By Fr. Sebastian Vadakumpadan –
One day we visited a convent to meet the Superior. I rang the bell and waited. Immediately a kitchen girl came to the parlour. Very politely she told us that Superior was out of station and asked us to go to the school in the same compound and meet the Sisters. She was so polite in talking and dealing with us even though she was just a kitchen hand and not educated.
We then proceeded to the school to meet the Sisters. There were no Sisters at the front desk and then came along a well dressed and educated lady. She had a look as if we were trespassers at the office. She asked in a harsh tone and then raising her voice, “What do you want?” We were shocked by the way she spoke. There were many more polite, respectful sentences she could have used, but she did not. We had the feeling that she was very arrogant. We told her that we wanted to see a Sister. ”Nobody is here and all are in their classes,” she replied and immediately left the place. We were stunned. There was no chance of asking any other question. We came back without getting any information after travelling two hours by road. The kitchen girl was far better in her approach than this educated modern lady of the school.
We all talk about being eco friendly but what about being people friendly. Nowadays, we do not put on our best manners with others. We tend to be very arrogant in our dealings with people. Our homes and institutions have to become people friendly. People come with various purposes but we send them back with hurt feelings. We don’t want to visit certain relatives and institutions because we do not feel those houses and institutions are people friendly. Let us become people friendly before we fight for an eco-friendly world.
I would like to share with you another experience. One day I was just half sleep at night. Then immediately a flash of God’s inspiration came to mind. It was a flashback of my minor seminary days. When we came to the minor seminary we were asked to purchase many things from the seminary store. One of things was to have a cross by our side while we sleep. So I remembered the cross kept by my side and kissed it before falling asleep.. God was telling me, “Nowadays, you have changed a lot; the cross isn’t there anymore by your side. Instead, you keep your mobile phone; you look at the mobile before you sleep and you look at it in the morning to see messages; What you had learned when you were young has gone from your life”. It was true to my life. Now I have begun keeping the cross and as usual, kiss it. Thereafter, I noticed many priests and lay people carry a medium-sized cross in their pockets. They pray holding the cross in their hands and cast out evil by the power of the cross. I am inspired by God to do the same.
This article is used with permission from CBCI
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