RIP Br Charlie

 

The living Eucharist

 Yesterday I came across two pieces of information and news that seemingly are unrelated, but to me appeared very VERY much connected.  

One was a letter written by a Bishop in Maharashtra, denouncing the desecration of a school chapel and that the miscreants had taken away the sacred host from the tabernacle.  He therefore appealed to the Catholic faithful to conduct an adoration service in order to restore the blessed Sacrament.  

The other incident that is still unfolding in a nearby state of the country is that of the death/murder of a teenager in Patna.  An 18 year old student was found dead in her hostel. Initially it was declared as suicide and now it is revealed that she was brutally raped and murdered!  

Is not the life of this teenager as sacred and worthy of respect as the Holy Communion?  ("You are the temple of the holy Spirit") I am right now struggling to come to terms with these incidents - more so, with our response to these incidents! I don't know... but I'm feeling very very disturbed and uncomfortable. 

Jim Lovell: The Apollo 13 astronaut

 I read the sad news of the death of Jim Lovell, the famous astronaut of Apollo 13, who mouthed the iconic words: Houston, we've had a problem. 

As I read about his death, I came across the following news article on BBC: Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 astronaut, dies aged 97 

Very inspiring story of the man Jim Lovell was, right since his childhood.  How he pursued his dream right from the early age of 5.  How he made sensible choices in order to fulfil his dream.  

Jim Lovell, the captain of Apollo 13

It was interesting to note that even though he never managed to land on the moon, he lived contented that he did his best.  He got to live his dream: that of being an astronaut.  

I liked one of the lines in the news article, describing the Apollo 13 space mission: The mission was Nasa's greatest failure and, without question, its finest hour. 

The crew of the ill-fated Apollo 13: Jack Swigert, Jim Lovell and Fred Haise

Goes without saying, the movie Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks continues to be one of my favourite movies! Of the many good and great aspects of that movie, is that the movie shows the whole rescue attempt of Apollo 13 as a team work. While the three crew members did best what they could, their whole back up team here on earth, spared no effort.  The movie does not miss out that effort of the back up team either.  

Death of John the Baptist

 Listening again to the episode of the beheading of John the Baptist, as part of the Gospel reading today, a couple of points that struck me: 

That Herod could find his promise more demanding and compelling than the life of a person is strange.  Is the worth of life lessor than a mere word, that too given to someone for a dance performance?! But it didn't take me long to realise that it was never about honour.  Herod was not honouring his word; he was merely giving in to his fear.  He had already decided to kill John the Baptist; he just didn't have 'sufficient reason' to justify his plan.  The promise was a mere excuse, to actually carry out what he had already made up his mind about! 

On a totally different note, the concluding lines of the Gospel speak about the disciples of John the Baptist, burying him and then informing Jesus about it.  What suddenly hit me was Jesus' response.  Of course, there certainly would have been an emotional response; but the text says nothing. Whereas when Lazarus dies, Jesus weeps.  Here the death was of his own cousin; someone he had known all his life. Surely, this would have been a very sad moment for Jesus. If Lazarus' death could move him to tears, I'm sure John's death would have been no less a tragic moment.  

Or did the Biblical authors perhaps skipped recording that emotional response, lest they show him 'human'.  Or maybe they did not want to show his affinity to family more than his mission?  Too many may be's!! 

Beheading of John the Baptist (by Caravaggio)

Prevent suicides - remove ceiling fans

Came across the following news item today: 

IIT Kharagpur moves to prevent suicides; removes ceiling fans... 

That's quite a way to prevent suicides! 

However the news article does assure that there are more serious and substantial measures put in place by the reputed institution, to prevent students from taking this drastic step. 

Nonetheless, know not how wise or sane is the move to remove ceiling fans in order to prevent suicides! 

Parents at their child's funeral

I'm just back from a funeral in the Parish. The deceased is a young lady, aged 28, whose parents I've known. They have been members of this Parish from the early years of the Parish.  

Funerals are never easy!  What was more painful at this funeral was to see the parents.  Children attending the funeral of their parents is something that can be tolerated or accepted. But for parents to attend the funeral of their own child is really heart wrenching.  

Whatever the past or the misunderstandings, for a parent to see a child lie lifeless is not at all easy.  

Pope Francis: In death, as in life

The choice of Pope Francis to have a simple burial, without any fanfare or frills, an ordinary wooden coffin, to be kept on the ground rather than elevated above the floor, to be buried in a place where he spent his time in prayer and among a locale which is inhabited by the poor and migrants... he continues to be himself in death, as he was in his life. 

The secret according to me, of his simplicity, humility and balanced outlook towards everything, was that he never stopped being Jorge Maria Bergoglio.  His election as Pope only made his life and choices more radical as Jorge Bergoglio. What characterised his term as Pope was not the title of being the 'Pope' or the 'head of the Church' but the name he chose 'Francis'.  To the already existing nature of Jorge Bergoglio, he added the qualities of St Francis. 

I wish and pray that the Church continues to elect and appoint such leaders who live and lead by example, rather than doctrine alone or empty pulpit advice. 

Epitaph

I know what I want my epitaph to read... if at all I have one! 

"He lies a good man!"

But ironically, I do not want this to be written, because I said so, but because people by themselves genuinely feel so. 

A stranger, yet not unknown

This morning I was glad that I could make it for the Memorial Mass of Mr Anthony Noronha, the dad of Mario, a long time family friend.  It was nice to meet very many of the family members, most of whom I last met when I was a little.  Papa and Mummy always had/have a high regard for this particular family and from my little interaction with Mario I can sense why so.  

I distinctly remember when Papa passed away and I was overseas. By the time I came home, all the arrangements for the Mass and funeral were done; mostly by Baly and Santiagu. But I also became aware that there were some family friends who had also chipped in.  With Mario, it was particularly evident.  He did not come to the limelight or make himself prominent. But he did greatly help at home.  At one particular moment, after we returned home from the burial ground, we were serving meals for all at home.  There were quite a few, with many from Mangalore.  And Mario was helping out in serving.  When I offered him the plate and invited him to have his meal he said, "Those of the family eat last, after serving the guests!" And he continued serving the 'guests' with a smile! 

Today as I sat in the Church praying for the family, I repeated to myself what I had shared at Fr Maliekal's mum's funeral: I did not know her. I never spoke to her or met her. Yet as the saying goes, 'The tree is known by its fruits' I am happy and convinced to say that she was a very loving, hardworking and principled woman... all because I know two of her sons. And both of them are exemplary in their way of life.  I therefore believe that it is more than grace that has made them what they are... which I attribute to her upbringing. 

Hence my admiration and appreciation of the man whose Memorial Mass I was attending - a total stranger to me personally, yet not someone about whom I knew nothing! 

Remembering those gone before us

On the first of every February we Salesians remember the deceased members of our Salesian family.  I always felt there couldn't have been a better day to do this than immediately after the feast of Don Bosco.  Of course, we remember those gone before us on their anniversary or birthday and again collectively during our annual retreats, but this commemoration has always been special for me.  It is a nice way of saying 'Thank you' to all those who professed and committed themselves to God and the young and poured out themselves in their own unique Salesian ways in God's Kingdom.  

A collage of the souvenirs of deceased Salesians and Sisters
of this GBR Salesian Province

Among those whom I know and heard, I am grateful for all those with whom I had the good fortune of living and working with.  Specially remember those I've been greatly inspired by ... Fr John Lens and Fr Ronald Menezes, among the many others!

RIP: Sarah, and her family

Incidents happen all the time, all over the world.  Some of which we experience first hand, in our own lives.  Some major events we hear through the media.  Most of them we do not hear at all.  Only those we witness, especially those involving close relations, linger on in our emotional quotient.  The rest, especially those we hear in the news, are no more relevant than the numbers we see on our watch!  However, if and when, we know of someone involved in those 'statistical accidents' that particular incident begins to re-configure in our thoughts. 

One such personal experience was mine when I heard that Sarah Polani, a research scholar from our university department (a year junior to me), was on the plane that crashed in Pakistan last week. She, and her family (husband and three boys), died in that plane crash. The 97 who died in that crash, is not a mere number anymore! 

During the few interactions I had with Sarah, both in our group and as an individual, she came across to me as a fiercely independent and strong willed person. That she was a teacher before coming to commence her PhD at Royal Holloway, need not have been said - it was clear, at least to me.  She certainly was very determined and focused about her work and her choices.  Ever eager to learn and make the most of the opportunities that came her way, in doing her PhD.  Coming from a neighbouring Asian country, I could understand her passion to verbally prove her point - even if it meant interrupting someone while they were offering a feedback.  That's something we (Asians) constantly do; not out of disrespect but more so out of habit. 

God grant her and her family, eternal rest!  

The unknown saint

While listening to the gospel of the Emmaus episode, it occured to me: What if the whole finale of Jesus' story were to take place in a totally nondescript place? Jerusalem, as is today, back then too, was at the heart of the Jewish society.  Any and every event therein was bound to be known and talked about. 

Among the first things the disciples walking to Emmaus ask Jesus is 'Don't you know what has been happening in Jerusalem?'  That's an obvious and surprising question given the fact that everyone knows and is talking about the death of Jesus in Jerusalem.  It is like someone today, asking 'what is corona virus?' 

What if, like it happens very much in our times, Jesus were to be abducted by those who hated him and what he did in public;  tortured and then bumped him off in some remote place, unknown to anyone?  No public trial.  No journey to Calvary. No crucifixion in the open.  Just plain disappearance.  Not even does anyone of those involved in his kidnapping and murder try to circulate any rumours or theories - that would only increase speculation and search for truth.  Mere silence!  It is only those closest to him, Mother Mary, the apostles and those travelling with him that keep searching for him.  Asking about his whereabouts, having no clue what happened to him.  How would Christianity been moulded in such a context?  Would there at all be a religion called Christianity, arising from such a situation?

(Dedicated to the memory of those who silently but zealously work for the common good, often ending up paying very high personal costs - and even in death, continue to remain unknown!)

Death AND life

Most often we contemplate on the death of Jesus and treat that as a distinct aspect of his ministry here on Earth.  The Holy Week, and Good Friday, in particular is the typical commemoration of this.  While this has a great value in our Christian faith, it alone cannot be the essence of our faith. 

While the incarnation is something very peculiar and unique, the suffering and death of Jesus is not something unique.  No other religious tradition believes in God incarnating as a human being, living as a normal person and then dying like one.  That is something special in Christianity.  However, there were, and still are, people who suffer greatly like Jesus Christ.  Jesus' agony was mostly for three days.  There are people who have suffered for years.  Both physical and mental torture.  Very many died and continue to die after prolonged and intense suffering.  Therefore the suffering and death of Jesus alone does not set him apart from other human beings.  

Therefore the need to see his life and death as a whole unit, rather than amplify one at the cost of the other.  It is only then that we truly recognise the greatness of Jesus, as no other dimension of God and man. 

Spanning the spectrum of life

While at Cambridge, was keen on visiting the Christ's college Chapel.  Had visited the King's College Chapel on a previous visit.  Had heard much about the former from the Rector.  However, did not find it appealing - perhaps, had raised my level of expectations too high!

Anyway, two things that attracted me most: the mosaic behind the sanctuary and the marble carving on the right of the sanctuary.  Couldn't really get a good picture of the mosaic, but it depicted the risen Christ (or was it Christ, the King?) over the college campus.  Looked good!

The marble carving on the side were of two people - couldn't get their names or details since the description was totally in Latin. However what caught my eye was the carving of a small kid holding a skull in one hand!  Felt a bit strange to see the two ends of life juxtaposed, yet ignorant or oblivious of each other! The child is in no state of mind to know what the skull means.  The skull didn't have a clue of what infancy is all about.  But the viewer, who is aware of both, is left 'halfway through'.  The other side infant too had something in hand, but couldn't really make out what it was - most probably, it was damaged, and not complete. 

Mind, Cognition and Consciousness

Bibliography and resource tank for 'Mind and consciousness':

• Interview with Robert Lawrence Kuhn 'What is extended mind' (Aeon)
• Andy Clark and David Chalmers (1998) 'The Extended mind'
• Chalmers, 'The logical possibility of Zombies'
• Chalmers, 'Consciousness and its place in nature'
• Rorty, 'Incorrigibility as the mark of the mental' (self-knowledge, awareness, consciousness)
• Jackson, 'What Mary didn't know'  ... video: https://aeon.co/videos/can-you-know-everything-about-colour-if-you-see-in-black-and-white-a-thought-experiment 
• Crane, 'Intentionality as the mark of the mental' 
• Searle, 'Minds, brains and programs'
• Rorty, 'Mind-body identity, privacy and categories'
• Smart, 'Sensations and brain processes' (materialism)
• Sellars, Empiricism and the philosophy of mind XI-XVI 
• Putnam, 'The nature of mental states' 

• Philosophical problem of consciousness (consciousness - scientific and philosophical answers)
• Why science can't explain consciousness (scientific perspective)
• Consciousness is real (phenomenal C vs Access C; dualism and illusionism;  a different way of speaking about 'illusionism';  argument to show C as an efficacious biological reality)
• Neither person nor cadaver (who decides when a person is dead?  Issues with 'brain-death', how the controversial theory of brain-death was approved, dilemmas with regard to the 'point' of death...) 
• How to make the study of consciousness scientifically tractable (redefining 'subjectivity') 
• Our reality and why Consciousness is important (discusses objective consciousness)
• Science and the turf war of consciousness (Book review of Galileo's Error: Foundations for a new science of consciousness... where in the author is proposing panpsychism as a solution for the whole debate about consciousness, especially the body-mind problem since Galileo's days)
• Consciousness: how can we solve the greatest mystery in science? (Contemporary - 2019 - theories of consciousness;  the Templeton competition, initiated to arrive at a definitive understanding of consciousness;  a set of rival theories - IIT, GNWT, Mechanistic, magicalist, Higher order theories, Predictive coding theories, Attention schema theory, Illusionism, Quantum theories...;  good summary of contemporary names and theories working in the field of consciousness)
• The transition to minimal consciousness (article defending the proposal that animals too have consciousness.  Consciousness requires 'unlimited associative learning' - "refers to an animal's ability to ascribe motivational value to a compound stimulus or action pattern and to use it as the basis for future learning" (p. 5).  This is found in  invertebrates. 
• Semi-unlimited associative learning (Critique of the article: gap between unlimited and limited associative learning.) 
• The evolution of the sensitive soul (Book that states learning is the driving force behind the evolution of basic consciousness)
•  Inflate and explode (Critique of eliminativism and illusionism)
• Why your brain is not a computer (newspaper article: arguments and reasons from the field of psychology and neuroscience to show that the brain/mind cannot be considered or is not reducible to a computer; how the metaphor of 'the brain as a computer' has been eroded and is no longer valid)
• We are the world (Aeon) The object identity theory which holds that the consciousness is not in the brain or the mind, but outside us.  It is in our experience of the world, through the body.  So consciousness is not in the brain within us, nor in the world outside, but in our experience of the world, as a bodily being.  We are the experience.  It is the world relative to our experience that moves us. 
• Frames of Consciousness (Aeon) Latest technological advances and ethical questions related to study of brain, especially deciding when is a patient conscious or not?

The Egyptian persecution and gender persecution

History is strewn with numerous instances of persecution.  And among those groups of people persecuted most, the ones that top the list would be the Jews.  In the book of Exodus we hear Pharoah punishing the Jews in anticipation that they 'might' join the enemy!  Besides forced rigourous labour, he commands all male babies be drowned in the river. 

One can view this as a gender disparity.  Why only males? Why not all babies?  Perhaps Pharoah was not aware that in Jewish tradition, the child receives its heritage from the religion of the mother.  So one born of a Jewish woman, no matter which religion or group the father belonged to, the child would be a Jew.  Going by that lineage, Pharoah killed the wrong gender! 

But perhaps, Pharoah was not after destroying the whole race - something what Hitler tried to do.  He was perhaps only culling numbers - especially of those whom he feared a threat from: male, capable of joining wars and fights.  Females posed no apparent threat to him. 

If only modern generation, which is quick to blame the female gender for most of its faults, picks up at least the last lesson from him - even though sadistic or inhumane it may seem! 

Kids and philosophy

This video is really funny and insightful at the same time... children speaking of philosophical questions (creation, God, death, meaning of life).  The answers of the children show how they perceive things, how they pick up thoughts from the grown-ups, and how they put it all together.  Lovely, especially their thoughts about creation!

Les grands penseurs (The Great Thinkers) from karina garcia on Vimeo.

Directed by Karina Garcia Casanova
Illustrations by James Braithwaite
Animation by Darren Pasemko
Produced by John Christou and Karina Garcia Casanova
Year: 2009

Romero, a saint?

The other day someone expressed their doubt if Romero was actually a martyr or a case of political assassination. He was not contesting the canonization of the person but expressing a sentiment that one gets to see in quite some believers.  The point is that he did not 'die' for 'religious' reasons.  That the circumstances in which he was killed wasn't a question or threat to faith, rather a political turmoil. 

I for one, firmly believe that Romero is a saint - so is anyone who takes a stand for some value, especially not for himself but on behalf of others, especially those who cannot really take that step.  Romero is for me a saint who did not restrict himself to his office or Cathedral.  As a priest, a bishop, he stood with his people.  He stood against some of his own clergy who took up arms.  He was not hesitant to call what is wrong, wrong.  Even if it was the one's he was representing within the Church.  He stood for values, not compromises. 

Furthermore, he stood with his people, and distinctively with the poor.  And as a bishop and minister of God, he used the sacraments as a means of pointing to the values, not as belittling them, as some accuse him of, but of pointing to what is right, what is good and true.  Standing with his people, he upheld hope, and showed them, by example, what love truly entails - loving all, even those who cause harm.  The same love also entails courage, the courage to stand up to oppression, injustice and violence, but not out of hatred but for love.

Last of all, if Romero's death was a mere political assassination, so was Jesus' crucifixion.  The Romans did not sentence Jesus to death for any religious reasons - those accusations brought forth by the religious authorities meant nothing to the Romans.  He was sentenced in order to avoid social unrest and political chaos.  What marks out a martyr is not merely how he or she died, but how he or she lived as well.  In that sense, Romero is a saint, not merely in the death he died but in the life he lived.  

Pets and death

Here in UK, pets are really taken care of, often better than children!  Thus in one sense, it is better to be born an animal in this part of the world than a human being in some other parts of the world, where life is precarious and has no great value!! 

So it is that when pets reach the end of their life, they are often euthanized rather than left to die naturally.  'More humane' they say!  Rightly so!  More humane, for humans; but for the animal?  Those who argue that pets cannot really understand pain, must also be willing to concede that they do not understand joy and affection and tenderness.  And if they do concede an animal to be capable of the latter, then the former too is as much a reality.  The difference though is that while animals can feel pain, joy and affection and sorrow, they do not make sense of it - at least not in human terms.  The pain and agony that human beings undergo in the face of death is different from that of animals.  Death itself is often not the source of suffering; it is the knowledge and the anxiety that accompanies it that causes pain and suffering.  An animal most often is not anxious about its death (at least not like humans). 

So I guess pets are euthanized mostly not for their sake, but for our (owner's) sake!  It is often for the pain that we feel, when we see our pets suffering, we think that it cannot and need not take any more.  (However, just because animals do not have a sense of death and make meaning out of the suffering, does not mean that they can be culled at will for no genuine reason.  Anyone doing so, is certainly not living up to his or her humanity!)

Feels like home

Feels like home to me... a lovely song with a very deep emotional pull.

Situate the song in the movie, My sister's keeper and it's all the more powerful and moving.

Something in your eyes 
Makes me want to lose myself 
Makes me want to lose myself 
In your arms 
There's something in your voice 
Makes my heart beat fast 
Hope this feeling lasts 
The rest of my life 
If you knew how lonely my life has been 
And how long I've been so alone 
If you knew how I wanted someone to come along 
And change my life the way you've done 

It feels like home to me 
It feels like home to me 
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from 
It feels like home to me 
It feels like home to me 
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong 

A window breaks down a long dark street 
And a siren wails in the night 
But I'm alright 'cause I have you here with me 
And I can almost see through the dark there is light 

If you knew how much this moment means to me 
And how long I've waited for your touch 
If you knew how happy you are making me 
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much

(Lyrics by Chantal Kreviazuk)