May peace and goodwill prevail

As we share and exchange jaggery and neem may we also accept and enjoy all joys and sorrows, pains and gains from caring and ever loving hands of God. For we cannot expect only good things in our lives. Jaggery stands for pleasant and sweet events and neem for unpleasant and bitter events. May the year 2011 be a pleasant and a memorable one always bringing good tidings to all of us.

Every year, January 14 is a time when all roads of Bangalore leads to Viveknagar, to the great feast of the Miraculous Infant Jesus. Devotees of all creed and walks of life throng to obtain the grace and blessings of Infant Jesus . Most of them come seeking different kinds of favors and few of them with a grateful heart. Bountiful blessings are showered upon only when we adhere to His teachings that specially remain in our heart and love one another.

The devotion to Miraculous Infant Jesus call us to mind and imbibe in us the child like qualities that one needs to adopt in order to enter into God’s Kingdom . The very qualities of child like Simplicity, Honesty, Trust, Humility and dependency that characterize children need to be contemplated, accepted and eventually adopted in our own lives as we struggle to live in this world of challenges and contradictions. Like a child through prayer we humbly ask the Holy Infant to take control over our family, friends and our own personal lives and teach us to surrender to His Holy will with complete trust in  His never failing words, “ Ask and you will receive , seek and you will find , knock and the door will be opened for you.”

The devotion to Infant Jesus has become widespread and the shrine is now well known as a place of pilgrimage, miracles and Divine solace, not only in this state but across the country.

Claims of blessings, favors and miraculous healings have been made by many who petitioned in the hour of their crises coming to the shrine or even at their own places. Here I would like to state the testimony given by a believer of Infant Jesus. The boy of 6th standard fell ill all of a sudden one night without any prior symptoms and he was down with GBS Viral attack.

His hands and legs became very feeble almost like a paralysis. Treatment of all kinds proved futile  and he was discharged from the hospital without any hope of further improvement. The mother had sometime back heard somewhere about the power of Infant Jesus, as a last resort she appealed to the Divine child and promised to offer 101 candles and instantly his limbs regained strength , eventually was completely cured. The boy accompanied by His mother had come to the shrine just last week in order to fulfill the promise almost after 8 years.

God does not revoke His blessings even when we fail, delay or forget to thank Him in time, instead He still increases His love and blessings because His love is steadfast and blessings are never ceasing.

How fortunate then are we to have such a loving God who cares more than a mother? Why then delay or hesitate to approach Him? Once visited, one cannot resist the passion of seeing the sweet and graceful face of the child Jesus again and again .

May the miraculous Infant Jesus save us and keep us from all perditions and predicaments. I sign off wishing you all once again Happy New Year and Sankranthi and abundant blessings of Infant Jesus.