God's blessings...Deepagam.

Deepagam, is the Don Bosco Catechetical Centre - a centre for Religious Education and Value Education. It is the animating centre for the dimension of Evangelisation and Catechesis in the Salesian Province of Chennai. Having had its humble and challenging beginning in the mid-eighties, the centre today has spanned more than a quarter of a century, or infact nearly three decades! Great stalwarts like Rev. Fr. John Peter Sathiaraj, Rev. Fr. Jerome Vallabaraj have been associated with its origins, and Fr. Jayapalan Raphael, the present Provincial of Chennai, Fr. Arulanandam Devasagayam, Fr. Antony Clement, Fr. Kirubagaran have served as the Director of the Centre at various periods of time!

God has given me the great privilege to serve at the Centre right now for a second stint (the first being from 2007 to 2009), and today - 13th June, 2014 we inaugurate a simple renovated block which would serve as the premises for the centre from now on. Its a sheer blessing from God and I am happy to share with you all this moment. May the Spirit of the Lord remain with us and move the Centre to more and more commitment towards Sharing the Light!

WORD 2day: 12th June, 2014

Never say quits, when it comes to righteousness

I Kgs 18: 41-46; Mt 5: 20-26

Let your righteousness surpass the righteousness of the scribes and the pharisees, warns Jesus today. It is not at all typical of Jesus to compare someone with another; but today he does it, to make a point very clear. Some times we could be exactly the kind of persons, with whom we find fault. That is infact what he means, when Jesus asks us, 'why do see the speck in your neighbour's eye while you do not notice the log in your own eye?' (Mt 7:3). 

Instead of finding fault with the others and judging them to be right, wrong or despicable, we are challenged to keep growing in our righteousness. At times we console ourselves in our mediocrity, comparing ourselves with the tolerable characters and compromising personalities. Whereas Jesus continues to propose to us a lofty ideal: Be you perfect as your heavenly father is perfect (Mt 5:48).

When our righteousness reaches such heights, that we are determined to be like our heavenly Father, we will surpass all righteousness of the world; that is what we are called to: never stop growing in our perfection! Never say quits, when it comes to righteousness and you will see how many marvels you will witness, as did Elijah in his times.