The One who guides the
Catholic Church towards God

13 May 2024

God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."-1 John 5:11-12

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, amidst the trials and triumphs, there remains a profound longing within each of us a yearning for something beyond the temporal, for a life that transcends the confines of mortality. It is this timeless quest that S. Neethimanickam, an experienced educator and wise observer of human nature, undertakes to explore in his enlightening work, "Eternal Life." This book embodies a journey of faith in itself.

Within these pages, Neethimanickam delves into the heart of the matter, unravelling the essence of eternal life with clarity and compassion. Drawing upon the timeless wisdom of the Scriptures, he guides us on a transformative joumey to comprehend the true meaning of eternal life.

Eternal life is not merely an extension of our earthly existence, nor is it a distant dream reserved for the afterlife alone. Instead, it is a divine gift, bestowed upon us by a loving Creator who yearns for our eternal fellowship. It is the promise of unending joy, unfading hope, and unbroken communion with the Author of Life Himself.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God's love and grace, we find the pathway to eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). 11 is not a journey of striving or earning, but rather one of surrender and trust. "Whoever believes has eternal life" (John 6047).

Neethimarockam's words resonate with a simplicity that belies their profound depth, offering solace to the weary soul and illumination to the secking heart. May this book be a guiding light on the joumey of the readers' faith, leading them ever closer to the peumise of eternal life in Christ Jesas our Lord.

Palayamkottai : Tel : +91 462 2522042, Mobile : 9443370160
E-mail : bishop@palayamkottaidiocese.org; Website : www.palayamkottaidiocese.org

Felicitation

The second Vatican Council enthused into the faithful, the Word of God. Only after the second Vatican Council the Christian faithful began to read the Bible with enthusiasm. Teacher S. Neethimanickam who was the Head Master in Kalugumalai, started to read the Holy Bible 50 years ago. He realized that to attain eternal life, living in the way of the Bible is essential. And from then on he has been burning with zeal to attain eternal life. The unquenchable thirst in him has been that it is not enough that he alone should attain eternity, but rather every human being. Whenever he got an opportunity he was speaking about it.

He started collecting the Bible verses about the eternal life. He thought that it would be useful if it were to be printed in a book form. This insight made him to publish this book.

May the Almighty God forgive our sins and lead us to the everlasting life.

Let all read this book, meditate it and progress in the path of eternity.

Blessings.
Reverend P.Amalraj
Palayamkottai Diocese

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, The Lord God loves us totally. He wants that all of us attain the everlasting eternal life.

The basic belief and the total target of Christian life is the eternal life.

“For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:2).

Among the parables Jesus had said, many of them were about the eternal life. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, narrated by Luke in his Gospel, Jesus points out heaven to be Abraham's bosom. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be withAbraham (Luke16:22).

We live on earth. And Jesus teaches us the way to live as heavenly people in this world. “Love your enemies, do good….and you will be the children of the Most High” (Luke 6:35).

We all desire to go to heaven; But none of us wants to die. We desire for the eternal life; But we do not have actions for it. When miseries come to us, we become faded. We are afraid of death.

The life of Jesus and the life of the saints are lessons for us to face miseries in this world with faith in God to obtain the eternal life.

The Holy Bible invites us to have faith in God, to speak to us about what actions we should do to inherit eternal life, and to transform our lives.

This booklet 'The Eternal Life' is a guide for us to lead us to the everlasting life, by understanding the infinite love of God for us , by understanding that through the Eucharist God gives us the unending life and to walk in the footsteps of the saints to get the eternal life. All those who read this book may make it as an instrument which leads them to eternal life. I pray that by following what is said in this book we may journey in the path of God and attain the eternal life.

In the prayer Jesus taught us,'Our Father in heaven', He calls us to pray addressing God the Father as our Father in heaven by prioritizing the heaven. So let us read the book ; Let us pray and obtain the heavenly life.

By God's power and through prayer, the retired Head Master in Kalugumalai Mr. Neethimanickam has written this book. I heartily appreciate him with love and joy.

Thank you.

We have kept away the resounding words, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near” – to the Pastors of the Pentecostal Church and to the Catholic evangelists.

'We believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting' are the words uttered by us in the Apostles' Creed. But, repentance and the eternal life are in fact a subject matter spoken in the Lenten season and only in some places. This is a matter of concern.

Equal importance should be given to the preaching on the life in this world and eternity. When this equilibrium fails, the life and growth of people loses it's proper state.As a devotee of God, voice of the church, to the signs of the times, Mr. Neethimanickam has raised his voice about heaven.

He has written this book with the wisdom of his senior age, with the life experience of fifty years, and with the thirst to announce the truth that he has traced in his life.

Because of him Kalugumalai parish has received greatness and immeasurable joy. Our felicitations to him.

I wish that every Christian has a copy of this book.

“Those who honour their father atone for sins, and those who respect their mother are like those who lay up treasure” (Sirach 3:3-4).

Eternal life is a gift that God gives us. My father who has written about it in a beautiful and simple style be blessed abundantly by the Triune God, is my prayer.

I thank the Lord God Jesus for the plentiful spiritual gifts that He showered on my parents. For, they have devotion, faith, desire for the word of God, and they fulfil the will of God in their day today life and thus live at a higher level. “.And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3)– are the words of Jesus Christ which we shall observe in our lives and live.

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (John 15:8).And according to these words of the Son of God Jesus, my parents live and glorify God. May they have a prosperous life in Jesus Christ is my hearty wish.

Dear friends in the Son of God Jesus Christ,
“Whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:15).

My dear father Mr.Neethimanickam when he served in Kalugumalai School as Head Master, and further was involved in different activities, in his breath and speech, the ideas about the eternal life were in the forefront. After the retirement he was in charge of Saint Xavier Basic Christian Community in the Parish and served in it guiding the members for several years.

Heaven is our mother land (mother's house).
Our permanent citizenship is in heaven.
Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20)
are the word of God that my father used to utter when he prayed or whenever he spoke to us at different levels.

These words are deeply imprinted in my mind. When I intend to commit mistakes, on several occasions these words curtail me and guide me in the right path. So often, my father used to say these words and guide his children and I have witnessed it myself.

We were seven of us born. My father used to help the weakest child among the seven. That was his character.

My grandfather a great merchant was late Sornamanickam – Aiyammai Lourdammal. He was then in the parish choir and had carried mud to build the present Kalugumalai Church. He was the owner of the famous shop namely Arulmary Stores. My grandparents were very compassionate to the poor. Hence they generously helped them. I learnt this helping characteristic from them.

We were seven children; five girls and two boys. I am the sixth one. Basing on the repeated text of our father that the heaven is our motherland (mother house) my elder sister Rev.Sr.Arulmary Vimala and myself – a lay worker have offered our services to God and humanity. To draw more and more souls to God, with the dictum 'Evangelization is the best service' – we serve.

My mother Mrs Maria Leelavathi Kamalam as according to her name lives like Mother Mary. She is now eighty three years old. Not a day has passed without my mother saying the Rosary or singing the hymns to our Lady. It makes me happy when I think about this. My mother is an icon of sacrifice to my father and her children. Her patience, love and sacrifice has brought us to this higher state of life.

They have completed sixty years since they got married and this year 2018 is their Diamond Jubilee Year. And for us twenty five years - Silver Jubilee. During this joyous and sweet year I am happy that my father's book on 'The Eternal Life' is being published. We thank our parents who have given us on this earth itself the eternal life given by Christ and being great models. They havemade us live properly.

I thank the Almighty God for inciting my father to write this wonderful book 'The Eternal Life'.

My brothers and sisters, kith and kin and great grandchildren give their felicitations.

“We are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life” - 1 John 5:20.

Felicitation

“God so loved the world that he gave his only son (Jesus), so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). This God revealed himself in Christ through his human birth having been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mother Mary (Matthew 1:20 – 23).

This God was born in a manger (Luke 2:7) utterly poor. “I am gentle and humble in heart” he said (Matthew 11:29). “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58) – was his life situation. Being fully convinced of this St. Paul said “Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God…but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness” (Philippians 2:6-7).

The experience of God in and through Jesus made Saint Paul to say with all conviction: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).And to possess Jesus as his treasure he said, “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

Saint Thomas came to India and gave up his life proclaiming Christ as the Savior and Messiah. All through the centuries Saints and Martyrs had the deepest inner experience of Christ for whom they sacrificed their lives.

The experience of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century A.D. made him to change his original name from Inigo to Ignatius and to be called Ignatius having come to know the martyrdom of St. Ignatius ofAntioch of the 2 centuryAD.

St. Ignatius of Loyola convinced St. Francis Xavier by quoting the scriptures: “what will it profit them if they gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” (Matthew 16:26). And Saint Francis Xavier became a great missionary who is now the Patron of Missions and India.

Following the footsteps of Saint Francis Xavier, St. John De Britto (Arulanandar) came to India. Witnessing to the love of Christ and values of the kingdom of God Arulanandar sacrificed his life. Robert De Nobili, Constantine Joseph Beschi (Veeramamunivar) and several other missionaries have toiled in different parts of India and especially in Tamil Nadu to spread the Good News of Salvation and our Redemption.

Like the Saints, the personal experience of God has led good Teacher Mr. Neethimanickam to write this book. As his family Doctor I know him for many years. I could find perfection in his thoughts, words and deeds. He has been a very sincere and dedicated Teacher always. He is a good husband to his wife and affectionate father to his children. Whenever he came to me for medical treatment he used to spend a lot of time to discuss and share with me a lot about his spiritual life.

Already before he started writing this book he has been expressing his anguish about it. He used to discuss it with me; and he has done it now. This book 'The Eternal Life' is a big witness to his conviction that Christ is the Lord; It is a deep sharing of his spiritual wealth; It is a sincere effort to convince everyone to follow Christ; It is a magnanimous outpour of his continued God experience in his innermost self; It is a guide to point out the route to eternal life; It is an act of the other oriented goodness; It is an exhibition of the love of God and the love of our neighbor.

I am immensely happy to share with you, dear Readers, about the true greatness of this nice, gentle person Teacher Thirumigu. Neethimanickam. I wish and pray for God's abundant blessings on him and his family members.

Kind Regards
Doctor R. Maria Selvam

God created humankind in his image (Genesis 1:27). He gave all power, intellect and every type of talents and made humans little lower than God (Psalm 8:5) Himself.

Of the total personality, human beings alone have belief in God which is called faith. Faith is the basis and foundation and everything for a Christian. This faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Mr. Neethimanickam has this faith in God.

Our faith in God with hope brings us redemption given by God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. And the Redemption of our soul is possible only through faith in service to other human beings.

Mr.Neethimanickam is a pious person. In faith he depends on God always and through faith he wants redemption of his soul and the souls of other human beings. Thus he seeks eternal life for everyone. With a generous heart he has made a great effort to propose the ways and means to eternal life through his book “The eternal life”. His knowledge of the Holy Bible is so vast that he suggests appropriate Bible verses in connection with the eternal life. His experience of God through the Holy Bible is shared very well in this book.

Mr.Neethimanickam speaks of Saints and great personalities like Veeramamunivar to uphold his point of view. May God continue to bless this wonderful person and his wife Mrs Maria Leelavathi Kamalam who compliments in all possible ways her husband's spiritual life. I greatly appreciate the sincere, pious efforts of the couple and their pious children in the service of the kingdom of God.

I am happy to publish this book through the Centre for Christian Research (CCR).

Prayerful loving wishes
Fr S.Mani Valan SJ