Good Friday Meditations at Christ Church

I had the Blessed opportunity to lead on the meditations on the words of Jesus from from the Cross at the Christ Church on Good Friday ( 14th April 2017) along with Rev. John Silas.

I spoke on the First Word- Father Forgive them that they know what they are doing.

The Fourth Word - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

The Fifth Word - I Thirst and

The Seventh Word - Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Rev Silas spoke on the Second Word - Today you will be with me in paradise.

Third Word - Behold your son: behold your mother and the

Sixth Word - It is Finished.

Preparing for my meditations was over the last few weeks helped me internalize the passion of Christ and the words He spoke and to reaffirm my own Faith.

In addition to the service, Rev. Silas also placed 12 symbols of Good Friday in the Church for the congregation to to look at and experience during the service, Eg there were palm leaves, dice, a crown of thorns, really long nails and a heavy hammer, betrayal money and a rooster ( this was prepared by Nazarene David as he could not source any in toy shops and getting a real one would have had it crowing during the service). All members walked through the church looked at the symbols, held them, felt them and got a glimpse of what went through 2000 years ago.

In addition to the above symbols there was a large cross in the vestry ( side room of the church). Along side the cross was some paper, small nails and a hammer. Here the members symbolically wrote down on a paper what their short comings and sins they wished to overcome and hammered this paper in to this wooden cross. It was a solemn act of penitence and nailing it on the cross. Soon the bare cross was dotted with several pieces of paper nailed on to it. Personally for me the act of nailing my sin and shortcoming was not easy. The very act of driving the nail in to the cross sent shivers into me and hopefully would be my conscience keeper.

Liberty Rests On The Foundation Of Responsibility

The days that led up to my first day at college were filled with a lot of preparation and anticipation.  I had  gotten two new trousers and shirts tailored. Stationery options were reviewed too. I had taken extra photos for my concessional bus and train passes, which needed to be purchased. My college was in the suburbs of Chennai, which meant a 30-kilometre train journey just one way.  The institution itself was legendary and honour rolls boasted of some of the alumni who featured as the who's-who in the country. The 350-acre wooded  campus with co-educational residential facilities was a delight to be in, though I was to be a day boarder. I wondered about all these things  and anticipated how college would be.

The night before my first day, my parents sat me down in our three-roomed house and  told me they were happy that I was going to college. As my mother looked at me lovingly, my father said, “Son, tomorrow you leave home for college and we wish for you to study well.  We are aware of the temptations present there on the campus, like smoking, drinking or  drugs but we trust you. You are our son and you will choose wisely and be responsible. However, you are also free to do what you like and if things don’t  work out well, remember that we as your parents will always love you”

What was told to me that evening was not just a few words of wisdom but also a promise of trust and unconditional love. Even after four decades, that little heart-to-heart chat is still vivid in my mind. Those same words came alive recently when my daughter Esther  chatted with me on Whatsapp one late evening when she was in Amsterdam. This is how it went:

Esther:  Dad, today my friends and I went to pub in Rotterdam and most of my classmates ordered alcohol. It was the first time they tried it out. They insisted that I should have some too.

Me:  Okay  (At this point I was curious about what was to come next)

Esther:  I said no, but they told me that no one would find out.

Me: Go on, Es.

Esther: Well, I stood my ground and didn't have any.

Me: I am proud of you, my darling.

September 2016 USA Pic Emmanuel

What was imparted to me by my parents has been passed on. In our youth, we have several avenues to make choices; some good and some bad. Some are life-threatening, while 

others are not so. My father’s words once again echoed in my mind when I visited the U.S.A a few months ago. I saw the Statue of Liberty in New York City, and what a sight it was! Seeing the Statue of Liberty in real life is something different. It’s a massive structure that is so big, it had to be transported in several pieces before it could be erected as one. We  always look at the  Statue of Liberty and crave for freedom to do things in the ways we wish to. Gazing up, I noticed that Lady Liberty stretches out towards the sky while remaining grounded on a strong foundation. It has weathered many a storm and wind because of its foundation.

That evening Esther and I concluded that the Statue of Liberty is what it is because it is built on the Foundation of Responsibility. In that same manner, the freedom that we humans crave for  must be rooted in responsibility for our actions and their effects.

How do your eyes Look?

"When eyes talk to eyes

The entire world stands still."

So wrote a young poet named Ajey Pai K last year.

In fact, many poets and singers have eulogised eyes as being captivating and mesmerising.

My world stood still for a while when I was asked “Tell us how do your eyes look?” by a young gent.

Pretty simple question, is it not? It depends on who asks you and the challenge it poses in framing your response.

I was thanking the group of visually impaired persons at the Salvation Army Hostel for Blind after they sang and greeted me for my birthday today.

Probably curiosity got the better of this young person to ask me what he did and I realised my response was nothing but clumsy.

As a family we decided to visit this Salvation Army Hostel for Blind to observe my birthday.  A call to our grocer ensured essentials be packed in a jiffy and placed in our car. We reached the venue effortlessly thanks to Google Maps.

We thought, perhaps we will give the items and leave. Capt. Nirmala, the lady-in-charge, asked Nazarene what the purpose of our visit was earlier in the day, so when we reached, we were told all the inmates were waiting to interact with us.

We found them all sitting quietly in the foyer.  Capt. Suhas, the chaplain, introduced us and the group sang a song of Blessings after which Capt.  Suhas prayed for all of us. We found that Capt. Nirmala and her team were very sincere in their efforts to keep the inmates comfortable. However, they have limited resources and will be  happy to receive spontaneous  unconditional  support  which can be in the form of food stuff, linen, clothes or beds.

As we left the place Nazarene, my wife, remarked that it is so easy to reach out and touch the lives of those who are less privileged than us. Esther and Rakshan, our children, were ideating on how to sustain such initiatives.

I am grateful to God for the gift of sight and immense possibilities of that gift for those who are endowed with it.  In fact the question has made me reflect over the evening on the many blessings I have since my birth.

I was not inclined to take pictures or the proverbial selfies as I knew I could never show the picture these gents.  I am using my words to share my insights I received from those who are visually impaired.

July 23, 2016

The Unseen are Important

A couple of years ago, I was visiting Rio Di Janeiro with a friend, a few days after Easter and I happened to visit the empty Sambadrome. I was able to soak in the atmosphere, standing in the centre of the runway with galleries on either side, imagining how it would have been when the carnival was on.

You will appreciate that a few days before Ash Wednesday, Brazil hosts one of the most spectacular carnivals in the world, the Samba Parade. To imagine that a few weeks earlier, this same place was chock-a-block with about a 100,000 people, was a kind of unbelievable. The carnival is the culmination of a year-long preparation of various samba schools who display their skills and abilities in dance, choreography and music.

The Samba schools concept is an interesting method of harnessing the energy of youth in a creative pursuit. I was told that these Samba schools can have anywhere upwards of 3000 – 4000 young persons. They prepare their act carefully every year and have several rehearsals.  Finally, they are on show at the carnival in all their splendour. Usually, their whole performance is on a colourful float which moves along the 700 meter runway on the Sambadrome, and on each day of the carnival, approximately four samba schools display their performance one after another in sequence. It’s one of the most colourful performances anywhere, and most of you might have seen it live on television over the past few days as well.

The parades  are judged on various aspects like creativity, dance, choreography as well as their timing. The timing  is of utmost importance for  if they do not maintain time, each school loses marks… and ultimately the top honours. So who ensures that all these dancers, drummers, trumpeters and others adhere to the time?

One would assume that it could be anyone among the artistes, the creative director, or even the musicians, but the fact could not be farther from the truth.

Consider that the colourful floats have to cover the distance of 700 meters and be out of the Sambadrome within 75 minutes. The floats are beautifully but heavily decorated and have to be physically put in motion. It’s not as simple as it sounds, as the floats have to be pulled by men inside it – trouble is, they cannot see outside due to the heavy decorations. They work in unison with the music, maintaining time and leave the Sambadrome within the stipulated time. The success of the whole school depends on the efforts of these people who do not know what is happening outside, and who are just not visible to the outside world. 

Amidst all the pomp and gaiety, it’s so easy to forget or even ignore the immense contribution these unseen heroes contribute to the success of this pageant, but in the middle of all the din, tens of thousands of revellers cheering, colourful costumes, loud music, singing, dancing… these unseen people do what they are allocated to do, and ultimately in the success of the Samba school.

As the carnival comes to a close this year too, we should perhaps pause and say thank you  to those who are unseeen  yet important in making our  performances  and life  better..

Persistence and Accountability are Siblings

My children  practice on the electronic keyboard we have at home, but when it malfunctioned, we took it to a service center to get it repaired. The technician said that the problem was a minor one and   would return the instrument at the end of the day. We went in the evening to take delivery of the repaired keyboard, but since I did not find an empty parking space, I gave Esther and Rakshan the money so that they could pay the Service center and bring back the keyboard.

They took longer than expected to return with the keyboard, so I asked them the reason for the delay.  Esther explained that Rakshan asked for a receipt but the technician refused and  the delay was because she insisted on having it.  She went to  narrate  that as they were about to leave when Esther stopped and asked him why he wouldn't give them a receipt. He said it was just a repair job  and the norm was not to give a customer a receipt for repairs. Esther asked if he could give them a receipt and he said yes. She asked him for once again and he replied it was not the norm to give a receipt for repairs jobs.  She said that she wanted a receipt and persisted with her persuasive skills  till he gave one to her.

Thinking ‘commercially’, I explained to them that he was probably trying to save on tax. I reasoned that if he did not wish to give us the receipt, they could have asked a discount, to which Rakshan  all of  fourteen responded that it was better to fix accountability than to get a discount.

Intent to Action

Our family needed some medicines at about 10.30 pm, and since we had just finished a hearty meal, my son Rakshan and I decided to walk to the nearby medical hall, than use the car. Half way into our errand, Rakshan noticed a poorly dressed man sleeping in a dark corner of the footpath and said, “Dad, maybe we should put a 100 Rupee note in his hand.” After some thought on whether this was prudent, he decided against it, but as we walked on, he kept wondering what we could do to help the man. I suggested that we could buy some biscuits for him at the medicine shop, but once there, we got busy with the purchase of the medicines and forgot all about the biscuits.

As we walked back, we came to the spot the man was sleeping in the darkness, and suddenly remembered the biscuits. My son looked around for a shop to buy the forgotten item, but an idea struck him when he noticed a restaurant a few yards away. He took me there, ordered an Aloo Paratha (Spiced mashed potatoes in flat bread), took the packet to the man, knelt down and said, “Brother please get up and eat”. The man with a nod of his  head and a  grateful look acknowledged the  offering.  Rakshan got up to his feet and continued walking towards home as if nothing had happened... it came so naturally to him. Having witnessed this, I realized how little it does it  take for us to walk the talk.

The Towel of Humility fills a Basin of Gratitude

Today is observed as Maundy Thursday - the day before Good Friday - which is  observed by all Christians  worldwide.  Jesus did  two acts on Maundy  Thursday, one of which is instituting the Holy Communion  which all Churches  follow and for the  second act he used two humble articles to demonstrate the power of humility. Using the basin and the towel, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

As an idea, washing  any one's feet makes good reading, however to actually wash another person’s  feet is another issue. At a church service the pastor asked for volunteers to use the basin and the towel. I remember asking my colleagues to do something new with this question, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” Perhaps this question prompted me as well, and I resolved to go ahead. I removed my shoes and walked down the aisle to be amongst a small group of faithfuls who volunteered. 

I rolled up my sleeves, knelt down, took the person's foot into my hand, poured water and washed one  foot at a time. My fingers washed the dust away from the heel, sole and toes. Having done that, I took a towel and wiped the feet dry. As I poured the water and used the towels, I whispered a silent prayer that this person be happy. It took only a few minutes. I then washed my hands and sat down. Then another person knelt down, washed my feet and dried them, during which time my eyes tried their best to communicate my gratefulness to him.

It has been a year, and I do not recollect anyone telling me, “oh you washed some one's feet” nor have I lost out due to that act. However let me share what I gained in the process. The very act of  kneeling down to wash another’s feet has made me realise that there is no such thing as ‘ego’. I did not depersonalise myself through this service. It did not take too long, nor was there anything mysterious about this act of washing another’s feet. 

We tend to attach too many emotions and sentiments to little acts of service, when in reality what matters is that these acts are much more than peoples' sentiments or social perception. Perhaps emotions and fear of social perceptions inhibit us from being productive.

I also felt a deep sense of gratitude at being served, that someone should deign to wash my feet. It also made me realise that there are several who are doing more than wash my feet on a day to day  basis whom I  take for granted. The unnamed person who keeps the washrooms clean, lifts the  garbage and those ‘who only stand and wait’ to make our daily lives easier and cleaner. They do more than wash our feet. I am not sure we are able to show our gratitude to them. 

Today we find that it is not just the feet that need cleaning, but also our hearts. When we start with the feet using the towel of humility, in doing what is needed to be done, we would certainly touch the hearts of others. My heart sure was touched while being served. Let's therefore help each other fill our basins with gratitude when receiving acts of service done in humility.