NEWS LETTER

Editorial

Dear Friends,

Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. Lent calls us to examine our own lives with the prayer, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me (Ps 139:23-24).

The journey through Lent is a way to place ourselves before God humbled. It is a way to confess our total inadequacy before God. It is a way to empty ourselves of our false pride, of our rationalizations that prevent us from seeing ourselves as needy creatures, of our external piety that blinds us to the beam in our own eyes.

Christian Theology is at its root a matter of faith seeking understanding. In order to seek understanding we must spend time not only asking questions but also in reflection. The scholastic brothers as usual have come out with their theological reflections in this second semester. I hope these writings of our younger brothers become an inspiration in our Lenten journey.

Wish you a Holy season of Lent and Happy Easter

Fr Biju Chempottickal, MS

HOW CAN WE MAKE LENTEN FAST MORE MEANINGFUL

Sanish Poovathinkal,M.S

* FAST from anger and hatred. Give my community members extra dose of love.

* FAST from division. Strive to be in unity with everyone.

* FAST from judging others. Before making any judgments, remember how Jesus overlooks our faults.

* FAST from discouragement . Let us have hope in all that we do.

* FAST from personal anxiety, fear and worry. Jesus is watching over our lives. Put our trust in him.

* FAST from problems that overwhelms your life. Pray and ask for Jesus for help.

* FAST from complaining. When we are about to complain, try to appreciate all the moment of joy.

* FAST from bitter experience. Forgive those who have hurt your life.

* FAST from negative conversations. Encourage one other.

* FAST from too much of the world. In Lent TRY TO GIVE EXTRA TIME TO JESUS.

DEAR FORMATORS, THEY ARE THE GIFT GOD HAS SENT

Rijo Muttathil M.S

Ask if your formandee have put
A feather in your cap,
Or have they put you to shame
To unite your head and lap

They are a gift of god
Sent to us on earth
We can’t claim their body, soul
Because of giving formation

They are clay in our hands
To mould or destroy
One day they’ll surely bring
Heartaches galore or joy!

They observe –imitate
Most things you say and do
If they are kind, obedient
The credit goes to you

We have to render unto god
Each one he gave
If they are good and upright
Our honor we’ll save.

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The Role of Human in the Earth Community
( From a Biblical Perspective.)
Jino Chackiath M.S

Any Christian ecological reflection begins by examining the bible for all the inspired light it casts on the problem. Bible helps us to understand the religious theme namely, God’s love and concern for the entire cosmos and ‘human stewardship’ for promoting the unity and integrity of the whole cosmos for a life in harmony. The Psalms, the wisdom tradition and the book of job present the cosmic revelation of God in nature creation is of immense value even though that value cannot be articulated in human terms.(Ps.19:1, 33:6, 9, 104, 150; Wis.12:1, 13:5; Prov.8:22-31; Sir.24; Job38:2-4,42:5-6)

Humans are not aliens on earth. Humanity is an integral part of the earth community, hence has its role and responsibility. Our technological civilization of tension and terror is against God’s vision of a happy and peaceful life. We are not opponent of God’s plan; instead we must represent the divine goodness and creativity. Nature is our parental milieu; we have no existence outside of this. Instead of trying to dominate the world we must learn to live in harmony with according to its rhythm and constrains. Human role is not to dominate but to enhance the creativity of the nature. We find in the book of Deuteronomy speaks of land as the gracious gift to humans (Dt8:7-

10) As Fritj of Capra says, “nature turns out to be more like human nature- unpredictable, sensitive to the surrounding world, influenced by small fluctuations. The appropriate way of approaching nature is not through domination and control but through respect, cooperation and dialogue”[1]

Pursuit of violence inherent in materialistic culture is not our original calling. Human relationship to nature must be one of partnership as exemplified by the primal images of person as tiller and keeper (Genesis 2:15) or replenisher (Atherva Veda, 12: I, 35) of the earth. God put man in the Garden of Eden (Gen.2:8) and man gave the names to the creatures (Gen.2:9) this points out the fact that man is made to be in solidarity with nature. Man’s naming of the animals expresses the bond between them, not the domination of one by the others. Human beings are invited to love and reverence the earth because they totally depend on it for their sustenance and being. Therefore the earth demands Justice and Justice reminds us that earth does not belong to us; even we “own a piece of it, we belong to the earth. Human being is not the master of the nature, not the exploiter but friend and partner. Our mission is to promote this role of the partnership of

mankind with the well- being of the living milieu of the community of all beings.

Now short term economic gain is mistaken for progress. The prosperity that is seen in some part of the world is often precarious because it is attained through farming, forestry, and industrial practices that cannot be sustained in the long run. Developmental activities cannot go on and on while environmental resource base is under constant deterioration. The destruction of the earth involves the destruction of the human beings. The parable of the rich fool (Lk12:16-20) points out to the responsibility to share with others. These points out the fact that all children have the right to the goods of the earth and putting a block or destroying that access brings God’s judgment. Amassing of wealth, insensitivity to others and the false sense of ownership violates the law of the earth and are against the kingdom of God (Lk: 12:15; Mk: 10:22, 29).

Just as self control is not the curtailment of freedom, the idea of limit to growth is not

something negative or a backward journey. By setting limit to growth we conserve natural resources which otherwise get wasted in a throw away culture, as well as maintain natures balance. Thus we make sure enduring progress. There is an urgent need to stop the overexploitation of agricultural, fishery, energy, and forest resources. Controlled use of water and agrochemicals, popularizing the use of organic manures, and non chemical means of pest control are ecologically sound alternatives to the present trends.

Ecosystem has no infinite capacity to absorb pollution, to produce fresh water, and to form new top soil. Steady-State resource use is the secret of sustainable growth in harmony, growth in harmony with the nature. The parable of the sower reminds us of our sacred duty towards nature, which is to cherish and make efforts to conserve it, and make to grow thirty, sixty and hundred fold.

However the deadly cocktail of materialism, industrialism and technologism constitute the major stumbling block on the way ecological sanity. All the same, there is no doubt that caring for the planet, our home, is the number one task before us. There are no two environments –yours and mine. There is only one-ours. We should aim at a sustainable development adapting conservations as development and merging the economy and environment. The parable of unjust steward (Lk.16:1-8), the talents (Mt.25:14-39), the pounds (Lk.17:11-23) makes it clear that God wants’ us to use gifts creatively. It is human responsibility to use God’s gift, our talents and our resources of the earth with

creative freedom and not with the foolishness of the prodigal son who used his heritage in loose living without the thought of the consequences to himself and to others. When we reflect on the life events of Jesus, his teaching, and his miracles; they teach us that Jesus is a champion of restoration that is creation, re-formation, and transformation of the universe. We must develop in ourselves a sensitivity and spirituality after that of Jesus, which may call us friendly. Thus Jesus of the gospel must become for us not merely an ecologist but an ecological prophet who leads us a global awakening of consciousness which will generate and guarantee a rational loyalty to our planet as a whole and to its

infinite variety of species and material thing in particular. Our relationship to nature must be one of partnership as employed by the primal image of person as tiller and keeper (Genesis 2:15)

[1] The web of life, A New Synthesis of Mind and Matter (London: Flamingo, 1997), p.187.

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GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR MAKING PASTORAL HOUSE VISITS

Remember you are visiting in the name of Jesus and the Church

Dileesh Poriamvelil M.S

It is a great privilege to enter another’s house
Visit in the name of Jesus
Be positive and friendly. Look into yourself for negative feelings and replace them with joy
Be courteous. You are a guest in someone else’s house. Don’t argue
Be sensitive. If they are busy say that you will come again. Don’t do or say anything to hurt their feelings
Be interested, but not inquisitive. Don’t ask too many questions
Be a good listener. Listen more than talking. Clarify your doubts to look at the situation as it is. Don’t take things for granted. Be careful not to talk of your experience or topics of your interest.
Don’t get upset or be surprised even if you hear something unexpected about them. Christ loves these people too
Be discreet. Treat as confidential, matters that are of a confidential nature.
Be genuine. Avoid flattery. Do not advise people unless specifically ask your advice, but..
Animate people to find their own solutions to the problems. You can help them clarify and see the problem better by providing relevant data, but let them discover solutions that are their own.

BEFORE THE VISIT

Remind yourself that you are not visiting on your behalf, but on the behalf of Jesus and the Church.
Find out something about the family especially if there is something on which you can build your relationship
Be prepared to give information about parish activities and services.

DURING THE VISIT

Introduce yourself and the purpose of the visit.
Listen to them and use the visit to build relationships
Discover people’s talents through conversation and by observation
Offer to pray with the family if they would like you to do so.
Before leaving ask if you can come again.

AFTER THE VISIT

Write down the details in a notebook or family visit card
If necessary inform the Parish priest of something he should know.
Pray for the people you have visited. Thank God for the gift of the family to the Church.
Evaluate the visit with your partner using the criteria that we discussed during this session

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Attitude

Anoop Manchira M.S

One day an extremely rich father took his only son on a trip to the country side with the firm purpose of showing his son how the poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights in the farm house of a very poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great Dad.” replied the Son

“Did you see how poor people live?” asked the Father.

The son said, “Oh yeah!”

“So what did you learn from the trip” inquired the father.

The son said, “I saw that we had one dog and they had four”

We had a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have stars at night.

Our land reaches to the front garden and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us but they serve others.

We buy food but they grow their own food.

We have walls around our property to protect us but they have friends to protect them.

With this the boy’s father was speechless.

Than the son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are”.

Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don’t have.

It is all based on one’s attitude

Remember: It’s is our attitude and not our aptitude that determines our life.

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Hebrews !!!

Anil Kochuthazhathu M.S

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.

The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."

Wife replies, "No you should do it, and besides it is in the Bible that the man

should do the coffee." Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."

So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says .... "HEBREWS”

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ENJOY THESE FACTS OF LIFE!!!!!!