Be Awake!

It's so darned difficult - to have to crawl out of bed at 6 am - especially when its cold and dark outside. The mind screams silently to snuggle back into the warm comforts of my bed but the alarm clock and the realities of a new day keeps telling me otherwise - Get up! Awake!

And so, begins the reluctant daily routine of most days - stumbling out of bed in the dark, feeling the cold floor beneath my feet and making my way to the living room to where the altar is. "One small step for man - One giant leap for mankind" - not!

As has been a ritual for a few years now, I light up the tea candles on the altar. Their soft light throws an ambient glow in welcoming the morning. I open the large sliding doors to the balcony. I watch the shadows of the night pass away with the coming of the dawn of a new day. It's a reluctant process, yet, a necessary one. To get out of dreams of the night and to step into the waking hours of the new day just dawning.

Which is all fine and good, but the truth is that modern life can be very unnerving, unfair and difficult for me and I suspect for most of us. I"d rather not be faced with the "truth" because truth hurts. It's painful, even though I know it is necessary for growth. So, unable and unwilling to face the hard facts of life, I choose to close my mind and instead let myself be led by gutter minds that spew out garbage at worse and which keep me forever sedated at best.

It's so contrasting with what Luke is saying in his epistle, chapter 12, verses 35-38 today:
"Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit" (v.35)

The Christian Community Bible commentary tells of "being wide-awake; to be concerned about tomorrow's world; being aware of the truth" (pg.153 - New Testament).

"Truth? What is that?" - a chilling reminder of Pilate's own words. Well, Aljazeera this morning hit me with these realities:

"Post-election violence in Kenya included rape"
"Wall Street gripped by uncertainty"
"UN warns of soaring unemployment"

While in the land of Truly Asia, as reported by Malaysiakini, it was business as usual:

"Internal Security Act - for I Simply Arrest",
"More graft", and
"Emergency motion on new Chief Justice rejected"

Pretty bleak news - right at the break of dawn. If my interpretation of Luke is at least half accurate, it's this - that he exhorts us to work, stay awake and carry out our mission. In other words, however depressing the world may be, however difficult the circumstances of our lives are, we are called to go above and beyond ourselves, but with God's help.

We have a duty to find out. We have a duty to seek the truth. We have a right to seek justice, freedom of information and genuine peace, in our land and in the world. That's clear. That's the mandate. That's OUR mission. Not someone else. Not just the government of the day. Not the next door neighbour even though he or she may well be the state councilor or member of Parliament!.

For, as the following words by Mother Teresa reassure us: “God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful”, even as Oscar Romero, the late archbishop of San Salvador reminds us that "We are the workers not the master builder. Ministers not Messiahs. We are the prophets of a future not our own. Amen."

Startling words. Scary even. "Workers, Ministers and Prophets. Of a future not our own." But, when I let those words sink in, it becomes a little clearer. Could that be another way of saying "Priests, Prophets and Kings" - our very own baptismal promises? I would like to think so.

If that's true, then we are here not merely for ourselves but for all those who are here with us now, for all those who come after us - our children and their children. For the nature that surrounds us and its environment. For our nation and all nations under heaven.

We cannot just remain anonymous, following the crowd, playing the safe game. Because eventually, just like fool's gold, that road will only lead us to destruction. And worse, the destruction of all that we care about and all that really matters.

I'm thinking of putting up a sign up in my room - "Worker, Minister, Prophet - Of a future not my own", just to remind me, every now and then.

Here's a little "gift": Get your own free pdf copy of Romero's book "The Violence of Love" from Plough books.

Human Trafficking

I was switching channels back and forth on my Astro remote control last Saturday night, the 4th of October, when up popped this movie on the Hallmark Channel 702, with this disturbing title: "Human Trafficking".

The 2005 tele-movie starring Mia Sorvino and Donald Sutherland is a composite story of a 16 year old Ukrainian girl, a single mother from Russia, an orphan from Romania and others who are caught in the ruthless web of human trafficking and sold as sex slaves in various parts of the world.

What I saw was enough to disturb my sleep that night. I was alternating between feeling raging anger against the perpetrators and utter helplessness for the victims. Until I figured I could rant and rave all day long and it wouldn't change a thing. Except raise my blood pressure even higher. So, I did some "research" and found out things I was maybe just vaguely aware of at best, and totally ignorant at worst. This is what I found, thanks mainly to Google and another local blogger, Miss Crankshaft.

Read the sheer extent of the misery brought on by human trafficking by clicking on the following link:

• Human Trafficking.Org
  

Malaysia isn't spared either. According to one country report, Malaysia is NOT only a destination country but also a source country for human trafficking. It is purpotedly controlled by organised crime syndicates. Now, does this mean that the many children who have gone missing in Malaysia end up like these unfortunate ones too? Like Sharlinie, aged 5, who went missing in January this year, and who has still not been found. Or has something even worse happened to them? Are they still alive even, given the circumstances? It's terribly shocking and numbing.

Tenaganita, the local NGO championing the rights of women in the country highlights this in detail on its webpage.

Watch this You Tube video by Free The Slaves.net

Co-incidentally, the gospel (the Good News) for 6th October was Luke 10:25-37, about the Good Samaritan. We can draw parallels between this biblical parable and real life situations like human trafficking. There is so much misery that is going on all around us while we go about our daily routine, mostly oblivious to us. Is it because we are too caught up with our own life situations? Is it because we are cocooned within our own comfort zones? Is it because we think this sort of thing doesn't happen around us? Is it because this sort of thing will somehow "defile" us?

Both the parable of the Good Samaritan and the news contained in the websites mentioned above testify to the stark reality this is indeed the kind of world we are living in today. The sad truth is that, however we may want to avoid it, evil is right here among us, in front of us, behind us. Like what one character in the movie mentioned: "the next victim could be your own mother, sister or daughter."

Hallmark may have reminded us of that reality. The Gospel may have pointed out what we we can choose to do or not in a given situation. We have been informed. What we do with it or not is our decision.

For comprehensive action plans and information on human trafficking and how you can help, go here.

"It is impossible to help another without helping yourself, or to harm another without harming yourself" - Anthony de Mello, in "the Prayer of the Frog".

Prayer and Fasting For India

This might be a bit late, but still better late than never:

YWAM (Youth With A Mission), an international movement of Christians from different denominations, is calling its 17,000 workers worldwide to join in three days of prayer and fasting from the 29th September till 1st October 2008 for the church in India as it continues to face violent attacks .

For more information on YWAM and its mission, click here and here.

Meanwhile, the executive body of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, has expressed its utter disappointment with the relevant authorities after a meeting in Bangalore last Friday, the 26the of September.

Maybe we could initiate the same wherever we are, in solidarity not only with the persecuted in India, but also for all victims of religious violence irrespective of their faith, wherever it may be happening even as we pray for those in India. Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". So, if we are not going down that path, what can we do then? We could go the opposite way and try - peacemaking.

The Catholic site New Advent gives a brief explanation for the term "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God."

Christianity Today offers more explanations on the term here, and you can find a detailed article by the Brethren Revival Fellowship here.

Listen to the One Song - A Song For World Peace and Togetherness here at You Tube. It's only 3 minutes long, and comes with a catchy melody and beautiful graphics.

A Plea for Orissa

The situation in Orissa, India is getting from bad to worse. The violence by groups linked to prominent Indian political parties, against the minorities especially Christians, have escalated since my earlier post on September 1, 2008. According to testimonials from someone I know in India, the appeals by church officials have so far gone unheeded. It's most commonly thought that the state and federal governments are both reluctant to act fearing voter backlash in the next elections.

The following You Tube videos shed some more light on the urgency of the situation in Orissa.

You Tube 1
You Tube 2
You Tube 3
You Tube 4
You Tube 5
You Tube 6
You Tube 7
You Tube 8
You Tube 9
You Tube 10
You Tube 11

Read here for more news and peace initiatives that have been attempted so far:

• ASSIST (ANS) news service report
• Behind the anti-Christian violence
  

What you can do:

Please write letters expressing your concern and request the authorities to:

• ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa;
• provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims;
• create a congenial atmosphere for peaceful civil coexistence; and
• bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

Send letters to:

Madam Pratibha Patel, President of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi , India ,

Fax: (91) 11-2301 7290 & (91) 11-2301 7824

E-mail: presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

Send Copies to:

1. Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minster of India

Prime Minster's Office, South Block

Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110 011, INDIA

Fax: (91) 11-2301 9545 / (91) 11-2301 6857

E-mail: manmohan@alpha.nic.in; pmosb@pmo.nic.in

2. Mr Naveen Patnaik

Chief Minister of Orissa

Bhubaneswar – 751001, Orissa , INDIA

Fax: (91) 674 253 5100

Email: cmo@ori.nic.in

3. Diplomatic representatives of India in your country.

4. Say a prayer for Orissa. Something like this: "We pray to you, Almighty God, that this senseless violence against all of your children, for whatever the reasons may be, cease. Give us, together with all people of goodwill both far and near, the grace to work to bring about peace to this disturbed land in whatever ways you are calling us to do. May we stop hurting one another in Your name. May we not continue to cause great harm to You by hurting Your own subjects. Help us to once again be one. Amen."

A Gentle Reminder from God Tube!

I have been checking out God Tube - a sort of a Christian version of You Tube on and off over the past few weeks. And, I find that they have some pretty good stuff worth watching like this one on the Figtree Video Choice bar on the right entitled "Mommy's Wisdom". It reflects what most mums are trying to say!

The one below brings back memories of the time when we used to act out this particular scene during Youth Camps a long time ago! Titled "Satan's Meeting" - it is an extended, modern take on the classic C.S.Lewis book "The Screwtape Letters" - which is a good read in itself.

Watching this brought home some powerful reminders for me. How careless I can become. How everyday "busyness" can lead me away from God. And what is really important in my life.

For more information on God Tube, go to their website here. The FAQ page is here.

Plea for End to Orissa India Religious Violence

I received this plea today from my grand-uncle, a Francisan O.F.M. Capuchin monk in India, on the current violence on Christian minorities in the state of Orissa. The message includes:

• the statement of the CBC of India,
  
• statistics of violence and damages,
  
• an appeal for justice and peace in Orissa,
  
• a sample protest letter addressed to Mdm. Pratibha Patel, the President of India which you can copy and edit before sending,
  
• background information on the violence in Orissa, and
• a list of sources and reliable websites with information to the ongoing tragedy.

The full story here:

COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF INDIA

Chairman: Bishop Yvon Ambroise, Episcopal members: 1. Bishop Mathew Arackal, 2. Bishop Gerald Almeida,

Exec. Secretary: Fr. Nithiya ofm.cap, Tel: +91-11-23366127 , Mob: +91-9868511018 , email: jpdcommission@gmail.com, nithiyas@gmail.com

From

Fr. Nithiya ofm.cap

Executive Secretary,JPD Commission
CBCI Centre, 1, Ashok Place ,
New Delhi - 110001

Dear and Respected Brothers and Sisters,

SUB: CBCI Commission for Justice, Peace and Development takes up the Orissa situation at the UNHRC - United Nations Human RIghts Council, Geneva through the help of Franciscans International

Greetings of Peace from Delhi .

In the past days, you must have received the details about the Anti Christian Violance in Orissa. On behalf of the JPD Commission, I sincerely thank you for the immediate response by sending emails, fax and signatures to the concerned authorities.

The Commission has circulated similar documents to all our international collaborators like Justice and Peace Commissions of other Episcopal Conferences, Pax Christi International, Franciscans International and Hotline Asia .

I am glad to inform you that the Franciscans International, which has Special ECOSOC status at the United Nationa Human RIghts Council(UNHRC), is taking up this issue in the UNHRC office in Geneva . The updated materials (attached) were circulated this evening (29th) to the Diplomatic authorities. Tomorrow (30th), this issue will be presented to the UN Human RIghts COuncil.

May I request yuou to continue to pray for the success of our mission of Justice and Peace. Kindly forward these information to all the your email contacts. In case you have not sent email or fax messages to the concerned authorities, please kindly use the attachment and do the needful.

Ever grateful to you for your kindness in this moment of crisis, I remain yours

Fr. Nithiya ofm.cap

Attachments:

A.. The updated statistics of destruction in Khandmal District. ( attached)

B. Appeal for Justice and Peace - material for sending fax,email etc. - Please continue to send them to the concerned authorities.

STATISTICAL DATA OF VIOLENCE AND DAMAGES

IN KHANDMAL DISTRICT, ORISSA , INDIA

24-28 AUG, 2008

1. Houses Destroyed – 4014
2. Killings - 26
3. Shops Destroyed in Raikia - 10
4. Convents - 4
5. Hostels -5
6. Institutions damaged -6
7. Priests, Rel. Attacked -6

Note:

1. These data are not full. The following data are only from one district of this state. Violence and destruction is still continuing in the place as well as in the nearby districts.

2. Most of the people, including priests, and nuns and laity have fled into the remote forests and are unable to come back to their villages for fear of their life.

3. All the people affected are poor villagers. All of them are tribals and Dalit people, oppressed and the most neglected people of the country.

Caution:

(Please keep the names of the individual persons confidential. Since some attacked persons names were given during the December violence, they and their relatives were targeted again in this violence)

B. AN APPEAL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IN ORISSA , INDIA

Protect Christian Minorities in Orissa - INDIA

A. SUMMARY OF THE INCIDENTS IN ORISSA , INDIA

Since 24 August 2008, at least nine people have been killed in unabated violence, four of them in police firing, in Orissa's Kandhamal district, as a backlash to the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. Another three persons were killed when their houses were torched in Raikia area. Two others, including a woman, were killed when a missionary-run orphanage was set on fire on 25 August. Another source, the Global Council of Indian Christians, has revealed a staggering number of 18 deaths.

The on-going carnage apparently targets the Christian community, mostly Dalits and tribals, in the Kandhamal district of Orissa and in several other districts including the state capital of Bhubaneswar since 23 August 2008. A large number of churches, houses, and vehicles have been torched by mobs in areas including Nuagaon, Udaygiri, Raikia, Phiringia and Baliguda since 24 August. A nun from the diocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar has been gang-raped in a separate incident before the building of a social service centre was destroyed.

As the carnage continues unchecked and death toll rising every day, innocent Christians in Orissa find themselves in a very precarious situation. Hundreds of Christians, priests, nuns and children have fled to the jungle in order to escape further attacks.

The state government was widely criticized of failing to uphold law and order in order to ensure the safety of Christian minorities in Orissa. At the end of his weekly general audience on 27 August, the Pope appealed to "religious leaders and civil authorities to work together to re-establish among members of the different communities the peaceful coexistence and harmony which always have been a distinctive sign of Indian society."

*** Please respond immediately ***

B. ACTION REQUESTED

Please write letters expressing your concern and request the authorities to:

• ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa;
• provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims;
• create a congenial atmosphere for peaceful civil coexistence; and
• bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

Send letters to:

Madam Pratibha Patel, President of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi , India ,

Fax: (91) 11-2301 7290 & (91) 11-2301 7824

E-mail: presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

Send Copies to:

1. Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minster of India

Prime Minster's Office, South Block

Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110 011, INDIA

Fax: (91) 11-2301 9545 / (91) 11-2301 6857

E-mail: manmohan@alpha.nic.in; pmosb@pmo.nic.in

2. Mr Naveen Patnaik

Chief Minister of Orissa

Bhubaneswar – 751001, Orissa , INDIA

Fax: (91) 674 253 5100

Email: cmo@ori.nic.in

1. Hon'ble Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu, Chairperson

National Human Rights Commission,

Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi , PIN 110001, INDIA

Fax: (91) 11 2338 4863

E-Mail: chairnhrc@nic.in; covdnhrc@nic.in; ionhrc@nic.in

4 Diplomatic representatives of India in your country.

C. SAMPLE LETTER

Madam President,

We write with deep concern over the communal violence that has engulfed many districts in Orissa since 24 August 2008. The target of the violence has been the Christian minorities, most of whom are tribals and Dalits. The ongoing carnage has resulted in the death of nine persons. A nun has been gang-raped. Many people, including priests and nuns have been injured. Their properties and places of worship have been vandalized. Hundreds, including Catholic school children, were forced to escape into the forests and live in fear and insecurity.

The uncontained violence in many districts of Orissa, which we understand to be a state notorious for a culture of communal violence in recent years, points out that the state government has failed in its duty to protect the lives of Christians. This violates their right to life and personal liberty – the very right enshrined in the Constitution of India (Article 21) and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR Article 6) to which the Government of India is a party.

It is time that your Nation State, which is a member of the UN Human Rights Council, honoured the commitment it has made to the United Nations on 19 April 2006, when a pledge was made for its candidacy to the UN Human Rights Council: India's commitment to "promoting and protecting human rights flows from the realization that in a truly pluralistic society, the growth and well-being of citizens can only be guaranteed through a culture of protection and promotion of human rights."

In this context, and with great urgency, we appeal to you, Madam President, to initiate suitable measures that:

• protect the rights, lives and properties of Christians in Orissa;
• provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims as per ICCPR Article 2.3.1;
• ensure a climate of peace and harmony in Orissa state so that people may live without fear; and
• bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

D. Background information about Orissa violence

In Orissa's Kandhamal District, the worst-hit region by violence between Hindus and Christians, the Christians are still nursing their wounds from the Christmas 2007 violence, with hundreds of them still live in a refugee camp in Barakhama. Majority of the destroyed churches, which exceeds 100, remain in ruins; burnt houses are still to be fully rebuilt. Kandhamal is a primarily tribal area, where Christian missionaries have worked for decades. Almost 20 percent of the district's people are Christians.

Fresh violence broke out following the killing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples in an ashram at Jalespeta in Kandhmal district on 23 August 2008. Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was killed by unidentified armed assailants despite the fact that he had supposedly reported threat to his life to the police 12 hours before his assassination. His killing has been widely condemned by various church leaders in India . While the government held Maoists responsible for the killings, the Hindu fundamentalist groups blamed Christians for the incident.

Tension ran high as the bodies of the slain were taken from Jalespeta to Chakapada, sparking violence when unruly mobs torched vehicles at Baliguda, G-Udayagiri and Nuagaon and damaged a police outpost and NGO offices at Nuagaon. Churches and prayer halls were attacked at various places.

According to local groups, the police have not given adequate protection. It is possibly due to the political climate in the state, where the ruling political party – Biju Janatha Dal – is being supported by Hindu fundamentalist groups. Hard-line Hindus accuse Christian missionaries of trying to convert illiterate tribal or Hindu villagers by alluring them with promises of free education and medical care, a charge denied by the missionaries.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the continuing violence, the administration has extended the curfew for an indefinite period from the Kandhamal district to sensitive areas, such as Phulabani, the district headquarters, Tumudibandha and Baliguda. Authorities have issued shoot-at-sight orders and police staged marches on 27 August in Kandhamal.

E. SOURCES FROM JOURNALS AND RELIABLE WEBSITES

- The Statesman

- The New Indian Express

- Asian Human Rights Commission

(http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/528/)

- Business Standard

(http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=332643)

- Voice of America (http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-08-27-voa14.cfm)

- Catholic News (http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804378.htm)

- Compass Direct News (http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idelement=5545)

- www.cbcisite.com

- http://orissaburning.blogspot.com/

You can also check out: The Indian Catholic for updates.

The Priest: A Prayer on Sunday Night

As it is Saturday evening now, with the Sabbath drawing near, this Michel Quoist prayer from his book "Prayers of Life" should help us understand our priests and emphatise with them a little better, especially when we have such great expectations from the "Men in Black"!

Tonight, Lord, I am alone.
Little by little the sounds died down in the church,
The people went away,
And I came home,
Alone.

I passed people who were returning from a walk.
I went by the cinema that was disgorging its crowd.
I skirted cafe entrances where tired strollers were trying to prolong the pleasure of a Sunday holiday.
I bumped into youngsters playing on the footpath,
Youngsters, Lord,
Other people's youngsters who will never be my own.

Here I am Lord, Alone.
The silence troubles me. The solitude oppresses me.

Lord, I am 35 years old, a body made like others, ready for work,
A heart meant for love, But I've given you all.
It's true of course that you needed it.
I've given you all, but it's hard Lord.

It's hard to give one's body; it would like to give itself to others.
It's hard to love everyone and to claim no one.
It's hard to shake a hand and not want to retain it.
It's hard to inspire affection, to give it to you.
It's hard to be nothing to oneself in order to be everything to others.
It's hard to be like others, among others, and to be one of them.
It's hard always to give without trying to receive.
It's hard to seek out others and to be unsought oneself.
It's hard to suffer from the sins of others, and yet be obliged to hear and bear them.
It's hard to be told secrets and be unable to share them.
It's hard to carry others and never, even for a moment, be carried.
It's hard to sustain the feeble and never be able to lean on the one who is strong.
It's hard to be alone,
Alone before everyone,
Alone before the world,
Alone before suffering, death, sin.

Son, you are not alone,
I am with you,
I am you.
For I needed another human vehicle to continue my Incarnation and my Redemption.
Out of all eternity, I chose you.
I need you.

I need your hands to continue to bless,
I need your lips to continue to speak,
I need your body to continue to suffer,
I need your heart to continue to love,
I need you to continue to save,
Stay with me, son.

Here I am Lord;
Here is my body,
Here is my heart,
Here is my soul.
Grant that I may be big enough to reach the world,
Strong enough to carry it,
Pure enough to embrace it without wanting to keep it.

Grant that I may be a meeting-place, but a temporary one,
A road that does not end in itself, because everything to be gathered there, everything human,
leads toward you.

Lord, tonight, while all is still and I feel sharply the sting of solitude,
While men devour my soul and I feel incapable of satisfying their hunger,
While the whole world presses on my shoulders with all its weight of misery and sin,
I repeat to you my "yes" - not in a burst of laughter, but slowly, clearly, humbly,
Alone, Lord, before you,
In the peace of the evening.