FEET IN FIRE
The first Indian Saint is
St. Gonsalo Garcia who died as a martyr in Japan in 1597. The second Indian
saint and the first woman saint of India is St. Alphonsa (19 August 1910-28
July 1946), a nun of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation.
St. Alphonsa was the fourth child of Joseph
and Mary of Muttathupadathu House in Kudamalur parish of the present
Archdiocese of Changanassery, Kerala, South India. Her mother died 29 days
after the delivery. Her baptismal name was Anna and was called ‘Annakutty’
(Little Anne) affectionately by her relatives and neighbours. She grew up under
the loving care of her father and his pious mother and started schooling in
1916. She
received the First Holy Communion on November 27, 1917.
Later, in 1918, she was carried by her
maternal aunt Annamma of Murickan family to her home in Muttuchira for further
studies. She was a gifted child, excellent in her studies and exemplary in her
behaviour and character. Her aunt was affectionate but very strict and was
determined to get Annakutty married to a respectable family at the earliest,
following the custom of the community. But Annakutty aspired to become a celibate
nun following a divine vocation and a vision of St. Little Therese of Lisieux.
Her aunt and other relatives opposed her wish and planned to give her in
marriage to a respectable family. She was aware that it was her beauty which attracted
several proposals for her marriage.
As a last attempt to escape from
the compulsion of her relatives for a marriage, she planned to inflict a slight
injury to her beauty by burning her foot a little. She introduced her foot into
the pit where the chaff and husk of paddy grains, collected after the rice
harvest, was being burnt. But in her innocent attempt she slipped and fell into
the pit of fire and burned both her legs very seriously. The toes of her feet
became a single mass of burnt tissue. Prolonged treatment was needed to heal
the burns but she had to suffer excruciating pain and permanent disability due
to this accident.
Following this incident, her relatives
yielded to her wish and she joined the convent of the Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists (FCC) at
Bharananganam near Pala on May 24, 1927. She received the postulant's veil on
August 2, 1928 and accepted the name Alphonsa. She was given the religious
habit on May 19, 1930 by Bishop Mar James Kalacherry of the Diocese of
Changanassery. She entered Novitiate on 11th August, 1931 and professed her
Perpetual Vows on 12th August, 1936.
Sr.
Alphonsa had to endure a lot of physical pain, suffering and mental agony
throughout her life. She accepted all sufferings gladly as the gifts of God
without any complaint, always displaying a serene smile. She used to pray for
more sufferings which she received and silently endured for her sanctification
and as a sacred sacrifice to save the sinful souls. St. Alphonsa had a life span
of only 36 years and she passed away on 28th July, 1946.
St. Alphonsa’s life is an example to the
modern world. It is a lesson to the world that it is possible to live
fruitfully in sanctity even in the midst of illness and suffering. She was a strong
willed and determined nun who saw suffering as a means to become one with God. In
spite of her afflictions, she was able to maintain a cheerful appearance. She
believed that true beauty is the beauty of the soul.
On December 2, 1953, H. E. Eugène Cardinal Tisserant inaugurated
the diocesan process for her beatification and Alphonsa was declared Servant of
God as
the first step of Canonisation. She was declared ‘Venerable’ by Pope John Paul
II on 9 July 1985. Her beatification (conferring the title ‘Blessed’) was
declared by Pope John Paul II at Kottayam on February 8, 1986 during his apostolic visit to India.
She
was canonised and elevated to sainthood on 12 October 2008 by Pope Benedict
XVI.
St. Peter
advises, "You should not use outward aids to make yourself beautiful, such
as the way you do your hair, or the jewellery you put on, or the dresses you
wear. Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless
beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's
sight" {1 Peter 3: 3, 4}. "Charm is deceptive
and beauty disappears..."{Proverbs 31: 30}.
…………………………………………………………………
© By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip,
Darsana Academy, Kottayam-686001, Kerala, India ( Former Professor, Cochin
University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala,
India), Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St.
Dominic's College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St.
Antony's Public School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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