Year of Consecrated Life

Year of Consecrated Life

(From 30^th November 2015 to 2^nd February 2016)

Year of Consecrated Life is an apt time period received by all of us as a GRACE-filled moment to self-examine ourselves as Religious within the context of our living religious communities. Indeed, it is a call towards self-realization leading to self-enlightenment individually and collectively.

As I look back I have been blessed with the influence of Religious Sisters, Priests and Brothers on me in different ways and measures, for which I am grateful to God.

Besides, as a Religious I have been fortunate to experience very many secular Priests and lay persons as inspirational sources for my earlier Religious formation and of course for an ongoing religious life and mission, for which I am grateful to God.

To me, Religious life is a special CALL from God. A Call is seen as a gift and a service. It is solely for God and His peoples of the universe. I see this Gift as a free gift and see service as an important task to be actualized in the context of each consecrated person’s sent local mission.

Religious life in its different manifestations, either cloistered or apostolic, works with utmost dedication, selfless and self-sacrificing commitment to the Charism of the Founder/s. Thus, it calls for a creative Fidelity to one’s own Religious Charism and an apostolic loyalty to the Church and to its legitimate ecclesiastical authorities. Remember, we all abide by these fidelity and loyalty!

To me, it is an evangelical call to preach and practice one’s Faith – Justice Mandate with the witnessing life-long commitment by having an inclusive frontier outlook. This call is a call to be and to become MORE human, happy and holy within the context of our stinking situations. It is in this context my religious vows (poverty, chastity and obedience) become a meaningful challenge to walk joyfully in the WAY of our sadguru Jesus the poor, chaste and obedient. Indeed it is a timely and an appropriate wake up call from our Pope Francis, the Peoples’ Pastor, to all of us Religious to wake up the world. So, the questions which we need to ask now are: Do I Rejoice individually as a consecrated person? Do WE Rejoice collectively as consecrated persons? Do I/WE radiate the face of our beloved sadguru Jesus while being, moving and doing? How do persons perceive each one of us – as a follower of the radiant sadguru Jesus or growing gloomy ‘sad guru’?

So, at this juncture, the wake up call from our Pope Francis is to REJOICE in spite of one’s lights and shadows!

Now, to this august assembly, let me share something personal of my Religious journey. The question which I put for myself is - how have I been rejoicing as a Religious all these past years?

Friends, kindly remember I am a Religious like you and I belong to a religious Order called the Society of Jesus. I am called a Jesuit. My sharing solely depends on OUR Jesuit WAY OF PROCEEDING.

Since 1988, through my first perpetual vows, later in 2004 through my Final vows, I ever long to be in a community which has a deep personal love for Jesus Christ. My early morning and the late evening communion with the Eucharistic Lord make me joyful. No compromise in my prayer life! My at home with the Lord generates cheers to be at home with all types and categories of religious members within and outside the community. So, I CARE and SHARE all that I am and all that I have with my community members realizing that community itself is a mission! In this way I continue to Rejoice!

Through the process of my self-realization, I know that I am not a saint-like person. But, as a sinner and a person of certain spiritual disabilities, I long to mend my relationship with God, His peoples and other creations through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is possible for me through my regular spiritual renewal programmes. So, I ever LONG to BELONG to the creator and creations! Such a theocentric and eco-friendly attitudes mold me to move from egoistic self to altruistic self. In this way I continue to Rejoice!

Though I belong to a religious community I am NOT called to hatch eggs within my religious community alone. Ours is an apostolic community. I only can belong to such a religious community in so far as I learn to develop and act as a contemplative in action. I am very well aware from my past years that I am a sent servant on Christ’s Mission. In a given context, through the spirit-filled and spirit-led process of an Ignatian discernment, I am led to a frontier missionary life of a different kind – a HEAD who looks AHEAD for his flock through the process of insertion and incarnational approach!  In this way I continue to Rejoice!

As an affective and a reflective person I know well that if the wine and branches are united, the plant can bear much fruits. In reality, I continue to bear such fruits because I am well aware that I belong to an apostolic body in the Church. So, I continue to think and feel with the Church – sentire cum ecclesia! I am part and parcel of such a rich SJ tradition, i.e. FIDELITY to the Society and LOYALTY to the Church. True to our Ignatian tradition, as a Religious, being loyal to the ecclesial authority demands a humble creative submission. That is, with God’s power condemn the sinful elements with love and care for the sinner with full respect! I am part of this holy tradition of care-fronting than protesting or confronting! Hence, I see my Church as one, holy, apostolic Ashram. So I say: Maro aa Ashram; Karish hu Shram; Rakish na Sharam; E chhe maro Dharam! In this way I continue to Rejoice!

In order to be effective Religious we are called to be in solidarity with those most in need. Who are such most needy persons in our educational, medical, social, developmental and pastoral missions? All that I am and all that I have been doing in our Mehsana – Mandali – Kheralu – Kadi –  Kalol regions in the North Gujarat Mission are nothing but an answer to my MAJOR CALL as a Religious. My passion to be in solidarity with the poor, pregnant women, orphans, widows, widowers, destitute, displaced, disadvantaged and disabled has opened the windows and doors of my life and mission quarters to make all peoples to encounter the loving and merciful face of the Father and the redemptive face of the Son Jesus and the sanctifying face of the Holy Spirit! Indeed for me it is a call within my Religious CALL. Hence, the simple secret of my joyful living are: Encounter the needy; Enable the needy; Enhance the needy! Finally, through my witnessing life and mission make the needy to ENCOUNTER the incarnate, crucified and the risen Son Jesus as the FULLNESS of life (cf. Jn 10:10) and enable them to follow His WAYS for a joyful journey towards the eternal home of the Father! Jesus went about doing good. So, I do. Jesus was, is and will be the WAY, TRUTH and LIFE for me. In my own way I try to experience and actualize John 10:10 in the given context. In this way I continue to Rejoice!

Today everyone speaks aloud on inclusion and collaboration. Various conferences, seminars and meetings are arranged to understand these concepts of inclusion and collaboration. Needed indeed! For me as a religious I zoom my camera to these three families and draw inspirations from such families, namely, the Triune God Family, the Holy Family and the Early Christian Family. All of them were well FOCUSED persons in their missions like the mythological Arjun of Mahabharat. Their partnership with others was one of union of hearts and minds. Yes. When we dine together we can shine together! Jyan Anna Bhega tyan manna bhega. So, like wise in our mission, we, the Fathers, Sisters, Laity and the persons of good will, cooperate and collaborate to deepen, sharpen and widen the mission of God, not of our own! We believe and act as sahayogis and sahabhagis to include the excluded! Because of this, our Parish is gradually flourishing; not perishing. This process itself makes me, our collaborators and others Rejoicing!

Long back as a Jesuit Scholastic I had learnt this saying: “Scholarship and Missionary works are the hallmark of the Society of Jesus!” Absolutely true. As a missionary (be it in education, medical, social, communication and pastoral), everyone is called to have the ongoing thirst and hunger for God. While having such a love for discipleship, we are encouraged to have the love for wisdom through the process of an ongoing search and research for an effective apostleship. Which means, a religious is called to learned ministry. Such a dynamic drive within me motivated myself to set apart certain period of time to complete my Doctoral study for His greater glorious services! Today, as a grass-root academic Missionary Doctor, Founder Director, Parish Priest (mahantshri), Pilgrim pastor and pilgrims’ pastor, with my strong patience and perseverance, I, with my ever-ready team, continue to reach out to the needy. For such a reach out ministry I do not look for a posh Mercedes car, but with our simple Ambulance we travel together to actualize what really Mercy does! I believe, such a life and mission are possible only when I think out of the box in order to make some difference in the human society and in our Jesuit Society! With such an outlook I continue to think globally and act locally in the assigned mission. This is how we are making the periphery a meaningful centre which attracts the local cum migrant Indians and the global foreign friends, especially from Spain and Slovenia for their life skill formation. In this way I continue to rejoice!

Through Mother Mary, the holy consecrated woman, God performed a miracle in the land of Israel. Made the impossible possible! Drawing inspirational water from such a Marian well, today the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Camels – the Unteshwari Mata Mandir, in its own way is performing another kind of a miracle and continues to ever search and research for the MAGIS, the ever GREATER glory of God (amDg – ad majorem Dei gloriam), the ever fuller service of our neighbour, the more universal good, the more effective apostolic means. “Mediocrity has no place in our Founder Ignatius’ worldview.” Having imbibed such a worldview, I bloom where I am planted and continue to rejoice as a Religious with my collaborators and persons of good and bad will. This is possible only when I as a Jesuit follow OUR WAY OF PROCEEDING which is none other than Jesus’ way of proceeding! Along with the Mary of Nazareth inculturated in the form of Isupanthiyona kulmata Unteshwari Ma Maria (Mary, ancestral Mother of Christians), I stand as a Rejoicing Religious and sing joyfully today the Magnificat – “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. For the Almighty has done great things for me.” Well, the same Almighty today is doing greater things with me and through me for many! So, I have the reason to Rejoice with Him! Holy is his name! Amen.

 

Girish Santiago, SJ

(Shared by me on 2^nd January, 2016, Conference of Religious in India – CRI unit, Gandhinagar Archdiocese, Shantivan, Pethapur)