Official Newsletter of

St. Peters Charismatic

Prayer Community (KNK)
Vol No 7/November 2015

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

Glory to God in the highest, Peace on earth, goodwill toward men!

KNK Miscella-News

2015 DAWN MASSES / SIMBANG GABI

As the year-end approaches, we start preparing for Christmas - the birth of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. Our prayer community (KNK) is once again organising the 9 day Dawn
Mass Novena which is a great way of preparing spiritually for Christmas. The Dawn Mass
Novena starts with a Eucharistic Celebration at 5 am followed by an Agape breakfast in the
Church Hall. Mass will be celebrated each day by different Celebrants, with different music
providers and sponsors for the breakfast.
In this our twentieth year, the 2015 Dawn Masses promise another grand preparation for
Christmas with the participation of various cultures from our parish as well as neighbouring
parishes. Our St Peters Charismatic Prayer community (KNK) would like to thank all the
Priests, Music providers, sponsors and participants for supporting the Dawn Masses. Below
is the 2015 Dawn Mass schedule.
DAY

DATE

Wednesday

Dec 16

Thursday
Friday

Dec 17
Dec 18

Saturday

Dec 19

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday

Dec 20
Dec 21
Dec 22
Dec 23

Thursday

Dec 24

CELEBRANT
Fr Pius Kodakkathanath and
Fr Falaniko Leota
Fr. Luciano Toldo
Fr Joselito Asis
Fr Raphael Mahn Tha Khlein
& Fr Matthew (Manoj)
Kannamthadathil
Fr. Aurelio Fragapane
Fr Thang Vu
Fr Benneth Osuagwu
Fr Jude Pirotta
Fr Greg Bourke
Deacon Charles English

MUSIC PROVIDER
Samoan Choir
Youth Band
Shirleys Group
Filiorum Dei
Mt Zion
St. James Youth
Footsteps
St James Choir
FilOz

CAROLLING AND THE KNK CHRISTMAS BREAK-UP

The annual Christmas break-up will be on 28th November from 2.30 pm to 6 pm at St Peters.
Following praise and worship, we will have fellowship with a lot of fun, games and gifts. The
KNK music ministry will be carolling from 1st to 15th December, heralding the spirit of
Christmas by singing carols to its benefactors, the sick and the elderly in the community. If
you know someone who would like to be visited by our Music Ministry, please contact any
of the KNK Core members.
1 KARISMA

YEAR END MESSAGE

By Josephine Thomas
The last issue for the year
2015 - with hope for more
growth and more faith and
more love for Jesus in 2016
- this is our desire for our
Prayer Community. This is
also my desire for myself, that as I grow in
faith, I learn to love Jesus above all - what
a confirmation it was indeed to conclude
the year with a prayer meeting that
resounded this desire.
Am I leading the prayer group in the right
direction Lord? Am I travelling well with
you Lord? A few weeks ago when I sought
guidance for the last article for the year,
these were my questions. I love the way
the Lord confirms that my prayer and
desire is in the right track each time I seek
Him.
Sat down to write the article and I was
reminded of a few Scriptures, (which I will
reflect on later) but still there was
something that was not coming together to
complete my article - so I waited on the
Lord. Was I happy I did when I heard
Jonathan's testimony!! I couldn't thank
Jesus enough for that beautiful afternoon.
When Jonathan said, do not pray for
healing, do not pray for miracles, but pray
to love the Lord Jesus above all things the truth dawned on me clearly - all we
need to do is keep the first commandment
and love our God and everything else will
fall in place. In a flash, the past ten years
went through my mind and I realised how
attending our prayer group each Saturday,
singing praises, listening to the Living
Word, had, over a period planted a desire
in me to want to love Jesus more than
anything. Whenever the anxieties of this
world gets me down and I falter in my faith
wondering if I should be out there
gathering wealth, the Lord reminds me
time and again of the parable of the sower:
Matthew 13 That same day Jesus went

out of the house and sat by the

lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around
him that he got into a boat and sat in it,
while all the people stood on the
shore. 3 Then he told them many things in
parables, saying: A farmer went out to
sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path, and the
birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on
rocky places, where it did not have much
soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil
was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up,
the plants were scorched, and they
withered
because
they
had
no
root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns,
which grew up and choked the
plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good
soil, where it produced a cropa
hundred, sixty or thirty times what was
sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them
hear.
18 Listen

then to what the parable of the

sower means: 19 When anyone hears the
message about the kingdom and does not
understand it, the evil one comes and
snatches away what was sown in their
heart. This is the seed sown along the
path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground
refers to someone who hears the word and
at once receives it with joy. 21 But since
they have no root, they last only a short
time. When trouble or persecution comes
because of the word, they quickly fall
away. 22 The seed falling among the
thorns refers to someone who hears
the word, but the worries of this life and
the deceitfulness of wealth choke the
word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the
seed falling on good soil refers to
someone who hears the word and
understands it. This is the one who
produces a crop, yielding a hundred,
sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Thanking God for His constant nudging,
reminding me of His word, I pray for His
forgiveness and ask for the grace to be the
good soil where His word will take deep
root and give me the wisdom to seek
treasure for eternity, not for this earth.
Instantly, an overwhelming peace and joy

2 KARISMA

envelopes me and I know that I have

overcome temptation and am driving in the
right direction. Likewise there are many
other scriptures that have taught me to
forgive, to accept forgiveness, to see
Jesus in every person and to pray for them
whether they treat me as their friend or foe,
to help others to bring joy to them and not
for my self-satisfaction, to accept help
graciously knowing that it is the Lord at
work, to be charitable without being selfrighteous, knowing very well that what I
give is not mine but what God has given
me (I hope someday I will be able to give
with the heart of the widow who gave all
that she had trusting totally in His
providence), being slow to anger and still
in the process of learning to be quick to
forgive and the list goes on. In ten years,
I have come a long way, but have much
longer to go. I can now declare with
conviction that I love Jesus above all, but I
still wonder if I have enough love for Him
that I may love all His people the way he
loves - unconditionally and with total
forgiveness. Will I have the courage to
stand up in times of distress and proclaim
"He is Lord"? There are times I feel I will,
but what I fear most is, will I then pray for
my persecutors and forgive them or will my
unforgiving heart draw my soul away from
our God? But time and again our God
through our weekly prayer meetings
reminds me not to be afraid and hearing
testimonies of great faith among the
persecuted, gives me hope.
I reflected on the various teaching &
sharing we have had this year. When we
gather, our Praises are anointed and Our
Lord Jesus is ever so present with us.
Healing flows and many are comforted,
healed and strengthened. Each week I
can witness the growth among our
members - like myself, many have shared
how the time spent each week has made
a difference in their lives and has drawn
them closer to our Triune God, kindling in
them a fire of great love for the Almighty.
My heart then rejoices and Praises God. It
saddens me sometimes to see how some
of the members slip away; giving in to

anger, unforgiveness, jealousy, pride, ego,

things of the world and the list is unending
but I take hope and pray for them all, like
I do for myself, when, ever so often, I am
on a down slide in faith, I seek intercession
from our intercessors and the Lord always
restores. So I have learnt that nothing is
impossible for God and the power of
prayer and intercession is beyond
measure. The only thing I need to remind
myself is to be patient and wait upon our
God.
This takes me to these scriptures:
A few years ago it was as though St Paul
was saying to me:
1 Corinthians 3: Brothers and sisters, I
could not address you as people who live
by the Spirit but as people who are still
worldlymere infants in Christ. 2 I gave
you milk, not solid food, for you were not
yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not
ready.3 You are still worldly. For since
there is jealousy and quarrelling among
you, are you not worldly? Are you not
acting like mere humans? 4 For when
one says, I follow Paul, and another,
I follow Apollos, are you not mere
human beings?
I am reminded of my years as a "fulfil your
Sunday obligation Catholic" - I did not love
the Lord then, He was just someone I
turned to for when I needed something. I
gave offerings and tithes to look good in
the books, sang in the choir, read in the
church to display my talents - not to Praise
God or proclaim His word. Engaged in
charitable works so the society considered
me a good person. I did not realise then
that I did not follow Jesus, I followed the
priest I liked, (wouldn't pay attention to the
preaching if I didn't like the priest);
followed
the
church
where
the
congregation liked me - I laugh at my
foolishness now to think what a shallow
Christian I was.
But the one week retreat at the Divine
Retreat Centre changed me completely in His mercy the Lord opened my eyes and
gave me the gift of faith. The Holy Spirit

3 KARISMA

that I willingly received at that time took

control of my life and slowly but surely He
brought to light my shallowness and
started chipping off all the rough edges. I
grew in faith and grew in grace as I shed
my pride, my ego, my wanting to be a
people pleaser, my wanting for everyone
to like the person I am, me loving the
things and glories of this earth, my selfrighteousness and everything else that
kept me away from Christ. The retreat was
me being weaned from infant milk to solid
food. My journey started then with Jesus
leading me and these ten years of being a
Charismatic has taught me to love Jesus
above all and he is working miracles
changing me to the person I am and the
work continues (many more rough edges
to chip off).
Now I clearly understand what Paul said in
1 Corinthians 3 5 What, after all, is
Apollos? And what is Paul? Only
servants, through whom you came to
believeas the Lord has assigned to each
his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos
watered it, but God has been making it
grow. 7 So neither the one who plants
nor the one who waters is anything, but
only
God,
who
makes
things
grow. 8 The one who plants and the one
who waters have one purpose, and they
will each be rewarded according to their
own labour. 9 For we are co-workers in
Gods
service; you
are
Gods
field, Gods building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a
foundation as a wise builder, and
someone else is building on it. But each
one should build with care. 11 For no one
can lay any foundation other than the
one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
When Jesus Christ is our foundation - the
building that we are, is strong and
unshakeable and our soul is safe. But this
growth and understanding my brothers
and sisters in Christ, does not happen
overnight; it is with our willingness to
spend time with Christ, allowing Him to
work through us every moment of our life,
do we change and become mature. I

Praise God that each week He brings me

to His throne in Adoration and opens my
ears to His word so that I will be given solid
food that will give me clear understanding
to keep my soul safe. We are blessed to
be able to do this week after week.
Lysa TerKeurst is a wife, mother of five,
and the president of Proverbs 31
Ministries, I receive devotions from her
ministry and draw great strength from it.
She is the New York Times bestselling
author of The Best Yes, and other books,
but I am going to share with you what drew
my attention to her broadcast on Focus on
the Family discussing her book "The Best
Yes".
As servant leader, it is my responsibility to
encourage our members to freely give of
their time and talent to serve our God in
various ways. Be it in attending the weekly
prayer meetings or for the leaders - the
fortnightly core meetings, for the prayer
ministry to spend time in praying for
members after the prayer meeting, for the
Martha ministry to plan and prepare each
week for fellowship, the music ministry to
practice and then to serve not only in our
parish but to the groups outside the parish
when we outreach, for us to spend time in
writing the wonders of our God for the
Karisma, are a few ways we serve our
Lord, not forgetting our ministry at home
caring for our family.
There are times when I feel, that perhaps
I am expecting too much from them all,
especially when I find members giving
excuses of how much work they have and
how tiring it is to do all this or when they
imply that we should really cut down on
what we do in the church, etc. There were
times when I used to go to great lengths
and explain that time spent serving God is
never wasted and that He will give us the
strength to endure our day to day
difficulties and remind them that His yoke
is easy and burden light. This would
convince most of them to do what I
wanted them to do, but the repeated
sense of reluctance and complaining

4 KARISMA

nature began to disturb me. Making me

wonder if this is what I want them to do
or is it what God has called us to do,
with me as the instrument to bring it
together? Being His instrument, do I have
to constantly convince them to serve God
through the various ministries and not be
discouraged when I sense reluctance but
lift the ministries and members up in
prayer?
Praise God, each time I seek the Lord, the
Holy Spirit always guides me when my
heart is disturbed and grants me wisdom
to discern and His peace overflows. I was
prompted to pray for the group and not to
worry who turns up and who doesn't. It
was like the Lord saying. "Say yes to what
you have to do for me, send out the
invitation to all to come and leave the rest
to me, just pray and I will make all things
happen." I have been obedient and doing
just that, now when someone says, I can't
make it, I just say, "I'm sorry you cannot
come, but shall keep you in prayer". And I
pray, it is marvellous how for every
ministry that the Lord has sprung upon us
this year, He has prepared the heart of His
faithful, heard my prayer and provided in
abundance.
One such afternoon was the last prayer
meeting to hear Jonathan's testimony - it
gave me great joy to see how many the
Lord had drawn to hear of the wonder he
worked in Jonathan, giving us hope. I
continue to pray that the church be filled
each week, more than it was that week,
with a people of Praise. So that, as we set
aside all our activities and willingly come
into His presence each week, we will
receive the solid food and grow from mere
infants, training ourselves to become
mature in our faith as is mentioned in:
Hebrews 5: 11 We have much to say
about this, but it is hard to make it clear to
you because you no longer try to
understand. 12 In fact, though by this time
you ought to be teachers, you need
someone to teach you the elementary
truths of Gods word all over again. You
need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who

lives on milk, being still an infant, is not

acquainted with the teaching about
righteousness. 14 But solid food is for
the mature, who by constant use have
trained themselves to distinguish good
from evil.
Where does Lysa TerKeurst and her
broadcast about her book "The Best Yes"
fall into amongst all this, you ask, well it
surely does, because it answered all my
questions to our God and most importantly
taught me a valuable lesson of how I will
manage my time.
Lisa spoke on overwhelmed schedule
and underwhelmed soul. She said how
very often we are overwhelmed taking
care of our family, trying to balance work
and there is just no time for anything - rest,
relaxation, prayer.
This leads to an
underwhelmed soul.
When she
mentioned
underwhelmed
soul,
I
immediately related it to Jonathan's talk.
We are so caught up with our life here that
even as Christians, we do not pay
attention to our soul. Lisa goes on to say
that with an underwhelmed soul all she felt
like was a walking testimony of a crazy
woman but she wanted to become a
walking testimony of a loving woman.
She prayed for guidance and worked out
how to balance her time - we all have 168
hours per week - so she went ahead and
broke it down and wrote what she did each
day noting down also the time spent in
sleep. She then realised that all she had
spare was 3.5 hours per week. In her
words, "Im passionate about studying
Scripture and teaching from the lessons
God is teaching me. Im no preachy expert.
Im a simple girl who speaks about hope in
the midst of my own struggles. Bringing
Gods Word to life so that it makes a
difference in our everyday life is my
greatest joy in speaking."
She then realised that her strength was in
writing, so she decided that like she
marked the calendar with all the
appointments, be it with a doctor or the

5 KARISMA

school or the kids sport - all those

appointments that we never fail to turn up
to - she marked herself an appointment for
3.5 hours each Saturday afternoon to
write. This time was spent to read Gods
word and write - the underwhelmed soul
taken care of when we say Yes to God and
His purpose. But she warns us that it is
not easy to keep that appointment
unless you willingly say Yes to God and
No to everything else. The very week
she decided to do that, a friend called and
invited her for that same afternoon to a
lunch and walk in the park and she said,
"Sorry I have an appointment to write," it
sounded foolish she said knowing that she
was not a writer and her friend knew she
doesn't write, but she kept the
appointment. To cut a long story short Lisa has best sellers now and the Proverb
31 ministry that she heads, ministers to so
many women across the globe and I am
one of them, very often the Lord helps me
discern many plans through what I read
from this ministry and many others. All
because she was able to keep her
appointment saying yes to God.
(http://proverbs31.org - is the website if
you all wish to know more about the
ministry).
The next thing that drew my attention was
her comment on how we confuse our
Lord's commandment to Love, with the
desire to please people. What she said
made me realise of my past and Praise
God for what He has done in me for the
present.
I realise that I obey his
commandment to love when I serve others
with the only intention to fulfil their need to
be served and not to please them or
anybody else. When we have this attitude
then it is easy to say No when we are
unable to do something, without the fear of
losing our joy, our position, our friend,
whatever it might be.
It dawned on me then, that unlike in the
past, I am able to do all things and spend
time serving God in the various ministries
He has called me to, without being
stressed, only because, now I have learnt

to please God and not people. My Yes

should always be to God - so if I attend
the prayer meeting it should be because I
love Jesus and want to spend time with
Him not because I am the servant leader
or because I want to please all of you or
Fr. Pius with my regular attendance. If I
was called to sing in the choir, I go to
practice not because my husband heads
the ministry and I have to support him, no,
I go because I love Jesus and want to sing
His praises. If I am asked to cook for the
fellowship, it is not because I want to
display my cooking skills, but because I
want to share the goodness of the food
Jesus has taught me to cook and enjoy His
presence when we fellowship with one
another. If I am called to pray, I do so with
joy in my heart knowing that Jesus will
pour out His love when I pray without
complaining. If I help someone it is not
because they will help me someday, but
because God has given me an opportunity
to be of service.
In conclusion, my prayer for us all is
that we will say Yes to the Trinity at all
times without having the desire to
please people - be it our spouse, our
children, our employer, our friend,
whoever it may be and obey the Lord's
commandment to Love one another as He
has loved us - unconditionally. When we
love God above all, then we will be able to
obey this commandment. So let us pray to
have the grace to say "The Best Yes" and
continue to come together each week
in 2016, as the Body of Christ, to build
the Kingdom of God. I Praise and
Thank God for each one of you and the
blessing you have been, for the
wonderful year 2015 and pray that He
will continue to guide us for the Glory
and Honour of Father, Son and Spirit
Amen. Wishing you and your families
A Merry Christmas and a Blessed New
Year. Have a happy and safe holiday
and glorify Christ with joyful hearts!

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THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

By Jean Ephraums
The month of November
each year is dedicated to
the
Holy Souls
in
Purgatory,
beginning
from All Souls Day (2nd
November). It is a time to
remember our loved ones and all those
who have passed away from this world,
whose souls may be amidst the cleansing
flames of purgatory. We have in our hands
an immense power on this earth to give
relief and happiness to the souls of our
departed, and to find happiness in our lives
as well. The most effective means to help
deliver the souls in purgatory and for them
to enter and experience Gods everlasting
love and mercy is by us offering Masses,
doing good works and praying for them.

Maria Simma is a simple country woman,

who, since her childhood, has prayed a
great deal for the souls in purgatory. When
she was twenty-five, she was favoured
with a very particular and rare charism in
the church the charism of being visited
by the souls in purgatory. She is a fervent
Catholic and has great humility and
simplicity. She is very much encouraged in
her task by her parish priest and bishop.
She lives in real poverty in a little room with
hardly enough space to move around. In
the history of the church, many saints
canonized or not, have exercised this
charism for example, St. Gertrude,
St.Catherine of Genoa, St. John Bosco,
St. Margaret Mary, St. Faustina and a few
others.

In her message at Fatima, the Blessed

Virgin Mary expresses the importance of
praying for the dead. She said, Many
souls are going to hell because there is
nobody to pray for them. You must pray
and pray very much. Maccabees 12:46
says, It is a holy and wholesome
thought to pray for the dead, that they
may be freed from their sins.
The following prayer of St. Gertrude the
Great is known to be a powerful prayer,
which would release souls from purgatory
each time it is recited:
O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most
Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,
Jesus, in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today, for all the
holy souls in purgatory, for Sinners
everywhere for sinners in the
universal church, for those in my own
home and for those within my family.
Amen.
A booklet entitled The Amazing Secret of
the Souls in Purgatory by Sister
Emmanuel Maillard of Medjugorie, tells the
following story about a lady named Maria
Simma, whom she interviewed.

In her own words, Maria Simma relates her

experience of her first visit by a soul (from
purgatory) in 1940:
One night, around 3 or 4 o clock in the
morning, I heard someone coming into my
bedroom. This woke me up. I looked to see
who on earth could have walked into my
bedroom. That night I saw a complete
stranger. He walked back and forth slowly.
I said to him severely, How did you get in
here? Go away! But he continued to walk
impatiently around the bedroom, as if he
hadnt heard. So I asked him again, What
are you doing? But as he still didnt
answer, I jumped out of bed and tried to

7 KARISMA

grab him, but I grasped only air. There was

nothing there. So I went back to bed, but
again I heard him pacing back and forth. I
wondered how I could see this man, but
couldnt grab him. I rose again to hold onto
him and stop him walking around again I
grasped only emptiness. Puzzled, I went
back to bed. He didnt come back, but I
couldnt get back to sleep.
The next day, after Mass, I went to see my
spiritual director and told him everything.
He told me that if it should happen again, I
shouldnt ask Who are you? but What do
you want from me?
The following night, the man returned,
definitely the same man. I asked him,
What do you want from me? He replied,
Have three Masses celebrated for me and
I will be delivered.
So I understood that it was a soul in
purgatory. My spiritual director confirmed
this. He also advised me never to turn
away the poor souls but to accept with
generosity whatever they asked of me.
The poor souls have told Maria that
because they no longer possess a
physical body, they can no longer make
sacrifices for themselves in reparation for
their sins; nor can they physically give an
offering(s) in request for a holy Mass (or
Masses) for themselves - essentially they
are able only to offer up to God their
prayers and the repentance for their sins,
so in many ways they are almost helpless,
and are forced to rely on the mercy of God,
the most extraordinary and blessed help of
the Virgin Mary, the prayers of the Saints
in heaven, and the prayers and sacrifices
of the Church and of all the peoples here
upon the earth.
Maria Simma has had many experiences
of the souls in purgatory. She was born on
2nd February 1915 and died in 2004. She
lived a very humble life all by herself in a
little house in Sonntag, a very lovely village
in the Vorarlberg Mountains in Austria.

GOD IS LOVE, GOD IS GOOD!

By Mabel Fernandes
This is my faith journey
with my Jesus. Jesus is
not only my Living God
but my Friend, as when I
wake up in the morning
or going to bed at night, I
talk to him as though He
is present in person. I have come to
depend on him at every waking moment of
my life. I just feel joyous being around with
Him, as I know I am safe.
My faith was tested again! This scripture
reading When they walk through the
Valley of Weeping, it will become a
place of refreshing springs.
The
autumn rains will clothe it with
blessings Psalm 84:6, made a
significant impact through a tough
situation that I recently encountered.
I did my routine blood tests as usually I do
it every three months. One of the tests
came out with a bad result. My GP was
not happy at all. When I walked into the
clinic that day 14th October, I was feeling
very nervous (normally I dont get
nervous). My heart was racing like crazy
and my palpitations just shot up. When I
met up with my GP, he was pacing the
room nervously. I found it very unusual
as he is always smiling and warm but that
day he could not look at my face. The
alarm bells rang in my head! Immediately
from the depth of my heart I called out to
my God to be with me, as I had gone alone
to see the doctor. I asked the doctor what
was the matter. He just stood still and
looked at me for a very long time. Then to
bring some sense in the atmosphere, I
asked him straightaway: is it bad news? If
it is so, I am prepared to listen.
Then he said, that the report is extremely
bad and I have to do a series of tests,
treatments, specialists, hospital, etc.. At
first it was like a ball hitting my head. He
gave me a long list of tests to do. First X-

8 KARISMA

ray and ultrasound, both came out with

bad results! I came out and sobbed
uncontrollably. Further blood tests, more
bad results! Then I was sent to the
hospital to do the biopsy.
Before going to the hospital, I came into
the presence of Jesus; I cried and cried
without praying. I was not afraid of death
but I asked God why I had to go through
the Valley of Weeping, despair, trials,
afflictions and sufferings. His message:
Trust me, I will never forsake you. I
trusted Jesus to take over this situation as
I could not handle it. A day before the
biopsy, I went to do my hydrotherapy for
my knees and some exercise. When I was
in the pool, I just could not concentrate.
When I was exercising very clumsily, my
eyes were drawn towards an empty wall.
There I saw very distinctly a rainbow. I
thought it could be the reflection of the
water or the light surrounding it. It wasnt
as I looked all around elsewhere, there
were no rainbows. Only on this particular
wall I could see one. I didnt make
anything of it. I went home.
Next day I was at the hospital and I was
sitting there waiting for my turn, again I
saw that rainbow. I thought it was weird!
But suddenly I felt the presence of Jesus.
The bible spoke to me that weeping may
endure for the night, but joy comes in the
morning, and the path of the righteous is
like a light of dawn shining brighter until the
full day. No matter how dark my
circumstances may seem, I am on a path
that is shining brighter and brighter, and
place of victory beyond all challenges of
life! Amen. What a message God gave
me. I was touched and overwhelmed.
I did the biopsy. After two days I was flying
out to Brisbane to attend a friends Silver
wedding. I didnt want to hear the result as
I wanted to enjoy first, blot out everything
out of my mind and come back to
Melbourne refreshed to hear any news.
But the doctor at the hospital said that the
report will be sent urgently to my GP in two
days and I have to see him. But I didnt

want to see my GP before the Brisbane

trip.
However God spoke to me: Stand in faith
believing Jesus your mighty healer is on
your side, and you and God are a majority!
There are so many things that can come
against you, but my promise that no
weapon formed against you shall prosper.
Your Deliverer is coming! What a beautiful
message God whispered to me!
I made a decision to visit my GP on the day
I was leaving to Brisbane. The flight was
in the afternoon and my appointment with
the GP was in the morning. When I
entered the clinic, GP looked at me and
asked me how I am feeling. I said fine. He
was amazed! Then he asked me what I
would like to hear. I said I am prepared to
hear anything as God is with me. Then he
said, Cheer up, everything is clear, the
lumps are not significant any more but I
would like to continue doing the blood test
till I am certain everything is ok. On the
spot, the blood test was done and sent for
testing. The levels came normal. My GP
was astounded and so pleased to see the
results. Again I cried, this time, the tears
of joy and I looked to the heaven smiling
and thanking God for his faithful love and
his promises never to forsake me. I placed
all my trust in God, his hand of healing and
blessings were upon me.
This is my Jesus who is with me every
single moment of my life, as He has carved
each and every one of us on the palm of
his hand very uniquely. Psalm 91 is his
promise to all of us. There is no fear in
love and perfect love drives out fear
1John 4:18
Special sincere thanks to the intercessory
and prayer ministry of KNK for the
powerful prayer and intercession during
these traumatic moments. Also to my
family and friends who stood by me during
the difficult moments and for their patience
and understanding.

9 KARISMA

God bless each one of you, and remember

GOD LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU
ARE! NEVER GIVE UP!
Praise God! Thank you God! Alleluia

most shopping centres Christmas carols

can be heard playing and replaying, more
a
festive-trend
than
a
religious
significance. Everyone seems to be in a
holiday mood and enjoying themselves,
yet for some others it is a time of painful
and sad memories.

CELEBRATING
THE C-H-R-I-S-T
in CHRISTMAS
By Beverly de Silva
I had a few topics to write
on for Karisma and I had
previously decided what I was going to
write about, until I watched a Christian
programme on TV, which was all about
Christmas, its customs and traditions, and
explanations and reasons for some of
these customs and traditions. I found this
programme very interesting and felt
inspired to write on this topic, but I still
wasnt sure until I was prompted at least
three times to do so.
Christmas is a time of much celebration
and joy for those Christians who truly
believe in, and follow Christ. It is a time for
remembering the birth of Jesus and the
Christmas story, and Gods love for us in
sending Him (Jesus) to us as our Saviour.
Christmas is also a time for showing love
by thinking of those disadvantaged and
less-fortunate
than
ourselves
and
giving/sharing what we have with them. It
is a time of family, love, reconciliation,
good-will, and giving.
In many countries all over the world,
including Australia, Christmas is greatly
celebrated with much pomp and glamour
homes, buildings and streets decorated
with coloured lights and beautiful glittering
decorations; Christmas trees adorned with
fancy ornaments and decor; and shops
teeming with toys, gifts, Christmas-cards
and festive foods. Streets and shops are
crowded with people rushing here and
there busily trying to do everything they
want before Christmas Day arrives. In

In
those
households
celebrating
Christmas nowadays, people are truly
caught up in the careful planning and
organisation of their celebration on
Christmas Day and there is much
happiness and excitement. There is no
fault in celebrating this great event, but for
some it is all about the big party rather
than the real reason for the celebration. It
is like celebrating a birthday party and
forgetting who it is in honour of; there is no
emphasis at all placed on Jesus and His
birth, which is really sad it seems that
they have removed the C-h-r-i-s-t out of
Christmas. In fact, there are some people
who do not even know why Christmas is
celebrated they think it is just a festival
of fun, feasting and enjoyment like any
other, and have no idea whatsoever of its
religious significance.
The word Christmas means Christs
Mass, derived from the Old English word
Cristesmaesse (a phrase first recorded in
the year 1038 AD).
According to some historical research,
there are a few ancient theories about why
we celebrate Christmas on December
25th. Much has been written about dating
the birth of Christ. One such theory is that
it was a custom of the pagans in Rome,
who worshipped the sun, to celebrate the

10 KARISMA

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or Birthday of

the Unconquered Sun festival on this day,
at which they kindled lights as a token of
their
festivity.
This
festival
was
inaugurated by Aurelian, who was Roman
emperor from 270-275 AD, to celebrate
the sun god. The Christians also
participated in these solemnities and
celebrations, and when the Church
perceived that the Christians had a leaning
towards this festival, they decided that the
true Nativity of Jesus Christ should be
solemnized on this date. According to this
theory, during the reign of the Roman
emperor Constantine I (306-337 AD), who
became a Christian on his death-bed in
337 AD, Christian writers assimilated this
feast as the Birthday of Jesus associating
him with the Sun of Righteousness as
mentioned in Malachi 4:2 But for you
who revere my name the sun of
righteousness shall rise, with healing
in its wings...
More recent study has shown that
Christmas had been observed for years
before Emperor Aurelian established the
pagan festival in 274 AD.
It was assumed that the date of the
Annunciation (25th March) was set in
relation to the date of Christmas.
The practice of putting up special
decorations at Christmas has a long
history. In the 15th century, it was recorded
that in London it was the custom at
Christmas for every house and all the
parish churches to be decked with holm (a
type of evergreen oak), ivy, holly and other
types of green leaves/branches. The
heart-shaped leaves of the ivy were said
to symbolize the coming to earth of Jesus;
while holly was seen as a protection
against pagans and witches, and its thorns
and red berries held to represent the
Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus at the
crucifixion and the blood he shed.
The traditional colours of Christmas
decorations are red, green and gold. Red
symbolizes the blood shed by Jesus in his

crucifixion; green symbolizes eternal life,

hence the evergreen tree, which does not
lose its leaves in winter; and gold is the
first colour associated with Christmas as it
is one of the gifts presented to baby Jesus
by the wise men and it symbolizes royalty.
The modern Christmas-tree tradition is
believed to have begun in Germany in the
18th century,
although
many argue
that
Martin
Luther began
the tradition
in the 16th
century. The
English
language
phrase
Christmas
Tree is first
recorded in
1835
and
represents an importation from the
German language. Saint Boniface (634709 AD), who was a missionary in
Germany, stated that the fir tree (an
evergreen conifer similar to cypress, pine)
was a more fitting object of reverence
because it pointed to heaven and it had a
triangular shape, which he said was
symbolic of the Trinity.
Nativity scenes are known from 10thcentury Rome. They were popularised by
Saint Francis of Assisi from 1223 AD,
quickly spreading across Europe.
Christmas
carols
were
originally
communal folk songs which were sung
during celebrations such as "harvest tide"
as well as Christmas, and it was only later
that carols began to be sung in church.
Some carols like "Good King Wenceslas
and The Holly and the Ivy can be traced
directly back to the Middle Ages (5th-15th
century AD).
Santa Claus or Father Christmas, as he
is called, can be traced back to the Dutch
Sinterklaas, which means simply Saint

11 KARISMA

Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th-century

Greek bishop of Myra, a Roman city, who,
among other saintly attributes, was noted
for caring of children, generosity, and the
giving of gifts. He traditionally appeared in
bishops attire, accompanied by helpers,
inquiring about the behaviour of children
during the past year before deciding
whether they deserved a gift or not. By the
13th century, Saint Nicholas was well
known in the Netherlands, and the practice
of gift-giving in his name spread to other
parts of central and southern Europe. The
modern popular image of Santa Claus,
however, was created in New York, United
States with the aid of notable contributors
including Washington Irving, an American
author, and Thomas Nast, the GermanAmerican cartoonist. It is Nasts Santa that
has evolved into the modern vision of the
figure we have today.
The traditional Christmas-card was
introduced in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole of
London, who produced the first
commercial Christmas card with the
greeting Wishing you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year.
The above are just some of the more
common
Christmas
customs
and
traditions. As we reflect on these, let us not
forget what they mean to us in relevance
to Christs birth.
Let us all not forget to put C-h-r-i-s-t
back into Christmas!

TESTIMONY
RECEIVED
JOSEPHINE THOMAS

FROM

On Saturday the 14th November, the last

prayer meeting before our Christmas
breakup, I had no voice, my sore throat got
worse and I lost my voice on Friday. So I
was lip singing the praises on that day at
the prayer meeting, sad that I could not
sing out aloud. When the message of
healing was given for the throat I claimed
it immediately saying, "Lord it is ok if I am
unable to do the announcements or thank
Jonathan today, but please, please heal
my throat so I will be able to sing your
praises and preach your word." The Lord
was gracious indeed, He knew my heart,
during Jonathan's testimony, I thought to
myself, I should have asked for immediate
healing, I so want to thank Jonathan and
Praise God for confirming that our Prayer
Group is travelling in the right direction.
Week after week, our Lord calls out to us
all to love Him above all things. So that we
will have the courage to be steadfast in our
faith and guard our soul, having hope that
through the mercy of our God, we will all
be in His Glory on the day of salvation.
Jonathan's message confirmed this calling
and I so wanted to Praise God for this
confirmation, but I said, "Lord, excuse my
rambling, if you wanted me to speak today,
of course you will let me know, you know
my heart, if it is your will, let it be." Just
then, an instant answer to my prayer,
Buxton asked me if I wanted to do the
announcements, I did not hesitate even a
second, just said yes and went up, praying
that even if it is croaky, please Lord help
me convey my joy. The wonders of His
miracles - He restored my voice and made
me speak, Praise the Lord!
ARISMA
Official Newsletter of St. Peters Charismatic Prayer
Group (
)
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 discretion to edit or not publish any article submitted
based on Karisma guidelines
Contact the Editor at:
Email: anitadsouza@bigpond.com
Ph: 0411 772 320

12 KARISMA