Ordinary experiences I encountered in France
Fraternity is a theme that is part of many of the national constitutions, religious literature and ethical discussions. Since I already wrote how fraternity is played out in the interaction of certain French with refugees, today I write about some ordinary experiences.
- Many French cities and villages have weekly-markets (once in a week), which sell products directly from the producers. The pockets dry a little faster than when you buy from a huge supermarkets. But many people choose the option of buying from these markets. …
Understanding the fruit and ethical responsibility of the Eucharist … “Kingdom Building”.
One of the many difficulties of the period of COVID was the closing of the churches and the non-availability of the masses. But one of the fruits was the re-starting (or increased vigour) of personal or family prayers, supported by liturgical celebrations online; and the family as the local-church was restored to some extent in many places. This fruit should be preserved and allowed to grow as we move into a greater freedom, opening of churches and increasing number of participation (officially allowed) for the mass.
Why are we attending the eucharist? Jesus says “this is my body; this is…
Today is the death anniversary of my grand-father, and somehow, he was a person who deeply touched me. In our tradition, baptism name of the eldest son is the name of the paternal grandfather, and so I got my baptismal name from him. I share two experiences; one which marked me profoundly and the other (though very old) is still in the memory.
- My grandfather was a character who evoked respect, love and a little fear in me. We loved him, but there was a slight fear of getting a shouting from him. When I decided to join the Jesuits…
I thought it would be a good idea to put the links to all the articles here, that it would be easier for people to find it out.
To introduce myself, I am Arun, a Jesuit scholastic (preparing to be a priest) doing my studies in theology. I am interested in philosophy, spirituality, politics, theology and to write about their intersections.
It is not an easy task to divide the articles into a few subheadings. Still, I have attempted to do so; some may appear under more than one heading.
Can we think a little deeper?
Whether we like it or not, the pro-life/pro-choice debate is a significant event in many countries. It creates a polemic with two sides believing that they are right. I am not going to enter into that debate. But my point here is to look into some of the over-looked arguments in this debate and to find a common area of work which is sensible for both sides.
*I think I should state my convictions before I start. I am against abortion as a general principle, though in some special cases, it is a different issue. …
Some reflections
As part of Jesuit formation, Jesuit scholastics (or brothers in formation to become priests) do a one-month program called “Arrupe month” or Pre-ordination program (as it is known in India) during the study of theology and a little before the diaconate ordination. It is special time to ask existential and fundamental questions related to priesthood and ministry; it is also a time to integrate more fully different experiences the scholastic have lived all throughout his life, and to prepare for the ordination. And one of the questions that we ask, who is a priest? Or what makes somebody a priest…
Shepherding each-other
One of the most famous Psalms, Psalm 23 starts with
‘I lack nothing’ is also translated as, “I shall not want”. This Psalm, normally attributed to David, is an expression of the trust in God. “I shall not want” is pointing to a God who provides everything. This was the experience of Israelites on the journey from Egypt, after being freed by Pharaoh. The expression “I lack nothing” or “I shall not want” is associated with two aspects of their life.
- The Past: A remembering of Exodus journey gives them enough signs of God providing everything. Gratitude runs through them.
- …
An example
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,through my most grievous fault;
I came across a recent article criticizing this opening prayer of the Eucharist in Latin rite as extremely negative or defaming oneself. What could be the normal responses?
- You haven’t got the point about the mass or that prayer, and you are absolutely wrong.
- You are absolutely right.
- You are partially right/partially wrong.
…
From a place of worship to an option called love/destruction?
Today’s gospel reading in the Latin rite (Mathew 12, 14–21) starts with an interesting sentence,
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
Normally we ignore the starting verse and focus more on the later verses. A good question to ask is, where the pharisees went out from? Few previous verses will say that they came out of the synagogue, probably after a prayer, and also a healing by Jesus. It is easy to get into the binary of Pharisees (as evil) and Jesus and miss the message pointing to our lives. …
A virtue for all
According to Christian tradition, chastity is a virtue for all people, though the expressions may be slightly different. The only purpose of this article to look along with Xavier Thevenot SDB, a Salesian moral theologian, positively at this virtue called chastity. It may be an ideal way of looking at it, and I accept that none of us follow it perfectly; failure or shortcomings are very normal in our life’s journey. If somebody say, I am perfectly chaste, I would have a little confusion.
A very simplistic definition is that chastity is abstinence from sex or exclusive relationships for priests…
arun simon
A Jesuit interested to think and write; Loves philosophy, spirituality, politics…. Believes in God & well-being of all humans… Open to difference & newness..
