Independence Day and the Feast of Assumption of Mary

Saha Navavatu, saha nau Bhunaktu | 

Saha Viiryam Karavaavahai | 

Tejasvi Naavadhiitamastu 

Maa Vidvissaavahai | 

The purport of this mantra is, let there be no animosity amongst us. Conversely, let us live together, eat together, work together and together let us prosper. How incredible are these words that speak of communion and unity!?

The ancient Vedic mantra, "Saha Navavatu, saha nau Bhunaktu...", calls for harmony and cooperation among us. These timeless words resonate with the spirit of our nation. However, the reality we face today is a stark contrast to this ideal.

Today, as we celebrate the 78th anniversary of our independence, let us also reflect on the deeper meaning of freedom. Our freedom is not merely a political concept; it is a spiritual journey towards unity, justice, and peace.

Our nation is grappling with numerous challenges. Political instability, economic disparities, social unrest, and rising crime rates have cast a long shadow over our aspirations. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, and the dreams of our youth remain unfulfilled. It is disheartening to witness the erosion of values and the prevalence of violence and injustice.

Yet, amidst these challenges, there is hope. Our nation has a rich history of overcoming adversity. We have produced brilliant minds who have made significant contributions to science, technology, and other fields. Our diversity is our strength, and our resilience is our hallmark.

Like the woman in labor described in today’s first reading, our nation is in a state of transformation. We are called to give birth to a new India, an India where justice, equality, and peace prevail. It is a challenging task, but it is not impossible.

Let us draw inspiration from the life of Mary, who gave birth to the Savior of the world. She faced immense challenges, yet she remained steadfast in her faith. Like Mary, we must be courageous in our pursuit of a better future. We must stand up against injustice, promote harmony, and work towards the welfare of all.

Let us strive to create a society where everyone feels safe and secure, where opportunities are available to all, and where the dignity of every individual is upheld. Let us build a nation where love conquers hate, where compassion replaces indifference, and where hope prevails over despair.

Jai Hind!

Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary

Today the Church is celebrating the Feast of the Assumption of BVM. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus as follows:
“We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by God that the immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever virgin when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven.”
It is a dogma built on the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which declared (1854) that Mary was conceived free from original sin, and both have their foundation in the concept of Mary as the Mother of God. It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was raised to eternal life without bodily death.

A question we need to reflect on here is, “Why was Mary Assumed into Heaven?”

1. She was chosen by God. Therefore, she is a privileged one.

2. She shares the fullness of redemption of God. Christ is the first fruit of redemption and Mary is the fulfilment of the promise of redemption.

3. Testimony of the Lord that Mary is the Chosen one of God.

a. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth greeted Mary, “Blessed are you among women and Blessed is the fruit of your womb.” God’s testimony through the angel Gabriel.

b. The Mother of my Lord comes to me

4. God chose this mother to be the mother of Jesus. Angel, “Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with you.” The class-teacher reads the letter of the principal addressing the students through a letter. It is the principal’s voice.

5. Mary was continuously present in Son’s mission. She was accompanying God in unravelling the divine plan.

6. Mary also shares/partakes in the work of redemption/liberation. In as much as Jesus is holy, Mary is also holy, just as an iron piece placed near a magnet, becomes a magnet. Mary carried Jesus, the Son of God in her womb and so she became like Christ also. After Jesus’ life on the earth, he was taken up into heaven and so too Mary.

7. Glorification of her total personality and anticipated the state of the promised rest of humankind.

The Message for us

1. She is a Mother, mother of Jesus and mother of Humanity: A mother in any situation will never forsake her child. She understands the situation. How far do we understand the situation around us and act according to our needs?

2. We share in the fullness of redemption: Mary became Christ-like in her continual accompaniment in her son’s mission work and thus brings liberation. How far do we accompany our own fellow brothers and sisters in the mission of integral welfare? E.g helping someone in need. In what sense do we perform?

3. Love your mother: Mother understands her children. Do we understand our Mother? Mary is our mother. The nation is our mother. The earth is our mother. If you love, you will take care. Just see your own rooms. How clean and orderly they are! How clean is our campus or surroundings?

Like Mary, we are called to give birth to values of justice, equality, peace and harmony. But these values are surrounded by forces of evil. But we should not be afraid of fostering values even if it costs our life. Our courageously performed virtuous work towards social welfare will turn hatred into love, powerful into powerless, hungry with a stomach full, etc. Therefore, let’s work for a fear-free, loving and prosperous country.

सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः 

सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः । 

सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु 

मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् । 

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

As we move forward, let us remember the words of the ancient prayer: "May All be Happy, May All be Free from Illness, May All See what is Auspicious, may no one Suffer, let there be peace." Let us work tirelessly to create a world where these aspirations become a reality.

Fr. Raju Felix Crasta

Colour Colours the Reality

In our childhood we have studied that there are seven colours in the Rainbow. There are three primary colours - red, yellow and blue; three secondary colours – green orange and purple and six tertiary colours obtained as a result of mixing the first two groups. All other colours are combinations and shades of these. According to the psychophysicists, human being can perceive almost 10 million colours. Depending on the viewing conditions, the perception varies. However, what I want to reflect is not the scientism behind it, but the phenomenology of colour in the socialism. 

If someone is asked a question, “which is the natural colour?” obvious answer would be “White.” However, white is not considered the basic colour. In the spectrum, white is the result of seven colours of the rainbow. On the other hand, the most hated colour is, “Black.” Can anyone call ‘black’ as a colour? It is colourless or at least the absence of colour. Scientifically, when a ray of light is absorbed and not reflected back, it is called ‘black’. Therefore, neither white nor back are colours!? Yes, very much debatable. I am not going into it.  

White is the colour some people are proud about and think that it is ‘pure’ and ‘black’ as impure and vice-versa. The world has seen many wars, fights, bloodshed ever since human beings began to reflect over ‘colour.’ In the past, some colours enslaved and colonized the other. The shame is, this even continues in today’s postmodern globalized society! Can one colour be superior to another? If one colour were to be superior to the other, the whole equilibrium of the nature would collapse. 

The colour dominance depends on the light availability, its absorption and reflection. Light availability in the Polar Regions and the Tropical Regions is not the same. The pigmentation in the mineral rich and natural places like dense forest regions and arid desert landscapes varies. Temperate and cold regions have different equation. Therefore, claiming one colour to be superiority in one region and applying it to all other regions is a sweeping generalization and argumentum ad ignorantiam (fallacy of appeal to ignorance). Can anyone say a brown cow is superior to the black-spotted red cow? Absolutely no. If so, why should some human beings are to be considered superior or inferior to the other? Superiority should be gauged not with colour but with the internal traits – ones character, nature, personality, culture and behavior. In other words, your greatness is measured not with the kinds of attire you have, but with your ‘softness of heart’. 

Colour garnishes the reality. Often, multi-colour is preferred over unicolour. If the nature had only one colour, like the Arctic region (in fact not the case there) full of white ice, there would not be any creativity and life. The more colours in the nature, life bubbles out with joy. Varieties of trees and their flowers, colourful birds and animals, varieties of climate and landscape speak wonders of creation. This verily applies to human society. Varieties of cultures, people, habits, way of life, languages, relations, traditions etc. add life to the earth. The more varieties accepted by each other, there emerges a better harmony and peace. The world becomes habitable and in its real sense can be called ‘the earth’. If not accepted, the earth becomes a battle field, a hell. 

Psychologist and Counselors speak about the ‘Colour Therapy’ to treat the ‘unresolved’ brokenness of the self. It is a therapy where by a disorder or ailment is identified with an unpleasant colour. As a treatment, a colour which is pleasant and healing is filled within or the person is immersed in the healing colour. Thus, the unpleasant colour is taken away or abandoned. This heals the person. If a culture or a tradition is not a soothing one, unpleasant or if it is not making one a ‘human being’ it needs to be discarded and a culture / tradition which makes the person ‘truly human’ is to be imbibed. Years of unpleasant and subjugated life will only add agony and not happiness. Increased dose of pleasant colours will make life palatable. 

Colour blindness or Chromatopsia is disease whereby the person is unable to detect a particular colour. It can vary in number of colours. In our social life, many are not just blind to colours but also blind to the reality. Having eyes and sight is not able to see and judge. Even within the family, children do not recognize parents and parents their children and often from such families elderly parents end up in the ‘old-age homes’. What a pity! One community of people, do not recognize the other community. Many are blind with culture and tradition. Some see only the traditional language and letters inscribed in the scriptures and are unable to translate them into the vernacular language and culture and end up as fundamentalists. This is not just the case with some religions, but seen within one’s own religion and culture too. Religion, instead of binding (re-ligare = to bind) the scattered, scatters the bounded. Should I call such religions as salvific? 

I do not want be a Christian if my religion does not allow me to relate with a Muslim.

I do not want to be a Muslim, if my religion does not allow me to relate with a Hindu.

I do not want to be a Hindu, if my religion does not allow me to relate with a Buddhist.

I do not want to be a Buddhist, if my religion does not allow me to relate with a Jain.

I do not want to be a Jain, if my religion does not allow me to relate with a Sikh.

I do not want to be a Sikh, if my religion does not allow me to relate with an indigenous.

I prefer to be an atheist, an agnostic, a Carvāka, an Epicurean, a Materialist and Irreligious, if my religion does not allow me to relate with the last, least and the lost of the society hailing from any traditional background.

I prefer to be blind than to see.

Fr. Raju Felix Crasta

Picture source: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/colours-important-trademarks-fashion-in-season-2019-a7705261.html