Welcome 2012!


And we have entered in 2012! This time of the year, I always feel enthusiasm to do something special. Somehow I become a dreamer. I dream for a happy life for me as well as for others. I wish to see happiness all around me. I make some resolutions. I make plan for the New Year.

Christmas

Christmas brings a message of hope

(Christmas comes and Christmas goes...but does it leave any message! For some may be 'YES' for some may be 'NO'. But I always find something meaningful something special for my life...and this year is HOPE)

Every year on December 24, as the sun sets on the West, Christians all over the world begin to sing, “Silent night holy night, all is calm, all is bright….” and thus begins the celebration of Christmas, the remembrance of the birth of Jesus.

HE has a plan!

For the last couple of weeks I have been sick. It does not mean that I am bed ridden. There was no external sign. I have been doing everything normally as I was doing before. I met our house doctor several times but he seems to be taking very lightly. He neither examined my body nor did he ask me to do any x-ray. As my situation was becoming worse my Superior asked me to meet the doctor for the last time and then we would go to another doctor. With a heavy mind I went to meet the doctor. To my great surprise there was a different doctor. He came on a replacement. He was so kind to me. He gave a patient hearing to my problem. He also suggested the further course of action. As I was coming out of the doctor’s chamber I thought of meeting a person who resides just next door. Not sure of knowing where he was, I called him. He was in his room and asked me to come to his room. I went to his room and to my great surprise I found he had just returned from the hospital. He was admitted in the hospital and had an operation. I spent sometimes with him.

Life is a game!

The entire building of Gesu (my community) is square shape. Thus from my room I can see the other part of the building. We young Jesuits (those who are in formation) stay in side and other side is being used by the senior Jesuits. These senior Jesuits, after many years of service and active ministry are sent here for rest and prayer. From my window I can see windows of their rooms. Sometimes when the curtains are put aside I can even see their rooms, their movements. In the morning I usually open the window just to get the fresh air. Sometimes I see nuns and male nurses taking care of them. I often wonder that they must have helped so many people in their lifetime! I also think that one day I will have to move to other side. It may not be this very house but another community of Jesuits where senior Jesuits reside. This might take 30years, 40 years, 50 years or even more. But I will have to move and this is the reality.

The space between our block and the other side is being used as th basketball court. Basketball and sometimes football is being played here. I often consider this basketball court is my life. Within another two years I will have to put myself in this court. As in the game there is lose and victory, in my life too there will be success and failure, sorrows and happiness. There will be moment when people will praise me and again there will be moment when they condemn. But I will have to play this game. Life is really a game and it depends how do we play this game…!

How well do you know him?

Recently I was asked to give my opinion about one of my companions with whom I had lived a couple of years. I had to follow a set of questions. The very first question was- ‘how well do you know him?’ When I saw it I thought I know him sufficiently well as we lived together and have had many sweet memories. But then as I proceeded further I found it very difficult to continue. I had to give a pause. I thought for a while. I asked myself if some of my friends are asked to give their opinions about me with all these questions how many of them will be able to give!

I wish I could...

It was so perfect! It was so beautiful. I do not have any words to describe it. I was lost. I do not remember when was the last time I felt so lost.

I was studying…doing something serious …trying to do parallel study between two Gospels. My room was pretty cold. The door and windows were closed. Heating machine was on. Tagore songs were being played. Wonderful words…every word was touching me. The music was helping me to concentrate more. At one point I could hear the sounds of rain. I opened the windows. It was raining. From my window I could see the dome of the church of Jesus. In fact I could see one side of the entire Church. As I paid more attention I saw some birds were hiding in the different hols of the Church building. They all wanted to escape the rain. They have found a save haven in the house of God. How lucky they were! I wish I could I have been like birds…for a moment If I could also hide in the wings of God…Gazing at the sky I was lost…but it gave me joy, hope and peace…

At Christmas...

Part 1: "Christmas is at my heart!"

When João said ‘Christmas is at my heart,’ I stopped for a while. It was in the middle of our light conversation when he said that. We were returning from our classes and we were just happened to be together. João, my companion and my first friend (I never told him that!) from Europe, whom I call ‘goof’.