Judas, the non-anonymous

Reflection for April 12, 2017

Judas, often exemplified, as the devil incarnate or the evil one is just a mortal human being like you and me. That he was chosen as an apostle indicates that Jesus found something special in him. He certainly wasn't a criminal or a good for nothing guy.

Judas is neither a master of evil nor the figure of a demoniacal power of darkness but rather a sycophant who bows down before the anonymous power of changing moods and current fashion. But it is precisely this anonymous power that crucified Jesus, for it was anonymous voices that cried, 'Away with him! Crucify him!' [Pope Benedict XVI]

Thus Judas was not the only reason why Jesus was caught. He only happens to be the only one with a name among the crowd of the anonymous. While anonymous charity can be read as humility, anonymous plotting of evil is cowardice. Where do we wish to stand: among the anonymous crowd or as one with a voice and a face, willing to take responsibility?

My stand?

Palm Sunday

Of the large group of people that welcome Jesus into Jerusalem for the feast there would certainly be present also for the scene where Pilate offers the choice: Jesus or Barabbas.  And perhaps some of the same people who acclaim Jesus as the king, later bay for His blood.

A mob is fickle-minded. It does not have a stand of its own.  It is swayed by a few who wield the power of attraction. Most often a society is nothing but a mob, with most people either being bystanders or sitting on the fence.

Where do I stand? Among the few who manipulate the crowd for my own selfish plans? Or the few who inspire and lead others in the right direction? Or am I one among the spine-less persons with no standing of my own, willing to be swept off my feet by the first attractive idea I hear?

Why am I here?

Fr Maliekal, is trying hard to get the Brothers to write a sort of 'application' for their continuation or admission for the next year, akin to the Salesians writing one seeking admission or renewal of their temporary vows. Brothers do not really get what he is asking for since they have never done such a thing before.  However, his intention of coaxing them to write down this small note is very very beneficial. It tells them to see for themselves where they stand in their vocational journey, their motivations, their reasons, their passion or lack of it...

I distinctly remember writing my own application forms - that's because I've written as many as 9 of them in as many years! While most of my companions would merely copy the sample given to us or preserved by them from their seniors, some of us would come up with our own script.  However, we would be told more than once to include certain key phrases and sentences. But I always remember this exercise as a personal reminder of what I'm here for.

The Brothers now face the difficulty of now knowing what to write.  More than a matter of text, for most of them, it is a matter of lack of content!  Very many of them are here in the flow, not necessarily by a definitive choice that they made or are willing to review, if they ever made one.  If pressed, they come up with very glossy and highly spiritual statements - the meaning or depth of which they have settled in for something very very petty/shallow but would never look beyond it nor let themselves be challenged to review the same. 

Demystifying 'community'

On February 12, 2013 The Hindu carried an interesting article by Sanjay Srivastava on it Op-Ed page, titled "Pathology of the hurt sentiment".  It shed some interesting light and presented some refreshing facts about community and feelings. As I read the article then, something struck me but I couldn't figure out what.  So I preserved that page and it has been rolling on my table (which is often clean of any papers except my planner) since then.  I picked it up again today and it occurred to me that perhaps there is some lesson for me about our Salesian or religious community in this article. So here are the excepts that led me to this insight:

A community is not a monolithic object and not all members of a community enjoy equal rights and privileges.  In fact, very frequently, the idea of not hurting public sentiments only serves to mask the fact that it is the attitudes of the most privileged that are being protected from criticism.  There are, actually, not only communities, but also individuals with different interests, and relationship to power and privilege.  

A note about the past, history... tradition:

When public commentators are urged not to hurt public sentiments, it is an an implicit plea to allow past practices and beliefs to dictate contemporary life. 

Continual glorification of the past is, in fact, a frequent indicator of contemporary cultural nervousness. 

Demands for respecting public sentiments are not only premised on the idea that there is a homogenous public out there, but that sentiments and beliefs are themselves unchanging.  Further, that the slightest questioning of an established way of thinking will lead to civilizational chaos, disharmony and social disarray. 

The idea of 'community' is, in the final analysis, both an objective reality as well as fiction.  For, we might, for instance, pray in a similar manner to many others (and the act forms an actual religious community), but to think that all members of a community must continue to believe in ideas that might have been prevalent a hundred years ago is to present a fairytale version of what community life should be about.  

Some bells about radical life of witness, community life, upholding tradition, preserving our heritage, identity, and the upcoming Salesian Brothers' Congress are ringing in my ears! 

The lucky snake

At the end of another hectic and maddening day, I had the fortune of learning a Telugu saying - quite amusing but very true too:

A snake never dies when amidst ten people (translated).

When asked for the reason, the carpenters told me this: When ten people are around a snake each one awaits the other to hit and in the meantime the snake escapes!

Searching for faith

As I sat for meditation this morning, half sleeping, half meditating, I asked myself why do crowds come for a feast. Well, the answer is to partake in the feast, obviously. But there is hardly any piety or devotion anywhere or at anytime during the feast! I think most come because they want to keep up a tradition, some come convinced that they can get all that they want, if only they pay a visit to the pilgrim centre that day, others pour in for business, some combine the pilgrimage with an outing, and quite a few come because others are coming!

To sieve faith and devotion amidst all this confusion is really an act of faith. It may be true that it is faith that leads them here, but there is hardly anything that strengthens faith on the day... besides the thousands and thousands of people. (It may be the strengthening of the community dimension of faith but isn't it also a show of number?)

Nevertheless, I suppose God and Mother Mary have their way of seeing things!

Choosing between goodness and pigs

This morning I was wondering what would be the reasons a whole town - mind you, not just some of them but the whole town - telling Jesus to leave them. That this 'request' comes after Jesus helps them get rid of the two troublesome demoniacs is quite strange. Perhaps, those people had only those pigs as their means of livelihood and when the whole crowd is lost they were really at a loss as to how they would survive. Or perhaps some of the richer folk or those against Jesus (for whatever reason) instigated the others in the town to not let Jesus in, for fear of causing greater damage. This is most often the case. The silent majority are driven by the few who have brains but not objective ideals. Another possibility is that they just loved the pigs more than the good done by Jesus!! Perhaps if Jesus were to have sent the demoniacs into just a couple of pigs who then ran off the cliff, the people may not have been that pissed off. However, the lesson is clear: Are we far-sighted enough to see the goodness and truth in an event or a person rather than the immediate loss or shortcoming?