Ksj wf june 20151

JUNE 2015JUNE 2015 Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg.02Pg.02
“You are a chosen generation
A royal priesthood, a holy nation
A dedicated people
That should show forth the praises of him
Who has called you out of darkness
Into his marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9
Call to
Consecrated
life is a special
call. We are
s p e c i a l l y
c h o s e n o r
called from the
world for a
special cause.
This special
cause or call is
exercised in
administering
the sacraments
andotherministriesthatour charismdemands.
As we look at our lives today as consecrated
people, we find we've failed to make our presence
felt in a world that is longing for peace and love and
is in need of a helping hand. We have forgotten our
responsibility to be the stewards of Christ's mission
in this world. Scandals of the religious and priests,
emerging day after day, pave the way for the faithful
to lose their trust in us. In our attempt to be modern
with the changing culture and fashion, we are losing
our identity as consecrated persons. Besides, our
number is decreasing and our youth show very little
interestinembracingtheconsecratedlife.
In this scenario Pope Francis has given a
wake-up call to all of us. He urges us to wake-up to
the world. This reminds us of our vocation, to serve
with vigor and zeal. He exhorts us to respond
creatively to our call by reading the signs of the time.
He desires that the consecrated people be cheerful,
carryingthedailycrosses withasmile.
T h i s
i s s u e
c a r r i e s
s o m e
articles on
consecrate
d life. I
would like
to take this
opportunit
y to thank
a l l t h e
b u d d i n g
writers, poets, artists for their contribution. I also
thank the readers, and I eagerly look forward to your
feedback
EDITORIALEDITORIAL
Vishwas MisquithSJVishwas MisquithSJ

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY Dheeraj D'Souza SJDheeraj D'Souza SJ
Pg. 03Pg. 03
he fundamental nature of Consecrated life
is to lead a life of fidelity to the person and
Tmission of Jesus Christ, by saying “yes” to
Him in every situation of life and making Him the
centre of one's being. Consecrated life has meaning
in God alone. So the purpose of the Consecrated life
lies in seeking God alone and helping others to seek
God in their daily life by being a model of a God-
seeker.
What does it mean to be a
Consecratedperson?
To be in communion: The
meaning of Consecrated
life depends on how deeply
one is rooted in Christ. The
intimacyoneexperiencesin
Christ, who is in union with
the Father and the Spirit,
should help a Consecrated
p e r s o n t o l i v e i n
communion with the whole
of creation, especially with
one's fellow humans, who
are created in the image and
likeness of God. Without
the aspect of communion there is no meaning in
Consecratedlife.
To say “no” to worldly attachments and to say
“yes” to God in complete self-surrender: It is a
call to realize that nothing in this world belongs to
me, and all that I have is a gift from God to glorify
Him. It is a call to free oneself from the external
things that control and thus to allow Christ to take
holdofone's life,infullself-surrender.
Saying “Yes” to Consecrated life is to make Christ
the ultimate value of one's being, trusting in His
goodness and mercy, by making a conscious choice
to renounce everything that takes us away from
Him.
In today's context the greatest challenge for
consecrated persons is, being true to one's call.
Where media constantly tries to divert the minds of
people by projecting false identity as the true
identity; where consumerism
a n d m a t e r i a l i s m a r e
controlling our lives,
individualism is creeping in,
power and money have
b e c o m e t h e a b s o l u t e
requirements for recognition,
morality is declining, religion
becomes meaningless,
s c i e n c e a n d m o d e r n
t e c h n o l o g y p r o j e c t
themselves as having the
answer for everything, and
the list goes on. In this context
to swim against the current by
making Christ the centre of
one's being and to reflect him in one's daily life is the
greatestchallengefor aconsecratedperson.
Another challenge could be to lead an
integrated life in the given context. The usual
tendency of people is to be one-sided, that is, either
to focus fully on religious practices, without being
rooted in one's context, or it could be the other way
about – being fully immersed in the world without
having enough spiritual depth. Both the extremes
havetheirown dangers.
JUNE 2015JUNE 2015 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum

Pg. 04Pg. 04
As consecrated men and women we are
called to be prophets in our given situation. In the
Bible we have the examples of prophets Jeremiah
and Hananiah (Jer: 23; 26; 28). Prophet Hananiah
being focused on worldly things, was interested in
pleasing authorities and prophesied based on some
past prophecies, without reflecting on his present
context. His lack of openness to the fresh revelation
from God in the context made him outdated. On the
other hand prophet Jeremiah being deeply united
with God and
rooted in the life
situation of the
people becomes
the spokesperson
of God in spite of
being aware of the
challenges and
threats he had to
face. He takes
courage to be the
true voice of God
(Jer 20:7-9). As
consecrated men
and women we are
called to be like
prophet Jeremiah
who was open to
the revelation from God in his given context,
through his integrated way of life. No doubt, it is a
great challenge for every religious to lead a life
worthy of his/hercalling.
At the same time we know every challenge is
an opportunity to be a different person. One who is
convinced of one's call and who finds meaning of
life in Jesus and who wants to be a true witness to
andareflectionof Christ;
for such a person, our present reality could be
considered to be a golden opportunity to become
another Christ. Christ during his earthly ministry
went in search of people who were voiceless,
victimized, suffering, marginalized and those who
were considered to be the least and the lost. To be a
reflection of Christ is to make his options our own.
In the words of Pope Francis, it amounts to have 'the
smellof one's sheep'.
In today's context
nobody can deny that we
h a v e u m p t e e n
opportunities: as the gap
between the rich and the
poor is increasing due to
g l o b a l i z a t i o n ,
c o n s u m e r i s m h a s
overpowered the value of
human life, materialism is
making the life of the poor
harder, human beings are
objectified by today's
science and technology,
dignity of the person is
reduced to their mere
usefulness, mother earth
has turned out to be a
dumping place and a laboratory for experimenting
man's greed and so on. In this context it is an
opportunity for every Christian to make the options
of Christ his/her own. All the more so for religious,
who have consecrated themselves to Jesus by
making a choice to walk in the footprints of him who
emptied himself and became one with us, it is a great
opportunity to reflect the values and the message of
Christthroughtheirlifewitness.
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY Dheeraj D'Souza SJDheeraj D'Souza SJContd. from pg. 03Contd. from pg. 03

Pg.05Pg.05
s the Church celebrates the Year of
Consecrated Life, the number of men and
Awomen in religious orders in India has
experienced a steady decline from peak numbers in
the recent years. Many of the schools, hospitals, and
other ministries
s t a r t e d b y
religious orders
are today staffed
primarily by
l a y m e n a n d
laywomen. But
religious life
today also provides a wide array of opportunities for
sisters, brothers, and priests to choose a unique path
byservingtheirordersinnewanddifferentways.
Lifeofreflectionand action
I think one of the challenges in religious life today is
to give enough space to that kind of pondering.
Today reflection has lost its meaning. How many of
us truly discern well before taking up any new
venture? We take things and people for granted. 'I
KNOW IT' rules us and we end up in a mess. Today
we need a contemplative attitude and not action
alone Sometimes we can get stuck in a rut. But we
needtoseewheretheSpiritis invitingus..
Vatican II invites us to “carry forward the work of
Christ under the leadership of the befriending
Spirit.” Otherwise we become like mice running on
wheels, and that just does nothing but exhaust
people. For me, it's about real discerning that we are
called to now. When someone asks us on our
ministry what is
our response?
T o d a y w e
c a n n o t s a y,
'going on'. That
would be the
d e a t h o f
religious life. Let's move as the Spirit of the Lord
leads us. We need to have depth in our God-
experience and to transform that depth into our
mission.
During our formation we are taught to pray
and reflect. We need to reflect on the present
challenges of Christianity in India. Taking up any
prophetic task is another challenge we face today.
We tend to search for security in our community and
society. As religious leaders we must be ready to
respond wisely. The present government is offering
us ample opportunities to reflect and act. We need to
criticize positively such behavior and thus we must
enable,empowerandenergizethepeople.
Anush D'Cunha SJAnush D'Cunha SJ
Conclusion: An optimist can see a silver lining even
in the dark cloud. This silver lining becomes a ray of
hope for him/her. At the same time a pessimist can
restrict himself/herself to seeing the cloud and mourn
over his/ her helplessness. Today we as consecrated
men and women are called to see the silver lining in a
broken world and become a ray of hope for those who
havelosthope,
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAYContd. from pg. 4Contd. from pg. 4 Dheeraj D'Souza SJDheeraj D'Souza SJ
a light to those who are in darkness, a voice to those
who are voiceless. Opportunities to serve are
countless, but it is a challenge to use them in an
effective way as Christ did in his own historical
context.Todayeveryconsecratedperson should ask
himself/ herself how he/she is becoming another
Christinthegivencontext.

Pg. 06Pg. 06
Disciple:aftertheHeartofChrist
Today it is a great challenge to be a radical disciple.
The words of Jesus to carry a few things with us are
far from our imagination. Undoubtedly we have
enough and more excuses for it. Leaving everything
behind and following the Lord is not a life of
isolation. The Consecrated life invites us to live a
life in communion with others and working
tirelessly to build communities of freedom,
fellowshipandjustice.
Community life
Community life as per the
Church is challenged as
outdated for several
reasons:
Firstly, we have now
discovered a new worth
of the individual as a person, which makes
communal living antiquated. Here is the problem of
our evangelicalcounsels.
Secondly, community life by people of the same sex
is said to be based on an archaic notion of what a
group is.
Thirdly, large communities or common houses are
intolerable.Theyarearelicofformerdays.
Finally, poverty and patience are canonized as
virtues.
Today's thinking pattern is on individual
liberty that is emphasized in the secular world. This
deeply affects the meaning of religious life in
community. Communities are for individuals as
means to serve the person in need; they are not
intrinsically worthwhile, to which the individual is
somehow subordinate.
If he or she finds that living with others helps
him/her as a person, toward personal fulfillment,
then he/she may join a group, but even then it should
be regularly a small group of like-minded peers. It
should not be a community in which, as we formerly
believed, a premium is placed on self-denial. In the
Society of Jesus we are given several chances for
self-expression. Therefore community life not a life
of self-denial,butofself-expression.
Challenges of the reality
around
Religious men and women
of today are challenged by
the reality outside. Today the
world economy is led largely
by the so called powerful
people. A lot of wealth is
produced in the world today but it is unevenly
distributed. This has resulted in an unbridgeable gap
between the haves and the have-nots. The
globalization of market economy has given birth to
“new victims” like the new poor created by the
recent financial crisis, persons with AIDS/HIV,
child prostitutes, street children, child labourers,
undocumentedmigrantsetc.
New forms of poverty will continue to be
created in the wake of increased globalization if the
present trends are to be believed. Poverty is always
dehumanizing. Hence, whatever its form, it will
always pose a challenge to the religious who are
committed to a “mission of promoting fullness of
life.” Therefore the challenge is to be other-
centered.Through our daily contacts with people we
can experience the reality around us. Here we have
an opportunity to reach out to the unreached and to
heartheunheard.
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY Anush D'Cunha SJAnush D'Cunha SJContd. from pg. 05Contd. from pg. 05

Pg. 07Pg. 07
Finally young boys and girls end up in drugs,
alcohol or violence. Today guiding and being with
the youth in our ministry is indispensable. We can
helpthemtoseekGod amidstallthese.
Conclusion
It is Consecrated people who have to give the
leadership in the Kingdom of God. Though we feel
that religious life as it is lived today is in crisis, we
cannot doubt its relevance in the postmodern
world. It is the responsibility of each individual
consecrated person to make the needed shift in
her/his life in order to be an authentic follower of
Jesus in the 21st century. Our identity as followers of
Christ's missionmustberecalledandrecollected.
The world around us is fragmented in various ways
by ethnicity, race, caste, gender, culture, religion and
the like. Growing individualism is breaking up
communities including religious communities.
Families are becoming more and more
dysfunctional. Since persons are born in particular
historical situations which are often broken and
fragmented, they grow up with various
psychological burdens. Many are victimized due to
social evils such as child abuse, rape, prostitution,
domestic violence etc. There are many in today's
world who are lonely, and there's no one around
them to be with.As a result they lack self-respect and
self–acceptance. That has led to negative emotions
such as anger,jealousyandso on.
Offer me no flowers when I am dead,
I would fail to smell their
fragrance.
Sing no praises with thy loud
voices,
My deaf ears in coffin won't hear
them.
She’d not those precious tears,
They are worthy of a better person
than me.
Carry no memories of me in heart,
For all past of mine has dissolved
in soil.
My love for you was a feather on yoke;
Farthest oceans would know our
meet,
Tallest mountains would bow to
our kisses,
Winds being too jealous of our
relationship.
But, now the beginning has
become a dead end.
Our long road has ceased at an
early bend.
Strange is thy Love for me...
Stranger is thy heart to me...
STRANGE IS THY LOVE...STRANGE IS THY LOVE...
Ashwil Lobo SJAshwil Lobo SJ
Anush D'Cunha SJAnush D'Cunha SJ
Contd. from pg. 6Contd. from pg. 6
POEMPOEM

reparing new members for religious life is 'a
craft, not a police operation'. We must
Pinclude the formation of hearts. Otherwise,
we are creating little monsters. Then these little
monsters mold the people of God. This really gives
megoose bumps.”
- PopeFrancis
To d a y
when we speak
a b o u t
c o n s e c r a t e d
life, we do
speak about the
decrease in the
n u m b e r
embracing it;
this has been a
burning issue in
our day-to-day
conversation. Therefore, it is very important to take
off from here. There is indeed a crisis of vocations to
consecrated life in some important geographical
areas. The crisis is especially apparent in Western
Europe and North America, although it is also
imaginable that such a crisis eventually may creep
intootherregionsoftheglobeinthenearfuture.
The most manifest sign of this crisis is the
unrestrained decrease in the number of religious
men and women on the one hand, and the sensing of
an increasing irrelevance of religious life on the
other. This crisis is being manifested not only in the
context of the Church which is becoming more and
more polycentric and global, but also in the process
ofWesternizationtakingplaceinsidetheChurch.
What makes people consider religious life
irrelevant? Who is responsible for this? Recently I
met a Jesuit who is a professor in Harvard
University, U.S.A. I asked him concerning
vocations to religious life in U.S.A. He said that now
the vocation to religious life is gradually increasing,
especially to the Society of Jesus, because of the
impact of Pope Francis
onthemindsofpeople.
T h e r e f o r e , I
concluded that the
decrease in vocations
is because we as
consecrated persons
badly fail to inspire
others. People do not
see us as happy,
e n t h u s i a s t i c a n d
missionary religious.
Keeping this in mind,
they have developed such a mindset as to call us 'out
of mind' instead of knowing the deeper meaning
embedded in religious life. The problem lies on both
sides. The religious fail to inspire people, and in
return, we do not get committed people to work for
the Kingdom of God. We need persons like Pope
Francistodaywho hastouchedtheheartsof many.
I think pointing out the opportunities and
challenges to consecrated life with respect to the
present world is shallow. Therefore, I would like to
share my experience in explaining the challenges
and opportunities in consecrated life today. A few
months ago, ISIS beheaded four children and
recently around twenty Iraqi Christians were
beheadedwhentheyrefusedtoconverttoIslam.
Pg. 08Pg. 08
Joseph Jerald SJJoseph Jerald SJ

This disturbing incident raised in my mind
many fundamental philosophical questions; among
them one was this: if God knew that these kids
would be beheaded, why did God cause them to be
born? Do we as humans wish to put our dear ones in
the most difficult realities so that they may suffer
and die? I searched for an answer, asked many
people; none of them was able to give me a
satisfactorily convincing answer. The struggle went
on for days.
W e
as Roman
Catholics do
not believe in
predestinatio
n. Did God
n o t k n o w
what would
happen to
t h o s e
c h i l d r e n ?
Does God
not know the
mind of a
terrorist? How is that God who knows everything
can make such a mistake? I reflected deeply on this. I
did not find an answer. We do speak of freedom that
God has given to us in the book of Genesis. Where is
freedom here? I am free but not those who are in
such difficultsituations.
Enlightenment dawned on me after a few
months when I was reading 'An Idealist View of
Life'byRadhakrishnan.
In the seventh chapter, the author speaks of 'the self
and the environment'. Here he speaks that man is a
flame of unrest full of uncertain seeking and
disorder... knowledge, art, morality and religion are
the devices employed by man to realize his destiny
as a member of a spiritual fellowship, a kingdom in
which each is in the whole and the whole is in some
measure in each. I understood from this that there is
a certain kind of interconnectedness between the
environment and
me.
Therefore, I
can say, 'I am
what I am and my
environment (the
whole universe)'.
In short, I share
my 'self' with
everything. There
i s c e r t a i n
interconnectedne
s s b e t w e e n
environment and
me, especially
human beings without which I cannot exist and my
'self' will not be justified completely. If something
bad happens to any part of the environment, there
willbeanimbalanceandthe'Self' deteriorates.
This in turn called me to respond to the situation; I
realized that the suffering of the people is my
suffering. I realized that in fact there is a tremendous
freedom given to me to change the situation. Here
God need not intervene because I owe responsibility
foreverythinghappeningaroundme.
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY Joseph Jerald SJJoseph Jerald SJ
Pg. 09Pg. 09

This in turn called me to respond to the
situation; I realized that the suffering of the people is
my suffering. I realized that in fact there is a
t r e m e n d o u s
freedom given to
me to change the
situation. Here
God need not
intervene because I
owe responsibility
for everything
happening around
me.
This is a
g r e a t e s t
opportunity for a
c o n s e c r a t e d
person to feel with the entire humanity, the
suffering, nature and the entire universe. Religious
formation is the formation of the heart, which calls
for the realization of the interconnectedness with
everythingaround.
The challenge is that we are not ready to let
go our individuality. We do not want to be parts in
the Whole (God). We are scared to let go our 'I' in the
Whole. We want to consider ourselves as Whole
(God). Such people will be indifferent to realities
(notempathetic).
The vows we have pronounced call us to exercise
freedom from all our inordinate attachments to take
u p t h i s
n o b l e
responsibil
i t y o f
taking care
o f
everything
. Are we
ready? If
t h i s i s
r e a l i z e d
we will be
able to do God's work in any given situation, be it in
theglobalizedworld or intheworld tocome.
Pope Francis is a model for us to realize our
responsibility to our neighbors. There is a
tremendous responsibility on us to take care of our
brothers and sisters. We will discover the deeper
meaninginreligiouslifeonlyifwerealizethis.
Joseph Jerald SJJoseph Jerald SJ
Pg.10Pg.10

Joseph Martin SJJoseph Martin SJ
hallengesof religiouslife.Whatthefun!
CShe wakes up every morning at 4:30, thanks God for
the day and begins to do her daily chores: preparing
breakfast for her kids and getting ready their lunch
as well. Keeps her
husband's paper work
on the table, because he
often forgets to take it.
Waves him good-bye.
Takes her notes and test
papers that she has not
fully corrected, drops
her kids in school and
rushes to college.As she
rips her way to college –
aroadblock.
Sister wakes up at 5:00 in the morning, says her
community prayer and attends mass. After
breakfast, she begins to read her newspaper in the
reading room. From the residence, it is only five-
minute walk to the college but she leaves half an
hour early, `cause punctuality is a virtue that cannot
becompromised.
She managed to find an alternate road and reached
collegeofficedeadintime,punchedherattendance.
'You'relate,'saidapompous sternvoice.
She lookedbacktosee:itwas herprincipal–Sister.
She apologizedwithoutgivingreasons.
'Carryon,' saidSister
As she hurried, she dropped her books down, but
immediatelypickedthemup andhurriedtoclass.
Sister sighed and nodded as if she had to decide
something.
Wondering what are the challenges of religious
today!
Understanding.
After Angelus sister started her lunch. Taking her
daily medication and her regular nap, which was in
between a power nap and a good sleep. She began to
walk back towards
college half an hour
early.As she reached her
office she noticed one of
t h e s t u d e n t s w a s
standing near the office;
as she got closer she
recognized the student.
That student did not
attend a class test due to
migraine. Sister pranced
into her office and called
himin.
'I don't think migraine can be a reason to skip class
test.You should take care of your health during such
situations'.
He didn't know what to say. He just mumbled
something, not knowing what to say or how to
explainittoher.
'Please pay the fine and only after that, you'll be
givenpermissiontoattendclasses'.
However,hestood hesitant.
Sister, losing her temper, began to yell: 'Don't you
understand English, boy? Why are you still
standing? What did you expect - that I'd forgive you
andallowyou goonlikethis?Now getout'.
Afterthestudentleft,Sistergulpedtwomorepills.
today!
CHALLENGES OF RELIGIOUS LIFECHALLENGES OF RELIGIOUS LIFE
Pg. 11Pg. 11JUNE 2015JUNE 2015 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum

Hypocrisy
The meeting began at 3:15 in the afternoon and as
always sister was chairing the session. She too was
present. The following week was graduation day for
thefinalyearstudents.
Sisternoticedthatshe was inchargeof stageevents.
Sister with
c a r e f u l
discernment
a n d
deduction
about the
m o r n i n g
i n c i d e n t ,
appointed
another staff
member to
assist her
( s h e ) i n
m a n a g i n g
stage events.
W i t h t h e
hymn spirit be our spirit they concluded the
meeting.
today!
Trust.
Challenge of a religious person is not only in
keeping the three vows, but also in breaking oneself.
th
If poverty is a challenge, India ranks 65 in global
hungerindex(2012).
49,000 slums in urban India alone. Which means
more than half of 121 billion people are poor. I do
not think any religious house is even close to it, may
bemilesaway.
India's military strength - the total population
1,236,344,630. Any sign of disobedience results in
dismissal.
W h e n
compared
to that, I
guess at
least in
religious
o r d e r s
they give
r e a s o n s
f o r
dismissal.
Let us not
w o r r y
about the
authenticityof thedecisionmaker.
Chastity! Lord Krishna holds the rein of the seven
horses.
As the academic year is ending sister would see
another batch of students graduate. One generation
everyyear.
Opportunitiesofreligiouslife!Whatthefun.
CHALLENGES OF RELIGIOUS LIFECHALLENGES OF RELIGIOUS LIFE
Joseph Martin SJJoseph Martin SJContd. from pg. 11Contd. from pg. 11

The opening of the Church's windows by the Second
Vatican Council has brought a fresh air of
understanding with regard to the Church, hierarchy,
laity, consecrated life, sacraments, and other
religions. But at the same time, together with secular
society, the Church is confronted with many
challenges, like new trends in marriage, an increased
rate of divorce, child abuse,
sexual scandals, fall in the
number of vocations to
religious life, many priests and
religious leaving priesthood or
religious life, etc. Hence today
st
in the 21 century, we need to
revisit and remodel our
consecrated life according to
the signs of the times, keeping
inmindourfounder's spirit.
Some of the Challenges and
Opportunities of Consecrated
st
Lifeinthe21 Century
1. T e m p t a t i o n o f
Relevance
One of the first temptations
J e s u s f a c e d i n t h e
w i l d e r n e s s w a s t h e
temptation of relevance. “If
you are the Son of God
command this stone to become a loaf of bread”
(Lk4:3). Today if you want to be somebody in
the world, you have to be “Doing” many things;
otherwise you are nobody. In a climate of
secularization, consecrated persons feel less and
less relevant and more and more marginal,
because their counterparts are far more qualified
thantheyareinalmosteveryfield.
The question of relevance comes mainly because
consecrated life is held in esteem for its “Doing”
rather than its “Being”. Indeed its values lie more in
“being” from God and for God, than in “doing” its
mission. However there should not be a dichotomy
between being and doing. Our Pope Emeritus,
Benedict XVI, in his address to priests in Warsaw
invited us all to focus on
being rather than on
doing,
“In the face of the
t e m p t a t i o n s o f
relativism or the
permissive society there
is absolutely no need for
the priest (and the
religious) to know all
the latest changing
currents of thought:
what the faithful expect
from him/her is to be a
witness to eternal
wisdom contained in the
revealedWord”.
1. Culture of
Temporary
A n o t h e r v e r y
serious challenge to
religious life, is what Pope Francis would call the
culture of temporary. We are living in the age of
instants, from instant coffee to instant food; we
want everything in a short span of time. In this
context it has been difficult for many people to
make fundamental and lasting commitments. Thus
there is a drop in the vocations to religious and
priestlylife.
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY Pratap ChandruPratap Chandru

Pratap ChandruPratap Chandru
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAYContd. from pg. 13Contd. from pg. 13
3. FallinLove
Today many religious have become practical
atheists, because our lives are centered on an
idea or ideology, not on Jesus Christ. Basically
our religious life is not a matter of membership
in a society but an expression of commitment to
Jesus. A former Superior General of the Society
of Jesus, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, has beautifully
expressed the
importance of
falling in love
w i t h G o d . “
Nothing is more
practical than
finding God, than
falling in love in a
quite absolute
final way, what
you are in love
with, what seizes
your imagination,
that will affect
everything...fall in
love, stay in love
anditwilldecideeverything”.
4. CollectiveWitness
Today many religious congregations are worried
about having fewer vocations or no vocations at
all. In the first place, why do we need vocations?
Is it to run our schools, hospitals, social work
centers? We need to realize that the main
contribution we religious can bring to the world
is not the work we do, but the quality of our
relationships.What we proclaim and what we do
is authenticated through our collective witness.
Our community is not just for mission, it is itself
mission(GC 35, D3, 41).
3. 70+20+10Formulaof Formation
Fr Joe Mannath gives us a 70+20+10 formula for
formation, that is, 70 percent of formation depends
on the candidate, 20 percent on the formators and 10
percent on the programme. Therefore the major
chunk of formation is self-formation. Pastores
Dabo Vobis too clearly states, “All formation….is
ultimately a self-formation.
No one can replace us in the
responsible freedom that we
have as individual persons”
(69). Sociologist, Fr Paul
Parathazham in his study on
vocations and formation of
priests and religious in India
shows that a good number of
seminarians and young
religious show signs of
g r e a t e r i m m a t u r i t y
compared to those of their
age group outside. This data
shows that the formees are
over-protected and not very
much in contact with outside realities. Our
formation houses are not like laboratories, where
formators conduct experiments on formees. As St.
Francis de Sales says, “Religious congregations are
not formed for the purpose of gathering perfect
persons but those who have the courage to strive
towards perfection. It is a school where one comes
tolearnaboutthemeans toacquireperfection”.
Hence the role of formators is like that of a guru:
encouraging, correcting, challenging, providing
opportunities, accompanying and above all, as Pope
Francis says, setting an example of consistency to
theyoungsters.

But in this consumerist and individualistic age there
is a threat to our community life, where human
warmth and personal relations have been replaced
by computers and cell-phones. This automatically
gives room for gossip, jealousy, power craziness and
ambition.
3. To beReligiousis to beInter-religious
In a multi-religious context like ours, inter-religious
formation is not just geared to peace and harmony.
But when there is a blend of prophetic and mystical
aspectsfromdifferentreligious,
we can have a holistic spirituality. This indeed
enhances our idea of God and of our mission.
Therefore inter-religious formation is not merely
helpfulbutisanobligation.
Conclusion
st
In the 21 century our religious life is confronted
with many challenges. In the face of these
challenges religious life seems irrelevant in the eyes
of the world. But it has also very many opportunities
to be a radiant sign of the Kingdom of Heaven for the
Churchandfortheworld.
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Pratap ChandruPratap Chandru
Pg. 15Pg. 15
POEMPOEM

AChallengeand an Opportunity
Diversity and differences make life a
celebration. Diversity can be seen almost
everywhere in the
visible reality – among
people, in nature and in
the entire changing
universe. Diversity
among people is a gift in
the sense that it fosters
d i f f e r e n c e s i n
viewpoints, cultural
beauty, creativity and
many other constructive
effects.An orchestra, for
example, sounds rich
and full as it involves
different kinds of
musical instruments
g i v i n g o u t m a n y
different sounds in
harmony.
In the consecrated life, diversity is
created when people from different parts of the
world and having different attitudes and
personalities respond to the same call of Jesus and
come to live together as a family. Although in the
external life stress is laid on order and uniformity,
basically all are different. In religious life, working
in a team becomes crucial. Teamwork comes with
training and an appropriate attitude towards oneself
and others. Not many like to live with diversity and
adopt an attitude of universal acceptance. Therefore
diversity among people, which is the basic
characteristic of religious groups, becomes a
challenge.
Diversity elicits two kinds of response: One
is an attitude of tolerance and acceptance and the
other is of intolerance and exclusivist thinking.
Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889 – 1975), a British
h i s t o r i a n a n d
philosopher of
history, who has
s t u d i e d 2 6
c i v i l i z a t i o n s
observes that a
civilization in
d e c l i n e i s
characterized by
uniformity. He
s t a t e s ,
“ C i v i l i z a t i o n s
declined when
t h e i r l e a d e r s
s t o p p e d
r e s p o n d i n g
creatively, and the
civilizations then
sank owing to nationalism, militarism and the
tyranny of a despotic minority.” Toynbee also shows
that societies always die of suicide rather than by
murder. Toynbee's insights are a damning
indictment on the activities of the Hindu
fundamentalists in India who seem to have taken up
the task of systematically persecuting minorities in
ordertobuildauniformHindurashtra.
India is an interesting amalgam of diverse
cultures, languages and religious practices. Shashi
Tharoor, a well known Indian politician and writer,
presents the analogy of Indian Thali which consists
of a variety of dishes to represent the different
culturesofIndia.
Praveen Martis SJPraveen Martis SJ
LIVING WITH DIVERSITYLIVING WITH DIVERSITY
Pg. 16Pg. 16 Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumJUNE 2015JUNE 2015

Ramin Jahanbegloo, an Iranian political
philosopher, observes in his book The Spirit of India
that peaceful diversity has always been an essential
characteristic of India. This has made the Indian
society very vibrant.According to him, “…the logic
of extremism cannot hold ground very long in a
cultural unit (of India) where the rhetoric of peaceful
d i v e r s i t y
poses a new
f o r m o f
togetherness
. ” T h e
importance
g i v e n t o
diversity in
India can be
gauged with
the help of
this ancient
Rig Vedic
p r a y e r
which says,
“May the
noble winds from all over the world blow into my
house.”
St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the
Society of Jesus, was adept at winning friends. The
first companions who formed the first body of the
universal Society of Jesus were never a uniform
group. St Ignatius and St Francis Xavier themselves
belonged to two different families in Spain that were
at war with each other. Yet they learnt to work
together. Had the first companions kept their
differences ahead of everything else, surely, there
wouldn't have been a Society of Jesus. The same
lessons applytothepresent.
In the present context, given that we have the
task of living together as consecrated people, can we
also learn to accept one another as they are? The
people who willingly accept change and change
with the times are happier. Pope Francis in Evangelii
Gaudium speaks of the need to change with the
t i m e s
and calls
u p o n
e v e r y
consecra
t e d
person to
look out
for the
signs of
t h e
t i m e s .
T h e
s p i r i t
w h i c h
k e e p s
moving
us fromwithinisaspiritofunityandacceptance.
It is natural to have differences. Take any
group photo, for example, and you will find people
standing in different poses, each reflecting their
different personalities. Diversity needs to be
cherished. At the same time living with diversity
requires training and also the cultivation of an
attitude of sensitivity towards the other. In religious
life, genuine mutual love and acceptance
encourages diversity. This love can promote true
vibrancyincommunitylifeandinmission.
LIVING WITH DIVERSITYLIVING WITH DIVERSITY
Praveen Martis SJPraveen Martis SJ
Pg. 17Pg. 17 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum
JUNE 2015JUNE 2015

onsecrated life is an opportunity to
celebrate life in all its fullness. It is a call to
Cspread the joy of the Gospel. Celebration
of life is done in community even if it is a
' C o m m u n i t a s a d
Dispersionem' for us
Jesuits in particular. To
spread the joy of the
Gospel, the words of Nadal
may be fruitfully recalled,
the world is our Home. It is
an invitation to each one of
us, to be happy and to make
others happy. For us
Christians as Consecrated
persons, it is an occasion to
deepen our relationship and
to discover to perfection the
person of Christ who is both
mediator and the fullness of
all Revelation of God. Thus
prompted by the Spirit
Consecrated Life is one of
the ways in which we can
reachouttotheworld thatawaitsus.
We trace back the origins of Consecrated
Life in the church to the time of Emperor
Constantine. There were at first the Hermits, then
the Monks followed by the Mendicants and then
came the Contemplatives, the Apostolic orders
followed by Religious Congregations.All these men
and women desired to offer their lives to God with
the intention of doing sincere service to humanity.
Just on a lighter note: now even the Holy Spirit does
not know how many Religious Congregations there
are! The challenge that the congregations face today
istobetruetotheirCharism.
The context of India is multi-religious. What
is our stand on consecrated persons in various
religious traditions, including our own? How do we
look at self-proclaimed God men and women of our
times in our own country? What about the Exorcists
and Charismatics in the
Church itself? How to
distinguish the true ones
from the false? If you've
watched the movie PK,
there is an interesting
insight there!!! Does the
person give yesterday's
solutions to today's
problems? Rather than
leading us to accept
reality and to serve
others to become better
human beings and in
this way to help us give
glory to God, do the
consecrated persons we
encounter lack this
focus?Then they are the
wrong ones! “Yeah
Wrong Number Hai!” This is a beckoning challenge
today, namely, a challenge to respond to the signs of
thetimes!
Consecrated Life is not devoid of meaning
nor is it irrelevant, as we see that the number of
vocations is on the rise way away from Europe and
America and right here in Asia and Africa. Another
question can, however, be asked about the quality of
these vocations. No one joins with a pure
motivation, but can it be purified at the earlier stages
ofFormation?Thisis anotherchallenge.
Ryan RodriguesRyan Rodrigues
Pg.18Pg.18 Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumJUNE 2015JUNE 2015

Formation itself posits another challenge! Are we
forming men and women to be bearers of Christ in
this postmodern, sensational and consumerist world
of today? Does it prepare individuals to face realities
that are awaiting us? Are we outdated? Can our
formators be more risk takers, give more freedom
and demand accountability, fostering an atmosphere
of transparency and
o p e n n e s s i n
community? How
do we, on the one
hand, stick on to the
f u n d a m e n t a l s
while, on the other,
prepare persons to
answer the world's
needs?
T o l i v e
authentic lives,
b e i n g t r u e t o
ourselves and to
God, is another
challenge today.
With this fast
moving world we
are in danger of
getting carried
away; besides, we need to often withdraw from all
the noise around into silence and reflection. That
willbringdepth.Thistoois agreatchallenge.
I would like to shift my focus now to the
opportunitiesthatsurround us!
The greatest opportunity consecrated
persons have is to be experts in communion with the
Lord and his people and to ask ourselves from time
to time what is God and what are the people asking
ofus today!
We have time-tables, order and discipline in
our religious congregations and houses. to adhere to
it and to be open to express our struggles through
proper channels of dialogue is another opportunity
that awaits us. This will form us to be relevant and to
be ready for the future. It will train us to accept and
formourselvesinthehereandnow.
We are in a
postmodern and
fast moving world
where gadgets and
c o n s u m e r i s m
dominate. We are
helpless at times
and succumb to
these trends. We
even justify them as
o u r n e e d s f o r
mission. Being
technologically
advanced is the
need of the hour. To
make use of the
internet and all that
is at lightning speed
w i t h s p e c i f i c
r e f e r e n c e t o
technology which our fore fathers did not even
dream of, for the sake of the Mission is a great
opportunitythatawaitsus.
With media and communication soaring
high we have ample opportunities to express
ourselves. We can no longer remain silent. Why
don't we make use of such platforms to express
ourselves in various ways through writing, art,
poetry,videoanimationsandthelike?
IN CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY Ryan RodriguesRyan Rodrigues
JUNE 2015JUNE 2015

With rising fundamentalism world over, we
have greater responsibilities to educate our students
in our institutions. We have greater opportunities to
engage in inter religious harmony through dialogue
which essentially involves a give and take
relationship rather than to hold on to our opinions
and ideologies. It certainly calls for a firm
rootedness in ones tradition but at the same time we
need to ask a question as to how far can we extend
ourselves?
We ought to remember religion is the fabric that
binds society together and if it is in crisis the entire
humanityis atstake.
In conclusion I would like to borrow the
words of Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter to all
Consecrated people on the occasion of the Year of
Consecrated Life. Can we, this year and in those to
come be persons of gratitude who can live in the
present with passion and embrace the future with
hope? This is a challenge and an opportunity that
st
confronts us as Consecrated persons of the 21
century.
O world, wake up! Wake up to heal with zeal
From the clutches of man's own created hell
Come and join the
march with Christ our
Lord
To be a witness of his
love to brighten the
world
Let us join hands in
building our people
To save and lift our
world from the tricks of
evil
Let's not wait for others, for I can be the first
To make this world a better place to live in
It's not too late my Child; not too late
Act now, Act generously before seeing a fate!
In a bruised world, broken and torn
Persons and things are used and abused
Rich are always rich, the poor remain the
same
Oh..! tell me why this endless boundary?
For one's happiness, thousands toil and
moil
Have we ever thought of their life full of
moan?
For your smile their life is completely
worn
Oh..it's your greed has made them feel all
alone
Should we not wake up from our sluggish
slumber?
Yes! We need to. It's now your chosen number
Think of those who have slogged for your welfare
Can we not with compassion render them our
care?
Oh! Wake up Nation……Oh! Wake up Nation……
Joyson Sujay Vas SJJoyson Sujay Vas SJ
Ryan RodriguesRyan Rodrigues
POEMPOEM
JUNE 2015JUNE 2015

am a school teacher at St. Joseph's school, in
Mysore, with twenty years of service. I enjoy
Iteaching. I like my students. They also have
similar affection towards me. There is a good
rapport between parents and me. The School
management appreciates me for the
extra service that I render to the
school. Our school is doing extremely
well. It is known for its excellence.
The formation of the students is the
prime concern of the school. Most of
the parents in the town want to send
their children to our school. Many are
deprived of this opportunity, because
of the limited seats available. Schools
in our vicinity envy us, mainly
because of the kind of students we get
and the name the school has made in
the whole State. There is no second
word about the commitment of the
staff. They are ready to give their life. There is
focused work and true formation of the students.
Our students feel our school is a home away from
home for them. In the school there are a number of
associations. All of them conduct a number of
activities.The children are encouraged to participate
andbuildupconfidence.
One among them is social concern
association. It gets the maximum number of
students. Usually children give the first preference
to this association, may be because of the number of
creative activities and the outreach programs it
conducts. We have a special system in the school:
students can elect a teacher as the president for the
association, by voting at the beginning of the
academicyear.
This year I was elected by the students as the
president. I took up the work with great enthusiasm.
We had a number of activities in the school, among
them intra-school and inter-school competitions.
With the intention of giving village exposure to our
students, we
o r g a n i z e d a
work camp in a
remote village,
since most of the
students were
from the city.
Initially my idea
was to take only
10-15 students. I
a s k e d f o r
volunteers. To
m y s u r p r i s e
t h e r e w e r e
around ninety
students. I was helpless. With the approval of the
parents, finally we selected sixty students. I worked
out all the details. Everything was set. When the real
day came, there was a lot of excitement among the
students. I too got up early, went for Mass, and
especiallyprayedforthesuccess ofthecamp.
The first day everything was good, very
smooth.We had to make a lot of adjustments.We did
not even get a proper place for cooking. But that was
part of the package of village experience. The camp
was very good; three days went very smoothly. On
the fourth day all of us got up with a lot of eagerness.
The day was as usual. But something strange
happened while preparing the food. There was
adulterationofthefood.
Dheeraj D'Souza SJDheeraj D'Souza SJ
FATE THAT WOULD HAVE
CHANGED MY LIFE
CHANGED MY LIFE
SHORT STORYSHORT STORY
JUNE 2015JUNE 2015

Children were hungry, after the hard work in the
garden. They enjoyed the food. After an hour all
those who ate the food started vomiting blood; one
by one fell unconscious. I was helpless. There was
no proper transportation facility in the village. I
managed to send nearly thirty of them to the
hospital. Ten were delayed, they were grasping for
breath. Five of them breathed their last on the way. I
did not know how to react to the situation. I was all
the more frightened; words were not flowing from
mymouth.Policecameforenquiry.
I was surrounded by media persons. I did not know
what to do. How to inform the parents? I was
sweating profusely. I even cursed God for being so
unkind to me. As I was in that helpless situation I
heard the bell. I thought it was the parish funeral
bell, since many of the students were Catholics. I
grievedallthemore.
At that time I heard a voice from the camp
coordinator. How long do you sleep? It's time to get
up.Isaw himwakinguptheotherchildren.
When I opened my eyes I realized that I was still on
bed. It was just a dream. Thank God, it was only a
dream!
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C²é£ï PÉÆqÉðgÉÆ AiÉÄÃ.¸À.C²é£ï PÉÆqÉðgÉÆ AiÉÄÃ.¸À.
(F PÀªÀ£ÀªÀÅ ªÉÃ±ÁåªÁnPÉAiÉÄA§ ¸ÁªÀiÁfPÀ ¦qÀÄV£À §UÉÎ d£ÀgÀ C©ü¥ÁæAiÀÄ K£ÀÄ JA§ÄzÀ£ÀÄß DzsÁj¹zÉ.)(F PÀªÀ£ÀªÀÅ ªÉÃ±ÁåªÁnPÉAiÉÄA§ ¸ÁªÀiÁfPÀ ¦qÀÄV£À §UÉÎ d£ÀgÀ C©ü¥ÁæAiÀÄ K£ÀÄ JA§ÄzÀ£ÀÄß DzsÁj¹zÉ.)
CHANGED MY LIFE
CHANGED MY LIFE
Dheeraj D'Souza SJDheeraj D'Souza SJ
POEMPOEM
JUNE 2015JUNE 2015

SAHODAYA 2015, MANVISAHODAYA 2015, MANVI

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