Year of Consecrated
Life
(From 30th
November 2015 to 2nd 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 2nd
January, 2016, Conference of Religious in India – CRI unit, Gandhinagar
Archdiocese, Shantivan, Pethapur)
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Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean. 
