Option B ,Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl has written this book to let the world know how she has survived her intense grief after the passing away of her husband David Sandburg.
According to the advice given by her counselor, her Option A of getting her husband back  is impossible.She has to look for option B , for a new life.
She speaks of the platinum rule in times of suffering : "Treat others as they wanted to be treated."
When we look for joy, we often focus on the big moments of life as graduation, getting married , getting a job etc.But she points out that "happiness is the frequency of positive experiences, not the intensity of an expereince in our life . 'Rather than waiting until we are happy to enjoy the small things, we should go and do the small things that make us happy."
"Paying attention to moments of joy takes effort because we are wired to focus on the negatives more than the positives.Bad events tend to have a stronger effect on us than good events.

Pope's new Motu Proprio: Magnum Principium

Pope Francis issued a new Motu Proprio on Sept.10,17, revising the rules for liturgical translations.The earlier guide after the Vatican Council was "Comme Le Prevoit(1969) which put emphasis on "dynamic equivalence" and not on literal translation.
The instruction issued in 2010"Liturgiam Authenticam" emphasized literal translation of the Latin texts.
In the new Motu Proprio, Pope changed Canon 838 by giving the Episcopal conferences to make adaptations with the approval of the Congregation for Worship." It is for the Apostolic See to order the the sacred liturgy of the Universal Church, publish liturgical books , recognize adaptations approved by conferences of Bishops..."

How Will You measure Your Life? Real Test of Humility

The author of this article is Clayton M.Christensen  who is a Professor at Harvard Business School.This is a very thought -provoking essay where he reminds the students that their success in life is not to be measured by their wealth or power but by the opportunity they have provided  others to grow and develop.
"What provides happiness in our careers is not money; it is the opportunity to learn , grow in responsibilities, contribute to others, and be recognized for achievements."
"More and more MBA students come to school thinking that a career in business means buying,selling, and investing in companies.That is unfortunate.Doing deals does not yield the deep rewards that come from building up people."
Many felt unhappy in their lives after years of work in their companies.That is because,"they did not keep the purpose of their lives front and center as they decided how to spend their time, talents and energy."
"My purpose grew out of my religious faith."Intimate and loving relationships with their families are the most powerful and enduring source of happiness."
Creating a culture---
Power tools are coercion, threats, punishment etc.
Instead of that, we have to create a culture...
"Families have cultures, just as companies do.Those cultures can be built consciously or evolve inadvertently."
The need to stick to one's principles and values in life:
"You have got to define for yourself what you stand for and draw the line in a safe place."
Teaching a class on humility at Harvard college;
According to the students, humble people"had a high level of self-esteem.They knew who they were, and they felt good about who they were.We also decided that humility was defined not by self-deprecating behavior or attitudes but by the esteem with which you regard others. Good behavior flows naturally from that kind of humility."
When we see people acting in an abusive, arrogant or demeaning manner toward others, their behavior is a symptom of their lack of self-esteem."
I have concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life is not dollars but the individual people whose lives I have touched."
Don't worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved:worry about the individuals you have helped become better people...think about the metric by which your life will be judged, and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end,your life will be judged a success."

Birthday Celebrations,Fr.M.C.Joseph

(The picture below was taken ten years ago when on one of my vacations I went to see Fr.M.C.Joseph, my former teacher at Leo XIII High School who was staying at the Old Age Home at Kidnagara.)

The family had a get-together for lunch yesterday.It was a small gathering but it went OK.After the lunch, I came back to Mount St.Thomas.It was tea-time here and the Cardinal introduced me to the bishops and they all sang together " Happy Birthday."

Fr.M.C.Joseph is an unforgettable teacher who was always interested in encouraging the talents and educational aspirations of his students.He was my English teacher at H.S. He conducted spiritual exercises for the students at the School.I remember him coming for my ordination  with his broken arm in sling.I cannot forget my meeting with him after my ordination. I realized the great love he held for me. He used to come to the college office when I was the Principal. How happy I was  in seeing him coming  to the office and spending time with me!He might have felt really proud in seeing his student as the principal of the college.Meeting him at the Old Age home at Kidangara was a great joy for me. At that time, I had already retired from the college and was working in the U.S.

God bless him.

Golden Jubilee Celebration Inauguration by the Cardinal

Roots and Wings

Release of the book,"Classics of Spirituality"

My new book "Classics of Spirituality" was released by the Cardinal by giving a copy of the book to Archbishop Francis Kallarakal.
The book is a collection of the talks that I give on Thomas Merton,Herni Nouwen, St.Augustine etc.In the introduction,I offered my reflections on spirituality as well as my reminiscences about some priests

who have touched me deeply.