Raju, friend, cousin or class mate...
You were more than all these...
We grew together, played together
studied together and traveled together
but for a short span when
we finished our schooling...
When you were overburdened
with as many as seven siblings,
two elder, a brother and a sister
and the rest younger and all girls,
i could chose rather a 'safer' life.
But you bore the burden so
happily to reach them all
to safer shores...
Leaving all of us
so early for good,
your children seemingly
have not reached anywhere,
but were equipped enough
to reach the shores by themselves.
You were almost silent always
other than when you 'drank!'
That made you a darling of all,
curiously enough even for your in-laws!
You were never a weakling,
but toiled always for the family
even at the hour of your death
you were awaiting your
colleagues to call you.
Wednesday 17 August, 2011
Friday 5 August, 2011
No Leadership is indispensable...
Yes, no leadership is indispensable, not even that of Moses'. That was what yesterday's first reading, Num 20:1-13, points out. A leader who has to inspire faith and confidence in the people failed miserably in doing that. That makes it in clear terms that such leadership is not fit to lead any more. Hence, taking the people to the country into which Yahweh has promised them, was given to someone else.
In the same vein, the gospel, Mt 16:13-23, also treats the quality of the leadership of Peter who could realize who Jesus was for him, and not for others. Hence, Jesus entrusts him with the leadership role.
Today's saint, John Mary Vianney, shows a clue as to who could be a leader, in spite of his poor 'intelligence' he could prove to be a successful priest as he rightly understood the need of the people for God and his grace especially through the sacrament of reconciliation.
Such leaders of Peter's faith, Vianney's simplicity and trust and love for the people entrusted to him would make one a real leader. The 'leaders' of our times need to re-look into their leadership qualities in the light of Moses' and step down, if needed, and let a leader of natural qualities emerge from among the people.
The business of nomination or 'selection' by the remote and unrealistic 'leadership' elsewhere be stopped at the earliest and people take their freedom to elect their own good leadership. It is high time that the so called 'theocracy' has to give way for democracy. Even in the book of Samuel, people prevail over the insistence of Samuel not to allow them a king of their choice to lead them. "Vox populi, vox Dei' is certainly much more meaningful than that of the high pontiff's. They don't seem to read the writings on the wall, if not the signs of the time.
It is more a subtle way of keeping people in control by keeping God in control who is kept conveniently in the boxes like the tabernacle of the Catholics provided by the hierarchy. In fact they only create idols and worship them conveniently and fool people by convincing them that those idols are gods, whereas god is in the toiling and struggling people than the ones wearing silk and satin....
Jesus realized this and hence lived the beauty of the vulnerability of life and expressed his solidarity with all such people than with the ones whom today's hierarchy represents. The veil of religiosity will be torn soon and these people going to be unmasked and exposed with nothing left to cover their naked poverty in all respects and aspects.
These people don't enjoy the freedom of the children of god and enjoy the false security of being servile which Jesus never tolerated. He dared to call his disciples friends. That indeed was a revolutionary attitude then.
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