FAITH ALIVE
God's Rosebud!
This is great...
A young saint(preacher) was walking with an older, more seasoned saint(Preacher) in the garden one day.
Feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do,he was asking the older preacher for some advice.
The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals.
The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry.
But, because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact.
It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do.
Noticing the younger preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the older preacher began to recite the following poem...
"It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But, I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine."
"The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so easily,
But, in my hands they die."
"If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then, how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?"
"So, I'll trust in God for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance
In each step along the way."
"The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord and Savior knows.
I'll trust God to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose."
Let go.... and let God unfold your life.
Distance Education Programme in Theology (DEPTh)
In a world of knowledge explosion the need to update the fundamentals of one’s faith life has become a necessity. Men and women from different walks of life express the desire to enrich their faith life in consonance with the contemporary world and its challenges. The study of theology – seen till recently as meant only for the clergy or the religious – is becoming more popular with the lay faithful who see it as a right as well as a duty emerging from their Christian vocation. Distance Education Programme in Theology (DEPTh) is an attempt to respond to this quest, and is designed as a life-enrichment course in the Indian/Asian context.
The Jesuit-run Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi, has been in the field of theological education for a century and a half. True to its name ‘Vidyajyoti’ (light of knowledge) aims at spreading the light of theology far and wide. The Second Vatican Council had a dream when it wrote: “Let the laity, therefore, diligently apply themselves to a more profound knowledge of revealed truth…” (LG, 35). Sharing in the same dream Vidyajyoti has initiated the new Distance Education Programme in Theology (DEPTh) primarily for the lay faithful. It welcomes all who desire to deepen their Christian faith, and search for avenues of deeper participation in the mission of the Church.
Rediscovering Rebirth and Discipleship in Baptism
By
Rajakumar Joseph SJ
Prize: Rs 350, (USD 15). Discount for DEPTh - Rs 250 (USD 12)
