St. John Vianney

St. John Vianney, known as the Curé of Ars, is a beautiful example of a holy priest, spiritual leader, and selfless servant. His life teaches us that a loving and transformed heart is often more important than great intelligence or academic success. 

During his studies, he faced many difficulties and found it hard to understand some subjects. Yet, he never gave up. Through prayer, hard work, humility, and trust in God, he became a priest.

As a priest, St. John Vianney gave himself completely to the people entrusted to his care. He had a special love for the Sacrament of Confession. He spent many long hours listening patiently to people, understanding their struggles, and helping them experience God’s mercy and forgiveness. People came to him from many places because they felt that he truly cared for them and led them closer to God.

St. John Vianney did not depend only on knowledge or learning. He listened deeply to God and allowed the Holy Spirit to guide his life. He accepted sacrifices willingly and lived simply. His whole life became a service to others. He was truly a “man for others,” because he gave his time, energy, love, and even his health for the good of the people.

His life gives an important message to priests, religious, teachers, and spiritual leaders today. Education and knowledge are valuable, but they must be joined with compassion, humility, prayer, and a caring heart. We are called not only to teach people but also to understand their pain and carry their burdens. Like St. John Vianney, we are invited to depend on God’s grace and become instruments of His mercy and love.

All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully.

 

3.સામાન્ય જીવનમાં પણ ભગવાનની હાજરીનો અનુભવ

અહીં "ધી એક્ઝામન: રોજિંદા જીવનમાં ભગવાનને શોધવા" (The Examen: Finding God in the Theatre of the Everyday) નામની રિટ્રીટ ટોકનો સારાંશ ગુજરાતીમાં આપેલ છે:

પ્રસ્તાવના અને હેતુ: આ રિટ્રીટ ટોક સંત ઇગ્નાશિયસ ઑફ લોયોલા દ્વારા રચવામાં આવેલી 'ધી એક્ઝામન' (The Examen) નામની ૧૫ મિનિટની એક સરળ અને પ્રભાવશાળી દૈનિક પ્રાર્થના પર કેન્દ્રિત છે. આ પ્રાર્થના માત્ર આશ્રમમાં રહેતા સાધુઓ માટે જ નહીં, પરંતુ વ્યસ્ત વેપારીઓ, વિદ્યાર્થીઓ અને સામાન્ય લોકો માટે બનાવવામાં આવી છે, જેથી તેઓ પોતાના રોજિંદા અને સામાન્ય જીવનમાં પણ ભગવાનની હાજરીનો અનુભવ કરી શકે.

ખોટી માન્યતા અને કૃતજ્ઞતાનું મહત્વ: ઘણીવાર લોકો આ પ્રાર્થનાને પોતાના પાપો અને ભૂલો શોધવાની પ્રક્રિયા સમજી બેસે છે, પરંતુ આ કોઈ અદાલત નથી, બલકે ભગવાન સાથેનો એક પ્રેમાળ વાર્તાલાપ છે. સંત ઇગ્નાશિયસના મતે, 'કૃતઘ્નતા' (આભાર ન માનવાની વૃત્તિ) એ દરેક પાપનું મૂળ છે. આથી, એક્ઝામનનો મુખ્ય ઉદ્દેશ્ય આપણા આધ્યાત્મિક જીવનમાં કૃતજ્ઞતાને સૌથી વધુ મહત્વ આપવાનો છે, કારણ કે ભગવાન દ્વારા મળેલી ભેટોને યાદ કરવાથી આપણો ડર દૂર થાય છે.

એક્ઝામનના પાંચ તબક્કા (The Five Movements): આ પ્રાર્થનાને દિવસમાં બે વાર અથવા દિવસના અંતે ૧૦ થી ૧૫ મિનિટ માટે કરી શકાય છે અને તેને પાંચ લવચીક તબક્કામાં વહેંચવામાં આવી છે: ૧. આભાર માનવો (Give Thanks): શરૂઆત હંમેશા આભાર વ્યક્ત કરવાથી થાય છે, જેમાં ભોજન કે મિત્રના સંદેશ જેવી સામાન્ય ભેટો અને કેટલીકવાર મુશ્કેલ પરિસ્થિતિઓ માટે પણ ભગવાનનો આભાર માનવામાં આવે છે. ૨. પ્રકાશ માટે પૂછવું (Ask for Light): પોતાના દિવસને સાચા અર્થમાં જોવા અને સમજવા માટે પવિત્ર આત્મા પાસે માર્ગદર્શન અને દિવ્ય પ્રકાશ માંગવામાં આવે છે. ૩. દિવસનું પુનરાવલોકન (Review the Day): દિવસ દરમિયાનના કલાકો અને કાર્યોનું અવલોકન કરવું અને જોવું કે ક્યાં આપણે ઉદારતા દાખવી અને ક્યાં આપણે ડર કે સ્વાર્થને કારણે પાછા પડ્યા. ૪. ક્ષમા માંગવી (Ask for Forgiveness): જ્યાં આપણે ભગવાનના ઇશારા સમજવામાં અને સારો પ્રતિસાદ આપવામાં નિષ્ફળ ગયા હોઈએ, તે પળો માટે માફી માંગવી. ૫. ભવિષ્ય તરફ જોવું (Look Forward): આવતીકાલ માટે અને આવનારી પરિસ્થિતિઓ માટે ભગવાન પાસે કૃપા અને માર્ગદર્શન માંગવું.

જીવનમાં પરિવર્તન: રોજિંદા જીવનની નાની-નાની ઘટનાઓને "આપણા પરિવર્તનનું થિયેટર" (theatre of our transformation) ગણવામાં આવ્યું છે, જ્યાં આપણો આધ્યાત્મિક વિકાસ થાય છે. પોપ ફ્રાન્સિસ પણ આ એક્ઝામન પ્રાર્થનાને પોતાનું "શ્રેષ્ઠ એન્ટી-ડિપ્રેસન્ટ" (best anti-depressant) માને છે, કારણ કે તે તેમને રોજ રાત્રે એ અહેસાસ કરાવે છે કે દિવસ દરમિયાન ભગવાન હંમેશા તેમની સાથે હતા. અંતે, આ પ્રાર્થના એ આપણા સામાન્ય દિવસમાં ભગવાનના કાર્યને ઓળખીને તેમની સાથે પ્રેમમાં પડવાનો એક દૈનિક અભ્યાસ છે.

3.அன்றாட வாழ்வில் கடவுளைக் காணுதல்:

அன்றாட வாழ்வில் கடவுளைக் காணுதல்: எக்ஸாமென் (The Examen: Finding God in the Theatre of the Everyday)

அறிமுகம்: இந்த உரை, புனித இக்னேஷியஸ் லொயோலா (St. Ignatius of Loyola) அவர்களால் உருவாக்கப்பட்ட 'எக்ஸாமென்' (The Examen) எனப்படும் 15 நிமிட எளிய, ஆனால் ஆழமான தினசரி ஜெபத்தை மையமாகக் கொண்டது. இந்த ஜெபம் அமைதியான மடாலயங்களில் வாழும் துறவிகளுக்கு மட்டுமின்றி, பரபரப்பான வாழ்க்கை வாழும் வியாபாரிகள், மாணவர்கள், மற்றும் பெற்றோர்களுக்கும் ஏற்ற வகையில் வடிவமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதன் மூலம், நமது அன்றாட சாதாரண வாழ்க்கைக்குள்ளேயே கடவுள் செயல்படுவதை நாம் கண்டுகொள்ள முடியும்.

தவறான புரிதலும் நன்றியுணர்வின் முக்கியத்துவமும்: இந்த ஜெபத்தை பலரும் தங்களின் பாவங்களையும் குறைகளையும் பட்டியலிடும் ஒரு குற்றவுணர்வு சார்ந்த செயல்முறையாகத் தவறாகப் புரிந்துகொள்கின்றனர். ஆனால், இது ஒரு நீதிமன்றம் அல்ல; இது கடவுளுடன் நாம் நடத்தும் ஒரு அன்பான உரையாடலாகும். புனித இக்னேஷியஸின் கருத்துப்படி, 'நன்றியின்மை' (ingratitude) என்பதே அனைத்து பாவங்களுக்கும், தீமைகளுக்கும் ஆணிவேராகும். எனவே, கடவுள் நமக்கு அளித்த கொடைகளை நினைவுகூர்ந்து அவருக்கு நன்றி செலுத்துவதே இந்த ஜெபத்தின் முக்கிய நோக்கமாகும்.

எக்ஸாமென் ஜெபத்தின் 5 நெகிழ்வான படிகள் (The Five Movements): புனித இக்னேஷியஸ் இந்த ஜெபத்தை ஐந்து நெகிழ்வான படிகளாகப் பிரித்துள்ளார்:

1. நன்றி செலுத்துதல் (Give Thanks): உணவு, ஒரு நண்பரின் குறுஞ்செய்தி போன்ற சாதாரண ஆசீர்வாதங்களுக்கும், சில நேரங்களில் நாம் சந்திக்கும் கடினமான சூழ்நிலைகளுக்கும் முதன்மையாக நன்றி செலுத்துவது.
2. ஒளியை வேண்டுதல் (Ask for Light): நமது நாளைத் தெளிவாகவும் உண்மையாகவும் திரும்பிப் பார்க்க, தூய ஆவியானவரின் ஒளியையும் வழிகாட்டுதலையும் வேண்டுவது.
3. நாளை மறுஆய்வு செய்தல் (Review the Day): நாள் முழுவதும் நடந்த நிகழ்வுகளை மணிநேரம் அல்லது இட வாரியாக நினைத்துப் பார்த்து, எந்தெந்த இடங்களில் நாம் தாராள மனதுடன் செயல்பட்டோம், எங்கு சுயநலத்துடனோ அல்லது பயத்துடனோ பின்வாங்கினோம் என்பதை ஆராய்வது.
4. மன்னிப்பு கோருதல் (Ask for Forgiveness): கடவுளின் அழைப்புகளுக்குச் செவிசாய்க்கத் தவறிய தருணங்களுக்காக மன்னிப்பு கேட்பதுடன், நாம் நன்மைகளைச் செய்த தருணங்களுக்காக நன்றியும் கூறுவது.
5. எதிர்காலத்தை நோக்கிப் பார்த்தல் (Look Forward): நாளை வரவிருக்கும் சூழ்நிலைகளுக்காகவும், கடவுளின் விருப்பப்படி நாம் வாழவும் தேவையான அருளை இறைவனிடம் வேண்டுவது.

மாற்றத்தின் களம் மற்றும் திருத்தந்தையின் பார்வை: நமது சாதாரண நாட்களின் சிறிய நிகழ்வுகளே "நமது மாற்றத்தின் களம்" (theatre of our transformation) என அழைக்கப்படுகிறது, இங்குதான் நமது ஆன்மீக வளர்ச்சி அமைதியாக நிகழ்கிறது. திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் (Pope Francis) இந்த ஜெபத்தை தனது "சிறந்த மன அழுத்த நிவாரணி" (best anti-depressant) என்று கூறுகிறார். ஒவ்வொரு நாள் முடிவிலும், கடவுள் நாள் முழுவதும் தன்னுடனேயே இருந்து தன்னை வழிநடத்தியுள்ளார் என்பதை இந்த ஜெபத்தின் மூலம் அவர் உணர்கிறார்.

முடிவுரை: இறுதியாக, எக்ஸாமென் என்பது நமது சாதாரணமான ஒரு நாளில் கடவுள் எவ்வாறு செயல்பட்டார் என்பதை உணர்ந்து, அவர் மீது மீண்டும் மீண்டும் அன்பு கொள்வதற்கான ஒரு தினசரி பயிற்சியாகும்.

2.કરુણામાં આલિંગન: પાપ અને કૃપાની ઇગ્નેશિયન સફર (Held in Mercy: An Ignatian Journey Through Sin and Grace - ફાધર લોરેન્સ ધર્મરાજ એસ.જે. દ્વારા)

2.இரக்கத்தில் அரவணைக்கப்படுதல்: பாவம் மற்றும் அருளின் வழியே ஒரு இக்னேஷியன் பயணம் (Held in Mercy: An Ignatian Journey Through Sin and Grace - by Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj S.J.)

Episode 16.The final years and death of St. Ignatius of Loyola

The final years and death of St. Ignatius of Loyola show us a very human and humble saint. Artistic pictures sometimes present the death of a great saint as something dramatic and extraordinary. But the historical reality of Ignatius’ death was very different. He died quietly in 1556, while still thinking about his daily responsibilities and the well-being of his companions.

After his death, an autopsy revealed that Ignatius had lived for many years with serious physical pain. Yet he did not make his suffering the centre of his life. He preferred to remain close to people, to share their lives, and even to enjoy good-natured laughter. His greatness was not found in presenting himself as a suffering hero, but in quietly carrying his pain while continuing to serve God and others.

The legacy of Ignatius was truly remarkable. When he began the Society of Jesus, he was part of a small group of companions. But by the time of his canonization, this small group had grown into a worldwide religious family with thousands of members.

Ignatius was a man of deep prayer, strong leadership, and extraordinary spiritual vision. At the same time, he was gentle, approachable, and deeply human. His influence came not only from his great ideas and achievements, but also from his humble and loving personality. His life reminds us that true greatness can be quiet, gentle, and deeply human.