This morning I had the privilege of meeting with four gentlemen – “pillars of the community” – who were hoping I would serve on a small community board with them.  I couldn’t imagine why they would want me – I have no clout, no power, no money.  Turns out they wanted me for my “youth.”

At my age, how can I turn down a pitch like that?

More than one of these gentlemen has been acquainted with my family since before I was born.  After all these years, to get to visit with them and to learn just a bit of the hard work they have been doing all this time, quietly behind the scenes, was inspiring.  Helping troubled, disadvantaged youth and giving them opportunities and support so they at least have a small shot at a productive life — a life that isn’t marred by repetitive incarceration or premature death — is just one example.  These men hope not only to sustain their current efforts but also to expand and extend them to other pockets in our community where poverty and the ills that accompany it thrive.

Unlike many of their much younger counterparts, these men are from a generation that doesn’t make a fuss about what they are doing, so all of this good work was news to me.  They simply go about their business, pursuing justice quietly.  And relentlessly.

This is going to be fun…

It’s like Jesus knew that the orphaned, the hungry, the poor, and the mentally ill would face such an incredible amount of suffering, even 2,000 years after He told us to take care of them.

It’s like Jesus gave us desires in our hearts that we wouldn’t know how to properly fulfill… or for which we would have to wait… and wait and wait… and wait.

It’s like Jesus knew that in this post-Fall, post-Babel world, people would continue to disagree on objective truth, and the truth would be obscured in spin and hidden agendas.

It’s like Jesus knew that when we are HALTD, we make awful choices and suffer greatly from the results. (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Drunk: your mnemonic device for when NOT to make a decision… stolen from an awesome seminarian.)

It’s like Jesus knew that even when we are trying to live the lives that He wants for us, we fail to be the best versions of ourselves, our impatience makes us settle for sin, and we are maligned — even by those for whom we care deeply.

It’s like Jesus knew we would have to watch young people make mistake after mistake, seeking truth, but being lied to over and over again by people who should be caring deeply for them.

It’s like Jesus knew that the consequences of the Fall would tear our society apart and make women, minorities, and young people feel worthless… and our pride would take us to greater and greater heights of inanity and gross behavior, especially towards our fellow human beings.

It’s like Jesus knew suffering…

Oh.

Wait…

To all those out there who, like me, find it difficult to watch or read the news most times…

Who constantly struggle with whether or not to un-follow and un-friend people you know and love who have stumbled off the straight and narrow either by being deceived or just plain not sharing your beliefs – but don’t do so because not only are you a sinner yourself, but you still hold some bit of hope that your prayers and love for them will have an effect…

Who sincerely cry about the evil in the world on a regular basis…

“In the world, you will have trouble, but take courage, I HAVE CONQUERED THE WORLD.”
~ John 16:33

It is not unusual to equate times of inner peace and contentment as well as times of great joy with the proximity of God.  Often, in the absence of such peace, I have tried hard to return to that place of quiet, to experience what mystics refer to as the “consolations” of God.  Overtime, though, I have come to recognize the nearness of God in the disquiet, in the discomfort, in the unsettling questions.  In Mountains Beyond Mountains, a biographic portrayal of Partners In Health (PIH) founder Dr. Paul Farmer, Tracy Kidder speaks of the hermeneutics of generosity — or the shorthand “H of G” — for PIH lingo that involves interpreting the intentions, statements and actions of others in a positive, favorable light.  In this time of contentious political and religious banter and overly abundant, far-reaching reactive communication via “social” media and 24/7 news, we would be well served to employ a hermeneutic of generosity.

In his efforts to help curtail and prevent the spread of TB and other infectious diseases, Farmer recognizes the need for cooperation and a shared commitment that requires a willingness to let go of practices and treatments that have been trusted and sanctioned by established institutions and organizations, from national governments to the World Health Organization.  Farmer understands that this hermeneutic of generosity helps to open minds, doors and pocketbooks to a new way of practice.  While we strive to honor the call of Jesus in Matthew 25 in our individual lives, Farmer knows if we live into it communally, we’ll have much to celebrate.  “‘If I saved one patient in my whole life, that wouldn’t be too bad… (but) to have a chance to save a zillion of them, I dig that.’” (Mountains Beyond Mountains, p 187)

Jesus really is that concerned about the poor.  He is concerned about the orphan, the widow, the prisoner and the alien.  He is concerned about the sick.  He is concerned about every living thing.  He invites us to follow him in this.  Rather than making a list of New Year’s resolutions, I ask myself this: What is it that disturbs me? What unsettles me?  If I am willing to allow it to bubble up, to sit with it, even to name it, there I will find Jesus, loving his creation in me, longing to love it through me.

(Icon written in a workshop led by Teresa Harrison, June 2008)

These words from the Daily Office should make us squirm.  Should cause us to pause and think about how we are living.  Justice and fairness are concepts we all support theoretically.  And yet, I’ll admit that when I am the one getting the “lucky break” during a time of need, I am not thinking about those who are overlooked or suffering.  I thank God for mercy and utter a sigh of relief.  It is hard to love my neighbor when I am afraid.

Amos tells us we are a community.  He reminds us that we cannot abuse, ignore or abandon parts of that community and expect long-term health and flourishing.  Spiritual death is well underway long before the more obvious signs of damage become apparent.

I can’t get out of my mind a CNN article that appeared on Nov. 29: As HIV Epidemic Grows, Florida City Grapples with Fear and Denial.  The article focuses on AIDS in my hometown Jacksonville, Florida.  Honestly, I didn’t know AIDS was such a grave threat here now; I can’t remember seeing anything about it amidst all the various causes for which there are fundraising walks and races most every weekend.   The article reports that HIV cases in Duval County (Jacksonville) have increased by more than 33% in the first half of 2011 and that most affected are low-income folks who are less likely to be tested or to receive early intervention.  According to the CDC, Jacksonville boasts the fifth highest rate of infection in the nation.  By all reports, the stigma has not lessened here — a grim reality that is not helpful.

Concurrent with this report, we have enjoyed lots of attention, concern and excitement around the sale of a professional football team – a team that plays in an arena surrounded by some of the most blighted, disadvantaged parts of our city.  To be fair, I personally know a number of Jaguar fans who do a great deal – day in and day out — for the disenfranchised in our community, including those in areas immediately around the arena.  But what if we were to do more?  What if we were to put a small fraction of the energy spent lobbying for this team, praying for touchdowns, and hoping for something to celebrate – what if a fraction of that energy were directed toward loving our neighbors, especially those shunned for a disease that in this day and age can be treated and managed well?

(photo taken at Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Augustine)

Because of its popularity and pastoral images of sheep and goats foreign to us city dwellers, the depth and import of Jesus’ teaching might get lost.

The message here is critically important for Christian faith and life. In this passage, we encounter an unsettling truth that appears frequently in Scripture: the ways in which we relate to others, or fail to relate to others, especially those who are poor and in need, impacts our relationship with God.

In this passage, one can hear the judgment of the prophets calling to task the wealthy and the powerful as they  “trample on the poor” (Amos 5:11) and the passionate plea of James that faith must come alive in action on behalf of marginalized (James 2).

For me, one of the striking aspects of Matthew 25 is the blindness on the part of the unrighteous. As we listen to the words of Jesus about the last judgment, we can feel the confusion of both the righteous and unrighteous who ask: “When did we see you?” While both parties might not have “seen” God in the poor, the righteous not only see the poor, but they discern their needs and take action.

In the Gospel of Luke we can see a similar message in the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19–31). God’s judgment on the rich man is harsh because he does not see the desperate Lazarus on his doorstep nor does he act to address his needs. If one really does see a person in need, how can one not act? As Christians, we cannot ignore or be blind to the needs of the poor. “The poor,” in the words of Pope John Paul II, “must always be in our memory and form our conscience.”

In our present context it is very easy to overlook the concerns of the poor and the needs of what the Occupy Wall Street movement has called the “99%.” The social sins of consumerism, fear, greed, nationalism and individualism all blind us to the needs and realities of people around us, especially the marginalized. Herein lies the power of these social sins. In blinding us to the reality of injustice and suffering, these social sins foster apathy and inaction to the needs of the marginalized.

In the Gospels, Jesus challenges us to be opened [Ephphatha - Mark 7:3] and see the reality of those around us. The problem with seeing in this way—and indeed with the entire Christian mission—is that it is uncomfortable and challenging. The Christian mission, to which we are all called to participate, is a call to continual conversion. Mission challenges us to open our eyes and go beyond ourselves and the social idols that blind us. Mission calls us not only to see the needs of other but also challenges us to express our faith in God in works of charity and justice.

This year, Maryknoll, the US Catholic Mission movement of priests, brothers, sisters, and lay people, celebrated its 100^th anniversary. For over century now, countless women and men have had their eyes opened by the work of Maryknoll around the world. In their many diverse forms of service, few organizations have answered the call of Matthew 25 as Maryknoll movement has over the past century.

While not all of us are called to be missionaries along the lines of Maryknoll; all of us by our baptism are called to mission. All of us are called to go beyond ourselves and to witness to Christ in word, witness, and action. All of us are challenged to open our eyes, evaluate the needs of those around us, and take action in a spirit of solidarity. In the words of the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Mission:

  “All Chirstians by example of their lives and the witness to the world, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they put on in baptism, and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strnegthend at confirmation, so that others, seeing their good works, might glorify the Father (cf. Matt. 5:16) and more perfectly perceive the true meaning of human life and the universal solidarity of mankind.” (Ad Gentes, 11)

Some questions for reflection:

• What in our lives and society blinds us from seeing? (seeing God, seeing those in need, our personal faults, our gifts, etc)
• What in our lives helps us to see? (to see God in the world, to see the reality of the marginalized)
• What concretely can we do locally, nationally, and globally to transform our context so that the needs of the strangers, the sick, the poor, and the imprisoned are addressed?
• How do we participate in the Christian mission?

This Sunday we will ponder again Matthew 25:31-46 — Jesus’ teaching on the Last Judgment.  It is a familiar text – a text that makes most folks squirm, at least a little.  Jesus is referring to the “end times,” but we are meant to hold this text up against the canvas of our own times.  Are we sheep or goats?

Personally I can get confused about which is better.  In our culture of rugged individualism, being a “sheep” – a follower – is looked down upon.  But, in this text, it is the scrappy, pushy, willful goat that is set aside and will be destroyed.  This is a message of warning – a word that tells us to pay attention and to critique our actions.

I never had the opportunity to meet my great uncle, but I would bet a chunk of salary that he loved his goats.  Just look at the photo.  You can see his appreciation of these beasts – these creatures that, like it or not, are God’s ‘kids.’  Newman spent his life working with these animals, helping them to produce something of value that, in turn, helped to feed and nourish the community around them.

The good news is that, even on those days when we look in the mirror and see a goat looking back, God stands with us, loving us and waiting to transform us into something beautiful.  He stands ready to empower us to welcome the stranger, to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked. He gives us the willingness and strength to take care of the sick and to visit the prisoner.

On any given day, we will find that there is a bit of goat in even the best of us, and a bit of sheep in the worst of us.  We will find that Christ the King has followed us even into the most troublesome thicket.  He waits with open arms to lovingly embrace us, to set us free.

One project he showed me is a small organic garden, which was recently planted on the church grounds, easily in view of passing traffic.  A bright yellow sign speaks of the “option for the poor,” which hearkens to Matthew 25 and is a theme running throughout liberation theology.  Jesus tells us we will always have the poor with us – but he does not mean that we should give up, that we should ignore or abandon the plight of the poor.

Jesus has a heart for the poor and the hungry.  He has a heart for the neglected, the marginalized, the forgotten.  Marty tells me that all of the beautiful produce from this garden goes directly to a local program that feeds the hungry.  Fresh, gorgeous, highly nutritious life-giving food.  This program came about because of the vision of a single parishioner who felt called to start a garden.  It came about because she responded.  She said “yes” to the Holy Spirit and shared her dream with Marty.  It came about because Father Marty supported her in this; he did not allow the way things have always been to stand in the way of what might be.

I have always thought of interim ministry as a very special form of service, but one of people who serve more as stabilizing placeholders, until the “permanent” priest is hired, than as facilitators of emerging ministry.  But, if we are honest about it, all priests are interims (parishioners, too).  None of us is here permanently.  And I doubt the Holy Spirit is deterred by whether a priest is “interim” or not.

Jesus didn’t call us to follow him and serve others once we get settled.  He doesn’t recommend tabling decisions and actions until someone more qualified comes along.  He calls us to address need as we encounter it day to day.

“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matt 25:34-36)

As a priest asked to lead and explore an emerging ministry, my takeaway from my time with Marty is to listen carefully to God and to the community around me. To dream dreams and to take action as opportunity presents itself.  Where this road will lead is not my concern.  Only God knows.

(photo of Father Marty Pfab, taken at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Jacksonville)

…[For] a man who wants to lead this country to tell the impoverished to blame themselves is for him to lose sight of the fact that nobody pulls herself or himself up by the bootstraps. The self-made woman, the self-made man, are myths. Cain might have forgotten that after spending time at the top. … As a matter of fact, too many vocal public figures are forgetting that. For a nation founded on Christian principles, it’s incredible how soon we forget that when it means making sacrifices for the sake of another.

Full article

protected you, and loves you like a mother.”

– St. Clare of Assisi

This evening as news reports roll out about starvation in Somalia – 600,000 children are on the brink of death by starvation – I know that, if Clare had been born in this time, she would find a way to feed those kids.  She would not — she could not — allow herself to be distracted by all the perfectly logical, well supported arguments that would prove it is simply impossible to save them.  Clare would not arrive at the certainty of her conviction through careful analysis and human reasoning; she would simply respond to the light of Christ within her, driving her forward to do the just, loving thing.

According to Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2003, Clare (Abbess at Assisi, 1253) responded to a powerful sermon preached by Francis of Assisi at the first gathering of his order, calling Christians to a holy life.  His commitment to a life of holy poverty and servant-hood was in part a response to a Church that had lost its way.

Clare was known as a young woman of great beauty, modesty and integrity.  She repeatedly and gracefully resisted attempts by her family to marry her off, and in her position of status was well within her rights.  Her sole occupation was drawing closer to Christ and caring for the poor and forgotten.  She often collected the excess food that was brought into her family’s home and sent this to the poor.

She and Francis visited often, though quietly.  Clare usually went to Francis, as her privileged home did not lend itself to discreet visits from a holy man.  Reports of this relationship suggest what, in today’s Church, we call a vocational discernment process.  As Clare prepared to commit herself to a rule of life – an order – in community with the Franciscan order, Francis designed a daylong “ritual” to mark this enormous transition and “worthily to welcome Clare in the name of the Lord.”[1]  He advised her to dress in her finest clothes and jewelry and to join with others who would process to church for the service of palms, celebrating Christ’s triumphal procession into Jerusalem.  As congregants approached the altar to receive a palm from the bishop, Clare remained frozen out of modesty and shyness; the bishop, taking note of her, walked to her and gave her a palm.  Immediately following this, Clare entered the way of Christ’s passion:

“The heart of this liturgy lies in the moment when Clare, leaving her home and coming out of the city, arrives at Saint Mary of the Angels.  There, setting aside her aristocratic clothing, she is clothed with the garment of the poor who lived in the plain around Assisi and she allowed her hair to be cut by Francis … before the altar of the Porziuncola…”[2]

These “liturgical” acts marked Clare’s transition to a life of holy poverty, committed to the poor and forgotten.

Very little is written or known about Clare, particularly in comparison to what is known and written about Francis. This is how Clare wanted it – her desire was to keep the focus on Francis.  She seemed oblivious of, or unconcerned about, the effect that she had on so many.  That Francis would grant her request to join the order suggests that he could not say “no” to the light of Christ she emanated.  Even the Pope acquiesced when Clare, unruffled by controversy or Church politics, rejected the rule of life he had written for her order of women (familiarly known as the Poor Clares); without argument, he accepted the rule of life she had drawn up.

(Impressions drawn largely from Saint Clare: beyond the legend by Marco Bartoli.)

The above link is an article from the Prairie Messenger which discusses the need to help the poor who suffer injustice and a lack of social programming to help them get their feet back on the ground.  Clearly, health care is one of these items and a two-tiered system will only benefit the rich.  So I hope our Conservative government will unveil in today’s budget equal health care benefits for the poor and better social programs to help create a better society; rather than catering to large corporations.  After all, it is the poor that Jesus comes to us as!

B

Kasih dan kebenaran adalah dua keutamaan yang saling terkait erat dan saling mengisi. Cinta tanpa kebenaran akan menjadi sentimental, sedangkan kebenaran tanpa cinta akan menjadi dingin dan penuh perhitungan manusiawi. Tanpa kasih dan kebenaran relasi-relasi manusiawi menjadi hampa. “Terkait erat dengan kebenaran maka kasih dapat diakui sebagai ungkapan otentik dari kemanusiaan dan sebagai unsur yang sangat mendasar dalam relasi-relasi manusiawi, termasuk relasi-relasi publik. Hanya dalam kebenaran kasih bersinar, hanya dalam kebenaran kasih dapat secara otentik dihayati. Kebenaran adalah cahaya yang memberikan makna dan nilai pada kasih… Tanpa kebenaran kasih merosot menjadi sentimental…” (CV, 3). “Karena dipenuhi dengan kebenaran maka kasih dapat dimengerti dalam nilai-nilainya yang berlimpah, kasih dapat dibagikan dan dikomunikasikan…. Tanpa kebenaran kasih dibatasi pada bidang sempit yang hampa relasi-relasi, kasih dikesampingkan dari rencana-rencana dan proses-proses untuk mempromosikan perkembangan manusiawi berskala universal, dalam dialog antara pengetahuan dan praksis” (CV, 4). Ditegaskan dalam kesimpulan bahwa tanpa Tuhan manusia tidak tahu arah tujuannya dan tidak mengerti siapakah dia sesungguhnya. Dengan Tuhan cakrawala cinta menjadi luas (CV, 78).

Melalui ensiklik ini Sri Paus menegaskan sejumlah hal yang berkaitan dengan ajaran sosial Gereja dalam konteks perkembangan dunia dewasa ini, khususnya di bidang kehidupan sosial-ekonomi, politik, budaya dan relasi-relasi internasional. Ditegaskan kembali bahwa kasih adalah prinsip utama ajaran sosial Gereja. “Kasih merupakan hakekat ajaran sosial Gereja. Setiap tanggung jawab dan setiap komitmen yang diutarakan oleh ajaran ini berasal dari kasih yang, sesuai ajaran Yesus, merupakan sintese seluruh Hukum (lih. Mat 22:36-40). Kasih memberi substansi riil pada relasi pribadi dengan Allah dan dengan sesama; kasih merupakan prinsip tidak hanya dari relasi-relasi mikro [dengan para sahabat, dengan anggota keluarga atau dalam kelompok-kelompok kecil] tetapi juga dari relasi-relasi makro [sosial, ekonomi dan politik]” (CV, 2). Caritas in veritate merupakan prinsip di sekitar mana ajaran sosial Gereja berpaling, suatu prinsip yang mengatur tindakan moral… disertai dua hal yang punya relevansi khusus bagi komitmen pada perkembangan di dalam dunia yang semakin terglobalisasi ialah keadilan dan kepentingan umum ” (CV, 6).

Secara panjang lebar Sri Paus membicarakan tentang perkembangan (development). Kata ini menjadi salah satu kata kunci dan konsep sentral dalam bahasan seluruh dokumen. Dalam semuanya itu Paus menegaskan bahwa manusia dan penghargaan atas martabatnya harus berada di pusat setiap perkembangan ekonomis, politis, budaya dan relasi-relasi internasional. Ekonomi dan politik yang merendahkan martabat manusia atau yang membahayakan serta mengorbankan manusia tidaklah otentik. Di dalam perkembangan ekonomi manusia harus dihargai sesuai martabatnya lebih daripada modal/kapital. Manusia harus dihargai secara otentik, tidak sekedar alat politik demi suatu tujuan dan kepentingan pribadi. Paus mengulangi pernyataan dari Paulus VI dalam Populorum Progressio bahwa perkembangan manusia yang utuh dan otentik menyangkut seluruh pribadi dalam setiap dimensinya (CV, 11). Perkembangan itu “harus integral yakni mempromosikan kebaikan setiap orang dan keseluruhan manusia” (CV, 18). Lagi dikatakannya: “Saya ingin mengingatkan setiap orang, khususnya para pemerintah yang terlibat dalam meningkatkan aset ekonomi dan sosial dunia bahwa modal utama yang harus dipelihara dan dihargai adalah manusia, pribadi manusia dalam keutuhannya: manusia adalah sumber, fokus dan tujuan semua kehidupan ekonomis dan sosial” (CV, 25). Ditegaskan pula bahwa penghargaan terhadap harkat kehidupan merupakan salah satu aspek paling menonjol dalam perkembangan dewasa ini (CV, 28).

Selanjutnya, Sri Paus mengakui bahwa dewasa ini “ciri baru utama adalah ledakan saling ketergantungan, yang secara umum dikenal sebagai globalisasi,” (CV, 33) yang memunculkan “kebutuhan moral mendesak akan solidaritas yang terbarukan, khususnya dalam relasi-relasi antara negara-negara yang sedang berkembang dan negara-negara industri maju (CV, 49). Masalah-masalah yang muncul seperti krisis global, kemiskinan, kelaparan, dsb, bukan disebabkan oleh adanya ekonomi pasar dan globalisasi, tetapi oleh penggunaannya oleh manusia demi tujuan dan kepentingan dirinya sendiri.

Ekologi pun disorot, yakni hormat terhadap segala makhluk yang hidup, terhadap seluruh alam semesta. Ditunjukkannya bagaimana kebudayaan dunia masa kini gagal melindungi hidup malahan menghancurkannya dengan melecehkan hak-hak asasi manusia. “Dewasa ini pokok tentang perkembangan terkait erat dengan kewajiban-kewajiban yang muncul dari relasi kita dengan lingkungan alam. Lingkungan adalah anugerah Tuhan kepada setiap orang dan dalam memanfaatkannya kita memiliki tanggung jawab terhadap orang-orang miskin, terhadap generasi mendatang dan terhadap umat manusia secara keseluruhan” (CV, 48). Untuk itu, semua orang mempunyai tanggung jawab global untuk melindungi, menikmati hasilnya dan mengolahnya atas cara-cara baru agar dapat mengakomodasi dan memberi makan pada penduduk dunia, agar manusia dapat hidup sesuai martabatnya (CV, 50). Demikian juga Gereja mempunyai tanggung jawab untuk melindungi manusia dari pemusnahan diri dan untuk mempromosikan ekologi manusia (human ecology) di samping ekologi lingkungan (environmental ecology); ketika ekologi manusia dihormati di dalam masyarakat maka ekologi lingkungan juga memberi manfaatnya (CV, 51).

Demikian, nilai rohani atau sikap batin yakni kasih yang berlandaskan dan dipenuhi kebenaran harus dirangkul untuk menjiwai perkembangan di pelbagai bidang kehidupan demi membangun persaudaraaan sejati antara manusia. Tidaklah cukup manusia hanya mengandalkan keuntungan ekonomis dan politis serta perkembangan dan perubahan di bidang budaya. Semuanya harus diterangi oleh kasih dalam kebenaran, yang antara lain berwujud dalam option for the poor (pilihan mengutamakan kaum miskin). Kasih yang sejati lebih dari pada sekedar memberi kepada orang miskin atau berkekurangan, tetapi yang lebih mendasar adalah pengakuan bahwa semua berasal dari cinta Allah. Kasih sedemikian adalah memberi tanpa mengharapkan balasan. Kasih sedemikian bukan do ut des (saya memberi supaya saya mendapatkannya kembali), tetapi saya memberi dan mencintai orang lain, karena saya terlebih dahulu mengalami kasih ilahi.  Itulah kebenaran yang terdalam. (J. Mangkey, MSC – Jakarta, 20 Agustus 2009)

What ought to be the Apostolic mandate for the Church in India? Is there anything as an authentically Indian Church? If so, what are/should be the characteristics of such a Roman Church? And why indeed should the Church want to be Indian in character? Or are these questions irrelevant within the contexts of pan-Indian Hindutva on the one hand and Christian fundamentalism on the other hand? Or simply put, can there be a Christian Hinduism or Hindu Christianity? Is it safe any longer to speak hermetically of any one path while secular discourses like the Postmodernism of Lyotard , the accreted Upanishadic & Tantric wisdom ( these being the patrimony of every Indian irrespective of religion) and the call of Vatican II ( articulated within the writings of the late Pope John Paul II) speak of the fragmented nature of lived life, the many voices with which the same God speaks to the many and even the way that some of us are comfortable in being rooted into one tradition, while trying to experience the Grace of God through the path of another religion. This liberty to experiment with what suits one best, though contrary to hierarchical Catholicism or for that matter, monastic Hinduism, is the liberty of being a Hindu in contemporary India. Hinduism, incidentally, before the efforts of the great Buddha, was contemptuous of monasticism and our seers were with a few exceptions married and yet experienced the numinous within their own lives and duties. A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Saradananda in a letter dated 4/4/1899, has this to say of Hindu sages: “Before the time of the Buddha, the greatest teachers of the Vedanta were not the Brahmins but the crowned kings, who lived and moved and led vigorous life in the world…” Yet their aim was firmly to see God in everything. They aimed to realize continually this high ideal for “Vasudeva sarvam iti, sa mahatma sadurlabha” ( It is rarely that we find a person who sees God in everyone). For they knew:

Filled with Brahman are the things we see. Filled with Brahman are the things we see not. From out of Brahman flows all that is: yet, it is still the same. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.

( Yajur Veda)

Apart from the unique mandate that the Church received from Christ and his disciples as also the continual mandate it receives through the Holy Father, the Church in India needs to reflect deeply on becoming a Witness who sees God in everyone, for She should become aware that all, irrespective of religion, caste or creed or wealth are permeated with God. This is the Apostolic mandate for a truly authentic Indian Church. She, perforce has to confront certain injustices within herself: when She turns away even inadvertently a deserving poor girl or boy from her gates because some politician wants to get her/his candidate into the school or college, the Church fails to live her unique Apostolic mandate; when the hierarchy within the Church forget that the lay people, both Catholic and non-Catholic, are in fact the Indian Church ( vide Rahner); then they forget to live the mandate of Christ, when the Church in India tries to be exclusive and secretive, then She loses her force as part of a unique tradition within Indian society. And I can only remind Christians who read this article of the work of the late Brazilian Archbishop Dom Helder Camara. He, along with the likes of Archbishop Romero, articulated a practical and lived theology for the poorest of the poor in Latin America. We need to interrogate today Dom Camara’s seminal work Church and Colonialism within the Indian context so that the Church, as a living expression on earth of the Living God, can self-reflect and be a genuine force for social and spiritual change in India. Unless the Church is honest to the core, it matters not whether there be thousands of social activities going on in Jesus’ name in India. What he wrote about half a century ago still remains poignant for us today:

It is sad to think that our African and Asian brothers invariably have an impression of christianity (sic) as the religion of the white man: of those who dominated yesterday and even today…(p.23)

One child committing suicide even after coming in touch with Christianity is the failure of not some anonymous system but the theological apparatus of the Church. One child feeling given the short shrift by his Church-run school is part of the structural sin that has crept within the Church. The Dom wrote in this book:

Who is not a sinner? Who can throw the first stone? Our Lord, charged with visiting publicans and eating with sinners, replied that it is the sick who have need of the doctor. ( p. 5)

It is true that there are failures in other religious systems too, but then I am concerned here with the interface between Hinduism and Christianity. The Union Carbide disaster and its panning out too demands we respectfully remember the works of Archbishop Camara:

It is a serious matter that, while external colonialism is ended…the worst form of colonialism continues. I mean internal colonialism…And we accommodated our christian consciences to this reality..The worker can live on his master’s land; he receives a house for himself…his work is assured by his master’s property…Thus the property-owner considers himself, in his heart, to be a real father, kindly and generous. And if the worker’s hut seldom has light or toilet-facilities, the master excuses himself by saying : “ God gives according to our needs”. ( Who will deliver us from this image of a God who is really the fruit of our own self-centredness? We need to assume our responsibility as co-creators, as subjects of history who guide the course of earthly events.)

p. 81

In our day to day lives we often exploit those who have no money, eg. the battery of servants we employ; when we meet beggars often we refuse to help them justifying their abjectness to their unwillingness to work though no religion gives you or I the power to judge the recipient of charity. We must freely give not because it is merely our duty but because we have freely received. Dom Camara’s copious lectures and written work emphasize this option for the poor in ways that the Church in India might easily forget being entrenched, especially in the metropolises, with the rich and mighty of this earth. No doubt one should be all things to all men, but not at the cost of sinning. When I asked a very holy New Testament Professor, why on earth should the Church in India run various elite institutions who perforce exclude the poor, he replied that now nothing can be done for who will look after the staff of these institutions if they were to shut shop! The Apostolic mandate of the Church in India is specifically threefold: a) to opt solely for the poorest of the poor; otherwise the rich will deride the Church for being their foot-soldiers b) to live an externally meaningful Christian life turning their elite buildings into places where all and sundry can walk in to experience Jesus without having to make appointments with ever busy Church hierarchy and c) to open more retreat centers to enable the ordinary man to experience the Living God.

Incidentally I love and respect Fr. Abello sj of Kolkata not because of his learning but because I see he is wholly poor by choice. He could have compromised on his vows to lead a cushier life. Thus he merits listening. He is indeed a like an itinerant sannyasi in my own Hindu tradition. He has not donned a saffron dress to send some spurious external message when living a life of advantage. This is option for the poor at work. No amount of hobnobbing with the rich and the powerful will convince any Indian that the Church is meaningful to us unless She clings to Poverty in externals and within. This is the message of Camara.

             The neglected key component is how people think.  Unless we help them change their attitudes and worldviews,  most will be doomed to their current station in life.  After meeting their basic needs, the best option for the poor in our work with them is to help them see that there is a better way to approach problems.

             Below are just a two of the mental obstacles that keep poor people poor:

 Entitlement Mentality: The attitude that someone else should provide for them and fix their problems.  This, in my opinion, is the strongest link in the chain that enslaves people in a life of poverty.  We must help them realize that, ultimately, they have to take initiative and develop persistence in overcoming their obstacles.

 Hopelessness:  In homeless people, this is a common problem.  Some of my homeless friends have been knocked down so many times, they stop trying, or when they suffer a setback, they medicate themselves with drugs or alcohol or indulge in other destructive behaviors.  Encouragement should be a key element of every ministry with the poor.  Faith in Christ is also a strong deterrent to hopelessness among the homeless.

             So the best option for the poor is to become their friend and help them see that they can make it if they change their thinking.  With the right attitude and lots of persistence they CAN win their personal fight against poverty.

God’s grace to you,

Steve Jennings

Executive Director, Teens Opposing Poverty