True Message of Christmas

The True Message of Christmas

(Published in Central Chronicle, Bhopal Dec. 23, 2009.)




              Christmas is the commemoration of the Birth of Christ that took place more than two thousand years ago. December 25 has been celebrated, as the birthday of Jesus Christ, and Birthday, whose ever it may be, is always matter of great joy, We start the preparations for Christmas around thirty days before the actual day. There is lot of decoration done, we clean and decorate our houses, send greeting cards to our near and dear ones, prepare a crib and off course, participate with full devotion in the liturgical celebrations. Often on Christmas day we invite our friends and relatives for a sumptuous meal to share our joy. This is what we normally perceive what the Christmas is, but is that all, the Christmas is about?


Christmas is not just an event of celebration, something celebrated outwardly. It’s a great event not only in the life a Christian but in the history of salvation of whole humanity. It’s not only the commemoration of the birth of Jesus in a manger at Bethlehem, but it’s an event that marks coming down of God Himself to meet humanity, to live among best of His creation, the human beings, so that they give up their evil ways turn to God and to be saved. It is an event when God’s love towards humanity crossed all boundaries. The “Days of Advent” are given to us not just for decorating our houses, but also to decorate our hearts and prepare ourselves internally as well as spiritually. God’s decision to dwell among humanity humanity, is an invitation for all of us to turn towards God. God loved the world so much that He gave His only son (Jesus Christ) to save all human beings, and to teach us to love one another. Now it is our turn to do our part.


Is there any religion that teaches that loving one another is sin and harmful hence should not be practiced? Has God ever asked a person to do something that is impossible for him/her? The only true message of Christmas is this: God loves us unconditionally, so much so that He sent His Son Jesus Christ, who died as an innocent victim on the cross for the sins of whole humanity. In return, God does not want from us anything extra-ordinary but only that, we should love Him and one another sincerely. Ultimately, God would want that the whole humanity, whom He has fashioned out of His Eternal love and creativity, live in peace and harmony. That’s why he came down as “Prince of Peace.”


Today, the world is facing a lot of challenges. Peace seems a rare commodity; peace within individuals, peace with the nature etc. There is lot of turmoil and disturbance in the world. People, instead of loving one another, are bent on to shedding the blood of one another in the name of caste and creed, for selfish motives. The other person has become just an object to satisfy one’s desires. Will the god of any religion want that this world should be flooded with one another’s blood? Will God, whom we call by whatever name want that human beings should not love one another? The real Christmas or any festival for that matter, will be meaningful only when we realize that God loves us unconditionally and so we also should love one another. So let’s try to understand the real meaning of Christ’s coming into this world (Christmas) that is, God being born not in a manger but in the hearts of whole humanity. Let us turn to God, love Him, and love one another.



- B. Johnson Maria

Who will hear their plea?

Who will hear their plea?

(Published in "Free Press" Indore, Weekend special issue on 27 Dec., 2009.)

We are free citizens of free India. We all have equal rights and duties carved out for us by our forefathers in the form of constitution of our country. There are also laws that are created to protect the rights of each one of us and laws to remind us of our duties. It’s all very easy to say, and very pleasant to hear that ‘we all are equal,’ but is there somebody to tell this, to all, that we have equal rights? “What is there to tell to all, it’s all there in our constitution,” one would say. Nevertheless, here question arises, do all citizens of India have a copy of the constitution and are able to understand it? Majority of India dwells in villages, with which also dwell the poverty, illiteracy and many other evils that should have been disappeared by now, had we worked all together to eradicate them.

The situation is like that of a vulnerable person having a machine gun for his protection, but nobody has taught him to operate it. Will it do any good to him? Will it really protect him from the dangers for which it is meant? Today, millions of our brothers and sisters, in the form of poor, dalits, tribals, illiterate, down trodden, marginalized and minorities hold this weapon of their rights, but there is nobody who knows to operate it and willingly ready to impart his knowledge to them.

Poor tribals, whose land gets snatched by the powerful, don’t have anyone to speak for them. Poor slums, dwelling in the outskirts of the cities, give altogether a different picture of our country – the golden bird. It is not that our governments sit with closed eyes towards them; there are hundreds of schemes to bring them up, but who is there to tell them about these schemes? There are innumerable poor and weak people who are thoroughly exploited by the stronger sections of the society, but there is nobody to tell them that our forefathers never wanted this all, that’s why they gave us sure protection in the form of our constitution, but who will strengthen them to fight for justice? Government is doing a lot for them but we should never forget that even the government consists also of the people who have their own pockets too.

The media will readily cover the news of a celebrity having headache, or buying a new car or a Netaji attending a marriage party, but it won’t cover the news of the people in far interiors being exploited, people being deprived of education, only because they are far from cities. The media cannot reach there because there are no proper roads, the ministers cannot reach for the same reason. A lawyer, who is well versed in the law, will not prefer to fight for the cause of the poor and downtrodden, because they do not have enough to pay him. He needs his fees and ‘legal charges.’ If the government turns a deaf ear towards the millions of tribals, dalits and weaker sections of the society, if media closes its eyes to their pain and exploitation, if people who know the law and rights but do not impart the knowledge to the ones who need it most, then who will hear their plea and who will fight for them, or enable them to fight for justice?

- B. Johnson Maria

Your Best Friend!

In this world of machines, when you feel human,
To share humanness, when you need someone,
When realize you’re lonely, lost and depressed.
Dull and discouraged, and need to be refreshed,
When you find, you’re in dark and need a light,
Defeated and rejected, feel unfit to win the fight,
When you find none to listen, and none to share
When all leave you, leave you without care,
You look for a place to sit in calm and peace,
Look someone with whom to share that peace.
I know a person, who can be your best friend,
Who’ll share your joys and sorrows, such friend,
The best friend is within you, that’s your “Self,”
No greater support but, you the greatest help.
Go with your self, sit and chat, share and care,
You’d realize, never realized before, he’s there,
Listen to him, tell him and seek his guidance,
“Self” is your own Guru, feel the renaissance,
Talk to your “Self”, listen to him frequently,
You’ll be good, better, and best consequently.

- B. Johnson Maria

Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkatta

True Messenger
(A Tribute to Mother of Kolkatta)


Commuters running up and down,
A living corpse, I saw in town.
Gaunt figure, with body bleeding,
Worsened by the clouds’ drizzling.
A dying leper, mercy imploring,
Human statues, callously walking.
He could foresee, his nearing end,
Why? Why did God not aid send?
That frail’s life, was full of dark,
Waited and waiting, for a pitied hark.
As death was nearing, I saw a hand,
He felt himself, elated from sand.
A wrinkled figure, clad in white,
Came in the dark, to spread the light.
She wiped his wounds, with a smile,
“Receive God’s love, my dear child.”
A true messenger of divine love was she,
Appointed to fulfill His plan to free.
On wrinkled face, the grace I could see,
That bade me; mother of Kolkatta was she,
Nay, of Kolkatta, but of the world,
Who brought in life, joys unfurled.

- B. Johnson Maria

Nature Meditation

You human beings!

           After searching a comfortable place, I sat peacefully on a piece of stone in the midst of natural grass and green trees. Many young and old trees, green with monsoon, with green and lively grass around and enthusiastic creepers. All seemed to flourish with life and joy, perhaps because of the previous day’s rain.

As I sat, trying to communicate with the nature, suddenly a thought occurred to me. The trees… how happily they are swinging and rejoicing, and when there is no water, or good soil, how miserably they die… what an undeserved death they get! I saw a bird, very happily singing and searching for food. I though, what a life they have… no time table for anything, no rules and regulations, no worry about anything at all. They live, exist and die an unknown death. When they will die, they don’t know, off course nobody knows about one’s death. What a waste of life! Only because they are not human. I was looking with contempt on that swinging tree, that restless bird, what is their life worth?

I felt as if the tree sensed what I was thinking… that’s why I felt as if it started to talk to me. It said, “What do you think, you are superior, you are great, just because you are human, just because you are rational, you can think, you have systematic life?” I looked in great surprise, it continued, “Look at us, we don’t bother about useless things, like you. Our heavenly father gives us life, and we enjoy it. We have nothing to regret, nothing to worry. When we get good rain, good mud, we rejoice that God our creator takes care of us. When there is no water, no productive land, and we have to die, we don’t feel bad about it, for it happens with the will of one who created us. We do only what He wants us to do. We know, he wants that when we are happy, we should rejoice, when we see our end, accept it. No regret for yesterday, no worry for tomorrow.”

I was dumb founded. It was talking philosophically, “You human beings! Because you have brain, you have thinking faculty; you use it worrying about useless things. You plan and re-plan, for what? Can you change God’s planning by trying to plan for yourself? When he gives happiness, you worry, how long this happiness will remain, how I can get some more happiness. Doing this, you ruin your own peace of mind; you lose the privilege of enjoying peace and happiness. When he gives you pain and sorrow, you start thinking about the causes of it, repercussions of it; in the process you lose the “fun” of facing them sincerely. You start blaming that your heavenly father does not love you and does not care for you.”

It kept on saying more, but I felt bereft of my thinking faculty, my brain had melted away. I got up quietly from my place and slowly moved as if ashamed of myself being a rational human being.

- B. Johnson Maria

वो सलीब- ऐ- सितम The Crusifiction

वो सलीब - ऐ - सितम

ऐ सुनो मुसाफिर तुम इस तरह कहाँ यूँ चले जा रहे हो?

मकसद जीने का दिया तुम्हें जो, उसे यूँ ही क्यों भुला रहे हो?

ज़माने ने किया तुम्हें अजनबी क्योंकि तुम हो मेरी अमानत

ख़ुद मैंने पुकारा तुम्हें क्यों मुझे ही यूँ तुम रुला रहे हो?

इस जमाने की खातिर सहा मैंने सलिबेसितम

नज़रंदाज़ करके वो प्यार क्यों, अश्के लहू मिटा रहे हो?

याद करो वो दर्दे सफर वो दर्दे सितम कलवारी पर

मोहताज़ हूँ तुम्हारी मदद का, क्यूँ मुहं मोडे यूँ जा रहे हो?

अरसे गुज़रे देखता हूँ मुड़कर, खून बहाया जो सलीब पर

मेरी ओर न लौटकर तुम, गुनाह पे गुनाह किए जा रहे हो?

बस एक बार सुन लो पुकार, न जाए वो कुर्बानी बेकार

वो भूलकर यूँ क्यों, मुझे अब भी कुर्बान किए जा रहे हो?

बी जोंसन मरिया

The Lord’s Day

“…And on the seventh day, God rested. (Gen.2,2). God worked for all six days of the week. He did not say ‘I will do the remaining work latter. After separating land from water, he did not say, ‘I will create creatures latter on.’ That means He worked constantly till His work was over and than He set apart a day for rest, The Sabbath or in today’s language we call it ‘Sunday.’ That means He clearly set apart time for work and time for rest.
What do we mean by rest? Dose it mean that we cover ourselves in the bed and sleep away the whole day or with a little rest we do something that would strengthen our relationship with our Creator?
It is a day specially set apart to communicate with God. Its Lord’s day. We can’t sit in church the whole day and pray, than we shouldn’t even spend it just going around for movies and picnics. The best way to spend the Lord’s Day could be after church (Holy Eucharist or prayers meeting); we can spend sometime with the nature. Appreciate the Heavenly Father for making so beautiful things around you. He Has given you your parents, relatives, and many other near and dear ones. Why don’t you meet them and make them feel that you are thankful to God for giving them to you and making them part of your life. I remember the peon of a school where I did my regency[i], he was a Muslim by religion, but not particularly regular for prayers. Poor people may have religion but the most important religion for them to follow, is to arrange bread for the family. His Sunday was set apart to go to his native house and meet his old father and talk to him… spend some time with him. And you know, for that, those were the most beautiful moment of his old age.
[i] Regency is a stage in priestly formation where a candidate is put in a school or parish to have out field experience.

Success

God has made every person as unique and a mystery in him/herself. A well-known western philosopher Nietzsche says that every truth is an interpretation. We interpret and understand things in our own way. Similarly success means different for different persons. It is decided according to the context and situation.
Success for me is something unique and very personal. It involves various steps. First I set a goal. This goal is usually the goal that contributes to my ultimate goal that is to be a real human being that God has created me to be. After setting the goal, I discover the opportunities and resources available to me. Sometimes these both are in disguise. I make the best use of these resources and opportunities. With full confidence and dedication I move towards my goal. That reaching to my set goal satisfies me and that is success for me.

Are we to be punished?

The Cuckoo said, “See the funny fellows have finished praying, now they are coming out to meditate on the nature. They pretnd to seek God in nature. But same nature they destroy mercilessly.” . . . . . The philosopher within me was awakened… I felt speechless.As I came out of the chapel with others to have nature mediation, I heard a cuckoo cooing. It was a beautiful morning; the whole nature seemed to coming out of its night’s rest. It was very pleasant to hear a cuckoo’s sweet voice. I thought to give an ear to it. As I heard it with little attention, I felt that the sweet voice of the cuckoo was smeared in pain. I tried to understand what it was telling. The things, which the cuckoo told me, really compelled me to think. It said, “see, the funny fellows have finished praying. Now they are coming out to have nature mediation. I am pained to say that these people pretend to be meditating on the nature, on the presence of God in nature. The same nature in which they try to seek God, they mercilessly destroy, they don’t bother to preserve it.”
It was clear that the cuckoo was blaming all of us, though nobody paid attention to it. I being one of them, thought to interrupt it. I said, “hallo, my dear little cuckoo! How can you blame us blindly?” The philosopher within me was awakened. The cuckoo was very much interested in replying me: it said, “You people don’t bother about little creatures likes us. You yourself cannot live in harmony, neither you allow us to live, you don’t love each other, and you are the cause of our separation from each other.” I heard some other cuckoo cooing somewhere far. Its sound was not very clear but faint. This cuckoo continued, “Can you hear my friend trying to communicate?” Earlier this communication was not difficult at all, there were many trees, no vehicle, no noise, we could hear each other from very far. But now you human beings make so much noise that we are not able to communicate among ourselves.”
I tried to defend human beings, “why, being one of the parts of God’s creation, don’t we also have right ot live on this planet?” the cuckoo was prepared to answer me, it said simply, “well, you are the ones who made this principle ‘your freedom ends where my freedom begins’ but is it only applicable to human beings? You have freedom to construct huge structures, you have freedom to cut trees, you have every freedom to exploit the nautre, the way you want; but have you ever thought about our freedom?” have you ever thought how we suufer because of your freedom? Have you ever thought who pays the price of your freedom?”
The philosopher within me had no more questions to ask, I was speechless. Perhapse I could feel the weight in what the cuckoo said. The cuckoo, seeing me speechless, flew away.

Love, Love, Love

Love, Love, Love…

Feel awkward to see the title? Yeah, naturally, why some word has to be repeated three times? Probably just to capture your attention. Don’t you think this group of four letters L O V E is the most wonderful and most important thing in the world?
Wisdom, knowledge, faith, hope and many other great virtues and spiritual achievements are just dwarfs before this small thing called “Love.”(Cf 2 Cor. 13:2) It is everywhere, in every person, every creature and in everything that exists, because “it is out of love that God created the world.” In the absence of love, the life is not ‘life.’ This small little thing is so important, yet we rarely give it a deep thought. Can you name me anybody, anything or any creature that is totally strange to this thing called ‘Love?’ you know it is because of your love for wisdom or knowledge that you keep on reading things like this article.
Can you name me anybody, anything or any creature that is totally strange to this thing called ‘Love?’Love can be defined in different ways, depending on the context. It has got sifferent meanings. For instance, love between, so-called “lovers” has different meaning whereas love between parents and children has different meaning, et cetrea. Probably you know all these types love already and may be you will be irritated at my lack of knowledge in detail about all these. But have you noticed one thing? All these kinds of love are conditioned by time, place and situation, hence not long lasting. Yet they are adequately sufficient to give us some idea about Love.
You must have experienced love from your parents, love from your kiths and kins, even love from “friends.” But you must have realized that love of these persons in our life is not ever lasting, or at least not lasting for long. If we go to “ultimate cause” of love, we find that ‘God is the source of all love, only His love is everlasting. Real thing starts now, He says, “I loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3b) We have a door opened to us for everlasting love, just free of any cost, so, should we run behind anything else that is temporary and lasting?
Though we are not worthy, yet He has called us to be the instruments of His everlasting, unconditional love. And it is because of this love that we are called children of God. “See what love Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.” (1 Jn 3:1). It is not that God has suddenly started to love us, but He has been loving us from the very beginning. Our very existence is because of His love for us. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:5).
Have we ever realized the presence of His precious love in our hearts? If we have realized than it is our bounden duty to express this love through our actions and our behaviour and if still we have no serious interest in feeling and experiencing His love then “get up and come back to Him and ask Him to give us grace to experience His love because if we don’t experience His True love that what else id there to speak about, to the people in our life to come?