Category: July-September 2021

– Judas’s soliloquy

By Sch. John Philips, SJ

The true weight of my actions settled in the hollow silence that followed the kiss – a vast, aching void left in its wake. They seized him and took him away. I stood alone, the night air hitting my chest like a rock. My mind had conjured a thousand different eventualities – but not this one. I had lived for the promise of thunder, for the arrival of radiant glory, and for the crowning of a king – not for a call to put the sword back in its sheath and a meek surrender.

He offered no struggle against the guards, his wrists yielding to their grip as though those ropes were merely ribbons. There was no thunderous command to the heavens, no summoning of celestial legions from the skies to crush his enemies. He did not strike me down for my treachery. He did not even grant me the mercy of a condemnation. There was only the unbearable weight of his presence. He simply held me in his gaze, a gaze that shed light on the darkness of my soul.

The memories of the day he called me remain surprisingly vivid. My name was woven seamlessly alongside the others – eleven to be precise. I observed Peter’s bold, restless vitality and John’s quiet, loving devotion. But what did I, Judas of Kerioth, have – for him to count me as one of the Twelve?  His voice that afternoon was anchored in certainty, entirely devoid of any hesitation and doubts that men usually have. It looked as if he had traced the shifting terrain of my soul, long before I had even discovered its borders. He did not look at who I was, but at who he wanted me to be.

In the months that followed, he entrusted the common purse to me – a heavy, leather burden that anchored me to the earth while the others drifted toward the clouds. While my brothers occupied themselves with grand sermons and miraculous healings, I was tasked with ensuring we had enough to keep going. So in the quiet hours of the night I had to count the money and see how much we had and how much we still needed. It was, in essence, a mundane duty, yet I felt its staggering weight.

But what did I, Judas of Kerioth, have – for him to count me as one of the Twelve?

Was he blind to my weakness, or did he simply choose to look through it? Surely, he deciphered human hearts as easily as one reads an open scroll. He must have sensed my pulse quicken at the cool, metallic touch of silver. He must have seen that hidden spark of satisfaction that flickered in my palm whenever I felt the weight of that purse.

Yet, he never withdrew the purse or tore away my mask. He continued to offer his trust, a gift that he didn’t give to others.

Then we reached Jerusalem, and the city seemed to vibrate with our arrival. The air was thick and heavy with the fevered cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” as garments and palm branches carpeted the road like banners of victory. My hope flared. I was certain the hour had finally come.  To my eyes, the throne was within reach, Rome’s iron grip was visibly failing, and the long-awaited kingdom was ascending from the dust of our travels.

Yet, as the hosannas faded against the city’s stone walls, my hope began to crumble. Instead of victory he spoke of agony; instead of the throne he spoke of the grave. It felt like a jagged stone caught in my throat. I could not accept this version of the Messiah as a suffering servant. To my mind, a king was someone who would climb the throne – not a cross. I reasoned with a desperate logic: if he refused to claim the truth about him, he must be forced to reveal it. I believed that by placing him in the shadow of the sword, he would finally be compelled to cast off his humility and descend in a storm of fire to crush the Romans and their Jewish allies.

This plan did not feel like treachery at first; it appeared in the guise of courage. I told myself that by handing him over to those who wanted to kill him, I was forcing a confrontation he could not ignore. Under threat, his true majesty would erupt, the priests and Pharisees would tremble, the Romans would bow, and his kingdom would finally be here. I convinced myself I was merely accelerating destiny.

While my brothers occupied themselves with grand sermons and miraculous healings, I was tasked with ensuring we had enough to keep going.

When the thirty pieces of silver were counted and given to me, I accepted them as one accepts a tool, an instrument for a higher purpose. The metal felt cool and looked deceptively innocent. But in the shadows of the garden, my resolve cracked. My voice wavered as I called Him “Rabbi.” That kiss, intended to be a signal to those who wanted him dead, became the seal of my shame.

And then he looked at me – not with anger or bitterness – but with a sorrow older than the universe. It was a gaze that saw through my greed that hid behind my justifications. Yet it remained anchored in a love that would not condemn. In his gaze I saw the truth I had suppressed: He had chosen me to be his disciple, trusted me with an important responsibility and loved me with his whole heart.

I had mistaken his meekness for hesitation and his gentleness for weakness. I had tried to force a kingdom that was never meant to be established by power. Now, the silver weighs heavier than iron. It is actually my shame, my guilt. It is becoming heavier and heavier, crushing my heart, soul and body. Since they would not take this bag of silver coins that is crushing me with its unbearable weight, I need to throw them in the temple and go and find a way to get rid of this weight of guilt, whatever it may take. I may need a strong, sturdy rope – stronger and sturdier than the one the guards used to tie the hands of my Master.

---

By A. Joseph Dorairaj

The mobile rang continuously. The printer told Mathew that the invitations have been printed and packed.

In seven days Mathew and his seven novitiate companions were to be ordained by the newly-consecrated bishop at St. Francis Xavier Jubilee Auditorium. The bishop wanted it to be an event that would inspire the laity, particularly the youth, so that some of them will be encouraged to become priests.

Just a day before the ordination, Mathew was down with typhoid and had to be hospitalized. He was in a pretty bad shape and his provincial was by his side. His parents were deeply worried and pleaded with the provincial to go ahead with the ordination. He listened to them calmly and told them, “We’ll wait and see. Another twenty-four hours to go. We’ll consult the doctor and if he says ok, we’ll definitely proceed with Mathew’s ordination. Even otherwise there is no problem. He can be ordained in a few months, whenever the bishop is available.”

“But Father, we’ve made all arrangements. All our relatives have gathered here. Some have come from the Middle East and a couple of them from the US. Please don’t cancel Mathew’s ordination on any account.”

“We’re not cancelling his ordination. We may have to postpone it because of his health condition. Whenever the doctor gives us the green signal, we’ll go ahead.”

A couple of days later Mathew felt better. He wanted to be shifted to his residence and the doctor approved his decision. Everyone who visited him assured his parents that he would be ordained soon.

A week later, Mathew met his provincial and told him, “Father, I want to be in the Retreat Centre for a week. I’m emotionally disturbed. I also have a few nagging questions regarding my vocation. Since my spiritual director is also the director of the Retreat Centre, I would like to seek his guidance.”

The provincial and the doctor gave him the green signal to go to the Retreat Centre and advised him to continue with the medication. Meeting his spiritual director at the Retreat Centre, he said, “Father, of late I’m unable to sleep. In fact, I am unable to focus on anything.”

The bishop wanted it to be an event that would inspire the laity, particularly the youth, so that some of them will be encouraged to become priests.

“Is anything troubling you, Mathew?” asked his spiritual director.

“Yes, Father. I’ve some nagging questions about my vocation. If God had really chosen me, then he should have ensured that I didn’t fall sick just before my ordination. When all my co-novices were ordained, why was I left out? What is God’s plan for me?”

“Mathew, you’re reading too much into your hospitalization. The postponement of your ordination was for health reasons, not religious ones. It could have happened to me – to anybody, for that matter. That has nothing to do with your vocation. These are two different issues. I’m surprised that you’ve tied up these two issues.”

“I don’t think my hospitalization was just an accident. I take it as a subtle message. Maybe I am not meant to be a priest. Maybe my vocation is elsewhere.”

Some hinted that Mathew was leaving the seminary and was getting married to his former classmate. Some even wondered whether he had any vocation in the first place.

At the Retreat Centre, Mathew prayed hard. He spent long hours in meditation. He wanted to discern the will of God and act accordingly. His spiritual director was able to guide him in this rather difficult phase of his journey.

After three months his provincial told Mathew to go back to the college where he taught, but advised him to keep meeting his spiritual director every week without fail.        Getting back to his teaching and hostel assignments helped him a lot to gain stability. Now he was both physically and emotionally much better. But his doubts, his demons tortured him.      

Sometime in mid-May, he participated in a week-long intensive course on Ignatian Discernment, directed by a famous Jesuit priest. After talking to him for long hours, he made up his mind.

Calling his provincial, he said, “Father, are you free this weekend? I’d like to meet you regarding my future.”

“Good to hear from you Mathew. I’m free this weekend. You’re most welcome.”

Mathew and his provincial had long conversations.

“Father, I am not sure that God wants me to be a priest. I cannot live with this nagging doubt any more. So, it’s better that I leave.”

The provincial thought for a long time. He told him that he would talk to his team and get back to him. After a week, he said to him, “If you have discerned the will of God and, after intense prayer and reflection, have decided, to leave the seminary, I don’t want to hold you back. I respect your decision and will continue to support you in whatever way I can.”

Mathew rang up his father and told him that he had decided to leave the seminary. His father cried inconsolably. He told him, “It’s heart-breaking, son. I don’t know how your mom will take it. She’s already very stressed. But I’m with you.”

If God had really chosen me, then he should have ensured that I didn’t fall sick just before my ordination. When all my co-novices were ordained, why was I left out?

That weekend he reached his parents’ home around 7 pm. After dinner he and his parents sat around the dining table and discussed a few things.“Mom, I’ve two requests,” said Mathew. “First, no visitors please. I don’t want to meet anyone and answer their unending questions as to why I left the seminary. Second, don’t force me to go to the church for the time being.”

His father patted him on his back and assured him of their continued support.

For nearly two months, Mathew didn’t stir out of the house. In fact, he hardly left his room. He was seen walking up and down in a meditative mood.

After nearly two months, he said to his father. “Dad, I’ll rejoin the college. I spoke to the principal and he told me that my post as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics is intact.”

“Go ahead, son.”

There were dramatic changes in Mathew after he re-joined his college. There was a semblance of normalcy in his life and his face looked a lot brighter. His parents were quite relieved.

After nearly six months, one evening while they were having tea, his mom asked him, “Son, is there any possibility of going back to the seminary?”

Mathew was silent for a long time.

“You needn’t answer if it will make you uncomfortable.”

His novitiate companions wanted to celebrate the first anniversary of their ordination. They wanted Mathew to join them. They all went to a nearby pilgrim centre, celebrated Mass and had dinner. After dinner, his companions asked him if he thought of going back to the seminary. When he said ‘No,’ many of them insisted that he should then get married and settle down. John, his close friend, convinced him about getting married.

Four months later Mathew and Jancy got married in the cathedral in a quiet ceremony attended by less than 100 people. His former provincial and the director of the Retreat Centre concelebrated his wedding Mass. All his novitiate companions had turned up and everyone was happy. His parents kept smiling.

A few weeks after his wedding, Mathew called up John and told him that he wanted to spend some time with him. When he told him that he was coming alone, he was annoyed and told him to bring his wife also. “No John, I’m coming alone. I want to discuss something important.” After much persuasion, John relented.

John and Mathew went for a long walk. During the entire conversation, Mathew’s only question was: “John, did I take the right decision? Sometimes I feel that I should have stayed back in the seminary. Am I the right person for Jancy? Did I do the right thing marrying her? Did she deserve someone better than me?”

John told him firmly: “Mathew, stop asking these questions. You went through a process of discernment and decided to get married. What makes you doubt the result of that process? These nagging doubts are your demons. Drive them away. Look ahead and be a good husband to Jancy.”

A few weeks later Mathew met John with Jancy and they celebrated her birthday. He assured John: “I’m wrestling with my demons, John. Please pray that I win.”

---

By Suresh Antony, SJ

With an inspiring history of opting for frontier missions, the Society of Jesus has to confront the harsh realities and challenges of the ecological crisis – ranging from global warming to the degradation of life itself. The Eco-Jesuits have consistently stood at the forefront, striving to bring about meaningful redress amid these environmental ordeals. Their response has not been occasional or symbolic, but sustained, reflective, and deeply rooted in their mission of faith and justice.

It has been a journey marked by both glory and tragedy. It is a journey of glory, because this transformative mission toward establishing eco-justice has been made possible through robust commitment and a continuous effort to address emerging global issues. Being at the frontiers, the Eco-Jesuits, along with people of goodwill, continue to fight a hard battle in restoring the true face of Mother Earth. Their work reflects a deep conviction that caring for creation is not optional but integral to the Jesuit identity and mission.

It is also a tragic journey, for despite consistent, focused efforts and tireless hard work, the establishment of a truly comprehensive eco-justice remains a distant dream and a far cry globally. In contrast to the dedicated endeavours of many, the forces of ecological degradation and impending disaster continue to rise relentlessly, often beyond the range of human control. The pace of destruction frequently surpasses the pace of restoration, creating a widening gap between hope and reality.

This journey will indeed remain tragic as long as a minority of the super-rich and powerful persist in exploiting the Earth’s natural resources and generating disproportionate carbon emissions -while the burden of their excesses falls upon the majority and the poor, who suffer the gravest consequences of environmental injustice. The Global North continues to be the primary contributor to carbon emissions, while the Global South disproportionately bears the brunt of this ecological crisis.

According to The Guardian (online news), an estimated 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted within just 14 days during the US–Israel conflict involving Iran. Every missile strike, drone operation, and refinery bombing becomes not only an act of war but also a direct investment in a hotter, more disaster-prone future—one that affects both the Global South and the Global North, though unevenly.

The year 2024 marked a disturbing milestone: global temperatures rose to approximately 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels. For the first time in recorded history, the annual global average temperature anomaly exceeded the critical threshold of 1.5°C. These alarming indicators do not inspire hope for a sustainable or secure planetary future. Instead, they point toward escalating ecological instability, deepening inequality, and a growing moral urgency to rethink our patterns of development, consumption and conflict.

Every Jesuit is called to embrace a “vocation within a vocation” to become an Eco-Jesuit.

The growing concern for the environment and the urgent need to address the ecological crisis can be understood in two distinct yet interconnected phases. This twofold ecological commitment is essential for both mitigating environmental damage and restoring the face of the Earth, which, in faith, we recognize as the image of God.

First, it calls us to build networks with global citizens of goodwill who share a common vision for a greener and more sustainable future. This networking is not merely strategic but relational, grounded in shared responsibility and mutual accountability. Second, it demands that we strengthen our resilience by standing with and empowering the poor, who are the most affected by ecological degradation. These two dimensions together form the heart of an authentic ecological response as eco-Jesuit mission.

For us as Jesuits, any effort in this direction must be rooted in safeguarding the rights and dignity of the poor in the face of this impending ecological disaster. Ultimately, the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth are one and the same, calling us to a deeper, more committed response.

This crisis calls us to build networks at various levels – local, regional, and global. Events such as COP30 serve as an illuminating example of such networking. The COP30 presidency invited the international community to participate in a global “Mutirão”—an ancestral practice of coming together to undertake a shared task in a collaborative effort to address climate change for the progress of humanity.

The spirit of Mutirão unites us as one human family; it embodies cooperation, collaboration, shared prosperity and a deep sense of community. In an ecclesial context, this vision resonates strongly with the idea of synodality—a journeying together in discernment and action for a common goal. It invites us to listen, to walk together and to act collectively for the care of our common home. It calls us to rid ourselves of consumerism and greed.

As stewards of creation and collaborators in the mission of the Church, Religious Orders and Congregations are called to stand in solidarity with all people of goodwill who strive for a just and sustainable future. Our collective voice carries moral weight and possesses the power to move mountains especially when it is rooted in unity, faith and a shared commitment to the common good.

COP30 centred around concrete climate action, guided by the principles of climate justice and climate economy, moving away from the current trends of consumerism that are leading the world toward an abyss. Being faithful servants of the Church, the Society of Jesus took up this task of climate justice with utmost seriousness. By joining the global network, the Society of Jesus, along with people of goodwill, has plunged into a campaign for action at COP30.

In this campaign, four key issues were raised as statements for the delegates of COP30 for deliberation, discussion, and eventual action. The ultimate purpose of the campaign by the Society of Jesus, other Catholic organizations, and many Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) is to create one loud and united voice that calls for far more decisive climate action for climate justice.

First call: Cancel the debt of poor countries, enabling them to respond effectively to the ecological crisis without being burdened by unjust financial structures.

Second call: Strengthen the Loss and Damage Fund to ensure that vulnerable nations receive adequate support for the irreversible impacts of climate change.

Third call: Set ambitious targets for a just energy transition that significantly reduces CO₂ emissions while ensuring equity and inclusion.
Fourth call: Establish clear goals for developing a global food system rooted in food sovereignty and agro-ecological practices.

‘Care for our common home’ is, in essence, care for Christ Himself. The unbroken and undefiled face of the Earth reflects the face of the Risen Christ.

Our efforts in this sphere of global networking must deepen into a firm and uncompromising commitment to climate justice. Beyond global networking, local-level collaboration can yield significant outcomes. A “network of networks” can serve as a dynamic structure that brings together individuals, communities and institutions committed to ecological renewal.

At the local level, such networking can take shape through eco-spirituality, eco-education, eco-awareness, sustainable green practices, research and advocacy. Within these interconnected networks, a wide range of initiatives can be undertaken like eco-retreats, eco-recollections, sensitization programs, organic and microbial-based farming and solar panels installations. Jesuit provinces that show generosity by allocating climate or green finance within their annual budgets respond meaningfully to the urgent cry of Mother Earth. Achieving a “zero electricity bill” through the trapping of solar energy in Jesuit communities and educational institutions is no longer optional but necessary.

At the same time, reducing dependence on fossil fuels is imperative. A mere reduction in the number of automobiles will not suffice; what is required is a substantial decrease in overall fossil fuel consumption at a global level to effectively address climate change. Jesuit educational institutions can play a vital role in sensitizing the students, teachers and stakeholders through advocacy.

Every Jesuit is called to embrace a “vocation within a vocation” to become an Eco-Jesuit. This involves active participation in tree plantation for carbon sequestration and the promotion of concrete, sustainable ecological practices that safeguard our common home. Our cultivable lands must increasingly be used for natural, organic and bio-fertilizer based-farming practices that ensure food sovereignty and promote agro-ecological sustainability. The curriculum at our institutes must include agro-ecological sustainability practices that promote sustainable living. The promotion of agro-ecological sustainability must place farmers and their well-being at its very centre. Their knowledge, dignity and livelihoods are integral to any meaningful ecological transformation.

In this regard, research has a crucial role to play in developing and advancing microbial-based bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Such innovations not only enhance soil fertility but also safeguard human well-being by enabling the production and consumption of toxin-free, organic food. Jesuit higher education and Jesuit research centres must focus on this aspect of research and make it a priority.

As the world moves toward alternative energy and reduces dependence on fossil fuels, policies will inevitably shift, and traditional sources of livelihood may decline especially for those working in coal mining, many of whom are indigenous people. In this transition, there is a real risk that marginalized communities may bear further economic burdens. Therefore, our commitment to ecological sustainability must also include a just transition. Safeguarding the dignity and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups must remain our highest priority in the ecological mission. This calls for intentional efforts to create and support alternative sources of income, ensuring that no community is left behind in the shift toward a greener future. All forms of exploitation and manipulation of the poor on account of ecological crisis must cease.

In conclusion, every Jesuit – whatever their ministry may be – is called to be an Eco-Jesuit. UAP 4 – ‘care for our common home’ is, in essence, care for Christ Himself. The unbroken and undefiled face of the Earth reflects the face of the Risen Christ. Only through a personal and collective transformation we can truly respond to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor and become faithful stewards of God’s creation.

---

By Joseph Lobo, SJ

When St Ignatius of Loyola ventured into the apostolate of Education, his original intention was to form persons of moral character, who would influence society and culture with the spirit of the Gospel as “fires that kindle other fires”. In other words, Ignatius was aiming at transforming human society by transforming the human individual by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. By this, he was intending to respond to the situation of moral degradation and related evils of his times. The other benefits of education were perhaps only of a secondary importance in his thinking, if at all they existed. 

Therefore, presupposing that this original intention of St Ignatius continues to exist in varying degrees even in today’s Jesuit Education of all types and at all levels, the question we have to ask is: how would it shape the concrete structures, processes, dynamics, content, outcome and goals of our education today?

For this, we need to become aware of a basic and most fundamental schema of a constructive learning process. It can be expressed as follows: ignorance – information – knowledge – wisdom – virtue. 

Since these are simultaneous processes with successive starting points, and continue to exist despite the progress, they can be more meaningfully represented as follows:

Ignorance|—————————————————————-

Information|———————————————————-

Knowledge|——————————————————-

Wisdom|——————————————————

Virtue|—————————————————-

Let me explain the schema and the terms: We begin with ignorance at our conception and begin to gather data through sense perception, intellectual processes and affective experiences. The data so gathered is recorded in various degrees as discrete pieces of information. We become informed persons.

How would the original intention of St Ignatius shape the concrete structures, processes, dynamics, content, outcome and goals of our educational apostolate today?

When these discrete pieces begin to be put together into certain patterns in a systematic and meaningful way, knowledge emerges. One can get stuck at the level of information, being very informative but least knowledgeable; not knowing how the discrete pieces of information are related. The reason may have been that the process of interiorization and integration did not take place. In fact many an ‘educated’ person are well-formed, but hardly knowledgeable. Rote learning and the blind use of internet search engines produce such persons en masse.

Knowledge gives rise to wisdom, when the acquired knowledge is used for the ‘promotion of life’ – to use a collective phrase that represents an ethical or moral way of using the knowledge. This transition from knowledge to wisdom necessarily consists of the crucial aspects of inspiration, interiorization and integration. A great scientist can have a lot of knowledge but can use it unwisely, if s/he were to invent or construct only lethal weapons. A very knowledgeable intellectual can hardly be called wise, if s/he were to use her/ his acumen to devise notoriously deceptive political and business strategies, exploitative economic and trade policies, disruptive public debates, and even dangerous religious and ‘spiritual’ discourses, because of ill-formed conscience. It could be alarming to note how many of such ‘knowledgeable’ persons sans compassion and conscience were educated in our institutions!

The Ignatian vision of education needs to be brought to the center of our educational apostolate, as it is the very rationale of all our apostolates.

When one behaves ‘wisely’ in a habitual manner – not merely occasionally – s/he can be said to be a ‘virtuous person’. If one acts ‘wisely’ only occasionally or selectively, s/he has not yet achieved the true virtue, because s/he lacks a discerning heart.

The Ignatian educational apostolate was meant primarily to produce ‘virtuous persons’ in this sense. Accordingly, such persons collectively could bring about an integral societal transformation. This schema, if used as a lens to look at the educational processes in different Jesuit educational institutions, gives us an inkling into what exactly we, along with our collaborators, are busy with. Are we truly producing ‘virtuous persons’? Are there effective structures, systems, processes and sizable number of convinced, committed and competent individuals to ensure such results in our institutions? To the extent these questions can be answered affirmatively, let us rejoice!

At the same time let us not duck the inconvenient question whether our students are not perhaps sadly stuck at some earlier stages of learning? Isn’t it true that very few of our students progress into later stages? Has it perhaps become impossible for our institutions to produce virtuous persons? What are the internal and external factors at the personal and structural levels that prevent this progress? Does the overall context of the day in the first place really tolerate a structure, a system or an institution that produces ‘virtuous persons’ of the Ignatian vision? Can such persons survive, function and flourish in the wider world once they leave our institutions? If they were to, what is the price that they may have to pay for ‘swimming against the currents’? Does our educational process create in them necessary sources of spiritual stamina that is necessary to live as virtuous persons?

It is from this Ignatian prism as explicated above that our success stories need to be evaluated. We may have pushed this issue to the peripheries. But the Ignatian vision of education needs to be brought to the center of our educational apostolate, as it is the very rationale of all our apostolates.

---

By Frazer Mascarenhas, SJ

I was privileged to be with Stan in the last month of his life and I found conversing with him very stimulating. First of all, he was embarrassed to be incurring expenditure in a “private hospital” and cited a previous Fr. General saying that extraordinary expenses on our health are not warranted for a Jesuit (this was in the Covid ICCU, while on 8 litres of oxygen). After I offered to transfer him to Breach Candy Hospital, where another of his co-accused had been admitted, he was more accepting of Holy Family Hospital.

His hearing aid was giving trouble and so we got him a new set of hearing aids from the Audiology Department, since the quality of life for him depended much on his ability to communicate. He complained that the doctor who did the fittings refused to inform him of the cost. When I said that they were a gift from my parishioners, he felt a little better. And he enquired whether it would be possible to gift his body to a medical college if he passed away, as he felt he should be of some use after death. I assured him that we have made arrangements for him to be in our Jesuit residence at Andheri on getting bail and that we could talk about it then. Unfortunately this was not to be. But his sensitivity to Jesuit values was striking.

Stan enjoyed company and was keen on getting news of the world and of his co-accused, especially those in Taloja. He actually sent for me a couple of times and I found it was just to chat, without anything serious to discuss. He was looking forward to being in a Jesuit community, though he was afraid his health would cause the community a problem. And he was interested in continuing to be of service to the tribals in Jharkhand.

Stan recounted to me how he had convinced his colleague at Bagaicha, P.M. Tony, to assist in doing a survey of tribal youth arrested in Jharkhand. That survey proved very powerful evidence in Court, in the case he had filed on their behalf. His legal petition was likely to be successful and Stan was due to appear in Court around the time he himself was arrested. His activism therefore had a solid basis of scholarship. The intellectual dimension was fully developed, as expected of every Jesuit. Unfortunately, this may often remain only in our Jesuit documents but not so for Stan.

I once pointed out to Stan that he had been given ample warning to desist from his justice work, since the first FIR had been filed 2 years before his actual arrest. Didn’t he realize that they were serious about eliminating him? He said he was fully aware but he felt he had to be ready to pay the price – whatever it might be. The release of about 3000 tribal youth was too important a task to give up. I found that very courageous and I’m afraid I would not have taken that option myself.

Prayer was something quite natural to Stan. I would make a short prayer with him just before I left every evening. A couple of times Stan indicated that he would like me to do so as I was preparing to leave. In one of my last conversations with him, when I told him that a particular person had asked me to tell him that he was praying for him, he responded with, “What is prayer, Frazer? It should not be telling God what to do but asking God to make us ready to accept what He wants for us”. Stan seemed to have been getting ready himself.

The Eucharist was also something he desired. I took him Holy Communion several times and on other days, the Sisters had arranged for a priest to bring Holy Communion to patients. On one Saturday I had promised to take him Communion the next day. However I forgot and did not mention Holy Communion during our conversation. But at one stage he said, “Okay Frazer, now you can give me Holy Communion”. I had to admit that I had forgotten to bring it. However I went back to Church and returned to hospital with the viaticum. He was quite grateful for this.

Finally, I was struck by the wide variety of people Stan had worked with, of all religious and cultural backgrounds. He called them all – his comrades. This was not an ideological term but one in which he showed equality in the common struggle for human dignity for all. I wonder if Pope Francis got his ideas of ‘social friendship’ from Stan!

We thank God for a wonderful human being, a good priest and an excellent Jesuit, that Stan was. His passing away was quite plainly an act of God. However it seemed to be meticulously planned by those who incarcerated him, who ill-treated him in jail by refusing him proper treatment even when Covid-like symptoms were visible in mid-May. It seems strange that even in the Government-run J.J. Hospital where he was taken for a check-up after a directive from the High Court, the RT-PCR Test was not done, although he complained of such symptoms. Professionalism seems to disappear in the face of some strange, invisible pressure from above. An 84 year old, with advanced Parkinson’s disease and several other ailments would need to have super-human strength to withstand such willful negligence. The spirit was willing! Alas, the body could not take it anymore. But you have completed your task, Stan! You have run the race. You have pointed the way to live life for others and to the full. It’s our turn now.

Twelve Jesuits from five Indian Provinces share their Corona experience and what the dreaded disease taught them.

–

How they see it and how it has affected them

By William Sequeira, SJ

“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven” proclaims the Book of Ecclesiastes. (Eccl. 3/1). If that is true, then there is a time for a pandemic too.

As of now, we are fully aware how Covid-19 has impacted the entire globe and turned the world topsy turvy. Since its inception the entire human community has found itself vulnerable to an invisible enemy. An enemy that does not make distinction between nations and cultures, rich and poor, educated, and uneducated, beggars and corporates, employed and unemployed, sellers and buyers. Suddenly, everyone is found to be going through anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. Children are frightened, adults are scared, senior citizens are terrorized. The entire family-unit has become an abode of tension and stress not knowing how to cope in this world of new-normal which is in fact abnormal!

When the first wave ceased and the second began, the effect has been lethal. If one thought that the pandemic has not touched me or touched my family the second wave assured that its effects are felt practically by everyone regardless of boarders. Millions contracted the virus world-wide. Nearly four million have lost their lives. The world is anxiously watching to know if a third wave would strike and if it would attack children. The fear is in the air. Families with infants have become tense and worried. Many a youth are disturbed.

One of the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus for the years spanning from 2019 to 2029 is walking with the youth. If we Jesuits are going to accompany the youth, we must know their plight in this situation of the pandemic, their coping mechanisms, their understanding of it, and their struggles at this point of time.

Youth is a time of dreaming, imagining big things:  education, a brilliant career, fat salaries, marriage, enjoyment, achievement and so on. With the onset and the subsequent domination by the pandemic, the youth find themselves in the doldrums, not knowing how to proceed, how to cope with the new normal.

Yet youth have an inner drive. They are charged with innate energy. For the bright and the well off, Covid – 19 has come as a blessing. Many have taken to online learning, joined crash courses, and picked up new skills. Besides, they have been experimenting with different creative ideas, like eating home-cooked food, cultivating kitchen gardens, doing yoga, exercising, watching movies, playing computer games, engaging in artwork, drawing, painting etc. Some have found solace and comfort in meditation, pranayama, and various forms of prayer.

In contrast, life has been very hard for the poverty-stricken unlettered youth, deprived of opportunities, especially those belonging to the unorganized sector. Their life has been one of misery and despair. Their dreams have been shattered. Their plans have gone with the wind. Many have become victims of depression. Some have taken to crime to eke out a living.  Some have taken to smoking, drinking, drugs, gambling, and watching pornography. Unemployed youth are a common sight. Thus, the situation of youth from poor families has become pathetic.

It is quite intriguing to know how the youth understand this pandemic. An informal survey of their perception of this pandemic is very revealing:

1. A bio-war: Just as we have wars across the globe where one country attacks another, this “man-made” pandemic is a biological war among power mongers/rulers to show their supremacy over other countries.
2. A David and Goliath standoff:  David, a small boy, killed the mighty Goliath. Likewise, a tiny organism has managed to vanquish the world.
3. A Storm-cloud: Even though the storm clouds disappear in the course of time, they make the weather depressive for the moment. So too the dark clouds of this  pandemic have brought about darkness and gloom all around and affected every sphere of life (Fratelli Tutti). The covid situation has exposed today’s India. The misrule has caused a down swing both in GDP as well as in employment. This, in turn, has affected intensely the youth who were hoping to find jobs. 
4. A freedom fighter:  As each individual fights for one’s rights, the Corona Virus is fighting for the rights of nature. Human selfishness and greed have turned this planet into a garbage dump.(Laudato Si) The earth has suffered much by reckless human behaviour and habits. Now the Nature, through the mediation of the virus, is trying to fight back the damage that has been inflicted on it.
5. An eye opener: COVID-19 has conscientized us, as to how we are destroying our planet earth, ‘our common home’ by callous practices such as deforestation, pollution, unbridled development, and overconsumption. It has challenged our greedy behaviour and lifestyle. It has given us a clarion call to create a new world of harmony between humans, other forms of life, the earth and the divine.
6. A U-turn:  The arrogance and greed of the rich and powerful have reached the end of the dark tunnel with no light in sight. They have accumulated more than they need whereas the poor have nothing to eat. At this juncture, the virus has come to command us to return to the basics, to restart a life of sharing and caring and shun monopoly and hoarding.
7. A death knell: This pandemic is a death knell, which is warning us about some bigger fatal disaster yet to strike us. During the first wave experts warned us that if the spread of virus continues, a huge section of the population will perish, and it has come true. This Covid is a wakeup call to mend ways and change our lifestyles or else to be prepared for a major catastrophe.
8. A relationship maker or breaker: Due to the physical distancing people have either knit together or become strangers. If in some families there has been greater peace and harmony due to closer bonding, in many others, there is a spurt in domestic violence. This in turn has driven many a youth into depression.
9. A teacher:  The pandemic has taught that life is real wealth. It has conveyed the value of life. It has instructed us to love and care for each other. It has broken the walls between the rich and the poor and driven home the lesson that all human beings are equal and precious. It has instilled the desire to spend time in silence and prayer.
10. Call to conversion: The pandemic has made humans realize that life is precious and at the same time it is fragile. We cannot take life for granted. From moment to moment we are in the hands of God. Suddenly, people have become conscious of breath and breathing, the supreme elixir of life. Thus, many have turned to God the creator, the author of life, who breathes and sustains life
11. Shortness of life: Suddenly many a youth have come to this realization that humans are mortal, death is near at the door, no one can be certain how long they will live. Therefore, they seem to understand the need to live life to the full no matter the challenges involved, making the best of the life we have, and giving back to others and our world what life has bequeathed to us with graciousness.
12. Karma/ Fate: Some youth believe that the root cause of pandemic is Karma – the inevitable after-effect of the way humans have lived against which there is no remedy.

One must accept it for what it is, and reconcile and live with it.

Carl Jung, the eminent psychologist, says, “Every human life contains a potential. If that potential is not fulfilled, that life is wasted”. This applies very much to the young. They are at the start of life and are full of potential, containing a myriad talents and gifts and at the point of actualizing it. They require all the support and the guidance from the elders and their mentors. Tragically many youth are misguided in today’s India by political powers, taking them astray and ruining their future. Therefore accompanying our youth and giving them right guidance and direction is an important challenge for us, Jesuits.

Pope Francis imparts very moving advice to the youth of today: “Young people are naturally attracted by an infinite horizon opening up before them. Whatever you do, do not become the sorry sight of an abandoned vehicle. Don’t be parked cars but dream freely and make good decisions. Take risks even if it means making mistakes. Don’t go through life anesthetized or approach the world like tourists. Make the most of these years of your youth. Don’t observe life from a balcony. Don’t confuse happiness with an armchair or live your life behind a screen. Give yourself over to the best of life. Open the door of the cage, go and fly. Please don’t take an early retirement”. (Christus Vivit)

Pope Francis resonates well with the youth and gives them practical advice replete with images with the hope that young will rise up in these Covid times and confront the challenges head on. It is our task to make our youth listen to his words, and become the persons they are meant to be by the Giver of all life.

Doing the Deeds to Make Our Words Credible

By Rudi Heredia, SJ

From the Great Flood in Noah’s time to the ten plagues of Pharao’s Egypt, from the terrible wars that built up and brought down great empires and civilizations, from climate change and continental environmental degradations that brought famines, floods and fires, natural disasters and human engendered ones, all these have been embedded in our history. The present pandemic is one more, this time on a global scale.

Human responses to such social disasters have been as varied as their societies and cultures and the search for a meaning, both personal and collective, when such tragedies strike has been a constant in human life. What can such injustice and suffering mean in the context of a divine Providence? Religious believers have interpreted this as a punishment from God, as Gandhi did the 1934 Bihar earthquake as a punishment for caste. This other-worldly response was quite unconvincing to rationalists and atheists and even very problematic to believers.

Moreover, such disasters often precipitate a poplar response to charismatic demagogues with simplified analysis and instant solutions. However, their mass appeal and their authoritarian regimes have left underlying issues unresolved and compound an already bad situation.  

Moreover, addressing such traumas with scientific expertise has its limitations. For as Max Weber argued, science was about instrumental rationality, not value rationality and hence unequal to the problem of finding meaning. Not that science should be ignored, but by itself it cannot give a comprehensive and meaningful vision to human life. The present Covid pandemic forces us to confront these head on: “what’s it all about”: why us, why me, why now,… How do we respond to these continuing social traumas? How do we prepare ourselvesto face the next one?

To begin will numbers as a reality check on which to base a viable response to this present pandemic: the most reliable statistics, come from a highly regarded data journalist, Rukmini S. Her seminal work in many states has been widely reported. In an interview with Karan Thapar for the Wire on 10 July this year, she claimed that the most reliable estimate of total COVID-19 deaths in the country since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 is 2.5 million. She used three separate estimates premised on three different ways of calculation to come up with this figure.

During the second wave, between February-March and May-June best estimate of COVID-19 deaths this year, are probably around 1.5 million. Shockingly, the official figure as of 10 July is a mere 407,145. This is more than a gross under estimation. Many deaths in remote areas of the country go unreported and in many cases even in urbanised India, the cause of death has been deliberately omitted although this is a statutory requirement.

Yet the pavements crowded with funeral pyres and the bodies floating in the Ganga negate the official narrative regarding Covid deaths. People have watched their near and dear ones die gasping for breath because oxygen cylinders and ventilators were unavailable. These shearing images can’t be wished away. Some state governments’ response was a complicit denial and filing FIRs on those who dared to report or complain about the deficiencies as being anti-national!

Even after the Court finally intervened this continued for a while, until the Central Government also intervened. Surely we need some honesty and transparency in this matter if we are to show a minimal respect for the dead. Official denial of the scale of this tragedy is a vain attempt to hide the incompetence of governments devoid of any compassion but intoxicate with their own hubris.

After the empty boasts of stemming the first wave with an abrupt and cruel lockdown, giving  people just four hours’ notice, there was little sign of preparedness for the devastating second wave. This catastrophe has been caused by the arrogance and incompetence of the government and its political leadership, which allowed religious melas and elections rallies to proceed unhindered. No one can belie the spread effect these had on the Covid virus.

Moreover, the structures of inequality and injustice, of prejudice and discrimination that cause the social impact of any negative change to weigh more heavily on those with the least resources to buffer it. Thus while the Covid pandemic was a global disaster, the affluent countries were better able to cope than the poorer ones with more limited resources. And among these and within them it is always the marginalised who are the worst off in such a disaster.

A study by the Azim Premji Institute in Bengaluru estimated that some 230 million fell below the poverty line since the pandemic struck India in 2020.  These added to the millions already there, some 20.9 percent, or 273 million according to the World Bank data, April 2020. These are all part of the marginalised population of our country, the most vulnerable to any socio-economic set back: the Schedule Castes and Tribes, the OBCs, and others in the informal sector of the economy, self -employed or daily wage earners. If the statistics given by Rukmini S. were to be subdivided by such categories these marginalised would be grossly over-represented.

We need to take to heart the indelible images of the hundreds of thousands of people, who had lost everything in the cities to which they had migrated to find work, walking hundreds of miles, after the first lockdown, carrying their meagre belongings, hoping to reach their  rural homes. There was no alternative means of travel, no trains or buses. A petition in the Supreme Court on 15 May 2021 to direct the government to provide some assistance to these migrant labourers after months of government inaction, was not entertained. Many senior lawyers remarked on this as a failure of the Court and so later it did take notice of the migrants’ plight, but to no real effect.

A global disaster like a pandemic doesn’t by itself make for a level playing field. Justice, however, demands that we provide the have-nots access to the means of empowerment: the social and physical infrastructure, the technology and information, the care services and security to help them help themselves, and thus to better their life options and bargaining power.  They can then better enable to face such social disasters. This is more effectively done as a cooperative effort together, respecting differences and diversity. Only then will it bring structural not merely positional change, a circulation of elites with new ones displacing the older ones and so reiterating the cycle.

Further we must demythologise the religious nationalism that has engendered a divisive hate politics that marginalises the minorities. Such majoritarianism hollows out our democracy, making ineffective all countervailing institutions, like the judiciary, universities, trade unions, making them appendages of an incompetent authoritarian state, focused only on perpetuating its power and suppressing dissent, dismissive of any compassion for Gandhiji’s last and least.

A just society no longer seems to be the first priority of our ruling elite. Since Independence these have pursued a hidden agenda focused on growth in a none-too-subtle, self-serving, self-justifying manner. Little wonder our society is riddled with corruption and self-promoting political leaders who pay mere lip service to the imperative of good governance.

In this scenario of internal colonialism, where do we position ourselves?If we are to commit ourselves to an option for the poor and the promotion of justice,then we must be a committed to their liberation from injustice and repression, not to promote any partisan ideology or a fundamentalist faith or even institutional power.We need a viable agenda and pursue it with discerning prudence and vigorous courage.

Highly stratified and divided societies are prone to populist politics and charismatic demagogues with over-simplified answers and instant solutions.For when our society is stratified into haves and have-nots, the powerful and powerless, the elite and the subaltern, then the exploitation of the consequent inequalities intensifies, and perpetuates these divisions. To reverse this drift we must confront some hard questions.

How do we incarnate and renew our vision and mission for the future that is crashing in on us? How can we come together to become prophetic witnesses to a community of sharing and caring, focused on the common good of all but especially the marginalised poor? Do we want to be a happy people or would we rather be a powerful nation – an inclusive and tolerant society or just a rich and affluent one? Do we want our multicultural and pluri-religious heritage to be displaced by majoritarianism and extremism, our political secularism by  religio-nationalism? 

Out response to the crises and challenges confronting us today must becomethe prophetic agenda for our contribution. This paper raises questions to help the readers to construct their own agenda, hoping that then they will then be better able and more seriously committed to owning it.

But first we must do the deeds that will make our words and witness credible.