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A WORD FROM THE PASTOR

We Need More Phophets to Speak the Truth

A religious nun named Mary, a girls’ hostel warden in south India, was arrested and sent to jail a few days ago. A Hindu religion girl, who was boarded in the hostel and studying at Sacred Heart High School, went home for holidays and committed suicide. It was alleged that the Sister forced the girl to become a Christian. Some Hindu fanatics demanded that the catholic school must be closed and all the members (nuns) of the school board to be sent to jail. This became breaking, head line news in print and social media for a few days.

Christ's Rejection from Nazareth The nuns some 12, belonging to a Religious Order called Immaculate Heart of Mary, who were teaching in the school went on fasting and prayer and spent their time in the convent chapel. They asked themselves “what wrong have we done; why our Sister was falsely accused”?

The State government passed an order for a thorough enquiry to know the facts. A committee, which interviewed several students in the school and the public of the town, gave their report about the incident. “70% of the girls in the school are belonging to Hindu religion. None of those children were forced in the past 100 years of school history to change their religion in order to continue their education in the school. The said girl who had committed suicide was despised and ill-treated by her step mother, and she did not want to go home for holidays. Sister Mary, having understood the girl’s family situation and her emotional disturbance, helped her out in many ways. Neither the management nor the Sister are the cause of the girl’s suicide, but it is her own parents. The political parties had tried to take undue advantage of the issue.” Thus it was proved that the alleged complaint was merely false and Sister Mary was released from the jail.

The persecution, rejection and tarnishing the name of the educational institution is nothing new in the history of the church. Today’s Gospel says that Jesus was rejected by his own people in his hometown. While some were amazed at the words that came from his lips some despised him. Jesus, like the earlier prophets (Jer 37:12--38:6; Mal 1:2, 6, 7, 13; Mic 3:5-8), dared to speak the Truth to people who did not want to hear it. Jesus warned his disciples that in his name they will be taken into task and it did happen. The story of Jesus' rejection in his own hometown is a story that we can identify with, because it is a story that has happened to most of us. 

By legalizing abortion in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the killing of over forty-seven million unborn children in forty-nine years.  The Roe versus Wade decision is currently permitting the brutal execution of 4400 unborn babies every day. We need more prophets to speak against these legalized killings. Our country needs to hear God’s Truth from Spirit-filled Christians with the prophetic courage of their convictions.

In the Service of the Lord,
   Father Thainese Alphonse

 

 

     
       
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