SPIRITUALITY OF ACCOMPANIMENT: Lessons from the Risen Lord (Lk 24:13-35) Part IV

SPIRITUALITY OF ACCOMPANIMENT
Lessons from the Risen Lord (Lk 24:13-35) Part IV
contd...


Lesson 4: DON’T FORCE yourself on them (v.28 -29)
I was with a friend’s family one evening. The only child of the family was a 6 year old boy, who was excited because I was there. He began showing me all his treasured possessions – toys, colour books, colour pencils, water paints, finger paints and what not! As he pulled out something with all his eagerness, he pulled down a full set of books and stood there helplessly. With the noise it made I sprang from my chair to rush to his assistance. My friend stopped me instantly and cried out, ‘Sonny, do you need me to help?’ Right enough, the reply came, ‘No, I will manage.’ That was a great lesson for me to understand that we need not force ourselves on the young. They should feel that we are there for them when they need us, at the same time having their own sacred personal space.
Jesus did not want to force Himself on the disciples as they reached Emmaus. Though He knew it is going to do a lot of good to the disciples, Jesus wanted the disciples to choose to have Him with them. Taking the initiative, as the first lesson tells us, is not same as forcing ourselves on the young! When the young reach a point in their life and they think they have reached the destination, like the disciples thought their destination was Emmaus, we are called to push them further and widen their horizons. Without weighing on them, we are called to be there at their side. Accompaniment is not walking in front of them for they may resent following, not walking behind them for it may not help, neither walking over them for that’s not what we want – it is all about WALKING WITH THEM. Walking with them in such a way that they wish more of it.

Lesson 5: Share that PEAK MOMENT (v.30, 31)
Knowing that I was a youth worker, my fellow passenger on a train once shared his concern with me. He recalled his batch of students and in a very special way his classmate who was a brilliant boy at School. When they were in the Higher Secondary school one shocking day, they heard that the boy killed himself consuming poison. I could never take these following words off my mind ever since I heard them from this co-passenger – ‘the educators never made him feel that they were there in his life. Probably he never recognized a help in them!’
Recognising someone as being present in one’s life requires certain peak experiences that are shared. When they saw Jesus break the bread, they instantly recognized it was the Lord! There was a specific experience the disciples had shared with Jesus which they could never forget. In our mission of accompanying the young we need to be there with them right upto that peak experience and not get dissipated well within the way. The young with us should go with experiences that will last for their life and not merely as long as they are with us.

(to be continued...)

Spirituality of Accompaniment - Part III

SPIRITUALITY OF ACCOMPANIMENT
Lessons from the Risen Lord (Lk 24:13-35)
contd...

Lesson 2: Start from THEIR CONCERN (v.17 -19a)
‘I always wanted to be a Medical Practitioner! But I just couldn’t and I want my son to make it by all means!’, says a father. ‘I prayed when my son was born that I will make him a priest unto the Lord; and I have made sure he joined the seminary’ says a mother. Carl Jung says, ‘much of what a child lives is the unlived lives of the parents.’
Accompaniment is to walk along with the young in their journey towards their fullness and the challenge is to begin from where they are. The tendency however is to demand that they live up to our expectation, or measure up to our standards and deserve our appreciation and assistance. But Jesus pictures here an altogether different picture. He enters their world, instead of requiring them to enter into His world. He begins with thinking about what disturbs them, what matters to them, what their priorities at that particular stage of life are.

Lesson 3: Make MEANING for them (v.25 – 27)
A young seminarian once came to me with a problem. His problem was that he was being taken for granted. For the past two years he had slogged looking after a group of boys and was forced to do it the third year, while some of his own companions are not expected to work as much. Hence he had decided he would do nothing that would require an extra effort from him. After spending a while with him and posing a few questions, he was struck by one question – ‘why are you doing what you are doing?’ He stopped all his complaining and started contemplating that question. Two days later he came to tell me that he would not be frustrated with what people do to him, for he said he had found that his mission was to serve those boys whether someone forced him or not.
The disciples failed to see the whole picture. They were totally lost with the immediate sorrow and suffering that were there. Jesus challenges them to contemplate the bigger picture. That makes sense for them. Though they were not able to see immediately the meaning that was being made by Jesus, they knew something different was being presented to them, something different from what they have been seeing, something which has always been yet new, something that clarified everything that had gone before. Jesus enables them to make meaning out of everything that was happening around them. When a growing youngster resents the present, or blames the past, or wrestles with some problem, we are called to challenge them to contemplate the bigger picture. We make them understand the purpose and meaning behind a series of experiences that they are wading through and enable them to develop within themselves the patience needed to see this truth.
(to be continued...)

Spirituality of Accompaniment - part II

Accompanying the Young – the Emmaus Model
The Emmaus episode (Lk 24:13-35) is one typical episode that John presents where the Accompanying God comes to the fore in the person of Jesus! Jesus presents a series of challenging lessons to every person who wants to accompany the young – it could be the youth workers who work with and for the young, or the parents who are engaged in the all important task of bringing up the young or the educators who play the role of second parents!

Lesson 1: You take the INITIATIVE (v.15)
The Bishop on his annual canonical visit asked the priests of the parish ‘why isn’t there any youngster in the church campus?’ The priests had a long list of reasons to say why the youngsters don’t come to the church or to the priests! But when the Bishop retorted with, ‘they don’t come to you but have you ever gone to them?’, there was a perfect silence.
Jesus takes the initiative and asks the two who were on their way engrossed in their conversation! Jesus was not at all on the receiving end. He had everything to give – light, vision and clarity about things happening around them, the life that they thought they had lost, the hope that they had given up – Jesus alone could give these. In spite of this fact, it was Jesus who took the initiative not waiting for them to call on Him. Even if, and especially if, it is I who has something worth to offer, I need to take the initiative.

Spirituality of Accompaniment - Reflexions

SPIRITUALITY OF ACCOMPANIMENT
Lessons from the Risen Lord

The preventive system that Don Bosco lived and handed down to us is, needless to say, not merely a system, but a spirituality. It is a spirituality of presence with the young, a spirituality of concern for the young, a spirituality of love towards the young, a spirituality of living for the young – in summary – a Spirituality of Accompaniment!

The Spirituality of Accompaniment draws heavily from the Almighty. A look at the line and length of the assurances that God gives us through the Word, we see God being present with us, ‘before the foundation of the world’ (Eph. 1:4), ‘even before you were formed in the womb of your mother’ (Jer. 1:5) ‘till the end of times’ (Mt. 28:20). We have a God who accompanies!
The Old Testament bears a loud witness to this fact. We see a God who accompanied the people of Israel. God promised Moses, ‘I will be with you’(Exo 3:12) and to Joshua God said, ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’(Josh 1:5) The kings of Israel and Judah believed always that in all their successful campaigns the Lord had accompanied them; and the prophets substantiated it! The people of Israel considered the accompaniment of the Lord indispensable for their secure life. The Lord had assured them, ‘My presence shall go before thee’(Exo 33:14) and the people too made it very clear to the Lord, ‘if your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’(Exo 33:15) They rested assured that no evil can frighten them, as God was with them.(Cf. Ps 23:4)
The Highest expression of God accompanying humanity unfolds in the person of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. ‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.’(Jn 1:14) In His seeking out the sinners, being with the tax collectors, constant interaction with the so called commoners, Jesus revealed a God who is more than longing to accompany people although their lives. Jesus proves a great and challenging model in our call to accompany the young as a ministry. (2b continued...)

Days to Remember... just adding life to days

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Some one said... "there is no fun in adding days to your life! better add life to your days!" Thumbs Up to the one who said! i think our memories can add life to days..in that context i thought this list is a handy tool

Days to Remember

[edit] January

• January 1 - Global Family Day - formerly One Day of Peace and Sharing, recognized by the UN
• January 1 - World Day of Peace - established by pope Paul VI in his letter dated on 8.12.1967
• January 6 - World day for War orphans - initiated by (S.O.S Enfants En Detresse - www.soseed.org by Stephen N. Kinuthia)
• January 11 - International Day for Peace in Kenya January 11, 2008. Recent events in the country left Kenyans in fear of their future. The stalemate between the political leaders has created opportunity for destructive forces, and organized militia, which have risen to kill innocent people (more than 450 killed, thousands injured and over 250,000 displaced - initiated by (Kenya Welfare Foundation & Kenya Development Network and Consortium)
• 3rd Sunday of January - World Religion Day - established in 1950 [1]
• January 24 - National girl child day of India, recognized by the India
• January 27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day, recognized by the UN
• January 28 - Data Protection Day - recognized by the Council of Europe [2]

[edit] February

• February 2 - World Wetlands Day
• February 4 - World Cancer Day
• February 6 - International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation
• February 11 - World Day of the Sick, an observance day instituted by pope John Paul II.
• February 12 - Darwin Day
• February 14 - Valentines Day
• February 20 - World Day of Social Justice, recognized by the UN
• February 21 - International Mother Language Day, recognized by the UN World Tourist Guide Day. International Mother Language Day originated as the international recognition of Language Movement Day, which has been commemorated in Bangladesh since 1952, when a number of Dhaka university students were killed by the Pakistani police and army in Dhaka during the Bengali Language Movement.

[edit] March

• March 4 - World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation ONG GIPF (site (French))
• March 8 - United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace, recognized by the UN
• March 8 - International Women's Day [3], recognized by the UN
• March 15 - World Consumer Rights Day
• March 20 - International Day of the Francophonie (site (French))
• March 20 - World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People [4]
• March 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, recognized by the UN
• March 22 - World Day for Water, recognized by the UN
• March 23 - World Meteorological Day, recognized by the UN
• March 24 - International Day for Achievers, World Tuberculosis Day, recognized by the UN
• March 25 - International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, recognized by the UN
• March 27 - World Theatre Day

[edit] April

• April 2 - World Autism Awareness Day, recognized by the UN
• April 4 - International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, recognized by the UN
• April 7 - World Health Day, recognized by the World Federation of Hemophilia
• April 7 - International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, recognized by the UN
• April 14 - Mahl Language Day
• April 17 - World Hemophilia Day, recognized by the UN
• April 21 - World Creativity and Innovation Day. Celebrations begin April 15 - Leonardo da Vinci's Birthday
• April 22 - Earth Day
• April 23 - World Book and Copyright Day, recognized by the UN
• April 25 - World Malaria Day, recognized by the WHO
• April 26 - World Intellectual Property Day, recognized by the UN
• April 28 - International Workers' Memorial Day
• April 29 - World Dance Day

[edit] May

• May 1 - May Day - Labour Day
• May 3 - World Press Freedom Day, recognized by the UN
• May 4 - International Firefighters' Day
• May 8 - World Red Cross & Red Crescent Day
• May 8-May 9 - Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, recognized by the UN
• May 10 - International Mothers Day
• May 12 - International Nurses Day
• May 15 - International Day of Families, recognized by the UN
• May 17 - World Information Society Day, recognized by the UN
• May 18 - World Museum Day
• May 19 - World Hepatitis Day
• May 21 - World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, recognized by the UN
• May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity, recognized by the UN
• May 23 - World Turtle Day
• May 29 - International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, recognized by the UN
• May 31 - World No Tobacco Day, recognized by the UN
• 1st Tuesday of May - World Asthma Day
• 2nd Saturday of May - World Fair Trade Day

[edit] June

• June 1 - International Children's Day
• June 4 - International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, recognized by the UN
• June 5 - World Environment Day, recognized by the UN
• June 8 - World Brain Tumour Day
• June 8 - World Ocean Day
• June 12 - World Day Against Child Labour
• June 14 - World Blood Donor Day, recognized by the UN
• June 17 - World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, recognized by the UN
• June 18 - International Picnic Day
• June 19 - World Sickle Cell Anaemia Awareness Day
• June 20 - World Refugee Day, recognized by the UN
• June 21 - World Music Day
• June 23 - United Nations Public Service Day, recognized by the UN
• June 26 - International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, recognized by the UN
• June 26 - International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, recognized by the UN

[edit] July

• 1st Saturday of July - International Day of Cooperatives, recognized by the UN
• July 11 - World Population Day, recognized by the UN

[edit] August

• August 9 - International Day of the World's Indigenous People, recognized by the UN[5][6]
• August 12 - International Youth Day, recognized by the UN
• August 13 - International Lefthanders Day
• August 15 - International Mourning Day
• August 19 - World Humanitarian Day
• August 23 - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, recognized by the UN
• August 29 - Telugu Language Day

[edit] September

• September 8 - International Literacy Day, recognized by the UN
• September 11 - World First Aid Day
• September 15 - International Day of Democracy, recognized by the UN
• September 15 - International Day of Engineers, recognized by the INDIA, In remembrance of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
• September 16 - International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, recognized by the UN
• September 19 - International Talk Like a Pirate Day
• September 21 - International Day of Peace, recognized by the UN
• September 21 - World Alzheimer's Day
• September 22 - (World) Car Free Day(s)
• September 25 - International Grab Hand Day. Not Recognised by UN, but only those in the GIS Industry, and all associated IT Disciplines.^{[citation needed]}
• September 26 - European Day of Languages
• September 27 - World Tourism Day
• September 28 - Right to Know Day [7]
• September 28 - World Rabies Day
• During last week of September - World Maritime Day, recognized by the UN

[edit] October

• First Monday of October - World Habitat Day, recognized by the UN
• October 1 - International Day of Older Persons, recognized by the UN
• October 1 - World Vegetarian Day
• October 2 - International Day of Non-Violence, recognized by the UN, observed on M.K. Gandhi's birthday
• October 3 - World Smile Day[8]
• October 4 - World Animal Day
• October 5 - World Teachers' Day
• Second Wednesday of October - International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, recognized by the UN
• October 6 - World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
• October 8 - World Humanitarian Action Day
• October 9 - World Post Day, recognized by the UN
• October 10 - World Mental Health Day, recognized by the UN
• October 10 - World Day Against Death Penalty, recognized by the WCADP
• October 14 - World Standards Day
• October 15 - International Day of Rural Women, recognized by the UN
• October 15 - Global Handwashing Day
• October 16 - National Boss Day (Boss's Day)
• October 16 - World Food Day, recognized by the UN
• October 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, recognized by the UN
• October 20 - International Day of the Air Traffic Controller, [9]
• October 24 - United Nations Day, recognized by the UN
• October 24 - World Development Information Day, recognized by the UN
• October 27 - World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, recognized by the UN
• October 25-31 - International Epidermolysis Bullosa Awareness Week, [10]

[edit] November

• Third Sunday of November - World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, recognized by the UN
• November 1 - World Vegan Day
• November 6 - International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, recognized by the UN
• November 8 - World Radiographer Day
• November 9 - World Freedom Day
• November 14 - World Diabetes Day, recognized by the UN
• November 16 - International Day for Tolerance, recognized by the UN
• November 17 - International Students Day
• November 19 - International Men's Day (Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Australia, India, United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, Malta, South Africa, Hungary, Ireland, Ghana, and Canada)
• November 19 - World Toilet Day
• November 20 - Africa Industrialization Day, recognized by the UN
• November 20 - Universal Children's Day, recognized by the UN
• November 21 - World Hello Day
• November 21 - World Television Day, recognized by the UN
• November 25 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, recognized by the UN
• November 25 - International Meatless Day[11]
• November 29 - International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, recognized by the UN
• November 30 - Computer Security Day

[edit] December

• December 1 - World AIDS Day, recognized by the UN
• December 2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, recognized by the UN
• December 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities, recognized by the UN
• December 5 - International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, recognized by the UN
• December 7 - International Civil Aviation Day, recognized by the UN
• December 9 - The International Day against Corruption, recognized by the UN
• December 10 - Human Rights Day, recognized by the UN
• December 11 - International Mountain Day, recognized by the UN
• December 18 - International Migrants Day, recognized by the UN
• December 19 - United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, recognized by the UN
• December 20 - International Human Solidarity Day, recognized by the UN
• December 25 - Christmas

[edit] Weeks

• March 21-27 Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination, recognized by the UN
• April 25 – May 2 (2009) — Vaccination Week In The Americas^[1]
• May 25-31 Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories, recognized by the UN
• 4th week of September - (International) Peace Week
• October 4-10 - World Space Week, recognized by the UN
• October 24-30 - Disarmament Week, recognized by the UN

[edit] Years

[edit] Before 1950

• 1882/1883 - International Polar Year
• 1932/1933 - International Polar Year

[edit] 1950s

• 1957/1958 - International Geophysical Year
• 1959/1960 - World Refugee Year

[edit] 1960s

• 1961 - International Health and Medical Research Year
• 1965 - International Cooperation Year
• 1967 - International Tourist Year
• 1968 - International Year for Human Rights
• 1969 - International Year of Love

[edit] 1970s

• 1970 - International Education Year
• 1971 - International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination
• 1974 - World Population Year
• 1975 - International Women's Year
• 1978/1979 - International Anti-Apartheid Year
• 1979 - International Year of the Child

[edit] 1980s

• 1981 - International Year of Disabled Persons
• 1982 - International Year of Mobilization for Sanctions against South Africa
• 1983 - World Communications Year
• 1984 - Year of Women in South Africa [12]
• 1985 - Year of the United Nations
• 1985 - International Youth Year
• 1986 - International Year of Peace
• 1987 - International Year of Shelter for the Homeless

[edit] 1990s

• 1990 - International Literacy Year - United Nations General Assembly Resolution 104 session 42 International Literacy Year on 7 December 1987
• 1992 - International Space Year
• 1993 - International Year of the World's Indigenous People
• 1994 - International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal
• 1994 - International Year of the Family
• 1995 - World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of Victims of the Second World War
• 1995 - United Nations Year for Tolerance
• 1996 - International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
• 1998 - International Year of the Ocean
• 1999 - International Year of Older Persons

[edit] 2000s

• 2000 - International Year of Thanksgiving
• 2000 - International Year for the Culture of Peace
• 2000 - World Mathematical Year
• 2001 - International Year of Mobilization against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
• 2001 - International Year of Volunteers
• 2001 - United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations[13][14][15]
• 2002 - International Year of Ecotourism [16]
• 2002 - International Year of Mountains [17] United Nations General Assembly Resolution 24 session 53 (retrieved 2007-11-19)
• 2002 - United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage [18]
• 2003 - International Year of Freshwater [19]
• 2003 - European Disability Year
• 2004 - International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition [20]
• 2004 - International Year of Rice
• 2005 - International Year for Sport and Physical Education
• 2005 - International Year of Microcredit [21]
• 2005 - World Year of Physics (declared by IUPAP) [22]
• 2006 - International Year of Deserts and Desertification
• 2007 - Year of the Dolphin (extended to 2008)
• 2007 - International Year of the Scout [23]
• 2007-2008 - International Heliophysical Year
• 2007-2008-(2009) - International Polar Year
• (2007)-2008-(2009) - International Year of Planet Earth - (N.B. Triennium) - [24] and [25] & [26]
• 2007 - Year of the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in Colombia
• 2008 - International Year of Languages
• 2008 - International Year of the Potato
• 2008 - International Year of Sanitation
• 2008 - International Year of the Frog
• 2009 - International Year of Astronomy [27] (proposal accepted by 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, proclaimed by United Nations 62nd General Assembly)
• 2009 - International Year of Natural Fibres [28]
• 2009 - International Year of Reconciliation http://www.undemocracy.com/generalassembly_61/meeting_56/pg025-bk02#pg025-bk02][29]
• 2009 - Year of the Gorilla - [30]
• 2009 - International Year of the Shark - [31]

[edit] 2010s

• 2010 - International Year of Communications^{[citation needed]}, International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures
• 2010 - International Year of Biodiversity
• 2010 - International Year of Youth
• 2011 - International Year of Forests
• 2011 - International Year of Chemistry, recognized by UNESCO

[edit] Decades

• 1976–1985 - United Nations Decade for Women [32], recognized by the UN
• 1990s - International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
• 1994–2004 - First International Decade of the World's Indigenous People [33], recognized by the UN
• 1997–2006 - First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty [34], recognized by the UN
• 2000–2010 - Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism [35] (pdf), recognized by the UN
• 2000-2010 - Bone and Joint Decade [36], recognised by WHO
• 2001–2010 - International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World [37], recognized by the UN
• 2001-2010 - Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa (2001-2010), recognized by the UN
• 2003–2012 - United Nations Literacy Decade [38], recognized by the UN
• 2005–2014 - United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable Development - [39], recognized by the UN
• 2005–2014 - Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People [40], recognized by the UN
• 2005–2015 - Water for Life Decade, recognized by the UN