Gandhi Jayanthi: An opportunity to see God expressed in the midst of hunger

Bible passage: St. Mark 2:23-28

The disciples of Jesus are seen plucking heads of grain and the Pharisees complain to Jesus asking whether it is possible to do this on a Sabbath? In Jesus’ reply he reminds them of the story of David and his followers who eat the food meant for priests during the time of priest Abiathar, even though the food was meant only for priests. In a significant statement Jesus says “The Sabbath was made for human kind and not human kind for the Sabbath.”

What must have been the problem of the Pharisees who pointed out a rule to Jesus? The problem was simple. The disciples of Jesus were breaking the rule of their religion. The difference between religion and spirituality is something for us to ponder upon at this juncture. We can use this to identify the difference between religion and spirituality. Religion can be said to be the belief in someone else's experience while spirituality is having one’s own experience, religion shows you the truth while spirituality lets you discover it and religion makes you dependent while spirituality makes you independent. Even today we go by rules and not by spiritual conduct. What is it that God wants for God’s creation? Isn’t it the fact that we must love each other just as God taught us, and doesn’t love involve sharing food and feeding one another?

October 2 is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanthi because it is Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. The father of the nation has remarked “There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” There is a truth in this that can be linked to the above passage. The Sabbath or a Sunday service can be seen as a day to fast and not do anything else for the rich because they can afford to do it. But for the poor fasting is extension of their poverty. The disciples were poor materially but rich spiritually. The Pharisees were rich materially and poor spiritually. Jesus is leading us to the spirituality of the poor where being poor will make us rich. Fasting can be effective only when it hurts us. Otherwise it is only a life style choice done out of abundance. Sunday’s in church should not just be a set of rules of what we cannot do but should lead us into thinking what we can do.

Today we again get an opportunity to clean up our act. It is not only to clean our surroundings but to clean our mind of prejudices and wrong notions. The communion in the church is not thinking how to prevent people from coming to receive the Holy body and blood of Christ, by talking of rules and barriers but to ask people to come because the poor can become rich in the act of sharing food. Through communion we are getting the idea of going out to the world and reaching out to the poor and sharing our resources with one another.

Food is God’s love made edible. We must worship God by loving one another and sharing what we have with one another for the sake of God’s kingdom. Jesus tells us in John 13:34-35 “Love one another as I have loved you.” The Sabbath or a Sunday is not a rule but an opportunity. Eating food is a right and not a luxury. Staying away from communion will also make us stay away from sharing and feeding. Our children will also not understand why it is important to be hungry so that others may also eat.

A father who was aged was once shifted to a smaller table in the house by his son because the father had lost the capacity to eat properly according to the rules in the house, often dropping food on the table and the floor. The old father was given food on a separate table in a separate wooden bowl. The son then one day sees his child making a bowl and when asked the child answers that he is making a wooden bowl. The father asks him why and he replies that he is getting one ready for the father to use when he gets old, just like the grandfather. The person realizes his mistake and shifts his father back to the main dining table during meals. In the process of being clean and “swach” we must not lose track of the basic lesson in our spirituality of sharing what we have with one another.

This story and the story of Jesus and his disciples along with the quotation of Mahatma Gandhi speaks volumes to us. Being clean is important and making our surroundings clean is also important but making people see God through the sharing of food is even more important. Jesus’ disciples see and experience God in their act of plucking heads of grain. The Pharisees on the other hand quote rules (cleanness) and in the process lose sight of God. Even as we try to grow spiritually may we never lose track of God expressed in the midst of poverty and hunger. Amen.

From Gandhi-giri to Goonda-giri

India is a place of the opposites embracing each other. The richest and the poorest have their own take of the much hyped government budgets, single God’s and multiple God’s are worshipped, parched lands are replaced by water soaked soil in a matter of a few kilometres and loud noise is challenged with a louder silence. Gandhi Jayanthi this year is placed in this context of opposites.

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation did inspire a whole nation into freedom with a lesser known tool of ahimsa (non-violence). Today as we celebrate his birth we are caught up still between the confusion of violence and non-violence. Raj Thackery in his latest piece of news making has asked the producers of the Hindi movie “Wake up Sid” to apologise for the usage Bombay instead of Mumbai. Obviously the producers were quick to do the same in fear of the film release being stalled by a bunch of goons. It is amusing that no one asks for an apology from politicians for denying basic rights to the poor and powerless of this country!!!

Mayawati is also not doing the dalit cause any favour by spending public money to install thousands of statues all across Uttar Pradesh. There is a strong argument that these statues are a reminder of the resistance that the poor are putting up against the upper castes. But wouldn’t it be better to bring a better understanding of resistance by assisting people to have food on their plates and change their destiny?

Gandhiji dreamt of a single, united India. Many have pointed out that this was a hollow dream as this single united India would also mean keeping people at the same level they were. The scope for being what one wanted to be was perhaps eluding the ordinary people of this country. But one cannot forget the power of non-cooperation and non-violence. The freedom one gets by not doing and being silent.

But for some reason India today is a reflection of violence rather than non-violence, goonda-giri rather than Gandhi-giri. A rule of violence over and above peace. Pakistan is a constant irritation and Indians mistrust their neighbour and don’t see the country on equal terms. The hurry to inflate the India bubble, which is honestly outrageous, brings us into direct confrontation with China and we are deeply enraged with the so called incursions that China is undertaking in the North east part of India. Kashmir is a continuing cause of concern and violence is unleashed every now and then. A new threat in the form of naxals suggests that there is a growing un ease with the way India is conducting itself. Violence is being met by violence with heavy consequences.

I wonder then whether Gandhi Jayanthi is just another day, a holiday, a time to remember the Mahatma, who is maybe much talked about outside India rather than inside, with the U.S. president mentioning that he would have liked to dine with the Mahatma if given a chance. Is there a chance for peace in India? Are we boiling with a violence inside which makes us fight one another and those outside? Surely Gandhi is not going to answer that. We should!!!