Varia

Varia

As a Christian, how do I deal with money?

selvam Varia

Dear JD,
The world is becoming ‘wealthier’ by the day.  Money and wealth are beginning to occupy much of our attention.  Our relationships with people and God Himself is being determined by money! Though the economic structure of the world today is much more complex than that of Jesus’ time, his teachings suggest to us some basic attitude towards money and wealth.  Jesus had a very balanced attitude towards money.  He knew what is the purpose of money:

To meet our daily needs. If you read Luke 8:1-3 you hear Jesus had some women disciples and some of them were very rich women, who provided for the daily needs of Jesus and his apostles. They were his benefactors. (See similar reference of Paul in 2Cor 11:9).
To fulfill the requirements of the law – “give to ceasar what is ceasar’s” (Mt 22:21);
To help the poor (Lk 19:8 ; Mt 19:21)
To use it for […]

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God in the City

selvam Varia

God in the City
by Sahaya G. Selvam, sdb
Salesian Family Study Days,UK, January 2012
 0.0. The objective of these reflections is to see how urban cultures are evolving and becoming global; and then to ask ourselves: how could we be the church in this context?  And how could we open up ourselves to an experience of God that will make it meaningful for us to be compassionate to others.
0.1. When faced with the need for change, for fear of chaos, we tend to fall back to rigidity.  Integration seems to be the healthier option!
0.2. When faced with the need to understand reality, it may be easier to take one of the extreme options between naïve realism and anti-realism.  Critical realism seems to be the more meaningful option!
0.3. God and Revelation: If God is eternal, and eternity is a continuous now (St Augustine), then God’s revelation is here and now!  Should we apply […]

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Power is nothing without control

selvam Spirituality, Varia

(A reflection shared at the Youth Vigil on the Feast of Pentecost 11-12 June 2011. This reflection was delivered from 11.30 pm to 1am.  Since Powerpoint was used to illustrate the thoughts, the following notes might seem very sketchy.)
The key text that you have chosen for the Pentecost Vigil this year is:
God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power and love and self-control (2Tim 1:7).
When I looked up at this theme, I remembered a billboard that I had seen years ago at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was an ad for Pirelli tyres.  It had the caption: “Power is nothing without control.”  Therefore, I would like to reflect together with you tonight on the meaning of Power and Control.
Let me start with an analogy to clarify what I mean: just imagine that you have this beautiful car with six cylinder engine; it has a […]

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Youth Caught in the Web

selvam Leave a comment Current Activity, Talks & Presentations, Varia, Youth Animation

Nairobi, 15 April 2011

A three-day symposium organised by the Institute of Youth Ministry (IYM), came to an end today at Tangaza College.  On three afternoons different experts shared their ideas to a large audience on the theme of www.youthcaughtintheweb.com The symposium is an annual event, and this year’s one was specially planned by Fr Hubert Pinto.  On the first day, Mr Ronald Omboto, an IT-expert, led a three hour session on the history of Internet and  the World wide web (WWW).  He spoke also of the tremendous possibilities that exist due to this relatively new development. He also enumerated the socio economic political and cultural impact of the internet.

On the 2nd day, Fr Sahaya G. Selvam, SDB led the discussion on three sub-themes related to ‘youth caught in the web’.  He began […]

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Paravar People of India

selvam Varia

Paravar People – An Overview
Paravars are people who now inhabit most of the coastal villages from Tuticorin on the Eastern coast to Muttom on the western coast of the Indian peninsula.  Their history, though very little serious research has been done, is very intriguing.
There are some claims that since Paravars are also called Bharathar, they are the original Indians who inhabited the Indus Valley before the arrival of the Aryans from central Asia.  Hence they are the original Dravidians.  The linguistic similarity between Bharat and Bharathar may simply be mere co-incidence.
However, the earliest mention of the Paravars in any authentic source dates back to 3rd century BC. Some archeological evidence found at Arittapatti in Melur taluk points to the fact that the Paravars were the sole fisherfolk who controlled the coast from Rameswaram down to southern cape. Probably they practiced Jainism by then. It is in that connection that the […]

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