My dear Staff, students and parents,
Desmond Tutu who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 said “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
Four days have gone by and those who live and work within the city of Paris have gotten on with their lives. After all, isn’t that what we are supposed to do when we face a tragedy or a great loss—go on! But will we ever be able to simply go on? Something changed that day on the 13th of November and that will never simply go away.
We now know that we are vulnerable. We now know that the threats of terror are no longer a half a world away. We now know things change — and not always for the better. We now know that evil exists.
So the question is, how can we live triumphantly in a terror stricken world? And in the midst of all the chaos we must find a way to stand and to carry on.
All of us have problems. But one way or another we learn to overcome the darkness and get along with life. The darkness surrounding us now seems so much more. Men blowing themselves up in a concert hall or going on a rampage shooting people down irrespective of their color, race or religion. That is a darkness of a different dimension.
We do not live on a playground. We live on a battlefield. We are soldiers in a great cosmic war between good and evil. The question asked is what shall we do? How will we go on? How do we live triumphantly in this new reality that has come among us?
And I think for one, we need to rebuild our faith in God. And hope for the best. Because hope is to the soul what oxygen is to the body-absolutely essential for survival. People of hope, those who believe in God’s tomorrow, can live better today. Those who expect joy to come out of sadness, strength to come from weakness, new life to arise out of the ashes of the old, are the people who discover God to be a present help in times of trouble.
‘We are born for greater things’ and hence our role in this world must go far beyond us simply taking care of ourselves. We cannot live by hate; we need to fill our lives with love. Loving people are healthier people, happier people, and more helpful people than those who allow themselves to sink into the deep pits of rage, revenge, and hate.
While I thank you my dear staff, students and parents for the warm welcome accorded to me on my returning back to IEAS, and while our memories are still fresh with the passing away of Fr. Francis Kharjia, there are lessons we can learn from his life. He was an extremely peaceful and loving person; and the best tribute we can give him is to imitate him by being instruments of peace and love in our little world, thus making it a more peaceful and loving place for us and our children.
Fr. Derrick Misquitta sdb
Director