Archive for February, 2007

drchris February 18th, 2007

Who do I follow, God or Man? There was once a very holy man dedicated to the service of God and fellow man. He was deeply troubled that the war and violence in the world is mainly caused by religion. Followers of the different religions are fighting and killing each other in the name of their respective God. Disillusioned with God for His inactivity, he prayed fervently imploring God to intervene and stop all the violence. That night an angel appeared in his dream and took him to heaven. As he approached the gates of heaven he could hear sounds of joy and happiness and sense an air of great festivities. The man asked the angel what was going on. The angel answered, “The citizens of heaven are celebrating God’s birthday today”. The man was overjoyed to be able to witness God’s birthday in heaven. Then there appeared a long candle light procession comprising the followers of the various religions. The man was so excited that he will soon get a glimpse of the Creator as he passes by. Heading the procession were the Catholics, led by the Pope followed by the Cardinals, bishops, priests and the laity. This was followed by the different Christian denominations. Huge congregations of other faiths then followed suit, the Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and hundreds of other minor religious groups including great evangelists and miracle healers. Each group was led by its leader riding on beautifully decorated majestic horse chariots. At the end of the procession came a frail looking bearded old man riding his frail looking horse. He appeared a total misfit in the environment of grandeur and glamour. The holy man from earth was very surprised that this poor old man had nobody following him. The man asked the angel. “Who is this poor old man? Why is that he has no followers?” After some hesitation, the angel answered “He is God,the Creator”. Moral of the story This is exactly what is happening in the world today. There is so much hatred, violence and killing in the world, all in the name of God and religion. We all claim that our religion is the only true one and all others are false. We think we are the only ones following the right path that God has shown us. Definitely hatred and violence are not His ways. His ways are always truth, love and peace, which very few really follow. We fail to understand that regardless of our religious differences, we are all children of God, differing only in the way we reach that one God. Man has become so arrogant with his achievements in the world that he has instituted his own laws that ignores God’s true teachings of humility and love. These teachings are becoming rather obsolete in the world of power and glamour. We seek God among the glamour and richness in the world, but in real life, He is among us in the poor and downtrodden. Let us examine ourselves to see who are we really following God or man?

Dr.Chris Anthony

Rising fundamentalism driving away many from Church

drchris February 13th, 2007

Christ is for all not an exclusive few

Recent years have witnessed a growth in religious fundamentalism throughout the world. As Christians we are particularly disturbed by this rise in Islamic Fundamentalism which has resulted in conflicts between religions and civilizations. A lot of fear and anxiety are being created throughout the world by this unhealthy trend.

The sad thing about this is the fact that the majority of the followers of any religion are in fact liberal and peace loving. They appear to be overwhelmed by the minority who resort to fundamentalism and have taken control of their respective religions for reasons far remote from their ideals.

Regrettably similar trends are also taking roots in our own church. There is no doubt that that fundamentalism is slowly gaining the upper hand in many of our Catholic publications and the Catholic Church as a whole. The large majority of Catholics are liberal in thinking and practicing their faith. Regrettably their views are not given due consideration by the clergy and editors of Catholic publications and bulletins. Sometimes their opinions are dismissed as anti-Catholic due to fear that they may have negative influence on others.  Today the average person is under tremendous pressures to cope with all the problems in daily living. Amidst all these problems and challenges, even Christ may seem irrelevant in our lives. By adopting a more fundamental stand, the Church tends to isolate this group of followers who are looking for ways to bring Christ active into their daily challenges in life and not restrict Him to just the rituals. 

To an overburdened and over-stressed person, religious rituals may provide some temporary solace but unfortunately many use them as escapism from the challenges in daily living. Christ’s teachings should act as inspiration and give us the strength to face all adversaries.We know that Christ has the solutions to all our woes and He is very relevant in our lives. The Church, instead of moving towards fundamentalism, must go all out to bring Christ into the ups and downs of our daily lives. Only then will He be seen to be relevant in our lives. He is not in the rituals that we observe but alive in our midst. All we have to do is seek him with confidence.Mother Teresa succeeded in bringing Christ into her life and the lives of millions of others around her. We may not be able to rise up to her magnitude but definitely we can be a “Mother Teresa” in our own little ways, in our own lives.The Church must use its publications as effective tools to bring Christ into our daily challenges. They must be open to suggestions and criticisms however controversial they may be. They should encourage open intellectual debate on all issues facing us as Christians in today’s sophisticated society and not suppress liberal views by its members who are also are genuinely working to bring the living Christ into their hearts and the hearts of fellow men. Christ belongs to all of us, including sinners, not to just a few chosen ones, the fundamentalists and those who claim to be experts in the laws of the Church.The Church must be dynamic and change with time to be with the masses like Christ did, and not isolate itself with its outdated thinking based on human theology. It must get involved in the wholesome human development – spiritual, socio-economic, physical and moral. There is no point in the Church singing the same old song to which less and less people are listening, let alone following.Dr.Chris Anthony                

Lent,a time of unselfish sacrifice

drchris February 13th, 2007

Lent,a time of unselfish sacrifice

Once again we are in the season of Lent. Lent carries different meaning for different people. To us Catholics it should be a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, who laid down his life on the cross for us. There is no greater love than that ultimate sacrifice of Christ. To some of us fasting, abstinence, the way of the cross and prayer are what Lent is all about. To others it is a time of abstinence from the pleasures of our senses.

This may be true to some extent but these acts are in a way are merely for our own selfish purposes and nothing more.

Christ did not die on the cross for his selfish needs. No human being will allow himself to be crucified for his selfish reasons. As the followers of Christ, we are asked to emulate that ultimate sacrifice of Christ, the crucifixion.

We need not literally lay down our lives for others but we can sacrifice some precious possessions of ours – our time, energy and wealth for the betterment of fellow someone in need.

At the same we can give up something which we all possess in abundance – pride, selfishness, ego, anger and greed which impede in our endeavors to serve others. Do we see Jesus in people whom we meet daily – our spouse, our children, our parents, our boss and fellow colleagues in the office, the poor and hungry, the sick and the dying, the handicapped, the sinner, the orphans, our priests and members of our BECs.?

Are we willing to forgive and offer our hand of friendship to our enemies and those who sin against us? Are we sensitive to the needs of others around us, or do we close our eyes and ears to their cries of plea? Are we willing to go down to the level of the downtrodden to help them? Are we willing to patiently listen to those in distress? Are we willing and brave enough to speak out against injustice wherever it occurs?

These are some issues we must ponder during this season of Lent. We must consider them in the light of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, the crucifixion.

The real meaning of Lent is unselfish sacrifice, not for our well-being but that of others. Fasting, abstinence and prayer are just a means to help us achieve that goal.

We are asked to become holy and our holiness in God,like that of Mother Teresa,should be for the benefit of mankind.

Dr.Chris Anthony 

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