In today's reading from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus speaks to us about the need for perseverance in prayer and about the need for humility when we approach the Lord .Just like the lady who approaches an unwilling judge to give her justice through her constant pleading , so too, without any despair in our heart, we should pray to God constantly. It is our perseverance that is important. Our Lord will never abandon us. Our hearts should not be puffed up with notions of our righteousness. Before God we are all sinners and have no right to be considered holy. We have to present ourselves as we are before God. God in his mercy and compassion will grant our requests.
How good it is to remember these lessons. Often, we come to prayers, making our requests based on our merits and what we have done as faithful disciples. That is the wrong attitude to adopt in prayer. Before God's infinite holiness, we are nothing.
Lord, grant me this sense of humility. Help me in my times of weakness. I am nobody before you. You alone have the power. Have mercy one me. I cannot do anything of my own. Have mercy on me.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Epiphany Reflections,Jan.30,12,Mt.18:23-35
In today's Gospel, Jesus explains the nature of God's kingdom.Using the parable of the king who forgives his debtors , he reminds his listeners that in the kingdom of God, one would experience mercy and forgivness. He also points out through the parable of the meriless official how cruelty and lack of mercy would be punished by God. It is a reminder to each one of us to be forgiving and merciful because God is full of forgivenss and mercy towards us.
In life, what is important is not our material possession but what we give to others. What we have gained as wealth and glory from the world has no meaning in the eyes of God. God wants us to reflect his mercy and love in our dealings with our fellow-brethren.
In life, what is important is not our material possession but what we give to others. What we have gained as wealth and glory from the world has no meaning in the eyes of God. God wants us to reflect his mercy and love in our dealings with our fellow-brethren.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Church in India,Growth in Vocations
Jeff Ziegler has written very extensively about developments and growth of the Catholic Church in the Catholic World Report.One of his most recent articles deals with the growth and vitality in the American Church because of the presence of Spanish Catholics.In other issues of the Report , he has written beautifully about the growth of the Chruch in India and the major role played by the Syro-Malabar Church.
In the following article, a few quotes from his Reports about the Church in Kerala are given.
A Source of Hope: The Catholic World Report,Feb.2010.
"At the end of 2007,India's Catholic population ranked 16th in the world...India has more seminarians(14,120) than any other nation. Between 1999 and 2007, the number of Indian seminarians increased by an astounding 40 percent.Nearly 64 of India's seminarians will be ordained for religious orders...
"Between 1999 and 2007, the number of diocesan priests ministering in India rose by 24 percent, from 10690 to 13,290, while the number of religious order priests rose by 33 percent, from 8248 to 11003.
India has more nuns than any other nation(except Italy) and will soon rank first in the world..
"Institutional presence is also unmatched anywhere in the world.India has 10,240 Catholic elementary schools with more than 3 million students--More than any other nation in the world.India has more than 5000 high schools with over three million students.
There are more Catholic hospitals in India than in all of North America.Indeed , the Church in India has more hospitals(754),medical dispensaries(2504),leprosaria(220) and orphanages(2,327) than any other nation."
Jeff also writes about the persecution of Christians in India.He notes: "Although India is a secualr nation whose constituion respects religious freedom, five of India's 29 state governments have enacted anti-conversion laws,and some states have turned a blind eye to the persecution of Christians.Anti-Christian persecution in India attracted world wide attention in 2008 when violence in the northeastern state of Orisaa left 90 dead and fifty thousand homeless.
Speaking aboout the Women's relgious orders, Jeff observes that some of the largest women's congregations are in India."Each has more members than the Benedictines,Dominicans, Sisters of Mercy,the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and other well-known women's communities."
"The greatest threats to the dynamism of the Church in India....are Western-style secularism and smaller families."
In another e article called " Nuns World Wide", Jeff speaks about the decline of vocations among women in the Western world and the increase in vocation among women in India."With five of the 10 largest women religious institutes now headquartered in India--where only 1.6 percent of the world's Catholics live--India has become the worldwide center of women's religious ocations.The number of professed women relgious in India grew by 9,398 between 2002 and 2007.While India has neary 50 million fewer Catholics than the United States does, it has over 30,000 more women relgious.
"If St.Louis is sometimes called the "Rome of the West" because of the number of religious who once served there, it would be far truer to call Ernakulam-Angamaly in Kerala the "Rome of the East.'...Although the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has 200,000 fewer Catholics than the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, it has 30,000 sisters--more than half of them members of the Franciscan Clarist Congreagtion, the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel, and the sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament."
In the following article, a few quotes from his Reports about the Church in Kerala are given.
A Source of Hope: The Catholic World Report,Feb.2010.
"At the end of 2007,India's Catholic population ranked 16th in the world...India has more seminarians(14,120) than any other nation. Between 1999 and 2007, the number of Indian seminarians increased by an astounding 40 percent.Nearly 64 of India's seminarians will be ordained for religious orders...
"Between 1999 and 2007, the number of diocesan priests ministering in India rose by 24 percent, from 10690 to 13,290, while the number of religious order priests rose by 33 percent, from 8248 to 11003.
India has more nuns than any other nation(except Italy) and will soon rank first in the world..
"Institutional presence is also unmatched anywhere in the world.India has 10,240 Catholic elementary schools with more than 3 million students--More than any other nation in the world.India has more than 5000 high schools with over three million students.
There are more Catholic hospitals in India than in all of North America.Indeed , the Church in India has more hospitals(754),medical dispensaries(2504),leprosaria(220) and orphanages(2,327) than any other nation."
Jeff also writes about the persecution of Christians in India.He notes: "Although India is a secualr nation whose constituion respects religious freedom, five of India's 29 state governments have enacted anti-conversion laws,and some states have turned a blind eye to the persecution of Christians.Anti-Christian persecution in India attracted world wide attention in 2008 when violence in the northeastern state of Orisaa left 90 dead and fifty thousand homeless.
Speaking aboout the Women's relgious orders, Jeff observes that some of the largest women's congregations are in India."Each has more members than the Benedictines,Dominicans, Sisters of Mercy,the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and other well-known women's communities."
"The greatest threats to the dynamism of the Church in India....are Western-style secularism and smaller families."
In another e article called " Nuns World Wide", Jeff speaks about the decline of vocations among women in the Western world and the increase in vocation among women in India."With five of the 10 largest women religious institutes now headquartered in India--where only 1.6 percent of the world's Catholics live--India has become the worldwide center of women's religious ocations.The number of professed women relgious in India grew by 9,398 between 2002 and 2007.While India has neary 50 million fewer Catholics than the United States does, it has over 30,000 more women relgious.
"If St.Louis is sometimes called the "Rome of the West" because of the number of religious who once served there, it would be far truer to call Ernakulam-Angamaly in Kerala the "Rome of the East.'...Although the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has 200,000 fewer Catholics than the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, it has 30,000 sisters--more than half of them members of the Franciscan Clarist Congreagtion, the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel, and the sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament."
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Reflections on the Leadership of Moses in the Old Testament
After reading the books of the Old Testament upto the end of Dueteronomy, one finds that the person who makes the greatest impact on us is Moses. It is Moses who is the domineering figure all through these books and his leadership remains strongly implanted in our mind.It would be worthwhile to rflect on the qualities of his leadership.
What we find is a man who is totally devoted to God, following the commandments of the Lord upto the last breath f his life. He was fully at the disposal of God's commandents.He was faithful and strong, undaunted and fearless before obstacles. What guided him was his faith n God.He believed that as long as God was with him , nothing would be impossible.He cried and interceded for his speople. He warned and punished his people.
He was also an imperfect human being. He could not speak. He needed the hep of Aaron to speak for him.He failed to believe that water would gush forth if he would strike a rock. For his failure, he was grievously punished by being denied the privilege of entering the Promised Land. It was to this promised Land that he was journeying. But like his compatriots, he too was denied entry into the Land.He is like any one of us in his failings. But he had no complaints. He just follwed he what God asked him to do.
He was not afraid of obstacles. He was persevering. In spite of the rejection of Pharaoh , he continued to meet him until he got his people out of Egypt. What he heard from God , he communicated to the people with out any fear of their rejection.He warned, cajoled , punished and inspired the people who were under his care."Let my people go" is what is being echoed in our ears.
His stay at the Mountain of Sinai and his face radiant with glow because he saw the glory of God all remain etched dsitinctly in our mind.
The last days of his life are also very memorable.hH told the people that he was getitng old.He had no more any power to lead.He enrusted the task of leading the peope to the Promised Land to Joshua.The last word about him at the end of Dueteronomy was that he was without any equal.
What we find is a man who is totally devoted to God, following the commandments of the Lord upto the last breath f his life. He was fully at the disposal of God's commandents.He was faithful and strong, undaunted and fearless before obstacles. What guided him was his faith n God.He believed that as long as God was with him , nothing would be impossible.He cried and interceded for his speople. He warned and punished his people.
He was also an imperfect human being. He could not speak. He needed the hep of Aaron to speak for him.He failed to believe that water would gush forth if he would strike a rock. For his failure, he was grievously punished by being denied the privilege of entering the Promised Land. It was to this promised Land that he was journeying. But like his compatriots, he too was denied entry into the Land.He is like any one of us in his failings. But he had no complaints. He just follwed he what God asked him to do.
He was not afraid of obstacles. He was persevering. In spite of the rejection of Pharaoh , he continued to meet him until he got his people out of Egypt. What he heard from God , he communicated to the people with out any fear of their rejection.He warned, cajoled , punished and inspired the people who were under his care."Let my people go" is what is being echoed in our ears.
His stay at the Mountain of Sinai and his face radiant with glow because he saw the glory of God all remain etched dsitinctly in our mind.
The last days of his life are also very memorable.hH told the people that he was getitng old.He had no more any power to lead.He enrusted the task of leading the peope to the Promised Land to Joshua.The last word about him at the end of Dueteronomy was that he was without any equal.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Stephen Covey- the 8th Habit
Stephen Covey's The 8th Habit is his newest book on effective leadership.He underlines the need for a voice on the part of the leader and the willingnes to share his voice with others by empowering their qualities.
We live in a culture of blame where we blame others for the lack of development in our insitution or venture. We never take the initiative to become catalysts of change. We have to move away from such a mindset.Whatever may be the little contribution that we can make, we have to make it.We should have a voice and we should let the voice be heard instead of blaming the sytem.Covey gives the life and example of the nobel laureate,Mohamed Younus, the founder of the Grameen Bank ,to make his point that one man's voice can change the lives of many.
Some of the important points that he makes in the book are the following:
"For big changes, work on the paradigms--mind-sets and perceptons--the lens through which one views the universe."
"Leaders are those who use their gifts to develop a vision of great things they want to accomplish.They find and use their voice.They serve and inspire others.
The two elemetns of a leader---Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.
"You can be a transition person in the organization you work for.Remember, any time your emotional life is a function of someone else's weakness, you disempower yourself." According to Covey,
vision,discipline, passion and conscience are required for a good leader.Vision consists in seeing a future state with the mind's eyes.
"The most important vision is to develop a sense of self, a sense of your unique mission and role in life...Vision is about more than just getting things done; it is about discovering and expanding our view of others...helping them to find their own voice."
"Seeing people through the lens of their potential and their best actions, rather than through the lens of their current behavior or weaknesses, generates positive energy.
There is great power in viewing people separately from their behavior, for as we do, we affirm their fundamental, unconditional worth.
Cultivating the habit of affirming people is very important.
With regard to family life, he has the following observations to make:
I believe that the most important work you do in the world will be within the walls of your own home. He quotes David O.Mckay to underline the point that our role in guiding an leading the family is the important one in life:" No other success can cmpensate for failure in the home."
"Parentood is the most important leadership responsibility in life and will provide the greatest levels of happiness and joy."
Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves."
"Keep investing in your prsonal and professioanl development and in your power to roduce solutions to problems.Your security does ot come f rom your job or form the patronage of other people; it comes from your ability to meet needs and solve prblems.Keep investing in thsoe abilities, and you will have nedless opportunities."
We live in a culture of blame where we blame others for the lack of development in our insitution or venture. We never take the initiative to become catalysts of change. We have to move away from such a mindset.Whatever may be the little contribution that we can make, we have to make it.We should have a voice and we should let the voice be heard instead of blaming the sytem.Covey gives the life and example of the nobel laureate,Mohamed Younus, the founder of the Grameen Bank ,to make his point that one man's voice can change the lives of many.
Some of the important points that he makes in the book are the following:
"For big changes, work on the paradigms--mind-sets and perceptons--the lens through which one views the universe."
"Leaders are those who use their gifts to develop a vision of great things they want to accomplish.They find and use their voice.They serve and inspire others.
The two elemetns of a leader---Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.
"You can be a transition person in the organization you work for.Remember, any time your emotional life is a function of someone else's weakness, you disempower yourself." According to Covey,
vision,discipline, passion and conscience are required for a good leader.Vision consists in seeing a future state with the mind's eyes.
"The most important vision is to develop a sense of self, a sense of your unique mission and role in life...Vision is about more than just getting things done; it is about discovering and expanding our view of others...helping them to find their own voice."
"Seeing people through the lens of their potential and their best actions, rather than through the lens of their current behavior or weaknesses, generates positive energy.
There is great power in viewing people separately from their behavior, for as we do, we affirm their fundamental, unconditional worth.
Cultivating the habit of affirming people is very important.
With regard to family life, he has the following observations to make:
I believe that the most important work you do in the world will be within the walls of your own home. He quotes David O.Mckay to underline the point that our role in guiding an leading the family is the important one in life:" No other success can cmpensate for failure in the home."
"Parentood is the most important leadership responsibility in life and will provide the greatest levels of happiness and joy."
Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves."
"Keep investing in your prsonal and professioanl development and in your power to roduce solutions to problems.Your security does ot come f rom your job or form the patronage of other people; it comes from your ability to meet needs and solve prblems.Keep investing in thsoe abilities, and you will have nedless opportunities."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)