The dawn sunshine was upon some trees in our garden. I noticed an Egret flying in to the summit of a teak wood tree, where it settled for a while to groom its body.
I watched with interest how it attended to each part of its body during this grooming process.
When that was over, I expected it to return from the field it came as it would be a normal habit for birds to search for food after the grooming ritual.
Instead it flew another way.
When I noticed that, a passage that is often read during the Christmas time came to my mind. The Shepherds after visiting the baby Jesus, '....departed for their own country by another way' (Matt 2:12). woful
I have had a sense of wonder for a while as to what this means in a contemporary context.
The 'magi from the east' were shown in a dream to return another way, instead of returning to King Herod, whom they had met while searching for the baby Jesus(v.8). The King wanted the 'Magi' to '..report that I too may come and worship Him'. The story unfolds in a shocking manner in verse 16 of Matthew's gospel, chapter 2, when Herod ordered to kill all boys of two years and below. This was on account of Herod being '..troubled and all Jerusalem with him' at the news of the birth of '..King of Jews' (Matt 2:3). The magi of the east thus provided time for Jesus and family to go on exile in Egypt, by acting on their vision and going back 'another way' .
The sighting of an Egret returning from its grooming station by another way, got me thinking about the mystical sense it represents.
In life, we arrive from our mother's womb and go forth from the earth at the time of our home call, to rest in a grave. We come by one way and go 'another way'.
Let me present five thoughts on 'going another way'!
A contemplative time. The 'magi of the east' needed time and ambience to behold the truth about the birth of Jesus and recollection of all that were spoken about Him by the prophets. They by the very nature of being seekers, finders and path finders were for a shock, when all boys below 2 years were going to be killed by Herod ignorer to eliminate the King of Jews who was born'. Who ever would have guessed that Jesus would escape! Seeing the innocent child being killed by the treacherous act of King Herod, the wise men were also in a state of great perplexity. So they needed time, space and ambience to come to the experience of diakrisis, discernment of the time and season to interpret and articulate the voice of reason at a difficult time.
During the Christmas season in 2023, the parliament of India is at a constitutional crisis, with most of the opposition members of parliament suspended; a former president of the USA forbidden from contesting the presidential election in 2024; Ghaza invasion by Israelite its worst human suffering, Ukrainian invasion by Russia and people without shelter in severe winter, the Italian adverse pronouncement about muslims, fear of another wave of COVID....! These are disturbing and fear generating events. And yet, there is no semblance of sensible or responsible action in the horizon! So it is a time of crisis and darkness, when we look for light and enlightenment. The practice of contemplation is such an exercise, when we return to interior silence, solitude and diakrisis. It is one time, when silence can bring a prophetic utterance, what hasty proclamations can bring.
A mystical time. The Jesus of Nazareth faced unusual times in his life. The exile to Egypt during his infancy; staying back in the temple to be with the religious leaders for conversation with them, while his parents were on their journey home; baptism of Jesus when the voice from heaven announced that 'this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased'; the forty days in wilderness during which time He was tempted; the contrasting experiences of the Greeks wanting to make Jesus the king and religious leaders wanting to push Him from a cliff; a disciple betraying Jesus; the agony in the garden of Gethsemane when His disciples could not tarry in prayer with Him; the abandonment on the cross.... ! Jesus had several unusual experiences. His habit was to go to the mountain and be in solitude and come down to make a difference to others like the way He walked on water to rescue the disciples caught in a storm in the sea (Mark6:45-52).
When we are not in the ordinary times, what we need is diakrisis. I cannot still believe that a congregation of Christian worshippers near to where I live, can be divided for over a year now, as to whether the priest should face the alter or the congregation while celebrating the Eucharist! I could not believe that a moderator of a church changed the constitution of the church to extent the age of retirement to benefit him, which the court of law had to strike down. I cannot think even remotely in a democratic country, that political leaders can give a call for street fight, which is what is happening in the state where I live. The reason which led the intruders into the parliament of India breaking all security, was stated to highlight the state of unemployment in the country. Those who did it and those who handle the response to this leave us shocked. We are in a disturbing phase of mystical time. It is a time to wait, be still and seek for revelation! I am moved by the response of Nehemiah, when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins: '...when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven' (New 1:4)! During a mystical time, God alone can guide us into the path of consolation and reconciliation.
A metaphorical time. The King Herod was told by the chief priests and Scribes, that, 'You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among Judah, for out of you shall come forth a ruler, who will shepherd my people Israel' (Matt 2 : 5-6). The King Herod ought to have been delighted to know that the One King, for whom Israel was waiting for, was now born. He could have been the pointer to this new born baby, by allowing the prophecies to be made known to people that they too could join in the celebration of the fulfilment of the prophecies. The King Herod reigned, when the history of humankind was going to be different, from then onwards with 'word becoming flesh to dwell among men'! I wish he showed an attitude like that of Mary, the mother of Jesus who was a virgin, when she was told that she was to have a child, '..be it done to me according to your word' (Luke 1:38). But Herod lived preoccupied with himself to loose sight of God's visitation with the good news of peace and goodwill.
The events taking place all round us make us suspect that humans who were given charge to be '..fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth and subdue the earth, (Gen 1:28), instead of staying as good stewards of the planet earth, have become slaves to acquisition and exploitation, depleting it to be a place for all to dwell well. All the environmental danger signals and warnings of a warmer earth, environmental ill health, and health hazards have been in the air, with little response by most nations. I suspect that humans, instead of being the occupants and inhabitants of the earth are disregardful of the ecological balance and environmental health. Why is that, humans are going the path of self harm and endangering the planet earth. This was the mind set of King Herod, 'I am all in all'! There is another way than this. I wish the choice the wise men took to go another way will resonate within us!
A redeeming time. When the wise men decided to go another way, they protected the baby Jesus from being identified and noticed. They waited for the fulfilment of time and waited for the opportune time for Jesus to be made known. First, they wanted to experience the joy of Jesus being born in their inner manger. The wise men would have got consumed by the delight of the arrival of Jesus for which generations of people waited. An archetype of those waiting for Jesus was, Simon, a righteous and devout man who was 'looking for the consolation of Israel', who appeared in the narration of the events related to the presentation of Jesus in the temple (Luke 2: 25-35). It was Simon who carrying Jesus in his arms, blessed Him and said:'...For my eyes have seen thy salvation, which Thou has prepared in presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel'.
Amidst the chaos prevailing at that time with Herod ordering to kill boys below two years, a senior citizen felt the fullness of time, even to depart! The troubled times are occasions of finding respite and fullness because God brings His purpose into fruition, no matter how hostile the situation is. I happened to hear a narration of the deliberate efforts of some health care professionals in two North Eastern States, crossing over to Myanmar with permission, to offer health care to many villages. Since three years, this support made a difference to those who have no access to health care. The border security forces seeing the good that is being done, allows passage across the border. People are waiting for better times. It is possible to turn them into redeeming time, as God favours goodness to abound for the weak, meek, fallen and bruised people. This is another way of relating and living in difficult times.
A historical time . The childhood of Jesus was a turbulent time from the time he had to be carried to Egypt to escape the man hunt of Herod. He lived estranged from the familiar surroundings of his parents. Jesus grew up facing difficulties which a carpenter's family would normally encounter. His own experience transcended these difficult situations. Listening to the discourse and dialogue, in which he participated in the temple at twelve years, 'all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and answers' (Luke 2:47). The crucible of fractured times in His childhood made Him search, learn and grow in stature and wisdom before God and men. Jesus did not make an abrupt entry into public ministry after His baptism, but was incrementally getting oriented to His vocation, which was surprisingly affirmed to people in the temple, who heard Him read from the prophet Isiah, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are down trodden and to proclaim the favourable year of the Lord' (Luke 4: 18-19). Does it not surprise how a boy who grew up differently from most children and having been forced to 'go another way' was made ready to make history from the very time He entered the public ministry.
A Neuro-surgeon chose five years ago to go to a 'failed mission hospital' in a hill station and now that hospital is a place of exuberance in health care, supportive services to the community, and development of specialty service needed for the rural community. I remember one self disclosure he made, when he took that difficult choice to leave his specialty and be in a hospital, which was only a primary care facility at that time: 'Let me walk the unchartered path'! The unchartered path is risky and thorny to say the least. Recently while having to walk through a foot path to climb a hill to watch the sunset, the pain from the thorny pricks of the plants, got subsumed by the prospect of watching the sunset in the valley. The journey ended in a spectacular sight. The journey was a lesson in endurance and resilience. That gain was more lasting than the sight of a spectacular sunset, with the sky in brilliant golden hue! There is another way that shall lead us to enlarging experiences to enhance the wellness of others.
For all of these to happen, diakrisis, discernment is needed. Going another way starts with discernment.
I heard a moving experience which made me think seriously about the deeper encounters in life, when one literally walks a different way. This person can take five paths to reach his home from the shopping centre. He regularly changes his routes that all the five paths are frequently in his exploration. On one such occasion, he saw an elderly person reading the news paper with a magnifying glass with a torch flashed on the newspaper. He thought that he might be having cataract in his eyes. He persuaded him to accompany him to meet an eye specialist the next day. His cataract was treated in one eye with surgery with implanting of a lens. This senior citizen no more needed a magnifying glass or a torch to read. With the surgery done in the other eye, he was a new person. On one evening, this senior citizen arrived at the home of a stranger who made a difference for his daily rhythm by taking him to the hospital. With his family living overseas and his wife having moved on after a protracted illness, lived his life restricted to his veranda and living room. Now he saw the colours and sights differently. At tea time, when he was offered a banana to eat, he looked at the skin and choked with tears in his eyes, in seeing the colour of the banana skin after two years.
Between both of them, they are companions to senior citizens who live alone in the village. The senior citizen is a volunteer in the day care, where other senior citizens come for leisure, indoor games and conversation. All of this happened because one person chose to go home another way. He turned the house of a senior citizen to a home and made that experience to snow ball for the benefit of others at the initiative of a transformed senior citizen.
This to me is diakrisis and soulful living!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
No comments:
Post a Comment