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VOL: XI - ISSUE: 083 – DECEMBER - 20th 2017 (Estd. July 3rd 2007)

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CONTENTS

“Scripture also tells us that when God appears in our lives, generally the first words we will hear are: “Don’t be afraid!” That’s because God

is not a judgmental tyrant but a loving, creative, joy-filled energy and person. As Leon Bloy reminds us, joy is the most infallible indication of God’s

presence. The famous psychiatrist, Fritz Perls, was once asked by a young fundamentalist: “Have you been saved?’ His answer: “Saved? Hell no! I’m

still trying to figure out how to be spent!” We honor God not by living in fear lest we offend him, but in spending the wonderful energy that God gives us

to help life flourish. God is not a law to be obeyed, but a joyous energy

within which to generatively spend ourselves..” Ron Rolheiser OMI

COLUMN : Fear of God as Wisdom by Ron Rolheiser OMI

COMMENTARY : Abandoning celibacy won't stop sexual abuse by priests by Thomas Reese, S.J.

EUROPE : German churches act as buffer for refugees with sanctuary program by Dale Gavlak

HOLY FATHER : Media sins by dredging up and sensationalizing old news - AP / Catholic Herald

INDIA : Dayal honored for lifetime contribution to minorities By Sudhansu Digal

INDIA : How Gujarat was won? by Shreyas Sardesai/ Sanjay Kumar INSPIRATION : Nuggets from Bramhakumaris - CNUA

PHILIPPINES : Stop hatred, discrimination Cardinal Tagle SPIRITUAL : Sometimes Sacramental Confession can be more useful ... by Francis Phillips

U. S. : What can priests practically do to combat the porn epidemic? by Mary

Rezac

RELAX PLEASE Keep Me Alive Compiled by K. M. Selvaraj

COLUMN : Fear of God as Wisdom by Ron Rolheiser OMI (CNUA) Why don’t we preach hellfire anymore? That’s a question asked frequently today

by a lot of sincere religious people who worry that too many churches and too many priests and ministers have gone soft on sin and are over-generous

in speaking about God’s mercy. The belief here is that more people would

come to church and more people would obey the commandments,

particularly the sixth one, if we preached the raw truth about mortal sin, God’s wrath, and the danger of going to hell when we die. The truth will set

you free, these folks assert, and the truth is that there is real sin and that there are real and eternal consequences for sin. The gate to heaven is

narrow and the road to hell is wide. So why aren’t we preaching more about the dangers of hellfire?

What’s valid in this kind of reasoning is that preaching about mortal sin and hellfire can be effective. Threats work. I grew up subjected to this kind of preaching and readily admit that it had a real effect on my behavior. But

that effect was ambivalent: On the positive side it left me scared enough

before God and life itself to never stray very far morally or religiously. On the negative side, it also left me religiously and emotionally crippled in some

deep ways. Simply stated, it’s hard to be intimate friends with a God who frightens you and it’s not good religiously or otherwise to be overly timid and

afraid before life’s great energies. Fear of divine punishment and fear of hellfire, admittedly, can be effective as a motivator.

So why not preach fear? Because it’s wrong, pure and simple. Brainwashing

and physical intimidation are also effective, but fear is not the proper fuel for love. You don’t enter a love relationship because you feel afraid or

threatened. You enter a love relationship because you feel drawn there by

love.

More importantly, preaching divine threat dishonors the God in whom we believe. The God whom Jesus incarnates and reveals is not a God who puts

sincere, good-hearted people into hell against their will, on the basis of some human or moral lapse which in our moral or religious categories we deem to

be a mortal sin. For example, I still hear this threat being preached sometimes in our churches: If you miss going to church on Sunday it’s a

mortal sin and should you do that and die without confessing it you will go to hell.

What kind of God would underwrite this kind of a belief? What kind of God would not give sincere people a second-chance, a third one, and seventy-

seven times seven more chances if they remain sincere? What kind of God would say to a person in hell: “Sorry, but you knew the rules! You’re

repentant now, but it’s too late. You had your chance!

A healthy theology of God demands that we stop teaching that hell can be a

nasty surprise waiting for an essentially good person. The God we believe in as Christians is infinite understanding, infinite compassion, and infinite

forgiveness. God’s love surpasses our own and if we, in our better moments,

can see the goodness of a human heart despite its lapses and weaknesses,

how much more so will God do this. We’ve nothing to fear from God.

Or, have we? Doesn’t scripture tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom? How does that square with not being afraid of God?

There are different kinds of fear, some healthy and others not. When

scripture tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the kind

fear it is talking about is not contingent upon feeling threatened or feeling anxious about being punished. That’s the kind of fear we feel before tyrants

and bullies. There is however a healthy fear that’s innate within the dynamics of love itself. This kind of fear is essentially proper reverence, that

is, when we genuinely love someone we will fear being selfish, boorish, and disrespectful in that relationship. We will fear violating the sacred space

within which intimacy occurs. Metaphorically we will sense we’re standing on holy ground and that we’d best have our shoes off before that sacred fire.

Scripture also tells us that when God appears in our lives, generally the first

words we will hear are: “Don’t be afraid!” That’s because God is not a

judgmental tyrant but a loving, creative, joy-filled energy and person. As Leon Bloy reminds us, joy is the most infallible indication of God’s presence.

The famous psychiatrist, Fritz Perls, was once asked by a young

fundamentalist: “Have you been saved?’ His answer: “Saved? Hell no! I’m still trying to figure out how to be spent!” We honor God not by living in fear

lest we offend him, but in spending the wonderful energy that God gives us to help life flourish. God is not a law to be obeyed, but a joyous energy

within which to generatively spend ourselves. > > > http://ronrolheiser.com/en/#.WjnMxzThXcc

COMMENTARY : Abandoning celibacy won't stop sexual abuse by priests by Thomas Reese, S.J. (NCR Online via CNUA)

Confessional tents outside Myongdong Cathedral in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 18, 2015. (CNS courtesy Seoul Archdiocese)

Anyone committed to the protection of children should carefully study the important report by the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional

Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

But not the recommendations to the Catholic Church on celibacy and

sacramental confession, which media attention has principally been focused on.

The commission said the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference should

press the Holy See "to consider introducing voluntary celibacy for diocesan clergy” and argued that “compulsory celibacy (for clergy) and vowed chastity

(for members of religious institutes) have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse, especially when combined with other risk factors.”

The report also says that “compulsory celibacy may also have contributed to various forms of psychosexual dysfunction, including psychosexual

immaturity, which pose an ongoing risk to the safety of children.”

I actually support voluntary celibacy for diocesan clergy, but not as a solution to the sexual abuse crisis. The impact of celibacy on sexual abuse

has not been proved. The commission reports that 7 percent of the Australian Catholic clergy were abusers. That means 93 percent were not.

What are the comparable numbers for other groups of men such as

noncelibate religious leaders, coaches, teachers, day care workers, scout leaders and staff of residential institutions?

Unless there is a significantly greater percentage of priests involved in abuse

than there is for other groups of men, evidence is lacking to support the commission’s recommendation.

We know for a fact that non-celibate men, including married men, also abuse

children. Letting priests have sex will not magically eliminate sexual abuse of

minors. This recommendation simply distracts from the many important

findings and recommendations of the commission.

There are other reasons why I support the ordination of married men, most especially because the church has a shortage of clergy that cannot be solved

with celibate clergy. The people of God are not receiving the sacraments they have a right to, let alone the pastoral care they need. In addition,

married men are hearing the call from God to the priesthood. The church should not deny these vocations that are the working of the Holy Spirit.

Celibacy did have an indirect impact on the sex abuse crisis. Because it resulted in a shortage of clergy, bishops were initially reluctant to pull a

priest from ministry because they had no one to replace him. Bishops were also encouraged to admit candidates who otherwise would have been

rejected for psychological reasons. In addition, because clergy did not have children, they never asked the question, “How would I feel if this happened

to my child?” While it is unclear that celibacy contributed to the abuse of

children, I think a case can be made that it contributed to the failure of the church to respond appropriately.

The other controversial recommendation deals with the secrecy of the

confessional. The commission report says people in religious ministry should not be exempt from laws that would require them "to report knowledge or

suspicions formed, in whole or in part, on the basis of information disclosed in or in connection with a religious confession.”

Two groups of people have traditionally been forbidden to testify in court: priests, about what they hear from penitents in confession, and lawyers,

about what they hear from their clients.

It's hard to believe there are many abusers whose consciences are so sensitive that they feel the need to go to confession. Serial killers do not go;

neither do serial abusers. At the same time, in most cases the priest does not know the identity of the penitent.

Lawyers, on the other hand, know a lot about their clients. Testimony from lawyers about their clients would provide the courts with much more

information about child abuse than would testimony from priests, but no one is willing to make lawyers report on their clients, for obvious reasons.

Clergy do need better training on how to deal with such penitents — on how

to persuade them to turn themselves in and under what circumstances

absolution should be withheld. But mandating that abusive penitents be reported would simply ensure that they never come to confession, where a

priest could attempt to persuade them to do the right thing.

But the commission is really more concerned about children who in the confessional tell a priest about abuse. Here the commission would prosecute

priests who did not report it. Again, the priest does not usually know the names of the children going to confession. And if children know that the

priest must reveal such knowledge, they will not speak of it in confession, where the priest might otherwise be able to help.

Granted the church’s past bad history of not reporting abuse under any circumstances, it is not surprising that the commission made this

recommendation, but it would in fact be counterproductive.

On the other hand, priests need better training on how to deal with child penitents so that they can convince them of the need to come forward and

get help. The church must also be emphatic about the responsibility of the

priest to try to persuade the child to tell a parent, teacher, police officer or

other appropriate adult about the abuse.

The commission worked for five years with extensive input from experts and the public. It issued a 17-volume report with 115 pages of recommendations to

state and national governments, churches and other institutions.

The report was not solely focused on the Catholic Church but included

schools, residential facilities and sports, recreation, arts, culture, community and hobby groups.

It noted the need for widespread education on sexual abuse, with special

training and screening for those who interact with children and with

transparent processes for handling complaints of abuse.

The comprehensive report and its detailed recommendations will provide a standard for all future examinations of the subject. But we should not get

distracted by the two recommendations that are questionable and might be counterproductive if implemented. There is lots more in the report that

needs implementing as soon as possible.

Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese is a columnist for Religion News Service and

author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. > > > https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/signs-times/abandoning-celibacy-wont-stop-sexual-abuse-priests

EUROPE : German churches act as buffer for refugees with sanctuary program by Dale Gavlak, Catholic News Service (NCR Online via CNUA)

An Afghan refugee woman begs for coins near St. Christopher Catholic

Church in early September in Berlin. The church has continuously provided sanctuary to refugees fearing deportation while their asylum claims are

considered by German authorities. (CNS/Dale Gavlak)

Berlin — Sitting on the bare pavement outside a Catholic church, an Afghan

refugee woman, dressed in a bright floral headscarf, calls out plaintively to passersby, begging for coins. It's a scene repeatedly played out in the

German capital overwhelmed by refugees fleeing war, persecution and economic deprivation in the Middle East and Africa.

But at Christmastime and beyond, Catholic and Protestant churches are

doing what they can to help those struggling and in need. For the past quarter of a century, the nearby St. Christopher Catholic Church has

continuously provided sanctuary to refugees fearing deportation while their

asylum claims are considered by German authorities. The most recent people it housed escaped conflict in Syria, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka.

Such sanctuary, known as church asylum in Germany, is providing

temporary protection for some 600 refugees currently who do not have a legal residence, in effect placing the church between the refugees and the

public authorities and safeguarding them until their legal cases can be heard and considered.

While most German church members say they support providing sanctuary to refugees, Michael Haas, coordinator of refugee work in the Catholic

Archdiocese of Berlin, told Catholic News Service that some parishes are fearful of the practice because it falls into a kind of grey area of the law. It

also requires financial resources and manpower to provide the care. Still, he said, the "church, bishops, congregations and the government in Germany

have agreed that there might be a mutual trust and that the church will not abuse the system of church asylum."

Churches, he said, have agreed to use sanctuary in "very few and particular cases after a thorough legal check," while there appears to be a tacit

agreement that the government "would not deport such cases without first having a second look at the application."

The Rev. Barbara Neubert, a Protestant pastor, told CNS about her parish's

first experience providing church asylum. "A family arrived with three small children in the dead of winter. They had been living on the streets of Berlin

because no one could provide anything. It was terrible," she said. Her church was too small, "But it was four weeks before Christmas. So, we said this is

our 'holy family' this year!"

Neubert asked an Afghan Muslim receiving church asylum from her parish to

read out the story of the birth of Christ as recorded in the Quran during the Gospel reading last Christmas. "He didn't feel so comfortable reading it in

German, so I read it. I think the congregation understood better something of their own faith, while admiring something in the Islamic tradition," she

said.

The Afghan man sheltering in Neubert's church told CNS he sought asylum

because Germany wanted to deport him to Sweden, the first country he entered in Europe. However, he said he cannot return to Sweden because it,

too, wants to deport him back home, where he faces certain death from militants. "I escaped with my life from Afghanistan after receiving a

threatening letter from the Taliban, because me and my brother worked with

the Americans on reconstruction and security," said the man.

Some 1.2 million people sought asylum in Germany in 2015, with around half from conflict-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. At that time, Bernhard

Kellner, spokesman for the German Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, said he thought "the whole refugee aid system here would collapse without the

church's engagement."

The tragic image of a drowned Syrian toddler on a Turkish beach and scenes

of desperate refugees escaping war in rickety boats prompted Chancellor Angela Merkel, in 2015, to open Germany's doors to any Syrian who could

make it there. Her policy effectively reversed a long-standing European Union regulation that refugees must claim asylum in the country of first

arrival.

However, anti-migrant sentiment has been mounting in Germany and the rest of Europe since then. Merkel's own political party suffered heavy losses

in September's election to the anti-immigrant far right, which surged into

parliament for the very first time, raising alarm for many Germans. Merkel still has not been able to form a coalition government.

"The policies on asylum and deportation in Germany have become stricter in

the last year, and so that's why more refugees ask for help in the churches," Jan Drunkenmoelle of the German Ecumenical Committee on Church Asylum

told CNS.

The Berlin-based organization works with Catholic and Protestant churches

offering church asylum to those in great need. Currently, more than 350 churches in Germany provide sanctuary to some 600 asylum seekers.

Drunenmoelle explained that "church communities play a big role in

supporting refugees. If the person seeking asylum gets a deportation letter, of course, people who know each other try to help, and this leads to more

church asylums."

"Most people get rejected not because of the persecution they experienced

in their home country, but because they didn't pursue the right legal format," Drunkenmoelle said. The close friendship formed between the

congregation and the asylum seeker make church asylum an excellent platform for newcomers to achieve integration into German society, a key

concern of the government, he added. > > > https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/german-churches-act-buffer-refugees-sanctuary-program

HOLY FATHER : Media sins by dredging up and sensationalizing old

news - AP / Catholic Herald

Pope Francis (Getty Images)

The Pope condemned journalists 'looking for things that are old news and have been dealt with and bringing them to light today' Pope Francis has

criticised journalists who dredge up old scandals and sensationalise the

news, saying it’s a “very serious sin” that hurts all involved. Francis, who plans to dedicate his upcoming annual communications message to “fake

news,” told Catholic media on Saturday that journalists perform a mission that is among the most “fundamental” to democratic societies. But he

reminded them to provide precise, complete and correct information and not to provide one-sided reports. The pope said: “You shouldn’t fall into the ‘sins

of communication’: disinformation, or giving just one side, calumny that is sensationalised, or defamation, looking for things that are old news and

have been dealt with and bringing them to light today.” He called those actions a “grave sin that hurts the heart of the journalist and hurts others.” > > > http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/12/18/pope-francis-media-sins-by-dredging-up-and-sensationalising-old-news/

INDIA : Dayal honored for lifetime contribution to minorities By

Sudhansu Digal

+

–

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Minority Alliance (OMA) has honored John Dayal,

a leading lay Catholic human rights activist and senior journalist, for his lifetime contribution for the cause of religious minorities in India. The award

was given on December 18 by Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Minister for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste Development, Other Backward Class

and Minority Welfare, Government of Odisha, on behalf of Odisha Minority Alliance (OMA), Bhubaneswar in Bhubaneswar.

More than 300 religious minority leaders, human right defenders, social

workers and academicians coming from different parts of Odisha attended the function organized on the occasion of International Minority Day. OMA, a

coalition of religious minorities in Odisha, Eastern India, comprises Christians

and Muslims, the state’s major minority groups.

Barendra Kumar, convener of OMA, hailed Dayal as a multi-faced human rights crusader, towering leader of the religious minorities in India. His

contributions to the commitment and dedication for the cause of minorities remain unparalleled, he added.

Jugal Kishore Ranjit, co-convener of OMA, said Dayal was the first recipient of the award. The alliance plans to award every year a distinguished person

for the cause of the minorities. Dayal, a former member of the National Integration Council, is the founder general secretary of All India Christian

Council, past president and current spokesperson of the All India Catholic Council. He volunteers to probe atrocities on any communities anywhere in

the country and defends the rights of violated minority communities on both print and electronic media, Ranjit noted. “Moreover, he does not mince his

words and writings while defending the cause of the minorities. He leads from the front and remains an inspiration for minority communities,” the

OMA official said. Dayal has shown equal commitment in defending the cause of other religious minority communities; be it Sikh or Muslim. “Hence,

the Committee honored Dayal so that the next generation continue his mission and spirit in the challenging times ahead in the country,” he added.

Majhi stressed the need for everyone to cooperate in building up society. “It is a good sign that state government has taken initiative to construct 100

hostels for minority students and 25 multipurpose sectors in Odisha,” he pointed out. The Odisha government, he added, would study the possibility

of setting up a State Minority Commission. He invited minority community leaders for consultation to decide special budgetary allocations for the

minorities welfare according to their priorities.

Dayal, while acknowledging the honor, stressed the need for sustained and

collective efforts to address the issues and concerns of the minorities in India. Today they seem more vulnerable than before, he added. The Catholic

lay leader urged minority leaders to come forward to check attacks on their communities. Odisha has witnessed several such attacks, he pointed out.

“We need to multiply our efforts to foster peaceful co-existence of all communities. Challenges have soared up as religious minorities are under

threats in several parts. So, we need to be on guard ourselves as seemingly the discourse is not saner for the minorities,” Dayal said.

Fr. Ajaya Kumar Singh, human rights activist, urged all to work for the

realization of constitutional rights that provide them equal and equitable opportunities as equal citizenship.> > > http://mattersindia.com/2017/12/dayal-honored-for-lifetime-contribution-to-minorities/

INDIA : The BJP won both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, but without bragging rights - The Hindu (Editorial in The Hindu via CNUA) If

winning were the only thing, then the BJP has plenty to cheer about in

Gujarat, where it recorded a sixth straight victory in what was practically a straight fight with its principal rival, the Congress. Together, with a

comfortable win in Himachal Pradesh, this may, on the face of it, seem like

another step towards its stated goal of a “Congress-mukth Bharat”. But, no. Whatever the BJP leaders may say, the victory — by an extremely slim

majority and well short of the 150-plus seats it aimed to win — is a setback. After all, Narendra Modi’s home State was the centrepiece of the BJP’s

campaign in the last Lok Sabha election, where it was sold to the rest of India as the model for development. If Gujarat was the launch pad for the

BJP’s national-level ambitions, it now seems to have held out a ray of hope for a Congress desperately looking to revive its political fortunes. Not having

won in the State since 1985, the Congress put up its best showing in 32 years. Admittedly, the BJP was ahead by almost eight percentage points, but

at the end of the day — thanks largely to the swing towards the Congress in the Saurashtra region — only about 20 seats separated the two parties. The

Congress won by smaller margins in a vast swathe of rural Gujarat, where there is a palpable agrarian distress; as for the BJP, its relatively bigger wins

in urban pockets were insufficient to convert its decent lead in overall vote

share into a commensurate number of seats. In Himachal Pradesh, the difference in vote share was smaller, seven percentage points, but the BJP

won a much higher share of the seats, close to a two-thirds majority. The caste or social alliances built by the Congress yielded rich dividends in its

strongholds, allowing it to close the gap. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti led by Hardik Patel gave the Congress an edge in the Saurashtra-Kutch

region. Alpesh Thakor, leader of a grouping of backward classes, and Jignesh Mevani, who organised Dalits against attacks by Hindutva cow vigilantes,

won, giving the Congress the appearance of support from a wider social

base. But the Congress probably failed to appear to be a cohesive formation with an alternative programme to challenge the BJP. > > > http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/win-without-the-shine/article21865064.ece

INDIA : How Gujarat was won? by Shreyas Sardesai/ Sanjay

Kumar (The Hindu via CNUA)

more-in Assembly Elections

Was the victory sealed by a late swing on account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaigning? The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has

managed only a modest victory in Gujarat, confirming some earlier

psephological predictions and ground reports of a close electoral contest.

Two polls conducted by us at Lokniti, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), one in end-October and another in end-November, had

found the electoral race between the BJP and the Congress to have

tightened considerably. In fact, the November survey had found the race to be neck-and-neck in terms of vote share. That trend, however, did not hold

entirely till Voting Day. It now seems that a last-minute swing by some voters towards the final stages of the campaign ended up giving the edge to

the BJP.

We say this based on evidence gathered from a post-poll, a survey of voters at their residences after they voted, conducted by Lokniti. The poll reveals

that over two in every five voters (43%) took a final call on who they would vote for in the last two weeks of campaigning — and more than half of them

(53%) said they voted for the BJP while only about 38% went with the

Congress. In fact, a majority of these late deciders are those who decided at the last minute, either on the day of voting or a day or two before it. In

2012 the share of late deciders had been much lower, at 31%, and back then they had split their vote evenly between the BJP and the Congress.

The question then is, what really happened, between the last week of

November when our final pre-poll took place and the second week of December when actual voting took place, that made some disaffected voters

planning to vote for the Congress change their minds? The answer to this question is not so difficult to find.

The late shift - We believe that it is quite obviously Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaigning, which was for the most part controversial and

divisive, that played a role in turning a section of voters towards the BJP,

thus saving it from a possible defeat. This is the period when the Prime Minister, who is hugely liked in Gujarat (by 72% of those surveyed, post-

poll), campaigned extensively in the State. Starting from November 27 right up till December 11, he addressed more than 30 election rallies across the

State. Most of his speeches, especially the ones made at rallies post-December 5, focussed on divisive themes. Mandir-Masjid, Mughals, Pakistan,

Ahmed Patel, Salman Nizami, etc., he practised classic dog-whistle politics by using coded language that might have stoked passions among some

sections of the electorate.

In our final pre-poll done in end-November, we had found only about 45% of

Hindu voters to be voting for the BJP. In the post-poll, we noticed that eventually nearly 52% of them ended up voting for the incumbent party.

This is also three points higher than the Hindu support that the BJP received in 2012. While our post-poll also suggests an increase in Muslim votes for

the BJP compared to last time, at the same time it also points to a consolidation of Hindu votes behind the party in Assembly seats where the

Muslim population is much higher than average. In constituencies where Muslims in the population are less than 10%, the BJP’s lead over the

Congress among Hindu voters is only 4 percentage points. In seats where

Muslims constitute 10-20% of the population, the gap is six times higher at 25 points. And in areas where Muslims are over 20% of the population, the

BJP leads the Congress by 42 points among Hindu voters. In our pre-poll, these gaps had been minus-3, 16 and 11 points, respectively.

The Hindu card - Among the major worries of the BJP all throughout the

campaign had been the Patidar disaffection with the party as well as the Congress’s attempts to build a rainbow coalition of different castes by roping

in young Patel, Dalit and OBC (Other Backward Classes) leaders on its side. By giving communal overtones to the campaign, the Prime Minister seems to

have ensured a subsuming of some of these caste identities within the Hindu

fold, thus helping the BJP hold on to its bastion. We notice a shift away from the Congress among all Hindu communities, be it Patidars, Kshatriyas,

Dalits, and Adivasis, between the pre-poll and the post-poll. To be fair, it wasn’t just the BJP that played the Hindu card; the Congress tried doing it

too, albeit covertly. All throughout the campaign, Rahul Gandhi, who led the party campaign, steered clear of raising issues concerning Muslim voters and

instead chose to appeal to majoritarian sentiments by visiting temples across the State.

However, eventually it seems that in this competition to woo the Gujarati

Hindus, most Hindu voters, particularly urban ones, were more convinced by

Mr. Modi’s insinuations than by Mr. Gandhi’s attempts at asserting his Hindu-

ness. The Congress’s strategic abandonment of its pluralistic legacy for

electoral gains is to our mind as worrying as the communal rhetoric in Mr. Modi’s campaign.

Also, the fact that a seemingly neck-and-neck election can be turned around

in such a short span by appealing to the majoritarian impulses of voters

raises troubling questions about the health of our electoral democracy.

A section of the Gujarati press may have also played a role, perhaps inadvertently, in effecting the late swing of some voters. A day after Mr.

Modi raised a hue and cry at one of his rallies about Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remark calling him a “neech kisam ka aadmi (a low type of

man)”, the hugely popular Gujarati newspaper, Gujarat Samachar, which has otherwise been quite critical of Mr. Modi over the years, ran a headline

on its front page: “Modi neech jaatino maanas chhe: Mani Shankar Aiyar (Modi is a man from a lower caste says Mani Shankar Aiyar)”. While

Mr. Aiyar had described Mr. Modi as “neech”, the newspaper chose to give

the remark its own spin, or rather Mr. Modi’s spin, by adding the word “jaati” to it. Such misreporting of Mr. Aiyar’s comment in sections of the press just

a day before voting was to take place in Saurashtra-Kutchh and South Gujarat may well have affected the mood of a significant proportion of

voters. Our series of surveys in Gujarat suggest that on an average about one-third of voters in Gujarat are daily readers of newspapers. Among such

voters, the BJP’s lead over the Congress widened from 8 points in the pre-poll to 14 points in the post-poll.

Uncomfortable questions - Winning the trust and confidence of a majority of

voters election after election is no mean achievement, and there’s no doubt

the BJP should be commended for this. But at the same time the uncomfortable question we must be asking is this — was this trust of voters

won by the BJP fairly and squarely on the performance plank alone or whether a large part of it was also won through divisive innuendos,

falsehoods and fear mongering?

Shreyas Sardesai is Research Associate at Lokniti, CSDS. Sanjay Kumar is a Professor and currently the Director of CSDS,

Delhi

> > http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/how-gujarat-was-won/article21865196.ece

INSPIRATION : Nuggets from Bramhakumaris - CNUA

Chasing Shadows - To race after limited name, respect and honour

means to chase after a shadow. -

Co-operation - Co-operation is perhaps one of the least recognised

but most valuable of human virtues. So, for a person to be co-operative means for them to have a quiet eye for what is needed to

bring success, and to supply it (and no more) at the right time, in the right place and then to be off. Someone who co-operates, offers their

services and then splashes their name on the achievement is not co-operative. It requires invisibility and precision to do and then to go

without waiting for results. It also takes a discerning eye to see exactly what is needed, to be removed sufficiently from your own

approach to a task and just to contribute one ingredient. Sometimes not even an idea but, however clever you may consider yourself to be,

just a hand, a support. -

Easy Nature - When there is a light and easy nature, it is easy to be a

friend to all. - Greatest Act Of Generosity - Generosity means more than just

giving. It also means to cooperate with others. The greatest act of

generosity is to see beyond the weaknesses and mistakes of others, helping them to recognise their innate value. -

Gentleness - Move through the world with the grace of an angel, the dignity of a king and the wisdom of a child. -

Real Gentleness - Real gentleness in a person is a great power. The power that sees, understands, but never interferes. Like the branch of

the tree, just touching the earth but never taking root in it. Never to take root in someone else’s mind but to help, that’s gentleness. -

Pure Love - If we obey the principle of pure love, our life will always go in the right direction. Altruistic and unconditional love is pure and

comes from our inner truth. When we are obedient to that inner truth, our life becomes a joyful dance. -

Talk Lovingly to Yourself - Learning to talk properly to the self is a spiritual endeavour. When you make a mistake, do you talk lovingly to

yourself in your mind, or do you tell yourself off? One habit recognises

your divinity; the other subtly shapes a nature of sorrow. -

Tender Heart - Your inner strength is revealed by your gentle nature

and tender heart. - Touch The Stillness - Every action has its seed in a thought and

every thought is a creation of the thinker, the soul. I choose what thoughts I want to create and as is my thinking so are my actions and

also my experience in life. Going within, I touch the stillness and pure love that lie at the core of my being and every thought that I create is

of benefit to myself and of benefit to humanity. -

In The Mind - Freedom starts in the mind, not by cutting ropes. -

Sweet Natured - No one tortures you except your own nature. Make your nature sweet and loveable; then win the love of all. -

Living In Peace - In order to live in peace, try not depend on anyone

and at the same time try to help others not to depend on you. Help them become independent, free and responsible for their lives. In the

same way, ensure you do not cause anyone sorrow, and do not allow others to be a source of hurt for you. -

Manners - A person of wisdom and spirituality has very beautiful manners that have grown from genuine respect and love for the whole

of humanity. Manners in this sense have nothing to do with culture or education: it is simply a question of humility. When we are at the

receiving end of such manners, we feel that some deeper part of us has been honoured. In fact, none of us deserves anything less. -

Unshakeable - If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self pity, these

adverse situations that look like they could bury us, have within them the very real potential to make us unshakeable. -

Within Us - What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny

matters compared to what lies within us. -

Like A Star - At the end of the day, on the wings of your thoughts, go

beyond the cares and troubles of the world. Remove your mind from everything and everyone, and become blissfully detached, like a star. -

Source : http://www.brahmakumaris.org/

PHILIPPINES : Stop hatred, discrimination Cardinal Tagle by Roy

Lagarde (CBCP News via CNUA)

Photo. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presides over the traditional “Misa de Gallo” at the Manila

Cathedral, December 16, 2017. ROY LAGARDE

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has called for an end to bickering and discrimination against people of different cultures and beliefs as he

celebrated the first of nine predawn Masses that usher in Christmas. In his homily at the Manila Cathedral, the cardinal focused on overcoming division

and pointedly talked about the anti-Muslim sentiments fuelled by the recent Marawi crisis. He said Filipinos must tear down barriers to peace, stressing

that Christians should look with hope to unity, not bickering and division.

“Let’s build relationships to destroy the wall that divides and often leads to

violence and indifference,” said Cardinal Tagle, who also heads the Rome-based Caritas Internationalis. “Let’s correct out tendency to discriminate

against others who are different from us. I hope that the relationship of Christians and our Muslims brothers and sisters will improve for the better,”

he said.

Catholics flocked to churches around the country on Saturday to attend the

traditional Misa de Gallo, locally known as “Simbang Gabi”. In Manila, thousands of Catholics filled the cathedral to attend the Mass introduced by

Spanish friars in the 17th century.

Cardinal Tagle further told the churchgoers that what the country needs today is “witnessing to Jesus.” This means that Christians, according to him,

are called to imitate Jesus in their daily lives and lead others, especially the poor and neglected, directly to Him. “It’s time for more people who would

bear witness the love of God that embraces all humanity,” the Manila archbishop added. “And one way of witnessing to Jesus is through

reconciliation and unity by addressing misunderstanding and individualism

that sometimes result to violence,” he said. > > > http://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/cardinal-tagle-stop-hatred-discrimination/

SPIRITUAL : Sometimes Sacramental Confession can be more useful than

counselling by Francis Phillips (Catholic Herald via CNUA)

Penitent receives absolution during Confession (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

According to Professor Peter Tyler’s book 'Confession: The Healing of the Soul', psychotherapy has its limits

It might seem odd to blog about Confession in the week leading up to

Christmas, which is a time of obvious rejoicing. But in a way, the Sacrament of Reconciliation comes before everything else (excluding infant baptism), so

it makes perfect sense to me. I have just been reading Professor Peter Tyler’s Confession: The Healing of the Soul (Bloomsbury £14.99), a thought-

provoking book. Tracing the history of the modern practice of individual confession to a priest, and showing how Christian tradition embraces two

elements in this Sacrament, the Desert Father’s method of spiritual direction

and St Augustine’s encounter with the transcendent, the author explores the nature of the wounds people suffer (largely unconscious) and explains how

these can be healed through Confession.

Peter Tyler is a practising Catholic psychotherapist as well as professor of Pastoral Theology and Spirituality at St Mary’s University. I asked him why,

in his introduction, he describes Confession as an “art”. He refers to Pope St Gregory the Great who stated in “the first great treatise on pastoral care

that all pastoral care is an art as much as a science.” Tyler reflects that “In contemporary terms, we have to learn about anthropology, sociology,

theology and psychology, but there is also a certain “je ne sais quoi” which

can only come with experience.”

Distinguishing between theology and psychology, he explains that “in theology we are dealing with God and God, by God’s nature, will always be

greater than any construct we place on Him. In my experience, the experienced confessors whom I have encountered over the years are those

who understand the technical science of the situation but who can also let God be God to the person they are sitting with. That is what Gregory the

Great meant.”

What does Tyler mean by his image of a “tightrope” between

“transcendental piety” and “psychological reductionism”? He believes that we live “in a strangely illiterate age when it comes to religion – which is why I

think the study of theology is so important. As I said above, because the nature of God is so other than our ordinary experience, and because there is

less preparation to deal with this action, increasingly I find in my ministry and psychological practice that when a modern person has a deep encounter

with God they are often unable to cope with it.”

He tells me that “As humans, we seem to want to either reduce the spiritual

to the physical or use the spiritual as a means of running away from the physical. The first reaction is “psychological reductionism” – the encounter

with God is written off as a psychosis or mood disorder. The latter is a form of Gnosticism or dualism that wants to avoid the necessity of living in the

world. The Church in her wisdom has always taught a balance between these two extremes.”

I remind Tyler that he writes that after the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215,

“healing of the soul” became “yoked to the canonical requirements of the

Sacrament.” Doesn’t this imply a rather negative view of Confession as it is practised today? “On the contrary! In my final chapter I return to the

contemporary world and suggest that Sacramental Confession is the archetypal form of confession, par excellence. My book arose from the fact

that I heard Sacramental Confession often being played down as a poor substitute for therapy or counselling – whereas my own experience as a

therapist is that sometimes Sacramental Confession will be of more use to the person at a particular time than counselling.”

Why, I want to know, is secular “confession” so popular these days? Tyler

tells me: “It is a good question and rather mysterious. As I suggest in the

book, it could be argued that as human beings we need to engage in confession. It is part of what makes us human.” He adds, “As a Catholic, I

might argue that with the decline of religious confession in the modern era,

this impulse manifests itself in other forms or ways. As an analyst, I would

say that it is a necessary psychological function and if it is not dealt with in a therapeutic setting it will emerge in other ways.”

He thinks that in his parents’ time, “people would often open up to

shopkeepers, hairdressers and other ordinary folk in daily encounters. Nowadays, when I go shopping, I am lucky if I meet a human being to take

my money! The need for confession is also the simple need for human contact and love.”

Following on from this, how would he try to heal the breach between the “confessional” and the “counselling room?” Tyler is clear: “First, people,

especially Catholics, need to be educated as to the value and importance of Confession (hence my writing this book.) Too often it is seen simply as a

means to “wipe the slate clean”. Yet it is, quite literally, a wonderful gift from God and the Church for the healing of the soul. Clergy are not second-

rate psychologists but performing an important role that builds on the psychological to allow transcendental healing to take place. Secondly,

psychological professions need to understand that there is a limit to what can be achieved in the counselling room – where the psychological ends and

the spiritual begins.”

He comments: “Perhaps there needs to be a little more humility here too.”

Referring to a fascinating passage in his book, where he contrasts the

“terrible wound” suffered by Tristan in Arthurian mythology and the “love wound” described by St John of the Cross, I ask Tyler to explain the

difference between them. He is convinced that “The Tristan wound is the transcendent wound of our time. So many young people today have an

encounter with the divine, as described above, but are unable to allow it to

heal their souls. Rather, like the Lord Tristan, they fester and die from the wound.”

“St John’s poetry describes something subtly different. He writes, “Oh night

more lovely than the dawn!” From the transcendental (or theological) perspective we are witnessing the love of God transforming our very being

to make it ready for the great encounter we are destined for. So, on one level the wounds are the same but it is a question of perspective. Either we

see the wound as a closing of a door to the transcendent – or as an opening to Eternity.”

I remind Tyler that he quotes Dom Bede Griffiths in his book, that “It is Christ alone who can free us from the unconscious”. Could he explain this

further? “My interpretation of this fascinating statement is similar to my

answer to the last question. Griffiths wrote this in correspondence with a

Jungian analyst. He realised (as I do) that psychology is important. However, there comes a time when psychology must bow down and make

way for the spiritual or theological. St John makes the point in a similar way. He distinguishes between our “natural appetites” – what we would now

probably call the “unconscious” – and the “voluntary appetites” – our assent or dissent to the forces that arise from the unconscious.”

“Events of the last century have revealed to us the dark forces of the

unconscious (Freud himself suffered from them when his family members were persecuted by the Nazis and his books burnt before he was sent into

exile). The temptation is to despair – our psychological reductionism again.

What Dom Bede Griffiths is saying is that we do not need to despair. Christ can enter into the depths of the unconscious and allow healing to happen. I

see this on a regular basis in the consulting room.” He adds: “For me, personally, it happens most strikingly and forcible in the Confessional.”

My last question arises from this discussion: would it generally benefit

Catholics to have a spiritual director/counsellor, alongside going to Confession?

Characteristically, Tyler refers again to St John of the Cross, telling me that in discussing spiritual direction the Saint says it may be necessary “to

counter three “blind guides”: Those who give us bad advice; the Devil; and the soul that does not understand itself.”, adding “I don’t personally think

spiritual direction or counselling are necessary at every step of life’s path. They are specific tools for specific tasks at specific times. I know many good

and holy people who engage in neither.”

“However, from the Desert fathers onwards, we have been counselled to

have a person to talk to in order to share our spiritual life with. This may be a “professional” guide or what the Celts used to call a “soul-friend”. St

Ignatius calls it the necessity of having someone in your life with whom you could talk serious about serious things. The Devil can easily deceive us, and

often having a person to open our hearts to can unmask these deceptions.” “None of this” he reminds me, “obviates the need for regular and timely

Sacramental Confession if one is a Catholic.” > http://catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2017/12/18/sometimes-sacramental-confession-can-be-more-useful-than-counselling/

U. S. : What can priests practically do to combat the porn epidemic? by Mary Rezac

Credit: Unsplash.

Mary Rezac

Washington D.C., Dec 19, 2017 (CNA/EWTN News via CNUA) Online

pornography is one of the fastest growing addictions in the United States, on

par with cocaine and gambling. Once confined to the pages of a smuggled

Playboy magazine, pornography can now be in the hands of anyone with a

smartphone, and is more prolific and anonymous than ever.

PornHub, one of the world’s largest sites with porn video streaming, reports that it averages 75 million viewers per day, or about 2.4 million visitors per

hour. In 2015 alone, the number of hours streamed from the site was double the amount of time human beings have populated the Earth, according to

TIME Magazine.

And while pornography used to be a simpler problem for priests to address in the confessional – consecrate yourself to Mary, go to weekly adoration –

the growing level of addiction makes it a much more complex problem for the Church to address.

That’s why Fr. Sean Kilcawley, the program directory and theological advisor for pornography ministry Integrity Restored, has started to put on intensive

trainings for clergy, providing them resources and practical tips for how to

address the growing crisis of pornography addiction.

How the trainings work ? - For an intensive training, Fr. Kilcawley takes a dozen or so priests for 3-4 days and immerses them in resources and

training for the porn-addicted in their fold. He also facilitates shorter, one-day conferences. “We try to equip the priest to get that person to come talk

to them outside of confession, just to bring that into the light, so that the priest can then become the first responder in the field hospital of the

church,” Fr. Kilcawley told CNA.

Smaller groups work best, he added, because it allows the priests space to

process the information and to be more vulnerable with one another. During these trainings, Fr. Kilcawley tackles the subject from an anthropological and

theological standpoint, while Dr. Todd Bowman, a Christian psychologist and director of the SATP Institute, addresses the issue from a psychological

viewpoint.

Modeling the relationship between a priest and a sex therapist during the

trainings is key, Dr. Bowman said. “I know that sounds like the start of a joke: a priest and a psychologist walk into a conference,” Dr. Bowman told

CNA. “But (it’s important) to demonstrate this relationship between soul care

and care of the psyche or the mind, this process of healing often requires

psychological care,” he said. “So we’re trying to give priests the experience that not all psychologists are anti-church, or anti-Catholic. At the same time,

not all Christian or Catholic therapists are equipped and qualified for this, so we’re trying to…(show them how to be) intentional in selecting therapists

who will honor church teaching but who will also have the competence to do this work well with porn or sex addiction.”

Preventative action: Stopping porn addictions before they

start - Practical things priests can do to address pornography addiction generally fall into two categories: preventative and interventional, Fr.

Kilcawley noted. One of the key things a priest can do to stop pornography

addictions is to ensure that the parents of the parish are being provided with education and resources they need for pornography prevention in the home.

“We’ve always said that it’s the parent’s job to educate their children, but as a Church we haven’t done a great job teaching the parents how to educate

their children,” Fr. Kilcawley said. “And we now live in a world where it's no longer optional to have those conversations.”

No longer optional, because studies show the average age of first exposure

to pornography is 8 years old – and any kid with access to a phone or a tablet could accidentally stumble upon pornography, he said. One thing he

recommends is that parishes hold mandatory meetings for parents of

children who are either receiving the sacraments or religious education at the parish, where they can give parents an overview of Theology of the

Body, as well as tips and resources for internet safety and how to address pornography. It can be especially difficult to know how to talk about such a

mature topic with such a young age group. However, several books have been written in the past several years to help parents know where to begin,

Fr. Kilcawley said, and some parishes hand them out during meetings with parents.

One of his recommendations is “Good Pictures Bad Pictures,” a read-aloud

picture book that helps parents address the issue with very young children.

Starting at the 4th grade level, Fr. Kilcawley recommends the book “Wonderfully Made! Babies” which puts the content within the context of

theology of the body and the sacrament of marriage. For the junior high and high school level, he recommends “Plunging Pornography,” a book to leave in

the bathroom for teens to find that can serve as a conversation starter. Fr.

Kilcawley said in some parishes, groups like the Knights of Columbus have paid for some of these books to be handed out to every parent. He also recommends internet filters like Covenant Eyes, which sponsors a special

service for parents, parishes and schools.

Interventional : What to do about those who are already

addicted ? - Probably the most common place a priest will first find out about a pornography addiction is in the confessional. When someone

confesses viewing porn, Fr. Kilcawley said one of the best things a priest can do is to ask a few guiding questions to help them make a good confession.

“Ask questions like, ‘How frequently do you fall into porn and masturbation in general?’” Fr. Kilcawley said. The question is not meant to pry – it helps

determine whether the person needs additional help. It’s also helpful to ask when the problem started. “If it started before puberty, which is most

common now, almost everyone who started before puberty is going to need extra help stopping, they might need counseling or group support, and

spiritual direction,” Father said.

A third question to ask would be if they’ve tried to remove porn from their

life – are they already using filtering software? Are they seeing a therapist or going to a 12-step group? And then finally, Fr. Kilcawley advised priests in

the confessional, ask them if they want to stop. “Just to help them make a good firm purpose of amendment,” he said, adding that when they answer

yes, that’s a good opportunity to offer them more resources. But it’s important that the help be personal. Simply handing the person a flyer and

telling them to call a therapist or a group typically doesn’t work, Father noted. It should either be the priest, or someone involved in that specific

ministry at the parish, who is the first point of contact for that person, and can help them get in touch with additional resources.

Another thing priests can do is start a porn or sex addict support group in their parish. Fr. Kilcawley said he started one in his office once a week, with

a small group of men who were all struggling with porn addictions. “Most people who are stuck in addiction, they need a support group, whether it’s a 12-step group like Sexaholics Anonymous or a spiritual support group, where

they are open and vulnerable and accountable about their lives. They need

that, plus a counselor, plus a spiritual director that they’re working with

regularly,” he said.

Thou shalt not: The don’ts of porn ministry - A mistake often made by untrained clergy in pornography addiction ministry is that they may suggest,

explicitly or implicitly, that a pornography addiction is the fault of the spouse. “It’s not the spouse’s lack of sexual interest that’s to blame for her

husband’s sexual addiction,” Dr. Bowman said. Addicted persons will often try “blame shifting,” he added, which creates “a spiritual crisis that

compounds the betrayal trauma” of the spouse. The next mistake clergy could make would be to minimize the impact of the addiction on the spouse.

Most people who find out their spouse has a sex addiction will experience

varying levels of feelings of betrayal, Dr. Bowman said. “There’s significant

trauma in that loss of identity – but the Church can speak about identity as

sons and daughters of God into that space,” he added. It’s when identity is only being informed by brokenness that bigger problems arise. Another

mistake would be to abandon those in recovery. If a priest commits to setting up support groups in his parish, he needs to follow through, Dr.

Bowman said. “If you are setting yourself up as a support that means take the phone call, schedule the meeting, even if it's inconvenient, you’re going

that measure and not abandoning folks in recovery,” he said.

Not a fringe ministry – this is evangelization 101 - The biggest cardinal mistake that clergy can make in regards to pornography addiction

ministry is never mentioning it, Dr. Bowman said. It’s usually a more

“omissive than commissive” problem, he commented. “It’s not like (clergy) are actively avoiding talking about this, but they may think, ‘My parishioners

don’t want to hear about this, there are other things that are more relevant and important.’

But, according to Dr. Bowman, “There may be no more pressing topic for

parishioners and priests alike...the only mistake would be not to bring it up.” It may be helpful for priests to view this as part of evangelization, and not

as a fringe ministry, Fr. Kilcawley said, because very likely, someone who is stuck in addiction is unable to have a good relationship with the Lord. “Most

people who are stuck in addiction believe they’re unlovable, and that if

people really knew them they would reject them, and they don’t trust other people to meet their needs and so they have to meet their own needs, and

their addiction is the best way to meet their need,” he said. “So if someone has those core beliefs, they can’t really know our Lord.” “So anti-

pornography work and anti-porn apostolates, they’re really the first stage of evangelization.”

Both Dr. Bowman and Fr. Kilcawley said they hope that increasingly, priests

become aware of the urgent need to reach pornography addicts in their pews. “We live in a culture where statistically, about half of Christians report

looking at porn at least monthly,” Fr. Kilcawley said.“So if that’s the case

then, yeah we need a lot more (pornography ministry). It’s not a ministry for a few people, it’s more of a ministry for everyone.” > > > https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-can-priests-practically-do-to-combat-the-porn-epidemic-44881

RELAX PLEASE Keep Me Alive Compiled by K. M. Selvaraj

"Want to keep Christ in Christmas? - Feed the hungry, clothe the naked,

forgive the guilty, welcome the stranger and the unwanted child, care for the ill, love your enemies." - Unknown

"Christ's willingness to come to earth was not motivated by what He saw

inside of us, but by what was inside of Him." - Paul David Tripp “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, and is completely dependent on

the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1943

Predicting the Future - A funny teacher joke.While studying the occult, a

teacher asked one of the boys in her class, "Can people predict the future with cards?" His response was, "My mother can." The teacher replied,

"Really?" The young boy was quick to explain, "Yes, she takes one look at my report card and tells me what will happen when my father gets home." -

Christmas Present - Christmas time is a season when many people are more interested in the present than the past. -

The Trip Home - A pastor had been on a long flight between church

conferences. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: *Fasten Your Seat Belts* Then, after a

while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time

as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened." As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that

many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice on the intercom said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at

this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us." And then the storm broke . . . The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the

engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the

airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash. The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear

of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The

future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. "Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently, the storm

meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on

her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly. "Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read

again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. "When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it

lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely

composed and unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising, therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination

and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having

commented on the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she

had not been afraid. The child replied, "Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home." Physical, mental, financial, domestic, and many other

storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let

us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky. Let us

remember: Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home. Don't worry! - Gerald M. Costello, Interim Director, The Christophers

An intellectual is someone who takes more words than necessary to tell

more than they know. -

Keep Me Alive - Ada was slowly recovering from a heart attack. "Doctor,"

she pleaded with her cardiologist, "you must keep me alive for the next two years. I want to attend my first grandchild's graduation." "We'll try," he

replied compassionately. In due course Ada gratefully attended the festive ceremony. Some time later she again spoke to her doctor. "My

granddaughter is to be married in 18 months. Please help me to be able to attend her wedding." "We'll do our best," he replied. Ada happily attended

her granddaughter's wedding. Ten years passed. Ada visited her cardiologist regularly and followed his instructions religiously. One morning she called

him. "Doctor," she began, "I'm feeling fine, but I have another request to

ask of you Remember how you saw me through to my grandson's graduation?" "Yes." "And later how you helped me attend my

granddaughter's wedding?" "Yes." "Well, as you know I've just celebrated my 80th birthday. And I just bought myself a new mattress." "Yes?" "It has

a 20-year guarantee..." -

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ECCL. ADVISER : + Arulappan Amalraj, Bishop of Ootacamund THE EDITORIAL TEAM - Dr. Ambrose Pinto SJ, Dr. Anandam Lourdu, Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ, Dr. Charles Irudayam, Sr. Inigo Joachim SSAM, Dr. John Felix Raj SJ, Dr. Joe Mannath SDB,

Fr. Joe Mattam SJ, Dr. Sr. Mudita Menona Sodder RSCJ, Fr. Nithya Sagayam OFM Cap., Dr. Sr. Pauline Chakkalakal DSP, Fr. Peter J. Henriot SJ, Dr. Sr. Shalini Mulackal,

Fr. Sunny Jacob SJ, Bro. Varghese Theckanath SG, Fr. Vimal Tirimanna CSsR

For All That was Thank You Lord.

For All That Is Going To Be Yes Lord Amen.

My Lord, My God, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done. Come Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Ave Maria!