Solitary Soul

THE BIBLE AND SALVATION HISTORY Cl. Mario D'Couto SDB Introduction : The Bible is a collection of books where each book has been written for a different purpose by different authors at different intervals of time. Given the diversity of time period that exists among the various authors of the Bible, it would be important to ask the question as to who was responsible for bringing all the books of the Bible into one composite unit and at what period of time? There is certainly no clear cut answer to this question although there are pointers which may help us arrive at a deeper understanding of the Bible. The Bible is plainly divided into two categories, the Old and the New Testament and quite often we have many references from the New Testament pointing out or basing its teachings on the Old Testament. Hence, if we have to make sense of the New Testament, we need to understand the Old Testament. In fact, we have to begin with the Old Testament in order to understand the...

LIVING THE PRIESTLY LIFE CL. MARIO D’COUTO SDB             Priesthood is not a competition and never should be. Every priest is a servant of God Almighty but more than a servant he is the one who is called to be the closest to God and hence it is he who is the link between God and the people. In an article written by Fr. Daniel O’ Leary, he speaks about the role of a priest as a ‘mid – wife.’             As the great philosopher Socrates would use the term to illustrate the role of teacher in bringing out the best in each student, the priest too has a similar role. Besides the many responsibilities that a priest has to shoulder, one of his primary tasks is to educate the faithful to the Christian faith. But unlike the traditional way of filling up someone with loads of information as though he or she were a vessel, each person is a candle to be lit. This means that...

LIVING THE FRATERNAL SPIRIT IN PRIESTLY LIFE Cl. Mario D’Couto Sdb             Christianity is so essentially communal that a priest cannot do justice to its message without experiencing the sharing of a fraternal community. Jesus spent most of His public ministry developing the fraternity of His apostles. He knew how important it was for them to share a mutual concern. His message would be difficult to convey and only the strength of the fraternity would regenerate their tired spirits with enthusiasm and inspiration.             The Greek philosopher Aristotle would say that the human person is a social animal and how true it is. For as a saying goes, “No person can live as an island,” deep within us there is always a void to be filled by another and that is why we are constantly dependent on one another. The famous movie, “Cast Away” beautifully portrays what lone...

PRAYING, STUDYING AND PREACHING IN PRIESTLY MINISTRY CL. Mario D'Couto SDB             Good communication is essential for an effective pastoral ministry. Communication is not the mere ability to talk. It is not merely saying the right words at the right time. We can do all that and still not communicate. People often read a priest’s attitude more than words. They study the way you are saying something to find out why you are saying it or how important it is. The way people respond to you in your ministry is a barometer of effectiveness in communication. It does not happen by talking a lot. Some priests hope that talking a lot would act as a good motivator. But that is not the case.             To be a good communicator, the priest should first of all be credible. Credibility means that there should be a connection between one’s words and behaviour. None can trust an...

KEEPING IT ‘COOL’ IN PASTORAL MINISTRY CL. MARIO D’COUTO SDB             St. Francis De Sales once said, “A spoon full of honey attracts more flies than a barrel full of vinegar” and that is to say love, sincerity and genuinety are the three characteristics that will take a priest ahead in his pastoral ministry. Often a time, it happens that conflicts and misunderstandings are bound to happen in one’s priestly ministry. There is no doubt that being a human, there is every possibility that a priest can lose his ‘cool.’ Allow me to share some reflections with regard to how to keep ‘cool’ in one’s pastoral ministry as given by Dr. George Manalel V.C. and Fr. John C. Tormey.             According to Dr. George Manalel, the stress and strain of dealing with people and their problems in priestly ministry can cause tensions in the personal life of the priests. Pastoral lea...