February 2021
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February 2021 World Day for Social Justice Bridging Inequality to Ensure Social Justice Agnel Ashram News 1 February 2021 FR. AGNEL GOD’S BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN NEED ASHRAM YOUR SPONSORSHIP SCHEME he Scheme offers the TBenefactors/Well-wishers NEWS an opportunity to share in the February 2021 noble work of bringing up over 600 poor children sheltered Contents in our Homes (Balbhavan) at different parts of the country (BANDRA, VASHI, PUNE, GOA & GREATER NOIDA) People have the option to choose Editorial 3 Full Sponsorship or Mini Sponsorship. The sponsorship Farmer’s Pitched Battle 5 amount may be paid lump sum or on installment basis at Bridging the their convenience. (G)Ender Gap 6 • Full Sponsorship 10,500/- Choosing to Love 7 per year. Rs.875/- per month. Agnel Happenings 9 • Mini Sponsorship (Co- sponsorship) Rs. 2000/- for Hold Your Tongue 16 one year. • NB :- Apart from this, Out of their Bounty 17 people have the facility to sponsor Lunch/Dinner/ Fr. Agnel’s Blessing 18 Snacks/Groceries/Statio- nery etc. please contact the Ashram Office for further details. The poor children are provided with free accommodation, food, education, medication and moreover with Technical Training and the Printed & Published by: right direction according to their flair and talent. They are enabled to Fr.Peter D’Souza, sfx on behalf of Agnel Publications settle down in a life of their own with a decent earning and status. Editor: Fr. Jose Alarico Carvalho, sfx. Of all the activities, initiated by Agnel Ashram Fathers, Balbhavan Printed at: a Home for the destitute children stands apart with great pride. It S.B.M Printers runs on donations received from kind-hearted people. Through our C-130, Ansa Industrial dedicated service, rendered for the last 61 years, thousands of poor Estate, Andheri East, children, who could have been, otherwise, a burden on the society Mumbai - 400072 or even anti-social elements, have become respectable citizens of Place of Publication: the country and are well settled down in their life. Fr. Agnel Ashram, Bandstand, Bandra, Mumbai - 400 050. Single Copy Price: Rs. 15 Please contact : Rev. Fr. Superior, Annual Subscription: Rs. 150 Fr. Agnel Ashram, Bandstand, Bandra (W), Mumbai – 400 050. Tel.: 022-67114000. Agnel Ashram News 2 February 2021 From the Editor’s Desk Covid Resilience The Power of You! e are eagerly waiting for the pall of fear situation where you either fight or take flight, the Wand uncertainty, that has kept us under choice is the result of your inner resilience. its spell for a whole year to fade, and give way Resilience requires that one is rooted, grounded – to normalcy. The pandemic, something that we which in other words, means that one carves for wish we never had, taught us some unlikely himself (herself) a sum total of beliefs, personal lessons. The two most important: the limitedness strengths (ego), relationships and knowledge that of our human mind and the power of resilience. allow him or her to keep going in spite of odds to Both in their own right, imply some of the the contrary, however seemingly unsurmountable. fundamental factors that define human life and When one is struck with tragedy, irreparable loss, its challenging nature that sometimes defies our human or of means, such that it is humanly understanding, yet shows us that there is always, impossible for an observer to understand, there is a winning way out. a variety of response types: some give up, others fight their way out in poverty and deprivation, Covid – 19, was the unlikeliest of an uninvited pain and being alone (not lonely), and still live alien who gate crashed into our homes, schools, apparently decent lives or even others who come factories, streets, offices and the world around us. out even more glorious. Normally alien invasions are fought with weapons of war or scientific weapons, medicines. In this The essential reason for this mysterious variety however, both were powerless therefore useless. of outcomes, is resilience or lack of it. Being There was only one weapon that worked – grounded also means being anchored in a belief RESILIENCE. system ( set of convictions) that internally make a person, struck with tragedy or seemingly Resilience is the power you have inside you unbearable situation - stay standing, as by a force to constantly adapt to new and challenging that is holding him there in a space of his (her) situations, to resist the assault or to build your own, however small it may be. This anchoring own offense mechanism, and continue to go on. implies a real, or understood as real Someone/ This is the only verifiable element in the Universe Something, whose power is considered higher that has led to the survival of life in it. Without it, than the sum total of the elements that pull him this world as it is today, would not have survived (her) down, drown him (her) or render him at all. From the Amoeba to the Titanosaurus (her) helpless. Any ‘other’ may not understand (huge dinosaur that could have weighed upto 100 how that individual apparently frail, uneducated, (tons), from the tiniest of lichens to the biggest helpless, is still holding on. Obviously everything Baobab tree (with trunks upto to 30 feet), the that humanly could help him (her) do so, either history of survival only speaks of resilience. Each is lost or does not exist – so how does it happen? of them is a story of resilience or the lack of it. Superhuman Resilience is the power of For any tree to survive, it needs to remain connectedness with Someone/Something beyond grounded, have the capacity of store enough the visible and the tangible – the Power of you, water to survive, and be stiff enough to withstand that one’s belief in the Divine Power provides raging winds and sand storms or be flexible and sustains him, with the sense of calm in enough to trick the same. For any animal to the midst of storm, the sense of unattachment survive, it must be able to brave the weather, in spite of the all the material losses; this in ensure its food supply and defend itself against fact is the true experience of oneself, of minus attacks. Resilience is the art of survival, to stay all the paraphernalia or wealth or wellbeing, standing, hold your ground and go ahead in spite companionship and social security. Ultimate of odds. People often describe this as courage, resilience, and the ability to stand up against all but courage is infact the stuff of resilience. Even odds – is the triumph of the human spirit, one when you are confronted with an enemy or a that cannot be simply described by the sum Agnel Ashram News 3 February 2021 total of elements of our intellectual, emotional will keep you safely tethered where you want to and social strengths – but rather beyond all those. belong! One of the most important challenges of the The power inside us, almost to unlimited parents and teachers today, in a fast fluid world proportions is directly linked to our connectedness is to provide the kids the anchor they need – the to the Divine, because that is the ultimate reality pivot where their life’s dreams and pursuits can of which we are an image – man’s (and woman’s) be duly anchored which at the same time will life journey is to grow more and more connected provide the kids the wings to fly and the wind with the ultimate reality and that requires the beneath their wings! This indeed can turn every highest level of Resilience – to be, live, enjoy and child’s dream into a reality, because it will allow grow – yet telescope to what you are called to be! your children and yourselves to be always on - Fr. Jose Alarico Carvalho the top, since you are anchored on a Pivot that There is no Joy Greater than the Joy of GIVING Kalpana Patel, U.K. Rebecca D’Souza, Kerala I am enclosing Sum of `.6,000 towards the I am enclosing a cheque for `.2,000 towards your orphan boys in your Balbhuvan. Kindly pray sponsorship scheme for the orphan boys in your for us. Balbhuvan. Kindly pray for us. Thank you. Rosy K. Nazareth, Bangalore Samta Pandya, Mumbai I enclose a cheque of `.5000 as my contribution I enclose a cheque of `.1,000 as my contribution towards the charitable works that you do, towards the charitable works that you do, especially taking care of orphan and destitute especially taking care of orphan and destitute children. Please pray for me and my family children. Please pray for me and my family. Phyllis D’Abreo, Mumbai C. P. Mathew, Kerala Enclosed is a cheque for `.3,000. Kindly use this Enclosed is a cheque of `.300 to be utilized amount for the maintenance and education of for the welfare of the poor children in your the orphans under your care. Please remember Ashram. Please pray for us. us in your prayers. 1. Donations to Society of St.Francis Xavier, Pilar, are exempted from Income Tax. 2. Please issue CHEQUE/Draft/M.O. in favour of “SOCIETY OF ST.FRANCIS XAVIER, PILAR” and send to the address below or through NEFT and email us details of donation to [email protected] For donation above `.2,000 it is mandatory to quote your PAN No. Agnel Ashram News 4 February 2021 Farmer’s Pitched Battle - Fr. Joseph Octavius De Souza he world has suddenly woken up to see mandis and sell it to traders. With this act the Tthe farmers protest on a scale it has never government wants to get rid of the mandi system seen before.