The local coordinators of the Ecological and Evangelisation sectors of the Mumbai Province had a Two-Day Seminar held at SJTC, Lonavla on ‘Evangelisation for Ecological Solidarity”. This began on 29th November 2019 evening and was concluded on the evening of 1st December 2019.
Sr. Santana, the Province Coordinator of both Teams put forth the question “Can we evangelize without Ecology”? It was an intriguing question and something worth reflecting on. Both are interlinked and inter-dependent. Healing and restoring the Earth is most essential, as the poor whom we pledge to serve are those who are truly affected. We are destroying God Himself when we destroy His marvellous Creation. “We are capable of the worst destruction and are capable of rising above ourselves choosing again what is good and making a new start…(L.Si # 205)
30th November was a remarkable day as we celebrated the Centenary of the Apostolic Letter S”Maximum Illud” (1919 – 2019) MI means ‘that great mission’. Sr. Antonita D’Souza enabled the Sisters “to rediscover the missionary nature of our faith” by attracting others to it by not turning the faith into “moralizing”, instead point out what it really is, namely, “a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” (MI).
The Holy Eucharist introduced by Sr. Celsa Magalhaes cited the key notions of MI, namely Pope Benedict XV called the Church to inculturate, respect the local people, their customs and way of life, to learn their language, to identify themselves with the people they evangelize and keep a distance from the colonial administrators..…proclaim the love of the Lord Jesus by holiness of one’s life and good works, which are the sole purpose of missionary activity.
Jeffery D’Souza SDB who presided over the Eucharist reiterating it highlighted the importance of carrying out the proclamation of the Gospel.
The inaugural ceremony saw all the coordinators in procession carrying the Holy Bible, the Document ‘Maximum Illud’, a globe, a lighted candle, seeds and plant symbolizing our mission of sowing the Word of God in the hearts of people by being true evangelizers. We were invited to defend life and walk humbly with our God on this beautiful planet feeling the pain of the poor and cry of the Earth in solidarity.
V.M. Jose SJ from Papal Seminary and professor at JDV Pune dealt on the Pre and Post understanding of ‘Evangelisation’, Evangelisation among Indigenous, Liturgy Cultic to Prophetic, Mission which begins in the Holy Trinity, Inculturation to make the Gospel relevant to our culture. The group discussion enabled us to reflect on the following four questions:
- How can you evangelize in your multi-religious and fundamentalist context?
- How do you understand salvation outside the Church and no salvation outside the Church?
- How can people be saved if they are not baptized (with reference to Mt 28:19 -20 andLk 4:16-21)?
- How can you contextualize the liturgy- mass, divine office, meditation according to your context – tribal areas?
Sr. Santana Pereira gave an overview of the crisis faced by Adivasis and Dalits in different parts of society – the most insignificant people whom Jesus cares for. The screening of the movie ‘Kadamban’ showcased the life of tribals and their efforts at preserving forest land risking their own lives. The centenary celebration had a grand finale with innovative games on the Mission organised by Sr. Judy Gaikwad, enabling us to enjoy ourselves.
The second day geared towards “Biblical Ecology” taken by Sr. Santana Pereira. The world is a family –Vaisudaiva Kutumbakkam – a Family of all forms of life. “We are just a strand in the web of life” Chief Seattle. God has created us humans to be like God (Gen 1:26) marvelling and caring for God’s creation. The two accounts of creation and the Covenant with creation emphasised God’s unbroken and the need for us to be sensitive in solidarity with every living being.
The Mid-Term Evaluation of the Action Plans of both Evangelisation and Ecology gave us a fresh impetus to do our best in the coming Term. The afternoon Session by Briston Britto SDB was based on ‘Catechesis – Planning and Implementation’. Catechesis calls for double faithfulness he said, first to God and the message God has given and second to the human person whom we need pass on the faith, whole and entire without dilution. Fr. Britto dwelt on Catechetical Trends, Children v/s Adult Catechesis, different teaching and learning styles and how to prepare the lesson plans. Hands-on experience in groups presented us the opportunity to plan and present it to the assembly. Enriched by the deep reflection and learning of these two days, the Sisters left joyfully ready to preach Christ in solidarity hearing the Crying of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor.