Return to Emmaus

Checking out the sdb.org today, the word 'Emmaus' caught my eye. I opened the link and it turned out to be the message of the Rector Major during the Synod. Somehow I seem to be addicted to that word 'Emmaus'. Anyway, this is first impression I got after reading the reflection of the RM: Somewhere mid-way the focus seems to be more on the Church rather than Christ. However, as he concludes he beautifully puts Christ back in His due place.

Some interesting points...

... Luke's story of the Emmaus walk offers us a precise itinerary of evangelisation where it say who evangelises - Jesus by means of His word - and how to evangelise - walking together.

If 'witness is the only language able to convince young people that 'God exists and his love can fill a life completely' (C. 62), evangelisation must take care of ensuring the unity of the Church...

Young people today share very few things with these disciples on the road to Emmaus, but perhaps nothing as much as the frustration of their dreams, the fatigue in their faith and the disenchantment in discipleship: it is not worth it, they often think, following Jesus: it is not worth spending their life for someone who is dead, not present.

From knowing many things about Jesus to letting him speak, while on the journey.

Reading Scripture, even if it leads us to discover God's plan in daily life and warms our heart, if it does not lead to the encounter with Christ in the community gathered around the Eucharistic table serves no purpose.

One crazy thought that flashed across my mind while reading the message was this imagery of two young boys bored to death inside the home, sneaking out seeking adventure in the night. They see a ghost and run - back into the home!! The two disciples on the road to Emmaus... something similar? Truly! They saw a 'ghost' and ran! Didn't they? Anyway...

Mister God... in me or I in him?

Here's another insight from today's meditation on Mister God, this is Anna:

As a supposed Christian one can stand outside and measure God. Surely He can be measured and we'd all get nice ideas like loving, kind, all-powerful, merciful... But these are all merely labels of what we think God is. In other words, these are only the peripherals - or may be they are the ones that really get in our way from REALLY measuring God.

But if I get inside and measure God, that way I'm a real Christian! But am I? Once inside, I don't measure God, because there is no 'I' there anymore. It is all one - God and I. God becomes a part of me too.

Well this idea needs a bit more reflection: What exactly matters? Properties, circumstances, functions??? Being outside Mister God and measuring him gave you properties, seemingly an unending list. The particular choice of properties that you made produced that particular kind of religion that you subscribed to. On the other hand, being inside Mister God gave you the function, and then we were all the same: no different churches, no temples, no mosques... we are all the same.

Mister God...and bread

"... I suppose I thought that a loaf ought to look like a loaf. To me loaf and bread were synonymous, and at that time I hadn't the sense to see the difference. In some part of my mind I can still detect a feeling of shame, a flicker of anger, a and a sense of wasted time, from that moment when I realized that the important word was bread - that bread could be baked into any infinity of shapes. I hadn't the sense to see that the shape of the loaf had nothing to do with food value of the bread. The shape was nothing but a convenience. But my education had been too much concerned with the shapes. At odd moments I find myself angered when I ask the question, "How much of what I was taught was a matter of convenience?" But I ask nobody. There's nobody there to give me an answer..." (p. 78)

How we get caught up with some strange ideas and cling on to them as though, if we'd change any bit of it, the whole world would collapse! Interesting to look at facts and instances that we take for granted from another perspective too - perhaps better from the opposite perspective.

Whiz kids...

Today's newspaper had an article about a 22-year old lecturing the police department on internet security. Well, its a very comical article about a very serious issue... given the present day scenario of violence and terrorism.

However, my point is that a 22-year old today is really the king of this generation. He knows the inside out of his laptop, skates through the net with such ease (as though he was the one who does it all!), is 'cool' about the whole take of life...

Contrast this with the not-tech-savvy youngsters whom we often meet in our navajeevan centres. Leave them alone, what about our own Brothers in formation? Sometimes they appear so dull and lifeless, I wonder if they are doing a big favour by being Salesians!!

I really love to see PASSION at work... young people zealous about their work, their dreams, their goals, their whole attitude towards life. Sometimes, our formation makes us so 'sober' that we become insipid, worthless (except for preaching)!

Some lessons from Fr PT

After three weeks of breakdown and every possible thing going wrong, my internet connection has been restored today... at last! There are quite a few things that have done by in the intervening period since my last posting....

The Provincial Community Day... nice day. Did not get too involved. Just enjoyed the day as it unfolded. No real excitement or depression. It was really good. I really liked the arrangement and the way in which the whole mood and ambient was created. Look forward to seeing such an ambient everyday, in each house!

The latest was the BOSCOM and FOSS programme at Chennai. Not really very fruitful, but it was interesting to meet and interact with Fr PT. Every time I interact with him, I learn something new. This time, around tea time, when half the participants were out for tea and the rest of us loitering around in the computer lab, I found Fr PT silently sitting in a corner. I approached him seeing him free. But he coolly replied, "Well, I'm saying my prayers!" Though away from the community, during moments of prayer he was still very much with his confreres... praying! That's real strengthening!

Media bias again...

Reading this morning's The Deccan Chronicle paper and the various editorials (excerpts only) published therein was real fun. How people interpret various events and opinions. The same Mumbai terror attack was termed as an attack on Jews by the Israeli newspaper. The one in Britain, was only concerned about the British nationals killed in the massacre. Dawn of Pakistan, was surprisingly most clear and open.

The editorial page contained another beautiful article about how media which normally holds a mirror to society now needs a mirror to review itself. Rightly said, the a-v media needs some serious introspection about the way it handled the crisis and thereby its policies too.

On the other hand, the fact that TRP ratings clearly state that people were hungry for information and media was just satisfying the hunger... but one need not be provided with every kind of dish on the menu to satisfy one's hunger.

Perhaps there is more that mere hunger here... it could be greed!

So much for love of the Lord...

Here's an interesting story from my friend Jules:

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.

'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,' said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence. Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.' He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.

'Come here quick,' said the boy, 'you won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls' The man said, 'Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk.' When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.' The old man whispered, 'Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord.'

Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord. At last they heard, 'One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done.' They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.

Prejudices galore

I remember Fr Sony remarking during the Mumbai siege... another lesson in media bias. While for all the while Mumbai, rather three places of 'repute' were under attack by less than a dozen men, all the possible channels and cameras were focussed on these with live coverage of every bit of 'action' - as if to feed the terrorists information about who's where and doing what!!

Anyway, Fr Sony rightly remarked: 'where were these same cameras and guys when thousands were being chased and hunted in Orissa during the communal violence?' Just when 200 people are killed so much hue and cry is made ... what about the life lost in Kandhamal and other places. ... not human life? not same flesh and bones?

How prejudiced we are in our thought and deed? ...even me writing this!

As secretary...

Sitting for the Council I learn news things and have varied experiences each time. I do not have the power to vote or voice my opinion but my duty is of prime importance! I realised the gravity of my role when I read the juridical elements of the congregation.

There are several occasions when I almost spoke up - so dumb and foolish were the discussions! Other times I have been surprised and spent days in reflecting about some statement or idea - how profound collective wisdom or on the spur ideas can be!

However, it is a very boring experience all together - but enriching, all the same!

Am I so indispensable?

Posting this blog from Ravulapalem.... a house which I wanted to see since long. Well, something that is still ringing in my head...

I've heard this long time back. But I heard the same thing this evening when Fr Palli was sharing about his work at PARA. He said an interesting thing: the whole philosophy behind CBOs is that communities are empowered to see to their own welfare. If they achieve that, it is a success. Why should we clamour that we have to be there amidst them always, as their saviours?

This is a 'sickness' among us religious: to make people dependent on us. Another side of this is the oft heard expression 'I cannot move from here' or 'what will happen if I am not there?'.

Is my presence in my mission to be part of the life and works of the people there or is it just to be 'in-charge'? So if I'm not 'in-charge' I've nothing to do there? Can I just be a part of the lives and work of people, especially if people are managing their affairs very well? Why should I always play the boss even when I'm not the best?