Faith & Modern Youth by Xavier James L.S.

FAITH & MODERN YOUTH BY L. S. XAVIER JAMES

As we live in a world of consumerism, we tend to value everything we do according to the returns we obtain from it. In other words, we tend to ask ourselves, whether what we undertake is really worthwhile. This attitude also creeps into our relationship with God. Being individuals, who have identified ourselves, with the cause of God, it is but natural that we sometimes wonder, what is the effect of faith on our modern youth? How is faith understood by them? Is it only an external ritual or something much more?

The cross has a very central place in the Christian understanding of the faith. Previously, the cross considered to be a symbol of shame, used for criminals, hence avoided at all costs. It is Jesus’ death on the cross that made it a symbol for veneration. Because of Jesus Christ it was transformed from an object of shame to a symbol of glorious victory over death. Today, unfortunately, ignorant of this deep significance, the cross for many of our youth is a fashion symbol, often associated with villains, dancers and dons etc.

Religion is supposed to help an individual to grow in one’s search for the Divine, thus resulting in a fruitful life of love and service. Unfortunately, now-a-days, we find some of our youth, engaged in external rituals, which do not have any significant effect on the lived life of the individual. Hence, a sacred mark on the forehead, the cross or wearing of fez, instead of being signs of religious persons, have ended up being markers of a specific identity, even though those who wear this mark may not profess their faith in it. This seems to be encouraged by the media which propagates and emphasizes a rather superficial and consumerist view of spirituality.

Often, our worship of our creator, is only ritualistic which many times does not affect our lived life. The rituals we perform, the petitions we make and even some of our so called good deeds, do not seem to be signs of a transformed inner life. They are often rituals, which do not meet the actual spiritual needs of the persons. If our religion is concerned about our spiritual need, there will be a gradual transformation or the conversion of our souls.

So also, today, rituals, symbols and religions are abused for political purposes, and they do not have any moral value in themselves. The politicians seem to take advantage of the easily excitable nature of a mob of youth, who will unthinkingly join in a demonstration which seems to be popular. Hence, we find manifestations of these phenomena in Rath Yatras etc. Whereas our faith, if it is true, has to be manifested in the streets in the right relationship with others, and not embodied in rituals practiced in the Church, Mosques or Temples. It is in this very context that St. John Vianney says, “I love God, of course it would be silly to love God and not love his children”. The real meaning of religion and spirituality has disappeared on account of some selfish people, who use religion to gain money, power and authority. We may ourselves be led by these blind leaders, when we unthinkingly follow them.

I came across the head of a family of three children who sought enjoyment at any cost. To be able to enjoy the person wanted money. Further, the money was to be spent in seeking out suitable partners who would be able to gratify their carnal desires. This family was considered to be religious one, they also met with the usual demands of religious practices. But I could not just help wonder, where this family would ultimately land. If the root itself is rotten, what would become of the fruit?

Once I came across a young person who thought of a happy life as one with ‘wine, women and song’. This person would frequent religious rituals, but in fact lived a life that was solely concerned with his own pleasure. Although he celebrated a God of love, in fact he practiced a life of self seeking. In this case, I could not help but remember what Cardinal Newman has said, “It is love makes faith, not faith love”.

Hence it is not surprising that often we come across people who are dejected, sad and helpless. Concerned as they are with goods and pleasures which are passing, they often end up feeling empty. In fact, the persons with true faith, born of love, are persons who are forever hopeful. Rabindranath Tagore, speaking of the faith of such persons, has said, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is dark”.

Love, Faith, Hope and Truth are the needs of the hour. If our youth are imbued with these, then the future of our planet is secure. To enable our youth to develop these right attitudes, they need some leaders who will guide them on this path of true spirituality. Then, indeed, we will have a race of people who will live marvelous lives, for as St. Augustine says, “they having faith will believe what they do not see and the result of faith is to see and enjoy what we believe”. Then, indeed, will the world be a happy place to live in.     

(This article was published in (Anjali) the college magazine of L D Arts college as I was doing my Bachelors degree in Sociology in Gujarati through Gujarat University, Ahmedabad from 1995-1998)     

With Fr. Packiaraj & Prakash T at Camp Parish, Ahmedabad & Meeting with neighbourhood communities of Priests (Vadgam, Mehsana & Siddhpur)

Some Thoughts on Spiritualiy by Xavier James L.S.

SOME THOUGHTS ON SPIRITUALITY – XAVIER JAMES

My relationship with God is very dear to me. I experience and enjoy it usually in my daily life in and through the relationship with others. God has not only made me, but has called me to be a disciple. What else can I do, except to be ever grateful and to love, serve and care for His people to the best of my abilities.

A well known ‘man of God’ has said, “Spirituality is reality which is neither visible nor sensible because it is eternity”. We first should consider the question of reality. It is only in the light that one is able to see oneself well. When one perceives oneself well, he/she is able to see not only his/her strength and virtues, but also one’s faults. Knowing one’s shortcomings, often leads to desiring to overcome them, so as to grow in the perfection to which we are called, namely to be with God eternally. 

Change and growth are pleasing words, but we know quite well that in reality it is often very difficult. This is often so because it is not easy to accept oneself. Change demands not only true knowledge but also an ability to accept ourselves as we seem to be, and move with hope to what we are called to become. If we are ashamed of ourselves or not ready to see ourselves as persons with limitations, then we cannot expect to change nor to become better men and women of God. As the darkness cannot tolerate the light, so also when we are surrounded in the brilliance of the Absolute, if we are open to it, we are invited to a greater freedom, which increases within us a delicate sensitivity, a delight in virtue and a commitment to the Truth.

Spirituality is also considered to be a thirst for God. In the words of Psalmist, “My God and my Lord, I seek you, my soul thirst for you, because your steadfast love is better than life”. Now although we experience thirst, we do not see it. It is invisible. This invisible thirst for God, can only be quenched through our yearning hearts which express itself in and through prayer. We have all had this experience of prayer in our early lives. We have also experienced the grave importance of prayer. Yet, since the effects of prayer are not usually visible, there is a real danger that soon, if we are not careful, we tend to give up our daily practice of prayer. At first, there seems to be no visible effects, no visible changes for the worst. Yet, sooner rather than later, a man or woman of God, who is praying, ends up cheating oneself and very often others too. Spirituality tending to eternity, always demands a constant search for God, a constant yearning for Prayer.

An added advantage of our constant relationship with God is that it continuously challenges us to a life of commitment not of escapism. Hence, being united with God, we are often reminded of who we are called to become. This regular reminder often has a lasting impact on our daily behavior. So for example, when our human weaknesses try to get the better of us, it is due to our contact with God that we are often able to overcome them.  In other words, we are helped to face and overcome the problems and struggles that we undergo in our day to day lives.

Spirituality also touches eternity. Swami P Vincent says, “We are created by God hence we depend on God, we are created for God hence we belong to God”. So spirituality brings about a union of the human with Divine. This union is not a sudden, once and for all one. Usually it develops and flowers over a long period of time. Swami P Vincent speaks about five different stages on our way to blooming on the road to spirituality:

1. Bud Stage: Self centered attitude, being engrossed with oneself.

2. Initial Opening Stage: Coloring stage where God sees the hidden desire within.

3. Total Opening Stage: Scent stage when others too are attracted by good life.

4. Honey Service Stage: Sacrifice what is most precious to gain eternity.

5. Fading Away Stage: Total surrender without any reserve to the Lord.

Each of us is unique. We are the miracles of God’s creation. We are created to be different, we are called to be different, we are chosen to be different; yet we all share the same goal, namely to gain Him. All else is secondary. So let us be clear about our goal. Our motto and ceaselessly work for it without fail. It is the constant trying that reality matters, not the present attaining the goal. Despite our frequent falls, are we able to rise again, stand up and walk ahead on this path to God? 

Siddhpur visit of Kottar Seminarians from Bombay Seminary in Nov. 2012

Inquisition in the Church by Xavier James.

Good and bad aspects of Inquisition By Xavier James

Introduction

When we analyze the history of the Church, many incidents have taken place which may be positive or negative in its own way according to that particular situation. Here I would like to look at the good and bad aspects of a prominent institution in the Church which is set out in 12^th century and carries out to this day.

What is an inquisition?

The inquisition was an ecclesiastical, special, permanent tribunal established by Pope Gregory IX to combat heresy. Its duty was to seek out the heretics and convict them. Here we need to understand heresy means an act of deviating from the original teaching of the Church and heretic is the one who deviates from the orthodoxy.

Historical Background

Papal inquisition was formally established by Pope Gregory IX in 1233 and staffed by Dominicans and Franciscans. This was a frightening one as those who are caught would be tortured and burnt alive. In 12^th century a frightening heresy was spreading throughout Europe known as Catharism, it was a dualistic religion which denied the value of the material world and it therefore seemed to the undermined not only the whole sacramental system of the Church but the fundamental institution of Christian society. Likewise there were many heresies which shook the faith of the Christians all over Europe, and people were confused with the true teaching of the Church.

In fact, heresy was not the only target of the inquisitors but any offence against the faith could be punished. When the Church was a baby and growing, she had to be protected and defended. And certainly in protecting and defending her the first theology came about and we were sure of our teaching of the Church.

Papacy

When we see the history it is not the papacy fully involved in punishing the heretic but in giving power to the state which was misused by the statesmen. They sought out the heretic and killed them. It was not the universal attitude of the church but developed in later years, as Sts. Augustine and John Chrysostom were for condemning the heretics but not for giving death penalty. In the 11^th century there was imprisonment alone but in 12^th century it was formulated as an institution. When the state misused the power the Papacy remained silent and allowed the state to deal with the heretics so cruelly and inhumanly.  

  

The Good and Bad aspects of Inquisition

Pope Innocent VIII issued a Bull on ‘Sumnivis disiderates’ on ‘anti witch’ activities. Soon after the Bull countless thousands of harmless eccentric women were burnt alive. In Germany alone 25,000 women were killed three years time. Similarly, the Spanish monarchy hunted out the Christian who were Muslims and Jews in the past thinking that they were practicing their old traditions of worship and killed them. Likewise, in 16^th century protestants were sought out and murdered in Spain.

It was needed for that time to encourage and strengthen the people in the Christian faith by making sure that the people had clear idea about Christianity but it is an inhuman act to torture, kill and burn alive people who do not agree with the teaching of the Church. We must acknowledge that through this people we have learnt the value of our faith.

As we know the procedures how the case was dealt with, the delegate examined the case, the socius was a persona advisor, familliaries were secret agency and notaries to take down the case and then to produce to the counselors. If one genuine case goes through the procedure surely it will end up somewhere to which we are not aware of and there would be stories added to this case.

After Vatican II

Thanks to Vatican II which over turned the traditional way of thinking in promoting Catholic religion. “By declaration on religious liberty, which taught clearly and unequivocally that freedom of religious thought practice was not the matter of pragmatic concession in an imperfect world, but a fundamental human right and aspect of an human dignity and freedom as the children of God”. As we know at present the inquisition is replaced by CDF i.e. Congregation of Doctrine and Faith.

The Humanitarian Pope

Pope John Paul II was sorry for the persecutions and considers them as moral and religious failure. In the encyclical ‘Tertio Millennio Adveniente’ for the third millennium he urges the Catholics to enter with clear awareness of all that has happened in the Church during the last ten centuries and encouraging the children of God to purify themselves through repentance of the past errors and instances of infidelity, inconsistency and slowness to act.

Reflection

Each one has his/her own right to speak out what one is convinced of. Fr. Tissa Balasuriya belongs to a congregation which has Mary as its patroness. He is a theologian and most of the time he might be reflecting on Mother Mary. So when he spoke out something which he was convinced of Mary he was excommunicated by the Church.

Each institution has its own rules and regulations in order to maintain order, it does not mean that it should disregard the opinion of others. If the Church is not open to the reality and accept and adopt to the present then there is no difference between the secular institution in the world  and Ecclesiastical institution.

As we know the Church has declared the religious liberty and it must be practical in the hierarchy. We should let people learn the strength and weakness of the Church so as to attain the TRUTH i.e. God. It is painful that Fr. Antony De Mello’s books are banned just because they are questioning the traditional way of thinking of the official Church.

Conclusion

I have learnt how the Church has made several mistakes in the past through the institution of inquisition and how the power was misused. Once one is excommunicated it is very difficult to come back to the Church and it is even difficult when Pope has signed and passed the paper. I am proud of the Church in the case of Fr. Tissa Balasuriya, though he was excommunicated, the Church lifted the excommunication when he came back. This gives us hope and that must be appreciated. I gratefully acknowledge the very fact Blessed John Paul II asked pardon for all the mistakes done by the Church in the past. This also helps us to understand the value of forgiveness.

References

E, D. (1999). What about inquisition? Priest and People , vol.13 No.1.

M, E. (1987). The Encyclopedia of Religion Vol VII. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

Property Committee of the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar - Meeting & Spot visits

Meditation & Prayer

Prayer and Meditation based on Dom John Main (1926-1982) by Xavier James

How to Meditate

In 1975 Dom John Main OSB, opened the first Christian Meditation Centre at his monastery in London. He had recovered a simple tradition of silent, contemplative prayer in the teachings of the early Christian monks, the Desert Fathers. It became clear to him that this tradition had relevance today not only for monks - though he also saw it as a way of monastic renewal - but for all people.

Meditation is simple and practical. It is about experience rather than theory: a way of being rather than merely a way of thinking. Indeed, because of the profound change meditation can work in one’s life it is even more than a way of prayer; it is a way of life, a way of living from the deep centre of one’s being.

The focus of meditation is Christocentric. This means that it is centered on the prayer of Christ which is continuously poured forth in the Holy Spirit in the depth of each human being. Deeper than all ideas of God is God himself. Deeper than imagination is the reality of God. Thus, in this way of pure prayer we leave all thoughts, words and images behind in order to set our minds on the kingdom of God before all else. In this way we leave our egotistical self behind to die and rise to our true self in Christ.

Meditation is the missing contemplative dimension of much Christian life today. It does not exclude other types of prayer and indeed deepens one’s reverence for the sacraments and one’s reading of Scriptures.

“Be still and know that I am God”

Meditation involves coming to a stillness of spirit and a stillness of body. The extraordinary thing is that, in spite of all the distractions of the modern world, this silence is perfectly possible for all of us. To attain this silence and stillness we have to devote time, energy and love.

The way we set out on this pilgrimage is to recite a short phrase, a prayer-word that today is commonly called a mantra. The mantra is simply a means of turning our attention beyond ourselves, a method of drawing us away from our own thoughts and concerns. The real work of meditation is to attain harmony of body, mind and spirit. This is the aim given us by the psalmist; be still and know that I am God. In meditation we turn the search light of consciousness off ourselves.

In meditation we are not thinking or imagining about God at all. We seek to do something immeasurably greater; we seek to be with God, to be with Jesus, to be with His Holy Spirit. In meditation we go beyond thoughts, even holy thoughts. Meditation is concerned not with thinking but with being. Our aim in Christian prayer is to allow God’s mysterious and silent presence within us to become the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we do, we are. The task of meditation, therefore, is to bring our distracted mind to stillness, silence and attention.

Practical and simple

To mediate seek a quite place, and find a comfortable upright sitting position. Close your eyes gently. Sit relaxed but alert. Silently, interiorly, begin to say a single word. We recommend the prayer phrase maranatha. It is utterly simple. Say it like this, ma-ra-na-tha. Four equally stressed syllables. Some people say the word in conjunction with their breathing. The speed at which you say the word should be fairly slow, fairly slow rhythmical. Maranatha is in Aramaic, the language Jesus himself spoke. It means “Come Lord Jesus”. It is probably the most ancient Christian prayer. St. Paul ends Corinthians with it, and St. John ends the book of Revelation with it. Listen to the mantra as you say it gently but continuously. You do not have to think or imagine anything, spiritual or otherwise.

Meditation has nothing to do with quiet reverie or passive stillness, but with attentive wakefulness. If thoughts or images come, these are distractions at the time of meditation, so return simply to saying your word. Don’t use any energy in trying to dispel a distraction. Simply ignore it, and the way to ignore it is to say your mantra. Return with fidelity to meditation each morning and evening for between twenty and thirty minutes.

The Pilgrimage of Prayer

Meditation is a pilgrimage to your own centre, to your own heart. To enter into the simplicity of it demands discipline and even courage. We need faith, simplicity; we need to become childlike. If we are faithful and patient meditation will bring us into deeper and deeper realms of silence. It is in this silence that we are led into the mystery of the eternal silence of God. That is the invitation of Christian prayer: to lose ourselves and to be absorbed in God. Each of us is summoned to the heights of Christian prayer, to the fullness of life. What we need, however, is the humility to tread the way very faithfully over a period of years, so that the prayer of Christ may indeed be the grounding experience of our lives.

Meditation is what the early Christians called pure prayer. It is a gift of such staggering proportions that we must respond to it gradually, gently. When we begin we cannot fully understand the sheer magnificence and wonder of it. Each time we return to meditate we enter into that reality a little more deeply, a little more faithfully. Because meditation leads us into the experience of love at the centre of our being, it makes us more loving people in our ordinary lives and relationships. Not only is meditation the necessary basis for contemplative action, but it is the essential condition for a fully human response to life.

“The wonderful beauty of prayer is that the opening of our heart is as natural as the opening of a flower. To let a flower open and bloom it is only necessary to let it be; so if we simply are, if we become and remain still and silent, our heart cannot but be open, the Spirit cannot but pour through into our whole being. It is for this that we have been created.”

While concluding I want to state that meditation is a good instrument to be with oneself and with God. It is an opportunity to have intimate relationship with God.    

Confirmation class in Siddhpur: in English & Gujarati - putting order in disorder (activity)

Rajneesh written by Xavier James L.S.

Rajneesh  By Xavier James L.S.

Introduction

Mohan Chandra Rajneesh was born in December 1931. He was one of 12 children of a cloth merchant. As a child he was a willful, completely fearless child who in early life displayed hypnotic abilities. He was a university lecturer until 1965. He is gifted, erudite, a natural leader, completely fearless and capable of inspiring love. He was surrounded by wealthy business men and these tried to promote his teaching. He was always associated with the rich and wealthy people who became his disciples.

He called himself as Bhagwan i.e. the Blessed One and he says that he is the incarnation like any other spiritual leaders. He is not “the blessed one” whereas he is a human being just like us. Many people state that he is a remarkable teacher with a deeply disturbing influence. His emphasis was on spiritual sexuality and the physical release of inhibitions. And this is why many westerners joined his sect and followed and propagated his teaching in India as well as in West.

About Indian Philosophy

According to Rajneesh there is no Indian Philosophy as such. Philosophy is one and universal. There can be no geographical division in the human mind. These divisions and distinctions are political. You can see the world through three dimensions. One is science: that is thinking empirically about reality. The second is philosophy: thinking about reality speculatively. And the third is religion: not thinking about reality at all, but experiencing it. He states that philosophy is absolute because we are not thinking about the outside but we are thinking about the inside of humanity, about the inside of the human being: the innermost, the subjective core of the human mind. Philosophy can be absolute but it cannot be whole because the outside has been left out.

Thought on Truth

While dream is death, truth is life; dream is sleep and truth is wakefulness. So wake up and realize yourself. One day when all our efforts fail, when no path seems to lead us anywhere, it then becomes clear that whatever I can do does not take me to Truth. No activity will unravel the mystery of the ‘I’ because all activities lead us out. No activity takes us to Existence. Where activity ceases Existence reveals itself. No activity will offer that to us because that is in existence even before the activities. There is no path ‘there’ since there is ‘here’. Truth cannot be said, and that which can be said not truth anymore. The moment you say it, you falsify it, Truth is so simple it cannot be uttered. Hence a pure heart is needed, not a mind full of information. Hence love is needed, not logic. Truth is vast as the sky. Truth is not just intellectual.

God is not somewhere else, but in your own depths, into your own ultimate depths. Truth is not somewhere else to be found; it has to be searched and looked within. Truth is not something of the mind, otherwise it would have been very easy to attain it.

Thought on Consciousness

In truth, in Existence ‘self-alienation’ is eradicated. That difference too was only in thought and of thought.  Consciousness has three aspects: 1.Outer insensible – inner insensible 2. Outer alert – inner insensible and 3. Outer sensible – inner alert. The first aspect is that of insensibility – non consciousness. It is the condition of an interior thought. The second aspect is that of half-insensibility – half consciousness. That is between the insentient and the sentient. That is the condition during the thought. The third aspect is that of absence of insensibility – perfect consciousness. It is beyond all thought. Mere absent of thought does not enable one to secure the knowledge of Truth. It leads only to sluggishness, to insensibility. Many of the activities current in the name of religion lead only to insensibility. Wine, Sex and Music too lead only to insensibility. In insensibility there is flight. It is not a positive achievement. One has to possess absence of thought plus realize the Truth.

God is not to be searched; what is searched is consciousness. The conscious person knows, feels, experiences. He does not believe in God: he lives in God, he breathes in God, his heart beats in God. In consciousness you have eyes to see God, you have eyes to see the truth of existence. A man of awareness acts out of his awareness, hence there is not repentance; his action is total. Man’s character is a shadow phenomenon, consciousness is the center. Character simply reflects consciousness.

When you are absolutely happy in your aloneness, when you don’t need the other at all, when the other is not a need, then you are capable of love. If the other is your need you can only exploit, manipulate, dominate, but you cannot love.

Anger is there because you are unconscious, greed is there because you are unconscious, possessiveness and jealousy are there because you are unconscious. In order to change the character we need to be more intensely and passionately conscious. And the meeting of your consciousness with the beyond is the point of bliss, true happiness. A life lived unconsciously can’t be beautiful, a life lived unconsciously cannot have freedom, how there can be any freedom?

Revolutionary Thoughts

A flower has flowered. By evening, it must die just like that.  Any idea that has flowered must die. It must not try to be permanent. It must allow other flowers to flower; it must die so that the next day something else can flower. If I create an organization, then I am creating a hindrance of my own that will prevent something new form arising. To be really authentic in your sex life you have to go beyond the structure of marriage. Planning always presupposes frustration. When you plan you create the seeds of frustration. Do not plan, just go on working and let it come. It is always beautiful when it comes by itself. It is always fulfilling, never frustrating, because there has been no expectation, you are never disappointed. The less you are disheartened, the more you can do. The more you are disheartened the less you can do.

Wisdom & Knowledge

Knowledge is not knowledge. It has the appearance of knowledge. Knowledge is only information, and accumulation of information goes on growing. Rather than liberating you it goes on creating new bondages for you.

Wisdom is to know that you do not know, to know that it has not happened to you. It has come from others, that it is not your own insight, your own realization. The moment knowledge is your own realization, it is wisdom. Wisdom means you are not a parrot, that you are a man, that you are  not repeating others but expressing yourself, that you are not a carbon copy, that you have an original face of your own.

Knowledge always belongs to the past, wisdom belongs to the present. Knowledge satisfies the ego: wisdom destroys the ego completely. Knowledge means theories about truth; wisdom means truth itself. Knowledge is second hand; wisdom is first hand.

Who am I

‘Who am I’ is not really a question, hence can never be answered, neither by others nor by yourself. Then what it is? It is utterly absurd. By asking it, do not hope one day you will get the answer. Life is not a question-answer game. It is not a puzzle to be solved, it is a mystery to e lived.

Conclusion

It has been a reflective reading of the life of Rajneesh. He has been very influential among the Indians and Westerners. He was encouraging free sex and so many wealthy people joined his sect. His thoughts and teachings are very inspiring but as a Christian I find his teaching is different from Christian values. He is too skeptic about religion and religious people. Like any other philosophers his discourses are not purely philosophical. But they are the messages to the humanity to lead their lives in a particular way where the humanity will truly live their life to its fullest.

References

Bhagawan, R. S. (1978). Seeds of Revolutionary Thought. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Bhagwan, R. S. (1984). The book of hte books, Vol. III. USA: Rajneesh Publications.

Bhagwan, R. S. (1985). The book of the books, Vol. IV. USA: Rajneesh Publications.

Bhagwan, R. S. (1980). The Eternal Quest. New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks.

Milne, H. (1986). Bhagwan The God That Failed. London: Caliban Books.

Family Members at Mehsana & Enriching families & Sunday School Teachers

At Farewell Eucharist at Holy Name Cathedral on 27th May 2012

Vote of thanks from the parish during the farewell mass at Holy Name, Mumbai.

Dear Fr. Xavier.

Whilst our admiration for you is always soaring high, the situation compels us to let you go and it is with much reluctance we will have to bid Good Bye.

You have been an integral part of the Holy Name Cathedral Community from the very first day you came in and we are very grateful to you for that.

Seva Community and St. Thomas community were especially fortunate to have you as their Spiritual Director. You will always be remembered for your active involvement in enhancing the small Christian communities, for enriching our lives and for being a role model to us.   By doing so you have fulfilled your motto, “TO BE WITH HIM AND TO BE WITH THEM”

Your grace and character in reaching out to people is commendable. Your sincerity and dedication to pastoral work, is more than evident and sources within the parish say that you have held an unbeatable record. A special mention about your personal touch, you actually address 90% of our parishioners by their first names, it is incredible indeed.    

In more than many ways you have made a huge impact on us by caring, sharing and touching our lives unconditionally.  Irrespective of cultural and economic barriers, you have been the torch bearer of transformation and a real life hero. 

You have empowered the Tamil and Hindi speaking communities and been a treasure chest to them.  To the children you have been a Piped Piper, To the youth a source of inspiration, To the old a source of joy and happiness.  The nuns admit that you are ever willing to give your time, the priests describe you as “full of life”, they appreciate the balance you maintain between academics and pastoral work and you are someone whom they can rely on anytime. Last but not the least, we cannot forget the sinners, the confessional was ever ready and edifying.

In short, you came, you saw and you conquered and that too in great style!

Our brief interaction in the church compound after the 7.30 am Mass will be dull in the near future.  Many of us looked forward to meeting him in the mornings. It simply felt good with each one seeking a fair share of his attention.  Just those few minutes in the morning were so full of bliss.  Any conversation was backed with background music tein te dein, his animated gestures and then we would hear the resounding roaring laughter.  We will miss you a great deal, especially in the mornings.

Fr. Xavier has been very sincere, approachable and encouraging in every respect. It has been fulfilling to see how he acknowledged the many interfaith unions, rectified the marriages and got them to be blessed in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.  He took the trouble and made it a point to give our parishioners his time and energy despite his hectic academic schedule. Thank you once again.

Whilst the list can go on and I wish to continue saying many more good things about him, I would also like to share his straightforward personality.  He would not mince his words if he had to get a point across.  He justified whatever he said with valid reasons.  This I would say, heightened his spirit of valour and integrity.

Fr. Xavier you have left a mark in our hearts, I would have preferred to call it a tattoo though !   We will always cherish your love, the warmth, your friendly nature and many more memories that you leave behind for us.  You are a true Disciple of Christ & true priest .   We wish you a meaningful vocation and a fruitful ministry in pioneering the new mission in Siddhpur, the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar

With lots of love and God’s blessing in abundance.

From the Holy Name Cathedral community.

Vote of Thanks by Xavier James at the farewell Mass by His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias and Fathers at Holy Name Cathedral on 27^th May 2012

His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracius, Fr. Caesar Rector, Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,

First of all I would like to thank your Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracius for offering the Eucharist and for the love appreciation and warmth I experienced from you for the two full years of my stay with you. Thank you Eminence.

I am grateful to His Lordship Agnelo Gracius for the arrangement to stay here and study. For the guidance I have been receiving from the time of my seminary days. He is my spiritual father.

I thank Fr. Caesar who asked Bp Agnelo to appoint me here with him. He was my Rector in the Seminary and is also my rector here. He is loving, caring, encouraging and hospitable person. Thank you father.

I thank all the Nuns of this parish and the fathers Nicholas, Nigel, Bento, Avin, Sunder, Tony, Elias, Neil, Jervis, Monsignor Willie and Savio for the acceptance, love and companionship I experienced.

I thank the animators of SCC especially of St.Thomas and Seva communities for all their support in building vibrant communities. I thank all of you for making me feel at home in this parish for the constant encouragement, love and for all the genuine smiles I received from you for 2 years.

I thank the Spice girls who help out in the Eucharist have been very helpful in teaching catechism for children and adults, taking care of children’s choir, cultural programmes in the parish whether it was the Golden Jubilee of Fr. Bento or Silver Jubilee of Fr. Nicholas. You have helped me in my ministry.

Thank you all once again for making me feel as a member of each of your family, so in St. Paul’s words to Philippians 1:3-10 I thank my God each time I Think of you and when I pray for you I pray with joy, Now there is one thing I am sure of He who began His work in you see that it is truly finished when the day of Jesus come. Now that I feel like this towards you seems only natural to me for you have shared me with my labour the Gospel privilege with me.