What Were You Doing When It Happened

 

Some regret that they could have been in a better place when it happened

Mathew Anthony

1 hour ago

September 29, 2026

We take pride in our health. Some narcissistically so. What we think is indestructible is only a whisker away from a wheelchair or permanent confinement to a bed. I missed being run down today. A close shave, or is it save? A lady driver was in a mighty hurry. She was overtaking a school bus with just enough space between the bus and me.

The number of accidents on Bangalore roads has jumped because of rash driving (like the lady in question) and potholes. I was side-stepping the potholes; she was over-stepping on the gas. What was I doing at the very moment I was saved?

I was listening to the Divine Retreat Centre Colombo 6.30 am Live Telecast of the Adoration on my way to Church to attend 7.30 am Mass. I go half an hour early to prepare myself for the Eucharistic Celebrations and to set up the altar for the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist on the deacon’s weekly day off.

To what do I owe being saved from the wheelchair or permanent confinement to a waterbed? The lady’s driving skill or divine providence? Both really. God took charge of the steering wheel. For just that moment, the driver had divine anointing, and so did I, for I was in His grace.

In an earlier reflection, ‘Let Your Yes Be Yes and No Be No’, posted on Substack on September 27, 2026, I wrote about my wife and the lady who called in with sharp chest pain. My wife advised the lady to listen to the Divine Retreat Centre UK podcast, which is broadcast live in India late in the evening. The advice was given in faith. The alternative was to rush down at that late hour or ask a relative to check on the lady to assist.

My wife listened to the podcast and fell asleep on the sofa. My wife woke up at 3 am and called the lady’s number to check on her. There was no reply. My wife panicked. Her faith deserted her. Did the lady succumb to the severe chest pain?

The lady was listening to the podcast at home. She, too, fell asleep. She slept so deeply that she did not hear her phone ring when my wife called. When my wife and daughter arrived at her door around 5 am she answered the door. There was nocturnal joy. Mary was visiting Elizabeth during her pregnancy.

How did my wife and the lady respond to the frightening pain in the chest? They offered it to God. And they slept. When the lady did not answer the phone, did my wife pray, or did she panic that her prayer had gone unanswered? That’s human. Faith goes only that far.

Faith is a difficult concept to grasp and to experience. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1) Abraham’s faith in God is legendary. It was accounted to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:6). It is that difficult to imbibe and practice.

What was Abraham doing when he got the call? “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Gen 12:1)

I imagine Abram was at a wedding party like the one Mary, Jesus, and his apostles were at Cana when the wine ran out. (Lk 2:1-12). Somebody whispered in his ear that he was needed elsewhere. Like the wedding scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, when the Godfather, played by Marlon Brando, is called to his room to listen to those who have come to petition him.

So, Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. (Gen 12:4-5)

Where was Moses when God called him to return to Egypt to lead God’s people out?

One day Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. “This is strange,” he thought. “Why isn’t the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.” (Exodus 3:1-3)

Where was David when Samuel was sent to anoint him as the King of Israel?

In this way Jesse brought seven of his sons to Samuel. And Samuel said to him, “No, the Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Then he asked him, “Do you have any more sons?”

Jesse answered, “There is still the youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep.” The Lord said to Samuel, “This is the one—anoint him!” Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on. (1 Sam 16:10,11, 13)

A parishioner talking about her recovery from cancer spoke of her prayer life. When the doctor broke the news to her and her family, she accepted it. She had already begun to offer her pain and discomfort before her diagnosis to God to use it for her sanctification. When the news came, she continued to offer it to God. It was painful for her and her family, with three young ones whom she could not bathe or help in any way. The often-scorned mother-in-law in Indian soap operas and from preachers’ pulpits stepped in and helped to take over the family chores while God sped her daughter, ok, daughter-in-law, to full recovery, stem-cell transfusion, notwithstanding. Was it divine grace? Or was the transfusion God’s intervention? Doctors are divided on it.

- Mathew Anthony

In My Weakness, His Strength Is Made Perfect

 

Don’t rue your weakness and consider it burdensome - it may be your greatest strength

Mathew Anthony

just now

September 28, 2026

I am lactose-resistant. So, no milk products, including Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, which I love. To compensate, I nibble on dark chocolate. I am gluten- resistant. No wheat products, including fluffy Kerala parottas, buttery nans, and man’s greatest invention, sliced bread.

Spicy foods trigger acid reflux in me, scarring my throat and oesophagus, leading to cold, cough, fever, and sinusitis. No salty food to control my blood pressure. No sugary food. My palate rebels. No sweets; only boiled Kerala Nendran banana, rich in dietary fibre, vitamins (especially vitamin C and B-complex), and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron.

I am a picture of pity to those who live to eat. I eat to live to be alive.

I am not starving to death. Prophet Jeremiah would have, if not for Ebed-Melek, who interceded with the king and had Jeremiah lifted out of the cistern with ropes tied under his arm. Jeremiah was probably sent down naked into the cistern and must have been big-built.

They took Jeremiah and put him into Malkijah, the king’s son, cistern in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern; he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”

Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-Melek took the men and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, and they lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard. (Jer 38:6-13)

In Jeremiah’s weakness, Ebed-Melek’s Godly purpose was perfected.

I thank God for his small mercies. I weigh under 60 kgs and I am healthy. I am immunised by my diet from `cold, cough, fever, or attacks of sinusitis, which were rampant for a good part of my life, not to mention bronchitis, asthma and attendant ailments, until I was diagnosed with all these constraints that turned out for my good.

My teaching voice returned. I can address a class without a mic. I accompany the church choir in thanksgiving with resounding praises of Him who blessed me. As a metaphor, sugar is sin. Salt is preserved grievances. Spice is gossip - all abhorrent to God.

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3: 3-6)

I praise God, for I am part sanctified by my constraints. The rest is a work in progress. We want to be Sylvester Stallone of Rocky Balboa fame, running up ‘The Steps’ of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the movie Rocky. Do we want Stallone’s difficult childhood, with abusive and neglectful parents, which motivated the tough-guy image Stallone showed to the world? The linguist Shashi Tharoor stammered, slurred, and mumbled, like Stallone, in childhood. He could not make friends. Books became his friends and grew his intellect and his commanding personality. “In my weakness, His strength is made perfect. (2 Cor 12:9).

My wife was telling me yesterday about the spiky green fruit with creamy white flesh that tastes like a blend of strawberry and pineapple with subtle sour citrus notes, a sapling of which she had salvaged from a park and planted in our garden: the soursop plant is now heaving under the abundance of its fertility, with every branch carrying a litter of the fruit.

Soursop, also known as graviola or guanabana. Looks intimidating with its thorny exterior, but inside it hides a treasure trove of exceptional health benefits:

It boosts the immune system; it is rich in antioxidants to combat free radicals; it may possess anti-cancer properties; it contains anti-inflammatory compounds; it supports digestive health; it regulates blood sugar levels; it promotes heart health; it may aid in pain relief; it is a potential drug for anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic effects; it supports healthy skin; it helps fight against stress and improves mood; it may assist in weight management; it is an excellent source of energy; it supports bone health; has the potential for liver protection; it combats insomnia and protects sleep; it may help treat cancer; also acts as a natural diuretic.

Some people are like the Soursop fruit. Thorny on the outside, soft and cuddly on the inside. To his detractors, Jeremiah was thorny on the outside. For God and his allies, Jeremiah was soft, caring, and faithful to his mission.

“I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable”, says the Lord (Jer 2:7). It was laid on Jeremiah’s broad shoulders to give the bad news about Babylonian exile to the people, for which he was punished most severely by the recalcitrant people … and sanctified.

- Mathew Anthony

Let Your Yes Be Yes and Your No Be No

Be at peace, whatever the call you take, don’t confuse others and yourself

Mathew Anthony

23 hours ago

September 27, 2026

This morning, a hangover from the previous night, was such a Yes/No decision.

A friend of my wife called to say she was having severe chest pain. This lady lives on the opposite end of the city. My phobia kicked in. I don’t like long car journeys, especially in a city notorious for traffic snarls that only an ambulance with its screeching siren can wedge its way through.

I suggested to my wife to inform some of our relatives in the area from which the lady called to look in on the person. If it is a serious issue, then do the needful. If, by the time the 911 relative team arrives at this person’s home, and she is sitting pretty and in the prime of health save for a panic attack or a bad case of gas, wish her goodnight and come home. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience.

With this sage advice, I retired to bed for day-end reflection and priming myself on the Church Missals of the next day. At 4 am I was awake to attend the first Mass of the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time at 6 am. My wife charged into the room, saying the late-night caller was not answering the phone. While awake at 4 am, it was “a-bit-of-both” mind fog answer that my son, who works night shift, gave me when I asked him, “Are you waking up or going to sleep?”

My wife said, “I am going across town to her place.” I asked my wife to call up our relatives who live nearby and ask them to check on this person. So, she called a poor blighter at 4 am and he actually answered the phone. Amazing people keep their phone up all night. The rest is a blur for me. Perhaps my wife and this person, who did not know the address of the late-night caller, agreed to rendezvous at a known place and proceed from there. My wife asked me to come. I said, no. Not without a plan.

I asked my wife if we could get hold of this lady’s brother-in-law, who is a doctor, and the lady’s sister who stayed nearby, to check on her. My wife said she does not have the number, despite asking this lady on many occasions to share their number in case of exactly this kind of emergency. The lady would not share. I don’t wish to speculate why or why not. It is a meaningless pursuit.

I asked my wife again, “What is your plan”? My daughter, who had once booked an Uber for this lady, was awakened to get the exact address. Then one could Google search and get hold of someone’s number in that condo and alert them that we are dealing with this issue.

My resistance to my wife wanting to go there had to do with the three possibilities: one, the lady was fine, in a deep sleep and therefore not answering the phone. Two, the lady had got through to the doctor or her sister (she had tried them before calling my wife), and they had finally responded. And all was well. If not, the doctor would have hospitalised her. All may not be great, but at least under the control of her closest relative and a medical professional. Three, she had succumbed to the heart attack and was lying comatose at home. This lady lived alone.

Once again, I asked my wife, “What’s our plan?” The first two scenarios were good news, so not a concern. What about the morbid scenario? If we reach her place and she does not answer the door or her phone? What were we going to do? Break down the door? Wake up the neighbours? Call the police? My wife and my daughter answered, “We will worry about it then.”

My daughter, a sensible girl, had decided I was not being helpful, but full of excuses, unwilling to make the transatlantic trip to accompany my wife on a mission of love and service. She was partly right. They went their way. And I went my way to attend the Eucharistic Celebrations. In my heart, the solution to this dilemma lay in the Good Lord’s hands. Better for me to spend time in prayer, let the morning break, and whatever is to be will be.

Unlike my night owl son or the poor blighter who was woken up at 4 am, I switch off my phone before entering the House of God. It helps me only a little. I am distracted by the messages on the phone on the pew in front of me; it is on silent, but the messages flash, vibrate, and beg to be seen. I am conflicted. To see or not see? I don’t succumb to the temptation.

Instead, I focus on the Gospel Reading from Matthew 21:28-32, The Parable of the Two Sons. The vineyard played a significant role, laden with deep spiritual meaning for the Israelites, led out of Egypt into the Promised Land, a wasteland that God transformed for His chosen:

“You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. Its branches reached as far as the Sea, its shoots as far as the River.” (Ps 80:8-11)

The parallel is about our relationship with our heavenly Father. The first son had a relationship. He said no to his father, but on reflection he agreed to go into the vineyard to work. The second son formerly said, “Yes, sir”, but did not go. He clearly had issues with the father or himself. Neither was anything laudable like the first son’s about-turn.

Now I wonder about my relationship with my wife. My daughter said, “Yes”, and she went. I said “No” and stayed back to go to Church. Putting reason above “going there and figuring it out.” I will forever be conflicted with the decision. Unsure I did the right thing by going to Church instead of accompanying my panicking wife, despite my daughter being with my wife.

When I switched the phone on after Mass, there was a message from my daughter and wife. They were in the house with the lady - in poor or good health, I still don’t know. No more messages for me to confirm to you. When my wife comes back, will it be the vineyard or the backyard for me? Only God knows.

- Mathew Anthony 

The Fatted-Calf Syndrome

 

It leads to tepidness

Mathew Anthony

just now

September 26, 2026

A child came of age in conflict and irreconcilable differences with his parents. In such an environment, the siblings too had to take sides because of the belligerence of the parents and their ‘troublesome’ son.

In such a murky situation, children flee their home at the slightest opportunity to spare themselves the war of attrition. Who can bring the other person to heel, not heal, which, of course, is the need of the hour. In the fog of war, both sides are blindsided.

It is common in most families where family prayer is uncommon. More accurately, family prayer becomes uncommon as children grow up. They develop ‘passions’ parents cannot relate to and will not share with parents because not everything is above board.

The children who join the family prayer find merit in it. It is their time not only with God but with the family. A family is the only unit in the universe bound by blood to perpetuity. If not fractured by irreconcilable differences.

Outside of the evening prayer, the children are at work or at play. They are financially independent. They develop a “have money, will travel” attitude. Then, as God ordained, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24). Now they are literally in another orbit.

Outside of a fractured family, the interaction with parents can become more intense, especially between a daughter and her mother, exchanging recipes and updates on what’s happening in the new family, perhaps with a child or two, until the young mother is no longer young and her children have begun to cleave to their spouses. The mother has grown short of hearing or sight and is living with one of her children or independently. The circle of life that keeps the universe together, and the family, until some star decides to flee the orbit.

This star, who had irreconcilable differences with his parents, found himself decoupled from the family, like a railway bogey, shunted into the yard, to rejoin another train based on the child’s vaunted destination.

The child had come of age. The parents were getting on in age. This particular situation of irreconcilable differences is often about inheritance and independence. Remember the Prodigal Son. He wanted out. (Lk 15: 11-32) Pops, he said, give me the property while I am young so that I can do something with the inheritance. He did do something with it. Ground it in the pigsty and came home with his tail between his legs.

The father, like God the Father, was merciful and waited for the day his son would come back to join the family prayer. There was some collateral damage. The elder son was furious.

What kind of dad is this? I do all the work; I get nothing. This good-for-nothing grinds his inheritance to nothingness, and the father has slain the fatted calf the elder son has been eyeing for a long time to party with his friends.

The inheritance-extinguishing son was feted and celebrated because he swallowed his pride, humbled himself, and came back. He knew where his home was. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:21)

The elder son never left his father’s side. He was risk-averse and fatted-calf obsessed. Remember Aaron and the golden calf.

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So, all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” (Exodus 32: 1-4)

The elder son had lost sight of God and His mercy. Tepidness reigned in his life. “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:16)

The child who had come of age won the battle of attrition. He was given, I suspect, a portion of his inheritance to get him out of his parents’ hair. The child was happy. The parents were happy. The fatted-calf obsession. Each getting what they want.

The nice thing about it, like in any situation, is the pause in hostility. It gives each side space to go back to the drawing board and redraw the relationship, now gone sterile. Cannot bear fruit. But nature has a surprising way of bringing to life what had perished. The soursop tree in our garden is an example. So is the pepper tree.

Hope does burn eternal. Preserve the wick; the sapling. Don’t destroy. So, with the family. Whatever the turbulence. Pause helps. Reset, restart, fire it up. To glow, not to incinerate.

^“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendour to their children. May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Ps 90: 12-17)

- Mathew Anthony

Will We Have Treasure in Heaven?

Yes, through the sanctification of the other and self

Mathew Anthony

35 minutes ago

September 25, 2026

Scholarships we obtain in secular studies launch us into practical careers. Some become owners or decision-makers who pay themselves handsomely but shortchange their workers. We then look for another job for better compensation. This cycle repeats until we choose to retire. Likewise, homemakers attend to chores, a clean house and a well-fed family.

We live an embodied life that one day will cease. On that day, we will either carry scars of a hard life or the look of a Hollywood diva: blemish-free, dewy, flawless, fresh, glowing, satiny, or somewhere in between because we have been so blessed.

Life comes at a cost; man strives all his life to balance the books to stay out of debt.

What about the spiritual world? In the spiritual world, we leave the temporal behind. We cast our burden on Jesus and His promise to those who follow Him.

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Mt 19: 27-30)

In effect, the life of a spiritual person is shorn of possessions except what is on the person. Not even a pair to change into. But a spiritual person is empowered with supernatural gifts to cast out demons and raise the dead, and natural authority to heal the sick. (Mk 6: 7-13)

That is a giant leap to take for someone who has everything except what money cannot buy. Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mt 19: 16,21,22)

Those reading this reflection (and me) have not sold our possessions and given to the poor, so what happens to us? Will we not have treasure in heaven?

We have a different ministry. While the spiritual person concerns himself with prayer, fasting, administering the sacraments to the flock - the faithful - as a priest or religious, or doing charitable work or work of building the human mind and spirit as an educator, the family man too is entrusted with the duties of caring for the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of the flock of his faithful - his family, his neighbours, and the larger community that sustains him and his family. As a family man, he needs to observe certain tenets in his relationship with his wife, and vice versa. The responsibility is on the man.

One of the big issues St. Paul speaks of is sexual immorality that was rampant among the Corinthians. A healthy family life saves a man and the woman from this grave sin. When infidelity and sexual immorality enter a sacramental married life, it manifests in several other deviant behaviours, from lying to the spread of communicable diseases, secrecy, and aberrations in the management of the family savings. The seed of depravity is sown; it is generational.

In a healthy family life, St Paul says, each is a source of spiritual strength to the other.

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. If a woman has a husband who is not a believer and is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. (1 Cor 7: 12-14)

The hallmark of a healthy family life is peace in the home:

But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. (1 Cor 7: 15)

Will we who have not sold our possessions have ‘treasure in heaven’?

How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. (1 Cor 7: 16-17)

Increasingly, we are having interfaith marriages. Bollywood symbolises it most, with leading actors in interfaith marriages that work for them. Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan are a prime example of a healthy interfaith marriage with three children - no acrimony has been reported by the ravenous media vultures. However, some dispensationalists make an issue of it for their own bigoted reasons.

When such marriages fail, they are attributed to interfaith marriage. To what should failed marriages among Christians be attributed? God? Or individuals’ inability to give of themselves to others. To use suffering as a means of sanctification of the other. Marriages fail for many reasons. On top of the heap is sheer selfishness. Marriages survive because one partner is willing to be a punching bag, using that as a prayer for the other person’s salvation. In that we have treasure in heaven.

- Mathew Anthony

Obedience Quadruples Abundance

 

The route may be tortuous

Mathew Anthony

1 hour ago

September 24, 2026

St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara introduced the “Pallikoodam” movement, providing free education for all at schools attached to every parish church in Kerala. The legacy continues with over 1200 educational institutions imparting knowledge to over 4 Lakh students the world over. In this regard, CMI institutions stand tall in the field of education.

Children from backward sections of the community are encouraged to study along with children from upper-class families. The study of theology receives due prominence in the curriculum. The institution also promotes in-depth study of Sanskrit, Sacred Texts and Religious Traditions. The education received, especially for the underprivileged, has improved the employability of women through Vocational and Technical training. Vocational training is also provided for persons with physical and mental disabilities.

Kerala not only has the highest literacy rate in India - almost 100% - but also scores high on the Human Development Index. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, which is used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. A territory scores a higher level of HDI when the lifespan is higher, the education level is higher, and the gross national income GNI (PPP) per capita is higher.

According to Global Data Labs, in 2023, Kerala ranked second to Goa at 0.804, followed by Chandigarh and Puducherry, and, surprisingly, New Delhi at 0.779. The comparable country for Goa is Mauritius, and for Kerala is Bosnia and Herzegovina (where Medjugorje, a popular shrine of Mother Mary, like Velankanni in Tamil Nadu and Lourdes in France, is located).

A close relative of ours, in fact, quite a few, have studied in the “Pallikoodam” and later joined seminaries. Some dropped out midway and have gone on to pursue secular careers, taking with them the discipline learnt in the Seminary, including time for prayer and meditation, and have risen to high ranks in their field of study, employment, and business. Some had the call and became priests and religious and lived a sacramental life ever after.

Who decided for them? In the case of the priests and religious, God, through counselling, direction, and selection by the Rector of the Seminary, after nearly 14 years of study. Years of education that tally with acquiring a doctorate in the secular world after secondary education. The priests are equipped with deep knowledge of philosophy, theology, and the human condition. “He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach, / and to have authority to drive out demons.” (Mk 3:14-15)

Some ordained priests and religious are trained as doctors, nurses, educators, lawyers, and social welfare professionals.

One of my relatives’ careers was shepherded by role models. No, he did not go to a seminary.

His father was a District Medical Officer in Madras (now Chennai), highly respected in the community. As the youngest of siblings, my relative wanted to be one. Did he become one? No. What happened? He did not get into the Medical College his father was teaching at for domicile reasons. He was from Kerala.

He could not join Trivandrum Medical College in Kerala because his admission letter surfaced three months after the admission date had passed, bundled with unopened direct mailers that his father received in abundance from pharmaceutical companies.

And why did he not follow up? Because his heart was set on joining Calicut Medical College. He only checked that list (not Trivandrum Medical College) and did not find his name there, so he gave up on pursuing medical education.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mt 6:21) Beware the treasure you are seeking, for that may not be where your future lies.

With medical education mothballed, this relative of 22 years was taken up by the salutes a dapper young man received as an IPS Officer from other men in uniform. My relative was invited to the commissioner’s office for lunch. The commissioner was a family friend of the DMO dad. The commissioner advised him to pursue Economics Honours and Political Science, to write the Civil Services exam and join the public commission services as an IAS or IPS Officer.

That’s what he did with a class of 19, 14 of whom cracked the Civil Services exam and went on to become top officials in the government, including one who became the Chief Secretary of Karnataka and another Revenue Secretary.

My relative did not appear for the exam. He was lured by another treasure: foreign currency offered by the Reserve Bank of India for overseas studies. Off he went to the US, the University of Detroit, and completed his MBA, all set to join one of the Big Three Car companies there, including General Motors.

He could not work in the US. His father, the DMO, summoned him back to India. His father was alarmed and appalled by the morality of the US in the 60s and feared losing his son’s soul to such decadence. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mk 8:36)

This is the same son who asked his father to keep the shares of a dividend-paying company for his retirement expenses, covered in an earlier post titled, ‘Teaching Prudence to Children Eyeing an Inheritance’. Money was never this young man’s priority. Obedience to the father was. His daughter today lives out his dream. She is an accomplished doctor, married to a doctor, and her two children are doctors. One man’s lost dream quadrupled through obedience to the father.

- Mathew Anthony

Resist Not; Burden Not; Let God Reign

 

Mathew Anthony

Sep 23, 2026

A girl had silken, flowing hair. It was the delight of her life and cynosure of many eyes, including suitors who lined up for her hand in marriage. She even changed her walk to sway in consonance with her hair.

Then a condition developed. She had to cut her hair short, almost tomboyish. When she walked past the mirror, she said, ‘Hello’, for a flicker of a moment, forgetting it was her, not a stranger.

It took a while to get used to this new person in her life. Over time, she did, and she was grateful for the change. The hours she spent minding her hair were reduced to minutes. She found new suitors. They were as bewitched with her short hair as those who favoured long, silken hair, almost like a trophy, ready to go into battle to win.

She was a busy person. Very talented. Now she found time to do justice to a haphazard effort, half a day consumed managing her tresses.

Years later, a situation arose in her child’s school. She was a mother of many. Busy, to say the least. A new management had taken over the school. Changes were afoot. The school fees fell somewhere between convent schools and international schools.

The new management wanted the teachers to look smart to match the students’ wearing blazers. The teachers were instructed to do the same: Western attire for a smarter look.

Change foments resistance - a human trait. Groups coalesce around agreeing with the change, and those who feel it is being imposed without consent. Tension rises. The management, having decided, wants it implemented.

The teachers, having decided to either resist, comply or sign out, are distracted. Students and parents feel the magnetic pull to get involved.

What is the way out? Resist not, burden not. The condition led to silken, longish hair becoming shortish, tomboyish hair, resulting in more time, more productivity.

All human conditions can be resolved by the renewal of the mind.

Those who don’t renew their minds when faced with the ‘rock and a hard place’ will fall by the wayside. But not just once, but throughout their lifetime. Fossilised by resistance to change.

The only thing certain about life is death and taxes. And the only thing constant about change is change. Jesus was born to bring about change at great price to himself and his mother.

The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Lk 2:33-35)

Change is wrenching.

Peter, a veteran fisherman, knew his marbles. He knew where to fish. Then the ‘Lamb of God’, pointed out by John the Baptist, came along. A curious Andrew and a fellow apostle stalked Jesus to find out where the Lamb stayed. The lamb sensed some sheep behind him.

Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” (John 1:38)

Jesus told the veteran fisherman (who knew where to fish), “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Lk 5:4-8)

What should we deduce from the Bible passage, the Word of God - given to us for the renewal of our mind? Listen, obey, discover what is hidden from us.

God wants you to have the very best. He cannot make you do it. He instructs. It is for us to follow. When Jesus spoke to his disciples, he was direct. To others, he spoke in Parables. He knew his disciples. Remember what was told by Simeon to Mother Mary about Jesus:

“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Lk 2:33-35)

“Follow me”. They left their nets, jobs, rumination, whatever engaged them at that moment. They followed him. Elisha resisted just a bit when Elijah called him to ministry. “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” Elisha realised his error. He burned the ploughing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. (1 Kgs 19:19-21).

When a man of God instructs us to obey, don’t resist and burden yourself with unkind, retaliatory thoughts. Accept and surrender to the Good Lord. All will work out for good. God sees our heart and knows we are troubled. When we submit, he takes over. No time is wasted. Peace reigns.

- Mathew Anthony

Teaching Prudence to Children Eyeing an Inheritance

 

Blessings are worth a thousand times more than assets that bleed

Mathew Anthony

Sep 22, 2026

September 22, 2026

Before the dust dries over the father’s casket, the ground above is already churning. Camps are forming to wrench a chunk of the dead father’s assets.

This goes back 2000 years. Jesus was asked this very question.

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Lk 12: 13-15)

Where does this desire for inheriting the father’s property come from? From the father having property, of course. If the father did not have property - typically honest government officials - there is no dispute. There is nothing to quarrel over. Children focus on educating themselves to secure a future and to cover for their parents if they don’t have a pension or assets to live on.

One such son recalled an incident from his mid-teenage years. His father wanted to grant him shares of a dividend-paying company. His father was getting on in age. He felt it best to settle the affairs of his estate with his children, giving to each what he thought was right for them.

The son told his father to keep the dividend-paying shares to meet expenses. The father kept the shares as willed by his son. In his will, the father allocated that asset to his son. The father died, but the son could not inherit the shares. The will was not registered to transfer the shares to his son.

The son did not rue it. He never considered the shares to be his. He was not afflicted by the curse of “the entitlement mindset”. That he must have a share of the property in equal proportion to the other siblings. To this son, he was good with whatever his father chose to give him. He was more interested in the father’s blessing than the monetary value of assets.

Blessings are for a lifetime. They appreciate over time. Money evaporates. Easy come, easy go. One bad transaction and all is lost. Currency should come with health warnings like cigarette packets. Spending becomes addictive. No good comes out of it except transient pleasures. In some cases, chronic diseases and ulcers, as from tobacco, alcohol or overeating. The consumption economy on overdrive.

Both the share-giving father and the declining son showed amazing charity, thinking only of the good of the other - true love by any definition. The son’s attitude was drawn from:

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Lk 12: 13-26)

John D. Rockefeller Sr. grew up poor and started working as a clerk earning $1.50 a week. His mother, Eliza, taught him to tithe 10% from his very first paycheck. He tracked every penny in a small red notebook called “Ledger A”—a habit he maintained even after becoming the world’s first billionaire. To pass this mindset to his children and grandchildren, Rockefeller Sr. and his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr., instituted a strict accounting system:

• The Allowance Rule: Children like Nelson and David Rockefeller received a modest allowance (e.g., 25 to 45 cents a week).

• The “10/10/80” Split: Every child was required to keep a personal daily account book modelled after Ledger A. Out of their allowance, they had to:

1. Give 10% to charity/tithing.

2. Save 10%.

3. Detail every remaining penny spent in their ledger.

• Earning Extra: To get more money, children had to work—raising rabbits, pulling weeds, or catching flies at fixed piecework rates.

Combined with irrevocable dynasty trusts created in the 1930s, this financial framework allowed the Rockefeller family to maintain both their capital and their culture of stewardship across six generations.

Rockefeller did not suffer the fate of “a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ (Lk 12: 16-19)

Who do we want to be? The son who told his father to keep the dividend-paying shares to help his expenses in retirement? Or the rich man who got very rich and built a larger barn? “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Lk 12: 20-21)

- Mathew Anthony