(Novice Praveen Martis spoke to Fr Simon Furtado on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. Here are the excerpts of the Interview)How special has your 93rd birthday been to you?
I got up that morning with this song going on in my head: “And when I die, ‘Hallelujah I will cry, I will fly away, O Glory, I will fly away...”
Father, you are a man fascinated by the Word of God. Can you speak about it?
It was my father who taught me to love the Bible. After he retired from government service, in Africa, the whole family shifted to Richmond Town, Bangalore. My father took me daily to 5:30 a.m. Mass in St Patrick’s Church. And the way he participated in the Mass was the best lesson for me. He was very happy when I joined the Jesuits. The Word of God is creative and touches the depth of our being. The Bible was written by men and women moved by the Spirit. And when I read that Word, the Spirit contained in it touches my subconscious and transforms me.
How would you like to describe your life, if you are asked to do so in one word?
BIBLE.
What keeps you active and energetic?
The WORD OF GOD. We are told in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius that the subject of the morning meditation should be recalled before going to bed. There is deep spirituality behind this. When I lie down in bed and repeat the sentence which summarises the morning meditation, the subconscious continues to repeat it even when I am fast asleep. It enters the subconscious and touches and cures the tendencies to sin. Six, seven, eight hours wasted in bed are now sanctified.
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