Lent Day 43: Making an ass of ourself this lent

“Don’t make a fool of yourself” is something we often hear in childhood. More than the fact that we have done something wrong or foolish, it is that we have embarrassed our parents or family. It could also be that we have acted in a way which is much below our age. So don’t make a fool of yourself could also be translated as “Don’t act like a child.” Yet, Jesus asks us to do exactly that when he reminds us that unless we become like children, we won’t enter the kingdom of God.

What all would the leaders have expected of a Messiah entering Jerusalem? A huge accompaniment of soldiers, armours, weapons, priests and people. But Jesus’ entry is in stark contrast to this. He comes riding a young ass (colt/donkey), as is mentioned in St. John 12:14, “And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it.” Nothing to be proud of and nothing to write home about. Was he making a fool of himself and the respectable society of the time?

Jesus’ entry is not triumphant if you look at it from the perspective of the Pharisees, Sadducees and other leaders. It is not a choreographed event which looks nice from the outside. It has embarrassment written all over it. But there is a crowd of disciples, children, women and men who welcome him with clothes, leaves and flowers. It is what they had and not what they had to get from somewhere.

Jesus’ act reflects several things. A leader does not have to flaunt wealth and force people to spend money on celebrations and welcomes. True celebrations are not pressured ones but which come from the heart of people. Welcomes should be done with what is locally available and, in this case, it was the ass and the leaves and flowers. Such celebrations should leave a good memory for people rather than a bitter feeling of loss of money and resources. Jesus’ entry energizes the people and upsets the leaders.

We live in a culture of appeasement and show offs. Our leaders expect great welcomes and spending of money. Chariots, decorated jeeps, latest cars, and blocked roads signify importance and power. Yet, Jesus did none of this. Perhaps his followers would have done it for him but he instructs what he wants on his entry into Jerusalem. Churches and leaders can learn humility, austerity and frugality from Jesus. Many festivals are conducted by blocking roads and disturbing people. The success of an event is measured by how far people are inconvenienced. This lent, we need to rethink this and follow the path of Jesus, seated on an ass, with minimum comforts and needs. Amen.

  

Lent Day 11: There is a child in all of us

We are in a hurry to grow up and our family, community, society and even church would like it if we grew up faster. Lot of encouragement is given to those who according to society, mature earlier or grow up fast or faster. Those who remain like a child are scolded and compared to those who have seemingly grown up. The pressure this puts on a child is unfair. There are also houses where one parent is missing or has some addiction and so a child or children are forced to take up the responsibility of the household at a young age. We also see around us children from deprived backgrounds who don’t have a proper childhood and don’t even get the opportunity for a decent education. 

Safe spaces for children are also limited and society is not too concerned about that. It is not only that children can’t just be children but there are so called adults who are looking for chances to misuse and abuse children, again leading to children being restricted and limited in their everyday life. On the other hand, children are also treated in a way that they know nothing and so always need the help, support and guidance of adults. Churches do not take children into consideration while devising their programmes and services. The language and style of a service usually does not suit children and yet no one is bothered about it and wants to do anything about it.

This is where we have to read St. Matthew 18: 3, which says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” It appears that Jesus is inviting our attention to the importance of children, who a child is and why we should be like children to enter the kingdom of heaven. We are asked to have a child like innocence, a child like attitude, a child like framework and a child like view to life. This is directly opposite to what happens in church now. We are guilty of trying to manner and force our children into our framework and our needs.

There are two things to look at and understand here. One, children in the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church are baptised while they are a baby. It is not just that they are given child baptism, but unlike other churches, they receive the Holy body and Holy blood of Jesus Christ right after baptism. There is no confirmation at a later stage and children can receive Holy Communion right from the beginning. Two, children in the church stand right at the front of the church for service. After the priest and altar assistants who are in the altar, the children occupy the premium position in the church. Both of these things suggest the importance of children in the church. They are perceived to know the nuances of Christian faith and the importance of Holy Communion right from childhood. They also stand in the front, suggesting that they are prime witnesses to our Lord Jesus. Knowingly or unknowingly the church already gives importance to children. The problem is that it is ignored at the time of implementation of the policies of the church.

I am also guilty as a priest of sometimes feeling irritated when children make noise and speak to each other during the Sunday service. But I realise during this time of lent that I need to change my attitude towards children during the service. We also need to spend more time with children to learn about the child like qualities that impressed Jesus. Along with this, churches and homes have to be child friendly, child oriented and child centred, which will make children more comfortable and happier. Let us become a child like church this lent. Amen.

 

 

Partnering with children to witness the birth of Christ this Christmas

St. Luke 2:12- This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.

The Santa Claus is coming to town lyrics is known in bits and pieces to many. It goes like this

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town

The lyrics of this popular song and the baby Jesus wrapped in bands of cloth in St. Luke 2:12 offer a different picture altogether during Christmas. Many a time we sing Christmas songs without thinking much about it and in this particular song poor St. Nicholas (Christmas Father) is made to look as some disciplinarian who checks whether children are good or bad before dropping off gifts for them. It is also a reminder of our own childhood when parents would force feed us with stories of some villain, thief or even crow coming and abducting us if we wouldn’t eat properly! 

It is interesting that adults use Christmas as an opportunity to discipline children when it should be a time when we look at what the young ones offer us for our spiritual revival. Jesus constantly reminds his disciples that they should become like children to enter the kingdom of God and today we are faced with the story of the baby Jesus to make that clear. Whereas in the Santa Claus song the children are told to be prepared and well behaved, in the bible story the shepherds are told about the birth of the Messiah as a child. After the announcement the shepherds are given a clue and a sign and told “You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth…” After the big declaration of the birth of the Messiah the sign given to the shepherds is of the child wrapped in clothes. For a first time reader this is a big shift in the story. A shift from hope to hopelessness. But the shepherds were experts at their job and God tells the angel to inform them about the Messiah born as a child because God expects something more from them.

The shepherds also perhaps had something special about them. Apart from the fact that they did not mingle with the main stream it could also be that the shepherds knew the value of a baby wrapped in bands of cloth. The reason here could be that the sacrificial lamb meant for sacrifice was also what the shepherds tended and they were given much care and even wrapped in clothes at birth. Jesus as a sacrificial lamb is also steeped in symbolism. So the shepherds know the value of a babe wrapped in clothes. It is something that makes no sense for a new reader though.

When we look more deeply this has a lot of meaning. On the one hand it means that we should value children so much and give them a stake in what we do because the Messiah or savior comes to the world as a child. Honoring children is honoring the Messiah and his birth on earth. This is where we are found wanting. Violence, abuse, wars and deceit is practiced in the world because we have grown up to the level of adults who don’t listen to God anymore. The birth of the Messiah has brought in an era of peace but we are not willing to listen to the Messiah because the Messiah is a child now. This Christmas we should start listening to and respecting children because it will lead to a safer and peaceful world. Instead children are most affected in wars and violence around the world. They suffer most in all forms as they are not valued by adults.

This has to change for us to have a better world. Christmas is a sign of the time that we have to become like children and we have to take care of children. Christmas thus has to become a child oriented festival rather than an adult oriented one. A child oriented festival won’t have power, money and authority as the main foundations of the festival celebration but will have innocence, trust and belief as the main foundations. Christmas is a great time to become small like a child so that we gain entry into the presence of the Messiah and also into the kingdom of God.

Our Christmas services are far from child friendly and instead are complex rituals which have no space for children. They are expected to keep quiet and behave so that St. Nicholas will be good to them and so that they will get gifts from their family. More space can only be possible if we transform ourselves into children and witness the birth of Christ as a child. Maturity and experience will lead to us missing the event of the birth of Christ because it cannot be understood by us. This Christmas we can start first by treating our children at home properly. They need to be respected and valued so that we will see the birth of Christ through them. The partnership of the baby wrapped in clothes and the shepherds gave the world the news of the birth of Christ. This should now become the partnership between us and our children whereby we can again experience the birth of Christ in our midst. Amen.

Picture credit- www.yourhomechurch.org

A prayer for child like innocence

Allow us God to revisit our childhood and experience the innocence that made us children. May this weekend offer wonderful memories of how carefree and tension less we were as children. Dear God, may we for a little time forget deadlines, EMI's and work pressures and lie down on your inviting lap to close our eyes and feel comforted with your warmth and love. Help us Lord to truly unwind and release the pressures which have made us inhuman and angry. Speak to us Jesus and remind us of the virtue of being child like instead of always being adult, cold and ruthless. Join us and play with us Holy Spirit with the light, pleasing breeze that you are so that in the midst of all our problems we will trust your wisdom. May we dilute our problems with child modelled plans of relaxation and recharge ourselves with adventure and excitement from you God. Amen.

Prayer for children

We seek your guidance God to be who we are meant to be and not what we are made to be. We look at you wherever we go not in planned and strict ways, but in freedom and without fear. We understand you in significant ways although others call it childish. Lord Jesus, you understood us so well to even question others during your time and you advised them to become like us and in so doing taught everyone what the kingdom of God is. We do not claim anything because we don’t even know what it is that we should claim. We can’t offer you anything because we don’t have much to offer in the ways of the world. We will not make tall promises of change because we are only learning what this world is. There is only one thing which we can say for sure and that is that we are happy because you have accepted us, just the way we are. We are small, don’t have jobs, don’t own anything and yet you accepted us dear Lord Jesus. We come to your presence knowing that you can make us feel the best. We are thankful for our parents, grandparents, teachers, family and friends. We ask that we may be guided and walked through by you so that however small and insignificant we may appear, we will always be seen with you and in you. Help us to live well and live in abundance with you God. Amen.

Handling truth

As a child I was kept away from reality
From the fire, water and the truth
Growing up in a vacuum of protection

As a teenager I learnt true and false, right and wrong
What I had to do and what I should avoid
The words that were absolutes and the others that were taboo

As a youth I re-defined what I was told
Broke them down and build them up again
Breaking free from a cage of responsibility

As I went further I realised that truth was what I thought it was
True one day and false the other
Worked up by one and denied by the other

As I live on each day, the only truth that gains visibility everyday
Is the truth I can handle in my own way
While I sort reality in shades of grey