Reflections

The first words addressed to the young girl Mary, quite unexpectedly, were “Hail Mary Full of Grace.” During this month, we celebrate and greet Mary by singing “AVE, AVE, AVE MARIA” millions and millions of times in all the languages all over the world. She has become an AVE, and she is AVE among us. She lives among us, AVE.

“Hail” is the reverential word of greeting generally addressed to sovereigns, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, chief ministers, or other prominent personalities. Why did Mary, at her tender and young age, receive this title, and that too not from an ordinary person but from and through the messenger of God, the angel Gabriel? Gabriel means a Man of God.

What sort of star was she going to be? What was she expected to become with this greeting of “Ave”/“Hail”? Was she prepared to become a queen, as the people of Israel and even the apostles (James and John and their mother) expected Jesus to be, with a kingdom on earth, or was she to be someone greater? Or was she aware of the painful reality and ready to take up the responsibility? For a young girl like her, it would be too much to expect her to understand and know about the meaning and purpose of this mysterious greeting. But what she probably understood and accepted was the assurance in the other five short words: “Nothing is impossible for God” (Lk. 1:37). A deep-rooted and magnanimous faith of this sort is what she expects each one of us to have.

Fr Vincent Samy MSFS

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1. “Church” for me means:

When I was small, the word ‘Church” meant for me the parish structure, the parish priest and the bishop; as I grew older, the word ‘Church’ and what I saw before my eyes was the hierarchy and the religious. But today for me the word ‘Church’ means all the People of God, especially the laity. The first image I get as soon as I hear the word ‘Church’ is a large group of mixed people standing together with raised hands with joy and smile on their faces.

2. My main experiences of the Church: I choose the ones I have indicated in italics:

• As a loving family of faith led by Christ-like servant leaders who seek the good of the least, and not power;
• As a worldly organization in which the quest for power and money dominates;
• As an impractical and somewhat irrelevant organization from which people do not expect much;

Bro Paul Raj SG

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1. Church, for me, is…

a bunch of people in a circle and a priest officiating the Mass with the active participation of the members. This is my experience of having liturgy celebrations in the Medical Mission Sisters’ chapel in Fox Chase, Philadelphia. I came to know that most of the outsiders who joined the Sisters and Associates were Catholics who dropped out of their parishes. One couple told me it is the fifth church they visited and the only life-giving place they found! So, the idea of a church is not big buildings or a hierarchy who dominate a passive audience. People want participation, meaningful celebration and life-giving liturgies. We also conduct para- liturgies there when priests are not available and this proved to be equally meaningful to the participants.

Sr Celine Paramundayil MMS

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1. My Image of the Church:

The Church comes across as an institution whose hierarchy has been used to wielding power, and who now finds itself in disarray because its teachings and ‘way of being’ are predominantly being seen as antediluvian. The emerging understanding of its teachings and a new ‘way of being’ which is being encouraged by Pope Francis is being stymied, resulting in factionalism.  The laity stand on the sidelines, watching this imbroglio. This is hardly the Church of Christ.

There is another image of the anawim, which comes to mind. This is especially seen in the Church operating especially in the missions among the poor, the marginalised and the rejected. It is here that we get a glimpse of what the Church needs to be and what we in the city are being challenged to be like. We have seen some exemplary examples of witnessing during the pandemic, both in the city and the missions.

2. I see the church as…

• a worldly organization in which the quest for power and money dominates; an impractical and somewhat irrelevant organization from which people do not expect much; one of the several organizations conducting some religious functions and doing some social service; and also as an organization keen on promoting holiness (Christ-like life), with living examples of holiness among its members.

Conrad Saldanha

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1. The word “Church” means..

When I hear the word ‘Church’ I always feel like I am very much a part of it. The word brings to my mind the parish church, the altar, the tabernacle, the crucifix, the parish priest and the community—and others beyond it. I feel a sense of belonging. I am grateful for the indispensable services rendered by the Holy Catholic Church.

2. My Experience of Church

There are lots of dedicated people among the clergy and the laity who are tirelessly striving to make the Church a loving family of faith. Since the Church does not care much for publicity, “many a flower is born to blush unseen,” but its fragrance is not lost. It definitely produces results like the loving upbringing of orphans, caring for the sick, running old age homes and educational institutions, giving value education to people irrespective of caste, creed, colour or financial status.

On the other side, groupism, thirst for power and money, fame and recognition among ‘some’ of the clergy and the nuns do spoil the good name of the Church. Even among priests we can detect groups, for example, when a new bishop is to be elected. But  the holy and the heroic lives of a number of priests and religious is undeniable.

Prof (retd.) Philomina Mathew

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Here is a reflection questionnaire for personal use or for sharing with family or religious community.
If done in community, each one will need a copy. Time needed will be between thirty and sixty minutes.

Introduction

Jesus did not impose on his followers any special diet. The only prayer he taught was the Our Father. He did not ask us to put up expensive buildings nor prescribe costly vestments or vessels for praying.

He called us—and even those of other faiths know this—to a life of love, of service, of forgiveness. We will be judged one day on how we loved and shared, not on where we prayed, or what diet we followed, or how we dressed. What Jesus did, and what He insisted on, is pretty well known to all, including persons of all faiths.

What did Jesus bring us?

Use this Reflection Questionnaire to see how you understand and live Lent and Easter. If any question is not relevant for you or your group, reflect on questions of your own, e.g., Are we living our marriage in the way God wants? Are we raising our children in a Christ-like manner? Or: Is the way I exercise my role as religious superior helping the community to live as Jesus lived and taught? Or: Is the way I am practicing my profession in line with Jesus’ teachings? Am I honest and incorrupt?

If what we call “religion” or “faith” does not make us better people, it serves no purpose. In fact, it can even make us worse—as, for instance, when religion is used to promote division, bigotry or hatred or indifference to the sufferings of people.

Jesus did not teach that sort of “religion.” In fact, some Christian scholars even say that Jesus did not “found” a “new religion,” but showed us how to live, how to relate to God and to one another.

Being a follower of Jesus is not just a question of saying a few prayers or going to a building called “church” instead of temple or mosque, or taking part in a particular form of common worship. No! Just like being married or being a mother or father, it is a loving, full-time commitment. If real, it affects all areas of life. If we want to summarize our Christian faith in one sentence, it is about becoming Christlike, or, since we have not personally met the historical Jesus, it means becoming like the most Christ-like (loving, genuine, compassionate, just) human beings we have known.

May Lent and Easter help towards that transformation.

Fidelity or Betrayal?

What is holding me back from a truly joyful life? From becoming the best version of myself? From being a healer and a bearer of joy?

If I look honestly, I will find dark spots that need sweeping, neglected areas that need cultivation, weeds that choke the good seed, destructive habits scuttling my happiness and doing harm to others.

Want examples? Gossip. Grumbling. Words and actions prompted by jealousy. Greed. Ingratitude. Ill-treatment of subordinates. Addictions. Divisions stemming from the lust for power and money.

Further, I may find that I am committing a bigger “crime”—wasting my life on trivialities instead of doing the good I can; wallowing in mediocrity while I am called to greatness; merely plodding along, and forgetting my call to holiness.

Reflection Questionnaire

1. Are we personally, and as a family or religious community, living a life of love, unity and mutual support? Yes, very much / Yes, to a limited degree / So-so / Not really / Not at all
2. Are we setting a good example of Christian life to the younger ones in our care (children, students, formees, parishioners)? Yes, very much / Yes, to a limited degree / So-so / Not really / Not at all
3. Are there bad habits I (we) need to root out—addictions, gossip, injustice, ill-treatment of those under us, indecent or disrespectful language? Which? …………………………………
4. As persons and as a group, what are the main obstacles for our call to holiness? What is preventing me from the becoming the person God wants me to be? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. I (We) will be happier and more united if…………………………………………………………..
6. We speak of “new life in Christ.” In what way is our life—individual and as a family or community—better than those who do not believe in Christ? What difference does my (our) faith in Christ make to the way we live? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. How can we simplify our life during Lent (and later) and use the saving to help poor and needy persons? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8. Do I (we) give more importance to the luxuries we are attached to, than to the real needs of others? If so, what do I need to do? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
9. What do I (we) need to do to improve and deepen prayer life and familiarity with the Word of God? (a) More time for personal and family prayer: (b) More regularity: (c) More attentiveness and devotion during prayer: (d) More reading of the Bible; (e ) more frequent and more devout participation in the Mass and Confession.
10. Sacrifice, Love, Prayer. (Or: Discipline. Charity. Prayer). These are the hallmarks of Lent. What do I (we) need to do in each of these three areas? (a) Sacrifice or discipline: …………………………………………..; (b) Love/Generosity/Forgiveness/Compassion: ………………………………………………………………..; (c) Prayer: ………………………………………………

Decisions

What do I (we) need to do?

Let me (us) decide on two or three useful practices for Lent, which will help me (us) to become the best version of ourselves. May our way of living increase the goodness in the world, and our level of happiness.

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The following questions can be used for personal reflection and community sharing. It may be good to start the meeting by reading a relevant Gospel passage, e.g., John 13: 1-17, which speaks of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and what he told them during and after that gesture.

Each person needs a copy of this page and a pen. After the gospel reading, each one takes 8-10 minutes to fill in the questionnaire. This is followed by sharing in small groups of three or four. If the community or family or parish group is larger, it is better to split into smaller groups. In larger groups, the sharing will not be effective. Do not pressurize anyone to say more than what they are comfortable with.

Questions for reflection and sharing

1. Recall a touching act of loving service someone did for you, like what Jesus did. What was the gesture? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Who did it? ………………………………….. How did you feel during the act? ………………………. How do you feel about it now? ………………………………………………………………………………..
2. Recall an act of loving service you did for someone else or for a group, especially one that cost you. What did you do? ………………………………………………………………………………..

How did you feel while doing it? ……………………………………………………………………………….

How do you feel about it now? …………………………………………………………………………………

3. Recall a happy and loving community/family/parish you have been part of. What made it a loving and joyful experience for the members? ……………………………………………………
4. Will employees and visitors be impressed by the love, joy and mutual service in your present family/community/parish? Yes/No.
5. What needs to be done to improve it? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. A Christian family/religious community/parish should be marked by joy, love and service of the needy. Recall a leader (parent, superior, parish priest) who led the community in this way: …………………………………………. What did s/he do that helped the group to be marked by love, joy and service? ………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
7. Recall an ordinary member of your family, religious community or parish whose presence and behaviour brought a sense of joy, love and service to the group: ………………… What have your learnt from this person’s example? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8. List at least THREE CONCRETE STEPS you will take to make your family/religious community/parish a home of love, joy and service. (Examples: Pray for those who have hurt you, rather than speak ill of them; volunteer to help with extra work; speak well of others in their absence; treat employees lovingly; be nice to the poor people who come for help; show warm hospitality to visitors, …)

• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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15 points for personal and community reflection

(For religious, priests, seminarians and other committed Christians)

We have all heard—and these weeks we shall hear more—good and edifying things about Mother Teresa. Shall we check how far we personally and our community live by the Gospel ideals she took to heart so radically?

1.  Religious and Missionary Call. As a young woman, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu responded to God’s call by joining a missionary order, taking the name of Teresa, and went to serve in far-off India.

Am I ready to serve wherever the need is greatest—or do I stick to familiar settings, or, worse, use religious life and priesthood as a career rather than as a mission?

2. “Call within a Call”: At the age of 37, Sister Teresa hears this new call—to leave the convent and live among the poorest. She seeks spiritual direction and guidance in discerning God’s will. Her priority is to do what God asks, not what others think, or simply go on doing what she was doing.

Am I simply staying and growing older in religious life (priesthood), or do I take my own personal call (to holiness and mission) seriously? What is the good God wants from me, with the gifts and opportunities He has given me?

3. Security or trust? When dead tired after a day in the slum, and without even enough money for a tram fare, she felt the “real temptation was to go back to Loretto.” (And the sisters would have taken her back). But she stuck to the harder path, without money, without helpers, without knowing what the future held.

Do I have this type of trust in God? Or do I put my trust more in money, security, connections and a comfortable life?

4. Start with those near you: Mother Teresa did not start with some grandiose plan, but with helping the neediest person near her, e.g., caring for a terribly ill Hindu pujari. She was convinced that God met her in the poorest and neediest persons around her.

Do I (we) really reach out to the neediest persons around us, or lose ourselves in endless discussions? Is my life expressed in loving service, or have I let my love wither and die?

5. Vocations: Mother Teresa did not go on aggressive “vocation promotion” campaigns. Her example drew committed followers to her, beginning with some of her former students.

Are our candidates joining because they are inspired by our example, or under the influence of high-pressure “vocation promotion” methods? Are the younger members inspired by the life of the older members?

6. Good people everywhere: Help came to Mother Teresa from all sorts of unexpected and unusual quarters: British TV personality Malcom Muggeridge; people in the Indian government; Navin Chawla, former election commissioner, who wrote a moving book about her; so many people of various faiths who helped her financially…

Is my heart open to people of all backgrounds, trusting that God can act in and through anyone? Or am I biased against persons of other faiths or backgrounds?

7. Concrete and practical: Mother Teresa would give simple, practical advice rooted in daily life: Want to build world peace? Start by loving your family members. “Peace starts with a smile.” Spend time in prayer to listen to God.

Is my spirituality simple and practical, making a difference to my life? Or made up of big theories with little connection to daily life?

8. Dark Night:  Mother Teresa endured nearly fifty years of dryness in prayer (What the mystics call, the “Dark Night of the Soul”), yet she persevered in prayer and in good works, without fail. She trusted in God and sought His will, even when she experienced God as absent. And she sought help in spiritual direction.

Am I faithful to prayer and my commitments, even when I have no feeling for it? Do I seek spiritual direction when I feel rudderless or lost, rather than neglect my inner life?

9. A pencil: During years of ill health, Mother Teresa was not anxious about herself or about the future of her work. She saw herself as a “pencil in the hand of God.” God’s work would continue, whether she was there or not. (This is a mark of all saintly founders.)

Do I look to the future with trust in God, or with anxiety? Is my main concern doing God’s will and seeking God’s guidance, or getting others to do what I want? Do I see our mission as God’s work or as my work?

10. Facing criticism: Mother Teresa was severely criticized by some well-known writers and media persons—for not challenging unjust structures, for accepting money from unsavoury characters, for not providing up-to-date medical care in her homes, etc. She did not become bitter, or try to defend herself. Nor did she stop doing what she was doing because of the criticism.

How I deal with criticism shows a lot about my character and my faith.  Do I learn from criticism, and improve, and do the good I can? Or do I stop doing good out of fear of criticism?

11. Learning from the poor: Mother Teresa said she learnt much from the poor. She saw them not as objects of pity, but as persons she loved. She mentioned how the poor help us to get closer to God. She cared; she was not patronizing.

Do I really love the poor I come across and deal with, or keep my distance? Do I only talk about the poor, or really relate to concrete poor persons?

12. A life of poverty: Mother Teresa was certainly one of the most famous persons of the twentieth century, and probably the most venerated human being in the world. But she did not seek acclaim, or the company of the powerful. She remained poor and simple, and close to the poorest. She lived the life of poverty of the poor people she served.

As we advance in our responsibilities and become “more important,” do we remain simple and poor in our life-style and relationships? Or do positions and titles go to our head?

13. Convinced and courageous: Mother Teresa was comfortable with the poorest leprosy patient and courageous to express her difference of opinion with the mighty. She would speak up for the poor in front of the world’s mightiest leaders, or express boldly her staunch rejection of abortion.

Is this how we behave—with the same respect and dignity before rich and poor, weak and strong? Or do we cringe before the powerful and humiliate the poor? Do we speak up when we need to?

14. Indian at heart: Mother Teresa took India into her heart. She did not speak of inculturation; she lived it. Beginning with her decision to wear the simple cotton sari of poor Indian women (something which foreign missionaries did not do then), eating what the poor ate, speaking their language, she truly was Indian at heart.

Do I truly love and respect the poor I work for, including their culture and values? Or do I remain an “outsider” who looks on the local people with suspicion or contempt?

15. Joy: Mother Teresa radiated joy. She was vibrant and full of life. She not only spoke of the importance of a smile; she herself was a warm and joyful presence. She insisted that God loves cheerful givers.

Do I radiate joy? Will people who meet me go away happier? Are our communities happy? Are we living witnesses to the joy that God brings us?

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