"No
duty is more urgent than that of returning of thanks "
says St. Ambrose. So we have gathered here with hearts full
of peace and joy, as the risen Lord is in us. On behalf of all
my friends who attended the Inner Freedom Retreat , I wish to
express a few words of appreciation and thanks for what you
have been to us during these days of grace and love.
Dear
Father, your commitment is highly qualitative. What you said
impressed us; because of what you are. You are a worthy disciple
of Christ, in whom are combined in a generous way, a deep spiritual
life, wide knowledge of men and matters. A rare combination
these days! May your tribe increase.
Retreats
sometimes are like a dentist's chair- a melancholy object and
a bug-bear. Some are forced to put up with its repercussions,
with more asleep, than awake attitude. But this particular retreat
of yours is unique! You geared us up from the very start to
purifying our inner selves by examining our own lives and burning
up all the negative feelings therein. This is innovative and
original - which is so very important for us to live a joyful
and loving life. "Unless a grain
of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit"-
the Lord demands it of us. This is entirely a killing process,
but worth its trouble. We all experienced the truth of it during
this month.
Your
talks were very stimulating, stretching our capacities to the
full. Your dynamism, able mind and spiritual discernment and
wisdom helped us to see facts and look at them in the face.
This provides us with a renewed vision of and his work within
us. You helped us to look into the deepest needs of our human
hearts. Like a mirror you made us reflect our innermost feelings
in the unconscious level- like a window brought light to bear
on the dark corners where trouble festers. We were made to learn
that hard choices can stretch and strengthen us. Each mistake
of ours should be a new lesson for success.
Above
all your deep human qualities of love and kindness care and
concern touched the very core of our being. Your sense of wit
and ironic edge added zest and spice to thought. Those enlightening
and life giving and death dealing admonitions are bound to sink
into the deeper regions of our being. Father Vijay you are an
excellent teacher. Yes, you plan things well and execute them
quietly, serenely and efficiently. Your fund of experience and
wide knowledge, are an asset for your teaching mission, and
priestly ministry. You are not like the sanctimonious pirate,
who went with the Ten Commandments and scratched off one. Your
life itself is a sermon. You showed us by illustration and example
what is real, essential and proper. Most of our fluid notions
appear to have vanished or crystalized. At times instead of
freeing ourselves for joyful service we find our activities
consuming us, sapping our energies, perhaps making very little
progress, or lasting impact on others in spite of our hectic
activity. After having taught by you to live life of love and
how to be human, let all heed to the cry of the Spirit for rich
communion with the Lord and with one another. It is up to us
to retain our relevance in making our lives fruitful, even though
there may be myriad attempts to bury it.
I
guess that you struck a chord which will echo and re-echo around
in our hearts and minds especially in the hard times to come.
Your words are convincing and too moving to be comfortable.
No doubt what you say comes from the Spirit. No touch of the
old diffidence will come back to us, please God! You instilled
into us a healthy desire for the things worth striving for.
You
have left the beaten track and dived deep into the woods-as
perhaps no one had done before. Through your touch of tenderness
in the ruins of lives of many, may bring healing, love and joy
for them- so that their whole personality may be directed to
God. You taught us how to get peace of soul , by first burning
up our negative feelings and then by filling up our hearts with
love. Otherwise, "the heart of love becomes a broken fountain
where tears fall from the sighful branches of the mind".
You hope, for all of us that through our efforts the power of
God will become operative in the world and enable us to change
conditions like poverty and injustice in place of self sufficiency
and pride.
Retreatants
of Sept. 95