The enchanting Fr. Anthony (Tony) De Mello

 Fr. Anthony (Tony) De Mello, a spiritually evolved priest from Bandra in Mumbai, was one of the remarkable spiritual teachers I wish I had met in person. Tony happily adapted concepts and devices from all spiritual traditions, including Vipassana, to create potent spiritual workshops which helped thousands of people. His books, mostly comprising brief teaching parables, were translated into a dozen foreign languages, becoming bestsellers around the world. They had enticing titles like Song Of the Bird, One Minute Nonsense, One Minute Wisdom and Prayer Of the Frog.

The Church apparently was unhappy with the spiritual ‘pollution’ of foreign traditions and the Vatican sent an advisory to the Bishops to discourage Fr. De Mello’s books and techniques. However the Bishops, who had witnessed the amount of good both were doing to their flock, broadly ignored the advisory, which I understand was finally withdrawn.

Fr. Tony De Mello died at a relatively young age in the US, some say under suspect circumstances. His remains were released to his brother only after some persuasion, and were finally placed in a simple vault at the Mount Carmel Church in Bandra.

Here are two nuggets from Tony De Mello:

DON’T CHANGE

Don't change. Desire to change is the enemy of Love.

Don't change yourselves: love yourselves as you are.

Don't change others: love all others as they are.

Don't change the world: it is in God's hands, and He knows.

And if you do that...change will occur marvelously in its own way and in its own time.

Yield to the current of life...unencumbered by baggage.

- Tony De Mello

(from the book Unencumbered By Baggage by Father Carlos G. Valles S.J.)


HAD ENOUGH?

There’s the story of little Johnny who, they say, was mentally retarded. But evidently he wasn’t, as you’ll learn from this story.

Johnny goes to modelling class in his school for special children and he gets his piece of putty and he’s modelling it. He takes a little lump of putty and goes to a corner of the room and he’s playing with it. The teacher comes up to him and says, “Hi, Johnny.” And Johnny says, “Hi.” And the teacher says, “What’s that you’ve got in your hand?” And Johnny says, “This is a lump of cow dung.” The teacher asks, “What are you making out of it?” He says, “I’m making a teacher.”

The teacher thought, “Little Johnny has regressed.” So she calls out to the principal, who was passing by the door at that moment, and says, “Johnny has regressed.”

So the principal goes up to Johnny and says, “Hi, son.” And Johnny says, “Hi.” And the principal says, “What do you have in your hand?” And he says, “What are you making out of it?” And he says, “A principal.”

The principal thinks this is a case for the school psychologist. “Send for the psychologist!”

The psychologist is a clever guy. He goes up and says, “Hi.” And Johnny says, “Hi.” And the psychologist says, “I know what you’ve got in your hand.” “What?” “A lump of cow dung.” Johnny says, “Right.” “And I know what you’re making out of it.” “What?” “You’re making a psychologist.” “Wrong. Not enough cow dung.”  And they called him mentally retarded!