“We don't wish that this saint, who worked for peace and unity, may become a symbol of division, jealousy and rivalry.” Father Joseph said the Indian Church's perspective and focus is not on the conversion, but on the good values he lived and gave expression to. But happily, he said, “By God’s grace, we are having a peaceful coexistence and we are having a happy celebration.” In fact, he added, it is significant that, because of the conversion dimension involved, the canonization could have been instrumentalized by those who foster division.
Indians, he said, have waited 270 years for this moment and they are celebrating with joy. “It's a proud moment, not only for the Tamil people, not only for Catholics in India,” Father Joseph said, but for everyone as witnessed by the fact that the government is sending three ministers to the canonization ceremony in Rome. “We need to explore very much, reflect with him and promulgate the great values for which he lived and he died.” A proud moment for the country The caste divisions, he said, “are like cancer” in Indian society.
SAINT LAZARUS HOW TO
India today, Father Joseph said, needs to reflect on how to make a change.
What’s more, he continued, “he calls us also to listen to other religions, to different denominations - all of us together - not like simply our own people, our own Catholics, our own group.” “And they would like to start a new centre where lay spirituality can be promulgated,” he noted: "So these are all new beginnings!" He pointed to the fact that every parish, every deanery, every diocese has started talking about what is the spirituality of this great saint they have started conducting seminars, sitting together and having dialogues. Now, this saint has given a new inspiration,” in this regard. Until now, he said, “we were not giving much importance to listening to the voice of the lower and the laity and the ordinary people. “His life became something which they couldn't tolerate and that made them kill this saint.” Devasahayam and a synodal Churchĭevasahayam is particularly significant in today’s context, Father Joseph continued, also because he is totally in line with Pope Francis’ call to undertake a synodal process of collaboration, dialogue, listening, discerning. “What was not tolerated was that being a high caste man, he had no barriers after he became a Christian” and he forged ahead following God’s Word that all His children are equal.įor him, Father Joseph said, there was “no barrier, no difference, no high and low, no rich and poor, no class caste.”Ĭhristians, he said were considered a low and insignificant community and when this saint “freely started moving with them, chanting with them, celebrating with them, mingling with them, eating with them,” the high caste people in the palace could not tolerate it. Lazarus Devasahayam has also left a great legacy in the field of rights, of equality, as he - a Hindu upper-class man who preached equality despite caste differences - was close to the marginalized as he followed the Gospel of Christ.įather Joseph explained that “many may think that he was killed, martyred, just because of his conversion,” but that is not the case because in the kingdom of Travancore where he served and converted to Christianity, “the king himself built a small chapel for him, he appointed and paid for the chaplain,” and he worked alongside the Carmelite missionaries who were working there. He has left a great legacy for the Indian laity.” A champion of equality
0 kommentar(er)
