Verghese V Joseph – As the world’s largest democracy pars for the course of its second phase of the world’s biggest election, the stakes have never been higher for India’s religious minorities, particularly its peaceful Christian community. Almost one billion people will vote in the seven-phase 2024 general elections that began on April 19 and conclude on June 1. What is worrisome is the low turnout. Around 51.3 percent of voters across 13 states and union territories had cast their votes by 3 pm in the second phase of the Lok Sabha (Lower House) elections on Friday, mirroring the participatio ..read more

Fr Arockia Rayappan – Vatican II was a time of new hope and real renewal for Catholics throughout the world. Because of the academic resources and favourable political circumstances at the conciliar time, two Asian countries i.e., India and the Philippines, made significant contributions to the Council’s liturgical reform. The altars were turned around. The priests faced the newly recognized people of God — that is, the entire community of Catholic believers (https://www.npr.org/2012/10/11/162594956/vatican-ii-a-half-century-later-a-mixed-legacy) in the Latin Rite. The Church has been recepti ..read more

Thamwar Monsang csc – Readings: Acts 13: 44 – 52; Jn 14: 7 – 14 Family tradition plays a vital role in our words and deeds. What we have inherited reflects in all our undertakings, and that inheritance becomes a part and parcel of our lives, when influenced by a positive lifestyle. We become constructive in our thoughts, words, and deeds. This influence is a natural and gradual one. One can realize this by being aware of his or her life, as does Jesus in today’s gospel. Jesus knows the Father, who is in heaven. He is also aware of his life on earth and his mission of glorifying the Father thro ..read more

Thamajoy Reang csc – Readings: Acts 13: 26 – 33; Jn 14: 1 – 6 The first reading speaks about the reassurance and reaffirmation of fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham and his sons by raising Jesus. Through the first reading, the disciples remind us that Jesus is the promised word and fulfiller of that word. Today, we are given the word of salvation by reaffirming the event of resurrection. And in the Gospel, we hear about the oneness of the Father and the Son. Jesus invites us to believe in him and promises to return to take us to his prepared place in the Father’s house. Jesus also gives us an ..read more

Fr Arockia Rayappan – The Second Vatican Council promised of a church: internally renewed and externally engaged with the world; in which the laity would share equal responsibility with the clergy for advancing God’s reign; in which Catholics would feel compelled to join other Christians and members of other religious traditions or no religion in effectively addressing the joys, hopes, and anxieties of the world’s peoples, especially the poor and the marginalized. In short, it was the promise of a church that would be a sign and an effective instrument of union with God and unity among all pe ..read more

Verghese V Joseph – On the eve of Lok Sabha elections in the southern state of Kerala, the visit of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to the Syro-Malabar Church headquarters on Wednesday has sparked political speculation. The LG met with Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, a traditional Syro-Malabar Catholic from Thrissur, where BJP candidate Suresh Gopi is contesting. Saxena also reached out to Major Archbishop Emeritus George Alencherry at St. George Forane Church in Aruvithura, evangelist leader Tangu Brother in Kottayam, Chief Metropolitan of Syriac Knanaya Archdiocese Severios Ku ..read more

Thomas Lima csc – Readings: 1 Pt 5:5-14; Mk 16:15-20 Today’s first reading invites us to clothe ourselves with humility. Because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” This is a quotation from Proverbs 3:34. When we lack humility, God stands against us. God is not with the proud. Now, everyone thinks they are humble. But our actions reflect whether we truly are humble. Today’s gospel assures everyone that Christ has what a person needs for salvation. Jesus is the way; to follow Him, a person should believe and be baptized. But to fear no evil and truly follow the Lord, there ne ..read more

Fr Arockia Rayappan – A special thanks to R. Pravin Jose, SJ, for collating this article in which six religious sisters from Vidyajyoti College of Theology (Delhi) respond to Pope Francis’ invitation to invest the resources to study, reflect, and meditate on the pastoral guidelines and theological highlights resplendent in the four constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. The contributors belong to the following Religious Institutes: Sisters of the Announcers of the Lord (SAL); Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN); Sisters of the Holy Cross Menzingen (HCM); Missionary Sisters of the Immac ..read more

By Lavoisier Fernandes – The summer months in India, with its hot scorching heat, can be a source of discomfort, raging with high temperature related emotions, while the delights of a variety of seasonal fruits can be a counter, a source of comfort and respite with an ever-increasing longing for the soon-to-come monsoon season. However, in India, especially for the tiny 2.3% Christian community, the summer of 2024 has an additional kind of discomfort, with genuine electoral emotions running high, precisely for the right reasons and with every increasing sense of skepticism hoping for some resp ..read more

By Isaac Gomes – Kolkota: In a time when intolerance is on the rise and divisiveness is being fostered among different religions and cultures, the Catholic Teachers Guild (CTG) of the Archdiocese of Calcutta is advocating for a single-minded pursuit of excellence by Catholic youth in their chosen professional fields. This approach, they believe, will help transcend polarisation and divisions with love and empathy. On April 20, 2024, Joseph Chacko, Senior Teacher of St James’ School Kolkata and President of CTG, welcomed around 700 Catholic students from classes 9 to 12 to a Career Guidance Wor ..read more