Solitary Soul

THE PRIEST AS AN EDUCATOR TO THE FAITH Cl. Mario D’Couto sdb             It is quite common to find people associating priests in schools or involved in teaching as educators. On the contrary, every priest by virtue of the sacrament of ordination is an educator to the faith be it a diocesan or a religious.             Education is a very broad term. The word ‘education’ comes from the Latin word, ‘educere’ which means to draw out. Hence it is not something where we try to fill the child with knowledge as though he or she was a vase to be filled but rather each child is a lamp to be lit as Albert Einstein once said, “The purpose of education is to train the mind to think and for that reason it is priceless.” Keeping this in mind, we can truly say that each priest is an educator, if not in the school then in the Church. He is first and foremost an educator to the f...

THE STRONGER THE BASE THE GREATER THE STABILITY Cl. Mario D’Couto sdb             As time is going on, we are constantly bombarded with new trends and different value systems. All of us want to be happy and are looking out for that happiness but where we look for it is what matters. We live in an ‘ instant’ culture where things are supposed to move quickly and this trend has fortunately or unfortunately had its impact on society. What is more is that this kind of system has made our value system also a bit topsy – turvy. Relativism and postmodernism may sound like big philosophical words but it is something that is very prevalent in today’s society. In the midst of this confusion, it is important to live by one’s convictions. But how to live by these convictions? It is by developing a good value system. There is every possibility that one could live by a false conviction. Hence it is important to develop the right kind of...

THE PASSAGE OF TIME Cl. Mario D’Couto sdb             Ever wondered as to what makes a happy man sad and a sad man happy? It is the passage of time. Sometime back when we were having our Vespers in the chapel, this reflection suddenly came to my mind. It was about Psalm 48. This psalm can be understood in 2 parts. In the first part, the psalmist tackles the problem of the poor who suffer and are persecuted while the rich are well – off and happy. However, he also notes the fact that at the time of death, all are equal. Thus the main message is that riches cannot buy a longer life. In his riches, the human person lacks wisdom; he is like the beasts that are destroyed.             The second part of the psalm deals with the after life. By this the psalmist gives us a practical advice, “Do not fear when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house increases. He takes...

THE WONDER OF LIFE Cl. Mario D’Couto sdb             Sometime back I was talking to someone who had an eye problem and he was telling how because of some damage of tissues in his eye, he had to be operated and how the doctor had advised him to move around with black glasses so as not to allow his eye to be effected by the light. As I was hearing him speak, I was amazed at the wonder of the human body and life at large.             Life is too good to be true or rather God is too good to be true. When we think about the human body, it is perhaps the most complicating phenomenon that we can think of in the world. Having said that, there is only one question that comes to my mind and that is could all this be a matter of chance? Surely not! Today, more and more scientists and quantum physicists are becoming more aware of a supreme reality that is governing everything...

CONTEMPLATIVES IN ACTION Cl. Mario D’Couto sdb             Quite often in the priestly and religious life, there is always the danger that the work takes the upper hand. However, there is also a positive side to it. While there is no doubt a danger in activism, the phenomenon of human action has its place. If we are just going to sit around and expect things to happen, we will not achieve anything. Miracles just don’t happen!             Action is indeed an act of creation. Through it, the human person transcends himself and produces something new in the concrete world, something similar to his internal vision and desire. When active, the human person imitates God who is the Creator. After all, the human person was made in the image of God which means he was destined to be a creator – in his own humble way. Not only is there nothing wrong with action; there would be...