A wellknown film star in South India, Bhavana was sexually molested, video tapped by goons who were hired on quotation by her own colleagues in the film field, shocked the people of Kerala. Some people believe that if you have the money, power, and political influence anything can be done. The crux of the story is the journey of Bhavana from the victim to resilience, she was humiliated, broken but could not be defeated. She rose again to fight the injustice that has happened to her and is happening to women over the world. The case is still going on with the influence of money. Her voice is the voice of hope, determination, and resilience in a patriarchal country like India.
Thousands of years ago a lone but strong voice, came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” The powerful king Herod silenced this voice forever, by killing John the Baptist. Then came a gentle but strange voice that said “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Jesus’s language of love and freedom, the “Good news” especially to those in the margins were “Bad News” for those in the center of power and prestige. People in oppression saw a ray of hope, they believed in Jesus, followed him in flocks to hear more and celebrated him singing “Hosanna.” It was Caiaphas who had the brilliant idea, he advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. Jn 18/14.
Jesus was a threat to the oppressive system, too much to be tolerated, hence he was tortured, crucified, and killed to “save the people” but on the third day he rose again. This resilience is the source of our hope and faith. The journey does not end here, it continues in almost hundred plus countries in the world where Christians are minorities, they live in fear and anxiety: to the military juntas in Myanmar, the fanatics in Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nigeria, and India to name a few. In 2008 the genocide attempt on Christians in Kandhamal Odisha following the murder of Swamy Laxmanananda was heart breaking. But Odisha now has the highest number of religious vocations, that is resilience! It was Tertullian, one of the Early Church Fathers of the second century, who really coined the term “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”
The lent is the time to see the crucified Jesus in the tortured faces of the trafficked girls and women, the bonded laborers, the victims of sexual abuse even the minors, those who flee their land fearing war and conflict, the climate refugees, the poor Dalits and tribals/ Adivasis who are kept in the prisons without trial, the list can go on and on. Where can they find hope?
Fr. Stan swamy with his prophetic courage stood in solidarity with the Dalits and tribals, Blessed Rani Maria worked for the development of the tribals and the poor, Sr. Valsa John resisted the corporate mining, were among those who paid with their lives. The list can go on.
Ms. Berta Caceres was a Honduran environmental activist, and the co-founder of the Indigenous Organizations (Lenca) of Honduras, an organization fighting for the rights of indigenous people. She received the 2015 Goldman environmental prize for her activism in protecting the environment. She resisted the Agua Zarca hydroelectric Dam destroying the Gualcarque river having cultural and spiritual values in western Honduras was killed in 2016. I had the privilege of joining the NGOs who protested in front of the UN Mission of Honduras in New York City as well as to witness Berta’s daughter, Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres who spoke at the United Nations. She was a PG student in Mexico when her mother was murdered but soon joined the protesters and brought her mother’s killers before Justice, in 2019, 7 culprits involved in the killing were given 30 years of imprisonment, which is resilience!
March 24 was the Anniversary of another voice that resisted the Military power in San Salvador, St. Oscar Romero. Despite the brutal killings of those human rights defenders, the voice of truth and justice revibrates around the world. This is the resilience no bullets can stop; no bloodshed can prevent, because these are voices of the prophets who live the word of God, Jesus, the resurrected, the resilient!
Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si, the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth is not two separate crises but one. Pope blames the unfettered human greed and the actions that cause increased pollution, inequality, and global warming, mainly because of human activity. Many of the atrocities and killings are related to wealth and sex. The mentality of raping of women and girls as well as the exploitation of Mother Earth, stems from the same root of dominance and control.
Let us walk “gently on earth” with simple lifestyle, respond to the cry wherever and whatever way we can. Any small action of resistance to greed in a personal and communal way will contribute towards the common good. Grasp the urgency, those who have a voice, lent it to those who do not have, defend the helpless, because we are followers of Christ who calls us to follow him prophetically in resilience to injustices.
Celine Paramundayi MMS
