Blissful Living, Grateful Giving

Words reflect like the night moon light

Action shines like the bright sun light

His example of loving presence is like the rainbow in the sky

His witness to Christ is like that of a peaceful dove on this earth

Dear Friends, these lines are dedicated to Rev. Fr Felix Fernandes SDB a person personified with practicality and prudence of mind and heart. His presence reminds me of purposeful-purpose filled living – the WHY of every moment…His passion & zeal for duty is seen and known in his commitment to duty and the task assigned to him in fulfilling them diligently and dutifully. His compassionate way of understanding the other is seen in the way he listens and the way he speaks, with respect for the other and calmness in his speech and language.

As a Salesian Religious Priest he is a model of PRAYER – man of God, 24 X 7 spiritually filled, spiritually gifted, spiritually graced, and spiritually enlightened. When I look him walk in a very swift and yet serene way I am reminded of 3 D’s – Dutiful, Dedicated & Disciplined. His beliefs are experienced in his convictions and commitments. I believe that he is a man with wisdom and insight, with stewardship – leadership quality. Don Bosco’s phrase keeps recurring in my mind in the person of Fr Felix,”in loving kindness yet firm, win the hearts, win their souls.” He has a listening heart which has the depth of truth, honesty, and concern for the other. He is a caring and loving person this can be seen in his etiquette and his manner. A person who’s life is well integrated with that of simplicity (his dressing style – kurta, pants & sandals), and generosity (always giving whatever anyone ask). Not to forget he is genuine thinker & gem Reflector (this I have experienced in his classes & his scholarly articles). 

Stay with him...talk to him...you will definitely experience the Spirit of God.

A Religious person, A Realistic person, A Relational person

For me he is a spiritual father – a spiritual friend

He is 19 years a PRIEST, 25 years a PROFESSED RELIGIOUS SALESIANS & 39 years LIVING WITH DON BOSCO - Grateful Giving

A Blissful smile always present on his face reflects the holiness of this man.

GOD BLESS U !!!

As U celebRate liFe...

Celebrating Life

Today in our Community we are Celebrating the gift of life in the person of Rev. Fr Tony D’Souza SDB [budd(y)/(ie)]. As a matter of fact, we do celebrate life every day in our daily living (learning & loving). But today is a special day because of this special (a gift & a blessing) person. As for me, I would not like to speak of his qualifications because this can be given to you by calling or asking anyone from his family or from any Salesian of Don Bosco (SDB) or search on Google engine. But I would like to highlight the quality this person IS.

This person is living his life as a

Convinced Person – Christ Person (Religious)

Committed Person – Consecrated Person (Salesian)

Compassionate Person – Caring Person (Human – Christian & Missionary)

If one asks me how your experience with this person was in being with him, sharing with him, living with him….I would say:

A Spiritual Strength of our Community (papa) + A Missionary Gift to our Community (mama) = producing young Salesians or rather forming young Salesians with Head [Convinced Person – Christ Person (Religious)], Heart [Committed Person – Consecrated Person (Salesian)] & Hand [Compassionate Person – Caring Person (Human – Christian & Missionary)].

He is truly a Companion of the Young this I have experienced in the sermons, the good nights, the word in a ear, and above all in he being a true Catechist (in the sacrament of Communion & Confession). This he does in a very Creative way [Casual (simple & humble) yet Catchy (short & profound)].

Thankzzz...Zillionzzz...

for Making A Difference....for the person U R....

Un-Known Friend...heart speaks & I m listening to it...

Life goes on pain is part of my life I have shared lot of tears in my life journey which is lot................. but HE is great................. and I could walk, stand, shine, laugh and cry.................with HIM. 
If you listen to my story I wonder you would still belive that it is I? 
Tough yet soft,, cofident yet confused, torn apart yet with smile, broken yet firm, strict yet loving, misunderstood yet understanding, and list can go on....................I only believe HE has made me whole. thank you being there to listen to my bla bla........... God bles U

Can U & I have a listening attitUde...

Can U & I be more hUman...

Can U & I be jesUs....

Sophie...

I was walking down the Don Bosco Marg road to the school of Don Bosco for a particular reason and I was waiting near the gate to get instructions not that I wasn’t aware but to respect the gatekeeper and the watchmen for the duty he was committed to. Suddenly a girl with blue jeans and blue tops with a scarf round her face walks passed me through the gate. Anyways, I was looking at the time and wondering whether I will accomplish the task for what I came. I entered the gate and walked up the steps, happily to finish my work and get back to the place I live, Divyadaan Salesian Institute of Philosophy. I was facing the road and seen people walking, school children playing, college students all over the place. I was thinking about how each one was busy in and with their own lives, living their lives, also wondering how life was for me, then thinking again of the work for what I came. I turned around and to my surprise what I see, this girl sitting in front of me, oh! Yes she remembered and recognized me, greeted me as hi! Brother, I too recalled her, when I see her the 1^st time in the hospital on a bed. We exchanged few words, few thoughts and I wished her luck for she is presently doing her 12^th. Then we were interrupted by a few known people to me, happy to meet and to talk to them too. Then one of her friends came to where we were, she too greeted me, this girl was about to leave and she said bye bro, out of curiosity I asked her name, she said, Sophia. I told her that her named meant wisdom in philosophy and we parted ways.

JESUS is better than santa

Santa lives at the North Pole.

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year

JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited

JESUS stands at your door and knocks… and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"

JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you”.

Santa's little helpers make toys

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree

JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.

We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.

We need to put Christ back in Christmas.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

No Room in the Inn

Wally was big for his age--seven years old. Everyone wondered what role the teacher would give him in the annual Christmas play. Especially considering the fact that he was also a slow learner. Perhaps he could pull the curtain.

To everyone's surprise the teacher gave Wally the role of the innkeeper. The boy of course was delighted. After all, all he had to learn was one line:

"There is no room in the inn." He had that down in no time.

Then came the night for the program. The parents took their places. Every seat in the auditorium was filled. The children entered singing "Oh come all ye faithful." The lights dimmed. A hush moved over the audience. The curtain opened on Scene One. Mary and Joseph entered the stage and walked up to the inn. "Please sir, my wife is not well. Could we have a room for the night?"

Wally was ready for his line. He had rehearsed it all night. He began, there is.and he hesitated. He started over again. There is. . .and again his mind went completely blank. Everyone was embarrassed for him but poor Wally just didn't know what to do. Joseph thought he would improvise and started walking away toward the stable on stage left. Seeing him walking away Wally in desperation called out: "Look, there's plenty of room at my house, just come on home with me."

That seems a rather delightful twist on a familiar story. Over the years the characters in the Christmas story have become clearly defined for us. The issues all seem so clear cut. Herod was a villain and the wise men were heroes. The shepherds were heroes and the Innkeeper--well, the poor innkeeper has gone down as one of the heavies in the story. In our minds eye, we envision him as a crotchety old man with a night cap on his head sticking his head out a second story window and tersely shouting: Take the stable and leave me alone.

But perhaps the innkeeper has received bad press. Preachers over the centuries have had a field day with the poor fellow. But was it his fault that the inn was built with twelve rooms instead of thirteen? Was it his fault that Caesar Augustus had issued a decree that the entire world should be taxed? Was it his fault that Mary and Joseph were so late in arriving?

But you know something; this simple little statement about there being no room in the Inn becomes a symbol for Luke. As he writes his gospel it almost becomes a theme. Luke takes this one line, "There is no room in the inn,"

and shows us how this phrase was recurrent throughout Jesus' ministry. The question that Luke leaves for us is--will there ever be any room for him?

1. There was no room for Jesus in the economic world.

2. There was no room for Jesus in the legal realm.

3. There was no room for Jesus in the realm of the religious order.

4. There was no room for Jesus in the world of politics.

5. Let's look at us today--to you and to me. Do we have room for Christ in our lives?

Christmas: GOD WITH US

There are many levels of meaning to Christmas. Christmas can mean many different things to people. But I really think that in today’s gospel St. John expresses the deepest meaning of Christmas when he says so profoundly but yet so simply, “The Word became flesh” - that is, God became human, flesh-and-blood, like us – “and dwelt among us.” This is why the prophet Isaiah said so many years before, “They shall call him Immanuel, which means: God is with us,”34 God, flesh, human, like us, among us, with us. The words are so simple and so easy to say, and we have heard them so many times. And yet, these few words express the deepest meaning of Christmas, the deepest meaning of our whole Christian faith. They are telling us that the infinite, all-knowing, all powerful, all-perfect God gave up, surrendered God’s infinite power, absolute knowledge, and eternal, unchanging perfection, and came into the finite world, came into changing human history, came into the flesh-and-blood condition of a human being. That means that God put aside, God relinquished all the unlimited attributes and perfection of being divine, and took on instead all the limitations, imperfections and deficiencies of being human. God did not stay being God and just play at being at being human. But rather,

God actually became a helpless baby, completely without knowledge and completely dependent on its mother for everything; and then a child and a youth who had to struggle, as we all did, with the uncertainties and hesitancies of growing up; and then a mature adult whose life was not pre-ordained and neatly laid out for him but who had to seek and choose among many possibilities and decide on his own individual life according to his own historical circumstances. That is, God was born, grew up, and lived life just exactly as we all do - not as an infinite, almighty God but as a plain flesh-and-blood human being, really and truly like us all.

Do you see what these words - God became flesh; God is with us - really mean?

They mean that our religion must not lead us to seek God someplace outside of this world, someplace outside of our human history. They mean that the Christian religion, right from the very beginning with the birth of Jesus at Christmas, specifically teaches the direct opposite - that God came into the world, that God is right here, with us, in the world, in daily human history with all of its good and bad, with all of its ambiguity; that for us this is the only place where we can find God.

This is the special, particular message of Christmas; this is the one single reason why God became human; in order to show us that our salvation is found only and simply by living our human lives here in the world according to our own particular historical circumstances, just as Jesus lived his. I want to repeat that because it is so important: the one single reason why God became human was in order to show us that our salvation is found only and simply by living our human lives here in the world according to our own particular historical circumstances. That is it; that is all; that is the whole story. And that is the kind of understanding to which Christmas calls us in these simple Scripture words:

God became flesh; God is with us.