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Interview The strength of the African continent and African people varies from place to place. However, in general the African continent is blessed with lots of natural and human resources. People are deeply religious and resilient even in the face of formidable challenges. This is a continent of hope; it has been written off several times and given up for dead. It is clear that there is economic growth in many of our countries and Africans are alive and vibrant! Those are our basic strengths. What are its biggest challenges at present? The biggest challenge for the Society in Africa is the formation of Ours because of the large number of our young men. We need extra resources in order to ensure a good formation for our scholastics and brothers. In the African world at large the biggest challenge is poverty which is caused by greed and corruption of the leaders. This is why the Provincials of Africa and Madagascar have chosen as their second apostolic frontier the promotion of good governance and work against corruption. Do the youth in Africa offer any hope for the future? Sure! It is interesting to note that the third apostolic frontier that we chose in our Conference specifically targets the youth. More than 50% of the African population is under the age of 25. In Africa about 158 million people are Catholics and therefore about 80 million are young Catholics and are the future of the Continent.When you have such dynamic young people there is always hope for the continent and for the Society of Jesus as well. We have lots of dynamic and talented young people who are joining the Society. Do you think unemployment will make Islamic youth fall a prey to terrorism? Unemployment is a global phenomenon, though it varies in degrees depending on geographical locations. Unemployment therefore is a scourge of all faiths in Africa. Personally, I think fundamentalism has more to do with terrorist activities than unemployment. Moreover, 45% of the African population is Muslim, so some 250 million are under 25. A very small proportion of this number will be involved in terrorism or even think of it. Some of the biggest problems of Africa seem to be inter-tribal conflicts, autocratic rulers and widespread corruption. Can anything be done to address these? Africa is a continent and not all countries have the same problems. Some countries have inter-tribal conflicts, some have inter-religious conflicts and some have political problems. Autocratic rulers are more and more defeated by the people’s exercise of democratic power. Corruption which takes various forms and shapes is everywhere as in other parts of the world. Can anything be done? Yes, that is why we are there to do something for the people; to promote justice, peace and good governance. We are thinking of investing more in higher education, especially in the areas of management and leadership in order to promote good governance and accountability. What exactly is the nature of help offered by JCSA to JESAM now? Can anything more be done? When we talk of collaboration, we understand it is ‘give and take’ collaboration; it is a mutual support rather than a one way traffic. When our students come to study in India and live in the communities with Indian scholastics and brothers, a lot of formation is taking place through ‘give and take’. The spirit of universality of the Society in imparted to both groups. Personally I would also like to see more JCSA scholastics studying in our houses of formation. There have been a good number of Jesuits from JCSA working in Africa but we have almost none who come to study in our houses of formation. We are very grateful that JCSA provinces support the room and board for our scholastics and brothers who are studying in India. Moreover, JESAM and JCSA have started a common fund that takes care of the medical expenses of Jesuits from Africa who come to India for medical treatment. This is very useful for us in Africa where sometimes the more sophisticated medical procedures are not available and if they are available they tend to be very expensive. Yes, more can be done; we are Jesuits, we always seek the magis. When we meet in Goa, this issue may come up for discussion. What are your plans for training of African Scholastics and Brothers in India? The plan is to continue to train some of our African scholastics and brothers in India. The experience so far is good. Education in India is more affordable, reliable and can respond more to our situation in Africa. The Society of Jesus in India would need to adjust to the needs of African Jesuits, just as the latter would need to adjust to Jesuit life in India – it’s a give and take. Moreover, as it is important for the Provincials of Africa to know the Provinces of South Asia, I encourage the Provincials of South Asia to come to know Africa. Do you think that African Scholastics and Brothers will be better trained in India than in America and Europe? Such comparisons are difficult to make. It is like comparing apples and oranges; the contexts and methodologies are different. America or Europe offers a particular type of formation for our people and we will continue sending some of our Jesuits to America and Europe. However, the cost is exorbitant for us. In India apart from academics there is a lot to learn such as simplicity and flexibility, not to mention the ability to live in harmony with different cultures, religions and situations. Our scholastics and brothers learn much from a different culture as well as the ability to manage with the minimum. Is there a possibility that our scholastics can do regency in Africa and yours in India? We have been receiving scholastics from India who have done regency in Africa. The experience has been good. We are inviting them and we are ready to welcome them for regency and vice-versa. The Society is universal, I would not rule out African scholastics coming to do regency in India. The problem in India is the question of visas for such activities. Is Jivan known in Africa? Do Jesuit communities in Africa get Jivan? What is your message to the readers of Jivan? Jivan is known all over the Jesuit world. It is a good magazine which brings the views and works of JCSA to the entire Jesuit world. You will find Jivan in many communities in Africa, especially in the community rooms and reading tables. My message to Jivan readers is: let us strengthen our collaboration as Jesuits called to the universal Society, through solidarity, collaboration and mutuality; there is a demographic shift in the Society and, therefore, the southern hemisphere must be ready to take up the challenges of leadership and direction of the universal Society in the future. • JIVAN: News and Views of Jesuits in India NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 22
Christmas Special By Kathleen M. Carroll Christmas Light in Winter’s Darkness The story of his birth: We all know the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. In Scripture, each Gospel writer tells the story a little differently. Matthew begins his Gospel with “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...” before setting down his telling of the Nativity story. Luke gives the most detailed and comprehensive account of the birth of Jesus, with great emphasis on the Marian aspect of the story. Mark and John both begin with Jesus’ encounter with John the Baptist, skipping over the story of Jesus’ life prior to the events that led to his public ministry. For most of us, however, the Gospel stories, our traditions and even a few elements contributed by pious and not-so-pious authors have merged into one big story about the birth of Jesus. We know that Jesus was conceived by the Virgin Mary and born in Bethlehem in the humblest of surroundings. We know that wise men from the East followed a star to honor the newborn king, that Joseph had dreams that helped him protect the child and his mother. Our songs and traditions incorporate some or all of these elements into our celebrations and occasionally embellish a detail or invent new stories altogether. “The Little Drummer Boy,” for example, will not be peeking at you from the pages of any Bible. Christmas wasn’t quite “Christmas” that first year, though. It was simply Jesus’ birthday. While his mother and earthly father and a few foreign gentlemen had an idea that this was no ordinary child, most people were not attaching the word “Christ” to him just yet. So while Jesus was growing up, he and his family didn’t celebrate Christmas. Their family life centered on the holy days of the Jewish faith they all embraced. This is evident in the stories about the presentation in the Temple (remember Simeon and Anna?) and in the finding in the Temple (after Jesus’ three-day disappearance). We can’t say with certainty that Mary and Joseph didn’t celebrate Jesus’ birth day, but the word ‘birthday’ appears just once in the Bible (Gen 40:20), to refer to the pharaoh’s birthday. When did the celebration we call Christmas really start? About 300 years after the birth of Jesus. The Early Church: In its infancy, Christianity was not a popular religion. Believers met secretly to share the Scriptures, celebrate the Eucharist and encourage one another in the faith. Once Christianity was seen as its own religion and not simply one branch of Judaism (as the Romans first understood it), it lost the special privilege the Empire had long granted to Jews - to worship their one God to the exclusion of all others.Even to the exclusion of the Roman gods. Even to the exclusion of the emperor himself. Although sacrificing to pagan gods and worshiping the emperor were no more palatable to the early Christians than to their Jewish neighbors, they were not exempt from the law. The persecutions of the first centuries of the faith stem from this basic incompatibility. Failure to worship the emperor was treason, and the punishment for treason was death - often a spectacular and gruesome death. Some of the early martyrs were thrown to the lions; some were crucified. One of the goriest tales we have comes from the Roman historian Tacitus. He relates that Nero had Christians rounded up, covered in tar and slowly burned alive to provide light and ambience for his lavish garden parties. People who knew these martyrs were stunned by the horror of the persecutions, but even more impressed that people would sooner succumb to such a dreadful and certain fate than deny their faith in Jesus. Rather than having the deterrent effect the Romans had hoped for, the persecutions actually helped to spread the faith. Church Father Tertullian famously described this phenomenon by saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Memorials were set up in honor of these certain saints, and believers would gather on the anniversary of their deaths (which were thought of as their “births” into eternal life) to celebrate the Eucharist. JIVAN: News and Views of Jesuits in India NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 23
Page 2 and 3: By James Torrens, SJ Garden Urgency
Page 4 and 5: Cover Feature By Mathew J. Moolel,
Page 6 and 7: Cover Feature ‘The Son of Man’
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Page 10 and 11: Jesuits - Assistancy SAPI National
Page 12 and 13: Jesuits - Assistancy PCFs meet in P
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Page 18 and 19: Mosaic Stories to tell In October 1
Page 20 and 21: Wellness emotions and thoughts; min
Page 24 and 25: Christmas Special Once Christianity
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Page 28 and 29: Obituaries Desiderio pinto, SJ (PUN
Page 30: By C. Amalraj, SJ Lessons 10 Lesson

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