Two Jesuits murdered in Moscow

My E-Mail: vmalpan@gmail.com

Two Jesuits murdered in Moscow

On Saturday 25 October, Father Victor Betancourt, an Ecuadorian Jesuit working in the St. Thomas Philosophical, Theological and Historical Institute in Moscow, was killed in his home. Two days later, after returning from a trip abroad, Father Otto Messmer, Superior of the Russian Region, was also killed in the same place. On Tuesday 28 October, alarmed by the fact that he hadn't heard from the two men, a fellow Jesuit who lives in another community went to visit them at home. On finding the dead bodies, he immediately contacted the police. The police investigations have yet to come to any firm conclusions about cause of these violent deaths. Father Otto Messmer, son of a Catholic family of German origin and a Russian citizen, was born on 14 July 1961 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. He entered into the Society of Jesus on 1 September 1982 in Vilnius and was ordained a priest on 29 May 1988 in Riga. He took his final vows in Novosibirsk on 7 October 2001 and was appointed Superior of the Independent Region of Russia of the Society of Jesus on 13 October 2002. Two of his brothers are Jesuits: Monsignor Nikolaus, Bishop of the Kyrgyzstani city of Bishkek, and Hieronymus, from the German Province. Father Victor Betancourt was born on 7 July 1966 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He entered into the Society of Jesus on 14 September 1984 in Quito and was ordained a priest in the same city on 31 July 1997. He undertook his Jesuit training in Argentina, Ecuador, Germany and Italy. In 2004, he defended his doctoral thesis in Theology in the city of Rome. Since 2001, he had been responsible for those considering a vocation as Jesuits and at the time of his death he was a theology professor in the St. Thomas Philosophical, Theological and Historical Institute in Moscow. Father General, Adolfo Nicolás SJ, issued an appeal to all Jesuits to provide assistance and support to, and demonstrate their solidarity with, the Jesuits of the Russian Region in this difficult moment. He expressed his closeness to families of the deceased and thanked the Church for issuing its condolences as soon as the news of the tragedy was made public. Father General Nicolás urged the whole Society to pray that our fellow Jesuits rest in eternal peace and for an end of all forms of violence.

Courtsy: http://www.sjweb.info/

African Proverbs

Source: Jan Knappert, The A –Z of African Proverbs (London, Karnak House, 1989) One “here-it-is” is better than ten “you’ll get it later”. From Bambara p. 19. It is easier to find trouble than to avoid it. From Congo. P. 23 One finger cannot wash your face. From Congo. P. 26 If the fingers of one hand quarrel, they cannot pick up the food. From East Africa. p.27 People with shoes forget those without. From Kenya P. 41 Do you hear the rumbling in your neighbour’s stomach? From Somali p.48. God gave us the seed of every plant, but we must sow it. From Zande p. 52. God lent us his property here so that we too should lend what we have to our neighbour. From Sawhili p.53. God does not sleep. From Congo p. 53 ----- Proverbs are encapsulated wisdom. My E-Mail: vmalpan@gmail.com

Insight

REALITY is your HOME.

Find it, and you will never be lonely!

Martyr

You come alive each time you dare to die - Let go, Move on, Bid things goodbye.

African Prayer

“If you want to speak to God, tell it to the wind.” African proverb “Gentle breeze from the four corners of the earth, Bear our prayer on your wings to the court of the most high God. Blazing sun, do not scotch our petition. Falling rain, do not drown our request. Flashing lightening, do not strike down our plea. Roaring thunder, do not scare our supplication… Beaming moon, illumine our prayer before our God. Twinkling stars, show our prayer the way to the abode of God. Gentle dew, water the path of our prayer to the dwelling of God, the most high. Rustling wind, make our prayer pleasing to the ears of God. Gentle breeze from the four corners of the earth, Bear our prayer on your wings to the court of the most high God.” Courtesy: Agbonkhianmehe E. Orobator, Theology Brewed in an African Pot ((Maryknoll, New York, Orbis Books, 2008), pp. 34-35.

WORD OF GOD

“For whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” ( 2 Cor 12:10)

This is the spirituality of limitation.

Say it with Flowers

• Wonder is the Heart of

Contemplation…

• Solitude is togetherness…

• Does Jesus Christ have faith in You?

Society of Jesus

“A FIRE THAT KINDLES OTHER FIRES”

“MANY SPARKS, ONE FIRE”

“MANY STORIES, ONE HISTORY”

(35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus: Decree #2)

Life of Prayer

Silence is the absence of the EGO!

Life of Prayer

The shortest distance between God’s will and my will

is an act of surrender.

Knowing by Unknowing

How did the universe come to be? However brilliant, educated, or experienced we may be, we do not know everything that there is to know…