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Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Sense of Awe and Sanctity in our Daily Life with Intellectual Honesty

(Photo courtesy: Jean Marc Arkelian)
Sense of Holiness and Dharma
Talking about the sense of holiness in the modern world, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the Jesuit priest and scientist (Paleontologist - part of the team that discovered the Piking man) says…“What we are all more or less lacking at this moment is a new definition of holiness.” The word holiness seems to be out of our ordinary vocabulary today in this fast-moving world. Sense of wonder and awe are seeing their demise in our messy world. The amount of dirt that the politicians throw at each other, bringing the public discourse to such a low suggests that we have lost a sense of thinking and feeling beings. We also see that religions are becoming just showpieces as Swamis and gurus are lost in the ideologies of politicians than the real DHARMA the religion teaches us to adhere to. We are reducing everything to mere facts and meanings unfortunately in an absurd way.

Thursday, October 15, 2020

God of Faith and God of Science

(Image courtesy: Jean-Marc Arakelian)
Discoveries and inventions are very little in front of the immensity of knowing God

What Christian Scriptures want to say to us is that God is present everywhere and powerfully present in the working of this immense universe. I suppose we are conditioned by God's omnipresence and omnipotence in the affairs of this world. When this Corona is threatening us at our door steps, we are made aware that all our learnings and scientific discoveries in the medical field are so small, so little and so tiny. It's like a drop in the ocean. That means in order to draw strength, we should begin to think about the immensity and knowledge that is in God and kneel down and just begin to contemplate this unutterable mystery that we call God. All our discoveries and inventions have no effect or meaning at all at the face of our littleness and shallowness. The more we know our fragility, smallness, emptiness, vagueness, in fact about our life itself, we see the immensity, greatness and vastness of God. In other words, we are putting constraints around ourselves in knowing our God.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Follow Your Heart and See with Your Eyes

 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Readings - Ezekiel 18:25–28; Psalm 25:4–9; Philippians 2:1–11; Matthew 21:28–32

Andrey Mironov, 'Parable of the Two Sons'  (https://creativecommons.org)

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Righteousness flowers when the heart is in the right place

These days, we have been reading from the book of Ecclesiastes. There is a very powerful line which should attract our attention straight away: "Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes" (Ecclesiastes 11:9). These words are ringing very true to us as we hear the readings of this Sunday. All the three writers, Prophet Ezekiel, St Paul and St Matthew bring home the above message very clear. All that matters in this world is to walk in the path of righteousness that God has set before us. In order to do that God has written the laws in our hearts says the Prophet. "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh" (Ez 11:19). Further the prophet repeats again, "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).  Another prophet Jeremiah utters these words again to his people, "for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33 & Hebrews 8:10). And St Paul puts it beautifully once again in his letter to the Romans, "so they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them" (Romans 2:15).  Perhaps only through this Christ would be successful in His mission and would deliver the humanity from the slavery of sin and satan.  

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Life or Death but Health is Wealth

Photo by the author

Recently, I stumbled upon in my notebook what I wrote  while I was discerning whether I should go for a major operation or not in 2018. I was extremely uncertain then what the future was going to hold for me. After almost two years I see the relevance in what I jotted down just out of my curiosity. 

Readiness for a life of self-encouragement

"Be ready always for a good death" is a common phrase that you would hear from devout people while growing up. But I never heard how well you should be prepared when long, chronic illness sets in you at your young and prime age. More and more I try to grasp at the mystery of life and death, I’m compelled to think more about our life here on earth. Life is precious and our time on this universe is certainly short. However this shortness should never allow me to live a life unhappiness and burdensome, instead our life should be blossoming, energetic, positive, fascinating and full of passion. Even though chronic illnesses or other health issues creep into our mortal body, but we should never give up our passion for a fruitful and enjoyable life. Whether we like it or not we are living in a digital world in which individualism is going to stay and grow. Each one would be looking for self reliance, self sufficiency and self satisfaction either in good health or in bad. 

Friday, September 18, 2020

Listening to Your Body - A Way of Mindfulness

Photo by the author
Listening is an art. Have you ever tried to listen to yourself? Have you listened to your body? Perhaps we do a number of times. That is why we feel the need for rest, medicine and food. Very often we don't listen to our bodies. Our physical body is not that which is out of us. I am also what my physical body is. Our body and soul are one part of a whole. They are very much part of our lives.

Our creator has blessed us with a human body which makes us to exist and have our being. Through our body we do our work, earn our living, showcase the beauty and pray with it. Our mind cannot say to the body I do not want you, get away from me. You are not beautiful, I hate it, etc. What we have as a body we must live with it. 

Prayer exercise of thanking for the body parts
There is a beautiful exercise which helps to pray to God. You sit for prayer and meditatively begin to recall each part of the body beginning from the toe to the head. You name each part of the day including internal organs which you don't see and thank God for giving that particular part of your body. Recall the things that body part can do for you. What it would have been if you did not have that body part. While thanking God feel blessed now because you are able to do such and such a thing. This prayer exercise makes us to thank God for the preciousness and irreplaceability of each part of the body.  

Thursday, July 30, 2020

St Ignatius of Loyola: Unfatigued Soldier of Christ

Painting by Anthony Arul, SJ
I often ask this question whenever we have to think in the line of St Ignatius of Loyola: What would Inigo do if he is living today? The charisma of this great Saint of the 16th century that we cherish and carry forward through our lives is still relevant and imperative. If there was a Church man who thought out of the box during the time of reformation, then it was St Ignatius of Loyola. The legacy that he left behind us is enduring and timeless. The 15,000 Jesuits all over the world working in more than 100 countries and 6 continents, still continue to live a religious life with a particular spirit and charism of the founder both in theory and in practice through prayer and the works of the Order.

Many enemies of the Society of Jesus often felt and still feel that Jesuits are a privileged group in the Church. In fact their main contention is that Church hierarchy has made too many concessions on the Order founded by St Ignatius of Loyola. Actually it is not true. But it is true that the Society of Jesus is different from many other Religious Orders and Congregations. However, this is for effective and strong apostolic endeavours. Jesuits do not have a choir (liturgy of the hours in community) like other religious Orders, their Superior General is for life, Jesuits do not have particular set of religious habit (dress) to identify with, (local clergy's habit suits them very well), they have a special fourth vow of obedience to the Pope and so on. All these were granted already during the time of St Ignatius of Loyola. As we celebrate the feast of the Pilgrim Saint, who still continues to inspire not only the Jesuits but also many Religious Congregations and lay people who do Spiritual Exercises individually, we could highlight a few qualities of Ignatius that impress me very much today.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Ecclesial Learnings: New Horizons at a Time of Pandemic

A screen shot of the live streaming of the Holy Eucharist from IHMC Jesuit Parish Kalena Agrahara, Bengaluru
Often we act as though we are people with a horse headgear. We don't like to see other narratives or perspectives. Sometime ago, a young priest suffered from cataract in both of his eyes due to the side effects of corticosteroids. As a matter fact, the priest began to use his iPad for his liturgical services as this device gave him a better visibility. But many raised eyebrows including a discussion in his community on how best to forbid him using such a device in public. 

Lockdown and Technology
The Covid lockdown has seen an unprecedented use of technology in our Catholic liturgical services. We have been using all sorts of media devices and platforms to livestream the divine mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even those who were against the use of such devices are gladly embracing the new normal with scepticism, dilemma and doubt.

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Discernment of Spirits: Challenge of Choosing between Good and Evil

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Readings - Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43
Photo by the author
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We have passed already half a year of the 2020. We are in the midst of a pandemic which is taking a lot of energy and strength to live with it. Until other day, both central (Indian-Union) and state (Karnataka) governments were patting their back saying, "we know how to deal with Covid crises. We are better than others." As I write these few reflections in a country of over a billion people already one million are covid infected. This is just an official figure. 

Our country's policy makers have ignored the warnings from the global community and learnt little from their experiences. Pride goes before the fall. Having praised ourselves to the skies now we might perish quite fast as well. In this context, we are reading the Word of God from our scriptures. These days' Mass readings have been speaking a lot about righteousness, justice and reign of God.  Naturally, we may ask questions: Why does God permit the evil to grow alongside the good? Why does He permit some to reject the Word of His kingdom?

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Human Spirit: Helpless but not Hopeless, Isolated but not alone

Photo by the author
The adversary is all around us, but unfortunately neither we can catch it nor can we tame it. And that adversary is none other than Corona. As we reached 100 days since the  first Corona lockdown and all the ills that brought to us, the humanity is suffering silently. Many of our dear and near one's not only lost their lives but also left their families in such a void and emptiness. There are also families who are unable to meet their ends: Either because they have no labour or whatever they produce in their farms cannot be marketed. Life has come to a standstill for many but for others life is as usual. Because either there is corona or no corona, they neither toil nor attempt but their barns are always full.

In this context, we are moving ahead with our life: A life full of uncertainties and chaos. Our civilisation has put in our mind  is that we see our  worth when we to do something. When we don't do what we usually do then we feel worthless, useless and meaningless. We cannot make sense of our life. It is like going to work without having our usual morning coffee. Always something is missing, something is empty. 

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Fr Adolfo Nicolás, SJ: A Man of Wit and Wisdom - A Tribute

Fr Adolfo Nicolás in Novosibirsk in 2010, photo by Don Doll, SJ
There are a few individuals who leave a mark in your life or in your institution. Fr Adolfo Nicolás, S. J., (1936-2020), is one of them. He was the 30th Superior General of the Society of Jesus from 2008 to 2016. His eight years at the helm of affairs of the Jesuit Order was marked with significant events in its history. Under Adolfo's Generalate we saw a first Jesuit Pope.  No one thought that a Jesuit would become a Pope. In its more than 480 years of history, no Jesuit had become a Pope. Unfortunately, until Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the Pope in 2013, many of our Jesuit brothers were either censored by the CDF or were under its scanner.  Adolfo handled this new situation in the Church and in the Society of Jesus very well by keeping a close contact with the Pope and welcoming him to the Jesuit curia a number of times.

The first time that I met Fr Adolfo was in Novosibirsk, Russia at our Russian Region's assembly in 2010. After the terrible killing of two of our Jesuits in Moscow in 2008, Adolfo was with us to encourage and strengthen us in our resolve to continue the work of God. I was his translator (Russian to English to Russian) for few sessions and other informal gatherings. He was very gentle and calm in every way, moreover he had a great sense of humour and wit. Few of us would spend more time with him at the breakfast table.
As translator for Fr Adolfo in Novosibirsk in 2010
I saw often  Fr Adolfo in 2015 at the Jesuit Curia and at the Canisio infirmary in Rome, while I was recovering from a serious health bout. One day at the garden party of the Canisio we were on the same table and he had a piece of advice for me on my health. He lamented that often we Jesuits do not take care of our health. Anyway, he wished me well. In fact, both of us would crisscross at the infirmary room of the Canisio as he too was undergoing some medical treatment.

I saw in Fr Adolfo a man of clarity and vision. He was a man of character, indeed. During his tenure as Superior General we saw all his letters were short and to the point. He even said that nobody likes to read long letters today. He used a lot of images and metaphors in his expressions. Perhaps his life in Asia must have had an impact on his thought processing. He said to us that we Jesuits should be like a giraffe. Fascinatingly this animal has a large heart. Because giraffe has a long neck it needs a large heart as well. Moreover, this unusual creation of God has a long neck. Thus, it can reach very high. So too we should be like.

Fr Adolfo often quoted the words of Jesus, Jn 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". Adolfo said, Europe has the truth, Asia has a way and Africa has life. Therefore, as Jesuits we need to integrate all these three things in our faith and practice, mission and collaboration.

The often quoted words of Fr Adolfo were, we as Jesuits need to be men of prayer, depth (both spiritual and intellectual, go deep into the issues and deep into discernment ) and creativity. He repeated this idea in many of the Jesuit gatherings around the world.  He also said that there are three kinds of Jesuits, extra ordinary men, mediocre and sick Jesuits. He called us to be available and ready to go for missions. Himself being a missionary in Japan and Philippines, Fr Adolfo had grasped the sense of interculturality and interconnectedness very well. This came out when he spoke or wrote. Talking about our Jesuit life he used a beautiful imagery, when a tree falls it makes more noise than other 100 trees standing.

Fr Nicolás was a very humble man. He said among Jesuits we must address each other "tu" you (singular). The sense of equality and brotherliness that we need to practice was indeed a big step Fr Adolfo took as Superior General. Therefore, he didn't like the so called "protocols". He was very much on online education and he himself enrolled into a few courses. There was no age bar or a position to stop one from learning something new.

Fr Adlolfo believed that the Spiritual Exercises should transform us. Therefore, he called us to be in silence. He thought often we are distracted people, overloaded with too many or multiple activities.  His often quoted phrase “globalization of superficiality” should not influence us. Therefore only through silence we can enter deeper into the issues of the day and address them adequately.

Fascinatingly, this following little prayer that Fr Adolfo wrote in 2011 after an eight-day retreat with General Council summarises the kind of person he was and his spirituality. It is a prayer , which arose from the personal meditation of Father Nicolás on the miraculous catch of fish narrated by Saint John in chapter 21.
Lord Jesus,
What weaknesses did you see in us that made you decide to call us, in spite of everything, to collaborate in your mission?
We give you thanks for having called us, and we beg you not to forget your promise to be with us to the end of time.
Frequently we are invaded by the feeling of having worked all night in vain, forgetting, perhaps, that you are with us.
We ask that you make yourself present in our lives and in our work, today, tomorrow, and in the future yet to come.
Fill with your love these lives of ours, which we put at your service.
Take from our hearts the egoism of thinking about what is “ours,” what is “mine”, always excluding, lacking compassion and joy.
Enlighten our minds and our hearts, and do not forget to make us smile when things do not go as we wished.
At the end of the day, of each one of our days, make us feel more united with you and better able to perceive and discover around us greater joy and greater hope.
We ask all this from our reality. We are weak and sinful men, but we are your friends. Amen.

For more information on Fr Adolfo Nicolás please click here,

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

21 May 2020

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Sin of Spiritualising our Woes and Illnesses

(Cross of Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ)
More than ever, there seems to be a sense of interconnectedness at the wake of Corona infection crises. No other time of history of humanity has seen such a vast impact on every individual on earth the consequences of an infection. The magnitude of the corona pandemic and the fears surrounding it are vociferous. There is an unprecedented panic in the world about the present, future and also about the past. We do not know when we would be able to get back to normal life, when our schools opened, markets are free to do business, work places are safe to work, travel is made easy because infection will not happen.

Even though, we are aware that we are all interconnected because we breath the same air, drink the same water, get blood transfusion when necessary by the same human body, rarely we are really aware this symbiosis that happens. In spite of our differences, in our colour, race, langauge, geographical location, religion and rite, yet we are all part of that common whole. We are so much interconnected biologically that human regeneration is possible with people who don't even understand each others' langauge or temperaments.

Pope Francis' ecological encyclical Laudato Si' made us aware how we are interconnected with the earth chemically. We are part of a common home. Each atom within us is connected with the universe atomically. Every cell of our being has to get adjusted to the different environments either it is for the minus 45 degree celsius of temperature of Siberia or 46 degree celsius hot temperature of Jaipur. 

However, in recent years, in spite of qualitative education there seems to be rise in ignorance. Sadly, this ignorance is stemming out of incapacity to analyse the things critically that seem to be very close to us. This happens to be in our spiritual realm. Often people do not understand what Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the great  palaeontologist and Jesuit priest said long ago “we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” A good number of people even though still locked up yet are stuck with this virus of spiritualising things. This is what I call the sin of spiritualising. Every religion is suffering with this sickness of spiritualising. The problem of today is that we are unable to understand human problems honestly and humanly. 

The sin of spiritualising occurs when we fail to get things right. When we do not get the answers that we like to get for our queries, we find comfort and solace in spiritualising. Just because you have felt the loss of sense of self worth before the Creator, it does not mean that corona infection has come from an evil spirit. Tragedies have occurred in the past and will happen in the future. tsunamis have occurred in the past and will occur in the future too. Illnesses and accidents have happened in the past and will happen in the future too. This lokaniyama (universal rule) cannot be ceased by our human intellectual or physical capabilities. One of the greatest humanists of 19th century, the Russian literary figure Leo Tolstoy once said  “To sin is a human business, but to justify sins is a devilish business.”

There are things of the world which the mind might not comprehend adequately. The messiness of our life is complicated to fix things up even though whatever human capacities might be. Therefore no one can become the spoke person either of God or to the mystery of human existence.  The Swiss Catholic Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar put it so thoughtfully, “what you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.”  You as a creation of God have every freedom and possibility to act and behave the way you like within your capacities. Becoming a gift to God is a grace which has to be nurtured and cultivated especially in these times of pandemic weariness.

The current problem of today with regard to our health is a serious one. It can be contained if all cooperate and work on it. If not it can kill us miserably. Therefore, we cannot call this killer virus corona as a punishment of God. Instead, we have to say to ourselves, we have created it and its our duty to fix it. There is no any reason to spiritualise it saying oh, God is punishing us because.... bla bla bla. The right way of addressing this issue would be not making ourselves fools or so pathetic and wretched  before God. 

I am sure God must be watching us how best we are trying to contain corona spread. He must be also looking at our fragility and nothingness. But certainly He is blessing all our sincere efforts. This is the time to show solidarity with one another, to sow the seeds of love and compassion to those whom we never dared to show. God does not want to come in between the freedom that we have. It's our duty to fix our problems within the freedom that we have. Amit Ray, in his "Meditation: Insights and Inspirations" puts it so bluntly, “it does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.” More than ever, the Covid pandemic calls us to see the other person in much more humane way than unnecessarily disqualifying the beautiful word 'spiritual'.

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

07 May 2020

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Covid Care Diary: Relief Work in Time of Lockdown

With the lockdown of Covid 19, Mount St Joseph community along with its Loyola Educational Institutions and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in the campus have been doing a wonderful work of charity. Our target group has been the daily wage earners and stranded migrant workers from various parts of Karnataka and the rest of India.

The whole Jesuit community, both young and senior members have fully immersed into this charitable work. The Loyola College building has been turned into a hub of grocery distribution centre. Students of our Degree College and IHMC parish volunteers are helping us in packing things. There are also Catholic religious Nuns and Priests in the neighbourhood who have joined us in reaching out these groceries to the needy and deserving people in our vicinity.  

I have been writing Covid Care Diary in our MSJ house blog. Have a nice reading:

7. Covid Care Diary: Farmers as our Primary Benefactors

6. Covid Care Diary: Auto Drivers as Our Trusted Collaborators

5. Covid Care Diary: Reaching out to the Right People through Documentation

4. Covid Care Diary - The Large Hearted Volunteers

3. Covid Care Diary: Catholic Religious Brothers & Sisters at Work

2. Covid Care Diary: Reaching out to the Physically Challenged

1. Covid Care Diary: Work Continues Reaching the Unreached

- Olvin Veigas, SJ
23 April 2020

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Are We the Masters of Our Destiny?

(Photo courtesy: Jean-Marc Arakelian)

In the wake of prevailing precarious situation in the world and the way we as humanity as a whole have been behaving on this planet, one question that has been bothering me for a while is this: "Are we masters of our destiny?"  Until recently, each one planned for himself or herself. Certainty was the truth. Permanent and perpetual growth of our economies and intellectual world seem to be a natural phenomena. But this understanding of progressive logic has not only tilted but crumbled terribly. Until other day, we thought we have answers for everything. From atheist scientists to militant so called "intellectual atheists" like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, etc., who claimed and propagated no God theory at least now will not be fascinated by their followers. 

What Corona virus has made us is to realize that nothing is stronger in front of this killer bug. Neither the white race nor black nor brown race, neither the European nor the Asian  nor the American could withstand in front of the onslaught of this Corona pandemic. If we are not careful and if we are unable to find a suitable vaccine within a stipulated time Corona destroyer has the capacity to wipe out the whole human race. We do not need nuclear wars, gas chambers or missiles or man made wars to annihilate us. Even before we could warm this planet and destroy this earth, we could be destroyed completely and unexpectedly.

As this bug continuous to mutate from one environment to another, from one person to another, migrate from human to animal, our capacity to grasp the magnanimity of this epidemic is simply ungraspable. Our ability to find a suitable medicine is not only taking time but also feeling helpless and tired. Therefore, this question: Where are we moving now in this new world order where this Corona bug is thrusting such a strain on humanity?

We are made to ask more often than ever age old  existential questions: Questions about our life, its meaning and significance, about its existence, about our futurity as a whole. Existential philosophy which tries to answer our human life questions and in a way thought to have understood that it has all the answers for our inquisitiveness, with this new world wide illness we seem to be having more questions than answers, more troubles than ever, more queries than prepared solutions. 

By his very nature, human person does not want to surrender. Being surrendered means allowing oneself to be tempted of what he is not. If one is tempted to surrender means that he is abdicating or concealing his personality to fall and disappear in the void. The existential philosopher Martin Heidegger puts it well man's littleness, finiteness, "Man wants to surrender to the world. He tempts himself. He flees from himself and desires to fall into the world. In his everyday talking and curiosity he prepares for himself a permanent temptation to fallenness." In other words, we are in a whirlwind of inescapability. Perhaps in our present scenario it could either death or lost in void on this earth what we call life.

The more you flee yourself from what you are, what you are capable of and not capable of, you are put in a void or emptiness. Because human person in himself is incapable to finding meaning. He has to hang on to something outside of him, outside of his emptiness. The eschatological message of the New Testament is this "now and not yet". Jesus would say "In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me.” (Jn 16:16). The paradox of life continues. The destiny of man as the master of this world is once again threatened.
           

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

07 April 2020

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Making Life Beautiful in a Time of Home Quarantine

(Photo courtesy: Jean Marc Arkelian)
We live by our habits. When those habits which have become integral part of our life are disintegrated then we feel ourselves lost and confused. This must have been our experience during these 15 days of lock down. 

When we live our life fully and beautifully there is a great sense of satisfaction and joy. We feel life is worth living. When we were put under voluntary house arrest on the 15th of March 2020, in order to keep ourselves sane, safe and heathy, we must have gone through this fear of contamination of Corona virus. As we notice steady increase of virus infection figures at the end of this month of March we feel satisfied and happy and courageous, because life is still tickling.

Perhaps, I could ask these following questions?
1. How am I living Covid-19 break?
2. What is that keeps me going in my everyday boredom of sitting in my apartment or house?
3. How can I make my life interesting and beautiful during these days of continuous lockdown?

I have a few tips that have been helping me to keep myself occupied and feel useful and grateful.

1. Keeping God center of my life: When I think about this dreaded Corona virus, you have no other option than falling at your knees and say "Lord! Let Your Will be Done". When frustration and distress engulfs us only the source of strength and courage is God. Before our human finiteness only Divine infinite goodness could fill us with unbridled hope. We could do this by reading the Bible (if you find it difficult to read, take the audio Bible reading which is available here, listen to it and you read along). Spiritual reading would be another idea. Pick up a book and simply read it and put a target as how many pages you would love to read per day.

2. Look for fresh areas of life: Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger (1926-2007), the former Archbishop of Paris, France a Jewish convert to Catholicism seems to have said in times of crises and hopelessness focus your energy on fresh areas. If you have been too much involved in your work and trying to earn as much as possible without much rest and time for your family or partner, now you can think about your relationships with others. You could spend your time in putting an order in your room, house, lot more time in cleaning your house, apartment, compound or surroundings; Spending time with the family members not simply sitting around with mobiles in your hand or TV running infront of you for 16 hours of the day, but a quality time with your own people. Meanwhile, this is the time to forgive those  people who have hurt us and if we have hurt others then pray for their well being. Let freshness enter your caged life at least during this time of uncertainty.

3. Think and do something around your vicinity: Until now I must have been thinking about my work, my family, my kids, my compound, my home. But now it's a time to think about others, my neighbours, those whom we know who are far away, who must be in need of some comfort and words of consolation. Perhaps your phone call might help a lot in rekindling joy of life -joie de vivre.  If you have not spoken with your neighbour for a long time, it's time to call them or talk to them keeping in mind the distance.  We can spread the fragrance of love and harmony in place of Corona and apprehension.

4. Try to learn something new: We are caught up in a strange world where nothing is sure including our life tomorrow with this Corona virus. However, our life is a long journey of learning and unlearning, being and becoming! As my professor of Latin in Gregorian University, Rome would put it bluntly, "Life is short, Latin is long, start today!" There is nothing which is late to start learning. Everything has a beginning. And a thousand miles journey begins with a first step. So why not learn something new or something that you had started sometime ago and then stopped due to time constrains? Now is the time to unpack your talents and unused energies. For example, learning a musical instrument, doing the painting, working in the garden or doing something with the flower pots that you might be having in your house which require attention. Try to develop taste for something which helped the humanity to develop a great culture of music. Listening to classical music is much more soothing for your brain cells than your binge music. Here are the applications that you can hear for free online classical music: KDFC, BR  Klassik, etc.

5. Remaining positive: Until now, my concentration must have been more of "Having" than "Being". If I am harbouring enormous negative energy then now is the time to be positive. Let all the negative thoughts about people, relationships, things, affairs of the world, may go away from us. Let only the positive energy be our guide and come to us. Especially during this time when we are flooded with so many negative WhatsApp messages and how the situation of Covid -19 lockdown is affecting us and others so badly, being vigilant is essential to skip from this whirlwind of negativity. Let us be positive first and foremost about myself and think that God will show a new way to live our life in this tragic moment of our times. Here I am not alone but everybody on the face of the earth is threatened and intimidated. Until now I must have concentrated on "having more" but now on I'll try to concentrate on "Being More." Moreover, "Being More" will certainly will help me once this threat of Corona virus is gone and back to our normal life.

To skip from negativity, we could do something special in the morning when we spend a few minutes in prayer:

1. At the end of the prayer, I make a little commitment or resolution for the day and pray for the grace to fulfil it. I would not like to be negative towards others, or will not read anything that has to do with negativity. I'll try to avoid hearing negativity from others and even if I hear I will see to that I behave as if I have not heard it all. I do this commitment for few days until it becomes a habit of my life.

2. I take a commitment during my prayer on another day. I would be appreciative of someone in my family, neighbour or anythings else. I appreciate with words, (adjectives), actions and thoughts. I pray for such people. Even if someone is negative about me still I'll not utter a word against that person.

The above exercises could be done in order to help oneself in becoming «Being More» area of life, thus we can root out anger, anxiety, laziness, jealousy, etc. Believe that everything comes by practice and habit. Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) of the fame “Brothers of Karamazov” wrote so emphatically “only beauty can save the world”, «Красота спасет мир». In the wretchedness of everyday life of suffering, sickness, senselessness, and death, lifting one’s eyes up and see the divine beauty in and around us and God’s creation will certainly will  help to make a difference to live a life happy, joyful as well as beautiful.

Life is beautiful. Let's make it now!

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

01 April 2020


Sunday, March 29, 2020

Fullness of God Fills Our Emptiness

The startling contrast of empty St Peter's Square, and silence in between the whole ceremony of Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) of Pope Francis on 27th March 2020 in the Vatican left me thinking once again about our life on this earth.

In addition to the above image, there are two other things of Vatican that have left indelible mark in my memory in the last few years as moving experiences.  The wind that continually flipped the pages of the Bible which was placed on the coffin of Pope John Paul II and the Pope Benedict XVI's exit from the Vatican as Pope Emeritus and being taken away in a helicopter.  But Pope Francis' special prayer service with his deep and insightful reflections with an empty St Peter's Square and its huge Bernini's Colonnade certainly leave in us unforgettable mark, indeed, given its special significance when the whole world is being devastated by the Corona pandemic.

(photo courtesy: repubblica.it)
An 83 year old Pope in his advanced years, who is the leader of the global Catholic Church with his hip and lung problems still praying in a completely empty square was simply moving. Every person who has seen this scene must have felt the weight behind this important gesture of the Pope to pray for the suffering humanity. Perhaps there was a deep feeling that an evening of our life on the face of this earth has come so quickly, suddenly and early. 

Pope Francis put up a brave front infront of the beaming video cameras which transmitted each detail and every movement of Pope to the entire world. Moreover, with the Blessed Sacrament in front of him and giving a solemn blessing of hope and healing surely put us in a mood that there exist someone, somewhere who is beyond us and as His children we have every right and reason to worship and ask for the grace of healing, comfort and forgiveness.

Even though Pope Francis looked terribly shaken by the devastation that Corona virus is causing to the survival of entire humanity and especially Italy, which saw already on this day 10,000 deaths within a span of 15 days, he showed great courage of love and hope. His fervent prayers at the foot of the icon of Salus Populi Romani (health of the Roman people) and the "miraculous crucifix" of St Marcellus, Pope pleaded for the entire humanity with a great responsibility as successor of St Peter, the Apostle. Trusting entirely at the immense benevolence of Jesus our Lord, who only could take us safe in Peter's boat, Pope Francis led the world with utter humility towards the power of the Blessed Sacrament.  

What caught my imagination is the rain which continued to pour with its thrumming sound from the time Pope started to address a bit dark but the empty Square with its well lit colonnade and specially erected huge fire places around the stage where usually Pope conducts liturgies.
(Photo courtesy: vatican.va)
The empty square was in a way a reminder that human person in front of the global tragedies of such magnitude of today stands open with empty hands, a sign of nothingness and finitude. Bernini's colonnade were like almost embracing human person's hollowness at this juncture. 

Pope's solemn blessing moved the world and stormed the heavens through the ringing of Church bells, rains dropping on the ground and at the corner siren of an ambulance. This did give a testimony that we are not in control of this world including of our life and our empty noise.  

The very beginning of the discourse of Pope put us where we are today in this distressing time: "For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel [Mark 4:35-41] we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.

Yet, one thing is certain, in spite of such magnitude of distress and frustration when the whole world is unable to find a way out from this pandemic, God is there, watching us our helplessness and misery. He who is full will fill our emptiness, whatever may come today or tomorrow. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies.

You may read Pope Francis' reflections here

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

29th March 2020


Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Failures have a Future

(Photo courtesy: Jean-Mark Arkalian)
Although none of us like to encounter failures, unfortunately they are part and parcel of our lives. The more we run away from them, more they haunt us. Failures are facts of life. None of us can escape from failures either big or small, seldom or continuous.

A matured leaf has to ripen, dry and fall on the ground. Only then a new leaf would make its place and the branch would grow. Every failure is a pillar of success. Failures come and go and but we remain there.

As I read through the book of Samuel, especially the story of the rise and fall of Saul, the first king of the Jews in the 11th century BCE (1 Sam 9) the facts on failures become very vivid.  With his kingship, the Jews made a definite move from tribal society to a statehood. Things fail, human person fails, even God fails. This could be seen in the life of King Saul. In spite of the resistance of prophet Samuel, Yahweh wants to fulfil the desire of Israelites. Samuel tries to persuade the Jews not to look for a king by giving them various reasons and how the king would exploit and enslave its citizens. However, Yahweh has different plans. God asks Samuel to listen to the people. Vox populi est vox Dei, the voice of people is the voice of God. Finally, Samuel anoints the best person among Jewish male: "There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else" (1 Sam 9:2). 

Unfortunately, the story of king Saul does not end here with success but in utter failure personally and collectively. Saul follows his own ways instead of the book of the covenant, thus leading to an admonition from the prophet Samuel who had anointed him as the king (1 Sam 15).  Saul is rejected as a king and David was anointed in his place. The question that troubles us is this: How is that God who had chosen such a formidable man lost favour in the sight of God so quickly? Didn't God think well about Saul before making such an important milestone in the history of Israel by providing them first Jewish king? Why didn't God give enough wisdom to Saul to do the right and appropriate things?

God failed in the person of Saul. But the story has a colourful continuation. God raises another man more handsome and more courageous and talented in David. For God nothing is impossible. Perhaps we make things impossible when God wants us to be successful. He prepares us to beat the failures. There are always alternative routes to make our failures into success. Moreover, we should take different approaches. With our little failures we think that is the end of the story. In fact, it is the beginning of a new story with more scintillating and courageous one. Because every failure will be redeemed in order to be more successful. God is the future. Hence, failures have a bright and shiny future.

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

28th January 2020

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Faithfulness to God’s Covenantal Love

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time C. Readings:  Habakuk 1:2-3;2:2-4, 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14 and Luke 17:5-10
(Parable of the Mustard Seed, Jan Luyken)

I

The Word of God of today calls us for self-critique and self-examination.  We can see holy outrage, holy anger in the words of prophet Habakukuk. The prophet seeing what is happening around him, asks, why is there so much injustice and tyranny and oppression everywhere? Why so much outrage and violence? The world seems to be full of malice and hatred.  There is evil everywhere. Why people are fighting among themselves? There seems to be no peace, justice and truth, instead there is only anger, jealousy and violence. In this context, prophet Habakukuk expresses his groanings to God. Why is that when we live in a world which can appreciate art, music, intelligence and wisdom keeps quiet when we see violence, hatred, oppression, lynching and so on? Prophet sees a vision in which God asks him to write down and gives him the assurance that the upright man will live by his faithfulness. God does not let us down. In times of frustrations, God gives us consolations. Psalm 113 verse 7 says “ God raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” Psalm 146, verse 2 asks “not to put our trust in princes, in mortals,” but “in the Lord”, the God of Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because, God made a covenant of love through them with the humanity. Therefore faithfulness to the covenant is essential and expected of us. 

II

In our second reading today, St Paul writing to Timothy whom he has consecrated as Bishop by laying his hands on him says that “you have the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They have come upon when I laid my hands upon you.” Paul writes “God’s gift is not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control.” By our baptism we are called to priest, prophet and king. We are people of joy, enthusiasm and vibrancy. Thus we are asked to be faithful to him who has called us out of darkness. Moreover, Lord gives us the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be courageous. So we can transmit through our words and actions His power, love and self-control to be the worthy servants of the covenant of the Word.

III

In the Gospel reading of today, Jesus calls us to be servants who are always ready. In fact, Jesus has called us as his friends, but today he demands of us servant like attitude in our faithfulness to our God.  The catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that we are created to praise, reverence and serve God and thus finally to be with him forever. In other words, ultimately, we have to be faithful to the call that God has given to us, which we made through our baptism.  We are faithful servants of the word of God.

IV

We are in the month of October, the month of the Rosary. This is a special month for us, in addition to celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Rosary, Pope Francis has declared this month as the Extraordinary Missionary Month.  The reason is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation “Maximum Illud” means “That Momentous” of Pope Benedict XV written in 1919. This Exhortation is very important in the event of the rising missionary zeal since the end of the First World War in 1918. Then Pope Benedict XV called the Church to be a local church, an indigenous church, where the local clergy, local people take up the leadership role in their communities. Pope called to be missionaries in their own churches in building up and strengthening the Church of God. Thus Pope Francis wishes to celebrate this very important mile stone of history of our Church and has asked to devote this whole month of October with special celebrations.   

Pope Francis has also given us the theme, “Baptised and Sent”. It calls us to reflect on 4 following points. 
1. A personal Encounter with Jesus Christ living in His Church: In the Eucharist, In the Word of God, and in personal and communal prayer
2. Testimony: Missionary Saints, Martyrs and Confessors of the Faith
3. Missionary Formation: Biblical, Catechetical, Spiritual and Theological Formation
4. Missionary Charity

This October month is very unusual to the Universal Church to which we belong. Today, the “Synod on Amazon” begins in the Vatican. Just yesterday, 13 new Cardinals were created in a special consistory. Three of them happened to be Jesuits. One of them is Fr Michael Czerny, who during my illness in Rome took care of me and helped me to keep the hope of life and faith in everyway. He is a man prayer. 

But I would like to mention the 80-year-old Lithuanian Jesuit Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevicius, who became a Cardinal yesterday. Tamkevicius, who’s over 80 and therefore among the “honorary” cardinals who can’t vote in the next conclave. It’s his personal story that’s most inspiring. He spent almost a decade in Soviet forced labour camps, not only because he was a Catholic priest but because of his unyielding defense of human rights. 

The archbishop had been imprisoned from 1983 to 1988 for “anti-Soviet propaganda.” As a Jesuit priest, in 1972 he began publishing the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, an underground newsletter documenting communist repression of the Church. Despite repeated questioning by the KGB, he managed to publish and distribute the chronicle for more than 10 years and, once he was arrested, others continued his work. He was exiled to Siberia where he had to dig and had various jobs at one time or another - cook, iron worker, dishwasher, and several others.  I can say with my own little experience in Siberia as a missionary, life is tough there when temperature goes down to minus 40 degree celsius and when winter prolongs to more than 6 months. 

Tamkevicius said Friday that what sustained him during those years in prison was prayer, especially saying Mass, which he had to do in secret because religious expressions were officially prohibited. He told a reporter as to how Tamkevicius managed to find wine for the liturgy. He explained that in the camps they would give prisoners a meal ticket, and generally in their food he’d find both bread and dried grapes. He’d pocket some of both, using the grapes to make a crude wine.  According to him “If a believer isn’t ready to suffer for his faith,” he said simply, “then he’s not much of a believer.” 

V

Another person who was faithful servant of the Lord and is recently declared the Servant of God, Pujya Rajendra Swamy. An Italian born this Jesuit priest worked not far away from this place, Kalena Agrahara. His grave has turned into a pilgrimage center in Maddur, just two hours ride from here. Born in 1672, Antonio Maria Plattei in Venice, was ordained in 1700 and immediately came to India. He spent his next 19 years serving in the then Kingdom of Mysore establishing parishes and missions taking the name Rajendra, dressing and eating like that of an Indian Sanyasi. He worked around Srirangapattana and later exiled. He did everything to keep the faith of the people alive. It is said that there were 30,000 Catholics under his care. Even though he lived only for 47 years, he achieved much for the Lord. This year, the Church is commemorating his 300th death anniversary and a shrine has been erected on his tomb with his name.  People have been witnessing a number of miracles happening by praying at his tomb. God’s faithful servant is still calling to be faithful to His covenant even today through various signs. 

I believe that the testimonies of these people are a sure sign that God never let’s us down. He is always faithful to us and gives His Spirit’s gifts to be faithful always and all ways.

Olvin Veigas, SJ

06.10.2019

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Conversion: From Abortion to Pro-Life Campaigner

(Photo courtesy: Jean-Mark Arkalian)

Recently, I was awestruck by an article in The Tablet: The International Catholic Weekly published from London (Issue 23 March 2019, p.9, Vol 273, No 9294) with a title “A Prayer for Life” by Laura Keynes who happens to be the editor of The Tablet’s Living Spirit Column.  

This is a story of Keynes herself who once went through an abortion at the Marie Stopes House in Fitzrovia, Central London.  She recounts her earlier life story when she entered this clinic as a young woman who chose to terminate a crisis of pregnancy two pro-life women shouted at her, “Don’t do it luv. You are taking a life”.  As one of them holding a large Rosary at her said, “You’re taking a life!” 

Keynes who was irritated at that time asked the receptionist of the clinic “Can’t you get rid of them?”.  “We’ve tried, but they’re on public land here. Nothing we can do” was the sober reply.

Today, Keynes who is Catholic, is a mom of three.  She is a different woman.  She believes that the prayers of those two pro-life women must have played a significant role in turning her into a pro-lifer herself.  Recently, she participated in “40 Days for Life” an international campaign of prayer, fasting and peaceful vigil which ran from 6th March to 14 April.  Even though, she is unable to explain the power of prayer and grace behind her conversion, certainly, she is a converted pro-lifer. 

In her article, Keynes explains the way she participated in her first pro-life campaign, which was not necessarily well organized.  In spite of the freezing temperatures, the rain turning to sleet, she along with other four bedraggled souls made it happen on that evening.  She writes very warmly how much she was excited to participate in it in the evening hours living behind her husband, three daughters - one year, three year and four year old - all who were begging not to leave them on that precious evening.  On the way to the prayer vigil, Keynes explains how even the nature seems to have been against them with traffic getting jammed, rain splashing, wind blowing so heavily making the vigil happen was almost like a battle. 

Strangely, the vigil was held just outside the Marie Stopes House with not many attendees where once Keynes went through an abortion.  She held the placards with words “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”  This time the pro-lifers were not left with peace but with verbal attacks by the passers by.
  
The way Keynes concludes this episode is very heart warming.  As she returned from the prayer vigil, probably it must have been quite late, she found in her bedroom a little envelope on her pillow with one word in crayon:  “Mummy”.  She concludes her article with these words, “What a blessing of a word.  A scrumpled scribble inside; a child’s declaration of love for her mother.  I thought of all the women robbed of this moment, and of all the children who will never have a chance to write the word “Mummy”.  My heart broke for them.”  

I find this personal encounter of a woman with the reality very inspiring in a world where humanity does not like to listen to the inner voice.  There is always still voice crying out inside but the person will have to open the eyes, ears and the heart to the reality of humanity and life.  In our overcrowded life, finding a sacred space is need of the hour in order to cultivate a culture of life instead of culture of death.  

- Ovin Veigas, SJ

05 June 2019

Sunday, March 31, 2019

The Power and Significance of Condolence Messages

Often, everything that happens to you is an experience in itself.  In recent years, I’ve been becoming aware about the things that are happening within me and around me.  In other words, I have become sensitive to things, situations, actions, events and incidents.  Probably my own health crises must have added to my already existing nature of being quick to recognise or give words or expressions to such feelings, emotions and movements of the heart. 

A very recently, when my mom passed away I understood the significance of messages of condolence. To accept the passing away of my mom was extremely difficult because we were very intimately connected.  Every second day she would call me over the mobile in the last two years and we would speak for quite a few minutes.  In fact, I learnt the skill of killing the time over the phone through my mom. A great teacher, indeed!

Each condolence message brought a unique message and received with a particular feeling.  It also depended on my relationship with the person, my friendship, acquaintances, etc. 

One thing was common in all, that is, every message brought me consolation and a sense of belonging to a human family where pain is shared by all.  I also found that those who called me over the telephone were brief, cordial, and included a touch of spiritual warmth.  Most of the messages  by e-mail, WhatsApp consisted a sense of prayerful wishes of comfort and support. 

Fr George Griener, SJ, who was my academic guide, mentor and friend while I was pursuing my studies in Berkeley, CA, US  sent me something from Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner,  a part of prayer  which had helped in his own life.  This made me ponder and meditate over the mystery of life. 

"Prayer to the God of the Living" By Karl Rahner
I should like to remember my dead to you, O Lord, all those who once belonged to me and have now left me.  There are many of them, far too many to be taken in with one glance.  If I am to pay my sad greeting to them all, I must rather travel back in memory over the entire route of my life’s journey….

…The true procession of my life however consists only of those bound together by real love, and this column grows shorter and more quiet, until one day I myself will have to break off from the line of march and leave without a word or wave of farewell, never more to return.

That’s why my heart is now with them, with my loved ones who have taken their leave of me.  There is no substitute for them, there are no others who can fill the vacancy when one of those whom I have really loved suddenly and unexpectedly departs and is with me no more.  In true love, no one can replace another, for true love loves the other into that depth where is he uniquely and irreplaceably himself.

Therefore when death has trudged through my life, each of those who have departed has taken something of my heart with them, indeed often my whole heart.  Anyone who has really loved and still loves finds life changed, even before death, into a living with the dead.  For could the one who loves forget his or her dead?  And if someone has really loved, then his ‘forgetting’ and ‘having exhausted his tears’ is not the sign of being comforted again, but of the ultimacy of his mourning, the sign that a piece of his own heart has really died with the dead person and now is living dead, and therefore can no longer weep…..”

Karl Rahner, Prayers for a Lifetime¸ included from his earlier collection, Words Spoken into the Silence, composed when he was 34 years old.

- Olvin Veigas

31 March 2019

4th Sunday of Lent

Monday, March 25, 2019

Mother and Her Absence

One of the things that I noticed in my own life quite recently is that how the passing away of your dear one affects your life without its many expressions.  When my mom left this world on the 7th of February 2019, I was with her holding her.  Even though, her passing was so quiet, peaceful and graceful, she had come to that stage with a lot of pain and suffering, leaving her with many questions which she did not hesitate to share.  One of such questions was, “why God is not taking me from here?”  

The serenity with which my mom breathed her last left in me, too, a grace, a sense of thankfulness and peace.  I said to myself, mom has done everything she had to do in this world as God’s beautiful creation, moreover, she has taught me what I am.  Through her suffering I too learnt what that suffering is.  Offering oneself to God was the only way out in all the suffering.  Nothing else.
(With mom on my Ordination day 28 Dec 2008) 
I experienced the great pain of my mom’s passing after 30 hours; the day of her funeral.  I could not control myself the grief and inner sorrow.  The very thing that came to my mind again and again was, now on I will not see mom and will not hear her voice again.  I will not have her phone calls which I did every alternate day.  I will not have her presence henceforth to make me comfortable at home whenever I reach my native place. 

At a fairly young age, I left my country because of the kind of life I chose, that is to be a Jesuit and to be "sent".  On my rare home visits from abroad to my family home were full of joy.  Mom prepared the dishes that I would not get elsewhere.  She made a special point to ask. She prepared pickle for me so that I could carry to Russia and have sometimes at my meals; this was also appreciated by my fellow Jesuits in Moscow.  Probably, in the life of a priest and the kind of life he lives as a consecrated person and single either his mother or sister become very dear and near to him.  Certainly, I am not immune to that mystery of life.  Perhaps the attachment that I have towards my mom will be part of my life let I take any vow of renunciation.  Nevertheless, I should turn to a Church Father to whom his mother meant a lot in his life, not only bringing him forth into this life temporal but also praying for him so that he too becomes part of her faith and life of salvation.
Very interestingly St Monica, the mother of St Augustine, talked to her son at her deathbed on the island of Ostia regarding her funeral: “Lay this body anywhere, let not the care for it trouble you at all. This only I ask, that you will remember me at the Lord's altar, wherever you be.” (Confessions IX, 11).

This is what St. Augustine writes about his mother after many years of her death in his book “Confessions”:  “And when we were at the Tiberine Ostia my mother died.  Much I omit, having much to hasten.  Receive my confessions and thanksgivings, O my God, for innumerable things concerning which I am silent.  But I will not omit anything that my soul has brought forth as to that Your handmaid who brought me forth—in her flesh, that I might be born to this temporal light, and in her heart, that I might be born to life eternal.  I will speak not of her gifts, but Yours in her; for she neither made herself nor educated herself.  You created her, nor did her father nor her mother know what a being was to proceed from them.” (Confessions IX, 8)

Furthermore, the good son, Augustine enumerates the virtues of his holy mother: “She had been the wife of one man, had requited her parents, had guided her house piously, was well-reported of for good works, had brought up children, as often travailing in birth of them (cf. Galatians 4:19) as she saw them swerving from You.  Lastly, to all of us, O Lord (since of Your favour Thou sufferest Your servants to speak), who, before her sleeping in You, (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:14) lived associated together, having received the grace of Your baptism, did she devote, care such as she might if she had been mother of us all; served us as if she had been child of all.” (Confessions IX, 9).

There is nothing more to add. St. Augustine speaks for us all.

- Olvin Veigas

25th March 2019

The Feast of Annunciation