One of the eye catching pictures of Jesus that adorns many buildings and homes, is surprisingly not the one on the cross. It is one in which Jesus is holding out his hand. What used to be a cute picture in my childhood, is now a thrilling canvas of colour, pregnant with meaning, both silent and loud. What does it mean to be touched by someone and is it important at all?
While we are usually obsessed with the miracles of Jesus we forget a simple act which is always a part of the script. His touch would have meant much more than the miracle per se. Wouldn’t we feel happy if we were kept away from the main stream of life, and one day someone would come to touch us and bring us back where we belong.
Humans like to be touched when it matters. In joy and in bereavement we would appreciate a warm act of a loving touch. But somehow our attitude towards touch in society is skewed. If a man touches a woman or vice versa, whatever the situation, we like to judge it from our delicate glass house existence. Therefore, situations of happiness and sadness are left alone to find their way, isolated and deeply numb.
The church now faces the question, “to touch or not to touch?” The previous day’s poem suggests a scenario where constant isolation of people who are in need of God’s touch, will lead to them withdrawing into their own shell, leaving the church as a picture on the wall, a picture of a man with out stretched hands.
2 comments:
i'm a hindu, who studied in a christian school. whatever the religion, all creations only need love..the warmth associated with a caring, loving touch heals the soul..msg well brought out in the movie 'MunnaBhai MBBS'n his 'Jadu ki Jhappi !!'
Excellent comment. I agree with you. In the midst of all the violence and hatred the single most unifying factor, i.e., love, is never used. I remember watching Munna bhai MBBS and although the over all script was very filmy there were these moments in the movie when Sunjay Dutt hugged someone and I realised that I had tears in my eyes.
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