The Pattas, our family name reminds me of our roots,our strong and proud Dalit Christian roots, for once we were no people, but God called us and made us God's people,sustains us to journey with God towards liberation and inspires us to be the channels of life. All those who share such experiences as ours are most welcome to join this blog and join hands in making liberation and freedom a reality to all those that are oppressed.
Food for thought, food for life and food for all, Good for thought, good for life and good for all, Said our thought, said for life and said for all, Live our thought, live for life and live for all.
Forgive us O God for we eat in greed,
For selfishness is what we breed,
Forgetting that sharing should be our creed, Forever we are insensitive those in need.
O God, the maker & the giver of life,
You have sent your son as bread of life,
Broken for us to save from death & strife,
Promising those that taste you, eternal life.
Is starvation swallowed up in victory of sharing?
Its sting, accumulation broken by caring,
Root of greed is uprooted in that sharing,
Food for all and life for all will be its bearing.
Key Verse: But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger.” 17 verse.
Occupational discrimination has been still a rampant phenomenon in India, and particularly in the name of caste and gender there has been unequal distribution of wages. Unequal treatment of workers at work, some occupations are being looked down and have been attached to caste-based works and work force has been divided and ruled by the oppressive ruling class in our society.
The Parable of the Prodigal and his brother, when re-read in out times of hunger and food security, it is surrounded around food politics. The younger son in a distant land, when he was dying of hunger thinks of his father’s house, his memory cannot but think of the plentitude of food the workers enjoyed there. The house of his father was an inclusive community where there was equal food for all at that house. No matter what the identity of a person is, what the work of a person is, if they are at father’s house, whether hired ones, temporary workers, permanent workers, day labourers, his own sons and even himself, all had the privilege of enjoying food, which was served equally and justly. Probably what the father and his son ate so was it for those hired hands in that house. All sufficient food was available for all those working at father’s house. No discrimination, no exclusion, no barriers, no boundaries, no gaps and no individualism, the bread was enough and was even to spare for all those working at that house.
This parable calls us to fight against occupational discrimination in our society today. There should not be any discrimination at work. Like the father’s house in the parable our Churches and homes should be examples where equality and sufficiency is maintained to all at work. When there is equality at work, there is peace and productivity at work. Give us today our daily bread is meaningful, when there is equal bread and sufficient breadto all at work, transcending all barriers. Equal bread builds an equal society.
II. Feasting Together Builds Inclusive Community
Father said, “…And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.” 23 V
Bishop VS Azariah, in 1910 Edinburgh World Missionary Conference in one of his speeches he said that ‘missionaries have always prayed for granting us thrones in heaven but have never given their chairs in their rooms to sit for us.’ This has been so, for most of the Christian mission engagements elsewhere, which is even practiced today. Most of us when people come in hunger, forget to address their hunger and have either prayed for those who are in hunger to be fed, or made hunger as the vulnerable situation for us to evangelize and show mercy and charity, and least of all have forgotten to feed them when they are hungry. By doing so, a hierarchical society is further made, with donor and receiver.
But the father in this parable, on seeing his son coming from a distant country in hunger, first of all addressed his hunger by ordering a grand feat of non-vegetarian dinner. Even though the son has asked for forgiveness, and expressed his unworthiness to be called as his son, long before he forgave him, he addressed the hunger of his son. By ordering a feast, father builds an inclusive community with the others over there. The father did not order to give his hungry son some left over food, nor did he give some snacks that were available instantly, nor took him to a restaurant for an individual private dinner. But the father organized a feast, where his hungry son was fed as well as the others in the community was also fed. I assume that every time a hungry person comes to this father, there would have been a feast for the whole of the community. By doing so, probably father was building an inclusive community, where the ethic was if one is hungry in the community, every one needs to feel for them and when is fed, every one in the community needs to be fed.
Therefore let our Churches and houses become the places where hunger is addressed not by mere prayers, nor by charity but by inclusivity and justice. Let us as individuals feel hungry, when one in our community is hungry, and let us make feasting for when the hungry are fed along with them.
III. Complacency A Threat to Inclusive Community
Key Verse: But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.” 29 V.
Complacency has been one of the manifestations of self-righteousness of our times, and has been a dire reality of Christian living. The ethos globalisation has always taught us to be self-content, self-satisfied and made us more individualistic and selfish, no matter what happens to the other in our own community.
In this parable, the younger son is projected as dying in hunger, the father as giving life out of hunger, and the elder son as depressed in anger. When the elder son saw and heard that there has been a feast at his home, he was depressed in anger for out of his complacent character, he replies his father in anger that he never has given even a young goat to celebrate with his friends. What was more pressing for this elder son was, when the property was divided equally between the two sons, the property where his father was, legally speaking the elder ones portion. Therefore, when his father on the return of his younger one threw a feast, it was from the elder’s portion that he cooked some beef for the community. And probably that did not taste good for the father shared from his portion. Complacency makes us not to share, and therefore frustration is shown. Complacency also made the elder one to further point down the allegations of the younger one, that he being hungry was his own making. Complacency breeds greed, and makes an individual excluded from the community living. Complacency made him to grumble that the father never gave a goat to be cooked for him and his friends.
In today’s context, it is high time that we Christians need to give up complacency in our lives. Our attitudes need to change, for sharing; caring and not alleging are all part of community and inclusive living. Let us give up our complacent nature, let our churches give up complacent nature and even let our missions give up exclusive and complacent attitudes. For today, complacency is the great threat of inclusivity. Complacency is the new aristocracy, which is a threat to inclusivity.
1. Logo Courtesy: http://www.lutheranworld.org/Images/LWF_Photos/Photos_Assemblies/Stuttgart2010/Logos/Assembly2010_logos/2010-Assembly_square-EN-448.gif
Reflection on Mark 6: 30-42 : Exploring the Theme of LWF Assembly 2010
“How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”38 V
India is home to the largest number of hungry people in the world, accounting for more than 20% of the total. [1]With rise on the inflation in the economy and with the adverse effects of climate change now being realized, food crisis has been a grave need for our times. The ratio of the food production and food consumption has been so glaring that the food produced is not enough to satisfy the needs of the common people. On the contrary huge amount of food grains are exported, which is part of the globalisation technique incorporated into developing countries. Therefore, the old famous saying once again comes to the forefront, ‘India has enough for its needs not for its greed’. With the greed of the few rich people increasing, the needs of the common people are not met. Local foods are now replaced by the fast foods and by tin foods that are imported. Organic food, where most of it is synthetic is slowly pervading the context of food today. What is the way out in the context of food crisis?
Jesus Christ in his times addressed food crisis, which has relevance for our times also. Jesus started preaching to the huge crowds that have been gathered near the shore, and had compassion of people for they were like sheep without shepherd, and began to teach several things. And when it grew late, his disciples informed Jesus to send people away to buy and eat their own food, for that was a lonely place and the hour has been already late. But Jesus immediately was conscious of their needs and attempted to solve the hunger of those people over there.
I. Jesus critiqued the culture of consumerism
When Jesus said to his disciples to give them something to eat, his disciples immediately replied, ‘are we to buy two hundred denarii’s worth bread and give it to them to eat’. Jesus by feeding the five thousand, critiqued the culture of consumerism, where buying from outside is its norm. The culture of consumerism is driven on the very value of profit, which makes the rich richer and the poor poorer and has no concern to the holistic good of the society.
II. Jesus made use of local recipes
When the disciples were more concerned about the cost of the food to be served, Jesus then enquired, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” The disciples found and said they had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus to feed the five thousand made use of the local recipes, the bread and the fish, which were the local staple foods normally people eat.
III. Jesus organised the people into groups
Jesus then commanded the people to be organised into groups by hundreds and fifties on the green grass there, so that the food will be served equally, probably meeting the needs of the children and women with a preferential option.
IV. Jesus broke the loaves and divided the fish
Jesus then took the loaves of bread and fish and looked up to heavens seeking the help of God, the baker of bread and the maker of fish, so that these local recipes would be shared among all people over there. Jesus did this to share among all with what they have, with the available local resources.
V. Jesus would have ordered the disciples to collect the remains
Jesus would have asked the disciples to collect the remains, which they did, and collected it in twelve baskets. This is to teach people there not to waste and to eat according to the need and not according to the greed.
In our times today we as Church need to teach our congregations on food management, food sovereignty, food security, to share, to remind our people to be conscious of the people in need and to make use of the local recipes and resources to combat food crisis. Time and again our churches have romanticised this passage and have described bread and fish as spiritual food to be given to all people around, and have least been bothered about the needs of those people who are hungry and with out food. It is said that “Bible is not a cake to be taken on occasions but is a bread that is to be eaten daily”, and have been self-content with such reading of Bible every day, without living according to it. When we pray daily as “Give us today our daily bread”, this prayer reminds us that we need to be conscious to the needs of those without bread and food, and our prayer needs to be translated into actions. Let us all strive to make our ‘bread of life’ more relevant by sharing food with those that are hungry.
[1]Times of India, Dec.12, 2008
2. Logo courtesy: http://www.lutheranworld.org/Images/LWF_Photos/Photos_Assemblies/Stuttgart2010/Logos/Assembly2010_logos/2010-Assembly_square-EN-448.gif
In our times, when theological articulations and missiological enterprises are more explored in new vistas, in creative panoramas and in modern and post modern methodologies, it is not an over statement to express that our memory towards the contributions of significant people in the history has been slowly fading away. Our generations today subscribe to the saying ‘live the today, forget the past and forego the future.’ Personalities who have toiled for the mission of God in the past are either neglected or even forgotten from our memories.
9th July has been a significant day in the pages of the Indian mission history. Some Churches in India earmarked this day to ordain their pastors and some Churches celebrate as ‘Mission Thanksgiving Day’ on the 9th July. But I am afraid, whether the same is celebrated today in all enthuse and commitment as it was thought of. In our seminarian days, I remember on this day, we were sent to different denominational Churches to speak about the ‘mission day’, explaining the significance of the day. You may ask, what is so special of 9th July? I believe the whole Protestant Christians in India cannot forget this day, for it was on this day the first Protestant missionary to India, Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg arrived at Tarangambadi, now know as Tranquebar in South India in 1706. It was the day of the arrival of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to India through the Protestant missionaries and ever since then, the seed of Christianity, which like mustard seed grew into a huge tree, giving shade and solace to several people across the country. Thanks to all the contributions of Ziegenbalg, for his untiring and sacrificial missional engagements he had made, despite several hardships and hurdles. Ziegenbalg celebrated his 24th birthday on the very next day of his arrival in India, and I imagine probably he had to thank God for his life in a foreign land with out any friends as a stranger. However, in a span of 13 years he had had made an indelible impact in the lives of the people in India and breathed his last in 1719, at the age of 34 years. The young, the bold and the vibrant Ziegenbalg will continue to live in our midst with all his dynamic contributions. We need to thank God for the life and witness of Ziegenbalg and we all need to rededicate ourselves to participate in the widening and deepening of the reign of God here on our earth and in our times.
My only prayer is that our Christian nurtures need to include the mission contributions of Ziegenbalg in our curricula, for our children can get inspired and challenged by his efforts for the mission of God. Ziegenbalg continues to be a young icon in the world of mission, and let us all join in thanksgiving to carry forward the rich legacy of his service to the next generations. Jai ho Ziegenbalg!
