Sisters of St. Joseph and friends together in common prayer

 Two thousand years ago, the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. They were waiting in prayer for the coming of the Spirit, which Jesus promised. Today, more than 2000 years later, we are like those disciples locked down in our own homes, anxiously waiting for a permanent solution/cure, a complete healing from this pandemic. 

On May 30, a day before the feast of Pentecost, Our General Team went live on Facebook through the platform of Zoom videoconference uniting all of us together as a family in prayer. It was organized at 3.00 pm Italian time, which suits all the sisters of St. Joseph and friends from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It was a joint venture of the General Council and the International Communication Commission of the Congregation. Amidst fear and anxiety, we as one body in Christ, the Sisters of St. Joseph and friends across the globe, prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This was our second initiative. The first one was on April 08, during the Holy Week. 

As the General Council took the name of each continent/country and prayed for the real-time need, it was a solemn gesture of unity and solidarity with the rest of the world. It was indeed a blessed moment when Sr. Sally, our Superior General convoked the General Chapter 2021. Yes, together, we continue to seek the guidance of the spirit, to find concrete ways to offer our services to our dear neighbor. As Sr. Sally in her opening speech rightly said, “May we open our hearts and minds to allow the Spirit to move us as one Congregation, as one BODY of faithful disciples who desire to listen and then to offer loving service to all our dear neighbors.”


During the prayer, we prayed for our church, for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and for our planet earth. We dedicated our prayers for the whole world, as humanity goes through the physical, emotional, social, and economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic. We prayed for our national leaders to come up with policies to restore life and dignity. We prayed for harmony and peace for those countries, where constant war and the massacre is up at hand. We prayed for those migrant workers who struggle to reach their homes and die with hunger and thirst.


Oneness, interconnected, one family, united in one body and spirit



While reading through the comments, some of them had emphasized the words like ‘oneness, interconnected, one family, united in one body and spirit, we feel blessed, thank you for having this prayer.’ Indeed, it was a moment of interconnectedness, a moment the different parts of the body deeply feel united. While chatting with some sisters, immediately after prayer, most of them expressed that taking the name of the country and praying for the real concern was the touching moment while the others felt that convoking the General Chapter was a moment of God’s grace. Some felt that having prayer sheets beforehand in their languages helped them to pray well. 

Indeed, the entire hour was filled with God’s grace that led us to experience our oneness as Sisters of St. Joseph, associates, and friends across the globe. We thank God for technology and the vivid platforms of media and communications. Being in closed doors, we were able to join as one family and pray together for the outpouring of the spirit. 


S. Laveena D’Souza

Life as I see...

24/7 life is at a halt.  Today the world is experiencing a kind of silence that is accompanied by hunger, thirst, loneliness, despair and disappointment.

The arrival of COVID – 19, looks like it is going to wipe human race from the face of the earth. On the one hand, millions of people have become the victims of this virus and on the other, due to lockdown, hunger, and debt, many are forced to commit suicide. Cases of depression and loneliness are on the increase. Rich somehow manage the show. It is the middle class and the poor who suffer the most. The cry of the migrants to reach their home town echoes from every nook and corner. When leaders of developed countries secure their boundaries by building walls when developing countries raise high walls to hide its poverty, when religiosity reigns over spirituality, COVID-19, has proved that no walls and boundaries can hinder its travel.

The other part of the story is of great interest. COVID-19 has pushed the science to the background. It has initiated the need to cry out to God for help. It has inculcated a genuine love for one and another.   Whatever one may call, social distancing, lockdown, quarantine…. all this is doing something good. Families find quality time to pray, to talk, to discuss, and to laugh. On the whole, it has taught people to become more generous.

Even nature is blessed by COVID- 19. Zero pollution has enabled it to regain its space and rhythm. One can easily hear the chirping of birds throughout the day. While attending college often I and my colleagues used to murmur, “We are done, we need a long break?” Now take a break…. Enjoy life…. No more complaining of wanting a break or none will say we don’t have time. Right now, we have sufficient time to reorganize ourselves. We have time to renew our spiritual life. We have time to mend our old ways. We have time to patch our relationships. We have time to put things right in our lives. We are standing at life’s uncertainties.  What’s next? Who knows?

Can this be a time for spiritual transformation? Behold, I make all things new (Rev 21:5). Or like the Psalmist prays in Psalm 104:30, "Send forth your spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth."

S. Laveena D’Souza

Tanmaya Province

The Divine Wood Works

Divine Wood Works 

St. Joseph, a descendant of King David, owned ‘Divine Wood Works’–a small carpentry workshop in Nazareth, in which he possessed a hammer, nails, a saw, a few tools, and pieces of wood. Initially, he worked alone. Later he had only one employee, Jesus–the one and only manpower for the shop.

St. Joseph is always pictured, wearing brown, and green coloured robes. Brown is the colour most poor working men wore at that time, and green personified his faithfulness to God’s call.  His workshop stood small and simple. It had just enough space to work and earn a livelihood.   

Divine Wood Works had no space for gossiping. The perfect ambience of silence pervaded the workshop. Genuine craftsmanship remained as Joseph carefully picked pieces of wood to brand windows, doors, and some home furniture. Perfection surfaced as he polished the carved wood.

Joseph proved ‘just’ while dealing with self and others. His virtue of ‘obedience’ simplified in following the will of God. Tranquility expounded his silence, and this nullified all doubts and questions.  

In a sheer example of simplicity, and great humility, God the Father could not resist but make him a perfect helper to the Mother of God, and the foster father to the God-Man.  

Grounded in the mill of human work and human relationships, Joseph placed his deep faith, courage, and trust in God. He stepped out into the future with its risks and uncertainties to carry out the plan of God.    

- Laveena CSJ
       

From Tagore's Gitanjali (6)

Pluck me this moment
And delay no longer
Let me not lie in the dust forlorn
Let me be part of
The garland you’ll put on
My fate, I keep hoping,
Is to be picked by you alone!
Extract me, pluck me out,
Remove me from all doubt!

Who knows when day will end?
Who knows when night will fall?
Who knows when the time to pray,
And call upon you, may slip away?
Take me, whatever colors I gather,
Choose me, whatever scent I put on,
Make me part of your prayer offerings
Let me serve you any way I can,
Extract me, pluck me out,
Remove me from all doubt!

Energies that emerged in Wangadpada

                                                                                   By Laveena D’Souza

‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – the world is one family; this is what I experienced being with the people of Wangadpada.

Away from the commercialized world, this Adivasi community belongs to the Warli Tribe, residing in a small hamlet in Wangadpada Village, Jawhar Taluka, Palghar District. The Wangadpada community consists of 196 members. Though they have never been to school, they possess immense knowledge because nature is both their God and their teacher. Living in harmony with nature, they attune themselves to its rhythm and heartbeat.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this community is their hospitality. Before our arrival in Wangadpada, two families vacated their huts and arranged everything meticulously for our stay. The water tubs were filled in advance. We later witnessed how the women draw water from the well and carry it uphill. Meals of rice bhakri, dal chawal, and aloo baingan were prepared generously for us. Their lemongrass tea, sweetened with jaggery, served as a refreshing energy drink.

The concept of "want" or the desire for more is absent in Wangadpada. They live contentedly with what they need in the moment, and nature readily provides for their basic necessities. Farming is their primary occupation, driven not by monetary gain but by the fulfillment of their daily needs. While some villagers occasionally work as laborers in cities, the urban lifestyle has not influenced their core values. Spending time with the family of Ratan Wangad, I heard him say, “I love my village. When I go to the city, I miss my home and my people.” His words reflect the strong sense of unity within this community.

Gender equality is deeply rooted in their way of life. Men and women enjoy equal rights, and the birth of a girl is celebrated with joy. In the Gram Panchayat meetings, women actively participate, representing an equal share alongside men.

As I walked through the village—visiting the well, the fields, and the river—it became evident how deeply connected these people are to nature. By the end of two days, I felt a profound sense of renewal and satisfaction. I had breathed in the energy of simplicity over excess, the warmth of genuine hospitality, and the joy of falling in love with nature all over again.

Today, I learnt a lesson

Today, I learnt a lesson

It’s not always the case that others will be eager to hear your tales. 

Stories may be deeply connected to you, and you wish to share. 

Always remember that they are your stories, and not theirs

Sharing requires a significant amount of listening.

If the listener lacks interest, what purpose does it serve to persist in recounting your tales,

which they may perceive as trivial?

But you know what…

I find joy in spinning my yarns…

They are my stories after all…

 

Laveena CSJ

May I share the State of my Heart…?

May I share the State of my Heart? Are you interested in listening to my story?  Will you journey with me? These are a few recurrent questions that often remain unanswered. 

Human hearts are torn apart between two worlds - the spiritual and the material. The spiritual world yearns for peace, humility, detachment, and harmony, whereas the multifaceted world lures individuals into creating their own cocoons.  Hence, there is an endless struggle. 

Time and again the world calls us to respond in new ways, to look for meaning where society seems to have lost its way.  “We have conquered every distance except one – the distance between human beings,” says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.  

The need of the hour is to reconnect with the face of God who is pure love, pure energy, pure intention. (Medaille’s seeking God in all things: Maxim 73). This can be done only when we open ourselves to beauty in the present, with absolute need and desire to share, so as to see more expressions of God. It also demands endless effort and receptivity to being open to all without distinction, to be willing to recognize and be recognized, to give back what one has received.

Glancing through the newspapers or listening to any news, what surfaces is injustice, hatred, and violence. In fact, we are aghast by the horrors of war, genocide, disease, global warming, insensitivity to all inhabitants of Earth, and indifference to the life of the planet.

Let me offer you a glance at recent India.  In the name of eliminating terrorism, the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu Kashmir has done much harm to the common people. People are still under house arrest, deprived of basic needs, medical facilities, and disconnected from the outer world. The rest of the world is satisfied with the message, “everything is fine in Jammu Kashmir.”

The stories in Assam - a North-Eastern State is a big question mark on human dignity. The passing of NRC Bill has created havoc in the lives of those taken into various concentration camps or detention centers. NRC is the National Register of Citizens, and according to this bill, every Assamese has to prove his/her Indian citizenship. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on September 19, 2019 asserted that the NRC will be introduced throughout India and all illegal immigrants will be deported from the country, through legal means. Will NRC get rid of all the intruders? Who is  an intruder? The question remain unanswered.



Added to these catastrophes, floods in most Indian States have left millions  of Indians, homeless.  In the State of Maharashtra one finds a double whammy - while Kolhapur and Badlapur are submerged in floods, Marathwada still faces drought.    

The world acclaims the spiritual legacy of Mahatma Gandhi – the Father of our Nation killed at the hands of Nathuram Godse, who pulled the trigger, but who really killed Gandhiji? Who gave Godse the pistol? The question continues to remain a question.   

Fundamentalism, racism, rapes, silencing the journalists are on the increase. The ideology of the ruling Government to make India a Hindu Nation has been a stigma on its democratic nature.  Like those in concentration camps, those under house arrest, those who have lost their homes, justice, and humanness, they have been eliminated from the face of the earth. 

We consider ourselves citizens of free India. Year after year, we respectfully salute our Freedom Fighters who shed their blood for our freedom. Are we truly free? Do we have the courage to fight for the rights of our brethren? Or, do we, like Nero’s guests, enjoy the cost of human holocaust?  Who will listen to their stories? Will you be the one…??

- Laveena CSJ