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SPEAK UP Chennai Province (INM)

PORUTHUR Joseph, Chennai says,

How much do you know about your soul?
By Stev, Pinto, Bernard, PT

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Chennai, Apr. 3. Dear Fathers and Brothers,We would like to share with you our message on PRAYER and its relevance in nourishing our soul in the present context.

Message:

As body needs nourishment so does our soul. We care for our body with various types of good food, right medicine, and adequate exercise. As for body, so for soul there is variety of ways of nourishment. We need only to choose the healthy practice to care for our soul. Prayer, discipline, good thoughts, actions that please God and good lifestyle add strength to the soul everyday.

We may wonder how to do these things! We may even get confused about soul. And yet God has already set for us Salesians a definite way. He cares for our souls. No costly or extraordinary measures are recommended either. Before we feed our body we feed our soul. As soon as we get up, we pray, meditate and celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We feed our soul then. The question is: Do we give food first for our soul?

How do we know that the soul is hungry or under nourished? The inferiority complex , emptiness, loneliness, restlessness, irritation, externally happy with no peace with in, fear .... these are the indicators that soul needs nourishment.

Do we feed the soul? Yes we feed our soul at Lauds, Office, Midday Prayer, Vespers, night prayers and practices of piety. To nourish the soul we should pray everyday and participate in prayer individually. If need be, we go to pray because it is a duty. Eventually, this will become a habit. Each time we go for prayer, go in search of food for soul. This practice in the beginning will be monotonous, lifeless and boring. When we are persistent and constant in these and make it a habit, God will reward us with wisdom. He will give it in the course of time as he gave to Solomon in the Old Testament. Solomon sought Wisdom more than anything else and God granted him everything.

It is the duty and obligation of every priest to pray. We need to pray the liturgy of the hours not only with the mind but with the heart, with dedication, involvement and contemplating the words we are praying. We are not praying for God but for the nourishment of our soul.

The GC is convoked and is in progress according to the will of God. The Rector Major and his Councillors are elected according to the divine will. The will of God is known through the will of the superiors. The Superiors who have the authority to demand from the others in the matters of discipline and administration could also demand the same in the spiritual matters so that no one will go astray. This is our request that you earnestly recommend and even command that Salesians be regular for PRAYER. This will ensure effectively the mission of our Congregation - Da mihi animas, cetera tolle.

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?

Affectionately in Don Bosco,
Fr. Stephen Joseph sdb
Fr. Sagaya Francis Pinto sdb
Fr. John Bernard sdb
Fr. P.T. Joseph sdb

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PORUTHUR Joseph(Chennai) ptjosephsdb@gmail.com

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