‘It is not necessary to believe in God to be a good person. In a way, the
traditional notion of God is outdated. One can be spiritual but not religious. It
is not necessary to go to church and give money - for many, nature can be a
church. Some of the best people in history did not believe in God, while some
of the worst deeds were done in His name.’ – Pope Francis
Don’t know the authenticity of the above post in the ‘face book’ attributed
to Pope Francis! But it seems to be quite convincing. In this background, the
proposed ‘theologians’ meet in our diocese prompts me to think loudly on the
very concept of ‘theology’.
Though I am not here to question the revelatory aspect of the Scriptures, it
is better to underline an accepted position that ‘…as much the scripture is the
word of God, that much it is the word of man also’, besides the JEDP traditions
in the Pentateuch of the OT and the four Gospels of the NT. That would imply ‘theologizing’
in the oral and written traditions of the scripture itself.
Another salient aspect of the scripture is the context. ‘A text out of
context is no text’ is an equally undisputed stand in the study of the scriptures.
It is here the question of ‘contextualizing theology’ and ‘theologizing the
context’ needs to be dealt with at length.
Theologizing is looking at things through the eyes of faith in God. And if
the very concept/ ‘notion (traditional) of god’ is said to be ‘outdated’,
theology can’t but be otherwise. Even the biblical concept of God is not the
same from Genesis to Revelation! It got evolved through the breadth and length
of the scripture, to say the least. That would amount to updating, contextualizing
with its natural and necessary consequences on liturgy, rituals, sacraments and
sacramentels besides other religiosities.
An institutional, hierarchical and centralized church may not be
comfortable with the above position. But then it is invariable in the nature of
things. Church was never monolithic, unipolar and uniform. There were many
centres from the time the ‘path’ gave way to the church born out of the unholy
union among the leaders of the disciples and the Roman imperialism. With this
favourable and patronizing atmosphere it got centralized in Rome somehow
‘subduing’ the other equally important centres beyond the ‘Pax Romanum’/ Roman
territory. This was not without accommodating
their differing languages and cultures and treating them as rites with their own
unique traditions. In our own times too it could not be wished away with in
spite of the ‘globalizing’ trends. She can only ill-afford to ignore, if not
disown the varying trends and currents.
Every people is unique and we are all the more so with our literally
peripheral existence. With our kind of profession to eke out a living, we chose
to be here rather than elsewhere. And we can’t but be here struggling to
survive facing the elements in its benign as well as ferocious aspects. in the
very periphery of the mainland. Of late our very habitat, the coasts/shores are
under threat of erosion due to ecologically unfriendly or even hostile human interventions
on the sea line, with an almost sure danger of losing our traditional
occupation of fishing and fish related livelihood.
As if applying salt to sore, we are marginalized in the competitive and
profit driven global economy with considerable illiteracy, poor health and
hygiene (open defecation, non-availability of potable water and waste
management facilities), homelessness and education not quite compatible for employability.
In spite of these dismal trends, there
is a minority affluent culture seemingly patronized by the church exemplified
in palatial Churches, adoration chapels, other structures and houses, royal
weddings, pompous celebrations and so on.
Commercialization is rampant in the church devouring every remaining aspect
of genuine spirituality and interiority. This won’t subside unless the money dealings
are thrown open for public probity resulting accountability.
Churchmen are combating the neo Pentecostals with mushrooming pilgrim
centres on every possible unsubstantiated ‘miracles’ instead of authentic life
and authoritative proclamation. As if at the fall of a hat, miracles happen
every time tears/milk claimed to have flown down from a statue or so.
We need to know our people in their real life situations with their
anxieties, fears, worries and even remorse for a proper and meaningful
theologizing and the ensuing religious life and practice.
Reasoned faith would always be a seasoned faith standing all the tests of
life. Other than children and women, how many of our youngsters are religious
in the correct sense? Why is it so? Why is there an increasing flow of the ‘faithful’
to the many prayer centres in and around our otherwise exclusive hamlets, and
that too run by ‘lay’ people? And such ones are seemingly rather better persons!
‘…he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor… sent me to…
set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year
of the Lord.’ This passage from the Isaiah (61:1-2) was claimed to have
been fulfilled in Jesus! (Lk 4:16-22).
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What is the
state of affairs of our people even after almost five centuries of
evangelization?
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When will the ‘good
news of the reign of God’ be a reality for them and the ‘year of the Lord’ really
dawn?
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Can we do
anything to usher in the year of the Lord and the reign of God?
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Can our
theology and the ensuing religiosity be of any help in this attempt?
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Should not our
loyalty be for His people than for the hierarchy which the Word of the Lord identifies
as shepherds who are blamed in Ezekiel 34?
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When will the
Church give way for the reign of God like the grain of wheat giving way for the
sprout to yield manifold?
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Oppression is
in the very nature of any structure/institution, whether it is called divine or
not! It rebels against the ‘freedom of the children of God’!
-pancretius/Kumarapuram-1st Oct 2015
