Faith

Chapter 5:17 introduced the Pharisees as if they just stumbled upon Jesus (they were sitting nearby). He is healing a paralytic but boldly forgiving his sins. More than the miracle, it was this statement that got the ears of the Pharisees, all puckered up. To compound matters, Jesus then calls a tax collector to be a disciple and much to the horror of the Pharisees now dines with them. At first the Pharisees merely questioned the actions of this rabbi but then begin to ‘complain’ to his disciples. Finally, they take their ire and irritation to the door step of Jesus in order to chastise him for being a bad example to his disciples.

So, who appointed the Pharisees as the guardians of the Jewish law? The Pharisees can best be described as men who began with good intentions and then who lost the plot and that’s what happens to ‘good people’ when they forget the plot. Ironically, the Pharisees began as liberals and were a reformist movement. Greek influence or Hellenization had become the order of the day and had threatened the Jewish way of life and so to preserve and promote their way of life, the ‘separated ones’ emerged.

Unlike the Sadducees or the priestly class, this group simply wanted to be faithful yet liberal. While their counterparts held on strictly to the Torah or the written law, the Pharisees warmly embraced the oral traditions linked to the law like the Mishna and finally the Talmud. The Mishna and the Talmud could loosely be described as interpretations on interpretations, leaving the Pharisees in a dilemma; which interpretation is correct? In such a scenario it seemed better to hold on to every interpretation rigidly rather than mistaking break one which might have been the correct one. And so, they became slaves to the law.

St Luke has several narrations linked to the Sabbath. The text of today tells us of one such sabbath incident. Interestingly, Jesus was followed by not only his disciples but now a bunch of Pharisees who having had the knives drawn out were not ready to let their well-preserved teaching be trifled around by this itinerant preacher called Jesus. It became obvious that at this stage they could start an argument in an empty room for they were following him to find fault with him. We know that eleven verses down the line they were “filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (6:11)

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Art/ Heritage

 We are in thirteenth century Florence – the birthplace of the ‘Renaissance’ meaning ‘rebirth’. It refers to a period in European art history, from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, characterized by a rediscovery of Classical Medieval art and philosophy. But who were the forebearers of this realistic rendition? Art historians would answer in unison – Cimabue and Giotto. 

In today’s painting we shall consider the first pioneer and study his work of art. Cimabue, also known as Cenni di Pepo, was born in Florence in c 1240. Although majorly influenced by the Byzantine style of art, Cimabue chose to be flexible, shading flat figures so as to naturally endow them with life. Cimabue was also the teacher of Giotto, the first great proto-Renaissance painter.

The art of Cimabue is best exemplified in today’s painting. Titled ‘Santa Trinita Maestà’, the picture originally stood on the high altar of the Church of Santa Trinita in Florence. The date and the patron of the composition is disputed. Executed in tempera on wood, the painting is currently displayed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence.

Let’s now take a closer look at the canvas. We are greeted by a glistening gold panel indicating that this scene transcends space and time. It is heavenly and glorious. Before us lies a larger-than-life enthroned Virgin and Child surrounded by angels. An adaptation of the traditional Byzantine icons, this popular theme was called a Maestà, meaning, ‘Majesty’.

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Art/ Heritage


‘The loveliest Masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a Mother’ – St Therese of Lisieux

You will agree that mothers are mysterious creatures. They are perhaps the most difficult to understand and almost impossible to define. The essence of their existence is so unique that even after several months of birth an infant fails to consider its Mother a separate entity. During pregnancy, they share the same body, blood, nourishment, and even breathe the same air! A new-born enters a whole new world in absolute dependence on its mother.

By nature, the identity of a mother is relational. Mothers can hardly be studied if not for the relationship they share with their children. That is where their focus lies and that is exactly where they would want the world to focus on too. A mother always goes beyond herself to identify with her child and share, rather, sacrifice her life primarily for them.

If nature has endowed Mothers with selfless-beauty that cannot be grasped, how much more beautiful and extraordinary would Mary, the Mother of God be? How much more would she live her life in union with that of her Child? And how profoundly would she point beyond herself to the greater reality of Christ? Could Mother Mary ever refuse to lead us to Jesus, her loving Son?

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Art/ Heritage

 Life in the Parel Seminary began before cock-crow. At the stroke of the bell at 5:25 am, the Seminarians were to be on their knees, offering the day to God – ‘Hoc Signum, Surgamus et Offeramus’ they would say which can be translated as ‘This is the call of the great King!’

 The Seminarians would then dress briskly and head to the Chapel to recite their morning prayers in common. This was followed by Meditation before the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Eucharist was then celebrated after which Fr Rector would greet the brothers – ‘Dominus Vobiscum’ meaning ‘The Lord be with you’.

Morning Prayer was succeeded by a quick breakfast and some private study time. At around 9 am the seminarians would proceed to their respective classrooms for lectures. Classes were held from 9:10 am up until 12:40 pm. Likewise, the Parel Seminarian had to devote three hours of private study every day. Exams were conducted twice a year in oral and written format.

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Food


I have several recipes for this dish and several methods of making it. This one has a few ingredients like mustard and coriander which I have never used before. However it turned out very well

I made this dish on a Saturday night and left it out the whole night rather than refrigerate it. The vinegar preserves it from spoiling. I reheated it well in the morning and will heat is once again just before lunch. In my opinion, after reheating the pork in the morning and cooling it, it should then be refrigerated for another 24 hours before serving.

While the pork used was lean pork, I recommend you ask your butcher for a few additional pieces of bone which you cook with the gravy and then can discard. The flavour from the bone is incredible.

Also, for grinding the masala I use both water and vinegar. Some recipes use only water and then while cooking add vinegar. If you are using Goa vinegar please go easy, it’s bloody strong but there is no substitute for it. Having said that some recipes drop the vinegar entirely for tamarind pulp and some amount of Goa jaggery.

Ingredients

Lean pork – 1 kg

For grinding
Kashmiri chillies – 12-15 ( depending on how spicy you want it )
Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 10 large cloves or 14 small
Turmeric – 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves – 16
Pepper corns – 7
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Mustard – 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon 
Use vinegar and water to grind

For frying
Onions – two large
Oil
Salt

While grinding I recommend you grind all the dry ingredients first to a fine powder and then add the garlic and ginger with vinegar and water

Method
Cut and clean the pork into nice dices. Grind the masala and apply it to the pork along with salt and let it rest outdoors for an hour.

In a pot heat oil and fry the sliced onions. Add the marinated pork with two cups of water. Cook on a slow fire for 40 minutes adding water as required and stirring the meat every ten minutes. Do not add too much water as meat releases its own water. When done and if you prefer, add a green chilly and some finely chopped fresh ginger

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