અંતરાગ્નિ Antaragni: Ignatian Spirituality ,Gujarat: Sharing about spirituality in the context of India, especially in Gujarat. Indian spiritual traditions can contribute a lot to the search for meaning and deep experience of the Supreme being.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
BOOK-READING-REVIEWING FUNCTION IN GUJARAT VIDYAPITH-BANDHU ISHANAND
BOOK-READING-REVIEWING FUNCTION IN G.
VIDYAPITH
On January 5th (2013), a
book-reading-reviewing function was held in G. Vidyapith, Ahmedabad in the
Ahimsa Shodh Bhavan. The function was organized by Prashant (Fr. Cedric
Prakash) and Dalit Shakti Kendra (Mr. Martin Macwan).
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Pedro Arrupe on the Spiritual Exercises
Pedro Arrupe on the Spiritual Exercises
“The Exercises are, in the last analysis, a method in the pedagogy of love—the pedagogy, that is, of the most pure charity toward God and toward one’s neighbor. They root out carnal and worldly love from the human heart, thus opening it to the beams of God’s love. A demanding love it is, calling forth in a person a response of love and of service. Service, which is itself love. This is the message of the very last paragraph of the book of the Exercises. ‘The zealous service of God our Lord out of pure love should be esteemed above all.’ In the Exercises we find terms and concepts which are logically reducible to one another: the ‘glory of God,’ for example, can be replaced by the ‘service of God.’ The same may be said of ‘praise’ and ‘reverence.’ Only one term is final and irreducible to another: love.” (Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings, Kevin Burke, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 2004, p. 136–137)
Value education
Value education
In an age when value system is in a flux and
values are being constantly redefined, the importance of imbibing basic values
cannot be overemphasized. Values are the roots of our life, the foundation of
our existence and help build our character and personality. Hence value
education has become the need of the hour. “Yes We Can – A book of values and
life skills” is a series of eight books for
primary Urban schools (Classes 1- 8) with a difference. The books do not
moralize or preach. They focus on situational and experiential learning through
inspiring stories, interesting anecdotes, thought-provoking activities,
creative projects, self assessment tasks, and real life examples. The
think-do-and-learn approach of the series will help students to imbibe values,
acquire life skills and become well-rounded individuals. The Series advisor for
this publication by Ratna Sagar P Ltd is Fr
Cedric Prakash. Congratulations and Best wishes to you!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Tagore - Into that heaven of Freedom ...
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
"Spirituality means waking up.
Words of wisdom
Anthony de Mello, a Jesuit priest,
influenced the world through his powerful understanding of the human condition.
Through the use of parables and teaching stories, de Mello pointed the way to
reclaiming our true power. Born in 1931 and died in 1987, he was known
throughout the world for his writings and spiritual conferences. The
following are his excerpts and stories from Awareness: The Perils and
Opportunities of Reality., One Minute Wisdom, and Awakening:
Conversations With the Master.
"Spirituality means waking up. Most people,
even though they don't know it, are asleep. They're born asleep, they
live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they
die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the
loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence."
All is well - Tony de Mello
-->
All is well
You know, all mystics
-
Catholic, Christian, non-Christian,
no matter what their theology,
no matter
what their religion - are unanimous on one thing:
that all is well, all is
well.
Though everything is a mess, all is well.
Strange paradox, to be sure.
But, tragically, most people never get to see that all is well because they are
asleep.
They are having a nightmare.
Laughing therapy - Heal your agony with laughter
It’s not every day that nuns in Korea employ
humor and laughter – particularly at their own expense – to illustrate a
spiritual lesson.
But Sister Agatha Lee Mi-suk, 45, did just that during a lecture on the power of laughter, for which she donned a butterfly-shaped hair band and punctuated her lecture with wild laughter and unrestrained dancing.
“If you laugh only when you are happy, you will only have a few opportunities to laugh during your lifetime,” said Sr Lee following her lecture at Geumjeong Church in Gunpo on December 30.
While you are laughing, you will become happy,” added the nun, who goes by the affectionate nickname of Winnie the Pooh.
Sr Lee, of the Congregation of the Religious Missionaries of St Dominic, spoke to about 150 participants in an address that emphasized the need for laughter to relieve stress, which she said has become a chronic problem in the country.
According to a study by Statistics Korea released in December, 69.2 percent of South Koreans aged 13 or older experience stress in their daily lives, mostly from school or work.
In a bid to reverse this trend, Sr Lee began lecturing on laughter therapy in 2007. Since that time she has spread her message of the healing aspects of laughter to about 10,000 people each year.
“Laughter is a sort of exercise,” she said, adding that when you try to laugh continuously, “you can have the desired effect. And the effect will increase more when you laugh together with other people.”
For one participant, the nun’s unorthodox antics painted a much more human portrait of clerics and Religious.
“It was really strange that a Catholic nun who is supposed to be solemn was jumping and dancing like a tomboy,” said John Song Jong-hyun, 63, who attended the lecture.
Other participants said they came to the lecture to overcome despair over unsatisfying and stressful work environments and to ease the burden of various social or interpersonal problems.
“When you are upset, you can express it, which is okay,” said Sr Lee. “But when you get angry, it becomes a problem. At that moment, if you choose laughter instead of anger you can open the door to happiness.”
According to psychiatrist Chung Won-yong, laughter “enhances your intake of oxygen and increases endorphins, so that your immune system is improved and your pain can be eased by causing the body to produce natural painkillers.”
Chung said that one in six South Koreans experience some form of mental illness, such as depression, anxiety or various compulsive disorders – a situation he attributes to an increasingly competitive employment sector and growing social polarization.
“Negative thoughts can impact your body by bringing more stress into your system,” he said, recommending people take a positive view of life to “see your circumstances brightly.”
Sr Lee recalled that several years ago she had met a woman who suffered a tragic automobile accident and was forced to wear a urinary bag as a result of her injuries.
The woman had decided to respond not with bitterness but with good humor and laughter to overcome the tragedy.
“That is the power of positive thought,” Sr Lee said, who advocates at least 15 seconds of loud laughter every morning.
Once upon a time, Sr Lee dreamed of being a comedian. She says now that her vocation as a Religious allows her to couple that dream with devoted service to helping people overcome tragic circumstances.
“I want to help people heal their agony with laughter,” she said.
Source: ucanews.com
But Sister Agatha Lee Mi-suk, 45, did just that during a lecture on the power of laughter, for which she donned a butterfly-shaped hair band and punctuated her lecture with wild laughter and unrestrained dancing.
“If you laugh only when you are happy, you will only have a few opportunities to laugh during your lifetime,” said Sr Lee following her lecture at Geumjeong Church in Gunpo on December 30.
While you are laughing, you will become happy,” added the nun, who goes by the affectionate nickname of Winnie the Pooh.
Sr Lee, of the Congregation of the Religious Missionaries of St Dominic, spoke to about 150 participants in an address that emphasized the need for laughter to relieve stress, which she said has become a chronic problem in the country.
According to a study by Statistics Korea released in December, 69.2 percent of South Koreans aged 13 or older experience stress in their daily lives, mostly from school or work.
In a bid to reverse this trend, Sr Lee began lecturing on laughter therapy in 2007. Since that time she has spread her message of the healing aspects of laughter to about 10,000 people each year.
“Laughter is a sort of exercise,” she said, adding that when you try to laugh continuously, “you can have the desired effect. And the effect will increase more when you laugh together with other people.”
For one participant, the nun’s unorthodox antics painted a much more human portrait of clerics and Religious.
“It was really strange that a Catholic nun who is supposed to be solemn was jumping and dancing like a tomboy,” said John Song Jong-hyun, 63, who attended the lecture.
Other participants said they came to the lecture to overcome despair over unsatisfying and stressful work environments and to ease the burden of various social or interpersonal problems.
“When you are upset, you can express it, which is okay,” said Sr Lee. “But when you get angry, it becomes a problem. At that moment, if you choose laughter instead of anger you can open the door to happiness.”
According to psychiatrist Chung Won-yong, laughter “enhances your intake of oxygen and increases endorphins, so that your immune system is improved and your pain can be eased by causing the body to produce natural painkillers.”
Chung said that one in six South Koreans experience some form of mental illness, such as depression, anxiety or various compulsive disorders – a situation he attributes to an increasingly competitive employment sector and growing social polarization.
“Negative thoughts can impact your body by bringing more stress into your system,” he said, recommending people take a positive view of life to “see your circumstances brightly.”
Sr Lee recalled that several years ago she had met a woman who suffered a tragic automobile accident and was forced to wear a urinary bag as a result of her injuries.
The woman had decided to respond not with bitterness but with good humor and laughter to overcome the tragedy.
“That is the power of positive thought,” Sr Lee said, who advocates at least 15 seconds of loud laughter every morning.
Once upon a time, Sr Lee dreamed of being a comedian. She says now that her vocation as a Religious allows her to couple that dream with devoted service to helping people overcome tragic circumstances.
“I want to help people heal their agony with laughter,” she said.
Source: ucanews.com
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