RM in Chennai: contemplatives, or burnt out in action?
CHENNAI: 3rd February 2006 -- As colourful as it all may
be, the real purpose behind a visit of a Rector Major to a Province is
to 'confirm the brethren' in their faith, in Don Bosco's charism,
and in their action nurtured by both. India is particularly well
organised in terms of Salesian communications, and within the short
space of a few hours of the Rector Major's arrival the news reports
have been streaming in. In the face of it all austraLasia has made a strategic choice. We'll
keep you up to date with what he is saying, since in the end, and
especially for those reading beyond India, that is what will be most
enduring and most useful.
In Chennai, on arrival at 9.30 this morning, the
message to the 250 gathered confreres was a now familiar theme: "Renew
yourself with passion, passion for God and passion for humanity".
He was saying this in the nation with the second largest number of
Salesians in the world, and in a nation that has taken its place as a
world power. "Love and learn about Don Bosco more and more", he told
them, and put in a plug for the confreres of Italy who came to know and
understand and love Don Bosco and exported this knowledge and love
elsewhere in the world. "Read the Memoirs of the Oratory at least
once a year", he said, "not as a chronicling of the past but a
testimony to the future". He also reminded them they have an historic
responsibility - no longer to receive missionaries but to send
them. He quoted the example of a country like Holland which has
almost no vocations these days but Dutch confreres are to be found
working in provinces all over the world.
The most solemn words were a warning - while
complimenting Indian confreres on the work they had achieved and were
achieving, he cautioned them about a clear and present danger: instead
of being contemplatives in action, we get burnt out in action.
That way we lose motivation and become mere social workers.
Meanwhile Fr Joaquim D'Souza was into a little
action of his own - flagging off 15,000 kids taking part in a mammoth
centenary rally! The public certainly saw a very public message
as the rally participants moved from the Marina to St. Bede's school
grounds where the party would just be beginning....
RESOURCES
For the first time in English - talk by Fr Aldo Giraudo sdb on keys for
interpreting the Memoirs of the Oratory from the point of view
of DB's view of family and its role. Scroll down to bottom right of Bosconet homepage. The MO
itself is also available for download from Bosconet.
______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for
the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an
agency
for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
