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The 2014 Dawn Masses / Simbang Gabi The annual event of KNK at St Peter Apostle Mission Parish is the Nine Day Novena Dawn Masses or the `Simbang Gabi’ from 16th to 24th December. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist will commence at 5 am followed by an Agape breakfast. The event though originally a revered Filipino tradition, has like our KNK prayer community, become multicultural over the years. The multiculturalism is evident in the Celebrants, music providers and the breakfast being prepared by different sponsors. KNK would like to express its deepest gratitude to all the Priests, Music providers and all the sponsors and benefactors of KNK prayer community, who have been so generous and faithful in supporting the Dawn Masses. Below is the 2014 Dawn Mass Schedule.

DAY DATE CELEBRANT REMARKS

Tuesday Dec 16 Fr Delmar Silva

Wednesday Dec 17 Fr Luciano Toldo

Thursday Dec 18 Fr Joselito Asis

Friday Dec 19 Fr Jude Pirotta

Saturday Dec 20 Fr Thang Vu Confession in Vietnamese will be available after Mass.

Sunday Dec 21 Fr Greg Bourke

Monday Dec 22 Fr Abraham Santiyagu

Tuesday Dec 23 Fr Aurelio Fragapane

Wednesday Dec 24 Fr Pius Kodakkathanath/ Dcn Charles English/ Fr Raphael Mahn Tha Khlein

NOTE: Sponsors for the day have almost been finalised, but will be published and advertised when confirmation is received from the concerned families / organisations

Carolling & KNK family Christmas break-up With Christmas just around the corner, the KNK Music Ministry will again bring the joy of Christmas by singing carols to its benefactors and visiting the sick and the elderly in the community. If you know anyone who would like to be visited by our Music Ministry, please contact any of the KNK Core members. The annual Christmas break-up will be on 29th November from 2.30 pm to 6 pm at St Peters. This day promises to be a fun day for the KNK family and friends. Following praise and worship, it will involve a lot of fun, games and exchange of gifts. If you have any queries or suggestions regarding the Christmas break up kindly contact Sherwin Simangan, Baby Medel or Emily Alinea who are co-ordinating this event.

St. Peter Apostle Mission Parish, Hoppers Crossing, VIC Australia 3029 Ph: 9749 4300

Email: thomage@yahoo.com Helping to build the Body of Christ Facebook a/c: Katawan N. Kristo

KNK Prayer Community

Official Newsletter of

Katawan Ni Kristo

(Body of Christ)

Prayer Community Vol No 3/November 2014

KNK Miscella-News

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YEAR END MESSAGE By Josephine Thomas As I sit here contemplating on the final issue of Karisma for 2014 all I can think of is these lines from Don Moen's song - "I come before you today And there's just one thing that I want to say Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord". 2014 has just been an awesome year, week after week we have adored our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist, we have heard and meditated on the Word of God, reflected on our spiritual growth, shared in the joy of the Convocation with Pope Francis through our CCR leaders, reminded of holding fast to and living by the Word of God, been enriched with the power of the Holy Spirit at the renewal day with Fr John Rea SM, I just have no words to proclaim God's Glory which repeatedly manifest in our prayer community. We have prayed and continue to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and the persecutors, knowing and believing that the Peace of Christ will surely reign on this earth one day. So as we prepare ourselves for the Birth of Christ in our homes and hearts, with Praise and Thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, I share with you the promise that God our Father gave to Joshua so many thousand years ago: Joshua 1:5-9 “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be

prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” With strength and courage drawn from the Living Word let us look forward to the years to come. On Behalf of the KNK family and the Thomas family, I wish you all A Merry Christmas and Blessings from our Triune God for a Happy 2015! HUMILITY By Beverly de Silva Many a time I have contemplated on the virtue of humility and I have had it in mind to write on it at some time, but it never happened. The message I heard Fr. Varghese Parackal speak on this very topic in November 2011, at the Healing Mass & Mission Retreat held at our church kept nudging me to put my thoughts in print and here it is now. He said that we are victorious when we are humble. As I reflected on these words, I certainly believe this to be true. When we humble ourselves by saying ‘sorry’ to someone, we’re making peace with them, easing the tension, and healing a strained relationship, which leaves our hearts and minds free and happy, and victorious. We experience the same feelings when we admit that we are wrong, and ask for forgiveness from someone. Through the words of Jesus, in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” we learn the importance of humility. In asking, we humble ourselves, and Jesus wants us to do just that. He yearns for us to humbly ask Him to come into our lives, and we should not be proud in asking Him to do so. We should not trust in ourselves and

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consider ourselves to be better or more righteous than others, and regard others with contempt. We should be humble enough to admit that we too are sinners. In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:10-14), as told by Jesus, we see the humility of the tax collector who was considered by everyone to be a sinner… Whilst at the temple, he stood some distance away, unwilling to even lift up his eyes to heaven, beating his breast saying, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” Whereas the Pharisee, standing by himself prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” At the end of this parable, Jesus says, “ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” We can see that one of the very first qualities conveyed by God through Jesus’ birth as Man, was humility, which was signified by Jesus’ birth in a manger.

Humility was displayed by Jesus when he was at table with the disciples, before the festival of the Passover. He “got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.” (John 13: 4-5). He said, “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should

do as I have done to you. Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.” (John 13:14-16). He indicated great humility here, and he wants us to do the same. He does not want us to think that we are greater than others, as we are all equal in God’s sight. Jesus’ humility is also displayed by His scourging and death on the cross. Even though a Divine Almighty King, He died for us, “who are not even fit to undo his sandals”. Through my experiences when I was growing up, I have realised that poverty makes one humble, and reliant on others. Expecting some unseen help from someone, some miraculous providence, is what we always hoped for. There was no shame in receiving, or asking for help, when we needed it. I am thankful to God for those trials and difficulties, which has taught me humility. As Christmas approaches, let us reach out to others in humility, service and love, remembering that we are no more important than others. As Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). If Jesus, as a King, came to humbly serve us, how much more must we serve others! WISHING ALL READERS AND KNK PRAYER GROUP MEMBERS A HOLY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! UNTO US A SAVIOUR IS BORN By Jean Ephraums We are almost at the door to another Christmas, and it will mark yet another year in the calendar of our lives. From now onwards we see the Shopping Centres decorated with Christmas wreaths, tinsel and Christmas

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trees. The shops are flooded with Christmas cards, toys, and bargains. Christmas carols will soon be played on radio and presented on television, invoking memories of our past Christmases. What does Christmas mean to us? We will say that it is the birthday of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who lived over 2,000 years ago. We believe, as Christians, that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity and the Son of God the Father, humbled Himself to become man, taking upon Himself weak human nature to dwell amongst us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten son.” (John 3:16). The true nature of God and His attitude to us is revealed through His son. For this reason, Jesus is identified as the “Word that has become flesh” (John 1:14). Jesus was born to very humble parents named Mary and Joseph, who could not find a place for the birth of their first-born child except in a stable. It was the choice of Jesus to be born in this place so as to identify Himself with the ‘poorest of the poor’. God has revealed His ‘Unconditional Love’ for every single person through His beloved son Jesus. This is the joyful message of Christmas. Lord, help us to celebrate Christmas sharing your love with the less-fortunate. All Glory Be to God on High, and on the earth good-will and peace to man! Alleluia!

Wishing all the members of the KNK Prayer Community a Blessed and Meaningful Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2015! POWER OF PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT By Jacquie Quinless It will be three years this December since I have joined the KNK Charismatic Prayer Group. I first joined the group to start carolling with them. My love for carol singing brought back memories of my high school days when I went carol singing. I studied in a Convent School and was trained by the nuns of “The Sacred Heart”. We often won carol singing competitions and our prize was to be treated to a hearty breakfast for singing with all our might!! I truly love the experience of carolling with KNK. It opened my heart to places that we visited like the nursing homes, The Mercy Hospital and visiting the elderly. It was an experience that cannot be put into words, but filled my heart with immense joy to think that we brought such happiness singing carols to the sick and the lonely. We also visited friends and family and shared great evenings carolling with them, such an awesome experience!! From here on I joined the Saturday prayer group meetings and weeks passed into months and months into years and here I am, three years later transformed into this amazing believer of the “POWER OF PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT”. I am humbled to be blessed on numerous occasions where prayers for family, friends and loved ones were answered by the Power of the Holy Spirit and can give you a very current situation where my nephew was critical and was in ICU. I begged with all my heart for The Holy Spirit to be with him in his time of recovery and heal him and asked Our Blessed Mother Mary to intercede for us and help

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him recover. It was not just me in prayer, but the whole KNK group that offered their prayers and without a doubt he was cured and sent home without surgery. Yes my friends this is the “POWER OF PRAYER”. I urge you to pray whenever you can, even if it is to recite a single decade of The Rosary or a Chaplet to the Divine Mercy or my favourite little prayer that says it all – “O Good Jesus, shelter me from the evil one, shed Thy dew upon me to calm my soul, and dwell in me fully, that I may wholly love Thee”. My friends feel I have deserted them and question me as to how I can spend so many hours in church praying. I cannot explain to them the happiness and the fulfilment I get from these powerful hours of Praise and Worship. After all I am a sinner, and in today’s world where it is much more complicated, distracting and evolving to a pace that we struggle to cope with, I definitely need this cleansing, week after week, and I know for sure no clinical detox can replace this wonderful time I spend, cleansing and nourishing my soul!! It cannot be explained but needs to be experienced so try attending a few Saturdays and believe me you will be coming back for more just like I do. Please make time to read these nourishing scripture verses that I have enclosed and I promise you, it will help you to pray to the Holy Spirit and you will experience this wonder of the “POWER OF PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT” THE POWER OF PRAYER……. BIBLE SCRIPTURES ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT As Catholics we are born in the Spirit when we are baptised ‘In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ and when receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Eph.1:13, 14 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. Eph.4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Every time we pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit, we receive the power of the Spirit again and again. The Sacrament of Reconciliation helps us to remove all that is not of the Lord, reminding us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is important that we strive to keep our mind, body and soul pure and holy and continuously seek God’s love and mercy. 1Cor.6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? (See also 1Cor.3:16) Jesus promised us a helper and on the day of Pentecost our Father sent His Holy Spirit who continues to be our counsellor and comforter. Eph.5:18, 19 Be filled with the Spirit as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts. (See also Jn.14:16-18) Rom.8:26, 27 We do not know how to pray as we ought...but the Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. When we are open to receive the Holy Spirit, we receive gifts of the Holy Spirit that we use to serve God by servicing His people and building His Kingdom. 1Cor.12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit 1Cor.12:10 To another the working of miracles 1Cor.13:1 Speak in the tongues of men & of angels When we receive the Holy Spirit we receive the Truth that sets us free

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Rom.8:15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. 2 Cor 3:17 Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Holy Spirit brings unity Acts 4:31, 32 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit & the whole group of those who believed were of one heart, & soul. The Holy Spirit is not earned by good deeds or bought with wealth, it is a free gift given to every believer of Christ who is willing to receive Him Acts 8:17-20 The Holy Spirit cannot be bought; it's a gift The Holy Spirit teaches us obedience to God. Obey the Spirit once you are Spirit-filled Gal.5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. We are told of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus Acts 10:38 God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power Lk.4:1 Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness www.biblegateway.com (NRSV) MARCH FOR THE BABIES 2014 By Lorraine Twentyman After the fiasco of the 2013 March for Babies, where people were pushed around by the pro-abortionists, I was wondering how I would cope with going to the March this year. I had previously been to a seminar which I had to be frog marched with attendees by a Police contingent. Bit scary but hey, “we have to stand up and be counted”. It was a very hot day and as I walked up Collins Street, I could hear drumming and loud noise coming from the Treasury

Gardens, and I was a bit perturbed to think that we were once again going to be overcome by the pro-abortionists, however, I was in for a surprise because it was Zombie Day, and the crowds and drums were marching down Collins Street. Thank God I thought. I went on to the Treasury Gardens to see so many people taking balloons of pink and blue and collecting placards such as “Everyone has the Right to Life” and various other eye catching quotations and young men and women picking up and carrying these signs and showing their support for the Unborn. It was marvellous. The March was several thousand keen prolifers reminding Victorians of the silent holocaust of thousands of unborn babies that have been aborted since the passage of the infamous Abortion Law Reform Act 2008. Prominent M.P’s Bernie Finn MLC, Michael Gidley MLA Mt. Waverley and Jan Kornberg MLC addressed us as well as other prolife speakers (unquote from RTL News Sep/Oct 2014). It was a very well protected march this year with the Police in full force to keep the “radicals” out of our ranks, although we could not stop the yelling and screaming abuse, and the terrible eye sore placards; one which was very big “The only good baby is a dead baby!!!” What a terrible statement to be holding up to show the world how little this person thought of God’s gift of life. We had speakers outside the Parliament, but the noise of the protesters banging drums and trumpets blocked out a lot of what was being said, and I would expect only those very close to the platform would have heard all the talk. I stood by a young father of little children, who incidentally was from Werribee, and it was wonderful to hear him try to hold conversations with people who quoted the coat hanger era, etc.He kept his cool.

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The increase in abortions since this Legislation which was to be a minimal quantity has ballooned out to literally thousands of babies here in Australia being aborted up to 9 months gestation. It’s an abomination on our Nation to think we murder these little ones. I believe “The white robed army follow the Lamb where ever He goes” are the aborted babies and I would suggest these little ones who were unwanted and unnamed can be adopted by us and given a blessing with holy water and a name. Being Catholic we have three names and having a Family Tree of some size, I can use my families names one at a time every day. (I expect to meet a lot of babies with my parent’s descendant’s names when I get upstairs.) So it is beholden for us to do something about this terrible situation which I believe, is bringing God’s anger down on humanity – how you may ask, by voting OUT politicians who believe abortion is a gift from the government, and us, we pay the Medicare costs for every abortion- and bring into government men and women of Christian values. Having said all the above, the Right to Life Australia Inc. is a non party political, non-denominational political lobby group. If you wish to view who the Legislative Assembly (Lower House) members are who believe in Pro-life, and those who believe in abortion; and the Legislative Council (Upper House) members views on this matter, there is a website www.righttolife.com.au which will outline who is for and who is against. There is also a list of Senators for Victoria and the rest of the States and it is important to contact candidates so they think that the right to life is an issue. If nobody talks to them about it, they think that it is not an issue –nobody cares about protection for unborn children (quote from RTL News Sept/Oct 2014.)

I would like to close off to say thank you for reading my blurb, and at this Election on November 29 you will think about the babies and how to save them. 9/11 - TESTIMONY My Firsthand Experience of the Power of God’s Word By Martin Rebeiro Given below is the testimony of Martin Rebeiro who the Lord saved on 9/11 at the World Trade Centre, New York. As you read, may the Lord open the eyes of your understanding to fully appreciate the Power of His Spoken Word! I was deputed by my Organization to set up our Facilities in the United States of America in the year 2001. I left India in July 2001 just over a month after the birth of our second daughter Nadine. God placed me, through my Organization, in the Big Apple-New York, and that too in the centre of it all at ‘Wall Street’. This by itself was a testimony. Considering my background, it still amazes me that The Lord placed me right in the midst of the World’s Financial Hub. God has always been generous to me in the area of keeping me wired to faith-filled friends. One such friend at that point of my life was Vijay Alexander, a senior in our organization. He invited me over to his church (thank God for people who invite you to worship). Only, this was no ordinary church to me, here’s why. You see, when I was a little boy, my mother had the habit of taking me along with my sister to a neighbouring library (Gems Library). During one such visit, she picked up a comic called ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’. It depicted the life of a vicious New York Gangster called Niki Cruz, who was led to the Lord Jesus Christ through the ministry of a man named David Wilkerson. This innocent comic subconsciously impacted me spiritually.

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Back in New York; I was thrilled to realize that now as a young man, I was standing in the church of Pastor David Wilkerson, whose life I read about years ago back in India when I was just a little boy! The church is called “Times Square Church”.

The service was wonderful and I made it a habit to attend ‘Times Square’ whenever I could. It was at one such service on the 9th of September 2011, I heard a message from Pastor Neil Rhodes that was to take me through an unforgettable experience. The Word of God came out to me from the Gospel of St. Mark, Ch 10, vs 46 onwards. Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight 46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. September 11th 2001 arose with the promise of a beautiful sunny morning. As I was leaving my apartment at Jersey City that morning for work, I was interrupted by a fellow colleague who had some official

work to discuss. Pretty uncharacteristic of me, but I hurriedly told him that I needed to rush to work that morning (It was like the Holy Spirit speeding me up), and that I will call him later in the day. I rushed passed him to the elevators and hit the ‘down’ button to exit my apartment building. I needed to catch the 7:50am train from Jersey City (where I lived – Right across the Hudson depicting the beautiful Manhattan Skyline) to get into New York City, to attend the 8:15am Holy Mass at our Lady of Victory Church, very close to the World Trade Centre. Noteworthy to mention here is that my Dad used to attend a Church with the similar name in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) back in India, where he lived many years as a young adult. The service ended at 8:50am. As I exited the church I noticed the sky filled with debris, a cloud of ash, paper and other material raining down from the sky. I asked a passerby what was happening. She said that a courier aircraft had hit the World Trade Centre, which was just 100 meters away from where we were standing. She said it was an accident. When I began working in Downtown Manhattan, New York, I was impressed at the hectic and very busy air traffic around Manhattan. Therefore, when the lady said it was an aircraft accident, it did not come as a surprise to me since there was the JFK airport, the LaGuardia airport and Newark airport in close vicinity of each other. So the thought of an aircraft ‘accidently’ colliding into the tall World Trade Centre was rare, but quite possible. For some reason, I picked up some of the airway bills raining down from the sky. I remember walking back into the church where a group of people had gathered for intercessory prayer. I requested them to pray for the victims of this air accident. The previous day September 10th I had an appointment with the insurance company ‘AON’ on the 102nd floor of one of the towers. AON lost 176 employees and several were injured in the WTC disaster.

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I was amazed at the security apparatus that was installed around and within the WTC building. The security process at the WTC was an eye opener. To have your photograph taken, then printed on a swipe card, allowing you access to the concerned floor, etc. The sheer magnificence of the infrastructure and the overall ambience simply overwhelmed me. I was told that a few years earlier there was a terror attack on this building, and hence the administrators were leaving nothing to chance in terms of security and safety. Though I transited through the WTC building on a daily basis (My PATH train into New York terminated several floors below the WTC), this was the first (and would be the last time), I would ever travel onto the higher floors of the WTC building. I never knew then, that this building had less than 24 hours to survive. The weather was beautiful in Jersey City on Sunday afternoon September the 9th. My friend and colleague Gurudutt Baliga and I were lounging in the park in downtown Jersey City, watching the beautiful cruise ships majestically sail by on the Hudson River, against the splendid Manhattan Skyline. My friend was explaining how Manhattan was built, the beauty of its town planning and famously quipped as they did when the Titanic was launched, “Even God cannot touch this city”. Well…The devil had other plans and through his devious agents, the United States would be forever changed a few hours from thereon. Most of us Indians have an uncanny attitude when it comes to Disaster Management. We are certainly not cowards, for rather than walking away from trouble, our curiosity draws us towards it. We had over 100 employees in New York working on various projects around that time. Most of us travelled the ‘PATH’ train from NJ into NYC. To help you recap…

I had just exited the WTC, went into Church for prayers, and while in Church, disaster struck. On hearing of this ‘accident,’ I started to hurry towards the WTC to check if any of our employees were affected by the aftermath of the debris as several people seriously were. It was at this point in time to my horror, I saw a second aircraft slam full speed into the building. Chain explosions set off and I saw a ferocious ball of orange, yellow and red flame and smoke bellowing out of the building. I was reeling under shock as were several other people who began screaming and running in shock and terror. There was pandemonium all around. Both the towers were on fire. I was still unaware of what was happening. I saw the courageous firefighters of the NYFD (New York Fire Department) in their gleaming fire trucks sitting solemnly, but confidently. They seemed to tell us that they had the situation in control, that they would manage it. The firefighters whizzed by with sirens blaring within close proximity (literally beneath) of the towers. This was a tragic yet unavoidable move by brave men of sacrifice.

The New York Police were on the scene in larger numbers, controlling and giving direction to the confused and scared public. The tension and bewilderment was thick in the air. My heart sank with desperateness when to my horror I saw people (in business suits) throw themselves from the tall buildings. To see human beings in an ultimate ‘no win’ state of decision making – to burn in fire or to jump to death, my stomach churned. The

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beauty of the dawn of this morning was turning out to be my worst real life nightmare. I was helpless, with tears streaming down my face for those desperate men and women, I stretched my hand towards the building and prayed. I could hear shouts of “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!” and at that point people were hysterical. I began to assist the police by helping them manage the chaos. One cop told me to tell them that the ‘Building would fall’. I thought ‘He’s got to be kidding’. These massive structures will definitely take the piercing missiles. I used to travel through these buildings every day. I was in one of them yesterday; these buildings were massive structures and I believed that they would survive. Yet it was a good reason to get people to back off, and I started shouting “the building will fall” as I attempted to keep the crowd back. By now people had received the message that America was under a full blown terror attack. The Pentagon was hit! I remember anger in the crowd as a young man shouted that “We will dig these terrorists out of their dens, and make them pay”. Anger, sadness, terror, a mix of emotions was ranting the air. Then the first building began to come down. This scene to me was like a ton of iron bricks hitting me full in the chest. The sound was like a thundering waterfall, like a million helicopter engines revving up. I saw the tower coming down, the scene resembled a tall, stout candle being fired up from the bottom and the candle sinking into the bed of flames melting quickly as it did. It was like a flower pot (a type of fireworks) with a massive cloud of debris sparking and spraying all around as it burnt. To me it was like the end of the world, this was serious. A few minutes earlier I didn’t have reason to question my survival, but now, I had to run to survive. I grew up very confident in myself and in the belief that through my abilities, I can

overcome any situation. I used to be in the frontline of fights and altercations, I believed and acted like I was a strong, bold and an invincible person. I proudly believed that no one or nothing could get the better of me in a fighting situation. I could manage it all. Till the moment of truth. The moment of truth came when like a rushing Tsunami the dust and debris shot out of what was once a marvel of an architecture. Debris whizzed past us and then rained down upon me like bullets. I could not outrun the smoke and debris any more. People rushed for cover. It was while I was running for my life that I vividly saw a lady in a business suit, fallen in the ensuring stampede. My fear made me run on, ignoring her pleading eyes for help. I ran into the niche of a building, my glasses were smashed and I was covered with debris. I began to choke to death. The cloud of dust was so thick that I could not breathe. In a desperate effort for survival, a police officer (NYPD) was trying to break the glass of a building with the butt of his gun. It was to no avail. The ‘bright sunny’ morning turned into ‘pitch black darkness’.

The only light I remember seeing from the pavement where I was lying, were some white serial lights that were still burning in the street. I could not breathe, the dust was in my nose, my mouth, debris all over me. The blinding flash and the thundering outburst knocked me down. The fear of a ‘dirty bomb’ contamination ran through my mind. I was choking to death. I vividly saw in my mind an image of my wife Colleen and my two daughters Nicole and Nadine. Fear was riding me, I thought it was all over and I would never see them alive

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again. All of a sudden, the Word of God came to me like a light piercing the darkness. Amidst all that I was going through, the Holy Spirit helped me recall Pastor Neil Rhodes’s message in Times Square Church (which I received the day before), expounding on the fact that miserable blind Bartimaeus was lost and hopeless, till the God of Hope arrived in His life. Blind Bartimaeus heard about the miraculous life giving power of Jesus Christ. I did too. He ‘shouted’ to The Lord of Mercy, for Mercy. I did too. I shouted “Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy upon me”. That was all I could do. That was all I needed to do. The shock of the last few hours had its toll upon me. I was motionless; I was knocked down. I shouted with every ounce of strength remaining in my already feeble body, with the shout of a desperate man. I wonder if you, reading this, have ever heard the shout of a desperate man. I wonder if you were ever desperate enough to know that there is nothing more you can do and to throw it all into the hands of the Lord Jesus. I did then. I shouted “Jesus, Jesus, save me, Jesus have mercy upon me”. The police officer (NYPD), who was hammering away on the glass shouted at me “Shut up, no one can save you, we are all dying here”. I remembered the Word of God I heard that Sunday which said “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”. I shouted louder than ever before. I do not know how long it took. All I knew when I came around was that people were lying around me, I do not know what happened to them, whether they were dead or alive. I did not attempt to find out. My brain had switched off. I was now being controlled by someone else, who took my hand and helped me up. As I stumbled to my feet, I swayed and staggered aimlessly and directionless, my mind was severely disoriented. Someone was leading me. I was wandering through a cloud of darkness, looking at the streets of Manhattan littered with a carpet of

gray/white dust and other debris. Abandoned limousines with engines still running, lights on, doors wide open, it seemed like the drivers had made a fast get away, abandoning these machines on the street. A deathly silence now hovered over the place. People were crawling on the pavements and roads, sitting around aimlessly like ghosts, covered in a cloak of dust and debris. How long I wandered, I will never know. However, I found my way to 111, Wall Street, the Citibank building where I worked. The security guard did not allow me in. They could not recognize me. I could not recognize them. After a while, I was let into the building. All networks were down –Phones were jammed, email was off, none of my colleagues were around. I had no clue as to where they were. No one could help. I cleaned up and left the building. Everyone had to vacate. I was alone. I had to get out of Manhattan. No more PATH trains running, I walked to the ferry station. 1000s’ of shocked people in long queues stood before me, no one talking, people weeping, tired, broken, shocked at the calamity that befell. Eventually I got onto the NJ ferry, I crossed the Hudson river silently weeping, Thanking the Lord for saving me, praying for those who did not make it, interceding for those I knew, my friends, my colleagues, that all will return home safe that day. I had no news about anyone, I knew. The ferry I boarded docked in a town called Hoboken, just next to the town (Jersey City) where I lived. I then trekked all the way home. On the Jersey side of the Hudson, people were staring, silently at the smoke that was now emitting out of the place where the World Trade Centre once stood. The Twin Towers that were the sparkling diamonds in the Manhattan skyline were no more. The Lord Jesus who gave sight to blind Bartimaeus, opened my spiritual eyes. When you call on Jesus, He promises not only to answer you, but to save you. I experienced the Power of God’s Word firsthand. His Word is True, His Word

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gives Life. The Lord God who saved blind Bartimaeus, saved me. The Word of God says in Psalms 91: 1-2 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’ ” Vs 7 says “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.” My dear readers, Jesus will save you and your loved ones, if you call out to Him. The book of Hebrews says in 3:15 “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts……”. The book of Revelations 3:20 Jesus says “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me”. The surreal images and the ghastly overtones of the incident are permanently etched in my memory. But beyond all that, I must say that the experience brought me into a deeper relationship with my Saviour and King, Jesus Christ. From then on, my walk with the Lord has been a steady but definite one, growing from strength to strength. For Jesus truly saves. To Him be all the glory and Honour, now and forever! Here is what Colleen has to say… While Marty was in New York setting up a house for us to move into, we back home in Bangalore were busy planning our relocation. On that eventful day, I received a call from Marty’s elder brother who asked me where Marty worked. I was not too sure except for the fact that his office was located somewhere in Wall Street, New York. My brother in law asked me to tune into the news channel. I did so. The rest is history. The situation was too much to fathom for the moment. I did what seemed best. I called our Spiritual

Guide Fr Jose Vettiyankal. Fr Jose is a very prayerful man. He immediately sought a message/vision from the Lord. The Lord spoke to him and told him that ‘Marty was safe and was presently in prayer’. It took us about 24 hours for news to reach us about Marty’s ‘Miracle’. Later, when Marty shared his testimony, I was amazed as to how God moves in mysterious ways. Marty was crying out to the Lord, and here 1000’s of miles away from Ground Zero, a Man of God got a revelation that Marty was safe and in prayer. This incident increased my faith and belief that we serve a ‘Good God, whose love and mercy endures forever’. It was the power of Confessing God’s Word that saved Marty’s life and our day. Praise the Lord! Some facts on 9/11….

2996 people died due to the four terror attacks in New York City, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Over 6000 were injured.

19 Terrorists were killed.

246 victims were on four planes (from which there were no survivors).

2606 people died in New York City in the towers and on the ground.

More than 90% of the workers and visitors who died in the towers had been at or above the points of impact.

In the North Tower 1,355 people at or above the point of impact were trapped and died of smoke inhalation, fell or jumped from the tower to escape the smoke and flames, or were killed in the building’s eventual collapse.

The destruction of all three staircases in the tower when Flight 11 hit made it impossible for anyone above the impact zone to escape.

A further 107 people below the point of impact did not survive.

125 victims perished at the Pentagon.

Used with permission of Martin Rebeiro Website: www.songsofglory.in Email: songsofglory@hotmail.com FB: www.facebook.com/martin.rebeiro

ARISMA

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