My Views – Dr.Chris Anthony MBBS,MS,FRCSEd,AM

drchris February 28th, 2008

The Passion of Christ – its relevance to our lives

We are in the season of Lent which is a time to reflect on the sufferings and death of Christ, which is generally called the Passion of Christ. The Passion is the theological term used for the suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours prior to and including his trial and execution by crucifixion.   

The Passion is based primarily on biblical accounts of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From these accounts we know Jesus was falsely accused, convicted and sentenced, not by fine or imprisonment, but to death by crucifixion, the severest form of sentence a man can possibly get.As if that was not enough,before he was crucified he was humiliated,severely persecuted, whipped, scourged, crowned with thorns, dragged up a hill carrying a heavy cross, stripped off his clothes and then nailed to the cross, watched by many, like a hardcore criminal.

What crime did Jesus commit that deserved to be punished in that most inhumane way? It was for proclaiming the TRUTH. Yes, Jesus was tortured, humiliated and killed not for lying, corruption, rape or murder but for telling the truth, the truth which caused so much fear among those in positions of power and comfort. He was a threat to their social security and had to be eliminated at costs.  

Throughout the journey of his passion, what was astonishing was the way Jesus humbly accepted his punishment which he knew was unfair and unjust. However he accepted all that willingly without fighting back or defending himself. He did not show even the slightest anger or retaliation for being victimized, falsely accused and sentenced by the kangaroo court that tried him.

He did not get angry with the Jews who accused him, Pilate who sentenced him and the Roman soldiers who executed him. Instead he had the great magnanimity to forgive all of them who took turns to insult torture and kill him. It was the highest level of humility that no ordinary man can have.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to offer the other cheek when struck on one. He had demonstrated that he really meant what he said by accepting his Passion so willingly.

We call ourselves Christians, the followers of Christ, but how Christ-like are we in accepting humiliation and pain for speaking the truth? How Christ-like are we when we are accused of offences we did not commit? Will we be humble enough not to strike back and forgive those who victimize us?

What lesson does the Passion of Christ provide us in our own lives? We too in own small ways are often falsely accused, humiliated and punished for standing up for truth, by the authorities in the government, our places of work, families and even in the church. When we are denied our rights we fight back fiercely, sometimes with vengeance. We organize protests, demonstrations, hurl verbal abuses and resort to legal recourse. We may even resort to violence and wars to redeem our lost rights.

Many of us behave like the Jews who made false accusations against Jesus and wanted to get rid of him. We too make false accusations against those who are against us in order to get them out of our way. We resort to all forms of high handed tactics to succeed. We fail to realize that our efforts cause so much pain and suffering to the person involved and his family.

There may be others among us, especially those in positions of power, who behave like Pilate, refusing to stand up to public pressure for fear of losing our power. Due to our greed for power, we succumb to the wrongful demands of the public and wash our hands of the problems of those in need.  

Like the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus, there are many among us, who carry out the execution of others without empathy or compassion. Even if we know it is wrong, we carry them out anyway for fear of the authorities or some material rewards.

As we make the weekly way of the cross and read the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, let us reflect on the relevance in our own lives, of Jesus’ actions during his agonizing times. Let his Passion be something just not to sympathize or be sorrowful about but a real lesson for us as we encounter the many challenges in our lives. Christ’s humility and forgiveness even towards his adversaries is infinite which is what not just Christianity but humanity is all about.

Dr.Chris Anthony                          � �                             � �                             � �                             � �                             � �      Butterworth

• Lent
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drchris February 21st, 2008

God is waiting to be served in those in need

There was once a holy man who worked as a church keeper in a small town. He devoted much of his life to serving God in the church. He spent most of his time praying in the church and attending to those in need whenever they ring the church bell. His ambition in life was to see God one day which he never achieved even after many years of dedicated and loyal service to Him.

One day he was suddenly granted his wish that he prayed for all his life. While he was praying in the church, suddenly Jesus appeared before him. Filled with joy and happiness, he fell onto his knees and he started to talk to Him. Before he could start his conversation proper the church bell rang indicating there was someone who needs help. 

The church keeper requested Jesus to wait for him as he rushed out to attend to the person who rang the bell. There was a dirty looking beggar at the church entrance who wanted food and some clothes. He quickly went to get him some food and some old clothes from the store. Preoccupied with feeding the beggar and giving out some clothes to him, he forgot that Jesus was waiting for him inside the church. After settling with the beggar he quickly ran back into the church. To his surprise Jesus was still waiting for him.

He apologetically thanked Jesus for patiently waiting for him. He was more surprised at what Jesus replied.

“I waited for you not because of your devotion to me but because of your concern for the poor beggar. You left me to unselfishly serve someone in need.”

With those words Jesus blessed and left the holy man.

The man recalled what he read in the bible many years ago “I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mathew 25:40).He then fully understood those words of Jesus which he took for granted all his life.

This story illustrates what happens to us daily in our lives. Every day we pray earnestly for God to come to us to solve our problems. We do all sort of things to reach Him – pray, fast, attend mass every Sunday without fail, and receive all the Sacraments and even travel all over in pilgrimage. Despite all these good deeds very often we get disappointed that He does not come to us at all.

Preoccupied with serving God we forget that He is waiting for us to in disguise in those around us. He is waiting to be served in our inconsiderate spouse, rebellious children, envious colleagues, stubborn subordinates, the poor, the marginalized and even our enemies. Yes, whatever we do for one of these least brothers of His, we do it for Him.

Dr.Chris Anthony

• Inspirational stories
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drchris February 9th, 2008

Lend a hand to those in loneliness

The theme of the Penang Diocesan Lenten Campaign,  “Lend a hand” for this year is very appropriate and thought provoking  and it should to stir the hearts of the people to do something not just during this coming Lent season throughout the year.

The words of Jesus “I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mathew 25:40) should be a reminder to us that Jesus dwells in those around us, especially the needy and the destitute. We will only be cheating ourselves if we say we love Jesus while refusing to lend a hand to those around us.

Many of us remember Lent as a time for fasting, abstinence, way of the cross, almsgiving and penance. Many too consider the Lenten campaign as a means of raising funds for the poor. We become very generous during this season and donate graciously towards this fund. These may nevertheless be some of the ways of observing Lent but there is much more to Lent than just donating generously for the poor and denying ourselves of some pleasures in life.

The Penang Office of Human Development (POHD) has rightly come up with the theme “Lend a hand” for Lent this year. It is a reminder for us that Lent is just not all about fasting, penance and giving alms. It surpasses all these and encompasses the offering of our hands of friendship and love to those around us.

Everyone around us is “poor” in some way as they are silently suffering from some form of ailment either physical or mental; serious illness,loneliness,loss of loved ones, financial problems, failures in career, failures in love,persecution,denial of basic rights and freedom, and the list is in fact endless. It should be our hands of friendship that could help to alleviate their suffering. We may not be in a position to totally eradicate their “poverty”, only God can do that, but I am sure we can do the little within our means to reduce their pain and agony. 

One of the things that caught my attention recently is the plight of the elderly. Elderly people are everywhere, in hospitals, in our parish, our BECs, in the homes of our relatives and friends, in the numerous homes for the aged, and very significantly in our own homes. It is sad that have become captives in their own homes by being solitarily confined.

These senior citizens could have had very successful lives when they were young but all of them succumb to the greatest fear of man as they advance into the twilight years of their lives – LONELINESS. Yes the fear of loneliness is the greatest fear of man, however great he could have been at the prime of his life. Many are lonely in their own homes despite being surrounded by children and grandchildren, as the latter have little time to spare for their old folks. They seem to have become totally irrelevant in the lives of the young.

Most of these elderly do not need our money, food or gifts on special occasions but what they really long for is our love, our touch and our company. Ironically we are willing to give them money, food, shelter, expensive gifts and elaborate nursing care but not the love and company they yearn for.

Let make this season of Lent the beginning of being more aware of the needs of those around us, especially those who are suffering in loneliness. Let’s lend a hand to someone who is lonely and at the brink of death. Let’s start with those lonely in our own families especially our elderly parents. Let’s be generous and gracious not just with our money but also with our precious time that money cannot buy.

We may be having a tough time ourselves coping with all the stresses in life to make ends meet. We may have terrible problems of our own to handle, with our spouse, our children, our work, our financial difficulties, our illness and so on, but amidst all these let us find some time for those who are gripped with the fear of loneliness, those in the twilight of their lives. If we can do that to one of these least brothers of His, we will be doing it for Him. 

Dr.Chris Anthony

• Elderly
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drchris February 9th, 2008

Ashes – a reminder of our mortal bodies 

Last Wednesday, February 6 2007, was Ash Wednesday. According the traditions of the Catholic Church it is a day of fast, abstinence, prayer and imposition of ashes on our foreheads. Unfortunately this year these traditions were postponed to a later date because of the Chinese New Year

 When I was a boy, I still remember the words the priest uttered when imposing the ashes on my forehead – “Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return”. These words of my priest, though very meaningful did not touch me then at that tender age. When we were young, we were full of strength, energy and vitality. Death was appeared alien to us. We considered ourselves to be strong and invincible and we continue to enjoy life to the fullest.

 
Today being much older, inflicted with so many ailments and our vitality is rapidly draining away, we realize that death is some a real and imminent. We have already witnessed the death of many of our friends and relatives, some of whom were very dear to us. Today what my priest said on Ash Wednesdays becomes more significant.

The imposition of ashes reminds us, despite our social status, that we are all mere mortals and our physical bodies would perish one day. Today we may be alive with great power, wealth, beauty and strength but tomorrow our bodies may be reduced to dust. Reflecting on those words of the priest makes me realize that greed for material comforts is indeed foolish. In fact it is more important to cultivate the love of Christ that is within each and every one of us, which will bring everlasting rewards from God. 

Today we leave our jobs to fast, abstain and receive the ashes without fail, but has the significance of the act really touched us in the way it should? Many of us don’t even know what the priest is saying or doing. We receive the ashes because it is a trend which we have to follow. 

This is the reality of the fast moving world today, to follow the trend in order to be accepted into the system. There are rampant breaches of God’s laws – greed, lust, cheating, corruption, adultery and so on; in fact the list is endless. The sad thing is that   we are slowly but surely beginning to accept these “sins” as norms with total disregard to the teachings of Jesus. We are tempted to follow the trend and if we don’t we’ll be left behind in the social and economic competition. 

This is the real test of our faith and society in general today. As Christians can we say “NO” to this worldly trend and follow that set by Christ? Let’s pause a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the words that we hear every Ash Wednesday “Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return”. May these words may give some strength and courage to say “NO” to the material trend that is fashionable today. May they give us some meaning in the direction we are heading in our own lives. 

Dr.Chris Anthony

• Liturgy
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drchris February 6th, 2008

Lent,a time for self-sacrificing love called agape

Once again we are in the season of Lent. Today is Ash Wednesday but without the ashes as it the eve of Chinese New Year. Our Church, which is so strict with its rich traditions, is willing to give up its practice of fast, abstinence and imposition of ashes for the worldly celebrations of the lunar New Year. We don’t even have the usual evening mass to mark this very important day in the calendar of the Catholic Church. 

If the Church is so convinced that these traditions are so important in our worship, how can it give in to material demands? The contradictory stand of the Church at times really puzzles me; can man’s laws over-ride God’s? It looks like they can under certain circumstances.

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said, “‘Love (agape) the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” ( Matthew 22:37-41).

In keeping to this commandment,Jesus demonstrated his extreme form of love for us by dying on the cross.He has shown us the type of love we should have for God and for one another,not the love that we see in our material world today,but a love that is divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional and thoughtful.

This type of love has been described as agape, which is one of several Greek words meaning love.

As expounded on by Jesus, agape is a form of love which is both unconditional and voluntary; that is, it is non-discriminating with no pre-conditions and is something that one decides to do without compulsion.

This, self-sacrificing love for God and for one another is what Lent should be all about.

Lent takes us through a number of important events that should make us reflect on our lives to see whether we possess the type of love as propagated by Jesus himself.

It begins with Ash Wednesday, when the imposition of ashes on our foreheads reminds us of our mortal bodies. However rich and powerful we may be, one day our bodies will be reduced to nothing but dust. This should remind us that the the culture of greed that has inflicted us today is a folly. Instead we should strive to cultivate the love of Christ that is within each and every one of us.

The weekly stations of the Cross is a reminder that it is not enough to just to recollect the agape love of Christ for us but that we should also develop that love for one another. There is no way we can love Christ without loving those around us.

The act of washing of the feet on Holy Thursday is a demonstration of extreme humility by Christ; where the master goes down to wash the feet of his subjects. To many of us it may be just a ritual and even appear ridiculous but in actual fact it is a great lesson for us in life. Jesus is trying to tell us how we should treat one another, especially our subordinates and those less fortunate than us. As the followers of Jesus, do we have that humility and love for those below us?

Death on the cross on Good Friday is a reminder of the ultimate self-sacrificing love of Jesus for mankind. His crucifixion is the real act of agape. As the followers of Christ, we are asked to emulate that ultimate sacrifice of Christ. Are we prepared to do that?

We need not literally lay down our lives for others but surely we can sacrifice some precious possessions of ours – our time, energy and wealth for the betterment of those around us. At the same we can give up something which we all possess in abundance – pride, selfishness, ego, anger and greed which impede our endeavors to serve others.

Do we possess that love for those we encounter daily in our homes, the office and neighborhood?

Are we willing to forgive and offer our hands of friendship to those who hate us? Are we sensitive to the needs of others around us? 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?

Lent is a time for us to ponder on all these. It is a time for unselfish sacrifice of love, agape, not for our well-being but that of others.

Christ’s resurrection at Easter has given us the hope in our battle over “death”. Fasting, abstinence, prayer and rituals may be the tools in this battle but the key to victory over death is AGAPE..

Dr.Chris Anthony

• Lent
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