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It is easier to define sickness than health. When someone says, “I have a toothache,” or “My left knee has a fracture,” we get the meaning. But how do we define health? It has so many aspects! From breathing and eating, to digestion and excretion, the flow of blood, our cholesterol and sugar levels, the condition of our brain, heart, lungs, intestines, kidneys and organs of reproduction. Most of the time, health is something we take for granted, isn’t it?

No one has perfect bodily health. We all have some minor aches and pains, but this does not mean we need hospitalization or major surgery, or are at the point of death.

All this goes for our mental health as well. When there is something wrong, e.g., when someone is often moody, or screaming at people for nothing, or gets panic attacks, we realize that something is wrong. But when we are able to function “normally,” we do not think about mental health, do we?

Four Aspects

To be mentally healthy means:

• That we manage our emotions well: We are normally happy and serene, not unduly angry or moody or swinging from one extreme to the other.
• That we can take correct decisions: The decisions we make in day-to-day matters prove to be correct. Examples: How we plan our work, spend our money, look after those in our care.

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB

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Promoting Young People’s Mental Health: An Urgent Need. Life Skills Need to be Taught

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mental health to be the foundation for wellbeing and effective functioning for both the individual and the community as a whole. The best path to lifelong wellness is one that starts with good MH!

What is mental health? According to WHO, it is “a state of wellbeing in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

Young People and Mental Health

The WHO report indicates that the global burden of mental illness is alarmingly high. Among the mental disorders, the most prevalent is depression.

The statistics on depression can look quite depressing! The numbers are far highe than most of us may be aware of. Worldwide, 350 million people worldwide are affected by it! This percentage is predicted to increase. In fact, the forecast was that by the year 2020, in both men and women, depression might become second only to Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), and might overtake the position of IHD by 2030^. Hence the urgent need to treat depression and other related mental health problems.

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Sr Jessia MSJ

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In this imaginative and subtly humorous piece, the author looks at the six-member “Board of Directors” who help him to run the “business” of living a good life.–Editor

If you haven’t realised by now, maybe it’s time that you do; yes, there is something wrong with me. I talk to myself. I have conversations in my head and at times out loud. Sometimes I don’t even recognise myself because of the way I act. Other times, I am surprised with what comes out of my mouth and, worst of all, as St Paul once confessed, I do not do the good which I desire to do, but the evil which I do not desire, I do! Doesn’t that sound like insanity? Well, if you relate to that, welcome to the club!

Imagine that for years on end at the beginning of each year I would spend a few days working on my resolutions—making lists of the things I wanted to grow in, or eliminate in my life, things which hinder my growth, things I would want to achieve in the coming year, and which, by Jesus’ Baptismal feast, I would literally or deliberately forget. For this reason, I stopped taking New Year resolutions.

At times I really question myself. At times I do worry that maybe I do not have the internal structure, the stamina to stick to do whatever I plan to do. Soon I would lose interest and energy and fall in the usual rut and then frustrate myself more and more because I am not achieving the goals I had planned (mind you, I would try to involve God in my New Year’s  resolutions).

…….

Brother Carmel Duca MC

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A New Understanding of Sin

Fifty years ago, the 1971 Synod of Bishops on ‘Justice in the World’ was a watershed moment for the Church. The Synodal document in the section on ‘The Gospel Message and the Mission of the Church,’ offered a new understanding of sin “In the face of the present-day situation of the world, marked as it is by the grave sin of injustice, we recognize both our responsibility and our inability to overcome it by our own strength. Such a situation urges us to listen with a humble and open heart to the word of God, as he shows us new paths toward action in the cause of justice in the world.” The bishops went on further to state, “While the Church is bound to give witness to justice, she recognizes that anyone who ventures to speak to people about justice must first be just in their eyes. Hence we must undertake an examination of the modes of acting and of the possessions and the life-style found within the Church herself.”

Bringing the Church Up-to-date

That Synod was the logical outcome of a very special period in the history of the Church. In 1959, when St Pope John XXIII announced the Second Vatican Council, he emphasised that he wanted it to be a Pastoral Council, not necessarily creating new definitions in doctrine, but an aggiornamento—essentially an updating of what the Church is all about, in order to communicate more effectively the values of the kingdom with the men and women of the modern world. The key question which was therefore raised at the Vatican Council was “what does it mean to be the Church of God in the modern world?” The path-breaking Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world (Gaudium et Spes) was a fitting response to what Pope John XXIII wanted as a sum and substance of a historic intervention. Earlier, in his Encyclical Pacem in Terris, he underlines the inviolability of human rights and the four non-negotiables of Truth, Justice, Charity and Liberty, which are fundamental for sustainable peace; and that famous statement, “There is a saying of St Augustine which has particular relevance in this context: ‘Take away justice, and what are kingdoms but mighty bands of robbers.’”

St Pope Paul VI, given the renewal that was taking place everywhere because of the Church ‘opening its doors’ post-Vatican II, convoked the 1971 Synod. The Synod document’s message can be summed up in one well-known sentence, “Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.” The promotion of justice is a necessary feature in the task of evangelization. There simply is no sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ if the commitment to justice is downplayed or eliminated. Since then, all the Popes have reiterated the Church’s position for a more just society. In his Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI puts it strongly, “Love—caritas—is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace.”

Pope Francis: The ‘Smell of the Sheep’

Since 2013, Pope Francis has not lost any opportunity of insisting that engagement to counter the rampant injustices in the world, is an essential part of discipleship. In Evangelii Gaudium, he says, “An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others.  Evangelizers thus take on the ‘smell of the sheep’ and the sheep are willing to hear their voice. An evangelizing community is also supportive, standing by people at every step of the way, no matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be.” He adds, “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets… I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.”

He insists: “Peace in society cannot be understood as pacification or the mere absence of violence resulting from the domination of one part of society over others. Nor does true peace act as a pretext for justifying a social structure, which silences or appeases the poor, so that the more affluent can placidly support their lifestyle, while others have to make do as they can. Demands involving the distribution of wealth, concern for the poor and human rights cannot be suppressed under the guise of creating a consensus on paper or a transient peace for a contented minority. The dignity of the human person and the common good rank higher than the comfort of those who refuse to renounce their privileges. When these values are threatened, a prophetic voice must be raised.” 

We are in the special Laudato Si year; many do not realise that the greatest challenge of this Encyclical which Pope Francis gave to the world in 2015, is to look into the endemic issues which impact on the environment. Pope Francis is direct, “In the present condition of global society, where injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable, the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters. This option entails recognizing the implications of the universal destination of the world’s good… it demands before all else an appreciation of the immense dignity of the poor in the light of our deepest convictions as believers. We need only look around us to see that, today, this option is in fact an ethical imperative essential for effectively attaining the common good.”

As religious in India, we are called to respond to the injustices all around. The 1971 Synodal document says we first need to look into ourselves: our attitudes, our relationships, particularly with our ‘collaborators’; we need to look into the realities within our own Congregations and institutions. There is the wider dimension of the Church: in the last Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis called for ‘discernment’ and greater ‘synodality’ for meaningful participation with responsibility, transparency and accountability.

Justice and Injustice Today

Injustices today are mainstreamed and institutionalised. COVID-19 has thrown up new challenges where the plight of the migrant workers, the unemployed, the farmers, the minorities and other excluded like Adivasis and Dalits, children and women are concerned. Fr Stan Lourduswamy, the 83-year-old Jesuit walked the talk; today he is paying the price, languishing in jail since 8 October, because of his courage to accompany the Adivasis in their quest for a more just and dignified life.

Jesus was deeply concerned about the deep-rooted injustices of his time and took a visible stand against them; it was not for nothing that two of the Beatitudes have justice embedded in them,  “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill”; and “Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Never Abandon Prophecy!

Pope Francis writes in Witnesses of Joy for the Year of Consecrated Life (2014-15) “I am counting on you ‘to wake up the world,’ since the distinctive sign of consecrated life is prophecy. As I told the Superiors General, ‘Radical evangelical living is not only for religious: it is demanded of everyone. But religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way.’  This is the priority that is needed right now: to be prophets who witness to how Jesus lived on this earth…a religious must never abandon prophecy.”

Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ

(He is a human rights & peace activist/writer)

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(continued from the December issue)

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)

Every State Government shall by notification establish a District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) consisting of a Chairperson (Collector or District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner) and other members (not exceeding seven) including elected representative, the Superintendent of Police, the District Chief Medical Officer and persons appointed by the State Government.  The Chief Executive Member of the District Autonomous Council shall be the co-chairperson of DDMA.  In any district where a Zila Parishad exists, the Chairperson shall be the Co-Chairperson of DDMA.  The Chairperson shall preside over the meetings and shall also exercise and discharge powers and functions as the DDMA may delegate to him.  The Chairperson has the power to exercise all or any of the powers in the case of an emergency.  An officer of the rank of Additional Collector or Additional District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner is to be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of DDMA to exercise such powers and perform such functions as may be prescribed by the State Government and such other powers and functions as may be delegated to him by DDMA.

The DDMA or its Chairperson may, by general or special order, in writing, delegate such of its or his powers and functions to the Chief Executive Officer, subject to such conditions and limitations, if any, as it or he deems fit. DDMA shall meet as and when necessary and at such time and place as the Chairperson may think fit.

……

Fr Ravi Sagar SJ

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My name is Sr Laisa. I am a religious for twenty-seven years.    Our new provincial has organised an ongoing formation programme during the summer vacation for two weeks concluding with one week’s retreat.  She has desired that all those who have completed twenty-five years or more are to attend this programme.  Right now, I am principal of a prestigious college. To be away for three weeks from the college is difficult for me. Despite my repeated requests, she has not exempted me.  As a principal, I get various opportunities to attend seminars, meetings, etc., and update myself. What is so extraordinary about such programmes?   

To answer your query, let us look into CIC canon 661: “Religious are to be diligent in continuing their spiritual, doctrinal and practical formation throughout their lives.  Superiors are to ensure that they have the assistance and the time to do this.”  Though there is no exact parallel canon in Oriental Canon Law, we read in CCEO canon 471§1, which deals with monasteries: “The manner of formation of members is to be determined in the typicon in such a way that they be permanently motivated to aim more fully toward holiness of life, as well as that their abilities be developed through the study of sacred doctrine and the acquisition of human culture in accordance with the needs of the time, and that they thereby become more adept in the arts and tasks which are legitimately undertaken by the monastery.” And the Directives on Formation in Religious institutes, Potissimum institutioni, numbers 67 to 71, deal with it extensively.

The responsibility for this ongoing formation is twofold: (i) the religious themselves must do what is necessary to renew and update themselves in spiritual, doctrinal and practical matters;

……..

Sr Licia SMI

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This year, perhaps more than ever, most of us are happy to put the past year behind us.  The coronavirus has been an obvious dark cloud that has hung over the whole world for most of the year. Marked by loss of fundamental freedoms, increasing divisiveness and widespread economic hardship, 2020 could easily be viewed as a disaster.  The tremendous increases in addictions, abuse and suicide provide stark testimony to the hardships faced by so many in dealing with the changes wrought by the coronavirus and our society’s efforts to control the spread of the illness.  As people of faith, we would be remiss in not taking at least one last long look back at 2020 to see how the Holy Spirit may have used this time of struggle to remind us of some very important and beautiful truths.

Limitations and Benefits

One of the first impressions I recall from the early days of the pandemic was that we would be moving into a period of profound change that might endure for a long time.  As government officials quickly imposed controls, we came to realize that we had two choices: we could resist those changes or we could acquiesce and seek to find joy in other ways.  As we faced lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, Crystal and I soon found ourselves enjoying the simplicity of daily life. Freed from the distractions of our self-imposed busyness, we had a chance to enjoy more time to ourselves, rekindling an intimacy that comes from spending more time with each other.  It was wonderful to sense a renewed awareness of the needs of the other and a fuller acceptance of each other’s, dare I say, idiosyncrasies.

…….

Kevin Sullivan

The provincial council was discussing the appointment of a new superior.  Among the candidates considered was also Fr. Anil.  He was very hard-working, intelligent, and generous.  But someone pointed out that he was also very “ambitious and power-hungry.”  So, he was not appointed.

Two words that we associate often with a superior’s role are power and authority.    Let us begin by examining power.

The word, “power” comes from the Latin “potere,” which means “to be able.”  Power, basically, is the ability or capacity to do things.  We may consider power both from a personal and interpersonal perspective.  Considered from the personal perspective, power is a person’s physical, intellectual or spiritual capacity to act.  From the interpersonal perspective power is the capacity to influence the behaviour of others.

Five Types of Power

Rollo May, an American psychologist, describes power, from the interpersonal perspective as “the ability to cause or prevent change.”  According to him, power in itself is neutral.  What makes it good or bad is the way it is exercised.

May distinguishes five types of power, depending on the way it is exercised….

 

Fr Jose Kuttianimattathil SDB

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How to explain how we can meet God, experience his love and protection, and feel blessed?

When you are depressed, worried, restless… and, in a short time, experience miraculous answers.

God has come to my rescue many times, either directly, or through people, including strangers.

The Almighty is my Miracle Worker. I say so, because, from the time I have given my Lord the first place in my life, surrendered my life and my family to Him and accepted His will as my will, He has helped me to look at things positively and live my life whole-heartedly,  even in the midst of storms in my life.  His grace has sustained me. I am grateful to God for the gift of my Life.

 

I am sixty-six, a retired teacher who taught for thirty-one years. I am content and living a fruitful and fulfilled life, as a mother, grandmother and a happy human being. I praise and thank God for the good and not so good experiences I have encountered. They have made me God-fearing, optimistic, stronger, wiser and to accept life as it comes cause ‘Every thing will pass.’ He assures me of this.

As Psalm 27, 1 tell us, ‘The Lord is the strength of my life.’

My Life Journey

I consider myself very blessed to have had a happy, simple and comfortable childhood. I lived in Bhusawal.  My parents are my human God—humble, hardworking and dedicated—who brought up their seven children with the utmost care and sacrifice, and showed us God’s loving face. This was the foundation for my life.

At sixteen, I joined CSU, then AICUF, organised by our parish in Hubli. There I attended various programmes, like the Youth Convention, Moderators Course, Transactional Analysis,  thanks to Fr. Anthony Lobo. Priests like the late former priest Fr Oriol Pujol, Fr Jude and Fr Sidney  were instrumental in lighting that hidden spark within me.  They transformed me from a timid shy child into a bold, vibrant achiever, a child of God.

At twenty-one, I started to argue, question and doubt God and the Bible. Fr John D’souza, a charismatic from Mumbai, put my fears and doubts to rest when, after a long discussion, he said to me, “Rozanna, no one, not even the Pope, will be able to answer all your questions. Faith in God and religion are built on Faith. This can be understood and felt only with your heart, and not your head.” My thinking immediately changed; my faith increased. Many thought I would join the convent. I clearly remember, While making my six-day retreat, Fr Coyne from Goregaon Seminary, Mumbai, told me, “You can be a true witness to God, either as a Mother Superior or as a lay person.” And sure enough, my Lord gave me ample opportunities to serve Him as I reach out to people in His name, helping not only family members and relatives, but also disturbed teenagers, troubled  parents, marriages on the rocks, those who have lost faith, etc. All this is because He resides in me. I have continuously been inspired, motivated and guided by my Sister principals and priests and I deem it my responsibility to do the same with joy, trusting in His hand.

Balancing Home Life and Teaching

Balancing family life and my work at school was extremely tough, challenging and demanding. I had to handle both fronts to the best of my ability. God would help me out always.  I wanted to be a role model at home and in school.  I hardly faced major hurdles in bringing up my three children.  They were responsible, industrious, humble and independent, never demanding. The main credit goes to my husband for being my right and left hand, always supportive and helpful. I took pride in doing all my household chores, moulding my children and making them God-centred, giving them their space and my time. Daily rosary, reading the bible and reflection, dialoguing together with household chores—all this was our everyday routine. Just as the Lord left his ninety-nine sheep and went to bring the one lost sheep, I too went through a similar situations, but my Lord lifted me on his shoulders and walked me through.

I love my home and my second home—my school. If you  plan things out systematically, get the cooperation of your family, and God reigns in your home, nothing prevents you from doing justice at both fronts. Thus, I was able to concentrate on my passion—my vocation of teaching. I received one hundred percent support from all my Sister principals. This made me step out of my comfort zone and give my all to my teaching and students. My Lord was there. ‘I trust in the promises of my Lord Jesus with all my heart and I lean not unto my own understanding/ ideas/ experience.(Proverbs 3:5) Thus I was able to balance my  home and school—although I must say that at times it was extremely stressful.

What Makes Me Happy and Sad

I delight in small and big things.  To see my husband and children and my seven grandchildren happy and content gives me utmost happiness. Helping them out when requested makes me feel so complete. The same goes with my relatives and near and dear ones;  their happiness is my happiness. I feel satisfied when I give my 100% in all I do and say. I enjoy cleaning, stitching, cooking, gardening and doing odd jobs at home. I create work for myself, as I cannot see myself idle. Playing word games and listening to music gives added satisfaction. I feel blessed when the Lord uses me to help those in need, empathizing and counselling them. I feel blessed when I can convert a negative situation into a positive one. This is the Lord’s doing.

I am used to talking to God and myself, and this keeps me going. When I am misunderstood and wrongly judged and accused, that saddens me. When I am not forgiven by someone I dearly love, it tears me apart. At that time I sing the hymn, “In His time.” Everything will happen in His good time. When I am helpless and unable to help anyone in need, it makes me uncomfortable. I then lift all this up to the Almighty.

Overcoming Difficulties

‘My Peace I give unto you…let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)

My first principal, Sr Ann Henrietta,  gave me a bookmark which read: “Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen today that You and I together cannot handle.” This has stood me in good stead. God and Life have been good to me on the whole and, when I was confronted with bumps on the path, He stood by me. I did hit rock bottom, which took a terrible toll on me, but I was able to look at it optimistically, later.

I was forced to leave my twenty-six-days-old baby daughter with my parents in Hubli as I was on company visa and had to return to Dubai immediately after my delivery. This was my biggest mistake, though I had no option. My daughter experienced anger, rebellion, hatred and rejection, and it kept building as years passed. I did all I could to heal my daughter. At that crucial time the Lord visited me through counsellors, priests, my principals and many others. I respect my daughter and her feelings and her subtle anger and hatred towards me. I pray for her healing and am learning to live with it. I thank God for His grace and I know my God will not let me down. I am now able to cope with any eventuality and tough situations—an accident, health issues of my husband and grandson. The pain and struggle are there, but somehow I experience peace within. Who else can give me that Peace?

Lessons I Have Learnt

Life teaches us innumerable lessons—through nature,  experiences of others or your very own. One needs to be awake, aware, accept, act and move on. I am always open to constructive or destructive criticism.  I have learnt that:

• If I want my Lord to hear me and help me, I need to be clean in mind, heart and lips;
• Accept His will as my will;
• Trust in Him totally;
• Give my 100% in all I do and say to experience satisfaction;
• Accept myself as I am and love my self, respect others and not judge anyone
• God speaks to me through people and I on my part need to reach out to others;
• Look at things positively and accept the inevitable;,
• LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…keep giving of yourself and never expect anything in return;
• Bless those who give you and bless those who do not give you too.

I end by saying I am truly blessed by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit for His tender mercies to me and all whom I love, above all for the His gift of my life, which I live to the fullest in my own little way.

Rozanna Rodricks

(Rozanna Rodricks is a retired English teacher. She now enjoys a happy life in the company of her three well-settled children and her doting seven grandchildren. And still in touch with her second love—teaching)

 

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The ‘candle’ for the first month of 2021 is someone whom God has brought in to heal a seriously wounded nation—a nation that could help or harm the entire world in many ways. The chosen healer is Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., or, more simply, Joe Biden, President-elect of the United States of America.

The most effective healers, we know, are wounded healers. They seek healing passionately, because they know what it means to be wounded.

Joe Biden’s father was a blue collar worker, cleaning furnaces and selling used cars. When Biden was a child, he struggled with a stutter. His classmates mocked him, calling him ‘Joe Impedimenta.’ But he memorized long poems and recited them standing in front of the mirror and eventually managed to overcome the problem. In order to afford the school fees, he cleaned the school windows and weeded the gardens. Therefore, unlike his predecessor—a  billionaire play boy—Biden understands the problems of the poor and the middle class.

Tragedies have taught him patience, hope and strength. He lost his son, Beau Biden, to brain cancer at the age of forty-six. What he suffered when Beau was a little boy looks like a poignant scene in a tragic movie….

 

Fr M A Joe Antony SJ

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