DNC TIMES January 2016 - Hope

overcome the growing intolerance and help one another
with a strong sense of community and willingness. Sr.
Chanda and Sushil express their ideas on Christian hope
in the upcoming year. Bishop Valerian Gracias (fondly
known as the Singing bishop) discusses his views on
many current issues in a down to earth manner. Rolphy,
SJ portrays Ignatius as a true Yogi. Jerrys, SJ analyzes
the encyclical of Pope Paul VI as an antidote for
intolerance. Though we have our own hopes and dreams
for the year, I feel that
t h e s e p i e c e s o f
writings may very well
be the sparks that
kindle the light of hope
that will give all of us
the strength to hang in
and hang on for a
better2016.
And at this great
juncture I would like
to thank the outgoing
editorial team for its
valuable contribution to the DNC Times. The excesses
and successes are owed toArun, Sujay and their board of
editors. Assisting them have been designers Paulraj,
Bosco and a bunch of great associates. We also welcome
the new, very young and highly-driven editorial team
headedbyIvanandOscar.
The DNC Times wishes every one of you a joy-
filled and prosperous new year 2016. May this New Year
help us to become Hope of the world by responding to the
signs of the times positively and courageously like our
Pope. Let us bear witness to Christ who is our light and
ourHope.
nd
(Williams is a 2 year philosopher at JDV, Pune)
e are at the beginning of a new year, and we
might often have heard people around us
Wsaying that a seed of hope is the beginning
of every good thing in our lives. In the first days of New
Year it is hope that gives birth to the overcoming of life,
hence this edition of the DNC Times hands its pages over
to the penmen, allowing them free to decipher the word
HOPE as they wish, covering all the fields possible with
orwithoutsomewhimsicality.
When 2015 passed by,
we looked at it with gratitude
though minor setbacks or
even major ones were
experienced by quite many of
us. Problems like terrorism,
caste discord, political
dysfunction, refugee crisis,
natural disasters, man-made
disasters, religious bigotry,
and corruptions made us say
good riddance to 2015. But
every crack of dawn teaches
us that suffering, pain and loss are temporal in human life
becausethereis alwaysadawnafterthedusk.
We can still hope for ample of reasons for
pessimism in the newly bloomed year. There were signs
towards the end of 2015 that we can have better future.
Whether it is floods in Chennai or the devastating
terrorist attacks in Paris, people stood together and
proved the world that humanity is beyond everything.
But still there is a lot of work to be done to feel that we
have a better year ahead. Many people around the world
are still desperately seeking signs of hope. Writings in
this edition express such hopes. To mention
some…Henry, SJ points out in his article how to
02 January 2016January 2016
The EditorialThe Editorial
WilliamsCharles SJ

Race Survive the Twenty-
First Century? The title says
itall.
Aperson with hope is
a realist, sees the positive
and the negative side of
reality, believes in the better
world and acts accordingly. Despite the cynicism, the
darkness, and the confusion, in his message on the
occasion of World Day of Peace (2016), Pope Francis
extolls us “to encourage everyone not to lose hope in our
human ability to conquer evil and to combat resignation
and indifference.” The Pope cites three global events of
the past year for maintaining our reasons for hope:
coming together of world leaders at COP21 in Paris, the
Addis Ababa summit for funding sustainable
development worldwide, and the adoption of the United
Nations 2030 Agenda on sustainable development.
Sustainable development is a new global agenda that
engages the world community, including not only
governments but also businesses, scientists, leaders of
civilsociety,NGOs, andstudentseverywhere.
We are challenged to shed our sensory,
intellectual, and moral numbing and involve in this
global agenda locally as Christian hope is a shared hope
to protect the earth, our common home. The Reign of
God is not ensconced in heaven but it lives low down on
the ground, with its arms around the people who battle
every day to protect forests, mountains, rivers because
they know that the forests, the mountains, and the rivers
protect them. May our Christian hope not float above
culture and context but be grounded by doing justice to
the “joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the women
and men of our time, especially those who are poor or in
anywayafflicted”(Gaudium etSpes,1).
(Arjenteachesinthefacultyof theologyatJDV,Pune)
urs is a time of restless despair. This article
looks for reasons for maintaining Christian
Ohope in our confusing, confused, and
distracted world. Subsequently, it endeavors to move
beyond an idealistic hope in order to bring about a new
social reality that is more propitious of human
flourishing.
The loving God's promise is fullness of life – not
just for a slice of the world - but for all including poor
human beings and all living creatures. The Reign of God
is human beings flourishing on the flourishing earth.
Although we cannot “reduce” the Reign of God to earthly
well-being, we must include, or strive for, such well-
being. Otherwise, it is not the Reign of God preached by
Jesus.
Conversely, when I survey the current
theological and existential landscapes, I believe that the
Chinese curse, “may you live in interesting times,” is
being fulfilled in our age rather than God's original
blessing. We are not running on the course of God's
promise in many ways. Two authors have recently made
me shudder with their pessimism. In her work, Dark Age
Ahead, Jane Jacobs, one of the world's greatest urbanist,
argues that not only we are on the wrong track but the
tendencies will continue to worsen. But, who could rival
the pessimism of the title of the great astronomer, Lord
Martin Rees's book, Our Final Century: Will the Human
Christian Hope: A Realist's ChallengeChristian Hope: A Realist's Challenge
ArjenTete, SJ
Article

who areconnected.
When natural disasters bring forth hope, human
made disasters drain hope. Intolerance is one such human
made disaster. Hope drains in intolerance. Intolerance
snatches life and intolerance disconnects people, so hope
struggles, as it does in India these days. Those who
propagate fragmentation and discrimination on the basis
fragmentation,killnotthepeoplebuthope.
Many times, even tolerant people kill hope by not
speaking out the truth. Silence is not an antidote of hope,
but truth is pro-dote (don't look for meaning of this word
in the dictionary) of hope. When truth is not spoken out,
hope suffers and it also suffocates. When one per cent of
people who are tolerant speak out and ninety nine per
cent of the same group keep quiet, the silence of the
majority kills hope. Actual truth and actual hope will be
passive when 'Modi-fication'of truth and 'Modi-fication'
of hope are active. And so, the antonym of hope is not
hopelessness butspeak-lessness.
Philosophy of beef, mathematics of
discrimination, chemistry of hate, biology of body parts,
economics of the business magnets, commerce of
finance ministers, and engineering of castes are all
subjects and objects of intolerance. The active verb
would be always 'kill'. The leaders of our country shall
realise that global warming is closely linked with local
warming.Whereis globalifthereisnolocal?
Blood boils and heart bleeds, when I see the
intolerance grow. There is a cooling effect in all this
drama. It comes from the handful of friends who swim
against this climate. They teach us lessons. Lessons to
be hopeful, even if hope seems to die out! A few of
them speak out and a few of them act out. Am I part of
those friends to break the audacity of intolerance and
lessen the paucity of hope?
(Fr. Henry is a Jesuit from Madurai Province)
hat comes and goes cannot lead our lives.
Intolerance will come and go. But not
Whope! Either it comes or it never comes.
When it comes, it will never go. It stays. Each one of us
can either be positive or negative. There is no middle
way. We cannot be half positive and half negative. Fifty-
fifty does not work in hope. Life is not a surgical
operation to have fifty-fifty chance. It is a running river.
Itruns orstops.That'sall.So alsoforhope!
I witnessed the recent floods in Chennai. I also
witnessed how water, a giver of life could metamorphose
into a snatcher of hope. People became thing-less, house-
less, relation-less, TV-less, Net-less, help-less, phone-
less, food-less, and many a times god-less but not hope-
less. Why, because life was not less? Life was over
powering. Hope is closely linked with the over powering
life. When I celebrate life, I celebrate hope. Anything
againstlifeiseverythingagainsthope.
I witnessed people supporting people. Without
the internet, they were connected. When people are
connected, hope rises. Hope is shared and so it is
doubled. When people live in islands, hope dies out.
Deep down in a society, a fibre connects all human
beings. When that fibre is ruptured or broken, hope
wobbles. Hope can neither stay in fragments nor can
hope be fragmented. It stems from the heart of people
Audacity of Intolerance and Paucity of Hope!Audacity of Intolerance and Paucity of Hope!
HenryJerome,SJ
Article

human beings like any of us. They hope to see peace in
the country, less wars, respect for each one's dignity and
realize the heartbeat of everyone's life – all with an
understanding that everyone is born to live. To have all
these, first and foremost people need to live as humanly
as possible. When they become good humans they will
have the empathy to understand the other's feelings.
Meryl Streep says, “The greater gift of human beings is
that we have the power of empathy.” These migrants
challenge us to make it happen and they don't watch it to
happen. I watched a video of a migrant family where the
head man of the family took all the others including three
kids and lied on the railway track to die. Then, the
military men handled the situation in bringing them to a
particular place.The head man reported that they had lost
their hope of living, because they were not treated as
humans in many of the places they entered. First of all,
they don't look forward to seek opportunities, or better
prospects.These are secondary things for them.The most
important thing for them is that they hope to be
recognized like any other human being on earth. The
Church appeals to all of us to have compassion and give
concrete hope to these migrants. Compassionate heart
can move us to be authentic human persons towards these
people who arrive at the sea with starvation, suffocation,
violenceandfear.Areweready?
(Oscar
st
is a 1 year philosopher at JDV, Pune).
ight up your little lamps, no matter how small
the flame is; it may be a ray of hope for those in
Ldarkness!” In today's scenario, the world is
driven by many crisis and very many of them are paining
us deep within. Yes, it is the howling and moaning sound
of our own brothers and sisters across the world who are
always uncertain about their life on this earth. We have
termed them as migrants. The migration surge has
become a highly sensitive issue today.Around 60 million
migrants are not only forcibly displaced, but tortured
worldwide. One of the most shocking incidents was of a
three-year-old Syrian boy who got drowned in the sea
while trying to reach Greece with his family. Whenever
there is a war and natural calamities, the migrants are
either subjected to death or chased out of their places.All
these real facts indeed challenge today's generation to
respond to these wounded and weary migrants. What is
the hope of migrants? Hope is the only thought that
lingers in their minds and hearts. Hope leads a migrant to
an unknown destination. Pope Francis says that they are
not just numbers but they are people. He appeals for
compassion towards migrants and gives them concrete
hope. They worry about their survival in the future and
the silent death of many migrants prompts sympathy
towardsthelivingmigrants.
With this mixed feeling of their hearts, the
migrants hope for the people who can receive them with
compassionate hearts. They seek generous hearts that
pray for them and the helping hands that do a little service
for them. JRS- Jesuit Refugee Service has reached their
hands to the people inside Syria and it has some projects
in Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. Like JRS, many other
institutions and NGOs are at the service of these people.
This is what the migrants hope to see and witness. They
look forward to the people who can welcome and
embrace them as their brothers and sisters without
considering their personal identity based on religion,
status and so on. They want them to be recognized as
Hope of MigrantsHope of Migrants
OscarDaniel,SJ
Article

lord. The woman who was suffering from 12 years of
hemorrhage had hoped that Jesus could cure her and
redeem her from her sickness. Thus her hope was
fulfilled by touching the cloak of Jesus Christ.
Today the Church, the Body of Christ, is eagerly
waiting for each one of us and hopes that we may become
the Good news of Jesus Christ to the world. So we are
called to practice the virtue of hope, which is the fruit of
our faith in the Lord of history, who continues to tell us
“Benotafraid…for Iamwithyou”.
God wants us to change and hope for the change.
In this world everything is changeable except God
Himself. Our Christian hope is based on faith in the risen
Lord. According to theological perspective, hope is the
second coming of the Lord.
Yes, our
Christian hope should be the peak experience in our life.
Today, in the world at large, we see the churches in many
countries which are 90% empty. The whole human race
runs after money, wealth, name and fame, hence their
hopes are only on worldly things. They do not seem to
findtherealtreasurewhichisfound inChrist.
Today you and me, my
brothers and sisters, Can we or can I be a good example to
others in this challenging world? Do not give up having
hope in Jesus and say with confidence that I can, I am and
Ishallbe.
(Sr. Chanda is a year theologian at JDV, Pune)st
1
ope is an affirmative and confident
anticipation. It has to do with the unseen
Hwhich has to do with the future. Though the
word "hope” looks very ordinary, it has a profound and
deep insight for all the believers. Hope builds up
confidence, good feeling, trustworthiness and above all a
bright future. Hope is that with which every mother in the
world looks for the bright future of their children.
Christian faith and life is founded on hope. Jewish people
hoped to receive their saviour and we Christians believe,
it was fulfilled through Jesus Christ. In this world many
people are hopeless. Jesus did not die to make us hopeless
but he died for us so that we would be hopeful. In this
postmodern society many have faith but do not have
hope. But our Lord's gift has two fold dimensions - faith
and hope. Hope is a positive attitude and it expects
something good. We all long to see something good and
notawful.
We know that without hope, we have nothing in
life. Christian hope is what gets us through, and thanks to
Jesus Christ, we have lots to hope for because He has
promised us glory. It is comforting to know that no matter
what troubles we may go through or experience in our
lives, we are sure to attain salvation. We know this
through our scriptures that through him we have obtained
access into this grace, and we rejoice in hope of the glory
ofGod.
Christian hope is for the establishment of God's
kingdom and for one's own salvation, that is, one hopes
for the fulfillment of all things in Jesus and to be part of
that new heaven and new earth. God promises these
goods by Jesus' gospel and will fulfill this promise by
restoringallthingsinJesus.
As Christians our hope in Jesus Christ must be
based on our own personal experiences. We must nurture
profound, intimate and loving conversation with our
Christian HopeChristian Hope
Sr.Chanda, CCV
Article

the unseen hope of our
ancestors. They never
dreamt of a world like this;
they never even expected
that the discoveries and
inventions of their time
would lead to a drastic
changeinthefuture.
Recently, in Chennai, after the heavy flood, an
insatiable youth group was formed and started rescuing
those caught in the flood – the affected people. Seeing
them, others also started helping them in many ways.
There emerged an unseen hope that they can bring a
possible positive change for the good of the society and
there can even be a possibility for a better governance.
Another person is Pope Francis. His very life style itself
brings an enormous change in the world. The went –
away faithful are coming back to their Mother Church
witnessing his holy life. He has become a bridge of union
between nations. There is an unseen hope that even a
single person can bring a positive change in the world.
Even the present form of flourishing Society of Jesus is
an unseen hope of St. Ignatius. When he founded the
Society of Jesus, he did not think that it would spread to
124 countries, doing a greater service to the humanity. In
his time, Karl Marx brought the unseen hope for many
labourers to get their rights. The life of living scientist
Stephen Hawking who was affected by the neuron
disease,JaneWildebecameanunseenhopeinhis life.
To conclude, unseen hope is everywhere and in
everything. It is the cause of all sure hopes. In other
words, unseen hope is prior to the (seen) hope. One sure
thing is that it exists in all our lives. As said before,
unseen hope is not something that is understood or
realizedbutis theunexpectedgood resultofanaction.
st
(Joseis a 1 yearphilosopher atJDV,Pune).
in Yutang says, “Hope is like a road in the
country; there was never a road, but when many
Lpeople walk on it, the road comes into
existence”.
Hope! It is something that comes with
expectation, understanding of what we hope for and
realization of it. Further, it is the result of something.
Most of us, however, are unaware of the 'unseen hopes'.
Does unseen hope really exist? What does unseen hope
mean?How is itrelatedtoour lives?
In fact, all around us are unseen hopes. It is really
a mystery. Hope is the consequence of an action and
unseen hope is the antecedent of an action. In other
words, unseen hope is not something that is understood
or realized; it is the unexpected result of an action which
is also a cause for another action. To be clear, hope
succeedstheunseenhopes.
Ovid – a Roman poet describes unseen hope thus:
“My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope”.
Thomas Alva Edison said that some of his inventions
were unintentional. He would continue to say that some
inventions were actually given by nature (solutions
through dreams) while he was asleep. Thus, in
accordance with his inventions, unseen hope is his
unintentional inventions. The present techno - world is
Unseen HopeUnseen Hope
JoseAntony,SJ
Article

the future that directs our present, we are oblivious of.
What makes us continue our journey into the future is
hope, the orientation of our inner most being. With Hope
we live in the present yet look beyond what we merely
experience here and now. The horizons of Hope
transcend the present. We are not certain that all will be
well.We are not certain that everything will turn out well.
But Hope optimizes a certain feeling that makes us make
sense of the future despite the outcome. Hope is a
dimensionofthesoul……
In his second encyclical, Spe Salvi (Saved by
Hope), Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes the
indispensability of hope for those who encounter
suffering of whatever depth: "The present, even if it is
arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a
goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great
enoughtojustifytheeffortofthejourney"(SpeSalvi1).
In addition to enduring present hardships, we also
fear the suffering that has not yet come. In dark times, it is
easy to imagine a future filled with even greater
affliction, debilitating loss, and destroyed dreams.
Indeed, the foreboding future can darken the present.
Despite all difficulties, Christians need never fear the
future. Pope Benedict writes: "We see as a distinguishing
mark of Christians the fact that they have a future: It is not
that they know the details of what awaits them, but they
know in general terms that their life will not end in
emptiness. Only when the future is certain as a positive
reality does it become possible to live the present as well"
(SS 2).
We need hope, not only for the future, but also for
the present….Let me end by what Victor Hugo says,
“The word which God has written on the brow of every
man/womanis HOPE”.
rd
(Amit is a 3 year theologian at JDV, Pune)
ir Walter Raleigh is believed to have written this
poem in the Tower of London on the night before
Shisexecution.
Even such time, that takes in trust
Our youth, our joys, our all we have,
And pays us but with earth and dust;
Who, in the dark and silent grave,
When we have wandered all our ways,
Shuts up the story of our days,
But from this earth, this grave, this dust,
My God shall raise me up, I trust.
The human spirit is strong. It seems to run forever
on nothing but a morsel of hope. Without it, one has
nothing. With it, nothing else matters. It is hope that
sustains the marathon of our life. We run with hope.
Wherethere'shopethereislife…..
Vaclev Havel (Czech writer and philosopher, first
president of the Czech Republic) beautifully articulates
that "Hope is a dimension of the soul. . . an orientation of
the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the
world that is immediately experienced and is anchored
somewhere beyond its horizons. . . .It is not the
conviction that something will turn out well, but the
certaintythat something makes sense regardless of how it
turns out."
The past is known to us, the present we live, but
In his book Man's Search for Meaning, Victor
Frankl pointed out that people in those horrible
circumstances (concentration camps) nevertheless
reacted in radically different ways. Some killed
themselves; others praised God even as they walked into
certain death.As Frankl remarked, "He who has a why to
live for can bear with almost any how". Humans need
hopetolive……
AmitD'Souza, SJ
Hope So Vital…Hope So Vital…
Article

day by day. If it is the case, one needs to ask do we need
such religion. If yes, what type of religion would it be? I
prefer to say that religionless society will bring more
union among humanity. If we need a religion let there be
OneGod known as thecreatoroftheuniverse.
New Politics in the Society: As we glance
through the newspapers, we realize that every political
party accuses its opponents and vice versa. This
cultivates antagonistic attitudes. Political leaders are
elected to care for the citizens but the leaders are cared
and protected more than the people.
For instance, an ambulance carrying
a heart attack victim was held up in a
massive traffic jam when the Bengal
CM Mamata Banerjee was on her
way to an inauguration in Kolkata.
On the other hand, PM Narendra
Modi wants to establish all the
modern technologies in India as that
of foreign countries. I am not against
his developing dream for our
country but it is not necessary when
most of the Indian citizens do not have the basic needs.
Let us create a new politics where everyone will have the
equalrights.
Amidst the caste, religious and political chaos I
aspire to live in a world where there is tranquillity and
equality for everyone. This could be made possible if we
constantly militates against the thought of being
someone and wish to do good things to others. If
everyone does a small help according to his/ her ability
on every day, 365 goods things are done by him/her in a
year. If the entire humanity do think and do act similarly,
the whole world would be full of love, harmony and
unity. Let us have a positive thinking of ourselves and do
good tootherstohaveanewworldintheNewYear.
nd
(Leo is a 2 year philosopher at JDV, Pune)
s every New Year approaches, many cudgel
their brain to take a new resolution. To turn
Asuch expectations into reality for the common
good, people need to thwart their selfish desires and
begin to ruminate over uprooting caste system, religion
and politics or revamping them. One may be shocked to
hear that they are the root causes of all the divisions and
brutal atrocities in the society. I feel they need to be
eliminated from the minds of the people. In this article, I
have highlighted the varied massacres happened and
happening due to them and
expressed my dream of a new world
intheNewYear.
Casteless Society: Even after
independence some of us are
succumbed under the slavery of
caste system. For example, a few
months ago, all the newspapers
portrayed how a boy, from the
subaltern background, was beaten to
death for loving a girl of higher caste.
Like this, so many examples could
be cited. How could we eradicate the caste system? One
of the possible ways is to adapt the 'nature path' because
the nature provides adequate amount of air, rain, light and
so forth without partiality. Natural calamities like the
recent flood in Chennai showed a way of collaboration
irrespectiveof caste,religionandpolitics.
Religion (less) Society: One of the etymological
meanings of the word religion is to bind. Critically
speaking none of the religions binds people, instead
becomes a source of communal violence and gender
inequality. To cite an example, as the women entered in
the Shanaishwar temple(where women's entry is barred),
the priests purified it using gomutra (cow urine). Such
incident makes me to ask: is God only for men? On the
other hand, the violence in the name of religion increases
A Hope Towards a New World in the New YearA Hope Towards a New World in the New Year
Leo Arockia Raj, SJ
Article

In the philosophical world there are two kinds of
love, one is Eros (need love) and the other is Agape (gift
love). Eros (need love) is the desire to receive from the
other which I need in order to be happy or to flourish. On
the other hand Agape (gift love) is the attitude of giving
myself in service to the other. The Christian love is found
in Agape. Since God is agape, everyone who is loved by
him and has been gripped cannot but pass on this love to
his neighbour. Agapic love becomes the source of hope
and it forces us to act. Mother Teresa loved the poorest of
the poor and the needy. She loved and gave hope to the
oneswho wererejectedby theirown people.
The relationships are two dimensional. Since
love is a reciprocal relation,
God is also dependent on
t h e f r e e d o m a n d
responsibility of human
persons in order to enter
into a loving relation with
them. Because Hosea had
experienced God's love, he
a g r e e d t o m a r r y a
glamorous girl as asked by
God. He had a hope that one
day she would change her
ways by experiencing his love for her. Therefore there is
alwaysahopeinloverelationship.
We should contemplate on the quality of the
relationships which we share with the people around us.
We must think of ways to make these bonds stronger.The
New Year is also a moment to reflect on the impact that
our relationships have had on us and the ways in which
they have changed us. Start living a real and committed
relationshipwithhopeandlove.
nd
(Pratap is a 2 year philosopher at JDV, Pune)
ove is the binding force through which all
human relationships are constructed. In love we
Lfind hope. Through hope we find life exciting to
live. Hope exists in us at every moment. Hope is rooted in
human beings' incompleteness from which we move out
in constant search in communication with others.
Through the communication we build a relationship with
others. In relationship with others we find love and hope
in our life. Hope is not a matter of folding ones hands and
passively waiting for a deliverer but a going forth in
pursuit of the humanity. In the Movie 'Mad Max' we find
their love for their land gives them hope to make a better
life. “You know, hope is a mistake; if you cannot fix what
has broken; you will go
insane.”
According to Paulo
Coelho “when we love, we
always strive to become
better than we are.When we
strive to become better than
we are, everything around
us becomes better too.”
Love is built on a deep and
c o m m i t t e d p e r s o n a l
knowledge of each other,
sharing of ideas and values, care and respect for each
other. True love is experienced not just in words and
emotions but rather in concrete acts of commitment,
respect, trust and self-sacrifice. Jesus, Buddha and
Mahavira had neither arms nor physical influence upon
millions, nor to obtain their influence did they appeal to
hate, envy, greed and other selfish lusts of human beings.
And yet together with a handful of their followers, they
reshaped the minds and behaviours of untold millions.
People found hope in their love. This hope gave the
peopleavisionandmissiontofulfilandtobeginagain.
Love:SourceofHopeLove:SourceofHope
Pratap Samad, SJ
Article

Sports, in particular, evoke very passionate response
from the youth and it is sad that India is not particularly
known for her sporting prowess. There should be long
term plans to encourage these activities with theobjective
of producing athletes who can proudly Last but not the
least activities like sports, arts and culture should be
encouraged in a planned manner. Sports, in particular,
e v o k e v e r y
passionate response
from the youth and it
is sad that India is
not particularly
k n o w n f o r h e r
sporting prowess.
There should be
long term plans to
encourage these activities with the represent the country
ininternationaleventsandwinmedalsforthecountry.
During recent weeks and months there has been a
growing debate around public discourse in our country,
specifically on topics like liberty of expression and
creativity, tolerance towards thoughts and ideas,
religions and nations. History bears that the most
advanced nations of the world have also been the most
welcoming of diverse ideas, professions, religions and
so on. Creativity blossoms in the unfettered mind.Wealth
is generated through the mixing of trades and
professions. We must be conscious that building a nation
takes a hundred years. But to bring it down is a much
swifter process. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the
youth of this country is to realize that glory does not lie in
harping on the past and they must learn to differentiate
between those who seeks to move our country back in
time versus those who truly have a vision that looks into
the future and builds stakeholder ship across all sections
ofthesociety.
(Mr Ashok Sharma is a retired IFS officer of the
batch of 1978)
he demographic profile of India establishes that
we are a country of the young – almost 48
Tpercent of our population are under the age of 21
with another 8 percent or so being in between 20 to 24
years. Without getting too deep into numbers it would be
sufficient to conclude that the vast majority of our
populationareyoung.
Our education
system has a lot to catch
up in terms of meeting
the expectations of the
youth and the changing
world. The Government
needs to vastly invest in
improving the quality of
education as this has a direct consequence on
employability. We need more of our educational
institutions to figure in the top tiers of educational
institutions but we must be able to do this by reducing the
burden on students and making learning more interactive
andmuchmorefun.
Over the past few years there is stagnation in the
job market and this brings us to the next most important
expectation that the youth have from this country – to be
able to provide meaningful employment opportunities. It
is disheartening for the youth that they acquire learning
and skills through years of hard work but it does not bring
thememploymentopportunities.
Good governance and accountability is
something that we all expect from our institutions and the
youth also share this expectation along with the rest of
the country. Considerable unrest shown by the youth for
causes like janlokpal underlines this expectation. For the
young women, public safety and equality is also an
importantconcern.
Last but not the least activities like sports, arts
and culture should be encouraged in a planned manner.
A Country of YoungA Country of Young
Ashok Sharma
Article

primary drives for personal gains. In our open heart write
with the ink of hope “think green”. It will replenish the
broken bond between human and nature. Having this
motto in our mind and heart, we can take the challenges -
a) try to eliminate the burning of coal, oil, and eventually
natural gas. b) Use mass transit, or switch to walking,
cycling or some other modes of transport that does not
require anything other than human energy in order to
reduce the burning of greenhouse gas which can cause
drastic damage to the atmosphere c) Think green while
making purchases, try to purchase things
that will last the longest and have the least
impact on the environment. d) Stop
cutting trees e) Unplug the electrical
equipment's after the use to save the
electricalpower.
Now we have a lot to hope and to
work together as the recent Paris
agreement has put forward an ambitious
vision for tackling climate changes
globally. According to the agreement one
of the main goals to be achieved is: to make sure global
o
warming stays "well below" 2 C (3.6F) and to "pursue
o
efforts" to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 C. To achieve
that goal, governments pledged to stop the rise in heat-
trapping greenhouse gas emissions "as soon as possible".
By some point after 2050, the agreement says, man-made
emissions should be reduced to a level that forests and
oceans can absorb. This agreement represents the best
chance we have to save the one planet we have got and we
candoittogether.
So again what is next? Embrace our mother
earth and try to give her a new face which is filled with
peace, joy, and hope. Finally to the core “think green”
and protect our mother earth for our holistic growth
and integral existence .
nd
(Jeevan is a 2 year philosopher at JDV, Pune)
e are part and parcel of echo system. Nature
is a part of it. Her ability to give without
Wreserve is fathomless. Whoever seeks her
will not be frustrated, as her bounty never gets drained or
dried out. But now our mother earth stands with a
wounded heart due to damages caused by humans to her.
Humans who are endowed with the faculties of intellect
and will, who are specially called to shepherding the
nature has failed to recognise their responsibility to care
for the earth. Ozone layer depletion, climate change, land
degradation, water pollution are the
examples of the crises she undergoes.
Among them, climate change is one of the
severe crises she confronts. As we know
global warming is basically the cause for
the changes in the climatic conditions
today. Global warming can be caused by
natural and man-made circumstances.
Under natural causes, there are two factors
relevant for the contemporary climate
changes; they are changes in volcanic
activity and increase in solar radiation due to depletion of
ozone layer. The climate change can also be happened by
human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels,
deforestation etc. Global warming is a global warning for
all those who inhabit in this world. Earth is ill and it is an
advanced stage of exhaustion. The atmosphere is
increasingly becoming hot, oceans are getting warm and
landmasses aresmoking.
So what is next? Shall we work together for a
better and awesome world which is filled with hope and
harmony? Yes, we can because there is a symbiotic
relationship between the bountiful nature and creative
human being; it is a fact that cannot be questioned or
denied. Together we can find solutions to climate change
problems because we all have the capacity for a dynamic,
more comprehensive intelligence that sees beyond the
Hopping Better Globe
Climate Change PerspectiveClimate Change Perspective
Hopping Better Globe
Jeevan Varghese, OSJ
Article

relationship which we, the Church, should establish and
foster with the human race.'The encyclicalis dividedinto
three parts: the "Self-Awareness" of the Church and of
Christians; "The Renewal" which challenges their
vocation; relations with "others", which thus leads to
"The Dialogue". The dialogue in the Encyclical is
beautifully explained in the
four concentric circles.
A c c o r d i n g t o t h e
encyclical, the dialogue
should be done with
humility, trust and prudence
in an atmosphere of goodwill
and friendship. Dialogue in
the encyclical is represented
in the form of four
concentric circles. The
outermost circle is for the
Dialogue with the world, the
Atheist and for peace (98-
106) and its objective is to
bring peace and condemn
war. The second circle (107-
108) seeks dialogue with all those people who adore one
supreme God and its objective is to promote ideas of
religious liberty and good culture. The third circle (109)
deals with ecumenism and its objective is to sort out
uncommon elements and strive towards reconciliation
while the innermost circle (113) seeks dialogue within
the Church and its objective is to make catholic grow in
faith,hopeandlove.
The encyclical seeks for a dialogue in all the
aspects of our life and this is what the country needs i.e to
understand and respect each other with differences. Let
us hope that in the coming years we, the people of India
will enter in a dialogue to clarify and reconcile all our
differencesandsay yestopeace,always.
(Jerry is a 3rd year theologian from JDV)
s India becoming an intolerant nation? A big
question I was asking to myself.Afew months back
Iwhen many prominent personalities started to return
their national awards in protest against the growing
violence and horrific murder of a few rationalists in the
country, I woke up from my slumber on the issue. Many
incidents in the last year
confirmed the growing state
of intolerance in India like
Dadri lynching, growing
demand for beef ban across
the nation by Hindu
fundamentalist and big
uproar on Amir Khan's
statement on intolerance.
These events tells us that the
country is becoming
intolerant. One of the reasons
for the intolerance is that we
as a nation have never
involved ourselves in
dialogue with people of
different religions and castes. Dialogue at various levels
is the need of the hour to understand the diversity in the
country. In this regard, I would like to mention a few
things on dialogue from Pope Paul VI's debut encyclical
EcclesiamSuam.
Pope Pau VI states in the encyclical that, the
Church must enter into dialogue with world in which it
lives and the dialogue must be done with great renewal
and fervor with all people of good will both inside and
outside the Church (ES 65, 93). For the Church
Dialogue is not a line of policy but 'a relationship,
which God the Father initiated and established with us
through Christ in the Holy Spirit, is a real one, even
though it is difficult to express in words. The Church
must examine it closely if we want to understand the
Ecclesiam Suam: An Antidote to IntoleranceEcclesiam Suam: An Antidote to Intolerance
Jerry Dickson, SJ
Article

In today's world, we see many people who keep
their hope in God for a better future, inspite of
oppression, suffering and hopeless situations. For
example during the Kandhamal riots, where Christians
gave witness to their faith, a boy called Parikit Nayak
stayed back in the village to guard the village church and
other properties from the attackers. The rioters caught
him and asked him to convert into Hinduism. He refused
answering, “Why should I become a Hindu? I am a
Christian; I have that freedom in this country”. Furious
overhisreply,theybeathimtodeath.
Here Jesus replaced his despair with hope. The
boy's situation looked hopeless but he was filled with
hope. No matter how trapped we feel in our infirmities,
Jesus can minister to our deepest needs.We should not let
a problem or hardship cause us to lose hope. Jesus may
haveaspecialwork for us todoinspiteof ourconditions.
Following Jesus involves facing our troubles with
confidence and enjoying joy and peace because He is
with us. He gave us the Holy Spirit to instruct us. Hope is
the most precious commodity we own, thanks to Jesus.
Finding life's purpose in doing what Jesus wants us to do
is the most satisfying part of life's adventure. Being Jesus
to the hopeless and the helpless will be costly in terms of
pride, money and energy, but it is the example he sets for
us.
rd
(Susheel is a 3 year theologian at JDV, Pune.)
opeless, helpless people of every type
populate the earth's landscapes, though they
Hmay fall out of sight behind the gleaming
skyscrapers of our metropolis or disappear in the teeming
villages of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Their stories
have been recorded in the pages of newsprint. We get so
used to their plight that we carry on, blissfully absorbed
in our lives. On our occasional forays into our cities, we
encounter panhandlers with disdain. When they knock
on our church doors, we struggle to respond. Our
governments and social agencies talk about providing
safety nets for the hopeless and indeed we are blessed by
amultitudeofwelfareservicesandChristianmissions.
When Jesus was growing up, nobody cared for
hopeless outcasts, lepers, cripples, widows and the so
called “sinners.” Jesus enjoyed a certain measure of
security as a carpenter, but he could not escape noticing
the suffering of hopeless people who had no one to care
for them. When he began to preach, he announced that he
was God's fulfillment of prophet Isaiah's prophecy to
bring the Good News to the poor and the prisoners.As his
prophetic mission exploded throughout the towns and
villages of Judea, hopeless and helpless sufferers flocked
to hear him. They hung on to his words and his touch
because he offered them hope and a chance to join God's
Kingdomandto beliberatedfromsinandoppression.
st
Jesus, Hope for the Hopeless in the 21 Century
st
Jesus, Hope for the Hopeless in the 21 Century
Anthony Susheel Kumar
Article

the God of Israel, “and covering one's garment with
violence,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to
yourselvesanddo notbefaithless”(Mal.2:13-16).
God, in other words, intended to create a
committed relationship, a covenantal relationship,
between a man and woman so that godly offspring might
be produced. And he intended it to involve lifelong
faithfulness or fidelity. This passage too tells us that sex
isformarriageandmarriageisforfamily.
In God's plan sex is for marriage; marriage is for
family; family is for community/church;
community/church is for the kingdom of God. It is
against this background that we have to see some
challengestomarriageandfamilylifetoday
ChallengestoFamilyLife
The family life is faced with many challenges and
temptations. Much of the present day media and
entertainment that comes through the internet, TV, cell
phones and print, is immoral, worldly and often
ideologically loaded. This has a very deep and
unconscious effect on the minds of the people. It also
affects one’s ideas, attitudes and emotions without one
noticing it; besides it absorbs our time, shaping and
sometimesdominatingourlives.
Materialism and Careerism is another aspect
hindering a good family life. In order to advance in their
careers, many people sacrifice their families, their
personal welfare and their Christian commitments. They
are expected to work unreasonable hours, move to a
different city, and live for their jobs. All this results in
little time for their marriage and family life. Also, often
parents emphasize the wrong goals for their children —
earthly or worldly goals over spiritual goals and values.
Thiserodesfamilyvaluesformthechildren.
(Cont’d on pg.16
The periods of salvation history.
God's plan for the human race has different ages or
periods or stages. When he created human beings, he
created them in the way he intended them to be. Then
they fell. When we look around us, in other words, we do
not see the human race as it was intended to be by God but
as it has come to be since the Fall. Then God began to
restore the human race, first by establishing the old
covenant, then, more fully, by the new covenant in our
Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord comes again, that last
stage will be brought to its completion in the life of the
age to come. To understand family, we need to see it in
relationshiptothestagesof God's plan.
From the two creation accounts in scripture, we can
seefourfoundationaltruthsaboutmarriageandfamily:
Sex is for marriage
Marriage is for family
Family is for community
Community is for the kingdom of God.
We can see these truths applied to marriage in
Malachi 2:13-16, probably the best old covenant
summary of the purpose of marriage. In the passage, God
is concerned about divorce, but what he says about
divorcetellsus whathethinksaboutmarriage:
And this again you do. You cover the Lord's altar
with tears, with weeping and groaning, because he no
longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your
hands. You ask, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord
was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of
your youth, to whom you have been faithless, although
sheisyour companionandyourwifebycovenant.
Has not the one God made and sustained for us the
spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring.
So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the
wife of his youth. “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord
The Challenges of Christian Family Life
in The Modern World
The Challenges of Christian Family Life
in The Modern World
Luke & Tricia
Article

(Cont’d frompg.15)
There is a lack of a clear differentiation of roles
and order in many contemporary marriages. Often
husbands play the role, a wife ought to be playing, like
staying at home and looking after the kids, whilst the wife
works and becomes the breadwinner.This results often in
power struggles and tensions in the marriage and disrupts
family life. In the absence of clear location of
responsibility – many things fall between the cracks. No
one knows who is responsible for what, leading to a lack
ofpeaceandunityintheraisingupof children.
Howcanapastorrespond to these?
There is a need for re-evangelisation which
implies preaching the basic gospel message. Under the
influence of the modern world and its demands we have
departed from the core message of the Gospel. A
Systematic and on-going faith formation is the need of
the hour. This includes remote preparations, proximate
preparations and immediate preparations as proposed in
Familiaris Consortio (FC66). Ecclesial communities and
associations that support family life need to be
encouraged. Regular preaching and seminars must be
organized to strengthen family life. Marriage counselling
should be made readily available for married couples
struggling in their marriage or in raising their children.
Good pastoral care from those placed in positions of
authority like parish priests, school principals etc can act
asapreventivemeasureforallfamilyproblems.
Finally, one cannot undermine the importance of
prayer. “A family that prays together stays together.”
Parents and pastors need to help establish traditions like
prayer before meals and after meals, family rosary,
personal prayer and other appropriate traditions that can
bringfamiliestogether.
rd
(Excerpts from a presentation given to the 3 Year
Theologians of JDV by Luke and Tricia, who are
actively involved in Marriage Preparation Courses).
very time when things fall apart, it does not
mean they will not ever fall back in line.All that
Eit takes is some time. Today's society has
witnessed a lot of supposedly inhumane happenings that
have defined certain aspects in society as threats to
human existence. One cannot deny that it is these threats
thatkeepup theviciouscycleofexistenceinpace.
However, the youth of today are considered to be
more vulnerable and naïve part of the society. A
unanimous accusation on them is that the world cannot
be sustained for the future by today's youngsters with the
existing amount of social issues, technologies and
prejudices across various descents and ethnicities on
earth. Involvement of youth in social media and their
virtual life with the sophisticated technologies and
various addictions have created such an image of the
youngergenerations.
Contrary to this, the youth of Chennai broke the
stereotype and saved a lot of lives in the recent floods,
mobilizedsubsidies and relief camps and retold the entire
idea of social responsibility of the youth. This also
attracted the attention of the other nations that Times
Square had a digital marquee requesting to pray for
Chennai. Having done this the youth have been given a
new identity of being the saviours in time of sheer need of
help to the society. Social media became the medium of
online soldiering through which help from across the
worldpouredin.
This is one such instant that we are familiar with.
Such involvement of youth in betterment of society
happens silently across the world in various nations at
various events. The way of expressing their social
responsibility has changed over times with the
development in technology. Let us hope this New Year;
such small reactions through social media will someday
bringinamassivechangeinthesociety.
(Tipston is a student at Christ College, Pune.)
Tipston
Hope on Youth in Modern EraHope on Youth in Modern Era
Article

the individual. One has to make an effort, take pains, to
sincerely seek the will of God and get it right, so that
one's actions are in tune with God's will for him/her.
After having discovered the will of God, one must use all
one's efforts to fulfill that will, not because the fruit of
action depends on
one's labour but on
God. The sower only
sows the seed. One
who makes it grow is
God. The seed does
not grow any faster
even if the sower
keepsvigilallnight!
A few examples from the life of Ignatius to
illustrate this particular aspect of his spirituality: Ignatius
decided, after due discernment, that he ought to teach
catechism in Loyola during his brief stay there after the
long period of studies in Paris. His brother discouraged
him saying that no one would attend his classes.
Ignatius's reply is well known. Even if only one person
were to show up, he would go ahead. The case was
similar when Ignatius began his work of rehabilitation of
the prostitutes of Rome. Most people around him
discouraged him saying no prostitute would ever give up
her profession. And Ignatius's response, even if one
prostitute were not to sin just for a night, the apostolate
would be worth while. A last example. When Cardinal
Carafa was elected pope, it is said that Ignatius's
countenance was transformed. He went into the chapel
to pray, to discern. In six minutes he was out, totally
serene and calm. He prayed with all his efforts, as if
everything depended on him. He worked, giving all he
had, for he was convinced that it was God who did
everything,ratherGod inhim.Atrueyogi.
(Rolphy teaches at Pontifical Gregorian University,
Rome.)
t has become a commonplace to attribute the
following aphorism to St. Ignatius, “Pray as if
Ieverything depended on God; work as if everything
depended on yourself”. Yet we do not find it anywhere in
the large Ignatian corpus. Moreover it is not in harmony
with the dynamic Ignatian thought. What fits into
Ignatianthoughtis quitethecontrary!
From where does the confusion arise? In 1704,
Gabriel Hevanessi published a “thought for the day”
booklet called Scintillae Ignatianae, with sayings of
nd
Ignatius.The very second saying, for the 2 of January, is
translated into English from an already complex Latin
formulation as, “Let your first rule of action be to trust in
God as if success depended entirely on yourself and not
on him: but use all your efforts as if God alone did
everything, and yourself nothing”. I first heard it's
distorted version as a pre-novice and currently many
continue to repeat and receive the over simplified
distortionofHevenessi's formulation.
The Ignatian dynamic thought, rightly formulated
by Hevanessi, is in consonance with the teaching of the
Bhagavadgīta, namely, niśkāmakarma, though with a
difference. The Gīta teaches that one ought to fulfill
one's dharma, the duty that corresponds to one's birth,
with disinterestedness. One must do one's duty with all
sincerity and diligence, neither desiring the fruit of the
action nor developing any sort of attachment to it. The
fruitoftheactiondependsentirelyonGod.
Where lays the difference between the spirituality
of the Gīta and of Ignatius? In the case of the latter, the
will of God for a person is not pre-determined but
something that needs to be discovered through a process
of discernment. Ignatian discernment presupposes
indifference, or the disinterestedness of the Gīta. The
will of God was of prime importance. The few pages of
his Spiritual Diary that are extant bear witness to the fact.
Trusting or praying, i.e., discerning depends upon
Rolphy Pinto,SJ
St. Ignatius: aKāmakarmiorNiśkāmakarmi?St. Ignatius: aKāmakarmiorNiśkāmakarmi?
Article

personal God called 'Yahweh.'
Christians find their life and
source in the manifestation of
Jesus Christ as fully human and
fully divine. Islam takes Allah
all in all. They practice staunch
monotheism. For Hinduism,
the whole reality is a Cosmic
person as mentioned in the Rig
Veda. Dharma is the way of life. When it comes to
Buddhism, Nirvana is the ultimate goal.AHindu proverb
runs thus: “there are hundreds of paths up the mountain,
all leading to the same place, so it doesn't matter which
path you take. The only person wasting time is the one
who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his
or her pathis wrong.”
Secularism is the need of the hour. Can we, as
religions of the world overcome our differences and
enrich each other so as to multiply our shared visions?
Let our approach be that of unifying rather than
segregating on account of different grounds. We are all
pilgrims journeying towards the Omega Point as Pierre
Tielhard de Chardin rightly puts it. Gone are the days
when Immanuel Kant says that religion is a postulation
for morality. Now we live in a new era enveloped by
complexities yet still find hope. The immortal song 'Heal
the world' by Michael Jackson is sounding loud and clear.
The world needs hands to begin the process of cleansing.
We are the hands and feet of the world. Bil Keane says,
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift
of God, which is why we call it the present.” Now is the
time to join forces as religions of the world to restore the
health of our grieving humanity. I would like to end this
article with another Hindu proverb which synchronizes
well with the theme being discussed. “Help thy brother's
boatacross, and lo!Thineown has reachedtheshore.”
nd
(Pele is a 2 year philosopher at JDV, Pune.)
oday, amid so much darkness we need to see the
light of hope and to be men and women who
Tbring hopetoothers.” PopeFrancis.
We live in a post-modern society infested with
various viruses such as globalization, migrant crisis,
discrimination on different grounds, violence in the
name of religion etc. Daily newspapers and magazine
reports are mostly about disturbing facts in every sphere
of life. Environmental pollution is rampant. Human
beings are treated as mere means rather than an as
persons. Super powers enhance their stealth armaments
day after day. The clock is ticking out; precious
opportunities are going down the drain of no return.
Everything is moving at a fast pace, but not swift enough
to achieve genuine progress. Science and its demeanor
have swallowed the rationality of human beings. There is
no doubt that the level of human comforts in lifestyle has
been enhanced. But the vital question is: Are we
becomingbettersocialbeings?
Amidst these paradoxes, I would like to propose
religious experience as a hope for this hypocritical world.
Thus, religion has to come and rescue the human race
before the epidemic engenders human species further. It
is high time that different religions of the world come
together under one umbrella and engage in healthy
dialogues to heal this sick world. Joseph Marećhal
speaks about the aspect of intellectual dynamism in
humans. Perhaps, our focus is too much centered on
knowledge and worldly affairs that we ignore the
spiritual dimension. The divine dynamism in us is not to
be forgotten. Surely, there is a supernatural force that
binds every religion. Since ages, we have ascribed varied
names to 'that' Being. Every religion has a distinct way of
life. However, in spite of numberless differences, there
lies a common thread that runs through the heart of each
religion. And that key is the fact that every religion finds
meaning and hope in one reality. Jews believe in a
Religious Experience as Hope- GivingReligious Experience as Hope- Giving
PelevitoKipfe,SJ
Article

women who have been searching for light. Literally
speaking there is no such word called light existing in
their dictionary. Why I say this, because when I met
Mona, (name changed) she said, “My life is too dark to
see light.” It was very difficult for her to share about her
own life but she could share only few. When I asked her
how she got into this field she replied to me saying that
majority of us are forced into
this. She said that after three
days of her marriage she was
sold by her husband and is living
only for her daughter. And she
said that the only hope that
stands in front of her is in the
formofherdaughter.
This is just an example,
there are many who undergo
pain every day. There are people
who are depressed, suicidal
fearful; many are unable to function in life, succumbing
to abuse, or too panicked to live. In short, they are
drowning indarkness, unabletoseethelight.
If you are in that place of darkness where you
have lost all hope, will it be possible for you to find light
and hope? Certainly not. But we see them living their
lives hoping that one day they will see their darkness
fadingaway.
We also face problems in life, let's take up the
challenges that life throws on us. Our existence becomes
meaningful when we extend our hands to help others in
need. Let us use our talents and energies to help the
individuals in need. Let us be the bearers of light in the
darkness.
nd
(Ashish is a 2 year philosopher at JDV, Pune.)
e, who follows me, does not walk in the
darkness.”(John 8:12)
HWe experience different kinds of darkness in our
lives and in our society like spiritual darkness and
psychological darkness. Spiritual darkness is what we
believeand follow, not knowing what we claimto believe
and follow. Psychological
darkness is the study of the
human condition as it relates to
the psychological nature of the
people to prey upon others. The
entire humanity has this
potential to victimize the
humans and living creatures.
Psychological darkness seeks to
understand those thoughts
feelings and perception that lead
tohumanpredatorybehaviour.
In our society people are suffering and not able to
see the positive side of their lives. It's our duty to go to
them, talk to them, and help them to overcome, to change
thedefinitionof life.
Changing thedefinitionoflife
There are people who consistently look into life
with dark spectacles. Their life is full of darkness. They
see everything dark. Their situation is like Plato's
allegory of the caves. Plato explains the nature of reality
through the allegory of the cave. Certain times the
situations around us change our existence. It makes us
seethewrong perceptionandidentityofourselves.
I go to Saheli for my ministry, ministry for Sex
Workers. There are many women from different parts of
India forced into prostitution. When I reflect over
“Finding light in darkness” I get the clear picture of these
Finding light in darknessFinding light in darkness
Ashish Pandoor, SJ
Article

ØTake care of your spiritual life, your relationship
with God, because this is the backbone of everything we
do andeverythingweare.
ØTake care of your family life, giving your
children and loved ones not just money, but most of all
your time,attentionandlove.
ØTake care of your relationships with others,
transforming your faith into life and your words into
good works, especiallyon behalfoftheneedy.
ØBe careful how you speak, purify your tongue of
offensivewords, vulgarityandworldlydecadence.
ØHeal wounds of the heart
with the oil of forgiveness,
forgiving those who have hurt us
and medicating the wounds we
havecausedothers.
ØLook after your work,
doing it with enthusiasm,
humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that
knows how tothanktheLord.
ØBe careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative
feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us
intodestroyedanddestructivepeople.
ØWatch out for anger that can lead to vengeance;
for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for
pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for
complainingcontinually,whichleadstodesperation.
ØTake care of brothers and sisters who are weaker
… the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and
strangers,becausewewillbejudgedon this.
Pope Francis
n my life every year begins with lots
of resolutions and ambitions. But
Itowards the end of the year I realize
that all my resolutions and ambitions were
like the parable of the sower in Matthew's
gospel. Some are forgotten, some are not taken seriously
and some have left the mark in my life both positive and
negative. As I begin the New Year 2016, the year of
mercy,I havethehopeofachange,achangeinmylife.
I realized that concentrating on one thing will
take whole my energy and make me weak.
Concentrating on the one thing in my life avoid the other
areas and neglect the people around me. My eyes will not
see the needy and those who suffer. But instead of
concentrating if I am alert and attentive to my
resolutions, I will be able to see the good things which
come even from other areas. I experience God's love
around me which strengthens me. I will be a person who
revealsthemercyofGod.
Lijo Anthony, SJ
Innumerous are the hopes and expectations that I
have dreamt of; it may become part of
realities one day this year. Being the Leap
year and the year of mercy, I believe that
this year may bring peace, joy, mercy, hope,
equality and serenity among the people. I
step into this NewYear, hoping that this year will shower
abundant blessings and courage to overcome all the
barriers. I pray that all our expectations and the hope of
love, joy, peace and victory go hand in hand in this year,
leading us towards a new horizon. Let's join and
celebratetheyear.
Benitto A, SJ
My Resolutions of 2016My Resolutions of 2016
What is Mine?What is Mine?

strict but he is trying to show God is ready to forgive
therefore we need to be compassionate and kind. It is to
be noted that very often it is not the woman who is at
fault. She is either forced by her family or by the spouse
or by the person with whom she had
intercourse but it is the woman who
gets all the blame. So the Pope is
trying to bring compassion in all
these cases. We need to distinguish
that the person is one thing and what
the person does is another thing.
Every person is made in the image
and likeness of God. So God loves
the sinner and not his sin. I hope that
Church will grow in showing more
mercy and compassion to her
people.
3.You are very active on social
media. How can Priests and
religious use social media for the
work ofevangelizationwork?
In many ways, I am on facebook and have 3300
friends and 900 requests to be made friends. What is
striking is that half of them are under 25 years of age. It
means that they are looking for something. They cannot
discuss spiritual things among their peer groups because
they will be laughed at. Every Saturday I put a reflection
on the facebook. It is not only for teaching, but also to see
how the Word of God challenges us today, What Christ
expectsfromus today?
4.Howcanweattractyouth to theChurch?
It is true that we have to attract the youth to the
Church. We have to understand that we cannot force
them by the law of the Church. But, if they find that they
are receiving something from the Church they will come.
Whether it is the liturgy or the Church music, if they find
it meaningful then they will come. The music of the
1. The Church is celebrating this year as the year
of mercy,yourthoughts on theyearofmercy.
St. Paul tells us in 2Tim 2:13, that we may be
unfaithful but he is always faithful for he cannot change
his nature. For the nature of God is
love. Love means forgiveness and
mercy. The very nature of God is
forgiveness, mercy and compassion.
This is what the Holy Father is trying
to stress. He is speaking about
forgiveness very often in his message.
He stresses that God is never tired of
forgiving but we get tired of asking for
forgiveness from God. So, God can
never get tired of forgiving because
that is his very nature. We say when
man and woman sinned, He decided to
forgive. God does not have to decide
to forgive; he has to forgive because
that is his nature. We say where there
is love there is God. We can substitute forgiveness with
love. So where there is forgiveness there is God and
where thereis God thereis forgiveness.Therefore,God is
love,forgiveness,mercyandcompassion.
2. What are your expectations from the Church
foryear2016?
Holy Father has directly and indirectly mentioned
in many ways that we are going too much by the law but
mercy goes above the law. It is not that you can make any
exception but the Church is to show mercy, love and
kindness. That is why he is stressing that people should
go and cleanse themselves by the sacrament of
Reconciliation. He has taken the question of abortion
very seriously, which is very prevalent in today's world.
He is asking people not to go just by the law. By the law if
someone had abortion, he has committed sin. For Mother
Teresa, abortion is equivalent to murder. We need to be
Interviewwith BishopValerianD'SouzaInterviewwith BishopValerianD'Souza
Interview

impressed because at all the time he speaks about hope
and joy. I was just reading his message for the world
peace day where he speaks about hope, that God loves the
world that he has never abandoned the world and he is
always there. Pope Francis is a man, full of optimism and
heisalwaysgivinghopetothepeople.
7.Any messagetoyoung Jesuits.
I would like to give this message not only to
Jesuits but also to all the priests, 'be
a man of prayer' because our prayer
life will influence our whole being.
When we spent time in prayer, it
comes out in our attitude.
Somebody has given this golden
rule to ask oneself always, 'Will
Jesus be happy with what I am
thinking, saying and doing?' We
say at the end of the mass go in
peace and glorify the lord by your
life. Our life should glorify the Lord
and more for Jesuits, since St.
Ignatius has given you the Spiritual
Exercises which are not outdated but very relevant today.
Jesuits are pioneers and those who are pioneers will
always suffer because they strive for something new.
Pedro Arrupe said in one of his talks when he came to
India, that the Prophet is one who is always ready to
suffer and Jesuits are known to be prophetic people who
always strive to bring something new. Jesuits have gone
through trying times, especially with the suppression of
the Society. St. Ignatius had said, “If the Society is
suppressed I need 15 minutes in front of the Blessed
Sacrament to accept it.” It is only possible because of the
strengthonereceivesfromprayer.
(Bishop Valerian D’ Souza is the Bishop Emeritus of
Pune diocese. He is well known as a singing Bishop)
Church need not be rock or pop music.The youth are also
looking for reflective music. Another important thing is
that today's youth are very straightforward. Therefore,
we need to be a living witness of Christ. If we, priests and
religious, are not able to live by our call, today's youth
willrespectneitherus nor theChurch.
5. How can we improve the role of women in the
Churchliturgyand leadership?
First of all, we need to
accept women as equal to men
especially in our country where
women are considered inferior
to men. We priests generally
look down at the religious
sisters a little lower and we
priest as higher than them. But
by baptism we are all equal. We
may have different roles and
positions but the reality is that
we are all equal. It means that in
the running of the Church they
have to be given more prominent role. This is happening
at higher levels in the Church where more women are in
the Curia and in the congregations and the Pope is
stressing on it. The point is, 'are we ready to give more
power to sisters in our country?' In India, the Church is
still more clerical with priesst enjoying a lot of power.
Even in the Parish Council, we have to ask whether the
priests give enough space for discussion and do the
parish council members, especially women, feel that
their opinions are taken into consideration.
6. Your thoughts on the leadership of Pope
Francis.
He has conquered not only the Church but the
whole world. He is a man closely united with the Lord
and this is manifested in the joy that is in him. People are
Interview

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