Indian Jesuit: Our people seek peace, harmony and unity in diversity
Mumbai (AsiaNews)
- "The vast majority of the Indian
people want to live in peace and harmony with all, and is able to do so. We
must work for the unity even in diversity", says Fr. Errol
Fernandes SJ, teacher and expert in communications and new technologies in an
interview with AsiaNews. After
the celebration of Pentecost, the Jesuit explains what it means for Christians
to "carry forward the missionary mandate", especially with a
government now led by Hindu nationalists. It
is important to teach young people "the rich tradition and culture of our
country," but also "to think with their heads." Below is an interview with Fr. Errol Fernandes.
The
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist party, will lead the
government in the next five years. We
have just celebrated the birth of the Church: As Christians how can we carry
out our missionary mandate? How do we proclaim
the Gospel?
The
first clarification that is required is about the 'missionary mandate'. It is
worded differently in the different Gospels. In the Gospel of Matthew in which
there is a clear reference to Baptism, the stress in that text (Mt 28:18-20) is
not as much on Baptism as on teaching people to observe all that Jesus has
taught. The teachings of Jesus in Matthew can be found in the five discourses,
but can also be summarised in his command to be perfect as the heavenly Father
is perfect (Mt 5:48). This does not mean to be flawless, but means instead to
be undivided in love. Thus the disciples of Jesus are to be undivided in love
or unconditional in love and are to teach others to do the same. In the Gospel
of John, the mandate is to be a mirror in which others will see themselves and
ask about the Christian "Who are you that you do these things and that you
do them in this way?" If as Christians and disciples of Jesus we can be
these mirrors, we will have brought the Gospel to all who meet us.
Jesuit
Fr Errol Fernandes, also has a blog : http://errolsj.blogspot.com/ with thousands of hits daily.
On Pentecost he posted "Our world, however, is still tongue-tied. Babel,
the parable of our first clash of cultures and failure to communicate, is more
than a mythic explanation of the differences among nations and languages. It is
an apt description of the human condition itself. We often do not understand
one another even when we speak the same language. We remain stymied by our
fundamental inability to accept the differences among us". Thinking of our current socio-political context, how should we respond to
these challenges?
India
is a country in which Unity in diversity is so wonderfully visible. The larger
majority of people are able to and want to live in peace and harmony with all.
It is often a few rabble-rousers who are responsible for disharmony and
violence and for the unwillingness to understand differences. This is what
causes unrest, conflict and strife. We need to work towards achieving unity
EVEN IN diversity. This means that we celebrate difference and can rejoice that
though we can be so different from each other, we can also be united. If we
strive for this goal, Babel (which is a symbol of confusion and disorder) can
become order and understanding.
How do you respond to the kidnapping of Jesuit Fr Alexis Prem Kumar,?
The Jesuit refugee Service (JRS) is one of the many ministries that the Society of Jesus is engaged in. The Jesuit is to be always prepared to life for or die for what he believes. Sometimes this means being kidnapped, and at other times it means other challenges that a Jesuit is called to face. The Indian Government has been involved in working towards securing the release of Fr. Prem Kumar SJ as has the Government of Afghanistan. The Jesuits in charge of the JRS are also working toward doing what is best in the circumstances. Our response must be to pray that in this situation God's will be done.
As Vice- Principal of St Xavier's College, how do you foresee the future of education system, especially with the proposed inclusion of Hindu scriptures in the syllabus?
There is tremendous scope to be creative within the Educational system and one can interpret history/religion in a variety of ways. While students must be taught about the rich tradition and culture of our country, they must also be taught to think for themselves. The Jesuits have been known as the School masters of Europe and will have a great role to play in the coming years with regard to policies and changes regarding education. We will need to write and speak about what we think so that different opinions and views are considered when changes are made.
What do you see as the challenges and concerns in the immediate future.
One of the best ways to face the future is to live one moment of one day at a time. This means not to have regrets about the past (though we can always learn from the past) and not to be obsessed with the future (though we can always plan). If one is willing to face the consequences of one's action, it shows that one has matured. In any and all circumstance one must be fearless.
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31/05/2020 13:05
04/08/2021 10:48
