The need for a correction to the Inner-Healing Process

Fr. Conrad Saldanha                                                     Part I

Having been in the ministry of inner healing and experienced the entire inner healing process, I believe there is an urgent need to correct certain aspects of the process, its vision and goal.

At our DD (Discipline and Discernment) retreats, we would make it a point to emphasize this need i.e. for a right and correct attitude in the face of certain drawbacks to the inner healing process.

There have been many instances of lacunae in the inner healing process.

I was once ministering to a girl who was facing many problems on account of the abusive nature of the relationship she was in.  The boy would be abusive, beating the girl, using all sorts of abusive language and with threats of using force against her and the family. 

For the sake of her attaining immediate mental peace in order to overcome the trauma of those moments, it was necessary to pray with her for healing of memories. But, this in no way helped her situation. For after having come out of that state they would patch up again even though it was discouraged as being highly risky. The advice to corrective measure would also get ignored. Perhaps a supportive assurance and by allowing the individual to remain in the pain and encouraging her to handle it prayerfully with the right Christian attitude would have helped her greatly than a quick fix solution. 

This above example communicates a point at a very human level.

I was told of an individual who was ministered to by someone who has been quite experienced in the ministry of inner healing.  The person was suffering from a low self image and had some skin allergy too. The deep rooted rejection and pain was handled through a process of inner healing therapy.  Yet it never really encouraged the boy to seek God once the healing process was in place. This was because the relevance of God in the life of the individual was never emphasized.

Another area in question is this: What happens when a person does not receive the assured healing, even though, the triggering factors is well known?  Many times, a person goes through a tremendous guilt and trauma in one’s relationship with God and one another for not having received the healing that one has so diligently sought for.

There are many such stories of deficiencies in the goal and aims of inner-healing. What then are some of the dangers of the Inner-healing process that should make us tread with caution and should spur us on to make a course correction in our whole approach to it? For this we need to explore a brief into the historicity and background of the whole process.

A brief about its origin and background: The subject has its roots in the Freudian and Jungian psychology.  Agnes Sanford a Pentecostal was among the first adherents of a methodology that tried to combine spirituality with the principle of the Psycho-analytical methodology.   Freud believed that at the root of every human behavior was a background in subconscious stimuli received at some point in the growing stage and hence the reason for human behaviour.  What Freud had discovered was true to a large extent. But to attribute every regression to the subconscious is the debatable element in the whole concept.  

You need to attend an inner healing retreat, they say, in order to handle a particular areas of weakness.  Many times the emphasis especially, among prayer groups on this element is so much that even God takes the back seat and healing the first place.  Even post inner healing, the situation now being better, one has forgotten the God who has healed. One then goes on with life as usual, returning to their former lifestyle of sin and wrongdoing.

Here below, I want to explore the two reasons which can help us understand the limitations of the Inner-healing process and the caution we need to exercise in the unbridled application of this therapeutic methodology:

The first is the anthropological nature of humans from a Christian point of view; the body, mind and soul, with each having a role to play in the development of the individual with eternity as its ultimate goal.

Hence every experience and pain and trauma that one undergoes has an important role to play in one’s formation and development. For a Christian, the body is not a unnecessary evil that has to be discarded: sooner the better!  But rather the body is an instrument of our transformation through much learning. This is made possible through the many experiences and stimuli that it receives and the way it is interpreted and applied. In this body, with its experiences and subject to the law of Christ, is what develops the inner man which in Christ Jesus is transformed from one degree of glory to another.

It is through the sufferings which we undergo that we are transformed much. Therefore Jesus says; Carry your cross daily and follow me.  Part of the suffering is the daily pain of the temptation of sin, which for a Christian is never a palatable action as one seeks to please God out of love for him and his laws. These sufferings in a Christian crucible, makes us all the more human and meek. Surely the meek shall inherit much and even eternity for they shall be shown mercy.

Likewise the mind transformed through the Word of Christ, despite all the pulls of the body is what Christianity is all about. Christ salvific action in us is a total sanctification of mind, body and soul. Hence the struggles of daily life can be sought to be mitigated by inner healing but in the long run can have a negative effect if this freedom is not used to seek God’s glory.

On the other hand we need to dwell on the nature of sin and its many manifestations, and the constant deception in which we live as humans, especially the deception of being blind to the whole concept of sin and its priority.  

The sinful nature in human beings and the various wrongs that one commits can be broadly classified into two categories:

1) The Divine priority 

2) The human priority

Unfortunately, even in Christian or Catholic circles, these two categories of sin or wrongdoing is not explored or understood so as to apply proper remedial measures to alleviate the sufferings of the penitents who come to priests for solace and healing. 

There are some sins that bother human beings more than God and we may even think that we are doing God a favor when we become activists to vanquish it either from our own lives or from the lives of others.  Guilt or the human agenda for revenge become a determining factor in the human priority and one is not able to see the deception we are enmeshed in. “They know not what they do” holds true here.

A mere lie could disturb us more and we could browbeat the whole issue than if a person fails to witness to the truth and love of God or spend time in prayer in his presence.  A person dabbling with new age spirituality may never be looked on with so much contempt than a man who has committed adultery; though the other is an adulterous relationship with the spiritual world of darkness. Though both are sins which one is more heinous in the sight of God?  Here it is not the question of which is more heinous, it is that the other may be totally overlooked and ignored and maybe, one even finds reasonable justification when confronted.

In drawing attention to some of these human priorities, I also want to bring to the forefront the whole issue of inner healing: Many times we encourage people to seek healing or even individuals may seek healing in keeping with the human priority.  “I want God to heal me of a particular weakness because I find myself in an embarrassing position. I am afraid of the rejection that I experience on account of the pain, fear and anxiety thereof.  God’s commandment and the category of sin and its viciousness may never be the priority of the individual.

God may be telling us; “My child I love you just the way you are, my grace is made sufficient where there is weakness.  Just as the heavens are far above the earth so also my ways are not your ways. In keeping with my priority I want to deal with that particular area which is nagging in my eyesight and I need to deal with that first” or I want to leave the weed and wheat to grow together so that there is no patch mark left in your life and the wheat will grow better.”

It is better to have all the scars of sin, which may even present us a bad witness in deeds (After all human judgment is flawed with irrelevant expectations) than to have every scar of sinful tendencies vanquished in us and have no God.  To have Jesus in our lives is much important than to have a perfect, upright life but deprived of God.

Does this mean we discard inner healing completely?  (We shall answer this question and the alternatives we have towards resolving this problem in Part II…)

Prayer: Lord, may I not seek to please myself but you. In pleasing you, my soul will be at rest and enjoy your peace. 

Whom did Christ offer his blood to? Part II

                                                                          }}}}-- Fr. Conrad Saldanha

A mother once shared with me about the changed behavior pattern of her son after his marriage. She said that he has married a woman who has great love for wealth, money, rich living and who has managed to keep him under her thumb and control. This has resulted in a changed behavior pattern in him whereby he now lets out his frustration and anger on his parents.

One practical angle of the consequence of sin which we normally avoid in our deliberations is this; the so called weak in society can be more seductive instruments of sin if their weaknesses are not in submission to God’s saving action.

The weak woman can be more dangerous in manipulating the strength of the strong man to her advantage and cause further unrest in society. As in the first instance at Genesis so also it is now.

In a family where kids grow together, the smallest can manipulate the parents in various ways, for eg. influencing the parent in punishing the elder child. The fruit of such subtle common and everyday action steeped in self preservation and survival, which we may sometimes call the politics of daily life, is that it results in making a scapegoat of the more upright. 

What would happen if there was no law and order and it was a free for all society? We would be no different from the savages and the barbarians. Perhaps still worse without religions which inculcated the element of fear in people!

Jesus changed the rules of the game totally. In him we see what humans are capable of in their sinful manipulative behavior. The most innocent man in human history has been condemned to death. Will it be any different if he would come again, after having learnt the lesson from our ancestors and from the Bible? No, a majority would still do it. An innocent threatens and intimidates us more than a criminal and a manipulator. Dealing with a weak brings out the best from our criminal store house than when dealing with the strong. Just a reflection on the unharmed aborted babies is a visible proof of the criminal behavior of the civilized humanity. An honest and simple man is much more a threat than a dishonest man and if there was no law then we would even eat them raw.

Blood for blood was the Old Testament law: eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. It only leaves room for dishonest lies and manipulation for survival with twists and turns. Yet that was the best till a more sure faith was revealed in Christ Jesus.

In the death and suffering of the most truthful man in the history of the human race we see the consequences of degradation of humanity due to sin. We may come up with pleasant theories and sit in judgment even over God. How can God demand blood if he is a loving God? Yet, He doesn’t require blood for his sake; he requires it for our sake. So that by the blood that we shed by our sinful manipulative and selfish action, we who deserve death by his justice, may now be atoned for and receive his mercy. So that, especially the weak, poor and outcast, who seeks his salvation, may find it.

Jesus is God’s permanent and once and for all solution for the human race heading towards the omega point of disintegration and death. 

It is as if God saying: “I need to see the blood of my Son in order that I may have mercy on the human race who sin against me and one another. Christ is the mediator between God and man, who entered God’s presence on behalf of humanity by his own blood so that he could plead for us before his Father in heaven for mercy and forgiveness. The Father seeks to reach out to us in love exactly in the sinful situation in which we are. When we see him coming and respond to his saving help then can we have life through the redemptive action of Christ’s blood shed for us.

As for men, it is poured out for many as a sin offering. It becomes a reminder and atonement for our sins. Take and drink and take and eat are indication that we are the ones who are the actual beneficiaries, even if we don’t understand the full significance of what Christ has done for us. So at every Eucharist we partake of the cup and eat the flesh. This Eating and Drinking is also a participation in the life of Christ and the Trinitarian life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” (Lev 17:11, 14) One significant element of the offering of the blood was atonement and this atonement warded off death and curse and evil and restored life. “..for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life.”  (Lev 17:11)

Thus the price that Scripture talks about and which Jesus paid was not to the Devil but rather a price that he had to pay in fulfilling the Father’s will which included his plan to save us.  It could also be put as the price that Jesus paid in order to redeem us.  It is more an expression of a figure of speech that communicates the extent to which Jesus sacrificed and offered himself in order to save us. The Devil gains nothing whereas it is all to the advantage of “the humanity” who believes and accepts God’s offer of Salvation. This is why Jesus sent his disciples to the ends of the earth, so all those who believe in Him may not perish but may be the recipient of God’s mercy through the great outpouring of His precious blood.

This great offering of the blood gives us life and life in abundance. (Jn. 10:10) It was life that we required to overcome our weakness to sin and the fear of death. So too we needed a sure hope of life not only after death, but even here on earth. Jesus did it for us by making us participants in the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity; the very life of God, which is eternal.

It is easy for the devil to live on dead creatures i.e. creatures separated from God by virtue of their resistance to accept his salvation. The devil can thus deceive and prod them who lack the will to resist in order to cause them to further rebel and sin. But he who has the life of God has the same power over sin and wrong doing as Jesus. This process is gradual and works best when we cooperate with his grace.

This can be best explained through the allegory of the sick body which is captured by the sin of germs and bacteria’s. The Doctor does not give the medicine to placate the infection and germs. On the other hand he could kill the germs by giving them an appropriate dose of antibiotics. Another way a wise doctor can deal with it, is to work out a programme of removing the deeper causes and underlying causes which normally has to do with the mental and dietary regimen and thus build the immune system of the patient which in turn takes over to push infection out of the system.  Similarly, Christ has strengthened us and does that at every Eucharistic banquet with his Body and Blood so that the hold the evil one has over us is reduced and vanquished.  Unfortunately, many of us do not realize the full significance of Christ’ action in the Eucharist and hence fail to avail of the full benefit of this elixir of life.

The devil reaps where he does not sow and reaps on the life which God has provided the human race. Satan and the army of evil angels sought the blood of Jesus too and were instrumental according to the will and plan of God in the Crucifixion. They through the hands of wicked men crucified Jesus who laid down his life according to his own free will.

Was the blood offered to Satan and did he get it, though he sought it in keeping with his blood thirsty nature? No, what Satan sowed and labored for he couldn’t reap, he is a cursed being equally in the fray. His gain became a curse for him. He would not even dare to see the most precious blood of Jesus that hangs like a curse or a noose for him. Satan flees at the very sight and the naming of the precious blood of Jesus. It makes him tremble and shake the moment the most sacred blood of Jesus is proclaimed.

Therefore, the Devil is not appeased by Jesus in any way but Jesus by offering his Body and blood, the perfect nourishment to those who receive him in a worthy manner, has strengthened us in every way. Jesus keeps doing it at every Eucharistic meal with the Word, Sacrament and the believing church in the power and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.  This is the very life of God which we have and which we walk in and made possible by Jesus by ransoming us by his blood.

The real beneficiaries are we who believe and accept this plan of God’s salvation.  The blood of Christ then becomes a sanctifying instrument through the forgiveness of sin.  Just as the body in an infection has the capacity to fight and overthrow the infection through proper palliative care likewise the redemptive action of Christ Jesus becomes a constant strength for the soul to overcome the temptation and vile of the evil one. We are fortified at every Eucharist to go out in his name and be victorious if only we know and receive his redemptive action in a worthy manner. 

Those in the ministry of deliverance and those who often find themselves in great oppression can now hope for a greater fruit by seeking to avail of the power unleashed by the blood of Jesus on the cross.

Prayer:  Lord, cover me with your precious blood, so that I may always be under your watchful and protective eye and that your angel of life, seeing this seal of protection, ward off every evil force that strives against your plan for me.  

Whom did Christ offer his blood to? Part I

                                                             }}}}-- Fr. Conrad Saldanha

A pastor once preached from the pulpit and said that Jesus offered his blood to the devil as a ransom for the salvation of mankind. This is the price that he had to pay for our sins so that we could be free from the clutches of the devil. The whole world and all people are in the clutches of the evil one. The love of God is shown in this; He died offering his blood as a ransom to the evil one.

The idea of Jesus offering his blood to the Devil as a ransom for us can send many on a wild goose chase. But put in another way it can be a subject of a hot theological debate and which I myself would like to participate, answering the dispute in a two part series: “Whom did Jesus offer his blood to, in order to redeem us?”

There have often been attempts in the past to explain this at various times and various moments.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) only emphasizes on the offering of Christ’ whole life to the Father (606-7)

On the other hand the scripture which is normally quoted to give us the impression that Christ Offered himself to the Father is the text from Hebrews:

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Heb 9:11-14

The argument then offered which makes many retract is this: How can God who is a loving Father require blood for appeasement. What difference is there between the God of the pagans and the Christian God?

The argument concerning Jesus offering his blood to the devil is a strong argument in some circles. Jesus has paid a price to ransom us who are under the power of the devil. Sin held us captive to the devil and we need to be redeemed from this captivity to the Devil and Jesus offered his blood to the devil in order to free us from this captivity to the devil; the price he paid to redeem us. “..You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”(1 Cor 6:19-20) Or the other text: “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” 1 Cor 7:23-24

I propose that the problem has to be looked at from a broader perspective taking into consideration the Old Testament and also the relationship between God, Man and Satan.  These are the 3 characters in the whole drama of redemption and each have a role to play.  It is my opinion that all three had a stake in the Blood of Christ (life of Christ) in three different manners and that is the price that Jesus came to pay. To whom did he pay is the question we dwell on and seek to answer. 

A little historical background in the light of the Old Testament would help us in understanding the role of each of the characters and their role.

The offering of sacrifices is seen in the very first book, in the first children of Adam and Eve. By the time of Moses the laws of offering a sacrifice are streamlined with the appointment of the Levitical priesthood. The sacrifices for sin, under the Law, were sin-offerings: Lev. 4:3,4,23,24,27,31,34 and 35; Exod. 30:10; Lev. 5:11,12and Lev. 9:2,6,7, and 2 Chron. 29:7-10,20-24. 

In the Old Testament the offering was clearly made to God for the atonement of one’s self for sin.  The blood of the bull or goat or lamb was collected by the priest and was sprinkled on the veil of the sanctuary.    

Which clearly suggests that God required of them, an atonement with blood in order that his wrath may not come on the sinners who have broken his laws and commandments. In this we learn that there is a relationship between sin and blood.  Sin that is the result of breaking God’s commandment not only brings about a further divide between God and man but also separates man from each other. The worst consequence is that it reduces his life span through the working of the wrath of God, even leading to death. (Rm. 6:23) Thus atonement is through the blood; the life of a lesser creature than humans was the norm in the Old Testament.

Hence the significant point that we have in the Old Testament is that of a vulnerable humanity steeped in sin and wrong doing and the resultant bondage which is detrimental to his immediate wellbeing and eternal happiness. Therefore God has to intervene and offer them a solution that would represent and would be a fore runner to the ultimate plan which would unfold at an appointed time in history; Jesus, the Lamb of God who will come and offer himself as sacrifice to redeem us from under the power of death and sin.

Where Satan comes in the picture? As far as the Old Testament Sacrifice is concerned, Satan’s role finds no mention. But it is important to keep in mind the pagan sacrifices which were ghastly demonic and an offering to appease the deity whom the Apostle Paul would even refer to as Demons; “I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.” (1 Cor 10:20) The aim of their exercise was to appease Satan and the evil spirits so as to ward them off through satisfaction. This practice is still a common practice in pagan and modern paganised cultures especially if they are assailed by evil spirits and when they have to undertake a major task or for other evil purposes.  Blood of fowl or goats or bulls are offered in order to appease the deity or wandering spirits in order to ward-off any obstacles or evil.

Reflecting on man; the key character and primary centre among God’ vast creation. Ever since his fall the first man came under a curse, subjected to pain and suffering. Humans lost the sense of God and came under the power of sin and death, the power of the evil one.  In the history of the Old Testament we see a gradual decline in morality and goodness and a growing trend towards creating their own gods.  If we analyze sin then the primary sin is that of losing the sense of the one true God who created us and instead creating the one which suits our reasoning’s and fascination.  

Yet there is one thing that’s common both among some of the pagan religions of those times and the early ancestors of Noah and others and that is the offering of the blood sacrifice to make atonement for the guilt of one’s sins and to appease the deity in order to receive favors.

When it comes to humans, the Bible clearly forbids the consumption of blood in any form.  Yet in the history of the human race they have been abundant of instances of torture, murder, wars and even the drinking of human blood either as part of a ritual or apart. These have not just been an ancient reality but even in our times, these things exist in various measures. Often we find the best solution employed for survival and peace is the destruction of the other.  

Have humans been a slave to Satan, yes, each according to their sinfulness and choices are in a way under the yoke of the evil one.  Therefore we are also under the power of sin; Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  (John 8:34) And then there is death under whose power we are subjected to and against which we constantly struggle against for survival. “..who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Heb 2:14

Thus sin and death which are a visible reality are the weapons of Satan to trouble humans, especially the power thereof of guilt, shame, fear, uncontrollable anger, greed, addiction and every form of destructive behavior patterns.  One under the deception and influence of the devil begins to believe and think that it is self gratification is necessary in order to survive. The human nature by default manifests a pattern of behavior which seeks survival over death, gratification over sacrifice because of the many fears and anxieties, including the fear of death. “And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (Col. 1:21)

In the light of the above we shall now place Christ Sacrifice in its proper context; all three had a stake in the bloody sacrifice of Christ.

Though the God of the Old Testament desired as necessitated by human sinfulness that atonement be done by the blood of bulls and goats yet it was never his desire to continue with the bloody sacrifice of atoning with blood. It was as if he was waiting for a special moment, the appointed time to send his son Jesus to finish off with the ritualistic requirement according to the law that governed our life. The atonement with blood was necessary in order to prevent us from falling further prey to the devil, the angel of death.

                                                            (To be continued in Part II)

Prayer: Lord prepare my heart and mind that I may reap the benefit of the precious blood of Jesus Christ and thus participate fully in the life of Christ and the Most Holy Trinity.

Universal Brotherhood and Humanism

As a catholic priest I was invited, this week, to an inter-religious seminar. I was briefed that I would have to speak about my faith. On preliminary enquiry, I was not given much detail concerning the programme and the theme.  The theme at the entrance itself, read loud and clear: Revival of universal brotherhood and humanism.  Though this may not shock many, I was shocked. 

When I saw the theme I realized that I did not fit in with the so called pseudo-intellectuals who would display their merchandise and have scant regard for the truth.

At the outset itself, I was introduced to one of the key figures, who was an ex-IAS (Indian Administrative Service and still active), considered to be a well read man. In our preliminary discussion it was evident, that in his conviction and zeal to achieve this goal, he was willing to suppress every form of resistance through strong intellectual assertions, and he had a willing audience to accept it. 

He held a view: “When people believing in different religions will get united and cooperate for reviving global brotherhood and humanism there will be no problem in bringing about world unity.” He even had a view about every religion and what they are and what they should.

I was suggesting to him that true unity could consist in not ignoring the differences but by recognizing diversity and differences, and yet respecting the rights of each one to hold on to what they think as right. (This I did put into practice there, even though I was insulted and disrespected and yet responding with kindness and respect).  I chose to be gentle to them through enduring tolerance, and by not walking out of the seminar.  Ultimately, was this attitude of mine, viz. that of respect, kindness and gentleness considered as being an approval of their mindset and thinking, by them???  They seemed to know my religion better than me, and were keen on teaching me and interpreting it as they thought it fit, as if they had my stamp of approval to whatever seemed right to them. Alas for their zeal to unite religions!

I had only to fit in with their scheme of things: Revival of universal brotherhood and humanism – in what way is this not a new religion?

No doubt, the goal of moving towards a universal brotherhood and humanism, by bringing all religions together on a common platform, in order to get them to agree on being united in common purpose, sounds noble and very appealing but nevertheless belongs to the ideological world of ideas; it is not a new trend among humanity.

The aim of this article is to expose the hypocrisy in such thought patterns and analyze the underlying cause of such longings, and the reason for its seeming success with possible solutions. 

Years ago when I was serving in a particular parish there were emissaries sent by some priests to invite me to participate in a seminar on humanity, where the aim was to bring all religions on a common platform and help them realize humanity as the uniting factor for religions.  I was told that some prominent personalities would be there too. After having listened to their insistence I asked them; “Isn’t this goal of bringing people of all religions together on a common platform, in the name of humanity, and uniting religions under one banner was as good as starting a new-religion?”

I have seen such foolish participation by the elite class, the Judases of the faith, who may never have realized the disservice they were doing humanity in the name of humanism (Hindi/ Sanskrit: Manavta).

Overall Analysis of the problem:

Achievement factor:  The focus of this exercise should by now be clear: Bring people of all religions together on a common platform so as to unite them under the banner of humanism. The fruit thereof would be the establishment of a new world order based on humanism; one world, one government.

The reason for this exercise, on their part, is on account of the frustration with religion or could be their personal ambitions. Besides this, religions binding laws, the internal and external conflicts, the growing religious intolerance and the rise of religious terrorism may also be a cause for such a demand.  Such ideology may also be sown in human hope;  of achieving something credible. 

Though what is proclaimed by these is that every religion teaches one to love and respect and there is good in every religion, and that we must seek what binds rather than what divides - this in itself is a contradiction: If there is good in every religion then why seek what binds and not learn to respect and deliberate on what divides?  “There shouldn't be the dividing factor among religions”; as per their reasoning. 

The normal trend is to see all religions from one perspective and from one window, this sometimes holds true even in Catholic circles among priests and religious. When there is a manifestation of any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism in any religion, even if it is broadly manifested in a few religions, then the condemnation issued is towards all; "all religions are bad," - is what they would boldly assert.

On the other hand, the positive contribution of Christianity towards the development of cultures and people are all forgotten. Holding on to Christian fundamentals can only lead to a service of love and self-sacrifice.

For those who are working towards the goal of universal brotherhood and humanism, this new approach, to them, is the need of the hour, because they are tired of the many conflicts in the name of religion, the growing trend of religious terrorism and the division in society. 

Is it a new phenomenon to unite religions of the world? At least, to seek the unity of man is not new  a new trend and many think that it is religion that has been an obstacle towards achieving this goal. By what seems noble in his nature man always seeks unity, the goal does not matter to him or how this unity is achieved. At the ordinary level it is even unity for the sake of unity!.

I have seen and experienced for myself, how people with such mind set have been brutal in suppressing those who raise a prophetic objection to their scheming's  Hence, what I speak here is not based on armchair theories or ideas.

This unity which they normally seek is one of blind agreement on any issues, at any cost, irrespective of the truth concerning the issues; whether it is the issue of peace, religion, humanism, brotherhood, development, progress, health or business.

Hence, it is a strong current trend, a movement  towards uniting humans on the basis of humanism, which has seen its gradual rise and will definitely grow stronger and louder with time and even establish itself.  Unfortunately! We have reached a stage in human history whereby this ideological trend will grow and establish and even assert itself even in the church.

On the other hand there is a growing frustration due to various reasons, besides the religious conflicts; there are also the socio-economic factors, the growing fracture in all forms of committed relationships, lifestyles that are hostile to sound values, family and society, etc.  There are those who have made beating at religion their goal and also hit out at Christians who are already holding firm to the faith. Those agreeing with sound Catholic doctrine are already at the receiving end from such fundamentalists rooted in humanism and relativism. As Pope Benedict would call them; “dictator of relativism”

Consequences: This labor which is sown in hope today, viz,. the Universal brotherhood and humanism, will result in great unhappiness and destruction in the near future. For a little while everyone will rejoice and be happy. This will be looked upon as mankind’s greatest achievement. To help in the achievement of this goal there are already existing unions among nations on the basis of trade and development.

Why do these things happen in society? I see this as fruit of human aspiration and hope for a perfect society; an idealism. In which they hope to achieve peace and brotherhood, wealth and well being.  What one fails to realize is this; what we hope for and the outcome thereof is never the same, what we aspire for and what in reality we are is something which we have not fully comprehended about ourselves  We hope for a corrupt-free world, while we ourselves are corrupt. We hope for a society free of all kinds discrimination while we are ourselves discriminate. 

In my talk at the seminar I applauded this aspiration of the human heart to achieve universal brotherhood through humanism but at the same time pointed out the three basic flaws of humanity:

1)      Human beings are selfish and self centered; by nature they seek what suits best for them. They are greedy and ambitious and always, whether consciously or unconsciously, seeks their own gain. Their mortal nature seeks survival over sacrifice in a morbidly competitive world.

2)      Confused and the conflict within makes him 'want to do good but ends up doing what is evil: Even if they want to avoid evil they still end up doing it.' (cfr. Rm. 7:14ff)

3)      many a times, one does not know the difference between good and evil. This is a stark reality which stares at the face of every human being. Whether in the small choices of life or the big he is confused over his choices and sometimes looks to others for approval or create themselves a support structure to absorb the criticism or pain of the consequences of a wrong choice.  Even if he thinks he has taken a right decision in life, it is his value goal, his priority, which gives him a sense of satisfaction of taking right decision and yet may never be right: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”  (Prov 14:12; 16:25)

In such a dark situation, I proposed Christ as the model. He is God who knew this reality of the human race and thus revealed himself and came in our midst to unite us under the perfect banner of the Fatherhood of God.  In other words: Not unity for unity sake, not unity by overlooking our differences or sinfulness, not a unity which would be sown in a false hope of human development, not the unity where man is the absolute centre; which would set him even above God.

Get me right: I am not against any form of unity or brotherhood but what I am definitely against is the reasoning’s and means that we are using to achieve it.  The way of humanism is neither the solution nor the way to Universal brotherhood. 

Jesus has already shown us the way and he himself, in human terms, can be termed as a failure in this cause. He was a perfect example of moral uprightness and perfection and yet never assures us that unity and perfection in society.  He has given us a way to unity in himself and under the Fatherhood of God and his failure is proved by the rejection he endured and ultimately his crucifixion:  “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53). Lest anyone misunderstand this statement of Jesus; what Jesus is reminding the human race is its sinful nature, which is selfish, unwise and foolish and gets carried away with that which pleases them. It will not easily accept that which is good for them in the long run, and hence will even reject his true followers and their teachings for their own criterion of life. 

Jesus can only unite us to the extent to which we are willing to allow him a say in our lives: How will they allow him that total Lordship over their lives? How many believe in the truth of his statement? If Christ came to establish a kingdom of justice, peace and brotherhood here on earth, as the humanist would have us believe, then he need not have proclaimed to the world, when he was brought before Pilate at the moment of his trial, that his kingdom is not of this world.

Therefore the only success achievable towards this end has to be through an adoption of devious means, false hope, poor logic, through the craftiness of men whose only goal is to unite and perhaps make a name for themselves as authors of a new world order.

Christian love on the other hand sees the difference and hence avoids a hypocritical approach to life. It recognizes the evil and yet tolerates but not without seeking a correction, it sees the hatred and yet loves, and it sees the discrimination and yet is patient. It only seeks the good of the other, even the eternal good. Thus in the history of the human race it can boast of a better ratio of love winning over hatred than any other major religion. There have been more deaths, in its long history, due to the self sacrifice and persecutions its adherents have faced rather than by seeking to vanquish others  .

Prayer: