The world and its history always search after the victorious deeds of people and the fame of names. But how does the silence make a man in the history renowned and fortune? St. Joseph has divulged the divine secret in unveiling the silence. He is the only prominent figure who stuck the history of humanity with his grace of silence by opening the door for the mystery of Incarnation. God manifests himself in the moment of silence. God spoke to Joseph and he listened to God in silence. Pope Francis would confirm that Joseph’s silence is not a mutism or taciturn but it is a humble submission and confirmation of the readiness for the divine call. It is an offering with full of listening. “the Father spoke a word and it was his Son”, writes St. John of the Cross. The mystery of God invariably manifests in eternal silence. There is no wonder why Jesus loved the lonely place and spaces of silence. Because, he was brought up in the ‘school of the house of Nazareth’ with the daily examples of Joseph and Mary. It might have been the reason that Joseph disappears from the scriptural scenes silently after the story of Christ’s birth and Passover in Jerusalem at age of twelve. 
Silence is not only a buffer zone but it frightens and challenges. The scripture does not utter a single word by St. Joseph of Nazareth, the humble carpenter. It might have been difficult for him to be the protector of the Word of God but even then, being a ‘just’ man, God makes him to say ‘yes’ to the eternal plan to be Mary’s husband and foster father of Jesus. In this sense, the salvific history is incomplete without the account of the ‘shield’ of the holy family.
Even in his darkest hours and midst of trials, after learning of Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph remained to be man of character. He himself did not fully understand the circumstances surrounding Christ’s conception and birth. But he was able to love what he did not fully understand. His sanctity and faith revealed in this love. The fullness of faith that bears in his heart combined in silence with action. He did not speak but demonstrated what Jesus once told his disciples, ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt: 7/21). It is a virtue that acquired and fostered in his heart with humility that prompts him quietly draw back and silently obey the will of God. A vocation, completely in silence!
George Sinesh Karuppalyil SJ
Helen Keller School for the Hearing Impaired is a school run by the Diocese of Kumbakonam and managed by the Missionary Sisters of the Incarnation. It was inaugurated in 1995 and since then, many students have passed through the school and have developed their talents and studies. These children are gifted in arts, sports, and other activities and have won first prize medals from the state for their extracurricular activities.
During the academic year 2021-2022, our children were invited to participate in different programs. In November, they went to Chennai to participate in sports and games and won medals in various competitions.
Everyone in this world wants to live their life until they die, but very few wants to live their life even after their death. They leave legacy behind them to inspire others to follow them. We must leave our footprints in the same way that Jesus, our master, lived a life and left a trail of evidence for us to follow. We should do simple things in the best way possible rather than always doing the most amazing things to be remembered. Mother Carla lived her life in this manner. She remained a pillar of the family from the start despite the difficulties she encountered. She offered unrestricted assistance and has done whatever it takes to provide for and protect her family. She was a source of comfort and support. She worked hard to ensure that her family is taken care of financially and emotionally.
When I think of her life, the challenges and the struggles that she underwent was to transform herself to make the foot prints. The life of mother Carla can be compared to the life of a butterfly. It is well intertwined. From a caterpillar to a butterfly takes flight, it is a story of change, growth, and Transformation. It is applicable to mother Carla because, like the butterfly, mother has gone through a process of transformation; from the worldly life to spiritual life, in order to create a history or to be a part in the history. She has taken long journey to reach her full potential. She has overcome obstacles and broken free from her own shells in order to realize her full potential, just as the caterpillar sheds its cocoon. The pure gold is always tested in the fire (1peter 1:7). Despite having wings, the butterfly cannot fly without the right circumstances; it must be in the right place at the right time. Similar to this, she had been searching for the appropriate time and location to accomplish her goal before finding it in the Lord. His power is made perfect in weakness (2cor 12:9). Mother has left many people with colorful memories in their hearts, just as the butterfly leaves a colorful mark on the finger where it rests. She left her mark indelible on the ground, which is followed by the members. That I could witness on the day in the joy of the members of the congregation.
The first missionary, His cherished mother, carried the word made flesh. Similar to this, the missionary sisters of incarnation represent Jesus through their deeds rather than just their words. That was the kind of spirit Carla, the mother, wanted to embody in order to inspire others to carry on the love of the father. In and through Jesus, the father’s unconditional love was made clear. So, even today, through her devoted children, Carla’s work has helped to bring Jesus to the least in society. 
The music starts with the beauty of nature, which gives us a glow to our eyes with those greenery and those pure waters flowing in the rock. We are blessed to experience such a nature around us, which gives us that relief and calmness in our life. So, here my Journey Starts. A journey filled with peace and happiness. Walking through those rocks with ups and downs, followed with those little streams flowing and those rivers which looks beautiful from the far. As we continued our journey, we got into dense forest with those bird’s chirps welcoming us and experiencing fresh air. We were thirsty and we drank the fresh water which was flowing in those streams. The experience through the dense forest was mesmerizing. It gave me a feeling which I have never experienced before. This music took me through this beautiful journey and was soothing to my ears..
Traveling, it’s like an adventurous word that inspires me, and makes me feel restless. It’s like a disorder which requires no medicine as it itself is a medicine to many diseases. It brings us good vibes. This tune reminds me of the feeling of nature. It is a way a person can get over stress. It is a way to forget about unwanted thought’s. It helps to take big decisions. It gives relaxation.
When we travel we get to see many new places. We meet new people and learn about many cultures. Learning new things every day makes our minds gain more knowledge. Hence, traveling can also be a way of gaining knowledge.
This tune reminds me of hiking which is a way of climbing hills or mountain’s. In hiking, a person climbs up a mountain in thousands of way. As we just can’t follow one way or step to climb. There are so many different ways which different people are comfortable to climb. This, shows the different personalities or variations in humans. After a lot of struggle we find out our real happiness when we reach our destination.
We get life lessons as nature teaches us about life. When we travel, we walk in ups and downs but at the end when we reach the peak or our destination we get great joy. But after some time, we attract attention to another place and that starts another journey. In the same way, a person who is living will work hard to achieve his goal but even after achieving a goal we get reminded of another goal. This is life and cannot be changed. Hence in this way travelling teaches us about life and it’s value.
Nella certezza che nessuno muore finché vive nel cuore di chi resta, suor Filomena rimarrà nei cuori di chi l’ha amata e per sempre la ricorderà per la dedizione al suo lavoro, sempre svolto col sorriso e volto al bene altrui.
Era un lontano 1975 quando l’India e precisamente la città di Cochin ha accolto le prime impronte dei piedi di una futura “missionaria” Madre Carla Borgheri. Il Sig. Antony Athipozhy, proprietario di un terreno, accorgendosi della presenza del divino nella persona di Madre Carla, le donò un pezzo del suo terreno paludoso e con alberi di cocchi. In questo luogo, nella diocesi Cochin, è sorta la prima casa delle Missionarie dell’Inacarnazione ove la fondatrice con tanta gioia si recava ogni anno. Con la sua presenza e il lavoro faticoso le paludi sono state trasformate in un giardino non solo di fiori ma anche di anime che volevano seguire la sua via di santità. Nonostante tutte le difficoltà: lingua, clima, cibo e cultura, la Madre ha saputo infondere nelle persone della zona l’amore e la gioia che le veniva da Dio. Oltre a distribuire i viveri, a chi davvero soffriva la fame, ha cercato di donare anche il suo affetto e il sorriso. Cercava di balbettare anche qualche frase nella lingua del posto come “sugamano, irikkuka” ecc. In questo modo si accattivava la benevolenza delle persone che indirizzava verso Gesù.
Col passare degli anni, la strada davanti alla casa delle Missionarie dell’Incarnazione a Cochin, è stata nominata inizialmente “St. Josepoh’s Convent Road”. Dopo la morte di Madre Teresa di Calcutta e la sua beatificazione, le autorità civili l’hanno rinominata “Mother Teresa Road”. Ora, come per miracolo, mentre ha inizio il processo di canonizzazione di Madre Carla, le stesse autorità , insieme al consenso della gente del posto, hanno deciso di nominare la strada “Mother Carla Borgheri Road”. È stato davvero un evento straordinario per tutti coloro che hanno amato Madre Carla, l’intitolazione della strada è un motivo per sentirla sempre viva e presente.
Sono tanti i modi per esprimere la gratitudine e il riconoscimento verso le persone che ci amano e amiamo; per questo, in prossimità della celebrazione del centenario della nascita di Madre Carla, fondatrice delle Suore Missionarie dell’Incarnazione e dei Padri Missionari dell’Incarnazione, il 27 novembre, nel seminario dei Padri a Magnaly (Kerala), è stata inaugurata e benedetta la Centenary Hall, come segno tangibile di gratitudine e di riconoscenza dei suoi figli a perenne ricordo di Madre Carla. La sala è stata realizzata con raffigurazioni fotografiche su parete che raccontano la vita della Madre e delle meraviglie che Dio ha compiuto attraverso il suo docile ascolto e obbedienza al Progetto divino.
È stata un’occasione straordinaria che mi ha dato la possibilità di incontrare i fratelli e i padri che hanno origine dallo stesso carisma dell’Incarnazione e condividere con loro la mia esperienza vissuta con Madre Carla, i suoi insegnamenti e lo stile di vita da lei tracciato per assimilare la vita del Verbo e della Vergine Maria. Questa iniziativa dei Padri ha dato anche l’opportunità di gustare la comunione e la fraternità tra noi, secondo il nostro carisma.
Sento il bisogno di ringraziare il Signore per il dono di Madre Carla, per la grazia dei nostri PMI come fratelli che insieme camminano verso l’unico obiettivo: testimoniare al mondo l’amore di Dio per l’umanità, rivelato nel Mistero dell’Incarnazione.