Speak, Listen & Communicate Peace: Pentecost Perspectives

The celebration of the festival of Pentecost as per the Christian liturgical calendar, which also begins the observance of the World Week of Peace in Palestine Israel (WWPPI) from 28^th May to 3^rd June 2012, happens in the context of growing unrest in Palestine, with the threat of ‘occupation’ intensifying, with displacement, dispossession, and discrimination on the rise, with peace in Palestine Israel becomes a distant reality only to witness the records of human rights violations growing by leaps and bounds. The struggles of the people in Palestine knew no bounds, for they have become prey to several vicious forces like Zionism, fundamentalism, oppression, political tyranny, etc. fighting hope against hope that there would be better future for the generations to come, where freedom and liberty would over-arch their children to live life.

In such a context, the first Christian Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2 provide us a challenge to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, to stand in solidarity with the voices around, the voices which have been unheard all these years. The first Pentecost happened at a time, when there was fear, peace-less-ness, timidity, and perplexity among the disciples of Jesus Christ. At that very stroke of the Pentecost, as the resurrected Christ ascended into heavens, the Holy Spirit poured down, the disciples of Jesus Christ came open and the Church went out. One can decipher three important challenges from the early Pentecost, which have a tremendous relevance to our settings today.

a.      Pentecost is a challenge to speak in other’s language

When the Holy Spirit came down as a violent wind over the disciples of Jesus, they all began to speak in other’s language as the Spirit gave them ability (4v). To speak in other’s language, one needs to know that language, for only then they can add meaning to those words they speak. The miracle of Pentecost was that the disciples were able to communicate in other’s language, which was a surprise package to all those in Jerusalem. Communicating in a foreign language is only to build a community of friendship and peace, for those very syllables of a new language becomes the sprouting seeds of establishing a community, transcending boundaries of every kind. Speaking in other’s language is a first step in comprehending the struggles of those others, and there by voicing it out for the benefit of all over there. Language represents the very ethos of that particular community, and speaking it out is a stepping stone in expressing solidarity with those speakers of that language. In our context today, the challenge for us all is to speak the other’s language to join them in voicing out for their cause. Let us resolve to speak in the language of Palestinians, their cry for freedom and their cry for justice. The call by Palestinian Christians to ‘Come & See’ is an opportunity to witness their struggles so that we can learn their language and pain.

b.      Pentecost is a challenge to listen to one’s native language

The Holy Spirit not only convinces to speak in other’s language it also challenges people to listen to one’s native language. Most times our listening has been pretentious and peripheral. The message of the gospel, the message of peace comes to us in our native language, for the miracle of incarnation lies in the word becoming flesh, and we need to receive it.  All our learning of theology, affirmations of faith have only been transliterated and are not translated according to our particular contexts, and therefore the challenge is to speak in other’s language and convert it to our own language, in situations of pain and suffering. Gospel of peace listened in a local dialect has more meaning and relevance for one gets challenged to apply it in one’s life. When can people listen the gospel of peace in their native local languages? When people assert in their localness, when one can understand the pain and pathos of the local communities, when one is challenged to communicate that word has become flesh, one can listen to the still small voice of nativity. In these days of increasing foreignness in our thought pattern and language, our local communities are deprived of listening to their native languages, and are even forced to think that their native languages are unpolished and unrefined, and even branded them as ‘uncultured.’ In the context of Palestinian struggles, let us support the local language of Palestine, and make the people in Palestine Israel to assert their localness and to listen to the gospel of peace in their local language. As global community we need to advocate for the rights of these our friends, and be in support of their local initiatives of freedom and justice.

c.       Pentecost is a challenge to communicate your conviction for peace

On that Pentecost, when the disciples were speaking in tongues according to the measure of the Holy Spirit, the visitors there thought that these disciples were drunk. Peter then had to stand up firm on his toes along with his other colleagues, for this was the first opportunity for him to affirm his faith and conviction in the risen Jesus Christ and had to boldly defend their conviction in the gospel of peace in Jesus Christ. Peter spoke so eloquently, so inspiringly and so passionately, that on that single day the Pentecost could witness some three thousand people adhering to the values of Jesus Christ. Misconceptions these days are on the rise, rumours, blaming and branding have become the norm of the day, for the ‘survival of the fittest’ has its day. In such a context, Pentecost challenges us to get inspired to communicate our conviction for peace, which would require critical analysis of the context and a deeper knowledge of the situation, for it is peace of promoting life are the virtues that would rule our assessments. In the context of Palestine, there have been several misconceptions and brandings on these our friends, where even Scriptures have been thoroughly used in maligning their image for freedom and justice. This day of Pentecost should challenge us to overcome all those camouflaged images and should challenge us to communicate our vision for peace in this land and elsewhere. Peter was not alone when he stood up to speak his conviction, the rest of the eleven disciples stood along with him and they could convince people on the gospel of peace in which and in whom they have believed.

Let us all therefore resolve to pray, educate and advocate for peace in Palestine Israel, and the day of Pentecost is an opportunity to make this day relevant and appropriate. May God empower us all with Holy Spirit.

Chirp for the Sparrow and Tweet for the Sparrow

A childhood musing on a Sparrow 

It was a summer holiday time at home, I was about 9 years old, and as children we were all playing carom board till later very night, so had to get up late in the morning. That morning, it was still very early; the sun is still to show forth its ferociousness, a cousin of mine runs home to say that a small bird, which in Telugu we say picchuka (house sparrow) fell on the ground hurt, and is battling for life. In no moment, the news spread across our friends circle, and all of us gathered there to witness that bird, in its dying moments. Some suggested giving that bird some water to drink, some others brought burnol to apply to its wounds, some said we shall sprinkle some face powder on her body, someone whispered why don’t we rush that bird to one of our neighbouring uncle who is a veterinary doctor for some first aid, some even did not forget to say that we better share it with our pastor uncle for some prayers of healing. The little tiny bird was counting its breath; the gathering of our friends was bulging in making efforts to save that tiny one. The bird’s right leg was bruised badly with oozing of blood around, her eyes becoming still, winking them in a very slow pace on and off. The just woke up faces of all our friends were turning blue to see her pain. Even the house elders in my cousin’s home came to enquire whats happening in that back yard of their house. On knowing that it was a dying bird, they thought it was a ludicrous matter and gave no heed to that bird. On the other hand they even thought that the children are crazy for their surrounding the dying bird.

As the day light crawled out, darkness crept into the bird’s life. The sparrow breathed her last, as her winking eye stood still, her bruised leg stopped shivering and her body started to become cold. The tiny beautiful sparrow is no more is the news around. We the children folk became silent, for some tears rolled on our cheeks, some of our elder cousins regretted that they couldn’t save the bird for all of their efforts turned vain. There was resentment among them, sadness among all of us, the bright sunny day turned to be a very gloomy day for all of us. In such disappointing situation, everyone started to pay their last respects to that beautiful darling. And one of our cousin said, this beauty deserves a decent burial at least, for in her dying moment we anyway couldn’t give her life and said let us bury this tiny sparrow, and try to bring dignity to her death and to the bird herself.  What was a burial, and who should perform it and how should it be done??? Lots of questions puzzled around. The elder cousin instructed some of us to pluck flowers from our neighbourhood, some he said to get the worn out candles, which we used during the night at power cuts. By then the elder cousins dug a small grave for the bird, and brought a brick to lay over it. When again all of us re-assembled, our elder cousin brought our hymn book which had both the songs and the liturgy for a funeral. We all sang the song in Telugu “Till we meet…” and then he read out the prayers from the liturgy. The bird was now placed in that grave, and as he read out ‘from dust we came, to dust we go’ all standing there put some mud in the grave and finally the brick was placed on top of it. They then instructed to place the flowers and the candles on top of that grave. For all the children there, the bereavement made an imprint on our lives that we couldn’t save that tiny sparrow and bring it to life. We all bid our farewell to that beautiful sparrow that day.

Sparrows have become rare, keep them in care,

For the earth cant spare that, for it only scares

For they make a scar on to God’s creativity

Lets join to preserve the biodiversity

And keep up the creations integrity

“Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.” Prov 26: 2

Raj Bharath Patta

World Sparrow Day 2012

 20^th March 2012