"No duty is more urgent than that of returning of thanks " says St. Ambrose. So we have gathered here with hearts full of peace and joy, as the risen Lord is in us. On behalf of all my friends who attended the Inner Freedom Retreat , I wish to express a few words of appreciation and thanks for what you have been to us during these days of grace and love.

Dear Father, your commitment is highly qualitative. What you said impressed us; because of what you are. You are a worthy disciple of Christ, in whom are combined in a generous way, a deep spiritual life, wide knowledge of men and matters. A rare combination these days! May your tribe increase.

Retreats sometimes are like a dentist's chair- a melancholy object and a bug-bear. Some are forced to put up with its repercussions, with more asleep, than awake attitude. But this particular retreat of yours is unique! You geared us up from the very start to purifying our inner selves by examining our own lives and burning up all the negative feelings therein. This is innovative and original - which is so very important for us to live a joyful and loving life. "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit"- the Lord demands it of us. This is entirely a killing process, but worth its trouble. We all experienced the truth of it during this month.

Your talks were very stimulating, stretching our capacities to the full. Your dynamism, able mind and spiritual discernment and wisdom helped us to see facts and look at them in the face. This provides us with a renewed vision of and his work within us. You helped us to look into the deepest needs of our human hearts. Like a mirror you made us reflect our innermost feelings in the unconscious level- like a window brought light to bear on the dark corners where trouble festers. We were made to learn that hard choices can stretch and strengthen us. Each mistake of ours should be a new lesson for success.

Above all your deep human qualities of love and kindness care and concern touched the very core of our being. Your sense of wit and ironic edge added zest and spice to thought. Those enlightening and life giving and death dealing admonitions are bound to sink into the deeper regions of our being. Father Vijay you are an excellent teacher. Yes, you plan things well and execute them quietly, serenely and efficiently. Your fund of experience and wide knowledge, are an asset for your teaching mission, and priestly ministry. You are not like the sanctimonious pirate, who went with the Ten Commandments and scratched off one. Your life itself is a sermon. You showed us by illustration and example what is real, essential and proper. Most of our fluid notions appear to have vanished or crystalized. At times instead of freeing ourselves for joyful service we find our activities consuming us, sapping our energies, perhaps making very little progress, or lasting impact on others in spite of our hectic activity. After having taught by you to live life of love and how to be human, let all heed to the cry of the Spirit for rich communion with the Lord and with one another. It is up to us to retain our relevance in making our lives fruitful, even though there may be myriad attempts to bury it.

I guess that you struck a chord which will echo and re-echo around in our hearts and minds especially in the hard times to come. Your words are convincing and too moving to be comfortable. No doubt what you say comes from the Spirit. No touch of the old diffidence will come back to us, please God! You instilled into us a healthy desire for the things worth striving for.

You have left the beaten track and dived deep into the woods-as perhaps no one had done before. Through your touch of tenderness in the ruins of lives of many, may bring healing, love and joy for them- so that their whole personality may be directed to God. You taught us how to get peace of soul , by first burning up our negative feelings and then by filling up our hearts with love. Otherwise, "the heart of love becomes a broken fountain where tears fall from the sighful branches of the mind". You hope, for all of us that through our efforts the power of God will become operative in the world and enable us to change conditions like poverty and injustice in place of self sufficiency and pride.

Retreatants of Sept. 95