મારા આંસુ કહે,

મારા સંબંધ ની વાર્તા.

એક સંબંધ જે,

ઉતર્યો આંખથી દિલ માં.

ને બીજો, ઉભરાયો

દિલ થી આંખ માં.

Christian youth called to challenges.

‘Three Idiots’, Is there any one who has not watched the movie? Life is all about listening to your heart and chasing your dreams. Is that all? Don’t we require people whose dreams encompass larger good of the society and nation?

I would like to be straight forward and ask the Christian community who solely encourages their children to become doctors, engineers, managers, MBA, teachers. We do require them. But here is my question, how many of us encourage our children to become IAS officers, or inspire them to appear for the civil services examinations such as GPSC, UPSC, IPS, IFS etc? If we see percentage wise then its not even 1% that we have our people in the first or second class civil services offices.

It is fact that our youth is not equal to the task of clearing the civil services examinations. We usually attribute this failure to the Government policy. Oh! The exams papers are so tough. My observation has led me to the conclusion that our youth lack motivation, self-confidence, expression, proper planning, and habits of reading and hard work. They have also lacked professional guidance and encouragement either from parents or teachers.

By the time our youth acquire graduate degree, they still remain weak in having mastery over Gujarati or English languages. They remain devoid of reading habits and logical thinking. Hence they fall short of required standard of achievement at the civil services examination.

We have unintentionally fulfilled their materialistic demands and eroded self-confidence, abilities and potentialities. Right from the moment the children enter the school, we cajole them to be engineers or doctors as though that these professions only bring social prestige.

What is needed for smooth sailing is planning one’s selections of subjects at the graduate level and cultivating reading habit at the earlier stage. If one is able to master at least two or three subjects by the end of ones degree, then it will not be hard of offering same for civil services examinations. Both at school and college, youngsters must be encourage and trained to participate in debates and public speaking and reading news papers and magazines with critical mind, which will provide them a wide spectrum of world of knowledge and learning. Their reading habit and getting familiar with the current affairs should be so aroused that automatically they become veracious readers and hard workers – leading to a quick grasp of the subjects. This will not only help them acquiring their own dreams but potential and capable to face any matter that call on to them.

I have not come across parents who trying to encourage children to take up such examinations. We have to provide a solid foundation so that our presence is felt at international spectrum. And in the bargain even if we deviate or fail, the capacity and sustained efforts will lead to healthy habits of studiousness, reading habit with interest and retention with ease.

Today christen youth is called to take up this challenges of preparing one self for the civil services. Thus serving society for its good and giving committed and trusted government servants for the larger good.

A role of a teacher in human rights.

In the modern society the importance of education has not only increased but has become the means to fight against the injustice and oppression done in any form. In this awaken society a teacher is called upon to perform more challenging role along with the impartation of knowledge.

India has always been a cradle for giving wisdom and spiritual heritage not only to its natives but people abroad also. There is nothing wrong to place a teacher on the same level where God is, but today time has change and even teachers too are called upon to remain more human and down the earth. Today, the teachers should give up the old aged idea of “Guru Devobhav.” They should discreetly remember that they are human beings and those to whom they impart the knowledge are also human beings. There are some basic human rights to which they too are entitled. Hence the teachers should help the students become aware of those human rights and eventually demand them. Today Human rights education is much more than a lesson in schools or a theme for a day; it is a process to equip people with the tools they need to live lives of security and dignity. Human rights are "rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Indeed, a school is a place where children not only learn reading, writing and numeracy but also to appreciate values and to respect norms. Teachers who can provide quality education and who are respected by the students can teach them useful skills and knowledge, thus promoting stability, mutual respect and tolerance. They can also serve as role models, helping to establish a spirit of unity and love. Children will begin to appreciate and internalize these values and they will learn about their responsibilities. A good teacher will also be able to teach the students about the value of human rights and solidarity as well as the rights and duties of a citizen.

Education should be a means to empower children and adults alike to become active participants in the transformation of their societies. Learning should also focus on the values, attitudes and behaviors which enable individuals to learn to live together in a world characterized by diversity and pluralism.

BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS:

Right to life

Right to food

Right to work

Right to culture

Right to livelihood

Right to information

Right to participation

Right to development

Freedom of movement

Freedom of expression

Right to self-determination

Right to a safe environment

Right to privacy and family life

Right to public goods and services

Right to an adequate standard of living

Right to gender equality/women’s rights

Right to just and favourable conditions of work

Freedom from torture, cruel and inhuman treatment.

Each person has the right to maintain a separate self that is independent of the expectations, the approval, or the influence of others.

There is a proverb in English, ‘charity begins at home.’ The true role of a teacher to empower the students with the human rights begins in the schools itself. First of all the teachers should treat the students with respect, no matter what cultural, ethnic, or religious backgrounds they come from, you encourage, praise, appreciate, and reward the work of all of them as equally as possible. Positive attention to all can lead to higher achievement for all.

The things, the teacher should keep in mind and even teach the students are as follow. Definitely the teacher should be aware of the above basic human rights.

1. A strong stand against injustice.

2. The development of sympathy for those who are ill-treated and empathy based on understanding of others’ emotions and feelings.

3. Consequences of failure to practice the Golden Rule.

4. A continuation of simple examples that students of a particular age level can understand and, at times, have directly or indirectly experienced, in this case being examples of prejudice.

5. The fundamental human need for friendship and happiness rather than rejection and isolation.

6. The use of a thinking skills structure, Think-Pair-Share, to reinforce empathy toward the unfortunate students. In essence, the reduction of prejudice begins in our own thoughts and feelings.

There are numerous incidents where teachers have degraded the title and post too. If I am not mistaken then from the time “Mahabharata” onward till today, teachers have not tried to comprehend the mind of a student. Guru Dronacharya denied imparting the Vidya (knowledge) of archery to Eklavya. When Eklavya obtain the vidya somehow, he was asked his thumb in gurudakshina. Few years ago in PTC College, Patan, Gujarat, a girl was ganged rapped by a group of teachers nearly for four months.

What I want to say is that when there is injustice done to a student by a teacher s/he should not keep mum and cow down against the authority. Rather held his/her head up and fight for the right cause. This is possible only when the teachers are open enough to listen what the students have to say. They need to put their ego aside. Even a teacher should provide enough room for a dialogue before declaring his/her punishment. Because punishment is not the solution of the problem rather it cuts of the relation and poisons the mind of a student. Eventually that may ruin the life and carrier of a student.

So today I would like to appeal to all the teachers that please provide a room for a dialogue and listen to a student. Never ever take the decision on the spot itself. At time the decision taken in urgency may not be the right and there is possibility that an innocent may become a victim of it.

Having a dialogue and care-frontation will help a student to become a better student and eventually a better citizen. Thus the teachers can be effective instruments in building up the just society and models for the students to follow. When the teacher themselves respect the students and give due importance to human rights while treating the students, I am sure they will contribute a lot in forming brave citizens who will definitely stand by the truth. They will never bow or cow down to injustice. They will never be a part of destroying or terminating factor, because they will remember how they were treated by their teacher and how the importance was given to the human rights. They will never forget the role played by the teachers in building up their own carrier and character, hence they too will think before taking any wrong step that might ruin society.

Thus a role of a teacher genuinely in spreading and respecting the human rights will create a just and peaceful society. Therefore a teacher is not an ordinary being but a being slightly higher than all of us.

Unauthentic Love

Love and hate are the two sides of the same coin. The world has been working or rather governed on these two principles. It is said that its love that makes the world go round, but today conspicuously speaking, its money that makes the world go round. Hence the blend of this factor has devastated the authenticity of love. There are others factors too, but my aim is not to bring them forth but to show you all that the love you are talking about has lost its authenticity. Hatred is still as pure as it was from its genesis. Someone had to say that love your neighbours but not hate one another. When one hates someone, he means it and even it’s apparent. Whereas with the case of love its other way about.

Without a second thought, I take it for granted that you all believe that love is blind. Now I would like to work out little logic to prove that love is not blind but its people that are blind. So! you say that love is blind, Right. But Christianity and all other religions too say that God is love. Hence if love is blind then God is blind too.

Love is blind

God is love

.∙. God is blind.

Now tell me would you worship a blind God. I am sure you would not. Because if you agree that you would, then the world will face more problems then it can handle. Now God is not just LOVE but also DIVINE. Now if God is divine by nature then ultimately Love too becomes divine.

God is divine

God is love

.∙. Love is divine.

So what I want to prove is that love is not blind at all, but people those who fall in love are not able to think rationally. If you love someone you don’t have to tell her/him “I love you” all the time to convince. Just tell me, has your mother ever told you that she loves you? I am sure that she has not even uttered it, but all her actions speak about it. Her love resonates in all her expressions, care and concerns.

Today something drastic has happened with love. That drastic step is taken by you and me. We have manipulated the divinity of love. We have assorted with it our own egotistical motives. Today love is very much oriented by infatuation, money, sex and power. There will be hardly someone who loves just for the sake of love. There will be hardly someone who will love without individualistic expectations. Altruistic love has evaporated like vapor. We have become utilitarian and have started using people like things. “Use and throw” slogan has been applied to human beings. Human has become mere objects.

I am not saying that no one should fall in love, but I just urge you to treat your beloved as a human and not as an object. Remember that our body is a temple of God. God is divine hence each one’s body is divine. We must worship the divinity that’s within everyone. That’s the true meaning of NAMASTE. Here I would like to appeal that lets turn back to subjectivity and treat everyone with courtesy and give them their due respect. Let’s also join our hands to bring back the lost authenticity of love.

- Parmar Navneet

interview

Fr. Lionel - The living pillar of JDV "Let the Eucharist be your life and your life the Eucharist" this was the message, Fr. Lionel, a man with a lion's heart, put across to the present generation on the occasion of his sacerdotal diamond jubilee, 23rd November 2008. "A naturalized Indian," as Fr.Lionel humorously calls himself,was born on 6th may 1920 to Dr. Alfred and Anne Mascarenhas in Karachi. He was the eldest child and the only son followed by three daughters. He lost his father when he was 3 years old. His father who was a doctor, died in an accident. After finishing his schooling in St. Patrick's, Lionel joined Sindh College, Karachi. At that time Bombay archdiocese extended till Kazakhstan. In 1934 the Sindh mission was handed over to the Dutch Franciscans, and the Jesuits moved on to the Gujarat mission. During his studies Fr. Lionel had personal contact with our regents whose lives - and in particular Fr. Duran, then a regent – played a vital role in inspiring him to join the society. The other thing that inspired him to join the religious life was the Altar boys Society run by a Diocesan priest. Eighteen boys opted for the priesthood and later one of them, Joseph Cordeiro became an archbishop of Karachi and a Cardinal. Soon after his college studies, Lionel joined the Society for Gujarat mission and was sent to Shembagnur for the novitiate – the only novitiate in India. After spending almost seven and a half years at Shembagnur doing his novitiate, juniorate and philosophy, he came to St. Xavier's school, Mirzapur in 1943 for his regency and to teach in the school. Here he shared his memory that in pre-independent India, they were not allowed to speak Gujarati in school and so he never got a chance to learn the language. Nevertheless when he was in Shembagnur he took the initiative to teach Gujarati to the Braganza brothers, Fonsecas and a few others! In 1946 Fr. Lionel went to St. Mary's college (theologate) Kurseong, the NorthEast. On 21st November 1948, at the end of third year he was ordained a priest. Soon after he headed for his tertianship at Hazaribagh. He was asked to teach theology and so he flew to Rome for his doctorate in Fundamental theology (now known as SystematicTheology). He took his final vow, on August 15, 1953. In the same year he started teaching theology in De Nobili College. In 1959 he was appointed vice rector of the Papal Seminary. He was president of JDV from 1983 to 1986. The same year he retired, but continued teaching as emeritus for ten years. Thus he has been in the teaching arena from 1953 to 1995. Beside his teaching career, he used to give retreats to both laity and religious. "The Society is my second mother." he said, "all that I am, I owe to the society." He says that our lives should be prayer and mission oriented. He stresses the two characteristics that each Jesuits should have – dedication and availability. Each should have a solid foundation in the spiritual exercises and union with God, so that he may be able to find God in all things like St. Ignatius. He has message for all the priests that, "the church is what priests are." So the good priests will make a good church. At present Fr. Lionel resides at the Papal Seminary (Pune) and prays for the society. He smilingly says that he is waiting for his sunset. He is very happy for he has run his race. A musician, he still sings the mercies of the lord. At the end he said that if he were to be born again, he would again join the society to live his life in the context of St. Ignatius' vision. NAVNEET PARMAR

"The human being may be little less than an angel but is much more than an animal"

"The human being may be little less than an angel but is much more than an animal"

When I look at the sky, which you have made, At the moon and the stars, which you set in their places. What is man, that you think of him; Mere man, that you care for him? Yet you made him inferior only to yourself; You crowned him with glory and honour. You appointed him ruler over everything you made; You placed him over all creation; Sheep and cattle, and the wild animal too; The birds and fish and the creatures in the seas. (Psalm: 8: 3=8: Good News Bible, Catholic addition.)

The Bible gives a clear cut account of a creation story. In the beginning there was chaos and the Lord God brought about order. To do this HE just said, "Let there be," and it was. The words spoken from his mouth were powerful enough to generate an order and to create creatures that could fly in the sky, walk on the earth and swim in the water.

When the Lord God thought of creating a man, He made himself actively involved. He bent down and stretched his hand out to take some soil. "Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; HE breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live." (Genesis: 2: 7). So much so that he shared his own breath (life) with man. Thus God made man little less than HIMSELF.

Bible does not give any account of creation of an angel. This does not mean that the angels are existing from all eternity. Angels were created to serve and praise the Lord God.

They serve him best, his state is king. Thousands at his bidding speed. And post o’ver land and ocean without rest They also serve who only stand and wait. (On his blindness by John Milton)

Angels have an extensive existence and are not bound by time and space. We see in the Bible that an angel of the Lord appeared to Mary. Yet they cannot be in two places at the same time, for their essence and existence are two different qualities. In the case of God this essence itself is existence. Angels are not embodied spirits, therefore they will never die. They had an origin but have no end. Man is an embodied being, hence he will die. The beauty of an embodied being is that he could express his feelings and say "I love you." or "I hate you", this is possible, for God has endowed him with free will and intellect. Angels are just pure spirits.

When we, the members of the human family, look around us at the world in which we live, we notice three types of beings, basically. First, there is what is traditionally been called the mineral kingdom, the vegetative kingdom and the animal kingdom.

Let’s begin with the mineral kingdom and the human being. What we have in common is that our body is 65% oxygen, 18% carbon,1.5 % calcium, 1% phosphorous and 1.5% other elements. We are 70% water. As someone has well put it, "We are cousins of stones and sisters are stars." As for the vegetative kingdom, it is characterized by four basic living activities: growth, reproduction, nourishment and repair. We share with it these basic functions with the vegetable kingdom.

Finally there is the animal kingdom which, in addition to the vegetative activities mentioned above, also has locomotion (can get up and go elsewhere for food, not being rooted in one place like a plant) and , in addition, gives clear evidence of sensation (that is can see, hear, smell, taste and touch – which include feeling pain and pleasure). All these animal activities are ours too. And maybe we can pause briefly to ask ourselves what we mean when we say that a thing has life or is alive. Actually life is a kind of short-hand term for a complex of activities; and when a being gives evidence of them, we say that it is alive. A being which is able to move itself without any apparent pulling of strings or shoving or pushing from outside is alive. Here of course, the meaning of motion or movement would be widened from its usual connotations of local motion (capacity to transport oneself from one place to another), and not of plant-life. It would encompass any self-initiative activities (growth, reproduction and the like).

Human being in his/her uniqueness

But there are other equally evident and undeniable activities of human being which distinguish her/him from all other observable realities on our planet. The human being, and only the human being, gives evidence of his activities. They can be listed in various ways. I prefer to sum them up as the following trio: use of a conceptual language, art, religion.

In the first place, I do not say that only a human being has a language, a means of communication: even bees and ants have some kind of language – they inform each other (by tapping their feelers on the ground, or whatever) as to where recently discovered food supplies may be found. But their communication is limited to very concrete and limited topics. Whereas we humans can, by means of abstract ideas and concepts, communicate to each other about theories and notions that go far beyond the creativity. The human being is ever creating new styles of architecture, dress and so on; s/he is able to express her/his imaginative insights in a variety of ways from batik to sculpture to dance and painting. Animals have some instinctive know-how: how to construct their nests, burrows or whatever form of dwelling places they have. Some of them have a more or less elaborate mating "dance’. But they remain singularly devoid of any creative or artistic variations here. The same species or sub-species have always built their nests in the same way as far as we can reach back in recorded knowledge of these things. The scorpion and snake haven’t come out with any new dance steps to vary their mating game. But look at the variety of styles and fads in architecture, dress, dances and what have you which characterize human social life! Finally, a human person is the only observable creature which has been able to form some sort of an understanding of the deity, be it gods, goddesses or spirits. Only a human being has evolved a religion which concerns this whole area of her/his life. Various rites and rituals and religious beliefs have existed among men since the dawn of human history. There is nothing comparable to this in the animal kingdom. These three examples of uniqueness are characterized by one word, "transcendence," the capacity to go beyond; to be driven from within toward in the world. A Psychological look into human and animal kingdoms.

A human being is neither an angel nor a brute. A human is both lower and higher, both body and spirit, both outer and inner, both mechanical and purposeful. I would like to high-light specially the behavior of a human which makes him different from both animals and angels. Behavior is a mirror in which everyone displays his image. Every aspect of our behavior, feeding to reading, depends on the nature and support of society, for we are social animals. We are individuals, but our individuality evolved only within and through our interdependence.

I divide human behavior in to five categories…

Innate behavior

It is widespread in all the species. As our physical form has evolved, human behavior too evolves. Invariably a chimpanzee probes holes with twigs, a baby kangaroo will hop. But humans have gone a step beyond and can analyses rocks from moon. I mean humans can control their innate behavior. From the primeval age there were and are men dedicating an entire life for celibacy. Man can be like a fawning dog, a roaring lion, a thieving fox, a robbing wolf, a dissembling crocodile or a rapacious vulture.

Learned behavior

A child newly born learns, through experience. As its brain develops it behaves. Dependence, co-operation, plays, problem-solving are some of learnt behaviors. The animals extensively are driven by innate behaviuor (drive). Though there are cases of taming animals but animals by themselves are incapable of learning.

Experience behavior

From time immemorial, behavior has been expressive. We know who somebody is by what he does and how he behaves. Let me explain this by taking you all to primal age –at that stage humans relied on hunting for food, hard work was mint for males and child caring for women. Thus the division of labour was allotted between male and female. Eventually social arrangement, old and new emerging tradition, the essential sexual behaviorism and group co-operating paved the way for interdependence

Purposive behavior

Human behavior can be oriented on a sense of purpose which is not just fragmentary, but overall, relating to long periods and even to an entire lifetime, taking the form of long-term planning. Such a capacity, implies first that the subject is conscious, informed about the environment and about his potentialities. This awareness, the sense of purpose which guides choices and the effective implementation of purposeful behavior, is the essential feature of the freedom which is the impulse behind all self-constructed behavior. Contrary to other mammals, the human being with an over-riding sense of purpose can transcend the most powerful drives like the need for food or self-preservation and more easily sexual urges. Man hungers and thirsts not only for bread but for the bread of eternal life, truth, beauty, goodness and holiness- there is an aim for his existence.

Free behavior

Man is gifted with free will – to choose or not to choose. He is free to take control of himself (even to the point of offering his life), and free to decide his attitude towards his fellows (even to the point of dying for them); man is a creature capable of deciding what his relation will be to his creator. This gives rise to ethics and morality. For something to be ethical there are alternatives modes of action- man is capable of judging the alternative in ethical terms and he is free to choose what he judges to be good. Freedom implies commitment.

Animal behavior is instinctive, mechanical and unconscious. A dog knows a bone but does not know that it knows the bone. There is no possibility of cultural convention, non-competition, co-operation, territoriality, teamwork, selflessness, kinship, tool-use, communication, generosity, reciprocity in animals… man is an animal that bargains – no other animal does this – a dog does not change one bone with another. Man cooks his food.

The angels may have wider spheres of action and nobler forms of duty than ours, but truth and right; to them and to us are one and the same thing. Angels are mighty, frightening and unlimited; in their nature they are spirits, in their behavior they are angels. We humans can only behave a high-degree of flexibility - within the limits imposed by our nature (that is why our freedom is like being a fish in the tank). Angels relate infinitely irrespective of universal boundary. Angels are also serviceable, caring and active.

Thus human being may be little less than an angel but is much more than an animal.

“I shall never pray again. My mother was suffering from an incurable cancer, so we were told. We prayed and spent all we had to relieve her pain. After we had spent no more money to spare, we literally storm the heaven. I don’t see the point in praying any more. God doesn’t care about us for he has already decided what should happen.” 24 years old boy. Rather than delve straight into the topic, I would like to initiate it by quoting; Shakespeare.

“All the world a stage And all the men and women merely players They have their exists and entrances.” In this few lines of a sonnet a static understanding of God and the world is portrayed. God who is a director, he has given to each one of us a particular role. When the time comes to enter on this world a stage, we are sent, and when the role is over we are made exist the world a stage. In this context of the above lines said by the boy, the last lines projects the same ideology, so the boy is in a same boat as Shakespeare. Her mother was sent to play a particular role. Now the role is over as it was decided by the director-God. The above lines said by the boy have several elements involved in it, which I will deal one by one.

The aspect of prayer

“A God who heard everyone’s prayer would have been a God of children” Jaun Luis Segundo.

Prayer are not “gimme” requests(give this and give that), nor is it a matter of saying words from time to time, but an attitude, a state where one lives continuously in God’s presence, as in any deep human relationship. If God listens to all our prayers, we would be like spoilt children. Our God is God who struggles and suffers with us in our efforts to build a just world. The best example of what prayer is, is given by Jesus himself; “father, if you will, take this cup away from me. Not my will however your will be done.” The boy has a very narrow and static understanding of prayer (God’s providence). Prayers should always be heard. What is asked must be given. When prayed, miracle must take place. God must not refuse any prayer. However HE must fulfill it. If God is bound to answer our prayers then we human are superior to God, for God does not have any option not to answer them. Humans can confine God within the words of prayers. Human casts spell upon God by words and God can not but yield to their demands. Actually a prayer should be participation and respond to God’s constant invitation to share in his wisdom and strength. Man’s response has to be of openness to god’s light and strength through constant and intimate communion with god. Man’s ultimate, fundamental prayer is to ask “show the way and give strength to tread the way.” But ultimately it is he who is going to tread the way. In this light the meaning of Jesus’ words “ask and you shall receive” is not that ask whatever you want and it shall given to you, but ask and God’s spirit shall be given to you to attain for yourself what you have asked. God’s grace is nothing but God’s spirit that enables us to face life. Left to our petty strength, we would have made a mess out of life. That is why St. Ignatius of Loyola gives the axiom, “work as though everything depends on God and pray as though everything depends on me.”

Bonhooffer puts it another way, “live before God as if there is no God.” A concluding word

The prayer which comes closet to my understanding is to ask for meaning and strength from God, the ultimate source of inspiration and meaningfulness in order to have courage to change the things that I can, to accept the things which I cअn not अnd wisdom to know the difference. Differences between the static and the dynamic world. St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) had a static understanding of reality which was taken and developed by the roman branch of Christianity. He said that the story of genesis is literally true, that Adam and Eve were created finitely and by their “fall,” their perfection was destroyed. Adam and Eve had no excuse. They were adults who had knowingly committed the fault hence disrupted God’s plan. Hence this world was a vale of tears and all the life’s trails were divine punishment for Adam’s sin. This understanding will lead to passivity for this world is finished product and everyone’s including creature’s fate is destined. There is no room for freedom; freedom to love and hate. Whatever happens – an accident, a rape, an earthquake …etc, is bound to happen. That is the will of God, even the suffering and evil is planed by God. I would call this God a sadistic God, an immoral God, a culprit God. Who takes pleasure and joy in destroying. This God must be brought to a trial and hang. St. Irenaeus of Lyons (140-202) had a very dynamic understanding of reality which was taken and developed by the Greek branch of Christianity. Even St. Iranaeus took the story of Genesis as literally true but with the dynamic understanding that Adam and Eve were created as imperfect, immature creatures who were to undergo moral development and growth and finality be brought to the perfection intended for them by their maker. Their fault was something that occurred in the childhood of the race due to weakness and immaturity. And the world, mingled with good and evil was an environment for human development towards the perfection intended for them by God. This understanding will enhance one’s perspective towards reality and God. Our is a dynamic world, not a finished product, but still in the making. In this context providence is one of the several dimension of God’s relationship with the world, implied in creation. God’s providence consists essentially in providing creatures’ with the inner dynamism that orients and guides them towards the full flowering of their being and full realization of their selves. God’s creation aims at drawing all the creatures under one head that is the Omega point. This can only be realized if every being use their inner dynamism to become full being. God’s kingdom can only be established if men in his freedom collaborate with God in the realizing of the full flowering of its creation and employ everything that is provided to this sole end. Man as the fruit of evolution (humanization) is specially given the responsibility of becoming “fully human and fully alive” by using his gift of freedom plus all that is provided. There is yet more a dimension to providence which makes it still more divine. It is the direct involvement of God in assisting man to use this delicate gift if freedom. God’s role is not so passive as to disappear over the horizons but God helps us in our journey towards full flowering. In the light of above discussion, when critically analyses what the boy has said “…God does not care about us for he has already decided what should happen.” Seems very static understanding of reality. The boy falls under the same category of St. Augustine, for whom the reality and this world is finished product. Hence there is no chance to become fully human and fully alive. God has preplanned every stride of human being. Hence even his mother would suffer from an incurable cancer and eventually die. The boy condemns God for his mother’s death. He considered God the culprit for not heeding the prayer. As a result he makes resolution not to pray ever again. Aspect of suffering (evil) and death

In the face of evil and suffering, omnipotentce and love are two seemingly paradoxical attributes of God. If HE is al powerful and yet permits evil and suffering, HE is not loving. If HE is loving but can’t help permitting evil and suffering, HE is impotent. If HE is potent and loving, why evil and suffering at all? The Epicureans had shrewdly posed such a question. In my opinion evil and suffering do not come from God but it is man made and at times natural. Evil caused by deliberate human action like the terrorist attack on the Taj Hotel and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal. This can be called wickedness. This is possibly due to the instinct of survival, which we used for the survival of the fullest. It is a selfish drive in us. There is also suffering and evil not willed d by human beings like natural disaster and calamities like flood, famine,, earthquake etc. this is en evil which causes suffering, but it is a part of evolving world in which we are placed to gain our full flowering and maturity. At times behind natural calamities human hand is involved. The exhaustion of petroleum may cause the imbalance of earth’s chemistry and will encourage volcanos. Nuclear experiments are bound to have repercussion on the earth. Deforestation leads to draught, famine and starvation. Air and water pollution will lead to ill health and new diseases. Thus we can site thousands of examples where God can not be blames so easily. This evil and suffering caused on day to day life is nothing but man choosing hatred out of free will and freedom. God has predetermined neither our birth nor death. Once in a while we hear some talking that God took away a loved one form the family. Even some posed question like why did God take away my mother, my sister, my brother, my son, my wife? The real fact, we die is not that its God’s will but same reason why the things of the earth disappear, dissolve or get destroyed. We have seen an iron getting rusted after some period of time or river getting dry and wood rotting away. In short every thing that is made of material will slowly go back to its original material components. The death can occur on two ways. It may be a sudden death like someone getting heart attack or someone meeting with an accident and dying on the spot. The other is gradual process of getting old and the body gets exhausted and collapsed. Embodied beings are finite. Our being finite is God finest expression of love for us. This embodiedness is a greatest means to love to God and others. Just imagine if awe were not embodied, how could we express our love? God so loved us that he made us free beings. If we were not to be finite, there would be no need for growing into full personhood. In which case man would not have to struggle and make choices in conformity with this end. If he need not to make choices, the gift of freedom would automatically stand absurd. Man’s glory is in his freedom to make choices as he tries to bring the epistemic distance between his embodiedness and full personhood. We were given the bodies so that we could enjoy the freedom. Unlike angels we are not pure spirit but spirit-in-the-world. A final word

देसpite our rational analyses evil and suffering and death remains a mystery to be lived with the help of God’s spirit and not a problem to be got rid of. No amount of analysis can give an absolute, exhausting, compromising explanation for the profound reality of evil, suffering and death. And if it did, life would loose its punch. All that can be done is to keep purifying the understanding of evil, suffering and death from the possible misconception. Keep illuminating ourselves with more and more revelations of its profoundness and be open to God’s spirit. Once having done this; what remains is to place it in the Oder of love and face it.

NAVNEET