Regathering the Church to a Newer Innocence?

Just as a person, a society and a community also face changes, and undergo changes. There is a struggle to survive, but the real struggle is how well one adapts to the change, often a rapid change. Though it is natural for us to try to maintain a system as it is, the preservation is really possible only if we are ready to adapt ourselves to a new situation. It is also essential to attend to the wear and tear with sufficient care. The fittest is not the mightiest, but the fittest is the one adapts in the best manner.

As we place ourselves into the new situation, the first thing to do at the face of a challenging change is to develop an openness with prudent evaluation, instead of a blind resistance. It is normal to struggle even in the process of adaptation, but here the resistance is productive, open to change, and learning the content of the change faced i.e. what a change actually involves.

A community that feels of itself as the mightiest might proceed to have a self-defence, resist or totally neglect the change, and get neglected in the course of time. The resistance is because we may be overconfident that we might withstand the change, or we want to tie ourselves in our comfort-zones. Sometime the comfort-zone may be formed by our views or given definitions. We might give selective attention only to such information that confirm our preferred views. We might also engage in unfruitful arguments to defend our views, because we may be identifying ourselves or the system to that preferred view, and think that the whole structure stands on this particular view. When we lack a wider vision and its value we might feel that the change is threatening the very identity of the system, society or the community. The sense of threat will find every reason to see only undesirable consequences.  As part of a blind defence we go on self-justifying as though everything is good and everyone is happy. It is self-destructive. The sense of threat may also alarm us about a loss of power, autonomy and control. 

As a body, the Church also faces changes, sociopolitical, economic and ideological changes. The cultural changes that have come in recent centuries have influenced basic structures of society, family, and communities. It does the same to the church and asks for response. A reflection needs to begin with how well we were able to understand the changes, more than moral judgements how the changes are going out of the conventional ways. It is not wise to be blind to the social and political phenomena around. They raise challenges, but not necessarily always threat, it could be a call too. Our difficulty is to allow a change from what is familiar, and so convenient.

If we want to place the church in a new situation we also need to develop an openness with prudent evaluation and prayerfulness. It is not wise to apply an eternality to the patterns of approach and structures of the church. They must undergo change, and these changes do not essentially deform the church. But, we have our definitions of our belief systems, customs, power structure etc. which are playing a role of comfort-zone. Many find comfort in being in the same, and train others to find comfort in them by identifying themselves and the church itself to those definitions and customs. If we are in this condition we might prefer to give attention only to those things which go in line with the elements we have identified to be the essence of faith as there are resistance and conflicts in the society when a change happens. Without even understanding what the change calls for, we might begin to defend our traditions, customs, and practices unfortunately at times without acknowledging that these themselves had developed as a part of change.

Wisdom must guide us to discern whether the desired change, and the modalities we use to bring this change about will result a creative reformation or demolition. Wisdom also calls for prudent ways of restructuring the church; not only because the changes in time demand it but they call the church to be true to itself. Change has to happen in our approaches and structures, but without forgetting that the building blocks are we, the persons. We can risk the system not the persons, the system is for the well-being of persons within the community. The elements above we have feared to lose are in fact means to support the system, not the ends, whether they were belief systems, customs, structures, power, authority etc. Perhaps they were wrongly identified as the end, or the system became too much dependent on the means losing the sight of real ends. Certain pattern of customs or beliefs in a particular time of history may have also been wrongly recognised as the very essence of the system. It can also happen that we might appreciate novelty and creativity without purpose. Most of these means tie us in good sensations but not letting us reach the end.

Many may be ready to invest human and monetary resources too, but only wisdom, discernment, and prayerfulness will help us to identifying faithful builders and fruitful plans, failure of which may result in the destruction of the very nature of the church. Many plans and offers may be available, modern, authentic, spiritual, traditional, relevant, appealing, …yet they cannot do the re-forming because they are within their narrow frames. But the humanity of goodness and compassion, the people of good will, regather our scattered conscience, thus a new innocence.

Does society find the church to be the symbol of punishable conscience of the society itself?

Has the church been blind and unaffected by the changes, remained in self-justification, condemning all ‘sinners’? Have those righteous claims shown itself hypocritical? Being humbled, the church may regather itself to a newer form of innocence by the help of God.

Similarly, does the society act a self-righteous role, condemning the church to be the worst sinner? The condemnation of evil is justifiable, but it hopefully touches the conscience of the society too, in dealing with evils and corruptions. Otherwise the righteous claim of the society that condemned the church will prove itself hypocritical.

Christ Walks with the New Gen: What do they search, can Jesus walk with them?

No excitement to go home? Perhaps, motels were shown to be home!

The New Gen wants to be free, celebrating, enjoying food and drinks, and dancing. At times they are left alone, without knowing what to do. Sometime they overwork, and sometime they oversleep. Their trends also involve complexities, struggles and questions. There are also many value providers, and so they live within many forms of value-conflicts. They have questions, because different contexts do make believing difficult. Therefore, they question. There are also entertainments in different forms, sports, adventure, puzzles etc. as to meet their stress patterns. They want to know how their faith can meaningfully be brought to their multi-directional life pattern. When one struggles to live amidst one’s questions and anxieties, how does faith make a difference?

Pope Francis said that one who does not ask questions cannot progress either in knowledge or in faith. Situation of being in questions and doubts is a call to deepen one’s faith through sincere enquiry.

Presence of a Walking Companion

Often what we hear are some moral demands when faced with conflicts.  Even in the midst of complexities one is not looking towards faith only for solutions, but a living presence, that accompanies. The process of acquiring faith is not aimed at a clarity of a piece of knowledge, but it is a journey to realise the presence of the constant living companion, Christ. It is a presence to be within our moments of pain or happiness, moments of active response or dead silence. We know that we are placed in a context of rapid changes and flash mob culture. God does not distance himself from this new situation. His voice, the Word is not pinned somewhere in the past, He is a walking companion, to whom we can belong to, and find at home.  It is hard to identify the voice of God amidst and within loud noise and metal music.  Yet, He does reveal within them.  Faith that we cultivate today needs to emerge in such a way that it might be able to recognise God’s response to our inward cry.

Being Loved

Where we find ourselves rejected and racing strangers, how could we recognise this voice as of love worthy of trust. Sometimes their fragmented relations develop within them an inability to trust. If we are able to realize the presence of the accompanying presence, we also will begin to trust that presence. There one may find the growing experience of being loved, and develop a courage to trust; a courage to be loved against all trust-wounds of unnamed emptiness. There we have an experience of being loved, being accepted, being forgiven, a real home where we can be confidently ourselves. Though within the complexities of life there resounds a voice of ineffable love, “here is my beloved... in whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17)

Knowing Our Home

In this process as we gradually develop a heart that has a courage to live, because it has experienced that it has been loved by an everlasting love. This experience opens before us not only the picture of our own life but the meaning of our being in the world. This response differs from a political reaction to a social issue because we are guided by the peace given to us in the affirmation of love not arrogance, and we are guided by hope not anxiety. Perhaps our efforts may be a reaction to some of our own hurts and pain in a provoking conducive occasion. It may further bring hurt rather than healing, though apparently, we worked for justice, peace, and harmony. It is that love which opens itself for justice, harmony and peace. Our stand for justice, harmony and peace would be guided by the sense of belonging the accompanying presence which makes a home to dwell in.

Faith is not a clear definition, it is the trust in a love that absorbs us, and a response to that trust in courage to meet the living situations and its cries with the same love that one has experienced. For the sake of this home experience, a responsible relationship, all other things are formed, the church systems, rites, liturgy, devotions, morals, beliefs and customs… Within themselves they are only facilitating agents.  If these becomes end in themselves, we lose what was really essential, and the above agents will become mere empty vessels, irrelevant and insignificant. That is why the New Gen continue to wander on the way. The New Gen longs to belong, wants to find a love worthy of trust, wants also to find themselves worthy of trust, wants to build a courage to love, looks for opportunities to do deeds of goodness and compassion.

Mary Treasured all (these) things…Seeing Every Moment with a Presence Worthy of Worship

Mary treasured all these things and pondered in her heart 

If Mary is to be seen full of grace from the moment of her conception according to our faith, in her there is also a new creation. In her there was fulness of grace; there was nothing that resisted to the grace of God. 

Every moment of her life also can be seen as moments of encounter with grace, moments worthy to be treasured. Mary treasured all these things and pondered in her heart. This pondering was not seeking meaning for what was happening in trying to understand them. Her pondering was nor a pious emotional submission in nothingness and unworthiness. In pondering, she found something treasurable; she found something worth and valuable. 

She found every event as something worthy of divine presence, an encounter of grace. In every moment there is a worshipful presence. If she was granted the special privilege to be full of grace that was the fist experience she found worth pondering. 

Grace works in us dynamically and progressively, we need to respond to it with openness and patience. Every moment opens the doors of grace. Can we open ourselves to make that a moment of encounter with grace to make it a treasurable presence of God? Let us make this path worthy of worship. Some important treasurable experience we need to encounter come to light here. We may not find in us the fullness of grace and total openness to the Holy Spirit. It is a grace experience to be conscious of the fact that “I am found by God.” It takes us into further affirmations as, “I am found something worth, I am accepted, I am loved, …” These are worthy of being valued, because I am treasured and found valuable without any condition. This is what gradually heals our person, and builds a character that would be mature enough to say ‘yes’ to God when asked for a specific commitment. 

A mere meditative attempt may not form this character, because it is interactive encounters that form our character. Shall we not begin with our own treasures, the very human experiences?  Experiencing such moments open the doors of divine graces too. They are moments of trust, love, acceptance, welcome, sacrifice and pain. The need to offer such human experiences also cannot be neglected. They are the grace channels we are immediately in touch with. Treasure is here! They are the moments we find a worshipful presence of God. They are indeed there.

It is then, that we are able to give an open eye to the wonderful presence of God in every moment, to cherish and treasure those moments with a presence worthy of worship, and to place our trust in God in varied situations and responsibilities. Is that not what we mean by 'giving first place for God', or 'loving God above all things'?

Religion has a market value, not the Gospel

Market churns the world.

There, "to bring good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set the downtrodden free" are not of any market value.

So to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour for the poorly spirited would face the resistance of the global market.

Love has not dried, justice has not died, freedom and truth are not evaporated from human longing.
But they are choked within the forces of money and power.

Anything 'spiritual' is not spiritual, the words have economic and political intent within. Who knows we already belong to a parallel church in our adherence to certain views and spiritual trends? Many seem sharing such views due to their camouflaged form of orthodoxy to faith, and fidelity to catholic traditions. What underlie are capitalist business interests.
Such interests may promote a religious culture, because they need political power for better market. Unknowingly we often mistake this religious culture to be our fidelity to faith.

What we need is faith,
to hear the voice of the call within, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poorly spirited.