Lent : Vinayak SJ c/o BBN

Spiritual Harmony - Fr.Hedwig Lewis

Spiritual Harmony

Hedwig Lewis SJ

The Principle and Foundation and Contemplation to Attain Love are the overture and finale respectively of Ignatius’ orchestration of divine-human movements in the Exercises. The composition is “uplifting” – literally – from “i” to “YOU”.

The P-F begins with what “I ought to desire” – namely, harmony between God, Creation, and humankind. I order my life according to the divine rhythm. I stay attuned to what synchronizes with the divine purpose of my life, and exercise “passionate indifference” to whatever causes dissonance within and without.

The Contemplation is a “symphony” in four movements: God’s gift to me: my birth, family, personality, talents… (I sing of God’s graciousness). God’s self-giving: God’s empowering presence… (I join in the hymn to Creation). God’s ongoing labours… (As co-creator, I strive to create harmony). God’s unconditional self-giving love… (My life is but a song of love and service). The Exercises break into a crescendo in “Take and Receive”.

Like a musical instrument, I surrender myself entirely in the hands of my Maker. I let HIS music vibrate in my memory, understanding and will. I dance to God’s tune! Dance, because my surrender is joyful and liberating. I inspire others to become God’s partners – and dance.

Vandana Mataji dies

Vandana Mataji dies

Sister Vandana is among the leaders of Indian Ashram movement that began inspired by the renewal prompted by Second Vatican Council.
Posted on February 26, 2013, 5:18 PM

Vandana Mataji, a Catholic nun who pioneered Christian Ashram movement in India, died in Pune on Monday following age related illness. She was 92.

The funeral of the nun, a member of Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus congregation, was held on Feb. 26.

Inspired by the Second Vatican Council, she lived and worked in the Hindu temple town of Rishikesh for many years as an example of evangelization envisaged by the Council.

She was brought to Pune for medical care in 2004 from the Jeveen Dhara Ashram or life flowing monastery that she founded in the late 1970s in the foothills of the Himalayas.

She has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and was bedridden for many years. Her last years were spent in Pune, as old age took away many of her abilities of bodily control.

Sister Vandana, whom Hindus affectionately called Mataji (mother) wrote several Hindi hymns.

The nun was born a Zoroastrian and became a Catholic at the age of 20 while studying at Sophia College, Mumbai, run by the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus congregation. She later became the congregation’s provincial in India.

Sister Vandana is among the leaders of Indian Ashram movement that began in the 1970s inspired by the renewal prompted by Second Vatican Council.

Sister Vandana is hailed as an ardent promoter of Indian culture and spirituality in the Church.

Symposium on Ignatian Spirituality - Sr Leena Dorothy rjm

Symposium on Ignatian Spirituality

Under the able leadership of Fr Shekhar Manickam, the coordinator of Province Commission for Ignatian Spirituality, a Symposium on Ignatian Spirituality was organized at Jeevan Darshan Kendra, Vadodara from 1 to 3 February. The important feature of the Symposium was to share with the members of the Ignatian Family various modules of the Ignatian retreat. There were thirty participants, including nine Sisters from four different Congregations that follow Ignatian Spirituality.

The resource persons were: Frs Lancy D’Cruz (Eco-Spirituality), M.I. Raj (Word of God vis-à-vis human ego), Joseph Mattam (Traditional Ignatian Retreat based on personal experience), Victor Davamani (Ignatian Retreat for laity blended with charismatic dynamics), Ornellas Coutinho (The 19th Annotation – A Retreat in Daily Life) and Lawrence Dharmaraj (Dynamics of spiritual direction). They made very creative, insightful and richly experience-based presentations which were followed by clarifications and interactions.

A substantial amount of time was spent on sharing personal experience of the participants – either as retreatants or as retreat preachers. The common thread of all the sharings was the importance of personal prayer, gift of the Spirit, initiative of God and an interconnected ambience in directing a retreat.

One could confidently say that this symposium has been able to achieve its purpose: to strengthen the bond among the family members and to deepen our common Ignatian heritage. It was an encouraging, empowering and enriching experience as a result of which some of the participants, especially the sisters, felt called deep within to preach retreats in future. We wish them all the best and God’s blessings (Sr Leena Dorothy rjm).