General Theme for the Jubilee Year 
“Alive to the Spirit of Fr. Claret: Remember, Rejoice, and Rejuvenate” 
General Objective for the Monthly Recollections 
“Remembering the blessings of the Lord for the fifty Years, being grateful for the growth achieved through pioneers and contribution of all the members, we rejoice in the Claretian vocation and move forward with strength and renewed vigour to face the emerging frontiers after the example of Claret.” 
Specific Theme for the month of June 2020 
 
Missionaries for the Integrity of Creation 
 
Introduction: The moment human beings are placed in this beautiful, rich and life-generating mother-earth, God the Father has systematically given them instructions on how to live peacefully with everything that are in it (Gen 3:15-17). God made it very clear that unpleasant outcomes would follow any disrespect and inimical behaviour towards the earth. This divinely inspired wisdom is in every human person. But the delight and attraction of the forbidden fruit keep on overshadowing and paralysing this precious knowledge that the Heavenly Father has endowed in each one of us.   
We are living in a time where the majority seem unwilling to acknowledge the inevitablyinterconnectedness of everything that is around them. We are witnessing uncontrolled destructions and harms done each other and to mother-earth, which have caused gradual disintegration in the natural bond existed within God’s creation.  
Readings: 
Gen 3:15-17 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” 
Works of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Vol. III  
The same God who gave all bodies in the universe the law of gravity whereby they are preserved and without which they would be destroyed, has likewise given in all men in the world His holy law, which He wrote by nature in every man, …This simple and great law, Jesus Christ came not to abolish but to perfect by His example, by His counsels, and by the grace He gives us in order that we might fulfil it perfectly. All other laws, unless they are based on this law, do not deserve to be called laws, but rather are nothing more than tyrannical and despotic edicts which subvert the order established by the Author of nature (p. 172).  
 
 
Reflection: 1. In one of our retreats, the preacher started with an anecdote about a father and his young son. The father cut the printed world map into small pieces and told his son to rearrange it. The son tried, but couldn’t. Then his father showed the picture of a man on the other side of the map, and so the son could rearrange the pieces accordingly with ease. The preacher concluded by telling, ‘Set the man inside you right, and everything will be alright’. Pope Francis writes, “Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone…” (Laudato Si. 202). Personal integrity is a must to be effective as missionaries for the integrity of creation.  
 
2. The temptation to dominate and accumulate is in fact present in every human person. In most cases we are unaware, and so unnecessarily over-exhibit our superiority and authoritarian complex in dealing with each other – this is incompatible with our missionary spirit. Perhaps, it was on this pretext that God reminded his people, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien…” (Lev 19:9-10). Pope Francis also writes, “When people become self-centred and self-enclosed, their greed increases. The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume” (Laudato Si. 204). The world around us needs more understanding, love and care so that it can offer us what we really need for generations to come.  
 
3. We need to be more integrated so that we can bring in substantial changes in places we are present. Father Claret showed his integrity at his young age while helping his father in the factory. His attitude towards their workers and his style of communicating with them was inspiring. His closeness to the nature can be seen from his knowledge of herbal medicine while in Viladrau, his interest to plant trees and fruit trees (Aut. 567) and his ability to even learn some virtues from animals (Aut. 664 – 673). Father Claret also writes, “Jesus Christ and His teaching are the only means to cure the ills that society is suffering from, because only Jesus Christ and His teaching can remedy and cure the intellectual aberrations, moral infirmities and social ruin of our era” (Works of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Vol. III, p.172).  
 
4. We have been merciless and cruel in our dealing with mother earth. The pandemic and many other natural calamities that the world is experiencing at the moment, are unimaginably painful. But, at the same time we are reminded that even if we have forgotten to care for the earth, the earth will find time to care for itself. Following the encyclical Laudato Si, The Declaration of the XXV General Chapter states, “Within the Church, we are already very conscious of what is happening to our ‘mother earth’: loss of biodiversity, deterioration of the quality of life, social degradation and global inequality” (p.14). 
 
 
 
5. As we are ready to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, let us pray together with Father Claret, “My Jesus, there is one thing I ask that I know you will grant me. Yes, my Jesus, I ask you for love, for great flames of that fire you brought down from heaven to earth. Come, divine fire; come sacred fire enkindle, burn, melt and pour me into the mold of God’s will” (Aut. 446).  
For personal reflection: 
What are the initiatives we take for growth in our personal integrity? 
What are the opportunities available around us to bring awareness in our mission about the need to care for mother earth?  
How can we network with the governmental agencies in order to have more outreach facilities in this particular mission? 
As local communities and as a Congregation, what are the measures we need to take in order to help one another be involved in whatever ways possible for the care of mother earth? 
 
Fr. Phrimsing Rapsang cmf 
Dear Friends,  
This is the last meditation for the Jubilee year recollections. We have started this journey in the month of July 2019 and have completed 12 months with this meditation. I believe that all of you have benefited from the reflections we sent as meditation for the Jubilee year recollections. We are supposed to complete the Jubilee year celebrations with a grand concluding ceremony in June but because of the coronavirus pandemic we may not be able to do it as we planned, but nothing can prevent us celebrating the Jubilee in a personal or community level. I believe that each major organism may have their own plan. Best wishes and prayers.  
I take this opportunity also to thank the team members, Fr. Xavier Pereira cmf, Fr. Bipin Vadakkekunnel cmf, and Fr. Phrimsing Rapsang cmf, who whole heartedly cooperated and prepared the reflections in time for the benefit of the Claretians in India. I am sure, dear Fathers, you have spent quality time to prepare the modules and your meditations were precise, thought provoking and helpful. Thank you very much. 
I also thank all the Provincial Superiors and Provincial Secretaries to whom I send the meditations. Your prompt response and comments really encouraged us to prepare and send the meditations in time. Thank you one and all. 
May I request you all to pray in a special way during this recollection for the Independent Delegation of Kolkata which has suffered many damages due to the cyclone that affected West Bengal recently. Let us offer this recollection for their intentions. 
Yours in the Lord, 
Fr. Alex cmf.