WE ARE A MISSION: INDIA (ABVM)

(Article by Fr. Beniz Gomes SAC) If we have to understand the depth of the meaning of the apostle, we need to look at Jesus. It is through Jesus, in Jesus, and with Jesus, that the apostle and catholic apostolate can be better understood.  Jesus the apostle of the Eternal Father God the Father at the appointed time sent His only Son, to Shepherd His flock. The Father revealed His infinite love by sending His Beloved Son. St. Vincent Pallotti addressed Jesus as ‘The Apostle of the Eternal Father’. Jesus by His paschal mystery restored this grace of being beloved. Through Jesus, “The Father calls man and woman, first created in His image, and later restored by grace through Christ’s death, to give themselves entirely to God…We see in Jesus the perfection of our Father’s love for us”. Jesus has merited ‘supernatural kingship by which we obtain the right to become children of God and coheirs with Him’. This is an infinite privilege. As a beloved apostle; one has access to the very life...

( Article by   Bro. Jeevan Liston D’Souza SAC ) Introduction “Remember that Christian Life is one of action and not speech and daydreams. Let there be more action and few words and may it all be done well.”-St. Vincent Pallotti Everybody might be acquainted with the life, phenomena, miracles, and sanctified life of St. Vincent Pallotti. He lived a remarkable life. Being a noteworthy person, he worked for the people according to signs of the time. He had spent momentous time understanding the Church that the Church was nothing but people of God much before the Vatican Council II. Those were the times, when the status quo of Rome tossed away the laity, wrecked, fragmented, and traumatized the life of the Church. It was at this time that Pallotti used all his understanding according to the signs of the time in his apostolate. Today his life is captivating to read the signs of the time. Why is it so? A Glimpse of the Historical Background Pallotti, the Roman priest, could have ...

One of the earliest titles given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Christians was Theotokos- “God-bearer”. We celebrate her as the Mother of God because she bore the only begotten Son of God. Honoring Mary as the Mother of God is older than the official dogmatic confirmation in the Council of Ephesus in 431. Our Catholic Church has given the due place and bestowed the honor to Mother Mary by declaring 1 January, the first day of the New Year as the Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. On this Day, especially we remind ourselves as Christians of the role that the Blessed Virgin Mary played in the marvelous Plan of our Salvation. Some Christians may not be of the same opinion that the Catholic Church has elevated Mary as the Mother of God. Their argument, the Bible does speak of her with this title. They are not fully wrong. The Bible makes no dogmatic statement on the Mother of God. However, the same Bible bears witness to the fact that Elisabeth filled with the Holy Spirit ca...

(Article by Fr. Paul Coutinha SAC) The phrase “In Persona Christi” is not new to us. We know it. We have heard it explained. Probably we need to reflect on it again and again as Priests trying to live our lives as best as we can in a world of temptations and sin. We are continuously called to be more and more “in persona Christi” that is, in the person of Christ. It is the Sacrament of baptism that incorporates the believer into the eternal Priesthood of Christ. This has been called the common priesthood – a call to which every baptized person is called. Now, this call is to be sustained with grace.  This grace comes from God and God gives this sustaining grace through the Ministerial Priesthood. The Ministerial Priesthood is made up of bishops and priests, and also deacons to a lesser extent (I mean permanent deacons not transitional). These are given the specific purpose/ministry of sustaining and renewing the members of the Church so that they can carry out the Church’s mission ...