Being passionate about somone!

This day's session during the Social Communication meeting concluded with me ending up more confused than with any clear ideas about the "Centres of Communication". As I still battle it out, I tried to find out what exactly was our focus on, in debating the whole issue about the identity and mission of the Communication Centres. Perhaps each centre has its own identity and mission; at times quite different from the one the Congregation expects such a centre to have. Whatever be the case, there is much good being done. If only we are a little more open and serious about the real purpose of communication, much more could be achieved.

The three days meeting (so far) has taught me one thing: people are different and they think differently. But even among those who are like-minded, concerns differ. There are those who have grand ideas but no practical knowledge of how to go about materialising those ideas. There are others who have all the money in the world but no brains to put it to the best use possible (neither the sense to invest it rightly)! Then there are some who have neither money nor ideas, but tons of enthusiasm and are willing to pour out every ounce of themselves for any opportunity to do good (These guys do not have a vision themselves but goodwill). Very few though have a vision, a foresight by which they pick and choose their individual deeds; so as to arrive at that final goal they envision all along. There are a few others who have a few ideas, no money, no big support but good will and the eagerness to do what they can, to the best of their ability; money or no money, they do what they can, in the best way possible to them.

Of the many things Fr Fili said in the past two days, I liked his insistence on setting our sight clearly on the poor young; being communicators does not grant us an exception to that. What, how, where we do, ought to be guided by the 'Why?' of our Profession/commitment - or is it 'WHO'? I would think it is the latter. The passion to do something will have a greater meaning and relevance when it is for someone (young people/Don Bosco/God...).

Multiplication of 'holidays'

Jesus saw a great multitude and felt pity for them. When it became late, his disciples came to him and said: Lord, dismiss the people, it is already late and they have no time. Jesus said: Give them your own time. They said: We ourselves have no time, and the little we have, what is that for such an immense crowd? Jesus said: Let us see how much time you have. One said that he had an afternoon free, another could spare ten minutes, another looked in his diary and found 3 half hours unoccupied. Jesus said: Give all that time to me. And he looked up to heaven and thanked his Father and blessed all the time they had given him and told them to distribute all that time among the people. And they did so. And everybody received a portion of time, and the little they received was enough for everybody, and at the end they still had 12 days extra, enough for a nice holiday.
[This one is from Fr John Lens sdb, a senior Salesian from the Province of Hyderabad]

The yeast of Social Communication

I write this sitting in a hall where an intense debate rages on about the restructuring and animation of the Department of the Mission (Youth Ministry, Mission and Social Communication). At this moment we find ourselves talking about the need of a Youth Pastoral team/leader who would coordinate the activities of the various commissions. He would pool together the resources of independent, charismatic and dynamic individuals (who may not even be part of any commission) and carry them forward using his 'official clout'. Fr Julian kept asking where does the one in charge of Social Communications fit in, in this whole process. For me, 'he is there' with his team, at the service of all the commissions. He (Communication) is like the yeast mixed in the flour and baked. After the bread is ready, if one were to ask where did the yeast go, none would be able to singularly identify it. But if not for the yeast, the baked product would be anything but bread. The yeast is the Communication department and the bread is the mission. And for whom is the 'bread'? For the poor young!

Energising a movement

Fr Anchukandam Thomas, the Salesian Provincial of Bangalore (INK) and the SPCSA representative, in his goodnight to the participants of the South Asia Communication Meeting, shed new light on the Strenna 2010 of the Rector Major (of making the Salesian Family a movement). He said that, in order to make this envisaged movement an efficient reality five essential features need to be strengthened: the centrality of the person, the intended/proposed programme, the effective and vibrant communication of them both, the consistency (between the person and the programme proposed) and the necessity of getting significant people, related to realizing this goal, on board.

I found this synthetic procedure quite precise and appealing may be because it primarily challenges each confrere to take responsibility for the movement.

Interchanging Bartemeus and Jesus

Even today, of all days, I was distracted during the Holy Mass - the reading of the Gospel, to be specific. The Gospel was about Bartemeus calling on Jesus to grant him his sight. While Fr KJ Louis beautifully shared that it was more about insight than mere sight, I had another "insight": Then, it was Bartemeus who was calling on the Lord - and the Lord heard him (in spite of all the noise around!). Then all that happened is recorded in the Gospel of Mark.

My distraction began the moment I playfully interchanged Jesus and Bartemeus... Imagine Jesus sitting down along the road and asking us, passing by, to reach out to him. What would Bartemeus do? Would he, in all his 'well being', hear the plea of Jesus, the 'lesser being'? Even if he did hear the cry, would Bartemeus reach out?

Today I think it is the Lord himself who is calling out, asking us to reach out to him - in the poor, the marginalised, the down-trodden and those stripped of their basic human dignity. Reminds me of Abraham Joshua Heschel and his idea of 'God in search of man'!

Thinking outside the box

I met Ms Mukti at her office, Healing fields, this afternoon. Fr Noel had cleverly passed on his offer to me to be part of a panel she was assembling for a study she intends to carry out. This is the first time that I got to be part of a networking team, outside the Salesian circles. Listening to the various people who were part of this team (seven of us from varying fields: one is an advocate, one lady is a senior professor in Osmania university, another an expert on health and nutrition...) was an experience in itself. In the beginning I thought I'd only have time to pick up words and get used to the jargon. But I am happy I was able to see things a bit differently perhaps since I was the only one not directly into the theme under discussion: health care and research study.

The day's experience was another confirmation of the need to think and see 'beyond the box'! The ideas and insights that emerge from different quarters are at times so refreshing that they change the whole line of thought and lead one to avenues otherwise thought to be non-existent.

The thrill of being a human

It has been long since that I'm trying to learn the art of bi-location; however am yet to master it. I guess till then I'll have to work it out 'alone'. There are times I envy the angels: no body, no time, no space, no boundaries... anytime, anywhere, anyhow! But there are times also when I pity them. I don't think they ever get to feel the thrill of chasing a train from the entrance of the railway station to the last platform or making it to an urgent meeting in the nick of time. The grace of getting stuck in traffic for four hours is exclusively of Hyderabadi people. I guess all this is possible precisely because we are human beings... mortal, limited, imperfect and finite.

I remember reading long ago in the book titled When bad things happen to good people (by Harold Kushner) the statement he makes referring to Homer's Odyssey: Calypso (the immortal sea nymph) envies Ulysses because he is a mortal. His life becomes meaningful, every decision significant, and life filled with real choices, precisely because his time is bound. So why rue over the fact that we are not capable and limited and small. It is precisely that we are so, that makes us special - that in spite of all these we do quite well. I guess it is a great and thrilling challenge to be a human; as angels I guess life will be quite boring with no worthy challenges at all!

Straying into sense!

As I began correcting the 'Introduction to Philosophy' answer papers of our Brothers from Karunapuram, I had some good fun today. You never know how some of them come up with certain crazy ideas or interpret something as simple as plain names and places! I remembered what a lay person once told about correcting answer papers of seminarians: "I scrutinize the papers very minutely for you never know when the students stray into sense!"

The two ways of being a Salesian

Here's a reflection of Fr Lens on the two forms of Salesian life, to which I fully agree. Most often this is what I tell my fellow Salesians, especially those who are appointed for vocation camps and orientation:
If you meet boys, don't ask them: Do you want to be a priest? (If they do, refer them to the Seminary). Ask them: Are you willing to make your life fruitful in the service of poor boys - save their souls and their bodies? Does Don Bosco's mission appeal to you? Then come, and afterwards you will learn which way is yours in the marvellous Salesian society.

A holiday from money and finances

Today I saw another dimension of the havoc money - excess of it or irresponsible accounting of it - creates in communities. Listening to the growing dissent among confreres and people and all involved when it comes to finances, I am convinced that half of our life and energies is spend on finance related matters. At times I feel, there should be some 'retreat' period declared by the Rector Major about money and funds. Just declare that for a month (atleast), there would be no discussion or debate or argument about money, funds and allocation and anything related to it - have nothing to do with finance! Just let us all take a holiday from counting money and dancing round it and go and be with the boys. No need of planning and constructing large mansions or putting up industries. Let's just live a simple life with those for whom we promised the last drop of our blood and breath of our life.