Prajwalana 2017 EDITORIAL Successful stories of the world have an underlying insight to tell us that great endings have humble beginnings. Some of the great entre- preneurs had begun their work from scratch. We are not only inspired by them, but also motivated to achieve some milestones in our lives too. In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “e heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” e Society of Jesus has always been a contingent of men who were formed through humble ways of living, keeping God in the centre of their life. e ear- ly stages of formation initiate the young minds to dream big, to think high and to etch on themselves the values of the One who called them to such a way of life. Down the years Navasadhana, the Jesuit Pre- Novitiate in Bangalore, has been a house of prayer and excellence. It has written manya successful story in red letters on the pages of the history of Karnataka Jesuit province. As it is on the threshold of its silver jubilee celebrations. In this issue we bring to you some of the fond memories of the Navasadhanites of their nos- talgic moments. It is a time to thank God for his innumerable blessings in all the ups and downs of its existence. We need to be indeed grateful to all the dauntless directors and regents who worked hand in hand and side by side to inspire and motivate the young minds and hearts with utmost care and concern. is number also gives a forum to our scholastics to express themselves through their creative writing. e road to success is not straight. ere is a curve called Failure, A loop called Confusion, Speed bumps called Friends, Red lights called Enemies, and Caution lights called Family. But if you have a spare called Determination, An engine called Perseverance, Insurance called Faith, and A driver called Jesus, You will make it to a place called Success!! I gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the authors giving their reflections and reminiscences. I thank Fr Stanislaus D’Souza SJ, Provincial and Fr Joseph D’Souza SJ, PCF for their continuous support. I am indeed grateful to Fr Richard Sequeira SJ for the editorial help. Wish you a happy reading. November – February 14 Sch. Anush D’Cunha SJ 1
Transcript
Prajwalana 2017
EDITORIAL
Successful stories of the world have an underlying insight to tell us that great endings have humble beginnings. Some of the great entre-preneurs had begun their work from scratch. We are not only inspired by them, but also motivated to achieve some milestones in our lives too. In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” The Society of Jesus has always been a contingent of men who were formed through humble ways of living, keeping God in the centre of their life. The ear-ly stages of formation initiate the young minds to dream big, to think high and to etch on themselves the values of the One who called them to such a way of life. Down the years Navasadhana, the Jesuit Pre- Novitiate in Bangalore, has been a house of prayer and excellence. It has written manya successful story in red letters on the pages of the history of Karnataka Jesuit province. As it is on the threshold of its silver jubilee celebrations. In this issue we bring to you some of the fond memories of the Navasadhanites of their nos-talgic moments. It is a time to thank God for his innumerable blessings in all the ups and downs of its existence. We need to be indeed grateful to all the dauntless directors and regents who worked hand in hand and side by side to inspire and motivate the young minds and hearts with utmost care and concern. This number also gives a forum to our scholastics to express themselves through their creative writing.
The road to success is not straight.There is a curve called Failure,
A loop called Confusion,Speed bumps called Friends,
Red lights called Enemies, andCaution lights called Family.
But if you have a spare called Determination,An engine called Perseverance,
Insurance called Faith, andA driver called Jesus,
You will make it to a place called Success!!
I gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the authors giving their reflections and reminiscences. I thank Fr Stanislaus D’Souza SJ, Provincial and Fr Joseph D’Souza SJ, PCF for their continuous support. I am indeed grateful to Fr Richard Sequeira SJ for the editorial help. Wish you a happy reading.
November – February 14
Sch. Anush D’Cunha SJ
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A Home away from Home It was in the year 2011. Some time before May. I had finished my SSLC Exam-ination, and was waiting for the results as well as thinking of my future. One fine day, I got a phone call. It was 10:00 p.m. I heard a gentle voice asking me: “Do you want to become a Priest?” I felt quite surprised, but I said: “Yes.” Again I heard: “I will visit you tomorrow.”
It was from then on that my life took a new turn. After attending all the camps, I came to a new home. It was full of boys of my age. I knew none of them. I saw some, seeming to be quite free attending to different works and even guiding others. I also saw some others, lost and anxious like me. It was the very first time that I was living away from my home and my par-ents. Initially, I often felt sad and was like a fish out of water. However, as the days went by, the words I saw on the first day, “A Home away from Home,” began to make sense. I slowly began to enjoy being in Navasa-dhana.The dedicated service of Frs. Arun and Ronnie and then that of Schs.Balakiran and Dheeraj shaped me well.
Now, when I look back at those two inspiring and golden years, I feel contented, indeed very happy.It was in Navasadhana that the seedling of my vocation was well nurtured. Now, it has grown into a tree.Navasadhana laid a firm foundation, helping me to shape myself well in the next stage of formation, viz, the Novitiate.I had been shy and fearful. I had openly expressed it to my Directors, the regents and my com-panions. They encouraged me, supported me and gave me opportunities to overcome my fear and shyness. Though they were strangers when I met them first, they soon became my own elder brothers. I cannot forget the love and care of our neighbours. They taught me English and corrected me when I spoke wrongly. Their devotion to and regularity at Mass, the rosary and other spiritual exercises, helped me to grow in my rela-tionship with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and with Mother Mary.
As Navasadhana celebrates its Silver Jubilee, I pray and wish that its “silver” may turn into “gold”, that it may help more and more young men to shape themselves well in the service of God and of their fellow humans.
Sch. Chethan Kumar SJ
Who is a stupid?
A stupid person laughs three times at a joke; once when everyone else is laughing,
a second time when he actually gets the joke, and a third time when he realizes he was laughing without getting the
joke at first.
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Compass In-formed
The black bird,did bid me comeWith words that had kept me mum.But, indeedit had its warmth,To beckon my soul to reign-on.
Two new years in the abode I spent,Never in my life, shall I repent.As, itdesigned a compass in-formedTo incline the path to be reformed.
Prayer in life, with work and games,Was here, that I learnt their names.What a life, in me it grainedAs every single moment, I gained!
Thanks, be to all who in me formedThe device within, being transformed.Hope in me it imparts, even nowTo reap love in every plough. Sch. Paul Anand Devasagaya
The Seasoning of the Grain One day the grain asked the soil, “How will I be more useful in this world? And what is the unique thing that I have in me to contribute to others?” The soil replied to the grain, “Come and see.” The sower acted as the mediator between the grain and the soil and helped the grain to be sown. Nights and days passed, season and time passed, the grain took shelter in the same soil. Thus, it began discovering the wonder of the soil, and getting to know its own identity. This nurtured the grain in finding its place in the world, with all the questions that it had posed previously. Finally, with a generous “yes” to the implied call it received from the soil, it applied itself fully, and slowly started sprouting and growing.With this analogy of the soil and the grain,I would like to compliment the life in the Society, in Navasadha-na. Navasadhana was and is the power house or the womb of the Society.What exactly happened to the grain
in the process of seasoning? The grain got initiated into a life of prayer,timely study, singing aloud at the top of its lungs, man-ual work in solidarity with a working man and the recreations to come together.
It was a life lived differently from the former one, and this made a new beginning in each one. The foundation of organ-ising and having an equilibrium in the way of life taught each one to be men for others. Integration of Jesuit culture into the
already existing culture started taking roots. Finally, it was a family of friends in the Lord, gathered to disperse.
The questions posed during those days and now may not be the same, but the process of its transfor-mation is simply to be admired. Even then the desire in each one was like a small burning flame.The gener-osity of God and of the Society made way for the grain to be rooted and grounded in love for its vocation. It was a choice made out of passion and love. Lotsof eventsand people passed by the route, some nurturing and others pruning. But the companionship and the guidance gave confidence to face the various storms in life. Thus, everything done to the grain was gratefully accepted with joy and it began preparing for the next stage of formation with curiosity and eagerness. In the words of St Teresa of Kolkata, “God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be Faithful.” This is what mattered much and remained as a motivating factor for the grain in its life as a Jesuit. Sch. Avinash D’Souza SJ
Navasadhana- words of love and gratitude Navasadhana, a home where dreams are built on the strong foundation of Ignatian spirit of Magis coupled with constant guidance by the two shepherd- the director and the regent. It is a home away from home; it is where new friendships form us, indelible experiences shape us and the love of our companions nurtures us. It is the age of discovery, of exploring life through the guiding voice of the house: a unique combination of Pre-Novitiate and PUC.
I’m privileged to have loved and cherished beautiful moments in both old and new Nav-asadhana. It is a home that cared for me, nurtured my talents and never gave up on me in times of depression, doubts and worries. Navasadhana is, indeed, for me a treasure home of God’s Love where I found the guiding pres-ence of the Jesuits, the strong friendship of the companions, the loving charisma of the neighbours and the deep educational values inculcated in the college. Thanks Navasadhana for all that you had been to me; continue to nurture and guide more young men for the Society of Jesus. Thanks to Fr. Brian Pereira (the director) and Frs. Arun Kumar and Melwyn Lobo (the regents) for their love and trust in me. Sch. Vinod AJ SJ
Navasadhana- Home Away From Home I vividly remember the day I walked into Navasadhana for the first time in my life. I came from Harobale (a remote village Parish) along with my mother seeking ad-mission into the Pre-novitiate. Fr.Jossy Rodrigues was the Director. He was very cordial and hospitable. He made us feel at home by personally attending to us, serving lunch and enquiring about our journey. It left a very deep impression on me about the Jesuits, for he was the first Jesuit I met in my life. That day I decided to stay with the Jesuits. My two years’ stay at Navasadhana has played a very significant role in shaping me as a Jesuit. It has laid a solid foundation for my formative journey in the Society. Navasadhana was not a formation house. It was not a seminary. Rather it was a home- home away from home. Of course there was a time table. There was discipline. There were rules and regulations, restrictions, corrections and punishment, and manual works. But more than all these, there was love. I felt loved and cared for in Navasadhana. That is what I cherish most.
I have had the joy of seeing myself being transformed from a rugged village boy into a fine, well-motivat-ed pre-novice, ready to join the Society of Jesus. It was a joy to see my companions and me blooming as young men. Everything that was said and done in Navasadhana was geared towards the integral and holistic formation of the candidates. Manual Works, Prayers, Eucharist, study, classes, coaching, camps, recreations, Sunday classes, picnics, community meetings, Navasadhana day celebrations were all opportunities for me to blos-som into a fine gentleman. They provided me aplatform to gain con-fidence, and my human qualities to flower forth.I gratefully remember my beloved director Fr.Jossy and the Assistant directors Frs SunilFernandes and Arun Kumar. We are fruits of their
commitment and dedication. They have facilitated our growth with the utmost patience and love. Formation is a very delicate and challenging mission both for the formees and the Formators. I realized it when I came back to Navasadhana as a Regent. It was a time for me to learn and unlearn many things. I loved to be with the young budding candidates, full of joy and fun. At the same time it was challenging for me to tend them. They did challenge me in many ways.Collaborating with Fr.Arun Kumar was another learning experience. The trust he placed in me and the freedom he gave me made me appreciate the Society of Jesus. It was a joy to see our cooks do their humdrum work with dedication and love. I gratefully remember all our neighbours who were really helpful to us at any time of the day. Their pres-ence and co-operation adds so much to formative value for our Candidates. When I think of Navasadhana I become nostalgic. The house and the people have made me feel loved and cared for. The strong foundation laid there has helped me to row through rough waters of life with dedication and determination.
Fr Balakiran SJ
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PAUSE and DECIDE What should I write? Was it my own desire and decision to say ‘YES’ to that priest about joining the seminary? Yes, it was my own. But what happened now? Who is the reason for this?The first unforgettable day in my life!!! When I was studying in the SSLC class, Fr Thomas D’Souza came to our school one afternoon. I was greatly moved by the words that he spoke about the life of religious and their self-sacrificing deeds for Christ. I felt that the seed I had in me to become a priest got a goodfertileground to let the roots go deep and to let the shoots reach high in the sky. When I came back home in the evening, after school, I told my parents about my desire and the decision of my life. My Father said to me, “Go ahead and don’t look back.” My mother, though not happy with my decision, said after a long time, “It’s your wish. I don’t say anything. But remember, if you be-come a priest, you will get everything but not marriage.” Months and years passed in the seminary. I was happy and joyful about the present state of life. I came to know more about my God and made lots of friends in the face book, what’s app and even in reality. There were any number of deadly storms, especially doubting my own vocation that arose in the path of my chosen life. Ifaced them calmly and patiently. I never shared my inner world with anybody, even with my God! I went on with it.
My Provincial sent me to a new place for my next stage of formation, that is, for my degree studies. I had no difficulty with his decision. I willingly went to that place along with my companions. I had ample expectations for my own life, like excelling in my studies and mingling freely and equally with boys and girls.One month passed. I made only three good friends out of one fifty classmates. Shyness and fear blocked me from mingling with them. My superior and the companions were forcing me to come out of my limitations. I was working on them. The second and the last unforgettable day in my life. She was a late comer to our college. When I saw her for the first time, truly, I did not feel or think anything. She was a beautiful and good looking girl. Her name was Gayatri. As days passed, I noticed some external and internal changes taking place in me. I em-barked on giving more importance to my dress, hair style and my academic life. My eyes began to hunt for her in and outside the class.I spent my prayer time thinking about my life with her. I was conscious that all these changes were to please her and win her love. One day Rajesh, one of my classmates, told me privately that Gayatri was in love with me. That was enough for me. I was high up in the air. I did not ask him how he knew it. I just believed him. Even I felt that she was in love with me, because there were times when our eyes met and spoke about our warm and silent love for each other. However, I did not dare to say, “I love you” to her in words. No one can stop time, but everyone can make a good use of it. But I did not. Itwas perhaps the most awful day in my life. As soon as I got up in the afternoon, I opened what’s app and was shocked to see the display picture of Rajesh. He had posted the selfiewith Gayathri, who was kissing his cheek. With deep pain in my heart and tears in my eyes, I read his status which said ‘I luvu Gayathri’. Then I got a notification from Face Book saying that Rajesh had posted the photos. Suddenly, I opened the face book and saw so many photos of him with her. I clicked on ‘Like’ and threw away my mobile. I did not know what to do or with whom to share my inner turmoil. I just went and lay down on my bed to sleep, as I used to do always,as I was not able to face the struggles of my life. I tried my best to sleep, butfailed. Her stunning eyes were piercing
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my heart and soul. I got dreadfully angrywith Rajesh. But I could not do anything. I was helpless. Rajesh has got a good partner and even Gayatri too. Gayatri will be happier with Rajesh than with me. Poor girl, it was not her mistake but mine. Being a boy I failed to express my true and genuine love to her. If I had proposed to her and if she had accepted my proposal, what would be next? She is a Hindu girl and I am a Christian boy; but much more than that, I am a religious. Would my family, my friends and the religious order accept my future life partner? If they do and if I leave the religious order to marry her, will not my rel-atives and the neighbours fool and call me, till my death, a ‘half priest’ and it will be a bad name to my family.So what next? I could not find an answer to this question. I went to the college. My eyes were searching for her. But she did not come to classnor did Rajesh. I attended all the classes and listened to the lectures with the ab-sence of my heart and mind. After the class I returned to the seminary and rushed to my room. It was more than I could bear. I could face it no longer.Sorry, father, mother, brother and sister... As I began this new paragraph of my death note, something pushed me to go ahead. So I began read-ing it once again. Though I was fully convinced of committing suicide, the last sentence of the death note made mepause.“Sorry,father,mother, brother and sister.” This pause brought in ample of questions to my mind. Why am I committing suicide? Is it because Gayathri didn’t love me? What about the love of my family? Is it greater than her love?Tears rolled from my eyes.I held back my tears. I crushed the death note and threw it in the dust bin and shouted, “I love you dad, I love you mom. I decide that I will not commit suicide. I will live. I want to live for you, for your love. Your love is far greater than hers. She is nothing for me. Sorry dad, sorry mom.” Suddenly the bell rang. It’s a reminder bell for us to get ready for the game. I wore my shoes and went to the basket ball court.
SHE Taught me........ Trin ...... the bell rang, it was 4.30 pm. It was the month of June and there was a heavy downpour. I finished my day’s classesat St.Joseph’s College. I could not step out of the college gate due to the heavy rain.I waited for some time, hoping that it would stop raining, but there were no such sign. So I decided to move. A stone’s throw from my college lay the busy Brigade Road.It is as busy as bees, so much so one could not make out whether the vehicle on the move was a car or a bus - they moved so fast.To compete with them the crowds too, irrespective of colour, gender and age, were moving very fast without even looking at each other. Neither rain nor storm would slowdown busy Brigade Road. I wished once at least this busy road would stop moving and remain still. I came out in the rain, trying to cover my head with my hands and began to run towards the Brigade Road, breaking into the crowd to find my way to the bus stop to catch bus No 254, which goes to my place siluvepura. There are very few buses to my place, so I had to rush to find thebus; if not, I would have had to wait for another two hours to catchthe next one. These anxious thoughts wererunning through my mind
when suddenly I slipped on the foot-path and accidentally fell on a girl,knocking her down. She lost her balance and fell on the road. Immediately, even before I could say sorry, a santrocar raced onher and smashed her right leg. She screamed loudly in pain, bringing the whole traffic on Brigade Road to a stand-still,and fell unconscious. “Oh, no ...” I screamed looking at her. The rain water was washing away the blood from her wounded leg.I was helpless and was trembling with fear; with the help of others I took her to St.Philomena’s Hospital as it was quite closeby. Her innocent face and the flowing blood seemed shouting at me that ‘I was guilty’. The doctors examined her horrible condition, and imme-diately took her to the I.C.U. I came out of the hospital and cried a lot.I had never cried so profusely in my life before. A nurse called me Mr. and gave me the hand bag of that wounded girl. I
found a phone diary in which her name was written.It read, Divya Jyothi , age 21,(two years younger than me ); address: door no 9, Victoria layout, 6th cross, Bangalore -47. Her phone No. was 080-25576832. She was a Catholic, belonging to Sacred Heart Parish. She had lost her father.I called her mother over the phone, and told her that her daughter had met with an accident. As soon as she heard the news she burst into tears. I could makeit out from the telephone. She rushed to the hospital which was just half a kilometre from her house. She enquired from me and wept bitterly. I just could not bear the sight of her crying so loudly, so I went away from her. Fear had filled my mind and guilt had choked my heart. I did notknowwhat to do,where to go and whom to tell. I went to the Sacred Heart Church and cried and pleaded with God that I did not do it purposely. Though nobody had noticed when I knocked herdown,myconscience would not keep quiet; it pricked me, kept on telling me that I had committed a crime. Who could escape from one’s own conscience? After an hour or so I left the place and went home by bus. I did not speak to anybody,not even dared to look at them,because all looked like that girl to me, and I was shivering. I had high fever and severe headache. I tried to sleep but could not. Theimage of DivyaJyothi had filled my mind. I could not think anything but her.
Early next morning, instead of going to the college, I,went straight to the hospital, B ward, bed no 27.I saw DivyaJyothi lying on the bed. She had closed her eyes.Her innocent face reduced my anxiety and fear and she looked very beautiful.Her mother told me that she had to undergo a surgery at 10.45 am. I was waiting near the operation theatre half an hour before. Around 10:45a.m. the nurse brought her to the operation theatre.Before entering it, she opened her eyes and saw me standing. I wanted to saysorry, but by the time I could open my mouth, they took her inside the operation theatre and closed the door.Her mother came and stood next to me. During those moments, I often looked at the watch.The operation went on till 12:15 pm; that hour and a half seemed like one and half years to me. When the surgeon came out I asked
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him how she was.He said that he tried his best, but there was no other alternative, but to amputate the leg. Hearing this, the mother yelled loudly in agony. ‘Doctor’ she shouted, “If you want, take my legs, but give the leg to my daughter.” This time I could not control my emotions;I too wept bitterly withher.I cursed myself for ruining the future of a young girl. I could not stay there any longer, and just left that place. When I reachedhome, I could not speak, my voice waschoked.I could not eat,norswallow a morsel of food. My mother gave me acrocin tablet, for I had high fever. I tried to sleep but the painful scream of DivyaJyothiwoke me many times from the bed . Next day as I was getting ready to go out, my mother told me not to go to college, because I was not well. But I said, ‘I want to go’ and left the house. All that I wanted was to see her and ask pardon from her; so I went to the hospital. As soon as I saw her face, my temperature went down. Her mother introduced me to her saying, “He was the one who brought you to the hospital and took care of you.” Joining herhands she thanked me.I was moved by her kind gesture, yetfelt bad because she was thanking the one who had brought her to such a condition. She said,“I have lost my leg, I have no future. I had many dreams in life, but.... now everythingwent in vain”, and she cried.I tried to console her. As I was speaking toher, suddenly she told me angrily that someone had pushed her from behindthat day, and that was how she fell on the road. She started cursing that person for ruining her life. I felt very miserable. I wanted to tell her that it was I who did that act,but looking at her angry face, I refrained, and withdrew from there saying that I had to go to the college.My mouth was dry and I was sweating. As I was about to leave the ward, she asked me in polite tone, ‘What’s your name?’. Isaid ‘Jude’ and left her and went home. What a name! Jude is the name of a saint,patron of hopeless cases. Here I am, instead of helping people in their hopelessness, causing them lose hope. All through the day, the words of Jyothi were repeatedly coming to my mind and made me feel guilty. I was not able to hide the truth, my conscience was pricking me again and again,and I decided to tell her the truth. I spent a sleepless night again. I went straight to the hospital next morning. It was the third day since the incident took place. I wished her ‘good morning’; she looked quite sad and did not reply. Her facial expression told me that something had gone wrong. I asked her mother,‘What happened?’ She said that Jyothi was engaged toJerrin (a software engineer) a month ago. He had come to see Jyothi,that morning and looking at her condition had declared that he did not want to marry a handicapped girl and suffer in life. She had begged him not to leave her, but he said, ‘No’ and went away. She burst into tears as she said this. She started cursing God for the injustice done to her innocent daughter and the culprit who brought her to this condition.I could no more hide the truth. I let out the truth, saying, “The culprit is me, I was the one who knocked her from behind, not purposely but accidentally.” It fanned the flame of her anger. She got hold of my collar and started shouting loudly saying, “Why did you do that? I thought you are a good man, a small mistake of yours has ruined my daughter’s whole life.” She told me sternly, “Now ...you must marry her and give life to her”, and she went away.I was in a dilemma, because I wanted to become a Catholic priest and my parents and relatives too wished the same.I did not know what to do, what to choose - whether to fulfil my and my parents’dreamor to marry this girl in compensation for my fault. I simply stood still and dumbfounded, and collapsed on the chair. “Jude” she called me in a polite voice, and asked me to sit close to her. She told me, “I understand you, don’t feel bad and guilty, I know you did not do it purposely. Well,.......it was my fate.Don’t be worried about what my mother said. If you really want to marry me out of your free will, you marry me, but not because my mother forced you to. Don’t even marry me in compensation for your fault; by doing that, you will not be able to give back my leg.” She went on –“Every choice we make in life must be free and of our own will, not forced by others. ‘Don’t make choices for others’sake, make choices for your sake’,for we need to run our race by ourselves, and others can’t run for us. They can only watch us run from outside. Let your choice be free and out of your conviction; then you will be happy with your choice.” I was really inspired by her conviction, and tears rolled from my eyes.
She gently touched my cheek to wipe my tears ......that touch woke me up..... from my sleep. When I opened my eyes, there was no one except my mother. She said, “Good morning.” Only then, with a terrible start but with sweet surprise I realised that it was all a dream. What a terrible dream it was! I could not really get the picture of that girl DivyaJyothi before my eyes.But her words were very clear.They kept on ringing in my ears –“don’t make choices for others’ sake,but make choices for your sake.” As I was discerning and
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- Sch. Leo Florence SJ
preparing myself to go to Navasadhana,a Jesuit pre-Novitiatein Bangalore,her inspiring words helped me to discern well. As I came out of my room to feel the warmth of sunrise,I asked myself sincerely,my father wants me to become a priest,my mother wants me to become a priest and my relatives wants me to become a priest; but..doI really want to become a priest?.....In my dream,“She taught me to make choices in life for myself and to live my Life.”
I find my life with purpose and meaningMore than you possibly knowFrom my birth till my deathI would catch every glimpse ofWhat I do and where I go.
I was born to pious parentsWho taught me gently how to pray.Took every step with meHeld me before I stumbleTaught me never to tremble and to be humble,They formed me to be ever Thine.
I feel sad, I feel happy, I feel strong and I feel weakBut always content with joy of His.As I gaze into the pastI see those who have left their footprints,Are sailing with me on the boat of lifeGiving me assurance that we shall never sink.
I want to die, surely not in an accidentWhere I am just forgotten.I will walk on those roadsWhere no one dared to tread
And build my life to create wonderful moments.
This life is of course! Precious and special,Every minute I long to see an angel! And with pure determination and strengthSoar like a seagull.
VILLAGE EXPERIENCE IN BENACHINA MARADI “Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate the love of God and family and to create memories that will last forever. Jesus is God’s perfect, indescribable gift. The amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift, but we are able to share it with others at Christmas and every other day of the year.”To share this Christmas joy we the Vidyaniketan community joined our hands together to spread Christ’s love to the poor and the downtrodden.
Under the patronage of our beloved Superior,FrPrashanth Wesley D’Souza, we chose the village named “BenachinaMaradi”.BenachinaMaradi is a hamlet which is 25 km away from the city of Belagaavi, Karnataka. We had our expe-rience from 10-17 of December,2016.We lived in an area surrounded by the Protestant sect who, though poor, were rich in faith in and devotion to Jesus Christ.
BACKGROUND : The people here are Christians, but due to their low caste status they are discriminated against. Their stories are very painful to hear. They were living their life as slaves and untouchables until they were awak-ened by their leader Kashavva by name.Kashavva is a woman who is strong mentally,physically, psychologically and in faith.She has been the binding force for all of them. They also have a small church where they have services on Sunday when a Protestant pastor comes and breaks the word to them.Their faith is unshakable. Their prayer is solid like a rock.
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS: They were very welcoming when we arrived. The very lifestyle of our Jesuits was liked by them, as we prayed and worked in proper proportion.Some of us used to go to the government school to teach children and make them aware of the importance of cleanliness. We even had a day’s shramadana inspiring children to be clean and to keep their village clean.We also conducted charismatic kind of prayers to give them more of Jesus Christ. They were inspired by our way of praying and we too incorporated their ways.Bible classes were regularly taken every morning. The mesmerizing thing about this was that they were at their best when it came to Biblical knowledge. We even welcomed them to attend the holy mass in which they took part actively by constant singing of bhajans and songs. We cooked our food ourselves and even gave a grand meal to the whole village. There was a lot con-tributed by the scholastics with regard to faith and cleanliness. There was also a cultural programme given by us which highlighted the mercy of the Lord and the aspect of social evils.
FOLLOW UP: This experience has truly awakened the Jesuit spirit in us. It has strengthened our vocation and spir-itual life. Truly it was a time of grace when we could prepare for Christmas and get along in our Jesuit life with full life and spirit.
- Sch. Cannon Fernandes SJ
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Fr Lancy Fernandes SJ releases maiden two books Two books written by Fr Lancy Manoj Fernandes SJ, the newly ordained Jesuit priest for Karnataka Province were released by Fr Dennis Moras Prabhu, Vic-ar General of Mangaluru Diocese and Fr Stanislaus D’ Souza SJ, the Provincial of Karnataka Jesuits respectively at Jeppu seminary grounds on the occasion of the First Mass of Fr Lancy Fernandes SJ. Fr Lancy SJ was ordained on Dec 27, 2016 at Divine Mercy Church by Bp Aloysius Paul D’Souza.
T h e First book titled, “My Encoun-ter With Questions,” deals with analysis of Indian Issues, an anthology of articles, pub-lished by Fr Lancy in Nation-al magazine, Indian Currents for the past 6-7 years. It is published by RTC publica-tions, Bengaluru. The author attempts to ask and answer several prominent questions about the socio-political real-ity around us that trouble our nation ranging from youth, ecology, education, challenges of modernity, crippling lives of the under-privileged and
burning issues like terrorism, globalisation, development model, poverty, Euthanasia, and so on. In a word it has creative and thought provoking approaches that are a need of the hour today.
The second book ti-tled “Challenges to Christian Religosity Today” is published by Vaigarai Publications, Dindigul. This book is an at-tempt to simplify Christian ethos for the ‘People of God.’ It deals with questions about day-to-day religious practices of Catholics that need better understanding for the mod-ern age like Mass, Sacraments, Ten Commandments, Cross, family, Lent, Christmas etc. It is a wonderful and down-to-earth book that addresses the questions of today’s youth with each chapter inviting the read-er for reflection through questions. It can also be a guide to parents to teach catechism at home. Most of the articles in this book have appeared in ‘Tabor Kirana,’ a monthly magazine of B’lore Archdiocese. Fr Lancy Fernandes SJ hails from Jeppu parish. He is a well versed writer in Kannada and English. Writing began in him as a hobby. In an interview to Prajwalana, Fr Lancy said, “My first book is an offering
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The Forgotten Gospel
In an interview to Prajwalana, Fr Lancy said, “My first book is an offering to my nation which has nurtured me for so many years to be a proud Indian and is dedicated to my elder brother Late Br Loy Fernandes SJ who unfortunately left at the prime age of 24 years. The second book is my offering to the Catholic Church which has fostered my faith since childhood and encouraged me to be a religious. These two books are be available at Gerosa Co, Gem & Co, Pauline Publications, Hampankatta. It will soon be available in Pauline Publications, Pauline Publications Bengaluru. Price: My Encounter with Questions – Rs 150.00 Challenges to Christian Religosity Today – Rs 70.00
It was early in the morning. My brother and I returned home. We were tired after finishing our heavy work in the night and we sat on an old sofa.“Mikael,” I said to my brother, “If we continue this workfor some more time, we will surely become rich and all people will respect us. But I am only afraid of the Roman soldiers!”
“Joshua, do not get tensed,” said my brother after a long pause. “The art of robbery is in our blood. The Roman soldiers cannot do anything to us. Now take some rest.” Yes! We both were robbers, criminals. We con-sidered robbery as our holy work and God’s will for us on earth.We found joy and happiness whenever we beat others and robbed them of their valuable things.Since my brother and I knew that the world respects and honorsthe rich, we dreamt of becoming rich, but it was possible for us only through our holy work. We were also readyto do anything to fulfil this dream. But this dream of mine got shattered, when I
saw someone…Once, as we were roaming in a village called Galilee, we saw a huge multitude of people on a mountain. We de-cided to open a robbery branch there. As we were approaching the mountain, I heard a gentle voice. It said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
I was disturbed. I thought of leaving the place. I saw my brother; he had already begun his work. I took a deep breath and moved forward. Suddenly that man’s and my eyes met. I tried to look away, but I failed. I saw somethingnew and moreprecious than all the valuable things of the worldin his eyes. I felt like taking it from him. So I decided to rob it. But how could I rob it from his eyes? Suddenly I became aware of the huge waves arising in the calm sea of my soul. I could not continue my work any longer. My legs started moving towards my house, with an empty hand and without saying a word to my brother. I wanted to sleep, since I could not face the turmoil within me. Even at that moment, I noticed that a new dream beganto sproutin me to see that man once again, but much more than to rob it from him.After a long time, my brother came back homewith a handful of things. But he said not say a word. The next morning, he came to me and said, “Joshua, I have planned to do our holy work inthecenturion’s house tonight. I am hoping to get some valuable things.”Since my existing dream wasdifferent,I refused his invitation and said firmly, “I do not want to berich.” Suddenly I could feel a sharp pain on my cheek. For the first time in my life, he had hit me! Who is the reason for this? I remembered all the days that I spent with him. He had given me everything, especially filial love, since I did not see them. Hewas a like a God to me. Since I did not want to hurt him, I decided to join him.
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At midnight as we were entering the house, unfortunately, we were caught in the web of the soldiers. There was no hope of escaping. The next day,Pilate sentenced us to be crucified on the Cross. I was frightened of death and now death on the Cross, a horrible death.Simultaneously, the dream of mine became stronger and stronger. But I decided to give up that dream. On the eve of our crucifixion, I came to know that my brother and I were going to be crucified on the mount called the Skull,along with a Jew, named Jesus. But I did not know who this Jesus was. I thought that he must be a criminal like us. As I was moving towards the mountain, while carrying my heavy Cross, I saw that man! But I did not expect that I will see him in this position! His garment was soaked in blood. Drops of blood and amixture of salty sweat ran down into his eyes. A thorny crown was pinned tightly on his head. He looked help-less, thirsty and exhausted. The soldiers were mercilessly beating him. Some were laughing and some were crying for him. ‘Who is he? Why are they crucifying him? What has he done to them?’ A lot more questions entered my mind but I did not understand anything. I desired to help him to carry his Cross. Since I had my own heavy Cross, I could not do so. After we were nailed to our Crosses, we were hoisted up from the earth. What a terrible pain it was! Cursed! All my sins came back to me in the form of a Cross and three nails. But what sins had Jesus committed? I had already given up the dream of robbing it from him.The soldiers started to mock him, “If you are the king of the Jews save yourself and others.” ‘Is Jesus the king of the Jews?’A question arose in me. I wanted to smash all these soldiers and take Jesus far from this place, but that was impossible now. I heard him saying, “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” ‘Who is that Father?’ another question. He started to console a man and two women, who were standing under his Cross. They were helplessly looking at what they have done to him. But I was buried in my questions. ‘Who is…’suddenly he looked at me. Our eyes met. Enough…no more questions, no more doubts. He is the son of God, Messiah, Saviour of the worldand king of all kings. My heart started to fly like a bird even in that agony. What a joy in my heart!“Are you not the Messiah?” I heard my brother’s voice, “Save yourselfand us!” I got angry with him and I said to him, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condem-nation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” And I looked at my Saviour and said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”“Truly I tell you”, he said to me, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”After some time I looked at him; he had already stoppedbreathing. Now I am on the cross. He is dead, but I know that he will rise again! A soldier is coming towards me to break my legs, so that I may die soon. But now I am not afraid of death. But before closing my eyes, I would like to say that I narrated my life story not only that you may believe in him but much more in his mercy! Yes, I dreamt ofrobbing a new and precious mercy from his eyes but to my surprise, he gave it freely to me, to a criminal! Does he not also give it to youfreely? It is my desire that you may encounter his unconditional mercy which has saved me today. It is not too late for you. Look at him just as you are, at least once, so that all your sins will be wiped away and you may be filled with his unconditional mercy. Now, my hour has come…see you in the Paradise of our Saviour!
