|
CKG/XV/10/2024 Sadbhavana, Bengaluru
Circular, Karnataka-Goa Province
28 March 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Carmel,
We are entering the Easter Triduum today with the celebration of Holy
Thursday. Jesus, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the
end. Knowing that He came from the Father and was going to the Father, keen that
those who loved Him might have a memorial of Him, invented not merely a static
photograph, not merely a moving video, not merely a passing live television
show, but a double perpetually moving memorial: the Priesthood and the
Eucharist. They are closely and intimately connected to each other. In the words
of Pope (St) John Paul II: “There can be no Eucharist without the Priesthood,
just as there can be no Priesthood without the Eucharist” (cf. Gift and Mystery,
On the fiftieth anniversary of my Priestly Ordination, New York, 1996, pp
77-78).
Dear Fathers, filled with holy joy that we have been called to share in the
priesthood of Christ, let us first of all thank the Lord for giving us the gift
of the priesthood. Let us ask the Lord to make us instruments of His infinite
mercy towards the world. Let us constantly recall the injunction: “Be holy.” We
should be other Christs. As Christ gave Himself for us, we are invited to give
ourselves for our Brothers and Sisters.
During these days, as we are meditating on the passion and death of Our Lord, a
scene from the Passion of the Christ comes to my mind: Our Lady on hands and
knees, inching forward over the stones of the courtyard of the scourging,
applying a cloth to soak up her Son’s Blood, pooled in hollows and crevices.
That Precious Blood — a single drop of which, cried St Thomas Aquinas in his
hymn Adoro te devote, would have sufficed to save the entire world from every
evil.
O
Loving Pelican, Lord Jesus,
Cleanse me, a sinner, with your blood,
One drop of which can save the whole world
From every sin.
But He poured out all his blood for
us. He did not hold anything back. At the Eucharist, we feed on His Body and His
Blood.
In this background, I would like to remind you of a very particular and special
form of self-donation that has been mentioned in our recent Provincial Chapter,
namely, organ donation. It may be insignificant compared to the self-donation of
martyrdom or religious consecration. However, there are persons for whom organ
donation may involve real sacrifice. All I can say is that our Province
encourages organ donation as a form of charity towards needy people. Please
refer to the attachment for relevant information. Let us also not forget that
donating blood whenever it is possible, can save lives.
Yesterday, our pioneering missionary, Fr Walter Lobo was called to his eternal
reward. He laboured for 17 years in Tanzania and till now people especially in
Irambo, Igoma and Uyole (Archdiocese of Mbeya) fondly refer to him as “Water
Lobo,” for executing giant irrigation projects that brought relief to the
parched villages. Last December he completed 51 years of his priesthood and how
eventful they have all been! He has left a blazing trail for us to follow. I
invite you to Mangaluru on Monday, 1st April 2024, when we lay him to rest and
pray fervently for his soul. May he be blessed with the fullness of everlasting
life and joy, obtained by Jesus through His death and resurrection.
Wishing you all the blessings and graces of these Sacred Days, I remain,
Your Brother in Carmel,
Fr Silvestre D’Souza OCD
Provincial Superior
^TOP |
