32nd Sumedha Sadhana: An Appreciation

Introduction to the Concluding Eucharist

Today with this Eucharist, our psycho-spiritual wholeness journey reaches its climax 2 months after, exactly on 1^st June, we were warmly welcomed to Sumedha Sadhana.

The first Eucharistic celebration, the next morning had the same Scripture passages we will re-listen to today. That day we walked with Abraham, leaving his country, people and all the familiar places. We listened in the Gospel how Jesus walked with the two disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus, setting their hearts on fire!

From that 1st June we too have done our inner journey, starting from where each of us found ourselves: some tired, others drained, some others disillusioned, and in many ways, all of us drowning in the monotony of a busy life.

The Director of the programme, Fr. Jose, very delicately but firmly helped us to move on to explore the psychological dynamics that affect our spirituality. 

Today, looking back, we feel we have been given all possible means to explore and integrate our life experiences through modules such as: a holistic and process spirituality; cosmic and feminist spirituality; religious and community life.

We were helped to give importance to our prayer life with different methods of prayer, creative daily liturgies, weekly recollection and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation etc.

We were challenged to develop a healthy emotional life; we explored our midlife and unconscious dynamics, sexuality, celibacy, intimacy and vocational commitment with a sense of generativity; we were helped to face our shadows; own our losses and  mourn them.

The safety and support of group therapy helped us to experiment with and put into practice the theories we had learned: of acknowledging, accepting, letting go our unhealthy relational patterns, healing from our woundedness  and moving on.

And the crown of everything, the unique adventure of the Spiritual Retreat as a Desert Experience, which brought us further healing and wholeness and took us closer to Jesus. In this retreat we were helped to experience the intimacy with God that we were longing for.

All this journey we travelled so easily and with such joy because our body was rejuvenated every morning with Somatic Meditation, Qigong, and Sacred Dance.

Yes, we can vouch that Sumedha is truly a Centre for renewal of body, mind and spirit through insights and practices from psychology and spiritual traditions, and, last but not least, with good and nourishing food and a wonderfully aesthetic surroundings.

Today we stand grateful to God, to Fr. Jose, Fr. Johny, Fr. Anand and Br. Justin together with Fr. Joe Mannath and Sr. Maria Goretti for creating in us more satisfying life patterns and helping us to make our service to others more fulfilling.

Dear Friends, let each of us offer herself/himself at this Altar and pray that the transformation we have experienced may become our everyday life style. On our knees, with the Word of God, we may attain, day after day, the integration and wholeness we much desired and worked at, enabling us to live and love little more like Jesus of Nazareth, witnessing passionately to the compassionate love of his Father.

Alphonsa, FDP

August 2, 2016