The month of February saw two important events, one happy and another sad. The first event was when the Task Force of Reimagining and Restructuring in the province conducted two actual processes in the province,one in Bangalore and another in Mangalore. There has been a good response from all the participants of RRSJSA.
As we enter into this process of RRSJSA, we should not think in terms of “me” and “mine.” We should think in terms of “we” and “ours” as a province and as a conference. We should not think outside the box, we should live outside the box. No matter what our community or province is, we should think of ourselves as global citizens, responsible to the universal Society, responsible to the earth, responsible to the human family, and aware that our well-being is tied to the well-being of others. In this context, it is important to read the signs of the times and creatively explore possibilities of collaboration and networking across provinces and zones and with partners in mission.
The second event was the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States and the after effects of his inhuman decisions that we face today. US Aid has been stopped for refugee work including the JRS and a number of illegal migrants are deported to their respective countries from the United States.
Being counter cultural, we once again need to listen to God in the outcry of the refugees and the migrants. With Pope Francis, we need to move from revenge and “globalization of indifference” to creating a caring world where people come before profit, and the church is truly a welcoming home for the poor, and an effective field hospital reaching out to the wounded.