Official Newsletter of

Katawan Ni Kristo
(Body of Christ)

Prayer Community
Vol No 3/November 2014

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

KNK Miscella-News
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
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

DATE
Dec 16
Dec 17
Dec 18
Dec 19
Dec 20

CELEBRANT
Fr Delmar Silva
Fr Luciano Toldo
Fr Joselito Asis
Fr Jude Pirotta
Fr Thang Vu

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday

Dec 21
Dec 22
Dec 23
Dec 24

Fr Greg Bourke
Fr Abraham Santiyagu
Fr Aurelio Fragapane
Fr Pius Kodakkathanath/
Dcn Charles English/
Fr Raphael Mahn Tha
Khlein

REMARKS

Confession in Vietnamese
will be available after Mass.

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.
1 KARISMA

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, were 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

2 KARISMA

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 anothers 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
Gods 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

3 KARISMA

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

4 KARISMA

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 todays 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
HOLY SPIRIT

THE

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 Gods 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

5 KARISMA

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 Spiritfilled
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
proabortionists,
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.Ps 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
Gods 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.

6 KARISMA

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.
Its 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
parents descendants names when I get
upstairs.)
So it is beholden for us to do something
about this terrible situation which I believe,
is bringing Gods 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, nondenominational 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 Gods 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 AppleNew 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 Worlds 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, heres 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.

7 KARISMA

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! Hes 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.

8 KARISMA

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. WellThe 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 Hes 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 didnt 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
Rhodess 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 Gods Word
firsthand. His Word is True, His Word

11 KARISMA

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 Martys
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 Martys 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 1000s 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 Gods Word
that saved Martys 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
buildings 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
Official Newsletter of

Prayer Community

Karisma is published on a quarterly basis. It contains reading materials

directed generally but not necessarily limited to its members. Comments,
suggestions and articles for publication are welcome. The editor has the
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12 KARISMA