Ideas on Evangelization by Cardinal Avery Dulles

This is a summary of the some of the key ideas that Cardinal  Dulles has  elaborated in his book,"Evangelization."
The Cardinal mentions that Jesus is the content and the principal bearer of the Gospel.
Catholic evangelical theology seeks to renew the entire life of beleivers through the leaven of the Gospel.
He points out that there are seven major trends against Evangelization.
They are the following:
1.The Radical separation between faith and belief.
Faith according to this view can exist without any definite set of beliefs and without the Gospel.The implication is that there is no need to proclaim the Gospel. According to these , all the articles of the Creed and the  Dogmas of the Church are human constructs.
This attitude is against a vigorous program of evangelization. But, for the early Chrsitians, it was not so. The Gospel preached by the Apostles is the word of God.(1 Thes.2:13).
Faith is more than the acceptance of the Transcendent(.Rom.10:17).Faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the preaching of Christ.(Rom.10:17)
2.Metaphysical Agnosticism:
Anything we say about God is a metaphor. Cardinal Dulles points out that it is through analogy that we have to look at revealed truth and not through metaphor.
3.Religious pragmatism:
 Here faith is seen not as a neccessary thing for salvation but as a means to have peace of mind.
4.Cultural Relativism:
This attitude tells us that no dogmas are permanent.Everything has to be adapted to each region or period.This view is wrong.There are constants in our faith.In Christ , there is no East or West.
5.Religious Pluralsim:
In this view, Jesus Christ is not the only Savior of the world.Each religion has its own way of salvation.Acts 4:12--Only one Name.; One mediator(1Tim.2:50
6.False concept of Freedom:
Here, faith is a private matter.Hence ,children are free to choose.We see in this attitude the privatization of religion.Evangelization , of course, should not be aggressive.Chrsitian faith is to be presented in an inspiring way.
7.Antiauthoritarianism:

Smester System--Need to Continue

There are a lot of discussions going on now with regard to the appropriateness of using semester system in our colleges. Recently the Committee instituted under the chairpersonship of Prof.Hridaya Kumari has suggested modifying the exam pattern because of the delay that is taking place in publishing the results and also because of the great burden that is put on the universities through frequent exams. One of the suggestions put out by the committee was by reducing the exams.

Semester system has become almost a universal pattern because of it being used in the US as well as in Western countries. Using the system in our country helps our students to fall in line with a well established global system. One of the most important facts associated with semester system is that the examination is conducted by the teacher himself. The students are graded by their teacher. Examinations are not supervised or graded by an outside agency. It is the teacher himself who sets the questions and who grades the papers.

Semester exam will be successful only when the teacher grads the papers. The Colleges should be given the authority to conduct exams and grade them. The teachers have to be trusted. Of course, we will have the outcry that some teachers would inflate the grades or that some colleges that do not have proper academic standards will give higher grades to its students than what they deserve. It is here that the Universities have to intervene and take action.

It will be a great disaster if the Universities are going to conduct the semester exams. There will be only exams and nothing will be happening in the sector of teaching. Teachers will always be called out as invigilators or as examiners and hence there will be less and less hours of teaching.

The teacher has to be respected and his judgment has to be accepted. Semester system works where the colleges are given autonomy. It would be a mockery of educational system if only one or two govt colleges are allowed to be autonomous. Autonomy should be granted to all the colleges who have been found worthy by UGC standards. Then, slowly it should be extended to other colleges.

In order to have common standard and to avoid inflation of grades, the University can conduct a final exam which could be equivalent to a comprehensive exam that is offered at American universities at the end of the course. Of course, in the US, that comprehensive too is offered by the college/University where the student is studying. By holding an exam at the end of the degree course and declaring them eligible for a degree after passing the exam, the University can avoid the so called outcry of inflation of grades injected into the system by untrustworthy teachers or colleges.

For the Master’s program the students are given the option of taking the comprehensive or writing a dissertation. If one fails in a  particular course, one can repeat the course or move to another college and continue his studies there.

There are two semesters:Fall(Aug-Dec.) and Spring (Jan-May). Each semester will have 15-16 weeks of classes and the a student is expected to take at least 4 courses per semester, getting 12 credit hours. There is a short summer session (May –July) where if the students want o finish more courses, they can take additional courses during the Summer.Usually for an undergraduate course, one needs 120-130 credit hours and for Masters, 30-64 credit hours. Four years are required for a Bachelor degree and two years are  for a Master’s.

GPA, grade point Average is A(4),B(3),C(2)and D(1).F is failure .One has to have a cumulative GPA of 2 to have a good academic standing.

But more attention is to be paid to a new phenomenon that was introduced by Gandhiji University and a few others in Kerala which is the One Window -admission. The admission is being done by the University and the list is sent to the colleges.

 It is a wrong- headed and politically motivated move, trying to annihilate the distinctive culture and autonomy of colleges. Each college has its separate culture and academic standards and it is the college that should hold admissions to its courses.

  Affiliation does not give the University the right to admissions. It is doubly wrong on the part of the University to insist that the Minority institutions should follow the so-called One Window system of admissions. The Supreme Court and  the High Courts have several times struck down any infringement of the Minority rights that pertains to admission and appointment. Speaking of affiliation, Justice Khanna observes in the famous case of St.Xavier's vs the State of Gujarat: " Recognition or Affiliation is a facility which the University grants to an educational institution for the purpose of enabling the students to sit for an exam to be conducted by the University and therefore ,it stands to reason to hold that no regulation which is unrelated to the purpose can be imposed.”

He further adds that “Compelling the college to become a constituent part of the University amounts to taking away of its separate identity by the force of law.”The court explains that the right to administer includes the right to admit students of their choice. Hence Justice Khanna very categorically affirms : “ to insist upon affiliation on terms and conditions which restrict the right of administration is annihilative of Article 30(1).

In the history of many colleges, the University came into being very late. There are some colleges that predate the former Travancore University. At one stroke, some educational hotheads have destroyed the autonomy of colleges by introducing the one window system. It involves the delay of beginning classes, enormous financial expenditure and moving students from their locality to distant places

The one window system is highly detrimental to the lives of the students as well as to the autonomy of colleges. It should be done away with.

Principals have observed that poor students who cannot stay in hostels in distant colleges where they have got admission through the One-Window Admission process   have discontinued their studies.

Some who had some political vengeance against private colleges wanted to do away the independence and the very feeble amount of autonomy enjoyed by the colleges. When demand for autonomy for colleges is gaining great momentum it is strange that the Universities here have taken the retrograde step of diminishing that autonomy. Who can say that the University is fair while the colleges are unfair in preparing the admission list?

If the University is preparing the admission list of the private colleges, what are the colleges for? Are they there only to offer physical facilities—class rooms, light and water? Even in Chinese Universities, controlled by a dictatorship, each University does its own admission for its students.Hence,it stands to common sense  to realize that the One Window admission process violates the autonomy, the culture and the identity of the colleges.

Catholic Higher Education in Kerala

The Catholic Church in Kerala has invested heavily in education and has contributed immensely to the overall development of Kerala as well as to national integration.

 Our educational institutions have been in the forefront in increasing the opportunities for all irrespective of caste or religion.

 Those who have passed through Catholic   educational institutions know that those institutions of the Church have never discriminated against any caste or creed and have been a welcome place for people following different religious persuasions.

 We gather here today  to make an assessment of our contributions and to look at  ways in which we can cooperate with  one another in this effort more closely as well as to propose steps for further  improvements in the way we run our institutions.

 Transparency and fairness in the management of our institutions should be manifested to the public more clearly. We also have to update the existing level of the learning processes in our institutions. In a world of globalization and IT revolution, we have to devise ways in which we can become partners with other institutions working in this filed.

We have also to look for ways in which we can cooperate with institutions of Higher Education in India and use the resources that are offered by the UGC and the Central government.

Autonomy was granted by the UGC several decades ago but Kerala colleges are deprived of the benefit of autonomy. The demand for granting autonomy to colleges in Kerala has to be raised more vociferously.

As we reflect on our commitment and contributions in the world of Higher Education, it would be very appropriate for us to deepen our understanding of the mission of the Church in the light of the Papal pronouncements as well of the Vatican Council 11.

Papal Statements:

The Document on Education of the Second Vatican Council, Graivissimum Educationis, proclaimed by Pope Paul VI on Oct.28,1965 has the following observations on the mission of the Church in the field of education:

“The Sacred Synod heartily recommends that Catholic Colleges and Universities be conveniently located in different parts of the world, but in such a way that they are outstanding not for their numbers but for their pursuit of knowledge.

“The Church is bound as a mother to give to those children of hers an education by which their whole life can be imbued with the spirit of Christ and at the same time do all she can to promote for all peoples the complete perfection of the human person.”

 The Apostolic Constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae issued by Pope John Paul II in August 1990 states:

“The Catholic University is distinguished by its free search for the whole truth about nature, man and God. The invitation of St. Augustine, “Intellige ut credere; crede ut intelligere” is relevant  for Catholic Universities that are called to explore courageously the riches of Revelation and of nature so that the united endeavor of intelligence and faith will enable people to come to the full measure of their humanity , created in the image and likeness of God.

“Scientific and technological discoveries create an enormous economic and industrial growth, but they  also inescapably require the corresponding necessary search for meaning in order to guarantee that the  new discoveries be used for the authentic good of individuals and of human society as a whole.

A Catholic University is called in a particular way to respond to this need: its Christian inspiration enables it to include the moral, spiritual and religious dimension in its search and to evaluate the attainments of science and technology in the perspective of the totality of the human person.

“Catholic University is one of the best instruments that the Church offers to our age which is searching for certainty and wisdom.

Dealing with the identity and mission of the Catholic universities, the Apostolic Letter has the following to say:

“Every Catholic University as Catholic must have the following characteristics:

1. A Christian inspiration not only of the individuals but of the University community as such.

2. A continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growing totality of knowledge

3. Fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church

4. An institutional commitment to the service of the people of God.

“In a Catholic University, Catholic ideals, attitudes and principles penetrate and inform University activities---promoting dialogue between faith and reason and enabling students to attain an organic vision of reality.

 The CBCI document on Education, “All India Catholic Education Policy” (May 25, 2007) has the following comments to make:

“Education has been a major concern for the Church, as she perceives it as an essential tool for the full development of individuals and empowerment of people. The Church sees education as an agent of transformation.

“Our schools and colleges must continue to remain sensitive and respond appropriately to the legitimate assertion of regional and cultural identities by different groups. By providing education to all, irrespective of caste, color, creed, the Church does make a distinctive contribution to attain the goals of national integration.”

The Document explains the mission of Catholic education in the following words:

“An education which nurtures an encounter with God as a personal event and a free response to the call to faith and which nurtures a life of meaning, purpose and personalized values...”

Introducing the Apostolic Constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Pope John Paul II states that the Catholic Universities “ are for me  a lively and promising sign of the fecundity of the Christian mind in the heart of every culture.”

Minority Rights:

 Minority Rights enshrined in the Constitution of India are misunderstood by many as these have been perceived as a special privilege. The Constitution of India considers Article 30(1) to be a fundamental right. The Article states: “All minorities whether based on religion or language shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.” Dealing with the interpretation of this article, the judgment given in the case, St. Xavier’s college, Ahmedbad vs the State of Gujarat, by the Supreme Court in 1974 is worth mentioning as it would dispel a lot of misunderstandings on the interpretation of this Article. According to the judgment, “the word ‘administer’ is a word of very wide import. The other key words are ‘of their choice.’ The minorities’ right to administer must necessarily include (1)the right to choose its managing or governing body;(2)the right to not to be compelled to refuse admission  to students;(3)the right to choose its teachers and (4)the right to use its properties and assets for the benefit of its own institution…”

“To insist that minorities should surrender their fundamental right as a condition for getting recognition or aid from the State is to make the right unreal or illusory.”

The judgment also warns against the surrender of such a right by the community itself: “The past members of the community cannot surrender the right of the future members of the community.”

The judgment explains the total meaning of minority rights in the following words:” The real reason embodied in Article 30(1) of the Constitution is the conscience of the nation that the minorities, religious as well as linguistic, are not prohibited from establishing and administering educational institutions of their choice for the purpose of giving their children the best general education to make them complete men and women of this country.”

Hence, it is mandatory on the part of the minority communities to be watchful always so that the whole spectrum of rights implied in this Article does never get diminished or whittled down by the actions of the civil authorities.

Modernization in Higher Education:

Tim Sullivan, an Associate Press writer notes in a column in the New York Times : “ Indian schools churn out 400,000 engineers every year but as few as 100,000 are actually ready to join the job world. Graduates are leaving Universities that are mired in theory classes, and sometimes so poorly funded that they don't have computer labs. Even students from the best colleges can be dulled by cram schools and left without the most basic communication skills.”

Thomas Friedman in his book, “That used to be US” mentions the three Cs that are needed for modern higher education: “What is needed now for one to have a job in the modern market is to have three Cs..The three Cs are Critical thinking, effective oral and written Communication, and Collaboration.

The nature of the world of education is changing fast because of the merging of globalization and IT revolution....The time of average is over.”

Along with creating an open and transparent Christian culture in our colleges, we have to think of updating our teaching methods and programs.

The communication and leadership skills of our students have to be improved. We should have special institutes in our campuses to hone the skills and talents of our students.

We have to think of ways in which collaboration with foreign Universities can be established.

International student exchange programs have to be encouraged. Facilities for stay and study for international students should be provided in our institutions.

Instead of following the crowd, we have to lead it. Catholic colleges were in the forefront of many educational initiatives in the past. We have to continue that trend instead of getting bogged down in small matters.

Private University

In the North East, the Salesians have established a private Catholic University. We have to think of establishing a new private University with international collaboration.

 Catholic Schools of Management and Research Centers existing in our colleges should work in collaboration. Our aim is to foster the general academic excellence of our student community.

Without in any way diminishing individuality and independence, our institutions can engage in vital collaborative efforts to make rapid strides in academic progress.

In his path-breaking book, “The Future Church” John Allen calls for a new mind-set for a Catholic in the 21^st century:

“What this century will demand is the courage to be globally Catholic, moving out of the parochialism of a given language, ethnicity, geographical region, or ideology, and embracing membership in a truly “catholic” church….Diversity is wealth, but division is impoverishment.”

The Changing Face of the University Education in India:

According to the National Knowledge Commission Report, only about seven percent of all Indians enter the high education sector.

The Report notes that India has about 350 universities. The National Knowledge Commission constituted in 2005 has recommended that about 1,500 Universities should be opened nationwide so that India is able to attain a gross enrolment ratio (GER) of at least 15 percent by 2015.

According to the estimate of the Commission, there are approximately 17,000 colleges and 131 affiliating Universities. These institutions are not enough to meet the demands of the burgeoning young population of India. Some of the developed counties have a GER of 40 percent. India is lagging far behind these countries in offering opportunities of higher education to its youth.

The Report highlights the challenges the country faces: “India faces today two exciting challenges in Higher Education: to increase the access to higher education and to provide educational institutions of academic excellence.”

New Initiatives

As there is a heavy demand for institutions of higher education, we should continue to get involved in this field as it offers the best opportunity for serving the youth of the country.

 Institutions run under Christian inspiration are the best nodal points for taking the Good News to people around us.

We should ask for autonomy for our colleges. We should continue to start new courses and new institutes in science and technology.

Obstacles and challenges coming from the over charged political atmosphere of the State should not in any way dissuade us from going forward with new initiatives. Although the expectations of the world about present India are very high, we know we have to do a lot in improving our educational standards.

Tie-ups with Universities in the U.S.

Our colleges can become a great hub of international collaborations. This is an opportune time for our colleges to get in touch with foreign Universities in order to open new doors of opportunities for our students in research and career improvements. As on-line collaborations are much easier, a lot of informal exchanges can be brought about between our colleges and the Universities in the U.S. and other countries.

Referring to the pioneering effort of  a Keralite, Mr. Abraham George who sold all his wealth in U.S. to start an elementary  school with computer facilities for the kids of the so-called untouchables in a remote village in Karnataka, The New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, after visiting the school, observes in his book “The World is Flat”:  “We …will have to work harder, run faster, and become smarter to make sure that more of us are able to connect and compete, collaborate and innovate on the flat-world platform—and derive all the benefits it has to offer. But remember: the most important competition is now within yourself---making sure that you are always striving to get the most out of your own imagination, and then acting on it…..The world needs you to be the generation of strategic optimists, the generation with more dreams than memories, the generation that wakes up each morning and not only imagines that things can be better but also acts on that imagination very day.”

Pope Benedict XVI:

“Catholic identity is not dependent upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content. It demands and inspires much more: namely, that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates with the ecclesiastical life of faith. Our institutions make a vital contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places in  which God’s active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young  person discovers the joy of entering into Christ’s being for others.”(Pope’s Address to the Catholic Universities)

Facing the East, Liturgical Practices.

When I went to Oxford University on July 2011 to visit one of my nephews,George John, who is  studying there on a Rhodes Scholarship,  I visited  the Catholic church near one of the colleges of the University and said  mass on one of the side altars. What surprised me was that all the  masses in the church  were said facing the altar as in pre-Vatican days.
This practice should be viewed in the background of the controversies that bedevil the Syro-Malabar church in Keala on litrugical practices.Facing the East or facing the people has become such  a bone of  contention that it has erected walls in communication  among the  dioceses and priests of the Syro-Malabar church.
Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI favors facing the East or the altar when saying the mass.He gives very cogent reasons for facing the East  in his book :"The Spirit of the Liturgy."
With regard to liturgical controversies, he notes that what is important is the experience of the Eucharist which is such an  ineffable experience that every other controversy or dispute fades before it.In the "Light of the World", he speaks of the Eucharistic experience: "The decisive thing is that that we enter into something that is much greater. That we can get out of oursleves, as it were, and into the wide open spaces....Liturgy is an event by means of which we let oursleves be introduced into an expansive faith and prayer of the Church."
The above words of the Holy Father are a clear warning to all those who want to erect barriers among people on account of the divisons based on liturgical practices. What is important is that the  participation in the Eucharist gives one an opportunity to become united with God.That  is the unique experience that one receives  in the Eucharist....
A total transformation of one's self is what happens through our participation in the Eucharist.Reconciliation with God and man and forgiveness of sins are the changes that one experiences through Eucharistic participation. All other features have value only in so far as the Eucharist leads us to this transformation.
With regard to facing the East, the Holy Father says in the same book: "This is the reason why the early Christians prayed facing East, in the direction of the rising sun, the symbol of the returning Christ.In so doing, they wanted to show that  whole world is on its way toward Christ and that he encompasses the whole world.This connection between heaven and earth is very important.It was no accident that ancient churches were built so that the sun would cast its light into the house of God at a very precise moment.Nowadays , we are redisovering the importance of the interactions between the earth and the rest of the universe, and so it makes perfect sense that we should also relearn to recognize the cosmic character of the liturgy as well as its historical character.Which means recognizing that someone did not just one day invent the liturgy, but that it has been growing organically since the time of Abraham....the issue was internal reconcilation with our own past, the intrinsic continuity of faith and prayer in the Church.(p.105)
Facing the East offers one thus,1.  continuity with the past traditions,2.makes one aware of the second coming of Christ, the new Sun,3. a coninuing link with the Earth. It creates a cosmic bond in our liturgical participaton by allowing the rays of the sun to fall upon the altar as we raise our hearts to God.
In the Spirit of the Liturgy, the Holy Father observes the following with regard to facing the East:
"Praying toward the East is  a tradition that goes back to the beginning.It is  a fundamental expression of the Christian synthesis of cosmos and history.It is appropriate, now as in the past, that we should express in Christian prayer our turning to God who has revealed himself to us.
"Our speaking to God should be "incarnational."...In what direction should we pray during the Eucharistic liturgy?...Byzantine church building faced the East..(In Rome a different arrangement...and Rome was copied by other churches...)
"Turning to the East is not turning to the wall..but the priest and the people facing in the same direction.
"Looking at the priest has no importance.What matters is looking together at the Lord.
It is not now a question of dialogue but of common worship.What corresponds with the reality of what is happening is not the closed circle but the common movement forward,expressed in a common direction for prayer."
Facing the East or the altar  has a cosmic as well as an  incarnational dimension.

Epiphany Reflections,4th Week,Jan.31,Lk.18:2-14

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

American Partnership in Indian University Education

India Attracts Universities from the U.S.,New York Times, March 26,2007.
 The New York Times publishes once in a while reports about the Indian University education.The following two columns that appeared in the paper at differnt times show the new enthusiasm that has gripped the Indian Univeristy system to update itself and make it competititve with the best in the U.S.
But it is difficult to make changes when  the University Education system is governed by many rules and regulations.The State governments under whose jurisdiction are many of the public universities do not want to lose their control over them.What is experienced is a great amount of stagnation.
There are many factors playing in  this field that it is difficult to envision any rapid changes in the system.The University Education in Kerala , in particualr, is affected by affected by unbelievable stagnation and apathy.The political parties that control the government are reluctant to allow the system to grow and devlop.Many good colleges with great reputation for excellence are under the Universities of Kerala.As they are affiliated to the State Universities, the State Governemnt is reluctant to allow autonomy for these  colleges. Hence, these colleges are never rated for excellence by various accrediting agencies. The only way to help colleges to develop is to grant them autonomy.
 The New York Times:
"Some 40 percent of population(in India) is under 18,and a scarcity of higher education opportunities is frequently cited as a potential hurdle to economic progress."
"The growing American interest in Indian education reflects a confluence of trends.It comes as American Universities are trying to expand their global reach in general, and discovering India's economic rise in particualr.It also reflects the need for India to close its gaping demand for higher education."
"Among Indians ages 18 to 24, only 7 percent enter a University, according to the National Knowledge Commission.To roughly double the precentage--effectively bringing it up to par with the rest of Asia--the commission recmmends the creation of 1500 colleges and Universities over the next several years."
"The commission estimates that 160,000 Indians are studying abroad, spending an estimated $4 billion a year."
Madeleine Green, vice president for international initiatives at the American Council on Education, calls India"the next frontier" for American institutions...Most American institutions are opting to join hands with existing Indian institutions...Columbia is the latest of several foreign business schools to tie up with the Ahmedbad campus...the Americanization of Indian education is following a variety of approaches."
Champlain college, based in Burlington,VT. runs a satellte campus in Mumbai.California state university, Long Beach, has agreed to help start Americn -style, four year degree programs at state-run Lucknow University...Cornell University is seeking to expand research collaborations.Rice university envisions faculty and student exchanges....Carneggie Mellon offers its degree in partenrship with Shri Shiv Shankar Nadar College of Engineering.Most of the course work is done at relatively inexpensive rates here in India, followed by six months in Pittsburgh, at the end of which students graduate with a Carneggie Mellon degree."(Somini Sengupta)
India Students Wield Tests and Tutorials,NYtimes,March 24,10
"Higher Education presents a problem of quantity and quality.Even as India's students are world class,most Indian universities are not...In 2008, 320,000 students took the school(IIT) entrance exams for 8000 vacancies.(Jim Yardley)
"Education presents such a stubborn problem, especially access to quality education, that experts warn that the future advantages of India's youthful population could become a disadvantage if the governement cannot improve the system rapidly enough to provide more students a chance at college.Of the 186 million students in India, only 12.4 percent are enrolled in higher education, one of the lowest ratios in the world.
"India has one of the world's youngest populations, often called its "demographic dividend,"yet as the middle class has steadily grown, so has the cutthroat competition for the limited slots in the country's system of higher education."
"If you have 150 million or 160 million children who don't go to college, what is going to happen to them 10 or 15 years from now?", asked Kapil Sibil, the Minister of Education."The demographic dividend will become a demographic disaster."

Catholic Schools in the U.S.

In this section, I am going to write about some of the important ideas on the Catholic School system expressed by Abp.Timothy Dolan of New York which were published in the magazine,"America"(Sept.13-20,2010.)
The followng are some of his important reflections:
'"By Jan.1939 nearly,10,000 German Catholic schools had been closed or taken over by the Nazi party.Tyrants know and fear the true strength of a Catholic education:what parents begin in the home, Catholic schools extend to a society at large."
"The reasons for the decline are familiar: the steady drop in vocations to the religious teaching orders who were the greatest single work force in the church's modern period;the drastic drift   in immigration,the rising cost of living...and the crumbling of an intact neigborhood-based Catholic culture..."
"The most crippling reason, howver, may rest in an enormous shift in the thinking of many American Catholics,namely,that the responsibility for Catholic schools belongs only to the parents of students who attend them, not to the entire Church.Catholics as a whole have disowned their school system, excusng themselves...from any further involvement simply because their own children are not enroled there..."
"The truth is that the entire parish, the whole diocese and the universal Church benefit from Catholic schools in ways that keep communities strong.Reawkening a sense of common ownership of Catholc schools may be the biggest challenge..
"Much of the research on Catholic education  conducted over the last five decades...has answered with a unanimous voice that Catholc schools are an unquestioned success  in every way:spiritually, academically and communally."
"The graduates of Cathoic schools show: 1) fidelity to sunday mass and a keener sense of prayer ; 2)mantaining pro-life attitudes;3)the personal consdieration of a religious vocation and 4) continued support for the local  church and the community."
"The Catholic Church is now confronted by a new secualrization asserting that a person of faith can hardly be expected to be a tolerant and enlightened American...Under this new scheme, to take one's faith serioulsy and bring it to the public square  somehow implies being unAmerican.To combat this notion, an equally energetic  evangelization ---is all the more necessary."
"The current hospice mentality--watching our schools slowly die---must give way to a renewd confidence.American Catholic schools need to  be unabashedly proud of their proven gritty ability to transmit faith and values to  all their  students..."
Catholic education is a communal,eccelesial duty, not just for parents of school children or for parishes blessed to have their own school."
"We cannot succumb to the petty turf wars that pit Catholic schools against relgious education programs and other parish ministries.Pope Benedict XVl  reminds us that the Church  is all about both/and , and not either/or.Strong Catholic schools strenthen all other programs of evangelization, service, catechesis and sanctification."

Praise of the Catholic School system in the U.S.

The New  York Times in its Religion section by Samuel G.Freedman reviewing the book "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" by Diane Ravitch quotes some of the very admiring statements of Diane on the great service given to the American society by  the Catholic Church.Freedman  says: "What  one might call the Catholic -school model is perhaps the most unappreciated  influence on the nation's public-education debate." Joseph P.Vitteriti, a co-edtor with Ravitch  adds: "The fact of the nmatter  is that they  have been educating urban kids better than they are being educated elsewhere."
"When Ms.Ravitch assails the emphasis on standardized testing,particalrly  under the No child  Left Behaind law, and  when she exhorts  schools to use a content-rich core curriculum  and emphasize character and build ties to parents and neighborhoods, she is , without overtly  saying so,extolling the essential traits of Catholic education."
Ms.Ravitch  prefers Catholic schools to charter schools with regard to educating kids coming from low-income black and Hispanic students.""But charter schools can't do the same things.The Catholic schools  have  a well-established  record of being effective, and they are being replaced by schools that have no track record."

Students --Motivations and Distractions

A (Dec.2005) study  titled "Scholarly Culture and Educational Success in 27  Nations" has this to say about the children growing up in homes with their own libraries:"Children growing up  in homes with many books get 3 years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents' education, occupation, and class.("That Used to be Us, p.127)
With regard to the distractions caused by technology,the following study by the Kaiser Family Foundation  "Daily Media Use among Children and Teens"  gives the following details:
"Today 8-18 year olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day.And because they spend so uch of that time"media multitasking"(using more than ne medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hrs and 45 minutes worth of media content inot 71/2 hours...About half o heavy media users say they usually get fair or poor grades.  The proportion of young people who read a newspaper in a typical day dropped from 42% in 1999 to 23% in 2009."
"Half ofAmerican teenagers(ages 12 through 17) send 50 or more text messages a day, and one third more than a hundred a  day.
In 1960,students at four-year colleges in the U.S. studied 24 hours per week.Today,the average is 14  hours per week,42% less."(Friedman,p.129).
Friedman very regretfully observes that "our students are spending more time texting and gaming and less time than ever studying and doing homework." He further adds that "unless we get them to spend the time needed to master a subject, all the teacher training in the world will go for naught."
All these observations warn us of  the dangers lurking in the big business of education.The schools cannot do their work so long as the students are not motivated and focused.We need to reorient our mind-sets and come back to the basics of teaching and learning. It is good that the students  become familiar wth the uses of  modern technology. But when these technological tools take their valuable away from their studies, we are losing them.

Discipline in American Schools

Often , people from the President onwards are bemoaning the lower standards in  American schools.They often point out that some  countries in Asia and Europe are doing better the U.S. with regard to the raising of educational standards at schools.In the PISA(Program for International  Student Assessment) tests, American students do not perform as good a s the students from China, Singapore, Hongkong,Finland or Korea.
According to the Department  of Education, about a third of first year students entering college had taken at least one remedial course in reading, writing, or math.
Thomas Friedman in speaking about the reforms needed in American education says the following in his book,"That Used to be US:"We believe that six things are necessary: better teachers and better principals;parents who are more involved in and demanding of their children's education;politicians who push to raise educational  standards, not dumb  them down;neighbors who are ready to invest  in schools even though their  children do not attend them;business leaders committed to raising educational standards in their communities; and --last but certainly not least--students who come to schools prepared to learn , and not to text."(p.109)
 Often the teachers are  blamed.At other times, it is mentioned that it is the lack of funds that is responsible for the lower standards. Millions of dollars are pumped into the school system to make it better. What often is forgotten is that no one is interested in enforcing discipline at school,in  telling the students what is right and wrong and making them do home work. If you allow the students to behave and act unchecked , give the impression that anything is permissible and that there should be no punishmnet for gross acts of misbehavior then,  we cannot expect that any improvement will take place  in our  schools. The Principal should  be more than an administrator .He or she  should be a motivator.  Greater attention  should be paid at home by the parents to the life and studies of their children.The lesson from the book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" is that there is more work to do on the part of parents for  the education of the children.They cannot just be bystanders.The following quote from the book by the Yale Universit Professor ,Amy Chua, shows the commitment of Chinese parents:"Well, I  can tell them, because I have done it.Here are some things my daughters,Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do: attend a sleepover, have a playdate, be in a school play, complain about not being in a school play, watch TV or play computer games,choose their extracurricualar activities, get any grade  less than A, not be the No.1 student....the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for  the future...and arming them with skills..that no one can take away."

The Three Cs--Creation,Communication and Collaboration

Thomas Friedman in his book,"That Used to be Us" introduced a new concept in the place of the Three Rs. In the past , people often thought that the three Rs were essential for education.Friedman is saying that the three Rs are not enough.What is needed now for one to have a job in the modern market is to have three Cs.One should be innovative and be be able to create new ideas and programs.One should have , along with creativity, the ability to communicate with other people as well as to collaborate with them.Only those who have the three Cs will be able to hold down a job in this highly competitive world.

He attributes the development of this idea to Tony Wagner who has in his book"The Global Achievement Gap and learning to Innovate" expressed the need to have three Cs:"Critical thinking,Effective oral and written communication, and Collaboration".The schools must find ways to "inspire the three Cs while teaching the three Rs."

The nature of the world of education is changing fast because of the merging of globalization and IT revolution.The old categories of the developed and developing world are fading.The time of the "average " is over , according to Friedman.

One has to ask oneself:"What is it about how I do my job that is going to differentiate me?" This kind of "extra" is what "better"education has to achieve and to inspire.

"The hyper-connected world is demanding another leap."Friedman quotes Mark Rosenberg,the President of Florida international University:"It is imperative that we become much better in educating students not just to take good jobs but to create good jobs."

One has to be a creative creator or a creative server.Even if many cannot be creative creators, they can be creative servers."For many others it will mean becoming a creative server and bringing a special passion or human touch to a job in a way that truly enriches the experience for the person paying for it."

One has to think like an immigrant, think like an artisan or think like a waitress in order to develop a mind-set that is helpful to become creative.

Friedman offers the above new insights for the renovation and development of Higher Education in the U.S.

Christian Leadership,Dec.5,11

I am going to discuss here some of the ideas of John C.Maxwell who has written an excellent book called " Christian Leadership" where he highlights some of the qualities needed for a good Christian leader.He mentions the following qualities as necessar for a good leader : "Integrity, Nurturing other people, Having faith in other people,Understanding other people,Enlarging other people, Navigating for other people and Empowering other people." Of course, these qualities come from one's deep-rooted faith in Christ.
He explains integrity as commitment of oneself to character over personal gain and showing preference to people and not to things.
Nurturing , according to Maxwell, involves showing genuine concern for others."People are influenced most by those who make them feel the best about themselves....Your goal is others' growth and independence."He asks the aspiring leaders " to take time to express your love and appreciation for the people close to you."He adds further in this matter: "Make other people a priority in your life over every other thing.Give others recognition at every opportunity...Instead of thinking of yourself, put others first....The length and breadth of our influence on others are directly related to the depth of our concern for them."
In this regard,Maxwell quotes the following words of Mark Twain: "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.Small people always do that , but really great make you feel that you too can become great."
He prescribes the following steps in order to become a nururing leader:
1.Commit to people.2.Believe in them.3.Be accessible to them. 4.Give with no strings attached. 5.Give them opportunities.6.Lift them to a t higher level.
"The best way to motivate is to focus your attention on their strengths.Show them that success is a journey, a process, and not a destination."
"Instead of focusing on weaknesses, pay attention to people's strength.Compliment postive qualities.Bring out the gifts inherent in them."
"If you want to help others and become a person of influence, keep smiling, sharing, giving,and turning the other cheek.That is the right way to treat people.Besides, you never know which people in your sphere of influence are going to rise up and make a difference in your life and the lives of others."
The above ideas of Maxwell are just an elaboration of the Gospel mesage: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Real leadership consists in putting into practice the teachings of the Gospel.Jesus has asked us specifically to show love, regard and respect for others. By washing the feet of the apostles, he tells them that leadership consists in service.He asks them not to lord it over others as the Jewish leaders of their time did. He wants his disciples to do a s he did: :" I came not to be served but to serve others."
If those in authroity in the Church would listen to these words of Jesus and followed in their lives what He did, the changes that would take place in the world would be immeasurable.
Christian leader, hence , is a Servant Leader.

India's High-Tech Industry,Dec.4, 11.

Even though India's Engineering colleges produce a lot of graduates every year, it has been noted that many of them do lack communication skills. They remain unemployable without further training. Hence, many corporations have started establishing special training centers known as"finishing schools" to help them to acquire communication sills.
Here are a few comments from Tim Sullivan, the Associated Press writer on the fresh grduates coming from India's technical schools:
"Indian schools churn out 400,000 new engineers, the core of the high-tech industry, every year--but as few as 100,000 are actually ready to join the job world.Graduates are leaving universities that are mired in theory classes, and sometimes so poorly funded they don't have computer labs.Even students from the best colleges can be dulled by cram schools and left without the most basic communication skills...
The high-tech industry is expanding so fast that the population can't keep up with the demand for high-end workers.Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest soft ware company , hires around 3000 peple a month.The consulting firm,Accenture, plans to hire 8000 in the next six months and IBM says it will bring on more than 50,000 additional people in India by 2010.....As India's economy blossomed over 15 years, spawning a middle class desperate to push their children further up the economic ladder, the higher education system grew dramatically.The number of engineering colleges, for instance,has nearly tripled."

Catholic colleges of Kerala

The contribution of the Catholic colleges to the world of University Education in Kerala is enormous.When there were no communities willing to commit themselves to the spread of higher education, it was the Christian Churches that took the initaitive. Without expecting any reward or benefits, the Church committed its resources to better the lives of people through University education. The colleges run by the Sate Governements of Cochin and Travancore were not enough to meet the needs of the students of Kerala. Hence the Church took the initiative of starting colleges in differnt parts of the states of Cochin and Travancore.C.M.S. College,Kotayam, St.Berchmans' college, Changancherry, U.C.College ,Alwaye and St.Thomas College,Trichur thus came into being.
So many people, belonging to all castes, denominations and religions were benefitted through their education in these colleges. These colleges became hotbeds for the growth of leaders in the independence of movement of India.Communits ,Socialists and Congressmen were educated in these colleges.
St.Berchamns' college was the first private college in Travancore that offered degree courses in Science.At a time when peole belonging to the so-called lower castes could not get education in the Government colleges, it is the institutions run by the Christian agencies that offered them opportunities for collegiate education.
The great services done by these great colleges are now overshadowed by the controvers that arose in the wake of the starting of self-fiancing institutions about whose nature the political leaders are misleading the people of the State.Self-financing institutions , by thier nature , are to be supported by the initiatives of all the people who are involved in them--parents, students and the community.It is a system of educational institutions that arose because the Government cannot subsidize the starting of new professionaql colleges.Theyare in some ways similar to the charter schools started in the United Sates because of the abysmal failure of the public school system.

Defense of the Marriage Act,Dec.3,11

What a shame that many politicians are trying to sabotage the marriage Act that was passed by the Congress!These politicians who are seeking a few crumbs of votes are determined to abolish the very foundation of the human society which is based on family units. Imagine what would be the situation of the society if the so-called civil union between people of the same sex were the norm of the society!Even these governors and senators who are now pleading for it would not have seen the day, if the civil union were the norm at the time of their existence.
Those people who would like to live in a deviant way do enjoy all their civil rights but they should not be allowed to destroy the foundation of the society just because the majority are silent.
The democratic senators are in a frantic rush to to ensure votes for their re-election from a minority that is bent upon destroying everything is beautiful about the modern society. If you take away the Christian dimension from the foundation of the society, what you get is brutality and violence.
Therefore , we have to become more involved in the issues that affect the nation and speak up for the institution of marriage which is the union between a man and a woman.

The Courage of Faith,Dec.1,11

What is lacking among many Catholics and Christians is the courage of speaking about their faith. We often speak about the college or the university where we studied. We are happy to speak about the achievements in our career.But when it comes to something far more important in life , we become very silent and inarticulate. How many times we have missed in speaking about our faith in Jesus Christ!
As the Holy Father,Pope Benedict has pointed out in his new book,"The Light of the World" ,Christians are suffering from a spirit of negative tolerance. Thinking of not offending any one, one becomes silent when it is needed to speak up about one's faith.
This is not to create conflicts or arguments but to clarify certain obfuscations created by the so-called intelligentia. A physicist would clarify certain theories in Physics when they are misinterpreted.So too a believer in Christ should give the right interpretations of his belief when it is misrepresented.