God in the City
by Sahaya G. Selvam, sdb
Salesian Family Study Days,UK, January 2012
0.0. The objective of these reflections is to see how urban cultures are evolving and becoming global; and then to ask ourselves: how could we be the church in this context? And how could we open up ourselves to an experience of God that will make it meaningful for us to be compassionate to others.
0.1. When faced with the need for change, for fear of chaos, we tend to fall back to rigidity. Integration seems to be the healthier option!
0.2. When faced with the need to understand reality, it may be easier to take one of the extreme options between naïve realism and anti-realism. Critical realism seems to be the more meaningful option!
0.3. God and Revelation: If God is eternal, and eternity is a continuous now (St Augustine), then God’s revelation is here and now! Should we apply […]
Varia
Varia
Power is nothing without control
(A reflection shared at the Youth Vigil on the Feast of Pentecost 11-12 June 2011. This reflection was delivered from 11.30 pm to 1am. Since Powerpoint was used to illustrate the thoughts, the following notes might seem very sketchy.)
The key text that you have chosen for the Pentecost Vigil this year is:
God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power and love and self-control (2Tim 1:7).
When I looked up at this theme, I remembered a billboard that I had seen years ago at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was an ad for Pirelli tyres. It had the caption: “Power is nothing without control.” Therefore, I would like to reflect together with you tonight on the meaning of Power and Control.
Let me start with an analogy to clarify what I mean: just imagine that you have this beautiful car with six cylinder engine; it has a […]
Youth Caught in the Web
Nairobi, 15 April 2011
A three-day symposium organised by the Institute of Youth Ministry (IYM), came to an end today at Tangaza College. On three afternoons different experts shared their ideas to a large audience on the theme of www.youthcaughtintheweb.com The symposium is an annual event, and this year’s one was specially planned by Fr Hubert Pinto. On the first day, Mr Ronald Omboto, an IT-expert, led a three hour session on the history of Internet and the World wide web (WWW). He spoke also of the tremendous possibilities that exist due to this relatively new development. He also enumerated the socio economic political and cultural impact of the internet.
On the 2nd day, Fr Sahaya G. Selvam, SDB led the discussion on three sub-themes related to ‘youth caught in the web’. He began […]
Paravar People of India
Paravar People – An Overview
Paravars are people who now inhabit most of the coastal villages from Tuticorin on the Eastern coast to Muttom on the western coast of the Indian peninsula. Their history, though very little serious research has been done, is very intriguing.
There are some claims that since Paravars are also called Bharathar, they are the original Indians who inhabited the Indus Valley before the arrival of the Aryans from central Asia. Hence they are the original Dravidians. The linguistic similarity between Bharat and Bharathar may simply be mere co-incidence.
However, the earliest mention of the Paravars in any authentic source dates back to 3rd century BC. Some archeological evidence found at Arittapatti in Melur taluk points to the fact that the Paravars were the sole fisherfolk who controlled the coast from Rameswaram down to southern cape. Probably they practiced Jainism by then. It is in that connection that the […]
Beyond The Secret
(Rhonda Byrne, The Secret. New York: Atria Books, 2006)
I had heard a lot about the book that followed the sensational video production. I looked for an opportunity to read it. And in the recent months almost every bookshop I entered had the book exhibited at the entrance among bestsellers. I couldn’t get to read the book since I kept giving out as gifts the copies I had bought. Then mysteriously one day the book came to me. That is THE SECRET: you get what you want!
I thought the people – young people – who had received gifts of this book from me also deserved a serious review of the same. Secrets are always tempting. It is important to look at them critically.
To begin with, let me summarize the contents of the book in the following simple points:
1. What is this book about? It is about a law: The Law of […]