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KEVIN

Over the past year, Crystal and I have had the opportunity to observe our daughter providing homeschool education for our six-year old grandson. It has been delightful to not only witness Joey’s amazing educational advances, but also to see the marvelous interaction between mother and son.  As a result of a pending divorce, the prospects for continued homeschooling for her children is being challenged. The suitability of our daughter, a university educated, English literature major’s ability to teach is being called into question. The prospect of being forced to place the children into floundering public schools is not only disconcerting but has prompted me to reflect on education in general and the role of teachers specifically.  What does it take to be a good teacher anyway?

Obviously children need to learn in order to prosper in life. Reading, writing and arithmetic skills are essentials for every child and serve as the fundamental basis of any educational system.  Even the least trained educator, with the aid of an established curriculum, should be able to handle the task of helping a young child become functionally literate and learn basic life skills. But in this day and age, the emphasis in the West is on educating the next generation of mathematicians, scientists and computer gurus. Admittedly, the educational rigor and teaching skills necessary to develop in-depth knowledge of various subjects and the ability to apply principles to real world problems may require additional expertise and more highly skilled teachers. In fact, I am very beholden to those teachers who have had the patience to bring “slower” students like myself through the intricacies of advanced math, science and language. Their skill and dedication is to be commended.

Who are the Great Teachers?

However, there are lots of teachers, many of them in this day and age who happen to be homeschoolers, who are very capable of passing along basic knowledge and skills to students.  Is being a good teacher enough? What does it take to be a great teacher? When I watch our daughter… when I think of the special teachers I have had in Catholic schools and at the public university… what is it that I see that highlights greatness? What I have experienced beyond the mere act of learning is the life-shaping influence that is at work when we experience a great teacher. Whenever I hear someone reflect on the experience of their overall education, inevitably they will share the opinion that one particular teacher had a profound influence on who they are as a person. So, the great teacher is the one whose interest in the student doesn’t stop at their learning but focuses on their future. In other words, the great teacher is not focused merely on education but also on formation.

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CRYSTAL AND KEVIN SULLIVAN

Tips on Leadership and Spiritual Growth

(480-547 CE)

“The Abbot should use prudence and avoid extremes…  He should prune faults with prudence and love as he sees best for each individual.  Let him strive to be loved rather than feared.”  (Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 64,12.14-15)

The entire Rule of St. Benedict stands out for its spirit of discernment.  Chapter 64, where the qualities of an Abbot are outlined, emphasizes the need of ‘prudence’ (repeated twice) and juxtaposes it with the age-old philosophical principal of ‘avoiding extremes.’  The chapter, which is a synthesis of the Christian ideal and profound humanism, is indeed a must read for anyone who has to elect a superior or has been appointed as one.

Though monastic life existed for many centuries in western Europe, Benedict is considered the Father of Western monasticism. He was born in Nursia, Northeast of Rome. After experiencing a religious conversion, he decided to renounce the world.  He first lived with a group of ascetics in Affile, east of Rome, and then spent three years in total solitude in Subiaco. He had a bitter experience as head of a group of decadent monks, following which he returned to Subiaco and founded twelve monasteries.  From there he went to Mount Cassino, where he founded a fully cenobitic community – a community which would be autonomous and confer the abbot with a great deal of authority. His Rule would go on to become the foundation of monastic spirituality. On various occasions, when monasticism was in crisis, groups of monks would return to the original spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict.

Benedict’s life was popularized by the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great, who presented him as a Vir Dei, i.e., a man of God.  In keeping with the literary style of the day, Benedict is presented as a great prophet, miracle worker…

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In this honest and moving account of his life as a college teacher, the author looks at what teaching has meant to him, what it has taught him, and the main things he and his students learnt from one another.

How did I ever become what I did not want to become? This is a question I have often asked myself.

In my college days, teaching was certainly not a career option I considered. In fact, I changed track twice, first shifting from science to literature and then taking up a job in banking and again giving it up for good and joining college as a lecturer.

Even after joining, I kept wondering if I should be doing this. Many things conspired to keep me there. Initially it was a very comfortable job in my own hometown. There was a neat salary, other conveniences and a respectability which I think only the teaching community enjoys in Indian society. Teachers are more respected and trusted than anyone else.

But to think of it in such terms was not very satisfying; something was missing. At least, that is how I used to feel. What was I looking for? A deeper satisfaction which I think is more important than anything else. Call it spiritual, if you like.  It’s not success, but a feeling of inner satisfaction which one can get only by ‘walking the extra mile,’ so to speak. (This lesson I learned only later when I reflected on it more deeply.) Engaging with literature in the classrooms was indeed enjoyable, but also tedious. Reason: Many kids come to college, not really of out of a personal choice or keenness in studying a subject but for more prosaic reasons. Learning literature and languages is something that most would like to do without, as some have openly confessed to me. (“What’s the use of learning Milton or Shakespeare? Or reading O Henry and Virginia Woolf?”)

Experiences that Opened My Eyes

I was attending a retreat session for the faculty when I met a famous retreat master who was an excellent counsellor. I told him of this crisis of dissatisfaction that I experienced at that moment. He asked me how I went to work every day, with a sad face or a happy face. That set me thinking. I had to experience joyfulness in my work. I had to work ‘at it.’ I remember that in one of the sessions the preacher quoted St. Therese of Lisieux: “Bloom where you are planted.” That was a great thought. Happiness did not lie elsewhere but ‘here and now.’ Perhaps this was what St. Paul meant when he spoke somewhere of the kairos moment…

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Every life has easy and tough moments—times of ease and trying times of loneliness, discouragement and even despair.

How do young religious and novices find fresh energy and enthusiasm again when the going gets tough?

Their answers make sense—for all of us, whatever our age or situation.—Editor

To the question, “What helps you find enthusiasm again when the going gets tough?” the young gave short and sensible answers.

Personal Prayer:

The most frequently mentioned help—and this is no surprise—was personal prayer, especially praying with the Word of God. Sample answers:

“Reading the Word of God.”

“My prayer life, especially personal prayer.”

“The Mass and my personal prayer help me to face every problem.”

“Surrendering myself into the hands of God, who gives me hope and courage through my personal prayer and the Eucharist.”

“Sometimes prayer; sometimes the encouraging and consoling words from my sisters.”

“The Holy Eucharist, which draws me closer to Jesus.”

“Without prayer, I can’t survive.”

“God gives me the grace.”…

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(Once again, thank you, Sr Mariola MSA, for collecting the replies of the young religious and novices.—Editor)

 30th July:  International Friendship Day

This day is dedicated to celebrating Friendship—one of the sweetest bonds, formed by a mutual relationship of trust, affection, cooperation, and support between two or more persons. We all need friends, no matter what we are going through or where we are in life.

If two persons can be friends, two families can be friends, two neighbourhoods can be friends, two cities, two nations … the world can be bonded by friendship! What a different world that would be! So, kudos to friendship, the bond between hearts!

A good and true friend is hard to find and, if found, it must be considered as God’s special blessing. C.S. Lewis, the renowned British novelist and poet, said “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”

So true are these words; no life is worthwhile without friendship. This is the most vital ingredient to live life to its fullest. We need someone special to share our happiness, our sadness and our problems; to share moments of joys and success too.  A true friend is one in whom we can trust blindly; one who knows everything about you and still loves you.

When everything seems to be going against us, it is our friends who fill us with courage and give us courage to keep fighting.  Walking with a friend in the dark is way better than walking in the light alone.

It is a popular custom of celebrating this Day by offering yellow and pink roses to your friends or exchanging “Friendship bands”.

The Miracle of Friendship

There is a miracle called Friendship
that dwells within the heart
and you don’t know how it happens
or even when it starts…

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Sr Esme Da Cunha FDCC

Fr. Rajesh, a religious priest, applied to the Holy See for an indult (permission) to leave the institute and be incardinated into a diocese.  His superior general, after having discussed with the diocesan Bishop, allowed him to serve in the diocese.  While serving in the diocese, he received the indult. After four years, the Bishop refused to incardinate him into the diocese. The superior general accepted him back in the institute.  Is it right for the Bishop to refuse him the incardination? Can Fr. Rajesh return to his religious institute?

Let us begin with the term ‘incardination.’ It is also called enrolment.  It comes from the Latin word cardo, meaning ‘hinge.’ Incardination is the term used for the enrolment or affiliation of a religious into an institute of consecrated life or a society of apostolic life; or a diocesan priest into a diocese.  The incardination, in fact, confirms the law that prohibits ‘acephalous’ (“without a head”) or “wandering” religious or diocesan cleric (CIC c. 265; CCEO c. 357§1). This means that a Catholic priest or religious must belong to a diocese or religious order. He or she cannot simply be a wandering person without affiliation.

The incardination of a religious cleric is twofold. He is incardinated into the institute: (i) during his perpetual profession; (ii) during his diaconate, just as a diocesan deacon is incardinated into a diocese by virtue of his diaconal ordination (CIC cc. 268 §2, 266 §2; CCEO c. 428).

The incident we discuss is an instance of change in the status of a religious priest to that of diocesan clergy.   CIC c. 693 and CCEO cc. 494, 549§3 deal with the procedure to be followed, when a cleric desires to leave the institute to be incardinated into a diocese.

Documents needed

In our previous discussion we reflected in general about the indult to leave the religious institute. Now, we confine our discussion to clerics.  In the case of a cleric, whether a deacon or a priest, the following documents are to be forwarded by the superior general while requesting for an indult to leave the institute: (i) motive for the request; (ii) letter of acceptance of the Bishop who is willing to receive him, with or without a period of probation; and (iii) opinion of the superior general and the council.

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Sr Licia SMI

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 

Rachel Carson was an American biologist who wrote two popular books on sea life. But her third book, Silent Spring, created an epoch—the epoch of environmentalism that has become the most vital global issue today, because human civilization stands threatened by a variety of man-made disasters in the making. The book changed the way we perceived the idea of unbridled progress based on industrialism and what was designated as the ‘Green Revolution’ dependent on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers used indiscriminately.  Carson was inspired by a letter written by her friend making a note of the disappearance of birds in rural America during the spring season. Many creatures including fishes and other forms of aquatic life were fast becoming extinct from the water bodies in Europe and America. Carson made an intensive investigation and came up with the book that graphically describes what happened. The extensive use of pesticides, particularly DDT, which was considered a magic solution to a variety of pest troubles during the years following the World War II. These synthetic insecticides were poisoning food chains, from insects upwards. Till that time the effect of chemicals in farming and domestic life had never been considered a serious threat to the various forms of life on earth. Carson’s book became controversial, inviting attacks from the industrial lobby and the political establishment that supported them. She was even branded a ‘communist.’  But she stood her ground, despite the fact that she was suffering from breast cancer…

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Review by Dr. Gigy Joseph

Here is an unusual vocation story. God guided Sunitha in unexpected ways, through people she did not know, into a vocation she knew nothing about.

I am Sunitha (Sr. Jismary). I come from a Hindu family of seven members: father, mother, three boys and three girls. I am the youngest. My father was a farmer. My mother suffered from various illnesses. Inspired by a friend of hers, she used to pray to Jesus every day. When I saw her sitting alone and praying, I too joined, just to keep her company. When I was fourteen years old, she sent me once to the Tabor Retreat Centre at Ezhumuttam for a retreat. In that retreat, I prayed very earnestly for a special grace from God.

Then, something strange happened to me one night. I was lying down. Suddenly, I had a very cold, piercing feeling on my right cheek. Then it spread to my whole body. I couldn’t utter a word. I felt that I had only a mild heart beat. Seeing the peculiar state of my body, the old lady on the nearest cot was upset. She called me and massaged my hands and legs. I could hear everything, but I could not speak. I was lying still, watching the Crucified Lord before me, but I couldn’t open my eyes. Someone brought the Priest and the retreat team members; they switched on the light in the hall and prayed for me. They said it was the external sign of the “anointing by the Holy Spirit.” After a few hours, I fell asleep.

 A Deep Desire, a Secret Pain

The next morning, I came to the retreat hall. During the praise and worship, I lost control of my tongue. Later, I realized that, I was “praying in tongues.” After that experience I felt an earnest desire to dedicate my life to Jesus. But I could only keep it as a secret pain within my life…

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Sr Sunitha CMF

Benedict of Nursia: (480-547 CE)

“The Abbot should use prudence and avoid extremes…  He should prune faults with prudence and love as he sees best for each individual.  Let him strive to be loved rather than feared.”  (Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 64,12.14-15)

The entire Rule of St. Benedict stands out for its spirit of discernment.  Chapter 64, where the qualities of an Abbot are outlined, emphasizes the need of ‘prudence’ (repeated twice) and juxtaposes it with the age-old philosophical principal of ‘avoiding extremes.’  The chapter, which is a synthesis of the Christian ideal and profound humanism, is indeed a must read for anyone who has to elect a superior or has been appointed as one.

Though monastic life existed for many centuries in western Europe, Benedict is considered the Father of Western monasticism. He was born in Nursia, Northeast of Rome. After experiencing a religious conversion, he decided to renounce the world.  He first lived with a group of ascetics in Affile, east of Rome, and then spent three years in total solitude in Subiaco. He had a bitter experience as head of a group of decadent monks, following which he returned to Subiaco and founded twelve monasteries.  From there he went to Mount Cassino, where he founded a fully cenobitic community – a community which would be autonomous and confer the abbot with a great deal of authority. His Rule would go on to become the foundation of monastic spirituality. On various occasions, when monasticism was in crisis, groups of monks would return to the original spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict.

Benedict’s life was popularized by the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great, who presented him as a Vir Dei, i.e., a man of God.  In keeping with the literary style of the day, Benedict is presented as a great prophet, miracle worker, combatant against the demonic powers and performer of extraordinary feats which are proper of a Father of the Desert.  However, the essence of Benedict’s life consists in offering a method that helps us move towards greater union with God…

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In this frank first person account, young Andrea tell us of the insecurities and fears she faced, and how she learnt to cope and make sense of life.

Life is a rollercoaster; as it is for many people. Some have a more plain-sailing ride, whilst others experience a few bumps and twists along the way. You know what I have realised over the years? It is perfectly okay for it not to be ‘perfect’!

I was born in Dubai, and, although only two weeks premature, I was underweight at 2.2 kg. I stayed in ICU for several weeks before I was healthy enough to go home. Fast forward a few years and I moved to England after my Dad lost his businesses. My family decided to start again from A to Z. The aftermath of the losses still holds a cloud over the family, though it is much lighter now than the storm it brewed. The stress it engraved remains, as many issues still derive from the hardships. I would see my mum pray to Jesus when she was sad or in need. At that time, I never knew, but now I know that it was her ‘escape’ to face reality—the irony. It was a way of talking to someone who you hoped would understand when you felt alone…and that moment has stayed with me ever since.

Fear was stopping me

Skipping a few more years…I grew up in a very modern British household. However, my Indian roots also came into play. My brother and I were given the opportunity to fulfil anything we desired, whilst at the same time being also wrapped in cotton wool (wool of love and protection, which I thank my parents for, since I feel very lucky).

I have always been an energetic and curious person that wanted to explore and sense adventure. But my past experiences made it difficult for me to have the confidence to take some major decisions alone, that would require utmost independence. I recognised that it was fear stopping me from reaching my potential…

Andrea Nazareth