It is often
said that ‘truth hurts’, or some
others would say that ‘truth is the
greatest offender.’ If we were to argue intellectually we would vehemently
deny the fact but if we genuinely become aware we would see how often we
attempt to defend ourselves and our points of view just because we do not want
to challenge our conception of truth. Truth pricks the very core of our self.
It shakes the very foundation of comfort zones that we have laid for our life.
Openness to truth demands of us to let go of ourselves, our past knowledge,
ideas, attitudes, behaviours, ways of thinking, and so on that we hold very
dear to us. Hence, we do not like to
take bitter pills rather we prefer to live in the sickness of ignorance and die
with it
.
The Community
of Divyadaan, the Salesian Institute of Philosophy, Nashik staged the musical
entitled ‘The Promised Land’ on the first and second of August, 2015. The
musical reiterates the Exodus Journey of Israelites – God liberating them from the
bondage of the Egyptian Pharaoh to the Promised Land. The play was simply
fabulous. People were amazed to re-look the exodus journey with the new set of
spectacles. Thanks to the people in and back the stage who did an awesome task.
In the second day I chanced to encounter an army gentleman (belonging to other
faith) during the interval and soon entered into a profound conversation which
made a deep impact in my life and I would like to share with you all.
I just inquired why he didn’t ask any of his friends from the camp to accompany him.
What he replied marveled me. (My humble attempt to put in his own words), ‘I did
not bring anyone because their minds are different and more so my friends
belong to other faiths who fear even to hear the name of Jesus because he is
such a holy person. The reason of the fear is that most of us human beings are deeply
wounded in so many ways and taking the name of Jesus would mean – a challenge
to CONVERSION from our old ways of living. It would mean a call for HEALING
which demands of us to look deep within for the cause of our sickness which in
fact is not easy because we do not want to see who we really are. It would also
mean a call to CHANGE which is the toughest thing because we have set up a
particular pattern for our life which ultimately determines us. People once
acquainted with the dust, they prefer to live with it than to change.’
Moreover, he added ‘Most of us have the tendency to ignore or avoid the people
who challenge us the most because those people open up our filthy wounds of
inner life which we do not want to see because we do not have enough strength
and courage and we end up thinking that there is no cure for it.’
A few minutes
of deep encounter can alter the whole scenario of thinking and push one for
further reflection. The man had something very profound to convey to me and
perhaps to each of you through me. We might have read or heard the Bible over
and over again and it is quite possible that we might have become deaf to those
fiery words. People who hear it for the
first time are greatly disturbed because of its piercing effect into their
hearts. But we who are Christians perhaps become indifferent to those words and
the name ‘Jesus’ has become just another word, it does not evoke anything in
us. The word of God constantly beacons us to Conversion from our old ways of
living, Healing from our narrow-mindedness and Change for better but we never
pay heed to it. Though our lips profess our faith but our hearts and minds are
miles apart from it. How often do we not act like those Israelites in the
wilderness, though God has set us free but instead of taking responsibility and
living good life we prefer returning to our old ways of living. People of other
faiths fear the name of Jesus so to bring them closer to Him let us proclaim
Him by living the name of Jesus.
Romanius Barwa
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