By Fr. Joshan Rodrigues.

Halloween is around the corner, and has given life to a debate about whether it is appropriate for Christians to celebrate this day. The question may be a new one in urban India, but has been resurfacing every year in the west where Halloween has been celebrated for decades. To put the issue into perspective, Halloween has just begun emerging as a theme or festivity in urban Indian cities in the last few years. It is not celebrated as in the West with children going door-to-door trick-o-treating, but is largely confined to Halloween-themed parties for teens and young adults. Why this has emerged in the last few years is open to speculation. Could it be indirect marketing by companies who stand to profit from the sale of Halloween merchandise? We cannot say. 

Coming back to our original question, I have been asked by a few if Halloween goes against Christian beliefs, since there are a number of such articles doing the rounds. One even says (erroneously though, fake as it can get) that Pope Benedict XVI himself explicitly condemned the celebration of Halloween. Instead of just focusing on Halloween, we need to look at this question in its broader aspects. In India, we are often confronted with many such similar doubts: Is it ok to practice yoga? Is it ok to participate in Hindu festivities like Holi, Diwali and Makar Sankranti (Kite-Flying)? Is it ok to visit a temple while on a tour or with Hindu friends? Is it ok to accept prasad  when it is offered to me? Is getting a tattoo anti-catholic? Phew…the list goes on. Even the Harry Potter books were condemned by some as teaching children about witchcraft and the dark arts. 

So does the Church say anything about each of these issues? It doesn’t in particular. Because getting into the intricacies of every issue and practice that happens in the world is entering into petty legalism and a narrow outlook towards the catholic faith. So if you are looking online to find if the Church has specifically permitted or forbidden participating in the examples I’ve mentioned above, you are not likely to find anything. What you will find are ‘Christians’ or even priests on occasion, giving you their own informed opinion on these topics. But none of this constitutes official Church teaching. This is recommended, though at the end, on many questions like the one I’ve mentioned above, each Christian is called to make his/her own choice in good conscience and after having done their own research. 

So what is my ‘opinion’ on this issue? Well, the Church puts forth principles (moral, religious, ethical, etc) and then asks us to make the right choice in keeping with these principles. For example:

1. Separate the practice from the belief/spirituality/philosophy behind it. The Second Vatican Council said that there are elements of truth and beauty in non-Christian practices as well. Everything that is not explicitly Christian is not to be outrightly condemned. Can I practice yoga as a physical exercise? Yes. Can I follow and believe in Yogic spirituality? No.
2. Evaluate your own faith practices at the same time. If you have a sturdy and strong faith life, and are strong in what you believe, your faith will not be swayed. Halloween is actually of Celtic origin which was then brought to America by the immigrants. Over time, the celebration has evolved into the form we see it today. Halloween is actually an abbreviated form for ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ which means the night before All Saints’ Day. Hallow means holy or saint. Christians usually go for Mass on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, on the day following, to honour the saints and pray for the dead. Halloween is an amalgamation of these two days. So, there’s no harm in going for a Halloween-themed party. But do you also intend to go for Mass the following days in keeping with your Christian beliefs? If no, then you must take a fresh look at your faith life. Though these two days are not holy days of obligation in India (meaning you have to go for Mass), it seems strange that a good Christian would celebrate Halloween but not All Saints and Souls Day. 
3. Having said this, in keeping with the teachings of St Paul, if your decision to take part in a non-Christian practice may cause discomfort to someone close to you, then it is better to avoid it. Even if I am strong in my faith, I must pay attention to the faith of my brother or sister, whose faith may be weak.

1 Cor 8: 9-13 – “Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.”

4. Celebrate Halloween by dressing up as positive characters instead of vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts for a change. Why not go dressed up as your favourite saint? Some of your friends may laugh at you at first, but they will be deeply impacted by your example and you will stand out in the crowd. Not to mention that you will have brought a smile to the face of your favourite saint in heaven.

So, to sum up, each one of us must take the right decision for ourselves, keeping in mind the principles stated above. It may be different for each one of us. The Church is not the military; it is diversity in love for Christ. Keep in mind that on many important issues, the Church has a very clear teaching (e.g. abortion, contraception, the Sacraments etc). But in other cases like the ones we are talking about, we need to make our own individual choices based on a well-developed and good Christian conscience and taking into account those who look upto us as models for inspiration. 

The post Can Christians Celebrate Halloween? appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

Suganthi Rose, a home maker from Coimbatore, has a unique passion for collecting Rosaries. Her museum ‘Maadhavin Manigal’ (Our Lady’s Beads) in Coimbatore, which is situated in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has a collection of Rosaries which now stands over 7000 and counting! Some very rare, unique and valuable!

What started off as a hobby in early 2000 turned into a spiritual calling. So much so that the then Coimbatore Bishop Ambrose Mathalaimuthu presented her a rosary made of gold which was in turn presented to the Bishop by the then Pope St. John Paul II, an ardent believer in Mother Mary.

St John Paul II was a strong advocate for the Rosary, frequently promoting it during his pontificate and praying it himself on a daily basis. In his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, St. John Paul II’s personal note reflects his devotion to the Virgin Mary and the Rosary, and his confidence in the power of her intercession.

Drawn to Rosary

“After my post-graduation, I was fascinated in collecting old coins and stamps. It was then that I came across different types of Rosary beads used by noble saints from Israel, Egypt, Rome and many other religious places. Since then my fascination to collect Rosary Beads grew and I started it as a hobby. Then I understood it was the plan of the Lord that made me stand now as an instrument,” she said.

At first she started collecting Rosary beads from nearby places. Interested by the historic value, her passion for collecting beads increased. It was that passion that made her travel across the globe in search of antique Rosary beads. “Right from the beginning, I was determined not to seek help from outsiders. She sought financial help from her husband Jacob Jayaseelan to travel across the world in search of Rosaries,” she exclaimed.

Suganthi Rose’s collection of 7000 unique Rosary beads used by great saints, including the one gifted from the Pope, now adorns beautifully at her ‘Maadhavin Manigal’ museum. She takes great care to document the specialty of every bead and from where it was sourced.

Suganthi Rose’s believes that the Rosary serves as a guide and constant reminder of how our lives must be shaped by our desire to be more and more like Christ. “Our Mother quietly shares this truth with us in the movements of the Rosary through the Mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and Resurrection,” she added.

Devotion to the Rosary is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality. Catholics believe the Rosary is a remedy against severe trials, temptations and the hardships of life, and that the Rosary is one of the great weapons given to believers in their battle against every evil.

Interestingly one of rosaries in her collection is an ivory and hand-made Rosary called ‘Catacomb’. During the 2nd century in Rome, several thousands of people were killed mercilessly for believing and preaching Christianity. Those people who lost their precious life for the sake of God were looked up as great martyrs. Using their holy bones, devotees created Rosary beads, which are called as ‘Catacombs’. Also a three-foot long Rosary made from stones that were collected from the birth place of Lord Jesus was brought from Italy.

In addition, there are Rosaries made up of various materials such as seeds, petals, flowers, glass, crab shells and precious stones. However, each one has a special meaning and an historical perspective. Besides eRosary which was launched by Pope Francis early this month, she also has a rosary that recites by itself. If one were to press a mode button it will detect which year date and day and will recite the rosary in English.

Some interesting collection in the museum are relic rosaries and different varieties of rosaries such as Way of the Cross, Sorrows of Our Lady, Holy Face of Jesus, Joys of St Joseph, Sorrow of St Joseph, Joys of Our Lady, Pro Life, Holy spirit and icons such as fossil of Mount Sinnai and Rose of Bethlehem.

How did she raise funds for Rosary collection? She opted to collect money instead of gifts for her birthdays and wedding anniversaries from her husband, parents and father-in-law, she searched online and identified places to pick the best Rosaries.

She even has a collection of all the saints’ chaplets, relic chaplets, handmade rosaries, speciality rosaries, rosary with relic chaplets, icons, coins, spiritual medals. Her collection also includes a spring rosary from Lourdes, Saint Helen’s bone rosary and many from Italy, Spain, Germany and other parts of the world. She also has a three-foot rosary from Italy and the oldest handmade rosary called Catacomb, made of ivory.

Spiritual Experience

Suganthi Rose has an interesting story to tell about the ‘Catacomb’ rosary. Once when was browsing the internet, she came across a ‘Catacomb’ Rosary on an auction website. Although, she didn’t have any great knowledge of bidding on an auction website, she nevertheless kept hitting the bid button until she realised that she had run the bid amount to thousands of euros. Worried about the amount she simply shut her system and woke her husband up to enquire how many euros made a crore in rupees. He did some rough calculation and gave her the answer and it was then that she realised that she had bid the Rosary for a crore of rupees!

The next day, she received a mail from a priest who had put the ‘Catacomb’ Rosary for auction enquiring why she had bid for the Rosary and whether she realised the gravity of the situation. She admitted to the priest that it was not her intention to raise the bid amount so high but she was genuinely interested in the Rosary and all that she could afford was about a lakh of rupees. To cut the story short, after some days she received a post containing the Rosary and the priest refused to take money for it!

In another incident, Bishop Most. Rev. Dr. Thomas Aquinas once brought over a French priest to her museum. When Suganthi was explaining the collection of Rosaries asked her to prayer over him. She politely refused saying that he is a consecrated priest and he should instead pray over her. But the priest insisted and when she prayed over him with a St Gemma Galganni, 33-bead rosary. St Gemma Galganni is the patron saint for spinal cord. The priest immediately felt a rush of warmth over his back and was relieved of his back pain. The priest invited her to France and asked her to pray over people there. She went France at the priest’s invitation and prayed over people there.

“In 2014, Rev. L. Thomas Aquinas. Bishop of Coimbatore inaugurated my museum and appreciated my spiritual services. I wrote a letter to Pope Francis narrating about my museum and my passion towards Rosary Beads. Within a few weeks, I received a letter of appreciation from the Pope himself along with a gift, a beautiful ‘Rosary bead’. It was a dream come true moment!” exclaimed Suganthi Rose.

There were also instances of some people from other denominations criticising her unwavering devotion to Mother Mary and for the Rosary. They even berated her saying that Mother Mary and the Rosary were unnecessary in their prayers. But as it turned out, they have come back to Catholic faith and are now ardent followers of Mother Mary. Many people have come to know about the power of praying the Rosary and have begun to recite the Rosary daily.

Suganthi Rose propagates meditating while using Rosary Beads will help people alleviate from many diseases and attain tranquillity. Tourists from several parts of the world including United States, Europe, Italy, Britain and Australia visit Suganthi’s Museum and regard themselves very lucky to have witnessed such masterpieces all in one go.

Suganthi Rose also has a piece of a small rock which she claims to have extracted from the Holy site, Mount Sinai in Egypt. “It is a great blessing to have all these timeless treasures with me. I wish people to witness these immortal fortunes and seek the blessing of the Almighty,” feels Suganthi Rose.

History of Rosary

Knotted prayer ropes were used in early Christianity; the Desert Fathers are said to have created the first such, using knots to keep track of the number of times they said the Jesus prayer.

According to pious tradition, the concept of the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an apparition of the Virgin Mary during the year 1214 in the church of Prouille, though in fact it was known from the ninth century in various forms. This Marian apparition received the title of Our Lady of the Rosary. In the 15th century it was promoted by Alanus de Rupe (aka Alain de la Roche or Blessed Alan of the Rock), a Dominican priest and theologian, who established the “fifteen rosary promises” and started many rosary confraternities.

In October 2019 the Vatican launched a US$109 “electronic rosary” with ten black agate and hematite beads, and a metal cross that detects movement. It is connected to the “Click to Pray eRosary” mobile telephone app, designed to help Catholic users pray for world peace and contemplate the gospel. The rosary can be worn as a bracelet; it is activated by making the sign of the cross. The app gives visual and audio explanations of the rosary. The eRosary is just the latest device in the “Click to Pray” family, described as “the official prayer app of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (where Pope Francis has his own personal profile) that connects thousands of people around the globe to pray every day”.

Suganthi Rose’s ‘Maadhavin Manigal’ museum at Sowripalayam, Coimbatore and is open for public from 10 am to 6:30 pm, all through the week.

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Bengaluru can boast of its very own von Trapp Family, called Abreos, for fans of the beloved Captain von Trapp Family from the musical The Sound of Music motion picture. All right, the Abreos are in India for their annual Christmas holidays!

On December 19, the students and management team of St. Alphonsus Academy in St. Thomas Town, Bengaluru which is run by Redemptorist Fathers, honoured Dr. Gerad Abreos, his immensely talented wife Nicole and their wonderful nine children with a vibrant cultural and dance performance that demonstrated their inclusive and diverse culture.

With the help of Abreos, the school works to provide the kids with a top-notch education and essential knowledge, all while instilling in them a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude toward God for their lives and the blessings they have been bestowed with.

Soon, the students were treated to a display of talent by the Abreos children. The students gave a resounding welcome as seven out of the nine Abreo children took the stage with their violins in hand.

Before long, they began to sing carols and bring in the joyous Christmastime. The children’s musical performance delighted the students greatly.

In his Christmas message, Dr Abreo said he was inspired by St John the Baptist. “Like John, we are not the Light but we are called, by our baptism, to bear witness to the Light that is Jesus, by all we say and do. This has to be manifested in our daily lives living as persons who prepare the way of the Lord,” he added. He wishes all the children the peace and joy of Christmas.

Also read Dr Gerard Abreo’s article on: Cardiologist of the Eucharist

A managing partner at Southeast Houston Cardiology, Dr. Gerard Abreo, MD, is a certified cardiologist. Both the American College of Physicians and Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology have certified him as a Fellow. He has had several medical journals publish his writings. Dr. Abreo currently resides in Houston, Texas, in the United States, with his wife Nicole and their nine children.

They have nine children – Michael Joseph, Daniel, Christine Marie, Maria Therese, Jane Elizabeth, Rachel Ann, John Paul, Luke Walter, and Joseph. Of them, seven play the violin.

He struck a right note when he revealed that music runs on both the paternal and maternal sides. In the early 1970s, Dr. Gerard was a member of the Abreo Quartet in Bengaluru, which also included David, Patsy, Gerald, and Peter. The quartet played at a number of establishments, such as the Catholic club, until 1985, when the brothers left to pursue separate careers. In 1990, while studying medicine, Dr. Abreo formed a band and played at the St. John’s Ball.

During his college days at St Joseph’s, he was greatly inspired by another Josephite Dr Raja Ramanna, a nuclear physicist, best known for his role in India’s nuclear program during its early stages.

Considering the times we are living in, when parents usually limit their offspring to one or two, Nicole, who holds a bachelor’s in music from the University of Toronto, assists the children in keeping in tune and Gerard helps around a lot. The couple are devout Catholics who fear God. When people inquire about how they manage to care for so many kids, Dr. Gerard responds that they are God’s gifts, and that He leads and watches over them.

In addition to supporting St Alphonsus School, Dr Abreo too lends a helping hand to a blind school and other such initiatives.

Every year, the couple travels to Bengaluru and Mangaluru. They organize musical performances by kids from orphanages or senior living facilities for these visits. They act in such a selfless manner, and the public greatly appreciates their gesture.

As an avid cricketer, Dr Abreo, during his Bangalore United Cricket Club (BUCC) heydays, had the fortune to rub shoulders with the likes of cricketing heroes such as Roger Binny, Syed Mujtaba Hussain Kirmani, Sadanand Vishwanath, Carlton Saldanha among others greats during that time.

A couple of years back, the Abreo family met with Bengaluru’s Archbishop Emeritus Dr Bernard Moras and Archbishop Dr Peter Machado. When Dr Abreo expressed happiness at a chance meeting of both the archbishops, Archbishop Machado quipped, “One can always meet Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops, but it is indeed a rare honour to meet a father of nine children these days!”

Dr Abreo jokingly adds, “Every time we get an invitation, I take my cricket team along!”

The post The Sound of Music: Bengaluru’s Very Own von Trapp Family! appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

A recent study connecting India’s southern Konkan Roman Catholics to Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) has thrown up some interesting debate. The study has also come up with another interesting linkage that could possibly point the Roman Catholics of the region, besides being a distinct ethno-linguistic population group, to the Lost Tribes of Israel.

Tradition has it that 12 tribes, who were said to have descended from the Patriarch Jacob, occupied the northern kingdom of Israel. Ten of these tribes — the Reuben, Gad, Zebulon, Simeon, Dan, Asher, Ephraim, Manasseh, Naphtali and Issachar — became known as the Lost Tribes of Israel when they disappeared after northern Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in the 8th century B.C. The fate of Israel’s 10 lost tribes, which were driven from ancient Palestine, ranks among history’s biggest mysteries.

Quotes from the Bible that refers to the Lost Tribes include: “And He said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee.” from 1 Kings 11:31 and “But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.” from Kings 11:35.

The study ‘Dissecting the genetic history of the Roman Catholic population of West Coast India’ by researchers from CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad (CCMB) and DST-Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow has also found consequences of Portuguese inquisition in Goa on the population history of Roman Catholics. They also found some indication of Jewish component.

The research team led by Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj, chief scientist, CCMB, & Director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad and BSIP, collaborated with investigators from the Mangalore University, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, and Institute of Advanced Materials, Sweden, took up the first such genetic study of the western India’s Roman Catholics.

It all began when Dr Kranti Farias, a Mumbai-based educationist and historian, was working on her hypothesis of Brahmin and Jewish ancestry in West Coast Catholics of Goa and Mangalore for many years. She is also an Academic Fellow, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, Montreal, Toronto, Canada.

In October 2011, she attended the Triennial Conference of Church History Association of India (of which she is a past president) in Hyderabad. One of the paper presenters at the conference was the geneticist, Dr. Mini Kariappa, teaching at the Medical Mission Hospital in Kolenchery in Kochi, Kerala who presented a paper on Syrian Christians (Knayaya Christians ) and their affinity to Jews.

After her presentation on the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB and their work together, Dr Farias shared her interest and work done so far (since 2005) on the Indian Jews with a request to have support for her hypothesis on the Jewishness of the Goa / Mangalore Catholics.

Dr. Kariappa saw her passion for the subject, and she got the CCMB’s team present at the Conference venue to collect blood samples for her own study. Dr Farias was the first one to give blood for DNA testing. The results of Dr Farias DNA test classified her under the ‘West European’ and Haplogroup U1. This was the start of a great and close relationship of Dr Farias with CCMB who also confirmed Dr Farias ancestry. Incidentally, Dr Farias also has a family tree records on the same done by her maternal uncle, William X D Sequeira, (Retd) Dy. Teshildar of Karkala (South Kanara).

Once Dr Farias got Dr. K.Thangaraj, Senior Project Director CCMB interested in the study the next few months the team led by Dr. Niraj Rai and Dr. Anshuman Mishra and assisted by Satya Prakash worked closely with Dr Farias to plan an extensive outreach to collect blood samples from the west coast of India. The team visited Mangalore and Goa in 2014 and the same places again in 2018 with the addition of Kumta (in North Kanara). They accepted donors from the Roman Catholic Church community and non-Catholics from Catholic educational institutions.

They held presentations on Dr Farias hypothesis and the proposed research. Dr Farias gave the audience a PPT lecture on Mangalore Catholics and their Saraswat Brahmin origins. She spoke of oral tradition of the people as being a Central Asian people, their migration into India (about 2000 BCE, exact date not known) , and their settling down on the banks of the great Saraswati River in the Punjab and in Tirhoot . Thereafter in the 12th Century, their migration from the Saraswati basin, some to Tirhoot (in Bihar), Gaur (in Bengal) and the largest group going southwards to Gomantak (Goa), due to the great famine in the area and other natural disasters. Those who went to  Goa continued to live as Saraswat Brahmins in what was Dravidian / and Muslim overlords’ country till the 16th Century when there was an upheaval in their contented community life with the “Christianising and conversion policy” of the Portuguese who were the new Masters of Goa, followed by the rigours of the “Inquisition”.

Dr Farias hinted at a connection that some of the old settlers hailing from Goa could possibly have a link with the “Lost Tribe of Benjamin’ or with the Portuguese Jews who were Conversos/ Marranos, eliciting from the history of the Goan / Mangalorean community based on her Doctoral thesis, “The Christian Impact in South Kanara”.

The Geneticists thereafter followed her lecture explaining to the participatory audience the steps in the DNA study. Consent was taken in writing from those desirous of giving the blood samples for the DNA testing for the study of the Brahmin origins of the Catholic community of Goa, Kumta and Mangalore, the sample population taken for the study. The collection of blood was made by the

CCMB team arranged at different venues in South Kanara (Mangalore and Feringapet), Goa and Kumta, with donors coming forward through friends and both Protestant and Catholic churches. Educational Institutions as St. Aloysius College, Karnataka Theological College (KTC), St. Joseph’s Seminary and Roshini Nilaya in Mangalore co-operated in this research. The team also collected samples at St. Ann’s Friary and then went to Monte Mariano (St. Fidelis’ Monastery, Feringapet) before going to Goa and Kumta.

Thereafter, the analysis was sent to Dr. K Thangaraj for setting the guidelines.  CCMB was ready with the analysis of their findings in early 2021. In February 2021, the team at CCMB and Dr Farias wrote a final research paper. Lomous Kumar drafted the final paper after all of them gave their final inputs, which was subsequently submitted, to Springer Nature 2021 for publication.

The research paper on the Catholic Brahmins of Mangalore, Goa and Kumta, “Dissecting the Genetic History of the Roman Catholic Population of West Coast India” was recently published under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021.

This first study was to confirm the genetics of Catholic Brahmins as mentioned previously. CCMB also shared the results of each DNA test and the high-level summary of the report with each participant of the sampling exercise.

Others who contributed to the Research are Lomous Kumar, CSIR-CCMB, Satya Prakash, CSIR-CCMB, Dr. Anshuman Mishra, Institute of Advanced Materials, Dr. Mohamed Mustak, Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University and Dr. Niraj Rai, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Uttar Pradesh besides Dr. K. Thangraj and Dr. Kranti Farias.

To get deeper insight into the origin and affinity of Roman Catholics of West Coast India, a detailed population genetic study using mtDNA, Y chromosomal DNA and genome wide autosomal marker was performed. Blood samples were collected from 110 individuals from the Roman Catholic community inhabited in Goa, Kumta and Mangalore in the west coast of India, following all ethical guidelines and with informed written consent.

To get a clearer picture of ancestral components, a model-based Admixture (Alexander et al. 2009) algorithm was used. The study found that the Roman Catholics carry South Asian ancestral components in a proportion intermediate to extreme Indo-European groups (having higher ANI components) from Pakistan as well as North India and Dravidians. It was further found that Roman Catholics show higher admixture with most of West Eurasian population groups, a trend similar to Indo-European group. This showed that Roman Catholics from Goa, Kumta and Mangalore were placed between Indian Indo-European caste groups and Dravidian caste groups along with Havik and Karnataka Brahmins.

This corresponded to what some historians who were working on Indian Jews diaspora said that some Jewish group came to India either after capturing of Jerusalem (700 BC) or as traders during King Solomon’s reign (970 BC).

Sharing the data, Dr Thangaraj observed, “Evolution shapes human populations differentially and leaves the impact of migration, admixture, bottlenecks and selection in genome. This in turn, impacts the disease outcome and drug response. Our aim of such studies is to find out multiple layers of population stratification within India, which will help in future in designing healthcare and disease management.”

On the assumption that would it be safe to assume the Roman Catholics of Konkan region could also be from the one of the Lost Tribes of Jewish Israel, Dr Thangaraj explained, “Yes, we have found the date of admixture of Jewish ancestry during ~600 BC, which corresponds to historical mentioning of migration of Lost Tribes. But we are expecting genetic data from ancient DNA of groups representing ancient Jewish diaspora to compare with our sample, which currently is unavailable.”

Answering a question on Kerala has St Thomas Christians who too believe they belong to a lineage of the Saint and also others from Middle East who came to India in 52 AD or earlier, Dr Thangaraj clarified, “We have not covered the Christians from Kerala in our current study, but will be happy to study these population and cover additional migration or admixture history of Kerala on sample access in future.”

On another question whether the continuous migration and mixing events of the last 2500 years ended in India or moved to other parts of the South Asia as we also find Konkan and Kerala Christian influence in Sri Lanka too, Dr Thangaraj felt it was unfair to draw this inference since the study did not cover the Christians from Sri Lanka in genetic studies. “If there are great influence of Christians from Kerala to other parts of South Asia, it will be interesting to correlate these historical findings with further genetic studies,” he added.

Nevertheless, the search for the Lost Tribes of Israel continues today. Africa, India, Afghanistan, Japan, Peru and Samoa are among the places where it said that the wandering Jews settled. Many fundamentalist Christians believe that tribes must be found before Jesus’ return. Some members of the Lembaa, a South African tribe that claims to be a Lost Tribe of Israel, have the genetic Cohan marker. Some Afghans too believe they are descendants of Lost Tribes.

Veteran Israeli journalist Hillel Halkin began hunting for the Lost Tribes of Israel in 1998. At that time, he thought the claim that a community of Indians on the Burmese border descended from one of the tribes was either a fantasy or hoax. “On his third trip to the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram, Halkin was shown texts that convinced him that the community, which calls itself the Bnei Menashe, has roots in the Lost Tribe of Menashe. The documents included a will and words to a song about the Red Sea. The argument, made in his new book ‘Across the Sabbath River‘ (Houghton Mifflin), is not just academic. [Source: Newsweek, Oct. 21, 2002]

Since 1980s, thousands of Bnei Menashe Jews in northeast India began going back to their ancestors’ homeland. About 6,000 more are waiting to join them. On January 3 this year, three Lhanghal sisters from northeast India – Rut, 28; Dina, 21; and Avigail, 13 – immigrated to Israel, the land their ancestors were forced to leave 27 centuries ago.

With a bit of help from Eliyahu Avichail, founder of the organization Amishav (My People Return), who trots the globe in search of lost Jews, in order to bring them back to their religion through conversation and directs them to Israel, they might just realise their dream.

Image Sources: Wikimedia, Commons, Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bible in Bildern, 1860

Other sources:

https://www.israel21c.org/the-return-of-a-lost-tribe-of-israel-27-centuries-later/

https://factsanddetails.com/world/cat55/sub389/entry-5710.html

The post Lost Tribes of Israel: India’s Konkan Roman Catholic Connection? appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

Think of Agra… what comes to mind is the resplendent image of Taj Mahal and many other architectural grandeurs.

Come to think of it. Mughals had a great role to play in contributing to the growth of church in India. And none other than by Akbar the Great.

Legend has it that on February 18, 1580, a delegation of three Jesuit priests reached Agra for an audience with Emperor Akbar. Portuguese Fathers Rodolfe Aquauiua, Antoine de Monserrate and Francois Henriques had made the long and difficult journey from Goa to Agra. The priests were received with respect by the Emperor and he often held debates between them and indigenous religious scholars at court. The faith preached by these early Jesuits left behind its mark in Agra. Merchants and travellers from France, Portugal, Holland and Italy etc, flocked to the imperial capital. Conversion to Christianity among locals also began to take place.

Impressed with their dedication, the Emperor gave them land on the outskirts of Agra, near the Armenian settlement, and granted them permission to build a Church. What is touching is that the Emperor himself paid for the construction in 1598 as a gift. Today, the church is popularly known as Akbar’s Church (now known as Church of Pieta) . This was the first Catholic Church of Agra and it was the Cathedral of Agra till 1848. In this Church the Mughal Emperors came to pray, especially Prince Salim (Emperor) Jahangir. Emperor Jahangir finding the Church built by his father, Akbar too small, donated a large sum of money for a larger and more beautiful Church to be built.

During Christmas, Akbar visited the Church to see the crib. Church bells tolled and the choir sang joyous hymns. The priests received him outside the Church, ushering him with censes of incense. In the evening, the ladies of the harem and the younger princes also visited the church, sometimes carrying candles.

Easter festivities acquired local colour in Agra. The Christian community practised Lent rigidly and with great austerity. After eating the traditional lamb on Maunday Thursday, the church bells were muffled till Holy Saturday. On Good Friday, Christians took out an evening procession through the city to the Church. Elements of Mughal pageantry were incorporated, with caparisoned elephants, camels and horses.

Akbar’s follower Jahangir too enthusiastically supported Akbar’s Church. The emperor gave them a monthly stipend of first fifty, and later hundred rupees, with an additional thirty for the upkeep of their church. For a while, Jahangir wore a locket with a picture of Jesus, and sometimes attended the Mass.

Two eminent Catholics, Khwaja Martins and Mirza Sikandar Junior contributed generously towards the extension of this Church.

In 1632 Emperor Shah Jahan declared war on the Portuguese. He defeated them in 1634. He brought over 4000 prisoners to Agra, all Christians. They underwent persecution and so did the Jesuit Fathers. In 1635 Shah Jahan released the Jesuit Fathers on condition that they pull down their Church. This was done. However in 1636 the Emperor allowed the Fathers to rebuild the Church with the material of the ruined Church. On September 8, 1636 the first Holy Mass was celebrated in this reconstructed Church. It underwent great changes during the course of the next two centuries.

In 1758 the Persian invasion under Ahmed Shah Abdali shattered the Mughal supremacy. During the siege of Agra, the Church was ransacked by the Persian soldiers.

In 1769 Walter Reinhardt then Commander of Agra Fort helped Father Wendel S.J. to rebuild the Church and make an extension. In 1835 Bishop Pezzoni with the generous aid from Sir John Baptist Filose extended the Church westward.

This Church has witnessed many a historical event.

• In 1610 to this Church came the three Royal Princes, nephews of the Emperor Jahangir to be baptized by Rev. Fr. Corsi, S.J. and Fr. Xavier S.J.
• In this Cathedral was baptized the Begum Johana Sumroo, the Begum of Sardhana (Read ICM story on The Legend of India’s Only Catholic Queen!).
• It was in this Cathedral the Religious of Jesus and Mary from France were welcomed by Bishop Borghi in 1842.
• It was the proud privilege of Bishop Borghi to consecrate in this historic Church Msgr. Carli Bishop of Almira in 1843 and the Servant of God Bishop Anastasius Hartmann, Vicar Apostolic of Patna in 1846.

The next time you plan to visit to Agra, spare some time for Akbar’s Church!

Credits:
References and picture courtesy:
http://www.agraarchdiocese.com

The post Faith Among Cultures: Emperor Akbar’s Church appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

This is an updated version of the 2017 article.

By Verghese V Joseph –

As India’s Chandrayaan-3 explores the Moon in search of water, among other studies; an interesting story of ISRO itself began from the altar of St Magdalene’s Church in a tiny fishing hamlet in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

In an age of mindless religious animosity, an event during my early journalistic days comes as a whiff of fresh air. What the then principal scientific adviser to the Government of India, late A P J Abdul Kalam (1931- 2015 – who later went on to become one of India’s best-loved presidents), said holds true even today. I wish to recount that incident that made my heart swell with pride, so here goes.

Sometime in September 2001, I was assigned to cover President Kalam delivering the Narla Tata Rao’s first endowment lecture in Hyderabad.

Kalam, who was called the missile man, had earlier headed India’s missile development programme. The country has indeed come a long way from firing sounding rockets in 1963 to launching over 104 satellites in one go, not to forget the hugely-successful Chandrayaan I (Moon) and the MOM (Mars) Missions and now the third moon mission Chandrayaan-3 – aimed at landing a rover on unchartered Lunar South Pole. Only an exclusive club of nations have achieved those feats.

A little known fact was that a small church in Kerala’s backwaters took a giant leap of faith in India’s journey to the heavens, literally! Well, it isn’t anything that they call that state ‘God’s own country!” For him, this was literally a mountain-top experience.

The Church Experience

Kalam narrated how the country had the best of leaders in science, technology, history, politics and industry at the dawn of freedom. All these stalwarts had a vision and a universal mind, which transformed India into a developing country within a short time after freedom.

In 1962, eminent space scientists Dr Homi Bhabha and Prof Vikram Sarabhai were scouting for a place to establish space research station in the equatorial region. These two great scientists visited a number of places and finally zeroed in on Thumba, a small fishing hamlet near Thiruvananthapuram, or Trivandrum, the capital of southern state Kerala. Thumba was near the magnetic equator within the flow of electrojet and it was ideally suited for ionospheric research in upper atmosphere, apart from the study of atmospheric structure.

Relating the history of the Thumba Research Centre, Kalam said, “In the 1960s, Thumba was a small fishing village on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city. But for the country’s space scientists, the location was exceptional as it was very close to the earth’s magnetic equator. “The site selected at Thumba lay between the railway line and the sea coast, covering a distance of about two and a half km and measuring about 600 acres.”

However, there was one problem. Within this area, stood a large and an ancient church of St. Mary Magdalene and also a Bishop’s House, whose site had to be acquired.

The original church at the site was founded in a thatched shed in 1544 by St. Francis Xavier. It was renamed after St. Bartholomew in 1644 and brought under the Jesuit priests in the domain of Portugal. In 1858 by a Papal decision, it was attached to the newly created Diocese of Cochin. Work started on a new church during the early years of 20th Century. The architects and sculptors came from the nearby state of Tamil Nadu.

As work progressed, some fishermen sighted the statue of St. Mary Magdalene in the sea shore. Strangely, a wooden pole was also washed ashore. The statue was blessed and conscecrated in the church. The pole was erected as a flagmast in front of the church. Ever since, this has been known as St. Mary Magdalene Church.

Kalam had an interesting tale to tell. Prof Vikram Sarabhai met many politicians and bureaucrats to get the place for setting up of an establishment for space science research work. However, he could not succeed because of the sensitivities of the place. He was then asked to see the Bishop of Thiruvananthapuram.

At that time, Rev Father Peter Bernard Pereira was the Bishop. It was a Saturday when Prof Vikram Sarabhai met the Bishop. Instead of giving them a definite answer, the smiling Bishop asked them to attend the Sunday mass, where he would put the question to the parishioners. At the mass, the bishop explained the scientific mission and asked the permission of his congregation to hand over the church to the scientists.

The Bishop told the congregation, “My children, I have a famous scientist Vikram with me who wants our church and the place I live for the work of space science research. Dear children, science seeks the truth that enriches human life. The higher level of religion is spirituality. Spiritual preachers like me, seek the help of the Almighty to bring peace to human minds. In short, what Vikram is doing and what I am doing are the same – both science and spirituality seek the Almighty’s blessings for human prosperity in mind and body. Vikram Sarabhai promises within six months, our abode and church will be newly built and given to us. Children, can we give them God’s abode, my abode, and your abode for a scientific mission?”

There was a pin-drop silence for a while followed by a hearty Amen from the congregation, which made the whole church reverberate!

Subsequently, the big event took place in 1962. Rev Father Peter Bernard Pereira, the Bishop of Thiruvananthapuram, took the noble decision to dedicate the church for setting up of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) at Pallithura, Thumba.

The bishop’s home was quickly converted into an office, the church became the workshop, and cattle sheds served as storage houses and laboratories. Undeterred by the little funding and few facilities, a handful of enthusiastic young Indian scientists began assembling their first rocket.

“We made that church as our design centre, started rocket assembly; design of filament winding machine for FRP product and the Bishop’s house was our design centre. Later, TERLS led to the establishment of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and multiple space centres throughout the country,” he related.

Legend has it that the altar served as the design table and the bishop’s house the living quarters!

Building Bridges

In return for the generous, unquestioning support of Reverend Pereira and his parish, ISRO built two churches for them near Thumba. The paperwork was done and the villagers relocated to a new village with a brand new church in 100 days flat.

Kalam elaborated, “When I think of that event, I can see how enlightened spiritual and scientific leaders; all converge towards giving reverence to the meaning of human life. New churches and new schools were established in record time.”

Of course, the birth of TERLS and then VSSC gave the country the capability to design, develop and produce a huge world-class rocket system. Subsequently, India built the capability of launching geo-synchronous, sun-synchronous and meteorology spacecraft, a communication satellite, and a remote sensing satellite thereby providing fast communication, weather forecasting and also the ability to locate water resources for the country.

Twenty newly-recruited scientists handpicked by Satish Dhawan, Vikram Sarabhai and Vasant Gowarikar were busy with their laboratory work at a cowshed behind the Magdalene church.

Kalam was not expected to be part of the team that was to launch India’s first rocket from the Thumba equatorial launching station here (now VSSC). The young man convinced the interviewers about his passion towards rocket technology and they created an additional post to accommodate him in their team.

Thus, Kalam came to be associated with INCOSPAR that would become the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Thumba being the hub of all research activities became Kalam’s home for 21 years. Much to the envy of his peers, Kalam picked up the basics of managing projects that made him closer to Dhawan, whom he regarded as guru. Experiments were not as safe as they are now at Thumba in the earlier days.

Kalam, the architect of missile technology in India concluded, “Today, among us, Prof Vikram Sarabhai is not there nor is Rev Peter Bernard Pereira, but those who are responsible for creation and make the flower blossom, will themselves be a different kind of a flower of unique fragrance,” urging young Indians to help build the country. That giant leap of faith began in a church.

Now, India has the capability of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other developed countries who have launched space missions on their own, a feat only select countries have achieved. Thanks to the large-heartedness of simple parishioners of St. Mary Magdalene Church, Thumba!

Also, listen to Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor speaking at the new Parliament on September 21, 2023 on the Thumba Catholic community’s contribution to India’s space aspirations.

Pictures from Wikipedia and other sources.

The post When ISRO Aimed For the Heavens, a Tiny Church in Kerala Said Amen! appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

January 14^th is the feast day of Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, the first Indian lay martyr to be beatified.

Popularly known as Devasahayam Pillai (God’s help), he was born Nilakandan Pillai (1712-1752) into a Hindu family in the then Kingdom of Travancore (in the present district of Kanyakumari, in Tamil Nadu) southern India.

Pillai, an upper-caste Hindu nair convert to Christianity, was a member of the royal service and was close to King Marthanda Varma, then-ruler of Travancore. He was very much loved by the king and was a good man who was faithful to his duty. However, after several bad harvests, he lost his goods. This devastated him and who wondered: “Who will respect me now that I’m poor?”

Nilakandan shared his worries with a devout Catholic, a Dutch official by the name of Benedictus Eustachio De Lannoy who explained to him the meaning of suffering in the light of the Book of Job. For Nilakandan, Job’s example and his trust in God was decisive. Convinced of the truth of the Christian mysteries, Nilakandan asked for Baptism which he received in 1745 from the hands of Father Giovanni Battista Buttari, a Jesuit missionary, after nine months of preparation. He took the name Devasahayam, the Tamil translation of the biblical name Lazarus, which means “God has helped.”

On the day of his Baptism, Devasahayam dedicated himself solemnly to Christ: “No one [forced] me to come; I came by my own free will. I know my heart: He is my God. I have decided to follow Him and will do so my whole life.” His life was no longer the same; Devasahayam dedicated himself to the proclamation of the Gospel for four years.

However, the heads of his native religion did not look kindly on his conversion to Christianity. He was threatened, beaten, mistreated, imprisoned and tortured uninterruptedly for three years. Despite his sufferings, Devasahayam remained firm in his faith. His wife, Bhargavi Ammal too became Catholic and she took the name Gnanapoo Ammal (Theresa). Their conversion antagonized upper-caste Hindus and King commanded Pillai to reconvert to Hinduism but he refused.

Noticing that his example caused many to do the same, the king ordered his arrest in 1749, charging him with treason and espionage. He was imprisoned, tortured and finally banished to the Aralvaimozhy forest, a remote border area of Travancore. According to Church documents, en route to the forest, he was beaten daily, pepper was rubbed in his wounds and nostrils and he was exposed to the sun and given only stagnant water to drink. He prayed to God weeping, and hit the rock with his elbow, which gave forth water in a miraculous way he could drink.  This rock continues even today to give water and even now people visit this fountain in large numbers. Today people drink this miraculous water and receive God’s healing. This rock is called Muttidichanparai meaning the rock from which water gushed forth.

He was a Catholic for only seven years. In that short period, he was in prison for three years under severe persecution for witnessing his faith. Finally, he was shot dead in the Aralvaimozhy forest on January 14, 1752. His corpse was thrown into the forest, but was found by some Christians who buried him in front of the altar of the church of Saint Francis Xavier, which would later become the cathedral of the diocese of Kottar.

Very soon Devasahayam was venerated in the region. His beatification was already desired in 1756, but it was only in 1993 that his cause was opened canonically in the diocese.

Soon a ceremony of beatification and declaration of martyrdom was held in Nagercoil on 2 December 2012 in the Roman Catholic diocese of Kottar, southern India, exactly 300 years after his birth! Prior to this, on June 28, 2012, the then Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree regarding the martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai and he was referred to as “Venerable”.

Pillai’s tomb at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Nagercoil attracts large numbers of devotees. His life teaches how to witness our faith. While undergoing severe persecution, he never complained or was deterred. The spirit of evangelism was strong in him. 

Prayer to Blessed Devasahayam

Blessed Devasahayam,

For the love of Christ you have willingly and patiently underwent torments and tortures for three years, and willingly sacrificed your life and obtained the joy of eternal life and the veneration at the alters as God’s great reward. We praise and thank God for blessing you with this glorious life.

You set apart your whole life for preaching on the Kingdom of God, leaving behind all the worldly pleasures of wealth, status, name, fame and glory. You as a true Disciple of Christ faithfully put into practice the values of the Gospel, the equality and Fraternity of all people on earth.

Assist us to follow you in leaving behind all the worldly pleasures and help us to live as children of the kingdom of God and put into practice faithfully the values of the Gospel so that we may one day enter into eternal life to be with God and your company forever and ever.

O ! Blessed Devasahayam, Glorious Martyr! Pray For Us!

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Story compiled from various sources.

Image courtesy: http://blesseddevasahayampillai.blogspot.in

The post Blessed Devasahayam Pillai – The First Lay Indian Martyr appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

As a Catholic Priest working in the field of addiction and addiction-related ailments such as HIV AIDS, I have found the use of Yog, especially Iyengar Yog the most effective component of the healing process. This method is now known as Kripa Foundation Iyengar Yoga and is being used in over forty countries in treatment facilities.

The Kripa Model of Recovery is based on the self-help programme of the Alcoholic Anonymous (AA). This programme has two dimensions of healing the addict. The first is psycho-spiritual and the second psycho-social. These dimensions make the person find the common golden thread of faith and love in all the twelve steps.

Also read Fr. Joshan Rodrigues’ wonderful article: Fr Joe Pereira: The Yogic Priest

However, as St. Paul said, “I know what is good and know what is bad; yet I end up by doing the bad that I hate”. Merely the study or understanding of recovery makes many get into a relapse-syndrome. This is mostly because the body often does not respond to the sublime teachings of the programme.

As Jesus said, “The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. Hence in Kripa we introduced this element called the “Wisdom of the Body” as acknowledged by the physician Dr. Walter Canon. This latent wisdom in the body can be explored in a manner that gives the person in recovery an experience of what in Yoga is called “cellular consciousness”.

We all know that the body never tells lies. So often we claim to have faith and profess our faith with our lips and voice, however our bodies are expressing fear, anxiety depression and lack of Trust in God. For an addict this path to recovery through the body becomes an experience of authentic sense of wellbeing. While it is well known that a runner gets what is called a “runner’s high”, in yoga the creation of nitric oxide in the brain helps activate positive neurotransmitters such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. In yogic terms it is the Ananda-Maya Kosha called the “Blissful Brain”.

The Harvard Medical School along with Dr. Herbert Benson has said in the Medical journal Lancet, “Yoga and meditation can change a type A personality into a type B personality.” This is the goal of recovery from addiction; not just staying away from the chemical of one’s choice but to have a change of life-style. The eleventh step of the AA states, “sought through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God, praying only for the knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.”

In Yoga, Meditation is the seventh limb called Dhyana. This method of mediation in Addiction recovery has been adopted from the WCCM (World Community for Christian Meditation). On the occasion of the silver jubilee of this community founded by Dom John Main, the Benedictine monk, we brought out a DVD “Yog for the Practice of Christian Meditation. “ The same has been circulated in over 120 countries through Medio Media, Singapore.

This teaching of Dom John Main, was originally received by him from Swami Satyananda of Kuala Lumpur of the Pure Life Society. He later on based his practice on the teachings of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church especially John Cassian of the fourth century.

As a Catholic Priest, I look up to Christ as my Supreme Yogi. Jesus said, “the Father and I am ONE” that is the meaning of the word “Yuj” from which Yog is derived. And He prayed that we may be one as he and the father are one. It is said that an addict lives in a world with a population of one – just himself or herself! This causes a void and a sense of Loneliness. Since Love is an ‘I-Thou Relationship’ and since this is not available or perceived as such, the addict seeks a substitute. This substitute can be alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, eating disorders, pornography.

While practicing the triple discipline of Yog, starting with the body, breath and then meditation, the recovering person journeys from the periphery of the body to the center, from the sympathetic nervous system to the central nervous system.

Since one treats the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, one is able to reach that indwelling Spirit of the Risen Jesus in a very measurable way. In Iyengar Yog the entire process brings about a “hypo-metabolic condition”. One slows down one’s breath, one’s heart beat and finally one’s brain waves. It is this recent research by a second generation WCCM meditator, Dr. Shanida Nataraja that has titled her book “The Blissful Brain”. It is this measurability through the body that made the scientists like Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical school affirm that our brains/bodies and “wired to God.” Hence this authenticity helps a person in addiction recovery to learn how to reverse the misguided thirst back to the original blessing.

Addiction is a frustrated thirst for God. We are born with a thirst for love/God. However, according to Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, this thirst is satanically imploded into various kinds of addiction. Hence Dr. Jung said that addiction can only be healed by the formula, Spiritus contra spiritum, viz. “Only God’s Spirit can overcome the spirit (alcohol)”. In Iyengar Yoga we reverse the urge of self-gratification with the practice of self-denial. For Jesus said, “if you wish to be my Sadhaka (disciple), deny yourself take up your cross and follow me”. In and through the body the addict is made to live the teaching that true discipleship is a matter of “denying one’s self”, taking up the cross of reality and being faithful in following the programme one day at a time.

In the field of health and especially in the context of healing addiction the specific kind of scientific study and research on Iyengar Yoga is promising the Kripa Model of Recovery to become the most effective in the world. This blend of Jungian insights and the Iyengar Yoga is now available in my co-authored book by Dr. Ashok Bedi the Jungian analyst, The Spiritual Paradox of Addiction.

Fr. Joe Pereira is Founder-Trustee, Kripa Foundation

The post Using the Science of Yoga to Cure Addiction appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

By Fr. Joshan Rodrigues

Anyone who knows me well enough is privy to the fact that I have a sweet tooth and a sweeter tooth for chocolates. Bring me a bar of rich chocolate and you will have my loyalty! One of the many blessings of being temporarily sojourned in Europe is finding myself on the continent which takes its chocolates seriously. So I was pleasantly shocked when I came across a beautiful article by Sara Maitland in ‘The Tablet‘ in which she performs a spiritual dissection of chocolate, like I’ve never read before. I have her to thank for combining two things that I love very much: Chocolates and Faith.

Easter eggs in Mumbai are mostly made from marzipan, but in Europe and the continental US, you will find them made of chocolate. Chocolate eggs are becoming increasingly visible in Mumbai as well. When we look at how chocolate is made, it resounds so much with what Easter is all about, and that makes it totally appropriate for celebrating God’s providential love for us. Chocolates are traditionally gifted on special occasions and we all know that the quintessential NRI family relative returning home cannot step foot on Mumbai soil without bringing a bag of ‘foreign’ chocolates! Well, that’s why Duty-Free stores at practically every airport are stocked with the best pieces of heavenly temptations.

At Easter, God gives us His greatest gift, and therefore celebrating this joy with chocolates is wholly appropriate. Chocolate is the “fruit of the earth and work of human hands”. Converting the natural cacao bean into edible chocolate is a complicated, laborious process involving fermentation, drying, cleaning, roasting, shelling, grinding and heating, just to produce unadulterated chocolate in a rough form, which can then be refined and flavoured. It therefore involves great labour. And this reminds us of the sweat and tears that Jesus underwent during his Passion and Death. A seed must fall to the earth and die before it yields its rich fruit. It’s the same with the cacao seed.

Easter changes our mood. We have been low-key, introspective, repentant and sorrowful through the Lenten season. But on Easter, our joy bursts forth on receiving the Good News of our Saviour’s victory over sin and death. Chocolate is also a mood-enhancer. Don’t let me remind you of all those times when you have reached for a bar of chocolate during those depressing and low emotional moments. I have too. It lifts our spirits and makes us feel good; it takes away some of the pain and brings us comfort (Maybe you are an ice-cream person, it depends. What about chocolate ice-cream?! OMG).

Chocolate is unusually ‘mouldable‘ – it can take a great many different forms and flavours. Like God’s living grace poured into our hearts, it can be ‘different’ for each person, while still unified in one body. There are forms of chocolate for children and for the most sophisticated adults; you can combine it with your favourite flavours and avoid those you don’t like. This individual adaptation to need and desire shows how God works differently in each of our lives, he is generous and sensitive. There is no rigid formula for everyone.

The untreated cacao bean is extremely bitter, like the vinegar that Jesus was offered on the Cross. It is only through a long laborious process that it becomes sweet to us. The bean must be gathered (arrested), dried (“I Thirst“), shelled and ground (scourged and crucified), fermented (placed in the grave) and so transformed into sweetness and joy (resurrection).

This is why chocolate is such an appropriate symbol for Easter. So next time, when you crave for a piece of chocolate, don’t feel guilty. Let it remind you of the great love that God has for you. “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!” Or as Forrest Gump famously said “Life is a box of chocolates.”

(Some sentences have been quoted verbatim from Sara Maitland’s original article. The rest is my own chocolate-induced frenzy.)

Fr Joshan Rodrigues is the Managing Editor of The Examiner, Catholic Newsweekly of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome in Institutional and Social Communications. He has done brief stints with the DeSales Media Group in Brooklyn, New York and Communications Office of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, London. He frequently blogs on faith and culture on his wonderful blog: ‘Musings in Catholic Land’

https://formspal.com/

The post Chocolate Catholicism Anyone? appeared first on Indian Catholic Matters.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Yoga Day celebrations in Mysuru on the premises of the ‘Amba Vilas Palace’.

While the practice of Yoga has been gaining popularity all over the world lately as an effective and holistic fitness regime, a Catholic priest from Mumbai, India has been using yoga for the last 38 years for rehabilitating those who have fallen prey to alcohol and chemical dependency. Fr Joe Pereira (who is fondly referred to as “Fr Joe”) celebrated his golden presbyteral anniversary last year on Sept 23 and even met Pope Francis personally and received his blessings.

In the 1980s, he was appointed the head of Mt Carmel Church in the city which was close to the sea and a large fishing community. A part of the area was being reclaimed and the fishing community was hit hard. “People lost their jobs and it led to the rise in alcoholism. It troubled me deeply and I was determined to do something about it.”

Then one day, he visited Asha Daan (a home of the Missionaries of Charity) and saw some young addicts on the verge of death. “Mother Teresa told me that one of them had served as an Air Force pilot. Determined to guide them away from their addictions, I appealed to the Archbishop Cardinal Simon Pimenta and though it took some convincing, he gave me permission to run the de-addiction centre from the church premises for a year. Ultimately, he was so impressed he said ‘Joe, I believe you are doing God’s work’.”

Hence in 1981, in the Church premises, was born the ‘Kripa Foundation’ (Kripa means ‘Grace’ in Sanskrit). Over the years the centre has grown into one of the largest NGOs in the field of addiction rehabilitation. Affiliated with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Kripa now has 65 centres in 11 states, 16 archdioceses and dioceses, and collaborations in six countries. Today, the Kripa Foundation treats over 1,000 addicts annually and also offers care and support to the HIV-affected (it has rehabilitated close to 1,500 children grappling with the disease). Several reformed addicts have stayed on at his centres, taking on positions in administration or working on rehabilitation projects.

Fr Joe has received numerous awards during his lifetime. In 2009, he received the Padma Shri, which is the highest civilian award bestowed by the Government of India. In 2011 he received the National Excellence Award and then in 2014, a Lifetime Achievement National Award from the President of India.

Incidentally, Fr Pereira was a participant too, as in previous years, in the Mumbai Marathon, the largest marathon in Asia, which was held yesterday, Mumbai Marathon is one of the most loved and historic running events in India and draws runners from all walks of life.

Fr Joe has been practising yoga for 50 years now and is a practitioner of the Iyengar School of yoga. Fr Joe believes that to cure addictions, the healing must involve the soul and the mind. “Abstinence is not always enough. People who give up alcohol or drugs may develop addictions to sex, gambling, money, power, pornography or other things. The Kripa Foundation therefore aims to change the addict’s lifestyle through a holistic approach. That’s where, yoga comes in,” said Fr Joe, who has worked closely with Mother Teresa.

Yoga has sometimes been in the eye of controversy with some conservative Christians accusing the practice of yoga as propagating Hinduism. However Fr Joe dismisses this, by stating that yoga is completely compatible with Christianity. The Catholic church, he says, has actually been open to the idea of opening up to practices like yoga since the Second Vatican Council, when the church issued two documents – one about the church in the modern world and the other on its relationship with non-Christian religions. “In both documents, we have been encouraged to imbibe spirituality from world religions,” says Fr. Pereira. He however warns that all kinds of yoga are being popularised in the west today and some of them may be presented through a Hindu religious lens. He himself, practices and teaches only the Iyengar yoga, which he learned directly from BKS Iyengar, its legendary founder.

Fr Joe Pereira recently presented his latest book “Addiction – A Spiritual Paradox”, written in conjunction with Dr. Ashok Bedi, a Jungian analyst in Chicago. This book is the product of several years of drug-addiction research.

Fr Joshan Rodrigues is the Managing Editor of The Examiner, Catholic Newsweekly of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome in Institutional and Social Communications. He has done brief stints with the DeSales Media Group in Brooklyn, New York and Communications Office of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, London. He frequently blogs on faith and culture in ‘Musings in Catholic Land’

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