“THEY HAVE NO WINE”: CANA AS A SALESIAN CALL IN KOLKATA’S CENTENARY YEAR and BEYOND

 

Against the backdrop of the Salesian Strenna message 2026 by the Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Fr. Attard with the theme: "Do what he tells you: Believers, free to serve", here is a new interpretation of the miracle narrative at the Wedding in Cana, Jn 2:2-11. From the Salesian perspective we provide with original biblical hermeneutics of the text and event as explained below, but applied to the Salesian mission to the young especially the most poor and needy youth, in the light of the present ongoing centenary year of the Province of Kolkata. We present  positive and concrete proposals towards witnessing to the first manifestation of the glory of the Incarnate Word. The Apostle John, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls this event the beginning of miracles (Jn 2:11). But in the original Greek, the word is semeion meaning a sign. A sign is not an empty spectacle. It is a divine finger pointing to a greater reality. When Jesus Christ turns water into wine, He is not merely acting as a gracious guest saving a wedding from social embarrassment. He is acting as the Lord of all creation, the Redeemer, and the true Bridegroom of the Church. We shall examine this sign through the lens of God’s grace in emptiness. We will see how the Lord Jesus takes the empty vessels of the Old Covenant and fills them with the new wine of His atoning blood. We will elaborate on: the failing to understand the Salesian ‘Cana’ and the earthly ‘wedding’ with empty wine as a crisis; the source of true vine and vine-dresser; and the festive jars of ‘here and now’: a Salesian spirituality of the ever to the ‘brim’.

1. Cana re‑read from the oratory courtyard

The Gospel of John calls the wedding at Cana “the beginning of his signs.” It is not a magic show; it is a window into how God chooses to act. At Cana, Jesus does not preach a long sermon. He quietly takes what is empty, what is ordinary, and what is on the verge of shame, and fills it with unexpected joy.

Read from a Salesian perspective, especially in this centenary year of the Province of Kolkata, Cana becomes more than an ancient miracle. It becomes a mirror. It asks every Salesian community, school, parish and youth centre in our province a simple, uncomfortable question: in the lives of the young, especially the poorest, where has the wine already run out?

The Rector Major’s Strenna, “Do whatever he tells you – Believers, free to serve,” invites us to stand in the scene not as distant observers, but as those servants at the wedding who hear Mary’s whisper and Jesus’ surprising command. In Kolkata, Siliguri or Azimganj, the oratory courtyard, the tea‑stalls and the shops outside the campus, the school boardings or shelter for youth‑at‑risk are today’s Cana. The sign is still the same: God wants to begin again from our emptiness.

2. “They have no wine”: naming the crisis of our young

Mary’s sentence is painfully brief: “They have no wine.” She does not explain, moralise or blame. She simply names the lack. In our context, that line could be rewritten a hundred ways:

• “They have no stable family.”
• “They have no meaningful work.”
• “They have no safe digital space.”
• “They have no one who listens without judging.”

For many young people in our province, especially in the slums, brick kilns, tea gardens, rail platforms, and migrating families, the first party of life has already gone wrong. The wine of childhood – safety, acceptance, play, school – has often run out too soon. Others in our elite schools have full glasses of opportunity but find the taste strangely flat: anxiety, loneliness, performance pressure, addiction and social media fatigue leave them asking whether this is all there is.

John says the wedding feast was on “the third day”, a hint of resurrection. But before resurrection there is a crisis. Before any sign there is honesty. A Salesian rereading of Cana begins when we dare to say, in front of the Lord and one another: in this neighbourhood, in this school, in this hostel, our young have no wine.

That honesty is the first act of pastoral love. It is also the first movement of the Strenna’s discernment path: recognise. We cannot “do whatever he tells us” if we refuse to see what he is already pointing at.

3. Mary’s pedagogy: a listening presence, not a neutral guest

At Cana, Mary is not an anxious relative running about with a bucket. She is a calm, attentive presence. Nobody comes and formally informs her of the shortage. She notices. She “listens” with her eyes and heart. She reads the faces of the stewards, the half‑empty jars, the nervous whisper. Then she takes the lack straight to Jesus.

This is profoundly Salesian. Don Bosco’s Preventive System begins with presence: being in the courtyard, in the playground, in the workshop, at the bus stand after classes; seeing and sensing the unspoken needs of the young before they become scandals or statistics. Mary at Cana is the model of this type of pastoral intelligence.

In the centenary year, our province can look back on a hundred years of such Marian, Salesian presence – from the first boarding houses and schools to today’s Don Bosco Tech centres, youth‑at‑risk shelters, migrant desks and parishes. Yet the Strenna gently asks: have we become neutral guests at some of our “weddings”? Do we still see the new forms of emptiness – mental health struggles, toxic online culture, trafficking, silent loss of faith – or have we grown used to them?​

“Believers, free to serve” begins with the freedom to be disturbed by what we see. A Salesian Marian heart does not say, “It’s not my responsibility,” but quietly repeats, “They have no wine.”

4. The stone jars of our institutions

Now we see the vessels. John notes that there were six stone water jars “for the Jewish rites of purification.” They are large, expensive, culturally important – and at this moment, empty. Jesus does not throw them away. He asks that they be filled. Verse 6: “And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.” Note carefully: Waterpots of stone. Not wineskins of leather, which are flexible and living, but stone which is cold, hard, and rigid. These pots were used for "purifying." The Jews would wash their hands, their cups, and their tables, trying desperately to scrub away their defilement before a Holy God.

The jars can symbolise the Old Covenant, as your given reflection explains. They can also, in a Salesian rereading, stand for our own structures: schools, boarding houses, parishes, youth centres, degrees, syllabi, timetables, even our centenary programmes. They are not bad. They are needed. But they can become cold, rigid stone if they are no longer filled with the living water of the Gospel and the passion of the Preventive System.

One hundred years ago, the first Salesians in this region arrived with little more than a dream, a cassock and a football. Today, the Province of Kolkata is rich in institutions and achievements: thousands of students, a wide network of works across Bengal, the North‑East and beyond, and a recognised contribution to national priorities like skill development and youth rehabilitation. Yet

Cana asks a dangerous question: are our jars full or hollow?​

• Is there real accompaniment happening, or just efficient administration?
• Are our hostels places of family spirit, or simply safe lodging?
• Do our academic toppers also learn compassion and faith, or only competition?

Jesus does not despise the jars. He reclaims them. The Strenna invites our communities to let him refill every structure – old and new – with a passion for the poorest and most fragile youth around us.

5. “Fill them to the brim”: collaboration and co‑responsibility

The Mystery of Wine and Life Brethren, we must go deeper here. Why did Jesus choose wine? Why not milk? Why not honey? Because in the Scriptures, Wine speaks of Life through Blood. When you look at wine in a cup, what does it resemble? It is red. It is rich. It looks like blood.

The servants at Cana receive a very odd instruction: fill huge stone jars with water. It is heavy, repetitive work. The guests do not see it. Yet John notes that they “filled them up to the brim.” Obedience here is not passive; it is generous and creative. So, when Jesus turns the water into wine, He is signaling a change in the source of our life. This brings us to a profound insight from the wisdom of Solomon. Turn in your minds to Proverbs 31:6: “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.” On the surface, this sounds like a comfort for the dying. But look at it through the lens of the Gospel. Who is the man “ready to perish”? It is you. It is me.

The miracle at Cana is the Gospel in a picture: The Law gives water which is cold and judicial cleansing. The Gospel gives Wine which is warm and invigorating life.

In the Strenna, the Rector Major insists that we are “servants, mere servants,” and that the freedom of believers is precisely the freedom to respond without half‑measures to whatever Jesus asks. In the light of the 150th anniversary of the Salesian Cooperators, this scene takes on a special colour. The “servants” today are not only SDBs and FMAs, but lay collaborators, Cooperators, past pupils, parents, youth leaders – each carrying their bucket of water into the big jars of the mission. “Filling to the brim” in our Kolkata centenary context may mean:

• A Cooperator who quietly tutors slum children after work.
• A teacher who stays back to listen to a struggling student.
• A past pupil who returns to mentor first‑generation college‑goers.
• A community that opens its campus for skills training on Sundays.

No one of these actions is spectacular. Yet together they create the conditions for the sign. Jesus turns the water into wine; we are asked only to give him our labour, our time, our creative ideas – completely, not grudgingly.

6. The hidden moment of transformation

John does not describe the instant the water becomes wine. It happens somewhere between the filling of the jars and the steward’s first sip. That silence is very consoling for educators. Most of the time, we do not see when the “water” of daily efforts in the yard, classroom, confessionals or youth groups quietly becomes “wine” in a young person’s heart:

• A boy who stops using violence because he was trusted with a responsibility.
• A girl who rediscovers prayer because a sister listened without judging.
• A street child who becomes an honest worker through patient years of accompaniment.

In its hundred years, the Kolkata Province has seen such transformations thousands of times: from railway platforms to college graduations, from shelter homes to leadership in Church and society. Cana invites us to believe that this mystery will continue, often invisibly, if we keep doing “whatever he tells you.”

The Strenna speaks of discernment in four verbs – recognise, interpret, choose, act. At Cana, the servants live all four: they recognise the lack, listen to Mary’s hint, choose to obey Jesus’ strange command, and act by carrying water and then wine. The transformation happens in God’s time, not theirs. Our task, as a centenary province, is to stay faithful to those verbs, not to demand instant results.

7. “You have kept the good wine until now”: hope for the second century

The steward’s comment to the bridegroom – “you have kept the good wine until now” – is not only about the past hours of that wedding. It is also a promise for us in this centenary year. It suggests that in God’s economy, the best is not behind us but ahead.

It is easy, in a province with a proud history, to slip into nostalgia: to think of the “golden days” of full boarding houses, abundant vocations, overflowing parishes. The Cana sign, read with the Strenna, tells us something else: if we stay close to Mary, listen to the voice of Jesus and the cries of our young, and dare to act together, the Lord is able to give a wine we have not yet tasted.

For Kolkata and her missions across Bengal, Sikkim, Nepal, Jharkhand and Bangladesh, this might mean:

• New forms of presence among migrant youth and gig‑workers.
• Bolder commitment to mental health, addictions and digital wounds.
• Deeper collaboration with other charisms and Churches in serving youth‑at‑risk.
• A humbler and poorer lifestyle that frees resources for the poorest families.

The Strenna calls these “counter‑cultural decisions,” where believers show their freedom by choosing the Gospel over comfort or prestige. In this sense, the centenary is not a closing ceremony but a threshold. The good wine of the second century will not simply be more of the same. It will be a renewed, perhaps more fragile, but more authentic richness born from listening, discernment and shared risk.​

8. “Believers, free to serve”: the Salesian vocation as Cana spirituality

Finally, Cana offers us a simple portrait of the Salesian vocation.

• We stand with Mary, close to the needs of the young, seeing what others do not see.
• We hear her quiet command: “Do whatever he tells you” – a call to personal and communal discernment.
• We accept to be servants, not masters; collaborators, not saviours.
• We bring water – the simple, daily gestures of presence, reason, religion and loving‑kindness – and let God decide when and how to make them wine.

We are heading to a wedding, Beloved! The earthly bridegroom at Cana ran out of supplies. He failed. But our Heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, has an infinite supply. There were six waterpots. Twenty or thirty gallons each. That is over one hundred gallons of wine. An abundance that no wedding party could consume! This signifies the Superabundant Grace of God.

Are you still holding on to the empty stone waterpots of your own works? Are you trying to scrub your soul clean with the water of morality and religious duty? It is cold. It is empty. It has no life. Or are you intoxicated with the cheap wine of this world? Are you chasing money, fame, or lust, hoping it will make you glad? It will run out. And you will be left thirsty in eternity. I invite you to the True Vine.

To be “believers, free to serve” in this way is to live Cana every day in our courtyards, classrooms, hostels and streets. It is to trust that the Lord who began a good work in Kolkata in 1926 has not run out of wine in 2026.

As the province celebrates its centenary, perhaps our best prayer is simply Mary’s gaze and Mary’s sentence. To look once more at the faces of the young entrusted to us, especially the poorest and most wounded, and whisper to Jesus in the silence of our hearts: “Lord, they have no wine.”  The good Lord grant us to drink deeply of His grace, that our hearts may be made glad in God alone, until we sit down at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (work and service; bread and heaven). Then, together, as Salesian Family, to listen for his voice and begin again to do whatever he tells us, free and joyful servants at the side of the true Bridegroom of our youth.

 

REDISCOVERING DIVINE SIMPLICITY: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS A PATH TO SELF-REALIZATION

 

The path to self-realization, as envisioned in the divine framework of God, is inherently simple, natural, pure, and straightforward. It is a road paved with sincerity, compassion, and obedience to the basic tenets of life, such as those enshrined in the Ten Commandments. This path calls for simplicity, humility, and unshakable faith—a marked contrast to the often convoluted and commercialized spiritual journeys that many embark on today, driven by the allure of god-men, rituals, and materialistic interpretations of peace and satisfaction. The beauty of God's way lies in its profound simplicity, emphasizing a direct relationship between the Creator and His creation without unnecessary intermediaries or overly elaborate practices.

The Ten Commandments stand as the bedrock of ethical and spiritual life, offering universal principles that transcend time and culture. They advocate for love, respect, honesty, and devotion—qualities that build a meaningful and peaceful existence. These commandments are neither burdensome nor complex; rather, they serve as a moral compass guiding individuals toward righteousness. Yet, as society advances, we often find ourselves complicating the spiritual life with rituals, ceremonies, and rules that, while not inherently wrong, risk overshadowing the essence of faith and devotion. For example, think of the psychological effect of the emotional Hamartia out of the loud Charismatic ‘alleluias’ intertwined with extra ‘noise’ and music.

A similar scenario unfolded in the time of Jesus when the Pharisees and Scribes imposed a heavy burden of 613 rules and regulations on the Jewish people. These rules, though rooted in religious traditions, became a means of control and a source of spiritual exhaustion. The strict dictates turned the purity of worship into a mechanical process, removing the heartfelt connection with God. Jesus criticized this legalistic approach, calling instead for a return to the simplicity of faith—a life centered on love for God and neighbor.

Fast-forward to today, and we see echoes of this complexity in the multiplication of spiritual practices and the rise of modern "idols." These idols are not limited to statues or images but extend to material possessions, fame, wealth, technology, and even ideologies. In our pursuit of these attachments, we risk losing sight of the divine simplicity that leads to true self-realization. The worship of these modern idols creates a labyrinth of distractions, pulling us away from the essence of spiritual life. The quest for self-gratification, often masked as spiritual fulfillment, turns faith into a commodity and self-realization into a distant mirage.

The proliferation of god-men and spiritual tours further compounds this issue. While many of these individuals and activities aim to provide guidance and solace, they sometimes create dependencies that undermine personal spiritual growth. The reliance on intermediaries can dilute the individual's direct relationship with God, turning what should be a personal and transformative journey into a transactional experience. This trend mirrors the Pharisees' legalism, where human interpretations overshadowed divine simplicity.

True self-realization does not require elaborate rituals or the intervention of others. It begins with introspection, humility, realization and a sincere desire to align one's life with divine principles. The Ten Commandments offer a clear and accessible roadmap for this journey. By honoring these commandments, individuals cultivate virtues such as integrity, gratitude, and compassion. These virtues act as stepping stones toward a deeper understanding of oneself and one's relationship with the Creator.

Moreover, the simplicity of God's path calls for a rejection of modern idols. This does not mean abandoning technology or material possessions but rather using them responsibly and without attachment. It involves recognizing that true peace and satisfaction come not from external sources but from within—a realization that is often obscured by the noise of modern life. Detachment from idols allows individuals to focus on the eternal truths that underpin spiritual life, leading to a sense of fulfillment that no material possession can provide.

In this context, the importance of community and shared worship cannot be overstated. While personal devotion is crucial, the fellowship of like-minded individuals fosters mutual encouragement and accountability. This community should, however, be rooted in simplicity and authenticity, avoiding the pitfalls of showmanship or competition that sometimes plague religious gatherings. The focus should remain on collective growth and mutual support, reflecting the love and unity that God desires for His people.

The message of simplicity in spiritual life also extends to how we approach challenges and uncertainties. Instead of seeking quick fixes or external validations, individuals are encouraged to trust in God's providence and lean on their faith. This trust fosters resilience and a sense of purpose, enabling individuals to navigate life's complexities with grace and confidence.

In conclusion, God's road to self-realization is simple, straightforward, and accessible to all. It is a path that prioritizes love, faith, and obedience over rituals and material attachments. By embracing the Ten Commandments and rejecting the distractions of modern idols, individuals can cultivate a deep and personal connection with the divine. This journey of hope is not about adding more to one's life but about removing the unnecessary layers that obscure the truth. It is a return to the basics, a rediscovery of the simplicity and purity of faith that leads to genuine self-realization and lasting peace.

RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUAL REALITIES

 

In spiritual life we seem to seek truth as if it is available in the proximate near-experience of the Ultimate Truth. In the realm of spirituality, like all other realities, it is not so. According to Sumit Paul, Einstein’s theory of relativity applied to spiritual realities, finds that every faith, religious code, doctrine, dogmas, belief system, ideology is subjective ‘truth’ (so called!) (timesofindia.com/speaking-tree, 14.4.2024). In the present situation, the majoritarian’s absolute faith-claim to be the only truth, is false and bigotry.  Nothing that is earthly is perfect. A religious faith system cannot be called the ultimate truth. When each religion asserts itself to be  the only ‘true’ belief system and every ideology claims to be the only perfect way of life, the post-modern principle seems to hold good: there exists only subjective truths and relative realities. My belief in my faith ideologies is my subjective interpretation of the reality. It is my ‘truth’ which can be non-truth in other’s interpretation of the same reality. If we cannot accept this relative reality of our understanding, we cannot empathise with other’s ‘truth’ as well. Absolute truth in this physical world is an enigma. As our knowledge and understanding is limited, all that we live through, think through and feel through, is out of a subjective experience or partial interpretation of the same reality. Therefore, when we recognize and accept the principle of relativity of truth, we will stop claiming absolute or superior ideological and religious ‘truths’ over others.

Consequently, there is no Universal Truth within human existence. No single theory, idea, ism, doctrine, or belief is acceptable to every individual. The foundations of a claimed and established truth can never be universal, as one or the other will doubt it’s veracity. We only interpret reality which we do not know in its totality. This unknown or partially known reality is the only truth. The subjective interpretations are all individual’s or a groups’ perceptions, which come only in fractions, and not in its entirety. We see realities from our possible and perceived ‘angles’, and they are only partially true.

No man-made Religions (faith-system) are universally true. Yet, we all within our  partial truth-experience, claim them to be the best and the absolute.  It is quite natural to do so, because we all suffer from spiritual worldliness and religious pride, claiming that which is mine is the best.   We can never be certain about the  objective  truth, except that we believe  it to be so. This  belief is in some systems, codes, creed, rituals and norms. Therefore, we can only acknowledge and claim that these systems and codes are true. If this is so, human limitations in knowing the Truth should make us humble. We need to look at our faith experience and belief, as a part of the reality, and not the only reality. We cannot insist on our view of reality and forcefully load it on others. The fact is, truth as a continuous process, it evolves and expands.

Let us consider the concept of divine revelation in religions. The interpretation of these revelations found in the Sacred Scriptures, believed to  contain revelations from the Almighty, significantly vary  according to diverse religious traditions. These texts are considered absolute truth by the believers. However, different biblical scholars and theologians interpret the Scripture contents differently based on different criteria and methods. Some passages are understood as metaphorical while others, as a direct command from God. The interpretations of passages on morality, salvation, and prophecy (exegesis, hermeneutics) contained in the believed-to-be divinely inspired Bible, diverge across denominations, e.g. creation story in Genesis—whether literal or allegorical. Again, within the Religion, the countless sects/denominations emphasize in varied measures the different aspects of the texts. These variations arise due to socio-cultural context, personal experiences, and individual perspectives. Each believer’s understanding of divine truth is shaped by their upbringing, traditions, education, and spiritual journey which is ever evolving with time and space. Thus, while the core texts remain constant, the subjective prism through which they are viewed, leads to diverse interpretations. In short, the concept of universal Truth in the light of varied interpretations of revelations, exemplifies how religious truths are inherently subjective. What resonates as profound and absolute for one person may differ significantly for another, highlighting the relativity of spiritual understanding that constantly evolves and expands.

Similarly, we recognize and acknowledge Jesus’ uniqueness in so far as it evolves and expands in its understanding of the Truth in our present situation.  His pre-eminence flows from his uniqueness, in as much as his words, actions  and the experiences of his disciples/followers evolve with the present interpretation of his actual life, words and works. Yet, the extent of understanding of such interpretations is only partial. Christians believe, Jesus is the Wisdom, he is the Message. But they are understood and interpreted in our partial human ways. Christianity may deny to be a system of ideas, even though there are gradually developed doctrines, system, norms, codes and creed. It is also claimed that Christianity is not a moral code of conduct for human behaviour; that it is not an "ism,” (monotheism). To say, on the contrary that Christianity is a person, – that no idea can substitute for the person of Christ– is contradictory and erroneous, because it is a man-made religion with a developed system of belief, relied upon some doctrines codes, creed, customs and rituals.  The person of Jesus, believed to be ever living and active in the Church today, itself is an idea out of our memory, – a belief in the notional idea of Jesus, as a person. In reality, he is a distant figure of History who lived and died, but made alive through the Christian belief, that through a divine power he is living and active in the Church and in the world. This is only a fraction, a partial belief of an individual or a community of the Absolute Truth, called God, Allah, Parameswara, the Almighty, Mother, or ‘Father’ as addressed by Jesus.

ARIDITY IN SPIRITUAL ASCENT

 People who seek God-experience in their life, and get to a certain point in the spiritual life, they begin to experience a period of aridity and dryness sometime in the process.  The spiritual mystics who had previously tasted the presence of God, often in their moments of prayers, meditation, popular devotions,  go through such moment of the ‘absence’ of God, as if God has left them. This is not something bad. As long as one is sincerely seeking God and not ‘giving up’, dryness in seeking God is an indicator that you are being prepared to move into a higher stage of the spiritual life. That you are being passed on to the IS-ness of God, where your AM-ness gets integrated. You are being led "upstairs," to the ‘seven storied mountain’ top of your soul. That you are not simply relying on your lower senses. That you are nearing your search-end in seeking him no matter what you feel or don't feel. The reason we don't feel his presence isn't because he has "left" us. Instead, he's drawing closer and we are blurred from the brightness of his presence. Therefore, we continue seeking him, regardless of the dry feelings. You show that your desire him for who he is, not just how you feel.

 St. John of the Cross, a great mystic and saint of the 16th century wrote, "God values in you the inclination to dryness and suffering for love of him more than all the consolations, spiritual visions, and meditations you could possibly have." A time he felt God was not a good friend, that he had abandoned him, “locked into a small room and was starved and tortured by his own brothers when he sought to reform the Carmelite order”. In that darkness, he felt rejected, and wondered if God was by his side. Here is the wisdom from him, for those who desire to possess the spiritual treasure: desire nothing in order to gain everything - the way of “nada.” Then you would no longer experience want or the dryness. You would have within you all you needed. From this we learn that God-seeking is the goal of “letting go,” by putting all things in their own proper places, without the obsession to control, the anxiety to possess, and the insecurity of losing the same things. Through ‘neti-neti’ – not this, not that – attitude, one is free to enjoy God. 

 Physically helping others through social charity, makes one find God in the people they serve.  It can be certain agnosticism. Ours is a living God, practical, existential, and incarnate than mere intellectual. This in turn leads to a deeper, spiritual realities. God and faith are not feelings. One who lives in selfless service, experiences the presence of the Absolute. Doubt and skepticism (e.g. St. Thomas) are real honest things to do, in order to know the truth. Even in the arid moments of ‘passing atheism’ God can be real. Faith does not make truth certain, instead one believes with uncertain feeling and intellect that God exists. Consequently, moments of unbelief, of dark nights of the soul, God’s silence, indifferent and lonely periods, and skeptical times will be there. One may experience God’s absence from one’s life.  Only goodness shown towards self and others, can carry us on when faith seems burdensome. Only a sustained generous living can lead to have faith in the Absolute, about whom we can never be totally certain.

The aridity could be also a sign of a shifting of one’s centre of spiritual identity, wherein, one moves from the centre of self-reference - the place of feeling good within a limited space -   towards a more universal pluri-focal centre, beyond boundaries. Here, one recognizes not only those seeking God of one’s own belief system (religion), but also all those seeking the Universal God of the whole human species beyond the lines of control. The shift is to the cosmotheandric, universe, God and human species. In the midst of aridity, the Reality-seeking efforts expand. One may still experience the dryness in the midst of diversity and complexity, but becomes more aware of a deep, underlying connection, that is more experienced, sensed, than explained. This discovery of God as Being (IS-ing) becomes “everybody’s secret” (Upanishads). It includes all living and non-living organisms, with which one strives to live. This new faith conviction of mutual reliance emanates positive energy of love, respect and compassion, an energy that becomes an all-inclusive spirituality, elevating to a higher self. This divine power-centre (energy) is everywhere. It is all in all.  The part is in the whole and whole is in each part. It is through moments of aridity, analysis, scepticism, and questioning that one reaches a deeper spiritual reality. 

Thomas Merton, in a book called Seeds of Contemplation says that the whole of creation is an incarnation of an idea in the mind of God. It is within this creation, that we “live, move, and have our being, out of the fullness we all have received.”  This way we have an experience of the Kingdom, where “with the whole of creation, free from the corruption of death”, we give glorify to the Creator (4^th Eucharistic prayer). The non-organisms too are Spirit having material experiences. “We are all spiritual beings first, having material body” (Teihard de Chardin). Therefore, spiritual aridity is a step ahead to experience and feel this God, as a presence. Later on, this God became IS-ness, Being. If so, one’s AM-ness is the real thing and that's where one is with God. God’s AM-ness, His IS-ness, is shared with everything. In fact, many mystics have some time passed from Jesus to God through the ‘dark cloud of the unknowing’ and the ‘dark night of the soul’. They passed on to the presence or the existence of the non-dual advaitic God.