END THE ROT IN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

A RARE CHANCE TO REDEEM THE ORTHODOX HERITAGE

Valson Thampu

I write this as an ardent admirer of Parumala Thirumeni, about whom I have written a book, well-received by all who know the Saint of Parumala. And I write the following as if sitting at his feet, sensing his spirit. Speaking at the inaugural session of the Parumala perunnal a couple of years ago, I referred to the emphasis that Gregorios Thirumeni laid, in his spiritually inspired travelogue titled Ursalem Yathra Vivaranam (An Account of My Jerusalem Journey), on “the new fire” through which the Risen Christ manifested, as per legend, to the people in the Church of Resurrection in the Holy Land.

I did that on purpose. Today I find the Orthodox church in a state of spiritual crisis. The essence of that crisis is unbridled ecclesial egoism that revels maliciously in legal victories and the triumph of the letter of the law over the spirit of the Law of Christ, which mandates love and compassion. And victory over who? Sadly, over one’s own brothers and sisters. The Jacobites are, after all, spiritual siblings: two branches of the same tree nurtured by the same soil, warmed by the same Sun. So, it is a fratricidal victory, achieving, in essence, no more than a spoonful of worldly tonic at the cost of one’s spiritual sanity. Gloating over the discomfiture of fellow human beings is Shylock-like malice. And its moral venom boils over when it dances its orgy over the prostration of siblings. Its devilish darkness intensifies all the more against Jesus’ teaching that one should love even one’s enemies. Here is a church that fights a war presumably to fatten the Orthodox church, flouting every spiritual instruction given by Christ. This is the truth, and Christians as a whole fail Jesus Christ by refusing to recognize it as such.

Sure enough, the Orthodox Church, for which I have much affection, has won a legal battle, gaining specific entitlements. It is, therefore, within its legal rights to claim possession of the churches concerned. But the core lesson that Jesus has taught, especially through the three temptations he faced and overcame, is: you need not do a thing, just because you can do it. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus could do so. Exercising this supernatural power to assuage the maddening hunger tormenting him made eminent sense. But Jesus refused to do so. That refusal was meant to convey to humanity a cardinal principle that one need not do a thing just because one can do it. As Jesus said later on, the justice that Christians practise must exceed, ‘the justice of Pharisees and Sadducees’, who were rigidly legalistic. Adhering to the letter of the law makes one fall far, far short of the requirements of the spirit even of secular justice.

It is a pity if a church cannot understand the difference between legalistic justice and godly righteousness; for, after all, the explicit mandate given by Jesus is, “Seek, first, the righteousness of God and his Kingdom…” Secular justice delivery system is, indisputably, one of the finest achievements of human civilization. But such jurisprudence aims only at the prevention or punishment of infringements. Positive prescriptions to practise righteousness, compassion, mutual love, and caring for others, if need be, transcending one’s own needs, are beyond the remit of a legal system. Spirituality takes off from where the secular legal system ends its endeavours.  

The present situation provides to the Syrian Orthodox Church a rare opportunity to prove the mettle of Orthodox spirituality. Knowing as I do something about this immense spiritual treasure, I am deeply distressed that the Orthodox Church, in its obsession with defeating and humiliating the Jacobite faction, has done enormous harm to its witness and spiritual heritage. It may have won a gainful legal victory; but it is at peril of poisoning its soul. It may not be too late yet to regain its temporarily misplaced spiritual light. So, I suggest-   

Turn to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Be reconciled…”. The world knows that the church can preach repentance with great flourish. Let it now see that it can also practise it. Bava Thirumeni, and his brother bishops of the Orthodox Church, should take the initiative in this sacrament of reconciliation. Invite the leaders of the Jacobite faction and work out a scheme by which religious ministrations to the members of the affected churches can be continued as per a mutually agreed weekly time-tables. Shutting them out of these churches is tantamount to robbing them at gun point; and it can be only so, even if it is done under the umbrella of a court order. The court has practised secular justice by handing over possession of these churches to the Orthodox church. The church must now do God’s justice by showing responsible sensitivity to the religious needs of the vanquished. It is embarrassing that Christians belonging to the same Orthodox tradition cannot even share a place of worship; even as all of them look forward to entering the same heaven! The victor, not the vanquished, is in a position to practice charity and to initiate reconciliation. Christians have been preaching love; it is high time they practised it, especially at home.

Rancor and malice accumulated over several satanic decades of struggle for worldly gains -land, prestige, domination, the malicious pleasure of humiliating the adversary- today comprise an Augean stable of moral dirt. The internecine quarrels between the two factions comprise a metaphoric parallel to open defecation vis-à-vis physical hygiene. So, the prospect of reconciliation could seem bleak. But the church is required to believe in miracles. Faith is a miracle. What the Orthodox church faces is a test of faith. Faith is a breakthrough. It is light breaking out of the heart of darkness. For decades, this darkness has been intensified to feed the collective egoism of the church. The time has come to reclaim the freedom to be the vehicles of light -the freedom to be followers of Christ, who said he is the light of the world. The Orthodox Church is now weighed in the scales of the balance of history. I hope very earnestly that it would not be found wanting.

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