home

In a number of our institutions we have quite many employees working as daily wage labourers or temporary or contract workers for years together, sometimes even for decades.????? Such an inhuman and unjust practice is not only against the normal human desire for an upward mobility in life, but also against God’s plan of self-actualization of each human person. There can be no indefinite period of probation or trial period in the life of an employee. If a person is found fit, he or she is employed on a permanent basis or at the most one more chance of extension of the probation can be given, before the end of which term, the employer has to decide one way or the other about the concerned employee.   Hence, we can say that for a work of a permanent nature, we cannot have a temporary or contract employee.  This is the view taken by the labour court too.

Human dignity: Employees, in several cases, are USED AS A COMMODITY by the employers for their personal benefit or for the benefit of their organization.  This attitude is evident in the employer’s statement that the employees are paid for their work.  This is nothing but ‘use and throw’ attitude.  What matters to the employer is the work and nothing more. The employer is not concerned about the personhood of the employee.

There is something much more important than payment here. This is where the golden rule of Jesus comes.  Do unto others what you want others do unto you (Mt 7:12).   I am not sure if this golden rule is applicable anywhere else in a greater way than in our dealing with our employees.  Employees have a human value and not a utility value.  They too have been created in the image of God, like anyone else. They too are co-creators like others.  Hence, they work with us as our collaborators, not as our servants/slaves, in the traditional sense.  Every person has his/her human dignity and every labour gets dignified because of the human person who does it.

Indispensability of the employees: If success of an organization depends on the quality of its employees, then there is no need to mention their indispensability.  We, priests and religious, may come and go, but the employees carry on and give the necessary link with the past. Every head of the institution would have realized by now that whether he/she is there or not, the usual work continues because of the dedication and experience of the old hands.   Hence, the need to take them into confidence before making any change, rather than straightaway bulldozing through them with our own ideas, however great they may be.

Some guiding principles:

1. Find God in your employees and treat them with respect.
2. Treat all employees equally without any favouritism or partiality to anyone.
3. Give a hearing to them and their ideas and be open to learn from them.
4. Be available to them if they want to meet you.
5. Treat them as you would like to be treated by others.
6. Treat them as you would like you or your own family member treated (had you/he/she been in the place of the particular employee).
7. Accompany them in their works and set an example to them instead of lording over them.
8. Trust them; don’t go after them or spy on them.
9. Ignore, at times, their mistakes (but let them know that you know them) and forgive them.
10. Meet them as individuals and as a group.
11. Include them in the planning of the works relevant to them.
12. Listen to them and don’t hesitate to say “sorry” to them when you make a mistake
13. Give them periodic appraisal/feedback on their performance against your expectations of them.
14. Praise them in public and correct in private.
15. Treat them as adults and train them to be responsible for their works.
16. Be kind to them, yet firm, but not a terror, for by being a terror, you simply reveal your own insecurity and need to dominate over others.
17. Love them, be concerned about them and their wellbeing by home visits, friendly queries about their children’s studies, spouse’s health, etc.
18. Pray for them and their families, especially the poor, sick and suffering

Employees’ performance: Reflection of the administration

The quality of the employees and their work depends very much on the type of administrator you are.  If you are good to them, they will repay you hundredfold. If you are bad to them or lose their goodwill, then they will show their reaction to you in their work.  Many a time, the quality of their performance depends on how you, as in-charge, deal with them.  We can simply say that if the employees are good then the administration is good, and if they are not good, then the administration too is not good.  Thus, it can be said that the employees’ performance reflects the face of the administration.

How to deal with difficult employees:

Wherever we go, difficult people are bound to be there.  Much depends on the employer’s ability to deal with them and get the work done from them.  Some employers may not do anything to correct the employees for the fear of losing their popularity or of getting into problematic situations; some may be too lenient and some others too strict; some may be submissive and some others dominating; some may easily give in to pressure and some others may be  uncompromising; some too kind and some others too cruel.

Difficult employees can be of various types: The unmotivated, the unproductive, the under-performing, the non-performing, the dishonest, the quarrelsome, the aggressive, the ‘kamchor’ (shirker/dodger/sponger), etc.

We need to adopt different strategies: Giving a time-bound job and asking them to report after completing that work; putting them under your nose so that they are supervised properly;  breaking the company of fellow workers if one is a gossiper; trying to understand them and their problems from their point of view;  meeting them for a personal chat;  trusting them to win over their confidence; isolating them in their work place; warning them when it is called for; ignoring them so that they feel left out and join the main stream; avoiding them, which itself may become a punishment for them; exposing them at the appropriate time and in an appropriate manner; circumventing them, which will show that you are interested in them and their work; being kind to them; confronting and challenging them when needed; putting a peer pressure on them, offering them a specific responsibility that can bring out the best in them, rehabilitating them depending on their current status; encouraging them when they are downcast, etc. There is no uniform way of dealing with everyone. One mould will not suit all. We have to try different methods with different people. Identifying the kind of problem an employee has and choosing the appropriate means to tackle the issue is a skill the employer has to learn, just as a doctor does in diagnosing the illness and prescribing the right medicine.

The important factor is that we should not react emotionally to the difficult situations by getting unnecessarily angry or upset  with the employees, but respond to them as mature, responsible and caring adults.  The key lies in our ability not to get provoked by externals, but to deal with the difficult situations calmly, firmly and yet with a certain amount of flexibility as the situation may warrant. This calls for a balanced approach, which we have to learn as we learn many other things in life. Above all, we have to develop a positive attitude towards difficult people and situations.  We have to be thankful for the difficult employees, for they teach us to grow as a real human being!  Difficult situations such as these become an opportunity for us to prove our mettle!

In the next issue, we shall discuss the procedures to be followed in taking a disciplinary action.

---

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

Restore the Image of God in the Human Person

The Cappadocian region in Turkey is home to three great saints—Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa.  They were outstanding theologians who made important contributions to the doctrine of the Trinity.  Of these three saints, Gregory of Nyssa is considered to be an eminent spiritual writer. His books, The Life of Moses and Commentary on the Song of Songs are considered to be spiritual classics.  Gregory of Nyssa was born between 335 and 340 CE to a pious family.  He did not go to the famous ‘schools’ of the time, but was well versed in rhetoric, philosophy and other sciences of his time.  It is believed that he married Theosebeia and on the division of the Province of Capadocia in 372, was named bishop of Nyssa.  His episcopate can be divided into two parts—with the first part until his exile in 374 being rather uneventful.  However, after his return in 379 to the joyous acclaim of the faithful, his theological and spiritual brilliance stood out.  He was a prominent figure in the synods of Antioch and Constantinople.  It is believed that he died a few years after the synod of Constantinople in 394.

 He was a prolific writer and his writings cover a variety of themes, such as Christology, Trinity, Biblical exegesis, writings against heresies, biographies, sermons, discourses, catechetical teachings and various letters.  His spiritual classic, The Life of Moses is also considered an exegetical work and was probably written in his old age because of its mature spiritual wisdom and insights.  Gregory of Nyssa made use of the person of Moses, a revered figure among Jews and Christians, and presented it as a model for spiritual life.  The text contains a prologue (Part I: 1-15), biblical history (Part I:16-77), contemplation (Part II: 1-318) and conclusion (Part II: 319-321). Moses began his life by a desire for solitude in order to return and serve society.  Though the book speaks about the need of asceticism, dealing with one’s passions and a life of virtues, the main focus is on having an internal knowledge of God and right behaviour.  His spirituality of ‘following God’ stands out because of its emphasis on spiritual life as an unending progress towards God.

Cardinal Jean Daniélou titles his book on the mystical writings of Gregory of Nyssa as From Glory to Glory.  The creation of the human person reflects the glory of God.  The distorted use of free will led to the fall; the spiritual process consists in the restoration of the fallen nature.  Thus the spiritual process is a movement from the glory of being created in God’s image towards greater glory.  The three ways proposed by Gregory of Nyssa were built upon the idea of Origen. These are: a) the way of light for beginners; b) knowledge of God akin to being in a cloud and c) knowledge of God in the darkness.  This paradoxical movement from light to darkness offers us one of the most sublime expression of apophatic (negative) mysticism and depicts the call to Christian perfection as an ongoing process.  Instead of depicting perfection as an immobile state, it is presented as something dynamic leading the human person towards every greater participation in divine life—a continual transformation which leads from ‘glory to glory’ (2 Cor. 3,18).

The great Moses, as he was becoming ever greater, at no time stopped in his ascent, nor did he set a limit for himself in his upward course.  Once having set foot on the ladder which God set up (as Jacob says), he continually climbed to the step above and never ceased to rise higher, because he always found a step higher than the one he had attained.

 (The Life of Moses, Bk. 2, 228)

---

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

The recent floods in Kerala and Coorg caused incredible damage, of course. There is no denying the unprecedented nature of this disaster.

But what was equally evident, and even more striking, was the exceptional human heroism and solidarity so many people demonstrated in the wake of the tragedy. As we know, suffering brings out the best and the worst in human beings. Some reached out with selfless concern and did heroic things—of which the fisherman of Southern Kerala were an outstanding example. Others used to chance to promote bigotry and blame the victims. Both are aspects of human beings.

What is the role religious orders played in reaching out to the survivors?

Nothing short of heroic, to say the least.

In fact, most observers would admit that the Catholic church provided the most effective, the most extensive and the most immediate relief work after the floods.

Speaking in the name of CRI, I am talking mostly of what religious communities did; but I must add, without any hesitation, that a number of parishes and institutions run by dioceses and parishes did yeomen service.

A priest said, “As I heard of the floods, and stood wondering how to help, I found that I did not have to look for help. People came to me spontaneously, asking: ‘What can we do?’ I opened our halls to shelter the people who were brought. But I did not have to worry about food or water. So many individuals and families came with food.”

Another said, “As soon as boats started coming into the town carrying people most of whom were drenched and shivering, some Sisters from the neighbouring convent rushed there with hot coffee and tea. Seeing this, bakeries and other shops nearby brought eatables for the people—all for free distribution. The shopkeepers did not use it as a chance to make a fast buck.”

A collector said on TV how impressed he was by the generosity of the people. He made an appeal on social media, expecting that by evening a truckload of food might come in. Instead, so much more food and water was brought by people—and the material kept coming.

Some religious orders opened all their houses to shelter the flood victims. Others took in hundreds of people and provided them not only food, but also clothes, since many of the survivors had rushed out from flooded homes with just the clothes on their back. Young people volunteered; and they informed people through social media.

One lovely trait so many commentators noted: Neither the help-providers nor the beneficiaries asked which religion or caste people belonged to. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this same sense of oneness were evident in normal life, too, and not only in times of tragedy?

Grown-ups and college students moved around, going to homes and offering to clean up the mess after the waters receded. They did this as a free service, of course, not for money.

It is impossible to quantify the contribution of religious in this unparalleled saga of human generosity. How do you measure the day and night availability of religious to the victims? How do you calculate the help given by institutions that opened their gates and hearts to all those who needed a safe place, clean food and water and urgent medical attention?

The financial contribution given by the religious orders in Kerala to the church’s relief work (according to one source) exceed sixty-six crores.

As for the National CRI, I wrote to the Major Superiors that all those who wanted to contribute money, could do it through Caritas, since Caritas has the experience in dealing with emergencies and the money would be accounted for. This is only a small part of what the religious orders spent or donated directly. Even this small part, which was routed through Caritas, exceeds 1.5 crore.

Following Jesus’ teaching to do good without a show (“Let not your left hand know what you right hand is doing”), most have done impressive and even heroic work without publicizing it, nor seeking kudos. There were no complaints about discomforts, nor efforts to get the people to move out, nor waiting for Government help to compensate for what Catholic religious houses or parishes or schools or colleges spent so generously.

The Church’s well-functioning official structure, its dedicated cadre of religious and priests and committed lay persons, and the general trust most people have in the Church and in its personnel proved their worth in this time of tragedy. So, too, as writers from elsewhere in India noted, Kerala’s commendable atmosphere of inter-religious harmony, sense of human dignity, self-confidence and political awareness, coupled with the state’s overall human, social and economic development, prevented greater loss of life and property, and facilitated mutual trust, open collaboration and effective remedial action.

We, religious, are at our best when human needs are pressing, when unpaid work is called for, when people need to be treated according to need, not affiliation, and where others fear or hesitate to step in. Examples abound, all around us. The recent floods are just one instance.

---

Fr Joe Mannath SDB

To subscribe to the magazine, click  Subscribe

Employees play a vital role in the life of an institution or trust.  Success or failure depends, to a large extent, on the quality of the employees.

Recruitment Procedure

Normally, the applicants for a job have to submit, along with the application,  also other relevant documents, such as qualification certificates, birth certificate, experience certificate, etc.  Then they are all interviewed on a given date by a board of selectors, after which a suitable candidate is selected.    Once selected, the employee receives an appointment letter, which shows clearly the job for which the person is selected (e.g., office secretary), the nature (temporary, probation, contract, etc.) and tenure of the appointment (e.g. probation for six months, after which, if found suitable, will be made permanent) and the salary (consolidated in the case of a contract employee and pay scale in the case of others) and Provident Fund (PF) he would be paid.   PF is applicable from the 1^st day onwards, even on a probationary job.  Besides, the appointment letter also contains information regarding the duties and responsibilities (job description) as well as rights and privileges (terms and conditions such as duty hours, holidays, leave, etc.) the employee is eligible for.  Normally a person works for eight hours a day. If s/he is asked to work beyond that, s/ he is paid over time (OT). The employee gets at least one day weekly off, 10 days of casual leave, 11 days of medical leave and about 21-30 days earned leave (paid holiday) in a year.

Pay Scale and Calculation of Salary

Let’s take for example 3,000-300-4,500-500-7,000.  Here Rs 3,000 is the basic and Rs 300 is the annual increment.   Normally the dearness allowance (DA) is a fixed percentage of the basic and it is left to the discretion of the trust. For our understanding here, let’s take 50% as the DA, with an increase of 5% once in a year.  There can be other allowances like house rent allowance (HRA), conveyance allowance (CA), education allowance (EA), city compensatory allowance (CCA), medical allowance (MA), etc.  These allowances can be either a fixed percentage of the basic or a fixed sum for all. A fixed percentage will maintain the gap between the topline and bottom-line employees, whereas a fixed amount will narrow the gap between them.  Here for our understanding, let’s take a fixed amount of allowances for all classes of employees, i.e., HRA – Rs 2,000, Rs CA – Rs 2,000, EA – Rs 1,000, CCA – Rs 1,000 and MA – Rs 1,000 and DA is 50%.  Then, the salary will consist of Rs 3,000 basic, Rs 1,500 (50% of basic) DA, Rs 2,000 HRA, Rs 2,000 CA, Rs 1,000 EA, RS 1,000 CCA and Rs 1,000 MA, thus making a total of Rs 11,500.  This is known as gross salary.  After all the deductions, including the employee’s contribution for PF, the amount paid to the employee is the net salary.

PF or EPF and Gratuity  

Both PF and gratuity are considered future social security for the employee.  Hence, it is to be taken seriously.  PF is 12% of the salary as contribution from the employer as well as the employee. For PF and gratuity purpose, salary means the total of basic and DA only.  Thus, according to the above example, salary for PF calculation will be Rs 4,500 (3,000 basic + 1,500 DA). 12% of 4,500 is 540. Thus both the employer and employee will contribute Rs 540 each towards the PF of the employee.  If the salary for PF calculation (basic+DA) is Rs 15,000 and above, then the employer may stop his share of PF at Rs 1,800 (12% of 15,000) and the employee may continue paying 12% even beyond Rs 15,000.  If the employer has started paying more than Rs 1,800 per month as his share for the employee’s PF, then he cannot bring it back to Rs 1,800 per month.  However, for saving income tax under section 80C, a maximum of Rs 1,50,000 is the upper limit.  Withdrawal from PF before the completion of 5 continuous years in service will have income tax liability. An employee can avail advances (not loans) from one’s PF account for specific purposes, such as buying a house, repaying a housing loan, medical needs, education or marriage of children, etc.  EPF (Employee’s Provident Fund) enjoys the status of EEE (income tax exempt during contribution, when interest is earned and when withdrawal is done).

Any trust with over 20 employees has to register itself under the government EPF scheme and the 12% contribution from the employer and the employee is pooled together and managed by the  Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) of the govt.  In such as case, 8.33% of the employer’s contribution goes for the employees’ pension scheme (EPS), which will be used for the future pension of the employee.

Gratuity is applicable to any trust having 10 or more employees. It is calculated from the 6^th year of employment, including the probation period too.  It is calculated on the basis 15 days salary for every year completed in service.  If the basic and DA together is Rs 10,000 per month and the employee has completed 20 years at a stretch in service, then the formula is: 10000/26*15*20.  Gratuity amount up to Rs 10 lakhs is exempt from income tax.

Employees’ Savings 

Besides the mandatory EPF and gratuity (the latter may not be applicable in some cases), we should encourage our employees to do some regular savings for their future.  A scheme like a recurring deposit (RD) in a post office or bank or a systematic investment plan (SIP) in a mutual fund every month will go a long way in making a provision for their future needs. If possible, even a housing scheme can be provided for them, whereby an interest-free loan is given to the homeless employees, and they repay the loan in monthly instalments.

Just Wages

According to Canon Law (1286.2) we ought “to pay a just and decent wage to (our) employees so that they are able to provide fittingly for their own needs and those of their dependents.”  What is a “just and decent wage” for our situation? I am taking the example of a middle class family with 5 members (two parents, two children and one parent of the parents) living in a city.  The following may be their needs:  Food (for 5 persons @ Rs 50/day for 30 days) Rs 7,500, house rent Rs 3,000, travel to school/work place (for 2 persons @ Rs 40/day for 30 days) Rs 1200, medical needs (Rs 6,000 for the entire family for one year divided for 12 months) Rs 500, clothes (Rs 6,000 for the entire family for one year divided for 12 months) Rs 500, education (for 2 children @ Rs 300/child/month) Rs 600, study materials/uniform, etc. for 2 children @ Rs 100/child/month) Rs 200, electricity bill Rs 500, household needs (Rs 3,600 for the year to buy a cycle, fan, piece of furniture, etc., divided for 12 months) Rs 300, social needs for the family (birthday gift, wedding gift, etc.) 300/month, all put together making a total of Rs 14,600/month.

With this breakup in mind, I believe that anything less than this amount in a city would be an unjust wage.

Just Wages: Our Responsibility

We cannot argue or give a lower salary, saying, “Where do we get the money from?” or “By working here they are able to earn at least something,” “Even we do not get so much salary,”  “What if there are two earning members in the family?” or “What if they live in their own house?” In fact, for many of us, priests and religious, our expenses per head will be much more than this! Any unwanted justification of our unjust wages is sheer exploitation of the poverty of our employees. It is the unjust wages that lead to more and more debt, lack of education of the children, unhygienic living conditions, sickness, drinking, fights within the family, greater poverty and misery, etc., in our employees’ families. And we will be held responsible for their misery on the Last Judgement Day.

In the next article, we shall discuss the topic “How to deal with our employees.”

---

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

ADDICTIONS: PREVENTION & HEALING

In August 2017, some prominent TV channels and newspapers reported incidents of school students, including girls, being addicted to substances. In debates that followed, with representations from different sections of society—parents of teenagers, mental health professionals, school administrators, and civic authorities—each section held one or other section responsible for the phenomenon of teenage addiction. This article suggests that all these sections are jointly responsible. It highlights the role that each of these sections of society can play in substance-abuse prevention, and how they can interactively collaborate with one another.

Deepa, a twenty-year-old college student, told a friend: “My studies are in a mess. Worse still my personal life. I don’t know what to do. All this happened after I started taking drugs. I think I want to kick the habit, but I have no idea how. I am scared of telling my parents.”

These students, who had admitted that they were addicted to substances, and that they needed help to overcome the habit, had taken the first major step towards recovery. They would need the help of medical practitioners, trained counsellors, and the active support of family and friends to undertake the journey towards recovery.

The help addicts need

Persons who have become addicted to substances may sometimes want to break away from the habit. However, each time they actually stop consuming substances, they experience unpleasant physical and emotional states, called “withdrawal symptoms.” These include: mood swings, sleep disturbances, chills, tremors, nausea, and an intense craving for the substance. They often get back to consuming substances in order to alleviate these overpowering symptoms, and find it hard to break free despite their good intentions.

Such persons often need the assistance of medical practitioners to flush the addictive substances out of their bodies, while also helping to regulate the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This procedure is called detoxification. Detoxification is normally carried out at a medical facility. Patients are often housed at rehabilitation homes for several weeks or months after detoxification where they receive other forms of assistance to break free from their addiction.

Sometimes medical practitioners prescribe alternate measures after reviewing the extent and duration of patients’ addiction, and their level of emotional and mental balance. They may prescribe substances that act as substitutes for the addictive substance. At other times they may assist the patient to gradually reduce the dose of the substance consumed while living in their normal setting.

The procedures just spoken about help patients to withdraw from actively using substances. However, they would also need the assistance of counsellors and support groups to help them live substance-free lives.

Counselling: A Great Help

Handling personal difficulties

Students often resort to consuming substances to alleviate the stresses or pressures of day-to-day living. Some are unable to measure up to their parents’ expectations, or to cope with the pressure of their studies, or academic failure. Others end up being lonely because they are unable to connect with family and peers. Still others might have been physically, emotionally or sexually abused. Persons often experience much emotional pain, or feel stressed on account of these experiences. They then use substances to get relief from the pain they experience, and gradually get addicted. Counsellors help their clients to release painful emotions surrounding these experiences. They also help their clients to build up their ability to handle similar stresses that they may experience in the future. These interventions give them a sense of control over their lives, and reduce internal pressures that might drive them to consume substances.

Handling difficulties with the family

Family members of persons addicted to substances sometimes contribute to the person’s having recourse to substances. This happens when parents are unable to spend quality time with their children, when they are too strict with their children, or when parents give into all their children’s demands without helping them to assume personal responsibility for their deeds, or due to other conflicts within the family. On the other hand, addicted persons may actually hurt family members, or contribute to tensions within the family by their errant or substance-induced behaviour. Counsellors help addicted persons as well as their family members to see how they may be contributing to one another’s tensions. They help the addicted persons and their families to reconcile their differences, and to engage in mutually supportive and enhancing behaviours. They also help family members to clarify expectations and set reasonable boundaries for future interactions. A major external source of stress is released when family conflicts are ironed out. This often leads family members to positively help the addicted persons on their journey to recovery.

Anticipating the lure of ‘friends’ after rehabilitation

Addicted persons continue to crave for substances even though they have undergone detoxification procedures, and even though they have decided to refrain from using substances. Counsellors help patients anticipate that after being discharged from the rehabilitation home, ‘friends’ with whom they earlier consumed substances may invite or induce them to return to the habit. They teach ways of avoiding and dealing with these potentially toxic situations and interactions, thus empowering patients to re-gain control over their lives.

Support after discharge from rehabilitation homes

Addicted persons face a number of challenges after they are discharged from rehabilitation facilities. They have to manage bouts of craving for the substance that may cause them to a relapse. They will have to face circumstances that initially led them to experiment with substances. In addition, they will have to slowly get back to their regular family, academic, or professional lives with the day-to-day challenges that accompany these tasks. They are able to negotiate these challenges more easily when they continue to see their counsellors after discharge from rehabilitation facilities. Over a period of time they become more confident to manage these challenges on their own.

Some addicted persons also join self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Such groups adopt a structured set of procedures generally called the “12-step Programme” to help the recovery process. Members of such groups support one another during moments of emotional difficulty or when members are in danger of relapsing. Older members who have managed to remain substance-free over extended periods of time stand out as beacons of hope to inspire new members to adhere to the path practiced within these movements.

Prevention better than cure

Recovering from addiction to substances is an uphill task. In addition, there are very few centres in India that are equipped with all the supports necessary to deal with the challenges of rehabilitating addicted persons. Hence, it is best to prevent others from getting addicted in the first place. Preventive efforts focus on assisting students who are at risk for addiction in their personal struggles, and developing support systems within their families, schools, and communities.

Giving Right Information

A standard IX student began skipping school and consuming alcohol with a group of peers who were not able to handle their academic requirements. A standard VIII student could not connect with his peers, and also found that his parents did not have time for him due to their professional commitments. He began to drown the pain of his sadness and loneliness by sniffing whitener.

Struggling students are often lured by peers who tell them that substances help release stress, and that it is ‘normal’ for young people to experiment with substances. Preventive measures need to focus on correcting faulty information about the use of substances, and helping students build skills to handle their academic tasks, life tasks, and social interactions.

Vulnerable students are likely to experiment with substances when peers and media advertisements give them the message that it is ‘normal’ to do so because the ‘majority of persons’ consume them. They are not aware that playful experiments could gradually lead to addiction. In addition, they are uninformed about the negative effects of consuming substances. It is best to guide students by giving them factual, unexaggerated information about the ill-effects of substances, and their addictive potential, in a matter-of-fact manner. Counsellors take care not to reveal how substances are ingested and where substances are obtained from. They also avoid presenting gory pictures of addicts as this might lead more adventurous students into dangerous experiments. Helping students realize that their estimates of substance consumption within the general population are higher than actual consumption rates helps change their perception that substance use is socially acceptable. These interventions help students develop an informed ‘mind-set’ that helps keep them from experimenting with substances.

Learning to say ‘No’

When some students use substances, they may attempt to invite or induce their peers to join them on such ‘trips’ either for fun, or to release stress. Students are able to desist from accepting these ‘invitations’ or to withstand ‘pressure tactics’ when they are taught resistance skills. Resistance skills training involves having prior knowledge of the addictive and harmful effects of substances, and unambiguously communicating one’s unwillingness to consume them. Students are helped to rehearse ways of handling ‘tricky situations’ and communicating their refusal in an effective manner. They are also cautioned not to accompany peers who consume substances to isolated places, or to visit their homes when their parents are not around, to avoid being pushed into using substances.

Learning Study Skills

Students feel that they are in control of their lives when they are able to master the content of individual subjects, and succeed academically. Learning study skills helps students negotiate this crucial task. They learn techniques to improve memory and concentration, to read and write, to take examinations, to manage time more effectively. Students who suffer from learning disabilities need additional assistance, and are at best referred for assessment and professional help.

Learning Communication Skills

Students who are shy and who withdraw from others often lack communication and social skills. They find it difficult to develop healthy associations among peers, to articulate and communicate their feelings and needs, and to protect their boundaries. Hence they are unable to access sources of support during times of crisis, and in addition, often fall victims to bullies and to those who might pressurize them into using substances. They are less likely to resort to abusing substances when they are taught to develop healthy relationships among their peers, to speak about their feelings and communicate their points of view, and are empowered to communicate assertively.

Vulnerable withdrawn students can be helped to develop social and communication skills through guided group exercises. For example, students can be taught to share non-threatening personal information with their peers, and to respond empathetically to similar disclosures by their peers. At a further stage, they can be helped to articulate and express their views on a variety of situations and topics. Additionally, they can be taught how to work in teams, and to give and ask for help when needed. After sufficient practice within the group these students can be guided to practice skills they have learned amidst their daily interactions with peers, family, and teachers. Debriefing sessions are generally conducted after such real-life interactions where they are given an opportunity to share their success stories; and where they can be given further assistance to deal with the difficulties they faced. At a later stage, they may be taught skills to resist those who might induce them into using substances.

Happy homes: Key to Substance-free Living

Sixteen-year-old Rajesh looks forward to sharing time with his family every evening. His parents have helped cultivate these moments ever since he and his sister were very small. Each member of the family would speak about the activities they had engaged in during the day, or their plans for the next few days – like the children’s upcoming sporting or academic events. They planned special family outings during these moments. They listened to one another’s struggles – like their parents’ tiring day at work or with household chores, or the children’s difficulty with homework or nasty companions. They listened to one another with an open heart, and then did whatever they could to help. Children would make special efforts to help out with family chores. Rajesh would assist his younger sister with her studies. Parents would make time to hear out difficulties the children had with their peers or teachers, and volunteer to accompany them to challenging or special events at school.

Family moments like these help parents and children bond with each other. They also build children’s potential to communicate effectively and handle future life challenges, and play a significant role in keeping children from experimenting with substances. Here are the ways in which Rajesh’s parents have helped him through these family moments.

Rajesh’s parents developed strong bonds with the children when they:

• Listened to their children’s struggles, and supportively helped them cope with these difficulties;
• Assisted the children to set and achieve academic goals;
• Familiarized themselves with their children’s interests and activities; and appreciated, encouraged, and fostered their abilities and talents;
• Allotted time for fun, and encouraged healthy pursuits like sports, art, music, etc.

Rajesh learned to communicate effectively because his parents:

• Communicated with the children in a nurturing and open manner, allowing the children to express their points of view;
• Helped the children to resolve conflicts and crises they experienced, and supported them when needed;
• Taught the children to receive and do acts of kindness.

The parents helped Rajesh live a value-driven life by:

• Modelling positive values, emotions and behaviours;
• Collaboratively working out value-driven household rules, and demonstrating firm and consistent limit-setting;
• Teaching the children to develop healthy associations in school and the neighbourhood; and to keep a respectful distance from peers who participated in activities that harmed themselves or others.

Rajesh and his sister grew into secure, happy and well-adjusted persons because of the way their parents interacted with them. Surveys in the U.S. have indicated that adolescents who have meals five times a week or more with their families, and share in family interactions similar to those of Rajesh’s family, are less likely to get addicted to substances. Building up a healthy family atmosphere is an important step towards helping children live substance-free lives.

Most families do not share the ideal relationship that Rajesh and his siblings enjoyed with their parents. And many parents may not always have the skills that Rajesh’s parents demonstrated. Workshops can be conducted to help these parents learn and cultivate skills to effectively communicate and bond with their children.

It is not too difficult to build up the skills of ‘unskilled’ or ‘uninformed’ parents. However, some other parents—like those who are violent or addicted to substances—may actually harm their children by the kind of life that they lead, and the way in which they interact with their children. These parents would need more specialized help and interventions.

The Empowering School

Sr Metilda, a high school principal, noticed that some of her students used substances like gutka and cigarettes. A worked she attended made her aware of other kinds of substances that students commonly use, as well as their ill-effects. She shared this information with her school teachers, and sought their assistance to identify the kinds of substances their students commonly use. The teachers jointly suggested ways in which they could help their students stop ingesting substances, and shared their plans with a representative group of parents. Some parents observed that a number of substances that the students consumed were available in the neighbourhood of the school. They suggested ways in which civic authorities could help restrict the availability of these substances. The intervention of teachers and parents helped the school create a substance-free campus over a period of time.

Children generally look up to their school teachers. Teachers interact with their students for six to eight hours of a working day. They need to be keenly attentive to their students’ activities and struggles. Thus, apart from teaching academic subjects, they can play an active role in building up their students.  School managements play a wider role by implementing structures to support initiatives undertaken by teachers.

How Teachers Can Help

Teachers may feel motivated to embark on a substance-prevention programme when they are made aware through workshops of the variety of substances that students commonly use, and the way in which substance consumption cripples their lives. While functioning within the school set-up, teachers can also help to clear the way for parents to accept and develop a helping relationship with their children who are using substances. Informed teachers can also direct parents to professionals and institutions offering specialized assistance.

Helping Vulnerable Children

Some children are vulnerable to the lure of substance abuse: Children who face academic difficulties and are socially withdrawn; those who hail from broken or conflict-ridden homes; or from neighbourhoods where substance-consumption is rife.

How can teachers help such students?

By reaching out to them, listening lovingly to their struggles and referring them for guidance. This prevents them from falling victims to peers who may misguide them into using substances.

• Referring students with learning disabilities for professional assistance; and conducting workshops to help students who are academically weak to cultivate general study skills that may help them across subjects;
• Enlisting the help of counsellors to teach socially withdrawn students to cultivate communication and social skills in order to interact effectively with others;
• Helping vulnerable students to participate in co- and extracurricular activities to help them bond with other school students and feel a sense of connection with the school.

These initiatives help vulnerable children overcome their feelings of isolation by healthy bonds with peers, teachers, and schools systems. Building these bonds keeps students from falling prey to misguided peers.

Building an informed and safe school

Inspired by the example of the principal cited earlier, school managements can strengthen the efforts of teachers by:

• Initiating substance-abuse prevention workshops for teachers;
• Conducting brief but informative, interesting, interactive and developmentally appropriate substance-prevention workshops for students;
• Ensuring the presence of trained counsellors in schools;
• Conducting parenting and substance abuse prevention workshops for parents;
• Enlisting the assistance of parents, NGO’s, and civic authorities to ensure that the vicinity of the school is free of peddlers.

Three steps will enable students live substance-free lives—helping them with academic problems (so that they feel successful), teaching them relationship skills (so that they make friends), and protecting them from those who experiment with drugs.

A Proactive and Vigilant Community

A report in the Mid-Day on 5^th September 2017 narrated how an NGO and the local police in Mumbai responded to cries for help from school and college students enmeshed in the world of drugs, alcohol and prostitution by conducting workshops for students and parents. Likewise, NGO’s, mental health professionals, and local law enforcement officials can jointly play a key role at the community level to implement a substance-prevention programme.

Awareness programmes in the community

Civic groups can engage various media of communication such as street plays, puppet shows, films, documentaries, seminars, group discussions, media articles, television and radio programmes, and social media networks to sensitize children and adolescents to the dangers of consuming substances. Awareness programmes could be conducted in schools and colleges where a large number of students have already fallen prey to consuming substances.

Dealing with peddlers

Peddlers are an important link between substance traffickers and users. It is vital to prevent them from operating. Interventions that help contain the influence and operations of peddlers include:

• Increasing public awareness about street substance peddlers;
• Involving residents and NGO’s to help identify peddlers;
• Acquainting police personnel with drug-prevention laws, and training them to enforce restrictions on peddlers through the force of law.

The Key

Rehabilitating persons who are addicted to substances is an uphill task. It is wise to prevent students from using substances in the first place. Initiating awareness programmes in schools and communities; assisting struggling children and adolescents to handle their personal struggles; and creating supportive and protective networks within families, schools, and communities is the key to creating a substance-free society.

Substance abuse is rampant. Its effects are tragic. Our young people are the main victims. We need to act—urgently and effectively. We cannot close our eyes, or pretend everything is fine, or act helpless. The steps indicated in this article (with the awareness provided by the previous one) can help families, schools, colleges and churches to prevent tragedies and heal those already in the grip of this addiction.

Face the reality. Prevent. Heal. Provide a safe setting for the young.

---

Fr Ajoy Fernandes SDB

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

The document, Proclaim, was published by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on 29 June 2016. It is a follow-up of the Year of Consecrated life (YCL): 30 November 2014 – 2 February 2016.  It is a continuation of the previous three documents on Religious Life (Rejoice, Keep Watch and Contemplate) that emerged in the context of the YCL.

Title: Proclaim

Authorship: Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life

Audience: All Consecrated Men and Women

Year of Release: 29 June 2016, Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Type of Document: Guidelines

Number of Articles: 93

Purpose of this document: Continuation of the Year of Consecrated Life taking cues from Rejoice, Keep Watch and Contemplate.

Major influence for this document: Pope Francis and his teachings: Evangelii Gaudium. More than 50 % of the references are from EG!

Structure of the Document: Prologue (World today) and Epilogue (Reflections from Francis). Three main parts: To the Ends of the Earth (Consecrated mission), Church which goes forth (Ecclesiology), Outside the Gates (New frontiers of Mission). The three parts begin with a listening to the past (scripture) and present (religious life today) and then goes to proposals and prospects.

Tagline: The Religious carry out the mission mandate of Jesus (Go and Proclaim) effectively in the context of today.

Key Points

1. The World Today

This is a world of multiple complexities. It is time to ask ourselves: what does God want me to be and do in the world? It is the world where we lose our real identity and have multiple identities (e.g., social media). The activism of life today makes us forget the great Greek search, know thyself (5). There is the temptation of spiritual desertification and disenchantment of the world. (6)

2. Tasks of Religious

• New Evangelisation demands that we bring new ardour and method to the same Christian message of Good News (8,9).
• Mk 16: 15. Go and proclaim… is the mission mandate followed by the first disciples and continued by the founders/foundresses. We share in this mission which embraces every act in the Church (10-13).
• We are servants of the Word (Scripture and Tradition). We proclaim the Word in three ways: Proclaiming the Word of God (Kerygma, Martyria), Celebrating Sacraments (Leitourgia) and ministry of service (Diakonia). The language of proclamation (homily, catechesis, pastoral ministries) should be the mother’s language (Francis in EG) and catechesis is an important act in new evangelisation (19,20).
• Collective Mission: The mission is not by individuals. It is a collective venture. First and foremost, it is a partnership with God (39).
• Two missionary tasks of Religious: Review and renew old ministries to let good news in. Venture new missionary proposals with creativity and courage (47).
• Raise questions to evaluate our mission today: Are our ministries and presence in resonance with the spirit of our foundresses/ founders? Are these works suitable to carry out today? Are we sharing the needs and addressing the needs of our people today?
• Have a pedagogy of reliability: In assemblies and chapters Religious promise more than they can deliver. The decisions and choices should be translated into action (54,55).
• Generation gap: Religious today need to listen to both old (past wisdom) and new generations (new directions, not to cling on to lifeless past) of Religious (69).
• Mission towards Peripheries: The challenge of Religious is to get out of comfort zones to reach out to the peripheries (74).

3. Identity of Religious
   • Alter Christus: Religious see as Jesus see, are merciful as Christ was merciful (15,16).
   • Mysterium Lunae: We are like the moon, reflecting the light from the sun (church as mysterium lunae). The missionary is a contemplative in action (18).
   • Joyful Religious: A Religious is one who brings good news (joy of the Gospel) to all. (Not like people coming from a funeral service EG).22
   • Experts in Communion: Religious live in fraternity in continuity with the early Christian community (Acts 2: 42; 4: 32-33). Religious becomes experts in communion (Francis in EG) (24,26, 28) The effectiveness of religious life depends on the quality of fraternal life in common (29).
   • Missionary Religious: All consecrated life in its many forms – virginal, monastic, apostolic, secular – is missionary (41).

4. Religious Life Today

• The Problem: As found in Paul’s time. Religious experience uncertainty and troubles on the way. These troubles at times make them feel helpless. Pluralistic communities initially welcomed with warmth, ended with conflicts and dissidence (33,34). Temptations to individualism in our work instead of shared responsibility are ever on the increase (46).

5. Church

• The Church’s mission is rich due to the charisms of the Religious Life (45).
• The Church is like a polyhedron (multiple faces). She is unity in distinctiveness (48).

6. Four Principles of EG to guide Religious Today (48-52)

• Time is greater than space. Initiate the work rather than occupy the spaces of power. Space hardens the process whereas time propels us to the future with hope (Lumen Fidei 57).
• Unity prevails over conflict. This is how we transform conflicts into communion.
• Realities are more important than ideas. Ideas make us victims of sophistry, creating documents after documents (chapters), information-overdose and chats (social media), while reality leads to the logic of the Incarnation (word in deed!).
• The whole is greater than the part. Expand our vision and mission to integrate the differences.

Some Quotations

• “Communion (of religious) leads to mission and is itself mission (28).”
• “Fraternal life is not the entirety of the mission of a religious community, but it is an essential element. Fraternal life is just as important as apostolic life (29).”
• “Without the Holy Spirit, God is far away, Christ stays in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is simply an organisation, mission a matter of propaganda, the liturgy, no more than an evocation, Christian living, a slave morality (Orthodox Metropolitan Ignatius di Latakia in 1968).” 37
• “Presently, it seems as though consecrated life has lowered the missionary anchor in ports that are tried, safe, private. This is how sailing is abandoned on Peter’s boat: although risky, and at times in the middle of the billows, it always has the security of Jesus Christ’s presence (Mk 4: 35-41) 53.”

Observations:

1. The document uses exclusive language! It seems the Curia is not affected by the Francis Effect found in Evangelii Gaudium that was inclusive in its language!
2. The language is not as easy as of Francis. Lots of isms, foreign words and persons taken for granted.
3. Art. 20. Says that catechesis is the first educational act of evangelisation. Perhaps, the primary proclamation (first announcement) is the first act of evangelisation.
4. It was a rare sight to see an official document of the Curia with lots of references from individual authors apart from the Holy See or the popes.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1. Are our ministries and presence in consonance with the spirit of our foundresses/ founders?
2. Are these works suitable for today?
3. Are we sharing and addressing the needs of our people today?
4. Who is Jesus for the people of our time?
5. Is our faith fruitful? Does our faith produce good works?
6. What does it mean for our communities and for each one of us to belong to the Church, which is Catholic and Apostolic?
7. What does it mean to evangelise the poor?

---

Fr.Gilbert Choondal SDB

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

Emmanuel: Biblical Reflections on Christmas

We live in a world of instant global communications which shrink global distances but which leave us strangers to our next door neighbours. We live in a world of ruptured relationships and broken families. It is in this context that we reflect on the gift of Emmanuel and our celebration of Christmas.

What do the Gospels say about Christmas?

As is well known, each evangelist has a different portrait of Jesus and his origins. Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus and is silent about Jesus’ birth stories. While Matthew launches his Gospel with the birth of Jesus, Luke goes backward and begins with the annunciation of the birth of Jesus. But the evangelist John reaches to the time before the beginning of creation and talks about the pre-existent Word which became flesh in Jesus Christ. In sum, the synoptic prologues are concerned with the earthly origins of Jesus, but John is interested in the heavenly pre-existence of Jesus. This is so because each evangelist has a different theological agenda as they communicate Jesus’ story, responding to the pastoral concerns of his respective community.

The evangelist Matthew introduces Jesus as a descendent of Abraham and David (Mt 1:1). Matthew reports that Jesus’ father Joseph was instructed by God through dreams just as the Patriarch Joseph. He describes Jesus’ birth and early life which in many ways resemble the stories about the birth and life of Moses. Jesus is portrayed as the Virgin Mary’s son, whose name is Emmanuel – Immanu El, which means “God with us” in Hebrew (Mt 1:22-23; Is 7:14). Mary is rather silent and Joseph is the recipient of God’s communications. The evangelist constantly reminds the readers that these things happened in order to fulfil what was spoken by the Lord through the prophets (Mt 1:22-23; 2:5-6, 17).

The Lukan version of Jesus’ birth is longer and more colourful (Luke 1:26 – 2:20). The narrative includes Gabriel’s visit to Mary, Mary’s visit to Elisabeth and the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. According to Luke, the first Christmas was a tiring, anxious, nervous and lonely day for the young couple, Mary and Joseph, as they could not find a place to spend the night (Luke 2:1-7). Bethlehem was crowded with travellers and the inhabitants of the village. An inn keeper finally allows them to stay in a cowshed with the animals. That night a baby named Jesus was born for the world as a gift of God’s immense love. The angels sang glory to God and the shepherds praised God (Luke 2:8-20), as Jesus the Son of God has brought the gifts of peace, love and hope to the world.  Unlike Matthew, the evangelist Luke gives Mary a more active role in the infancy narratives of Jesus and depicts her as a model of the human quest for liberation and wholeness (Luke 1:46-55). Mary interprets Jesus’ birth as the manifestation of a God who is in love with the lowly and humble, and one who exalts the poor and needy.

The evangelist John does not talk about the birth of Jesus, but begins the Gospel by introducing the story of the eternal Word (logos) – “in the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1).  The evangelist identifies this story with that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the prologue (John 1:1-18). The prologue makes two points: (1) The eternal, preexistent Word became human in Jesus Christ; (2) The cosmos is made the dwelling place of God (John 1:1-18). In the Semitic tradition, the Word (dabar) of God symbolizes the powerful presence of God’s love that was active in God’s creative work, in the experiences of the exodus journey of the Israelites and in the lives of the prophets.  The universe came into existence through the Word (John 1:3). What human beings have received from the Word is life and light (John 1:4). John presents the mystery of the Incarnation as a boundary-breaking moment when the divine encountered the human, the heavens touched the earth, and the sacred merged into the secular. The purpose of the Incarnation – God become human – is to empower us humans to become the children of God (John 1:12).

What does Christmas mean to us?

Christmas is all about God’s infinite, loving presence with us: Emmanuel.  It is about love and abiding relationships, leading humans to communion with God, with one another and the cosmos. Christmas thus celebrates the gift of Emmanuel – the guiding light of God in the unfolding history of humans. God thus journeys with us here on earth. Since God has become human and dwells among us, we need not wait until after death to see God nor to look for God in some unreachable high places in heaven. God is indeed with us, and we find God’s face in other human beings as well as in the cosmos.

The gift of Emmanuel overthrows the systems that devalue matter, the human body and secular concerns. When we are open to the ongoing revelation of God in our daily life, just as God’s Word guided the people of Israel and the prophets, the gift of Emmanuel empowers us and leads us to the fullness of life and love. Christmas gives us the firm hope that we can become like God since God has already become human. Christmas is above all a feast of love and hope.

How do we celebrate Christmas?

As Christmas is around the corner, we look forward to beautiful cribs, Santa Claus, flashing lights, coloured decorations, carol singing, new clothing, festive meals, and Christmas cakes. It is also an occasion for gatherings, picnics and merry making. Both Scripture and Tradition tell us that the first Christmas night was different. It was an unusual event as the baby born of a virgin was Emmanuel – God in human form.

We celebrate Christmas when we make God’s loving presence visible. Jesus tells us that God wants nothing more than to come to life in us, to become alive in our words and actions at home, at work, at school, in the community. And it happens.  There are human beings, flesh-and-blood women and men, in whom God is clearly and radiantly alive.  Many, especially the poor and the lonely, could experience God’s love in Saint Teresa of Calcutta.  All of us could name people about whom we could say, “I have seen God in this woman or this man.”  In that person’s goodness or generosity or courage we knew we were experiencing something of God. A smile can make a big difference in the lives of another. A kind word can touch lives, give hope, and bring joy and peace to our fellow human beings. A listening ear and a caring heart bridge distances and heal rifts. A forgiving attitude builds up families and communities.

We celebrate Christmas when we make God’s transforming grace visible by participating in the ongoing struggle against all sorts of discrimination and injustice, against all that impedes our quest for truth and wholeness. When we create a new culture of human fellowship marked by respect and love, a new society that is more just and less violent, and a new history that is more human and caring, then we make visible Emmanuel – the transforming grace of God’s loving presence in the world.

---

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

Candles are part of Christmas celebrations all over the world. A shining ‘candle’ we can hold aloft this Christmas season is a marvel of a woman, who was a tennis prodigy as well as a Dominican Sister.

Andrea Jaeger, born in Chicago, U.S., in 1965, grew up watching her parents play tennis. Coached by her father, she became a sensation as a high school athlete who won successive national titles and became a professional at the age of fourteen. Quickly she became World No. 2, who won 10 singles titles and defeated some of the tennis legends like Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. She reached the singles final of the French Open in 1982 and that of Wimbledon in 1983.

What was strangely new in this teenager, hailed as a prodigy, was her deep and active concern for children, especially the sick and poor children. Unlike the usual athlete who is ready to do anything to win, she felt bad about defeating people. “I think that’s why I struggled so much on the tennis circuit because you have to be selfish to succeed.” She found it difficult to reconcile her desire to be good to others and help them with the narrow-minded focus a top tennis player is expected to have on winning.

“I remember playing at Madison Square Garden, and there had been some suicides at a nearby school. They were worried about cluster suicides, so I gave the school a call and went in to speak to the student council, teachers and parents. I didn’t tell anyone about it. But one of the parents happened to be a photographer for the New York Times and it got on the front page of the sport section.” The organizers “threw the paper at me and told me it was making the tour look bad and I had to stop doing all my charity efforts. I left the room and asked God for guidance.”

During tournaments she began visiting hospitals. “The first time I went into a hospital and met young people with cancer was when I was sixteen. That’s when I knew that helping people like them was what I wanted to do.” Andrea suffered a shoulder injury at the 1984 French Open and by 1987 her career was over. She saw it as a blessing rather than a burden. She believed that the injuries that forced her to quit was God’s way of guiding her.

Jaeger sold her Mercedes Benz and used about 1.5 million dollars that she earned from tennis to create the Silver Lining Foundation, which transported groups of young cancer patients for a week of togetherness and fun activities. It also provided money for reunions, family camp-outs, college scholarships, medical internships, and other programs for children. Soon she won the support of prominent athletes like John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. In 1996, Jaeger received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under. Her autobiography, First Service, was published in 2004, and all proceeds from the book were donated to children’s charities.

In 2006 her life took another turn. Having acquired a degree in theology she joined the Anglican Dominican Order and became ‘Sister Andrea.’ People could not believe their eyes when they saw the former tennis star in a nun’s habit. Jaeger established another Foundation called the ‘Little Star Foundation’, which helps an average of 8,000 children suffering from serious diseases, neglect and poverty. But, because of conflicts between the traditional requirements of a religious congregation and her commitment to her Foundations, which required about $4.3 million a year for its charitable activities, she quit the Order. She did so to continue what she was doing for children with problems.

Oprah Winfrey calls her “a superstar who has become a superhero.”

During the festive season when we keep gazing at a helpless little Child in a manger, Andrea Jaeger will help us think of God’s little children who suffer due to poverty or disease.

---

M.A. Joe Antony, SJ

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

A Pioneer in Religious and Monastic Life

For what benefit is there in possessing these things that we do not take with us?  Why not rather own those things which we are able to take away with us – such things as prudence, justice, temperance, courage, understanding, love, concern for the poor, faith in Christ, freedom from anger, hospitality?

(Life of Antony, 17)

The Edict of Milan in 313 CE radically altered the life of Christians who, from being a persecuted community, would now enjoy state patronage.  This in turn influenced the spirituality of the subsequent years, with martyrdom being replaced by an austere life in the desert as proof of discipleship.  An important figure in this emerging spirituality would be St. Antony of Egypt—a monk who would leave a lasting impact on religious life within the Christian traditions both in the East and the West.  Antony would live to the ripe old age of 105 (251-356 CE) and his model of religious life and asceticism was handed down to us by his biographer St. Athanasius.  The book, Life of Antony indicates that Antony was the son of a rich farmer and he lost his parents at the age of twenty.  One day he heard the words “If you would be perfect, go and sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me” (Mt. 19,21).  He sold his property, made provisions for his younger sister and distributed the rest of the proceeds among the poor.  Then he went to live in a solitary place near his village and engaged in a life of austerities.

As his reputation increased, he went away to a deserted fort and remained there for nearly twenty years.  Later on, he went farther away and continued a life of solitude.  Most of his time was spent in prayer, fasting and reciting passages from Scripture.  His solitude did not stop him from relating to various masters, disciples and common people.  He advised them, helped resolve disputes and assisted people in their spiritual journey.   While living as a hermit he worked to support himself and gave alms to the poor.  He also engaged in conversation with non-Christian philosophers of his time.  As his fame grew, people were inspired to become hermits. Thousands would follow his example.  Though hermits and the monastic way of life existed before Antony, it can be said that he was an important figure in heralding the great monastic movements in the East and the West.

Antony’s first words on emerging from the deserted fort were, “prefer nothing in the world above the love of Christ” (no. 14).  The listeners were exhorted to seek treasures that can never be destroyed (Mt. 6,19-21).  His spirituality of discernment and combat with demons has been dramatically portrayed by writers and artists down the centuries.  Demons that took on various forms and troubled him are described in vivid, colorful and imaginative ways.  His combat with the so-called ‘demons’ strikes a chord with any reader today because such struggles are an existential reality in the lives of every single individual.  Today we interpret demons as graphic representations of strong conscious and unconscious drives that take us away from true life.  There were times when Antony was discouraged, lost his strength and humbly recognized his limitations.  However, he faced his fears, went beyond the visual content of the vision, analyzed them, learnt how to respond effectively, and ultimately won victory over them.  Even today the insights derived from his years of observation, reflection and analysis of the inner dynamics of human nature continue to enlighten us.

---

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us

CRYSTAL

Love is one of those words that is used so often that it could mean just about anything. “I love those shoes you are wearing!” “Don’t you just love this pizza?” “I would love to go on a safari to Africa and discover a whole new world” “I met someone last night and I just love her!”  Apparently, love is in the air for everyone in all sorts of ways. Unfortunately the overuse of the word has watered down the understanding of one of the key truths of our faith as Christians: God is love. Surely, the essence of God is better than some beautiful shoes, an appealing meal, an exciting vacation or even a wonderful human relationship. What can help us better understand the word ‘love?’

Many years ago, O. Henry wrote a short story called The Gift of the Magi.  It revolves around a young couple, Della and Jim, who are very much in love despite their material poverty. There are only two things that could be considered their treasures: Della’s beautiful hair and Jim’s shiny gold watch, which had been given to him by his father. On Christmas Eve, this young couple wanted so desperately to give each other a very special gift as a symbol of their love.  With no other means to get money, Della has her hair cut and sells it, receiving just enough money to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. In the meantime, Jim has sold his watch in order to buy beautiful combs for her hair.  Obviously, as soon as they are together to exchange their presents, they realize that they are now left with gifts that neither one can use. But they have given each other a far greater gift than they ever had, and as a result of their ‘mistakes’ they have become the wisest of all. They now realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is.

Here then is the essence of love—the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the happiness of another. Jesus tells us over and over in the Gospels that if we want to show our love for Him, we should love one another. Clearly, this self-giving love should be at the core of every relationship, beginning with our relationship with God and extending to our family members, our communities and all people of the world.

Unfortunately, our human nature often leaves us with the tendency to focus more on our own needs and desires than on fulfilling the needs and desires of others. This brings to mind a conversation I had with a young woman named Kathy, whose marriage was suffering with issues of addiction and lack of trust. When Kathy confided her struggles to a single friend, the friend proposed that Kathy should simply leave her husband, because she deserved to be happy. Kathy lamented “But marriage isn’t always about being happy,” an understanding that, God willing, will bring her through this time of trouble and allow her to embrace the suffering that sometimes visits us in our vocations.

Our greatest challenge is to be willing to work through the imperfect situations in our lives and love generously. Jesus tells us (John 15: 12-13): “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  We have all heard this teaching over and over again, but in the moments of life when others are hurting us, rejecting us, or simply rubbing us the wrong way, it is so difficult to live out.

We all KNOW what we should do. In every day circumstances, laying down our lives might mean living out the virtues of patience, empathy, confidence in the other’s goodness, humility, and kindness.  What I am learning is that I have to constantly ask for the grace to employ these virtues because I am simply too weak and proud to do so on my own.  I can think of no better help to move in this direction than to be constantly and acutely aware of the fact that God loved us into existence.

At a retreat recently, the speaker reflected on Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” We are not here on earth by accident! God created us out of an abundance of love and delights in our very existence. He created us to live in a deep union of love with Him for eternity. He is so eager to see how we might be in relationship with Him so that we understand how loved we are as His cherished child.   This is our ultimate vocation. Our very existence is a call to love God and love others. Since we can’t give to others what we do not have ourselves, we have to pray for the great grace to truly know and trust in His love for us. When we live in the realization that we are loved unconditionally by the Lord of the universe, despite our many imperfections and failings, we will find it easier to love others in the same way.

KEVIN

When Crystal shared with me this month’s theme, I was intrigued and challenged by how to best define love, especially in the context of the spiritual reality that ‘God is love’ so beautifully expressed throughout Scripture and in Benedict XVI’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est. As she talked about how love means placing the happiness of another in front of our own immediate desires, I was reminded of my High School English teacher who defined love as simply desiring the happiness of another. Father Dunne’s definition is one I have carried in my heart for decades, even as I have encountered other definitions both cultural and spiritual.

All of the definitions and examples of love, including that of the crucifixion, found room in my head, my heart and my soul and helped me to become a more loving person. Yes, what greater example of unconditional love could there be than Christ’s passion and death on a cross?  I understood it intellectually and spiritually but I wasn’t a witness to it.

Now challenged to choose a definition of love, I was drawn to a defining moment, a time on a couples retreat when we were struggling in our marriage. I had listened to Crystal share with me what it felt like to be a young professional woman who enjoyed a successful career yet was willing give it up so that she could care for two infant children day in and day out with little or no involvement on my part.   The more Crystal shared, the more I came to appreciate what it meant to give up one’s life for another.  She had shared with me a living definition of what love is and what it looks like in action—one which I now could strive to imitate. As I strive to love as Christ loves, I don’t have to figuratively hang from the cross. I merely have to be as self-giving and sacrificing as Crystal has been for me and our family throughout our years together.

I have come to understand that there are many definitions of love that we can learn and adopt, yet perhaps the most meaningful definitions are those that we experience in the examples of those we encounter in our daily lives.  So, as we follow Crystal’s advice to pray for the grace to know and trust in God’s love, let us also pray for the grace to see that love in the lives and hearts of the loving souls we encounter each and every day of our lives.

---

To subscribe to the magazine     Contact Us