Report

Report Marine Drive Convention Ernakulam "Love your enemies"( Mt 5:44)

The evening sea had become calm. The word of God shed light in human minds engulfed in darkness. When the festival of the word was celebrated in the city, thousands rejoiced. Huge numbers of people listened to the word of God and were consoled. These living witnesses of Jesus will henceforth uphold the eternal value of loving one's enemies. While wearing a mask has become the hallmark of modernity, the extraordinary fellowship forged by a number of lay people in this city, has grown and produced much fruit. In that fellowship, nearly a thousand people of God came forward as volunteers. When to this fellowship was added prayer and the spirit of sacrifice, there was built up a priceless reservoir of spiritual energy that was translated into a great miracle-that is, the yearly Marine Drive Convention - a mega Convention or in other words, a Convention of conventions.

At 9 O'clock on February 18th, after the recitation of the rosary and the installation of the Bible on the stage, Fr Jose Paul Nelliserri, Chairman of the Trust, warmly welcomed the participants to the convention. Bishop Mar Thomas Chakiath, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam, in his concluding speech exhorted the people of God thus: "We must have the firm faith that the resolutions taken at this convention will be put into practice because almighty God is with us. A philosophy of universal brotherhood—that is the kernal of Christ’s message. To be a divine man who can love all, grow in faith, develop brotherly love, help the poor—may this be our vision!"

At this Convention led by Fr Augustine Mundackatt, renowned retreat preachers gave the message on different days.

Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil inaugurated the Convention by lighting the lamp and exhorted the people thus: " Just as Jesus promised, there is created here a divine atmosphere. All of us have to be sanctified by the graces given by God. The values preached by Jesus have not become outdated. The proof is in the good works performed by holy people in various fields. Our mission is the continuation of the mandate of Jesus' own life. Make the kingdom of the Father a reality-this is our duty. This is a great challenge in our days."

The Wonder of the Unexpected! On the first day, Cardinal Simmonis, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland, unexpectedly visited the venue of the Bible Convention. He was wonder-struck seeing the huge congregation assembled in the name of Jesus. His Eminence said in his felicitation speech: "We are in the midst of a battle between good and evil. We are also pilgrims journeying to our heavenly home. Realising we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray earnestly for the grace to forget our differences, distinguish between the true and false and be filled with the Spirit of truth."

Archbishop Mar Varkey Vithayathil In his message Archbishop Vithayathil said: "What I consider as the greatest proclamation of the Gospel of this century, is the statement made by Gladys Staines, wife of the missionary Graham Staines, who was most brutally murdered by religious fanatics in Orissa, ‘I am grieved over the murder of my husband and children,’ she said, ‘but I forgive the murderers from my heart. I pray for them. That is what Lord Jesus has taught.’ More than the murder of that missionary, it was this reaction of his wife that astounded me. The most sublime example of love of enemy."

God’s Justice is acceptance in God’s Sight Fr Augustine Mundackat
King Hazekiah, on the point of death, is entreating God to save his life (cf 2 Kings 20:1-3) "Remember now, O Lord, I implore you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight." Though God had earlier given the message through prophet Isaiah that the king would die, he delivered him from imminent death. Do we not also think in a similar manner when tragedy overtakes our life? How many good works have I not done in the sight of God! Why then has this happened to me! Let us understand one thing. It is towards God’s plan and not towards man’s views that we should be orientated. God’s justice means acceptance before God, not accomplishing what is just in my sight. Through Jesus Christ then and now Fr Mathew Naikamparambil

In his time Jesus Christ preached the word only to thousands. Today it is preached to hundreds of thousands. However, it is Jesus Christ himself who is preaching now. We are only the Lord's instruments and his servants.
Once a non-Christian Rajya Sabha member was in hospital on the point of death. We went there to pray for him. After praying for some time, we saw four pillars of light in a vision. When we prayed for its interpretation we heard a voice saying, "Praise God for adversities." The first pillar disappeared. After praying for some more time the words we heard were, " Wait to hear the voice of God" and the second pillar of light was lost to view. And then came the message, " Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit." We were again immersed in prayer when we heard the words, "Believe in the Lord Jesus. You and your family will be saved" ( Acts 16:31). We shared these messages with the sick brother who, until then, had not known Jesus. He was filled with joy to experience God's love in the last moments of his life.

Sublime truths are not against human reason but above reason Fr George Panackal

To be born again in the Spirit is to be a new creation. First on the plane of thought and then on the plane of action. Lastly, there should be a change in one's character. For this we should be purified by the word. As it happened in the cenacle, Our Lord Jesus should take over our ownership through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We are no more ours. We cannot do anything unless it is the will of God. We should utilise all our abilities, good works and qualities for God. When our mind is moulded to obey his will, God will do great things through us. There are several areas in our life yet to be surrendered to Jesus. When the word of God is absent, Satan exercises influence over the areas of ignorance. Even if we have acquired worldly knowledge, this knowledge cannot make us free. Sublime truths are not against human reason. They are above reason. We grasp these sublime truths through faith and become free and are saved.

The Father, prodigal with his love Fr Augustine Vallooran

We all know the parable of the prodigal son. It is more a story of a prodigal father than of a prodigal son. A father who is prodigal with his love. Jesus, draws for us the face of the Father who even from a distance recognises his son steeped in degradation. Jesus mixed with the outcasts of society, with those for whom life was a burden. Whenever he met sinners, love poured out from him. He dealt with them with love, respect, mercy, without a trace of ridicule. Moreover, in order that they may be sanctified in the truth, he blotted out their sins. He distinguished between th e sin and the sinner. He made it clear that if those appointed to judge the sinner, did not do so, no one else had the authority to judge them.

The broken tablets: the shattered will of God Fr Mathew Elavungal

What Moses saw when he descended the mountain with the tablets on which were inscribed the commandments of God, was the sight of Aaron and the Israelites immersed in idolatry and immorality. Heart-broken, Moses threw away the tablets. The shattered pieces are symbols of God's wishes broken in the hearts of Aaron and the people. With deep despair, Moses again climbed up the mountain and God inscribed his commandments for a second time on the tablets. Several of those who heard, understood and received the word of God in their hearts, have fallen away from the right path. In order to have the rejected will of God written in our hearts all over again, let us, like Moses, raise our minds to God's presence.

The fullness of joy through hearing of the word Fr Antony Theckanath

We see in the Bible persons who have received much divine joy by listening to the word of God. When a village virgin of Nazareth ( the Blessed Mother), heard the divine word from the angel, and was filled with the Holy Spirit, she cried out in the fullness of her joy, "My Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour" ( Lk 1:46). It is only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit that we can experience divine joy in its fullness. When this Spirit fills us we are ready to serve others. We read in the Bible that Mary, when filled with the Holy Spirit, made haste to visit Elizabeth in order to serve her. It is this Spirit who prepares us to serve the poor, the oppressed and the sick. When the joy that the Spirit gives fills us, we praise, glorify and thank God for all his blessings.

Jesus was filled with compassion when he saw the multitude deprived of spiritual nourishment and close to spiritual death. There were several moments when Jesus healed such people, so very dear to him, with a divine touch. A few high lights of such miraculous events are given here. Bhagirethiamma Malikaveetil has a thousand tongues to sing the praises of Jesus. 65 years old Bhagirethiamma is a native of Thevara Mattamal and was a teacher. After a fall she was paralysed and confined to bed for 4 years. During the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament she was healed and came up to the stage to give her testimony.

48 year-old Mary Kattithara, hailing from Marad, is a bank officer. An accident she met with while riding a scooter, forced her to use crutches for the last 8 months. During the Holy Hour she stood up and walked without the aid of crutches and proclaimed the supremacy of Jesus.
"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God"(Ps 42:2) Paily, who is 62 years old and whose birthplace is Elamkulam, could not walk for a period of 2 years because of complications of blood pressure. As he was listening to the word of God, he regained his former health and could walk without any help from others. All the pain and aches in his body disappeared.

Ammini Kuncheria came to attend the convention on a wheel chair. She was a heart patient from 1997 October onwards and was also afflicted with Parkinson's syndrome and so was unable to walk for the last one month. As she was listening to the word of God, Ammini suddenly rose from her chair and later went to the stage to give her testimony.

Josephina Chakalakal is 52 years old and is from Kodungalloor. Currently she is an inmate of the Old Age Home in Njarakkal run by sisters. A sudden fall resulted in a spinal injury which caused much pain when she walked. During the Holy Hour she saw in vision the figure of Jesus and was healed perfectly. She was also healed of the corns on her foot.

(Prepared by Leeji John Tholath)