Welcome to our Parish
at Mira Road

When they could no longer hide him, they let him down the Nile River in a basket and God caused Moses to be found by the Egyptian princess (Ch 11).

St. Paul guides the families in these words:“Wzves, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord  so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands” (Eph 5:22- 25). Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honour your father and mother’-this is the first commandment with a promise: ‘so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth’. Parents are commanded to love, instruct, and discipline their children, while children are commanded to honour and obey their parents (cf Eph 6:1-4).

The Holy family of Nazareth becomes the greatest model for our family life. They lived in a family nurturing each other with values and virtues and sustained with human labor. They grew in holiness and played a part in salvation history. The Church as a family learns from the Holy family where there was holiness, love, faith and hope. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn 13:34-35). St. Paul writing in Rom 12:10 says “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.

Again, in 2 Cor 13:12 says “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”

Dream with me.
What would a loving Church look like? As you walk in, people warmly greet one another and catch up with you. If it is your birthday or wedding anniversary you get wished appropriately. What do you do when you want these things to happen to you? The solution is in Mt 7:12 “So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”

Every family has a baggage of culture in which they lived their childhood. ”Man is a social animal” says Aristotle, the legendary Greek philosopher. Humans are social creatures who rely on and thrive in the presence of others. From an evolutionary perspective, we have always lived in groups, shaping how we interact with others and the world around us. Today, everyone says that we need space, time and place and we forget our own parents, siblings and extended families. We are glued to social media, and we have enough space, time and place. In the name of privacy, we have lost our relationship with those who are very essential parts of our family. When we use social media, we do not want others to invade our space but through our communication: vocal, written and pictorial we share every detail with the public domain.

Excessive social media use can decrease the time spent on meaningfu inter-person interactions within the family. Digital distractions and the focus on online interactions can hinder meaningful conversations and create communication gaps within the family. Public sharing family matters can lead to privacy breaches, misunderstandings, and potential conflicts. Social media comparison, cyberbullying, and excessive screen time can contribute to anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges. Social media can be highly addictive, leading to excessive screen time, disrupted routines, and decreased attention to real-life interactions. Reduced face­ to-face interaction and increased conflict can negatively affect family cohesion and overall well-being. The curated and often unrealistic portrayals of life on social media can lead to feelings of envy, dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem.

Social media can be overcome with the right use of it. Social media can bridge geographical distances, allowing families to stay connected despite being physically separated. Sharing updates, photos, and videos can foster a sense of closeness and shared experiences, potentially strengthening family bonds. It is essential to establish clear family guidelines for social media usage, including time limits and designated “no­ phone” zones, can help mitigate negative impacts. Having open and honest conversations about social media’s influence on family relationships can help address concerns and promote healthy usage. Encouraging face-to-face interactions, familymeals, and shared activities can strengthen family bonds and create positive memories.

I saw a wall plaque in one of the houses that reads, “Christ is  the Head of this House, the Unseen Guest at every Meal,  the silent listener to every conversation.”A Christian family can be described as a family where Christ is honored, obeyed  and served as Lord and Master. Mary and Joseph guide us to Jesus. It is a home where the father, mother, sons and daughters are all growing in their commitment to Christ, looking to Him for help to deal with problems and praising Him for His daily blessings. And ultimately, the strength of the Christian family depends on this: The commitment that each member of the family must have, to the Lord Jesus Christ. The ideal situation we should strive for is to have all family members equally and fully committed to the Lord.

There are some who believe that love is what binds family members together. That is true, if our idea of love is not that of the sentimental feelings or warm emotions that the world tends to portray as love. What is love? In the Christian family, love means being firmly committed to one another, regardless of how we may feel about one another. Feelings change all the time. A wife may sometimes feel irritated by her husband’s untidy habits. A mother may sometimes feel upset with a child who is disobedient. Siblings sometimes quarrel with each other over toys and personal belongings, or exhibit ‘sibling rivalry’. If the quality of family life depended upon feelings, it would very soon end up in terrible jeopardy! But if there is commitment between members of the family to one another, then family life would remain strong and steadfast, despite any change of feelings. This applies first to the marriage relationship. This is the relationship that undergirds the whole family. Father and mother’s undying commitment to one another are the pillars upon which the whole family rests.

Parish as a family is the larger family. Parish priest along with the Clergy team, shepherds and nurtures the parish with the vision of faith and love and walking as a pilgrim of hope. As lay leaders Vice President, Secretaries, Parish SCC Coordinator, Area Coordinators, PPC members and Animators we build the communities and clusters as families who are filled with same values as the Holy Family with Jesus at the center and Mary and Joseph as guiding force. It is a blessing to build this family during this season of the birth of Mary who becomes uniting factor with the Novem Jevonn. The themes for the novena, that are chosen this year are to help us to be transformed into a holy family where there is love, forgiveness and acceptance. May we grow in this spirit of Mary.

Fr. Lawrence D’Cunha
OCD Parish Priest, St. Joseph Church