The Lenten-Musings 43

The Lenten-Musings 43

Friday, March 8

Read: Romans 16

                   Today is International Women's Day. On this day people often, tend to remember women who have made a mark in their field and have been channels of transformation and change. But there are some who tend to be relegated to the sidelines and often forgotten because their battles have been long drawn and they are still fighting their battle. On this day,  I believe I need to bring to our attention the life and struggle of Irom Sharmila, human rights activist from Manipur, India. Sharmila is fondly called as the Iron Lady of Manipur and she has been on fast for the last 12 years. Fasting to demand the repeal of a controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which provides the security forces to shoot at sight and arrest anybody without any warrant. She undertook this fast on November 2, 2000 when she witnessed  to the killing of 10 people at a bus stop near her home. Three days into her hunger strike, Sharmila was arrested on charges of attempted suicide, sent to a prison hospital and put on a nasal drip. In fact the charges of attempted suicide is still foisted on her and a few days back when she had to attend the court proceedings, she told the court that " I don't want to commit suicide. Mine is a non-violent protest. It is my demand to live as a human being. I love life. I do not want to take my life. I want justice and peace".  Today, the 40 year old Sharmila is frail but very stoic and full of resolve to continue her hunger strike. Sharmila does not come on the front page of the news magazines nor on the news channel, may be because for the channels her fight for justice may not have the ingredients to boost the star rating of the channels or the news agencies. But she is remembered very passively once in a while. People tend to take her fight for justice and peace as something not serious and an issue that they are not interested as the issues related to her hunger strike has nothing to do with them. In a day when you will have number of discussions and symposium on empowering woman, the greatest discrimination that a society could do to people like Sharmila,  is to take her and her fight for granted. We don't  want to be serious about her and her cause because the very attitude that a patriarchal society tends to  promulgate is to put certain boundaries both in life and in our perceptions with regards to the way woman has to function, in family, church and society. Unless those boundaries are not broken or widened, woman like Sharmila and host of other unknown women who are struggling for justice and peace, will always be relegated to the sidelines of the society.

Apostle Paul has been vociferously condemned and criticized for his writings about his stand on woman and their role in the church. But this criticism comes when we do not comprehensively study Paul's epistles and his attitudes in contextual terms and understanding. In Romans 16:1,2, we find Paul recommending Phoebe, one who serves the church in Cenchreae. The Apostle Paul addresses Phoebe, in Greek as Deacon of the Church. Thus you find a very unique contribution of the church in the early years of its existence of appointing woman as deacons. Thus you had woman deacons like Phoebe who must have been appointed by the apostles and had an office of service. People may tend to misinterpret the word used to describe Phoebe as "one who serves the church". The word used in Greek is "diakonon" and is both masculine and feminine accusative form of the noun, when translated in English is deacon and also could denote the word servant. Thus,  the early church had no problems in appointing woman as deacons to serve the church. However, today the very understanding of deacon has changed and also its gender affiliations. Deacons were meant as a position to serve in the church, but today it is considered as an office of authority and position. When the word deacon became a position of authority and office, came the denial of woman from this office. Male could be a deacon since it is a position of authority and power, while woman should not have position and authority and hence the best way to deny woman authority and position is to restrict the functioning of woman, by consciously limiting their role to the other English translation of deacon- a servant. Man as a deacon is a position of authority, while woman is considered more as a servant or one who is consciously condemned to do the job of service. It is this type of deliberate misinterpretation of biblical truths and historical facts that denigrates the role of the woman in the church and the society. On this women's day,  let us consciously rise above such hollow and lopsided interpretations of biblical truths and work in such a way that church and society could break or broaden its boundaries so that everyone irrespective of one's gender is able to contribute meaningfully to the growth of the church.

The Lenten-Musings 42

The Lenten-Musings 42

Thursday, March 7

Read: Luke 7: 36-50

There would be number of people who would have missed flights because they were late to the airport or they would have missed a connecting flight, because of some delay in their onward flight journey. Airlines normally stick to flight timings and have a no nonsense attitude about their services. But recently,  an airline deliberately broke rules to bring out the humane element in their flight services. Katia Hetter of CNN reported yesterday a poignant incident that happened on a United Airlines flight. On January 24th, a San Francisco resident,  Kerry Drakes had to rush to Lubbock, Texas to be at the bed side of his mother who was dying. He was travelling on a United Airlines flight to Houston, from where he had only about 40 minutes to catch the connecting flight to Lubbock.  But unfortunately his onward flight to Houston got delayed and he became frantic that we would not be able to see his mother before she breathed her last.  This thought brought anguish in him and he started sobbing bitterly in the flight. The flight attendants tried to comfort him and told him that they would try to help him in any way they can. Soon he landed in Houston and began running to the gate to board the connecting flight, knowing well that he was late and in a faint hope that the flight would not have left. But to his surprise as he ran to a gate, a flight agent  called out to Drakes and told him that they were waiting for him to board the flight. That is when Drakes realized that flight had not yet left. On enquiring Drakes realized, that the captain of his previous flight radioed ahead about his situation, and the crew at Houston decided to deliberately delay the flight so that Drakes could make it to the flight to Lubbock. Drakes could make it to the hospital in time to see his mother breathing her last. Overcome with emotions he was so grateful to United Airlines for going that extra mile, for deliberately flexing the rules so that he could be the bed side of his mother. Breaking rules, or flouting norms  are the order of the day and this is normally done to gain financial favours or material benefits. Rules flouted for achieving ones selfish desires and needs, but here is a case of an airline who flouts norms and rules to be sensitive to the person in need. A wonderful example of being sensitive to the need of a person in pain.

                             One of the strange and unique ways that Jesus did his ministry was to flout the norms of the day or flexing some rules and laws. Laws that seemed or understood as something that cannot be flouted under any circumstances. But why did Jesus break rules or flout certain norms of the day?. Every time Jesus flouted rules and laws, there was a genuine intention of empathy and being sensitive to the needs of others. In Luke 7: 36-50 we find an incident that happened as Jesus dined at the house of Simon the Pharisee. As he was eating and enjoying the fellowship at the home of Simon, a woman comes and wets  his feet with tears and pours the perfume that she had bought,  on the feet of Jesus. The woman was considered a woman of bad reputation and this action brought about an outright indignation in the mind of Simon the Pharisee. The indignation came about because in the first place she was not invited to his house and thus she has gate crashed into  a fellowship which he considered as a fellowship of so called holy people, who kept the religious laws very strictly. Not only had she gate crashed, she also has the audacity to express her emotions and feeling by wiping his feet with her perfume and tears. The woman had flouted social and religious rules of the day to be with Jesus. But Jesus does not condemn her and on the contrary justifies her action by telling Simon the difference between the welcome he gave and the kind of gesture that this woman did. What Simon saw was the reputation of the woman, a woman who is a sinner, condemning her without getting inside her world. But what Jesus did was to enter into the world of the woman, and thus he could see her true  emotions, feelings, and the genuiness of her actions in expressing her remorse and the kind of life she lived. It is this genuiness of her actions that made Jesus Christ to consciously break rules and moral norms so as to publicly acknowledge the worth of a so called sinful woman and condemn the action of his host. What is needed today in our life is that we need to enter into the world of others, to genuinely understand people and their needs, and only then can we be sensitive and be empathetic to others.. Here in this context, Jesus broke the law not to satisfy his selfish desires on the contrary to uplift a woman who was condemned by the world. United Airlines deliberately flouted rules so as to help a person who was in need. What is needed in lent is an effort by all of us to enter into the world of others who are in need, ready to walk the extra mile, ready to flout the rule and laws of the world so that through that action, so that we could truly be sensitive to the needs of others and lend a helping hand to others.

The Lenten-Musings 41

The Lenten-Musings 41
Friday, March 1
Read: Luke 15: 11-32
                            If we observe some of the news that comes from India, it is unearthing of corruption almost every day. Corruption at all levels and at all fields.  Lust for money seems to unite people from all fields of life whether politics, dramatics or church. But as news agencies beams incidents of corruption at the highest corridors of power, there is small state in north east India, that is creating small ripples in history. Nobody seems to notice this state or the leader who leads the state. Elections was held in three northeastern states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.  One of the unique aspects of the election result is that the Left Front has come to power in Tripura for the fifth consecutive term. This is mainly because of its chief minister Manik Sarkar. Looking at the lifestyle of the chief minister one may wonder, whether such a person still exist in Indian politics. He could be considered as one of the poorest chief ministers in India. In the affidavit that he submitted before he contested the elections,  he has revealed what his true wealth is.  In 2008, Manik  Sarkar had Rs. 16, 120 as cash and bank deposits while in 2013 it got reduced to Rs. 10,800. He donates his salary as chief minister to the party fund and in return, the party pays him Rs. 5000 as allowance. His wife Panchali Bhattacharya, is a retired government officer and according to her affidavit,  she has around 24 Lakh in bank deposits, while having about twenty two thousand rupees in her hand. The chief minister does not even have a house. He had inherited a small house from his mother in 2009, but he donated that too to his kin. Whenever he has to move around for his official duty,  he uses the official vehicle, while his wife uses a cycle rickshaw to travel though quite often she prefers walking by foot. It is said that till last month, the chief ministers wife washed her clothes by herself,  but after she has undergone a heart surgery, the doctors have advised her from doing any hard labour. When others in teh political and religious field is trying to further their financial assets, you have chief minister of a state who has no interest in doing so and on the contrary dedicating his life for the party and people. I think Manik  Sarkar is a model and a person who can critique all the politicians especially the so called Marxist leaders  in Kerala, the religious leaders  of today who are trying to build an opulent style of living. Here is a leader whose true wealth is in his people and in dedicating ones life for the service of others. I think it is in this context that we need to ask ourselves the question as what our true wealth in life is? .
               In Luke 15, we find three beautiful parable that Jesus mentions. In the third parable, we find a beautiful story of a family where you find three different characters having three different perspective of life. All of them show what life is all about and what their true wealth and assets in life is. It is the father in the parable who teaches us what is true wealth in life is. When his younger son stakes claim to his share, though the father is distressed at the attitude of the younger son, he willingly gives away his riches to his son, knowing well that the riches actually does not belong to him at that particular time and phase of his life. But, his father valued his son more than his riches. Later when the wayward son returns, the father is overjoyed to receive him. The father covers the son with the best robe and puts a ring on him. He knows the value of son returning back to his home. The son has learnt a lesson in life as to where true wealth lies. Not in riches, not in enjoyment in life but in relationship with his loving father, living in a home where you have wonderful relationships. But when the younger son comes, the elder son is upset. Upset because, his brother had spent all his share of property and now he has come back again. With his return,  he knows that all that was legally his, is once again going to be divided. He is upset that he is going to be poorer again, but his father teaches him that it is not in riches that one should put ones focus and objective in life. The brother who was dead has returned and one needs to rejoice in having his brother back. Wealth to be understood in terms of relationships gained not lost, true wealth understood in having more and more qualitative relationship, true wealth understood in terms of giving up for the other. We have leaders who leave a legacy of amassing wealth in the most unholy means and leaders who have no guilt nor shame in preaching from roof tops about doing service to the poor, but lead a life style that is contrary to what has been preached. Hence you have people from all sections who are also tempted to live a life where focus is to amass wealth. Let us praise God that we still have leaders in India like Manik Sarkar who shows through his life what commitment is, what true ministry or service is and what should be true assets in life. Let us ask this lent what our true assets  in life is?

The Lenten-Musings 40

The Lenten-Musings 40

Thursday, February 28

Read: John 6: 1-11

                Every day countless of events takes place. Some are noticed, while some go unnoticed. Some news find the pride of place in the news headlines,  while some are relegated to the sidelines. Yesterday, an event took place in U. S. Capitol, though reported was a very significant event. President Barack Obama unveiled the statue of Rosa Parks in the U.S. Capitol, in a function that was attended by congressional leaders from both republican and democratic parties. With the unveiling of statue, Rosa Parks will have a permanent place in the U.S. Capitol, just as the news agencies reported an  "an unmovable place". Parallel to history in the same way as she was unmoved on December 1, 1955, when she was threatened, abused and yelled by the bus driver to make her get up from the seat, so that a white passenger could sit. She was still unmoved even as she was arrested, but it was this single act that launched civil rights movement in this country. Finally with the rise of civil disobedience movement,  in 1956, Supreme Court banned segregation in public transportation. The President and other congressional leaders recalled the legacy that Rosa Parks had left behind. While reminiscing about her, the President replied, "we often spend our lives as if in a fog, accepting injustice, rationalizing inequity-just like the bus driver, and the other passengers. It is people like Rosa Parks who inspires us that there is something that we all can do".  Another congressional leader said that her unassuming presence in the form of a statue should inspire people to draw strength from stillness. A woman, unknown at that time of history and time, does a single act of disobedience. An action not done for any publicity, neither done with the intention of getting a rightful place in history, but done with sense of resolute,  that things need to change and if that change has to happen it has to happen from me and through me. An ordinary person who inspires us to do extraordinary things so that changes takes place.

                        Everybody talks about change and wants change, whether it is society or church. As I do ministry here, there are number of youths and other members who complain and tells us that we need to do bring about changes in the way church function or a parish function. But this is often said as if the other person has to change. The focus is not on myself it is on others. What is important if we need to bring the desired change, is that the change and the action starts from us. In John 6, we find the feeding of the five thousand. A wonderful example of how different people look at a human need, with different perceptions and how a young boy felt that even if he was young and unknown he had to do something, to share his mite in fulfilling the needs of others. As we read the biblical account of feeding the five thousand, we find that the immediate need of the people was the need to satisfy their physical hunger, the need for food. Seeing people hungry makes Jesus feels  compassionate on them and it is this compassion that forces Jesus to ask his disciples about the ways and means to feed the people. But all of them have excuses. Philip advises Jesus that it is impossible,  looking at the need in terms of finance that would be incurred  in buying food.  That is when, Andrew bring the unknown boy who had five loaves and two fish to the presence of our Lord. I don't know what Andrew would have told him so as to make the young boy to share his lunch with others. But it was this wonderful action of the boy that brought about change, that helped to satisfy the needs of thousands of people. One of the biblical commentators makes a very different observation. He says that when the boy willingly brought his little morsel of food to the presence of the Lord, it is this simple act that suddenly inspired hundreds of others who had also brought food, who may have been unwilling till that time to share food with others is compelled and inspired to share food with others. This is how crowd was fed and twelve baskets of food was collected after everybody ate. In the beginning of the incident in John 6, people have nothing to eat, but in end, you have more food, food in abundance, so much that twelve baskets of food are left over. A simple action of a boy, brings about change and transformation. What our Lord needs from us is whether we could be the tools of change that He wants to bring about in the society. Let the Lord bring about change in us first so that we are able to inspire others to bring about change and  transformation. Rosa Parks was an ordinary lady who decided to do an extraordinary thing. Let us also be that ordinary person,  who is willing to do extraordinary things for the Lord, so as to inspire others.

The Lenten-Musings 39

The Lenten-Musings 39

Wednesday, February 27

Read: Mark 7:24-30

                    People Fall. Some fall in their credibility, some fall from positions of authority, while some fall from grace. All these create a negative and a cascading effect in the minds of all. Recently there was one fall, that people just laughed, not because the person fell, but the way the person organized herself after the not so pleasant incident in a very high flying programme. The world and the media are talking about the fall of Oscar award winner Jennifer Lawrence. The incident happened on Oscar night, when the winners of different category was being announced. Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for best actress,  for her role in the movie "Silver Linings Playbook". But as she went to receive her Oscar, she tripped and fell. For a moment, that tripping overshadowed her walk to receive the Oscar. Though the tripping incident was considered not a good gesture in front of an august audience, the fall became the talk of town. What made people love Jennifer and her fall on  the steps leading to the podium, was the way she responded at the press conference in a very genuine and funny manner when the people from the media tried to belittling her about her fall. Here was an actress who has made it to the top, yet being mocked in full glare. But she handles the pressure and negativity in a very composed manner. At the backstage when someone from the press asked her whether she purposely fell, her reply was "Of course it was".  The answer to the next question was something that she was very genuine. To the question about what was going through her mind as she tripped and fell, she innocently replied that she said a bad word. People in the press conference and the actress were just enjoying the conversation. That is when she was asked what was the process that she undertook to come to Oscar?. Pat comes the reply that she woke up, tried a dress, took a shower, got her hair done and came to Oscar. Here is a lady, an actress,  who is on the top of world, yet very genuine, simple not trying to prove to the world or show to the world about the accolades and the honour that she received, on the contrary trying to be as simple and genuine. Neither having any arrogance nor showing off to the world that she is the award winner.. What should be emphasized in each of our life, should be the ability to be genuine in our life, genuine when we are in the heights of glory or even when we become the laughing stock in front of others. Genuiness is very rare and that is something that we need to cultivate in our life.

In Mark 7: 24- 30, we find Jesus exalting a woman for the way she replies, for the way she responds to life when things were not going the way she desired. This incident happened in the region of Tyre, where Jesus encounters a Syrophoencian woman, whose daughter is not well. She seeks the help of Jesus, but at this point of time, Jesus uses a different approach to understand her need and her genuiness both about her need and about her approach to life especially in related to the suffering of her daughter. The way Jesus treats the woman, especially someone who has come to seek help may be assumed very distressing. But,  here is Jesus testing the genuiness of her faith and her coming to his presence. Though the words of Jesus seems to be very taunting she is calm and composed. When Jesus tells  her that it is not right for children's bread to be tossed and given to the dogs, she replies that she would be comfortable even if she gets the crumbs that lie under the table. Here is a woman whose focus is only to alleviate her daughter's suffering and hence she is willing to be very humble and genuine in her approach to Jesus Christ. What Jesus appreciated through her reply,  I feel is that He found the woman to be very unassuming, genuine and innocent even in times of adversity. It is this genuiness that leads to healing of her daughter. Though Jennifer Lawrence tripped and fell in front of an august audience, she was very genuine and sincere to  acknowledge who she was and responded without any pretense about the so called infamous incident. What is needed in our life which our Lord teaches us that,  we need to be living our life in genuine way, life without any pretense, so that others can truly see who we are, appreciate our true identity and our worth. When we are genuine and comfortable with ourselves we will be comfortable everywhere and with others too. Let us build up a life of genuiness in this time of Lent.