Life of a Genuine Man

I saw him when I was 20 as he was celebrating mass sitting on a wheel chair. I met him when I was 24 in person. Fr Jacob is a Catholic Priest belonging to the Salesian Province of Hyderabad. Hailing from a vintage parish in Kerala he was a youngster who loved to enjoy life with his friends, wear baggy and bellbottom pants, go for films and like every other youngster wanted to chase his dreams in life. Joined seminary (a place of formation for Catholic Priest hood) as a good seminarian he spent his 12 years of life in forming himself to be adept at human relations, self search, Meditation, learning Philosophy and theology. All this he did to serve the divine and the human.

Fr Jacob never realized that God had a different plan for his life. Yes definitely he is goanna be a priest but a priest of Silent Proclamation of the word of God. That's why he is a subtle but profound inspiration to me. Oh! I am sorry, let me come to Father's life. Unfortunately, Father Jacob had met with an accident. Apparently a lorry hit him as he was passing the road. From then on Fr Jacob was on bed or on wheel chair. He is paralyzed from waist below. A life of a young man who dreamt of becoming a hero of his own dreams as a PRIEST watered down with one knock. It's been 18 years now that he is on the wheel chair deploying his priestly duties. In spite of all the difficulties, discouragements, humiliations all these years Fr Jacob has remained a man of HOLY JOY and SERINITY which no one who is earning 1 lakh a month can get.  He is silent, regular for his prayers, meals and he spends time chatting with youngsters like me. Telling us silently how to relish life as it comes in our way in its own varied forms. He did not teach me any big dogma or about his past achievements but he spent his time with me. He connected me in silence and I could see that thing called "holiness" in him.