Ode To Fr. D

Ode To Fr. D 
(The man with a mission )

In your village, there's a mountain.
In the state, they need love's fountain.

Goa, a place people want to tour;

A small state yet has a unique hold

From the rest: whose customs and culture

Are influenced by the western world.

 

Neon signs brighten a foreign land

Thirst of knowledge from the ocean.

 Come, come back and you will agree.

That this place with coastlines stretching

Along the deep Arabian sea

Gives comfort to their heart's craving.

Come, come back to them.

These people who hunger and thirst

You know them as they call your name
They cry and say, "We need to be nursed!"
And this is not a guessing game.

"Come, come, we need you!

And they say to you, "Your people,
To nourish their body, mind, and soul 

Whom you love so true and noble;

And this is their ultimate goal.

Come, come back to them.

Your people who task to do the search

Are worthy of admiration

Who preserved the century-old churches

And the tropical spice plantations.

Yes, you are the one they desire
With wisdom and knowledge afire;

The people: the heart of your story.

The land with its lovely cashew tree
The taste of the famous Maddi 

Of the swaying coconut tree.

Once a Portuguese colony.

Come and be with them, anyway.

(N.B.) A dedication penned for our friend, Fr. Peter D'Mello, s.f.x. from Goa, an unassuming, versatile man of God with an aura of sanctity. (Greg & Tom Llorente) 09/10/2011) Rev. D'Mello was with Fr. Peter Fernandes, s.f.x. formerly a pastor of St. Timothy Church for some time when he took up his Masteral degree in Administration in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is back on his native soil in obedience to his Order to make boys men of God.

Holy Blood of Christ

Solemnity of the Most Holy Blood of Christ (6/26/11) Fr. Peter Fernandes,sfx

"I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever." In a unique mode, Jesus wished to live in our midst, to be our nourishment and encouragement on our journey to the Kingdom of God. Through the mystery of the Eucharist, the God of surprises continues to battle the mortals. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" "This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever."

This bread was offered on the altar of the Cross. Indeed, the mystery of the Eucharist is the gift of God to His children - the church. It is the memorial of the Lord's Passover. Therefore, the Eucharist is to be celebrated with faith and thanksgiving.

"All creatures depend on you to feed them through the year: you provide the food they eat, with a generous hand you satisfy their hunger." (Ps. 104,27-28). Without a doubt, God our loving Father takes care of His entire creation, and even more so of men, whom He created in His own image and likeness. It was only right that God would share His very own life with us to restore our fallen image and likeness having been trapped in the pit of sin and disgrace, once again to grace and holiness.

Jesus, who is Christ the Lord, offers Himself as food to us in three ways. We cannot reach the Promised Land without nourishing ourselves with the food that Jesus offers. Jesus comes to us as food through faith; through His word and in the form of bread and wine, which transforms into His own Body and Blood. Therefore our response should be, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life and we believe; we know that You are the Holy One of God."

Let the Eucharist truly transforms us into the Body of Christ! For when we partake of one bread and one cup, we form one Body of Christ. Let us truly believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist with proper worship and adoration.

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