I read with great interest about your Journey in the Society of Jesus contained in message ID: < caodpnujwmcfmfaxkkseg0p3ttuftatrxoejtbc1a5kykgre...@mail.gmail.com>, Dated: Mon, 28 Jun 2021
From: Pratap Naik <[email protected]> To: Pratap Naik < [email protected]> On Pentecost the remarkable thing was that when the Holy Spirit appeared over the heeds of the Apostles, they suddenly lost fear and what is more they spoke in one language and no matter what language the listeners used, the UNDERSTOOD. The Jews were furious and said that they were drunk. That day more than 3000 people followed Christ. You have used diverse languages from quoting Abraham Lincoln to Ralph Waldo Emerson :<<<<It is not length of life, but depth of life. You add <<<<A life spent worthily should be measured by deeds, not by years. but ... should be counted and measured not merely on the basis of 50 years in the Society of Jesus (SJ) but based on my quality of life, my contribution to the Society of Jesus AND TO OTHERS >>>>> With your Science Background you appreciate, like Albert Einstein the power of science to help humanity or to pulverize humans and everything that God created. The family is important for stability ...... But at the end of the day God has a plan and a unique purpose for every one of us. There simply cannot be another Fr Pratap Naik. Some time ago I was accused that I was following the Western, White mans Religion. What nonsense ...St. Thomas and Bartholomew were in India, via Afghanistan, Pakistan and then to East India and got converts in India centuries before, any of the Europeans ...Irish, English French even Portuguese. became Catholics. In addition St Augustine came from Africa, his Mother Monique an Arab.....He was and understood Greek, Roan and even Egypt Philosophers.....If the Society of Jesus had existed then....I am sure that St Augustine would be a SJ Of course you are an authority in Konknni ...that is because of your humanity and humility and willingness Not to assume you knew everything .....and that is where there is a vast store of knowledge, science and technology and alas superstitions . In Goa, I was driving with a friend ....she told me that near the Prison in Quepem, opposite where there was a Hindu Shrine, there was a tree and when the fruit fell, smoke came out .She pointed the tree to me...it was a Baobab ....but even here in Tanzania there is so much superstition attached to them ....roads are slightly curved so as to avoid cutting a tree, many even in Dar es Salaam will not go anywhere near a Baobab tree. So Fr. Prarap Naik....I hope we meet in Goa and talk about Spirits and Ecology. ....May the Holy Spirit Guide Us .... Adolfo Mascarenhas Makongo Iuu Haven of Peace My contribution goes far beyond Konknni linguistics and extends to ecology, eco-spirituality, horticulture, promotion of Konknni language and culture through mass media and social media, care for domestic and wild animals including reptiles which most of the people are scared and avoid, guiding and encouraging people to grow in positive values, sharing of my thoughts, quotations, videos of music, dance, and short movies through social media, and reaching out 3L namely, the least, last, lost students and their poor families irrespective of religion, region, language, and culture. Throughout my life before joining the SJ and afterwards I was guided by the teachings of the Bible. Besides this, I was influenced by the thoughts of great thinkers and teachers of different religions. ?Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.? said George Washington. His sound advice I have followed till date. Till I reached tenth standard, I had never thought of becoming a priest. I wanted to be a teacher, because I was helping my siblings and others in their studies while studying. While I had my own plan for my life, God had a master plan for me. That is how I joined the SJ. First, I opted for the Darjeeling region and later within a year seeing the greater need, I joined the Goa-Pune Province to work in the Kannada region. When I finished my philosophy studies and a year of regency, my superiors and fellow Jesuits thought that I must be set aside for Konknni work. With the little initial reluctance, finally I accepted the challenge and never looked back. I proposed the concept of establishing Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK)and worked with the late Fr. Matthew Almeida for all the aspects connected with TSKK and its campus, including constructing the aesthetic building.For me life is not what I want, but what God decrees. Hence, I accepted the saying, ?When life isn?t the way you like, like it the way it is.? Life in the SJ gave me ample opportunities to bloom and spread the fragrance. There were moments of jubilant sense of reaching the Mount Everest peak and at times thrown down to the frightening and descending unknown abyss of the ocean. During these moments I reminded myself the sound words of Gautama Buddha, ?Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.? Living in the present moment and swimming against the powerful current of worldly culture and standard was a great challenge for me. From my childhood I had an independent mind of my own and never pleased others including the elders and superiors to receive favours. I always preferred to take the path less travelled or dare to go off the beaten path by others. I liked to be a trend setter than a trend follower. To follow this way of thinking and living was not easy. Here I was reminded of the words of the American writer Henry Wheeler Shaw who wrote with the pen name Josh Billings ?Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold.? I always played cards which I got and believed not to defeat others but to create as far as possible ?win-win situation?, without counting the cost or consequences. As far as I am concerned, completing 50 years in the SJ is not an achievement or an occasion for jubilation or celebration, but an excellent occasion for self-introspection, thanksgiving and gratitude to God. I always avoided my celebrations. I never celebrated or encouraged others to celebrate my birthdays. Since I wanted my ordination in Konknni, I joined with my theology companions, Denzil Lobo and Francis D?Souza for the ordination on Thursday 21st April 1983 at St. Aloysius College, Mangaluru. After the ordination in the evening everybody was served a piece of cake, a batatawada, a little chuda and a cup of tea in ceramic cups by the Jesuit Community. I spent Rs. 500/- for printing the invitation card, postage, and for the travel. When I presented the bill to the Province Treasurer he was really surprised and took time to believe it. My parents spent 900 rupees to hire a bus for the transport of family members and friends. After the ordination there were no other celebrations anywhere. No first mass or kissing of hands, etc. I told the parents to spend the amount which they had budgeted for the celebration for the cause of the needy. In the same line of thinking, I requested the Provincial and my local Jesuit communitynot to have any celebration for the Golden Jubilee, rather to spend the amount for the needs of poor students. Keeping in mind the teaching of Jesus with the help of friends of 3L, I arranged meals for eight families of 3L on 28th June. They prepared the food of their choice and taste. Since I am a firm believer in spirituality and not in ritualism, I spent 27th and 28th June 2021, in prayer, reflection, and silence of solitude to thank God for his grace, mercy, and love towards me. If God extends my lifespan and health, I want to complete Am?hi Bhas Xikat: Konknni Basic Course (In modified Roman Orthography) in 2022 and Learner?s English ? Konknni Dictionary of 50,000 plus entries based on modern lexicography methods by 2030. This is my dream. With dreams begins the responsibility. So, I have to constantly remind myself of the proverb, ?If you want your dreams to come true, don?t sleep.? At the same time, I have to keep in mind the saying of the American writer Robert James Waller, ?Life is never easy for those who dream.? Let me conclude with the words of American humourist writer Erma Bombeck ?When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ?I used everything you gave me.?? Thank you for becoming a fellow pilgrim in my life journey. Your presence, absence or even the shadow has contributed for my growth. There is no better thanksgiving hymn for me, other than the traditionally ascribed fourth century Latin hymn ?Te Deum Laudamus? (O God, We Praise Thee) sung with the Gregorian chant. Here below I have shared a video of Te Deum Laudamus? sung by the Cistercian monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz, Austria. Pratap Naik, sj 28th June 2021
