Death and Resurrection (Contd)

                                                           We shall discuss here about our own resurrection after death in this last Post of our "Art of Spiritual Life". According to Christian doctrine, all members of the human race are destined to rise at the end of the world to a new world order where heaven and hell have their roles to play. Heaven is essentially seeing God face to face, without any intermediate obstructions in full light as God Himself is pure Light. Hell, on the contrary, is the absence of this kind of access to God that will torment those who are condemned as their very being was designed for union with God. Depending on the kind of life we live here on earth, heaven or hell already begins here on earth for individuals. Although full access to and union with God can happen only at the resurrection, each blessed soul on departure from the body at death has the beatific vision, i.e., seeing God face to face. This, however, can be only to a minimum degree as the body is still missing and therefore it is befitting to see death as the beginning of a long sleep. Resurrection is seen as waking up from this sleep after death on the day of public and final judgment. Since only the most perfect can see God face to face , the "long sleep" is also suitable for the imperfect to purify themselves. This stage was earlier known as 'purgatory'. The prayers for the dead are meant to aid those who still need further purification. The condemned, however, has no hope here as they definitively rejected God's love and forgiveness when they lived here on earth. As for the effectiveness and need of prayers for the dead, denounced as useless even by some Christian denominations, we should remember how Jesus went down to the dead and preached the good news to them (1 Peter, 3: 18-20). This means that the departed souls are not completely impervious to our spiritual endeavors that may benefit them. Thus the main contention of those who argue against the prayers for the dead has no basis in the Faith of the Church. It is another matter, however, that some believers tend to commercialize the system into a kind of business by selling favors in the name and for the sake of the departed souls! The remedy for any kind of abuse is not to completely ban the legitimate use, but to closely monitor and correct the abuses.    
                                                      Our faith in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead stands as guarantee and assurance for our own resurrection. The plan of God, as seen from the Bible, is to redeem the whole Universe through Jesus Christ in which we humans have an important part to play. As we are endowed with bodies, unlike the angels who are pure spirits, we are most suitable candidates for recapitulating the material contents of the Universe through the instrumentality of our bodies. This is why we should keep our bodies as well as the environment we live in clean and healthy that will have an impact on the entire Universe in its own way. The groundwork and foundation have been laid for the same by Jesus Christ by suffering in his body and dying so that the entire Universe may live. Why suffering in the body is considered to be  beneficial for our souls? The answer is found in the Letter to the Hebrews when dealing with the necessity of suffering for Jesus. There it is mentioned that Jesus learnt obedience by his suffering (See Hebrews, 5: 7-10). A most unexpected reason for someone like Jesus, who was always in perfect conformity with the Will of God, to suffer physical pain! If so, how much more should physical and mental suffering be useful for us sinners to reform ourselves internally and obey the Will of God? The Psalmist has no doubt about the usefulness of suffering for our salvation when he says: "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit" (Psalm, 51:17).    
                                                       The new life after resurrection we hope for is already foreshadowed in our present life as a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is meant not merely for Christians, but for the entire human race for whose redemption the Word of God took flesh and appeared in history as Jesus of Nazareth. This Jesus by his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead became Christ, i.e., the anointed one, marked by God as the savior of the world. Unfortunately, the Church has miserably failed in proclaiming this good news meant for the whole humanity. It happened in the historical understanding of the Incarnation as a property of the Church defined in a very narrow sense. The identification of the Church with its visible elements ignoring its equally important invisible elements was one of the main reasons for the same. Similarly, the identification of the Kingdom of God with the Church, instead of the other way round, unnecessarily jettisoned the scope of the Kingdom The same may be said about the identification of Jesus Christ with the Church that is his body, the visible and the invisible elements taken together. According to St. Paul, in Jesus Christ the entire humanity has already died , risen and is sitting at the right hand of God  (See Ephesians, 2: 6-7). Those who have been baptized in Christ have the same status with a mission added to their lives to be the proclaimers of the Kingdom to come that has been already inaugurated here on earth by the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
                                                      Our entire spiritual life is nothing but the upkeep and enhancement of the gifts showered upon us by God from the moment of our conception. The first and foremost of these gifts is the fact that we are created in the image and likeness of God. Similarly, our assimilation to Jesus Christ already effected by means of his death , resurrection and sitting at the right hand of God is the crowning glory of the gifts showered on us. If only we are thankful to God and endeavor to enhance these gifts, our life would truly be spiritual. The Art of Spiritual Life, as we have seen in this Study, is to invite the Spirit of God already working in us into our daily routines. Thus, there will not be any separation between the secular and the sacred but a harmonious unity empowering us in our daily life. (Concluded).       

Death and Resurrection (Contd)

                                                           Picking up the thread from the last Post, lest us proceed to consider resurrection from the dead. We mean by the word 'resurrection' a new life after a person's death as a result of the transformation of his or her soul and body. It is generally believed in all major religions that the soul of a person is immortal and therefore cannot be destroyed by death. There are variations in belief about the state of the soul after death like the doctrine of transmigration in the Indian Thought. According to this stream of thought, the ultimate destiny of the soul to be one with the 'Paramatma' (The Absolute One) cannot be realized unless one's actions in this life are in tune with the essential unity of the 'Jivatma' (the individual) and the Paramatma. The soul is, therefore, bound to take different bodies after the dissolution of the present body in accordance with the merits of its 'karma' or action and achieves the final unity in due course. On the contrary, the Christian Faith advocates only a single chance in this life to each individual after which according to the merits or demerits of each one's actions eternal bliss or damnation is received as reward. This reward of bliss or damnation is to be enjoyed or endured in company with the body that was a constant companion of the soul in this life. The body, though the same as the present one, would be a completely transformed one to be labelled as a spiritual body, seemingly a contradiction in terms! It may be termed a complete effulgence of the Divine Spirit dwelling in each and everyone resulting in light for the redeemed and darkness for the damned ones. Even the body, therefore, is not annihilated after death both of the just and of the wicked, but continues though in a transformed manner resulting in glory for the just and disgrace for the wicked.
                                                   The soul of each individual is joined to the body at conception, like in a seed, so that divinity imprinted in the soul may overflow, in due course, to the body also. The body has its own contribution to the unity of soul and body by amalgamating in its structure forces latent in the whole of creation. Thus the idea of St. Paul that the whole creation is groaning under its own weight for redemption in virtue of the freedom to be accessed by the human race is to be fulfilled by the right nurturing of our own bodies. The importance of safeguarding the environment comes to the fore here for our own well-being. Misuse of nature out of greed and selfishness ultimately rebounds on us by degradation of the planet as well as degeneration of our bodies. we are obliged to keep not only our souls but also our bodies fit for resurrection in glory. We have the concrete example of Jesus rising from the dead on the third day after his death on the cross and burial. There is no better example or model for our own resurrection than the resurrection of Jesus, a closer study of which should throw light on the nature of our own resurrection from the dead.      
                                                 The first point to remember in discussing the resurrection of Jesus is that the fact of resurrection cannot be attained by a purely historical investigation as it is not confined to the material world. Any pure scientific investigation is restricted to the observable and verifiable data within the confines of this material world. Anything that claims to break through such confines can be attained only through faculties over and above the usual apparatus and faith is such an instrument in the present case. As God Himself supplies this faith, one does not have to strive for faith except that one's life is amenable to receive faith if and when it comes! For, resurrection of Jesus is not only historical but also transcendental in the sense that it heralds the new world to come of which it is a forerunner. However, a very serious danger is hidden in the call to faith as there are people waiting to exploit the gullible for self-interest leading the latter astray. The danger is manifested in superstitions imposed upon people on the name of blind faith. It is a fact that genuine faith in its core is blind in as far as it is the only vehicle to reach God in His Word and actions. It does not mean, however, that whatever leads to faith and the consequences of faith also should be considered as blind. This is  why the Church has always given importance to a branch of theology called Fundamental Theology. Being fundamental and laying down the scientific basis for the rest of theology, it cannot itself be based on faith, but on our reasoning faculty. Philosophy is the tool used here to examine the foundations of faith and its consequences in our life. The exploiters will insist that all these should be taken as blind faith and people should just follow their words and actions. God has already decided to render such people powerless by establishing the rule that He alone will teach everyone by inscribing His laws in the hearts and minds of everyone (See Jeremiah, 31: 31-34; Hebrews, 10: 15-18). It is incumbent upon everyone to seek the true teachings coming from God for which we should develop our own communication line with God in prayer, study and meditation.    
                                              Did Jesus actually rise from the dead on the third day after his burial? A clear answer to this fundamental question is very vital to the solidity of our faith in Jesus Christ and our entire life. We shall not go into the innumerable arguments for and against it that may be gathered from various sources. What we are interested in is to point out an important factor in our thinking and mental make-up that already predetermines the validity of any argument brought forward. This factor is the initial state of our mind even before the start of any investigation. It is about the openness of our mind to any result of our sincere investigation. If our mind is closed due to faith or opposition to it, there cannot be any scientific investigation. The result has been already decided through our mental attitude. At the same time, it cannot be denied that by the time we propose to start an inquiry on any subject, we have already well-defined notions on many things. How can we get rid of them for the sake of our investigation? Here philosophy uses the method of abstraction or bracketing of our present convictions keeping them from influencing the process of investigation. Empirical sciences also use the same method in order to arrive at unbiased and objective conclusions. In short, nothing can be scientific and objective without adopting this method of abstraction in some way at the beginning itself of any investigation. Therefore, in the present case of the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus too we should not be biased one way or other when we examine the evidence presented in the Bible. An unbiased investigator of the facts recorded can weigh their logic and appreciate the reasonableness or otherwise of accepting or rejecting them. Even for a person ready to accept the facts as reasonable, the full truth of the reality of resurrection cannot be appreciated without faith at the end of the rational investigation. The reason for this is that here we are not dealing just with a reality confined to this world alone, but something that breaks forth into the next world. The evidences to be examined in this matter pertain to the fact of the empty tomb and appearances of the risen Jesus to many believers in Jerusalem and elsewhere. Thus we see that both Reason and Faith have their proper roles in the belief in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. From the actions and reactions of the disciples who were desperate and forlorn after the crucifixion of Jesus, it is evident that the good news of resurrection was something unexpected by them. Yet, they were definitively convinced of the reality of resurrection of Jesus from the dead. (For further study of the historicity of New Testament events, see my blog site: christologiainsitu.blogspot.com) To be Contd)..     

Death and Resurrection (Contd)

                                                           Our second point is about acquiring the necessary enlightenment. Our intellectual power plays an important role in acquiring enlightenment as correct perception is important for true knowledge leading to enlightenment. Enlightenment is not something to be acquired from outside as it needs to be awakened from within ourselves. Knowledge, therefore, is not mere information gathered from outside sources, as it is clarity derived from genuine understanding of such information. Clarity transforms the person to a new level of being, resulting in further understanding of ourselves and the world around us. We are internally transformed when clear understanding takes place and are able to operate from a deeper level of reality. This is true also of faith in Jesus Christ where a believer is internally transformed to become a new creature or a new person. Genuine faith in Christ may thus be evident from the type of person a believer is. Real enlightenment, therefore, is easily discerned as distinct from apparent and spurious imitations of the same. Jesus often used to ask his disciples whether they understood what he was trying to teach them. The words used by a teacher should be correctly grasped by the students in order to arrive at true understanding and genuine enlightenment. The words used stand as symbols or signs of the reality or objects indicated by those words. If the listener succeeds in correctly understanding those symbols or signs, we say that there is understanding that is in the right direction of enlightenment. An arrow on a signboard against the name of a place is correctly interpreted when a person follows that direction and not when he or she stops there looking at the sign. A word like 'apple', for example, is not like a label to be attached to the fruit called apple, since in the next moment I may use the phrase "the apple of my eye' where that fruit does not help in understanding the meaning. The same word has different meanings depending on how we use the word and not because an object in the world always corresponds to the word used. The student, therefore, should grasp the correct use of the word by the teacher for which observation of what the teacher does with the word is essential. The principle here is the same as the necessity of practicals to any theory even in highly advanced scientific disciplines. Theory of driving without ever getting behind the wheels or of swimming without ever getting into the water will have unhappy results. Similarly, when Jesus asks his disciples to follow him he is using the correct method of teaching. Apprehensions of some people, therefore, about dogmatism against free thinking when teachers consider themselves as models to be followed are out of tune with the very sound principles of Linguistic Analysis regarding meaning of words as their use in language.                                                            We proceed to our third point in the transformation of our life from the old order to the new one. Our transformation from death to resurrection or from old selves to new selves is intrinsically connected to our willingness (The first point) and enlightenment (The second point), but also to our faithful living out the truths seen by us (The third point). For example, in the parables of the person finding a treasure lying hidden and a merchant discovering a pearl of great value, Jesus beautifully unravels the consequences of the discovery in the lives of those persons. By selling all their possessions to acquire the new-found treasure, unknown to others, they are willing to be laughed at and ridiculed by the unenlightened people as these have not seen the value they have seen. The parable is about how we should evaluate the Kingdom of God and consequently how we should transform our lives even when they are diametrically opposed to the values followed by the world. Transformation to a new life cannot be hoped for if we are unwilling to give up our old habits of conforming ourselves to the standards set by the world. Very often, such habits are condoned and fortified by the easy excuse that everyone is doing it. Our will is weakened by the thought that what the people might think if we do or refrain from doing certain things. Where, then, is the enlightenment we discussed above? An enlightened person is like persons found in the parables mentioned above who is impervious to the reactions of people who are unenlightened. If it is true enlightenment, no force on earth can dissuade a person from following the course of action set in motion by him or her. The destiny of human beings is achieved in transformation from death to resurrection and Jesus Christ is our model in this as well as anything that is properly human.(To be Contd).             

Death and Resurrection (Cont'd)

                                                           The seemingly contradictory idea of death and new life is but a fact even in our ordinary experience.  As we have seen in the last Post, the destruction of old cells in our body gives rise to new ones. Jesus explained the need of dying to our self for a new life by indicating how a seed will remain as it is unless it falls to the ground and disintegrates to give rise to a new plant producing fruits. Here we have to be cautious to the danger of falling into the snares set up by self-serving people instigating others to forego one's life for a better tomorrow. It is self-serving because the rule applies to each one's self and not to be applied to others by anyone else. Any sacrifice worth the name has to be self-sacrifice and we have no right to demand it from others in the name of religion or of common good. This is what Jesus demonstrated by his own example of self-sacrifice by death on the cross the spirit of which may be followed by those who believe in him. Even at the sacrifice of the Holy Mass Christians are expected to participate in it by offering themselves as living sacrifices by renewal of their minds (See Romans, 12:2).
                                                         For human beings, therefore, change and transformation start with a new mind and the body will automatically follow the dictates of the mind from a renewed perspective. It is self-defeating merely to run away from the world to shun it in the name of spirituality as the world follows us wherever we go. The fundamental reason for the persistence of the world  in us lies with our own self known as the Ego that cannot be eliminated merely by our moving from one place to another. This is why Jesus laid down the fundamental principle of spiritual life as denying one's own self along with carrying one's own daily cross and following him (See Mark, 8: 34). The self cannot be denied without being master of our lower nature with the help of our higher nature. A renewal of mind is the basic condition for the same. We need not bother ourselves with persecuting our bodies for the sake of spirituality as others will do it for us when we are seen as different from them. At the same time, penance and fasting voluntarily undertaken goes a long way in subduing our unruly minds, which will help us to be masters of our lower nature. Those who go about with a renewed mind will consider as despicable what the world holds in high esteem while what it considers as lowly and worthless will be their object of esteem and honor. The conflict will be certain between the two sides and in this conflict the believers have their chance for self-sacrifice and transformation. We shall see below our part in this process of transformation from death to a new life through resurrection as threefold:
1. Our willingness to be transformed;
2. Acquiring the necessary enlightenment;
3. Faithful execution of what we see as true.
                                                      Here we shall discuss the first point , leaving point nos. 2 and 3 to the next Post. As created in the image and likeness of God, man is endowed with the faculties of intellect and will for action. Any action is expected to be guided by the illumination provided by our intellect on the basis of which a choice is made by exercising our will. The problem here is that as we are also endowed with a body with five sense faculties , our mind that is connected to both the intellect and the sense organs may easily get clouded. The resultant picture of reality presented to the will for a choice and decision will not be transparent and we are led into uncertain territories. To avoid such pitfalls, it is necessary to strengthen our will-power to seek and follow the right course of action .To take a decision to improve our lives according to the Word of God and wise sayings is already the battle half won. Exercises are required to strengthen our will-power by controlling our weaknesses for which prayer and penance will go a long way. To avoid a harmful habit like smoking by quitting it at one stroke is a good exercise in gaining will-power. To forgive any ill-treatment meted out to us by someone is a gem of an exercise in practicing will-power. At the beginning it will be very painful and yet by constant practice we can be experts in accumulating will-power. In the same spirit of fortifying our will to excel in life, a steady and determined attempt to lead a fully human life should constantly rule our conduct of life. The efforts we make in this connection should not be under any stress and strain, but should be smooth and effortless. The reason for this caution is that we are expected to be just what we are as created by God and not become alienated by our actions. (to be Continued).                

Death and Resurrection

                                                           Epicurus, the hedonist philosopher of Greece, advised his followers thus: "Eat, drink and make merry today as you shall die tomorrow". Similar themes are seen in India in the atheistic philosophy of the Charvakas. On the contrary, the Bible, Vedas and the holy scriptures of the major world religions insist on the continuity of life even after death. The differing world views have their practical consequences in our daily lives. While the former is confined to this world and to our bodily needs, the latter takes into account a life after death and to the needs of our souls.  Jesus succinctly proclaimed this essential truth by giving priority to the Kingdom of God without neglecting the reality of our present life in the world. In this Section we shall make an attempt to have a balanced and harmonious view of the essential relationship between the end of life in this world and its continuity forever.    
                                                          Death is commonly understood as the separation of the soul from the body. This view brings to the fore the diversity between the body and the soul at the expense of their essential interconnections. Though they are different, the one cannot survive without the other and at death the soul must be feeling out of place as it was so long attached to the body. The body readily disintegrates although its association with the soul may not be easy to be shaken off. Therefore, to understand their relationship better, we shall describe death as a transformation of life from one state to another. There is continuity not only to the soul but also to the body though in different degrees and forms. Even scientifically speaking,  all matter is ultimately energy and it cannot be completely annihilated but can only be transformed from one state to another. The longing, therefore, for reclaiming its partner is incumbent upon both the soul and the body. In this context, the Christian teaching of the immortality of the soul forever and the resurrection of the body at the end of the world is very convincing as it is cogent to the nature of things as they are.
                                                        Death is seen as a transformation if we are prepared to see birth and death as two sides of the same coin. They are not opposed as they are complementary just like day and night are not opposed to each other as the one presupposes the other. They are harmoniously united to one another since the one follows the other without any break and they are not to be taken as conflicting events. Similarly, birth or life and death should be seen as parts of a harmonious whole , the latter replacing the former for a transformed kind of life. Death is a passport to an upgraded form of our life just like in our birth we were upgraded from the womb to this earth. That we cannot recollect anything from our stay in the mother's womb does not in any way take away from the beauty of this world we experience. Death allows us to be born into the next world where too we are to slowly grow up to meet God in His full effulgence.  
                                                        Death is not to be taken as something that happens at the end of one's life. Every moment of our life death is foreshadowed in the destruction and renewal of cells in our body that also indicates to us the need of transformation of our body. Death is the gateway to our ultimate transformation to be finalized in the realignment of the body with our soul at the resurrection. For this to happen we have to be actively aware and be engaged in the process of transformation with the aid of the Word of God and religious teachings. This transformation takes place from inside , i.e., from our soul to the outside,i.e., our body. In this process, the Spirit of God is actively present turning us into spiritual entities. The concept of spiritual bodies is very much present in the Indian way of thinking as can be seen from the Vedas. St. Paul in his first Letter to the Corinthians elaborates in some detail the nature of different kinds of bodies in connection with the question of resurrection from the dead (See 1 Corinthians, 15:35-49). The comparison of death with sleep in the New Testament is very significant regarding the wholesome understanding of death and the new life emerging out of it. Jesus himself considered death only as a mode of sleeping in the case of both the daughter of Jairus and of Lazarus both of whom he raised to life. In this sense, there is similarity between sleep and death since both of them are under suspended animation for a shorter or longer period. The greatest pleasure here on earth is achieved in sleep although without consciousness of the same. Similarly, after resurrection from the dead we shall experience the greatest pleasure, with a transformed consciousness, in contemplation of God. A glimpse of this kind of pleasure known as bliss may be seen in our meditative experience when communion with God is felt as palpable. (To be Continued).           

Suffering and Salvation (Contd)

                                                           As we have noted above, Jesus is the model of suffering for humanity whereby he has turned out to be the torch-bearer of human dignity. Human dignity cannot be maintained by violence and aggression, but only by love and meekness. This is the method to bring out the full potentiality ingrained in each human soul endowed with a body together constituting the image of God. However, the tendency latent in every human being is for domination over others by hook or crook thinking that such a state would make them happy forever. This is the result of an illusion created by our superficial involvement in the world giving primacy to our body and material things neglecting our soul and its spiritual dimensions. The other extreme is to ignore the claims of our body and material things to the detriment of our well-being. The right balance and correct proportion is a necessity in practicing renunciation that is absolutely necessary for spiritual life resulting in true happiness. It is in this context that we have to look at Jesus as our model of suffering and the standard for maintaining human dignity. By standard here we mean the ultimate criterion to measure the worth of anything as we have the standard meter kept in Paris for determining the measurement by meter. Units of meter like centimeter, millimeter etc., are modeled on the standard meter whereby we are able to measure anything uniformly and without dispute by anyone. Similarly, Jesus Christ stands as the standard for human dignity in approximation with which our actions can be invested with human dignity.  
                                                          What did Jesus do to earn this role of the cornerstone of the grand edifice called human dignity? He is the only person known to humanity who was born with a view to dying for the human race to redeem it from perversion and utter destruction. We say this because of the fact that the entire life of Jesus was in antithesis to the established patterns and ways of the world that necessarily led to his elimination from the world and Jesus could not have been unaware of the consequences of his actions. His very birth was announced by Archangel Gabriel to his mother Mary causing her unbelievable confusion and consternation. Although Mary was pacified by Gabriel in unfolding God's plan, she never ceased to be baffled by her son's ways of dealing with her and everyone else. She could only silently adore the mystery culminating at his crucifixion, a price he had to pay for being good to his fellow humans. It started at the first miracle, performed at the request of his mother, changing water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana-in-Galilee. Jesus had warned Mary that she did not know what she was asking for, namely that his first miracle would be the first stepping stone to Calvary. The destiny of Jesus reached a point of no return when Lazarus was raised from the dead as the Jewish authorities seriously plotted to do away with him. Their Chief Priest Caiaphas even prophesied that it was better if one man was to die for the whole people. Jesus knew very well that his every word and action was being thoroughly watched and that taking the path to uphold human dignity was equal to signing his own death warrant! Who would dare to question the most sacred duties of observing the Sabbath and offering sacrifices at the Temple of Jerusalem in the name of human dignity? Jesus did unequivocally declare that the dignity of the humans stands above even the most sacred divine duties because the latter cannot be genuine at the expense of the former.  In other words, upholding human dignity in every situation is the true test and verification of genuine devotion to God.        
                                                       The spurious ways of worshiping God  by placing the Sabbath duty above the human welfare and offering sacrifices neglecting the duty of love of neighbor were condemned by Jesus. One step ahead, he even forbade offering of sacrifices when someone has something against us as we are obliged to make up with the aggrieved party before going back to the altar. Even if it is taken only figuratively, the spirit behind it is very clear regarding the dignity of every human being.  Even in the Old Testament it is unambiguously announced that God prefers mercy over sacrifice. Jesus took upon himself the role of defender of human dignity by opposing the forces undermining it even in the name of God. Such forces ultimately conspired to crucify him by threatening Pontius Pilate, the Roman Ruler of the time, by denouncing him as the enemy of Caesar, the Roman Emperor, if he let Jesus go free.      
                                                       Jesus corroborated his teaching on human dignity with his own life and death, another important indication of the truth of his teaching. He could have cleverly avoided the humiliation, suffering and the terrible kind of death meted out to him by being diplomatic in giving evasive answers to the implications of his revolutionary teachings. But Jesus chose the Will of his Father over his perceived safety and well-being in upholding the truth of his teaching on human dignity. The way Jesus had answered the so many crooked questions by his adversaries during his life, it is clear that his intelligence surpassed far above that of all the doctors of the Law and the members of the Governing Council, the Sanhedrin. It means that he could have easily outmaneuvered any tricky questioner to save his skin and escape the cruel fate that awaited him. Only one factor prevented him from taking such a step and that was his conviction that his Father's Will reigned supreme and had to be followed even at the cost of his own life. This is why we say that Jesus is the savior of the whole world as he has shown us the genuine method of being truly human. Without bringing out the divine element deposited in every human being by God, no one can claim to be genuinely human. Jesus did this by denying himself to the point of his death whereby God raised him up from the dead. Without self-denial at different levels of our life we can never hope to redeem our humanity from under the clutches of various types of dehumanizing elements. Jesus Christ is the perfect specimen we should incorporate in our scheme of things so that even our sufferings turn out have value for our salvation.         

Suffering and Salvation (Contd)

                                                           Submission to the Will of God follows once we start thinking as God thinks. The classical example cited for seeing the Will of God in suffering is the story of Job in the Old Testament (See the Book of Job, chapters 1-42). At the outset, let us try to clear a possible misunderstanding about the need and relevance of human suffering. It is not that we are condemned to suffering needlessly as if God is powerless about it nor that we are helpless in controlling and curing the causes of our sufferings. God's purpose in allowing suffering in the world is part of an overall strategy to accommodate the humans who are spirits with bodies. In the words of the priest-paleontologist Pierre Teilhard  de Chardin "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." The primacy of spirit over matter is the underlying reason why we encounter suffering through which the spirit emerges victorious over the clutches of our body and mind. In other words, the transformation of our personality requires that the spirit within us, with the aid of the divine spirit, is able o conquer the tyranny of the material inclinations of our body, aided by our mind. Our sufferings, therefore, can be valuable means to transform ourselves if we are prepared to take them as challenges in our life.
                                                        Given the above precautions of understanding , we may see how God accedes to the challenge of Satan to test Job, the righteous one. Satan wanted to prove that in adverse circumstances even the just would turn against God. On withdrawal of all his blessings and infliction of severest of calamities even to his very person, Job always thanked and blessed the Name of God. He did it by saying that God has given and God has taken away; let His Name be always blessed. On being defeated in his challenge, the Satan withdrew from the scene and God blessed Job all the more doubling all his blessings he had earlier. However, Job was not exempt from the normal human reactions to sufferings and even tried to justify himself before God by seeking reasons for his sufferings. It was a time when sufferings were considered to be punishment for one's own if not of the sins of one's ancestors. Job could not reconcile himself to the idea that he might have sinned in his life or displeased God in any way. The challenge of God to Job to fathom the reasons for simple and fundamental events like the foundation of the universe and its measurements etc., completely unnerved Job. The conclusion Job was supposed to draw was that unless God lets someone see the inner secrets of His counsels, the humans were to blindly accept the structure of the world, including suffering, as it is. He saw the need of accepting the Will of God in everything as He is the One for Whom everything is possible. Accepting inevitable sufferings in our lives as the Will of God does not mean that we have to be content with our fate doing nothing to alleviate our suffering or improve our situation. On the contrary, often it is because we fail to be vigilant and proactive that dictators like Hitler and Mussolini were able to create havoc in the world dragging it into violence and mayhem during the second world war. Instead of being ready to sacrifice ourselves for just causes, our selfishness gets the upper hand and the result would turn out to be out of our control. To save our own life we have to be ready to sacrifice it, according to Jesus, and such a person is not afraid of anyone or anything except God. We have seen in the previous Post that to be afraid of God is not different from loving God and we should not make a difference between the two with the intention to carry forward our own will.      
                                                   We have to still tackle the important question about how to come to know the Will of God. If the purpose of this knowledge is to do the Will of God, we have different models in the Bible. As we have seen above, Job accepted as God's Will whatever happened to him, good or bad, wealth or poverty, health or disease, fame or ignominy, honor or dishonor etc. This is an acceptable method, provided one does not feel condemned to fate and therefore unable and unwilling to correct the course of events when they go against human dignity. For, human dignity is the touchstone whereby we may come to know the Will of God irrespective of the source of authority demanding our compliance. If someone, therefore, claims to represent and speak for God, we will have to take out our touchstone to verify the claims. As for the correct representation of human dignity, we shall have to fall back on the authority of Jesus Christ as shall be seen in the next Post.  Complete surrender to the Will of God, whatever happens to us, is a valid and sure sign of our complete faith and trust in God. This, however, has to be arrived at by a personal decision borne out of reflection and meditation on the Word of God and not from insinuations of interested parties who are on the look out for exploiting vulnerable people. Ignorance of the Word of God had led people in the middle ages to produce "Deus ex Machina", i.e., "God out of machine" when no suitable solutions to problems were available. Invoking God for anything and everything, ignoring common sense, science and technology is the present day equivalent to such attitudes. Such invocations or ascriptions of events to God's power are acceptable as they can be implicit remembrance of God and prayer to Him for favors received. They are unacceptable as explanations or reasons why such and such events happened as they may lead to superstitions and consequent malpractices. Because St. Augustine was guided by the inner voice "tolle," "lege", i.e., "take, "read" a certain passage of the Bible, some people have adopted a method of randomly opening the Bible to find out God's Will from the first verse they see. The weakness of this method consists in the fact that while Augustine had the inner voice after consistent and prolonged meditations on the Word of God, people today can hardly spare ten minutes for meditation and prayer. After immersing oneself in the daily grinds of routines and conforming oneself to the standards of the world, what kind of inner voice one can have? As we have seen above, the priority should be to think as God thinks by adjusting our standards to the mode of God's thinking. This is the first condition for knowing the Will of God for us in particular instances. This general principle was followed in the Old Testament by the priests of the Lord by resorting to Urim and Thummim and by the prophets of the Lord  by consulting Him each and every time they pronounced the Lord's Will. However, not every priest was considered suitable for using Urim and Thummim (See Nehemiah, 7: 65) nor every prophet for consulting the Lord.  
                                           We have in the Old Testament an instance of resistance to the Will of God, a completely opposite attitude to that of Job, in the interesting and beautiful story of prophet Jonah  (See Jonah, chapters 1-4). The story has added significance in elucidating the ways and means to know the Will of God, as Jonah was specially called by God to fulfill a mission. Against the command of the Lord to go to the great city of Nineveh to denounce it for its wickedness, Jonah set sail for Tarshish in order to escape from the power of the Lord. The story goes on to narrate how the Lord defeated Jonah's purpose ultimately throwing him back on the shores of Nineveh by means of a whale. Hemmed in by the power of the Lord Jonah announced the Word of the Lord: "In forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah, 3:5). The people of Nineveh believed the Lord's Word and they sat in sack cloth after announcing a public fast. No one was exempt including the king and even animals were bound by the decree of the king to fast and do penance. After seeing how they abandoned their wicked ways, the Lord repented and did not bring about the destruction He threatened to unleash.  
                                          Jonah was sore at the way the Lord changed His mind and blurted out the reason for his first refusal being his knowledge of the Lord as gracious and compassionate, long-suffering and ever constant, and always willing to repent of the disaster . Jonah was afraid that dealing with such a person was going to hurt badly his Ego and so he did not want to take up the mission assigned by God. Resistance to God's Will comes from our own Ego in different ways. As long as He grants our wishes, we are all for Him and the moment our will is thwarted we try to run away from Him to our protected shell. The rest of Jonah's story tells us how God teaches him by practical lessons why the Lord is the way He is. To know this is essential for knowing God's Will as we have detailed above about the mode of God's thinking. There is a sense in which God's Will cannot be thwarted by us and yet it is incumbent upon us to follow His ways and do His Will. Here we have the mystery of predestination and free will that cannot be treated in this brief Study. (To be Contd).  

Suffering and Salvation (Contd)

                                                           It would look like presumption from the part of finite and frail human beings to try to know the way of God's thinking. But the chiding administered to Peter by Jesus about thinking like humans and not like God implies that we should be able to think like God and not merely as humans. This is possible only if we are prepared to get under the skin , so to say,  of reality. In other words, the human way of thinking is governed by the appearances of things and not by their reality. It comes down to giving prominence to our body, senses and emotions neglecting the soul, intellect and will power. We are dragged down by the weight of events and occurrences in the world as our body and its five senses are always open to the world outside. In course of time, we forget the powerhouse within us rooted in our soul to which all our faculties should be made subject for a smooth functioning of our life. Such a reversion of our natural and human way of behavior from the body to the soul will result in the peeping out reality over and above its appearances. Now we are on the way to think as God thinks and not merely as the humans do.  
                                                        What prevents us from seeing reality as it is as against its appearances is our tendency to superimpose our subjective reality over the objective reality. Our bodily way of thinking , i.e., thinking arising out of our lower nature, is responsible for supplying the materials required for manufacturing the content of the superimposition in our subjective thinking. An example given by the Indian sages in this context is about someone mistaking a rope for a snake of which the person is afraid. The subjective thinking of the person has superimposed the serpent on the rope due to lack of light or poor eyesight or because the person was inebriated at the time! The rope and the fear are real, whereas the serpent is only manufactured by his or her imagination. Similarly, a person without light, i.e., understanding or due to ignorance or because he or she is inebriated with the spirit of the world is prone to superimpose his or her views on the reality presented. The solution is to revert to the proper human spirit endowed with intellect and will power supported by the divine spirit. Such a reversion helps us to see things, events, reports and speeches as they are without any interference of superimpositions. The result is objective reality or truth and God Himself is Truth. Now we are closer to the mode of God's thinking. To achieve this one needs to listen carefully to the objects, words spoken etc., without any preconceived ideas. In addition, it is necessary to reflect on what is listened to and meditate on its implications whereby we shall really know things as they are. If this is real knowledge, a step ahead, when it strikes as revelation of the inner nature of things enabling us to distinguish between right and wrong, it is called wisdom. We already know from what has been said earlier that fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom.    
                                                     God confers wisdom on people whom He approves. An example may be given from the Bible about King Solomon's wisdom. God appeared in a dream to Solomon asking for what he wanted. Solomon asked for a heart with skill to listen in order to help him govern God's people justly and to distinguish good from evil. God was well pleased with Solomon for asking this and not for a long life for himself, or for wealth, or for the lives of his enemies, but for discernment in administering justice. His request for a wise heart, therefore, was granted and in addition , he was given all those things he never asked for (See 1 Kings, 3: 5-14). From this incident, we may have a glimpse of how God thinks and also how we should pray to God. As for the nature of wisdom conferred on Solomon, and for that matter of any genuine wisdom coming from God , an instance may be taken from the Bible how Solomon exercised his power of wisdom. We read there how two women quarreled over the ownership of a living child as against a dead one claiming to be its mother. Since both were vehemently arguing and were unwilling to reach any compromise, Solomon ordered a sword to be brought for dividing the child into two to give a piece each to both of them. At the king's order to cut the living child into two, the real mother asked him to give the child to the other woman saying that at any cost the child should not be killed. The other woman insisted that the child should be divided so that neither of them has the baby.  At this, King Solomon gave his judgment to give the child to the first woman and not to kill it as she was its real mother (See 1 Kings, 3: 16-28).  
                                                From this instance of the exercise of wisdom by King Solomon, we may learn two things. First, the mode of thinking of God , seen through the exercise of His wisdom by Solomon, is always impeccable and contrary to the human way of thinking. Second, wisdom of God conferred on the human is not something esoteric and mystifying leading to superstitions and meaningless rituals, but immersed in the general laws of the Universe. In this case, Solomon used the laws of human psychology to pinpoint the real mother of the child and thus his exercise of the wisdom given by God was transparent and convincing to everyone. It is a further corroboration of our thesis  in this Study that the secular and the sacred are not to be separated in such a way that superstitions, black magic, spurious miracles etc., are given a chance to take over our rationality gifted to us by God. The real meaning and extend of true miracles may be gathered from the Gospels and how Jesus performed them. Generally speaking, Jesus dissuaded the beneficiaries of his miracles from publishing them in order not to draw attention to himself. A telling example of self-effacement even when he could easily have drawn attention and admiration from people is seen in the miracle of turning water into wine at the marriage feast of Can-in-Galilee. Jesus just asked the servants to fill the six stone water-jars standing there and draw some off and take it to the steward of the feast. He did not command the servants to bring water before him to be blessed that could easily have given the impression to the people of magical powers in Jesus. According to God's way of thinking, self-effacement is absolutely necessary even for people vested with God's wisdom and authority. The fundamental reason behind this requirement is the principle that what is honorable before the humans is despicable before God and vice-versa!      
                                            As a corollary to the above we may say that human suffering and pain can only be understood within the ambit of God's way of thinking elevating them as effective instruments of salvation (See Matthew, chapters 5-7). God's way of thinking is always from a perspective of totality, while ours tends to be fragmented. Therefore, to think like God, we must make attempts to see things from a wider perspective and not from fragmented ones. While we see things as happening in the past, present and future, God sees everything in the eternal present. To live in the present is to try to think like God. To grieve at tragedies is quite human and yet we will not lose hope if only our perspectives are not bound by the immediate sad events. The life of Jesus has amply taught us the meaning and purpose of human suffering, although by nature we are averse to pain both physical and mental. (To be Contd).  

Suffering and Salvation

                                                           It is a problem from the very beginning of mankind that it is their lot to suffer various kinds of calamities, diseases with pain and sorrow  although they are destined to be happy forever. The fundamental problem in this scenario is a kind of radical ignorance about the source of both our happiness and sorrow experienced by us. It would appear that objects and events outside ourselves constitute our happiness and sorrow. For example, we imagine that we would be eternally happy if only we were to win a lottery giving us access to many millions of rupees. At the time we are unaware of eventualities that might lead us into multiple problems that might crop up in our life as a result of winning the lottery. If the source of happiness were in the millions we have won, nothing else should be able to render us unhappy. We know from the experience of so many people that the same is not true. Similarly, a calamity or accident that causes us pain and sorrow need not be the determining factor of our unhappiness. There are scores of  people who suffer a lot as a result of calamities, sickness etc., and yet remain composed to face them bravely. Some even use the occasions to chart new avenues in their lives giving rise to succor and support to those who suffer misfortunes. It is not that we would never be affected by any sorrow from events happening where we are helpless in offsetting them. In such circumstances, however, our sorrow will be proportionate and it will not be able to incapacitate our ability to manage it reasonably well. Our conclusion, therefore, is that the source of both our happiness and sorrow is rooted in us irrespective of external circumstances. We shall try to explain it below.  
                                                       This explanation calls for a little knowledge of who we are by nature. All human beings are endowed with a multiplicity of faculties like the five senses, a mind consisting of intellect and will and a spirit that is the underlying life-force vivifying and nurturing all other faculties. The spirit in a body is called the soul. People with disabilities like blindness, deafness, dumbness, autism etc., are also not out of the general sphere of humanity. That there are such exceptions and shortcomings in some cases only go to prove the general rule, besides the fact that such people are sustained by their spirit. The spirit of man, according to the Bible, is endowed with the image and likeness of God (See Genesis, 1: 26-27). As man's spirit is the unifying factor of all the faculties, it is the connecting link and sustaining element of both his body and soul. Man shines as the image of God in both body and soul as one unit. In Indian Thought, man is considered as God Himself (Paramatma i.e., the Absolute) in manifestation as Jivatma (individual). Remembering this reality is the source of our happiness achieved through meditation and allowed to remain in our consciousness throughout the day as presence of God.
                                                      With the faculties gifted to us by God, we are expected to grow up as against mere growing old.  It implies that we manage ourselves to conduct the business of life with a certain maturity.  It may be normal, for example, for a child to suck its thumb and can be easily forgiven with due caution to wean it gradually away from the habit. However, if a 40 year old person starts sucking his or her thumb we consider it abnormal. Similar is the case with some people, grown old but not grown up, when they are dejected by small incidents like a perceived insult. Students committing suicide due to failure in examinations may be considered as a refusal to grow up as they refuse to turn a breakdown into a breakthrough. They may not have heard about how Thomas Alva Edison failed 999 times in making the first light bulb. On being questioned about his frustration in failing so many times, Edison replied that 999 times he learnt how not to make a light bulb! We have a pathetic example in the Bible how a man grown old and held in high esteem by all was in fact never grown up. In 2 Samuel, chapter 17 we read about Ahithophel, whose counsel to king David and his rebellious son Absalom was considered as equal to the word of God , committed suicide. The reason was that just once his counsel was not accepted by Absalom preferring to follow the counsel of Hushai the Archite. This shows that acclamation by the people and holding high position need not in itself make a person happy unless he or she grows up.    
                                                 What is the sign that a person has grown up instead of merely growing old?  A really grown up person would have restrained the Ego lurking in all of us with a view to transforming oneself  into an ever newer and better person. The Ego is the hallmark of our lower nature manifested through pride, greed, envy, lust for power and honor, uncontrolled sexual deviations, selfish motives under the garb of serving the common good etc. All these taken together are labelled under 'flesh' in the Bible. As against them the 'spirit' stands for our higher nature supported by the divine spirit. The fight between the spirit and the flesh is graphically pointed out by Jesus to his disciples by saying: "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mark, 14: 38). The fight is, therefore, internal to conquer our base self in order to allow our real self to shine forth. The same principle is followed in the Bhagavad-Gita throughout starting with the statement summarizing its content in "kurukshetra is Dharmakshetra". Its fifth chapter deals with 3 types of spiritual aspirants who remain liberated even as they transact with the world and enjoy its benefits. Our discussion in the present Study about the interaction and alignment between the secular and the sacred is in conformity both with the Bible and with the main thesis of the Bhagavad-Gita. There we can find how the real source of happiness is the Self that is none other than the Sadcidananda or God Himself made present to us in the Kingdom of God.    
                                               Just like happiness, the sorrow we experience from manifold sufferings has its source in the self. The fundamental difference here emanates from the two senses of self that we possess. The one and the same self that is governed by our higher nature is the source of happiness , whereas the self that is terrorized by our lower nature is the source of sorrow. It is not that we have two selves within us, but the one and the same self takes different hues and colors depending on who is our master, the higher or the lower nature. Our spirit aided by the divine spirit should be able to overcome and govern our will, intellect or mind and senses. "For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy" (Bhagavad-Gita 6.6). It does not mean to say that happiness or sorrow is just a mind-game, but the mind has a decisive role in our happiness or sorrow. Being shocked or devastated and thus becoming sorrowful at certain events is in accordance with the human nature and there is nothing to be ashamed of. Even the great king David, a person in tune with the mind of God, cried out loud calling out the name of  his beloved son Absalom at his death. He even refused to eat for days together sleeping on the floor. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, wept at the death of his friend Lazarus although he was going to raise him from the dead  soon afterwards. Such examples show that expression of sorrow is in tune with the human nature. In addition, psychologically speaking, to avoid falling into trauma with the result of the scarring of the psyche, it is beneficial to let out our anguish at sufferings beyond our control. However, our reactions should rise above the mere human level based on emotions to a higher plane controlled by our spirit. In the language of St. Paul, the expression of our sorrows should not be like that of people who do not have any hope beyond this present life. In this context, it is good to remember what Jesus said to Peter immediately after designating him as the foundation of the Church and conferring the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven on him (See Matthew, 16:: 18-19). As Peter could not reconcile himself to the notion of suffering and death his master was to undergo, he took Jesus aside and tried to dissuade him from his mission. To this Jesus reacted by calling him Satan and solemnly announced: "You think as men think, not as God thinks" (Matthew, 16:23). It is clear from this rebuke that to react properly to sufferings and sorrows on a spiritual level , we have to try to think as God thinks and not merely as humans do. (To be Contd).              

Public Life (Contd)

                                                           The relationship between religion and politics is a very controversial issue in today's world. In the western world, it is known as the relationship between the Church and the State. The close relationship between the two in past centuries resulted in the blurring of the roles each was meant to play. As a result, especially in the western world, separation between the two is the preferred norm  for social life. Democratic way of life, apart from ideologies like fascism, totalitarianism and communism, is a main contributor of the polarization between the Church and the State. This is because of the misunderstanding that democracy with power from the people might go against the power that is bestowed by God on selected people in the sacred domain. Even St. Paul asked Christians to acknowledge and obey civil authorities as there is no authority except from God  This is in tune with what Jesus said to Pontius Pilate who condemned him to death that he would not have had any authority over him unless it was given from above (See John, 19:11).
                                                        If so, what is the role of religion and religious authority? The role is to draw living models of genuine human beings as far as religion is concerned. As for religious authority,  it is to show that authority is not the same as power and that authority means service. Religion is endowed with the task of percolating the society with the idea of communion through service to fellow human beings. Belief in God compels us to do service to others should be the motto of true believers. Such a belief ensues in genuine service and communion as against the style of service of some of the political leaders who are self-serving under the tag of service. Religion need not enter into direct political activities in order to achieve its end and yet cannot remain blind to political developments that shape citizens' life. Some of its members may be trained to enter into political activity in order to serve the human community without any discrimination of caste, creed, religion etc. "Give to God what is God's and to Caesar what is Caesar's" is the golden rule we must follow here. In the case of the Church, it cannot be seen as Christian religion as the very concept of the church is embedded in the ideas of service and communion. The Church is nothing but a communion of believers where its visible members are ruled by a hierarchy of rulers representing Jesus Christ. However, one should not forget its invisible character that is as important, if not more, as its visible character and in its invisibility Jesus Christ is the sole head. Here there is no distinction between religions and races as the whole humanity is encompassed in the redemptive process once and for all accomplished in Jesus Christ.
                                                    The public life of an individual is relevant to the society as a whole when the particular interests of a person are subsumed under the general welfare of all. More than a brute majority in running the affairs that are of interest to all , the principle of universality as against particularity should be our guiding principle. The rights and privileges of the minority incorporated in the Indian Constitution and in various laws enacted by the State from time to time are meant to soften the might of the mere majority in public affairs. The principle of universality etched in the very structure of the Universe would be able to take care of everyone's interest if we are ready to voluntarily curb our greed for wealth and lust for power. In other words, it is in the nature of the Universe to be affected in some measure even by the most private actions of individuals. For harmony, tranquility, peace and growth, therefore, the particular and individual aspirations should conform themselves to the general and universal welfare.  
                                                     Life is so interconnected that no one can be an island and prosper. Many cases of suicides may be traced to the utter loneliness and helplessness of individuals who refuse to seek help in good time. This is applicable even in our moral and ethical life besides our psychological and physical life. The spiritual life that should be the source of our energy will be nurtured when our inmost depths are actively related to God. A practical tip from the great German Philosopher Immanuel Kant regarding the way to know what is moral and ethical also points to the importance of the universal over the particular. He advised people to consider how it would affect the world if every one were to act the way they acted. If they approve of the resulting situation as contributing to the common good, they may go ahead and do it, if not, such actions are to be avoided. Similarly, the aspirations of the people on national and regional levels need not contradict each other if seen in the proper perspective.  

    

Public Life (Contd)

                                                              Happiness is elusive to many people as they are easily deluded into believing that name, fame, money and uncontrolled sense gratification will make them happy forever. The American film 'Shortcut to Happiness' is an apt example showing that it is merely an illusion. It is about the ambition of a writer to become famous and wealthy and yet is rejected by every publisher. Frustrated and dejected, he easily succumbs to the temptation of the devil in the form of a young woman who promises to help him provided he sells his soul. A contract was made to this effect. On achieving whatever he dreamt of , the poor man finds himself hemmed in by superficial people all the time depriving him of his free will to enjoy life as he pleases. He finds that he has no time for his old friends who were with him through thick and thin and was able to offer them only money which they reject. He wanted to go back to his former self for which the contract he entered into with the devil stands as an obstacle. At the end he approaches the judiciary to annul the contract and barely managed to do it with help from eminent advocates. On regaining his soul he becomes genuinely happy again. What is portrayed in the film is that we should not run after illusory things for the sake of seeming happiness at the cost of even one's own soul. Our soul is all that we have and it is the source of our real happiness. As Jesus said, "what shall we give in return for our soul?" ( Matthew, 16:26). We shall not, therefore, trade our will-power and intellect , being the essence of our soul, for anything else whatsoever.    
                                                        In order to do justice to the main theme of our Study, we have to still explain how the interaction of the secular and the sacred applies as we go about with the daily routine of our life. In other words, our activities in the world to build it up should not be restrained by the demands of the Kingdom of God and vice versa. An example of such activities is our effort to create wealth. We find in the history of mankind different models of creation of wealth. In the primitive ages, it was a fight for survival when the humans were satisfied with bare minimum necessities of life  like food, water and shelter. In more advanced societies with the beginning of farming and settling in fixed places, called settlements, human affairs became more complicated. When the culture of group enterprises, like farming and exchange of goods, was gradually replaced by ownership of private property, frequent conflicts arose. Further, when the barter system of goods was replaced with the advent of money, even in its crudest form, an element of impersonality was added to the system of exchange of goods. Here we may remember the warning in the Bible that money is the root of all evil.  
                                                         In the different modalities of human interaction with regard to creation of wealth experienced in history, we are able to see the underlying concept of humanity  involved. In our Study, we are more interested in paying attention to such basic concepts of humanity rather than the theories and ideologies supporting endeavors of creation of wealth. For example, the employment of slaves as labor force from earliest times points to the division of humanity into masters and slaves. It is inhuman from our point of view today, whereas in ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, India etc., it was considered a viable means of survival. The socio-economic ideologies of capitalism and communism, as well as self-serving theories of feudalism and totalitarianism manifest totally different world-views with regard to their underlying concept of humanity. What we want to stress here is that an adequate and just standard of the concept of humanity is absolutely necessary to uphold the interaction of the secular and the sacred without the one cancelling out the other . In this connection, we propose that the manifestation of humanity in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, is the anchor and standard of real humanism we should practice.
                                                      Jesus seems to have denounced the rich and the powerful in order to uphold the blessings the poor are naturally heirs to. The first blessing in the beatitudes is:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew, 5:3). The New English Bible of 1961 First Edition translates the poor in spirit as those who know the need of God. In Luke 6:20 the same text is about the poor without any qualification. The Bible scholars agree that here Luke has in mind the "anawim" of the Old Testament who are totally dependent on God. Thus total dependence on God without any dependence on the  material resources one may have is qualified as poverty in spirit. In other words, people who are poor in spirit, even though they are rich in material resources, will never use their resources without fear of God. As we have seen above, fear of God does not allow them to swerve to the right or to the left from the path determined by God's ways. One who does not follow this principle is among those rich people for whom it is not easy to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus qualified the situation as easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore he advised the disciples to be rich before God and amass wealth  in the kingdom of heaven from where it cannot be robbed nor can moth eat it. One has to choose between God and Mammon, i.e., money, as both cannot be served at the same time. Both of them are capable of attracting our total allegiance and they cannot co-exist in a person as one of them is sure to ease the other out of our heart in due course.
                                                  Does it mean that loving God with our whole heart, whole mind and whole strength leaves no room for our undivided attention to worldly affairs? How can we, then, achieve excellence in our mundane duties where we have to compete with all kinds of people? Undivided attention is demanded both by God and Mammon and the defining moment in our life is determined by the choice we make between them. The choice is to decide to be a slave either to God or to Mammon. The Bible teaches us that a slave of God is a truly liberated person, while a slave of Mammon, i.e., money, wealth and power is enslaved forever in its vicious grip. To achieve excellence or to compete with others in the world according to the standards of competition, a liberated person is all the more suited than a slave with inhibitions and anxieties of all sorts. Loving God with one's whole heart, whole mind and whole strength liberates a person to release power to achieve excellence on whatever one does. The reason for this is that submission of our plans to a higher power liberates us from all sorts of anxiety enabling us to be focused  on our task totally. Besides, since we are expected to offer the fruits of our endeavors to God we become immune to the pressure created by the type of results we may achieve. Such persons are best suited to assemble all their energies in order to take on the tasks achieving thereby excellence in whatever they do. Besides, let us remember what we have said earlier about the love of God being on a metaphysical plane, whereas all our other kinds of love are on physical, psychological,emotional etc. planes where no clash of interests can take place! (To be Contd).        

Public Life (Cont'd)

                                                           How do we overcome our desires given the scenario of our personal growth seen in the last Post? How can we progress in life without any desires and means to actualize them? Can we live in this world created for us by God without being a part of the mainstream of life? These are valid questions we must find answers for as objectively as possible. It is necessary to aim to overcome those desires for acquiring objects and developing relationships that are detrimental to the smooth flowering of our inner potentialities contained in the fundamental desires. It is not that we should not acquire things or wealth necessary to live in this world, but that we should not be slaves to them. As Jesus said since no one can serve two masters at the same time, we have to choose our master very carefully. We, as images of God, have all the necessary powers within us to subdue and enslave all the other powers in the world and make them serve our purposes. Here comes the need of overcoming our unruly desires that cover up our real power from within. Our intellect is the faculty to discriminate between what is beneficial to us from what is harmful. For this we need to depend on the Word of God and wise sayings handed down to us through generations. The gradual addiction to the material world at the expense of our spirit has to be resisted. As there are De-addiction Clinics for alcoholics and drug addicts, all religions should serve as De-addiction Centers for curing the vices that dissipate the life giving energy from within each of us. This is achieved through the practice of detachment even as we use the things of this world. Our addiction should only be to God and thus we are able to love Him wholeheartedly. This is the meaning of the injunction of Jesus to leave father and mother, wife and children and everything to follow him. It can be practiced by even by those who live in the world provided they develop the capacity to be detached from everything. It is practiced by those monks and nuns who genuinely leave the world, as a special gift from God, in an eminent and exemplary manner. Detachment is no disinterest; on the contrary, it is a very balanced and sensitive way of looking at everything without being bound by the actions we perform.     
                                                      Some people look at happiness as if it were a commodity to be bought from a common pool easily available in the world unaware that the source of happiness is in their own selves. Both happiness and unhappiness are infectious in the sense that other people are affected by both happy and unhappy people in their own ways. A step further, there is a tendency in happy people to seek out others who are happy  as the unhappy ones go for others who are unhappy. A drunkard goes about  looking for other drunkards and a drug addict seeks company from another drug addict. Therefore, one should not bank upon finding happiness in other people or things ignoring the store of happiness, however dormant it may be, in oneself. This is especially applicable to people who believe that they will turn out to be happy once they marry such and such a person. Such a person tends to marry someone who thinks in the same way and coming together of two miserable people will end up in a kind of hell on earth. Opposites attract on physical laws and yet when we go beyond mere physics, other laws like birds of the same feather flock together hold. Laws of human psychology and behavior are still more complex and thus the like-minded tend to come together in human affairs. The best way to attract happy people to us, therefore, is to be happy from which starting point we should begin a new life like in marriage. The Greek Philosopher Socrates advised his disciples in his discourses thus: " By all means marry. If you get a good wife you will become happy, and if you get a bad one you will become a philosopher." !    
                                                    God has deposited in each of us a seed that strives and struggles to break the ground to come out as a plant to grow into a fruit-bearing tree. There are obstacles like the hard ground, external threats, thorns and thistles waiting to crush the tender plant besides lack of sustenance like water and manure hampering its growth.  Above all, it should not be shielded from the sun light and should be exposed to it. The basic hardness of the earth is no problem for the seed since it is equipped by God with power from inside that no force on earth can stifle. Where it needs assistance is in removing the rocks on the ground, protecting it from marauding attackers, keeping it in good health by supplying manure and water and allowing the sunlight to fall on it. Periodic cleaning of the surrounding ground by removing the weeds, thorns and thistles around the plant is a must for its growth.  The same rule applies to our personal growth since the seed is the Word of God containing the Kingdom of God in an embryonic form waiting to be released with full power. Since every human being is created in the image of God , this seed is already inborn in the very conception of an individual. This is the reason why the Church vehemently upholds the sanctity of every human life from the moment of its conception. We are not able to be at peace with ourselves until we allow God's purpose in creating us is set in motion. Looking for peace and happiness we tend to run after acquiring things in the world, always being frustrated after achieving the same. Our desire for happiness is genuine as it is deposited in our hearts by God Himself and yet in finding it we often fail because we become slaves to objects without practicing detachment. In this context it is beneficial to remember what John Dryden said: "He who trusts secrets to a servant makes him his master."
                                                 The obstacles standing in the way way to happiness, expressed metaphorically above in the example of a plant, are negative thoughts like anger, envy, lust, revenge, pride, greed etc. emanating from our hearts. The thoughts themselves are harmless until we nurture them and allow them to produce fruits defiling us. They may be turned into opportunities to purify us if only w try to control them by our higher faculties of intellect and will. Intellectual enlightenment is like the sun light giving energy to the plants. Our will power is the power of determination that decides what we should do with our lives. These two powers in us are able to over-rule the dictates of our mind and the process is called sublimation. Sublimation takes place when the higher powers are in control of the clamor of the lower powers. The heart is metaphorically designated as the center of all these activities. Practice of self-control is central to any improvement of persons not only spiritually, but also psychologically, emotionally and physically. (To be Contd)      

Public Life (Cont'd)

                                                           It cannot be denied that the humans are ruled by various kinds of desires that could either be beneficial or destructive to our spiritual life. There are different types of desires as we live our daily lives. Some of them are to be developed and others restrained or curbed for a genuine and holistic development of the person. The desires unobtrusively to be developed are called fundamental desires present in everyone and yet covered up by our topical desires. The three fundamental desires universally present are : the desire to live a day more ( 'Sat' or the desire to go on existing), the desire for knowledge ('Chit' or the desire to know) and the desire to be happy ('Ananda' or the desire to be always joyful). This is 'Sachidananda' or the Absolute present in everyone and everything covered up by our desires for particular objects called topical desires. We actually search for the former in the latter and remain dissatisfied on achieving our particular desires in the objects outside of ourselves. This is because we are actually searching for the Infinite contained in the Absolute in the objects of our senses and mind where it cannot be found. It is like the case of an old lady searching for something under the lamp post although she lost the object in her hut. On being questioned why she was searching for something under the lamp post if she lost her treasure in her hut, the simple lady answered that there is no light in her hut! Under the false impression that just searching anywhere is enough to recover her lost treasure is similar to our searching for happiness and well-being in particular objects. Unless we turn back from the world outside to ourselves where the diamond of happiness is hidden we shall never attain it. Here a note is ringing in our ears from the proclamation Jesus made: Repent (turn back), for the Kingdom of God is at hand and the Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden from public view and is within all of us.  
                                                      Those who doubt the universal presence of the three fundamental desires because some people commit suicide, a few prefer darkness over light and many are unhappy in the world do so for a variety of reasons. The common thread running through those reasons is a mix up of the desires themselves with their actualization. It is a fact that some people fail in actualizing the fundamental desires because of wrong choices they make. Seemingly going against the first fundamental desire, people who commit suicide are not in the best mental balance a normal person should have as they were misled into attitudes of life incompatible with the natural flow of life. Life has its own rhythm and rules disregarding which consistently and without self-examination leads to unmanageable situations for the person concerned. Such people are led to believe that they have reached a point of no return and to salvage the situation they believe that suicide is the only solution. In fact, with infinite capacities inherent in each human being we never reach such a point of no return if one is willing to be calm and reflect a little. Ways and means will be opened up even in hopeless situations as there is no end to hopes and possibilities in this world. As for the second fundamental desire, that there are people who prefer to be in the dark is attested by not only the Bible but also the great Greek Philosopher Plato. He said: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light".  
                                                     The fact that there are a number of people who are unhappy in the world goes to prove the validity of the third fundamental desire to be always happy. It only means that they are looking for it in objects outside themselves because of ignorance of the source of happiness inside themselves. No particular object of desire satiates them as soon as they attain it and they start looking for other objects of desire. This kind of never-ending quest for happiness actually derives from their own infinite potentiality for happiness of which they are unaware or are loathe pursuing. Created in the image and likeness of God, we are not meant to be fully satisfied with anything other than God Himself as St. Augustine noted in his famous book titled 'Confessions'. As we live in this world, we cannot avoid interacting with the world nor are we expected to run away from our daily challenges. Where we go wrong is in being slaves to the demands of the world instead of being their rulers and masters in virtue of being the images of God. In order to achieve this we have to return to ourselves through reflection and meditation to remind ourselves of our real worth. This will, in turn, show us the way to equitably deal with the situations in the world without plunging us into misery. Any sorrow or disappointment will be taken in its proper perspective without any doubt of our self-worth . For example, for a student to be disappointed and be sorry for failure in examinations is proportionate to what happened, whereas to commit suicide on account of it is disproportionate. It is disproportionate because the former situation may be turned into an opportunity by a wise student, while the latter case of suicide is irreversible and is a greater failure.    
                                                    As we have seen above, while the three fundamental desires are to be promoted and developed for a full blossoming of personality, the topical desires concerned with enhancement of our Ego that are detrimental to our real growth should be checked. We need not renounce all such desires as we have to maintain a body that is in direct touch with the world through our five senses. We only have to take care to exercise control over our senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Some ascetics resort to violence against their own bodies by punishing them cruelly hoping that thus they would be able to control themselves by denying their urges. The vital point to remember here is that to control our body, we have to control our senses through which it operates. Again, to control our senses, we have to control our mind that directs the senses to act or refrain from action.  Mind control, therefore, is the hinge on which our senses and body should turn. In order to achieve this properly, the light that is in us through intellectual understanding is a requirement. Knowledge, understanding and clarity of the situations we have to operate in are supplied by our intellectual application. This presupposes our willingness to make progress in life by adopting suitable means for which our will power has to be set in motion. Intellect and will are two faculties easily made use of by our soul, while the body is governed by our mind and senses. However, the mind is not unconnected to our soul as it remains as the hinge on which our body and senses turn, which supply the material for the soul to work with. As the brain controls our bodily functions, our spirit consisting of the intellect and the will control our spiritual functions. The spirit in bodies is called the soul. Besides, we are endowed with the Spirit of God to aid us in our spiritual quest. Self control, therefore, is essential to our balanced and harmonious growth and is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, which means that we have to co-operate with the Spirit of God to achieve the same. (To be Cont'd).                     

Public Life (Cont'd)

                                                           It is the hallmark of any true believer in God to express, in however small a measure, the inherent divinity present in each of us. How this is to be done in public is our topic here. Our actions in public tend to be ostentatious and boastful when they do not spring up from the deep reservoir of our spiritual nature. In this context, Jesus admonished his disciples to take care that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. At the same time, they have to be light of the world that should not be hidden from giving light to all around. How the two should be combined is an art we should learn from Jesus himself even when he performed miracles that could not be hidden. It was always to reveal God's glory and out of compassion for the poor and the needy, taking all precautions himself to be humble and unassuming. In other words, Jesus took care to deflect the glory emanating from his wonderful deeds away from his person. He did this by giving all glory and power to God alone and admonishing the beneficiaries of his mercies to keep them secret. If they did, however, publish them that did not detract from the good intentions of Jesus. The lesson for us in all our endeavors is clear here. We should not use our position, authority, and the good we do to enhance our standing among the people thereby promoting our own self, which is but an echo of our Ego. On the contrary, we should be able to use them to express our true Self, namely, the image of God in us, which is ever present in us.    
                                                       What are the practical ways of expressing the image of God in us? First of all we have to discover the image of God in us by being conscious of it. This requires meditation, which is the result of our rest from work occasionally. In this state of rest from the routine work, we are deeply engaged with our inner nature that is spiritual. Our concentration in this state on the inner core of our being produces a tranquility of mind that sees deep into our nature. We are seen as the image of God just as the moon is reflected in undisturbed and serene water and not in muddied water.With a calm and clear mind we are in a position to grasp the meaning of image of God as reflected in us. Our body and soul together as a unit is the image of God and not the soul alone. In the Indian tradition, we are not different from the 'Sadchidananda', i.e., God Himself or the Absolute. With this ever present and increasing self-consciousness, we have to face the challenges offered by the world. Each interaction in the world like in our family life, official life, life in the particular community we are a part of should turn out to be sources of enlightenment to those we come in contact with. Take the case of rampant corruption seen around us so much so that those who refuse to toe the line are dealt with indifference, if not hostility, by those who are bent upon using unfair means to enhance themselves. The politicians take solace in the malady by branding the disease as a global phenomenon. People take the easier route to achieve their purpose by throwing money around obtained probably through unfair means. The right attitude should be to be patient and refuse to part with money for favors and very often the right circumstances fall into place whereby we achieve our purpose without paying anybody undue fees. We are welcome to see God's hand in those favorable circumstances and thank Him for letting us contribute a little in treating the malady of corruption. There may be very few circumstances when we cannot wait for too long in emergencies and have to get things done like obtaining a passport in a hurry. It is like approaching the allopathic practitioners for severe illness instead of depending on the homeopathic treatment. A student who refuses to copy in exams even when there is mass copying may feel bad for some time, but never loses peace of mind. In later life such a student has a better chance of meeting the professional challenges in his or her career. The same may be said about the unfair means used in promoting one's career prospects. Our faith and trust in God are manifested through following the straight and narrow path less traveled by the general public.  
                                                  As a rule, therefore, whenever genuine human values and causes are upheld by our actions, we are on the road to realize ourselves as true images of God. It implies the seemingly unattractive injunction to lose ourselves in order to gain life. For, when we think that we are enhancing ourselves we are really losing ourselves and vice versa. The ultimate reason for this is that our real Self is not immediately evident to us and we mistakenly think that our false self, the Ego, is our real self. In order to overcome this malady we have to align ourselves with the Spirit of God. In this context, we may consider the fruits of the Spirit as propounded by St. Paul. St. Paul in his Letter to the Galatians chapter 5, verses 19-23 narrates the actions that proceed from our false self as well as our real Self. The real Self produces fruits of the Spirit and they are: love, joy, peace,patience,kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness and self-control.
                                                To express externally the divinity inherent in us, it is absolutely essential to love God fully and totally and our neighbor as ourselves. Although they are intimately connected, the one may not be confused with the other. St. John in his first Letter chapter 4, verses 19-21 emphatically aligns the two kinds of love to such an extent that some are misled into substituting one for the other. In fact St. John does not intend to do so as he has given only a means to test the veracity of our love for God. The ultimate reason for our contention that the one cannot be substituted for the other is that those two kinds of love belong to two different orders of reality. Our love for God is in the metaphysical order underlying our positive attitudes , while the love for our neighbor is in the empirical order to be executed visibly here and now. The two kinds of love, therefore, can easily co-exist without any conflict as our love for God stands as the foundation for our love for the neighbor. This will ensure that our love for the neighbor is not motivated  by self-interest and with an eye for his or her exploitation. The interplay of the secular and the sacred comes to the fore here where the Kingdom of God is not removed far from the affairs of this world and yet the former is not entirely restricted to the realms of the latter nor is the Kingdom generated from this world. (To be Cont'd).