Our Mother, who looks to unbind the struggles so that we are free to see the presence of her Son working in our lives. Our Lady Untier of Knots is the patroness of personal challenges, family struggles, anxiety and addiction. As in our lives too we feel certain knots which are impossible to untie, at these moments of difficulty let us invoke the assistance of Mary under the title of the Untier of Knots.
Cl. Melvin Mathew
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Mary the Way to Christ
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ary was the daughter of Sts. Anne and Joachim. We do not know from the Gospel the exact date of Mary’s birth. However, Christians celebrated it on the 8th of September since the 7th Century. In accordance with the Jewish tradition, our Lady’s parents named her eight days after her birth and were inspired to call her Mary. The parents of Mary offered her to God in Temple when she was only three years old. Mary is the icon of holiness which was nurtured from the beginning of her life. One day St. Francis of Assisi had a vision that he and his companion were in front of the throne of God. St. Francis and his friends tried to go nearer to God who sat on the throne, but their efforts were in vain. They could not reach God. After sometime, Francis found that on the other throne a soft voice that said, “Francis lead your sons to our heavenly mother. That is the easy way to reach me”. God lives in the holy heart. We are all sinners, full of sins, weak and helpless but our mother metaphorically comes to our help to preserve us; as salt preserves the meat. She makes us Holy and worthy of the promise of Christ. As we have heard from that short story; how St. Francis and his friends were trying to go nearer to God who sat on the throne, but their efforts were in vain and they could not reach him. But after some time, God, who loves his people, speaks to Francis and says, “Francis lead your sons to our heavenly mother for that is the easy way to reach me.” Similarly, in our life too, to be saved from sin, to live a holy life, and to attain Heaven, God has given us a helper and this DD Express
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person is our mother Mary.
In the year 1936, there was a deadly plague in Mexico that killed around ten lakh people. Doctors and experts were unable to save the people from that deadly sickness. At last, the whole country decided to accept Mary as their common intercessor. And Mary was able to save the people from that deadly sickness and peace came over the country. During the reign of Pope Paul VI, there was a possibility of the third World War starting. But the Holy Father, through his encyclical Christi Marti, Rosary asked the faithful in the whole world to pray to Mary, the way to Christ. And this miraculously saved the world from that dangerous calamity. To conclude, if we also try to know who Mary is, we will come to know Jesus better. Mary is not God but she is the Mother of God. Thou Mary is only a creature; she is God's greatest creation. Mary the is chosen, queen mother. Just as an artist longs to paint one masterpiece among his works, so Jesus also made his mother be his greatest masterpiece. Let us, therefore, ask Mary to guide our way and also to be our way to Christ.
Cl. Midnightstar Khongsit
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Mary Our Guide
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ehind every man's success there is a woman and behind every person's choice, a mother guides. When we were small we usually go to our mothers for things; even to make decisions we normally ask our mother. No matter how small or how big the decisions we have to make in life our mothers are ever ready to guide us in life.
We see in the Bible that at the prompting of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob, that Jacob steals Esau's blessings from Isaac (Gen. 27: 5-10). And because of Bathsheba the mother of Solomon that he became the King of Israel (1 Kings 1: 5-17). Our mothers know what's best for us. She has kept us for 9 months within her womb and even after we were born she nurses us till we are strong enough. She is the only one who knows us through and through. It is close to impossible to hide anything from our mothers. When we look at Our Lady we see that in spite of her knowing what will happen to her Son, she lets him go. She knows that what He is doing is beyond her grasp of understanding, but when Jesus gave his mother to be the mother of us all she understood that she is meant to help all those who come to her and lead them to Jesus. Like all mothers, she knows that our needs are many and she satisfies not our physical needs but our spiritual needs. She knows that we lack certain things spiritually, so, like a mother who guides, she guides us to her Son Jesus who quenches our spiritual desires. Let us, therefore, look at Mary as our heavenly mother ever ready to guide us on the right path.
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Monti Fest
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he feast of the Nativity of Mary is celebrated on the 8th of September, nine months after the 8th of December, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Mangalorean Christians celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "Monti Fest." Monti is a Konkani name for Mother Mary. This feast also involves the blessing of Novem (new crops).
The festival derives its name from the Monte Mariano Church at Farangipet in the South of Mangalore and was initiated by Joachim Miranda, a Goan Catholic priest at Farangipet in 1763. Though Tippu Sultan destroyed the churches of Mangalore, he spared Monte Mariano Church because of the friendship of his father Hyder Ali with Father Miranda. Konkani speakers of Mangalorean origin celebrate the nativity feast in a unique way. This feast day is celebrated along with the harvest festival which is a thanksgiving for the new crops. It has been said in the "Gospel of James," that St. Anna, the mother of Mary, was barren until she was quite old. God blessed them with a girl child that is MARY. She was 'the first fruit' in the family. This can be one of the reasons why the nativity feast is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for the first harvest. Feast preparations to honour Mother Mary begin nine days in advance along with novena prayers. Adults and children attend the novena together as a family. Children along with their basket of flowers and community leaders with freshly grown paddy corn, enter the church in a procession and present the gifts as an offering of the first bounty of nature to Mother Mary. A small statue of infant Mary is placed on a table in front of the altar. The paddy corn is placed next to the statue to be blessed and distributed to the congregation after mass. DD Express
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When the blessed paddy enters the house, it is placed on the altar with great respect next to a lit candle. This is symbolic of the hope of having food for the rest of the year. Once the meal is prepared, some of the grains of paddy are peeled and crushed and mixed with coconut milk, payasam (vorn), or even in the beaten sweet rice. Then the dish is eaten with prayers and devotion. The dish mixed with the new grain is called "Novem." The oldest member in the house serves "Novem" to all. The new grain is also sent to the family members who are away from home, so this feast also encourages family bonding and togetherness. On this day the family sits together and after the Angelus and a prayer to mother Mary, partakes of the meal together. Like every other year, Monti fest takes me back to my childhood days. We would run to others' houses searching for flowers. We would then keep the best flowers at Mary's statue placed at the centre of the church. The remaining flowers were offered at the grotto outside the church. On the feast day, there is the solemn mass and blessing of the paddy. Children would receive sugarcane as well as gifts from the parish priest after mass. Times have changed and so has the manner of celebration, yet the zeal and enthusiasm with which the Nativity feast is celebrated are the same even now. Our mother is the same even now. I pray that she protects and keeps us always under her mantle.
Cl. Winston Pinto
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Our Lady of Snows
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t is very much impossible for snow to fall during August, especially in Rome, but history tells us otherwise. On August 5th 352, snow fell rather silently during the night in Rome. This came about because there lived in the Eternal City of Rome a nobleman, John and his childless wife, who had been blessed with much of this world's goods. They wanted their riches to be put in use for the good of all and therefore chose the Mother of God as the heir to their fortune, and at the suggestion of Pope Liberius, prayed that she might make known to them how to do this by a particular sign. In answer, the Virgin Mother during the night of August 5, appeared to John and his wife and also to the Holy Father, Pope Liberius, directing them to build a church in her honor on the crown of the Esquiline Hill. In the morning the news quickly spread and crowds gathered to throng up the hill and see for themselves the white splendor. The snow had fallen in a particular pattern, showing the outline of the future church. When it became known that the snow was a sign from Mary, the people spontaneously added another name to her long list of titles, Our Lady of the Snows. The church built there is now known as Saint Mary Major. It is the focal point of devotion for Mary’s millions of children and it is also one of the most popular churches in the world. It is there that Mary has been pleased to bestow various and many blessings, as numerous and varied, as the flakes of snow that fell on that August night. It was at various times known by different names: the Basilica of Liberius, Saint Mary of the Crib because it enshrines relics of Christ’s Crib; lastly, Saint Mary Major, to distinguish it from the many other Roman churches dedicated to the Mother of God; Major, means Greater. There is an image revered as Our Lady of the Snows, DD Express
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which is believed to have been produced by St. Luke, the Apostle. The popularity of the legend in the 15th century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale of around 1423. The white blanket of snow on that August night symbolizes Mary, pure as the driven snow; her blessings and graces, numerous and varied as the falling snowflakes. Science tells us that every snowflake is different in form and make-up: size, outline, structure, ornamentation, are all without limit, infinite in wondrous beauty, startling complexity, perfect symmetry as they fleet, dancing down from the sky. What a wonderful figure of the blessings Mary obtains for us! Snow changes the face of the earth, painting even a field of mud with a white coat. The grace of God won through prayer to Mary, also changes the face of the earth. Snow preserves the heat of the earth, protects vegetation, supplies moisture with slow effectiveness. Grace serves in a similar way: it preserves the warmth of God’s love in our hearts; it protects the soul from the chill of temptation and sin; it nourishes the soul with new life. We see further symbolism in this feast. There are millions living in lands of ice and snow who have not come to the knowledge of Mary and her Divine Son. We might ask that with the actual snowflakes, she may shower down upon them the graces of the True Faith.
Cl. Melton Suares
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The Annunciation
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he Annunciation is one of the most dramatic scenes in the entire New Testament. First, the Angel Gabriel's words imply that Mary's first response is fear. Mary is afraid. Mary is also aware of that and the Angel knows it. So Angel Gabriel reassures her. "Do not be afraid…" Then the Angel announces that young Mary will become “the Mother of the Son of the highest.” You would think that at this point Mary would simply accept the Angel’s words. But no. Mary has her questions. She interrogates her heavenly visitor point-blank. “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” She asks a question, and Gabriel’s responds to Mary’s question in detail.
Young Mary’s faith is a faith, which in the end says to God, whatever you say is fine with me. Ordinarily, we do not have such clear dialogues with an Angel. God's message to us, more often comes through the circumstances of life. All the same, we have our questions. We wonder what's going on. However, we should not hesitate to ask our questions before we make Mary’s words our own: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your Word.” Here is what young Mary teaches us, she teaches us that, behind every mystery, there is God’s infinite, unconditional love. After this, I realize something else, the immense mystery that surrounds this woman so I followed her. I followed her through the Gospel, on a pilgrimage. The further I followed her, the closer I came to her. The strangeness of her mystery became a little clearer to me. My love grew like a fire. I understood the strange mystery of choice of all the people in the world; God selected a young Jewish girl to be the mother of his son. DD Express
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I understood and yet I didn’t understand anything. Neither will you because mysteries are not meant to be understood. Mysteries are to be believed in faith. I listened, you can listen with me. As you listen, you will penetrate little into each mystery. The mysteries of God are overwhelming. I have no words, neither will you. We do not know God through theology, even though the meaning of the word theology is the knowledge of God. This requires silence, solitude and so many other things that our Lady can teach us. Each one of us is slowly journeying on a real pilgrimage, not with our two feet but with our heart, our heart that walks standing still. On this pilgrimage, we begin to enter into the real question of life, our Lady’s infinite work on our soul.
Cl. Veenus James
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The Fifteen Promises of Mary 1.
Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive graces.
2.
I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who recite the rosary every day.
3.
The rosary is a power amour against hell; it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat the heresies.
4. It will help you entirely the virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. 5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary shall not perish. 6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unproved death; if he is just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary will not die without the sacraments of the Church. 8. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary will have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death, they will participate in the merits of the saints in paradise. DD Express
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9. I will deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
10. The faithful children of the rosary will merit a high degree of glory in heaven. 11. You will obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary. 12. All those who propagate the holy rosary will be aided by me in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary will have the entire celestial court during their life and the hour of death is for intercessors. 14. All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ. 15.
The devotion of the rosary is a great sign of destiny.
Cl. Arkystar Chyne
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Finding God in Music
S
t Francis of Assisi was a man who found God in everything, he was very much attuned to the being of nature wherein he manifested his love for God, which one can especially see in his sermons to the fish, talks with the birds, etc.
In a similar manner, the inspiration for me to write this article came from the book entitled ‘The Shack’, written by W. M. Paul Young, wherein the author narrates the story of a man who finds God in the most desperate moments of his life, especially after the death of his youngest daughter. One of the points that struck me other than the incredible story was the incident wherein God, who takes the form of an elderly African woman in this novel says this with regards to music, ‘God listens to everything, not just music, but the heart behind it.’ This made me think about what my outlook is on music after joining the religious way of life. Am I a person who only prefers to listen to artists who were dealing with Gospel songs or am I able to see beyond? There are so many secular songs that help us to see God in not so much as an explicit way, but rather very subtly. Am I looking at songs with these lenses? A few days after I had read the book, Cl. Chichanbemo George for his good night talk, took up the lyrics of the famous Justin Bieber song entitled ‘As I Am’ and emphasized on the following lyrics, Sometimes, I don't know why you love me Sometimes, I don't know why you care Take me with the good and the ugly Say, "I'm not goin' anywhere" Take me as I am, swear I'll do the best I can Say, "I'm not goin' anywhere" Take me as I am, swear I'll do the best I can Say, "I'm not goin' anywhere" There are several other songs like Alan Walkers, Alone Pt II mentioned below, which DD Express
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resemble the cry of a soul looking for someone to share their life with.
Then I saw your face, your forgiving eyes Looking back at me from the other side Like you understood me And I'm never letting you go, oh We all need that someone Who gets you like no one else Right when you need it the most We all need a soul to rely on A shoulder to cry on A friend through the highs and the lows Another song which I wish to put forth is again Justin Biebers, ‘Anyone’, which someone has beautifully connected with Scriptures You are the only one I’ve ever loved (Luke 10:27) If it’s not you, it’s not anyone (Isiah 43:11) Lookin’ back on my life, you're the only good I’ve ever done (Ps 37:3) There are so many songs out there that can connect us to God in so many ways because I think music is the sound of spirits— our spirits. Music has the ability to convey messages of greater meaning that can unify and allow us to recognize one another’s humanity. A song is a shared story, it is also an opportunity to know that we are not alone, and to learn from one another. It can also be seen as a prayer, or a prophetic message, a call to action, and even the philosophy of one’s life. All we require to see it is an open mind, ears, and a discerning spirit.
Cl. Melton Suares
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Poems Without You Oh Mother! O sweetest mother of Christ, O most dear, Without you in life, nothing is clear; You are the one in my life all in all, And without you I am nothing at all. There is no one like you so great, You are the one, a friend so best; Who guides and leads like a shining light, Teaches me to take every step in life. Your presence in my life, as though a Garden of Eden, Where the tender care of God was given; With Softness of your love, in your arms you carry, Where the cares of this world never take me worry. You love me, and I love you and it is really heaven, As though, you for me and me for you are chosen; Indeed your love, is, ever true to me, It is now that my heart realizes within me. Yes, I realize you as I feel your absence, Remaining from you at the far off distance; Where without you it is, a dry desert, I am like a small flower fight.
Without you, I am like deer without water, Penetrating for a tributary of Active River. But unfortunately it finds nowhere as of yours, An overflowing streams of love that you bear. Every morning as the day begins, I remember your hands for me does a lot of things; Raise me, wash me, and nourish me thyself, Now all that I need to do it all by myself. Unless sheltered by you where shall I cope? Where else shall I have a hope? There's no one perceives my pain, Yet you, O mother, really understand mine. Without you, life is harder to imagine, It seems to have stopped all engine; And the night comes like a deadly thing, Leaves me lifeless just like a sting.
Now, I have no desire save only to be with you, Enough is enough keeping me far from you; For every little thing I need is you my mother, And I no more wish to live without you any further.
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My Lovely Lady Dressed In Blue
Can these Words Love?
My Lovely Lady Dressed In Blue, You are chosen among the Jews; The Angel Gabriel came to you, Hail Full of Grace, He exalted you God’s message he brought to you.
Why do I always begin with a question? Maybe it’s because I haven’t anymore option, Either to say I’m sorry which I’m not, Or to love you, when none I’ve got. Because Mama you know why I’m here, Traditions had caused me annually to reappear; And am I sorry for this un-reflected visit? Maybe I will, when my wanting and doing are resolved a bit. My thoughts realized that I should have loved you more, “Mother”, My actions however, had me forgotten how beautiful you are; Where was I when her majesty awaits my love? When it was then, when my heart should have been above. So loving mother; Now, I come to you with nothing but words that’s deeper, Because if these words can make me be your lover, Then these words, I believe is all I have to offer.
My Lovely Lady Dressed In Blue, You Bore God’s Son for me to sue Sins and limitations too. Under your mantle let me flew, O Mary, I lift my eyes to you. My Lovely Lady Dressed In Blue, Be a Loving Mother to me In Holiness, help us your son to be. Through Your Son, You brought life eternity For me to live a Life of Purity. My Lovely Lady Dressed In Blue, Strengthen me and My Vocations too. Hold me close to Thy Loving Heart, So that I may stay, not apart To Love thy Son with all my Heart.
Cl. Dinimemon Shylla
Cl. Lamkupar Nonglang
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Thank You Mary
Mary in My Life
It was all a Scarlet Innocence When ignorance dimmed my soul I often whispered in silence “If only you were there for me” That was the beginning Life took a turn Day began to smile It was her, the beautiful mother How long had I failed to recognize her? “You are precious, child”. Said she “Come what you may, I am there Follow me, Jesus awaits us” And I whispered in tears “She has done great things for me” All that I am left to tell is “thank you Mary”.
From the very beginning; Mary is with me. She guides me, helps me and protects me. In times of trials, she comforts me; In times of confusion, she makes me to be confident. In making decisions; She decides the best for me. In sickness, she heals me; In study, she helps me to understand the subject. In physical work, she strengthens me; In talking, she guides my words. In sleeping, she protects me. She is precious to me; A Mother who is with her sons.
Cl. John Tundoubou
Cl. Leo Myrchiang
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Totus Tuus Maria
Dear Mother
Totus Tuus Maria, With love we say, Under your mantel we pray, And in your protection we lay.
I Love You Because you are beautiful in heart Because you are pure in mind Because you are clean in hands Because you are a dream in my dreams I Love You Because of your compassionate love Because of your unfathomable mercy Because of your undivided relationship Because of your unmounted grace and blessings I Love You Because you are amiable Because you are intelligent Because you are my consoler Because you are incorruptible I Love You Because you are a mother of this finite world Because you are a chosen one Because you Assumed into heaven Because you are a Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Totus Tuus Maria, With faith we proclaim, Under your photo frame. And in troubles we take your name. Totus Tuus Maria, With devotion we look forward, Under the pressure of sin' And in you we're sure to win. Totus Tuus Maria, With God you eternally live Under your love we dwell, And in you all is well.
Cl. Leroy Mascarenhas
Cl. Antony Praveen
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Totally yours
Faithful mother
A shining star at night you are You care for the near and far Like a bright star that leads from far You healed the broken hearted that had gone far So bright, what a wonderful star you are!
You are a faithful mother of God Faithful like a servant to God You are the chosen one amongst women To be the mother of Christ our lord You said ‘Yes’ because of your faithfulness
You are the joy of our hearts We experience joy that we never had We stand side by side in your heart In order to taste the sweetness of your heart Truly, you are the mother with a big heart We give our lives totally to you as you like For you are the reflections of Christ’s life We follow you to live a worthy life Life that gives into a life of reality We hope to see you and be like you Mary
Cl. Markus Muktieh
Mary you are the virgin amongst all virgins You open your heart faithfully to God By treasuring the words faithfully in your heart You fulfilled the plan of God by accepting his word Your ‘Yes’ is for all humanity in the world Heavenly mother you are such a lovely mother You always love to be in company with all humanity Thank you dearest mother for your ‘Yes’ You brought joy to the world because of your ‘Yes’ We learn to say ‘Yes’ to God because of your love
Cl. Mebanteilang Lyngdoh
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Ignite in Me Your Wisdom Oh Mother
Mary my Hope
Seat of wisdom is what they call thee, a perfect title where no folly we see Filled with its very source, evident it is in your life, every step thou made was profoundly wise.
With hope when we pray to Mary, She brings the hope of eternity, Mary’s name is a hope for me, Your name is a comfort be in time of struggle and difficulty, You take my life to set it free.
Sharing the same humanity though how unwise, Ignorantly happy in this misery, unwisely sigh. Oh what a fate to think my foolishness as wisdom Oh seat of wisdom, Ignite in me some Your faith so great: God gave you 'the grace' mother, Make me wise. Gold and silver as I err to long Lead me oh! wise one, let the Lord be my souls song
Mary take my life and let it be, Consecrate to God Almighty, Take my will and make it thine, Let it be the Lord’s no longer mine, where he sends I will go, where he leads I will follow That day I will be happy when I trust and hope in Mary
Cl. Honest Pyngrope
Lift off my sight the veil of pride, to be humble and wise ever be my stride. At the last door may I choose him, 'The One', Oh! seat of wisdom Ignite in me some.
Cl. Bless Rumao
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All Thine: A Disparaged Gift
O Blessed Mother, Virgin the Fairest, God’s beloved Son Jesus thou bearest. Thou alone, O Mother God’s favour found, Thy hallowed womb earth’s loving saviour crowned. Where do I a sojourner refuge seek? Alone am forever brittle and weak. To the world I’ll go, nay alone won’t dare, Shattered I’ll be before long is the fare. ALL THINE, gifts great have I none to give thee, To Thy Dear Child lead, on my knees I plea. Sweet and soothing, Thy name I’ll ever call, And in Thy tender arms I’ll never fall. On that Splendid Day when Jesus draws near, With Thee, Thy Son, I’ll behold without fear.
Cl. George Patton
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Litany of Our Lady Word Find
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Smile a little A teacher told the students in a class to write an essay on a cricket match. All were busy writing seriously except one Bantu. He wrote: “DUE TO RAIN, NO MATCH!”. Judge: Don’t you have shame? It’s the fourth time you are coming to court. Verdict to judge: Oh! Then what about you? you are coming daily, don’t you have shame? What is the biggest bus? Syllabus A gate which we cannot enter? Colgate The dangerous city in the world? Electricity The table which grows? Vegetable The room which we cannot enter in? Mushroom The table which has no legs? Timetable What has teeth but no mouth? Comb What kind of ears an engine has? Engineers The biggest ant? Elephant What is the science of shopping? Biology (buy-ology) What makes nets but never fish? Spider The miss that carries the Gospel across the Globe? Missionary What goes up and never comes down? Age To whom does everyone remove his hat? Barber The miss that always does the wrong things? Mistakes The miss that brings trouble and disappointment? Misfortune The miss that is disobedient? Misbehaviour Name an insect that comes from an alphabet? B (bee) Never planted, still it grows, what’s it? Hair How many legs are there on a table? None, they are all under it.
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