Pormoll

Dear friends,

On 11^th February, every year the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette between February 11 and July 16, 1858, at the age of 14. She had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary in the nearby Massabielle grotto. Mary revealed her identity with the words “I am the Immaculate Conception” and gave her the message “Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners”. By saying penance three times, our Lady stresses on the conversion of heart and mind of humanity. Read more

• I wonder what happens if we treat our Bible like we treat our cell phone.
• What if we carried it around in our pocket & turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
• What if we flipped through it several times a day?
• What if we received messages from the text?
• What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
• What if we give it to kids as gifts?
• What if we used it as we travelled?
• What if we used it in case of emergency?
• What if we upgraded it to get new text version?

Read more

Tadev: Dev boro dis dium, Simao Titiv. Zaitea disamnim meuloi. Chintest-so distai, koslea chintnamnim buddlai?

Simao: Dev tuka kurpa dium, Tadev. Hea disamnim hanv chodd-so bhair soronam, hea COVID duensache bhirantin. Kitle-xech mhoine zale, hi pidda amchi vattuch soddinam. Fatllea prachit kallant zo dhoko boslolo to azun chaluch asa. Kitlim amchim Novenam ani Festam amkam nam zaleant. Read more

A virtue is an attitude or a way of life to control our action and guide our conduct so that we can do the good things that God wants us to do. When we live a virtuous life, we receive inner joy, strength and peace.

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word.” We traditionally speak of this as her great “fiat” (yes) to God!

One thing we see within these words is that our Blessed Mother is offering her complete consent to something that she does not understand. Mary listened, pondered and then immediately consented to the words spoken. “Let it be done to me according to Your word”. Our Blessed Mother’s faith was one that knew the truth without having to be fully understood. This is a gift. Read more

By Dr. Noel Menezes
M.D
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry
Goa Medical College

Uric acid is a normal body waste product produced by the breakdown of purines. Purines are nitrogen-containing compounds found in the cells of the body, including our DNA. They are also found in many foods such as liver, shellfish, and alcoholic drinks, primarily beer.

When purines are broken down to Uric acid in the blood, the body gets rid of it when you urinate. But if your body makes too much Uric acid, or if your kidneys aren’t working well, Uric acid can build up in the blood. Uric acid levels can also increase when you eat too many high-purine foods or take medicines like diuretics, aspirin, and niacin. Then crystals of Uric acid can form and collect in the joints. This causes painful inflammation leading to a condition called “Gout” which is characterized by inflammation of the joints due to the formation of Uric acid crystals (tophi) in the joints (synovial fluid). Read more

St. Joseph, Model for Fathers:

St. Joseph is a man for our times. If ever there was a need for a good role model for our sons, St. Joseph fills this spot. His example of courage, obedience and wisdom shows his most admirable attributes. Joseph models a strong manhood to the men of our day. A man agrees to cling to his wife, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness or health. Go to Joseph, praying for every Christian man to follow the example of Saint Joseph.

St. Joseph, Pillar of Families: To fulfill our family responsibilities, we must turn to God for guidance and for all the graces we need. A “pillar” is reliable, strong and capable of providing essential support. St. Joseph teaches us that even though we may not be perfect, God gives us the graces to fulfill our vocations. Go to Joseph, praying for ourselves and our families. Read more

Mogall Firgozkaramno,

Ami he pautt soglleam von thondd ani ogeponnan natalam sarlim. Jezu zolmol’lo te pautt legun hache von odik ogeponnan sogllo lok aslo astolo. Punn ogeponnan sogllim boreponnan suru zalim.

Fattlea vorsa nhu aslem tem ghoddun ailam. Naka aslem tem lokan onnbhovlam. Kednanch chintunk naslem tem pollounk meulem. Soglli bhirant ani akant ieun ghelea.  Atam 2021 novem voros suru zalam. Soglle torechem zhuz fattim ghelam. Oxem mhonnlolem asa, “As long as I breathe, I hope.” Foujent zhuztolo dor ek zhuzari aplea nimannea vellar legun oxem mhonnta ani zhuzot ravta. Bhorvanso soddinam. Read more

The old year has gone with the wind and the New Year 2021 has taken possession of the clock of time. A new year is God’s gift to us, so let us all enjoy the faithful blessings He so delights in giving. May God be with you through the New Year and fill your life with comfort, love and cheer. Read more

On 1^st January, the Church keeps the solemnity of the Dogma of Mary- the Mother of God and also begins the New Year with the blessings of Mother Mary, who gave birth to the Son of God, which we celebrated on 25^th December.

This dogma of Mary- Mother of God, was proclaimed by the Council of Ephesus in 431. Mary is called “Mother of God” which translates the more accurately stated Greek term “Theotokos” or “Birth giver of God or God Bearer.” In order to understand how Mary becomes the Mother of God, we need to know that in Christ there are two natures, one divine and one human, but only one person. His eternal divine nature was united perfectly to the human flesh offered from Mary’s own human flesh. The heresy Nestorianism teaches that Mary was the mother only of the ‘human Jesus’ and not the ‘divine Jesus.’  On the contrary, the Catholic Church teaches that Christ is one person with two natures: divine nature and human nature. Hence Mary is the mother of the Divine Person who is the Son of God. Logically, she is the Mother of He who is God the Son. She is the Mother of God, though not the Mother of the divine essence of the Trinity. Read more

Epiphany, in the Western church, is celebrated on January 6, completing the 12 days of Christmas. Traditionally Epiphany marks the visit of the Magi recorded in Matthew 2:1–12. (In the Eastern church, Epiphany is also an observance of the Baptism of Jesus and the revelation of the Trinity.) The wise men—Gentiles from another culture—recognized Jesus’ kingship and bowed before Him in worship. Well before Paul’s teachings in the Epistles or Peter’s vision (Acts 10), this event conveys a truth of great theological significance

It is clear enough to see that the story traces the quest of these Magi to find the one who was born king of the Jews. They arrive in the palace, they receive directions, they are met by king Herod, they visit Bethlehem, and pay homage to the child. Read more