A VIRTUE HARDLY EVER HEARD by Gnanasekar Nithiyan

A VIRTUE HARDLY EVER HEARD

‘Honesty is such a lonely word

Everyone is so untrue;

Honesty is hardly ever heard

And mostly what I need from you.’

– Billy Joel

We are living in a world where virtues are pushed to the back and vices have come to the fore. Virtues are looked down upon as abnormal and out of fashion. ‘When I want sincerity tell me where else can I turn’ is the unheard cry of seekers of truth and justice. For most people today money has taken the prime place in life. Today anything and everything can be manipulated in the way the individual desires, and truth can be easily covered up and put under the basket.

The present situation           

Billy Joel sings and claims that it may be easy to find tenderness, love, sympathy and security, but not honesty. The sad fact is that even the ‘love’ and ‘sympathy’ shown to others may be a pretty lie with hidden agenda behind. It seems there is a big cheating game going on beneath certain relationships and acts of human beings. When things go wrong people have learned the art of comforting others with empty promises which are soon forgotten.

It takes courage

            It is very easy to speak of honesty but not that very easy to make it come alive. It costs one very much if he/she decides to be honest. To be honest is to risk one’s relationship and even  one’s own life. People prefer to play it safe and close an eye to the injustices and silent cries of the oppressed. Justice seems to be suppressed. Somehow, safeguarding one’s so-called relationship is considered more important than seeking to establish honesty and justice. We don’t dare to risk; we don’t dare to get out of our comfort zones. Each one looks for his/her own comfort and welfare and nothing else seems to be of concern. In seeking these, honesty and truth are often neglected.

What are we to do?

            To be honest and to establish truth is to disturb the still waters. It means disturbing the comforted and comforting the disturbed. And this is precisely what the Son of Man came to do. He came to establish truth. That is why he said: “I am the way, truth and life.” It is the same Jesus who said: “Let your word be ‘yes, yes’ or ‘no, no’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” This would also mean that in matters of sincerity and justice we need to be precise and firmly affirm the truth, leaving no room for compromise. Of course we will face threats and meet with challenges and difficulties, but remember, truth always triumphs.

            Let us then wage a war against injustice and insincerity and stop not until truth and honesty prevails. I say war because the clutches of injustice are too strong to be eradicated and unless we take strong measures the task of establishing truth may be impossible. Let the change begin from within. To begin with, let every individual be honest with oneself, with one’s way of life, one’s commitments and responsibilities. When each individual is honest with oneself we will naturally be led to a world wherein we become honest with others. This, in the long run,  will ensure a just society where honesty, sincerity and  truth find company, and are not left alone like strangers. Let us then begin the war …

- Gnanasekar Nithiyan

Don Bosco as a Mystic, Prophet and Servant by Joyston Machado sdb

1. Don Bosco as a Mystic, Prophet and Servant

While speaking about Don Bosco we need to understand the times in which he lived. The spirit of the man was shaped by his life. His life unfolded in nineteenth century Italy. An immediate knowing of what we have of Don Bosco is that he was a priest of the streets, a leader of a group of young people, and founder of the religious society. As most humans, he was a man who went along with some, reacted with others and at times fought against them. He spoke much and wrote much. His was a life which showcases the mystic, prophet and servant dimensions coinciding and overlapping each and every experience that he lived.

The Daily Mystical Life of Don Bosco:

Don Bosco was in no way absolutely satisfied with his mediocre life, he constantly sought to do things even if it caused pain or put him in a terrible situation. Because of his deep interior life he was able to stand up to any difficulty. He believed in living a simple life: doing the seemingly insignificant things in an extraordinary way. His constant belief in the divine providence made him achieve things that others thought were impossible or unattainable. For him God was present everywhere: in his morning rising, his everyday work, his smile, his friendship for the sake of seeking help for his poor youngsters, in everything. For him, God was the root and source of every meaning. In other words, Don Bosco’s life of prayer, his life of union with God was mirrored in his daily living.

Finally, it’s a call to each of us today to be mystics to be firstly in union with God and then with our brothers and sisters. That is, we are also simultaneously called to be prophets (who are ready to live with each other with a fraternal bond of love) and servants (who are willing to give one’s life for the cause of poor youngsters) in the world.

Don Bosco the Prophet among his boys and people:

We might have heard much about Don Bosco and his boys from many sources. What strikes me particularly and what needs a mention here is his undying passion and zeal to make his youngsters good Christians and honest citizens.

We notice Don Bosco’s fraternal love in the manner in which he became all things to all his boys. Visiting prisons, gathering the boys from the streets and making them feel one among themselves and with him was his secret of fraternal life. Don Bosco reminds me here of the famous citation that many use as part of their resource, family is not whose blood you carry, but who love you and are ready to share their life with you.  As a leader of the young and of the common people, he tried to speak in such a way that his words would be understood by farmers and working people, the rich and the poor alike. It was not only his boys that felt his love but also the many people who came in contact with him. This is so evident in the manner in which Don Bosco could reach out and do so much to create a society which would eventually work for the young.

 Servant of the young and with the young:

That you are young is enough for me to love you was not a slogan of lip-service for Don Bosco but it was the feeling of his heart and, above all, a lived reality. As a young boy John couldn’t receive all the time he wished to get for his studies, he had to work to do a little study, he survived by leaving his own home and finding shelter in someone else’s house.

This plight of Don Bosco’s childhood is so evident and known to us. But Don Bosco didn’t want the same of his youngsters especially those who were poor. He wanted them to enjoy their younger days, receive the love of God through the sacraments and moments of prayer and in turn grow to become lovers who change the world and build a better tomorrow for other young people in the society.

 Br. Joyston Machado

PASSION FOR CHRIST AND COMPASSION FOR THE YOUNG by Jose Alunkal sdb

 PASSION FOR CHRIST AND COMPASSION FOR THE YOUNG

                Who was Jesus? He is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Our Saviour. For me, he is not just that; he is the compassionate face of God the Almighty. Based on the Latin roots of the word, the meaning of compassion (cum = with, passio = suffering) is to ‘suffer with.’ Jesus incarnated in our midst to suffer with us. All through the gospels we see that Jesus was moved with compassion. When he encountered the multitude, the paralytic, the blind Bartimaeus, the ten lepers, the dead son of the widow of Naim he had compassion on them. Jesus asked  the same from his disciples too, Be compassionate.

           

            Being compassionate is not feeling sympathy or pity for others. It is much more than that. It is being an active presence in their life. It is embracing one’s heart with your heart, more than advising or suggesting a solution, it is conveying a message that I am present in your life. I am ready to walk with you, laugh with you and ready to suffer with you.

When we examine the life of Don Bosco  he also had done the same. When he realized that youngsters from various surroundings of Italy were exploited in the city of Turin, he was moved with compassion. He realized that they are missing the simple joys of life like singing, dancing, playing games and more especially the spiritual aspect of life. He understood that they all lacked paternal affection. So he became a father to the fatherless, and was present throughout their life. He started oratories not merely as a solution to their problems but he wanted it to be a place where he can be with them and help them, to be in communion with Jesus.

He encountered many difficulties but he was not ready to give up his work of saving the young souls. Christ was his passion and encountered the same Christ in every youngster he met. He vowed that he will live for them till the last breath of his life. Youngsters felt that they are in safe hands, whom had been sent by God. He was sure that the work he had taken up is the work of Christ. The thirst Christ had on the cross was embodied in Don Bosco’s compassion for the young. “For you I study, for you I work…”.

When Don Bosco said he loved his youngsters more than anyone or anything in this world it was not an exaggeration. In turn those youngsters fell in love with him. They enjoyed his presence and experienced the compassionate heart of a good shepherd. The youngsters encountered Don Bosco as a man always in communion with God, one who raised his voice for their personal sanctification, one who helped them to grow physically, mentally and spiritually.

Like Christ he became a servant: the servant of the young. As we follow Christ in the footsteps of Don Bosco, we, the Salesians, are also called to be mystics (to have passionate hearts for Christ), prophets (courageous to be witnesses of Christ in a world possessed by materialism and consumerism) and servants (men of compassion, especially towards the young).

                                                                                                                     Jose Alunkal sdb

The ‘Wake-up’ Spirituality of a Salesian Assistant by Br. Romanius Barwa

The ‘Wake-up’ Spirituality of a Salesian Assistant

Br. Romanius  Barwa

One of the toughest phases of the life a young Salesian is the phase of ‘practical training’ or ‘regency’, when he learns the ins and outs of Salesian Assistance. During this time he’s lovingly call ‘Br. Assistant’. During this period many of the brothers go through the experience of purgatory. The task of an Assistant seems pretty simple, and it can be very well summarized in two words – ‘Wake-Up.’ Yes, the only task of an assistant is just to wake-up the boys entrusted to his care. However, many of the Assistants find it very difficult to wake-up the boys. The difficulty arises not because the Assistants are lethargic but most often because they lack the basic ways to wake-up the boys. To wake-up the boys at the early dawn is very simple, one just needs to clap the hands or ring the bell. But the major problem is not how to keep the boys awake physically but mentally all through the day. It is a backbreaking task to keep the boys awake mentally (and spiritually).
Salesian Assistance, in short, is a challenging yet marvellous task of waking up the boys. It is challenging because many of the boys don’t like others telling them what to do and they do get upset when they are challenged to think and act differently. Moreover, it is a noble task for an Assistant, because by waking up the sleeping mind he implants a new ray of hope that will enable a young person to generate sufficient light for his own life and also for the life of people around him. Some of the ‘wake-up’ tasks that an Assistant fulfills towards his boys are as follows:
He wakes up their heart to love. Love is not a natural thing that emerges spontaneously. It has to be taught and nourished gradually.
He wakes them up from their ignorance into intelligence. The Assistant helps them to see the meaning and reasons behind all the hum-drums of life.
He wakes them up to shake off their restlessness to move into patience. Restlessness is what characterizes the boys. Hence, the Assistant helps them practice patience by educating them to understand their restlessness.
He wakes them up from their fears to instill freedom. Fear paralyzes thoughts and limits dreams. The Assistant creates an atmosphere of freedom and also opportunities to help them overcome their fears.
He wakes them up and calls them to move from energy towards synergy. The boys are full of energies such as emotional, physical, psychic, spiritual and sexual. The Assistant helps them to move into a synergy that these energies bring about a holistic growth in the boys.
Apart from the above mentioned ‘wake-ups’ there are many other wake-ups that an Assistant has to consider. Thus, we could say that the only task of the Salesian Assistant is to wake up the boys. However, it is not as simple as it sounds for it is often said that it is not easy to wake up a guy who is not sleeping. However, it might be possible that the boys are in actual slumber because of ignorance rather than malice. The Assistant therefore plays a fundamental role in the formation of the youngsters entrusted to his care by gently and firmly waking them up into a holistic and fuller growth.