Reflection And Sharing

Mother Eliswa Vakayil, the foundress of the Congregation of the Teresian Carmelites (CTC), was honoured as Venerable by Pope Francis in November 2023. Born in 1846 in Kerala, Eliswa’s life was marked by deep spirituality and compassion for the poor. After her husband passed away two years after their daughter Anna was born, Eliswa dedicated her life to prayer and service. With support from Rev. Fr. Leopold Beccaro OCD and Archbishop Bernardine Baccinelli OCD, she, her daughter Anna, and her sister Thresia joined the Carmelite Order, establishing Kerala’s first order for consecrated women. Her recognition as Venerable highlights her faith, resilience, and pioneering role in advancing women’s causes.

Venerable Mother Eliswa: My Inspiration

As the foundress of my own congregation, I have always felt a deep connection to Venerable Mother Eliswa. Her very life, deep communion with Jesus, love for the poor, and ability to forgive without counting the cost have inspired me greatly. In today’s world, where the true spirit of religious life can sometimes get lost, her life reminds me of what is truly important. Mother Eliswa’s dedication and love for God and others continue to touch my heart and strengthen my own faith. Mother Eliswa faced many painful experiences as the foundress of the Congregation. On the evening of Tuesday, September 16, 1890, a significant leadership change occurred due to the division of Rites in the Archdiocese of Verapoly.  All the sisters who were in leadership, including Mother Eliswa, the foundress, were unexpectedly removed from their positions and replaced by others.  Despite the deeply humiliating circumstances, Mother Eliswa chose to transcend human sentiments and responded with spiritual maturity. With quiet dignity and unwavering faith, she and her companions shifted to a small house on the convent campus the next morning, placing their future entirely in God’s hands.

SR ASHITA CTC

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St. Ignatius of Loyola was the youngest son in a noble family of thirteen children in Navarre, Spain (1491-1556). He began his “worldly” career as a courtier, gentleman, and soldier. In 1521, he suffered a severe leg wound while defending a fortress against French forces at Pamplona, Spain. During his recuperation, the thirty-year-old soldier experienced a profound religious conversion through extraordinary experiences of the Trinity, Christ, and Our Lady, manifested in visions and other mystical phenomena. God purified, illuminated, and transformed Ignatius from a knight in the service of a temporal lord to a knight under Christ’s banner in the service of the Trinity.

Conversion and Spiritual Exercises

During his recovery, Ignatius asked for some books to read. The only books that could be found were the life of Christ and the lives of the saints. Reading and reflecting on these lives deeply disturbed him at first, but gradually, he was transformed into a new person. He began to think deeply about his own life. Later, he spent several days in prayer at a Benedictine monastery, where he hung his sword before a portrait of Mary. From there, he journeyed to Manresa, near the shrine of Montserrat, where he led a rugged life for about a year. During this time, he began taking notes on his experiences, which formed the earliest stages of what would eventually become the famous handbook known as the “Spiritual Exercises.”

Fr Richard Mascarenhas, SJ

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Having cleared all the payments for my new apartment, I entered my room for the first time, and what made me leap with joy was a huge mirror on the wall. It immediately caught my attention. As life gained momentum with a busier schedule due to my taxing responsibilities, the mirror went unnoticed. However, one fine morning, I suddenly realized that the mirror on the wall had collected a lot of dirt. While cleaning my room, I thought of cleaning the mirror too. As I wiped down this life-sized mirror, my tangled mind started to unravel, leading to an unbiased analysis of my own life. I share these reflections with candidness, hoping you too may connect them to your own life.

“Behold the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.” (Isaiah: 42: 9)

The world is rapidly changing everything in and around us. From the time of our birth until now, the world has been in constant flux. We have witnessed a paradigm shift in technology: from small transistors that attracted crowds to paan shops during India vs. Pakistan cricket matches, to black and white TV sets in our locality, and now to colourful TV sets. We’ve moved from landlines to mobile phones, and from typewriters to computers and laptops in every house. Today, the information of the entire world is at our fingertips—we just need to google it, and we have it. The advancements in technology have made it possible for us to communicate with everyone, regardless of distance.

SR POONAM CJ

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This article is based on the address presented by me to over six hundred Major Superiors during the CRI National Assembly held in Bangalore from 14th to 17th May 2024.

Let us start by unpacking what elusive ‘hope’ really means. When psychologists and researchers delved into the science of hope, they discovered that some aspects of hope were surprisingly different from what we initially thought.

MYTH 1: Hope is wishful thinking that something will turn out well.

Truth: Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up. HOPE implies a willingness to HOP.

The American psychologist Charles Snyder, renowned for his extensive study on hope, emphasized that hope isn’t just the belief in a brighter future but, more importantly, that we have the ability to make it happen. Hope is not tied to a good outcome or to the future, nor is it optimism about things outside of our control.

Apartheid in South Africa wasn’t dismantled by force or by merely replacing politicians but by a tiny action of hope.

Amid racial injustice, people of faith prayed together and lit candles in their windows as a sign of hope against apartheid. The government saw this as subversive, criminalizing it. In Soweto, a joke emerged: “Our government fears lit candles!” Ultimately, hope, prayer, and candles morally shamed and defeated apartheid.

Something similar was done across our country on the 3^rd of last month for the conflict-troubled people of Manipur by numerous Church groups who organised candlelight rosaries. In the picture, you can see how the CRI unit in Shillong collaboratively did a similar action of hope.

MYTH 2: Hope thrives in pure positivity.

Truth:  Hope, uniquely among pleasant emotions, requires negativity or uncertainty.

Joan Chittister in her book Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope, begins the book with a confession. Her original plan was to write a book about hope. But that didn’t work.

Everywhere she looked, hope existed but only as some kind of green shoot amid struggles. The more she struggled with the idea of hope, the more she began to realize that it is almost impossible to write a real book about hope without looking at the nature of struggle. She anchors her reflections on the Genesis story of the wrestling between Jacob and the angel of God. So much of hope is wrestling with God.

Ironically during our visit to Manipur last year, what moved me and us was to see the strong resilience and hope in relief camps where the living conditions were the bleakest. Where the circumstances were most dire, the stench was the strongest, hope burned brightest.

Br. Sunil Britto CFC

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The second volume of the Council Notebook delves into the theme of ‘Revelations as the Word of God,’ particularly focusing on Dei Verbum 1-6. Continuing the tradition established by the Council of Trent and the First Vatican Council, the Second Vatican Council emphasized the Doctrine of Divine Revelation. The aim is to ensure that the message of new life is heard by the entire world, leading to belief, hope, and love. This volume consists of four concise chapters: The Word of God; Written Word; The Response to the Word of God; The Word of God in Action.

God’s Ongoing Communication

Reflecting on Dei Verbum is akin to revisiting the entirety of the Second Vatican Council’s history. It’s the final constitution approved by Vatican II, serving as the cornerstone for interpreting all its teachings. Through this document, we can reconnect with Sacred Scripture in a lively and dynamic way, understanding the event of Christian revelation. Dei Verbum delves into the profound ways of how God reveals Him/Herself and communicates with humanity. Biblical history unfolds as a series of revelations, culminating in Jesus Christ revealing the true nature of God as a loving Father and Mother. Emphasizing that “God has spoken,” Dei Verbum underscores that this divine action isn’t confined to the past but continues to impact the present. God’s ongoing communication with His Church unveils hidden truths and deepens our understanding of revealed truth.

Sr Shalini Xavier CTC

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From February 1st to 4th, 2024, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (DICLSAL) convened a conference for consecrated men and women under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope on the Path of Peace.”

From every country up to 4 representatives were invited – one male religious and one woman religious, one member of the Ordo Virginum and one member of a secular institute. Among the delegates from India were Elsa Muttathu, Alice Joseph, Sarita Nazareth, and myself.

The purpose of the meeting was centered around the preparation for the Jubilee year 2025. The participants would return to their own countries and prepare other consecrated persons to live and participate in the Jubilee year.

DIVERSITY

There were around 300 consecrated men and women attending the gathering. Participants came from more than 60 countries, indicating a diverse and international representation. This included five language groups and at times, it was a challenge to communicate with delegates from other language groups.

Fortunately, the English language group was among the largest, and so it was possible for me to have profound conversations with numerous delegates. One conversation, in particular, left a lasting impression. It was with a young Ukrainian sister named Natasha, who vividly described the uncertainty, devastation, and suffering that she and her fellow Ukrainians have endured over the last two years.

Br. Sunil Britto CFC

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This article based on a recent presentation given to Jesuit Counsellors and Psychologists Forum, explores the multifaceted aspects of addictions, shedding light on the profound spiritual sickness that lies beneath the addictive cycle.

1.  Addictions around and within

Today, it is uncommon to find an individual or family whose life has not been directly or indirectly affected by some form of addiction.

Therapy is necessary not only for individuals struggling with addiction but also for family members who endure the associated trauma. Trauma due to addictive parent(s) falls under the category of ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences), mandating the need for healing and counselling; something novitiate programs need to take into account.

Irrespective of where we live, there will be no shortage of people trapped in severe addictions. Ministering to individuals and families grappling with addiction is undeniably a vital necessity within the Church today, even as new forms of addictive behaviours emerge.

2.  Cyber addictions and Workaholism

One of the rapidly expanding addictions in contemporary times is internet related addictive behaviours. And this concern extends to religious as well and very little is being done in formation (initial and ongoing) to address this concern.

A bigger concern or a false god among religious is workaholism or the preoccupation with work, even outside working hours. We worship work and feel unimportant if we are not working enough. Short questionnaires at the bottom here could reveal whether you could be an addict to work and/or the internet.

Br. Sunil Britto CFC

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On October 4th of this year, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic exhortation titled ‘Laudate Deum’ addressing the Climate Crisis. While Laudato Si’ served as a gentle invitation to care for creation, Laudate Deum stands as a clarion action call in response to the Climate Crisis.

So, what is an Apostolic exhortation? An Apostolic exhortation is a teaching document from the Pope, which intends to exhort (encourage) a particular value or action. In addition to Laudate Deum, Pope Francis has authored five such exhortations during his papacy. Notably, three of these exhortations were composed in response to Church Synods.

Here are ten aspects of this exhortation that leave me amazed.

THE TITLE ITSELF

Adopting an interesting literary style, Laudate Deum reveals its reason for being entitled “Praise God” only in its final paragraph, where Pope Francis states, “‘Praise God’ is the title of this letter.” He elaborates, “For when human beings claim to take God’s place, they
become their own worst enemies (LD 73).

I must admit that I initially felt enchanted by Pope Francis’ decision to write Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti in the vernacular Italian language. However disappointment surfaced when I learned of the Latin title for this exhortation. Yet, upon reading the explanation behind the title, my concerns were not only eased, I started to like the exhortation’s title.

Br. Sunil Britto CFC

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Continuing from the December issue on the Synod (which is about becoming a mutually listening and caring family of God) we listen to three more church members as they share their experience and views of the church, and their suggestions for becoming what we should be. We start with an educated layman.

1. “Church” for me means:

• The magisterium
• The hierarchy – Cardinals, Bishops, Priests
• The religious orders, including nuns
• Churches (Buildings), Catholic institutions – schools, hospitals, orphanages, homes for the old and infirm, etc.
• Catholic faithful

Desirable: The Kingdom of God as described in Revelations – Triune God, Mother Mary, saints, angels and the faithful in heaven and on earth.

2. My Experiences of Church:

A loving family of faith led by Christ-like leaders?

Yes, in the context of the Pope and teaching of the Church.

No, when it is dominated by pomp and majesty, huge edifices, outdated honorifics used for Cardinals (His Eminence), Archbishops (His Grace) and Bishops (Lordship). Even secular society has done away with most of these. The honorific for the Pope is just a plain ‘Holy Father’!

The hierarchy gives one the impression of pomp and ceremony. The emphasis appears to be on the upkeep of the monuments and church edifices; the spectacular rather than the mundane.

That explains why Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity were much appreciated as true examples of Christ’s teaching and vision of His church. But it was an exception, rather than the norm.

LARRY D’sOUZA

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1. The Church for me is…

The Church reminds me of a mystical body that continues to do the mission of Jesus here in this world. The visible structures of the Church facilitate the fulfillment of Christ’s mission effectively and tangibly. Of course, our members are both saints and sinners who journey together to the heavenly homeland.

2. Church Leadership

In the recent years, I see a big mentality shift from the part of the clergy. I think that top-down structure of the church is slowly beginning to dissolve. We see pastors trying their best to serve the flock. Especially after the sex abuse scandal for which the clergy were accused, Churchmen have become humbler, more authentic and human.

3. Are we what Jesus wanted us to be?

All that the Church does in order to establish the kingdom of God is really praiseworthy. The only one that disturbs me a bit is our division into various denominations. Christ desires one flock under one shepherd. But in general, the Church is discerning its way to understand what Christ wants it to be.

Sathish paul sdb

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