Since ‘it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it’ (Mt. 7:14) anyone who takes death seriously will wonder ‘will I be saved?’ Besides, there is the warning that ‘you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny’ (Lk.12:59), and there is the advice to ‘work for your salvation in fear and trembling’ (Phil. 2:12). Besides, there are preachers frightening people with the burden of having to do penance for the sins of forebears!This makes many, in an effort to save themselves, depend on fast and penance, novenas and pilgrimages, all sorts of devotional practices and rites of purification. Others turn to God; depend on God. Job finds peace in the knowledge that he has a Saviour (Job 19:25). The Bible is filled with the conviction that God Himself is the Saviour (Is. 41:14, 43:14, 49:26, 44:6, 54:8, 63:16, Ps. 3:8, 35:9, 68:20, Job 2:9, Rm. 1:16). Israel’s founding experience is that of a God who heard their cry, defeated their enemies, and effectively led them to a land flowing with milk and honey.God gave them rules for harmonious and prosperous living. But when, ignoring God and yielding to temptations, they were living self-destructively, God sent them prophets to lead them back to life-giving ways. Not satisfied with the results, ‘the kindness and love of God our Saviour’ (Tit. 3:4) became a human being for the salvation of all (1Tim. 4:10). This man, Jesus, like a mighty prophet, taught in word and de
Peace is not a substitute for transparency and truth. If it were, the mission of Jesus would have been irrelevant. Christianity is what it is because it had the courage to stand up for truth and justice, no matter how hard and costly it turned out to be. Jesus spoke up very strongly even when it would have been most convenient to keep quiet and maintain the comfort zone of peace. The church is becoming a pawn in the hands of media planners and consultants who are in the business of “CONSTRUCTING THE TRUTH.”The church is called upon to transcend this “15wisdom of the worldly.” It has to abandon this desperate media game and stop using the huge church machinery and thousands of pulpits for a show down. The church has the power to speak loud. But what matters is the inner strength and integrity to speak the truth, however feeble your voice is. The church should examine it’s own conscience to check whether prayer and penance are being misused as powerful media messages in the above mentioned exercise of “constructing the truth.”Dr George Kaliaden, Psycholgist Posted in FB, Dubai
Our beloved motherland is facing a grave crisis due to the new policies adopted by the divisive forces that are in power and the Constitution of our country is in danger. These new policies emerge from a divisive, exclusive and patriarchal mindset that goes against the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Statements made by some members of the ruling party at the centre prove that the Constitution is a hindrance to the making of a Hindu Rashtra.Hindutva fundamentalism, saffronization of educational system in India, orchestrated attacks on Dalits and minority communities, denial of the freedom of expression, depriving the land rights of Tribals and Dalits, infiltration of RSS people into judiciary, bureaucracy and even army, uprooting of Tribals from their land through new projects like ‘Animal Corridor,’ ‘Industrial Corridor’ and ‘Land Bank’ are some examples of these dangerous policies which shake the very foundation of this nation.As disciples of Jesus and as responsible citizens of India, we, Christians, have a duty to safeguard the Indian Constitution and promote its noble and liberal values. The Forum for Justice and Peace (FORUM), a body of Catholic Religious women and men who are in social action, in its national convention held from 17 to 19 February 2018 at Jharna Spirituality Centre, Namkum, Ranchi has resolved to spread awareness on the Pluralistic, Socialistic, Democratic and Secular values enshrined in the Constitution.It is desira
It pains to see His Beatitude Cardinal Mar George Alencherry facing such an ignominious situation and impending criminal lawsuit. He is a personal friend of mine since our Carmelgiri days in 1966-69. I hold him in high esteem and admire him for his many qualites that raised him to that position. I have personally met him in last December to convey my support and help. He only asked me to pray continually.I am deeply concerned for him. My worry is that he has landed with wrong advisors who are managing some game that he himself hardly comprehends. This is my fear. I don’t know. We need to look for the real beneficiaries if at all a mismanagement has taken place. This is the central issue that the Church has to focus on. To my mind, the over-exaggerated polarization of the Church members into “for” and “against” is created and whipped up only as a part of that game. The community of priests of Ernakulam are being unjustly demonised, and the auxiliary bishops are presented as villains. All this is apparently done by overzealous faithful who are drawn into this game without knowing what is going on. If we are part of the Church, we should speak the language of the Church, not the language of hooligans. The Church as a whole therefore should remain vigilant so that wolves who come clothed in sheep-skin may not misguide people and sow seeds of hatred and despair. Remember anything un-Christian and unholy cannot be justified in the name of faith or allegiance to the le
