There are many people who practice traditional medicine in our country. A common belief about the practce of traditional medicine is that it is a 'graceful gift'. When the gift of medical cure one had received through traditional hand-over is used as a shortcut to make money in a big way, or when s/he becomes excessively proud of it, the 'gift of grace' is lost! Thereafter when s/he treats people, it doesn't seem bring about the results. When there was 'the gift', even if the

Aside from the four Gospels, the authors of the New Testament epistles are primarily Paul, Peter, and John. The three very important apostles. The insights these three have given us about Love are not negligible. Peter, who writes, “Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a pure heart” (1 Pet. 1:22), would later write: “Above all let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multit

The Christian tradition of Baptism comes from the baptisms given by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. Jesus also came to him from Galilee and was baptized. Jesus, who had led a private life until then, made a turn around and lived a public life thereafter. Therefore, baptism was a turning point in his life; it was a moment of confirmation for the Baptist and the people who hanged around him; it was a moment of approval from heaven for Jesus himself; and it was also a mome

The Gospel records that wise men or the Magi from the East came to Jerusalem in search of the God-child, and that King Herod was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. They travelled that far by following a star that they believed was indicative of Him. Matthew records that the same star later guided them to his birthplace in Bethlehem. The three gifts they are said to have brought—gold, frankincense, and myrrh were expensive and therefore they later came to be known a

We all go through an intellectual crisis in our adolescence which we call the teenage crisis. It is then that we begin to stand on our own two feet. Thus far we have been standing and walking using the legs that our parents had provided us with. But they are not our own. Therefore, they are just alien limbs for us. Parents shouldn't expect their children to be walking on the legs they had lent them, for the rest of their lives. They need their own legs and feet. We are talkin

And another peaceful, contented Christmas is passing by. I had often said that Christmas should be freed from the market. However, all available figures indicate that the most shopping in the world takes place during this festive season. We have the right to criticize that Christmas is not bought from store. They are not the best celebration of Christmas. But even that seems to be an indicator of the spiritual height that isn't too small. If we look at the items that are sold

This year, I have said this many times in various places during the preparatory time for Christmas. Yes, it is about the four candles in the Advent wreath and the four themes in preparation for Christmas. It's a custom in the Western Church to light a candle additionally each week, meditating on a specific theme. The themes for the four weeks of Advent are hope, peace, joy, and love. Christmas is when these four things come together. Although it sounds very simple at the firs

The 'Maramon Convention' is the largest Christian Religious convention held in Kerala. I had gone there once at the beginning of this millennium. My brother Saji Kanjiram also was with me then. In those days I had great appreciation for Alphonse Kannanthanam as an Indian Civil Service Officer for his commendable service. While listening to many messages and imbibing some at the convention, we realized that a youth convention was beginning to take place on one of the stages. W

I was reading an article by my brother and friend Fr. Shaji published on the Assisi magazine's online site. It was about the cost of discipleship. That's when a truth struck me. How brilliantly Jesus showed the spirituality inherent in the lives of ordinary people! Jesus always spoke in parables. He took his parables from their life's social, cultural and historical contexts. The parables stirred the imagination of his listeners. More than that, his questions stirred their th

Personally speaking, my favorite Olympic opening ceremonies I have ever seen was of the 2012 England Olympics. In that show, called Isles of Wonder, they intertwined their history, geography, culture, literature, and art. Rather than a demonstration of modern technology. The unfolding of the wings of imagination was visible in it. The trails that led a nation through reading, imagining, and dreaming! In Western countries, children used to be raised by their parents with stori

To be honest, I don't know my lineage. I know my father's name. Never met my grandfather. Since I was the eldest son in the family, I know my grandfather's name. Since my father was the eldest in his generation, I guess that might be my grandfather's name. Because, in our part of the world, the eldest sons were usually given their grandfather's name! That is to say, I can guess up to 3 generations previous at the most. I don't know beyond that. The truth is that I haven't bot

Pope Benedict had visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque in 2006. Then the Pope while being at the center of the place of worship had paused for a moment and prayed with his eyes closed for a couple of seconds. Pope Francis visited there the year after he was elected Pope in 2014. By then, the world and interfaith relations had changed a lot for worse since Pope Benedict's visit. Pope Francis stood still and prayed for about two minutes, holding the hand of the Imam. Pope Francis pra