Is Missionary Enthusiasm Fading from the Church?

Light of Truth

Bp James Athikalam, MST

Episcopal Ordination : April 17, 2018, Sagar

What have you chosen as your motto?
Witness in Love.

Why ‘Witness in Love’?
I wanted a motto that is connected to the word love. The essence of Christianity is love. In a mission country like ours, evangelization has to be done through a life of witness, which has to be essentially a life of love and service. My search for such a motto ended in ‘Witness in Love.’

In Northern India, evangelization has become very difficult now, especially in a diocese like Sagar. What sort of a mission activity do you envisage there?
Hostility, that is the reality we have to face now. We need to arm ourselves with prayer, which will bring us strength from the Lord. Another aspect of our missionary activity would be to present our Christian convictions to different local people and leaders in a friendly manner and try to incorporate them in all the aspects of our ordinary social life. We should always try to be in touch with the local people. By prayer I do not mean prayer just for the protection of our institution, but prayer for all the people, including the Hindus. I wouldn’t say they are all really fundamentalist. They also may receive the grace of God and the love of Jesus. We should understand that every human being is our brother and sister. We need to lead the community to a life of loving harmony. So we need to pray for the Hindus in a very special way.

You have worked in many institutions and have been a part of priestly training at St James Seminary all along. Is direct evangelisation possible now in North India?
In the present context, direct evangelization is practically very difficult here. Evangelisation will have to be done now through our witness in love by being Good Samaritans to the people who are in need. In other words, evangelisation through social apostolate. Despite the fact that our works of charity are unfortunately misinterpreted and manipulated by some, I don’t find any other means to reach out, especially in and around Sagar. It is not a developed area. We have to endeavour to make them more human by inculcating in them the gospel values of equality and fraternity. Bp Chirayath has installed one of the biggest statues of Daya Sagar Hruday, the statue of Divine Mercy, and I hear that on the feast day of Divine Mercy, a large number of Hindus flock there to pray and find some consolation. We can supplement social apostolate with more of this kind of activity.

How would you describe Sagar Diocese?
There are now in the diocese around 60 mission stations we cannot call them parishes, 62 diocesan priests and some priests of the CMI religious order. The diocese has around 4,000 Catholics. Economically, they are average or above average. Most of them are salaried workers who have come and settled here from the Chhattisgarh tribal belt. They studied in Chhattisgarh under missionary outreach and hostels. Since they enjoy reservation facility, they easily find good jobs.

What kind of thrust do you want to give to your diocese?
I was thinking mainly of going deep into the aspect of witnessing love. A loving community itself is a missionary community. Only that way can we bring transformative changes in the people. I was impressed by these two Vatican documents: the Gaudium Evangelii and Amoris Laetitia. We read the Gospel and radiate the joy of loving, ensuring a warm home and a loving community.

What kind of an orientation do you want to give to the Catholics?
As far as I understand, the community here does not have much of a deep faith. My first priority is to catechize people more. Next I would like to concentrate on the youth and the young priests. We have a good number of active youth. It is very important to motivate them to be good citizens through good Christian living. I would like to encourage our people to take up more leadership roles in the Church and in society.

How would you describe the general public of your area?
They are mostly simple people. Since they are a minority, the Hindus are polarized and communalized. Previously, they were very friendly and so we could visit any home and say a prayer. But now, because of the politicisation of religion, some kind of compartmentalisation has happened at the social level. Even in the parishes, they are afraid of speaking about politics even in casual conversations and in the offices.

Why has a friendly and hospitable people become sort of inimical?
Their animosity has much to do with political ambitions. The Hindu fundamentalist have branded Christians as outsiders. Christians also believe so. In Bhopal they conduct meetings in temples in each small village. In the meeting, of course, politicians propagate their ideas. We cannot hide that. I feel that our society has become very much communal.

We have now a culture that is highly poisoned by hate and division through clever manipulations by ambitious politicians. It happens under any fanatical movement. Do you fear that this kind of poisoned language, poisoned atmosphere can worsen and become violent?
I fear that.

Lots of atrocities happened in the name of language and culture. This is a universal phenomenon. Would you interpret it as Aryan domination coming in a political form?
That may be the case. I am not an expert on these matters. Basically, it is all a political game for getting power and domination. Dalit resurgence may prevent a Hindu Rashtra consisting of all the different denominations becoming a reality in the immediate future.

Are you apprehensive of India’s future? Do you foresee the degeneration of Hinduism into Hindutva, a force that has little tolerance for others?
Yes, I do have those apprehensions, but, at the same time, there is no need to panic. We can deal with this situation by finding sociological remedies for them. We thank God and His providence and work faithfully.

Persecution is explicit in these words of Jesus: “I am sending you to the world as lambs among wolves.” In the present context, how are you going to be an efficient disciple of Christ, who preaches love, fraternity, freedom and equality?
We can’t say for sure how successful and efficient we will be, but nothing can prevent us from living the gospel values in our life. Even if someone comes in the way of it, we can still love them and embrace them. All the same, we are deeply concerned about today’s situation. We pray for a change that can come only through divine intervention. In the meanwhile, we continue with our works of charity and love, without making any discrimination in the name of caste and creed. That’s why I feel all I must do is to just live the gospel.

You are from Pulinkunnu, Kerala, which has a rich Christian tradition and culture. What impelled you to go to the North and dedicate your life to the missions? How happy are you about having taken such a decision?
A few of my uncles are priests. I joined the seminary in 1973. Somehow I wanted to be a solution for the unfortunate poor people. And so I chose to be a missionary priest than a diocesan priest, I desired to become a missionary priest. That decision brought me to North India. I am a very contented man.

What did you find when you went there?
In the initial years we were not able to preach publicly. But we could go to houses and pray. We started mainly with social works. Under very different and difficult situations we still sing songs of sweetness and love.

In Kerala too no direct evangelization is possible. Some sort of dampening of the missionary spirit has set in the Catholic community. As Pope Francis said, we are become a Narcissistic Church serving ourselves alone. Do you think that, that is true of the Syro-Malabar Church too?
This attitude has spread in each diocese and each parish in Kerala. Basically they are concerned only about themselves. The bishop is concerned only about his diocese and the priests only about their parish. However, bishop Thattil is trying to motivate people to help others. Usually nobody is convinced of giving or helping the missions or the missionary people. That kind of missionary dimension itself is very much lacking, even on Mission Sundays.

Look at the Syro-Malabar Church, its activities are more centered on expansion, expansion to its own people. Wherever there are migrant Catholics, we go there, but we are less concerned about the missions. Don’t you think the missions should be the Church’s first priority?
Mission should be our first priority, because God called us for that. I think in principle all agree on that. In the parishes, priests are concerned about the first Holy Communion, Catechism and other programmes. We do not go beyond that. We should teach people that the Church is basically missionary. We need to help one another. That is very important, but I don’t know how to go about it. Most of the diocesan priests are not at all interested and concerned about missionary activities.

You studied Patrology; why are you so concerned about the past and the fathers of the Church? Is it not another form of Ghar-Vapsi?
I am not that much interested in the past and the fathers of the Church.

What is it in Jesus that most inspires you all through your life?
My commitment to do something good for the people started when I was in the sixth standard. A man for the others was what I dreamt to become. Jesus came to the world in order to save humanity. He lived for the benefit of others. He was a man of service.

You are a man of prayer. Why do you pray? What do you pray for?
I want to be a man of prayer. Usually I pray for the people entrusted to me wherever I am. Now I pray for Sagar. I love the rosary. I hardly pray for myself. I pray for others.

What about your family?
I have my parents. I am their firstborn. I have a brother and a sister. I was born on 5th July, 1958, at Pulinkunnu, Changanacherry. I was ordained priest on 22nd March, 1984, for the Missionary Society of St Thomas the Apostle (MST). I hold a Master’s Degree from Mysore University. I have obtained a licentiate in Biblical Theology and Doctorate in Patrology from Rome

You had been in different posts in different parts of North India. What do you wish to do in the present post?
I was teaching in the seminary for a long time. Only for two years I was directly involved with the mission. I worked at Barnagar in the Diocese of Ujjain, and later was appointed as a professor and procurator of the Diocesan Minor Seminary of Ujjain and professor at the MST Minor Seminary. In 1991, I was appointed Director of the Missionary Orientation Course at Jeevan Jyothi, Mandya, professor of Patrology in Ruhalaya Major Seminary, Ujjain, of which I was later appointed Rector. I was the Director General of our congregation for one term. For the last four years I have been preoccupied with pastoral work for Syro-Malabar Catholics. I always felt comfortable with my jobs, and now I really love to be in parishes. At present I am working in Nirmal Jyoti Mental Health Programme, Bhopal.

Leave a Comment

*
*