The Lion Roars: Tony de Mello 25 Years On
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Luis Vas
Jun 28, 2012, 5:00:18 AM6/28/12
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The Lion Roars: Tony de Mello 25 Years On
By Luis S. R. Vas
Twenty-five years ago Anthony de Mello, an Indian Jesuit priestand
author of numerous bestsellers, died suddenly in New York, prior to
starting a lecture series to be telecast live worldwide over
satellite. He had gathered a wide following that was distraught with
his death and felt spiritually orphaned.
But not for long. Soon it became clear that he had left with his
publishers in Gujarat several manuscripts before leaving on his trip
to the U.S. They were eventually published as One Minute Nonsense and
Prayer of the Frog in two volumes. In addition two manuscripts were
found among his belongings: Contact With God and A Call To Love
(titled Way to Love in the US). They were all lapped up by his readers
and admirers. Eventually, Awareness, a transcript of a course of
lectures, and Seek God Everywhere, based on lecture notes of a seminar
on Ignatian spirituality also saw the light of day.
What is the secret of this adulation?
“Tony’s been a refreshing cool drink this summer,” commented a Sister
referring to the special issue we (VidaNueva, Madrid) brought out
which included a supplement on the course of inner self-liberation by
Tony de Mello. To judge from the success of the course, we have to
admit she’s right. We’ve had to bring out four editions of the reprint
after his death the message of this special incarnation of a ‘guru’ is
evoking a real inner discovery in many people.
What’s behind this phenomenal success? Very simply, it is a
manifestation of the hunger for the spiritual spreading around the
world. It’s a hunger with very special characteristics. People aren’t
buying set formulas anymore, or pious platitudes redolent of any cry
gone by; beaten tracks that did not succeed in bringing people to a
spiritual awakening. There is an anguished search, sometimes confused
in its direction, for a more liberal outlook. Modem man mired in
profound cultural change first wants to know who he is, what imprisons
his soul, what stands in the way of spiritual progress. He wants to
rediscover the God beyond all that has been identi¬fied through the
years with the name of God: laws, norms, doctrines not made flesh,
words stranded from life.
That is why Tony de Mello said that “our violent spirituality has
created problems for us’’, that “Jesus Christ has got a bad name
because of what is said of him from pulpits” and that “it is very
difficult to recognize a saint because he looks like the rest of us”.
In short, what Tony de Mello is telling us is that if we want to make
Christianity credible we need to plumb the depths of the human spirit,
to reach beyond our present frontiers, (“VidaNueva’ Madrid, Sept.
12th, 1987)
It all began in the late 1960s. The Second Vatican Council had made
considerable changes in the Church structure and discipline and many
priests felt insecure and confused and began leaving the priesthood in
droves. By combining psychological counseling with spirituality, Tony,
as he was called, managed to stem the tide.
Tony increasingly came to use oriental expressions, thereby endowing
the spirituality of St. Ignatius with an oriental form, according to
an associate. To him the enlightenment spoken of by the Buddha was
close to the Indifference of St. Ignatius, and it was for this reason
that even the meditation expert Goenka used the term ‘Holy
Indifference.’
In his book entitled Call to Love he states that to gain happiness we
need to be detached from the things of this world, for without this
attitude of detachment we can never be happy. This book was
essentially a reformulation of J. Krishnamurti’s insights. In his book
Wellsprings, in the chapter entitled The Bible, Tony presents in
oriental form the attitude of finding God in all things. His words and
writings imbued the Christianity of India with an Indian spirit, and
attempted to bring about a dialogue between the spiritualities of the
East and West. Tagore believed that East and West arose from the
throbbing of the same human heart, and Tony who was so to say a
cultural bridge between the East and West never desisted when his
efforts were needed, for the work he undertook was crucial and
obligatory, according to the same associate referred to above.
Fr. Parmananda Diwarkar SJ in his preface to Contact with God, wrote:
“Those who were familiar with Tony De Mello in his lifetime, know and
still remember that his ministry went through several distinct stages,
corresponding partly to the needs of the people he served but also to
the demands of an inner development. Externally, one could perceive
successively the spiritual director, the therapist, the guru;
internally, a close friend has spoken of the progression of values
from holiness through love to freedom.”
About 10 years after his death, the Congregation for the Defence of
the Faith issued a notification to the effect that Tony’s writings
might endanger the faith of Catholics. But when the CBCI responded
that his writings were not intended as an expression of Catholic
doctrine and were intended for people of all faiths, no further action
was taken.
Recently The Awareness Guru – Tony de Mello: A New Interpretation by
Sr. Eugene Fatima FMA was published by Dawn Books, Chennai, Rs. 95.00.
Based on the Sister’s doctorate thesis, it has been skillfully and
successfully trimmed for the lay reader, shorn of footnotes and such
scholarly paraphernalia. After noting that the only ‘dangerous’ thing
about Tony was his uproarious, liberating laughter, she wrote: ”If we
want to know of the Church’s stand on a particular issue we should go
to the Church documents. If we want to understand something in
theology, we should study reputed theologians. But Tony de Mello could
help all those who want to be freed through awareness, from the
baggage of their past, who seek freedom and love, who want to find
peace and joy that could be found only in God.”
To coincide with Tony’s 25th death anniversary Anthony deMello SJ,
The Happy Wanderer – A Tribute to My Brother, by Bill de Mello (and
edited by Clifford W. DeSilva) published by Gujarat Sahitya Prakash,
Anand, Rs. 240.00, was launched at a small function at St. Peter's
Church Complex, Bandra, Mumbai.
It is a complete biography of Anthony de Mello based on the author’s
own recollections and numerous testimonies from friends, acquaintances
and critics.
Says DeSilva: “Instead of the usual method of a ribbon being cut by
some prominent person, Bill chose to have the book 'launched' by Tony
deMello himself.
Bill first welcomed the select gathering and thanked all who had
labored to make the launch day a success and explained that the book
was a tribute to his brother and was written with the view to
promoting his books especially among the young. Bill then played a
rare, unpublished recording of Tony celebrating Mass on his 50th
Birthday. Relevant sections of this recording of Tony speaking and
also singing while accompanying himself on the guitar were played.
Tony's own words explained the meaning of 'Happy Wanderer ' (the song)
as a good example of sanyas. We are merely passing through this world
so we need the minimum. That was it. There were none of the usual
speeches by 'eminent' persons and so on that accompany such occasions.
Simplicity itself.”
It was an appropriate celebration of the 25th death anniversary of a
spiritual master who refuses to be forgotten and promises to grow in
death as he did in life.
Also to coincide with his 25th death anniversary Image Books
published Rediscovering Life Awaken to Reality , the printed version
of a satellite retreat de Mello gave in 1984 in conjunction with
Fordham University. It will reach India in July.
According to Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, who reviewed this book in
Spirituality & Practice, “De Mello shares a transformative experience
he had 12 years earlier when he met Ramchandra, a rickshaw puller in
Calcutta who was poor, sick with TB, and exhausted after a decade of
this grueling work. Yet he never complained or seemed upset. ‘We gotta
take life as it comes,’ he tells de Mello.
“The author realizes that he is in the presence of a true mystic, an
extraordinary man, a saint who has rediscovered what it means to be
alive. ‘Spirituality means no longer being at the mercy of an event,
or a person, or anything else.’ Do you know how truly liberating this
way of living is? query the reviewers. “Absolutely nothing has the
power to upset us, hurt us, or take away our joy or enthusiasm — two
more gifts of God. The exhilarating freedom de Mello is talking about
means we no longer have to play the blame game. Nor do we need to
despise the world. The author challenges us to take responsibility for
our mistakes and to love the world. In this masterwork, de Mello gives
us a road map to enlightenment and to the rediscovery of life. It is a
spiritual journey that will take time given all our bad habits,
illusory ideas, and the immense programming of our culture and
consumerism. We highly recommend this book. It has the potential to be
life transforming!”
Tony, just before he died, wrote a long letter to a close friend, in
which he said, speaking of earlier experiences: “All of that seems to
belong to another era and to another world. I find the whole of my
interest is now focused on something else, on the ‘world of the
spirit’, and I see everything else as so trifling and so irrele¬vant.
The things that mattered so much in the past do not seem to matter any
more. Things like those of Achaan Chah the Buddhist teacher, seem to
absorb my whole interest and I am losing my taste for other things. Is
this an illusion? I do not know. But never before in my life have I
felt so happy, so free. “
Tony had the ability to absorb and assimilate strands of spirituality
from varied sources, and he was about to tackle Achaan Chah as he had
earlier tackled Vipassana, Krishnamurti, Zen Masters and Mulla
Nasruddin, the wise–foolish Sufi mystic.
He is said to have confessed that he planned to become a Catholic
Osho. He recognised Osho’s ability to cannibalise myriad thinkers, but
Osho tended to distort their insights, unlike Tony. If you find
Krishnamurti hard to fathom, read Call to Love You’ll absorb him
easily, and undistorted.
He is also said to have confided that after the Prayer of the Frog he
planned to write The Roar of the Lion . He never got around to writing
it. But judging from the books by and about him released in the last
25 years there can be little doubt that Tony is roaring with laughter.
By Luis S. R. Vas
Twenty-five years ago Anthony de Mello, an Indian Jesuit priestand
author of numerous bestsellers, died suddenly in New York, prior to
starting a lecture series to be telecast live worldwide over
satellite. He had gathered a wide following that was distraught with
his death and felt spiritually orphaned.
But not for long. Soon it became clear that he had left with his
publishers in Gujarat several manuscripts before leaving on his trip
to the U.S. They were eventually published as One Minute Nonsense and
Prayer of the Frog in two volumes. In addition two manuscripts were
found among his belongings: Contact With God and A Call To Love
(titled Way to Love in the US). They were all lapped up by his readers
and admirers. Eventually, Awareness, a transcript of a course of
lectures, and Seek God Everywhere, based on lecture notes of a seminar
on Ignatian spirituality also saw the light of day.
What is the secret of this adulation?
“Tony’s been a refreshing cool drink this summer,” commented a Sister
referring to the special issue we (VidaNueva, Madrid) brought out
which included a supplement on the course of inner self-liberation by
Tony de Mello. To judge from the success of the course, we have to
admit she’s right. We’ve had to bring out four editions of the reprint
after his death the message of this special incarnation of a ‘guru’ is
evoking a real inner discovery in many people.
What’s behind this phenomenal success? Very simply, it is a
manifestation of the hunger for the spiritual spreading around the
world. It’s a hunger with very special characteristics. People aren’t
buying set formulas anymore, or pious platitudes redolent of any cry
gone by; beaten tracks that did not succeed in bringing people to a
spiritual awakening. There is an anguished search, sometimes confused
in its direction, for a more liberal outlook. Modem man mired in
profound cultural change first wants to know who he is, what imprisons
his soul, what stands in the way of spiritual progress. He wants to
rediscover the God beyond all that has been identi¬fied through the
years with the name of God: laws, norms, doctrines not made flesh,
words stranded from life.
That is why Tony de Mello said that “our violent spirituality has
created problems for us’’, that “Jesus Christ has got a bad name
because of what is said of him from pulpits” and that “it is very
difficult to recognize a saint because he looks like the rest of us”.
In short, what Tony de Mello is telling us is that if we want to make
Christianity credible we need to plumb the depths of the human spirit,
to reach beyond our present frontiers, (“VidaNueva’ Madrid, Sept.
12th, 1987)
It all began in the late 1960s. The Second Vatican Council had made
considerable changes in the Church structure and discipline and many
priests felt insecure and confused and began leaving the priesthood in
droves. By combining psychological counseling with spirituality, Tony,
as he was called, managed to stem the tide.
Tony increasingly came to use oriental expressions, thereby endowing
the spirituality of St. Ignatius with an oriental form, according to
an associate. To him the enlightenment spoken of by the Buddha was
close to the Indifference of St. Ignatius, and it was for this reason
that even the meditation expert Goenka used the term ‘Holy
Indifference.’
In his book entitled Call to Love he states that to gain happiness we
need to be detached from the things of this world, for without this
attitude of detachment we can never be happy. This book was
essentially a reformulation of J. Krishnamurti’s insights. In his book
Wellsprings, in the chapter entitled The Bible, Tony presents in
oriental form the attitude of finding God in all things. His words and
writings imbued the Christianity of India with an Indian spirit, and
attempted to bring about a dialogue between the spiritualities of the
East and West. Tagore believed that East and West arose from the
throbbing of the same human heart, and Tony who was so to say a
cultural bridge between the East and West never desisted when his
efforts were needed, for the work he undertook was crucial and
obligatory, according to the same associate referred to above.
Fr. Parmananda Diwarkar SJ in his preface to Contact with God, wrote:
“Those who were familiar with Tony De Mello in his lifetime, know and
still remember that his ministry went through several distinct stages,
corresponding partly to the needs of the people he served but also to
the demands of an inner development. Externally, one could perceive
successively the spiritual director, the therapist, the guru;
internally, a close friend has spoken of the progression of values
from holiness through love to freedom.”
About 10 years after his death, the Congregation for the Defence of
the Faith issued a notification to the effect that Tony’s writings
might endanger the faith of Catholics. But when the CBCI responded
that his writings were not intended as an expression of Catholic
doctrine and were intended for people of all faiths, no further action
was taken.
Recently The Awareness Guru – Tony de Mello: A New Interpretation by
Sr. Eugene Fatima FMA was published by Dawn Books, Chennai, Rs. 95.00.
Based on the Sister’s doctorate thesis, it has been skillfully and
successfully trimmed for the lay reader, shorn of footnotes and such
scholarly paraphernalia. After noting that the only ‘dangerous’ thing
about Tony was his uproarious, liberating laughter, she wrote: ”If we
want to know of the Church’s stand on a particular issue we should go
to the Church documents. If we want to understand something in
theology, we should study reputed theologians. But Tony de Mello could
help all those who want to be freed through awareness, from the
baggage of their past, who seek freedom and love, who want to find
peace and joy that could be found only in God.”
To coincide with Tony’s 25th death anniversary Anthony deMello SJ,
The Happy Wanderer – A Tribute to My Brother, by Bill de Mello (and
edited by Clifford W. DeSilva) published by Gujarat Sahitya Prakash,
Anand, Rs. 240.00, was launched at a small function at St. Peter's
Church Complex, Bandra, Mumbai.
It is a complete biography of Anthony de Mello based on the author’s
own recollections and numerous testimonies from friends, acquaintances
and critics.
Says DeSilva: “Instead of the usual method of a ribbon being cut by
some prominent person, Bill chose to have the book 'launched' by Tony
deMello himself.
Bill first welcomed the select gathering and thanked all who had
labored to make the launch day a success and explained that the book
was a tribute to his brother and was written with the view to
promoting his books especially among the young. Bill then played a
rare, unpublished recording of Tony celebrating Mass on his 50th
Birthday. Relevant sections of this recording of Tony speaking and
also singing while accompanying himself on the guitar were played.
Tony's own words explained the meaning of 'Happy Wanderer ' (the song)
as a good example of sanyas. We are merely passing through this world
so we need the minimum. That was it. There were none of the usual
speeches by 'eminent' persons and so on that accompany such occasions.
Simplicity itself.”
It was an appropriate celebration of the 25th death anniversary of a
spiritual master who refuses to be forgotten and promises to grow in
death as he did in life.
Also to coincide with his 25th death anniversary Image Books
published Rediscovering Life Awaken to Reality , the printed version
of a satellite retreat de Mello gave in 1984 in conjunction with
Fordham University. It will reach India in July.
According to Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, who reviewed this book in
Spirituality & Practice, “De Mello shares a transformative experience
he had 12 years earlier when he met Ramchandra, a rickshaw puller in
Calcutta who was poor, sick with TB, and exhausted after a decade of
this grueling work. Yet he never complained or seemed upset. ‘We gotta
take life as it comes,’ he tells de Mello.
“The author realizes that he is in the presence of a true mystic, an
extraordinary man, a saint who has rediscovered what it means to be
alive. ‘Spirituality means no longer being at the mercy of an event,
or a person, or anything else.’ Do you know how truly liberating this
way of living is? query the reviewers. “Absolutely nothing has the
power to upset us, hurt us, or take away our joy or enthusiasm — two
more gifts of God. The exhilarating freedom de Mello is talking about
means we no longer have to play the blame game. Nor do we need to
despise the world. The author challenges us to take responsibility for
our mistakes and to love the world. In this masterwork, de Mello gives
us a road map to enlightenment and to the rediscovery of life. It is a
spiritual journey that will take time given all our bad habits,
illusory ideas, and the immense programming of our culture and
consumerism. We highly recommend this book. It has the potential to be
life transforming!”
Tony, just before he died, wrote a long letter to a close friend, in
which he said, speaking of earlier experiences: “All of that seems to
belong to another era and to another world. I find the whole of my
interest is now focused on something else, on the ‘world of the
spirit’, and I see everything else as so trifling and so irrele¬vant.
The things that mattered so much in the past do not seem to matter any
more. Things like those of Achaan Chah the Buddhist teacher, seem to
absorb my whole interest and I am losing my taste for other things. Is
this an illusion? I do not know. But never before in my life have I
felt so happy, so free. “
Tony had the ability to absorb and assimilate strands of spirituality
from varied sources, and he was about to tackle Achaan Chah as he had
earlier tackled Vipassana, Krishnamurti, Zen Masters and Mulla
Nasruddin, the wise–foolish Sufi mystic.
He is said to have confessed that he planned to become a Catholic
Osho. He recognised Osho’s ability to cannibalise myriad thinkers, but
Osho tended to distort their insights, unlike Tony. If you find
Krishnamurti hard to fathom, read Call to Love You’ll absorb him
easily, and undistorted.
He is also said to have confided that after the Prayer of the Frog he
planned to write The Roar of the Lion . He never got around to writing
it. But judging from the books by and about him released in the last
25 years there can be little doubt that Tony is roaring with laughter.
Brian desouza
Jun 28, 2012, 5:39:40 AM6/28/12
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com
where are his books available?
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Ana Maria de souza-Goswami
Jun 28, 2012, 6:15:05 AM6/28/12
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com
A Call to Love is an excellant book. Those who have
not read it, please do so.
Ana Maria de Souza-Goswami
Luis Vas
Jun 28, 2012, 7:14:15 AM6/28/12
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com
Tony de Mello's books are published by
SAHITYA PRAKASH
www.gspbooks.in/
If you live in Goa you can get them from Pauline Bookshop on 18 June
Road, near Bombay Bazar, Panaji Goa.
SAHITYA PRAKASH
www.gspbooks.in/
If you live in Goa you can get them from Pauline Bookshop on 18 June
Road, near Bombay Bazar, Panaji Goa.
Luis Vas
Jun 28, 2012, 8:11:12 AM6/28/12
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com
You can get Awareness, Song of the Bird and Prayer of the Frog1 as
free download ebooks from the site below
PDF]
AWARENESS - ArvindGuptaToys Books Gallery
arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/tonyawareness.pdf
[PDF]
THE SONG OF THE BIRD Anthony de Mello - ArvindGuptaToys ...
www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/songofbird.pdf
www.arvindguptatoys.com/Cached - Similar
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
THE PRAYER OF THE FROG PART ONE - ANTHONY de MELLO (450 Kb DOC) ...
free download ebooks from the site below
PDF]
AWARENESS - ArvindGuptaToys Books Gallery
arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/tonyawareness.pdf
[PDF]
THE SONG OF THE BIRD Anthony de Mello - ArvindGuptaToys ...
www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/songofbird.pdf
www.arvindguptatoys.com/Cached - Similar
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
THE PRAYER OF THE FROG PART ONE - ANTHONY de MELLO (450 Kb DOC) ...
Brian desouza
Jun 28, 2012, 8:24:26 AM6/28/12
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com
Many thanks
John Nazareth
Jul 2, 2012, 7:30:27 PM7/2/12
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com
I first came across Fr. De Mello's writing while exploring the subject of spiritual exercises. I obtained a copy of the "Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola", but found it rather medieval in its outlook.
A friend shared with me De Mello's "Sadhana - A Way to God", which was a revelation to a mystical approach to spiritual exercises for today.
It enables a truly enriching experience with the divine.
John Nazareth
A friend shared with me De Mello's "Sadhana - A Way to God", which was a revelation to a mystical approach to spiritual exercises for today.
It enables a truly enriching experience with the divine.
John Nazareth
> Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:30:18 +0530
> Subject: [GOABOOKCLUB] The Lion Roars: Tony de Mello 25 Years On
> From: luis...@gmail.com
> To:
> Subject: [GOABOOKCLUB] The Lion Roars: Tony de Mello 25 Years On
> From: luis...@gmail.com
> To:
Luis Vas
Jul 3, 2012, 3:20:05 AM7/3/12
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com
Dear John,
Here is a review of Tony de Mello's recently published Seek God
Everywhere: On St. Ignatius' Exercises
If you want to know God, prepare for an ordeal
by John Dear SJ On the Road to Peace
Anthony de Mello's Jesuit spirituality
This week has taken me across the world. I was in Santa Fe, N.M.,
Saturday at the Pax Christi conference featuring Franciscan peacemaker
Fr. Louie Vitale. Then in New York City on Sunday to preside at Mass
and speak at the celebration for my old friend, Dr. Paul Farmer, along
with Bill Clinton, Jim Yong Kim, president of Dartmouth, and Bill and
Melinda Gates. Then in Hawaii to speak in Kona on the big island
before embarking on speaking tours of New Zealand and Australia. It’s
a bit much, but a great blessing to meet people everywhere I go who
care passionately about the world’s poor, about the possibilities of
peace and nonviolence, and about the God of love and peace.
My companion along the way has been a newly discovered manuscript by
the late Jesuit spiritual writer, Anthony de Mello. A retreat leader
from India, he gained international prominence with his best-selling
books on the spiritual life, such as Awareness and Song of the Bird. I
consider his book, Sadhana, the best book ever written on prayer. (Get
it and read it.) In 1987, he died suddenly at Fordham, just before a
scheduled speaking engagement.
Early next year, Doubleday will publish Seek God Everywhere, de
Mello’s reflections and directions for the Spiritual Exercises of St.
Ignatius. They sent me an early copy and I can’t put it down. It’s an
instant classic, certainly the best book ever written on Jesuit
spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises. It helps re-center my own
spiritual journey in the Jesuit way of passion and zeal for Jesus, in
a deep desire to do only God’s will.
I hesitate to write about it because the Spiritual Exercises are so
unique in Christian history, and relatively few people have ever made
them. They are an intensive, strict, 30 day silent retreat, written by
St. Ignatius after his nine month experience living in a cave, which
he tweaked and refined over a period of decades until his death. Every
Jesuit makes the retreat when they enter the novitiate, and then again
about 15 to 20 years later. Although I love Franciscan, Benedictine,
Cistercian, Carmelite, Jewish, and Buddhist spiritualities, I myself
am forever a student of Ignatian spirituality because of the profound
experience I had making the Exercises. I don’t suggest that people go
and make the 30 day retreat, but I do recommend eight day retreats at
Jesuit retreat centers to get the flavor of this kind of spirituality.
Basically, as Anthony de Mello explains in this extraordinary book,
the Exercises take a person deep into an experience of God, based on
intensive meditations on the life of Jesus and St. Ignatius’ rules and
guidelines. It’s full immersion, like a deep sea diving experience,
like going off on a submarine exploration under the Antarctic for a
month, like climbing the Himalayas. You are never the same afterwards.
You come back a different person.
Actually, that doesn’t explain it at all. It’s an experience of God,
theoretically a total transformation which should lead the retreatant
to give his or her life entirely for God through the service of
humanity according to the life of Jesus. The fact that you can’t speak
to anyone, receive mail, talk on the phone, watch TV, peruse the
paper, or read a book is just the beginning. Each day, you make five
one-hour prayer periods, as well as attend liturgy, reflect on your
prayer, and meet with your spiritual director. Because of Ignatius’
astute meditations, you are quickly brought to a deeper understanding
of your self, your God, and the call and way of Jesus.
The Exercises are broken down into four sections, which St. Ignatius
calls “weeks.” As de Mello explains, the original book simply cannot
be read. It’s like a cook book; it makes no sense whatsoever. It has
to be experienced. In fact, the Spiritual Exercises is really a
handbook for the spiritual director, not for the retreatant. The
overall goal is to transform the person completely into a passionate
servant of God and apostle for Jesus.
Reading de Mello’s great manuscript took me back to my own deep
experience of God in the Exercises, when I was a Jesuit novice in
1983, and later as a Jesuit tertian in 1997. The Exercises, and the
challenge to live this experience for the rest of one’s life, put the
problems of life and the world in perspective -- from the hustle and
bustle of daily life to the global crises of war, poverty and nuclear
weapons to the failures and sins of church and state -- all within the
long haul view of God, our journey to God and the call to live totally
for God. Indeed, that’s the goal of the Exercises, the goal of life
itself and all we do for peace and justice: God. Period.
For those who have made the Exercises or are interested in Jesuit
Spirituality or just interested in deeper avenues to God, Anthony de
Mello’s book will be a revelation, certainly a great affirmation. He
takes the reader through St. Ignatius’ four weeks, and offers his
reflections and comments along the way. But he is such a genius; his
simple observations seem so obvious that reading his book makes you
feel like a spiritual novice being whacked on the head with a bamboo
stick by your Zen master. De Mello is one of the great spiritual
masters of our time, and his insights are so simple, so clear, so
challenging, that they snap you out of your daydream life and wake you
up to the real world, that is, life with God. This is his masterpiece.
Seek God Everywhere outlines the basics of Ignatian spirituality with
a modern sensibility and Indian twist. While the point is “a crash
program for centering our hearts on God,” “moving the center of
gravity of our hearts onto Christ,” enjoying the consolation, peace
and quiet of life in Christ, de Mello asserts that prayer is hard
work.
Who says that these days? The retreat is work, and daily prayer is
work, he insists. We must keep to our schedule, show up, and devote
ourselves to God. I am reminded of the book of Wisdom: “If you want to
know God, prepare yourself for an ordeal.”
He walks us through the Exercises, discussing the Principle and
Foundation (the life mission to love and serve God), God’s
unconditional love of us, the need to face our sins and selfish
rejection of God, and then the call to follow Jesus, to understand his
way versus the way of the world, and to journey with him to his
crucifixion and resurrection, so that in the end, we identify
ourselves completely with Jesus, even losing ourselves in him as St.
Paul will urges.
De Mello explains how Ignatius wants us to love and serve God the way
God wants us to, not the way we want to, a subtle -- and painful --
difference. “If prayer is really what it should be, it is a painful
experience,” de Mello writes at one point, “because we are reporting
for orders. That is the way a person encounters God, the God of the
Bible.”
His reflections on the conclusion of the retreat are brilliant -- how
we are to be people of resurrection, contemplatives in action, people
of universal love, selfless service, who pour out our lives for
suffering humanity. He urges us to show more evidence of “the quality
of resurrection life,” and points to Mahatma Gandhi as our Christian
model. “He was always cheerful, peaceful, even humorous and very
serene, and he led a crucified existence.” I have always secretly
thought this, but never said it publicly: Gandhi lived Jesuit
spirituality better than anyone. Indeed, I think the Jesuits were
meant to be an army of Gandhian satyragrahis. (Alas, it has not turned
out that way!)
Many activists I know study Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh, and rightly
so, for their wisdom. But I have always thought that their holy
writings were intended first of all for monks and monastic
communities, and few of us are monks. Ignatian spirituality, on the
other hand, right from the beginning, was intended for activists --
for people pushed into the world to disarm and transform the world as
God’s servants of love, peace and justice.
I wish more peace and justice activists would study and experiment
with Ignatian spirituality because I think it will give them a
spiritual framework better suited for their life work. Though I barely
understand it, it still makes the most sense for me. Anthony de
Mello’s new book will help anyone engaged in the work of peace and
justice to center their hearts in God, root their work in radical
discipleship to Jesus, and discover a new freedom that is out of this
world. I highly recommend it.
Here is a review of Tony de Mello's recently published Seek God
Everywhere: On St. Ignatius' Exercises
If you want to know God, prepare for an ordeal
by John Dear SJ On the Road to Peace
Anthony de Mello's Jesuit spirituality
This week has taken me across the world. I was in Santa Fe, N.M.,
Saturday at the Pax Christi conference featuring Franciscan peacemaker
Fr. Louie Vitale. Then in New York City on Sunday to preside at Mass
and speak at the celebration for my old friend, Dr. Paul Farmer, along
with Bill Clinton, Jim Yong Kim, president of Dartmouth, and Bill and
Melinda Gates. Then in Hawaii to speak in Kona on the big island
before embarking on speaking tours of New Zealand and Australia. It’s
a bit much, but a great blessing to meet people everywhere I go who
care passionately about the world’s poor, about the possibilities of
peace and nonviolence, and about the God of love and peace.
My companion along the way has been a newly discovered manuscript by
the late Jesuit spiritual writer, Anthony de Mello. A retreat leader
from India, he gained international prominence with his best-selling
books on the spiritual life, such as Awareness and Song of the Bird. I
consider his book, Sadhana, the best book ever written on prayer. (Get
it and read it.) In 1987, he died suddenly at Fordham, just before a
scheduled speaking engagement.
Early next year, Doubleday will publish Seek God Everywhere, de
Mello’s reflections and directions for the Spiritual Exercises of St.
Ignatius. They sent me an early copy and I can’t put it down. It’s an
instant classic, certainly the best book ever written on Jesuit
spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises. It helps re-center my own
spiritual journey in the Jesuit way of passion and zeal for Jesus, in
a deep desire to do only God’s will.
I hesitate to write about it because the Spiritual Exercises are so
unique in Christian history, and relatively few people have ever made
them. They are an intensive, strict, 30 day silent retreat, written by
St. Ignatius after his nine month experience living in a cave, which
he tweaked and refined over a period of decades until his death. Every
Jesuit makes the retreat when they enter the novitiate, and then again
about 15 to 20 years later. Although I love Franciscan, Benedictine,
Cistercian, Carmelite, Jewish, and Buddhist spiritualities, I myself
am forever a student of Ignatian spirituality because of the profound
experience I had making the Exercises. I don’t suggest that people go
and make the 30 day retreat, but I do recommend eight day retreats at
Jesuit retreat centers to get the flavor of this kind of spirituality.
Basically, as Anthony de Mello explains in this extraordinary book,
the Exercises take a person deep into an experience of God, based on
intensive meditations on the life of Jesus and St. Ignatius’ rules and
guidelines. It’s full immersion, like a deep sea diving experience,
like going off on a submarine exploration under the Antarctic for a
month, like climbing the Himalayas. You are never the same afterwards.
You come back a different person.
Actually, that doesn’t explain it at all. It’s an experience of God,
theoretically a total transformation which should lead the retreatant
to give his or her life entirely for God through the service of
humanity according to the life of Jesus. The fact that you can’t speak
to anyone, receive mail, talk on the phone, watch TV, peruse the
paper, or read a book is just the beginning. Each day, you make five
one-hour prayer periods, as well as attend liturgy, reflect on your
prayer, and meet with your spiritual director. Because of Ignatius’
astute meditations, you are quickly brought to a deeper understanding
of your self, your God, and the call and way of Jesus.
The Exercises are broken down into four sections, which St. Ignatius
calls “weeks.” As de Mello explains, the original book simply cannot
be read. It’s like a cook book; it makes no sense whatsoever. It has
to be experienced. In fact, the Spiritual Exercises is really a
handbook for the spiritual director, not for the retreatant. The
overall goal is to transform the person completely into a passionate
servant of God and apostle for Jesus.
Reading de Mello’s great manuscript took me back to my own deep
experience of God in the Exercises, when I was a Jesuit novice in
1983, and later as a Jesuit tertian in 1997. The Exercises, and the
challenge to live this experience for the rest of one’s life, put the
problems of life and the world in perspective -- from the hustle and
bustle of daily life to the global crises of war, poverty and nuclear
weapons to the failures and sins of church and state -- all within the
long haul view of God, our journey to God and the call to live totally
for God. Indeed, that’s the goal of the Exercises, the goal of life
itself and all we do for peace and justice: God. Period.
For those who have made the Exercises or are interested in Jesuit
Spirituality or just interested in deeper avenues to God, Anthony de
Mello’s book will be a revelation, certainly a great affirmation. He
takes the reader through St. Ignatius’ four weeks, and offers his
reflections and comments along the way. But he is such a genius; his
simple observations seem so obvious that reading his book makes you
feel like a spiritual novice being whacked on the head with a bamboo
stick by your Zen master. De Mello is one of the great spiritual
masters of our time, and his insights are so simple, so clear, so
challenging, that they snap you out of your daydream life and wake you
up to the real world, that is, life with God. This is his masterpiece.
Seek God Everywhere outlines the basics of Ignatian spirituality with
a modern sensibility and Indian twist. While the point is “a crash
program for centering our hearts on God,” “moving the center of
gravity of our hearts onto Christ,” enjoying the consolation, peace
and quiet of life in Christ, de Mello asserts that prayer is hard
work.
Who says that these days? The retreat is work, and daily prayer is
work, he insists. We must keep to our schedule, show up, and devote
ourselves to God. I am reminded of the book of Wisdom: “If you want to
know God, prepare yourself for an ordeal.”
He walks us through the Exercises, discussing the Principle and
Foundation (the life mission to love and serve God), God’s
unconditional love of us, the need to face our sins and selfish
rejection of God, and then the call to follow Jesus, to understand his
way versus the way of the world, and to journey with him to his
crucifixion and resurrection, so that in the end, we identify
ourselves completely with Jesus, even losing ourselves in him as St.
Paul will urges.
De Mello explains how Ignatius wants us to love and serve God the way
God wants us to, not the way we want to, a subtle -- and painful --
difference. “If prayer is really what it should be, it is a painful
experience,” de Mello writes at one point, “because we are reporting
for orders. That is the way a person encounters God, the God of the
Bible.”
His reflections on the conclusion of the retreat are brilliant -- how
we are to be people of resurrection, contemplatives in action, people
of universal love, selfless service, who pour out our lives for
suffering humanity. He urges us to show more evidence of “the quality
of resurrection life,” and points to Mahatma Gandhi as our Christian
model. “He was always cheerful, peaceful, even humorous and very
serene, and he led a crucified existence.” I have always secretly
thought this, but never said it publicly: Gandhi lived Jesuit
spirituality better than anyone. Indeed, I think the Jesuits were
meant to be an army of Gandhian satyragrahis. (Alas, it has not turned
out that way!)
Many activists I know study Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh, and rightly
so, for their wisdom. But I have always thought that their holy
writings were intended first of all for monks and monastic
communities, and few of us are monks. Ignatian spirituality, on the
other hand, right from the beginning, was intended for activists --
for people pushed into the world to disarm and transform the world as
God’s servants of love, peace and justice.
I wish more peace and justice activists would study and experiment
with Ignatian spirituality because I think it will give them a
spiritual framework better suited for their life work. Though I barely
understand it, it still makes the most sense for me. Anthony de
Mello’s new book will help anyone engaged in the work of peace and
justice to center their hearts in God, root their work in radical
discipleship to Jesus, and discover a new freedom that is out of this
world. I highly recommend it.
Sergio Rodriguez-Castillo JD, LLM, MFT
May 7, 2020, 2:45:47 PM5/7/20
to The Goa Book Club
Hello, I know this a is a very old conversation, but I am wondering if anybody knows how to get in touch with Eugene Fatima. I've read her book "The awareness guru" and I would really like to get a copy of her full PHD dissertation.
Thanks!
augusto pinto
May 9, 2020, 10:06:45 AM5/9/20
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eugene.correia
May 9, 2020, 1:59:23 PM5/9/20
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Fr. Tony de Mello's spiritual essays/writings did raise the eyebrows if the Catholic church. I think he was reprimanded for his mixing with Catholic teachings with Hindu traditions of achieving spiritual awakening.
Similarly, Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, who was none other than Fr. Roque Correa-Affonso, brother of the well-know historian and ex-secretary of the Jesuut Society, based in Rome, Fr. John Correa-Affonso, was in the forefront of those wanting to "Indianize" the Cathholic church in India.
Obviously, the first step was to change his name, the surname Divarkar was probably because the family had origins in Divar but has settled in Benaulim.
Like Fr. de Mello he too ran afoul of the authorities in India. No doubt Vatican II had permitted the church to adopt to local customs, the move to infuse the Mass with certain Hindu customs, such as having "aarti" during the offeratory was one of them.
The experiment of trying it out at the Midnight Mass at the St. Xavier's College quadrangle decades ago caused much chaos and grumbling in the congregation which mainly contained of Goans from kudds and college students.
Coming back to Fr. de Mello, isn't there an institute in his honour at Navelim? How relevant is he in Goa today?
Eugene Correia
Sent from Samsung tablet.
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augusto pinto
May 10, 2020, 1:45:43 PM5/10/20
to goa-bo...@googlegroups.com, saxtti viegas
Very interesting Eugene.
I think that the movement in art by the Goan painter whose name slips me, something Fonseca, but who Savia Viegas had studied who Indianised Christian icons is parallel to the issues.
This is something which deserves a book. Something which the likes of Savio Abreu S. J. could possibly follow up on.
Augusto
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Tensing Rodrigues
May 11, 2020, 4:31:08 AM5/11/20
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I feel it is not proper to compare Tony de Mello and Fonseca. Fonseca's forte was 'inculturation' or adapting Christian art to Indian culture. Tony had no such goal. Tony was simply trying to restore to Christianity its original values; most of the time we forget that Christianity is not an European religion; its original values are very much eastern. The Romanisation has robbed it of its essence; think of the gospels that were kept out of the Roman bible. Perhaps the biggest damage that was done to Christianity was to fit it into the Decartsian so called scientific model. Eastern thought accepts God as beyond human comprehension, undefinable, uncontainable, undescribable. Read Tony's meditation on "Does God exist ?"
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eugene.correia
May 11, 2020, 4:31:15 AM5/11/20
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Augusto,
His name is Agnelo Fonseca and I think (notb100 per cent sure) some of his paintings are at the Heras Institute, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. I have (need to look for it) which the Heras Inst. brought out on the occasion of the exhibition of his paintings. The copy, if I remember correctly, was given to me by Fr. John Correia-Affonso, who was probably head of the Inst. before he was elevated to the post of Principal of the college. Savia's book is detailed.
Do the Christian Art Museum in Goa has any originals or copies of Agnelo's paintings?
Agnelo and Fr. de Mello broke new ground. I had a small discussion with late Prof. Jose Pereira on Agnelo's art. I don't know if you are aware that Prof. Pereira is also a painter besides being a lay theologian and an expert on Konkani and manddos. He has a book on thKonkani language, and I am not sure if he completed his fresco at the chapel in Margao before he passed away. He has a book on baroque architecture, and also a book on Hindu theology.
He recounted to me his many verbal battles with FN Sousa on telephones, as both lived in New York, on religion, one a profound theologian and the other an aggressive atheist. His remark to me was that Sousa had to rush to Delhi to sell his art as he found no market in the US. He gave me Sousa's telephone number and requested me to call him, as I was leaving his residence in Yonkers.
One thing for sure, Prof. Pereira was a fountain of knowledge and his life history, from some academic sources I heard, is very interesting. His impact on Goa's historical-cultural landscape is immeasurable. I may never meet anyone like him before I die. One last request he made to me is to find in Goa which library would take his collection of books on Konkani but the library should bear the shipping costs.
At once I suggested Fr. Stephen's and I said I would contact the late head of the Kendra, Fr. Mathew Almeida. Fr. Almeida wascwilling but in the time I got back to Jose, the latter changed his mind. He told be bluntly that he heard Fr. Almeida was a Manglorean, and that he was not keen on giving it to him. I don't know to which library or Inst. He gave his collection. Can anyone here find out?
My eyes are filled with tears as I remember him, and I will always value his fatherly guidance and advice. A great Goan, a great soul. We who are in the sport of intellectual orvcultyral space are much poorer with his passing away. I can't forget the occasion both of us sat together and listened to Prof. Olivinho Gomes talk on Konkani at the First Int'l Goan Convention, held in Toronto in 1988. At one point I turned to him and said, Prof he is quoting from your book (Konkani: A Language). Prof. Gomes was aware that Prof. Pereiira was in the audience.
ENOUGH.
Maybe little more of this amazing personality and a Great Goan next time.
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eugene.correia
May 11, 2020, 8:01:29 AM5/11/20
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Well, Tensing 's point is well taken though it must be made clear that both, Fonseca and Dr. de Mello, are not compared but each took a different route to bring Indian philosophy into Christian thought.
Didn't Indigeninzation of the Indian church begin with the bramo samaj, with leaders/thinkers like Subhas Chunder Sen. Reading Jidddu Krishnamurthi when growing up gave me faith understanding of his thought that God resides in oneself. Familiarity with Bede Griffiths, Robert de Nobili and later Raimundo Panikkar.
Founding of the Theosopical Soceity in India gave further impetus to the thought of using Vedanta philosophy and melding it with a Christianity.
There's little doubt that Fonseca and Fr. de Mello were influence by such strains in Christian thought and both explored in their unique ways.
I have read Fr. Savio Abreu's recent move on the New Religious Movements in Goa, and that creating further schism into Goan Catholicism is troubling from the mainstream church. There needs to be a deeper analysis of the widespread and impact of the NRW in Goa. But can the march of NRM be stopped in Goa? Or should it be stopped or rather crammed?
Eugene
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Tensing Rodrigues
May 11, 2020, 8:01:29 AM5/11/20
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Angelo Fonseca. I know that the trunk containing his paintings was left with Goa Jesuits for long, by his wife. I do not know what happened to it after that. It was providential that Dr. Pereira did not give his collection to Thomas Stephens Kendra or XCHR.
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sandra lobo
May 11, 2020, 8:01:30 AM5/11/20
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His name is Ângelo da Fonseca and his work is well documented at the net
De: goa-bo...@googlegroups.com <goa-bo...@googlegroups.com> em nome de eugene.correia <eugene....@gmail.com>
Enviado: 10 de maio de 2020 21:31
Para: goa-bo...@googlegroups.com <goa-bo...@googlegroups.com>
Assunto: Re: [GOABOOKCLUB] Re: The Lion Roars: Tony de Mello 25 Years On
Enviado: 10 de maio de 2020 21:31
Para: goa-bo...@googlegroups.com <goa-bo...@googlegroups.com>
Assunto: Re: [GOABOOKCLUB] Re: The Lion Roars: Tony de Mello 25 Years On
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eugene.correia
May 11, 2020, 12:55:38 PM5/11/20
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Any idea to which institute Dr Pereira gave hisKonkani collection . Maybe, the Goa university? I would have checked but I no longer have his home telephone number in Yonkers. I don't even know how many children he had, nor I met his wife. I remember his remark that his daughter was at the inst. of Oriental Studies in London.
I Thonk someone in Goa must check about Jose's post-death details, regarding his family. A feature on him in Goa Today could bring his work to the attention of the current generation of Goans, particularly university-going students.
In another small detail of another tall historian among Goans is that Dr. George Mark Moraes gave his collection to a private institute in Thane, outskirts of Mumbai. When asked why he didn't give it to Goa University, he told me that he sold it as he was in need of money besides he could get access to his books when he needed.
I know for sure that Dr. Moraes was hurt at not given
The post of vice-chancellor of Goa University when it was first started. He served as in-charge of the post-graduate centre established in Goa earlier to the setting up of GU. Surely, religious politics played in denying the post. He surely deserved it, for his long standing as HoD of History at BU. He did ground-breaking research into Goa's pre-Portuguese history and dis his doctorate published in a book form, Kadamba Kula.
I often requested him to re-evaluate it as there were new discoveries and he said he too want to incorporate on re-write some of the stuff as he himself have found new evidence to some old archeological finds. He told me the was busy with writing the history of the Institute Luso-Indiano (famously known as ILI), located in the famous lane, Dabul, in the Girgaum area of south Bombay.
Eugene Correia
Sent from Samsung tablet.
-------- Original message --------
From: Tensing Rodrigues <ten...@gmail.com>
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eugene.correia
May 12, 2020, 10:20:41 AM5/12/20
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Sandra, could you please provide the link to Angelo da Fonseca's artwork. Sorry, that I got the spelling of his name wrong. Why not the Christian Art Museum attempt to secure his artwork?
I don't know who is in charge of it. Is it govt-run? I know Mario Miranda was responsible in setting it up, and we just touched upon it, during my meeting with him in Goa. Angelo's paintings will definitely add to the museum's prestige.
Eugene
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