Pastor of Good Shepherd Catholic Church
Father Arul Yagappan, MSFS
father.arul.gscc@gmail.com
(910)425-1590
Father Arul Yagappan, MSFS
father.arul.gscc@gmail.com
(910)425-1590
“Your joy is my joy”
“A family which prays together lives together”. Whenever we gather and pray together it is a sign of certainty and happiness and thus, we find God’s presence and grace amidst us. For Christians the church is the holy place to pray together and especially during the Eucharistic celebration which is the Centre of all other sacraments and the source of strength for our faith and happy life. And praying for others and for society has very important implications in our human, social and Christian life. Because there is a saying “if I am ok, you will be ok and if you are ok, I should be ok”. Therefore, if society is happy and grows well then, the individual can be happy and can grow well and if individuals are happy then we can find a happy society together. So, let us always come together to pray for our own needs and also for the needs of the society and glorify the Lord for His abundant blessings upon each one of us and our society.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.
Fr. Arul Yagappan, MSFS
“A family which prays together lives together”. Whenever we gather and pray together it is a sign of certainty and happiness and thus, we find God’s presence and grace amidst us. For Christians the church is the holy place to pray together and especially during the Eucharistic celebration which is the Centre of all other sacraments and the source of strength for our faith and happy life. And praying for others and for society has very important implications in our human, social and Christian life. Because there is a saying “if I am ok, you will be ok and if you are ok, I should be ok”. Therefore, if society is happy and grows well then, the individual can be happy and can grow well and if individuals are happy then we can find a happy society together. So, let us always come together to pray for our own needs and also for the needs of the society and glorify the Lord for His abundant blessings upon each one of us and our society.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.
Fr. Arul Yagappan, MSFS
Dear beloved parishioners of Good Shepherd and San Isidro,
I wish to greet you, everyone very personally in the name Jesus Christ. This message is just to introduced myself and keep in touch (connected) with you all.
I am Fr. Arul (Arulanantham) Yagappan, your new pastor belonging to Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (M.S.F.S). I hail from India and as a priest, I had served many parishes in India and St. Lucia (Caribbean Island) and the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida for the last 8 years. The year 2021-2022 is the special year for me as I celebrate my 25th (Silver Jubilee) of my priestly ordination and to be with you and serve you all the people of God.
Last May 2021, my religious superior asked me to go to Good Shepherd Church, NC reminding me the scripture:
“Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating. He scolded them, because they did not have faith and because they were too stubborn to believe those who had seen him alive. He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. Believers will be given the power to perform miracles: they will drive out demons in my name; they will speak in strange tongues; if they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be harmed; they will place their hands on sick people, and these will get well.” MK.16: 14-18.
Like the disciples I was a little bit reluctant but then my superior said, the people in Hope Mills are very good and around are in need of my service. Therefore, with his guidance I am here to walk with you and serve you all in your spiritual and social needs.
On June 29, 2021 when I celebrated Mass, I was so impressed of parishioners’ attendance and faithfulness. As the town is known as Hope Mills, I am hoping that I am going to have a very good spiritual journey with you all in faith and priestly ministry.
2020- 2021 year is a strange and awful situation with COVID19. We all may wonder and be shaken in our faith. But let us remember Jesus rose from the dead because he died on the cross. If He did not die on the cross, then there was no resurrection. In other words, it is Jesus’ assurance that every suffering will turn into joy and glory in heaven. God refines us in our suffering and graciously explains why: “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this” (Isaiah 48:10). For emphasis, God repeats this reason.
How often have you heard people say, “I grew closest to God when my life was free from pain and suffering?” Mountain climbers could save time and energy if they reached the summit in a helicopter, but their ultimate purpose is conquest, not efficiency. Sure, they want to reach a goal, but they want to do so the hard way by testing their character and resolve. Only in cultivating discipline, endurance, and patience do we find satisfaction and reward.
Therefore, the staff and I sincerely hold you up for your strong faith, love and generous support and pray that Almighty God may reward you in all times for your love for God, His people and His Church.
And we pray earnestly that you all stay safe and healthy and pray that this pandemic situation may end soon and we all come to worship the One True God, Jesus Christ as one community of believers. Let us also know if we can reach out and help you in any way particularly in your spiritual and emotional needs.
Peace be with you.
God bless you and your family.
Stay safe and healthy.
Fr. Arul Yaggappan, MSFS
Pastor
I wish to greet you, everyone very personally in the name Jesus Christ. This message is just to introduced myself and keep in touch (connected) with you all.
I am Fr. Arul (Arulanantham) Yagappan, your new pastor belonging to Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (M.S.F.S). I hail from India and as a priest, I had served many parishes in India and St. Lucia (Caribbean Island) and the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida for the last 8 years. The year 2021-2022 is the special year for me as I celebrate my 25th (Silver Jubilee) of my priestly ordination and to be with you and serve you all the people of God.
Last May 2021, my religious superior asked me to go to Good Shepherd Church, NC reminding me the scripture:
“Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating. He scolded them, because they did not have faith and because they were too stubborn to believe those who had seen him alive. He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. Believers will be given the power to perform miracles: they will drive out demons in my name; they will speak in strange tongues; if they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be harmed; they will place their hands on sick people, and these will get well.” MK.16: 14-18.
Like the disciples I was a little bit reluctant but then my superior said, the people in Hope Mills are very good and around are in need of my service. Therefore, with his guidance I am here to walk with you and serve you all in your spiritual and social needs.
On June 29, 2021 when I celebrated Mass, I was so impressed of parishioners’ attendance and faithfulness. As the town is known as Hope Mills, I am hoping that I am going to have a very good spiritual journey with you all in faith and priestly ministry.
2020- 2021 year is a strange and awful situation with COVID19. We all may wonder and be shaken in our faith. But let us remember Jesus rose from the dead because he died on the cross. If He did not die on the cross, then there was no resurrection. In other words, it is Jesus’ assurance that every suffering will turn into joy and glory in heaven. God refines us in our suffering and graciously explains why: “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this” (Isaiah 48:10). For emphasis, God repeats this reason.
How often have you heard people say, “I grew closest to God when my life was free from pain and suffering?” Mountain climbers could save time and energy if they reached the summit in a helicopter, but their ultimate purpose is conquest, not efficiency. Sure, they want to reach a goal, but they want to do so the hard way by testing their character and resolve. Only in cultivating discipline, endurance, and patience do we find satisfaction and reward.
Therefore, the staff and I sincerely hold you up for your strong faith, love and generous support and pray that Almighty God may reward you in all times for your love for God, His people and His Church.
And we pray earnestly that you all stay safe and healthy and pray that this pandemic situation may end soon and we all come to worship the One True God, Jesus Christ as one community of believers. Let us also know if we can reach out and help you in any way particularly in your spiritual and emotional needs.
Peace be with you.
God bless you and your family.
Stay safe and healthy.
Fr. Arul Yaggappan, MSFS
Pastor
On the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
On July 22, the Church keeps the Festival of St. Mary Magdalene, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. There is much that might be said about who she is; particularly if you have paid attention to popular books and movies of the last thirty years, because a person named “Mary Magdalene” has often been a major character in such works. And so, who is Mary Magdalene, this woman weeping outside the tomb? In general, she is the example of a notable sinner who became a great saint. The three most important things to say about her is that, one, she is here weeping, as if we might weep when our life feels completely lost, confused, and hopeless; two, that she is a Saint, and three, before she was a Saint, she was a sinner.
Why she is a Saint has everything to do with why she was a sinner. She was a sinner because we are told clearly by Saint Luke 8:1-3 that she is a woman from whom seven demons had gone out. “Seven” both in ancient culture as well as the Church is a symbol of perfection—think of the seven days of creation, the seven churches in the Book of Revelation, the seven Sacraments, the seven Capital (or Deadly) sins, and a whole lot more. So, for Mary Magdalene to have been possessed by seven demons meant she was not merely a garden-variety sinner, but a perfect sinner, or a total example of how not to live. And "Charity shall cover the multitude of sins." Probably she is to be identified with that sinful woman who crashed the Pharisee's banquet with an alabaster box of ointment and anointed Jesus' feet, and received forgiveness of sins. "I tell you", says Jesus, "her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much". St. Mary Magdalene is a witness to the triumph of love and charity. We should find in ourselves the courage and the strength to do as St. Mary Magdalene had done, in her desire to love and to follow the Lord with all of her heart. We should be sincere and genuine in our faith, not just through mere words alone, but indeed through actions and deeds. We must seek out the Lord with all of our hearts and with all of our efforts. We can hardly mention the word "Charity" without recalling St. Paul's great hymn of charity in the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians, one of the best-known and most loved passages of scripture. True charity is to know and will the eternal good, to see beyond this or that particular earthly thing. Without charity, says St. Paul, all our gifts are worthless.
And the Scripture lessons will have to do with her place as a witness to Jesus' Resurrection. Just what her earlier life had been, we do not know precisely. And she witnesses to his Resurrection, not just because she was present at the empty tomb on Easter morning, and met the Risen Christ in the garden, but also surely, because she was one whose life was made new in Jesus Christ. By her conversion of life, she witnesses to the Resurrection, and proclaim new life to all who follow Jesus. "Go and tell my brethren", he bids her.
In the words of Saint Paul, Mary was now fully in Christ, and because of that, she was a new creation. All the old in her past away, and the new had come. She was still passionate, emotional, and embodied, but now her formerly sinful desires were rightly ordered to God, rightly ordered to her Maker, her Lover, her Keeper. With what passion, charisma, and presence must she have proclaimed to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” For this, her whole journey from perfect sinner to perfected apostle to the apostles, she is venerated and celebrated as a Saint—an example for all time.
We must pray and work for clearer vision and more steadfast will, that the new life of Jesus' resurrection may be perfected in us, that we with Mary, may be witnesses of that resurrection. God has given us many opportunities in order to redeem ourselves and find our way back to Him. He has shown Himself to St. Mary Magdalene first before all other of His disciples, in a very deeply symbolic meaning of the resurrection, which He shares with all of us who have decided to leave behind our life of sin and darkness behind, and embrace the new light of Christ, His love and mercy.
Saint Mary Magdalene, restored to health of body and mind and first witness of the resurrection, pray for us. Amen.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.
Fr. Arul Yagappan, MSFS.
On July 22, the Church keeps the Festival of St. Mary Magdalene, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. There is much that might be said about who she is; particularly if you have paid attention to popular books and movies of the last thirty years, because a person named “Mary Magdalene” has often been a major character in such works. And so, who is Mary Magdalene, this woman weeping outside the tomb? In general, she is the example of a notable sinner who became a great saint. The three most important things to say about her is that, one, she is here weeping, as if we might weep when our life feels completely lost, confused, and hopeless; two, that she is a Saint, and three, before she was a Saint, she was a sinner.
Why she is a Saint has everything to do with why she was a sinner. She was a sinner because we are told clearly by Saint Luke 8:1-3 that she is a woman from whom seven demons had gone out. “Seven” both in ancient culture as well as the Church is a symbol of perfection—think of the seven days of creation, the seven churches in the Book of Revelation, the seven Sacraments, the seven Capital (or Deadly) sins, and a whole lot more. So, for Mary Magdalene to have been possessed by seven demons meant she was not merely a garden-variety sinner, but a perfect sinner, or a total example of how not to live. And "Charity shall cover the multitude of sins." Probably she is to be identified with that sinful woman who crashed the Pharisee's banquet with an alabaster box of ointment and anointed Jesus' feet, and received forgiveness of sins. "I tell you", says Jesus, "her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much". St. Mary Magdalene is a witness to the triumph of love and charity. We should find in ourselves the courage and the strength to do as St. Mary Magdalene had done, in her desire to love and to follow the Lord with all of her heart. We should be sincere and genuine in our faith, not just through mere words alone, but indeed through actions and deeds. We must seek out the Lord with all of our hearts and with all of our efforts. We can hardly mention the word "Charity" without recalling St. Paul's great hymn of charity in the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians, one of the best-known and most loved passages of scripture. True charity is to know and will the eternal good, to see beyond this or that particular earthly thing. Without charity, says St. Paul, all our gifts are worthless.
And the Scripture lessons will have to do with her place as a witness to Jesus' Resurrection. Just what her earlier life had been, we do not know precisely. And she witnesses to his Resurrection, not just because she was present at the empty tomb on Easter morning, and met the Risen Christ in the garden, but also surely, because she was one whose life was made new in Jesus Christ. By her conversion of life, she witnesses to the Resurrection, and proclaim new life to all who follow Jesus. "Go and tell my brethren", he bids her.
In the words of Saint Paul, Mary was now fully in Christ, and because of that, she was a new creation. All the old in her past away, and the new had come. She was still passionate, emotional, and embodied, but now her formerly sinful desires were rightly ordered to God, rightly ordered to her Maker, her Lover, her Keeper. With what passion, charisma, and presence must she have proclaimed to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” For this, her whole journey from perfect sinner to perfected apostle to the apostles, she is venerated and celebrated as a Saint—an example for all time.
We must pray and work for clearer vision and more steadfast will, that the new life of Jesus' resurrection may be perfected in us, that we with Mary, may be witnesses of that resurrection. God has given us many opportunities in order to redeem ourselves and find our way back to Him. He has shown Himself to St. Mary Magdalene first before all other of His disciples, in a very deeply symbolic meaning of the resurrection, which He shares with all of us who have decided to leave behind our life of sin and darkness behind, and embrace the new light of Christ, His love and mercy.
Saint Mary Magdalene, restored to health of body and mind and first witness of the resurrection, pray for us. Amen.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.
Fr. Arul Yagappan, MSFS.