DIVINE A FIRE IN THE ORDINARY | KAIROS GLOBAL | NOVEMBER 2022

Author:  Joe Anthony

Intro: Joe Anthony writes a tribute to Ajna George, who passed away in January 2022 after a valiant battle with cancer. Divyakarunyathinte Vanambady, her biography written by Sabu Kumbuckal and Jith George has recently been translated to English, Nightingale of the Holy Eucharist. 

I have not met Ajna, but I have heard about her from testimonies of people who knew her closely, and by reading her biography. I am overwhelmed by her life story. Besides fascinating and compelling, this book throws you off balance. You are reading a sacred book of meditation, a book of prayer. Your reaction involves most human emotions, heavenly whispers of admiration and thunderous acclamations to divine interventions in her short, most ordinary, and unassuming life. 

Ajna George was an ordinary girl from a middle class family, who lived a simple life with her parents and elder sister. There was nothing spectacular or exceptional about her life as a child. However, as she grew older, there seemed to be a gradual change in her mindset and behaviour. She became more focused on what she wanted to be in the future and how she was going to achieve it. This ordinary young girl decided to venture into the realm of the unusual and out-of-the-ordinary, into the domain of an extraordinary and exemplary life of action. What brought about this steady transformation seems to have been a new awareness of her love for Jesus, as she began preparing for her First Holy Communion. Her journey from now on was a blend of the spiritual and the physical.  

I completed reading Divyakarunyathinte Vanambady by Fr Sabu Thomas and Jith George, surprisingly, in a number of days. A book such as this would generally have taken only a few hours. It was impossible to read it at a stretch as deep emotions overwhelmed me. You cannot proceed further until you have calmed down and offered a few fervent prayers for her and to her as well, and express deep gratitude to this awesome God of ours. 

As you read on, Ajna's mysterious presence seems to hover over you and you can inhale the aroma of her sanctity and get invigorated and sanctified yourself. I regard her as my daughter. You might consider her as someone else.  However she may appear to you, you will find it impossible to erase her image from your memory for a long time to come. Apart from all the fine sentiments that flooded my mind, there was also a sense of jealousy, a holy jealousy, I might say, that she had so easily entered the sphere of holiness at such a young age and reached the pinnacle of sanctity, leaving me far behind to catch up with her, if I ever can. 

This is a humble attempt to penetrate certain facets of Ajna's spirituality and a few of the main characteristics of her personality, hoping it will benefit the reader more than it would by reading her life-sketch. I am not competent enough to analyse them as a theologian would. I examine it from a layman's perspective to ascertain how her extraordinary life can impact ordinary people like us. 

Her unwavering faith in God and her deep love for her religion seem to stand out most prominently. From early childhood she had an indissoluble bond with Jesus and was deeply immersed in his love. She prayed to him, learned about him.  He was her best friend and she always carried him with her wherever she went. She did everything for him, and whatever she did for others was done for him, because she saw him in everyone. 

The chapel was the prime source from where she derived fervour, blessing and the stamina to face the ordeals of the day. If you didn't know where Ajna was, you had better look for her in the chapel. She would invariably be found there. People saw Christ in her and accepted her challenge to attend daily Mass and receive Holy Communion.   

Her faith in God's goodness was indomitable. When cancer had deformed her face and caused her untold suffering, she never complained. Neither did she express disappointment or sadness or despair, nor question God. She didn't entertain any negative sentiments either. She firmly believed God would not abandon her and what was happening to her was according to his will. 

Her love for the Holy Eucharist was so profound and so insatiable that she would receive it without fail every single day of her life, even during lockdown. In spite of restrictions, priests took turns to give her Holy Communion, often coming to her house. This was because she had developed a good rapport with them. The inclement weather, the unfamiliar locations, the seemingly unending distance, nothing could deter her from attending Holy Mass and receiving the sacraments during her out station ministry.

Ajna's holiness springs from her love for Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament. She loved to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. Her seraphic face and yearning eyes concentrated on the monstrance with ardent impulses of love, never blinking an eyelid, because she saw Jesus gazing at her. Every moment was singularly precious to her. Grace descended in torrents and soaked her at such occasions. In her father's words ‘she gazed at the sacred host as though seeing Jesus for real.’ So intense was her union with Jesus! She was a colossal giant in holiness which resulted from a ceaseless effort towards the two dimensional approach – the vertical and the horizontal. She was with God and in God. Her relationship with God's people was amiable, respectful and concerned.

The Holy Scripture was the book she treasured the most. She read it regularly and meditated upon it often. As she read, these revealed words galvanised into life and penetrated her so deeply that every strand in the tapestry of her soul was animated. She found them enlightening, encouraging and comforting. The ultimate act of preparation before any examination for her was reading the Bible. Scripture quotes decked the walls of her room and she often pondered over them in times of need.  

Prayer was an essential component of her Christian life. She was very regular at prayer, especially all the family prayers. Apart from her personal prayers, she also recited the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3 pm, often with her friends, through her mobile. She kept a long list of intercessory prayers which she invoked in chapel with others on occasions. 

There are certain fundamental attributes common to every virtuous person because this individual is a child of God. There are also those pertaining to each individual because of the way that person lived and practised them. Ajna relentlessly tried to acquire and practise these virtues expected of a person trying to live a pious life. Her spiritual endowments are admirable.

Simplicity is the hallmark of any virtuous person. In Ajna, simplicity of mind and heart exuded a natural and dignified approach to life. There was nothing artificial or pretentious about her attitude or behaviour. She spoke softly and gently but persuasively. Her interactions with people had an element of spontaneous modesty. There was no malice or deceit in her. Her candid nature wouldn't harbour ill feelings against anyone or wish anyone harm. She never troubled anyone; never criticised, found fault with, discouraged, shouted at or scolded anyone, even as a teacher. Her students and friends speak volumes in unambiguous terms of her perennial goodness and sweetness. 

Humility is the foundation of every virtue. Even when she took active part in the various activities in educational institutions or elsewhere, she preferred to remain backstage, giving preference to others to shine. She preferred to enjoy the success of others than of her own. She took no credit for her achievements, instead, passed them all onto others. She felt uncomfortable, embarrassed, and ill at ease when anyone praised her or even talked about her in public. She was averse to any show of admiration or adulation, as her modest mindset would cringe at the display of any such emotions. However, she was not dismayed at realising her popularity because that was a means she used to do good. Nor was she embarrassed when others turned to her for assistance because she saw these as welcome opportunities to glorify God. At a retreat for nurses she was invited to share her testimony after undergoing her third surgery. She was asked to come from the front when she chose to appear from backstage, the reason being their perception of her bearing Jesus within herself.

Modesty is a highly recommended virtue, especially in a woman. Unfortunately, it is hardly the case in our times. Modesty in dress, behaviour, outlook, exposure, speech, manner, as a matter of fact, in every walk of life, is an important mark of Christian women. She disapproved of artificiality, unbecoming clothing, or unedifying manners. She wore simple and modest clothes, not branded outfits popular among her peers

Suffering was a rude intruder at first but became an uninvited guest in the last days of her life. Cancer gnawed her face with massive greed to recast it into a mangled mass of decaying flesh devoid of all human semblance. The surgeries, chemotherapies, radiation treatments, all reduced this helpless child to a distorted wreck, for eventually, there were no eyes, nose, ears, or mouth but a festering mass full of puss infested with worms. It is difficult to understand how this child endured all this agony, this interior martyrdom. As excruciating pain screamed through every pore in her face she must have suffered immensely and deeply, but it is difficult to even gauge the gravity of her pain because she camouflaged it so gracefully. She was offering this to Jesus and didn't want to reveal it, for fear of being deprived of the merits attached to it. Her suffering was redemptive. It seems to have transformed her because, instead of gloom and dejection, there was an aura of heavenly brightness on her face, an overflow of divine mien and seraphic beauty. Could it be an earthly compensation for the tragedy in her life? They say she asked for even more suffering when they were praying for her healing. Can anyone doubt the genuineness of her holiness? 

Once she was asked, ‘Do you not hate God for making you suffer like this?’ Her reply was a slap on the face, ‘Yes, I hate him, but my love for him is far greater than my hatred.’

Ajna's hidden talents emerged when she became a member of the Jesus Youth movement in college and grew into mature proportions. She was appointed the first coordinator of the movement in college. Since then, there was no turning back and no stopping. Jesus Youth transformed her. She was one determining factor for the development, transformation and progress of the movement in the campus. She put her heart and soul entirely to it, organised and took part in innumerable activities. Her love for the underprivileged saw her going all out to bring smiles and joy in their dreary lives. With her friends, she chose ingenious ways to fund ventures undertaken for this end. Sympathy for the unfortunate and the sick in hospitals, compassion for prisoners, support for the homeless, feeding the hungry beggars and street dwellers, were all born out of her love for Jesus. As a Jesus Youth, she proclaimed Jesus, lived for Jesus and became the face of Jesus. She was a chirpy, bubbly, live-wire leader, a true missionary who gave Jesus the first position, and took him with her wherever she went. She was ‘an ordinary girl of extraordinary dimensions’, a hero who could challenge and lead. Her contribution to Jesus Youth was phenomenal. Her conduct was so inspiring and persuasive that people of other faiths joined the movement and actively contributed, even holding responsible positions.

She was an excellent singer with a melodious voice and she used this charming gift, wherever she could, to sing praises to Jesus. She wrote graceful songs, put them to music, and sang them. She didn't take pride in her talents or the ability to employ them because her motive was beyond self; it was for Jesus. That is why she could say with ingenious familiarity that ‘time spent for Jesus is never wasted.’ Her achievements, with the cooperation of other Jesus Youth members, were monumental. Her lifestyle influenced many. 

Courage and confidence were strong traits she manifested when confronting unpredictable situations. When her parents brought the report of her cancer diagnosis, she checked the severity of sarcoma cancer on Google and understood the reality of it. She didn't panic but remained perfectly tranquil and unruffled. She explained the gravity of this dreaded disease to her devastated parents in detail. They were totally shattered in spirit and distraught, but it was she who comforted them. We do not know what is held in the clenched fist of an unknown future but we can prepare in advance to face them, even challenge them.  Ajna read the doctor's report and braced herself for the worst. Reversal of situations didn't affect her negatively, instead, she trusted in God's goodness and surrendered everything to him. ‘Whatever happens is God's will and for our good and we should accept it. Nothing will happen without his knowledge,’ she consoled her parents. Self-confidence and persistent courage enabled her not only to face the atrocious attack of cancer bravely, but also to fight it like a gallant warrior to retain her integrity of purpose and sublimity of vision. 

Gratitude was one of her strong attributes. One way of expressing her thankfulness was baking cakes and sweets for her friends on various occasions of importance. No one would ever be deprived of an encouraging or an affectionate response to a message or a phone call, however trivial or insignificant it might be. 

Gifted with high intellectual calibre and being a superb performer in many fields, she had a marvellous future laid out for her. She had planned to build a family with Christopher, like the family in Nazareth. Unfortunately that was not God's design. When she realised that their union was not what God intended, she strongly encouraged her soulmate to leave her and find another agreeable life partner.

Certain physical attributes of the saintly soul from our backyard, is worth considering. This innocent, cute and child-like angel was a person of pleasant personality, endowed with a charming and attractive smile, endearingly graceful in demeanour, sweet natured, affable and understanding, easily approachable, loving, kind and generous. That is quite a garland of complements, but a deserving one!

There was a general opinion among her teachers as well as her colleagues of some uniqueness about her, a quality bordering on mystic spirituality. This is evidenced by the way she conducted herself in church as well as at other places of worship and the manner of her conduct in general. Her reaction and response to situations and people bordered on a celestial nature, far beyond the ordinary and the mundane. 

Visitors and well-wishers who came to console and comfort her during her illness, were themselves humbled by her courageous stand and magnanimous manner and returned consoled and comforted themselves. She was not abashed or disconcerted when anyone came home. Unlike many, she always came forward happy to meet them. She would sit with them face to face, even when cancer had distorted her face and destroyed her identity. This, indeed, is proof of her genuine and honest nature.

Another trait of this angel was respect for her teachers. She would visit them, or keep in touch with them, even after she had passed out of school or college. She would greet them on Teachers' Day or other special occasions and never failed to express her gratitude and appreciation for their service. She was always thrilled whenever she met them and enquired about their wellness.

One could experience a sense of the supernatural in her if one was with her. She was singularly privileged to be in the presence of saints and angels, especially during her last days in the hospital. She was anointed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. How else can we explain the fact that in spite of being under sedation the whole day, she woke up suddenly at 6.30 pm and told her sister that Fr Jean Felix had lost the way to her room and asked her to go and help him.  

Fr Jean also affirms that, on the day she passed away, he was prompted interiorly to go and give Holy Communion to Ajna in the afternoon, instead of his usual time around 6 pm. Did she have a premonition of her impending death?

She was a delicate flower of infinite beauty and worth that faded and withered before fully blooming. Her fragrance permeates far and wide, impacting many lives, especially the youth. Her life was an eloquent sermon preached from the pulpit of divine love. We pray that her charisma rains on us and engulfs us in a deluge of divine grace and leads us to where her blithesome existence is now surrounded by angels and saints, our ultimate destination. 

Joe Anthony taught English and Mathematics in Chandigarh and Delhi in India, and in Muscat in Oman. He has now retired and lives in Gurgaon, India.