Monday, August 30, 2010

A MEMORIAL SERVICE


We dedicated our evening prayer yesterday to remembering and praying for our two young men who died tragically in the accident near Boko, Assam - Fr. Rajesh Ekka and Cl. Vijay Toppo. The service presided over by Fr. George Maliekal, our Rector included some very poignant moments. The reading from the Book of Wisdom seemed to take on a life of its own when we listened to the words:
"The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the LORD shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect."
There were also some touching testimonies of two brothers who had lived with Rajesh and Vijay. They noted Rajesh's deep commitment to his vocation and his determination to serve the Lord "come what may" and Vijay's "transparency" before God and man. Hymns like "Abide with me" and "God be with you till we meet again" were sung by our community as we recalled these two brothers, now resting in the Lord.

Truly we are shocked and now all that remains is to wait in silence on the Lord as he comforts us in our deep sorrow. He, who commended himself to the Father as he hung upon the cross, is challenging us to commend our brothers to his care. "Lord, help us surrender to you always, even when our reason tells us it is pointless. You are the true meaning of all our lives. In you alone we will find fulfillment and true joy."

Sunday, August 29, 2010

THE LORD HAS TAKEN TWO MORE TO HIMSELF

It has been another very sad day for us here at SHTC, in the province of Guwahati and for all SDBs the world over.

Late last night two young SDBs – Fr. Rajesh Ekka (ordained in January this year) and Cl. Vijay Toppo (perpetually professed on 23 May this year) along with two others were killed in a tragic accident on their way from Guwahati to Tura (the community to which they belonged). Few details are available about what exactly transpired.

The shock is palpable among the Salesians of SHTC, Mawlai. Both, Rajesh and Vijay have companions among our 90 odd brothers. They had lived with each other in the past years in different communities and everyone has a touching story to tell.

For now we can only surrender in faith to the Will of God. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away – Blessed be the name of the Lord…

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