Rethinking apostolate

 We Salesians have earned for ourselves a reputation for 'going big'. Our interventions on behalf of the young are often mega events and involving large numbers.

Our buildings and homes are huge. So much so, that if we have a small residence or building we feel claustrophobic - the young therein are absolutely not bothered by the size of the building though! 

Perhaps this has been one of our characteristic style of operating. But we need to realise that we have huge multiple buildings but no children therein! If we do, they are so few that even if we allot a room for each, we will still have rooms to spare! We may still be blessed with 6-7 digit figure project funding, but those projects define our apostolate; not the need of the place or the poor that define our mission. 

Sooner than later we will need to radically rewire ourselves, our attitude and our approach to see apostolate as disjoint from buildings, projects, and a 'me-first' outlook. Move from 'going big' to 'going deep'.

Don Bosco's boys spilled all over the place and then he built bigger places; he didn't build mega houses and then look for boys to fill the house!

Parking confreres

 I had a good laugh when I came across a statement in a letter written jointly by the Formation councillor and Economer General.  The statement reads 'Rome is not the place to 'park' out of the province for a few year difficult confreres'. 

What an expression!! Park confreres! Very very apt and direct.  Couldn't agree better! 

I remember almost two decades ago when I was in a student community comprising of priests and religious from various congregations, there were a couple of priests who certainly were there purely because their congregations had 'parked' them there!!  No other reason!  Not for studies. Not for their growth.  Not for the mission.  But purely for those back in their own Province or Diocese, to breathe easy for a couple of years... at the cost of that student community!  The only good thing the rest of the community felt because of their presence in our religious house was that the lives of two families (if these two gentlemen were to have got married and had families of their own) were saved! 

I guess that's one of the serious drawbacks of priestly and religious life: when someone is absolutely an unfit - even by his or her own judgement - in the community, province/diocese, anywhere and everywhere, no one can do anything other than bear and bear (the patience to grin is long evaporated!). Neither will the person himself/herself have the moral conscience to walk out; nor can others throw him/her out.  

Pride

A former and famous world heavyweight boxing champ, considered among one of the greatest sportsman of all time was also infamous for bragging, often saying, "I am the greatest!" 

 Once before the take off on an airplane the stewardess reminded this boxer to fasten his seatbelt. "Superman don't need no seatbelt," he told her with pride. 

The stewardess was unwilling to compromise. So she retarded, "Superman don't need no airplane either." 

 The boxer was naturally discomfited in his pride. In shame, he fastened his seatbelt without saying an extra word. 

 Pride can block a person from being open to the views, trends and wavelengths of other people and situations. Even shutting out God from our plans, proposals and journey - under the impression that 'I can do it all'.

Education or Customer service

 Teaching profession is considered and IS more a vocation than a career.  There are very many teachers who treat their work more as a service than a timed-duty which they fulfill merely for the remuneration. These are the teachers who go over and beyond the mere classrooms and exams and marks.  They see students more as children... at times, like their own!  

However, with the shift in market trends and culture in the society at large, education is more seen as a ladder to prosperity than a moulding of character. In such a context, it is often the teacher who ends up at the receiving end.  Parents demand that teachers 'teach' their children, convinced that having paid the fees, it is now the responsibility of  the school and teachers to 'educate' their children.  Their role as primary educators is easily forgotten and passed on to the teachers.  

I came across an article which aptly described today's education scenario as a 'customer service' enterprise, where parents and students are out to demand from the teacher.  The wrong notion that the parent or the child is a customer is at the root of it all.  The worst is to misunderstand education as a commodity; rather than a value based skill to improve one's character, personality and convictions.  

The teacher, like stated by Socrates and Aristotle, is only a facilitator who assists the student to become wise (not merely a basket of knowledge or information).  The teacher does not 'pour' or 'fill' the student with knowledge - that would be an insult to the child/student itself! 

The power of personal experience

We believe not because you said so, but because we have seen and met Him ourselves.

This is the line that the Samaritans state to the woman whom Jesus interacts with at the well (today's Gospel passage).  There is a whole lot of boundaries or social taboos that Jesus breaks or goes beyond - just in today's gospel passage.  He is interacting with a non-Jew.  That too a Samaritan.  All the more a woman.  That too a woman, of not so good repute.  

And Jesus feels filled.  "I have food that you do not know of!" 

Jesus sees beyond each of these social barriers and obstacles and reaches out to a human being.  

And that decision of Jesus, followed by his action of seeing through his mission, wins him a whole village!  

The villagers now believe in Jesus not because he performed a miracle or a great favour.  He merely interacted with them as a human being, a fellow creature.  

This particular image is the only one I came across where the woman is seated and Jesus is the one standing.  

Halo

 

Everywhere I'm looking now I'm surrounded by your embrace Baby, I can see your halo You know you're my saving grace You're everything I need and more It's written all over your face Baby, I can feel your halo Pray it won't fade away

Indian traffic

Traffic in the major cities of India can be at times horrific.  Although Hyderabad is far better than other metropolitan cities of the country, there are days and times, when things come to a standstill, for long.  

Hence I prefer to ride the bike in the city when visiting communities within the city or for any other office purpose.  It reduces the travel time by half, easily.  

Added to the traffic blues are the parking woes.  Hence bike travel is ideal. Of course, manoeuvring a bike through the erratic Indian traffic comes with its own risks! Everytime I ride the bike in the city I remember one of my former Rectors, while in the UK.  He loved to ride the bike, but he couldn't even imagine riding one in India!  

My basic take on the traffic issue is that the basic infrastructure is in place for a convenient and smooth travel.  Although there are some hiccups like road works, bottlenecks, potholes, and the encroachment of the pavement and even the main road by street vendors, these are not the worst contributors to the traffic.  What builds congestion and heavy traffic on our Indian roads is our driving habits.  We have rules, but none are respected, leave alone followed.  Our erratic driving skills contribute most to the heavy traffic on the city roads. 

That said, the same driving skills also sharpen our senses to a great extent!! For we need to drive not just using one's own mind, but all the while anticipating what the other drivers and riders on the road are thinking and going to do, while driving! 

Disconnect of the tongue

Like every other species on the earth, we humans too love to communicate... especially, by way of talking. So much so, for most of us prolonged silence is almost practically impossible. 

While that is the case of most of the population, there is a small portion of humanity which prefers to speak less.  Among this minority, there are few who barely speak at all. With people of such ability, conversation becomes very difficult. Then there are those whose silence cuts us off from even gauging what's going on in their mind.  

There are those rare few who speak very little but when they do speak they make utmost sense. Hence it is a joy to listen to them.  

A few people have a tongue that has a mind of its own.  Sooner than later, other realise how fickle such people can be.  

Then there are those whose tongue is totally disconnected from their mind; a total rapture of the nerve linking the tongue and the brain. I know of a handful of such and I stay away from them!  Worse still, if link to the heart is also missing!  Such people are toxic.  

Government bureaucracy

 I spent another futile afternoon today trying to sort out and bring to conclusion an issue about the property tax of one of our institutions.  It has been rolling around and never making much headway for the past 10 years.  

The assessment was miscalculated in 2016. This error was pointed out to the GHMC then itself. They officially, in writing, acknowledged their mistake and assured us that the correction would be done.  Then covid happened.  Two years later we got a fresh tax invoice with the old miscalculated amount - only this invoice also contained the penalty for non-payment, and interest on it too.  

We later found out that the file never made it to the Collector's office, where the final signature was to be affixed to confirm the correction.  So much for Indian bureaucracy!  

Now the tragedy is that for the failure of the government servants, we are to pay the hefty fine.  For the past four years, every month of March, there is some offer from the municipality and they raise our hopes that this issue would be addressed and we get to clear the backlogs - what we rightly need to pay.  The only consolation this year was that the official explaining to us was polite and honest to say that nothing can be done about the correction now.  Last year the official was rude and shameless, demanding that we pay up because 'you have money!'.  

The sad part of this kind of bureaucracy is that irrespective of who does the mistake or delay, the citizen has to bear the brunt of it all, in its totality. 

Another year of life

 Another year has gone by and I still don't claim to be any wiser!  More knowledge, yes. But not sure about deeper wisdom!  Nonetheless, am utterly GRATEFUL to everyone and everything that has come my way and assisted me in my growth. 

The morning was a good and very meaningful celebration with all from home attending Mass.  Mummy was the most moved of all!  I gather her fear is that I may not be looked after in my later years!  Hence she is closely watching how we take care of one another. I feel today's post-Mass spontaneous thanksgiving of hers was stemming from that same fear/assurance.  

Whatever it be, it was good to be celebrated... honestly and from the heart.