Ad Aeternam Memoriam- A Festschrift in Honour of Prof. Dr. Paul Shabor Kalluveettil, CMI

"He has done all things well" (Mark 7:37), 'fought the good fight and finished the race" (2 Timothy 4:7). These scripture words sum up the life of a rare CMI, Rev. Fr. Paul Kalluveettil, who has ever lived his life with full conviction and ultimate commitment. Having called by the Lord and putting his hands: to the plough, he has never turned back. He has only travelled forward with a purpose and mission entrusted by the Lord and it has worked wonders and it has become a life worthy to be celebrated by his dear ones and the generations to come. He was a genuine seeker and was ever ready to question the status quo based on the Scripture he learnt, meditated, practised and taught. People go astray because they do not know the scriptures and power of God (Mathew 22:29). The Truth has really set him free (John 8:32) from all prejudices because of knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God that has been granted to him by the Lord (Mathew 13:11). He could see and hear what many aspired to see and hear, but could not (Mathew 13:16-17). That is why he could inspire generations of students through his teaching with authority and authenticity (Mathew 7:29).

The seed that was sown in him by the eternal farmer found the yield not in thirty or sixty but hundred fold. No bird, rock or thorn could block its growth. Temptations of power and popularity did not bother him (Mathew 13:1-23). He was a sthitaprajna with firm discernment not being affected worries of life, lust of the eyes, flesh or money. He laid the foundation for his life on rock of faith in Lord Jesus Christ and stood the test of the times (Mathew 7:24-25).

Ad Aeternam Memoriam is an epitome of love and respect to Prof. Dr. Paul Shabor Kalluveettil CMI (1940-2020), who was the Guru and Master of hundreds of students and disciples at Dharmaram College, Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (Bangalore, Karnataka) and other Institutions of Higher Learning across the Indian sub-continent.

Fr. Paul Kalluveettil was a staunch believer in God (the Lord of Hosts). whom he dared to call 'appan' (abba/father), as taught by our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, and after the model of our Founder, St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara. His doctoral dissertation, Declaration and Covenant (Rome. Biblical Institute Press, 1982) clearly captures the glimpses of the filial (covenantal) relationship between God and human beings. The very person of Paul Kalluveettil was a living testimony of his rapport with God, the Father. The thrust of his life and activities at Dharmaram College was a celebration of his conviction that God is our 'appan'. I just recall just one of the specific features of Fr. Paul, namely how affectionately he handled the Bible, how earnestly and meditatively he read the Bible (Word of God), and how intelligibly and creatively he interpreted the Bible (Word of God) for the sake of the scholastics/hearers.

Fr. Paul Kalluveettil was an erudite Bible scholar (especially in the Old Testament), who secured his Licentiate in the Sacred Scripture (LSS) and Doctorate in the Scared Scripture (DSS) from Biblicum (Pontifical Biblical Institute), Rome. His scholarly works reveal his mastery over the subjects, his critical insights on the biblical motifs, and, above all, his personal and creative reflections on the characters and events of the Bible. His numerous publications-books and articles-proclaim the untold stories of his scholarship, great intellectual acumen and profound understanding of the Bible and the allied subjects. The most widely held works by Fr. Paul Kalluveettil include (a) Declaration and Covenant: A comprehensive review of covenant formulae from the Old Testament and the ancient Near East (1982). (b) The Lord of Heaven and Earth (2004). (c) Word as Metaphor: Towards a poetic hermeneutics (2009), (d) Suvisesattile strikal (2009), (e) The world becomes the "word" (2009), (1) Maran catta, Come Lord Jesus (2012). (g) The Wond of the World. The book of beginnings (2012), (h) Mission and Evangelization Biblical perspectives (2015). (1) Markkösinte suvisesabhasyam (2017), () The Divine Pedagogy of Formation (2019).

Fr. Paul Kalluveettil was a loving master of students, who formed them to become genuine religious priests in the CMI Congregation. Indeed had the privilege to be one of his 'wards' during my theology studies (1983-1986) at Dharmaram College, Bangalore. Maybe, his vast experience as the Senior Tutor of the Scholastics of the undivided Devamatha Province, Trissur, and a short stint as a missionary in the Mar Thomas Province, Chanda (where he later became the Provincial), helped him to know his pupils sufficiently well. He had his own convictions of an ideal 'guru' and a heart of an appan, who could discern what is good and right for each and every ward, entrusted to his loving care. For, his method/pedagogy of formation was that of Yahweh, who journeyed with the people of God, as well established in his book, The Divine Pedagogy of Formation. I can vividly recall how Fr. Paul Kalluveettil. in his capacity as the Senior Tutor of Scholastics, lovingly accompanied Bro. Avarachan (Jacob) Peenickaparambil, who was diagnosed with cerebral cancer and underwent brain surgery at Manipal Hospital. Bangalore.

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