EVEReady

EVEReady

When we get a transfer to a new place, we carry our luggage, books and other work items necessary for our ministry. When Jesus got a transfer to the earth, he came with nothing. We would expect him to come with something extraordinary from heaven, but he brought nothing along. That is because he knew he would find everything he needed for his mission in our world itself. More than introducing us to the spirit world, Jesus incarnated to introduce us to the full possibilities of our world. Jesus knew very well that relationships are the greatest resource and blessing. Therefore he entered as a child into a family with Mary and Joseph and lived together with them. Human Relationships are the greatest resource and blessing.

I decided to better my relationship with my Christmas friend. I wanted to begin by giving him a good Christmas gift. So I used Fr Maria’s android to google out some gifts on sale. Christmas sales and offers at Amazon, Ebay, Big Bay, were fabulous, but not reasonable. The other day, I went to the Divyadaan market to hunt for some useful item. It did not help much, but I saw a pack of EVEReady batteries. The word EVEReady remained in my mind as I hopped back to the brother’s room. The quality of being EVEReady could serve as a wonderful medium to build up and to enhance relationships and to add meaning to my Christmas celebration.

In fact, Jesus himself was EVEReady. Jesus was ever ready to do God’s will – so he came down to us, ever ready to heal the sick – miracles, ever ready to spend time with people whom society ignored – sinners and poor, ever ready to give all that he had for others – total generosity. He spontaneously helped those who approached him and also others who did not. There is nothing higher or deeper than sincerely following Jesus and live the way he lived.

Each of us comes to celebrate Christmas in his/her own way; some full of happiness and gratitude, others with worry and loneliness. How can we be EVEReady? When it comes to purchases, a good number of people are rushing and racing at the speed of light. But we ought to race at the speed of love. Look around. There are so many individuals who are near us whose lives we can affect. We must spontaneously care, be hospitable, be generous, be well mannered with our neighbours. There are qualities more basic than our vows: to be honest, to respect

the reputation of another, to be compassionate and forgiving. If you want to add joy to your life, then add joy to someone else’s life. The joy of Jesus’ birth will reach you when you reach out. The more you reach out spontaneously, the more joy will reach you.

While trying to be EVEReady, there are two questions that we need to be cautious about: one, ‘what will others think or say about me?’ and two, ‘what will I get out of it?’ These two questions paralyze our desire to reach out spontaneously to our fellow humans. People will call you proud, boastful, and the like. But you should be calm. Secondly, you will not be rewarded or appreciated for the mercy you show others. Be calm once again. Our readiness and generosity is not to attract people or to gain rewards, but to please God. That is our sole motivation – nothing but you, O God.

So launch out. Take a moment to look around to recognize him in those who do not have joy and peace in their lives. Let us do the little within our means to alleviate the pain and misery in their lives by at least saying a prayer for them or offering them the little that we have. Let us do whatever we can to give them the hope that triumph (JESUS) will one day wipe out the sadness in the hearts and bring lasting joy.

Bosco Carvalho sdb

TO FEAR GOD OR TO LOVE GOD

TO FEAR GOD OR TO LOVE GOD

            Today a vast number of Christians are full of fear of God. We are still trapped within a religion of rules (law) which Jesus abolished twenty centuries ago. He preached a God who was love itself and a liberation from the burden of the law. Sometimes our dealings with God are characterized by one big round of duties. This is the fear that brought and still brings many Catholics to mass on Sundays. I sometimes get an irrational feeling that if there were no commandments. I would be a saint. I’d feel so free and liberated – and I know I would keep every commandment spontaneously. One day a seminarian found himself saying to this God whom he was serving with all his heart and soul, “God, I really hate you. You are a kill-joy. I just cannot enjoy life while you are around, You won’t allow me to be as I am, You won’t leave me free.” Here, with whom lies the problem. The problem is certainly not with God but with us.

            We are not advocating the abolition of law (rules), but another understanding of it. Jesus proclaimed a God with whom we are to respond in love and freedom. A better understanding of God’s love for us is very important. A love that is unconditional. Have you observed the type of love a good mother has for her child? She doesn’t love him because he is good, she loves him because he is her son. She obviously wants him to be good, she wants him to improve. The mother of a criminal will want him to give up his evil ways. But, being a mother, she doesn’t stop to love him. She’ll not say, “First stop being a criminal and then I will love you.” She says, “I hate your criminal ways, but I still love you very intensely because you are my son.” If there is any hope of that boy changing, it is because of this unconditional love of his mother for him.

         Do we dare to think that this is the way God loves us? To preach this kind of God is a very dangerous business. People will tend to take advantage of His goodness. But that is the way with love. It takes the risk. It leaves itself vulnerable to being taken advantage of. And this is the risk that Jesus took when he showed us the true nature of his Father in heaven. So let us not love God out of fear, but fear God out of love.

 Sathish Paul

A GOD WHOSE NAME IS MERCY

A GOD WHOSE NAME IS MERCY

            Nothing is easier than attaining forgiveness from God. This is the biggest truth that we’ve got to believe. God is more eager to give forgiveness than we to receive it. Many refuse to believe this. They constantly brood over how miserable and wretched they have been, wishing they had never sinned, wishing they had always kept a clean sheet.

           

            For Jesus, even though to sin is the greatest evil, to be a sinner is a value. Hate sin with all your heart and avoid it. But if you have sinned and repented, then you have reasons to rejoice, because there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (Lk 15:7). Who can understand this kind of madness? That’s the crazy God we have.

            Then we may ask: Why not sin deliberately so that we shall receive even more grace? No, remember we are dealing here with a mystery that is beyond the comprehension of the human mind. It is important to maintain the truth of both these opposites. Hate sin and if you have sinned and repented, consider yourself very lucky indeed because grace is going to be poured into you in superabundant measure. “Where sin abounded; grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20). The repentant sinner draws God to himself with greater force than a magnet.

            This is the good news Jesus proclaimed. The other stuff about being sorry and making a hundred penances for our sins is not good news at all. It is stale news (an Old Testament idea). We knew it all along without the preaching of Jesus. May we understand our merciful God we have, so that we may live our lives freely and joyfully.

- Sathish Paul

AUTHENTICITY

AUTHENTICITY

Does an authentic human person exist? Can a human person be authentic? We all believe that all of us are unique, each one created differently. And we are often proud of this fact; if not, then we should be.

If we are unique, why do we try to be like the other, or imitate the other? Each person will surely have her way of doing things and each person has to discover this within herself. A person can thus live and authentic life when he discovers himself fully and does things in a different way, in her own unique way.

Doing things the way they were done by the others is easy but what is really appreciated is doing things differently. That is being the creative “you.”

All are created for a purpose, and all are good as well as a little bad and so to improve ourselves, we try to follow those who are good. This is a completely different idea altogether. Another idea that can be considered is about the rightness and wrongness of the act or the way it is done. Ultimately authenticity is nothing but discovering the good and the not so good things within me, and truly moving towards a better life.

Cl. Sheldon sdb

Pope Francis, a Man who DARES

Pope Francis, a Man who DARES

             Here is a man who dares to be different and is ready to pay the price for being so. He is man of indomitable spirit and a magnanimous heart.

He is a man of extra-ordinary simplicity and humility which is very vivid right from the moment of his election when he first greeted people in the language of the common man (good evening dear brothers and sisters), addressed himself as the ‘bishop’ of Rome and bowing down asking the people to pray for him. We find him dresses in the simplest way possible; we hear of him answering phone calls, serving the guards, inviting people on the street for his birthday celebration and what not. Wherever possible he kisses babies, embraces the sick and the disfigured faces. We are at times awe struck by his gestures; they reveal the simple and humble person he is. Greatness does not consist in big achievements, personal glory and fame but in simplicity. Invariably all people who are considered ‘great’ today were in some way people who practiced simplicity to a heroic extent. No wonder within a short time he has positively drawn the attention of the whole world.

            He is a pope of Mercy. We find in Pope Francis a person who constantly proclaims the mercy of God. He says, mercy is greatest of all virtues and God is never tired of forgiving us and He redeems every human being on this planet. If integral person is defined as one who does the things at the right time he said he would do and in the right manner he said he would do, then we have in Pope Francis a person of great integrity. There is a great harmony between his words and his life style. Today world wishes to see people of integrity and only such persons can inspire people and bring about a change.

            Far from being a man who dares to be different he expresses great care and love towards every being (human and non-human) on this earth. His daring personality makes him a sort of controversial figure; but he turns a deaf ear to all the criticisms and continues to be a wonderful sign and replica of God’s mercy and love.

            Many people quote him today not only because it has become a fashion but largely because they are inspired by the person he is. May his example set us on fire to live out our human life to its fullness and may God protect him from all dangers and continue to assist him to be His sign of Love. 

Cl. Nithiyan sdb

I know her as Mrs. Love

I know her as Mrs. Love

            Imagining the unimaginable is always fun and an ineffable experience. Knowing what such and such a thing is would happen if it could speak or express its opinion. This art of tickling one’s brain is to envisage something to have life and to hear it express or speak. More often the outcome would picture the writer’s views on such topics, though presented differently for emphasis and creativity.

            Life which is a potential of immense energy is actualized differently by each being. Here I’m incorporating an imaginary life into a virtue known for its unifying factor. It is interpreted differently by people of varied ideas and commitments. All possess it in different levels as recognized by scholars and researchers. While I’m imagining it to speak, in reality, it lives and grants life to us human beings and makes us more human. All of us have always felt her and I know her as Mrs. Love. Given her the opportunity to express and speak, she is embarrassed and flabbergasted. Over to you Mrs. Love

            “Hello, I’m Mrs. Love esteemed greatly in Christianity and embraced by all of humanity. I am one of the theological virtues. Gabbing is not my passion but expression in terms of emotions and feelings. I’m known and acknowledged in this regard by all. I reside in the human heart and my husband Mr. Faith works in the human mind. We were created by God and married at the dawn of human race. Our journey along with human beings has been a great adventure because everybody interpreted us differently in the presence of Mr. Experience. Slowly, Mrs. Pride came to the forum of human mind with good intentions to help Mr. Faith and collaborate together to make human beings assertive of their accomplishments. With Mr. Experience around us, Mr. Faith and I realized that Mrs. Pride had taken a wrong turn and had over exercised her powers. This led to the downfall of the creation of human beings. Each one caused harm to the other which led to the outbreak of world wars I and II and numerous other battles. Intending to see the good of all human beings, we managed to weed out the negative aspect of Mrs. Pride from human minds. With chaos and destruction all round human race was distressed and couldn’t see a future. Then we gave birth to our Son Hope.”

            “Hope brought a smile on their faces and assured them of a bright and a pleasant future. Human dignity was given more regard with the coming of Hope. Faith, Hope and I are continually forwarding the good of all. Mr. Experience over and again informs and updates us if there emerges a need for renewal. I’m glad to carry out this wonderful act of uniting all of human race along with my family of theological virtues. Continue to feel our presence in your life and never forget the expression of Leo Buscaglia from the book Loving Each Other – ‘there is nothing greater in life than loving another and being loved in return, for loving is the ultimate experience.’” 

Cl. Lawrance sdb

Unemployment in India – A Social Conundrum

     Down the centuries and in every civilization, there has been this hot potato issue of unemployment. Some have been able to deal with it better than others. In India we are still figuring out the way to deal with it in the best way possible. And while we do our figuring out, there are social repercussions that force us to take brave steps and do so in a hurry.

      Unemployment is a situation where a capable, willing workforce doesn't get work. There are basically three types of unemployment. Frictional unemployment which is those looking for their first job. This can be abated by spreading information on various job openings. Then there is seasonal unemployment which is specific to certain industries. This can be dealt with encouraging these people to take up alternative employment in the off season. Finally there is structural unemployment caused due to a change in structure of the economy, change in patterns of consumers and increasing technology. It is the most vicious. Yet it can be approached by providing retraining opportunities.

      In India, another stumbling block is overpopulation. 66% of the Indian population is under 35. This is the largest population of youth in the world. Added snag in the process of providing employment is the lack of a varied skill set even though the education levels have increased. There are also other forms to unemployment which include disguised unemployment, where many workers are employed for a small job and all appear to be employed; underemployment where a worker is not given work to his capacity and wages too are not in accordance to his capacity. In India, unemployment records are maintained by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

      The effects of unemployment are varied. It causes hardship and frustration especially among the young people. It increases the burden on the family. The worst ramifications are the increase in crime related activities by youth to survive and earn a living. Another sad outcome is that the intelligent youth migrate to foreign countries for better opportunities.

     The government set up a committee headed by M. Bhagavati to suggest measures, and based on this study set up the following schemes to deal with unemployment: The Rural Works Programme, Agro-Service Centres, and Crash Programme for Rural Employment, National Rural Employment Programme and Food for Work Programme. These schemes are not progressing well owing to the rampant corruption, preparation of bogus musters, paying less than stipulated wages, bureaucracy in administration and lack of effective representation of poor in the implementation of the schemes.

      When we look at the quandary of unemployment and reflect on it, we can say that there is no simple solution but we could alter our outlook to life. We need to be focused more on skills and putting our theory in to practice. We need to see the dignity of work and eliminate the evil of unemployment. While we might not be able to provide easy solutions to such a complex solution, we could refurbish our educational setups to provide better skills training with more advanced techniques.

      We also need to look at our openness to do different kinds of work. Quite often due to our inherent thought pattern of the caste system, we are reluctant to do certain types of work which we feel is not ‘ours,’ or we are hesitant to change our occupation.

 Let us toil together to eradicate this social evil. As a country, as the young generation of India, we can do achieve any good that we agree to work towards. So, let’s strive to provide the best milieu for gainful employment and just wages.

 Cl. Swithin Moraes,sdb