FIRST DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF BRO. ROSH

Almightily God, Master of the universe, as the earth awakes to the life of a new day, we offer whatever will grow, increase and multiply, whatever will diminish and die; life and death, joys and aspirations of people everywhere; their tears and sweat. Lord, let your blessings descend upon us, heal our wounds of sin, make our mankind a family where love, justice, freedom and peace prevails. Amen.




Dear friends,

we constantly face the duel reality of life and death. The reality of life makes less impact on us as we just flow with it, while the reality of death makes much impact and occasions like these invite us to reflect over some questions like: what is life? And, why is death? I am reminded of a poem,

YOU HAVE A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO DELIVER .

God sends each person into this world;

With a special message to deliver,

With a special song to sing,

And, with an act of love to bestow.

No one else can speak my message,

Or sing my song, or offer my act of love.

These are entrusted only to me.

The message may be spoken,

The song sung, and the act of love delivered,

Only to a few or to all the folk in a small town,

Or people of a large city or even people of the whole world.

But it all depends on God’s unique plan for each person,

To which one might add: The Greatest Gift of God, is the Gift of Life.



At this first death anniversary of Bro. Rosh I feel there is meaning in this poem that is, Br. Rosh did what was God’s unique plan for him. We witnessed him in this Archdiocese of Bhopal as a seminarian and a true son of God’s own country Kerala - delivering the message God had given him- cheerful and happy as he always looked. Because I think he believed in the principle of do it now- “I shall journey through in this life and world but once. If any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now let me not neglect or postpone it for I shall not pass this way again.” His undelivered homily of 22nd Sept ’08 bears witness to this fact- “to show the light to the people in darkness we need not do great deeds or wait for great moments but we can do it through our daily humble acts of life i.e., helping someone in need, forgiving someone’s misdeed, a gracious talk and by enquiring wellness of sick and suffering.”

Truly, nothing great deed to do but simple and humble acts, ways and thoughts flowing from his heart. As a disciple of Jesus he was serious in Jesus’ twin commandments of love of God and love of Neighbor. We all are well aware of his prayerful life and love for priests. Praying for others was his daily food, pious and religious were the nicknames we used to call him. He liked to be called RR- Religious Rosh. Truly he loved God in response to Jesus’ commandments i.e., love your God with all your might, body, spirit and soul. The second commandment of love of neighbor was ever more visible which he showed among us as a seminarian and as an elder brother. Loving and caring for the poor children, sick and suffering animals etc. makes him a good and true neighbor.

Despite the struggles and difficult phase of life, he was ever generous to smile and give himself fully to God as saying goes “do not look at life’s long sorrow, see how small each moments’ pain, surely God will help you for tomorrow, so each day begin again.” I am also reminded of the words of Benjamin Franklin i.e., “a long life may not be good enough but a good life is long enough.” Yes though he lived only 31 years, we all are well aware that he lived it well to be in the cherished memories of ours for long.

His desire to follow Jesus as priest is very inspiring, because he wanted to be a Holy Priest. Often we heard him requesting to pray for priests. Indeed he loved to preach but he could not deliver his first ever prepared homily as he left before he could present it before us, which was based on Jesus the light of the world and how we (his followers priest’ and seminarians) can become the light/torch bearers of Christ to enlighten our own lives and others who are in need.

At this day of his happy memory we pray that he rests in God’s abode and his family members and friends receive consoling peace of God. I would like to end with his words of exhortation in his homily: “come let us walk into the path of Christ and enlighten our hearts and live like children of light and rejoice in the Lord. Amen.”

O Lord, we commend to you Rosh Joseph that being dead to the world, he may be alive to you and whatever sins he may have committed through the frailty of human nature, and you may wipe and wash away with your merciful forgiveness. We ask this through Christ our lord. Amen.