13. Pearls of wisdom series, No.17 Page

Well, precisely because it is fundamental to ‘setting people free’. Jesus did not come to found a religion. By his own explicit affirmation, he came to ‘set the captives free’. The various forms of human captivity germane to the human condition –as against political captivity- are self-inflicted or self-invited. The choice to ‘hide’ is a personal choice, even though this is the last thing we would accept. We are happy and eager to paint ourselves as victims. We didn’t choose to be where we are, we have been pushed into this plight or that by others. In most cases, by force of circumstances. Sounds familiar, no?

Consider how we define ourselves within the Christian community. I am a C.S.I Christian because I am not a Marthomite, a Catholic, an Orthodox and so on. All Christians owe allegiance, in theory, to Jesus. But we are obliged to be sharply different from each other. We resort to every conceivable means to aggravate and consolidate such differences. Such efforts and motifs are writ large even on the worships we offer! My liturgy must be different from yours. The way I celebrate the Eucharist, the Mass, the Holy Communion, the Qrubana, must differ at least in some respect from the way you do. How do I, otherwise, justify my denominational identity? And how can I survive if my denominational identity is not sharply defined in opposition to all other denominational identities?

Certain snatches of Syriac, for instance, are indispensable in the Sunday liturgy in certain denominations. Not long ago, Latin was a necessary ingredient in the worship of a tradition. The Charismatic segment of Christendom can lay claim neither to Syriac, nor to Greek, nor to Latin. So, what do they do? They go berserk with speaking in tongues! Can there be any doubt that this ‘gift of the Spirit’ is used and abused mostly as a marker of distinction for perpetuating fragmentation and alienation, though the core ministry of the Spirit is that of liberation, reconciliation and integration?

The unforgettable High Priestly prayer of Jesus (Jn 17), on the eve of his Passion, was for the unity of his followers. Are Christians free to heed that prayer? Both Jesus and we pray to the same God. What is more, we are to pray in the name of Jesus, aren’t we? So, can we pray in a state or spirit contrary to the Spirit of Jesus? What does it mean to pray in his name? If the Jacobite and the Orthodox factions pray in the name of Jesus to promote their respective interests, won’t Jesus, if he happens to hear those prayers, faint in utter disorientation? Won’t he prefer to be back on the Cross a second time, as a state far more tolerable?

[Part-2 of this article will be published in FOCUS – January, 2023, Vol.11 (1)] A Reading from the Mirror of Love, by the blessed Abbot Aelred.

Brotherly love must be modelled on the pattern given by Christ.

The perfection of brotherly love consists in the love of our enemies, and to this no more powerful incentive than the grateful remembrance of Christ’s own amazing patience. He who was the fairest of sons of men offered his countenance to wicked men to spit upon; he permitted them to blindfold the eyes which see and rule the universe; he bared his back to the lash, and on his head, before which even angels bow, he endured the discomfort of the crown of thorns; he exposed himself to taunt and ridicule; and, last of all, still calm, unmoved and wholly unassuming, he face the vinegar, the gall, the spear, the nails, the cross itself. Like a sheep he was led to slaughter, and like a lamb standing before the shearer he uttered no sound; he did not open his mouth.

Only to hear the words Father, forgive them, spoken in a voice of infinite gentleness, love and peace, makes our hearts go out even to those who hate us, Father, he says, forgive them; could any prayer be fuller of love and gentleness than this? Yet, even so, he found more to add to it. Not content simply to pray for those who did him ill, he was at pains to find excuses for them. Father, he said, forgive them, for they have no idea what they are doing. They do indeed sin enormously, yet they fail to see the full import of what they do. Hence, Father, forgive them. Thy nail him to the cross without a thought for who it is they are crucifying; for had the but known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. And so, Father, forgive them. To them he was a breaker of the law, a usurper of divine prerogatives, one who led people astray. Therefore, the Lord says: I have hidden my face from them, nor have been allowed to recognize my glory; and so, Father, forgive them, for they have no idea what they are doing. To sum up, if a man would enjoy the perfection of brotherly love, he must embrace even his enemies within its bounds. But this divine fire may tend to lose its warmth in a hostile atmosphere, unless every man keeps before his eyes the unshakable patience of his loving Lord and Saviour.

*This is based on a reading from the ‘Mirror of Love, by the blessed abbot Aelred (1110 –1167), who was an English Cistercian monk and abbot of Rievaulx Abbey from 1147 until his death on 12th January 1167. It is taken from a collection edited by Henry Ashworth O.S.B, ‘A Word in Season’, The Talbot Press, Dublin, 1974, page 167-168. Collected by Dr. Zac Varghese, London.