Advent begins

Storm Clouds over the UPS

The last day of November, and this is the first Sunday of Advent. Again I joined the Don Rua Community for the morning liturgy and breakfast. The conversation centered on the latest terrorist attack in Mumbay. Political groups use religion to fuel unrest so that they can seize power: this seems to be the tactics behind all the recent violence in India, according to some of the Indian Salesians with whom I spoke at table.

At this point I do not know what to think of all this. Still, I need to be more aware of what is happening in India, since yesterday I received an invitation from Fr Joe Almeida, provincial of the Salesians in Guwahati, to come next summer and facilitate three retreats. I need to respond to that invitation… I'll do this in the next couple of days, as soon as I am sure of my calendar and commitments for 2009.

In the meantime, I continue to reflect on the recent presentations that I have been making: in Malta, and yesterday with the Comunità Don Rua. Salesians, young and old, are anxious to receive more input on the Salesian spirit and charism. This is the area that we have worked on for many years at Berkeley and at the Spirituality Institute here at the UPS. I often think that the whole world is immersed in this… but then I find out that very few are hearing these instructions. More outreach is needed.

And since I am part of a group that is deep into all the Salesian sources and traditions, it is imperative that I and all those others who are doing Salesian research respond to those who are asking for more.

This is also why it is very important that we form a team of younger scholars to take up the research and the study. The Salesian world is vast, but too few are engaged in this study and teaching of the charism. We risk losing touch with our roots, losing sight of our goals, losing vigor to serve.

Those were the thoughts coming to me after these interventions. Rain continued to pour today in the morning. This weather keeps us close to home.