By Fr. Sebastian Vadakumpadan –
In the month of September, 2016 there was an offer of cooked food from a hotel to Jeevodaya Ashram in Bangalore, run by Holy Cross Sisters, a rehabilitation centre for the girls under the umbrella of Prison Ministry India. The hotel is a very average hotel.
As the owner of the hotel has to be in the hotel for serving the food, he hired an auto and sent the food with the driver to the centre. The autodriver brought the food to the centre and talked to the sisters of the Centre. He was touched with the noble work at the centre. He went back to the hotel and the owner of the hotel offered him the auto charge but he refused and said, “Sir, I don’t want my auto charge. We both are not rich but as an ordinary man you did this great help for those unfortunate girls and this has inspired me to do some charity. I too don’t want money from you. This is my share from my part for your help to the centre; you did charity and I may also offer this as charity”.
“Brother, as an ordinary man like me you do a charity, I too may do a charity by not accepting my auto charge from you”, says, an Auto man.
Our charity inspires many to help others. The charity works of St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata inspired many to be charitable towards others. Charity pulls many to be charitable towards others. In the lives of St. Mother Teresa there was an incident. On festival occasions, they used to take clothing and other gifts for the prisoners in Kolkata. Before going to the prison on a festival day, they had ordered from an owner of a textile company all cloths for 400 women in prisons and he had promised to deliver at the convent in Kolkata. The manufacturer himself delivered the clothing. Upon arrival he found the poor were fed there and given medicines. The factory owner asked for the superior. Already surprised by what he observed, he was further surprised on seeing Mother Teresa with her humble, loving attitude moving forward to help undo some boxes. The man stopped her. He himself unloaded the truck and then tore up the bill and offered the goods as a free gift!
Rev. Fr. Joseph Chackiath was my parish priest in my Muringoor parish, Kerala. I was very young when he was our parish priest. Whenever we went to the church early to serve at the altar, I had seen him in kneeling before Blessed Sacrament and praying. It was his usual schedule praying before Blessed Sacrament quiet early before the Holy Mass. He was simply looking at the Blessed Sacrament and remaining there. This was very touching for the children of that time.
We have forgotten great works of many but I am pulled every day to do the same before the Blessed Sacrament and try to do the same. However, he may not know that I follow his example in my priestly life which he showed me many years back. A simple of act of another has tremendous strength to motivate others to do the same. Charity goes miles and miles, years and years, persons and persons, languages and languages, cultures and cultures, countries and countries and even beyond this world.
Fr. Sebastian Vadakumpadan (BA, LL.B and LL.M) is a priest of Archdiocese of Ernakulam – Angamally and a native of Muringoor, Trichur, Kerala. He was ordained on 7th of Feb, 1996. He is an advocate and practiced in the High Court of Kerala. He is a former Asian delegate of International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care for Asia and earlier national coordinator for six years. He is at present the National Coordinator for 5 years and Secretary to CBCI for Prison Ministry India Desk