BIBLE: ANTIDOTE TO VIOLENCE

I just thought of sharing a few lines from my dissertation paper which I did on René Girard’s Mimetic Theory of Violence. It is interesting to see how Girard presents Bible as an Antidote to Violence.

René Girard’s interpretation of the Bible and the crucial role he assigns it in the history of Western culture are doubtless the most controversial features of his entire intellectual enterprise. In his book Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World Girard attributes our ability to break down and analyze “cultural mechanisms” such as scapegoating and to demystify the role of sacrificial violence in the establishment of order, to the influence of Biblical texts. Traditional myth tell the story from the side of the saved community, vilifying but also deifying the scapegoat, hiding the murder and generative mimetic scapegoating mechanism (GMSM). The Judeo-Christian Scriptures exhibit the traits of siding with the victim, clearly portraying the murder and eventual failure of the sacrifice to bring lasting peace. This can be shown in both the Jewish and the Christian texts, in most of the narratives found therein.

In Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World Girard argues that what was distinctive about the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, beginning with the story of Abraham and Isaac and culminating in the Crucifixion of Jesus, was that the violent structures of culture were progressively unveiled, revealed for their arbitrariness and horror, and finally, utterly repudiated. To this end, he engages in a careful series of readings of Biblical texts and relates them to his previous hypothesis on violence and the sacred. Girard arrives at this insight not as chance discovery but as a deep conversion experience. (We shall look at his conversion experience some time later). His conclusion is that the Bible is the sole textual mechanism to enact a complete exposé of the victimage mechanism. Its mission is to alert us to this seemingly perennial cycle of the restoration of order caused by conflictual desire and violence. This exposé was undertaken in order that humanity may refuse the victimage mechanism without remainder.

The Bible in short, offers us real knowledge of human relations. It is not a text to be dissected with modern critical tools but is itself the double edged sword which cuts through the misconceptions of old modernity to get to the fundamental truths of humanity.

FAITH AND CONVERSION

We are in the fourth week of the holy season of Lent - a season which calls for repentance and return. Today's (4th week of lent Monday) Gospel passage (John 4:43-54) sheds light on the close relationship between faith and conversion. The government official whose son Jesus cures makes a significant movement from faith to conversion. Of course the miracle serves only as a passage towards his conversion along with his entire household. This conversion meant a shift in his fundamental option. What shift did he make? He must have been one of those who have been faithful in practicing his faith. But after his encounter with Christ he alters his fundamental option. There he makes his fundamental option for Christ.

Bernard Lonergan would call this shift a religious conversion. Religious conversion is the turning-around that resets our consciousness in terms of unrestricted love. When we are religously converted, our hearts, the centers of ourselves, open to embrace whatever good, noble, true, is humanizing. If so, religious conversion is a yes to the mystery of God, an acceptance of the Creator's ground-rules or conditions. We have been made to be beyond all partial goods and truths, to reject all idolatries. We must refuse to worship anything less than

the unlimited , infinite goodness that whispers in our limitless questioning. The official in this passage is the example of one who realizes his limits and sets on a journey to embrace what is really true - the person of Christ.

In every conversion love occupies the primary place. In making his option for Christ the official enters into a loving relationship with Jesus. When he is in love, he accepts the values and meanings of the beloved; because he loves, he begins to understand anew the values and meanings he has accepted; he begins to even see and hear and feel differently.

The message of lent is not anything lesser than making a fundamental option for Christ, especially for Christ Crucified, because it was on the cross that Christ epitomizes love. Our response consists in sincerely accepting the demands of his love, that with the light of Easter we may see, hear and feel people and things differently.

INDIA WORLD-CUP KULFI

I am sure the title is amusing. For all the kulfi lovers, here is a new flavor of kulfi, "India World-Cup Kulfi." It sounds strange but in fact this was the name a kulfi seller used in order to sell his product. This happened on my way to Bangalore by Karnatake Express. What promted the vendor to use this name? The one and only reason is the fantastic victory of Indian over Pakistan in the semi-final of World-Cup 2011. The Indian lions pounced upon the Pakistan team to claim victory and make that day go back to the pages of Indian Cricket History in Golden Letters. I don't dare speak much about the match as I know what that victory means to all of us.

One thing is sure. For the kulfi seller that historical victory meant business. He seems to me an example of one who is able to be attentive to the signs of the times and make the best of the opportune time. He has the practical wisdom which guided him to use a name suiting the occasion to lure his customers to buy his product. This is what most business men do. I don't know what they call this tact, but that common man has practical skill required for a good business man. We can say that "He makes hay when the sun shines." I wonder whether it can be termed opportunism...

This am admi (common man) however has a great lesson to offer to all of us. He teaches us to make the best of the opportunity when it stands knocking at our doors. For him the opportunity came through India's victory. For you and me it may come in myriads of other ways. The question is what do we do with the opportunities we get. These days most students are busy with the exams. One natural feeling is that of burdensome. But how many of us think that exam is an opportunity to go further ahead in our academics? Need of the hour is change of attitude and the real motivation to rise up to the occasion. May this lesson from the kulfi man's wisdom box ring in our minds every now and then so that we may make the best use of all our opportunities we get, especially those geared towards our growth - physical, mental and spiritual.

"Am Admi Zindabaad............."

Christ's Sacrifice of Obedience

The first reading of today (1st Sunday of Lent) narrates the sin of disobedience of our first parents. As against this sin of disobedience Christ the New Adam makes the final sacrifice of himself a perfect sacrifice of obedience. Thus his sacrifice brings salvation to the whole humanity. To aid an understanding of what the sacrifice of obedience of Jesus was I would like to share an excerpt from my dissertation on Rene Girard's Mimetic Theory of Violence.

The sacrifice of Jesus is quite extensively pondered in the Epistle to the Hebrews. This Epistle partly devoted to explicate the difference between the old sacrifices under the old covenant and Christ’s one and only new sacrifice on the cross under the new covenant. The one and only sacrifice of Jesus is the ‘sacrifice of obedience.’ His was a sacrifice of total surrender to the will of the Father which is evident in Hebrews 10:3-10. The death of Jesus on the cross is part of this sacrifice of obedience.

The whole life of Jesus is one great act of obedience. This is vindicated by the fact that his earthly life is surrounded by references to obedience. The very first words he says upon coming into this world are: “Here I am, ready to do your will” (Hebrews 10:7). The last words are: It is consummated. “Father into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). At every important moment in Jesus’ life there are references to the Father’s will, beginning from the finding in the temple (“Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:49), while passing through Samaria (“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” John 4:34), (“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me” John 5:30), in ‘The Bread from Heaven’ discourse (“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day” John 6:38-40), while at the ‘Festival of Booths (“My teaching is not mine but his who sent me” John 7:16), agony in the garden (“My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” Mathew 26:42), (“My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” Luke 22:42), and finally on the cross (“Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last” Luke 23:46).

As we are in this joyous season of lent - joy because of coming back to the Father's house, let us make our own lives a sacrifices of obedience to the loving Father.

Picnic to Mula Dharan

When departure draws close people think of spending more time together - especially the little time that is left before departing. Since the day of departure is arriving super-fast we the SyMPH students organized a picnic to share some light moments together. We went to "Mula Dharan Dam" near Ahmednagar. The best part of the day I should say was the visit to the dam. The dam makes me wonder about the meeting of God's creation and human creativity. The dam is really marvelous and well maintained. We had the opportunity to go to river bed via tunnel - not everyone gets this opportunity. The second best part of the day was the lunch we had on the banks of the river. Fresh fish fry and fish curry was served which was so delicious that I just can't explain it...

We also visited Shirdi to pay homage to "Sai Baba" a favourite saint of our Hindu brotheren. In all these the company of our staff members was really praiseworthy. Their presence was indeed the most cherished one.

HOLY SPRING

We are on the threshold of a very meaningful season which marks a significant phase in the whole plan of salvation. The season of Lent as we know, is a time for renewal – ridding the old self and putting on a new self. I would like draw the example for renewal from the nature itself. If we just gaze at the trees we see them shedding off old and dead leaves and giving birth to the new ones. A tree that was looking bear and dead-like appears fresh, green, full of leaves, full of life. We call this phenomena ‘Spring.’ Lent has to become for us a Holy Spring. Lent has to be a time of death to old selves and rising in Christ on Easter Sunday. But this resurrection has to be preceded by conversion.

The Mother Church offers us a period of forty days to undergo transformation. A period of forty days is not to be taken as a conventional

number used to indicate a period of time necessary for actual preparation and maturation of an event of great significance. Thus the number forty was used to indicate the years that erring Israel had to spend in the desert before they were prepared enough to enter the Promised Land.

Often we might fall prey to the danger of marking lent by time. It may turn out to be a mere practice of the exhortations of the Church regarding the season. One may fast, pray and abstain for forty days and just await the forty first day to get back to old practices. I say, if all the fasting, praying and abstaining don’t lead to a deep conversion experience everything would seem useless.

So as we are about to embark on this beautiful season let us plan how worthily we can enter into the season. Let us plan each step we take with Christ on his way to Calvary. And may every step we take with Christ be a milestone we cross before reaching our conversion, because "conversion is resurrection."

I wish that all of us may be liberated from our iniquities just in time to have a real Easter experience, a death and resurrection experience.

THE SALESIAN CREED

We believe that God loves the young. This is the conviction which is at the origin of our vocation, and which motivates our life and all our pastoral activity.

We believe that Jesus wants to share "his life" with young people: they are the hope of a new future, and in their expectations they bear the seeds of the Kingdom.

We believe that the Spirit is present in them and that through them he wants to build a more authentic and human Christian community. He is already at work in individuals and groups.

He has given them a prophetic task to carry out in the world which is also the world of all of us.

We believe that God is awaiting us in the young to offer us the grace of meeting with him and to dispose us to serve him in them, recognizing their dignity and educating them to the fullness of life.