A few days ago, on 17 september 2022, the 3rd year students from the psychology department of St.Xavier's college came with their faculty members for a workshop on " stages in counselling". There were more than 80 in number. The first sesson was about "how to activate the true belief (each one is the child of God) and how to recognize and replace the shallow belief". The second session was about ‘how to live up to that true belief in our daily life by the practice of ‘ Ignatian Daily Examen’. Everyone enjoyed the sessions.
Ignatius
summed up his early life, from 1491 to 1521 by saying, “He was a man given over
to the follies of the world.” In 1555 Ignatius humbly said that he could find
God at all times in all things. This was the growth of Ignatius from a worldly
man to a saint. It was a growth in interior freedom. With God’s grace and his
own cooperation he was able to overcome all his blocks so as to give himself
fully to God. God filled him with His love and grace and made him a saint.
Throughout his life Ignatius maintained a great accountability to God, to
others and to himself. He often engaged himself in prayer to discern the will
of God. He consulted others and was vigilant against being deceived by evil
under the appearance of good. God gave him a clear vision of life’s purpose and
filled him with love and grace so that his whole life became “a zealous service
of God with pure love.”
In Part IX
of the Constitutions Ignatius described the type of a man the General of the
Society should be. Everyone who lived with Ignatius, after reading this
account, said that Ignatius unknowingly described himself for he lived exactly in
that manner. Ignatius by the end of his life was a man very closely united with
God in prayer, and intimately connected with God in his generous service. He
possessed genuine humility. He was able to balance rectitude and the necessary
severity in dealing with others. He possessed a magnanimous heart and fortitude
of soul so as to bear the weakness of others.
Ignatius’
favourite word for himself was ‘the Pilgrim’. He was very conscious that God had
led him and taught him as a schoolmaster. His singular aim was to ‘dispose
himself’, i.e., to let God assume his actions into God’s own divine action. He
sought and found God in all things.
On 27th
July 1607 Ignatius was beatified by Pope Paul V. On 12th March 1622
Ignatius was raised to sainthood by Gregory XV along with his dear friend,
Francis Xavier.
"Placed with the Son"- A short biography of St. Ignatius
By Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj, SJ
(From the personal study notes under the guidance of late Fr. Maurice Dullard, SJ.
A special thanks to Fr.Vincent Saldanha s.j for doing the necessary corrections))
In 1941 the first
companions met in Rome to elect a General. Francis Xavier left his vote in
writing before leaving Rome for India. Favre sent his vote from Germany. Those
gathered at Rome prayed and then voted secretly. Ignatius received all the
votes except his own. Ignatius did not accept their decision and asked for
another round of voting. So they voted again and in the second round Ignatius
received all the votes again. Ignatius still hesitated but the companions and
his confessor pointed out that he was resisting God’s clear will. Finally, he
accepted their decision, though unwillingly, on 19th April 1541.
The
companions then asked Ignatius and Codure to draw up the Constitutions for
their new order. In August 1541 Codure died so Ignatius undertook to write the
Constitutions alone. He also had to organize the Society’s works since everywhere
bishops were asking for his men. Soon the Society of Jesus took up many
educational works all over the world. They also engaged in training priests and
students. The first Jesuit school was built in Goa in 1543 by Francis Xavier.
In Rome a seminary for training of priests, the Roman College, was built in
1551.
These new
works required Ignatius to write letters to bishops, kings, leaders and his
companions scattered all over the world. These letters were his wonderful means
of union and communication. Ignatius wrote nearly 7000 letters. In those days
there were no type writers so all the letters and their duplicates had to be
hand written. On the day he died about 200 letters were sent out.
In 1550
Ignatius had finished writing the Constitutions and then he called the
companions to Rome and took their advice. After finalizing the Constitutions he
sent Nadal to explain the same to those who had not come to Rome. Ignatius kept
on working on the Constitutions till he died on 31st July 1556.
( Coming up next. 15. Ignatius the Saint )
"Placed with the Son"- A short biography of St. Ignatius
By Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj, SJ
(From the personal study notes under the guidance of late Fr. Maurice Dullard, SJ.
A special thanks to Fr.Vincent Saldahna s.j for doing the necessary corrections))
The Pope
began sending them out of Rome, and even out of Italy, for the mission of the Church.
The little group began to be scattered. In 1539 during Lent they were all back
in Rome and held an important meeting. They asked themselves two questions: a) Do
they need to keep the union of this group? b) Do they need to take a vow of
obedience to one of their group members as a means of deepening their union?
They spent much time in prayer, discussion and searching for God’s will. They
reflected on how God had brought them together from Spain to Paris, and from
Paris to Rome. After due reflection and prayer they discerned that it was God’s
will that they should take a vow of obedience to bind themselves together and remain
united as a group. They did not want to join one of the existing religious
orders. They strongly felt that God had called them together as companions of
Jesus and that was the La Storta grace for them.
As making
their decision they asked the Pope for permission to form a new religious order.
Ignatius was asked by the group to draw up the document regarding their aims
and charism. Ignatius completed the work in June 1539 and presented it to the
Pope. The Pope had read it and gave an oral approval for the new order. He asked
the cardinals to study the document and to draw up an official letter of
approval for the new order.
The process
of the approval of the new religious order took time as some of the cardinals
were objecting to the new ideas of Ignatius. Ignatius did not lose heart. He
and his companions offered may Masses and asked their influential friends to
talk to the Pope and to the cardinals. Finally, on 27th September
1540 the Pope Paul III, approved the new religious order, ‘The Society of Jesus’.
Ignatius could now look back to the cannon-ball wound at Pamplona and could see
how God had led him up this moment. However, his pilgrimage was not over. A lot
more still needed to be done. They were required to fight for God under the
banner of the Cross in the Society of Jesus under the special direction of the
Pope.
(Coming up next.14. Ignatius the General)
"Placed with the Son"- A short biography of St. Ignatius
By Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj, SJ
(From the personal study notes under the guidance of late Fr. Maurice Dullard, SJ.
A special thanks to Fr.Vincent Saldanha s.j for doing the necessary corrections))
Ignatius
arrived in Rome in November 1537. He and his companions were soon busy
preaching and giving the Spiritual Exercises. They had to suffer great
persecution in Rome from Michael Landivar who had been friendly with him in
Paris but had now turned against the group, especially against Ignatius. Only
when their name was cleared did Ignatius and his companions present themselves
to the Pope.
Pope Paul
III was anxious to reform the Church but did not have enough priests who were
both learned and holy. So when this group of well trained and deeply spiritual
priests offered themselves to him to do anything that he would ask them to do,
the Pope exclaimed, “The finger of God is here”. He soon gave all of them work
in and around Rome.
This little
group still hoped that they would get a chance to go to the Holy Land. Knowing
their secret desires to go to the Holy Land, the Pope Paul III asked them, “Why
do you want to go to the Holy Land? Italy is indeed a true and good Jerusalem
if you want to yield fruit for the Church of God.” These words of the Pope had
a great effect on Ignatius. He came to the realization that the kingdom of God
was not just in the Holy Land. In fact, every land was Holy Land and every
place was the true Jerusalem, especially if they were sent by Christ’s Vicar,
the Pope.
Ignatius had
not yet said his first Mass as he hoped to say it in Bethlehem where Our Lord
was born. On Christmas night 1538, in the crypt of St. Mary Major, Ignatius
said his first Mass with great devotion and he gave up his desire of going to
the Holy Land. Now onwards he and his companions would find the kingdom of God
everywhere. They were engaged in working unreservedly for the Pope. In addition
to the teaching and sacramental works, Ignatius and his companions begged food
and cared for the poor. In the winter of 1538, the companions fed and housed
over 3000 poor people who otherwise would have died in the snow. The population
of Rome in 1538 was only 40000.
( Coming up next. Chapter 13.Ignatius and the Society of Jesus. )
"Placed with the Son"- A short biography of St. Ignatius
By Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj, SJ
(From the personal study notes under the guidance of late Fr. Maurice Dullard, SJ.
A special thanks to Fr.Vincent Saldanha s.j for doing the necessary corrections))
After his
ordination Ignatius worked with Favre and Laynez in Vicenza in Northern Italy.
In Italy he received great favours from God similar to those that he had received
at Manresa. He was praying to Our Lady that he be placed with her Son i.e., be
able to follow Jesus and imitate Him in the apostolic works.
In September
1537 Ignatius and his companions decided to go to Rome. Before leaving they
decided that if anyone would ask them who they were and they would say, “We are
the Company or the Society of Jesus” because Jesus alone was their head. The
companions went to Rome in small groups. Ignatius went with Laynez and Favre.
On the way Ignatius felt that God was about to give him a special grace so he
asked his companions to pray fervently. At the village of La Storta, about 20
kms north of Rome, as Ignatius was praying in a roadside chapel, he saw Jesus
carrying His cross. Next to Jesus was the God the Father. Ignatius heard the
Father saying to Jesus, “I want you to take this man as your servant (companion
in work). Then he saw Jesus turning to Ignatius and saying, “We want you to
serve us.” The Father then said to Ignatius, “I will be helpful to you in Rome.”
Ignatius realized that his prayer to Our Lady had been answered and that he had
been placed by the Father with the Son. He realized that he was called to be in
companionship with Jesus, i.e., to help Jesus in bearing His cross in the world
through the Vicar of Christ.
Ignatius
felt deeply united with Jesus and offered himself to labour for the Glory of
God at La Storta. Later, Ignatius and his companions realized that the Father’s
favour was not just for Ignatius alone but was also meant for the entire group.
Ignatius and his companions dedicated their lives to work together with Jesus
for the Glory of the Father because the Father had placed them with His Son.
Ignatius always regarded the La Storta experience as one of the greatest graces
that he received in his life - for him and for the Society of Jesus.
( Coming up next. Chapter 12.Ignatius in Rome. )
"Placed with the Son"- A short biography of St. Ignatius
By Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj, SJ
(From the personal study notes under the guidance of late Fr. Maurice Dullard, SJ.
A special thanks to Fr.Vincent Saldanha s.j for doing the necessary corrections))
https://drive.google.com/file/
Ignatius was
gathering companions who would share his vision and zeal for God’s work. At
Alcala from 1525 to 1527, he gathered three companions: Calisto D’Sa, Juan De
Arteaga and Lobe de Carcases. They went with him to Salamanca and were put in
prison along with Ignatius there. In 1528 Ignatius went to Paris while these
three remained in Spain. Eventually they lost contact with Ignatius.
In Paris Ignatius met Peter Favre. Peter Favre helped Ignatius in his studies and in return Ignatius helped Peter Favre in spiritual matters. Peter Favre went through the Spiritual Exercises and was so impressed with them that he brought his roommate Francis Xavier to Ignatius. At first Francis Xavier distrusted Ignatius but Ignatius gradually won him over. Three Spaniards - Diego Laynez, Alphonso Salmeron and Nicolas Bobadilla, and a Portuguese - Simon Rodrigues joined the group. Ignatius gave then all the Spiritual Exercises. This brought about a tremendous change in them. They were fired with zeal for God’s work and formed themselves into a group of ‘friends in the Lord’.
They were eager to go with
Ignatius to work in the Holy Land. In fact, on 15th August, 1534 at
Our Lady’s Chapel in Montmartre, they all took the vows of poverty and chastity
with a vow to go to the Holy Land. They decided that in case they did not succeed
to go the Holy Land in a year’s time they would go to Rome and present themselves
to the Pope and take up the task and go wherever the Pope would send them. In
this way they would be more certain of doing God’s will. They had no superior
but regarded Ignatius as their leader since he was the original inspiration in
uniting them for God’s work.
Ignatius
fell sick in 1535 so his friends and the doctors advised him to go to Spain for
some months. Peter Favre then became the natural leader of the group. The group
was so strong that even during Ignatius’ absence they got three new members to
join them: Claude Le Jay, Paschase Broet and Jean Codure. They all joined
Ignatius in Venice on January 1537. Ignatius called them “My nine friends in
the Lord".
In Venice
they began to think seriously about ordination and their pilgrimage to the Holy
Land. Peter Favre and Claude Le Jay were priests before joining the group. The
remaining seven were ordained in Venice on 24th June 1537. Due to
the Turkish war there was no ship going to the Holy Land. So, in September 1537
the companions set out for Rome to present themselves to the Pope.
( Coming up next. Chapter 11.Ignatius and La Storta. )
"Placed with the Son"- A
short biography of St. Ignatius
By Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj, SJ
(From the personal study notes under the guidance of late Fr. Maurice Dullard, SJ.
A special thanks to Fr.Vincent Saldanha s.j for doing the necessary corrections))
-*Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ
On 15 May 2022, Pope Francis proclaimed ten outstanding women and men as Saints of the Catholic Church. Among them was Blessed Titus Brandsma, a Dutch Carmelite priest and journalist.Fr. Brandsma was named spiritual adviser to the Dutch Association of Catholic Journalists in 1935 and became its president after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. He worked with the Dutch bishops’ in crafting their message opposing Nazi ideology and the forced publication of propaganda in Catholic newspapers.
Following Germany’s invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Brandsma defended the freedom of Catholic education and the Catholic press against Nazi pressure. In the face of great risk, he visited the offices of Catholic media outlets around the country over the course of ten days, encouraging editors to resist pressure to publish Nazi propaganda. His actions drew the ire of the Nazi regime who arrested him in 1942. Several months later, he was transported to the Dachau concentration camp where he was killed by a lethal injection of carbolic acid. He had to pay the ultimate price for his visible and vocal stand against Nazim. St. John Paul II, who beatified the Dutch priest on 3 November 1985, regarded him as a “valiant journalist” and a “martyr of freedom of expression against the tyranny of the dictatorship.”
A few days before the canonization of Brandsma, hundreds
of journalists from all over the world, wrote an open letter requesting the Holy
Father to name the Dutch Carmelite as the patron saint of journalists. The
letter is significant on several counts; the key aspects, relevant for all
Catholic communicators today include,
“In 2018
you asked us, journalists, loud and clear, ‘to promote a journalism of peace’,
a ‘journalism that is truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans,
and sensational headlines. A journalism created by people for people, one that
is at the service of all… a journalism committed to pointing out alternatives
to the escalation of shouting matches and verbal violence’ (‘The truth will set
you free’ (Jn. 8:32), Fake news and journalism for peace. Message of His
Holiness Pope Francis for World Communications Day,24 Jan 2018).
We
wholeheartedly endorse your call to action and in it we recognize a mission
statement for the whole of the journalistic enterprise: for old and new media,
for editors of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, and
internet platforms - and not only for journalists of Catholic origin, but for
all journalists of good will.
On 15
May, in Rome, you will canonize a man who embodied these crucial journalistic
values until his dying day: the Dutch Carmelite Father Titus Brandsma (1881 -
1942).
Titus
Brandsma has meant a lot to the Catholic community in the Low Countries, but
his journalistic work stands out among all his other activities. He was
editor-in-chief of a newspaper, devoted himself to the modernization and
professionalization of the Catholic daily press in the Netherlands, and strove
for better working conditions and the establishment of a professional training
for journalists.
Father
Brandsma did his work in the context of the rise of fascism and Nazism in
Europe. In word and deed, he opposed the language of hatred and division that
was becoming common at the time. In his view, what we now describe as ‘fake
news’ was not to be tolerated in the Catholic press; he successfully argued for
an episcopal ban on the printing of National Socialist propaganda in Catholic
newspapers.
He paid
with his life for his courageous actions: in early 1942 Father Titus was
arrested by the occupying forces and consequently sent to the Dachau
concentration camp. There, on July 26 of the same year, he was killed by an
injection, on the Sunday that the Dutch bishops had their courageous protest
against the deportations of Jews read out in all the churches.
We,
Catholic journalists, recognize in Titus Brandsma a professional peer and
fellow believer of considerable standing. Someone who shared the deeper mission
that should drive journalism in modern times: a search for truth and veracity,
the promotion of peace and dialogue between people.
We
therefore see him as a friend and advocate for our entire profession, indeed a
patron saint of journalism. We would therefore like to boldly ask you to make
this patron saint’s office official.
The
current patron saint of journalism is Francis de Sales. He is undoubtedly a
holy man of faith and of great merit, but he was not a journalist in the modern
sense of the word. Titus Brandsma was.
And as we said, he gave his life for it. In our view, this makes him particularly suitable for this patronage. According to UNESCO, in 2021, no less than 55 journalists died worldwide while carrying out their work. Many more had to deal with violence, threats, repression, censorship and persecution. The commitment to truth and humanity is extremely dangerous in these times of disinformation and polarization. This urgently requires a holy intercessor who has experienced this personally - and passed the ordeal with flying colours.”
The letter says it all: what Catholic Communications should be today; the fact that St. Brandsma courageously embodied its totality. It was certainly not easy for him; he had to face much hostility from the all-powerful fascists; he did not relent and had to pay with his life for his prophetic stand. There is plenty that Catholic Communicators all over – and particularly in India- need to learn from St Brandsma and also from the letter written by some renowned Catholic journalists to the Pope.
More so, because on 29 May 2022, the Church all over the globe observes the 56th World Day of Social Communications (In India, it coincides with the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord). The theme of Pope Francis’ powerful message is ‘Listening with the Ear of the Heart’. The theme is rooted in the Gospel of St. Luke ‘Take care, then, how you listen.’ (Lk8:18). The theme complements the 2021 message ‘Come and See’. Pope Francis in his opening statement says, “Last year we reflected on the need to “Come and See” in order to discover reality and be able to recount it beginning with experiencing events and meeting people. Continuing in this vein, I would now like to draw attention to another word, “listen”, which is decisive in the grammar of communication and a condition for genuine dialogue”.
‘World Communications Day’ was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967, just about two years after the Second Vatican Council. In fact, it is the oldest special observance day of the Catholic Church. This annual celebration encourages us to reflect on the opportunities and challenges that the modern means of social communication (the press, movies, drama, radio, television, the internet and all of social media) afford the Church to communicate the gospel message effectively and contextually. The Church realised that she must engage fully with the modern world. This realisation is expressed in the opening statement of the Pastoral Constitution ‘Gaudium et Spes’ on ‘The Church in the Modern World’, which says, “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anguishes of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anguishes of the followers of Christ as well.”
Pope Paul VI, knowing that the Church is truly and intimately linked with mankind and its history, wanted to draw attention to the communications media and the enormous power they have for cultural transformation. He and his successors have consistently recognised the positive opportunities the communications media afford for enriching human lives with the values of truth, justice, beauty and goodness, but also the possibly negative effects of spreading hate, fake news and pressurising minds and manipulating consciences with a multiplicity of contradictory and divisive content. In 1990, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical ‘Redemptoris Missio’ states, “The world of communications is the first Areopagus of the modern age, unifying humanity and turning it into what is known as a ‘global village’. The communications media have acquired such importance as to be for many the chief means of information and education, of guidance and inspiration for many people in their personal, family and social behaviour. In particular, the younger generation is growing up in a world conditioned by the mass media.”
For Pope Francis, ‘listen’ is not something theoretical; it is the sine qua non for any catholic communicator who is interested in authentic communications, through searching and arriving at nothing but the truth, just like the Master Communicator Jesus! One hears a common complaint today “nobody is listening!” Many experience this feeling – there is a painful story to share, a cry that needs to be heard – but nobody cares! That story, that cry becomes a voice crying in the wilderness! Is there someone listening? Does anybody care? In his message, Pope Francis throws a direct challenge to communicators: to listen and when you listen, to do so with the ear of your heart!
In October
2021, Pope Francis launched the Synodal process with the theme “For
a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.
The process will culminate with the 2023 Synod in Rome. Pope Francis has been
insisting that the synodal journey is about listening, learning and loving. His
Communications Day message reiterates this when he says, “A synodal process
has just been launched. Let us pray that it will be a great opportunity to
listen to one another. Communion, in fact, is not the result of strategies and
programmes, but is built in mutual listening between brothers and sisters.” The question one
needs to ask oneself: is there serious listening? Or is it lip-service: a
tiresome formality without change? The painful reality is that, in several
Dioceses the first phase has been sheer tokenism: an attitude of ‘it is a
process which ‘had to be done’ – so let’s get over it as soon as possible!’
Are we listening to the cries of the poor and the vulnerable,
the excluded and the exploited, the minorities and the other marginalised? When
we listen with the heart, we are called to do something about it – we need to
make a paradigm shift, to change; to ensure a better quality of life for all.
Pope Francis says it rather strongly “human beings tend to flee the
relationship, to turn their back and ‘close their ears’ so they do not have to
listen. The refusal to listen often ends up turning into aggression towards the
other, as happened to those listening to the deacon Stephen who, covering their
ears, all turned on him at once.”
In this context, he once again highlights the plight of the migrants and their cries. We often treat them as outsiders: they are not like us, they do not ‘belong’ here! These suffer because of man’s inhumanity to man. They are the ‘other’! To this Pope Francis says, “The reality of forced migration is also a complex issue, and no one has a ready-made prescription for solving it. I repeat that, in order to overcome prejudices about migrants and to melt the hardness of our hearts, we should try to listen to their stories. Give each of them a name and a story. Many good journalists already do this. And many others would like to do it, if only they could. Let us encourage them! Let us listen to these stories! Everyone would then be free to support the migration policies they deem most appropriate for their own country. But in any case, we would have before our eyes not numbers, not dangerous invaders, but the faces and stories, gazes, expectations and sufferings of real men and women to listen to”. The reality of forced migrants is a key concern of Pope Francis’ papacy! Once again, we need to ask ourselves: are we listening to them with our hearts?
In his
message, Pope Francis does not spare Church. He calls for a Church that has the
heart to listen. He says, “It is sad when, even in the Church, ideological
alignments are formed and listening disappears, leaving sterile opposition in
its wake.” In the final segment of his message, he emphasises the need and
importance of ‘Listening
to one another in the Church’ He says, “In the Church, too, there is
a great need to listen to and to hear one another. It is the most precious and
life-giving gift we can offer each other. Christians have forgotten that the ministry
of listening has been committed to them by him who is himself the great
listener and whose work they should share. We should listen with the ears of
God that we may speak the word of God.”
He
reserves his choicest words to ‘so-called’ Catholic communicators, many of whom
are frightened to be visible and vocal in standing up for truth and justice.
Pope Francis urges them to develop their listening capacities.
“Communication does not take place if listening has not taken place, and there
is no good journalism without the ability to listen…. In order to provide
solid, balanced, and complete information, it is necessary to listen for a long
time. To recount an event or describe an experience in news reporting, it is
essential to know how to listen, to be ready to change one’s mind, to modify
one’s initial assumptions.”
He quotes the German Lutheran theologian Bonhoeffer,
who like St Brandsma, was executed by the Nazis in 1945, “Thus, the
Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that the first service we
owe to others in communion consists in listening to them. Whoever does not know
how to listen to his brother or sister will soon no longer be able to listen to
God either”. Strong words indeed if we have the courage to listen with the heart!
On 1 May, Pope Francis paid tribute to journalists who have died or been jailed
in the line of duty, defending a free press and praising those in the media “who
courageously report on humanity’s wounds…I render homage to journalists who pay
in person for this right”
It is important then, for
all catholic communicators to do an honest and objective evaluation of their
writings, productions and other forms of communications. How many of these have
genuinely responded to the cries of the poor and the vulnerable, the excluded
and exploited, the marginalised and the minorities of the country? How many have written/done productions against
the sedition, the UAPA and other draconian laws? the illegal incarceration of
human rights defenders? the demonising of the Muslims? the unconstitutional
abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A regarding Kashmir? the anti-conversion laws? the three farm bills
and the labour codes? The monstrous and extravagant Central Vista project? the
denial of the legitimate rights of the Adivasis, Dalits, LGBTI? growing
unemployment and spiralling prices? and much more? Do Catholic Communicators
have the prophetic courage to take on the fascist and fundamentalist forces
which are working overtime, to destroy the sanctity of the Constitution and the
secular, pluralistic fabric of our beloved nation? It is time to listen! It is
time for introspection! It is time to act! It is time to change!
Meaningful communication is
not about sophisticated centres, glossy publications or ‘projects’ to be run –
but the ability to stand for and communicate justice and truth with prophetic
courage. Pope Francis has been consistently challenging catholic communicators to
live up to this call. His message this year is all about that. Besides, from
this year, one has a saint in Titus Brandsma who lived his vocation to the fullest.
Will catholic communicators in India then have the audacity to listen with ear
of the heart, to stand up and be counted, to be witnesses for justice and truth
today?
A tough challenge indeed! A challenge which demands an immediate and whole-hearted response! After all, World Social Communications Day is also the Feast of the Ascension, when one is sent out to be his disciples, to witness to the good news, in the world today! Is “YES”, the answer?
25 May 2022
*(Fr.
Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer.
Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com )
Conti.. Spirituality of the Old..Religious- Part 111.C.3
According to a Chinese Proverb, ‘A revengeful person digs two graves, one for
himself and one for his enemy.’
Forgiveness is vital for a happy old age. Also for physical,
psychological and above all for spiritual healing.
a.
Repeat the above exercise till ‘e’.
b.
Picture the scene in which you
experienced true forgiving love from those people whom you have offended.
c.
Picture the scene in which you
experienced God’s forgiveness.
d.
Picture the scene in which a person
hurt your feelings and inflicted deep psychic wounds. If the other person is
90% responsible for the conflict, what is that 10% of your responsibility?
Forgive yourself for that 10%. Try to find out some good and noble qualities in
the offender. Pray for his well-being.
e.
Concentrate on your breathing for 2
to 3 minutes.
f.
Look at the picture of the Risen
Lord intently for a minute and pray: “Jesus, you have forgiven your enemies.
Give me the grace to forgive my enemies. They are loved by you and by your and
my father in heaven. Help me to accept (name the person) as my brother/sister.
Lord, give him love, respect and recognition from others. May he experience
true peace and prosperity.”
g. Close your eyes. Concentrate on your breath for five minutes. Then say: “I send my love vibrations to (Name).” Repeat these words silently for a few minutes and say: “I send my peace and joy to (Name).” (Christianized version of Metabhavana of Vipasana.)
This paper is primarily meant for the
aging people especially the Religious and the Clerics. Unless we know something
about death and our final destiny we can know very little about meaningful
life. Hence this paper is of some use for younger people as well.
As Pope John Paul II said, if life is a journey to our ultimate destiny, old age is the occasion for peeping through the door of our Eternal Home. Our studies in the second part are meant to have a realistic view of old age liberating ourselves from the lyrically optimistic and exaggeratedly pessimistic understandings of the final stage of our life.
In the third part certain concrete and realistic problems of the elderly, especially of the Clerics and the Religious, were stated. The point made is that it is the very nature of old age to have these abnormalities. If the adult norms of today are applied to the behavioural patterns of the old, they are abnormal in many ways. Then what about the childish pranks and mischiefs of children? It is normal for children to behave in the way they do. It is taken for granted. “They are the future,” we say. But what about the old? If they were to live according to the norms of the youth and the ‘adults’, they would look not only abnormal but also ludicrous. The rapidly growing percentage of the old people will make us consider them ‘normally abnormal’ in the sense that they are very different from the adults or the middle-aged, with all their ‘normal abnormalities.’ As quoted earlier, Jung would say that the presence of the aged, especially in growing numbers, is a great service to people of other age groups to be fully human.
I have focused on our final destiny in terms of ‘Life of Resurrection’ and ‘The Kingdom of God’. Will it lead us to the escapist spirituality of the early Church? In order to avoid this danger, I have emphasized that Life in the Kingdom of God or the Risen Life is not a press-button reality. We grow in the Life of Resurrection and the image of the Risen Christ will grow in us. It is a process. Entry into the Kingdom, with its “already-not-yet” dimensions, is also a process. Understood in this way, focusing on our final destiny can make the life of the elderly more dynamic, joyful and hopeful. “In my estimation, all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us” (Rom 8: 18).
The
suggested exercises are just a few samples. Since the Religious and the Clerics
are accustomed to these types of exercises, they may add to these insights and
improve upon what is given. These exercises can make our life very valuable
even after retirement.
The End
