A Message from the Christian Community to all our fellow-citizens of India.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. We Christians hailing from all parts of India and belonging to different churches and denominations have gathered here in Bangalore to celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the human birth of Jesus Christ our God and Saviour. Many of you have associated yourselves with us in various ways to commemorate this auspicious event. We thank you for your prayers, good wishes and for sharing so much of yourselves with us.
2. Our living memory of Jesus presents a man born in poverty, in a small village of colonized country, persecuted much of his life, who however did not passively submit to his situation. He took a stand against whatever was wrong in the society of his time, be it the hypocrisy of religious leaders, the imposition of heavy burdens on common folk, the discrimination against the poor, the disabled and the sick, the corruption of power or the oppressive use of authority. Although sensitive to the religious and political currents of his time, he chose to follow his conscience and trace a new path in history. He was blessed with healing powers, which he used for the benefit of others. He exhorted us to “love one another” and “to lay down our lives” for others (Jn 15:12-13). His intimate experience of God as Father enabled him to accept even the most disadvantaged as brothers and sisters deserving of his love and service. He told us that God takes the side of the victims of history and is in solidarity with the poor. The experience and words of Jesus convince us that the Mystery that upholds all existence is closer to us, in India, than we could ever imagine.
3. We believe that, after his death on the cross, the highest expression of the love, which characterized his entire life, Jesus was given a new form of existence. He rose from the dead. He is alive and his new life affirms the value of all historical existence. He is close to all of us who strive to serve one another and to build a world where love and justice prevail. We encounter him even today, a friend especially of the poor and the suffering, a man relevant to all peoples and times, a source of life for the human family. For Jesus did not come to judge the world but to call people to repentance and announce the “Good News” of the integral liberation of humankind.
4. The message of Jesus, divine Guru, helps us to see the deeper implications of the ideals of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution. The great teachings of the religions of India too find a resonance in his teachings: the radical demands of the ethical order, the detachment and asceticism it requires, the transcendence and intimacy of the Absolute Mystery, the obedience due to the Divine Will, the law of ahimsa, the sacredness of the physical universe, even the playfulness of God.
5. Drawing light and strength from Jesus, we seek to tread the path of dialogue and cooperation and work together with other believers and all citizens to build a new India, for which Mahatma Gandhi and the other freedom fighters laid down their lives. We want to work for the spiritual and economic welfare of our nation, to conserve and enrich its marvelous culture and embrace all its strains: they are all part of our national treasure-trove, which we wish to protect. The call of Jesus also constitutes a challenge to us all: a challenge to our deep-rooted caste prejudices and anti-women attitudes, a challenge to our worship of the market and of money unlawfully gained, a challenge to our individualism and pleasure-seeking, a challenge to corruption and the craze for power, a challenge to hypocrisy and all forms of sycophancy. The greatest challenge is the death of Jesus and on the cross: the radical way in which he paid the price for what he believed and preached, his readiness to give up his life, praying for his executioners: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” ( Lk 23:34).
6. We come from practically all the communities of the “Peoples of India,” and belong to one or other of its cultural traditions. Christianity, which has been part of India for nearly two thousand years, affirms and contributes to the pluralism of India. On the whole, it has lived peacefully and in a beautiful symbiosis with the surrounding traditions. However, for the times we, Christians in India, native or foreign-born, have not behaved in a manner befitting genuine disciples of Jesus Christ, we ask forgiveness of those whom we may have offended.
7. Of late we have been deeply pained by the reaction to us by some people in our country. Members of our community have been murdered when they were serving the poorest in the land; some have been humiliated, raped, insulted; our properties have been destroyed and, in some cases, our sacred books and symbols have been desecrated. We have been subjected to suspicion. Aware that this antagonism stems from a small minority, we are grateful for the promptness with which many of you, from all communities, have strongly come out to defend and support us in the hour of crisis.
8. We would like to reflect on these events, clear misunderstandings and, perhaps, give an explanation about our way of life and our existence. Some seem to view our desire to share what we have an aggression on the culture of the nation we all hold dear. Others think that “making converts” is only motive that inspires and spurs us on. Neither is true. We are deeply convinced that in the person of Jesus Christ we have found a pearl of great price, which we are unwilling to abandon for anything in the world. We want to share its significance with others, precisely because of the extraordinary value we have seen in Jesus. As we share what we have, we also profit from what others offer. But we strongly reject any manner of sharing our faith that uses fraud, coercion or forms of persuasion that fail to protect the integrity of every person, especially the poor or uneducated. We do not offer services with the ulterior motive of converting others to our religion. It is our firm conviction that only God can convert any person: conversion is a matter of the heart and only God can touch the human heart.
9. We experience our faith in Jesus in harmony with our identity as Indians, citizens of a land rich in so many faiths and traditions. In the new millennium, we wish to continue to work for establishing a dialogical relationship with believers of diverse religions, which will manifest in India the universal brotherhood /sisterhood proclaimed by Jesus. Together we shall uphold the dignity of every person in this land and thus be gradually transformed into a community of love and sharing with God as our common Father /Mother.
10. The message that we want to share with all of you is the very same that Jesus shared with his disciples after his resurrection: “Peace with You” (Jn 20:19). It is the message of the sages of our country who wished peace for everyone and the whole of creation (Atharva Veda 19.9.14). Peace is the result of genuine harmony in diversity. Peace is possible only when all of us say ‘yes’ to God’s plan, as Mary, the Mother of Jesus, did. Peace will become a reality through the breadth and length of our nation and there will be no more fear, no more bondage, when all our countrymen and women will experience the sense of belonging to one another and the joy of living together. This is the freedom of the children of God, which Jesus came to announce and effect. This is the message that we, your Christian brothers and sisters, want to share with you on the occasion of the celebration of Yesu Krist Jayanti. May the ardent prayer of Rabindranath Tagore be realized: “Into that haven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:3).
Most Rev Varghese Chakkalakal. Vescovo della diocesi di Kannur. Kerala. India.
Viktoria e Stefano.
Scrutate in mezzo alla selva, vi appare la luce.