Reading the Face of Mother Teresa

“Intense love does not measure it just gives”
Mother Teresa‟s whole life has been that of giving and doing for the love of Christ and humankind. She was born on August 26, 1910 in Macedonia. Her real name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She joined the Loreto Novitiate on May 23, 1929. After her first profession she was known as Sr. Teresa after her patroness St. Theresa of Avila. After her final profession she was to be known as Mother Teresa following the Loreto custom. Mother Teresa had a life changing experience while on her journey from Calcutta to Darjeeling. She received a “call within a call”, she saw people in pain and decided to love and work for those deprived of love. Thus began her journey. Many were impressed by her service and collaborated with her, and hence was born the congregation of Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa‟s life can be summed up by just contemplating at her face. In the silence it speaks a million words loud and clear.
As I was gazing at a image of her face, each part either reminded me of an experience or told me a story.
“The world today is hungry not only for bread but hungry for love; hungry to be wanted to be loved.”
Head and Forehead- Her forehead not or hardly visible due to her sari, no hair or short hair on her covered head shows detachment from the world like most female religious. This reminded me of an incident. Once when in school we friends were fooling with scissors in the absence of the teacher. There was a girl who was resting her head on the desk, I caught a strand of her hair and pretended to cut it. She exclaimed in furry anything but my hair „hair is one of the most priceless possessions for a girl… Please don‟t mess with it‟. I was shocked and embarrassed. But looking at Mother Teresa I don‟t think her hair was a possession she cherished, she was more focused on serving those who lacked the basic necessities of life.
“I am so used to seeing the smile on our people, even the dying ones smile.”
Eyes- Her eyes were always filled with compassion and never did any one whom she serve doubt her. It is because they saw love in her eyes. Though her eyes were old and weary, she never looked at her self but at others, and did not stop at that she made sure she did something about it. Once I said to a friend of mine I am really jealous of your charcoal black eyes. He was all puffed up and proudly said that many have commented on his eyes and thus he has decided to donate them once he dies. Wow! Firstly nice eyes, and added to that, noble intentions. I must say I was
impressed, (but not) until I thought of this incident in context with that of the life of Mother
Teresa. She really made good use of her eyes when she was alive to see, and seek for those living
in misery. The boy‟s intention was not bad, but not good enough in comparison.
“The poor are very great people they can teach us many beautiful things.”
Nose- She had a nice plump rounded nose. I am sure she could smell well. Saying about her nose
reminds me of an incident of which I was a part. Few years ago I had visited a convent of
Missionaries of Charity. There was a man rotting to death brought in by the ambulance. The
sisters immediately rushed towards the van. I quickly covered my nose because the smell was
unbearable. Now reflecting back I wonder how the sisters were able to clean up that person
without any sign of disgust. I marvel, if the followers are so committed the founder must have
really lived an exemplary life. And I am sure that Mother Teresa did not have any olfactory
defect. I guess she was able to do this because of the love, by which all her senses were
possessed.
Mouth- her mouth more than receiving gave. Why do I say this? Mother Teresa always had
something good to say about those she met. She received a lot from others on account of her hard
work. Apart from things, she was also offered food which she first gave to those under her care
and only then did she think about herself. I know of an elderly lady who was filthy rich. Her
mouth knew only to boast of her own self and hog at places where she was invited because of her
superior statues. And yet she complained about the places and people she encountered. What a
contrast between these two women, I said to myself. One had nothing with her yet with a smile
said and also did good things, the other had most of the things needed but always grumbled and
expected more and more from others.
“We can do no great things only small things with great love”
Facial skin- finally when I look at her face with creases all over, it looks like a parched land
without water. Her sunken cheeks and wrinkled pink chin shows all the hard work she has done
over the period of a lifetime without concentrating on her own looks. As I was putting to paper
my thoughts, I remembered an advertisement of a female facial cream which said „to be accepted
by people around you, you need to look fair, young and need to have smooth skin‟. The ad
assured to make one look younger and fight all the signs of aging. If I am not mistaken Mother
Teresa was not only accepted by those around her but practically by the whole world. It is not
only the exterior looks that make one beautiful but also the qualities of the heart. Along with our
exterior appearance let us also concentrate on the growth of our interior life. We all are saints
and we need to live like one.
“How can we love God whom we do not see, if we do not love our neighbor‟s whom we see,
whom we touch with whom we live?”

Food habits among college going youngsters

Food habits among college going youngsters

Infancio Pires

Introduction

We Lipton, Aegidius and me (Infancio) interviewed 30 college going youngsters to know about their food habits. We interviewed youngsters on and around college road. The method we used was primary data and the tool we used was a combination of questioner and interview schedule. We approximately got 2 hour. We began at around 2 pm and finished at 4 pm.

Objective: to inderstand the food habits of college going youngsters

Main content

A survey on the food habits of College going youngsters

City: Nashik

Age group: 17-22

Male	13
Female	17
Home food	13
Fast food	17
Influence of peers on food habits	Yes 21      No 9
Fixed pattern of eating	Yes 6        No 24
Tiffin to college	Yes 14      No 16

Money the youngsters spend on food on daily basis (in rupees)

10-30	30-60	60-90	Above 100	Above 500
19	3	1	6	1

We also asked 3 open ended questions

1.      What is your opinion about healthy food?

Most of the youngsters believe that home food is the best food for a healthy living. A considerable number said that veggies are the best and the healthiest food. Some added fruits to the least of healthy foods. When asked about non-vegetarian food they said it is important mostly when it comes to proteins. Some also said that we must not eat out of time. A youngster was of the view that we are mostly not aware of the raw materials use by food stalls to cook and also most of the outside food tends to be oily.

2.      what is your take on this statement: “do you eat to live or live to eat”

Most of the youngsters said that they eat to live. Some were of the opinion that the way we sometimes eat it looks like we live to eat. Some also shed light on the way food is wasted by many rich people while many go to bed hungry in our country.

3.      What do you feel about the way young people look at food?

Youngsters were of the opinion that nowadays food is used to show off status more that to fill our stomachs. Most prefer junk food because it tastes good (22 out of 30) while few felt there is variety when it comes to fast food(8 out of 30), therefore they prefer it.

Conclusion

The awareness level about healthy food among youngsters is very high, but as they themselves agreed that though they know yet they tend to do the opposite. They have junk food more often then home and healthy food.

Personal reflection

This was a overall enriching experience. It was fun interacting with the youngsters and knowing more about them and their food habits. The readiness to answer was really admirable. I was also impressed by a certain girl who let the bus go (and also her friends) so that she could complete the questions. Most were thrilled to answer our question while a few politely denied as they were not comfortable or shy or busy. I got a feeling that they also felt important as we interviewed them. Surprising thing for me was that there were quite a good number of youngsters who still carry tiffin to college (I myself during college days did not carry tiffin). Youngsters today according to me are very knowledgeable but do not act wisely.  

Siblings which God forgot to give

Our close friends are siblings which God forgot to give. Though we do not share the same blood our friends know us through and through. Friendship is something natural to us. We have been created as relational beings and we need the other to live a happy life. Our friends help us to grow in self-knowledge we go to self-acceptance this is because we feel loved and thus we begin loving ourselves. Good friends help us to expand or broaden our outlook friends also help us to come out of our comfort zone. Many things which we don’t even dream of doing we do because of the support and encouragement we receive from our buddies. There are some things we share with our friends which we don’t even share with our parents it’s not because we can’t confide in them but because are friends our more or less of the same age group and they tend to understand better. We are quite familiar with the saying a friend in need is a friend in deed. According to me this may not stand true in all the cases. Have you ever asked yourself, why that particular friend could not help you at some instance may be he was in a greater pain or trouble. What if that friend applies the same principle, a friend in need is a friend indeed, without considering the trouble you are facing. Our friendship will never be all happy happy all the time if it’s so it may not be a true friendship at all the time if it’s so it may not be a true friendship at all. In friendship there are always ups and downs. True friend may sometimes tell us things about ourselves which no one may have courage to tell. It may take time to accept some truths about ourselves which may lead to conflict. But a true friend will always want your good in whatever he does.

So how to cultivate such a friendship, is it easy to have a true and selfless friend, no! It’s not.

So here are some tips for cultivating friendship.

      Don’t look for a special friend whom you have not at found. Starts by being friendly to people you meet around.

      Friendships are most often founded on shared interest and common outlook (views)

      The only way to win friend(ship) is by being friendly yourself.

      All friendships are destined to last forever.

      We don’t own anybody thus we have to cultivate the ability to let go friends when it is time to let go.

      Don’t force your friend to share his\her personal life with you it will automatically happen when the right time comes.

      Don’t expect anything from the other, the less you expect the happier you will be when you get something.

In times of trouble we share our problems with our friends not because they will give us solutions but because they will give us such silly suggestions that we will forget our problems.

Being a missionary

Being a missionary

Who is a missionary? A missionary is a person who gives his 100% for the kingdom of God, to spread the Good news. The word missionary in today’s world is a noble idea many say we want to go, but no one gets up to go. When the thought of being a missionary passes our mind the first thing we must keep in mind is the parable of the window who put two coins in the donation box and that’s all she had, she gave her everything we to should be able to give our everything.

Teresa of Child Jesus never went to the missions than why is she the patron of missionaries? There is difference between being and having a missionary sprit. Though Teresa did not go to the missions she spent her whole life in praying for missionaries and she had a special place for the missions in her heart. A good example of being a missionary is our very own saint Francis Xavier. He was a man who spent his whole life in spreading the Good news and baptizing many. We all have the spirit of a missionary through our baptism. As the pope says our catholic church is a missionary church. It’s high time now that we become missionaries. This call of becoming a missionary is not only for priests and religious but for all people of God. There are so many young and old alike who zealously spread the good news in faraway places where people have not known Christ.

There are so many people in our localities that have not received Christ, so why go far and wide? It’s a very valid point it’s true that there are people around us who do not know Christ. Imagine if early Christians or apostles had restricted themselves only to Jerusalem till they converted every Jew, would there be Christianity in India? St. Thomas the apostle would have never reached our culturally rich India.

Can I become a missionary? Yes! All of us are called to be missionaries but there are a few qualities which help in making of a good missionary. A missionary primarily needs to be committed, sacrificing and needs to be a self-giving person(generous). But what if I fail? It’s better to try and fail rather than not to try at all. We are afraid of failing and making fun of ourselves therefore we don’t try out in the bargain we don’t grow. Its better people laugh at us because we try and fail rather than we sit and cry because we have not done something we wanted or had the desire to do. As someone said “missionary is a person whose heart is bigger than him”.

I have the desire of becoming a missionary but I am not confident, so how do I prepare myself? Following are few points suggested to me by a man of experience and above all a man of God. I don’t want to keep these rich thoughts as my personal treasure.

First, you need to discern a missionary vocation very carefully.  There are some qualities that you need to ensure before making such a choice.  Immediately, a few of them would be:

·         That you are strong in your vocation and that your religious life is firmly based on faith motives - not on emotional enthusiasm or human motives such as feeling good, enjoyable community life, security, etc.  To be missionary is to be able to withstand lots of struggles - the same as for all of us, except that as missionary it is in a foreign country!

·         That you are open minded and able to adjust and immerse yourself in a culture (language, food habits, values, mentalities) that is different from your own.

·         Generosity in offering yourself for a people that are not your own!

·         Ability for much sacrifice as such a vocation takes you away from family and friends.

These are some of the factors on the basis of which I would base my decision for choosing a missionary vocation.

Wedding cards of the Warli community

Wedding cards of the Warli community

If we see the wedding cards of the Warli (adivasi) community of Maharashtra it’s really amazing. The cards have more than 400 odd names of family and friends, benefactors and well wishers etc. on the wedding invitation card, this point out to the fact that there is a lot of unity among the people. We may say that they are illiterate but when it comes to people close to their hearts they are very sensitive and literally know everything about them. The ones getting married try their best not to miss out on any names. It is said that if the friends or relatives don’t find their names on the card they get angry even to the extent of not talking and not even attending the wedding. The quality of the card points out to the importance they give to this sacrament of marriage. They spend a lot of money during the wedding feast. The celebration is for two days. Most of the girls marry after the age of 18 and boys after the age of 21. This shows that they have given up the practices of child marriage. The people also permit widow marriage this shows that the people have got rid of some social evils that they used to have in earlier days. The reverence the people of this community of Maharashtra have for this union between man and women is also commendable. They also respect the women, but the only setback is that a man can have 2 wives while a woman marries only ones.

: this information is collected by interviewing and  through friendly chat with woman, man and many children from the Warli community of Gonde and also a few children of other neighboring villages.

    

      

SOMJIKAI, DHORM ANI DOYEST – MOG

SOMJIKAI, DHORM ANI DOYEST – MOG

Don Bosco-che porbem somoyar(Janerache 31-tarker), hea sovnsarak, tachea bhov motvachea deniacho ugdas koruya, tem zavn asa tachi xikxannik poddort.

Somjikai (reason), Dhorm (religion) ani Doyest Mog (loving kindness) he tin zaun asat koddegant khambe Don Bosco-che xikxonnik (xikovpache) poddortiche. He poddortik inglez bhaxen  “Preventive System” mhonttat. Hea utracho konknni bhaxentlean sompeponnim anuvad kelo zalear, addhavop vo addhkonn korop, him utram amchea monant rokddinch upzotat. Khorem mhonllear, bariksannin pollelem vo onbovlem zalear amkam khobor astoli, hi poddort addhavpachi vo bhondi ghatlea sarki poddort nhoi.

            Atanchea kallar kai zannanim he poddortik novem nav sodun khadlam, tem zaun asa “the expressive system.” Konknni baxen hea utracho anuvad kelo zalear hea utracho ghost vetolo. Tor ami bore baxen somzoche khatir hanv eka udaronna udexim spoxtt kortam. Peter, ho apleach vadeacho bhurgo. Science vixoi taka somzona mhonn pustok bhair udovnk to sodta. “Preventive” hea utracher ami niyall kelo zalear amkam oxem disunk xokta ki Peter pustok bhair udoitana xikxok taka adaita vo bhair udovnk dina. Punn “expressive” hem utor vaporlem zalear amcho ragrong bodlunk xokta. “Expressive” hea utracho upeog kortana amchea monant vegddench chitr upzota, tem mhonnlear tea bhurgeak somzaupacho, pustokachem ani xikxonnachem mol kollit korpachem, ani mogan fuddle pavtti oxem korchem nhoi mhonn sangchem.

            Hi poddort atanchea kallar khub famad zal’li asa. Don Bosco-cheach xallenim nhoi punn dusrea-i  xallenim  hem podorticho vapor khel’lo amkam disun ieta. Ami avoi-bapainim vo xikxokanim amchea bhurgeank sopurnn xikxonn ditoleanv mhonn bhas diuk zai. Xallek vo kolejik datt’tana ami amchea burgeanche  mon-bud’dikuch nhoi punn somajik, otmik ani kuddichea vhaddponnak mot diunk zai. Ami somzotanv ki  hea soglea vixoiam-cher, Don Bosko-n, zachia zolmachim donnxim vorsam ami gel’lea vorsa sazor kelea, tannem purai toren lox dil’lo asa. To zavn asa he poddorticho “expert” zannkar.