TODAY'S CHALLENGE

                                                                             TODAY’S CHALLENGE                                                                                                                                                             

“Questions gather people together, while answers divide”, says Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt in one of his latest novels. That gives us a snapshot of Europe (and the world) that Pope Emeritus Benedict hoped to evangelise by his call to the “new evangelisation”. Yet the world is not secularised. There is a deep hunger for God. People do not look to Christianity alone but to all great religions. The young especially are interested in spirituality but not in religion. They are interested in God more than in the Church. They are greatly preoccupied by death. People describe themselves as religious and with a belief in the afterlife, especially among the young. But attendance at liturgies is continuing to drop. “Believing without belonging” is the order of the day.

Clearly a big challenge to the churches is how to remain in contact with the millions of people who look for God but do not come to church. At the centre of Christianity is community: we are gathered by the Lord around the altar. How can we attract the people to belong as well as to believe? The old Christendom has gone. Not only Europe that Emeritus Pope Benedict had called his church to evangelise but also the world has become the home of all faiths of the world.  The key question for the future of the world is whether these faiths will live together in peace or whether they will tear the world apart. Tensions between Christians and Muslims (or, rather, pseudo-Muslims) are escalating. The so-called “Islamic State”, professing to uphold the strictest interpretation of the Koran, offers no quarter to adherents of other faiths. A stark challenge, indeed.  We Christians can bring peace because we are able to understand the role of faith in the lives of other believers other than atheists. In 1989 France was split over the controversy over Muslim girls wearing headscarves to school. It was Christian leaders who understood why it mattered to them, people like the Archbishop of Marseilles and the Archbishop of Canterbury. We Christians should dialogue with the Muslims; they are our brethren in Christ. After all, if the Muslim girls could not wear their scarves, then should Catholic nuns be allowed to wear veils in school?

Christianity first made Europe into Christendom. Now our challenge is how to help Europe and the world flourish as the home of many faiths.

The end of the 20^th century saw the collapse of the grand master narratives. Fascism, Communism, and even, to some extent, capitalism, gave human beings the road map to paradise, and crucified millions on the way. Auschwitz has become a place of pilgrimage itself, to remind us what happens when we impose road maps on human beings.

Christianity itself does not impose an ideology. We have no more idea than anyone else what will happen in a 100 or 1,000 years. But Christianity invites us to set out on a journey and offers a glimpse of the goal. The God we worship is the God of Exodus. We Christians should accompany people on their pilgrimages, in their search for the good, the true and the beautiful. Our Christian Theology tells us that these values are meant for all human beings in their proper cultural settings. “The immense importance of a culture marked by faith cannot be overlooked; before the onslaught of contemporary secularism an evangelical culture, for all its limits, has many more resources than the mere sum total of believers. An evangelical popular culture contains values of faith and solidarity capable of encouraging the development of a more just and believing society, and possesses a particular wisdom which ought to be gratefully acknowledged” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no.68).

                                                                               

TRANSCENDENT LORD

                                                          TRANSCENDENT LORD

                                    6 August: Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ                                      

“Lord, it is good to be here”

High above Jerusalem, on Mt. Tabor, Jesus was transformed and transfigured. His human body, suffused with divinity, was a dazzling spectacle. How infinitely splendid Jesus must have appeared during his glorious transfiguration, outshining a million suns in the divine glory that was properly his. The Old Testament figures of Moses and Elijah appeared by his side, absorbed in conversation with him. By the transfiguration the old dispensation was swept up into the new. The three apostles, Peter, James and John, would be the leaders of the New Testament community, centred on the Son. The voice of the Father, “listen to him”, bore witness to his Son, the chosen, the fulfilment of his promises of old and the pledge of life and hope for the future. The transfiguration of the Lord was charged with promise.

Jesus’ three disciples were bedazzled and ecstatic in their wonderment, privileged, as they were to glimpse for a moment his transcendent state as he prayed to his Father. Peter hardly knew what to say. His words came tumbling out, the best he could find in his wonder and awe at what he saw and heard: “Master, how good it is for us to be here.” Peter confused but desiring to capture the glory for keeps, suggested pitching separate tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. It was not to be. But others have since built the tabernacle that he never built for Jesus. The place is still remembered, still visited, a hallowed spot for prayer and worship by countless pilgrims.

For what happened there is what we have surely found, though perhaps less vividly than Peter, in our own lives. If we look back through our experience, if we take into account moments that have been rare but none the less real; if we remember how we have felt and at times still feel, we find something very near to what Peter felt.  We have known moment of transfiguration. And the truth is it is likely we can find no better words than Peter found, inadequate though they may be, to express what the moment has meant. The words give no explanation, they attempt no description. There is no time and need for such things  -  they only come later. The words are simply and solely an immediate response to what at the time could neither be questioned nor denied. “How good it is for us to be here,” said Peter, and meant it with all his heart.

This experience runs through the Bible like a golden thread. Ultimately it is what the Bible witnesses to amidst all that might seem to deny the presence of God. It is repeated again and again in the Old Testament, and nowhere more vividly than in the story of Jacob in the wilderness and on the run from his involvement in a mean and wretched deceit. In that desolate place he finds his loneliness broken through by an experience of which he can only say, as much as Peter said, “Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.”

But Peter and his fellows could not prolong their peak experience. They had to realise that even though they saw “the Beloved Son”, pointed out by the Father, in the glory that was natural to him, that beautiful Son would not get away with glory. He would descend Mt. Tabor only to ascend Mt. Calvary. That’s the kind of God we have come to know  -  a God whose glory is spelled out in wounds, painful cries, darkness, and death. A God pretty much like we are; worse off than we are. The Bible story is about how God makes himself known and about his dealings with us. His presence is realised in the here and now of human life. Jesus stayed with that human life, was wholly involved in it. In him that life was transformed. In him that life was transformed and transfigured by a transfusion of the divine. And on Mt. Tabor Peter saw it and knew it: “Master, it is so good for us to be here.”

Those words have come so often in the various circumstances of each one’s life. The moments of certainty, when there could be neither question nor denial, have been rare. But the response we have felt at those moments has spilt over into a growing awareness, a kind of discerning, of the activity of God in our lives and in the lives of those who have touched ours. And in some ways, in between the certainties there come the doubts. For the God who comes to make himself known in the here and now of human life has so much to contend with, as he did even in the time of Christ. And that is true in the Church and all human endeavours. We are all awkward customers, plagued by our own follies and by the very many difficulties of being human in a world that runs to so much of inhumanity. We are not easy to work with or to work through, though that is God’s loving purpose in our lives. It is important to handle each experience  -  peak, poetic and prosaic  -  to the best our ability. We may have to practise more patience, strive that much harder, reach inside our selves for a little more strength, muster a little more faith in God and ourselves. Like Peter’s and his fellows’, our discipleship is limited. And yet we can experience the inner peace of those who know they gave their all. We shall be better, not bitter, knowing that in God’s presence we did our best. So we can say, and with all others who bear witness to the work of God in the midst of us, with thankfulness and wonder:

“Lord, it is good to be here.”

DO MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIAN BOTH BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST

DO MUSLIMS BOTH BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST ?

Muslims are quick to emphasize that they, too, believe in Jesus. Their claim is correct. After all, the Quran alludes to Jesus in a favorable light several times (e.g., Surah 3:45-51; 5:110; 21:91; et al.). But this claim is misleading, since it fails to own up to the fact that Christianity and Islam are in hopeless contradiction with each other regarding the most crucial contention of New Testament Christianity: the divinity of Christ. On this solitary point, Islam and Christianity, the Bible and the Quran, can never agree. This disagreement is of such momentous import and great magnitude as to make the inexorable incompatibility permanent.

You see, while the Quran speaks favorably of Jesus as a prophet of God, it vehemently denounces the deity of Christ. For example, consider Surah 18:1-5 (as translated by Muslim scholar Mohammed Pickthall)—

Praise be to Allah Who hath revealed the Scripture unto His slave…to give warning of stern punishment from Him…and to warn those who say: Allah hath chosen a son, (A thing) whereof they have no knowledge, nor (had) their fathers. Dreadful is the word that cometh out of their mouths. They speak naught but a lie.

And read Surah 19:88-93—

And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son. Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing, whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins, that ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son, when it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficient as a slave.

Or Surah 23:91—

Allah hath not chosen any son, nor is there any God along with Him (also 25:2; et al.).

These references demonstrate that the Quran depicts Jesus as a mere man—a prophet like Muhammad—who was created by God like all other created beings (Surah 5:75; cf. 42:9,13,21). Indeed, when Jesus is compared to any of the prophets (listed as Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, and Jacob), Allah is represented as stating: “We make no distinction between any of them” (Surah 2:136; 3:84). Though the Quran seems to accept the notion of the virgin conception (Surah 21:91), to attribute divinity to Jesus, or to assign to Jesus equal rank with God, is to utter a “dreadful” and “disastrous” thing—to formulate “nothing but a lie”!

Here, indeed, is the number one conflict between Islam and Christianity—the deity, person, and redemptive role of Christ. If Christ is Who the Bible represents Him to be, then Islam and the Quran are completely fictitious. If Jesus Christ is Who the Quran represents Him to be, then Christianity is baseless and blasphemous. On this point alone, these two religions cannever achieve harmony. But the New Testament is very, very clear: the heart, core, and soul of the Christian religion is allegiance to Jesus Christ as God, Lord, and Savior. Jesus identified Himself as the “I AM” of the Old Testament (John 8:58; cf. 20:28-31). In Colossians, Paul forcefully affirmed regarding Jesus—

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (1:15-17). For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (2:9).

Such depictions of Jesus are frequent in the New Testament. Jesus was certainly a prophet, as the Quran affirms (Surah 4:163); but Jesus was not just a prophet. He was God in the flesh. In fact, oral confession of the deity of Christ is prerequisite to becoming a Christian (Romans 10:9-10). This singular point makes Christianity and Islam forever incompatible. One must be a Christian to be saved (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), and yet one cannot be a Christian without believing in, and verbally confessing, the deity of Christ, and then being immersed into Christ (Romans 6:1-4; Galatians 3:27). The Bible declares that Jesus was the final revelation of God to man (Hebrews 1:1-3). There have been no others.

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LEGALISM AND THE BIBLE

Legalism and the Bible

 The word “legalism” does not occur in the Bible. It is a term Christians use to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth. Legalists believe in and demand a strict literal adherence to rules and regulations. Doctrinally, it is a position essentially opposed to grace. Those who hold a legalistic position often fail to see the real purpose for law, especially the purpose of the Old Testament law of Moses, which is to be our “schoolmaster” or “tutor” to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).

Even true believers can be legalistic. We are instructed, rather, to be gracious to one another: “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters” (Romans 14:1). Sadly, there are those who feel so strongly about non-essential doctrines that they will run others out of their fellowship, not even allowing the expression of another viewpoint. That, too, is legalism. Many legalistic believers today make the error of demanding unqualified adherence to their own biblical interpretations and even to their own traditions. For example, there are those who feel that to be spiritual one must simply avoid tobacco, alcoholic beverages, dancing, movies, etc. The truth is that avoiding these things is no guarantee of spirituality.

The apostle Paul warns us of legalism in Colossians 2:20-23: “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Legalists may appear to be righteous and spiritual, but legalism ultimately fails to accomplish God’s purposes because it is an outward performance instead of an inward change.

To avoid falling into the trap of legalism, we can start by holding fast to the words of the apostle John, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17) and remembering to be gracious, especially to our brothers and sisters in Christ. “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4). “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat” (Romans 14:10).

A word of caution is necessary here. While we need to be gracious to one another and tolerant of disagreement over disputable matters, we cannot accept heresy. We are exhorted to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3). If we remember these guidelines and apply them in love and mercy, we will be safe from both legalism and heresy. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

THOMAS, APOSTLE OF INDIA

THOMAS, APOSTLE OF INDIA

            Tradition tells us that Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, after evangelising other parts of the East, finally came to India. He evangelised many parts of this country, especially the South and, it is claimed, certain parts of present-day Pakistan.  At the end he received the martyr’s crown at Mylapore. In India, his feastday is a solemnity.  ‘Solemnity’ is a big word, usually reserved for the Feasts of the Lord, not the feats of the Saints. So how did Thomas sneak into this honour reserved for the Lord? Can any canonised do-gooder be foisted on to the Lord’s domain? Well, if you look more closely you’ll understand that there wouldn’t be a Thomas unless there was a Jesus. Were it not for Jesus, Thomas would have lived and died in Palestine and no one would have coined the expression “doubting Thomas.”

It is in St. John’s Gospel that Thomas emerges as a personality. There are three scenes in John’s Gospel where we meet with Thomas the apostle.

Scene one:             Jesus is at work across the Jordan away from Jerusalem. Martha sends word that Lazarus, her brother and Jesus’ friend is ill. Two days after receiving the news, Jesus decides to go to Lazarus, who by then is dead. The disciples are jittery about going to Jerusalem where hatred and enmity towards Jesus has been growing; they’d rather not take the risk. But Thomas speaks up: “let us go that we may die with him.” To share fully in the life and perils of Christ: that is what Thomas is ready to embrace.

Scene two:   the discourse after the Last Supper. Jesus has been telling the apostles about his departure from this world, about his return to the Father, to prepare a place for them. This sort of talk went above their heads; so Thomas, speaking on their behalf, asks: “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus gives the never-before-heard reply: “I am the Way, I am the Truth and I am the Life.” We owe to Thomas this mysterious but beautiful revelation of who Jesus is. Through Jesus Christ the Father takes possession of us. Thomas’ question not merely manifests his ignorance, but also his searching and probing mind, his desire for clarity and comprehension.

Scene three is the Gospel about the ‘doubting Thomas’. It gives us a glimpse of two sides of Thomas. First, the unbelieving Thomas will submit only after some physical assessment of the body of Jesus. (Could our friend have been an MBBS?) Jesus takes on Tom on the latter’s terms and invites him to do the physical. Which brings us to the other side: Thomas the unbeliever is demolished and in his place Thomas the humble proclaimer: “My Lord and my God!” This is the most beautiful confession of faith ever recorded in human literature. Jesus replies with that last and most reassuring beatitude: “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.”

In all these three scenes Thomas is presented as a man of loyalty and courage. He is ready to share the lot of Christ. Yet, like the other apostles, he lacks understanding. Not one of them really understood Jesus. His whole person, his words and deeds are from and to the Father. So when Jesus speaks of his departure to the Father, they are nonplussed. Thomas has the courage to confess his ignorance and ask for clarification. When he’s in doubt, he says so; he can show himself different from the others. He even puts conditions to Christ. And when the light of truth shines on him he is humble and receptive. We often speak of the doubting Thomas; but we oughtn’t to forget the loyal and courageous Thomas; the questioning and searching Thomas; the open, humble and adoring Thomas. And is there anything to stop us internalising these qualities for ourselves and our countrymen? We thank God for giving Thomas as our apostle, and pray for our country in a special way. We shall pray that our nation, known for its relentless search for God from time immemorial, may come to recognise and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour.