Dear Friends (Alumni)
As we are entering the new month, I thought of sharing with you something that is thought-provoking. There were three ships which were nearby when the Titanic sunk. One of them was known as Sampson. It was 7 miles away from the Titanic and they saw the white flares signalling danger, but because the crew had been hunting seals illegally and didn’t want to be caught, they turned and went the opposite direction away from the Titanic. This ship could represent us and people like us if we are so busy looking inward at our own mistakes and blunders that we can’t recognize when someone else is in need.
The next ship was the Californian. This ship was only 14 miles away from the Titanic, but they were surrounded by ice fields and the captain looked out and saw the white flares, but because the conditions weren’t favourable and it was dark, he decided to go back to bed and wait until morning. The crew tried to convince themselves that nothing was happening. This ship could represent those of us who say I can’t do anything now. The condition isn’t right for it and so we wait until conditions are perfect before going out.
The last ship was the Carpathian. This ship was actually headed in a southern direction 58 miles away from the Titanic when they heard the distress cries over the radio. The captain of this ship knelt down, prayed to God for direction and then turned the ship around and went full steam ahead through the ice fields. This was the ship that saved the 705 survivors of the Titanic. When the captain looked back at the ice fields they had come through, he said Someone else hands must have been at the helm of this ship! This ship represents those of us who would pray to God for direction and then go without hesitation.
God whispers in our soul and speaks to our hearts. We need to take the time to listen to these whispers and take heed. Let us LEND OUR HANDS always to those in need.
Your Affectionate Father and Friend
Fr. (Dr.) Mathew Pulingathil SDB
Rector
