Prayin like it matters... cause it does.

28.9.8
248pm
So lets play some catch up...

After I got sick, I returned to Kutta for a few days.



(Fr's house)
And I left Kutta a few weeks ago, which I believe was 9.9.8,
as that was also the day of a Marian feast where we had mass
outside. And is the tradition of Indian Catholics, we
showered Mary with flowers.



(Flowers in the Church's Lourdes Grotto)

On my way back to Bangalore, I bumped into some friends in
Mysore from the hotel. I was hoping to buy dinner for my
friends, but instead I found out that any time I'm in
Mysore, I'll get a free room and meals.



(one of my friends... it's been so long I forgot his name...
but he was one of those that visited me in the hospital.)



(Karnataka state senate I think)

I arrived in Bangalore, early in the morning at 5:30ish (I
was originally expecting to arrive around six, but when I
was in Mysore, I discovered that the ride to Bangalore from
there was only 2 hours, so I had to sleep part of the night
in Mysore in a room provided by my friends, and then head
out in the morning.)



Ajit came and picked me up and brought me to his apartment
where I stayed until the 18th.

On one of my travels around Bangalore, Ajit took us to a
nice fish restaurant, that was actually run BY THE STATE!




(Yet again the person who I took a picture of, complained,
so I had to take another one of just him...)




The food was very good... and it was nice to have fish...
though I'm a bit scared of fish in a non-coastal city... but
apparently it takes only 6 hours to get here... still...


(my fish)


(and my fish curry)

I also learned that Indians are quite ironic... for example
take this...



The chicken and protesters were outside of KFC with signs
that said, "KFC stop torturing chickens." And all I could
think of was every chicken market in India, and I wondered
what they could possibly be considering more torturous than
that? So what if the chickens for KFC come from uber farms,
I still bet they're treated better than the basic Indian
chicken.



(a new mall)

I also got to go to one of the new malls... it was large,
and a bit disconcerting. India in just the last two years
has changed dramatically. For the first time, this year,
I've seen Indians with Digital cameras, I've seen prolific
amounts of cell phones, and I've seen the transformation of
the market from traditional bazaars to American style
superstores and grocery stores. It's nice, but it's also a
bit scary. It's nice, because I get the same price as an
Indian, it's scary because of the small shop owners that
will lose their jobs. But perhaps this is what's needed to
change the culture of India, from one where it's perfectly
okay to take advantage of another person for profit, to one
where taking advantage of another is considered taboo.




I got to see Ajit's Driver's license, which was a small
dilapidated booklet of paper... apparently each area has
different ways of making licenses, and there is no real
uniformity throughout India, or even in one state.

One of the nicest things about Ajit's house was being able
to buy and COOK my own food!



(my groceries)


(Click for a better view of the prices of things I bought on
my first trip out... it's amazing!)

It's amazing sometimes when you want to buy something, and
you look at the price and you're shocked... things that
would be dirt cheap in the US (a can of tuna) can be
amazingly more expensive ($3-4 a small can), and vice-versa.




(My first REAL breakfast in India! Cornflakes and bananas!)

Breakfast in India is perhaps the single most disappointing
meal you can have as a westerner... it's usually something
bland with something very spicy or something spicy with
something spicy or something salty or something else along
those lines.



(My first homemade lunch)

I never thought that I would once again rejoice over
Ramen... but trust me ramen and a nice chicken burger really
hits the spot sometimes.



(laundry)
It was also nice to be in one place where I could once again
do my own laundry... at Fr.'s place, I was not allowed...
his cook/maid did it for us. Which was nice, but also very
odd.



(an Electrical pole)
Do you think they could put more wires on it?



(a nice night shot.)

One of the things that Ajit is working on, with Sister Lisy,
is helping to organise the slum's needs assessment. Where Roshni will survey a part of the
population's health background, work, conditions, etc. and
then assess and ask what needs they want met. Under the
idea that if they don't want it, then it won't be a
self-sustainable program.



(a paper boat in the print shop made by the owner's niece)

We also visited Ajit's friend's coconut shop... yes. He
sells ONLY coconuts...



(chillin on the cocos)

And something that I discovered in Bangalore at Fritz's
house during my first short day visit was a custard apple...


(custard apple)

Which is an interesting and tasty fruit, though like apples
it causes my mouth to itch... it's interesting because you
open it up by tearing off the scales and then you come to
these hard black seeds that look like long polished rocks
and covered entirely by soft white flesh (the part you eat).



(inside view... bad lighting, sorry)

Eventually, I found a grocery store that sold frozen chicken
breasts and BASIL! so I bought a whole bunch for really
cheap (a large bag for something like 30 cents), bought some
tomatoes and bought some mozzarella... OH SUCH A GOOD TIME!
I offered some basil, tomato, mozz, olive oil and garlic
pasta to Ajit, which he took. Then he promptly took out the
basil, and added curry and potatoes to the whole mix!



(best dinner in India yet... steamed green beans, chicken
breast pan cooked with chili, garlic, S&P, and the pasta I
mentioned)

Bangalore is/was called the garden city of India... the
climate here is amazingly nice, and there are parks
everywhere... which due to the climate actually have
greenery.




one Sunday, Ajit convinced me to watch the Cricket fest out
in the nearby park...




And I was given a few hits between the Cricket games. First
time playing... and it's interesting, though much different
hitting style than baseball.



(learning to hit a cricket ball)


Cricket, if you don't know is the national sport of India,
but unlike the national sport of America (baseball), people
actually play it as the most popular sport.



(kids playing cricket)

After a few days of working with Sister, I had most of the
website completed (though it's
still in progress) and she said I could go to the
school, as there wasn't too much I could do
otherwise until later.

So Ajit and I went to talk with the school to see if I could
get my fees waived, and Fritz said, I could pay as much I as
could. So I'm still praying that God provides the full
amount (11,000rps and some recommended spending change of
3,000rps), but if He doesn't, then I'll know it's His will
that I make a prudential decision from my finances.

But interestingly, as we were leaving Ajit expressed to me
his interest in joining the school. You see, Ajit is a
seventh-day Adventist, and this is a Catholic school. But
he said that while he was waiting around, he really felt
like part of the family, and felt that his help was
appreciated by those who asked him to help with some
preparations. So I figured that we should talk to Fritz
that day, and let Fritz discern if Ajit should come... and
Fritz said yes! so Ajit and I left the next day from his
house to come to the school...



(My room in Ajit's apartment)


(the Kitchen)


(the living room)

This is from the first page of the newspaper the day that we
headed to the school...


(Anti-Christian violence spreading even more through my
region)

The violence has even spread to the city I'm in...
Bangalore... and it's crazy how many Eucharists and Churches
have been desecrated/damaged/destroyed by these extremists,
and how many people have been beaten, houses burned, and
people killed. And how many Americans know? How many
Europeans? I haven't seen it on CNN... And probably by now
at least 40,000 PEOPLE have been affected, at least 20,000
Christians were burned out of their homes... with numerous
deaths involved.



(my room)

But for me, God has arranged an interesting and unexpected
turn of events... coming to the retreat center to pray and
study.


(welcome gifts on my bed at the retreat center)



(the 2nd floor courtyard by American reckoning or the first
floor by European/Indian counts)

It has been a beautiful time so far of diving into prayer,
and refocusing my life on the Cross. As well as a great
time to meet new friends.



(group bonding)

One of the bonding activities was that we had to make two
outfits from newspaper and staples, in our groups...


(another group working)


(our group working)


(our group finished)


(three groups finished)


(the fourth and final group is finished)

And on the rooftop I have a nice view of a memory of New
York... the Empire State building... well not really, but it
looks very similar... though MUCH shorter and much more
cheaply designed.



(The whole group on our official school opening night, which
occurred after two days of bonding.)



(Some ants that when they see you coming prepare to
attack... they're a bit funny and scary...)


(An interesting example of Indian English on a sign... "Ask
for your BILL, else consider its FREE" I guess I'll just
not ask...)


(Another example of my fascination with dilapidation...)

And I'm done. :-)

Blessings and praise,
Edward

The dangers of radical Hinduism and Evangelicalism

Yet again violence has broken out against Christians in India.

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=469377&sid=NAT

This time, it's a bit closer to where I am... it's in the same state, though the closest incident was at minimum a few hours away by bus.

This brings me to a a topic that I've mulled around a lot, The dangers of radical Hinduism and Evangelicalism. Basically the dangers are rooted in lack of wisdom on behalf of the Evangelicals, and lack of peace on behalf of the Hindus. (Please keep in mind, that I'm speaking of extremists). The evangelicals are proselytizing in manners that are highly offensive to Hindus (and others). The Hindu extremists in return are beating up or killing people, ransacking and burning churches and houses, and generally not being very nice.

Now the funny thing is this: Evangelicals generally have at least a partially negative view of the Catholic Church, and don't believe that it's The Church that Christ founded. But which church gets the majority of violence aimed at, regardless of the fact that it's not proselytizing? And which church is synonymous with Christian to almost every non-Christian? Yup that's right the answer to both is the Catholic Church.

The most recent violence is claimed to have been targeted to the particular splinter church responsible for the actions that the Hindus found offensive. Though I tend to doubt that claim.

Over 12 churches were attacked in my state... at least 20 people were killed in Orissa and 20,000+ are now homeless there... And though I haven't seen it in the news, I'm told there is anti-Christian violence in the north part of my state that is active.

Biblical reflections

702pm 14.9.8
Biblical reflections
So I'm re-reading the New Testament from front to back, and discovering many things I've never noticed before. Here are three examples of things I've found powerful, one from the story of the prodigal son, one about divisions, and one about swords and cloaks.

The Prodigal Son. Lk 15:11-32

First, my bible doesn't call it the story of the prodigal son, but the story of the Merciful Father. Which I actually find more appropriate.

You know the story; two sons, one father. One son says hey daddy, give me my inheritance. Dad says, okay I’ll give you what you ask. (And if anyone is a parent or responsible for another person, they know what kind of knowledge the father had and the discernment the father went through… “My wild child wants the money that would be his if I were dead… this can only end in disaster. But I love him, and he’s an adult so I have to trust God to take care of him.”) So the son goes off and parties, fornicating, drinking and indulging in gluttony. The son then wastes his inheritance, and realizes how horrible his life is without his father’s wisdom and protection. So he returns groveling as an unworthy slave. But the father, who has been watching and waiting for the Lord to put his son in his right mind, sees his son far off, runs to him, KISSES and HUGS him as his beloved son, IGNORES his son’s attempts to beg forgiveness and mercy, ORDERS his son to be given beautiful clothes and a ring (signifying sonship and a RENEWED share of the inheritance, as rings were wealth, and used to seal important documents and identify people/families). Then he orders a HUGE party, the likes of which hadn’t been seen.


And up to this point, is the most common understanding of the story. And rightly so, as this is the most immediate lesson we need to learn. God is abundant and OVERWHELMING in his love, which anticipates repentance (the father ran and kissed and hugged BEFORE the son repented) and is so BEYOND mercy that the son must have been overwhelmed by the gifts his father gave immediately after the son’s repentance. From this story, we learn that God is waiting for our very first decision to turn back to Him, at which point he doesn’t wait until we’re good or holy, he RUNS to us.

Now comes the second level that is revealed to us in our faith lives. And the second lesson that we typically learn.

Now the other son, who was WORKING in the field (for the father) is returning home. As he returns, he hears the party and calls a servant over to him, and asks him what is going on. (Note that the father didn’t see fit to tell the “good son” about the party). The servant tells him about the brother returning and the extravagant party. Then the son REFUSES to enter HIS FATHER’S house. The father comes out, and begs his son to come in, but the son feels shafted and tells his father “you throw a party for the WILD CHILD who wasted your money on parties and whores, disrespected you, me and our family name but you never let me throw a party, even tough I’ve been a good son and done everything as you asked.” The father in reply says “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again, he was lost and has been found.” (LK 15:31-32)

(Bitter gourd... a local vegetable)
Now from this, we learn about mercy. We learn that when we are good sons, we too need to be merciful as the father is merciful, and we too need to rejoice at the return of one who was lost. We have been given the reward we are promised, and we should be joyous when another receives their reward. And not be like the grumbling good son, who was dissatisfied with the mercy of his father. We may feel taken for granted, but why should we not accept the great gifts we have been promised? Our selfishness leads us to believe that we deserve more glory if we are good longer than someone else. We become like Pharisees who do good out of selfishness and the perceived promise of reward. Instead of realizing that our reward comes from God’s gratuitous love and is not in proportion to our works but from God’s love of us and our love of God (which naturally leads to good works).

And this is pretty much the extent of what I’ve meditated on this story until the other day, when lightening struck. Notice the second to last thing the father says to the son: “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.” It struck me that the FATHER did not take the SON for granted; the SON took the FATHER and his gifts for granted. The father says “everything I have is yours” if that is the case, then why did the son never take advantage of the gifts he was given, and throw a party? The fatted calf was as much his as it was his fathers, by his father’s words we know this! The good son could have, in fact, THROWN MANY PARTIES. And why should the son NOT rejoice with his own property? If the son had previously ASKED his father if he could throw a party, the father would have told him YES! “everything I have is yours”! But the son took for granted that his father was demanding, and that the father would not permit it. Not realizing that the father had already given him everything he could have asked for, all he had to do was ASK!

(Cow)
How many times in my life do I live a life surrounded by the blessings of God, but I fail to ASK to receive them? That I fail to recall that God loves me and wishes me to rejoice with him? I firmly believe that after the father would have granted the good son the party, had he asked for it, the father then would have given the son something that the bad son was not ready for yet. The father would have said to the good son, “you have asked for me to slaughter the fatted calf, and I do so willingly because all that I own I give to you, but let me give you something else that I have and that I want to be yours… let me teach you wisdom. Let me teach you how to use this fatted calf to bring home my lost son, let me teach you how to treat your brother when he comes back so that he will remain with us and he too will rejoice in my presence. Let us fatten this calf even more, and wait for the day when you brother returns, let us pray and do all we can so that when he returns, he will be overwhelmed with love and our gifts. Let us work for his salvation.” If the son had asked for a party, the father would have given him something more, lessons on wisdom, love, mercy and joy. How much would that son have rejoiced, when his brother returned! How joyous would that family have been! How much more love would the other son have felt; had both his father and brother ran to meet him with open arms!

I’ll post the other two reflections later… this one was a bit lengthy. :-)

(Coconuts)