“The Glory of GOD is man Fully Alive “ – St. Irenaeus.
My Dearly Beloved Parishioners,
After the long sweltering summer vacation, it’s time to be refreshed and rejuvenated to begin and face yet another year ahead of us. As the Church prepares to celebrate theJubilee Year in 2025, I, along with my Parish team welcome you to a holistic, spiritual and fruitful year of God experience. I take this opportunity to thank God for each one of you who have been part of the Parish Animation Team which forms the backbone of planning, organizing and executing various creative and innovative events and activities throughout the year for the all-round development and spiritual growth of the Parish.
As we begin a new year of spiritual journey into the Infiniteness of God’s mercy and love, I thank the Almighty God who journeys and accompanies us on our way, to accept the good with the bad, to smile with the sad, to love the things and persons in our lives and remember and reflect fondly on the past experiences, for the opportunities to forgive generously and learn from mistakes committed, as the Roller-Coaster ride of life continues.
‘The Lord of Hosts has sworn: As I have designed, so shall it be; and as I have planned, so shall it come to pass:’ (Isaiah 14:24). As we look forward eagerly, let us not forget to listen to the inner voice that constantly urges us to evolve into being fully human and fully alive, living the purpose of life in the spirit of God’s love.
Once a young girl asked her Guru to tell her about the purpose of her existence. “What does God want me to do with my Life? “What tasks am I expected to perform?”
The Holy Man advised her to go to a nearby garden and observe the flowers, then come back and tell him of what she saw, after which he would answer her questions. The girl came back in a short while and said, “I have seen beautiful, fully formed flowers in bloom. The flowers are wide open, their petals are of a lovely color and they are very fragrant, but I have also seen buds which are yet to open and bloom. They are not so beautiful, colored or fragrant. They seem to be waiting for something great to happen”.
The Guru nodded and said, “The purpose of the bud is to bring out all the beauty and color and fragrance that it has inside itself”, explaining further, “Its ultimate purpose is to bloom fully and become a perfect flower”.
The Guru added, “Similarly, you too are capable of such beauty and perfection. Your aim must be to evolve into a perfect human being, an ideal and spiritual person in whom all the beautiful virtues such as compassion, kindness, service, humility and sacrifice will be manifested. You too must bloom fully like a perfect flower”. The purpose of life is to be fully human and fully alive in the spirit of God. It is to become at least a slightly better person today as compared to yesterday.
As a Parish Family, we belong to the Sacred Heart Parish. Let us all Re-commission and Re-consecrate our homes, families, purposes, dreams, plans, achievements, and missions at the feet of the Lord, so that together we may grow and bloom to perfection spiritually and holistically.
I place on record a word of thanks and appreciation to Fr. Sandesh Patil, SVD and Fr. Christi Selvaraj SVD who have served our Parish Community with so much zeal, enthusiasm, dedication, wholehearted commitment and utmost love. We, as a Parish community, remain indebted to you, dear Fathers and as you bid us goodbye, we implore heavenly blessings upon both of you in your new mission endeavors. May God who called you, attain His ultimate purpose through you and in you. May You be blessed and bloom and grow in the vineyard of the Lord.
I also extend a hearty welcome to our new incoming Parish Team Members, Fr. George Mepurath, SVD and Fr. Lucas Parkhe, SVD who will be joining our Sacred Heart Parish Family. May your presence and companionship bless our Parish with immense heavenly graces and love.
May the Heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all.
Fr. John Mascarenhas, SVD
Parish Priest