Clery sex scandal – Church losing credibility

drchris July 21st, 2008

Where is the Church leading us?
I have been following closely the Pope’s visit to the United States some months ago and now his visit to Australia for the World Youth Day. Thanks to the advances in Information Technology and the international media for effectively bringing the news live to all corners of the world.It was refreshing to note that huge crowds flocked to be with the Holy Father wherever he went.
Although both these visits were considered successes, they nevertheless highlighted the biggest problem our Catholic Church is facing today – the credibility in it’s its role as the guardian and promoter of the teachings of Jesus.

The wide-spread clergy sex-scandals have greatly tarnished the credibility of the Church all over the world. It is distressing that wherever the Pope went the ghosts of these scandals trail behind and continued to haunt him. He had to apologize to the victims and the people wherever he went.

His much exalted position as the Vicar of Christ is being slowly eroded by these scandals and as Catholics we are deeply disturbed by the declining ‘moral command’ of the Holy Father in the world today.

Jesus had entrusted His flock to the clergy. The clergy represent the shepherds who are to guide and guard the sheep at all times. When the sheep go astray, we have the shepherds to go out to search and bring them back to the flock but when the shepherds themselves go astray, who is there to bring them back?

 

It may be timely for us to reflect on some fundamentals of our faith.There is no doubt that the teachings of Jesus are still relevant today.In fact they would remain relevant till the end of times.Our Church was once very relevant in the lives of mankind.Is it still relevant?

In a world that is so materialistic and immoral,sometimes I wonder where we are heading to.Where is our Church leading us?Are we in the right path?We call ourselves Christians,the followers of Christ, but are we really following the teachings of Jesus in our own lives?

 

Dr.Chris Anthony

Emergency medical fund

drchris May 9th, 2008

 

The Church must be involved in the people’s struggles

 
With the escalating cost of living the ordinary worker is under tremendous stress to make ends meet. Catering for the needs of a family is becoming more and more difficult by the day. Even basic needs like housing, education and healthcare have become beyond the means of a vast the majority of wage earners.

The government to a great extent has abdicated its responsibilities to provide these basic needs by its privatization policies. Rampant corruption, abuse of power and non-accountability at all levels of the government machinery have contributed to this unhealthy situation where the rich are getting richer and the poor get poorer.

Obtaining quality health care in particular has become a great burden for the people. Emergency medical treatment can run into thousands which few can afford. Instead of providing an affordable quality health care, the government has embarked on a national health insurance scheme which would only deny the poor access to prompt treatment even in dire emergencies.

Of late we are witnessing our own Catholics being caught in such desperate situations where they are unable to obtain adequate and prompt medical treatment due to financial constraints. We have those with major traumatic injuries needing proper care which they can never obtain. There are those awaiting major surgery, dialysis and other costly medical treatment that never come their way. It is pitiful that some of them die while waiting for such definitive treatment. Very conveniently we pass this of as fate or will of God. 

They are desperate and have no one to turn to for help, not even the church, where they have been active workers for many years. No one, including the parish priest and the Church organisations, come forward to offer a helping hand. We may have the resources but make it difficult for the ordinary person to obtain the funds. Many are willing to offer prayers and moral support but few are in positions to offer financial.   

The lame excuse often given is that the Church cannot help as it is afraid that such generous gestures may act as a precedent for abuses by others in the future. The Church encourages others to help but itself not willing to do anything. Is it morally right to withhold help to save a life for fear of the unknown future?

There is no doubt the Church is in a position to offer aid, both financial and moral, to those in need, at least her own parishioners. I am sure setting up of an emergency fund at diocese or even parish level will not pose much a problem as the Catholic Church, with its large number of generous faithful, has the wealth and expertise to do so. What is really needed is the will to help which is sadly missing.

The Church collects money for so many reasons, I am sure helping the parishioners in need would be a worthy cause which would get the whole-hearted support of the people. When a medical tragedy suddenly strikes, the whole family is thrown into chaos. Financial constraints make the effects of the tragedy even worse. A little help will go a long way to ease the burden of those inflicted with such serious ailments and allow them to get back to normal as soon as possible.

It is time for our Church to seriously review its role in the lives of its congregation. It should take   pains to understand and appreciate their plight. It cannot and should not alienate itself from the struggles of the people; rather it must get involved in them if it wants to remain relevant in their lives which have become so challenging in the modern world.

Dr.Chris Anthony                                                                                                                                                              

 

Mother’s Day 2008

drchris April 28th, 2008

Plight of those in old folks homes

The mother is the most revered person throughout the history of mankind. Mothers are revered and adored, showered with affection, and shown great respect. She is held in high esteem in all cultures and she is considered next to God in importance by all religions. In fact Islam teaches that “Paradise is at the feet of your mother” and Hindus regard her as a goddess of love. A Jewish Proverb says “God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers”.

All wise men of the past seen to concur that a man who does not please his mother it whatever he does will never find true happiness in his own life. From my own experiences over five decades, I can vouch for the truth of that statement.

Many of us may be contemplating how best to celebrate Mother’s day this year. It may be pertinent for us to take this day as an opportunity to reflect on the numerous physical, mental and spiritual problems, that our parents encounter, especially the very old and infirm, as they outlive their usefulness to us and our family.

With materialism becoming a way of life, the care of the elderly is becoming an increasingly common problem for all. Young married couples have to work so hard to make ends meet that they have practically no time for the elderly who demand for more attention. Homes for the aged which were a taboo before are now being accepted as the only practical choice these days. May be on this auspicious day we should reflect on how some of our mothers may be languishing in such old folks’ homes. 

I had the opportunity to visit some of these elderly people in such homes where I got to understand two important features of these people who are in the twilight of their lives. Firstly none of them are happy to be in such homes separated from their families and secondly the extraordinary love they have for their children, however negligent they may be.

Most of them in these homes appear to be happy as they are provided with all their physical needs, food shelter and the company of other residents. However when we get to know them more personally, we will be surprised to realize the agony and pain these old folks are enduring in silence during their stay in such homes. This is particularly true for those who are mentally alert but physically infirm. 

Despite all their needs are being met yet we can sense they were missing something in their lives. They long for something that money cannot buy, something that no relative or friend can give – love and affection of their own children. Yes, they long for the company of their children and grandchildren. 

In the twilight of their lives, it is not food, shelter, comforts or gifts that matters most. What really matters is the love and company of their own children. These elderly people in old folk’s homes generally are lonely despite being surrounded by people and regularly visited by friends and relatives. 

As we step into our sixties, we begin to experience a strange fear, a fear for loneliness. We tend to cling onto our children and we want them to be with us always. If we become inflicted with some illness this fear is greatly exaggerated and I can imagine the agony we will undergo when our own children at that stage in our lives neglect us as they would be too preoccupied with their own lives as we are with ours now.

The second observation that touched me was the unshakable love these oldies have for their children. They may be unhappy with their children for having sent them there but they never let them down in front of others. They are eager to go back home but they do not mind bearing all the pain and agony of staying in a old folk’s home  just because they do not want to trouble their children by becoming a burden to them. It is a pity that many of us do not appreciate this boundless love of our elderly parents for us despite all our acts of ‘cruelty’ towards them.

There is no doubt that the best place for elderly is their home but sending our aged parents to old folks home does not necessarily mean we are ungrateful and cruel. What is important is to provide them with the best we can and give them the reassurance that we are there for them when they need us.

Frequent visits to them and bringing them back home whenever possible will go a long way in reassuring them of our love and concern. Another important thing is to encourage the grandchildren to be close with them as much as possible. We must remember our aged parents are our responsibility and ours alone. Relatives and friends may help but they cannot replace the own   children.

It is easy and exciting to be with our parents during happier times however it is more important for us to be there for them when they really need us. When they are seriously ill, handicapped, and bed-ridden or on their death beds are we there for them to give them the moral, physical and spiritual support that they need? All they may need is just our consoling words, our loving touch or a hug but are we physically there to render that?

On this Mothers’ Day let us remember our mothers who may be languishing and yearning for our love in old folks’ homes. Let us find some place for them in our hearts and some time to bring them back to our homes where they can once again experience the love, affection and the company of her loved ones at least for a while. For some of them this may be the last time they ever return to their homes.

As Christians we dedicate the month of May to our heavenly Mother Mary. We honor her with meditating on her life in the mysteries of the rosary. As we do that let us also make some time to reflect on our relationship with our own mother on earth. Do we love her like Jesus loved his mother?

Dr.Chris Anthony

Responding to the pleas of the young

drchris March 30th, 2008

Complacency will only make the Church irrelevant

I read with interest the passionate plea by A Former Student, “We are losing the battle!” that was published in the Herald dated March 30.In fact this is not the first time such messages of plight from fellow Catholics have been published but it is regrettable that all such pleas seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

Having my own children in college, I appreciate the tremendous influence of the secular world on our young students who are away from home.Unless they are reinforced with the right values,both human  and spiritual, the chance going astray is high.The plight of A Former Student is real and I fully agree with him that the Catholic Church is facing a risk of losing a significant number of Catholic students at the tertiary level to other faiths.

We have been under the wrong pretext that being actively involved in the church organizations is all that is required to withstand the temptations of the material world. It could have been true before but definitely not so in our modern era of the internet where all the good values that we cherished have become irrelevant.

A Former Student is very true in saying ‘Being active in church activities, singing in the choir, memorising facts and prayers will not make our faith bullet proof. It is also a delusion to think that Praise and Worship, Charismatic Prayer Group and other feel-good factors will sustain the youngsters’ faith”

Engaging in these activities per say is not going to stop our children from going astray. What is needed is to make them feel the living Christ in not just within themselves but in those around them as well. As parents it is easy to take our children to church and make them participate in all the activities there but more difficult to instill the true values that Christ taught which can only be done by our own exemplary behavior.   

A major cause of our students going astray is our failure to be with them when they needed us most during their lonely years in college when they experience some form of cultural shock. Our Church is insensitive to the problems of the youngsters in their midst, unlike those from other denominations and religions. How often do our priests,religious and other lay workers reach out to them? It is sad that we are not even interested to meet them when they come to church.

On the other hand, our brethren from other Christian denominations and even other faiths are so supportive and caring for these students who are ‘lost’ in the wilderness of the big cities and towns. They use all their resources at their disposal to reach out to all students, even those not their own members. Some are willing to even offer financial help to those in need. In short they are there, with love, care and assistance, when these are needed most.

It is important for our bishops, priests and other church authorities to look out for young people like A Former Student who have so much passion and love, recruit them into the Campus Ministry and utilize their ideas and talents in reaching out to fellow students who are in need of company and comradeship. The Campus Ministry is not a government ministry, where people come to apply for aid, but a Ministry of Christ’s love where that love has to be actively carried to those in need especially those out of our reach.

 People like A Former Student are assets who should be utilized in that ‘evangelization’ and not considered as threats and conveniently ignored only to be lost into oblivion, which has unfortunately become the practice of our Catholic Church today.This complacent attitude is increasingly making the Catholic Church irrelevant in the lives of the young.

Dr.Chris Anthony

The Passion of Christ

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

 

God is waiting to be served

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

 

 

 

 

Lenten Campaign 2008

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

Reflections on Ash Wednesday 2008

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

Refections on Lent 2008

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

 

 

Gandhi ,Jesus and Christianity

drchris January 31st, 2008

Gandhi ,Jesus and Christianity

Gandhi like Jesus remains a conscience in the hearts of men

January 30, 2008 was the 60th.anniversary of the death of one of the greatest personalities of recent times; Mahatma Ghandi.It is only proper for us to pay tribute this great man who is undeniably a saint of non-violence. He lived and sacrificed his life in defending that virtuous policy of non-violence. 

This is what he had to say about Jesus: 

“Jesus was the most active resister known perhaps to history. His was nonviolence par excellence.”

As Christians, who claim to be the followers of Jesus, very often we do not emulate Christ in real life. It may be timely for us to reflect on our lives to see how Christ-like we are in our daily living.

This is what Gandhi had to say about Christians:

“It is a first class human tragedy that people of the earth who claim to believe in the message of Jesus, whom they describe as the Prince of Peace; show little of that belief in actual practice.”

Though Gandhi’s views were influenced by his bitter experiences with the racist policies and hegemony of the powerful Christian British Empire at that time, his observations are nevertheless true to this day. He continued,

“Do not flatter yourselves with the belief that a mere recital of that celebrated verse in St. John makes a man a Christian. If I had to face only the Sermon on the Mount and my own interpretation of it, I should not hesitate to say, ‘O yes, I am a Christian.”

Today many of us have the misguided notion that to be a good Christians we must have a thorough knowledge of the bible. What about those who cannot read and write? What about those who are physically or mentally handicapped? Can’t they be good followers of Christ? Is reading and mastering the holy book is what Christianity all about? Jesus’ teachings are so simple and down to earth and I don’t think we need geniuses to decipher them. It is not how much you know the bible but rather how well you want to live the way Jesus wants us to.

Gandhi,a devout Hindu, appeared to have understood Jesus much more than many of us.He live a life more like Christ than may of us Christians. Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India said “Gandhi would go down in history as ‘on par with Buddha and Jesus Christ’, I cannot agree less with that statement and I even go a step further to say that the Mahatma was a modern version of Jesus.

Gandhi believed in the universality of God, “The Allah of Islam is the same as the God of Christians and the Ishwar of Hindus.” he said.  

This concept of the universality of God is something which is badly needed in today’s world where violence in the name of the Almighty is so rampant and is threatening to destroy the human race. It is also something we as Christians can learn from him; despite belonging to different faiths we are in fact all children of one God. 

We are so intent in fighting one another to claim superiority over our adversaries, man against man, race against race, religion against religion and nation against nation. We resort to all the resources at our disposal; powerful arms, violence and war, to achieve victory over our enemies. We justify the use of violence to protect our perceived rights.

But to the great man of non-violence “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”

That philosophy he proved right when he single-handedly defeated the all powerful British colonialist, not by power and might but peace and love. Doesn’t his action resemble those of Jesus, whose love, humility, non-retaliation and forgiveness, brought him victory over the powerful Roman Empire?

Many of us today find it difficult to believe how a small, timid and frail looking man like Gandhi could dare to challenge the mighty British Empire. Just after sixty years we are finding it difficult to believe how Gandhi could have brought down the British Empire. As Albert Einstein, another great man and genius said ‘Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth. 

Mahatma Gandhi may have left this world but his memories remain very much with us, alive and relevant .Like Jesus he did not possess power, position or wealth. His simplicity, integrity and a heart for fellow men, including the enemies, had touched many and he will remain a conscience in the hearts of men for generations to come. 

Dr.Chris Anthony

 

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