Last week around this time I was in Goa for the South Asian Formation Commission meet. We were altogether 17 of us including the animating duo from Rome. Besides the fun and frolic of the days (which was mostly in the hall itself!) there were some things that caught my attention and demanded some reflection from my part.
One such insight came during a discussion on motivating young Salesians to a culture of study and research. Fr Jose Mathew was quite strong in making this observation: we have so equated duty to God as duty to our neighbour that God no longer has an 'independent identity'. He phrased the whole idea as the collapse of the first commandment into the second! Love for God does not exist. Ask any religious, what love for God means, and the immediate response invariably is 'Love for God is love for neighbour'.
Well I do see the point Fr Jose Mathew was making... and I do realise how true it is. Perhaps this has become the latest fad or even at times an excuse from tuning ourselves to God's will and having the patience to 'hear' and discern His will. The immediate need of my neighbour before me, provides me with a perfect getaway from this serious and demanding introspection and reflection. On another account, if one is sincere about being in love with God, I suppose my neighbour would certainly not be left to himself.
One such insight came during a discussion on motivating young Salesians to a culture of study and research. Fr Jose Mathew was quite strong in making this observation: we have so equated duty to God as duty to our neighbour that God no longer has an 'independent identity'. He phrased the whole idea as the collapse of the first commandment into the second! Love for God does not exist. Ask any religious, what love for God means, and the immediate response invariably is 'Love for God is love for neighbour'.
Well I do see the point Fr Jose Mathew was making... and I do realise how true it is. Perhaps this has become the latest fad or even at times an excuse from tuning ourselves to God's will and having the patience to 'hear' and discern His will. The immediate need of my neighbour before me, provides me with a perfect getaway from this serious and demanding introspection and reflection. On another account, if one is sincere about being in love with God, I suppose my neighbour would certainly not be left to himself.
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