The Next World

The Next World

As we know that we can never be sure or can say what will happen tomorrow so too it is same with the next world we can just presume about it, how it would be or how could it be.  

The next world cannot be intelligible for us unless it is possible to use the language of our world of things and persons to describe it. And only if references to it are intelligible then we can understand the claim that a survivor might perceive or act in it. So the chance of giving content to the belief that after death one survivor, disembodied, in another world, depends on our being able to articulate the concept of the next world in the language of this one. 

 What kind of Form or Body

The soul continues to live after death and gets back its body or anther body could be a transformed one. If not then how a soul or a disembodied person could walk, run, sit, talk etc. For we can ask how can this disembodied beings will be visible or touchable to each other. Thus we can say that a person or a soul has some sort of body but what kind it would be we are unable to say as we can say about the transcendental things and beings.

The Upanishads suggests that the actual point of exist or the subtle body from the physical varies from person to person and is dependent upon the quality of the individual’s spiritual consciousness at the time of dying. Also the Bhagavadgita (8:6) clearly teaches that the nature of one’s existence after death is determined by the quality of one’s consciousness at the time of death.

MORALIZING HUMAN NATURE

                              

                                     MORALIZING HUMAN NATURE?

                                                                    Jürgen Habermas

Recent developments in biotechnology and genetic research are raising complex ethical questions which concern the legitimate scope and limits of genetic intervention. Thus as we begin to contemplate the possibility of intervening in the human genome to prevent diseases, we cannot help but feel that the human species might soon be able to take its biological evolution in its own hands. As a result playing God is the metaphor commonly used for this self-transformation of the species, which, it seems, might soon be within our grasp.

Today we all realize that due to the spectacular advances of molecular genetics, more and more of what we are by nature is coming within the reach of biotechnological intervention. Thus from the perspective of experimental sciences, this technological control of human nature is but another manifestation of our tendency to extend continuously the range of what we can control within our natural environment. From a life world perspective, however, our attitude changes as soon as this extension of our technological control crosses the line between outer and inner nature.

            Throughout our modern times, new technological developments have created new regulatory needs. Till this date, however, changes in normative regulation have been produced as adaptions to societal transformation. It has always been social change from technological innovation in the fields of production and exchange, communication and transport, the military, and medicine, which took the lead. Even the post traditional conceptions of law and morality have been described by classical social thinkers as a product of cultural and societal realization acting in the same direction as the advances of modern science and technology. Institutionalized research was perspective of the liberal state, the freedom of science and research is entitled to legal guarantees. Any enhancement of the scope and focus of the technological control of nature is bound up with the economic promise of gains in productivity and increasing prosperity, as well as with the political prospect of enlarging the scope of individual choice. And since enlarging the scope of individual choice fosters individual autonomy, science and technology have, to date, formed an evident alliance with the fundamental credo of liberalism, holding that all citizens are entitled to equal opportunities for an autonomous direction of their own lives.

             The wish to be autonomous in the conduct of one’s own life is always connected with the collective goals of health and of prolongation of lifespan. The history of medicine, therefore strongly suggests that skeptical attitude towards any attempt at “moralizing human nature”. Moralizing human nature here means dubious sanctification. After science and technology have enlarged the scope of our freedom this irresistible tendency is now to be brought to a standstill. 

            A quite different scenario, however, emerges if moralizing human nature is seen as the assertion of an ethical self-understanding of the species which is crucial for our capacity to see ourselves as the authors of our own life histories, and to recognize one another as autonomous persons. The attempt to rely on legal means to prevent liberal eugenics from becoming normalized and to ensure the contingency or naturalness of procreation that is of the fusion of the parents sets of chromosomes would then express something quite different from a vague antimodernistic opposition. 

            From a liberal perspective, the new reproductive technologies, like substituted organs or medically assisted suicide, are seen as increasing individual autonomy. We distinguish between what nature, including evolution, has created and what we, with the help of these genes, do in this world. In any case this distinction results in a line being drawn between what we are the way we deal, on our own account, with this heritage. Thus this decisive line between chance and choice is the back bone of our morality. Moreover we are afraid of the prospect of human beings designing other human beings, because this option implies shifting the line between chances and choice which is the basis of our value system.

            To say that genetic modification that have as their goal the enhancement of a human life are able to change the overall structure of our moral experience is a strong claim today. It can be understood to imply that genetic engineering will confront us in certain respect with practical question concerning some presupposing of moral judgment and action. Consequently shifting the line between chance and choice affects the self- understanding of persons who act on moral grounds and are concerned about their life as a whole. Whether or not we may see ourselves as the responsible authors of our own life history and recognize one another  as persons of equal birth that is of equal dignity, is also dependent on how we see ourselves anthropologically as members of the species.

                                                                                                       

Dowry System in India

Dowry System in India

              In our Indian society there are numerous problems like superstitions, illiteracy, cast system and dowry system, etc.It is surprising that in these days of the 20^th century even, we are still drowned in the dark depth of these evils.

             One of the worst evils of Indian Society is the dowry system. The word ‘dowry’ means the property and money that a bride brings to her husband’s house at the time of her marriage. It is a custom that is prevalent in all the sections of our society in one form or the other. At the beginning it was voluntary, but later on the social pressure was such that very few could escape from it.

             The dowry at present is a source of both joy and curse in the society. It is also a joy to the husband and his relatives who get cash, costly dress and utensils, furniture, bedding materials, etc. But, it is a curse to the bride’s parents who have to bear enormous cost to satisfy the unreasonable demands of the bridegroom’s party. A demand of dowry does not diminish even after marriage. The in-laws of the bride are very much ready in Indian homes to inflict harassment, insults and tortures-both mental and physical. When more pressure is put on the bride’s parents, their dear daughter has no other option but to commit suicide to avoid more insult and torture at the hands of the members of her husband’s family.

            This curse of Dowry System must be eradicated forth with at any cost. Women from every walk of life, literate or illiterate, poor or rich, young or old must unite together and come forward to protect their own honor and interest.  At public pressure the Government has thought promulgated certain anti-dowry laws, but these have not produced the desired results. People’s efforts are also necessary if this evil is to be removed once for all. The high expenditure of the marriage ceremony must be cut down.

            Women must be empowered. Gender-based inequality should be completely abolished and the position of women in the society should be raised. Women must be taught since girlhood that their life is not useless without marriage. Girls should get the opportunity to get education at schools. After completion of school education, they should be encouraged to have higher education. Their age of marriage should be raised. They should be encouraged to enter into various fields of paid jobs, as their higher economic status also discourages demands for dowry. The practice of mass marriage should be encouraged for the sake of economy.

Life is precious

Life is precious

Life is precious. It is the most precious gift we have received from our creator. You have just one life, make the best of it, expressions of this kind are often used to make one understand the significance and preciousness of life. Therefore, each and every person tries to live his life to the full here on earth. He searches for means that could help him in his adventure. But in this bargain, he makes many compromises, mistakes and he gets caught up in the web of life. He becomes slave of his own makings. He finds himself in the clutches of bondage. Hence, he asks, what is to be free? What is freedom? 

Living and being in Fraternity toady

Living and being in Fraternity toady

       Fraternity has a special role in the Franciscan order, because it is the privilege place for developing a sense of church and the Franciscan vocation and for enlivening the apostolic life of its members. Fraternity is where all members meet, organize efforts, pray, and socialize with each other. Fraternity being one of the pillars of Franciscan Spirituality strengthens the journey of like minded individual who are all called to connect with each other as members of the Franciscan Family. 

            Fraternity brings to the church and the world a particular spirit that manifests itself in the life of the church and in all areas of human life. Although we are of the world, we do not live by its non-gospel values, attitude and policies. Of all the different fraternity levels, the local level is particularly significant in that it is at this level where the majority of Franciscan life takes place. The local fraternity is where the most basic experience of Franciscan spirit is found. All level of 

Fraternity is important, but the local fraternity is the foundation for all other levels. 

Being a Franciscan

  Being a Franciscan

             Being a Franciscan it is just more than wearing a brown robe, knotted cord and sandals. Although our exterior garb is incredibly significant, important and so eye-catching; the habit doesn’t make us a Friar. Unlike most Religious Orders, Communities and Societies, we don’t see St. Francis as merely a founder. Actually, I think St. Francis may even take offense at being called a founder. To us he is a Father. Being a Franciscan is being a son of St. Francis, born of his spiritual union with the Most Holy Trinity.

            Intimate to being a true son of St. Francis is accepting the truth of what the Church says about a religious charism. In both the Councilor and all the Post Councilor documents of Vatican II, the Church tells us that the same charism given to the founder to live the Gospel in a particular way is the same gift and charism given to each person called to that Community. To put it quite simply, we are sons of St. Francis sharing our Spiritual Father’s DNA. We have no less grace to live the Friars Minor Charism, to the full, than St. Francis had.

              In our initial formation life we discover the Charism and the principles that govern the life of Franciscan Capuchin. When we have a good grasp on the charism, we also have a good grasp on the principles and those principles help us to make decisions that keep us faithful to the charism. For us these principles are tobe very clear.

Ad Multos Annos Fr. Rector

Ad Multos Annos Fr. Rector

Come August 01 and our community had double reason to celebrate as it was Fr. Rakesh’s birthday and Community Day. To add to our joy Fr. Vishal and Fr. Godfrey Dinis from Nagar and Fr. Rakesh’s relatives from Mumbai joined the celebrations. The day started on a High with the Eucharistic celebration, where Fr. Vishal spoke highly of Fr. Rector’s qualities, his simplicity and juggling various responsibilities single handedly. Also he pointed the importance of community life and individual responsibilities towards making it a success.

The day saw steady stream of visitors from the neighboring communities who came to wish Father. In the evening, the brothers hosted a cultural programme in honor of Fr. Rector and thus signed-off the day on high. 

IF GOD CAME TO YOUR HOUSE TODAY

IF GOD CAME TO   YOUR   HOUSE   TODAY

If  God  came  to  your  home  to  spend  a  day  or  two -

If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you would do.

Oh,  I  know  you’d  give  your  nicest  room  too such  an  honoured  Guest,

And  all   the  food  you’d  serve  Him  would  be  the  very  beat ,

And  you  would  keep  assuring  Him  you’re  glad  to  have  Him  there

That serving Him in your   home is joy beyond compare.

with  arms  out stretched  in  welcome  to  your  Heavenly  Visitor ?

Or  would  you  have  to  change  your  clothes  before  you  let  Him  in,

or  hide  some  magazines,  and  put  the  Holz  book  where  they’d  been ?

Would  you  turn  off  the  radio  and  hope  He  hadn’t  heard.

And  wish  you  hadn’t  uttered  that  last,  loud,  hasty  word ?

Would  you  hide  your  worldly  music  and  put  some  hymn  books  out ?

Could  you  let God  walk  right  in, or  would  you  rush  about ?

And  I wonder  -  if  the  Almighty  spent  a  day  or  two  with  you,

Would  you  go  right  on  doing  the  things  you  always  do ?

Would  you  go  right  on  saying  the  things  you  always  say ?

Would life for you continue as it does from day?

Would your family conversation keep its usual pace?

And  would  you  find  it  hard  each   meal  to  say  table  grace ?

Would  you  sing  the  songs  you  always  sing,  and  read  the  books  you  read,

And  let  Him  know  the  things  on  which  your  mind  and  spirit  feed ?

Would  you  take  God  with  you  everywhere  you’d  planned  to  go,

Or  would  you,  may  be,  change  your  plans  for  just  a  day  or  so ?

Would  you  be  glad  to  have  Him  meet  your  very  closest  friends,

Or  would  you  hope  they  stay  away  until  His visit  ends ?

Would  you  be  glad  to  have  Him  stay  forever  on  and  on,

Or  would  you  sigh  with  great  relief  when  He  at  last  was  gone ?

It  might  be  interesting  to  know  the  things  that  you  would  do.

If  God  came  in  person  to  spend  some  time  with  you.

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WANTED

A  Man:

                To be a priest which is basically to be a sign of contradiction to the world?

Task

                To disturb the comfortable and to comfort the disturbed.

Basic Requirements:

-               Radicality

-               To ability to heal wounds.

-               To give and to heal family yet belonging to none.

-               Your friends must be drug addicts, prostitutes, gangsters, vandals, thieves, scoundrels, and sinners.

-               You must be able to teach social awareness, advance social development and spiritual       development.

-               You must be able to console, solidify and stand up be counted.

Salary:

                The kingdom of Heaven.

Prospects:

                Starvation, nakedness, misunderstandings, misrepresents.  You will be lonely and unwanted.  If you function properly you will be an embarrassment to people.

N. B.       If half interested - forget it.

                                If fully interested - think again-

                                 

MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE

MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE

            The famous prayer of St. Francis of Assisi begins as, “Make me a channel of your peace….” As a Franciscan, singing this hymn daily as our evening prayer, never gave me the realization about the richness of this prayer. Today, instead I see it as the most vital aspect of our Christian spirituality. ‘Being a channel of peace’ manifests, the new commandment of Christ we are called to live in. We commit ourselves to it during the Eucharist, at each time when we declare, “peace be with you” to our neighbor. The question we can ask ourselves is “are we in peace?”, “am I in peace with my neighbor?” This cannot be answered from the view of momentary peacefulness which we all experience at some occasion but as a state of peacefulness which is consistent in every aspect of our life.

            To have peace within ourselves requires primarily healing our hearts. Hurts come through our experiences. No one is escaped from it except the one who gradually learns the art of forgiveness. True forgiveness gives peace that allows the love to flow from your heart directing to the other. True forgiveness liberates us from hurtful persons. Only when one heals himself from one’s hurt, he can heal others from their hurts. This is our participation in the mission of Christ, “love one another, as you love yourself”. In other words, to care, to nurture, to enhance, to develop and moreover to serve others is our mission. Christ our redeemer came to serve and not to be served. He could give the true peace to his betrayer inspite of betraying him because He was filled with peace. The world of today needs these channels of peace to make it a better place. Let us therefore, actively pray that the lord may make us his true channels of peace.

What is my purpose in life?

What is my purpose in life?

            What is my purpose in life? Is my life meaningful? Such questions surely arise in each of us especially in moments of crisis. I attempted to answer this question. Firstly, realizing that this question itself becomes meaningful for me because I certainly love myself and then declaring my “yes”, as my answer. Yes, I consider my life meaningful, more specifically that I am considered ‘meaningful’, at least for those people who right now, in some corner of this world, have a deep concern for me. I know certainly that there is a person who is living her/his life for me because either he/he loves me or as an inspiration for her/him. I know that there is a person who cares for me, prays for me, thinks of me and whose happiness is in someway, depends on my happiness. There is also every possibility of that, that particular person is even ready to give hers/his own life for me.

            This conviction gives me meaning for my life, a purpose for my life, when I start discerning about giving an end to my life. It’s only this commitment; to live for that person, to give justice to that person’s care for me and to never allow a tear of sorrow to appear in its eye, especially because of my foolishness, pumps a new boost in me, to carry on in my life. Remembering that ‘when the going gets tough, tough gets going’, I decide to live my life in a way which is in accordance to my human nature. I too live as a loving, caring, charitable and moreover discovering true happiness in each moment of my life, especially this moment, “THE NOW”.

Lesson plan

Lesson plan

Rahul Rodrigues

Subject: History

Topic: Mahajanapadas

Class: VI

Duration: 30 min

Teaching aids: Flash cards, chart, board, map of India

Objectives:

·        Knowledge:  Students get the knowledge about the historical states.

·        Understanding: to make students how the states were divided.

·        Application: Students apply the knowledge to day today life. 

·        Skills:  students identify where these states were located.

Introduction:  

Q: How many states do we have in India?         29

Q: can any of you tell why our country is divided in different states. So it’s for the better administration, so too in ancient time in 6 B.C our country was also divided into different states and thus they were called as Janapadas and Mahajanapadas. But today we don’t call them by same name or either recognize by the same.

Statement of Aim: So students today we are going to learn the lesson                                                      Mahajanapadas.

Body:

 Mahājanapada literally means “great realm", from maha, "great",

  Janapada means “foothold of a tribe", "country"

Ø Q: can you please tell me some of the king’s name? (Chandragupta Maurya, Akbar, Ashoka, Shivaji ,Kanishka, Prithviraj, Chauhan, Ranjit Singh, Samudragupta, Chandragupta , Maharana  Pratap

Ø So were they all ruling together?

No, rather they were ruling individually and this is called as Monarchies system. So in simple words Monarchies system is as “one king or one ruler.” Hence we are going to focus our attention on four important mahajanapadas states. They are kosala, Vatsa, Avanti, Magadha.          

Ø Q; if you have a meeting in your school who all take part in it or who participates in it?

Ans: it is principle, teachers, take every decision on his own, then can you please name me some groups in your school?

So too there was a comity or group in every state called as Gana parishad consisting of senior citizen. As we know that the principle has the supreme authority in our school. Accordingly Gana parishad had the supreme authority. They would do some minor work on the vote of majority.

Ø Q: If all want to elect your class capton or monitor, how do you elect?       On the basis of the vote of majority. So too in Gana parishad the decision were taken on the vote of majority.

1.     Kosala:

Ø Q: Now can anyone tell me the neighboring states of Maharashtra? MP, Gujarat, Goa etc.

In the same way Kosala is situates at the foothills of the Himalayas in the region of Nepal and utter Pradesh.

Ø Q: which the capital of Maharashtra?     Mumbai, so too its capital is Saket.  

Ø Q: Can u please tell me your favorite city names from India?     Accordingly Kosala also had its favorite cities known as Shravasti and Kushavati.  

Ø Q: In the previous chapter or lesson, I hope you have learned about Gautama so now can you please describe me who was Gautama?  

Ø  So too the king Prasenjit also lived during the time of Gautama thus for this reason the king Prasenjit was called as the contemporary of Gautama Buddha.

Ø Q; Can you tell me what it mean by contemporary--- lived at the same era or same time) Moreover though the king Prasenjit was so courageous and able general  during the war between Kosala and Magadha, Kosala got merged into Magadha.

Ø Q: Do you know the country that has been constantly fighting with our country? And for what are they fighting? (Pakistan for Kashmir ) Hence there was also a war between Kosala and Magadha. Later kosala got merged in to Magadha  

2.     Vatsa: so the second state is Vatsa

Ø Q Can someone tell me where is Allahabad situated in this map. So the Kushambi near the present day Allahabad was the capital of Vatsa.

Ø Q:  can you tell some qualities of a king?

 Hence the king Udayana was very brave king about whom we learn from Buddhist literature and from the plays of the Sanskrit playwright Bhasa.

Ø Q: we know that every place hassomething of its special so what is the special thing of Nashik that we hardly find it anywhere else? Grapes

Accordingly the cotton textile of Vatsa was very famous.

After the king Udayana the state of Vatsa could not retain its independence.

3.      Avanti: one of the important kings of Avanti was Pradyot. Ujjayani in the present day in M.P was the capital of Avanti. This city was well-known tread center. Later, merge into state of Magadha

Recap: I’ll ask students question regarding the lesson

Black-board

Sub:   History Topic:  Mahajanapadas
#contemporary   -  same time # Ancient time in 6 B.C # Janapadas and Mahajanapadas # Maha :great  #Janapada  means foothold of a tribe	# Gana parishad                                               supreme authority, executive council # Monarchies system ---- One king or one ruler

God loves the sinners but He hates sin

         God loves the sinners but He hates sin

          Temptations are a part of our life. When faced with temptations, it is much easier to give in to them. However, Jesus asks us to take the narrow road. He asks us to avoid them and overcome them through prayer and sacrifices. In this Holy Eucharist let us ask pardon from the Lord for all the times when we said “ yes” to sins and temptations which came in the form of addictions, friends, technology, gadgets, evil habits, and so on; and ask the Lord for the grace to be ready to give up everything which takes us away from him.

“OPTION FOR THE POOR”

      

“OPTION FOR THE POOR”

“Though he was in the form of God Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped he emptied himself and became obedient unto to Death.” Phil 2:6-11. But this death was due to his pro-poor stand, for their Rights, their Struggles, for their agony. He said I came to call the sick, the sinners, the marginalized the poor and not the healthy, not the saints. Therefore it is our duty as the Disciples of Christ to stand for the poor to be with the poor. To live for the poor as poor. It is also our duty to feed the hungry.

St. Francis of Assisi chose to live for the poor. Hallmark of St. Francis’ life is his life of poverty. He imitated his lord who was poor from his birth to his death. Therefore he lived a life of utter poverty and as his sons we as Franciscans live and profess this life of poverty and it is our choice to be for the poor. 

The sense of sins

The sense of sins

Sin is something that we play down considerably today; but that it was something that Jesus seemed to give much importance to. “This is the cup of my Blood, the Blood of new and everlasting covenant…… This Blood is to be shed for you and for all men so that SINS may be forgiven,” says the priest at solemn moment of the Eucharist, echoing Jesus’ own words. “Receive the Holy Spirit!” says the Jesus to His apostles after his resurrection, “If you forgive any man’s sins they stand forgiven; if you pronounce them unforgiving, unforgiven they remain” (Jn20:23). In the Lord’s Prayer he bids us ask for just three things: Our daily bread, moral strength to fight temptation and forgiveness of sin.    

Encounter with the loving God leads to conversion

Encounter with the loving God leads to conversion

It is our common human experience that after encountering a loving, gentle and understanding person, we come to realize what it means to be loving and compassionate persons ourselves and how much we fall short in this regard. Encountering a loving person reveals to us who we are and awakens our own inner goodness to be better persons. Such good experiences also stimulate us to be better and transformed person. It is just like realizing the value of light after going through agonizing experience of darkness; say in a dark tunnel or in a crowded train without lights.  In the process of conversion, first comes the encounter with the unconditionally loving God, and transformation of the sinful self is the result of this loving encounter. Unfortunately we do not seem to be promotion this procedure in our spiritualities. Our focus is: mend your ways, drop your sins and then experience the good God. Actually it should be: encounter the loving God, experience him as best you as can and as deeply as possible. Be sure and certain, you will be a transformed person. All sinners are in need of repentance and of being forgiven, this becomes possible because God loves us unconditionally. Repentance, basically is becoming aware of our self-destructive choices and actions, and realizing how they destroy others, the cosmos and our own selves. This grace filled, God filled awareness helps us to abandon our old destructive ways and put ourselves on the path of self transformation.