11 November

11 November - an important day in my life!

This is the day I was conceived - the day the Lord decided to keep me alive! So forever indebted to you my Lord!😍

This is the day I was commissioned as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion in 2012. Thank you, Lord, for finding me useful!🙏🏻

Thank you, Lord, for keeping me alive to love, serve and be with you!😇 Isn't this our mission in life?

This is the day you "set me apart before I was born, and called me by your grace". (Galatians 1:15)

Thank you so much, Lord! 

As per Psalm 139:13-16, "you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows them very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."

I am so grateful to you for keeping me alive and then calling me to be your own. For rescuing this lost sheep and rejoicing over it and carrying it on your shoulder.

I am indebted to you for shining your bright light in my dark life. You have lighted up my life with your love and mercy and grace!

And I love you so very much, Lord! I have never loved anyone the way I love you. It surpasses all my understanding. I used to hate it when people teased me because of my name and asked me whether I was a Christian. Now I feel so proud of my name because both our names start with the same alphabet J and we both have the same initials JC. I also feel proud to be a Christian and thus as per today's Gospel, I would love to lose my life to seek you! 

Carmelite Spiritual Heritage

Dear DLL Jesus,

I want to do this course on Carmelite Spiritual Heritage. 

But it's in Ryshivana Mangalore and spread over two months. So I can't be away from home for such a long time. But you can create a miracle if you want to.

So surrendering this desire of the heart into your hands!👏  

Please check my heart and mind and soul and if you feel I am ready for this, please give your consent.🙏🏻

Dedication of the Lateran Feast

Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. The first part of the Invitatory Antiphon - "Christ is the spouse of the Church" and the Response to the Intercessions - "This is the house of God and the gate of heaven" had a great impact on me. It reminded me of one of the assignments I wrote in 2015 while I was doing my Catechists Training Course. It was about the Church as the people of God, the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. 

After the Lauds, I pulled down my box file, with all my assignments in it. It has been getting dusty on the shelf. So I cleaned it and started reading my assignments. I was surprised to read my assignment - I have written about my body being the Church - and Jesus as the head of this body. I had written that I, the body, need to suffer with the head for my glorification! I have written about being the bride of  Christ as the Church is the bride of Christ.

OMG, I am really surprised at my understanding of the Church way back in 2015 itself. Honestly, this training did me a whole lot of good - it was the year I joined the OCDS on 3 December.😇 But I had forgotten about this - I need to live what I wrote - I need to remind myself every day - there are so many beautiful aspects that I need to rekindle in myself! 

So, I am going to rewrite the entire assignment from my perspective of what I am today because Christ is my heavenly spouse and my body is the house of God and the gate of heaven. Thank you, Jesus, for this divine enlightenment today and for reminding me who I am. 

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Today is the memorial of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity - the patron saint of our OCDS community. She has been largely instrumental in keeping me grounded in Carmel. Not by her writings but by her similarity with my life. 

To begin with, both of us are born in July. Both of our fathers have been in the defence forces and both were smokers and heavy drinkers. Both of us have a fiery temper and both of us love gardens. Both of us have been influenced by the writings of St. Paul and both of us feel close to Mary Magdalene. 

So initially, it was St. Elizabeth of the Trinity who motivated me to be a Carmelite. I did a lot of research on her and started loving Carmel and the idea of being a Carmelite. 

I owe my Carmel love and respect to her. 

If today I feel the honour and proud privilege of being a Carmelite, it is because of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. 

But the reason I did not take her name as my religious name is that every other person was taking it. But most importantly, it is Mary Magdalene's love for Jesus that inspires me. Somehow the idea of being Jesus' Magdalene is what keeps me going in life. 

OCDS Presidentship

Dear DLL Jesus,

Today I complete one year of OCDS presidentship.🙏🏻

The journey so far has been quite good except for a few teething problems (lights being kept on after the weekly meetings) and one council member filled with ego!🙃

But I can handle all things in You who strengthens me!🙏🏻

So today I pray for the strength to carry on for two more years the responsibility that you have entrusted to me. 

I also pray that I don't make anyone fall into any kind of temptation because of me. Please Lord let no one fall into temptation because of me!🙏🏻 Let me not fall into any kind of temptation and even if I inevitably fall, give me the grace and strength to come back to you through repentance and realization. But let me not be the cause of anyone's sin.🙏🏻

Please Lord, please!!!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

2012

Dear DLL Jesus,

After many days the evening is free as all work is done.

So I am sitting idly and wondering what to do.

For many days now I have been wanting to write about the year 2012. The year I became a catechist in June and an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Communion in November. That was the year I started coming closer to you and started working from home. That was the year I also earned the most. So if 1988 is my favourite year from my childhood, then 2012 is my favourite year of adulthood. I am extremely sentimental about the year 2012.🤗

That's it? Oh, it was so quick to write! I thought that I would write more. Nevertheless, there are many blog posts from 2012. I just have to click on 2012 and all my posts will come cascading down. I am sure I blogged a lot in 2012.🤗

Hmmm, so let me just check what I wrote!!!🤭

Definitive Promise

Last year on this day, I along with ten others, took my Definitive Promise. I took the Final Vows to be faithful to the OCDS. I was so happy that I was overdressed for the occasion. And I was reprimanded for that.😔 But Lord, you know the heart of the people. When the world judges us externally, you judge us internally - you know us inside out. 

And you have always known what is in my heart - what goes on inside my heart for you - the kind of feelings I have for you!🤗

That's why three days immediately after this you made me the President of my OCDS community - the Secretary became the President!🙏 You exalted this humble Secretary to the highest level by making her the President - you truly know what goes on in my heart for you!❤️ 

But the role of the President is difficult, Lord. Almost every day I am reprimanded for something or the other - it goes on and on! But I won't give up - it is you who inspired the members to elect me as the President - you find me suitable for the role of the President. So Lord, bless me that I can do my job sincerely. Be my guide, Lord - be my strength and let me do the best according to my capabilities.🙏