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Dear friends,

Why this series of articles on wholeness in religious life? I am aware that the readers are people who were passionate about committing themselves wholly to God as they began their vocational journey. Yes indeed, we as religious are characterised by our deep desire for ‘complete commitment’ to God and His people. At the core of our being, we are focused on being disciples of Jesus with all of our heart, mind and soul. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Every time we hear these words, a wave of emotion engulfs as we are reminded of our total commitment. I am happy to co-journey with the readers in this psycho-spiritual search to understand the concept of wholeness in religious life. I term it as a psycho-spiritual journey because we will be discussing concepts that are common to both psychology and spirituality; themes such as wholeness, emotional maturity, physical and social well-being, life commitments, spiritual experiences, purpose of our life and love for God.

Our deepest desire for wholeness

One of the deepest desires in each of us is to possess wholeness in our lives. I for one, have been captivated as well as intrigued by the idea of wholeness for the past 25 years: captivated – because it just seems such a lofty and a sacred idea; intrigued – because it seems so idealistic and difficult. Now then, is it truly possible to attain wholeness or is it merely a utopian dream? The dictionary meaning of the word ‘wholeness’ reveals an under-lying philosophy of life. The Collins English Dictionary explains that “Wholeness is the quality of being complete or a single unit and not broken or divided into parts.” So, wholeness is being an integrated whole.

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Fr. Dr. Joseph Jeyaraj Swaminathan SDB

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I would like to share with you the experience of my own growth in the Religious life after joining a Congregation with a charism that appealed to me. I felt a definite call to be at the service of those who were poor and marginalised.

In the early days of my Religious life, I accepted in obedience, the transfers given and continued to follow the varied orders of my superiors. However I did begin to feel confused about the practice of the vow of obedience and I experienced difficulty in carrying out routine tasks in an institutional setting. As years passed, I became more aware of the stirrings of God’s Spirit deep within me, in quiet moments of prayer. I began to see more clearly what I was motivated to do and God gave me the courage I needed to articulate my desires, in dialogue with my superiors. Understanding the seriousness of my desires, the superiors allowed me to take a different path to reach out to the poor and marginalised people.

My life among the poor and the social analysis challenged me radically.  I began to understand religious life differently: the vows, community life, prayer, spirituality.  I realised that it is very hard to say ‘No’ to the set norms or established conventions and live an authentic life.

Knowing well that I have just one life to live and wanting to live it as best as I could, placing myself under the guidance of the Spirit, I chose to follow my conscience. Since others around me are on a very different wavelength, I am unable to share with them and they have difficulty understanding my ways. While I do feel sad about this, yet deep down within me, I experience a joy and happiness which is beyond what others can give me.

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Manju Kulapuram SCSC

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Paradigm shifts take place and our ministries take a turn to be the signs of the times. We ought to adapt ourselves to answer to emerging issues or situations. We as a community of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary have involved ourselves to catering to the needs of the HIV infected and affected children and people since 2005, as Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu showed a high rate of HIV/AIDS. As the number of child marriages and the victim girls of sexual abuse increased due to COVID 19 curfews, our Home became a Reception Home. Here is how our community became a Fresh Wine Skin.

Rationale of Our Ministry

COVID 19 curfews gave rise to issues that made girl children vulnerable. The children who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, orphaned, abandoned and destitute, child labourers, abused and differently-abled, victims of child marriage and teenage pregnancies do need our care and protection. If they are not protected in the Homes, they would be vulnerable before the sexual offenders and perpetrators of this abuse, because, the offenders attempt to erase evidence of crime against girl children and at times attempt to murder the victims. We, as the conscience of the society felt the need to give them care, protection, formal education, training in soft skills, in children entrepreneurship and higher education.

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Sr Antony Mary FMM

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“I really can’t understand how my life turned out like this and how I landed up here. We were 4 children – 3 daughters and a son; and I was the youngest child in the family. A capable little girl loved by everybody. Others used to say that I was a pretty girl with a charming personality. Life was a blessing and I enjoyed all the opportunities I was provided with. I completed Std 10 and my parents wanted me to marry my uncle’s son. He was an alcoholic and my parents said that after the marriage he would become better. With a lot of hope I got married to him. But things turned out to be contrary to my hopes; he became worse and started to borrow money for drinking. Every evening he would return home fully drunk and he would beat me mercilessly. I would report this to my parents, and they would talk to him, but he was not receptive to any advice. He continued and I was in utter confusion as to what to do with my life. When my son was born, I decided to keep aside all my worries and I wanted to live for my son. Every time he called me ‘Amma’, he brightened my life.

But things didn’t get any better with my husband. He was neither looking after our son nor me. Many times, I thought of ending both our lives, but my conscience would not permit me every time I looked at my son’s face. As time went on, he started to beat me more and more. One evening as I was feeding my child, my husband returned home and started to argue with me. He started beating me and I couldn’t bear the pain. When he was beating me, I pushed him down with all my strength, he fell down and collapsed at once. Seeing him thus I ran to my neighbours and informed them of this. They took me to the police station and reported to them, but they were engaged with other cases. By the time the police came to our house, my husband was found dead. I was arrested with my son and sent to prison.

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Sr Lini Sheeja MSC

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In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus was the God who held the key to the metaphorical doors or gateways between what was and what is to come — the liminal space of transitioning out of one period and into something new. Ancient Romans believed Janus ruled over life events such as weddings, births, and deaths. He oversaw seasonal events such as planting, harvests, and the New Year. The worship of Janus traditionally dated back to Romulus even before the actual founding of the city of Rome. There were many jani (ceremonial gateways) in Rome; these were usually freestanding structures that were used for symbolically auspicious entrances or exits.

In Roman mythology, Janus is portrayed with two faces — one facing the past, and one facing the future. He also holds a key in his right hand, which symbolizes his protection of doors, gates, thresholds, and other separations or openings between spatial boundaries. In ancient Rome, the symbol of the key also signified that a traveller has come to find a safe harbour or trade goods in peace.

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Br Carmel Duca

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At the dawn of a new year, isn’t it good to look at a Pope who came to be known all over the world as ‘the smiling Pope’? Anyone can sport a plastic, artificial smile on certain situations. But to be able to wear a genuine smile, as if it was a part of you at all times, ah, that is not easy. What made that smile possible for this Pope was his faith and compassion, his serenity and simplicity.

Pope John Paul I was born Albino Luciani on 17 October 1912 in a town called Canale d’Argordo in northern Italy. His father, Giovanni Luciani, was an ordinary labourer, in fact a bricklayer. He was also the local organizer of the Socialist Party. A sermon preached by a Franciscan friar during the Lenten season helped Albino discern his vocation to priesthood. His father told him he could become a priest, provided he always stood on the side of the workers. Entering the minor seminary at the age of 11, he went on to become a priest and a respected preacher. His book on religious education, Catechism Crumbs, went into six editions. He spent many years teaching in the seminary and as its Rector.

Pope John XXIII, a former Patriarch of Venice, made him a Bishop. Pope Paul VI, his successor, made him a Cardinal and named him the Patriarch of Venice. When he assumed charge, he cancelled the traditional, pompous procession of gondolas. He sold the pectoral cross given to him by Pope John XXIII and with that money launched a fund-raising drive to build a centre for the mentally challenged.

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– M.A. Joe Antony, SJ

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I am Brother Clarion, Superior General of a lay Religious Congregation (only Brothers) of Pontifical rite. One of our brothers was sent for higher studies abroad. For six months he maintained regular communications with his Major Superior. After that he stopped all communication with the Superiors. We have taken recourse to various means to approach him but our efforts have been futile. It is more than a year now that, we have had any communication with him, and we do not know about his whereabouts. Can you suggest the canonical step we would need to take in this matter?

Community life is just as essential as the public vows for those who make public profession of evangelical counsels in the Religious Institutes. Every community is under the authority of a superior (can. 608 of CIC), who resides in the house (can. 629 of CIC). The authority which superiors receive from God through the ministry of the Church is to be exercised by them in a spirit of service (can. 618 of CIC). Religious men and women are to reside in their own house; if they are to be away for a short while, they are to obtain permission to stay elsewhere (can. 665, §1 of CIC).

Assuring the importance of community life for Religious, Pope Francis through a document titled “Communis Vita” (Community Life), amended the Code of Canon Law (can. 694 of CIC) to include the automatic dismissal of religious who are absent without authorization from their community for at least 12 months. Thus, the Pope has made it easier for religious Congregation’s to dismiss a member who leaves the community without permission, stays away and does not communicate with his or her superior. The amendment was made on 19 March, 2019 and it came into effect on 10 April, 2019.

The amended canon 694 of CIC reads: A religious must be held as dismissed ipso facto from an institute who:

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Sr Navya Thattil OSF

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A Conversation with Fr. Keith D’Souza S J

Fr Keith D’Souza SJ was Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at St Pius College, Mumbai, Maharashtra for over 20 years.  Presently he is rector of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai.  Keith is a philosopher, writer, leader, visionary and above all one who constantly expands his mind and heart to reach out in love and compassion to the depth of the divine and human mystery within himself and around.  This interview with Janina Gomes, our veteran writer and conversationalist, uncovers the nuances in his perspectives to theology, philosophy, and priesthood, a critical process that is much needed in today’s context.   

1. How and when did you experience the call to become a Jesuit and what attracted you to their Order?

I studied in a Jesuit School (St. Mary’s) and a Jesuit College (St. Xavier’s), both in South Mumbai, and was impressed by the contribution of committed Jesuits and lay collaborators. Both institutions had illustrious alumni who were very grateful for the education imparted by their alma mater. During our rural outreach camps, I was very impressed with the generous and dedicated work put in by the Jesuit Fathers and Cannosian Sisters for marginalized communities. These early influences motivated me to consider joining the Jesuits soon after I graduated.

2. You are highly qualified to teach Philosophy, Theology and Ethics, and you taught Philosophy to the seminarians at St. Pius X College in Goregaon, Mumbai for over 20 years. Why do you feel such subjects are important for future priests?

I graduated in B.Sc. (Physics) at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, but after joining the Jesuits I was deputed to do higher studies in Philosophy at Mumbai University and subsequently at Marquette University, Wisconsin, USA. I also did a Master’s course in Theology at Jnana Deepa in Pune. This exposure to science, philosophy and theology enabled me to develop a holistic outlook to life, and in turn, to share both an analytic and synthetic approach with my students at the many institutions in which I have taught. The formation for Catholic priesthood is unparalleled in terms of its scope and depth for clerical training. Seminarians are expected to develop critical thinking, an educated and mature understanding of scripture and tradition, and a balanced socio-pastoral outlook. Priests are expected to have spiritual depth, be inspiring leaders, efficient managers and lively animators of the communities they serve. All of this requires a comprehensive formation.

3. You specialized in hermeneutics (the interpretation of the Bible and other literary texts) at Marquette University in the U.S.  How did your doctorate in hermeneutics help you teach young priests in an area which is crucial for them today?

My specialization was in philosophical hermeneutics, which is the theory of interpretation. Every aspect of life—texts, customs, social relations and hierarchies—entails some form of interpretation or the other. Hermeneutics allows for a critical distance from all of our “normal” beliefs and practices, in order to inquire whether these can be improved upon in some way or the other. Theologically, hermeneutics has to do with appropriately “reading the signs of the times”, and responding to them positively and creatively. This demands a fundamental openness to change.

4. You are the Rector of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, since 2018. What do you feel is really important for an autonomous educational institute to focus on these days?

Autonomy has given us the academic freedom to design and run our curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular programmes. One hopes that the new National Education Policy will facilitate autonomy and not fall into the trap of standardization of education—which will eventually result in a nationalization of mediocrity. Our three core values at Xavier’s are professional innovation, personal integration and social inclusion. All three are tall orders: critical and creative thinking are not normally encouraged in our school and college campuses; we have a major problem with issues of integrity and transparency; and we live in a very hierarchical and binary oriented society, ridden with multiple types of discrimination. Besides providing high quality formal and professional education, it is important that these complimentary aspects of education are given equal importance in teaching and learning processes.

5. You have been a Christian presence in philosophical societies and have been a life member of the Bombay Philosophical Society and its Vice President from 2018-2020. Did your association with this Society and your role as Life Member of the Association of Christian Philosophers of India (ACPI), and its President from 2015-2022 give a sense of direction to these Societies by upholding Christian values?

Critical thinking, which is at the heart of the discipline of philosophy, was employed assiduously by Jesus when he engaged with his interlocutors, and by St. Ignatius of Loyola, when he espoused the art of discernment in decision making. Both Jesus and Ignatius were interested in creating more just and humane communities. I have tried to uphold these values in various philosophical forums. Along with a critical mass of thinkers in the ACPI, we have helped promote a distinctively “socio-critical school” of philosophy. From the Indian as well as Christian perspective, philosophical thinking needs to be consciously placed at the service of a critical understanding of social issues and a constructive resolution of social problems.

6. You have widened the scope of your ministry to include the direction of leadership, management and spirituality programmes.  Are you embracing contemporary issues and developments so important for priestly formation?

For more than a decade, I used to be on the faculty of “Power to Lead”—a leadership and management programme for lay people in Mumbai. Besides this, I have directed numerous retreats and workshops for clergy, Religious and laity, in India and abroad. I have adopted an integrated “psycho-socio-spiritual” approach in all of these endeavours, based on sound philosophical, theological and sociological presuppositions. The cultivation of such an approach, I believe, is important for priestly formation.

7. You have also widened the scope of your activities to the formation of young Jesuits from Bombay Province, since 2014, and by teaching religious studies at St. Pius X college in Goregaon. These have led you to develop a vision for young priests. Could you share your vision with us?

Young priests need to be given the space to creatively discover newer ways of engaging with, and ministering to people. This is especially needed if we are to connect with youth, who may not appreciate traditional ways of belief and practice. Young priests need to tap into the high levels of energy and generosity of many competent and committed laity you will find in any typical parish. If we wish to put new wine into new wineskins, then we will need to encourage seminarians and young priests to use their talents and to work collaboratively with willing lay people, rather than smother their enthusiasm by adopting authoritative and bureaucratic mentalities.

8. You have been an editor of many books, and been on the editorial team of the ambitious ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy. You are obviously part of the thinking Church in India. Tell us something about the value of archiving information like this for future generations.

India is still largely an oral tradition. We need to develop the art and science of independent thinking and scholarly writing. The ACPI has encouraged young researchers to publish their articles in an annual publication. A revised and enlarged edition of the ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy is on the anvil. This archived philosophical contribution is invaluable, as most Western philosophical literature is rather dense and technical, and most Indian philosophical thinking is fused with spiritual and theological thinking. The ACPI has provided a unique corpus of philosophical writing which is understandable (reader friendly), critical and socially relevant.

9. You have written more than 50 articles on topics such as the “Mystical and Prophetic Wisdom of South Asia”, “Respecting our Common Home”, “Globalization and its Discontents” and even the “Contribution of Hinduism to Indian Culture”. How important is it to share this information with a larger audience, which may not have been exposed to these ideas before?

It is important for philosophers to enter into public discourse. Unfortunately, very few intellectuals in the Church have been able to contribute to public debate, even though we have a huge number who are able to do so. We also need to write in a manner which is reader friendly, rather than esoteric and accessible to only a few. The clergy need to share their learnings with the faithful and the general public, as an integral part of their ministry.

10. Is there anything else you would like to add?

The Church is largely old and insular. We need to speak a new language of love and energy, relevant and understandable to the masses. We also need to get out of the ghettoes in which we largely live. We run successful institutions, but our work is often in silos. We need to engage with those who live beyond our parishes, institutions and organizations. Otherwise, we will continue to be misunderstood, and not sufficiently appreciated for our immense contribution. We will also not be able to make a significant impact in terms of enhancing the common good. We need to enter into ongoing dialogue outside our ghettoes, without sacrificing our identity, in an empathetic and collaborative, yet responsibly assertive manner.

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Miracle in the Valley (2016)     96 minutes

Director: Don Schroeder

Cast: Emily Hoffman, Pat Boone, Edward Asner, Diane Ladd, Richard Tyson, Stephanie Linus, Shari Rigby, Kassandra Voyagis.

Set in the year 1906, in Booneville town, Anderson Valley, Northern California, this movie tells the story of the teen aged Melinda who is born out of wedlock. She is ill-treated by her stepfather Maddox and treated with disdain by the local community. Alice, her mother, is bullied by Maddox and is helpless. Melinda’s father is rumored to be dead. Her initial attempts to find what happened to her father Thomas Briggs fail except for some tidbits of information. Alice is haunted by guilt on account of her thoughtless decisions. The wealthy, unfaithful and overbearing Maddox virtually controls the town with his wealth and cunning. Unable to protect Melinda, following the mysterious murder of the local pastor who was her only consolation, Alice is forced to send the child to her grandmother. Melinda has no choice but to stay with Mary, her cranky and ailing grandmother, whom she nurses. Her grandmother provides her with what she has missed in life—love and family closeness. She also enjoys the new friendship with a younger boy named William who is an ardent Shakespeare fan who quotes extensively from Shakespeare’s plays, claiming that he composed them. Mary, in her fits of delusion, speaks a remote language called ‘Boontling’ practised in the valley long time back. Melinda picks it up and through it comes to learn about her father. She chooses to remain with the old woman and enjoys her life of freedom away from the bullying stepfather.  However, her grandmother is laid up after an accident and during an earthquake, dies. When a man named Jeb adopts William things take a new turn. Heroically determined to unravel the truth about her father, Melinda seeks out the people of the town who know the story from whom she collects the carefully hidden facts of the case. She comes to know that the murderous Maddox was the man behind the loss of her father. Maddox is brought to justice. His power over the townspeople is broken when ordinary people provide evidence in the court. Alice is then restored to true faith by her friend.  Melinda’s courage and faith eventually teaches everyone lessons of forgiveness, and reunites her lost family. Her search for truth brings grace.

The Passion of Bernadette (1990) 106 minutes

Director: by Jean Delannoy

Cast: Sydney Penny, Emmanuelle Riva, Catherine de Seynes, Malka Ribowska, Georges Wilson, Michèle André, Maurice Jacquemont, Roland Lesaffre, Michel Ruhl, Michèle Simonnet.

            The sequel to the earlier Bernadette (1988), this movie follows the lesser known second phase of St Bernadette’s life. The narrative closely follows actual events, highlighting the making of a great saint, confined to the convent, mostly in the infirmary both as patient and nurse.  Bernadette joined as an aspirant with the Sisters of Charity at Nevers in 1866, hoping to hide from her celebrity status. But things do not turn out as she had wished.  Innumerable Lourdes devotees seek her advice and intervention. Continued sickness and ecclesiastical scrutiny assail her. On her admission, the Mother superior orders her to speak to the inmates about her past, especially her visions at Massabielle. There are others too, curious to explore Bernadette’s past pestering her about the apparitions at Lourdes. Bernadette tells the group about Our Lady speaking of Herself as Immaculate Conception. A bishop who is confessor to the Pope also visits her along with a countess and her husband who want to donate money to the local parish through her hands, which she rejects. All that she wanted was to be all alone with God. A visit to an orphanage shows how easily she connected with the children, telling them stories and jokes which invite the comment that her vocation is the vocation of charity. Being described as “stupid” (which she joyfully and meekly accepts) she is assigned to the care of the sick and washing toilets. It is also revealed that she has the gift of healing. Four months after her entry, on the brink of death Bernadette is allowed to make her vows in bed. But her recovery and assurance that she will live a bit longer makes the Mother declare the vows invalid and she sends her back to the novitiate. She takes it all joyfully and humbly and takes final vows along with others. This remarkable movie clearly depicts her life of suffering and how she undertakes suffering as her vocation.

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That’s Not How We Do It Here! A Story about How Organizations Rise and Fall – and Can Rise Again.

John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber (2016)

The authors from Harvard Business School present vital tips to leaders and managers everywhere.  Through an animal fable, the book demonstrates how to turn challenges into opportunities.  The story is set in Kalahari, Southern Africa, where a clan of 150 meerkats settled in a fertile valley are growing steadily in numbers and are prospering. They possess a well-oiled bureaucracy, with set conventions and rules to follow. Unexpectedly a drought destroys the food resources and vultures invade. The old system is shaken up; the clan, unprepared to meet the unpredictable, begins to fall apart, engaging in blame and unable to seek out solutions.  Disagreements mount even on routine matters. Solutions suggested by experienced front-line workers are rejected from the top with the response: “That’s not how we do it here!” When there is a dearth of new ideas, Nadia an adventurous meerkat leaves in search of novel ideas to solve the problems. She is joined by her friend Ayo, who is chastised for violating the existing procedures of guard duty when he tries the revolutionary idea of climbing trees to watch out for predatory invasions. The two find other groups of meerkats who seem to be running things well and differently from their own. Some groups are just like theirs, in different states of disintegration. They meet Matt a rover who has left his clan. He seeks out a dynamic, small clan apparently doing well. Under the leadership of Lena, this group is devising new ways of combating the drought situation, turning challenges into opportunities and have developed creative solutions to meet the challenges of food and danger from vultures. Their small group is thriving in team work, organizational flexibility and innovation. However, as the clan grows, Nadia witnesses how they too begin to break down owing to a lack of a structure suited for an expanding group. Visionary leadership was not enough. Nadia has a discussion with Lena sharing her observations. With the insights learned she returns to her clan, hoping to rebuild it, combining visionary leadership smartness, discipline, creativity stability and innovation.  The book concludes with a study of the nature of “management” and the nature of “leadership”, how they are related and yet different.

Light Through the Bars: Understanding and Rethinking South Africa’s Prisons

by Fr Babychan Arackathara (2019)

Fr Babychen’s book  derives from  his experience of prison ministry in  some of the most notorious prisons in South Africa. It takes the readers inside  prisons and close to prisoners, erasing our  stereotyped notions about criminals and convicts and  helping to change the way we think of prison communities. The author started his mission in1998 in Mariental Namibia and the 20 years of his work experience comes alive in this brilliant, haunting book rousing our empathy towards those condemned to languish in the dark despair of prison cells. Archbishop William Slattery, head of prison outreach at Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference comments: “Father Babychan has brought the light of the Good News to people who are often the most abandoned and forgotten. His work has given hope, repentance and a new beginning to many of our brothers and sisters.”   Criminals are human. No one is born a criminal. Criminality is a demonstration of the brokenness of society as the stories of the convicts show. These stories can be treated as case studies for those who might engage in  prison ministry – a veritable guidebook to touch troubled souls in prison. Through the six chapters, the author looks at all aspects of human criminality.  He notes that everything begins in our families. Broken families produce broken people who may turn to crime. A close look inside prisons raises the question whether they do, in fact, offer correction, education and opportunities for rehabilitation, or are merely “schools for crime”. Simple supportive tools such as listening to them can bring change in the prison cultures and initiate rehabilitation.  The current models of punitive justice need to be replaced by restorative justice which is truly beneficial to the offenders as well as their victims.  Reintegration is the most challenging task before all ex-offenders as they rejoin society, hoping not to be shunned by their families and communities.  A list of practical suggestions for the problems observed during his prison ministry concludes the narrative.

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