DON BOSCO'S MADONNA Mumbai MARCH 2018 vol.19 No. 11 FAST FACTS ON FASTING esus said, “Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose your reward from your CONTENTS FatherJ in heaven. And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will From The Editor's Desk: admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward Fast Facts On Fasting.............3 they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will suspect you are fasting, except your Father, The Ego Hears But Love Listens who knows what you do in secret. And your Father, who knows all Ian Pinto...................................4 secrets, will reward you.” (Matt. 6:1, 16-18, New Living Translation) Youth on the Move: A Cold And Fasting, one of three spiritual disciplines commended by Jesus in Ideological Faith his Sermon on the Mount (almsgiving, prayer and fasting) may be - Giuliano Palizzi....................8 the least understood and practiced spiritual discipline. Perhaps a better understanding of this particular spiritual discipline will Salesian Saint: Attilio Giordani 1913 - 1972..................................10 encourage you to consider its practice as a Lenten spiritual discipline or habit. Vocation Story: Cl. Nelson Mudaliar...12 What is the motivation for fasting? Motivation is an issue Jesus addresses in Matthew 6 about almsgiving (giving to the poor), Witnesses In And For Our Times: prayer, and fasting. For Jesus, the motivation issue focused on St. Matilda of Germany.............13 seeking attention and recognition from other people instead of seeking a deeper relationship with the Father. A wrong motivation Lectio Divina: The Seed That Dies to for fasting in our modern world might be “a slimmer trimmer you.” Give Lfe - Ian Pinto................16 Father, Yes, fasting may lead to weight loss, but the primary motivation for fasting, or any other spiritual discipline, is a more significant Quietspaces: How We Are Changed as your Son was relationship with the Lord. - Pope Francis...........................18 raised on the Cross, How can fasting enrich and strengthen my relationship with the Stairway to Nowhere his mother Mary stood Lord? So much of our social time is lived around food; we’re always - Fr. Ian Doulton's Collection...20 taking someone out to dinner or lunch or a coffee and there’s no by him, sharing shortage of places to ‘hang out’: look at the many eateries around Don Bosco and His People:The Virtues his sufferings. our city and more are springing up everyday to cater to every palate of His People - Natale Cerrato....24 – grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants. With food so May your Church readily available we can take for granted the gift of food and God’s Reflecting on Mary:The Lord is With You be united with Christ providence. But fasting in Lent – or any other time – might make us - Gianni Sangalli......................27 cherish God’s generosity much more. in his suffering and death The hunger pangs we experience in fasting one meal a day can be NewsBits.....................................29 and so a tangible reminder of those who experience hunger constantly and In a Cheerful Mood......................31 come to share who fast because they have no other option. The Devotion of If fasting enhances our vertical relationship with the Father it can the Three Hail Marys.............33 in his rising also enrich our horizontal relationship with our neighbour. When Loving Children to their to new life. your stomach starts rumbling don’t run to the fridge or to your wallet Loving Mother........................34 to go and order a takeaway; rather see if you can find some way to They Are Grateful to feed a hungry person. The spiritual disciplines of almsgiving, prayer, Our Lady & Don Bosco..........34 (From the Opening Prayer of and fasting can become a three dimensional, tangible way to live Thanks to Dear Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows) St. Dominic Savio...................35 Jesus’ command to love God and neighbour. Fr. Ian Doulton sdb March 2018 2 Don Bosco’s Madonna March 2018 3 Don Bosco’s Madonna HEARING AND LISTENING caring between people. FAMILY ISSUES Livestrong.com published a crisp article that lucidly distin- You can hear someone speak THE EGO HEARS BUT LOVE LISTENS guishes between hearing and without listening to the words. by Ian Pinto, sdb listening. It succinctly brings out Hearing defines only the physi- wo old acquaintances who you hear people saying to one the features of hearing and lis- cal measurement of the sound Thadn’t seen each other for another, “Just hear me out!” tening and helps clarify the two waves that are transmitted to the years, were walking down the Everybody likes to be heard but concepts. When a person respon- ear and into the brain where they street together, reminiscing old not everybody is willing to listen. ds to your words by saying “I are processed into audible infor- times. This is a sad situation that we are hear you,” you may sometimes mation. Hearing occurs with or “Just a minute,” said one, “I facing today. We don’t have time wonder if he is truly listening to without your consent. When you think I hear something,” and to talk and listen to one another, you. Perhaps you find your mind merely hear someone’s words turning a loose paving stone and then we find ourselves won- wandering off when someone is but are not listening to what’s over, he liberated a cricket which dering why our relationships sharing her thoughts with you. being said, it can lead to misun- was chirping merrily away. aren’t working out. While this is Hearing and listening have quite derstandings, missed opportun- “Why, that’s astounding. Of all true of all relationships it is different meanings: Hearing is a ities, regrets and resentment. the people on the street at this specially so for families. passive occurrence that requires hour, hurrying from work, you no effort. Listening, on the other Listening goes far beyond your alone heard the cricket above all Listening takes time, and in our hand, is a conscious choice that natural hearing process. It the traffic noises.” rushed world we feel we haven’t demands your attention and means paying attention to the “My friend,” said the first. “I got that sort of time. When one concentration. words that are being spoken with the intention of understan- learned a long time ago that peo- person approaches another and ple hear in life only what they Everyone wants to be heard ding the other person. Your per- want to hear. Now, the noise of says or indicates, “I’ve some- and understood, but at one time sonal perceptions and prejudices traffic has neither increased nor thing I want to talk about”, the or another most people don’t lis- can affect the quality of your decreased in the past few mom- listener isn’t going to do much ten and fail to understand the listening skills. For example, if ents, but watch.” And as he fin- good if she says “Well, hurry up, meaning of another person’s you feel that the other person is ished speaking he let a silver half because I have washing to do words. It’s a human desire to crying over what you perceive to dollar fall from his pocket to the and the beds to make.” Yet, this have your feelings acknowledg- be trivial matters, you are less li- sidewalk. Everyone within an is just the sort of reply many ed, whether or not someone ag- kely to listen to her. This is a amazingly large hearing distance parents give their children when rees with you. Listening creates strong tendency especially when stopped and looked around. the child badly wants the com- an intimate connection and dealing with children. What fort of an understanding listener. makes you feel cared about. may seem like a big problem for Each of us has been blessed the child may in fact be some- with two ears which enable us to Perhaps he came home early Developing good communica- thing small and insignificant but connect with the world around from school because the other tion skills is critical for successful it is imperative that a parent or us through sound. You would boys wouldn’t play with him, and relationships, whether parent, elder takes the trouble to listen think that hearing comes natu- his mother says, “Well, don’t child, spouse, or sibling relation- to the child and give her/him an rally to us. It does to some extent. mind them. Go out and play with ship. We all have had experien- impression that she/he is heard However like in the story, many Joe.” Within him, the little lad’s ces where we have felt heard and and that her/his problem is ac- of us reduce our capacity for he- heart is crying out “But they understood and we’ve all had knowledged. Even though this aring. We adopt an attitude don’t want me. Why do none of experiences where we have felt may seem unimportant and tedi- called selective listening, where- them ever want me?” But his misunderstood and even ignor- ous, it is important to the child in we hear only what we want to mother has gone out of the room ed. Generally, when we feel he- and hence must be taken serious- hear and become deaf to things at this stage. She is too busy to ard, we are less angry, stressed, ly.