Bp Athanasius Rethna Swamy

Episcopal Ordination : April 14, 2018, Ahmedabad

What is the motto you like to take as a bishop, and why?
My motto is ‘To Be With Him To Serve.’ This motto is taken from Mk. 3 where Jesus chooses the 12 apostles “to be with Him and to be sent out to proclaim.” Whatever activities or services I do should derive from my personal experience of being with Jesus. Because Jesus knows better than me. I need to be guided by Him in everything. In fact the motto for my priestly ordination was ‘Remain In My Love’ taken from Jn. 15. When we remain in Jesus’ love, we bear much fruits. That’s why I have chosen the above motto.

What is the priority you would like to give your diocese of Ahmedabad?
My priority would be to help the laity, priests and religious to grow in spirituality, not just in religiosity. Religiosity would involve following certain rituals, laws and traditions. Spirituality involves personal experience of God. Today many Christians are more religious and less spiritual. This should change: we should become more spiritual and less religious.

Spirituality is what we need today. Especially in Indian context, we are groomed in a spiritual world. There are different religions existing here, but all follow somewhat the same spirituality. If we lay stress on religion, then the rituals and the external matters become more important.

Do you think that people in general are becoming disinterested in religious matters?
No, people are in fact more interested in religiosity now. Being religious is good, but along with that we need to become more spiritual. Being spiritual means having a personal experience of God. It is sad to have religiosity without spirituality. We have the rituals; we have the rules, regulations, but more meaningful than them is the experience of God. We need to have religiosity, but more importance should be given to spirituality, which is a personal experience of God.

In matters like responsibility, ethics, truthfulness, some of the Scandinavian countries which are the least religious, are occupying the top slots. We have in India so many pilgrim centres, so many religious activities, but when it comes to the question of straightforwardness, uprightness, justice and consideration for the neighbour and humanism, we see a horrible situation in India in-spite of its religiosity. Don’t you think this ecstatic paganism is becoming the hallmark of religions, especially Hinduism and Islam?
Your observation is correct. In the name of religion, lot of violence has been going on. The poor and the innocent people suffer in the name of religion. If we use religion as a tool to save people, it is well and good. Or else, it can become a tool in the hands of violent people. The result then will be a lot of destruction. It all ultimately depends upon the human person. The sinful desires of the human person ultimately lead to a kind of greediness, to quarrel, and then to war. Jesus very often spoke more about the internal world in religion rather than the external world in religion. I want to make a research comparing people who are externally religious oriented with people who are internally religious oriented. The former focus on the external aspect of religion, like rituals, the rules and signs we have to follow. They mainly focus on the external structure like temples. On the other hand, internally oriented people mostly focus on the values of religion, like love, justice, peace, joy and service. A lot of destruction in the name of religion has been brought on by the people who are externally religious. They have caused a lot of destruction, a lot of violence and a lot of intolerance. On the other hand, the internal oriented people, those who follow the values of religion, promoted tolerance, equality, justice and peace. Ultimately, the problem is not with the religion, it is with the people who practise it.

Don’t you think that today many organized religions are becoming fanatical?
That is true. Many religions attempt to become more of external oriented than spiritual oriented. Even Christians focus on liturgy, power and glory. We go after power, glory and money. Money power and property create scandals. They lack the main source of real power, which is God. God is the main source of power. We compulsorily need to become little. That is why I am saying spiritual experience is important. God’s powers need to go behind other sources of power like money and property.

What is the current situation of the diocese, what according to you is immediate need for the faithful in your diocese?
The number of Christians in Gujarat would be 3,16,178, and in Ahmedabad there will be around 70,000 Catholics. There are 86 diocesan priests and 45 parishes in my diocese. Around 80 Jesuit priests and some 7 Salesian priests and 5 others are also working here. There are around 22 congregations of nuns working in the diocese. The current situation in the diocese is as it is anywhere else in the world: the decline of spirituality and the increase of materialism. When there is rise in materialism, the moral and spiritual values take the back seat. That would lead to values contrary to the values of Jesus.

The immediate need of the faithful is to inculcate the values of Jesus of love, kindness, peace, joy, forgiveness, selfless service, etc.. The priests and religious should be formed accordingly.

You are in Gujarat which is governed by the BJP, how is your relation to the general public and especially to the governing party?
Our relation to the general public has been good. The people in general respect the Christians because we contribute much in the fields of health care and education. Though Christians form just 0.5 percentage in Gujarat our contribution in the above fields has been tremendous. The beneficiaries are not just the Christians, but all the people of Gujarat.

Moreover the Christians are known as peace-loving people. All this has contributed to good relationship with the general public of Gujarat?
We have maintained good relationship with the governing party as good citizens of our beloved nation, India. We cooperate with all the good polices made by the government. We also benefit from the good policies made by the government for the social welfare of the people of Gujarat. We pray constantly for all the leaders of our country that God may bless them and lead them in the right path to serve God in serving all the people of our country irrespective of religion, caste, race, language, gender, etc.

It is the land of Gandhi, why do you think it has turned to Hindutva and Communalism?
Gujarat is proud of being the land of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhian values of Truth and non-violence are respected still by most of the people. It is only a handful of persons who may not believe in the Gandhian values. This may not be peculiar only to Gujarat. In every state there could be some who would be far and against certain values and ideologies. The common negative force throughout India and the world is the growing materialism. We all need to work together to tackle materialism and enhance spirituality.

What is the future of India and its Constitution especially from the point of view of the minority community of Christians?
About the future of our beloved country, India, only God knows. My deepest wish and prayer are that the constitution of our country is respected by all. Because our constitution safeguards the rights of every citizen irrespective of one’s caste, creed, race, language and colour.

The rights of the minorities as guaranteed by the Constitution of our country is a great beacon of hope. Any infringement of the constitution would harm not just the minorities, but all the people of our country. So my appeal to all the people of our country is to uphold the Constitution of our country, so that our beloved country may become more prosperous and great. I am a proud Indian and a proud Christian. I love my country.

You are a missionary and how is your missionary evangelsiation possible in the present intolerant culture of India to the Gospel?
Evangelizaion means proclaiming the good news. What is the good news? The good news is that God’s kingdom is at hand (cf. Mk. 1:15). Whatever may be happenings in the world or in our country, one thing that we need to become aware is that it is God who is the Creator of the world and ultimately His kingdom of love, peace, and joy will be established one day.

When we look at evenagelization in this sense, who is a missionary? A missionary is one who is committed to his or her God-given mission. Every human being is born with a mission to establish God’s kingdom first of all in his or her own heart and then to establish it everywhere. Everyone who strives to establish God’s kingdom in this world is a missionary: a missionary is not limited to any particular religion. For e.g. Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. Were missionaries, because they strove to live and spread the values of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy.

Though there may be obstacles to the missionary activity of evangelization by evil forces, I am certain that God is powerful enough to establish His kingdom of love, peace, and joy in the whole universe. With this faith and hope we continue our missionary endeavour hand in hand with all people of good will, irrespective of religion, caste, and race . No force in the world can stop it, because it is God’s work.

Give me some details of your bio-data?
Date of birth: 10–02–1961, in Kandanvilai Parish, that at present comes under the diocese of Kulithurai, situated in Kannyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. I have two brothers and three sisters; three of us are religious and the other three are married. I did my seminary studies at St Charles Seminary, Nagpur and Licentiated in Psychology at the Gregorian University, Rome. After my Ordination to priesthood in 1989, I have worked in mission stations, schools and seminaries. I have had a fulfilling ministry especially in counselling hundreds of people.

How do you pray and what for? What is most captivating dimension of Jesus for you?
I pray just like a child: I share all my feelings, thoughts, experiences, success and failures to Jesus. I talk with Him as I talk with my best friend. In fact I talk with Jesus more freely than I would talk with a friend. I strive to be aware of His real presence throughout the day, with my every breath, with the awareness that every breath that I breathe is God’s breath. I am continuously aware that I came from God to the world and at the end of my life I go back to Him. This awareness helps me to be relaxed and hopeful in all situations.

The most captivating dimension of Jesus for me is His unfathomable love; a love which human beings would find it difficult to comprehend. Jesus’ love is so real and so great that you just ponder in ever growing wonder and amazement. Initially I was not able to experience the love of Jesus in a human way. But I pleaded with Jesus to make me aware of His love, and every time He gives me a glimpse of His love, my heart breaks forth in thanksgiving and my eyes are brimmed with tears – I struggle for words. My appeal to all those who seek for love is: “Come to Jesus and experience His everlasting tender love” – “He invites you and me: Abide in my love” (Jn. 15:9). Ps. 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”