11 September 2014

2 1 September 20142 1 September 2014

Vatican City: Pope Francis has called the family of U.S.journalist James Foley, who was beheaded by ISISmilitants earlier this week, a Vatican spokesman hasconfirmed.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy Seepress office, confirmed to CNA in an Aug. 21 email thatPope called the Foley family about the death of James.

On Aug. 19, the Islamic State (ISIS), a militantgroup that controls territory in Syria and Iraq, releaseda graphic video titled “A Message to America” whichshows the beheading of Foley, who had gone missingin Syria in 2012. U.S. officials have now confirmed theauthenticity of the video.

The insurgents said that Foley’s execution was inretaliation for U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State tar-gets in Iraq. They warned that they have anothermissing American journalist, Steven Joel Sotloff, incaptivity, saying that his life depends on U.S. PresidentBarack Obama’s actions.

Foley’s parents, John and Diane, had said Aug. 20that the Pope was due to call them soon, according toThe Daily Mail.

They have voiced gratitude for the prayers offeredfor their son and the entire family.

“We thank God for the gift of Jim. We are so, soproud of him,” said Diane. She added that they prayedto God for strength and were grateful that “God hasgiven us so many prayers” throughout James’ captiv-ity.

“Jim would never want us to hate or be bitter.We’re praying for the strength to love like he did,” shesaid.

“It's not difficult to find solace in this point in time,”John stated. “We know he is in God's hands, and weknow he’s done God’s work.”

“We need the courage and prayers now to con-tinue without him.”

Cardinal Fernando Filoni said Pope Francis “wasreally taken” by the cardinal’s description ofChristians and other minorities forced from their

homes in north-western Iraq by militias belonging to theIslamic State terrorist group.

The Pope met Cardinal Filoni early on Thursday,the morning after the cardinal returned to the Vaticanfollowing a visit to Iraq on August 13-20 as Francis’senvoy to besieged minorities there.

“He was very attentive,” the cardinal said of thePope, “and he let me speak at length. He took to heartall the situations I spoke about: the expectations of ourChristians and their worries, as well as the approachtaken by the local churches.”

Cardinal Filoni, a former Vatican nuncio to Iraq andcurrent prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisationof Peoples, spoke to Vatican Radio after his meeting withPope Francis.

The cardinal was able to meet with the displaced onthe lawns of churches, inside church buildings andschools, and in the camps where they have receivedinitial assistance. He said: “You have to realise that thisis the warmest period of the year”, when temperaturesregularly exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit, so shade andwater are extremely important.

Once the immediate needs are met, he said, “ev-eryone asks: How long will this go on? What awaitsthem?”

“The most vivid images that will stay with me are ofthose people who have lost everything” yet count them-selves lucky if no one in their immediate family was killedby the Islamic State forces, he said.

Most of the members of the minority Yazidi reli-gious community were not so fortunate, he said. “Thiswas agonising. Their faces were blank.” They had seenmany of the men in their villages murdered and many ofthe women “kidnapped, raped and sold.”

Cardinal Filoni told Vatican Radio his hope “is thehope of these people” – that they can return home withsome form of internationally guaranteed “security cor-don” around their villages.

Pope Calls Family OfSlain US Journalist

Pope’s Personal Envoy BriefsFrancis After Visit To Iraq

31 September 2014

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Cover : Right wing groups given freeregin in India

(Article on pg. 3)

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Right wing groups givenfree reign in India

Numerous political columnists have in recent weeksnoted how elements of the RashtriyaSwayamsewak Sangh (RSS), and its right wing

Hindu ultra-nationalist ideology, has moved from thefringes to center stage of Indian discourse after NarendraModi’s election win in May.

His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unabashed aboutits links with the RSS and the expanding group of organi-zations it has spawned, collectively known as the Sangh Parivar. Modi is himselfa former RSS leader, as are several of his cabinet colleagues. Some rankingRSS officials have in recent weeks been inducted as general secretaries of theBJP, leaving no one in any doubt of the seamless fusion of the political party andthe Sangh which styles itself as a social and cultural organization.

This again points to the major problems religious minorities can beexpected to face under Modi’s leadership. RSS chief Vishnu Bhagwat hasrepeatedly asserted that everyone in India is Hindu – including Muslims andChristians – because this is the land of the Hindu people and civilization. TheSangh ideologue MG Vaidya said on May 19, three days after the election result,that they can now tackle issues such as the building of the Ram temple on thesite of the Babri mosque they demolished in 1992. Ashok Singhal, leader ofVishwa Hindu Parishad which is a member of the Sangh, said: “If [Muslims]keep opposing Hindus, how long can they survive?”

Hindus have always been a majority in India, but the manifestation of amajority attitude had only been reflected in the cultural and social field, saidSeshadri Char,i a sober commentator of Outlook Magazine and former editorof RSS mouthpiece Organiser.

“Now it is reflected in the politics of the country. A large number of footsoldiers in the RSS-BJP do believe that the political Hindu has arrived,” he wrote.

This was apparent in the absolutely poisonous and acrid discussion thattook place in the lower house of parliament two days before Independence Dayon August 15 when the BJP’s lead speaker Yogi Adityanath, founder of therightist group Hindu Yuva Vahini, got away with demonizing the Muslimcommunity and others. The opposition Congress Party did nothing to rebut him

BY JOHN DAYAL

Contentspg. 3 - Right wing groups given free

regin in Indiapg. 5 - Independence Day Musingspg. 6 - Reader's Viewspg. 7 - Online Bullying A Growing

Worrypg 8 - Gujarat Government Violates

The Rights of Childrenpg 10 - The Eucharistic Mealpg 14 - Catholics Can Now Choose

Cremation As Last Ritepg 15 - Scapegoatingpg 18 - Misunderstandings of Con-

fessions by Catholicspg 19 - Inspiration!pg 20 - Matrimonialspg 22 - Gift Of Salvation Is For All

4 1 September 2014

(Contd.. from p. 3)

and his colleagues.The debate, the fielding of

Adityanath as the key speaker for hisparty, and the applause he receivedfrom leaders and other members onthe BJP benches, made a mockery oftalk that Modi’s political high commanddistances itself from the lunacy of theSangh Parivar, the family of Hindu na-tionalist groups.

The potential for crisis comes – asit has this time – when rogue elementschoose to challenge the law and in-dulge in targeted mass violence as-suming the current political climate willno react against them. They seem to beright.

The rash of violence against Mus-lims in north India, and increasing inci-dents of coercion and assault againstChristians in central and north India,has alarmed religious minorities in thecountry.

The figures of communal violence,and actions that fell just sort of vio-lence, are not officially declared, butestimates of cases since the BJP vic-tory announcement on May 16 rangeupwards of 1,000, most incidents tak-ing place in Uttar Pradesh andMaharashtra which face elections laterthis year for state legislatures.

The violence against Muslims hasbeen well recorded. The anti-Christianviolence has gone under the radar.Taken together, it indicates a massivedrive to turn Hindu the countryside,small towns and tribal areas, and notthe big towns that were the focus ofviolence in past years. Bastar in east-ern Chhattisgarh state is the newflashpoint.

The Christian leadership has ex-pressed alarm at the sharp rise in hatecampaigns by the Sangh’s political andcultural organizations. The threat ofpurging Christians from villages ex-tends from Chhattisgarh and MadhyaPradesh now to Uttar Pradesh, the bor-ders of the national capital of NewDelhi.

There has been no response fromthe state and federal governments yetto the June diktat by local village lead-ers, panchayats, in the Bastar region ofChhattisgarh banning entry of Chris-tian. They decided that only Hindus will

be allowed into villages in this tribalbelt, and only Hindu places of worshipcan be built in future. This decision isentirely illegal and violates constitu-tional articles that protect freedom ofexpression and movement.

The coercive methodology ofbranding every tribal as a Hindu hasled to much violence in several centralIndian states, including a pogrom inKandhamal in Orissa in August 2008.Such threats by right wing Hindu groupsgained significant traction during theearly years of the BJP-led NationalDemocratic Alliance government of AtalBehari Vajpayee, especially in the tribalareas of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

In the Dangs, a district of Gujarat,more than 25 village churches wereburned down on Christmas Eve of 1998followed by the gruesome burning aliveof Australian medical missionary Gra-ham Stuart Staines and his two youngsons in Manouharpur in Orissa in Janu-ary 2009. Many other murders followed,including that of a Catholic priest, Fa-ther Arun Doss, in the same region.

Modi and his Minister for HomeAffairs, Rajnath Singh, have failed to

send out strong signals that the rule oflaw will be fully protected. Modi’s an-nouncement in his Independence Dayspeech asking for a “10-year morato-rium” on all forms of sectorial violencehas muddled the civil discourse.

Human rights and religious mi-nority groups have questioned him onwhy he did not appeal for a completeend to violence against religious andcaste groups. One cynical explanationis that the BJP seeks peace for the 10years when it hopes to rule the countryin increasing strength, but may face adifficult election a decade from now.

Modi has an opportunity to re-store faith in harmony and secularismin the country. But there is little of hopethat filters through his current strategyof silence on most issues of concern tothe country, other than in a few publicspeeches where rhetoric and sloganssubstitute for substance.

John Dayal is the general secretary ofthe All India Christian Council and amember of the Indian government'sNational Integration Council. (Source:ucanews)

Excel Seniors was a programmeorganized by UXCEL--- An Institute for Excellence in asso-

ciation with Milagres Seniors, RotaryClub South and Vishwas Trust on 22ndAugust 22, 2014 at the Milagres Jubi-lee Hall, Mangalore with the sole ob-jective of reviving seniors and explor-ing their potential so that find fulfill-ment and joy.

For UXCEL it is its secondprogramme, the first being the RAMPWALK for the seniors held early thisyear.

The programme had nearly 400seniors and superseniors take thestage for the dance , singing, narrationof jokes and fancy dress contest. Therewere fifteen organizations whose in-mates joined the programme and werethoroughly entertained and energizedduring the monsoon season. The old-est participant was ninety two yearsold.

The participants were awarded

cash prizes. Juliet was the star dancerof the morning.The Judges for thecontest were Prof. Lawrence Dcosta,Mrs Vijayalakshmi and Mrs. GrettaDsouza .

UXCEL with Prof. Maria PhyllisD'Costa organized show.The MilagresParish provided the hall, the RotaryClub South under the leadership ofRtn. Nandini Raghuchandra donatedthe meal.

Excel Seniors Programme in Mangalore

51 September 2014

I am a victim of enforced idlenessbrought about by unemployment,old age and ailments. Not quite. I

get up in the middle of the night with amind full of dreams and a full bladderand then cannot get back to sleepagain. Despite my arthritis, I got up andcheered when NaMo advocated thatMPs should use the money allotted tothem under MPLAD and other schemesfor building toilets. I have been advo-cating this for a long time and it hasbecome more necessary as I advancein years. I sat down when I realized thatNaMo did not have me in mind when heannunciated his policy from the RedFort. He was more interested in thewomen from the rural areas

Again I hailed NaMo when he an-nounced that there should be no com-munal violence for 10 years. I havelived in a setting where everyone hasdifferent beliefs and hence communalharmony would be welcome — howmoney is to be used, how the house isto be arranged, how week-ends are tobe spent, etc. Unfortunately 10 years istoo short — I plan to live for another 30years.

Unlike the jet set crowd I didn’trush to put my comments on Twitter —I am not a bird. Nor did I go to Facebook.I don’t intend to change my statuswhere I have been “Faceless” for 78years. I prefer the old fashioned way ofwriting an essay from the safety of theother side of the eyeballs from whatyou are observing.

NaMo passing the onus on devel-opment on to the common man re-minded me of how I was inspired whenJohn F. Kennedy told the Americanpeople “Don’t ask what the country cando for you. Ask rather what you can dofor the country”. I have been tellingpeople what I can do for over half acentury now but nobody is listening.

I saw the Retreat done jointly bythe Indian and Pakistan forces at theWagah Border prior to their retiring torest for the night. It was choreographedto bring out the preparedness of eachside for conflict — don’t mess aroundwith me ! The body language, facial

expressions, actions, shouting andmovements showed what was in storein case the neighbors became tooneighborly. I am wondering if suchrituals should be adopted in the co-operative societies in which we live! Ihave never followed the advice, “Never

Independence Day. In another 30 yearsI shall probably be one of the few whocan say that I witnessed it in person. Atthe age of 10, I suddenly realized thatlife had changed, that India was mov-ing ahead. Everything took on a uniquemeaning. The sign on the road, ‘Men atWork”. The whistle of the train enginecarried the message that people andgoods were on the move, There wasthe hysteria of the elections, the Re-public Day parades. I am fortunate tosay that with each Independence andRepublic Day this boyhood belief in mycountry has not dimmed.

I am not one who subscribes tothe view that nothing has happened in67 years. In fact I find that I cannot evenimagine that I am alive today survivingan open by-pass surgery, prostate op-erations, innumerable ailments. Myparents never travelled by air, they didn’thave a telephone [now I have one ineach pocket], there was no TV [ mayhave been a blessing] no car, no mi-cro-wave, etc. The toilets emptying intothe open drains have since disap-peared. There is no queuing up to buyrations, access to any part of the worldis possible at any time, I can determinemy bank balances from anywhere atany moment and transfer money fromPune to Chennai as fast as the elec-tronic system will permit. My maidservant’s children can get a profes-sional degrees and well-paying jobs.

It is blasphemous to say that noth-ing was done in 60 years. Nobody isexpecting wonders to be achieved in70 days which the seniors have taken60 years to build. But remember theseniors have built a solid foundation, aremarkable constitution, an incrediblesystem of governance of diverse peopleand cultures and a sound economy. Asa Catholic for me it is significant thatIndependence Day coincides with theCatholic Church Feast of the Assump-tion of Mary, Mother of God, intoHeaven. From the foundations that havebeen laid on this 68 Independence DayIndia can take a quantum leap forward.Cheers on this great day to all Indians

Independence Day Musings

Francis Lobo

go to bed angry”. I have found sleepthe best cure for anger.

The danger of writing is that no-body may read. Technology has madelife easy — Just press the “Delete”button. But one in a hundred who do,send me a comment like, “Hi Bozo [myname is Lobo] did you write that inhumor?” This forces me to write againto make my views clear even if they areonly to myself.

As I see the debates on TV, onecomment leads to another — Thereare unintended consequences andthere is a hidden side to everything.Having made a comment on one sub-ject, people ask me “What do you thinkof ——— [Something on which I havenot a clue. This sends me rushing toWikipedia to find out what they aretalking about]”

The Internet has made communi-cation easy for the reader with the “De-lete” button. It has also made it cheapfor the writer — no paper, no postage,no rejection slips.

I have fond memories of my first

6 1 September 2014

Pope FrancisAnd Destiny

Pope Francis recently sounded apessimistic note by stating that he isdestined to live for only 2-3 years morebefore embarking on the final journeyto meet his maker. Whether this is aprophetic utterance arising out of arevelation, or one driven by failing healthand fatigue, may never be known .Nevertheless, there is good reason tobelieve that the Holy Father is feelingthe strain of the papacy due to old age,after he hinted that he would not hesi-tate to step down like his predecessorpope Benedict XVI, if he felt that he wasincapable of delivering the goods. An-other plausible reason is that PopeFrancis is feeling the heat and pressureby dissidents in the Curia and a sectionof disgruntled bishops in the churchwho are not happy with the Holy Father’sliberal approach to some controversialand pressing doctrinal issues plaguingthe church today. Whatever be the rea-son, it is better if a retirement age isfixed for every incumbent pope, just asit is mandatory for every bishop tosubmit his resignation at the age of75.This will ensure better functioningand governance of church affairs.

—A. F. Nazareth,Alto Porvorim

Communion forthe DivorcedReference, article with the above

caption by Chotebhai in the SecularCitizen of 11th August.

Questions such as "Is an alco-holic husband who bashes his wifeevery other day holier than a divorcedand remarried couple,just because hehas divorced his wife ? " and " If theSacraments are a means of sanctifica-tion for those in need ,rather than areward for being good ,then do not thedivorced and remarried stand in needof such spiritual sustenance ? " do notseem to be relevant or helpful . Howcan we expect such questions andthoughts from a person who has a

good amount of knowledge about theChurch and who profess faith in theChurch ?

All agree there are difficulties incertain issues like divorce, contracep-tion, marital chastity etc etc. , but think-ing of solutions in purely secular waysis not the right step. Catholic Church,for that matter Jesus Christ is not de-mocracy. Once Jesus said that lookingat a woman with lust is sin, we arenobody to change the concept. We donot say that our Popes and bishops areperfect, but we have the faith that theChurch is protected and guided by theHoly Spirit. Those who believe in this,have to abide by the rules of the Churchand cannot say that " Celibate oldmales sitting in boardrooms ,shouldnot decide the fate of young couples inbedrooms "

Apart from all these, man hasGod's gift, his conscience. The con-science is the most secret core andthere he is alone with God. Faced witha moral choice ,he must always seekwhat is right and good and discern thewill of God through prayers. I humblyfeel , Church rules in sexual ethicsthough hard, are for the good of indi-viduals and humanity .......if we look atthem from the spiritual angle.

There is no point in asking theChurch to change rules to suit ourthoughts and demands.

—K.C. Thomas

Iyengar andCatholic YogaThe famed yogic maestro BKS

Iyengar has passed away, but his mod-ern yogic philosophy will remain im-mortal as are Patanjali’s ancient‘Asthangayoga’, or the eight- fold pathto God- realization.

Iyengar maintained that you canbring about health and harmony tothose around you and to the worldwhen your body, mind and soul are insync. His book Light on Yoga is a clas-sic. He revealed that yoga teaches usto move from Kurukshetra toDharmakshetra, and God knows weneed fewer Kurukshetras today—— inJesus parlance, “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

Briefly, I will evaluate six limbs ofPatanjali‘s Ashtangayoga in the bril-liance of our rich Catholic Tradition.Niyama (2) which embodies cleanli-ness, austerity, study and worshipwould evolve into the Sacrament ofReconciliation, Bible reading and HolyMass. In the twin disciplines of Asana—body posturing (3) and Pranayama—breath control (4) one should practiceslow, deep inhalation with ‘JE’, andprolonged exhalation of ‘SUS’. This‘JE-SUS’ along with Dharana –contem-plation (6) or a verse of Jesus from NTwould enable one to progress toDhyana—meditation (7), more fruitfullyin front of an image of the Scared Heartor Divine Mercy ultimately elevatingoneself to Samadhi – salvation (8) in anecstatic ‘Christ –Consciousness’—“Bestill, and know that I AM God” (Psalm46:10).

PS. The other two limbs are1) Yama or the five vows— ahimsa

(non-violence), satya (truthfulliving), asteya (non-covetous-ness), brahmacharya (sexualcontinence), aparigraha (non-possessiveness).

2) Pratyahara (5)—withdrawal ofsenses from the external objects.

—Dr Trevor Colaso, Bandra

The Challengeof the ISIS

The horrifying atrocities commit-ted by the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq

(Contd.. on p. 17)

71 September 2014

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Exposure to the cyberworld may have helpedchildren expand their men-tal horizons but it has manydownsides, the latest be-ing cyber bullying.

Child bullying is becoming bigger withevery passing day. Earlier such bully-ing was restricted to the classroomsand playgrounds only, but things havechanged and the whole digital world isa playground now. Those small in-stances of ‘making fun’ in schools takea bigger proportion in the digital formand thus have a lot of negative impacton the child’s psychology, says RiteshChopra, country manager – sales, In-dia, Norton by Symantec.

The government has also swung intoaction. Telecommunications and IT Min-ister Ravi Shankar Prasad recently toldparliament that the government hasimplemented the Information SecurityEducation Awareness (ISEA) ,programme including those conductedby Confederation of Indian Industry,Internet & Mobile Association of Indiaand Data Security Council of India forsecurity awareness and training in thearea of information security.

”Specific workshops have been con-ducted for school children on makingthem aware about risks on Internet andadopting safe Internet browsing prac-tices. In these programmes, around710 workshops have been organisedacross the country covering large num-ber of organisations, schools, studentsand teachers,” he said.

”A website (secureyourpc.in) for chil-dren, home users and elderly is avail-able for safeguarding their computersystems and learning the risks onInternet,” Prasad told the parliamentar-ians in reply to a question.

Chopra said that these problems arisemore often “when people cannot dis-tinguish between the virtual and realworlds”. ”They tend to spend moretime on devices. Children often tend toshare personal information on socialnetwork sites that may invite biggertroubles.

”We have gone to various schools tospread this awareness and also at-tended parents-teachers meetings tomake them aware of the behaviouralchanges of the kids. 84 percent ofparents in India did not feel that theirchild was being bullied online,” he said.

Online Bullying A Growing Worry

According to a recent study by theindustry body, ASSOCHAM, de-spite the government’s strictnorms to prohibit children under13 from joining social networkingsite, nearly 73 percent of children,aged 8-13, in Tier-I and II cities areusing Facebook and other socialnetworking sites,

According to McAfee’s Tweens &Technology Report 2013 Indiantweens (kids aged between 8 to12 years) are using between threeto four devices that can be internetenabled.

Around 53 percent of online tweensare online daily between one tothree hours.

Cyberbullying is the use of information technology to harm orharass other people in a deliberate, repeated, and hostilemanner. According to U.S. Legal Definitions, Cyber-bullyingcould be limited to posting rumors or gossips about a personin the internet bringing about hatred in other’s minds; or it maygo to the extent of personally identifying victims and publish-ing materials severely defaming and humiliating them.

8 1 September 2014

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The Gujarat Government has doneit again! That it does so, is onexpected lines; but that it is doing

so, by throwing all caution and Consti-tutional propriety to the wind, should bea cause of great concern to every citi-zen who values the principles of de-mocracy and pluralism, which are theheart and soul of India. The topic inquestion is the approval and introduc-tion of nine books (eight of which arewritten and edited by Dina Nath Batra)in more than 42000 Government-runprimary and secondary schools all overGujarat.

In a circular dated June 30th, 2014,the Gujarat State School TextbookBoard (GSSTB) states, “These bookson supplementary literature are aimedat imparting quality education. Theywill be provided free of cost to all gov-ernment primary and secondaryschools, public libraries and will be alsoavailable at GSSTB, Gandhinagar, forindividuals interested in these books.These are to be incorporated from thisacademic session.”

Dina Nath Batra has earned his“fame” as the founder of the ShikshaBachao Andolan Samiti and who thinksthat he and his organization will “save”the Hindu religion and culture. Some-time ago, he succeeded in getting ‘Pen-guin’ to pulp the famed historian WendyDoniger’s book on ‘The Hindus: Analternative History’ and later becauseof his threats, ‘Orient Black Swan’ un-dertook ‘a comprehensive assessment’

of Megha Kumar’s book, ‘Communal-ism and Sexual Violence: Ahmedabadsince 1969’.

Batra, at 85 years - has becomethe rallying point for the right-wing forcesin the country; today they leave nostone unturned to seize every opportu-nity they get to mainstream the Hindutvaideology; manipulating the educationalsystem is an easy first step for them.

It is interesting to note that thesebooks were officially published (inGujarati) in January 2014 with lauda-tory messages from the then Chief Min-ister of Gujarat Narendra Modi (todaythe Prime Minister of India) and alsofrom the Gujarat Education MinisterBhupendrasinh Chudasama and hisministerial colleagues Prof. VasubenTrivedi and Mr. Nanubhai Vanani. Aftera formal launching in March 2014, theywere kept in cold storage till after theGeneral Elections and very surreptiouslyintroduced in the schools only early inJuly 2014!

The set of nine books are‘Shikshan nu Bhartiyakaran’(Indianisation of Education), ‘TejomayBharat’ (Shining India), ‘Prernadeep’ 1,2, 3 and 4 (Inspirational Light),‘Vidyalaya: Pravrutiyon nu Ghar’(School: House of Activities), ‘Shikshanma Triveni’ (Trinitarian Education) and‘Vedic Ganit’ (Vedic Maths). The titles inthemselves are seemingly innocuousbut a careful analysis of these booksindicate that their contents are capable(according to a well-known intellectual)of taking India “back into the dark ages”.The books are replete with myths andfalsehoods, with superstitions and preju-dices, with gross distortions and ma-nipulations - propagating an ideologywhich is fascist and totally against thegrain of all that Indian culture repre-sents: inclusiveness, pluralism and therights of all.

The books are clearly violative ofArticles 28 and 29 of the ‘UN Conven-tion of the Rights of the Child’ since theircontents are not only sub-standard butare also not a source of qualitative,

accurate and objective knowledge to agrowing child. Unfortunately, the chil-dren who are targeted by these booksare those who go to Governmentschools (and most of them are surelyfrom the poor and marginalized sec-tions of society); the major objective ofthose who propagate such pervertknowledge seems to keep these sec-tions of society ‘in the dark ages’.

The contents of these books will surelyshock any right-thinking citizen!

‘Racism’ seems to be high on theagenda. An anecdote entitled ‘Coura-geous Gurudevsinh’ in Prernadeep – 2(pg. 3) reads thus “An aeroplane wasflying at a height of thousands of feet. Astrong and well-built Negro reachedthe back door of the plane and at-tempted to open it. The air hostessstopped him. The strong Negro knockeddown the delicate-bodied air hostess.“Beware, if any one dares to moveforward towards me”. An Indian jawan(soldier) came forward and hit him sucha sweeping blow that the Negro’s firmfeet were shaken. The Negro tried allkinds of boxing stunts but the grip of theIndian youth was so firm that the Negrocould not free himself. In the mean-while, the pilot also joined the jawanand both of them gave him a goodthrashing and tied him up with a rope.The murderous terrorist struggled like a

Gujarat Government ViolatesThe Rights Of Children

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BY FR. CEDRIC PRAKASHSJ

91 September 2014

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tied up buffalo. The plane landed atChicago. All the passengers alightedsafely and expressed their gratitude tothe Indian jawan. The Negro turned outto be notorious criminal in the Chicagopolice records. The one who had theNegro arrested was an Air-India em-ployee Gurudevsinh.”

In Prernadeep – 3 (pg. 8) there isan obnoxious passage citing our formerPresident Dr. S. Radhakrishnan “OnceDr Radhakrishnan went for a dinner.There was a Briton at the event whosaid, “We are very dear to God.”Radhakrishnan laughed and told thegathering, “Friends, one day God feltlike making rotis. When he was cookingthe rotis, the first one was cooked lessand the English were born. The secondone stayed longer on the fire and theNegroes were born. Alert after His firsttwo mistakes, when God went on tocook the third roti, it came out just rightand as a result Indians were born!””

There are several stories / ex-amples that advocate shunning of any-thing that is ‘western’; so an Indianaccording to Batra’s philosophy shouldnot blow candles on one’s birthday butinstead feed cows and listen to songsproduced by Vidya Bharati (the RSSmouthpiece); he cites the example ofSwami Vivekanand who apparently toldan Englishwoman that he wore foreignshoes because that was where foreign-ers were meant to be – on his feet! Whiletrying to propagate a disdain for any-thing ‘western’, Batra’s fantasies includethat the motor car was invented first bythe Indians during the Vedic period;research on stem cell began in Indiathousands of years ago, because in theMahabharata, it is said that a holy manwas able to convert a mass of flesh intohundred babies or Kauravas; that Indiahas been using television, centuriesbefore the rest of the world invented itbecause again in the Mahabharata it iswritten that Sanjaya sitting in theHastinapur palace would give a livetelecast of the Mahabharata battle toDhristarashtra (who was blind) by us-ing his ‘divya shakti’ (divine powers).

In keeping with the general trendof these books, it is natural that theEnglish language should come underattack. Sanskrit shlokas are freely usedthroughout. He takes a categoricalstand against the domination of the

English language which he feels hassidelined the learning of Sanskrit. Whenthe children do not know Sanskrit, hebelieves they will not be able to imbibethe pure ‘Indian culture’ and the vastknowledge that comes from the greatepics. Added to Batra’s philosophy isthe manner in which the Gujarat Gov-ernment is also trying to promote VedicMaths among the students.

The books are very communal innature. Muslims and Christians aresometimes blatantly and other timessubtly denigrated. Prernadeep – 2 nar-rates how Swami Vivekanand system-atically exposed the selfishness andevil deeds of Christian missionaries (pg.45). Tejomay Bharat emphatically states“it is better to die for one’s religion; aforeign religion is a source of sorrow”(pg. 118). The caste system gets legiti-mized in several ways; though the Brit-ish are to be blamed for giving the lowlyname ‘Shudra’.

The books also suggest the re-drawing of geographical boundaries.Batra suggests that the students shouldnow think of ‘Akhand Bharat’. InTejomay Bharat, he says “Students,how would you go about drawing amap of India? Do you know that coun-tries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal,Bhutan, Tibet, Bangladesh, Sri Lankaand Burma are part of undivided India?These countries are part of AkhandBharat.” (pg.49). In another chapter,the students are told that “a dividedIndia is a lie, whereas undivided India isthe truth; the division of India is unnatu-ral and India can easily be united again.”

Inspite of his unabashed attack on“western” culture, language, inventions,people and even on what he calls “non-Indian” religions, Batra seems to ignorethe fact that all his books are being

printed in printing presses invented bythe West. He does not call for a ban onthe railways or on industries, he doesnot speak against cricket or tennis or forthat matter against the computers,mobile phones and thousands of otherthings which India has happily adoptedfrom the West. While PM Modi hasblessed Batra and his books, it wouldbe interesting now to see what is Batra’stake on Modi’s invitation to the rest ofworld “to come and make in India” fromthe ramparts of the Red Fort on Inde-pendence Day. Very significantly,‘Manogat’ (August 2014), the BJPmouth-piece, openly endorses Batra’sbooks and its contents; highlightingtheir two-pronged strategy, ‘to simulta-neously run with the hare and hunt withthe hound’.

Much of the content of Batra’sbooks are laughable and could evenpass off as third-rate joke books; butthe attacks both direct and subtle onseveral sections of society are certainlyno laughing matter. Given the fact thatthey target formative minds should beserious enough for civil society to voicetheir protests strongly on this matter.Mitali Saran in a very telling article en-titled ‘Back to School’ (Business Stan-dard, Ahmedabad August 2/3, 2014)sums it up “A poor education teacheschildren disdain, excessive pride, ex-clusionary or majoritarian thinking, out-right fiction in place of facts, and aninability to tolerate dissent or to think forthemselves.”

Can we continue to remain silentwhen, the Gujarat Government violatesthe ‘Rights of a Child’ – in such a blatantmanner?

(* Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is the Director ofPRASHANT, the Ahmedabad-based JesuitCentre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace)

10 1 September 2014

(Contd.. on p. 17)

Because the loaf of bread is one,we, though many, are one body,for we all partake of the one

loaf”. 1 Corinthians 10:17. In this yeardedicated to ‘The Eucharist’, much hasbeen spoken and written. The Eucha-rist itself is known by many names andevery deep reflection will reveal anunknown facet of it.Through the follow-ing I wish to dwell on the importance ofthe Eucharist as ‘A Meal’. The Eucha-rist could be well split up as YOU +CHRIST = You are the Christ. At theMass, we celebrate Jesus and there-fore become another Christ. Jesus in-stituted the Eucharist as a meal on HolyThursday (referred to as Maundy Thurs-day which in Latin means: command-ment). Why meal? One might well ask.

Being a Jew, Jesus gives us themeal as a memorial celebration. Mealsfor the Jews in ancient times were morethan an occasion for eating and drink-ing. Meals were a sacred time, a timefor thanksgiving to God. Table fellow-ship was more than a mere social gath-ering. It was evident that peace, trust,brotherhood and forgiveness prevailedamong those who fellow worshipedaround the table. Those who partici-pated in the meal shared a certainbond, closeness and communion (anintimate sharing of thoughts and feel-ings) with each other. It pointed to anew relationship between them. TheJews reverenced the formal meal as animportant family and social ritual. Theybelieved that sharers of a meal arebonded in solidarity and one could notin any way turn against the one withwhom he had eaten. If one did, thatwould be considered as a great act oftreachery. (Now we understand whyJudas’s act of betrayal was so shame-ful). Before every meal the Jews prayedthe Berakah – the prayer of peace andthanks for all that the Lord had blessedthem with. The meal in general is thesymbol of sharing of festive joy, goodcheer, friendship, pleasure, hospital-ity, oneness, love and life. For the Jewswho had only two main meals a day,the evening meal was a sacred event tobless God for what He is and for what

He has done in their history. For theJews, food was also a symbol of bless-ing, judgment, acceptance and rejec-tion, the Word of God and Covenant.Hence by sharing meals with thepeople, Jesus developed a rapport andgained their confidence and they endedup sharing their lives with Him. Throughthe meal Jesus established a fellow-ship and friendship that went beyondthe obvious and found the need. Henot only ate with them when invited todo so, but often invited Himself overwhen He knew that salvation needed tocome to a home (Zaccheus).

In the gospel of Luke, we find 10stories of Eucharistic meals, each withits own message. Of these, 3 mealsJesus shared with the Pharisees, 2 withthe tax collectors, 3 with the apostles, 1with the women of Bethany and 1 withthe people at Bethsaida (multiplicationof the loaves and fish). In the Gospel ofMathew 11:19 we find Jesus is called aglutton and a drunkard because hewas eating with a tax collector. Jesusdidn’t go around eating because hewas physically hungry or thirty. Hewanted to delve into peoples’ lives,touch them and thus bring about thedesired healing. When Jesus sent the12 apostles with his missionary man-date, it was with a 2 point agenda (1)Preach the kingdom of God (2) Healthe people. At Bethsaida, he gave thena 3rd (3) “Feed them” (not physical foodbut spiritual nourishment). So manyfollowed Jesus not because theywanted to be his disciples but becauseHe fed their empty stomachs. Even theapostles chosen by him and who spentall their time with him were unable tounderstand his actions. They displayedwhat the gospel calls ‘hardness of heart’because they ‘did not understand aboutthe loaves’. They saw the miracle of thebread as an act of a magician or asocial worker. Whereas what Jesuswanted to do was to reveal the Father’spower, concern and compassion sothat they could entrust their lives toGod, trusting Him at all times, stormy or

otherwise.The Last Supper was the moment

when Jesus instituted the new cov-enant and commissioned the 12apostles to be the principal bearersand ministers of that covenant. Heprobably could have instituted the newcovenant in the ways other covenantswith Abraham, Noah, Moses and Davidhad been instituted but as a sign of thesocial dimension of the Church, heopted for the form of a meal. The LastSupper is not just one more of theseveral of suppers that Jesus had beensharing in the 3 years of his ministry. Itis a unique farewell meal in which Hebestowed his parting gift, his very self.When Jesus said, “This is my bodygiven up for you….. This is my bloodshed for you” He was actually showingUS to the world- His body the 1 breadmade up of many grains of wheat andthe 1 wine comprised of many grapes.He was telling the world that WE are Hisbody given for the nourishment of theworld and WE are the wine offered tobe life-givers to the world. That is whyour AMEN – response to the body ofChrist is a reminder to us to be willingto break ourselves and become breadfor others.

At the Last Supper Jesus per-formed 4 functions and a closer look atthe presence of Christ in the person ofthe priest will allow us to see the sameat every Eucharistic Celebration. (1)Jesus took the bread (2) He said theBlessing (3) He broke the bread (4) He

The Eucharistic Meal Ninette D'Souza“

111 September 2014 111 September 2014

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The world’;s first ever Blind Walktook place in Bangalore on 24August 2014 from the Metro sta-

tion on M.G.Road to Bal Bhavan inCubbon Park. The unique walk wasflagged off by Chief Disability Commis-sioner of India, ShriPrasanna KumarPinchaand the guest at the concludingprogram featuring Samarthanam wasShri. M.N.Reddy, Commissioner of Po-lice, Bangalore. The walk had over 600people from different walks of life par-ticipate with the primary goal of givingthe visually impaired an opportunity tosee. The walk has been organized by“Project Vision” with the primary objec-tive of spreading awareness on blind-ness and to educate the public on av-enues of pledging one’s eyes.

The startling figures of blind-ness in India promptedFr.GeorgeKannanthanam, Director -Project Vision to initiate an innovativeway of reaching out to the public todraw their attention to the blind in Indiaand inform them of avenues to pledgetheir eyes. Speaking at the commence-ment of the walk, Fr.George said, “One

Bangalore Is Host To The First Ever “Blind Walk”

of the things that should make us thinkas a nation is the fact that more than onethird of the world’;s blind persons are inour country. The number is quite shock-ing: 15 million out of the 39 million. Thisshocking figure touched a few of us verydeeply. We started The Project Visionwith the vision, “let everyone see”. Fiftyof us committed ourselves to two objec-tives: to make eye donation a norm inthe society and to create opportunities

for the permanently blind to live a de-cent life”. “While eye donation can bringlight to over three million blind persons,the other 80% can live better throughvarious facilities that could be createdfor them. We have committed ourselvesto make Bangalore the Eye DonationCapital of the World.” he added.

For more details and photographs visitour website : www.sezariworld.com

12 1 September 201412 1 September 2014

131 September 2014 131 September 2014

14 1 September 201414 1 September 2014

The Syro-Malabar Church based in Kerala hasdecided to permit its members spread acrossIndia and in many foreign countries to cremate

the their dead in what is seen as a major deviation fromits traditional stance.

The decision was taken at the Synod of thebishops held at the church headquarters at Kakkanadin Cochin.

Church's spokesman Fr. Paul Thelakkattu saidthe decision was taken due to space crunch in theexisting graveyards and non-availability of land forbuilding new ones. Fr. Paul said that the bodies wouldbe cremated only in accordance with the Christianpractice of offering prayers for the deceased.

The church used to permit cremation of deadbodies until now under extra-ordinary circumstances.

Catholics Can Now Choose Cremation As Last Rite

The power in this regard was vestedwith the Major Archbishop, who headsthe Church. The synod has now del-egated it to the bishops.

The synod has vested the bish-ops with powers to sanction crema-tion if relatives of the deceased re-quested for it. Fr. Paul said if a personwants cremation, he or his familymembers can approach their local

diocese bishop for permission.He said the decision was not meant

to popularize cremation but to simplifythe procedure.

Both cremation and burial presentproblems. While burial requires space,consigning bodies into flames cancause environmental problems if car-ried out in private places. Only publiccrematoriums have facilities to conduct

such last rites without environmentalconsequences.

The synod, however, has re-minded Church followers to ensurethat last rites should not anyway affectthe Christian faith in after life.

“The esteemed Christian prac-tice of offering prayers for the de-ceased should be preserved,” thesynod said in a communication.

151 September 2014

Historians have a term they call thescapegoating concept of history. Thisis the idea that people tend to look forothers to blame — scapegoats — fortheir condition. They then attack thatgroup even if it had little or nothing todo with their situation. Scapegoats areusually weaker or marginalized mem-bers of society easily made to looksuspicious.

The Americans did this to SaddamHussein and ruined not only a wholecountry – Iraq - but gave the mercilessIslamists an opportunity to spread theirviews and want to take control of thiscountry. They did not find any nuclearweapons or chemical weapons or forthat matter anything that they accusedSaddam Hussein of harboring. Thenwhy did they make Saddam Hussein ascrap goat and got him executed or forthat matter why did the Americans re-peat the same in Libya with MuammarGaddafi???? And continue to repeatthe same in most of the Middle Eastcountries like Syria, Egypt, etc. andgive a free hand to the merciless Islam-ists or Muslim fanatics and extremiststo destroy Christianity – places of wor-ship and its people - at its very BIRTHPLACE???????

This attitude of theirs of looking toothers to blame – scapegoats – espe-cially the Middle Eastern countries isfor their own benefit of commercialgains of selling arms & ammunitionand to get the control of the oil and gasreserves in these countries.

What is happening today in Mosulbrings horror, fear and bad memoriesto the Christians of Iraq and leads us toquestion; is this happening in 21st cen-tury and in front of the civilized worldwhere innocent Christian civilians areforced to convert, be treated asDhimmi*, or slaughtered?”

“Dhimma” is the status given toChristians and Jews in an Islamic state.It affords them a degree of protectionand allows them to keep their own faith,provided they adhere to various de-meaning regulations intended to markthem out as inferior to Muslims, and

pay the jizya, a humiliating tax or tributethat the Quran commands is paid “withwilling submission and while feelingthemselves subdued.

The last few days have beenamong the very worst in the long his-tory of Iraq’s Christians. The impos-sible ultimatum from the merciless Is-lamists has forced those who had triedto stay in Mosul after it was taken overlast month to flee. And as if that was notbad enough, the militants took every-thing from them, leaving them desti-tute.

It is ironic that while the Christiansand other minority religions places andhouses are being destroyed and theybeing chased out of the area by themerciless Islamists the Americans havedone nothing to help or defend thesepeople but as these merciless Islam-ists are now moving closer to the Ameri-can controlled oil and gas reserves theAmericans thought it best that theynow need to mount an offensive toprotect their controlled reserves andinterest.

Does America stand for protect-ing the minorities who are peacefulpeople and who do not have the armsto protect themselves and are outnum-bered by these merciless Islamists? Ordoes America stands for capitalism,aggression and consumerism and allconnected with it where in such cir-cumstances greed, opportunity andbullying takes precedence.

Humility is perhaps the most diffi-cult virtues to cultivate or acquire at atime when everything in America is sofocused on satiation of the individualwants or wishes. And hence the ag-gressive attitude we see all around uscoming from this country. If Americathinks it is aggression at work, relation-ships and markets, that makes thingswork, it is a skewed view. One could besoft spoken and open and yet achieveresults without getting trodden all over.If only one would allow the spirit ofservice to stay topmost in whatever

one does.The younger American genera-

tions who do not support this skewedAmerican view are feeling the heat inthis system and are asking themselves- “What am I doing wrong?”

This is how their system is makingthem get it wrong - I am tired of beatingaround the bush. I’m a beautiful (spec-tacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl I’marticulate and classy. I’m not from NewYork. I’m looking to get married to aguy who makes at least half a million ayear. I know how that sounds, but keepin mind that a million a year is middleclass in New York city, so I don’t thinkI’m over reaching at all. Are there guyswho make 500K or more on this board?Any wives? Can you send me sometips?

I dated a businessman who made200 – 250K. But that’s where I seem tohit a road block.

$250,000 will not get me to Cen-tral Park West. I know a woman in myyoga class who was married to aninvestment banker and lives in Tribeca.She’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she agreat genius.

So what is she doing right? Hereare my questions specifically:

Where do you single rich menhang out? Give me specifics – Bars,restaurants, Gyms

What are you looking for in a mate?Is there an age range I should be

targeting?Why are some of the women liv-

ing lavish lifestyles on the Upper EastSide so plain?

What’s the story there?Lawyers, Investment Bankers,

Doctors. How much do these guysreally make? And where do the HedgeFund guys hang out?

How do you rich guys decide onmarriage vs. just a girlfriend?

I AM LOOKING FOR MARRIAGEONLY.”

AN INVESTMENT BANKERS RE-SPONSE

Scapegoating Don Aguiar

(Contd.. on p. 15)

16 1 September 2014

“I qualify as a guy who fits your bill– I make more than 500K per year.Here’s how I see it

Your offer is a plain and simplecrappy business deal. What you sug-gest is a simple trade.

You bring your looks to the partyand I bring the money. Fine, simple.But here’s the rub,

Your looks will fade but my moneywill likely continue into perpetuity – infact it is very likely that my income mayincrease, but it is an absolute certaintythat you won’t be getting any morebeautiful!

So in economic terms you are adepreciating asset. In Wall Street termswe’d call you a trading position – not abuy and hold. It doesn’t make goodbusiness sense to buy you (which iswhat you are asking) – so I’d ratherlease. The deal that makes sense to meis dating not marriage.”

Capitalism, aggression, greed,bullying and consumerism and all con-nected with it leads to Humankind be-ing treated as a commodity in their owncountry and then they impose the same

on other nations that have valuablereserves and resources that will beuseful to them by making them scrapegoats.

Scapegoats ease our anxiety es-pecially when ethnic minorities or im-migrants come into view. Bigotry, how-ever, while burning intensely, has ashort memory. Listen to this

Bill Donohue comments on Ameri-can President Obama’s remarks at theWhite House honoring Eid-al-Fitr, mark-ing the end of Ramadan:

The president said that Eid “re-minds us of the many achievementsand contributions of Muslim Americansto building the very fabric of our nationand strengthening the core of our de-mocracy.” He would have done us all aservice had he enumerated them. “Thatis why we stand with people of allfaiths,” he continued, “here at homeand around the world, to protect andadvance their rights to prosper, and wewelcome their commitment to givingback to their communities.”

No one wants President Obamato insult Muslim Americans in the WhiteHouse, but President Obama had an

opportunity to at least call on them tospeak out about what their people aredoing in the Middle East, and PresidentObama blew it. Instead, PresidentObama decided to patronize them forall their contributions to human rights.

While President Obama patron-izes the Muslim - Americans and othernationalities - and does nothing to pro-tect the Christians, their Churches, HolyPlaces, etc in the Middle East which hecould easily do, we could do our bitand offer our prayers for them at thisdistressing time to bring these violentconflicts to an end.

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(Contd.. from p. 15)

171 September 2014

and Syria) against helpless Yazidi andChristian minorities have stunned thewhole world. Some time ago, theVatican made an earnest plea to Mus-lim leaders to unequivocally condemnthese crimes against humanity in thename of religion. As if in response tothis request, the leaders of severalMuslim organizations and some activ-ists organized a public meeting at Is-lam Gymkhana, in Mumbai, denounc-ing the ISIS as a ‘monster’. One of theMuslim scholars present told the gath-ering that Islam is a religion of peace,that violence is unislamic and that theconcept of ‘jihad’ is meant to be astruggle against oneself and not to beused for warmongering. The exampleof the Prophet’s benevolent treatmentof minorities after a military defeat wasalso cited. The organizers of the gath-ering were lauded for their initiative byrepresentatives of the other communi-

ties who spoke on the occasion.It is indeed shocking that even in

our enlightened, post-modern age,barbaric crimes against innocentwomen, children and even monks froman ancient monastery are being perpe-trated daily in the name of God by theISIS. While the world has made phe-nomenal progress in so many fields,the era of globalization is here, andbasic human rights have been acceptedby most nations, there are still a grow-ing number of extremist religiousgroups like the ISIS, in several parts ofthe world, who seem to be regressingto the dark ages of violence, ignoranceand bigotry in the name of religion. Yet,these same militants have among themhighly educated people who cleverlyuse the latest advances in military andinformation technology to advance theirpetty goals, while preaching a return toprimitive times! It is clear that thesegroups are not really interested in theirreligion, but are only using religioussentiments to further their narrow politi-cal, social and economic agendas.

What is very disturbing, however,is that in the highly developed West,more and more educated young peopleare turning to religious extremists, likeISIS, and even taking up arms to sup-port them. There must be some expla-nation for this. It could be that many ofthe youth in these countries feel disillu-sioned by the sterile philosophy ofGodless secularism, the hypocrisy ofreligious and political leaders, thespread of crass materialism and hedo-nism, the breakdown of moral valuesand family-life, and the loss of a senseof direction and purpose in life. In thefundamentalist religious movementsthey are probably seeking to discovermeaning in life, a feeling of individualimportance and a sense of belongingto a human community. Surely, this isa big challenge to all religious andpolitical leaders and educators to ex-amine the causes of alienation of theirown youth, if they are to avoid theirentire populations being infiltrated byviolent extremists. Combating and de-nouncing religious fanatics alone arenot enough.

—Joseph M. Dias,S.J.Andheri (E), Mumbai.

(Contd.. from p. 6)

gave it. Jesus’s words that it was “HisBody” he used only after breakingthe bread. Every Eucharist thus asksof us – What meaning does this holdfor you today? How will you become‘bread’ for others and be broken inthe process? Answers to questionssuch as these, each one should seekin the depth of their hearts, seated atthe foot of the Lord, in His awesomepresence, gazing at Him in wonderwhile trying to comprehend his un-fathomable love. Where would suchan opportunity present itself? In theBlessed Sacrament Chapel of yourParish! Instead of running homeafter mass to attend to the numerouschores, that will always be there,could we spend a few moments be-fore or after Mass in His presenceand take away his peace, his joy, hislove. As Jesus told Martha and Mary,the sisters of Lazarus, only 1 thing isnecessary. We all have to find whatis truly central in our lives and let itdictate our priorities.

Why not make it a point to askHim who is the Son of God to be thehead of your family, to be the unseenhost at every meal, to be the silentlistener to every conversation?

(Contd.. from p. 10)

Thanksgiving

Thanks to DivineMercy, Our Lady ofVailankani, Our Ladyof perpectual Succorand St. Anthony forthe favours granted

—Ms Annie MariaFernandes, Mahim

18 1 September 2014

Some of us among Catholics often fail to appreciate the truemeaning of the sacraments of

the Catholic Church. The sacrament ofconfession is one of the most importantsacraments of the Catholic Church.

Reconciliation with God is a pow-erful tool to receive grace from Godand we Catholics have this opportunitygiven to us by Jesus inLuke 5:14 “Don’t tell any-one, but go, show yourselfto the priest and offer thesacrifices that Moses com-manded for your cleans-ing, as a testimony tothem.”

Confession Is a Sacra-ment:

The sacrament ofpenance, commonly calledConfession, is one of the seven sacra-ments recognized by the CatholicChurch. Catholics believe that all of the7 sacraments were instituted by JesusChrist Himself. In the case of confes-sion, that institution occurred on EasterSunday when Jesus Christ first ap-peared to the apostles after His resur-rection. Breathing on them, He said,“Receive the Holy Spirit. For thosewhose sins you forgive, they are for-given; for those whose sins you retain,they are retained.” (John 20:22-23).

The Marks of the Sacra-ment:

Catholics also believethat the sacraments are anoutward sign of an inwardgrace. In this case, the out-ward sign is the absolution,or forgiveness of sins, thatthe priest grants to the peni-

tent (the personconfessing his sins); theinward grace is the rec-onciliation of the penitentto God (which is why thesacrament is also some-times called the ‘Sacra-ment of Reconciliation’)

The Purpose of Con-fession:

That reconciling ofman to God is the purpose of Confes-sion. When we sin, we deprive our-selves of God’s grace. And by doingso, we make it even easier to sin somemore. The only way out of this down-ward cycle is to acknowledge our sins,to repent of them, and to ask God’sforgiveness. Then, in the Sacrament ofConfession, grace can be restored toour souls, and we can once again resistsin.

What is required?Three things are required of a

penitent in order to receive the sacra-

ment worthily:1. He must be contrite — or, inother words, sorry for his sins.2. He must confess those sinsfully, in kind and in number.3. He must be willing to dopenance and make amendsfor his sins.How often should you go toConfession?

While Catholics are only requiredto go to Confession when they areaware that they have committed a mor-tal sin, the Church urges the faithful totake advantage of the sacrament often.A good rule of thumb is to go once amonth. (The Church strongly recom-mends that in preparation for fulfillingour Easter obligation to receive com-munion, we go to Confession even ifwe are aware of venial sins only).

The Church especially urges thefaithful to receive the Sacrament ofConfession frequently during Lent, tohelp them in their spiritual preparationfor Easter.

Why is Confession Necessary?Non-Catholics, and even many

Catholics, often ask whether they canconfess their sins directly to God, andwhether God can forgive them withoutgoing to a priest. On the most basiclevel, of course, the answer is ‘yes’, andCatholics should make frequent acts ofcontrition, which are prayers in whichwe tell God that we are sorry for our sinsand ask for His forgiveness.

Here some people raise ques-tions on the priest anointing power,their worthiness to absolve sins and myanswer to such questions are that apriest is someone whom God has ap-pointed from the many whom He hascalled. Lay people cannot question theirsacredness in any fashion. They areanointed by Christ on the day they areordained and every ordained priesthas the similar power and authoritygiven by Christ to forgive sins in theholy name of Jesus.

Misunderstandings ofConfessions by Catholics

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191 September 2014

InspirInspirInspirInspirInspiration!ation!ation!ation!ation!Gratitude, Motivation andHumility are some of theingredients of success.

To accomplish what we want, we needto know what we need to know and bethe person we need to be; we arewhere we need to be, where we haveaimed our thoughts. Open your mind,be humble, otherwise you take the riskof staying where you are. Until we be-come humble, in our stubborn mind,we cannot profit by the wisdom, expe-riences and thoughts of others; there isalways room for improvement.

Motivation is needed all the time webreathe and even more when we don'ttrust in who we are and in what we do.Believe in yourself! Unless you haveconfidence in yourself, you will not beable to accomplish anything but moreunaccomplished dreams and frustra-tions.

Blindly believe in you and in what youdo and in what you can accomplishand act, regardless, even if you havethe highest obstacle in front of you. Theonly thing that stops you from cross-ing, climbing or going through thathuge obstacle is what you think aboutyourself.

The size of your self-esteem, your es-sence and your confidence has to dodirectly with the image you have aboutyou and who you really are. Your es-sence energizes the movie, which playsin your mind, every time you have tocope with a task or face a challenge. Itis the voice that is telling you that youwill, only can do, accomplish or reachvery little, or even worse --- nothing.

Thoughts create or magnetize our per-sonality and attitude. Dominatingthoughts will eventually reproducethemselves in outward physical actions

and gradually transform into physicalrealities. The thoughts we have, fromthe time we wake up, will definitivelydetermine our attitude, our day. Webring to our lives what we think aboutmost of the time and where we guide orfocus our mind, is where we end up.

Starting in the morning, we makechoices. We either decide to acceptnegative thoughts and therefore spoilour moments and even our day, weeksor years, or we decide to plant positiveimages in our mind and have days fullof satisfaction, happiness, prosperity,peace and all the beauties that life hasfor all of us.

Influence your thoughts so you willstimulate your action and you will gradu-ally become a self-reliant, confidentand successful person. Until we die,we all need motivation. Keep yourselfmotivated, create the habit of beenmotivated every day; focus, breathe,smell, laugh, dream, do, touch andhold motivation.

There are so many things for which weshould be appreciative, for which weshould have hope, be grateful for andtherefore motivated. Talk to yourself asmuch you can. Imagine and feel your-self accomplishing all you want. Thinkabout the things you already have ac-complished and also the accomplish-

ments that have brought you confi-dence, satisfaction and happiness toyour life.

Yes, you can. There is nothing impos-sible to the person who has a definiteand clear purpose. You are a person,so you only need a definite purpose.Every morning, every day, when youare in front of the mirror, talk to thatspecial person in front of you and tellhim/her how good, smart, valuable,capable, intelligent and loved he/sheis.

Take action, If now you cannot do greatthings, try to do small things great. Nowyou may not see any door open butonce you believe totally and blindly inyourself and believe that you can dowhatever you decide, many doors willopen for you. It doesn't matter yourbackground, it doesn't matter whereyou are coming from, but they will notopen until you get ready and it is en-tirely up to you. You are not defeatedunless you defeat yourself.

Gratitude, responsibility, honesty andself-respect are things you must makesacrifices for because without them,you are nothing. So be respectful, re-sponsible and honest. Be confident,have trust and blindly believe in you.Stay motivated and enthusiastic, with aburning desire to succeed. Be clear inlife. Create a plan, focus only on thatplan and take uninterrupted action withpassion, discipline and patience. Andabove all, don't worry about the results;definitively you will succeed when allthe pieces of the puzzle get in theirplace.

Motivation And Humility

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MATRIMONIALSMUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Bachelor, aged 27 years, Ht.6’, Wt. 75 kgs, Wheatish Complexion,Edn. B.E. Electonics, working as a Sr.system Engg in MYSORE. Seeks agraduate, Mangalorean girl below 25years. Contact email :dsz.roshan@gmail.com (Regd. No.6168)CANADA : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Bachelor, aged 28 years, Ht.5’ 4”, Wt. 62 kgs, Wheatish Complex-ion, Edn. B.Sc., Hotel Management,working in Hotel line. Seeks aMangalorean girl, below 27 years.Contact email :mathias.brian@ymail.com OR5875824352 (Regd. No. 6167)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Bachelor, aged 31 years, Ht.5’ 8”, Wt. 64 kgs, Wheatish Complex-ion, Edn. B.Com. , working for Bank.Seeks a suitable match. Contact email: joeldsouza@rocketmail.com OR9833129976 (Regd. No. 6164)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicBachelor, aged 30 years, Ht. 5’ 9”, Wt.63 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn.B.E. (Mech) MBA, Position : BusinessAnalyst. Seeks a simple, graduate girl,preferable teacher. Contact email :rohan.hatalkar@gmail.com OR9619010888 (Regd. No. 6163)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicBachelor, aged 36 years, Ht. 5' 8”, FairComplexion, Handsome, Edn. HSCpursing S.Y.Com., working as an Emi-gration Supurvisions. Seeks a simple,understanding, good look, smart girl.Contact email :mariyo.80@gmail.com OR9619019991 / 982095412 (Regd. No.6138)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Bachelor, aged 29 years, Ht.5' 9”, Fair Complexion, Handsome,Edn. B.Com., working as CEO in Fam-ily Business. Seeks a good looking,smart, stylish girl. Contacat email :mail2marg@gmail.com OR9821556409 (Regd. No. 6135)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Bachelor, aged 30 years, Ht.

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5' 9”, Wheatish Complexion, Edn.B.Com., working as an Executive.Seeks a suitable match. Contact email: lewis.prashant@gmail.com OR9833272796 (Regd. No. 6133)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicBachelor, aged 54 years, Ht. 5' 6", Wt.58 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn.Bachelor in Hotel Management, work-ing as a Food & Beverage Manager inAustralia. Seeks a fair, should be will-ing to relocate overseas, single/di-vorced or Widow below 46 years. Con-tact Email : jjabranches@hotmail.comOR 9769494588 OR +61 433072951.(Regd. No. 6126)MUMBAI : Roman CatholicManglorean Australian Citizen em-ployed in Govt, 45 yrs, Ht 5'11, BCom,Wheatish, Tetotaller, Separated await-ing divorce seeks suitable alliance.Reply with photo tosharlet1968@gmail.com (Regd. No.6125)MUMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Di-vorcee, aged 33 years, Ht. 5’ 6”, Wt.62 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn.Undergraduate, working as a Admin.job in U.K. Seeks a graduate, simple,fair, understanding willing to work andlive in U.K. below 33 years. Contactemail : mariaferns5553@gmail.com(Regd. No. 6123)MUMBAI : Roman Catholic Bachelor,aged 44 years, Ht. 5’ 5”, Wt. 50 kgs,Wheatish Complexion, Edn. SSC.,working as a Jewellery setter. Seeksa suitable match. Contact Mob :9833046266. (Regd. No. 6121)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicBachelor, aged 36 years, Ht. 5’ 8”, Wt.78 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn.B.Com., Having own well establishedbusiness. Conact email :dollylopes@ymail.com OR9220566467 / 9892320912 (Regd.

Members are requested toinform us when they are settled,so that publication of theirdetails can be discontinued.

No. 6120)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Bachelor, aged 37 years, Ht.6’, Wt. 80 kgs, Wheatish Complexion,Edn. HSC., Dip. in A.C. Mechanic,working as a AC Technician in Mus-cat. Contact Tel.: 23733750 Or 968-99694267 (Regd. No. 6113)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicBachelor, aged 35 years, Ht. 5’ 6”, Wt.79 kgs, Wheatish Complexion,Edn.SSS, Dip. in Hotel Management,working in Hotel Industry. Contact Tel.:25825685 (Regd. No. 6112)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Bachelor, aged 33 years, Ht.5’ 5”, Wt. 60 kgs, Wheatish Complex-ion, Edn. Chartered Accountant,working as a Chartered Accountantin a Pharmaceutical Company. Seeksa sutiable Mangalorean girl.Contact email :ronaldroshan2003@gmail.com OR9870248167 (Regd. No. 6105)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicBachelor, aged 35 years, Ht. 6’ 4”,Wt.80 kgs, Wheatsih Complexion,Edn. 8th Std.,Working as an Asst. ACTechnician in Dubai. Seeks a under-standing and homely girl. Contact :9022935415 / 9819257399 (Regd.No. 5992)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Divorcee, aged 32 years, Ht.5’ 5”, Wt.57 kgs, Wheatsih Complex-ion, Edn. Graduate, having own busi-ness and accommodation. Only child.Seeks a understanding, honest girl.Contact email :livewide@gmail.com OR 8652878111(Regd. No. 5989)

211 September 2014

MATRIMONIALS

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MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic parents of spinster daughter1973 born, 5’ 5” tall, fair complexionwith qualifications of B.Com.(Mumbai), M.B.A. (Finance), M.B.A.,(H.R.) and Diplomas in I.T. (NIIT),Comp. (APTEC), and CERT.IND A/C.(I.C.A.), working in good position.Looking out for a qualified and profes-sional well settled bachelor with goodfamily background in Mumbai orabroad upto 45 years. Kindly applywith recent photo and full detail eitherto Email : bellwether77@yahoo.comor call mobile No. 9892700617. (Regd.No. 6166)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicSpinster, aged 38 years, Ht. 5’ 2”, Wt.44 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn.B.A., working as a Manager in Bank.Seeks a suitablematch. Contact email: musikin@yahoo.com OR9820023114 (Regd. No. 6165)MUMBAI : Roman Catholic Divocree,1st marriage is annuled by the church,having one grownup son, well settled,Ht. 5’ 3”, Wt. 60 kgs, fair complexion,pretty, aged 53 years, looks muchyounger to her age, Edn. SSC., HairStyling and BeautyCare by profession.Seeks a suitable match having a goodpersonality and good health. Contactemail : psvaz23@hotmail.com OR9821970719 (Regd. No. 6162)PUNJAB : North Indian Roman Catho-lic Spinster, aged 28 years, Ht. 5’ 5”,Wt. 65 kgs, Wheatish Complexion,Edn. Post Graduate in Nursing, Posi-tion : Nurising Tutor (Clinical Instruc-tor), Calm, quiet, intelligent, Seeks asuitable match from respectable fam-ily, and well settled. Contact email :shephalitigga04@gmail.com OR0164-2272549. (Regd. No. 6161)MUMBAI : CSI Protestant Spinster,aged 39 years, Ht. 5’ 3”, Wt. 60 kgs,Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Com.,

Computer Teacher. Seeks a suitablematch. Contact email :george_bhagya@yahoo.com OR9819206366 / 9545978761 (Regd. No.6160)MUMBAI : South Indian Roman Catho-lic Spinster, aged 30 years, Ht. 160cms, Wt. Normal, Wheatish Complex-ion, Edn. B.Sc./ PGDMLT, workaing asa Pathology Lab Technician (Instructor)in KSA since 7 years, well settled,seeks a suitable match. Contct email :jehovahjireh@rediffmail.com ORMathew_680@yahoo.com (Regd. No.6136)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Spinster, 32 years, Ht. 5’ 1”,Wt. 55 kgs, Wheatish Complexion,Edn. B.Com., MBA (Finance) workingas an Asst. Manager. Seeks a suitablematch. Contact Email :florineb81@gmail.com OR9820233988 (Regd. No. 6098)MUMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Spin-ster, 31 years, Ht. 5’ 7”, Wt. 56 kgs, FairComplexion, Edn. MBA (Finance) work-ing as a Payroll Administrater. Seeks asuitable match. Contact Email :audzzehotmail.com /maggie_magguehotmail.com OR9869771255 (Regd. No. 6097)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicSpinster, 29 years, Ht. 5’ 1”, Wt. 56 kgs,Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Com.,MBA (Finance) working as an Asst.Manager in Bank. Seeks a suitablematch. Contact Email :oldgoa2012@gmail.com OR9869765169 (Regd. No. 6096)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Spinster, aged 28 years, Ht.5’, Wt. 49 kgs, Wheatish Complexion,Edn. B.Com., working as a Sr. Re-search Associates. Contact email :verita.dsouza@gmail.com OR9167719433 / 8879287910 (Regd. No.6094)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Spinster, born, brought-upand educated in Mumbai, aged 26years, Ht. 5’ 8”, Wt. 60 kgs, Edn.B.Com., completed diploma in HR, andPGDBA from Welingkar, working for a

private company as executive in cor-porate Accounts. Seeks a well settledmatch. Contact email :nivedita_dsouza@yahoo.co.in OR8828477980 / 0251-2449681 (Regd.No. 6093)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicSpinster, aged 28 years, Ht. 5’ 3”,Edn. B.Com., working as a FashionDesigner. Seeks a suitable match.Contact email :rodriguesemma@rediffmail.com OR9821471904 (Regd. No. 6092)DUBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catho-lic Spinster, age 28 years, Ht. 5’ 4”,Wt. 60 kgs, Wheatish Complexion,Edn. MBA - Finance, working as anAccountant in MNC Syvau - UAE,Seeks alliance RC from well educatedand good family background. Work-ing preferably in UAE. Contact email: saldanha.leena7@gmail.com OR9967816258 / 00971-526649919(Regd. No. 6090)MUMBAI : Mangalorean RomanCatholic Spinster, aged 25 years, Ht.5’ 3”, Fair Complexion, Edn. M.com,(Accounting) GNIIT, Working as anAccounts Executive. Seeks aMangalorean educate and well settledboy below 30 years. Contact email :nishalobo88@gmail.com OR26324478. (Regd. No. 6089)MUMBAI : Goan Roman CatholicSpinster, aged 38 years, Ht. 5’ 2”, FairComplexion, Edn. B.A., (Economics),working as a Purchase Manager.Contact email :lynette_d03@yahoo.com OR9967501128 (Regd. No. 6088)

22 1 September 2014

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Everyone wants to be a betterperson. To be a good Christianwith unalienable right to faith,

hope, redemption and salvation. This,in effect draws upon the summons tobe a follower with implicit trust in Jesusand his promise to forgive those whobelieve in his mercy. In the Acts of theApostle we are told, “There is salvationin no one else, for there is no othername under heaven given among mor-tals by which we must be saved.”(Act.4:12).

God opened a new front in His divinedesign to confront sin and wickednessby sending His Son, Jesus Christ, toshow His creatures the true way; toredeem them and offer sinners the giftof salvation. The prophet Isaiah criedout: “With joy you will draw water fromthe wells of salvation.” (Is.12:3).

But that message of salvation did mat-ter, given the ample evidence of theMessiah’s coming. In the gospel ofLuke we get to learn that,” all flesh shallsee the salvation of God.”(Lk.3:6). Themessage had become abundantly clear: believe in God and enjoy the gift ofsalvation; the wells shall never dry up.

What Christians want most in life isstrong faith to surmount the trials in

everyday performance, and to rest as-sured of the end days – to die in theLord with the comfort of heaven andeverlasting happiness in eternity.

Like most staunch believers, I have metwith Catholic people who bind theirlives to the cross of Christ. As for therest, the pastoral mission of priests,religious and the pious have muchwork in the Lord’s vineyard to reassurethe community on the gift of salvation.It is absolutely clear that salvation isopen to all. St. Paul, in his letter toRomans said: “For I am not ashamed ofthe gospel; it is the power of God forsalvation to everyone who has faith…”(Rom.1:16).

Truly, I have been moved to realize theawesome truth of what the Jewish Mes-siah had accomplished: performing thewill of God, surrendering his life toessentially gift salvation and leavingbehind the Holy Spirit to be our guide,teacher and inspiration for Holy Motherthe Church, her leaders and for us thechildren of God. Sometimes I wonderhow some people in adulthood regard-less of traumatic events in their per-sonal lives are always attuned to faith,worship and the hope of salvation. Stayfocused when things go wrong is agentle signal radiating trust in him,Jesus, the Messiah.

The Lord Jesus had told his apostles, “I have set you to be a light for theGentiles, so that you may bring salva-tion to the ends of the earth”.

In reality, the things which do matter tomany Christians are based on mun-dane values in keeping with the phi-losophy of learn to earn. Prayers andworship become a means to the hopeof having and wanting more. The en-counter with God and salvation comesat moments when the breath-of-life be-gins to waver. The oddest episodehowever, is when the person clings tohis possessions and passes on.

I repeat, the gift of salvation is for all.The spiritual life of the faithful should becompletely Christocentric. The unceas-ing presence of the Lord is in the wordsof St. Paul, “The life I now live is not myown life, but the life which Christ isliving in me.”(Gal.2:20).Therefore, livein the spirit of the Holy Mass, in prayersand worship. Your salvation is assured.Become an Eucharistic soul and makeothers feel your dedication to Christ.

The task of faith formation, and to can-vass the gift of salvation is a mission tobe managed by every follower, be-liever in the name of Jesus. Preachersand teachers must use the discretion toarbitrate anywhere, any time. St. Paul,in his letter to the Ephesians, stated,”Take the helmet of salvation, and thesword of the Spirit, which is the word ofGod.” (Eph.6:17). Make note that Paulwas also a humble person, appointedby God to spread the word, yet, askingfor prayers, “Pray also for me, so thatwhen I speak, a message may be givento me to make known with boldness themystery of the gospel, for which I am anambassador in chains. Pray that I maydeclare it boldly, as I must speak.”(Eph.6:19-20).

It is obvious that salvation is given tothose who believe in Jesus Christ. Ca-tholicism is full of paradoxes: be poorto receive true wealth. Do not desiremoney, but think about having money.Although we might not give or receiveor possess – yet, we must use what wehave. When we help others we enrichour treasure in heaven. When we preachthe word in his name we are certain ofsalvation. In the Old Testament theprophet Isaiah proclaimed, “he will bethe stability of your times, abundanceof salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;the fear of the Lord is Zion’streasure.”(Is.33:6). And salvation is ourgift.

Gift Of Salvation Is For All

BY MELVYN BROWN

231 September 2014 231 September 2014

24 1 September 2014

24 1 September 2014

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