LOVE GIVES LIFE AND REASON TAKES LIFE

With the beginning of each dawn as we open the eyes to the miracle of a new day with its unlimited power of living something awesomely unexpected, we are being filled with reverence and awe at the sight of a magnificent creation. With the blade of tender grass to the delicate leafs of the trees splendidly swaying as the cool breeze sweep across them and infuses refreshing spirit in all the creation. A person living his/her each passing moment of life to the full cannot evade or be blind to such marvels of life and creation. The beginning of each new day dawn holds within it the conclusion of how the day is going to end. The awesome ending of the day depends on the awesome beginning of the life at dawn.

Viewing the creation with tender eyes as each new day dawns with its bubbling life, one will realize that each living creature pops up with tender smiles to greet and wish you the best for the day. Moreover, a person  who is fully alive to the spirit of life can never find a reason for which one is so madly taken-up or be in love with the amazing sight of the morning with all creation wishing life. One can never find a true reason why the universes with all its creatures wish him/her life in its fullness. We might be able to invent some reasons with our cunning minds but those reasons are baseless for it becomes the creation of mind for its egoistic survival. If one can find some reasons, it will only reveal that he/she is not fully awaken to the spirit of life. For true love has no reason whatsoever. It is just love. To live a life of love is to live in total communion with the spirit of life which is love in its totality or ultimate. Whereas, to live a life of reason is to fragment life into different compartments but deep within we are aware that love unites and reason divides.

We are intoxicated with the paralyzing idea that in order to love a person we must know him/her first. Here, our knowing becomes the criterion to love. But, is it really true that one needs reason to love or have we just accepted it as facts because it has been told to us over and over again by our elders, society or academicians. Can reason be the cause for love? If it is so, then is it real love? Can love be bought or sold by reason? Love is beyond reason. Reason cannot be the cause for love for reason is the sole factor of the division of love. Reason can never love in its ultimate for it bargains with love. It says if such and such is the case then I will love. For instance, if you are good to me than I will love you but the moment you fail to fulfill my expectations I stop loving you. Therefore, all loving with a reason is no true loving. Loving with a reason puts conditions but love in its fullness is unconditional. There is no measure to love but love is its sole measure.  One who loves moves beyond reason and becomes the source of life-giving spring.

When there is a reason for love than that is a bargained love, a love that can be bought or sold by the price of reason. Moreover, that which can be bought can also be sold easily or discarded when it is no longer useful or satisfactory. Hence, where reason exists primarily there is no place for love. Contrary, where love exists primarily, reason becomes a secondary thing. However, reason has its place but only after love. It should be only a part of faculty that comes to play when the ocean of love has invaded the spirit of reasoning. All reasoning should be the outcome of love.  For instance, it is often told that we must hate sin but not the sinner. It can be well applied that we must love the sinner first and then help the sinner to overcome his/her sinful acts with the help of our loving assistance. Love has the uplifting and transforming effect, whereas, to certain extent reason has similar effect but more so it fosters cunning stubbornness of justification. Reason helps to justify and makes one self-righteous. And where there is self-righteous claim, love flies out of the window for it uses love as a means to enlarge itself either consciously or more so unconsciously. When it enlarges itself it reduces the wholeness of the other. Thus we can say that love is life-giving and reason is life-taking.

We all by default want to love and be loved. However, we often fail in this aspect of our aspirations. It is not that we do not know how to love, rather we never enquiry what generates in us the desire to love. Is it that we are lonely and therefore, to cover up that loneliness we want to love or there might be many other hidden motives that push us to love? It becomes fundamental to discover the cause of our love because where there is a cause or reason for love, that love is inevitably going to cause us pain. Love to be life-giving it should not be based on any cause or reason. Most of us want to do so much good in our society because we love our society. We want to help the poor and neglected, widowed and orphan, sick and suffering, down trodden and broken hearted, and many alike. In many of these cases we might be driven to do something to uplift them but if we are moved by their pathetic condition or may be moved by some other reasons than we are certainly going to end in despair. We will get irritated and depressed when things do not turn out in our favour. Hence, before we venture out to do any good in our society we need to be aware of what is that which moves us to think about our society. Is it seer love or reason?

Romanius Barwa

THE PURPOSE OF WEEKEND LIFE

Work, work and work. Yes, all we want is work and a day with 24 hours seems to be too short. No sooner we realize the dawn and begin putting our hands in multiple tasks the day is gone and it’s already bed time. We get so much immersed in the activities that we forget the very purpose of work itself.  Most of us overload ourselves with so many unnecessary activities that at the end of the day we neither find satisfaction in work nor find meaning in life. When such situations arise we begin to question about the purposefulness of life. However, there are some who never question anything in life. They work like robots. They are workaholics. Such types of people are neither creative nor enjoy the dynamism of life because they do not have time to consider new ventures or observe surprises. They are so caught up in their work that they have no time to think anything other than the work they do. Hence, if people want to be more creative and enthusiastic in life they need to distance themselves from the work they do. Distancing from the work place gives a fresh vision to the existing work and adds new inputs in the work and also renews the zest for work life.

We strain and stress ourselves unnecessarily. We want to accomplish all the works possible. Our urge to work becomes much more when the task is entrusted to us. We get enthused with burning desire to complete the task. For instance, let us consider the life of a missionary. He strongly feels deep within the missionary mandate given by Lord Jesus and he leaves no stones unturned in fulfilling the mandate. He totally immersed himself in the tasks trying to do all the good possible for the people entrusted to his care. Working tirelessly for months and years without any breaks, the missionary gets drowned in the river of works. He carries on the very same work and in the same way as he began it. He preaches the very same sermon and in the very same manner which does not make any impact in the lives of the people he is working for. Yet, he believes that he is very busy and that he has no time to take a leave for a few days to pray and reflect. He would even justify himself saying that he shall rest in heaven. No doubt working is good but getting lost in achieving the quantity of work and losing the sight of the quality of work is not what Lord Jesus would want. For Jesus himself would say to his disciple when they returned from the missions “… lets go off into the remote place…” (Mk 6: 30-34).

Distancing from work temporarily is not a waste of time but it gives fresh vision and clarity to ongoing works. Distancing from works widen ones horizons, help to see reality in a new way. Temporarily dwelling in different atmosphere, confronting different realities, and meeting people with different life styles opens up closed mentality and gives new perspectives to work life. Distancing from work helps to look work in a new way because distancing gives the bird eye view to evaluate the work. Distancing also rejuvenates with innovative ideas and gives fresh energy to delve into the mission. Distancing is important for it gives one the opportunity to sharpen the saw rather than struggling hard with blunt saw to accomplish the task. Distancing helps to view things differently and makes one more intelligent and smart as well.

Hence, I would say that taking a leave for sometime from the work is necessary for it adds new colours to life and work. In this connection I would say that the weekend is the most beneficial part of the week because it gives the opportunity to refocus the priority of life which otherwise is forgotten due to commercial works. Children are the jewels of parents but often they are forgotten by their parents due to heavy load of work. However, the weekend gives them opportunity to consider and redirect their life. Similarly, all human beings must take a break from the task they do for it gives freshness to life and everything around life.

Romanius Barwa

THE MOST CHALLENGING GUY IS THE ULTIMATE LIBERATOR

It is often said that ‘truth hurts’, or some others would say that ‘truth is the greatest offender.’ If we were to argue intellectually we would vehemently deny the fact but if we genuinely become aware we would see how often we attempt to defend ourselves and our points of view just because we do not want to challenge our conception of truth. Truth pricks the very core of our self. It shakes the very foundation of comfort zones that we have laid for our life. Openness to truth demands of us to let go of ourselves, our past knowledge, ideas, attitudes, behaviours, ways of thinking, and so on that we hold very dear to us.  Hence, we do not like to take bitter pills rather we prefer to live in the sickness of ignorance and die with it

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The Community of Divyadaan, the Salesian Institute of Philosophy, Nashik staged the musical entitled ‘The Promised Land’ on the first and second of August, 2015. The musical reiterates the Exodus Journey of Israelites – God liberating them from the bondage of the Egyptian Pharaoh to the Promised Land. The play was simply fabulous. People were amazed to re-look the exodus journey with the new set of spectacles. Thanks to the people in and back the stage who did an awesome task. In the second day I chanced to encounter an army gentleman (belonging to other faith) during the interval and soon entered into a profound conversation which made a deep impact in my life and I would like to share with you all. 

I just inquired why he didn’t ask any of his friends from the camp to accompany him. What he replied marveled me. (My humble attempt to put in his own words), ‘I did not bring anyone because their minds are different and more so my friends belong to other faiths who fear even to hear the name of Jesus because he is such a holy person. The reason of the fear is that most of us human beings are deeply wounded in so many ways and taking the name of Jesus would mean – a challenge to CONVERSION from our old ways of living. It would mean a call for HEALING which demands of us to look deep within for the cause of our sickness which in fact is not easy because we do not want to see who we really are. It would also mean a call to CHANGE which is the toughest thing because we have set up a particular pattern for our life which ultimately determines us. People once acquainted with the dust, they prefer to live with it than to change.’ Moreover, he added ‘Most of us have the tendency to ignore or avoid the people who challenge us the most because those people open up our filthy wounds of inner life which we do not want to see because we do not have enough strength and courage and we end up thinking that there is no cure for it.’ 

A few minutes of deep encounter can alter the whole scenario of thinking and push one for further reflection. The man had something very profound to convey to me and perhaps to each of you through me. We might have read or heard the Bible over and over again and it is quite possible that we might have become deaf to those fiery words.  People who hear it for the first time are greatly disturbed because of its piercing effect into their hearts. But we who are Christians perhaps become indifferent to those words and the name ‘Jesus’ has become just another word, it does not evoke anything in us. The word of God constantly beacons us to Conversion from our old ways of living, Healing from our narrow-mindedness and Change for better but we never pay heed to it. Though our lips profess our faith but our hearts and minds are miles apart from it. How often do we not act like those Israelites in the wilderness, though God has set us free but instead of taking responsibility and living good life we prefer returning to our old ways of living. People of other faiths fear the name of Jesus so to bring them closer to Him let us proclaim Him by living the name of Jesus.

Romanius Barwa

Dare to Dream: Ready to be Challenged

In order to achieve something in life we need to Dare and Dream. But it is not enough to dream for the sake of dreaming or remain at the level of ideas.  Dream calls for action. To truly dream means to dare to do something different. Daring to dream invites troubles. It is swimming against the current. We just cannot separate dreams from challenges. If we have dreams to accomplish, we need be ready for something good, something unexpected, something worst, and even something drastic. 

Let me illustrate my idea with a simple example. St. John Bosco, lovingly known as the father and friend of the young dared to dream something unconventional in his times. His dream was to help the poor and the marginalised youth of his time. However, to fulfil his dream he had to undergo immense sufferings and face enormous challenges. He was challenged in every way, and from every walk of his life. He was challenged by the clergies and the church authorities of his time. Some of the people in the society were annoyed by the noise of his boys. Some even considered him insane, because he played with the boys, he visited prisons, took his boys for outings and walks, taught basic skills to earn a living. All that Don Bosco did was something unthinkable for many. He was challenged by his physical condition that was deteriorating. But Don Bosco sailed through all these only because he had dared to dream and wanted to fulfil it. 

What can we learn from this simple example? I feel that many a times we do dream big but fail to accomplish them, because of the challenges we perceive. We sometimes get stranded at the ‘red sea’ like the Israelites, finding no further hope and meaning. I believe that if we want to do something in life, if we want to walk an extra mile, if want to be different, and if we dare to dream, we need to be armed to battle the challenges that come on our ways. I think that if we are sincere and honest, and if our dreams are not merely for our selfish gain, but for the good of our sisters and brothers and for God’s greater glory, we can cope with anything. Let us not stop at the ‘red sea’ (challenges), but let us look beyond to the ‘promise land’ (accomplishment of our dream), than we can be happy and make others life meaningful. 

Let us Dare to Dream the Dreams we want to Dream, and let us Challenge the Challenges that Challenge our Dreams. 

Pawanjit Singh SDB

It’s Cool to be a Fool till You stumble

One day an old man in tattered clothes approached a fiery preacher and said, ‘I am mesmerized by the power of your preaching. You have the gift of efficacy and memory beyond compare. The way you apply quotations shows that you are very well versed with the Bible and the sayings of the saints. You are a man of words. The type of words you use shakes the very soul of the people that they get emotionally imprison even before you could reach half of your sermon.’ Hearing the term ‘emotional imprisonment,’ the preacher could not control his tears rolling down the cheek. In a jiffy he felt excruciating pain growing deep within his heart and as if in a flash he saw the review of his life. Right to the words of the old man, the review portrayed him as the fiery preacher who through his preaching had imprisoned thousands of souls instead of liberating them. He had made the poor souls to swallow the solid doctrines and dogmas but never showed them the ways to digest it. He was feeding people only with his powerful words that never effected in action and this is perhaps because he himself was a man of words and not of action. Just like him people lived in words but utterly failed in action. Alas he says, ‘it’s cool to be a fool till you stumble’ for when you fall you realize what it means to fall on the dust. However, for resurrection rising up is necessary and it causes change, yes a radical change. 

Often we make a fool of ourselves by making a mistake of considering a word to be a thing. We don’t realize that a word is not a thing and a thing is not a word. No doubt a word is very fundamental in expressing what a thing is, yet it is not the most important thing for one could easily express and smoothly convey a message without even uttering a single word. A thing precedes and is primary to a word. For instance, the word love is not a real thing and the real love is not a word. A word is only a concept and the concept is not a reality. Love can be expressed in so many different ways without even articulating a single word. Moreover, tangible expressions of love are much more precious than the empty word called love. Saying I love you makes no sense if it does not find its expression in action. Where there is true love, words become unnecessary because it manifests itself in action. It is love in action that matters the most and causes people to change. A thing done in action can never be substituted for words. Words are dead if not given life through action. A simple gesture of love in action can move a heart much more effectively than voluminous words. However, a word has its significant place but not in the presence of a loving thing. For example, a mother to express love for her child she would hardly pronounce a word called love but she will do everything out of love in action.

Today we are called to be a Message and not merely a messenger. For the early missionaries the terms message and messenger were synonymous. They were messengers of God and at the same time they were the message because they lived the message. People viewing their way of life could very easily detect the message they intended to convey. However, today there seems to be made a distinction between a message and a messenger. The missionaries today focus more on conveying the message through words than life. Today we are called to be a man of action just as Jesus was. We are called to convey the message through our life in action and apply words only when necessary. Moreover, we are called to liberate people by giving faith education and not merely asking them to consume it. For this we need to awaken the intelligence of people so that they would see for themselves the Truth and come to believe in the love of God. We giving God to people have very less value. Hence, we need to act as sign posts to help people find God by their own because a thing found by self gives energy to withstand even the hardest storm. For Jesus himself would say, ‘if you know the truth, the truth will set you free.’ Let us make Jesus alive first of all in our own life and inspire others by our way of life. Inspiring through life is the most contagious thing in the world.

Romanius Barwa

'ROOTS'

     All that glitter is not gold goes an old saying. In today’s world, I feel this saying might just be reverse. The people at large admire what is glamorous and pleasing to the eyes. We are in an age where the technology has so gripped us that we are never satisfied, because we have made our needs into wants. In this short reflection I want to highlight that many of us love to admire what is externally beautiful and fascinating but pay little or no attention to what is more deeper and durable. We do not really care about the inner substance of this charming ‘being’.    

     Let us take an example of a tree/plant and its roots. Every one of us admires a tree or a plant that is green and leafy. This beautiful nature attracts our eyes because of its external exquisiteness. However, let us take a minute to think beyond. Do we know what keeps this tree or a plant green and healthy? Have we ever thought about on what does the duration of the tree or plant depend? The power that keeps the tree/plant evergreen and strong is its invisible roots. If the roots of a tree are weak, and are on the upper soil the tree, will last but for a while.

     I believe we can apply this simile to our lives too. Very often, we busy ourselves in keeping our external and visible self green and beautiful. We do not really concentrate on the roots that will maintain our attractiveness. What could these roots mean for us? Roots could mean building our life on character and on God. No matter how beautiful the tree is, no matter how charming the plant is, if its roots are not deep enough it will not survive even the tiny wind force. But on the other hand if the roots are in the deep soil, nothing drastic can shake the tree. Who is our deep soil? It is Jesus Christ. Jesus compliments the wise man who builds his house on the rock, the wind blew, the flood came and dashed against the house but no harm was done to it.

     Let us then live to deepen our roots and be evergreen, giving joy and smile to all whom we encounter in our daily life. The joy and happiness we give to others should not be at the periphery level, but it should be long lasting. Our deep roots should be the integrity of our life. Our public life should be the fruit of our private life. Let our greatest charm be a life of virtue lived in the solid foundations of our Christian faith. 

By Pawanjit Singh SDB