HOLY SATURDAY -- DEADEND!

 

On Good Friday the story had apparently ended. Whatever hopes of liberation and freedom from oppression Jesus had evoked have been shattered. Remember the words of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the crucifixion: “We had hoped…..” Now there is only a great silence, the silence of the tomb, a silence that will last all through Saturday.

 Holy Saturday is the in-between time – between something old dying and something new emerging. Holy Saturday is the time between the seed falling to the ground and dying and then germinating new life. Holy Saturday is like a dead end, a time when nothing seems to be happening, when one sees no light at the end of the tunnel. 

Good Friday looks like the end of the story. But not really. The story will continue. Light will appear at the end of the tunnel. Death will be conquered. The silence and gloom of Holy Saturday will be shattered in a blaze of glory. Out of darkness light will break forth!

When have we felt life to be a long Holy Saturday, when we felt like we have reached a dead end – with no way forward, no light at the end of the tunnel? …. And then surprised – at the happy turn of events? As a popular song says, “there is sunshine after the rain, there is laughter after the pain.” 

A Holy Saturday Prayer

Heal us, O Lord,  of our disappointments and our hopelessness, the meaninglessness that fill our lives after loss and trauma. Fill us with hope and optimism to help us believe that pain and sorrow do not last forever, that healing and restoration is possible, that better times lie ahead. Make us instruments of hope to the hopeless and love to the forlorn. Amen

DELUGE AT JHARMARI, PUNJAB: A PERSONAL REFLECTION

July 9, 2023 morning was like any morning at Jharmari, Punjab. By noon however, it was a day unlike any. The whole of Jharmari was deluged. We had some rains the previous day, but nothing unusual. But by 10 am water levels outside Sumedha Centre at Jharmari was rising. We thought the building was safe. But the water level kept rising. We tried to block the water from entering the building. But the effort was futile. Soon there was angle deep water all over the ground floor. We wanted to save at least the carpeted chapel floor. It was useless. Water found its way all over, entering every room and office, the dining hall, the conference hall, therapy rooms, kitchen and store rooms. Water was rushing in from both the front and back of the building

.

We were told some dam had been opened to let out the waters accumulated from torrential rains somewhere else. The rice fields in Jharmari (rice had been planted only a few weeks ago) go inundated. From the day before, we did not have electricity. Main power source had been cut off.  Because of the cloudy skies our solar batteries could not be charged. We could not pump water. The internet failed. There was water up to waist level on the road outside. About 50 feet of the Don Bosco playground wall had collapsed, causing a further rush of water on to the campus.

By eleven pm water began to recede a little. By early next morning around 4.30 the building was cleared of water, but filled with silt.

Fortunately we had sun shine for about an hour and so the solar panels got charged and we were able to pump water for a while. The inverters also got charge a little and worked sometime and fans could run till morning.

On the 10^th morning we began the cleaning up operation. The workers who had completed the renovation work at Sumedha only recently and were now working on the Don bosc and the participants of the current Sumedha programme helped. However, soon it was raining and water level rose quite suddenly and even higher than yesterday. The ground floor was inundated again. There was nearly two feet of water within the building. All that was on the ground floor up to that level was drenched in water. That included, clothes, books, documents, photo albums kept in the cupboards. We removed what we could to the first floor. Participants of the ongoing Sumedha Sadhana programme had to take shelter on the first floor.

Gas cylinders and utensils for cooking had to be carried to the first floor. Our cooks were able to cook some “kichdi” and roti. We were not able to go out to get provisions. The road outside had chest deep water in some places. Fortunatley we had some purified drinking water stored in big Bisleri containers.

As on the previous day today too we had water rushing in both through the front door and the kitchen door at the back and water coming up through the sink holes in the bathrooms, as all the surrounding area was saturated with water.

Water began receding on the 11^th morning, leaving behind mud, soaked books, papers and clothes. We got some workers to clean up the mess and try salvaging what we could from all that is soaked in the muddy water.

The drying up process is continuing even after nearly 2 weeks.

Some Personal Reflections

Unpleasant things often happen suddenly and unexpectedly. We cope the way can and ty to move on with our lives. But then the worse is still to come. On the second day the water levels rose much higher than the first day – something we did not expect to happen. All our efforts to clean up the previous day’s mess went in vain.

So too in life one bad thing happens, putting our normal routine life out of gear. We deal with it, and feel comfortable again, and then worse things happen. We have one traumatic experience and somehow cope with it, but then it is followed by many other traumatic experiences. I think of those who are abused and battered again and again. How do they cope?

Annie Dillard in “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” observed: “That something is everywhere and always amiss is part of the very stuff of creation.” Yes, we may be aware of it. Bad things do happen. To other people and elsewhere. An event like the deluge remind us that we are not immune. Now we know it happens to us, in the here and now.

 However, God’s provident care follows us in the midst of disaster. As we read in prophet Isaiah “When you pass though the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown” (43, 2)

I witnessed the goodness of people. Adversity brings the best out of us and also brings us together. The workers and the Sumedha participants stepped in on their own initiative and did their best to salvage whatever they could and fully participated in the cleanup operation. I did not hear even once anyone complain of the situation and the inconveniences, but helped one another, tried to keep up one another’s spirits.

As I went through all that was drenched, I also discovered many things that I did not know I had with me, among them some precious photographs. Some of them were damaged beyond redemption. I hope to post on Facebook some of the saved photos that enable me to look back with nostalgia. Perhaps these photos will also bring back the nostalgic memories of some of you who have been part of my life journey.

I also discovered that I had amassed a lot of stuff that I had not used even once and would never use. The flood enabled me to get rid of them and preserve only what is really important. As during the Covid-19, I realised the need to simplify my life, to manage with little and not amass and store lot of stuff - clothes for example. The flood was an invitation to “downward mobility” – managing life with less and less rather than join the bandwagon of “upward mobility” trying to have and use “more and more” and “better and better” stuff.

There is some sadness that I lost somethings precious to me, personally and professionally: some out-of- print books, collection of articles on various topics, some important documents – and some nostalgic photographs. However, I can manage life without these.

As Annie Dillard observed, lot of things are amiss in life, bad things happen. And as I often tell my personal growth workshop participants. “I have no control over anything that happens outside me. I have only control over my response to them and that response is what really matters.”

 "There is sunshine after the rain, 

There is laughter alter the pain!"

I am grateful for the lessons that the deluge taught me.

Jose Parappully

 

Psyche & Soul 26: MOVING INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH HOPE!

 Podcast link:

https://anchor.fm/boscom/episodes/2-26-Psyche--Soul--59-eo70mr

As 2020 comes to a close, we look forward to 2021 with Hope.

2020 changed our world. 2020 has been very distressing and disruptive and in some sense a disastrous year. A year which has affected the global society in so many negative and painful ways. Covid-19 blighted our hopes and dreams, disrupted our lives in drastic ways. It undermined our sense of security and predictability. Uncontrollable spread of the deadly virus led to over a million being infected and to the death of hundreds of thousands, leaving families in grief, sometimes in despair. The lockdown caused immense suffering, especially to the vulnerable. Travel was curtailed, social contact was restricted, and we were forced to be homebound. Economy collapsed, leading to loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Haunting pictures of deprivation and death on the road have seared into our collective memory. There is a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, increase in mental illness and suicide.

In this context, hope is our greatest ally. Every New Year brings a fresh outlook; we look forward to better times. We dream.

And we really hope that 2021 will usher in that freshness and newness in a very special way. We need this newness very badly in every sphere of our lives. A newness that will help us wipe away the bad memories, the nightmares, of 2020. Hope that the New Year will dissipate the virus, restore health and wellbeing to all of us, usher in a safer, more peaceful, and a more equitable and compassionate society.

WHAT IS HOPE?

Hope is the conviction of having a meaningful future despite obstacles and difficulties, and also choosing the pathways and means to make that future real.

Persons high on hope have visions of who they want to be and what they want to accomplish in life and are able to motivate themselves, and feel resourceful to accomplish their objectives.

 Hope includes practical pathways to realize the bright future we envisage. We work hard at realizing that dreamed of future. We persist in seeking goals despite setbacks and obstacles. We are also flexible enough to find different ways to get to our goals or to switch goals, if needed.

Hope and optimism go together. Optimism provides us with a faith that the future is going to be bright, that we can accomplish our goals, whatever they may be. When in a tight spot, we reassure ourselves that things will get better. Hope thus involves faith, belief in one’s capacity to achieve desired results.

 

HOPE THEORY

This is the understanding of hope provided by C. R. Snyder, the leading psychologist exploring hope. Snyder and his colleagues have come up with what they call the “Hope Theory.” The theory holds that hope involves two types of thinking: agency thinking and pathway thinking.

 Agency thinking refers to our determination to achieve our goals despite possible obstacles,

When we are high on hope, we embrace such self-talk phrases as “I can do this” and “I am not going to be stopped.”

Pathways thinking refers to the ways in which we strive to achieve these personal goals.

It involves generating an effective route to a desired goal. When that route does not bear the desired fruit, we create alternate routes and persist until desired outcomes are realized.

 

HOPE IS NOT WISHFUL THINKING

Hope, thus, is not mere wishful thinking, an illusion. It is real. It involves having goals and working towards realization of those goals, despite obstacles. Hope calls for determination, commitment and persistence. Hope is aptly expressed in Barack Obama’s famous election slogan. “Yes, We Can!” It was not just a slogan, a belief. He set in motion a powerful election machine, and organized an army of committed volunteers working hard to make the dream come true.

BENEFITS OF HOPE

A large body of research shows that hope promotes health and happiness. Hope buffers individuals against a number of physical and mental problems and helps them heal faster and easier. Individuals who maintain high levels of hope when battling illness significantly enhance their chances of recovery. They remain appropriately energized and focused on what they need to do in order to recuperate.

 Hope is negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, and anger and positively correlated with life satisfaction, positive physical and mental health, self-esteem, ability to adapt and cope in various situations and longer life.

Because of these benefits, hope would be our best companion to journey through 2021. We need to believe that 2021 will be a better year, and strive with confidence and persistence to make it a better year for us and our world.

 

Introspection

·         How do we really feel as we come to the end of 2020 and move toward 2021?

·         What is it that we hope for us and our world as we move into 2021?

·         What is the newness that we would like to experience in the New Year? What is it we need to do to bring about that newness?

Prayer

Sacred scripture provides frequent assurance from God that he will bring about better times. Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah especially speak of the better times that God will usher in particularly after times of suffering and deprivation. For example, Isaiah says, something which is very relevant in the context of the suffering and hopelessness brought by Covid-19.: “And (God) will destroy…the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces…” (25, 6-8)

In the Book of Revelation, we hear the One sitting on the throne in heaven saying: “See, I make all things new!” (21, 5)

Christmas, the Incarnation of God, that we just celebrated, is not only about the embodiment of God, divinization of nature, as we heard in last week’s podcast, but also about God’s comforting presence with us. Through the prophet Isaiah God assures us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you…. Fear not, for I am with you” (43, 2-5). And Jesus’ final words in the gospel of Mathew is: “I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (28, 20)

This protective and caring God, our Emmanuel, is very much with us here and now, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves at year end. We could consciously attune ourselves to God’s presence to us and spend some time talking to God about our travails of 2020, about our hopes for 2021, the newness that we would like to experience. And listen to what God has to tell us, to discern what God’s New Year gift/message is to us.

I wish you a very happy, safe, healthy and blessed New Year.

Thank you for listening.

Pictures: Courtesy Google Images

Jose Parappully SDB, PhD

sumedhacentre@gmail.com

Psyche & Soul 16: HOPE AND OPTIMISM ENHANCE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

  podcast link:

https://anchor.fm/boscom/episodes/2-16-Psyche--Soul---hope-and-optimism-to-health-and-happiness-39-el529m

 Hello, this is Jose Parappully, Salesian priest and clinical psychologist at Sumedha Centre for Psychospritual Wellbeing at Jeolikote, Uttarakhand, with another edition of Psyche & Soul.

This weekend we shall reflect on the contribution of hope and optimism to health and happiness…

  Mr. Rajan had built up a thriving business through hard work and sacrifice. He had just invested a few lakhs of rupees to improve his facilities when an accidental fire destroyed all that he had built up. He was devastated.

 The fire gutted his business, but not his spirit. Recovering from the shock he determined to rebuild his business. He was confident he could do it although difficult. Instead of brooding and lamenting over his loss he set about finding ways and means. He first approached his insurance company. He was told it would take some time before he would be reimbursed.

 He then approached a bank for loans. It refused. He went to another … and another, and kept going from bank to bank. They all refused. He realized he was not going to get the loans he needed. But he did not give up. He knew he would find a way.

 And that way was selling his large house and surrounding land and moving into a small apartment with his family. With the money from the sale, he started his business again on a very small scale. Meanwhile he received remuneration from the insurance company. Slowly the business expanded and today ten years later, his business ventures are thriving.

 Mr. Rajan lived with hope. He believed he would succeed and he worked hard to make his dream come true.

Hope is the conviction of having a meaningful future despite obstacles and also choosing the pathways to make that future real.

Persons high on hope have visions of who they want to be and what they want to accomplish in life and are able to motivate themselves, and feel resourceful to accomplish their objectives.

 Hope and optimism go together. Optimism provides us with a faith that the future is going to be bright, that we can accomplish our goals, whatever they may be. When in a tight spot, we reassure ourselves that things will get better.

Hope includes practical pathways to realize the bright future we envisage. We persist in seeking goals despite setbacks and obstacles. We are also flexible enough to find different ways to get to our goals or to switch goals, if needed.

HOPE THEORY

This is the understanding of hope provided by C. R. Snyder, the leading psychologist exploring hope. Snyder and his colleagues have come up with what they call the “Hope Theory.” The theory holds that hope involves two types of thinking: agency thinking and pathway thinking.

 Agency Thinking

Agency thinking refers to an individual’s determination to achieve his or her goals despite possible obstacles. It reflects the self-belief one will succeed in one’s endeavor. High-hope persons embrace such self-talk phrases as “I can do this” and “I am not going to be stopped.”

 Pathway Thinking

Pathway thinking refers an individual belief he or she can achieve personal goals.  It involves generating an effective route to a desired goal. When that route does not bear the desired fruit, high-hope persons are able to create alternate routes and persist until desired outcomes are realized.

NOT WISHFUL THINKING

Hope, thus, is not mere wishful thinking, an illusion. It is real. It involves having goals and working towards realization of those goals, despite obstacles. Hope calls for determination and commitment. Hope was aptly expressed in Barack Obama’s famous election slogan. “Yes, We Can!” But it was not just a slogan. He and an army of committed volunteers worked hard to make the dream come true.

 BENEFITS OF HOPE

A large body of research shows that hope promotes health and happiness. Hope buffers people against a number of physical and mental problems and helps people heal faster and easier. Individuals who maintain high levels of hope when battling illness significantly enhance their chances of recovery.

 Hope and optimism have been found to be negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, and anger and positively correlated with life satisfaction, positive physical and mental health, self-esteem, ability to adapt and cope in various situations and longer life.

In general, people who possess hope and think optimistically have a greater sense of wellbeing in addition to the improved health outcomes outlined above. Hope evokes positive emotions and reduces negative ones. Hope has been found to release endorphins which create pleasurable mood and feeling of wellbeing.

 Hope is a high motivator and facilitates success in one’s endavours. Hope has been found to relate to higher achievement test scores among students. Athletes with high as compared with low hope perform significantly better in their events.

Living hopefully, thus, leads to health and happiness as well as success in life. It would be worthwhile for us to cultivate hope which calls for fighting pessimistic outlook on life and developing optimistic attitudes and working persistently toward goal realization.

 

 INTROSPECTION

Here are few questions for us to introspect:

Do I generally have an optimistic or pessimistic outlook on life?

Do I easily give up when I face obstacles, or do I persist in my efforts until I succeed?

Is there any lesson/message for me in Mr Rajan’s story? If yes, what?

 PRAYER

The twin dimensions of hope presented by Snyder and colleagues – agency thinking and pathway thinking - are illustrated in the beautiful Gospel story of healing of the woman with the hemorrhages (Mark, 5, 24-35). This woman who had been suffering from chronic hemorrhages over a period of years had spent her life savings approaching many doctors in hope of healing, but with little positive outcome. Yet, she did not give up. She persisted in her hope that she will be healed. And she took an alternate pathway to healing. She believed that if she could touch Jesus’s garment she would be healed. In spite of the hurdles before her, she made her way to Jesus and touched the hem of his garment. And she was healed…..

You could visualize this beautify story of hope and optimism for a while. May be you could place yourself as a participant in the story. You could allow a fantasy to develop, allow in your imagination the incident to unfold further. What happens next? What do you see, hear and do? What emotions arise in you as you observe? What sensations do you feel?....  You could then spend a few moments conversing with Jesus or the woman.

Have a pleasant weekend.

Be well Be safe. Be blessed.

Thank you for listening.

Pictures: Courtesy google Images

Jose Parappully SDB, PhD

sumedhacentre@gmail.com