listen to the Spirit

A breath of love is generative. The breath of love that comes from God is within the very nature of God. This divine self-communication takes place in the Holy Spirit, takes us and our history also into a bond of love. history. The goodness of God is manifested in creation. The entire creation drinks from that goodness. God opens himself to us in the Holy Spirit, so that we may participate in the depth of God’s love and goodness.

Humanity is in need of the breath of love. It is yet to open itself to live in the breath of love. It is yet to desire for the goodness of God to be reflected in its life. What we need the most is an earnest desire for it. We can no longer be agents of division, hatred, war, and destruction. By God’s own help let us bring into our sight both the dry lifeless condition and the living and fruitful condition; thirsty ones, drinking from the fountain of life, turns to be a heart of overflowing streams. Being in a gentle flow of stream is refreshing. That breath of love and the stream of life is the Holy Spirit.

“Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me…”

“Let anyone who believes in me come and drink.”

“From his heart, shall flow streams of living water.”

“My spirit fails. My soul thirsts for You like a parched land” (Ps 143: 6) expresses the deep longing for life. We can see today, the complexities of life, and the struggles that we carry. Some are condemned and some are despised. No human condition is incapable or unworthy to yearn for God. In fact, already there is the cry of the Holy Spirit deep within that we may be filled by the life of God. Drinking from the wellspring of life we begin to live afresh.

Life produces its fruits, and there is a joy of the harvest. The fruit that the Holy Spirt produces in us as persons and as the church is conforming us into Christ. All other fruits and charisms are to be known within our conformity with Christ. It is a celebration of re-creation and of a harvest as the feast of Pentecost itself was the feast of the first fruits. No one receives the Holy Spirit as a personal possession, we have received the Spirit as we are one body in a family, community, a parish or the church. Perhaps, it is a time that we once again come together as small groups experiencing the vibrance of the Holy Spirit, as a body that knows the members. Something that is essential here, first of all, is the realisation of the need for the Holy Spirit and the readiness to be guided by the Spirit. Secondly, it is something of great importance is the joy of mutual building through the charisms each of has received.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are generated in us out of sincere following of the values of the kingdom of God, and seeking its justice. Indwelling of the Holy Spirit wells up from us and from the church as fruits of the Gospel which we received, sprouted and grew. A person or a church that does not seek the kingdom of God is hypocritical in calling out for the Holy Spirit and claiming to have the whole possession of the Holy Spirit. So, we cannot take the Holy Spirit for granted. If we do not have the readiness to listen to the Holy Spirit, if we are not ready to listen to the voice of one another, no prayer to the Holy Spirit, no worship in the name of the Holy Spirit will dispose ourselves to the working of the Spirit. Dramatic performances and mesmerising events cannot bring down the Holy Spirit. Our favourite imaginations like consuming fire that burns and destroys hide the gentle Spirit who sanctifies through the spring of new life.

Often, we speak about a second Pentecost and expect the Spirit to come. The Spirit has not gone away. We need to ask ourselves how willing are we to take the Gospel as the first option in our life. It is costly because it risks our devotional easy ways, rigid moralism, ideologized beliefs. When the values of the kingdom become the first option, the Spirit will well up within us and will manifest the nature of Christ. So, the manifestation can happen only through a sincere gift of our very ‘self’ to God. Through the action of the Spirit-Paraclete, a process of true growth in humanity may be accomplished in our world, in both individual and community life.

The Spirit never manifests in isolation. Instead, the Spirit makes God visible in the Church when we are open to the Spirit. What if we take the existence of the Church for granted? The church lives as the body of Christ, mutually building, healing, and nourishing one another. When each church and denomination claim originality, distance one another, when different renewal movement hold an elite holy attitude and condemn others, when we upheld order, unity, solutions at the risk of unity itself, when we divinise power and authority and forget love and service, we take for granted that there exists a church. But that is a church that resists against the Holy Spirit.

Noone has the monopoly over the Holy Spirit; no branded evangelists, no great preacher, no gospel channel has the custody of the Holy Spirit. All of us are continuously called to give ourselves to God with our whole being. This is our deepest vocation. We can do it only by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enlightens our minds, and helps us to do His will. Ultimately the Spirit brings us into the mystery that gathered as one body in Christ we are all the children of God. We live it consistently experiencing the breath of love and causing the streams to flow out as fruits of the goodness of God.

This is something important for us today as humans to live in the reality of the kingdom of God. It is also important for us today to live in the Holy Spirit, a life of goodness, communion and love, that millions of years later when no humans may be there to celebrate Pentecost, the creation may still share the first fruits for its children, of course, God’s own children.

A breath of love is generative. The breath of love that comes from God is within the very nature of God. This divine self-communication takes place in the Holy Spirit, takes us and our history also into a bond of love. history. The goodness of God is manifested in creation. The entire creation drinks from that goodness. God opens himself to us in the Holy Spirit, so that we may participate in the depth of God’s love and goodness.

Humanity is in need of the breath of love. It is yet to open itself to live in the breath of love. It is yet to desire for the goodness of God to be reflected in its life. What we need the most is an earnest desire for it. We can no longer be agents of division, hatred, war, and destruction. By God’s own help let us bring into our sight both the dry lifeless condition and the living and fruitful condition; thirsty ones, drinking from the fountain of life, turns to be a heart of overflowing streams. Being in a gentle flow of stream is refreshing. That breath of love and the stream of life is the Holy Spirit.

“Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me…”

“Let anyone who believes in me come and drink.”

“From his heart, shall flow streams of living water.”

“My spirit fails. My soul thirsts for You like a parched land” (Ps 143: 6) expresses the deep longing for life. We can see today, the complexities of life, and the struggles that we carry. Some are condemned and some are despised. No human condition is incapable or unworthy to yearn for God. In fact, already there is the cry of the Holy Spirit deep within that we may be filled by the life of God. Drinking from the wellspring of life we begin to live afresh.

Life produces its fruits, and there is a joy of the harvest. The fruit that the Holy Spirt produces in us as persons and as the church is conforming us into Christ. All other fruits and charisms are to be known within our conformity with Christ. It is a celebration of re-creation and of a harvest as the feast of Pentecost itself was the feast of the first fruits. No one receives the Holy Spirit as a personal possession, we have received the Spirit as we are one body in a family, community, a parish or the church. Perhaps, it is a time that we once again come together as small groups experiencing the vibrance of the Holy Spirit, as a body that knows the members. Something that is essential here, first of all, is the realisation of the need for the Holy Spirit and the readiness to be guided by the Spirit. Secondly, it is something of great importance is the joy of mutual building through the charisms each of has received.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are generated in us out of sincere following of the values of the kingdom of God, and seeking its justice. Holy Spirit cannot be generated in a powerful 'Praise and Worship.' Indwelling of the Holy Spirit wells up from us and from the church as fruits of the Gospel which we received, sprouted and grew. A person or a church that does not seek the kingdom of God is hypocritical in calling out for the Holy Spirit and claiming to have the whole possession of the Holy Spirit. So, we cannot take the Holy Spirit for granted. If we do not have the readiness to listen to the Holy Spirit, if we are not ready to listen to the voice of one another, no prayer to the Holy Spirit, no worship in the name of the Holy Spirit will dispose ourselves to the working of the Spirit. Dramatic performances and mesmerising events cannot bring down the Holy Spirit. Our favourite imaginations like consuming fire that burns and destroys hide the gentle Spirit who sanctifies through the spring of new life. Holy Spirit cannot be generated in a powerful 'Praise and Worship.'

Often, we speak about a second Pentecost and expect the Spirit to come. The Spirit has not gone away. We need to ask ourselves how willing are we to take the Gospel as the first option in our life. It is costly because it risks our devotional easy ways, rigid moralism, ideologized beliefs. When the values of the kingdom become the first option, the Spirit will well up within us and will manifest the nature of Christ. So, the manifestation can happen only through a sincere gift of our very ‘self’ to God. Through the action of the Spirit-Paraclete, a process of true growth in humanity may be accomplished in our world, in both individual and community life.

The Spirit never manifests in isolation. Instead, the Spirit makes God visible in the Church when we are open to the Spirit. What if we take the existence of the Church for granted? The church lives as the body of Christ, mutually building, healing, and nourishing one another. When each church and denomination claim originality, distance one another, when different renewal movement hold an elite holy attitude and condemn others, when we upheld order, unity, solutions at the risk of unity itself, when we divinise power and authority and forget love and service, we take for granted that there exists a church. But that is a church that resists against the Holy Spirit.

Noone has the monopoly over the Holy Spirit; no branded evangelists, no great preacher, no gospel channel has the custody of the Holy Spirit. All of us are continuously called to give ourselves to God with our whole being. This is our deepest vocation. We can do it only by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enlightens our minds, and helps us to do His will. Ultimately the Spirit brings us into the mystery that gathered as one body in Christ we are all the children of God. We live it consistently experiencing the breath of love and causing the streams to flow out as fruits of the goodness of God.

This is something important for us today as humans to live in the reality of the kingdom of God. It is also important for us today to live in the Holy Spirit, a life of goodness, communion and love, that millions of years later when no humans may be there to celebrate Pentecost, the creation may still share the first fruits for its children, of course, God’s own children.

Event creation - Pentecost

The preparations for Pentecost takes over the nature of event management. Our expectations are high. Such exciting doings cannot rightly open ourselves for the receiving of the Holy Spirit. First of all, Pentecost is not the only day Holy Spirit lives in us. It is an everyday reality. Secondly, the Jesus event in our life is not a crazy following, it is a loyal, responsible, mature relationship. It means  well reflected acts welling up from that relationship. 

The presence of the Holy Spirit is not  a magical outcome, but it is the fruition of the Gospel in us. There are many secret pious practices developing in the name of faith and evangelization. Seemingly they are zealous, and have greater faith than 'normal' people. But in fact, they are instrumentalizing and magicalizing devotions and even  the eucharist. We have failed to live in the Holy Spirit by finding comfort in cultic closures of our beliefs. There is no faith, there is no devotion. Genuine faith and devotions will lead us to seek justice, and live the values of the kingdom in our lives. That is the only way we can be open for the Holy Spirit. 

The Helper

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to us, the Spirit that comes from the father. The Spirit is the true witness to the inner life of the trinity, to the whole history of creation, evolution, sciences, arts and civilizations. Helped by the Spirit, we know the free from all prejudices.

 
As Christ sends the Spirit to us, we are also sent by him, for we have been with him. We know the truth and bear witness. Unless helped by the Spirit we can end up in living for isms, even those of faith, religion, liturgy and so on. They have no root in the Father.

It's Spirit that knows the mind of God. When we have the Spirit we too know the mind of God, and act accordingly by the help of the same Spirit.

Remain in my love

We are on the 6th Sunday of Easter. Have we met the risen Christ? In opening the Scriptures and breaking of the bread, the Church has been leading us to have an intimate experience with Christ present amidst us. He is recognised as Lord and God, walking along with us amidst our doubts and fears, caring, guarding and healing as a good shepherd, holding us all together as branches in a vine. Then, He calls us to the ultimate aim of his incarnation, passion, death and resurrection; the communion with the Father. He says, “abide in me,” “remain in my love.”

That is not so exciting, isn’t it? But it is the truth that Christ opened for us that our joy may be complete, and may bear fruit. We are often excited and enthusiastic in adoring and worshiping a super-spiritual divine being. The communion with him does not excite us much. Not because it is difficult or mysterious, but the communion involves a commitment to love others also.

God of superpowers can be worshiped very safely in a cultic system, and we can go free. Bit worship that Christ seeks happens in communion, and only in communion. All that we do in the name of God and in the name of the Church devoid of this communion only affirms what St John wrote, “God’s love is not in them.”

This abiding in God is a deep mystery, a bond of love. Let us listen to Christ in love! He says, “I am in the Father,” “you abide in me. I abide in you,” thus, we remain in the love of the Father. Jesus called us to follow him, Jesus asked us to love God and love others. It is a communion with God and others. The gospel passage today teaches us what it means and how it is essential for us.

Jesus loved us from the love he received from the Father. “I have loved you as the Father has loved me.” The call to abide in him is to be made real after the example of how Christ abides in the Father, and has loved the Father. “… just as I have kept my Father’s commandments,

and remain in his love, if you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” The life that we have received in Christ makes known the love of the Father whereby we have the joy of Christ himself and that our joy may be complete.

If we are to live in that communion, primarily we need to be filled with a constantly reminded awareness that we are all God’s children, “and that is what we are!” This reality and the primary commandment to love is what compromise at the risk of communion with God. Keeping aside this commandment, we are strict with all commandments that we have made in the name of God. We teach and preach them as God’s commandments. We have reinterpreted the commandment and justified our boundaries and prejudices. There is no communion with the Father. When we create divisions in the name of God, traditions, liturgy, and authority, Father’s love does not remain with us, because we have chosen not to have communion. When we surrender our spirit to immoral and inhuman structures that spread lies and hatred, we don’t remain in Christ and his love. This is very much visible in our lives and in the life of the church, in the very moments we have multitude of activities, increasing devotional practices, shrines, and religious festivities.

Being in communion with God, just as Christ loved God, and being in communion with others as Christ loved us, really means a life of goodness, justice, love, authenticity, and compassion. It also means a readiness to accept all as the children of God, beyond all prejudices. Then our families, our parishes, religious communities will be truly living in Christ and in his love. We will have joy, and we will have fruits that will last.

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Abide in Him

Christ is the sacrament of God and also of creation. 'Abide' calls for deeper communion with God, creation, and humanity. 'Abiding' cannot be exclusive to Christianity as a religion. Maintaining religion, Christianity has done away with Christ. We are eager to worship, but have no much attempt to 'abide in him.' Worship and devotion are never a romantic attachment or a 'intoxicated religious' world. Christ never ask for it. The life that he asked of the disciples is of becoming like him. 'Making home in him' cannot be possible by recitation of 'Jesus' or repetition of Word of God. It can be true only by seeking the kingdom of God and its justice. That is the only 'way' to be one in the vine, producing fruits, and glorifying the Father. 

Shepherd's Care

There are many relaxation techniques for body and mind. 'Peace' that Christ offered was not a stress-free time. Christ brought us to an experience of shepherd's embrace, of care, of consolation, healing, and strengthening. It is not a perpetual tranquility or smooth going. It is a hope of new life, rising, passing over, and walking. Jesus said that he will be with us always. 

Jesus spoke of himself as the good shepherd who would lead us to green pastures. Our weaknesses, brokenness, sorrows are filled with the care of the shepherd. We may be fed and be satisfied. He takes us to the streams of water, that we may be filled. All these speaks of the goodness of God which often takes the metaphor of a banquet. It is from Christ that we are filled and fed. 

We enter into him in communion with his self, and in communion with one another. There, as the shepherd, we too become door for one another to the green pastures. We become  home to one another that all experience the comfort of the shepherd's care. 

What I give is my flesh

Eating the flesh of Christ is not an easy thing. A routine reception of 'communion' does not ensure consuming Christ, the Word made flesh. Only by entering into communion with God and one another we can be 'satisfied' of eating Him. The flesh he gives us to eat is also a sacrament of human reality in its existential, biological and cosmological dimensions. Thus, the flesh given us to eat ("the bread I give to you is my flesh") has the taste of wounded humanity, its struggles and burdens, sweat, blood and tears. All narratives on suffering are beyond interpretations. His flesh interprets it for us. If the sacramental reception has no connection to the living reality of human flesh, our 'communion' has no relation with Christ.

'Attending' of mass, and receiving of communion as a receiving of  'food of great blessing,' and a 'bread of miraculous power' often keep the reality of communion aside. More than a communion that we enter into, it becomes an instrument of benefit from God. Approached as a sacrament of living presence of Christ, we can never be away from our responsible commitment to the injured flesh of humanity and nature.

Everything exists in him and for him. He holds all things in being. Our flesh, like the Word, is incarnated into communion. Thus his Word is our food, and his flesh is our food.

The third day

The third day is not a miraculous day after two days, it is the moment hope takes us a bit more to the fullness of life and peace. 

Victim

God did not punish Christ on the Cross. It is we who punish the innocent victims seen in the punished Christ on the Cross. So, on one hand, in the crucified we see the mercy and love poured for us, and on the other hand we see the justice to be ensured for the millions of victims who suffer. Both are invitation to embrace the cross, one to accept God's love, and second to extend life through a sense of justice.

"There will be poor always," "someone has to do these things," "at least they have an income" ... are the 'holy sacrifice' language justifying the victimhood. Saviour's redeeming cross should not be a justifying language for injustice. Enter into the victimhood suffered near and far, there there is the life giving Tree; not when cross becomes a devotional object.

Victim suffers a burdening, burning and pulsating pain. To speak to the wearied, what we need is peace that fills us with life. That consoles our 'fire' of anger and direct us into healing and grace. Victims are reminded, not about their woundedness, though important, they are led to peace and love. We think of the abundance of life, not about a destructive end. In time, we enter into fullness of life, consoled, strengthened, and healed.

from the streams of life

Was Jesus fully aware in detail what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem? I like to see as he was not. There were uncertainties and darkness. "Father, this cup ..." was a cry for strength to walk into the darkness. Like him, we too drink from the stream of life, to step into the dark with trust in the Father. It terrifies, but as we walk, the stream gives freshness to life. Led by hope we walk until light begins to spread.

Uncertainties and complexities we face are often termed as evil, even are personified. Listening to these realities are difficult, but brings light to the darkness we are burdened with. Easy readymade answers may offer satisfaction for us. They are not truth, they are stories.

What must shine in us in the darkness is the virtues by which we grow into Christ. But these virtues we desire can be grown only when we know that we are one body in Christ. The pain and suffering is seen in compassion, shared in charity, acted upon in justice. God loves us in Christ, we grow to Christ to be in communion with the Father, "Into your hands, I commend my spirit."

Stone her to death

‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’  If I don't, I will be counted among those who have sinned. Today we would surely stone, because it is fully right, and the law has to be fulfilled. 'In the name of mercy we cannot compromise justice,' goes the reason. Mercy has its nature, when it sincerely attempts to re-member the other into ones own self, into the body of Christ, and to God. How can the sinful, the condemned, the waste of the world be membered into my own very self? That is the challenge of mercy.  

Susanna was innocent. But the truth of the powerful was the truth accepted by the religious and holy community. Truth cries out in the victims of injustice, and courage seeks for that truth which is revealed only when justice prevails. 

Spirituality takes us face to face with hardness, mourning, brokenness, rising up, freedom of our lives. Many bear the burden of condemnation. How can we do the re-membering of those lives into our body without mercy? Often we rightfully condemn and seek destruction. Mercy seeks life, as truth opens the unknown web of sinfulness where the 'concerned sinner' thrown into. 

Lifeless ruler Christ

"Christ lives, Christ rules, and Christ commands" is a strange Christ with no light of the Gospel. He is not sent by God to give us life and love.

Christ brings us peace, which is life-giving. 'Ruler Christ' demands submission which is not life-giving. Christ is the truth, and opens our heart to truth, that we may have freedom of the children of God. 'True truth' always has a face of compassion and charity. Compassion makes truth courageous, fruitful, and charity makes truth into a life-giving reality. 'Commanding Christ' creates truth and asks to make that the truth.

Grain of Wheat

A deceived sense of fulfilling the covenant actually makes our heart a heart of stone. No ritual, or strict following of religious law guarantees the faithfulness in the covenant. Yet, our confidence is in ways of ritualistic, devotional performances. Some are very attractive offering power, benefits, prosperity, 'deliverance' and the like. Devoid of God, they make our hearts empty of life and love.

"I will 'plant' my law," is also significant. It may have its own time to grow. We cannot program the growth of God's kingdom in ourselves and in a community. Grace grows through our struggles and pains. If we are sincere before God, grace finds its channels in us even across graceless conditions, in our sinful fate.

The law of God is not any written code or commandments. 'I am yours, and You are mine,' is the covenant. The self-emptying death was the ultimate sign of God's love for us. It is from this sacrificial love, the law of God is planted in our hearts. Like a grain of wheat, that love which is planted in our heart begin to grow once it is offered in self-emptying moments of our life. 

Sprouting pain of constant origination

A sprouting pain is a graceful part of growth in every life. Sacrifice, life, joy, hope ... are deeply connected to this sprouting pain. The value of a sacrifice is not in the suffering involved, but the life it produces. No suffering has a salvific value from its suffering as though God is pleased with suffering 'for His sake.' The salvific value is in the hope and joy a person lives despite of suffering because of the trust he/she has placed in God.
The hope is not something about a life after death. Death is not the foundation to meditate on our hope. Life is the foundation. Hope gives us the life to live for the next moment, and next day. That hope gives us the sense of being originated every moment. Still we are being born. Every moment is a sprouting moment, a moment of our origin.

Dwelling place of God

'Full of grace' is what can be said of the dwelling place of God. Ever-flowing grace, and life is the beauty of that dwelling. We are covered, flowed over, consoled, and recreated in the abundance of waters. Our lives are getting more and more centered around worship places. But, do those worship places represent ever-flowing grace? When a worship place become a boundary, how can it contain God? We need symbols and life-styles that represent a temple-less God; God being present everywhere. 

Darkness, life, light

Nicodemus was an honoured man. He didn't have anything to hide. Yet he came in darkness to meet Christ. 'Darkness' deserves our special attention, for it is very significant. In the beginning there was darkness . God said; "let there be light." There was order, the cosmos. Creation was sign of God's goodness, beauty and love. The same light radiates in us and on us.

In the words of prophet Isiah we have a wonderful expression, "the people who sat in darkness saw a great light." It was a time of invasion, insecurity, captivity, and bondage. They were in darkness devoid of god's glory. They also interpreted it to be the outcome of their own sin, another expression of darkness.

St Paul uses 'death' to expression the lightless-ness of our life, a life that has not known Christ. Being in Christ we have life or grace. St John imagines the same as an error if we don't know Christ, since he is the truth. When we know Christ, the truth, we have light.

What is that light and life?
The light and life that we receive is the gospel. The gospel is that 'God so loved the world, and sent his only son. Anyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Those who sit in darkness see a great light as Christ is being lifted up on the cross. Even in the most unjust death, he poured out love for all humanity. It is that love that we need to see on the cross. Jesus does not ask for pity on his suffering and bleeding image and take pains and burdens for ourselves. The light that radiates over those who sit in darkness of chaos, captivity, bondage, sinfulness or error is the experience of the love of God. Only the love that comes from God can clear our chaos, heal our pains, fill our areas of lifelessness with grace, nurture our life with virtues. As he is being lifted up, the light of God's unfathomable love spread over our hearts, our societies. Then, as John wrote, we come to light, and all know that we do the things of God.

In chaos, God makes his voice resound, and transform our life into a life of beauty, goodness, and love. In the unique life of each one of us these chaos and beaty are also significantly unique. It is there the Son of man being lifted up that the light may shine on many more around us.

The focal point here is that God makes the light shine over us to console us and to lead us forward. God gives life. Often we prefer to believe a theology of condemnation, and we call it humility, repentance, and act of conscience. Our focus is on God's wrath, curses and punishment. That is against the light of Christ. As St John stated, "though light came to the world, they preferred darkness." "They are condemned already," not by God, but by their own refusal to receive light and life.

Godless godliness

How did a people whose lives were filled with godly things missed God terribly?

When godly things - beliefs, traditions, rituals, customs etc turn self oriented and intolerant, they harden our hearts. Bypassing their directive function, they glorify themselves. They stand for power, and religion. They offer benefits, create a world of religion which is 'only true, and only holy.' Holiness is sought and experienced in closed chamber. All outside this chamber is condemned to be sinners.

Without personalizing the goodness and justice of God, we cannot love God. The 'fear of the lord' is seen not in god-full life, but in a heart and mind of humility, gratitude, and generosity. That is why love of god is inseparable from love of neighbours.

Christ - the fulfilment of the law

The revelation of God was indeed the law that God gave us to follow. I am slow to believe that the innumerous laws were part of revelation. Is Christ the end that a Christian, or the Church itself aims to complete or become? We have systems, laws, rituals and traditions which have a function of directing. They are not the end, they are not the things that we want to preserve and secure. In what we desire, pray, act, and do, Christ is the end, the Omega. Christ alone fulfils the law, because Christ is the end/purpose of the law. 

No one, also the church, cannot attain this end as long as Christ is made a crowned deity.

True Worship-forgiveness

True worship can happen only when individuals and societies are ready to come face to face with their own truth. Only truth can give us true humility, and truth alone gives us the needed courage for true contrition. If, thus we have received, forgiveness is that courage one can offer to the other for coming in face to face with truth. The focus is not on the offence. but on justice that build mutually.

When truth evades, trust is given to the temple, sacrifices, the king, priests, the prophets, and princes. Devoid of truth, they become instruments of injustice. These prideful greatness themselves became causes of shame. These must be radiant with the truth of the society and of the offeror, and the truth of God.

A humble, true, contrite, forgiving heart worships truly. Other worships insults God though they verbally and ritually praise God.

Ransom unknown to God

Ransom theology has done great harm to Christianity throughout centuries. It does not represent what Jesus taught, did, and what he told about God. It is fascinating for preachers of sin-punishment logic for it can exploit a well cultivated guilt-conscience. 

Where is space of theology of grace, creation, and life? Space for creation is there in the liturgy of Easter. But scarcely the liturgy touches on creation, or the abundance of life. The life and light of easter glory is preached and heard as a continuation of suffering that is seen as ransom as though the father's justice demanded human blood for evoking his mercy. 

Ransom theology in one way or the other justifies suffering and even violence. Suffering and evil must be condemned as suffering and violence themselves. Son of God suffered and died, many innocents suffered and died. Many suffer and die as victims of war, hunger and humiliation. They are indeed victims of injustice. It must be called injustice.

Ransom theology models a saviour who paid the ransom, and yet still  promote  a spirituality of penance and reparations; again a GOD who demands suffering that mercy may be evoked in him. Why there is no penances and reparations for the injustices that we see around? Why don't we take up actions that ensure justice and see true penance in them? Self-inflicted suffering and being hungry just to appease God only serves an empty GOD who is a lie.