The Passion Week: The mystery of suffering and resurrection
Elie Weisel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a survivor of the concentration camp, in his book, Night, tells a story of a young boy who was hanged by the SS men. The young boy was going to be hanged together with two other adults. This cruel show was to be witnessed by thousands of other prisoners including Elie Weisel. The child had the face of a ‘sad-eyed angel’; he was silent, lividly pale and almost calm as he ascended the gallows. Behind Weisel, one of the other prisoners asked: “Where is God? Where is He?” It took the boy more than half an hour to die, while the other prisoners were forced to look him in the face. The same man asked again: ‘Where is God now?’ And Weisel heard a […]
Author: selvam
Maundy Thursday: Eucharist a Sacrificial Meal
Jesus knew that the hour had come (Jn 13:1)
In the Gospel of John, the concept of the ‘hour’ has a specific significance. At the Wedding at Cana, when the Mother of Jesus draws his attention to the fact that “They have no wine”, Jesus comes up with the very sharp reply, “My hour has not come yet” (Jn 2:4). But the Mother of Jesus continues to act as if the hour has already begun to come. In a sense she ushers in the hour. During the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, Jesus assures her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (Jn 4:21). Today’s gospel text introduces the last supper with these words: “knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world […]
Sermon for Palm Sunday – Year A
For homily at the beginning of the liturgy: CLICK HERE.
With today’s liturgy, we have begun the Holy Week, as it is called in English. In other languages, it is referred to as the Great Week. Yes, indeed it is the great week. A week which marks the climax of the incarnation, it marks the celebration of the paschal mystery: passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus – the pillars of our faith.
During this week, we listen to the passion narratives on two occasions. On Palm Sunday, as we have done today, and again on Good Friday. Every year, the Good Friday passion narrative comes from the Gospel of John – Chapters 18 and 19. On Palm Sunday, however, every year we listen to the narrative from one of the synoptic […]
Innovative Capstone Assessment Models Beyond the Thesis in Master’s Psychology Programmes
Sahaya G. Selvam
Abstract
Master’s degree is a liminal stage at higher education between the bachelor’s and the doctoral degrees. The expected competency outcomes of a master’s degree presuppose a development on the foundations of the bachelor’s level while providing a basis for an original contribution at the PhD level with subject-specific abilities in integration of knowledge, its application, and communication of the same, coupled with a set of skills in self-learning.
A capstone experience that generally marks the conclusion to the coursework assesses these outcomes before a candidate is awarded a master’s degree. Does a thesis or dissertation consisting of empirical research alone assess the programme outcomes, as is the norm in many universities? Could there be an integration of capstone experiences and research with a variety of possibilities, taking into consideration the […]
Why Is India Still Dirty?
If you have lived outside India for many decades, as in my case, landing again on Indian soil can be striking. The airports are modern, efficient, and impressive. Wow, Bharat Mata ki Jai!
As you drive outside the airport, however, two things hit you hard even as you admire the expanding infrastructure. They hit you very hard, undeniably hard: noise and dirt. India is noisy. India is still dirty.
The discomfort turns into embarrassment when travelling with foreign guests. The shame hits an epic-peak when the guest happens to be a German, as I realised in February 2026. We travelled from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari to Chennai to Delhi.
Kanyakumari district is simply dirty. One could blame it on the tourists. But cities such as Chennai and Delhi present a more […]