CONTENTS Page EDITORIAL 03 ZUBZA-BICENTENARY 04 NEW PRIESTS’ DAY 05 LOCAL NEWS 06 ST. JOSEPH 10 FR. FABIO VISITS IND 11 EASTER TRIUMPH 13 EDITOR Fr. Jonas Kerketta sdb Sub-Editor Fr. Joseph Thuruthel sdb Design & Layout Fr. Christudoss sdb Publisher Fr. Provincial Don Bosco Provincial House PB: 40, Dimapur—797112 Nagaland Circulation Manager Fr. Chittissery Joseph sdb Editorial Team Fr. R.K. G. Nicholas sdb Fr. Christudoss sdb Fr. Jonas Kerketta sdb Fr. Paul Panii sdb Fr. Kulathunkal Joseph sdb Printing N.V. Press, Kohima Editorial Office Bosco Communications Provincial House Dimapur, Nagaland +91—9436062842 E-mail: [email protected] Joy can be simply described as a feeling of happiness. Positively speaking joy is the experience of delight, ecstasy, pleasure, gladness, rapture, exultation, transport, happiness, glee, bliss while in negative terms it means the absence of sorrow, grief, affliction, woe, sadness, distress, anguish. The word ‘joy’ is found over 143 times in the Bible. In Christianity joy is inseparably connected with resurrection of the dead both in the Old and New Testaments. So we have Isaiah speaking of resurrection joy centuries before Christ’s resurrection, “All those sleeping in their graves will wake up and sing for joy” (Is. 26:19). After his resurrection Jesus appeared to the apostles hiding in a room but “they still could not believe they were so full of joy and wonder” {Lk. 26: 41). St. John records that the apostles were filled with joy when the risen Lord appeared to them in the closed room (Jn. 20: 20). St. Peter describes Christ’s resurrection as source of living hope (1 Pet. 1: 3). Even those who have not seen the resurrected Christ but believe in his resurrection experience great joy (1 Pet. 1: 6 – 9). St. Paul exhorts believers in the (risen) Lord to be always joyful (Phil. 4: 4; 1 Thes. 5: 16 – 18). Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesian Congregation, is rightly called the ‘Saint of joy”. As an enlightened Christian educator he made joy “the constitutive element of his educational system, inseparable from study, work and piety” says Fr. Braido, one of Don Bosco’s biographers. Of the four pillars of Salesian spirituality bequeathed by Don Bosco, the third is the educational system based on joy and hope [others being (a)Devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, (b) Devotion to Mary Help of Christians and (d) Devotion to the Church and the Vicar of Christ]. If St. Francis of Assisi made nature holy, Don Bosco made joy holy remembering what St. Philip Neri had said to his followers: “Run, jump, amuse yourselves as much as you like, but for pity’s sake, don’t sin!” On 12 April 1846 Don Bosco published the book Companion of Youth where he tells boys “I would like to teach you an approach to Christian living that will keep you happy and content… so that you can say with the holy Prophet David: let us serve the Lord in cheerfulness. This is the purpose of this little book, serving the Lord and remaining happy.” St. Dominic Savio imbibed this spirit very soon. Once noticing a gloomy boy he told him “Here we make holiness consist in living as joyfully as we can.” Don Bosco stressed on Joy. Pope Francis underscores joy when he says “Where there are religious, there is joy”. We need to show that God fills our hearts with joy. Genuine brotherliness in our communities fosters joy with authentic commitment. Let the joy of the Risen Lord this Easter 2015 inspire us to serve others more enthusiastically. Jonas Kerketta sdb EDITORIAL EASTER JOY neighbourhood. The school has done a yeoman’s service irrespective of religion and people. It is open to all and helps everyone The local level Bicentenary celebration at Don Bosco School Sechü - Zubza began on 30 January 2015. The Salesian Community organized a volley ball tournament for the Western Angami Region. It was a grand event because all the villagers took part enthusiastically. There was lot of good will shown by the village youth even prior to the tournament. They helped actively in the preparations to ensure success for the tournament. They also enthusiastically participated in the matches. The scouts consisting of the Aspirants honoured the Chief Guest, Mr. Khunyü Cyril Rino, the Village Head Chairman of the District of Kohima and his other G.B. colleagues with their salute. The commemoration of the bicentenary of Don Bosco’s birth began with the lighting of the lamps by the Chief Guest, a representative each from the Salesians, players and organizing officials. Rev. Fr. Samuel Elow sdb, Rector, delivered the welcome speech in which he highlighted that Don Bosco is for everyone. The Chief Guest in his speech appreciated and thanked Don Bosco chool, Sechü – Zubza which has greatly transformed Dimapur Links who comes there. The Chief Guest exhorted everyone to protect it and collaborate in its development.The next event was the official oath taking by the players and declaration of the sports event by the Chief Guest. The matches were played with intensity and competitiveness. Each of the eight participating teams was represented by a letter of ‘DON BOSCO’. Each of the teams played very well. The Khonoma team was adjudged the champion of the Bicentenary Volleyball Tournament. The First Runners-up was Kiruphema A and the Second Runners up was Kiruphema B. The organizing team led by Fr. Athili Martin sdb, Headmaster, did a fantastic job. The celebration of the event brought more publicity and awareness of the charism of Don Bosco. His name united us. We thank and glorify God for the gift of Don Bosco to our Western Angami Region. Fr. E. Samuel. 04 LOCAL NEWS DBS ZUBZA: BICENTENARY CELEBRATION On 03 February 2015, the two new priests of Dimapur Province Fr. Stanislaus Xess sdb and Fr. Gyan Sandeep Kujur sdb as well as Fr. Manu Mathew sdb of Bangalore Province (who has volunteered to have his first year of priestly ministry in Dimapur Province) were felicitated at Don Bosco School, Dibrugarh. The new priests were given a rousing welcome by the Aspirants with a lively Adivasi dance and songs. At the beginning of the Holy Eucharist Rev. Fr. Kamil Horo, Rector of Don Bosco School, Dibrugarh, welcomed the new priests and all the participants and wished them a meaningful celebration of the Holy Mass around the new priests. The Holy Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Gyan Sandeep Kujur and the Word of God was broken by Fr. Manu Mathew. Basing himself on the life experience that he had in a retreat, Fr. Manu Mathew beautifully broke the word of God with much conviction and enthusiasm. The Mass was concelebrated by nine other priests including the Provincial Rev. Fr. Nestor Guria sdb. Some lay people were also present for the Holy Mass and they prayed fervently for the new priests. 05 During the ensuing felicitation programme, Rev. Fr. Nestor Guria tickled the gleeful thoughts of the congregation humorously, saying, “It’s such a huge hall that it can’t be filled up but the presence of the new priests even completes an empty hall.” Continuing with his talk, Rev. Fr. Provincial said, “The new priests had been discerning in their life the dream of another man called Don Bosco who had experienced fatherlessness and really wanted to be a father to the fatherless; he had realized the importance of a teacher and wanted to be a teacher to those who had no teachers; he had noticed people in the cities who had no friends and wanted to be a friend to all. That was his dream and because of his dream we are all here and we have to continue Don Bosco’s dream.” He exhorted the boys to continue to pray that one day they too would be a part of that dream. He wished the new priests all the best as they continue pursuing their dream in the footsteps of Don Bosco. He thanked the Dibrugarh community for hosting the beautiful new Priests’ Day celebrations in their community. At the end of the felicitation programme Fr. Stanislaus, on behalf of the new Priests proposed the vote of thanks. He said, “We are here today because Christ Jesus has made us his own for one purpose – to be with him and to serve him.” He spoke at length about his motto which runs: “I am most happy to spend and to be spent for you” (2Cor 12:15). This motto is very much related to the life of Don Bosco himself against the background of a hot summer when Don Bosco coughed and blood oozed out from his mouth. Boys fasted and prayed for him. Dimapur Links LOCAL NEWS NEW PRIESTS FELICITATED LOCAL NEWS And looking at the affectionate gesture of the lads Don Bosco spoke those Golden words: “I owe my life to you, from now onwards I will spend my life for you.” He continued narrating the incident that occurred on 03 January 1864, when Don Bosco had a dream of the path strewn with roses which is an image of his mission among young people and compared the dream with the life they have embraced as priests of God. Br. Blasius Tete sdb INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY Make It Happen” was the theme of the International Women’s Day observed on 08 March 2015. Keeping this theme in mind over 700 women of St. John Bosco Parish, Tinsukia, enthusiastically assembled at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Mahakali Tea Estate, Assam. The venue of the celebration was beautifully decked with multi-coloured flags and flowers. At around 9.30 am the faithful, especially the women folk lined up in rows dressed in their cultural to welcome the guests of the day. . The guests included Fr. Surjit Kujur sdb, Fr. Roy Mathew sdb, Sr. Amulya Minj msmhc, Sr. Teresa Jojo fma, Mr. Vincent Thomas (Couples for Christ coordinator), Dimapur Links Miss Grace Guria and local leaders of Mahakali T. E. They were welcomed in traditional way with washing of hands and garlanding. They were then led to the podium with dancing and singing.The day’s programme began with the solemn Eucharist presided over by Fr. Surjit Kujur, vice principal of Don Bosco Higher Secondary School and warden of Bishop Marengo College Hostel, Dibrugarh. In his homily he underlined some important points such as the role and responsibility of a mother in the family, society, country and world at large. Soon after the Holy Eucharist, there was hoisting of the flag which was followed by a lively cultural dance around the flag. On this important occasion Sr. Amulya Minj the women’s coordinator of Dibrugarh Diocese appreciated the dedicated work of the women in the family, Church and society and exhorted the women to continue working in unity and thus bring about improvement in the family and society. Miss Grace Guria, representing her NGO spoke about pertinent family matters including education, saving habits and hygiene. To add more colour to the celebration students from Auxilium Junior College, Tinsukia, staged a thought - provoking skit entitled “Jamin Bachao”. Fr. Manohar Dung Dung Sdb (As st. parsh priest) expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all the invited guests for their presence and for imparting valuable messages on the occasion. He also thanked an d congratulated Sr. Mariam Kindo fma and her team for seeing to the details o f the whole programme. The day had a happy conclusion with sumptuous community meal. Fr. Manohar Dung Dung sdb 06 Institution for Culture And Rural Development (I-CARD), organized a leadership skills training from 9th to 11th March 2015. Three students of Leeds Becket University, UK, Miss Olivia Cowood, Mr. John Jones Ryan and Mr. Isidoros Lapsatis, kept the 40 participants busy with physically and mentally engaging games and group activities. Daniel Brunen of Germany, a Don Bosco volunteer, too joined the trainers’ team. The participants, all school dropouts and educated unemployed youth, hailed from Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sivasagar districts of Assam. They were all leaders of “Young Misings Association”, a unique Salesian Youth Movement, under I-CARD. All three days began with social service, cleaning Lichubari market area, and Mother Teresa Nirmal Hriday. It was both a service to society and a model to be taken back to their homes, encouraging community service, hygiene and safe environment. In the half hour meditation about Don Bosco’s childhood days, Fr. Thomas invited the youth to be links between poverty and development, like Don Bosco. Fr. Thomas in his morning talk each day talked about six aspects around which one can engage in social work, viz: Culture, Health, Education, Economy, Radiance and Sincerity (CHEERS), and about five rules of life: be 07 a servant leader, keep learning, be professional, focus on the goal and take others along. Internal transformation, he said, is an essential pre-requisite for building the external image of every community. The visiting students of Leeds University started the first day with a self evaluation session. They used mind mapping to teach leadership skills. The participants competed to build the highest and strongest tower with newspapers. Other topics that they discussed were: confidence building, public speaking, self organization as a professional leader, motivation and self esteem. One could see visible changes in the attitude and behaviour of the young from day one to day three. On 10th March, Rev. Fabio Attard sdb, the General Councilor for Youth, congratulated Fr. Thomas for reaching out to youth who are out of the main stream. Fr. Thomas, in his concluding address, said that the training helped the youth to “learn to swim in the pool of life.” Migom Mrinal, a youth leader, said: “We will take these our new learning to the villages, and we will bring change and development”. I-CARD has 420 tribal youth groups in as many villages, covering 11 districts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Fr. K. A. Thomas, sdb In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. —— Abraham Lincoln Dimapur Links LOCAL NEWS LEEDS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TRAIN LOCAL YOUTH LOCAL NEWS SPIRITUAL FESTIVAL 2015 TRAINING IN HARNESSING SOLAR ENERGY On 11 February 2015 Fr. Jose Palely sdb, economer of the Salesian Province of Dimapur, introduced and inaugurated the training programme for utilization of solar energy at Don Bosco School campus, Dimapur. We began with five Fathers attending the course. Mr. Walter Rinderer of Germany, an expert in the field, is the instructor. The programme is of three months duration. The purpose of the course is to train animators adequately so that they in turn can train youngsters in the same useful stream. Basically the training programme helps in the proper utilization of natural resources of the earth and for preserving the earth from environmental degradation. It encourages us to use solar and other forms of natural energy, to keep our environment neat and clean, to utilize our resources properly, to plant more trees. In short it calls us to take necessary steps in preserving the earth. Fr. Cijichen sdb Dimapur Links The Jesus Youth of Don Bosco College, Itanagar, organized a “Spiritual Festival 2015” with the theme “Personality Development and Self Esteem”, from the evening of 6th to 8th March 2015. The Spiritual Festival was to help the students to go through self examination and reflection. The programme was arranged by (Dr.) Fr. Policarp Xalxo sdb, coordinator of the Jesus Youth of Don Bosco College, Itanagar. The animator was Rev. Fr. Jomon James svd, director of St. John Paul II Counseling Centre, Guwahati. The Retreat started with the introductory talk and enthronement of the Holy Bible. There were altogether 150 participants. The preacher guided the participants to develop good personality based on spiritual values and convictions. It was concluded with a solemn Eucharistic celebration and healing session, followed by lunch which was served for all.The preacher was encouraged with the active response of the participants. Grace, joy and happiness filled the whole atmosphere. The participants found the Retreat very useful, as it brought about transformation, inner healing and spiritual renewal in their lives. 08 , ‘HOME COMING’ OF DBS WOKHA ALUMNI 14th March 2015, was a red letter day for the Bosconians of Wokha in Nagaland. It was a day of celebrations. Over 100 DBS Wokha Alumni gathered together in the Don Bosco Youth Centre Hall which was very well decorated and prepared for the programme. The present staff and students of Don Bosco Hr. Sec. School endevoured to give a cultural feast to the invitees. The highlight of the programme was a drama entitled ‘The Prodigal Son’, staged by the hostel boys and girls. Mr. F.P. Solo Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, presented a power point programme narrating the various activities of the Past Pupils of the Province. 09 He highlighted the wonderful works and programmes carried out by the Don Bosco Alumni in various centres of the Province as well as abroad. It may be recalled that seven members of the first batch of students came from Golaghat (Assam) to start the Don Bosco School at Wokha way back in 1965. One of them Mr. Y.M. Humtsoe, Addl Secretary to the Government of Nagaland shared his experiences of Golaghat as well as of the first year at Don Bosco School, Wokha. He challenged the Alumni to live up to the education they have received and share what they have received from Don Bosco with the rest of the society. Dr. Chumbemo Murry, former Minister in the Government of Nagaland, and Mr. C. Peter D.A.O of Wokha district shared their own experiences. After relishing a tasty snack and witnessing the cultural programme, the Alumni sat together for their business session. The whole assembly had discussions on how they would go about celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the School which is tentatively fixed for the first week of October 2015. New office bearers were elected for another term. The local delegate, Fr. T. T. Joseph sdb thanked the outgoing office bearers. Provincial Delegate for DB Alumni Rev. Fr. C. M. Joseph sdb blessed the congregation Dimapur Links LOCAL NEWS The students owe their sincere gratitude to Fr. (Dr). R. K. Guangdiat Nicholas sdb, Principal of the College as well as to Jesus Youth for organizing this wonderful Retreat. We owe gratitude to Rev. Fr. Jomon James svd and to Bro. Frederick svd for availing themselves to guide the young people towards spiritual renewal, a task which they carried out very diligently. Fr. (Dr.) Policarp Xalxo sdb LOCAL NEWS After a brief photo session, the group dispersed determined to live Don Bosco’s charism in whatever walk of life they may be. Mr. N. Janbemo Humtsoe, President, DB Alumni, Wokha ST. JOSEPH – HUMBLE, SILENT AND JOYFUL PROPHET A woman was seeking to buy a statue of Saint Joseph to bury in her yard that her house might be sold soon. She inquired about the right way to bury the statue (upside down or down side up, in front yard or backyard). The salesperson tried to explain to her that the essential lied not in how she buried the statue of Saint Joseph—in fact he told her that it was not really necessary to bury him at all— but in praying to him with faith and confidence and trying to imitate his virtues. I believe, Saint Joseph himself would undoubtedly have agreed to his counsel. Dimapur Links Pope Francis, while inaugurating the year of consecrated life said, “Religious make the Church attractive! Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of acting, of living. It is possible to live differently in this world... It is this witness, I expect from you.” St. Joseph witnessed to a different way of living in the world. He was a silent but joyful prophet. He confronted the value system of his time by his daily living. His attitude to life was free of pride, jealousy, hatred, fear, insecurity and love-lessness. He trailed a pathway of true love for all, of non-possession and a life lived not for self but for all. He witnessed to the possibility of true love. Through his loving obedience, he showed that, obedience empowers a person not to live for self, but for God’s kingdom, the superior purpose to which a person can commit oneself and become a fuller human being. Bishop Kevin Doran said, “The vows we make naturally become a burden if they are not lived out of love. The call to Obedience, to Chastity, and to Poverty or simplicity of life style, is not a denial of the goodness of self, of others, or of things. It is primarily about being freer in ourselves to follow Jesus and to go where he leads us.” Throughout life, people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too. —- Will Smith 10 11 On March 19, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of Saint Joseph in this way: “His greatness, like Mary’s, stands out even more because his mission was developed in humility and in the obscurity of the house of Nazareth. Moreover, God himself, in the person of his incarnate Son, chose this way and style of life in his earthly existence.” Saint Joseph was a very humble man. He recognized his place with respect to Mary and Jesus. He knew that he was inferior to both of them in the order of grace. Yet he accepted his role as spouse of Mary and guardian of the Son of God. In order to “wake up the world”, as religious, let us imbibe the ideals of St. Joseph, of witnessing to a different way of living, through the prophetic charism of challenging the value system of today, of caring for the needy, and in being perfect adorers of the Risen Christ who walk humbly with God. Fr. (Dr.) P. Suresh Innocent sdb REV. FR. FABIO ATTARD VISITS DIMAPUR PROVINCE Rev. Fr. Fabio Attard sdb, Councilor for Youth Pastoral in the Salesian Congregation, paid his maiden visit to the Province of Dimapur from 8 to 11 March 2015. During his visit, he interacted with 120 or so confreres in four Dimapur Links LOCAL NEWS Vigo Mortensen wrote, “Religious traditions will become outdated and irrelevant unless they are rejuvenated by the import of new insights and challenges.” That is exactly what the religious are called upon to accomplish: to rejuvenate the Church with their witness of life. Consecrated persons are beckoned to walk the talk. Today’s society is much more in need of religious who live authentically in daily life what they profess in words. St. Joseph is the patron and guardian of the religious. Sometime we take him for granted, though he guards us so loyally. Saint Jeanne Jugan turned to Saint Joseph with an unshakeable trust to obtain bread for her poor children. She bids us to see in him a father, in the resemblance of our heavenly Father, whose Providence watches over His little ones. Moreover, we turn to him as our model of union with God in faith. St. Eymard wrote, “Saint Joseph was the first and most perfect adorer of our Lord. Faith, humility, purity and love – these were the keynotes of his adoration. Silent and solitary, Saint Joseph was always united in mind with Jesus and Mary; never did his thoughts wander from this divine center.” Moreover, God had bestowed upon Saint Joseph a special mission in the Church. He was prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. However, how much greater than his prototype was Saint Joseph. The old Joseph gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. Saint Joseph nourished and with most tender care preserved for the elect of all ages Him Who is the Bread of Heaven and giver of eternal life (born in ‘Bethlehem’ which means house of bread.). LOCAL NEWS West Arunachal Pradesh (at Itanagar), Upper Assam (at Dibrugarh), Nagaland (at Salesian College Dimapur) and Manipur (at Don Bosco Imphal). His interactions familiarized the Confreres with the vision of the Congregation with regard to youth apostolate as laid down in the new book Salesian Youth Ministry - a frame of Reference. In West Arunachal Pradesh: On 8 March 2015 Rev. Fr. Fabio paid a short visit to the Salesian Institutions in Itanagar. He addressed few of the Don Bosco College students present and urged them to be committed and convinced people with strong purpose in life. He also addressed the Salesians working in West Arunachal region and explained the Youth Pastoral Plan of the Congregation. After dinner he left for St. Xavier’s School, Harmutty to continue his journey to Dibrugarh the following day. In Upper Assam: On 9 March Fr. Fabio addressed the Salesians working in Upper Assam who had gathered in Don Bosco, Dibrugarh. He also spoke to the Apostolic boys there. Next he dropped in at Little Flower School. On his journey from Dibrugarh he dropped in Rua Home, Bosco Asha and Bosco Institute Jorhat, Catholic Church Golaghat and Don Bosco RangajanGolaghat. In Nagaland: At 5.30 pm on 10 March Fr. Fabio met the Salesians of the Nagaland region including the students of Salesian College and Bosco College Dimapur. He spoke of the mandate he received from Rev. Fr. Pascual Chavez, to ascertain after GC 27, the actual status of Salesian Youth Ministry in the Congregation. Dimapur Links On 11th march 2015, Fr. Fabio entered Salesian Novitiate and DBS Zubza. He met students of CKHSS and DBHSS Kohima separately, reminding them to thank God for being able to study in good schools and to be sympathetic to less privileged children. In Manipur: On his way to Imphal, Fr. Fabio addressed students and confreres at DBHSS, Punanamai and Don Bosco College, Maram. In the evening of 11th March, Fr. Fabio spoke to the confreres of Manipur region. He shared with them the mind of the congregation on the new approach to Youth Ministry. He explained the youth ministry as envisaged by the congregation. He also informed that the salesian Youth Ministry document is well appreciated among the church leaders and is being consulted widely. Don Bosco adhered to the rules of government and opened schools and started his congregation when they were being closed in Italy. He wrote about preventive system after 36 years of work. He wrote a frame of reference for the preventive system. In his concluding remark, Fr. Fabio once again reiterated the need to consider the salesian Youth Ministry - a Frame of Refrence as a tool to examine and orient our apostolate in whichever settings we may be engaged. The effectiveness of our lives, depends upon what we give to life and in what proportion. - Anonymous 12 EASTER: THE TRIUMPH OF TRUTH AND LIFE Christianity was born in the grave. The plant that sprouts in the fire does not fade in the sunlight; and that which is born in the tomb does not disintegrate at death. The day of the resurrection is the birthday of our Christian faith. It is the celebration of the death of death, the beginning of life eternal. Easter is the good news, which has forever changed the course of history and provided inspiration for countless millions throughout the world. It is the conquest of the ultimate enemy of life – death. Victory over ultimate annihilation, the resurrection is a mystery of faith, which speaks of another far more wonderful mystery - that of the love of God incarnated in the mystery of Jesus.If Christmas is the gift of love, Easter is the gift of life. Easter is a divine act that has happened in human history, in space and time. 13 The birth of Christ inaugurated a new history while his rising from the dead installed a new hope. Resurrection is beyond the calculation of all reason and knowledge, beyond the boundary of reality. It belongs at once to the realm of the spirit and matter, superseding all human reason and imagination. Neither a Da Vinci Code nor a dozen of Dan Browns can ever fade the fact of this truth – the truth of this faith. The resurrection is supposed to renew the whole world. However, this doesn’t ‘seem ‘to be the case often. Ours is a wounded history and we live in difficult times. We have only to watch the news on any given evening or read it at any morning. If there is an all-knowing, all powerful, all loving God who is the Lord of this universe, his renewing presence isn’t very evident on the evening news and the morning newspapers. There is violence all over, fuelled on every side by self-righteous ideologies that sanction hatred and bloodshed – death and destruction – along cultural, racial, ethnic and religious lines. Life seems to be threatened from every side. It is fair and reflective to wonder: Are we becoming more afraid of life than death? Where is the resurrection in all these? Why is God seemingly so inactive, so silent? Where is the vindication of Easter Sunday? These are important questions, even if they aren’t particularly deep or new. They are the echoes of the very questions used on first Good Friday to taunt Jesus on the cross: “If you are the Son of God, come down off that cross! I If you are God, prove it at once! Act now! ” Then and now, it seems, we have never figured out why salvation can’t work like a normal movie where at the end, a morally superior violence kills off or avenges all that is evil. Except God doesn’t work like a Hollywood or Bollywood movie and never has. Dimapur Links LOCAL NEWS It was indeed an enriching experience for all the Confreres to listen to the inspiring talks of Rev. Fr. Fabio Attard sdb. The Provincial and his Council, together with the Confreres of the Province sincerely thank him for his dynamic animation regarding Salesian youth ministry. We look forward to his next visit to our Province. …. DL Correspondents LOCAL NEWS resurrection of Jesus, doesn’t meet our expectations even as he infinitely exceeds them. What the resurrection teaches is that God doesn’t forcibly intervene to stop tragedy and death. Instead he redeems tragedy and vindicates the death. God rids the world of evil not by using force to blot it out, but by vindicating what’s good in the eyes of evil so that eventually the good is all that’s left. Evil has to forever “look upon the one whom it has pierced!” until it understands what it has done and lets itself be transformed. How does this come about? What the resurrection of Jesus reveals is that there is a deep moral structure to the universe, that the contours of the universe are love, goodness and truth and that this structure, anchored at its centre by Ultimate Love and Supremacy, is non-negotiable: You live life its way or it simply won’t come out right. More importantly, the reverse is also true: If you respect the structure and live life its way, what is good and true and loving will eventually triumph, always, despite everything. If this is true, and it is, then we don’t have to escape suffering and death to achieve victory, we have only to remain faithful, good, and true inside of them. However, part of what is revealed here is that we need a great patience,Good and truth will always triumph, but this triumph must be waitedfor, not because God wants us to endure pain as some kind of test, but because God, unlike ourselves, doesn’t use coercion or violence to achieve an aim. God uses only love, truth and goodness, and God uses these by, structurally and nonnegotiably, embedding them into the universe itself, like a giant moral immune -system that eventually, always, brings the body back to health. God doesn’t need to intervene like a super-hero at the end of a Hollywood movie and use a morally superior violence to wipe out the bad ones so that the good are spared pain and death Dimapur Links and the evil ones are avenged. God lets the universe replenish itself the way a body does when it is attacked by a virus. The immune system eventually does its work, even if, in the short term, there is pain and even death. But always in the end, the universe rights itself. Simply put: whenever we do anything wrong, anything at all, it won’t turn out right. It can’t. The structure of the universe won’t receive it and it comes back to us, one way or the other. Conversely, whenever we do something right, anything that’s true, good, loving, and beautiful, the universe vindicates that. It judges our every act and its judgment allows no exceptions.Perhaps that judgment doesn’t seem to be immediate; it can seem a long time in coming and thus, for a time, we can be confused and ask the question: “Why doesn’t God, truth and goodness, come down off the cross?” Gandhi’s own words might be encouraging at such trying times: “When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been murderers and tyrants, and for a time they seem invincible. But in the end they always fall. Think of it, always.” It was Gandhi’s adamantine faith that without a single exception, always, evil is shamed and good triumphs. The resurrection works – gently, but definitely, in its own way, and in its own time! Let the Easter give us the courage to carry on, in goodness and truth. Fr. T. C. Joseph Sdb, Bosco B.Ed. College, Dimapur We do not remember the days, but the moments. -- Cesare Pavese 14
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