Lent Day 30: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

Exorcism or expelling of an evil spirit is found in many religions, primal and other. There are also primal religious forms which have religious performances in which a performer becomes someone else for a while and gives oracles and opinions. Both have been misunderstand in mainline society and religion. Exorcism is done in vulgar forms leading to a life long scar for the person accused of being possessed by a spirit. Religious performances are not evil but religious expressions connected with nature and performed by tribals, adivasis and dalits. 

Despite this, mainline society is obsessed with stories and incidents of possession and evil creatures and people. So much so that all mainline religions are forced to provide religious solutions for such so called possessions. Some denominations even have prayers for it while others get creative and address the needs of the situation. Force and even threats and violence is used to tame the evil spirit. The atmosphere itself is scary and strange. Few people actually seek professional help and guidance of psychologists. 

The 1993 Malayalam movie “Manichitrathazhu” is perhaps one of the rare movies and civil society efforts to find a solution which uses the help of a psychology doctor and a religious priest at the same time. A sort of mutual respect. But the movie was successful in bringing out the serious issue of spirit possession and the ways it is dealt with in traditional societies. In St. Luke 4: 31-36, Jesus encounters a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon. But Jesus’ response is exemplary. The noise and big performance is put up by the man while Jesus is calm and assured. 

It is also interesting that the man with the unclean spirit was in the synagogue. 

Lent is a time when we can challenge many superstitions and wrong thoughts. People are not only concerned with people with evil spirits, but also houses which are possessed. Religious leaders are called in to pray and expel the evil spirits from the house and even building and land. The leaders then suggest change in position, change in main door, change in gate, and digging and putting prayed upon threads, stones and special items for the expelling of the evil spirit and for a change in fortune. 

Jesus did not do any of this. He called upon the spirit, asked it to be quiet and asked it to come out. He then asked them to not identify him and not say that he was the son of God. Lent should be seen as a time to cleanse our mind of such superstitious thoughts. Instead, we should get help for the concerned person by listening, spending time with them, assuring them and then identifying deep seated traumas and experiences which bring about these seizures and so called possessions. Lent is a time to tame, not by violence and superstition, but by touch and prayer. Amen.

Lent Day 12: Making money spiritual

One of the most difficult things in Christian faith is with regard to money, making of money and spending money. Jesus didn’t show any inclination towards money and towards making of money. His teachings were more in the direction of equality and justice and business was not a concern for him at all. Perhaps we can interpret some of his teachings to bring out some management principles, but not with regard to income generation. The early church was also least concerned with money and instead preached and practiced community living and sharing of resources. But things have changed now. We are all in need of money for practical reasons. So, it is imperative for us to understand what the bible says about money and the creation of wealth.

St. Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” The teaching is quite clear and yet needs some exploration. Mammon can be seen in different ways. Some church fathers saw it as evil and therefore something to keep a distance from. Others interpreted it as money or wealth and therefore said that we cannot serve God and money at the same time.

So, is it bad to do business and to work? We can’t say that at this point because it will lead to the collapse of the markets and economy. It will also lead to the compromising of jobs which in turn will put a burden on several families. So, working and doing business is fine as people will have the satisfaction for working for their bread/food. But it becomes problematic when people use their money to sway the decision making or the policies of the church, when money is used for purchasing seats, power and authority.

Everyone is equal in the church. Whether one is a business person, working professional, executive, doctor, lawyer, medical worker, small scale trader or daily wage worker, everyone is the same. Everyone is the same before the Lord’s table because the Holy body and Holy blood of our Lord cannot be purchased and bought. Repentance and humility are the only ways of approaching the table and approaching our Lord. But unfortunately, this is not the case in several churches and Christian communities. Money speaks, money matters and money sways.

Lent should be a time to correct this. Money should become spiritual, prayerful and helpful. Money gets value only when used to help the poor and needy and feed the hungry. Till then it is only paper. Many people ask for prayers before starting a shop, starting a business or project and starting a job. But that should also extend to the money and income already at hand. We should pray for the thinking, responsibility and social concern to make best use of the money we have.

I am not just talking about tithes and help for the church but how we can be of help to each other. It can also go on to having a fund for medical emergencies to which everyone contributes according to their ability and from which those having medical emergencies can take from. It is not to say that those who are rich should not have luxuries and buy what they want. But to say that money can only be related to God if it helps God’s people. Without this it is only mammon. And mammon could mean money or even evil.

Money can lead us in two directions. It can make us evil by making us think that money is the ultimate and only thing in life. Or, it can make us good by thinking that money is only a piece of paper which we need but which does not control our life. This lent, shall we pray over our businesses, jobs, shops, work and savings, income, investments, profits and salaries so that we put it to good use and make it spiritual, instead of evil and individualistic. Amen.

 

Without 'you' there is no 'me'...

Ferdinand De Saussure describes the phenomenon of binary opposites. For us to know what good is, there should be bad or evil. Or humans make sense of one thing, comparing it with another. This is the case with almost everything.
In the world today, we jump to conclusions with regard to religions, countries and people. They are always the evil 'other', whereas we are the good samaritans.
What we conveniently forget is that our existence itself is defined and due to those who we seek to demean. The story of the hero is spruced up by examples of courage in how the hero beats the villain. (It's again another sad thing that the heroine is not referred to!)
What comes out is the absence of a platform for dialogue and consensus. How can that happen when the picture of the hero itself will disappear once consensus is achieved? This way it is no wonder that we will keep constructing enemies in our fear for existence, as dressed up and constructed hero's.
This is one of the most unfortunate truths in the world today. Without 'you' there is no 'me'. It is supposed to be a romantic thought covered with love. But instead it is used as a dividing symbol covered with hatred.