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Faith makes all things possible

My mother was 88 years old and was bedridden for a couple of years, otherwise she was fine. But suddenly one day she fell unconscious. The doctor gave no hope, and said her end is inevitable. But I did not give up, I kept my faith in my Lord. I called for a Somudhai meeting at her place and prayed for her recovery. We took the reading from the gospel Mk 2:1-12 where Jesus heals a paralyzed man, looking at the faith of the four men who lowered the sick man from the roof. Jesus healed the man saying “Get up, pick up your mat and go home.

So too my mother was healed after our fervent prayers, so much so that she came to my house to bless my son on his wedding day. After living for a few more years, she passed away peacefully.                                                   

– Ismenia Fernandes (SCC 3)

LIGHT IN THE NIGHT: FAITH IN CHRIST’S MIGHT

In the month of October 2020, a Birthday Party Gathering turned into a fight for survival, when C0VID 19 struck my wife and me. First admitted to the DistrictHospital in Margao and due to my dangerously plummeting Pulse rate, I was urgently transferred in the State Ambulance to GMC in Panjim. Amidst a deplorable ward, with a toilet with no latches and water tap missing and water flowing and with a gentleman in serious condition on my right and a young lady to my left, and my gaze to the ceiling, I bravely continued my stay in the hospital. I

was robbed of the only cash I carried by those PPE (Personnel with Protective Equipment) who came to change the linen. The food was just impossible to swallow and I would hear at 3.00 A.M. terrifying sounds from the nearby beds which echoed that death was near.

In that darkest hour of despair, I clung to God’s Divine Mercy, praying the Divine Mercy Prayer, surrendering completely to Christ and His Saving Grace. Through absolute Faith, Jesus answered my plea, silenced death and miraculously carried me in His arms back to Life.

-Terence D’souza (SCC 6)

Dear Readers,

Hope you have read the word of God through the First and Second Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians and applied the summary we published in the last two issues. We continue this series and the Letter we focus for this month is the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians.

The Letter to the Philippians is one of St. Paul’s most warm and personal letters. Paul writes to the Christians of Philippi while he is imprisoned. Despite his difficult circumstances, the dominant message of the letter is joy, faith, gratitude and confidence in Christ.

Feast Day : 01st October

 ” O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of Love.” — opening prayer of the novena to St. Therese of Lisieux.

In devotion to St. Therese, many Roman Catholics pray a special novena to her, believing that she will send them a mystical rose from heaven.

Therese Martin, was the last of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alencon, France. Only five of these children lived to reach adulthood. After losing her mother at the age of four, she was well looked after by her father and sisters.

Therese had a conversion that transformed her life, on Christmas Eve in 1886, at the age of 14. Her powerful energy and sensitive spirit was turned towards love. She entered the convent at the age of 15, in Lisieux, to give her whole life to God. She took the religious name, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.

Do you Believe in Guardian Angels? Have you Experienced the presence of a Guardian Angel anytime anywhere?  Think and ponder

Jesus says that each of us has our own personal guardian angel. He states: See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. (Matthew 18:10)

From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. (CCC 336)

“What a Wonderful World” — the familiar song, beautifully sung by Louis Armstrong, invites us to pause and look around. The green of the trees, the colours of flowers, birds in the sky, the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the sea all remind us of the wonderful world God has entrusted to us.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” – Psalm 24:1

The Season of Creation, celebrated from 1 September to 4 October, is a special time to give thanks for the gift of creation and renew our commitment to care for our common home. This year, the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman celebrates the Season of Creation under the theme “Living Waters: From the Sanctuary to the World,” inspired by the words of the prophet Ezekiel 47: 9 – “Everything will live where the river flows.”

The Season concludes on 4 October, the feast of St Francis of Assisi, who loved and respected all of God’s creatures and saw creation as a reflection of the Creator’s goodness.

Day of Mass Media Apostolate (11/10/2026)

Two crows, perched on a wire fence, were eyeing a cornfield.
“I’m sure we could find a nice meal today,” the first crow said.
“Hold on!” said the second. “There is a man right in the middle of the field!”
“It’s only a scarecrow,” said the first. “He isn’t a real person.”
The first crow turned to look at him and asked, “What makes you so certain?”
The second croaked, “If he were a man, he would be looking at us with a mobile phone in his hand!”

More than a century ago, in the small Portuguese village of Fatima, three shepherd children; Lucia dos Santos with her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto experienced events that would touch millions of lives. From May to October 1917, Our Lady appeared to them with a message that remains relevant even today. Pray, repent, make sacrifices for peace.

The story begins in 1916, when the children experienced apparitions of the Angel of Peace, preparing them for what was to come.

On 13 May 1917, Our Lady appeared to the children at Cova da Iria and asked them to return on the 13th of each month for six months. She urged them to pray the Rosary every day for peace.

 In today’s fast paced world, it is easier to be occupied or at least pretend to be occupied with no time to spare. So busy, that we have no time to recite the Rosary. October is the month traditionally dedicated to the Holy Rosary. Pope Leo XIII, advocated the devotion in the late 19th century. Although the origin of October, as the month dedicated to Mary is unclear, most attribute it to Fatima and the Battle of Lepanto. Whatever be the origin, the role of Mother Mary in salvation history can never be emphasized enough.

This October let us try to retrace our steps back in time when Mary had stood at the foot of the Cross. Our Lord is close to all who call on Him, especially through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. He never refuses Her. Even when His time had not yet come, at our Blessed Mother’s behest, He performed His first miracle at Canna and saved the honor of a family in anguish.  History has documented evidences that Mother Mary has always shown up and pleaded for us in front of the throne of God, Her Son never refuses Her. Apostle St James called on Mother Mary when he felt that he was failing in his mission of spreading the Good News in the Iberian Peninsula. Our Lady who was still living at that time in Jerusalem appeared to him and reassured him that the region would be responsible for spreading Catholicism to the world. This apparition went on to be known as ‘Our Lady of Pillar’. Mother Mary instructed St James to build a chapel on the exact site and promised that the sanctuary would remain until the end of times. Before returning, she left behind the “jasper pillar” and the wooden image which are traditionally housed today inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Pillar in Zaragoza, Spain. This is the oldest know apparition of Our Blessed Mother while she was still alive.

Feast Day :15th October

St. Teresa of Avila, also called St. Teresa of Jesus.  She is known as a 16th century Spanish mystic, a reformer of the Carmelite Order, and the first female doctor of the Church. Feast Day is October 15. Jesus spoke to St. Teresa of Avila in several famous mystical visions, sharing messages of deep love, gentle correction, and divine friendship.

Teresa of Avila was born into the Spanish Empire on March 28, in 1515. She lived in an age of exploration as well as political, social, and religious upheaval. It was a time of turmoil and reform. She grew up with strict parents who were pious. When Teresa was eleven years old, her mother died, leaving her grief-stricken. This prompted her to embrace a deeper devotion to the Virgin Mary as her spiritual mother.