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The Little Prince

By Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This classic children’s fantasy narrates  an aviator’s miraculous meeting with a mysterious boy called Little Prince in the Sahara Desert. It is one of the most read books of the 20^th century.

Crash landing in the remote Sahara, the aviator is visited by a golden haired boy. The Little Prince is from a tiny asteroid with lots of vegetation and three small volcanoes. He had been cleaning the volcanoes and weeding out the harmful vegetation. He speaks of a rose that he cultivated which demands much attention, but also shows him love.

            Previous visits to six other planets  are mentioned, where he meets a few absurd men—a king without subjects who issues orders that can only be obeyed;  a drunkard who drinks more to forget the shame of being a drunkard; a  solitary man on a planet, obsessed with being praised and admired as the only admirable person; a lamplighter on a very tiny planet where a day is only  thirty seconds, and a geographer who has never travelled or observed the things that he writes about. These are representatives of the adult world. The key message the Prince gives is what he learnt from a friendly fox: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Other gems: “lt is better to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.” “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”

            The Little Prince tells his friend that, to think of him, he needs only look at the stars and recall his laughter and it will as if all the stars are laughing. A snake whom he befriended helps him die by biting him. But the next day the aviator finds that the body also has disappeared.

The Small Miracle

By Paul Gallico.

            Paul Gallico’s novella is a tale of the triumph of simple, innocent faith, recalling St Francis of Assisi. Pepino, a ten-year-old war orphan, lives in Assisi with his only possession—a docile donkey named Violetta. They are everything to each other. Pepino boasts about Violetta’s special smile. They earn their meagre livelihood running errands for the townspeople and rest in a little cave together at night. One day Violetta falls sick. Pepino is desperate. He is a devotee of St. Francis, who he knows was a great lover of animals. He requests the compassionate Father Damico to allow him to take Violetta to St Francis’s crypt beneath the Basilica to pray for a miracle cure. But that is not possible because donkeys are not allowed inside the church. There is a narrow underground pathway sealed off with brick, but it will not be broken for the boy and his donkey.

When his request to the Franciscan superiors is denied, Pepino entrusts Violetta to his best friend, and goes all the way to Rome to ask the Pope himself. He is sent away by the Swiss guards and the clerics. Pepino buys a small bouquet of flowers, attaches a greeting card to it with a request addressed to the Holy Father and hands it to the Swiss Guard. The guard is about to throw it away, but changes his mind and hands it over to a priest. Finally it reaches the Pontiff and Pepino gets his way. The Pope gives him a written order for the crypt to be made accessible for the donkey and the boy. Before they open the underground passageway, Father Damico tells the boy:  “Because of your faith in St Francis, he will help you and heal your donkey. But had you thought perhaps that he who dearly cared for all of God’s creatures might  come to love Violetta so greatly that he would wish to have her at his side in Eternity?” At first it is unthinkable for Pepino to lose his donkey, but then he murmurs, “I will give – if I must…” While the passage is being opened, a leaden box falls out of the brickwork. It contains things associated with St. Francis. The boy and the donkey finish their pilgrimage. We are not told whether the donkey was cured or not. But we are made to look at a child’s pure and tenacious faith which opens doors and our hearts.

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Dr.Gigy

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“Just as these eyes sensibly see and recognize the face of a friend or a loved one, so also the eyes of the worthy and faithful person, being spiritually enlightened by the divine light, see and recognize the true Friend—the Lord, since the soul is completely illuminated by the adorable Spirit.” (Homily XXVIII/5)

Pseudo-Macarius was an early proponent of ‘light’ or ‘Tabor’ mysticism that emphasized the transformation and enlightenment of a person through the ineffable light of the Holy Spirit.  His spiritual insights can be found in a collection of texts, principal among which are the Fifty Homilies.  The identity of this spiritual classic’s author has been problematic.  During the early centuries there were two important persons by the name Macarius – one from Alexandria and another from Scete.  The second Macarius was a very great spiritual master and until the 19^th century these writings were attributed to him.  However, modern research reveals that this second Macarius was not the author and therefore the writer of the Homilies is now referred as Pseudo-Macarius.  Based on an analysis of the text, it is presumed that this person was a Syrian monk and came from an educated and cultured background.  He was a citizen of the Roman Empire and comparisons from the political, military and economic world reveal that he was probably part of the army or involved in imperial administration. Two salient features of his ‘light’ spirituality are: a) unceasing prayer and b) a growing ability to discern one’s thoughts.

Unceasing Prayer: Pseudo Macarius exhorted all to pray unceasingly.  He emphasized the basic goodness of the human person (Homily 15) and stated that in creation God willingly shared God’s beauty and nature with the human person.  As against this, the Messalian heresy, which also spoke of unceasing prayer, believed that the human person was intrinsically sinful and even baptism was not sufficient to free a person from original sin.  The only way out was unceasing prayer – where prayer was understood as a life of intense ascetical practices, avoidance of manual labor, negation of sacraments and rejection of church structures.  Pseudo-Macarius accepted that goodness had been lost by sin, but it has been restored by the Risen Lord.  To pray unceasingly did not consist so much in self-centered ascetical practices, as the Messalians said, but by constantly living in the presence of God.  Such a person realized one’s total dependence on God and through the virtue of humility grew in an ardent longing for God.  An authentic life in the Spirit allowed the Divine light to transform a person leading to growing spiritual enlightenment.

Discerning One’s Thoughts:  Pseudo-Macarius pointed out that there was no short cut towards enlightenment but that it involved a prolonged process of growing in virtues and overcoming one’s passions.  Both sin and grace co-exist in a person and the perfection of baptism grows slowly within a person.  In the spiritual combat between good and evil there may be momentary peace and joy, but one needs to be vigilant at all times.  Of special importance was the need to discern one’s thoughts because deceptions entered through evil thoughts or more subtly through seemingly good thoughts.  Hence it was very important to know the source of the thoughts – whether they came from God, from the false spirit or oneself.  Spiritual enlightenment thus consisted in continual prayer and discernment leading to greater co-operation with grace, openness to the Holy Spirit and participation in Divine life. 

The spiritual wisdom of Pseudo-Macarius has had tremendous influence on Christian spirituality.  Groups as diverse as Greeks, Syrians, Russians, Franciscans, Jesuits, Pietists, Methodists and neo-Pentecostals have been influenced by it.  In our age of frenzied activity, the insights of Pseudo-Macarius regarding ‘unceasing prayer’ enlighten us towards greater discernment of our inner movements, help us remain focused on Christ and thus realize the Kingdom within and around ourselves.

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Fr Francis Pudhicherry SJ

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In last month’s article, the author explained the meaning of stress, its symptoms and links to health and sickness, and the so-called “fight or flight” syndrome. This second instalment looks at four factors that can induce stress. Check and see what seems to contribute to stress in your life.

When my friend Thomas told me he was stressed out and asked for help, I had told him it was no wonder he was stressed out since he was a perfectionist. But that was not all that I had said in response. Over a cup of coffee, I gave him a lesson on stress! Among the things I highlighted were the four major sources of stress.

1. INAUTHENTICITY

The biggest source of stress in our lives is perhaps inauthenticity. The discrepancy between who we profess to be in public and who we actually are away from the public gaze can be source of chronic stress. For example, Jerry presents in public the façade of a happy family man and a faithful husband, and often talks about the importance of integrity in professional, family and marital life. But secretly he is involved in an extramarital affair. The effort to hide the truth from his wife and colleagues and the fear and anxiety that his affair might become known will keep him on a high level of stress.

Inauthenticity can manifest in different ways. For example, Rose is entrusted with the management of finances in her institution but is secretly siphoning away monies.  Andrew, who holds a leadership role, is involved in an illicit land deal. Both will be in a state of high alert, trying to hide their unethical behaviours. This state of high alert will result in chronic state of stress, unless they have become totally immune to the pricks of conscience and believe there is nothing unethical about their behaviours.

 

2. TYPE-A PERSONALITY

Stress often accompanies what has come to be known as Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP) or Type A Personality (TAP).

 According to psychologist Ray Rosenman, Type A Behaviour is an action-emotion complex that includes both behavioural and emotional dispositions. Behavioural dispositions include aggressiveness, competitiveness, and impatience and accelerated pace of activities. Emotional processes include irritation, covert hostility, and easily aroused anger.

Type A personalities are go-getters. They lead a life of frenetic activity and are driven by a compulsive need to achieve, and averse to taking time to relax. They are restless and remain on a high adrenaline rush. They like to be in total control of the environment. Any perceived threat to control or success evokes in them anxiety-provoking thoughts which in turn trigger physical and emotional reactions typical of the stress reaction.

Type A personalities are easily angered by others, readily blame others, take offence quickly and manifest cynical hostility—all of which are sources of stress.

The Type A behavioural and emotional pattern is closely linked to both physical and psychological disorders. From a physical perspective, Type A personalities are more vulnerable both to coronary heart disease (CHD) and coronary artery disease (CAD). From a psychological perspective, they tend to trigger interpersonal conflicts and become irritant to those around them.

3. WORK AND ITS ENVIRONMENT

 

The nature of work and the quality of the work environment have significant bearing on levels of stress experienced.  When workers experience powerlessness in regard to decision-making, little social support from managers or fellow workers, imbalances between effort or reward, job insecurity, role ambiguity in terms of what is expected of them, or an unpleasant work environment, they are likely to experience high levels of stress which also tend to be chronic.

A Norwegian study presented at an International Conference on Work Environment and Cardiovascular Disease a few years ago, showed that even just the rumour of a factory’s closure caused enough stress, so much so that workers’ pulse and blood pressure spiked, making them vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases.  Findings from the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Programme Study found that participants who reported having pressure or facing competition at work faced a risk of myocardial infarction six times greater than normal during the following twenty-four hours.

Workaholism and stress are related. Workaholics generally tend to be too intense and their intensity can make them remain at high levels of neuro-muscular arousal for long hours and thus impair the body’s normal functioning.

According to Dr. Marilyn Machlowitz, one of the leading authorities on workaholism,

workaholics tend to be intense and energetic, tend to sleep less than most people, have difficulty taking vacations or time off, spend most of their waking time working, frequently eat while they work, and worry about making the most of their time. They schedule appointments too tightly, and are generally impatient with most people.  They tend to be perfectionists–seeking flawless performance from self and others.

No wonder they have been shown to have a much higher rate of heart attack than “Type B” personalities—those who are not excessively competitive and are relatively easy-going.

Workaholism is often a way of dealing with the anxiety that arises from our feelings of inadequacy, especially in personal relationships. When we find relating to people difficult, we compensate by emphasising accomplishment.  Work becomes an easy defence against the vulnerabilities involved in close relationships. We seek to meet our need for love and affirmation through accomplishment.

Workaholism is sometimes a defence also against listening to our inner voices. Overwork serves as a narcotic that numbs our inner turmoil, an escape from the uncomfortable feelings inside.  If we are always busy doing something, there is little chance for these feelings to come to the surface and demand to be heard. We drown out our inner voices though overwork.

 

4. INTER-PERSONAL CONFLICT

Today psychological theory and research attest to the important role relationships play in promoting health and happiness. In an earlier column I had referred to the Harvard Grant Study, which found loving relationships to be the most significant variable that affects health and happiness. Unresolved interpersonal conflict undermines loving relationships and is a major stress inducer.

Conflicts evoke anger, blame, overt and covert hostility – all of which are stress inducers. Inter-personal conflicts keep the body in a state of neuromuscular hyperarousal – the same physiological state that results from stress. This in turn leads to physical and psychological impairment.

One major dynamic that maintains inter-personal conflict is unwillingness to forgive.  Forgiveness is a decision to let go of a hurt or offence someone has caused us, so that we are no longer psychologically held or dominated by what has happened and are able to move on. Lack of forgiveness keeps us brooding resentfully over perceived or real hurts or offences. We pay a price for such resentful brooding.

Dr. Herbert Benson, Director of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard University and the author of the ground-breaking Relaxation Response, made a profound observation about the health hazards of unforgiveness: “There’s a physiology of forgiveness. When you do not forgive, it will chew you up!”

On the other hand, forgiveness serves as a major resource for dealing with life’s inevitable hurts, frustrations and offences and leads to a calmer and more peaceful way of living.

The sources of stress described in this article themselves point to what we can do to prevent and recover from stress. However, in the next issue I shall describe some specific helpful strategies.

For Reflection

What are your experiences around the sources of stress described in this article? What insights do they provide you for dealing with stress?

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Fr Jose Parappully SDB

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Apart from the “normal” work going on in our National Office (e.g., MAGNET), the National CRI has been running seminars in different parts of India—five seven-day seminars for local superiors, three seven-day seminars and three shorter ones for formators and 23 one-day seminars on self-care.

Every seminar is evaluated in writing, anonymously, so that we get to know exactly what participants think of these programmes. The one-week seminars are assessed under all aspects: group prayer, atmosphere and relationships, sessions, handouts, movies, duration, time-table, food, accommodation.

After evaluating all these aspects and the inputs of each of the resource persons, each one gives his/her overall assessment of the whole programmes. The rating can be 5 (Excellent: One of the best programmes I have attended), a 4 (Good: Came up to my expectations), a 3 (Fair: Mostly satisfied), a 2 (So-so: Partly satisfied), or a 1 (Not really satisfied).

I am glad to report that ALL OUR PROGRAMMES ARE RATED EITHER 5 OR 4. Participants found the programme one of the best they have ever attended, or as a programme that came up to their expectations.

Apart from the contents, people say they are gripped by the atmosphere created in the group, the loving attention given to each one and the open sharing in the group. They are glad to get to know members of other congregations and their traditions and charisms.

One-week seminars completed so far:

Mid-Life (Bangalore, September 9-15), Local Superiors (Hyderabad, October 1-7; New Delhi, November 1-7); Formators (Hyderabad, Nov. 8-9; New Delhi, October 20-26; Pune, November 11-17).

Coming up: Local Superiors (Proggaloy, Kolkata, December 2-8; Rishyvana, Mangalore, December 29-January 4; New Delhi, March 10-16). Applications still open for these seminars.

Please note that these are National Seminars, open to religious from any part of India. The venue does not mean that it is meant only for religious of that region.

Here are photos of the recent seminars. As you can see, the participation has been good.

We look forward to seeing more of you at one or more of these training programmes. We are offering only short seminars (usually lasting seven days) because people holding responsible posts (superiors and formators) cannot absent themselves for long, and because there are centres offering longer courses for those interested.

The anonymous written evaluation shows that these one-week programmes do make a difference. We have not read even one negative feedback, or anyone who gave a programme a less than enthusiastic rating.

For all National Programmes, please register with our National Office.

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In this article, the author explains one of the main causes for emotional and physical distress: stress. We need to understand what it is, what causes it, and how to deal with it. We cannot live in a world without stress, but we can learn to understand its causes and negative impact, and pick up healthy ways of managing it.

“I am so stressed out. I feel exhausted. Can you give some advice?” my friend Thomas told me. “No wonder you are exhausted,” I said. “You are working too hard. And you are a perfectionist!”

Stress is commonplace in today’s society. Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many of us, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. And it takes its silent toll on us, physically and emotionally.

Stress has a significantly negative effect on our wellbeing.Stress affects our health in many ways, because it affects nearly every system in the body. It is said that stress today contributes to 90% of all diseases. Stress is said to be linked to the six leading causes of death—heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. Today it is most likely that more people will die from stress-related illness than from infection, accidents, violence or warfare.

It is not only physical health that stress affects. Stress takes a heavy emotional toll too, with consequent negative impact on relationships and peace of mind. Stress, for example, affects marital relationships in significant negative ways and is often a major contributor to increasing divorce rates.

However, stress is not always bad. Some level of stress is essential for optimum performance. In small doses, it can help us perform under pressure and motivate us to do our best. Stress is elevation in our arousal state. If we are not sufficiently aroused in our energy and enthusiasm level, we cannot perform well. At optimum level, stress helps us stay focused, energetic, and alert.

WHAT IS STRESS?

The pioneer in stress research and the one who popularised the term is Nobel Prize nominee Hans Selye. He conceptualised stress as existing in the individual’s body as a specific set of biological conditions that occur as a response to an event or situation that is making demands on it. He defined stress as “the nonspecific result of any demand upon the body, be the effect mental or somatic.” Calling it “nonspecific” is simply to say that the response pattern is always biochemically the same regardless of the nature of the stressor. Bodies respond to all types of threat situations in a similar way

The “Fight or Flight” Response

Stress is basically the system in a state of arousal. The body’s reaction to a stressor is a remnant of the evolutionary adaptive mechanism developed by our ancestors. Our cave-dwelling ancestor had two options upon finding himself face-to-face with a growling tiger ready to pounce on him: he could fight off the attack, or he could run for dear life. To do either, his body had to be able to prime itself—within seconds—to do more than was normally expected of it. This was termed the “fight or flight” response, a term first used by the biologist Walter Cannon in1929. “Stress response” is another name for the same. The stress response is the body’s way of preparing us to deal with a perceived threat, and in that way protecting us

According to Cannon, during the “fight or flight,” the body’s stress response is triggered  and minifests itself in  the  following ways:

• Stored sugar and fats are released into the bloodstream to provide quick energy;
• The heart pumps faster to provide more blood to the muscles;
• The breathing rate is increased to provide more oxygen to the blood;
• Blood-clotting mechanisms are activated to protect against possible injury;
• Muscles tense in preparation for action;
• Digestion ceases so that more blood is available to the brain and muscles;
• Perspiration increases to help reduce body temperature;
• The pupils of the eyes dilate and the senses of smell and hearing become more acute.

These biological and somatic phenomena can help us deal with an emergency. However, when the body remains always in this emergency mode of high arousal, it affects our physical and emotional health. Normally, when the threat perception recedes, so too do  bodily arousal and the phenomena described above. However, when the arousal does not recede, that is, if the threat perception becomes chronic, we are in trouble. The Parasympathetic Nervous system (PNS) or the relaxation response does not kick in, keeping the body in a chronic state of high arousal. Under constant stress, the body is no longer able to adapt and exhaustion ensues. The body wears out. The constant state of high arousal leads to immune system deterioration with consequent negative impact on physical and mental functioning.

STRESS AND ILLNESS

Wellbeing and illness are both significantly influenced by the immune system in the body. Stress appears to impact the immune system negatively, lowering its capacity to ward off disease.

For example, it has been found that students reported more infectious illness during high-stress examination period than during the low-stress pre-examinations periods. Psychological stress has also been found to be associated with an increased risk of common cold, a risk that is related to increased rates of infection. A vast majority of hospital visits are related to stress-born diseases.

More recent research has highlighted the role of stress in major illnesses. As mentioned earlier, stress is today considered to be linked to the leading causes of death, such as heart disease and cancer. Stress is a major cause of suicide.

Stress leads to sleeplessness, which in turn leads to increases in blood pressure, cortisol and glucose levels, depressed mood, and  impaired cognitive functions.

Stress contributes to disease also because it leads to behaviours that have a deleterious effect on health.. Stress increases alcohol consumption and drug abuse and intake of food and drinks, as these help decrease tension or discomfort. However, they also make the body more vulnerable to disease.

SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

Our body is designed to give us warnings of stress overload. But we may not pay attention. Rather we may see these warning signs as obstacles on our achievement path and seek to remove them rather than address the realities of which they are warnings. These include physical warning signs such as inability to shake of a lingering cold, frequent headaches, feelings of fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders and sleeplessness and such emotional and behavioural signs as angry outbursts, obvious impatience or irritability, anxiety.

Psychologists have presented warning signs or symptoms of stress under four categories: cognitive, emotional, physical and behaviours:

Cognitive symptoms of stress: Memory problems, inability to concentrate, poor judgment, seeing only the negative, anxious or racing thoughts, constant worrying.

Emotional symptoms of stress: Moodiness, irritability or short temper, agitation, inability to relax, feeling overwhelmed, sense of loneliness and isolation, depression or general unhappiness.

Physical symptoms of stress: Aches and pains, diarrhoea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, loss of sex drive, frequent colds.

Behavioural symptoms of stress: Eating more or less, sleeping too much or too little, isolating oneself from others, procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities, use of alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax, nervous habits (e.g., nail biting, pacing).

It is important to note here that these signs and symptoms of stress can also be caused by other psychological and medical problems, and not just though stress.

Next month, I shall describe the major stressors (what causes stress) and stress busters (remedies for stress).

Quesitons for Reflections:

• What symptoms of stress are you experiencing? How are you handling these symptoms?
• Are you aware of the sources of your stress? What do you plan to do to eliminate these?

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Fr Jose Parappully SDB

Here are some more replies from SSLC students to our questions:
How do you relate to God? What do you do when you pray?

God blesses and provides

“I pray that this year I will work hard and that God must bless me with retentive memory so that I will come out in flying colours, and make my parents proud. I do not forget to pray to God to provide my parents and grandparents with good health. …I pray a lot to God to fulfil my wish but I have not received any of them. I hope my prayers are heard by God..” (Rochelle Lucia Rijo)

Prayer is: Let it be…       

Relationship with God is precious. I just pray that whatever happens in life with me or with others let it be for a good purpose.

(Sherone D’Souza)

Sharing my fears and problems      

I share all my problems and fears with God which I am not able to overcome. When I pray in the morning I first say my shlokas and then pray for my friends, relatives and for myself. (Tanisha)

 I ask forgiveness from God

I ask God forgiveness for all the sins I’ve committed and to forgive my family. I ask him to protect, guide and have mercy on us. I ask him to protect us all from every harm and danger and protect us from the punishment of hell. I ask him to unite us all in heaven. I like to have a conversation or spend some time with God. I get peace of mind and confidence whenever I begin a day by praying to God. God always protects me from all evil things.

(Afreen Rihana)

 I pray to overcome difficulties

I pray to God to help me with my studies and help all my friends. I pray to help me in my future so that I can overcome all difficulties.

(Enrica Morais)

When I pray, I think about all the difficulties my family faced and ask God to make me as well as my family members stronger to face those hardships. Then I pray to God to give me a retentive memory so that I can study harder. At last I pray for all the people who are suffering from any injury.God never takes credit or shows himself after doing a deed. He helps all the people without any discrimination or partiality.

(Artha Chowta)

I pray for the good health of my family, friends and everyone who are suffering. I pray for the good results of our school.                                                                              

(Dhanya Shetty)                     

I ask God to help me with my studies and to give me a retentive memory.

(Keagan Menezes)

Pray for my friends, family and myself

I pray to God that He may bless me with good retentive memory as I am in the X Standard and to give me strength to face all the difficulties in my future. I pray for all the friends who have been my best support in my life that they be blessed with good health. I also pray for my class teachers who helped me in my studies, who encouraged me in every activity.

(Nivedhi G Shetty)

There is a reason

Well God is great, we all can say that but according to me God is a kind of spiritual energy which was neither created nor can be destroyed. Some of us may think whether God really exists. We wonder whether he helps us. It is actually faith. Whatever He does to all of us is for a reason.

(Sherone D’Souza)

I am a person with faith in God. What I like about God is that, he has given me a beautiful family and life. Most of the time He has given me what I have asked for. He is very loving.

(Akshatha Hegde)

God keeps me safe and protects from all dangers. He gives us good memory power to study. He makes our wishes come true. I pray to god much and I believe in Him a lot. I thank God for giving me such wonderful parents.

(Nivedhi G Shetty)

Why poverty?

Whenever there is quarrel in my house or sickness in my house, I always pray but God does not do anything. If there was God there would be no poverty anywhere for this reason I do not like God.

(Ambika S B)

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(Thanks to Sr Philomen, Principal, St Theresa School, Bendur, Mangalore for collecting the responses of students to this page.) Editor

“The one who through asceticism and contemplation has known how to dig in himself the wells of virtue and knowledge as did the patriarchs will find Christ within as the spring of life.  Wisdom bids us to drink from it, saying, “Drink waters from your own vessels and from your own springs.”  If we do this, we shall discover that His treasures are present within us.”

(Chapters on Knowledge, Second Century, 40)

The honorific ‘Confessor’ could lead one to believe that Maximus was a confessor par excellence with multitudes flocking to him for confession in the manner they flocked to the Curé d’Ars.  Maximus, however, did not get this honorific because of his work at the confessional, but due to his confession of faith in the face of severe persecution.  The emperor was disappointed that Maximus did not give in to his diktats and, after the farce of a trial, banished him into exile.  Even exile did not silence Maximus. He continued to speak and write in defense of the faith.  Finally, he was given the incredibly cruel “Persian punishment,” i.e., his tongue and hand—which were used to confess the faith—were cut off.  This sacrifice led him to receive the honorific ‘Confessor.’

Maximus was born in 580 CE into a Christian family that belonged to the elite of the city.  He received the best education of the day and was appointed the proto-secretary of the then emperor Heraclius at an early age.  However, three years later, he entered monastic life and remained a monk in what is modern day Turkey until the spring of 626 when the Persians, Slavs and Avars were attacking Constantinople.  He departed for North Africa, where he remained for a quarter of a century.  During this period he strongly opposed Monothelitism (Christ having one will) and Monoenergism (one energy).  Though it seems a trivial and speculative debate, Maximus realized that this position seriously compromised the humanity of Christ.  During a famous theological debate in 645, he demolished Pyrrhus, the deposed Patriarch of Constantinople and a leading proponent of Monothelitism.  In 646 he went to Rome and was close to Pope Martin I.  Emperor Constans II tried to placate differing political groups by diluting the orthodox faith. This was what Maximus opposed. He was put on trial and the proceedings have been recorded in The Trial of Maximus.  Though he was exiled, he refused to be silenced and was brutally tortured for refusing to sign a compromise statement of doctrine.  The mutilation and tortures finally led to his death on the 13^th of August, 662.

Maximus was an eminent figure for the Eastern and Western churches because he combined the profound speculation of the East and the historical salvific perspective of the West.  His life reveals to us an integration of the orthodoxy of faith and authentic Christian living.  His spirituality primarily revolved around the theme of divinization, which spoke of the human person truly becoming the image and likeness of God.  The process of divinization would be rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation where God became incarnate so that we might ‘become partakers of the divine nature’ (2 Pet. 1: 4).  For him divinization was not an abstract theme but a genuine transformation of not just the human person but all of creation so as to participate in Divine life.  Though divinization was only possible through the grace of God, it also involved an act of free will.  Only when the human person lets go of one’s self-love and surrenders totally to God does the grace of God transform and divinize the person.  Maximus Confessor’ courageous response to the trials of his time was the result of his inner transformation – his progressive divinization.  His life challenges us to discover our true selves and live lives of greater authenticity and radical discipleship.

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November is the month traditionally dedicated to the memory of the dead. 1st November, All Saints’ Day happens to be my birthday.  It always fell during the Diwali Holidays in Mumbai. So I do not remember ever going to school on that day. I used to be a bit annoyed when at 12 noon on that day my mother would gather us all together and make us recite all the 15 decades of the Rosary for the Dead. The indulgences were said to be applicable to the Holy Souls from 12 noon on the 1 Nov. and the whole of 2^nd Nov. One precious hour of my birthday wasted – or so I mused, when I was a child.

It is interesting to hear how we usually speak of death. When I was around 4 years old, I found my mother crying one day. To see our parents (grown-ups) cry was a rarest of the rare phenomenon. The lady next door sat by her. She told me that my mother had ‘lost’ her brother. When the lady moved away, I whispered to my Mum: Don’t cry Mummy, they will ‘find’ him.

Worse still when someone says: ‘He is no more!’ Gosh! So, what happened to him? Just dissolved into thin air? Another way of putting it is: “He has passed away!” Where exactly is that ‘away’?

I like better what we sometimes hear: ‘He has passed on!’  Or, He has moved on! Somewhat like a graduation. One phase of life is over so that another may begin. I heard this in Africa where there are so many young people dying of AIDS. Death comes as a relief after a long and painful illness. In one of the schools we have for girls, they do not have an ex-students’ Association, because there is hardly anyone left, five years after they leave us!

Most people have a great fear of death. Perhaps it is a consequence of our instinctual sense of self-preservation, our survival instinct, our clinging to life. Death seems to be a ‘losing’ of life and all that is familiar to us. It is a fear of the unknown. No one has returned to tell us what they have found on the other side … if there is an ‘other’ side!  The fear of the unknown again!

Then there is the fear of the possible suffering entailed, the dread of being alone and helpless, the fear of separation from loved ones … someone even worded it poetically as the terror of being left alone in the grave when everyone will leave, after the funeral!

It is good for us to think of death sometimes. Oh, yes, we do! But it is usually about someone else dying. We seldom think of our own ‘moving on’ as a certainty.  We may consider “If I die…”, as if we have a choice! But we hardly ever think of it as a certainty; “when I die…”

I think that God is really a doting Father, in that He keeps the time and circumstances of our death a “top secret”, so that we may live in full throttle till the very last moment. If we knew for certain the day and place of our death in advance, we would probably live in such dread, that all the time still left to us would be robbed of its vitality and joy. We would live like a Lazarus, all dressed up for his funeral, not coming out of his tomb, but frozen and dreading the moment when he would be asked to march on.

I look at death this way: I believe that God is our loving and doting father. As an earthly father waits to take a photograph of his child when the child is at its charming best… so God takes us when we are at our best. He is not a policeman, just waiting to catch us when we are wrong. He gives us time to right that wrong! He is not here to ‘condemn’ us, but has taken all the trouble to ‘save’ us.

Death is our second ‘birth’. A child in the womb is happy and care-free, swimming to its heart’s content. But then, as it grows, the space within becomes stifling, confining. The child becomes uncomfortable, too big for that restricted area. The natural birth process begins, and the babe comes out to a wider world, full of new possibilities. Our earthly existence, satisfying though it might seem, is not without its worries and pain. When we reach the threshold of pain, when we can take it no longer or are just too enfeebled by the weight of years, God comes in as the charming liberator, luring us to a fuller, eternal existence.  To be home with Him, never to be ever separated again! What glory! What freedom! What unsurpassable joy!

The pages of the New Testament are filled with this hope, this light, this glowing warmth. Some say that religion – all religions – are a promise of a ‘pie in the sky’. And they ask: What if, after striving to fulfill every dictate of religion, after years of ‘faithful’ adherence, at death we find that it was all a hoax, just a yawning void, and that there really isn’t anything beyond? Would life not have been just a pitiable waste of an opportunity to enjoy oneself, to have a good time … to hell with the rest?  … Well, in that case there would not be a hell either! Nor a heaven!

Even if … yes even if … there was nothing beyond … I think it would still be a reward in itself to live by one’s conscience, to strive for the pure, the good, the beautiful! The aura of goodness is an exhilarating experience … a divine bliss. It raises us over the mundane and makes us sensitive to the ethereal, to the magical world of a creation saturated with the presence of its Maker.

So Jesus says: Be prepared, like the wise virgins, for you do not know the day, nor the hour.

St Magdalene of Canossa used to exhort her Sisters: “Give things the weight you would give them one hour after your death.”  A great tool to regain our equilibrium, when we tend to drown in a cup-full of trouble.  On another occasion she said: “If you live detached from everything and everybody, natural death will cost you nothing.”

So, we could sing out with St Paul: O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?

I end with a poem I once came across.

The Dash

​I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone, from the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came the date of birth … and spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all was the ‘dash’ between those years.

For that dash represents all the time that they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our ‘dash.’

So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left, that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. 

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special ‘dash’ might only last a little while.
​So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say, about how you spent YOUR ‘dash’?

 

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Sr Esme da Cunha fdcc

“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him.”

The Holy Father gives us ten guidelines for our life and for keeping the World Day of the Poor in meaningful way. Here is a summary of his letter on this occasion. We have added a title to each paragraph, to help us retain the contents better. (Editor)

1. OPEN YOUR EYES: Psalm 34 allows us today, surrounded as we are by many different forms of poverty, to know those who are truly poor. It enables us to open our eyes to them, to hear their cry and to recognize their needs… No one should feel excluded from the Father’s love, especially in a world that often presents wealth as the highest goal and encourages self-centredness.
2. POVERTY IS A CRY. WE NEED TO HEAR IT. Psalm 34 uses three verbs to describe the poor man in his relationship with God. First of all, “to cry”. Poverty cannot be summed up in a word; it becomes a cry that rises to heaven and reaches God. What does the cry of the poor express, if not their suffering and their solitude, their disappointment and their hope? We can ask ourselves how their plea, which rises to the presence of God, can fail to reach our own ears, or leave us cold and indifferent. On this World Day of the Poor, we are called to make a serious examination of conscience, to see if we are truly capable of hearing the cry of the poor.To hear their voice, what we need is the silence of people who are prepared to listen. If we speak too much ourselves, we will be unable to hear them. At times I fear that many initiatives, meritorious and necessary in themselves, are meant more to satisfy those who undertake them than to respond to the real cry of the poor. …We are so trapped in a culture that induces us to look in the mirror and pamper ourselves…

3. WE NEED TO RESPOND: The second verb is “to answer”…God’s answer to the poor is always a saving act that heals wounds of body and soul, restores justice and helps to live life anew in dignity. God’s answer is also a summons to those who believe in him to do likewise, within the limits of what is humanly possible. The World Day of the Poor wishes to be a small answer that the Church throughout the world gives to the poor. It may well be like a drop of water in the desert of poverty, yet it can serve as a sign of sharing with those in need, and enable them to sense the active presence of a brother or a sister. The poor do not need intermediaries, but the personal involvement of all those who hear their cry. The concern of believers in their regard cannot be limited to a kind of assistance – as useful and as providential as this may be in the beginning – but requires a “loving attentiveness” (Evangelii Gaudium, 199) that honours the person as such and seeks out his or her best interests.
4. THE POOR NEED TO BE FREED: The third verb is “to free”. In the Bible, the poor live in the certainty that God intervenes on their behalf to restore their dignity. Poverty is not something that anyone desires, but is caused by selfishness, pride, greed and injustice. These are evils as old as the human race itself, but also sins in which the innocent are caught up, with tragic effects.
5. WAITING LIKE BARTIMAEUS: I find it moving to know that many poor people identify with the blind beggar Bartimaeus mentioned by the evangelist Mark (cf. 10:46-52). …How many people today feel in the same situation! Lack of basic means of subsistence, marginalization due to a reduced capacity for work, various forms of social enslavement, despite all our human progress… They are waiting for someone to come up to them and say: “Take heart; rise, he is calling you” (v. 49).… BUT OFTEN DISPPOINTED: Sadly, the exact opposite often happens, and the poor hear voices scolding them, telling them to be quiet and to put up with their lot. These voices are harsh, often due to fear of the poor, who are considered not only destitute but also a source of insecurity and unrest, an unwelcome distraction from life as usual and needing to be rejected and kept afar. We tend to create a distance between them and us, without realizing that in this way we are distancing ourselves from the Lord Jesus.

6. THEY NEED OUR PRESENCE: for the poor to overcome their oppressive situation, they need to sense the presence of brothers and sisters who are concerned for them and, by opening the doors of their hearts and lives, make them feel like friends…In many dioceses last year, … many people encountered the warmth of a home, the joy of a festive meal and the solidarity of those who wished to sit together at table in simplicity and fraternity. I would like this year’s, and all future World Days, to be celebrated in a spirit of joy at the rediscovery of our capacity for togetherness. Praying together as a community and sharing a meal on Sunday is an experience that brings us back to the earliest Christian community, described by the evangelist Luke in all its primitive simplicity.
7. WE COLLABORATE WITH OTHER GENEROUS PERSONS: Countless initiatives are undertaken every day by the Christian community in order to offer closeness and a helping hand in the face of the many forms of poverty all around us. Often too, our cooperation with other initiatives inspired not by faith but by human solidarity, make it possible for us to provide help that otherwise we would have been unable to offer. The realization that in the face of so much poverty our capacity for action is limited, weak and insufficient, leads us to reach out to others so that, through mutual cooperation, we can attain our goals all the more effectively. … Dialogue between different experiences, and humility in offering our cooperation without seeking the limelight, is a fitting and completely evangelical response that we can give…WITHOUT COMPETITION: In the service of the poor, there is no room for competition…. The poor do not need self-promoters, but a love that knows how to remain hidden and not think about all the good it has been able to do. At the centre must always be the Lord and the poor….Far be it from Christ’s disciples to nurture feelings of disdain or pity towards the poor. Instead, we are called to honour the poor and to give them precedence, out of the conviction that they are a true presence of Jesus in our midst. …

8. WE REJECT WORLDLY WAYS: Here we can see how far our way of life must be from that of the world, which praises, pursues and imitates the rich and powerful, while neglecting the poor and deeming them useless and shameful. …
9. WITH THE POOR, WE GROW IN HUMANITY: Faith naturally inspires a message of hope. Often it is precisely the poor who can break through our indifference, born of a worldly and narrow view of life. … It is in the measure in which we are able to discern authentic good that we become rich before God and wise in our own eyes and in those of others. It is truly so. To the extent that we come to understand the true meaning of riches, we grow in humanity and become capable of sharing.
10. THE POOR TEACH US THE GOSPEL: The poor evangelize us and help us each day to discover the beauty of the Gospel. …

Question for Reflection, Decision and Action:

How will I (or my family, or parish or religious community) live the Day of the Poor this year?

 

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An Interview with Sr Dorothy Fernandes PBVM

Sr Dorothy Fernandes PBVM has worked among the marginalized and poor of Patna, Bihar, for twenty-two years as a foot soldier fighting for their right to shelter, food, literacy and the government schemes allotted to them. Presently she is on the advisory team of the social wing of Sewa Kendra, Patna, an active member of the FORUM of Religious for Justice and Peace and of the Executive team of WANI (Women Awake New Initiatives), a network for rural and urban women in North India.

In 2010 she was elected to the provincial team of the Presentation Sisters in India. From 2012 to 2015, she served as Vice Provincial of the Indian Province. She was interviewed for MAGNET by Sr Celine Vas BS, our Associate Editor.

Magnet: Sr Dorothy, I attended the 3^rd Conference of the Religious and Migration in the 21^st Century series, at Don Bosco, New Delhi, on September 10, 2018. You spoke about your struggles to move from the familiar ground to the unfamiliar. What is it all about?

Sr Dorothy: Moving out of institutional living and from the teaching profession in our school in Delhi, I realized that I need to pitch my tent with people in need. I was restless, till I responded to the Inner Voice calling me to leave the familiar and to move into the unknown.

It was not easy to get permission from the leadership.  It was a four-year long struggle, years of being misunderstood; the inner voice was so strong that I felt I would have to apply for exclaustration.  It was God’s blessing that I was alert to what was being told to me…I was asked to write that I have a crisis of vocation but, when I reflected, I became aware that it was not a crisis in vocation. What was at stake was the choice of ministry.  I was being called to work for and with the people on the margins, so I immediately said that I will write this and so there was no exclaustration but continual turmoil within.

Magnet: So, you got permission to opt for the missions in Patna?

Sr Dorothy: No.  When God calls, He also tests us. After sharing all my struggles with not wanting to work in schools, I was offered a transfer to different communities with higher posts. I stood my ground.  Not being heard after speaking my truth was very painful. Finally, one night I got a call that I would be sent to a very remote village in Madhya Pradesh. I had not bargained for this—to go from a city like Delhi to a remote village without electricity or furniture,  with fire wood as our only means of fuel; the cow dung floor our ground… among the Gond tribals.

Magnet: You wanted to work with the poor, and you got it.

Sr Dorothy: I hesitated to say “Yes” as I didn’t know if that’s what I was asking …but it was a challenge to say “Yes”, now or never, so I said my “Yes” and walked into the unknown.  Today, when I look back, those two years were the happiest years of my life, something I would never exchange with anything else. We lived amidst the people, incarnated into their life, dressed like them… ate their food. We were four and we lived on a stipend of Rs 1000/- given to us by the diocese. This was our decision….it was preparing me to face life to discover my inner strength and to trust in God’s Providence.  We attended to the following ministry:

Work among the rural poor of Madhya Pradesh from 1987 to 1991. I worked among the tribals (Gonds) in Chindwara district of Madhya Pradesh workingfor their rights and education; organized the youth and enabled them to benefit from government schemes; organized women for their rights to be able to take their rightful place in society.

After two years I was recalled, I came back on one condition that I would regain my health…so I kept true to that Inner Voice but I remained disturbed till in 199, as I moved out from school never to go back…My mission field became clear to me over the years.

Magnet: What is the mission you undertook from 1991?

Sr Dorothy: Worked with the urban poor of Delhi at Sanjay Amar Colony, Delhi, organizing the urban poor for their rights from 1991 to1997. Also worked with Caritas India as part of the animating team from 1991 to 1993. From 1994 to 1997, I was convener of Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace for Delhi region.

Magnet: Were you supported by your Congregation and province?

Sr Dorothy: Yes. I had decided that I would need to be open to life and respond with the same passion; open to the stirrings of the Spirit’s Movement and listening to the Inner Voice. I adopted dialogue and discernment as a way of life as promulgated in our Congregational documents. Being in Patna and away from the Presentation Family, I needed a mentor to make sure that what I was moving into was God’s design for me. I have been fortunate to have had good mentors – Fr Abraham Puthumana SJ,  Fr TK John SJ, Fr Tom Kocherry CSSR, Sr Amala SND and Bro Varghese Thecknath SG, who inspired me and enabled me to be faithful to God’s call.

Magnet: Did you have any priority in rendering your service?

Sr Dorothy: The women who live on the margins have always been my reference point and have contributed greatly to shaping the woman I am.  In working with women, I invited them to look at some of their practices which have enslaved them and from where they arise. This challenged me to look at the practices we also have in Religious Life. In particular, I began to understand the vows in the light of the communities with whom I am engaged. It is not so much a negation of what should not be but rather how we should be free to be at the service of the people with whom we are engaged.

Magnet: Do you mean to say that in the process of liberating other women you got liberated from your own comfort zone?

Sr Dorothy: True, as Mahatma Gandhi said ‘Be the change you want to see in others.’ The whole perspective of looking at my religious consecration got changed. I am fortunate to belong to a very progressive congregation and our congregational documents gave me the mandate to move ahead. I am very grateful for the Trust the congregation had in me and for permitting me to respond to that Inner Voice.

Magnet: What was your new mission with new meaning?

Sr Dorothy:  I worked in Patna among the rural and urban poor from 1997 to 2018. The work included the following:

• Full time in the social sector organizing the urban and rural poor of Patna for the Right to Shelter, Right to Food and Right to Livelihood. In 1997, I began work in the rural sector in Maner Block with twenty-five non-formal centers for children.
• In 2000 I worked for a year with UNICEF-Patna to do research on commercial sex workers.
• From 2002 to 2004, I worked with ACTION AID Patna as coordinator of Mahila Adhikar Morcha and later on urban initiatives.
• In 2001, I began a school in Islamganj in the Kita Chauthar panchayat. Now we have a primary school in a concrete building from LKG to Class V. This school caters to children from the far-flung villages, like Haldi Chapra, Saat Anna, Hulasi Tola, Dudhila, Islamganj.
• Got a society registered in 2003 under the name of Jan Kalyan Gramin Vikas Samiti, which has given us the credibility and a public face for our work.
• We have been engaged with the Urban poor of Patna in eight Municipal Wards of the Patna Municipal Corporation and have been educating and organizing the urban poor for the implementation of the JNNURM scheme for housing of the urban poor in Patna.

Magnet: Do you feel that your leap among the poor was recognized by your congregation?

Sr Dorothy: I was elected as a delegate for the 2001 Congregational Chapter in Ireland and one of the decisions was “Single Living” for the sake of Mission. I took this up with the leadership and, to my good fortune, I was on the leadership team. We got the permission of the archbishop of Patna, who stated that I could live alone and he was open even to have some women be part of this endeavour.

In 2006, at the next Congregational Chapter, the mandate was for forming communities among the poor. This was again in my favour. Though I lived singly, I formed communities with people wherever I went, in the slum with the people, in the office with my team, in the neighborhood with religious communities.  So, I was never lonely, never felt alone, and always experienced the power and companionship of God, who was calling me to walk new paths.

Magnet: Do you feel that in walking into the unknown path your heart responds to the promptings of the spirit?

Sr Dorothy: The Catholic Social Teachings of the Church have inspired me and enabled me to walk the path that was gradually unfolding to me each day. The life of Nano Nagle, our Foundress, and her parting message, “Spend yourselves for the poor” have been the reason for me to continue to speak and act with and for the marginalized.

Magnet: Do you see any other challenges or hurdles that you come across in your mission?

Sr Dorothy: One of the biggest challenges for me was the face of patriarchy, be it Caritas India, the Regional Pastoral Centre, Patna, Action Aid Patna, etc. Enough is enough. I thought that the time had come to me to come out of all these and start my own organization.  So we are into “Aashray Abhiyan” – campaigning for shelter Rights: Right to Livelihood, Right to Food. Our work is with “Service Providers”—construction workers, domestic help, vendors, sweepers, rickshaw pullers, homeless communities. We have been educating them about their rights, organizing them to demand their rights, and campaigning for their rights.  This will lead us to freedom.

One of the many blessings I enjoy is a very dedicated team of young and middle-aged people, women and men, of all faiths—a pluralistic community.  We have taken up the cause of the poor and have adopted all democratic processes—sit-in dharnas, rallies, press conferences, people’s parliament. This way we have earned the trust and belief of the communities.

I promote Gandhi’s saying:  Be the change you want to be.

My life is the life of a pilgrim, a journey….which keeps unfolding each day…The God of my journeys is with me and will never let me down….

Magnet: Thank you, Sr Dorothy, for sharing your journey of faith and trust in God’s Providence and the strength of the poor.

 

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Sr Celine Vas BS