GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

"Peace is a divine gift but at the same time the fruit of human efforts," the Vatican message for Ramadan 2024  states. It continues, “The desire for peace and security is profoundly rooted in the soul of every person of good will, since no one can fail to see the tragic effects of war in the loss of human lives, the toll of serious injury and the throngs of orphans and widows."  Because of this, Ramadan calls for respect for the gift of life, the  conviction that hatred, violence and war – which is “fratricide, useless, senseless, and dark” – must be rejected and peace preserved. For preserving this peace, we need "closeness and friendship"  in order to "extinguish the fire of war and light the candle of peace."

The ongoing production and trade of arms as the primary driving force, accompanied with the enduring human aspiration for control, geo-political ambitions, and economic interests are the roots of conflicts. The global  human family suffers much from the devastating effects of the use of arms – as “dipping a morsel of bread in the blood of our brother”, says Pope Francis.  Inter-State conflicts, armed clashes, military combat,  criminal organizations, armed gangs, killing of innocent civilians, millions of people displaced, arms trade, immoral commerce, have been on the increase. This increase in hostilities is transforming “a third world war fought piecemeal” into “a genuine global conflict.”

Like the Christian Lent, Ramadan focuses more arduously on prayer, fasting, almsgiving. In fact, all religions consider human life sacred. Therefore,  it must be respected and protected. Consciences are to be formed "to respect the absolute value of the life of each person and the right to physical integrity, security and a dignified life."

Giving peace a chance requires courage and conviction, especially in a digital landscape where outrage and polarization often reign supreme. Yet, if we are to truly honor the legacy of Jesus, we must rise above the fray, resist the temptation to engage in hostility and vitriol, and instead strive to cultivate a culture of empathy, understanding, and respect.

Ultimately, living the Lent and Ramadan, or celebrating Easter, Resurrection or Id AI-FITR in the present times, is not just about restoring religious faith and practice and defend its ‘sacredness’ and its ‘greatness’, but about giving peace a chance. It is about reclaiming the transformative power of universal message of love and peace – a message that transcends time, culture, and ideology and speaks to the deepest longings of the human heart; reclaiming his message of compassion and kindness, and applying it to the challenges of the modern world. By embracing the values that each religious belief embodies and promoting a culture of dialogue and understanding, we can work towards a more peaceful and just society.

We recall the words of Jesus himself: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9). The word, Islam, coming from an Arabic root,  etymologically means peace, salaam, or shalom in Hebrew. In a world torn apart by conflict and division, may we be instruments of peace, channels of love, and beacons of hope, both online and offline. The followers or believers of the world Religions must form a peace-attitude of the mind and heart that outlines a life program for them. It implies a total sharing of peace and unity as the way of life and a mission. All must imbibe the ability to observe it and put it into practice.

The very first greeting of the Resurrected Jesus is: “Peace be with you.” This must be the be-all and end-all of all faith practices. Faith is not just a subjective experience for one’s own salvation; rather, it is a way to peace, love and unity. Otherwise, all Religions are a fraud and fake. Universal peace is  the fullness of God Kingdom on earth. True, that peace in this imminent world is not all. There is still a greater possibility for God to be up to a permanent peace. And the path of permanent peace is ever open to everyone. Jesus went all the way to death seeking this eternal peace – peace for all. The stunning lessons from Him and from the world-evil should stimulate us all to work for lasting peace.  

Human beings are often trapped in their own remorse, unable to see hope at the end of the tunnel; they feel helpless, discredited.  Peace is not the absence or removal  of outside problems though; instead, peace infuses trust and hope for a better future; disheartened people are put at peace with themselves. Therefore, we move from remorse to a peace-mission, by breaking out of ourselves, from the self-absorption, from our self-centered imprisonment. Peace is an irreplaceable fruit of justice and human Rights; it is the absence of evil in us, for evil has its price. We, therefore, cannot run far away from our duty of finding peace through justice and Rights, thus emerge from the depths of abandonment – a sense of being unwanted. Peace is about being freed by setting our feet on the ground and keep walking in the midst of uncertainty. Consequently, peace rehabilitates us and lifts us up from the human dungeon of hopelessness, dispelling the darkness and fear that are residing within us. Peace touches our inner core to raise us up to confidence so that through a shared mission we can live a fuller life on earth. A renewal of peace happens, therefore, when we stoop humbly to serve and bind the wounded, and those broken hearted.

Pope Francis tells the Christians and Muslims, and all people of goodwill, to extinguish “the fires of hatred, violence and war, and instead light the gentle candle of peace.” God loves all those who devote their lives to the service of peace. Peace is an outcome of justice; it is the fruit of human efforts to build a just world. Human being is called to lay the conditions necessary for its preservation by “drawing upon resources of peace that are present in our rich human and religious traditions” and by acting as “witnesses of hope”. Again, at Easter “Urbi et Orbi” on Wednesday, 3^rd April 2024, the Pope called for peace in the world amid global conflict, war, human suffering, destruction, homeless refugees, social tensions,  humanitarian crises, human rights violations, and human trafficking,  proclaiming Jesus Christ as “the way of peace, reconciliation and fraternity.”  War is "always an absurdity” and “a defeat."

In the midst of these conflicts, people of goodwill of all Religions and non-believers are to enter into dialogue for building up of peace through “encounter, coexistence and pluralism”  especially in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine, Russia, Western Balkans, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Rohingya in Myanmar and Africa. Let us all break the ‘Good-Friday-Ramadan fast’  along with other religious groups, including the Bahá', Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Taoists, in fellowship, friendship, solidarity and peace. Let our greetings to each other be: Shalom, Shanti, Peace, Salam, and serve our neighbors in need, thus contribute to the common good of the society.

 

 

---

RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUAL REALITIES

 

In spiritual life we seem to seek truth as if it is available in the proximate near-experience of the Ultimate Truth. In the realm of spirituality, like all other realities, it is not so. According to Sumit Paul, Einstein’s theory of relativity applied to spiritual realities, finds that every faith, religious code, doctrine, dogmas, belief system, ideology is subjective ‘truth’ (so called!) (timesofindia.com/speaking-tree, 14.4.2024). In the present situation, the majoritarian’s absolute faith-claim to be the only truth, is false and bigotry.  Nothing that is earthly is perfect. A religious faith system cannot be called the ultimate truth. When each religion asserts itself to be  the only ‘true’ belief system and every ideology claims to be the only perfect way of life, the post-modern principle seems to hold good: there exists only subjective truths and relative realities. My belief in my faith ideologies is my subjective interpretation of the reality. It is my ‘truth’ which can be non-truth in other’s interpretation of the same reality. If we cannot accept this relative reality of our understanding, we cannot empathise with other’s ‘truth’ as well. Absolute truth in this physical world is an enigma. As our knowledge and understanding is limited, all that we live through, think through and feel through, is out of a subjective experience or partial interpretation of the same reality. Therefore, when we recognize and accept the principle of relativity of truth, we will stop claiming absolute or superior ideological and religious ‘truths’ over others.

Consequently, there is no Universal Truth within human existence. No single theory, idea, ism, doctrine, or belief is acceptable to every individual. The foundations of a claimed and established truth can never be universal, as one or the other will doubt it’s veracity. We only interpret reality which we do not know in its totality. This unknown or partially known reality is the only truth. The subjective interpretations are all individual’s or a groups’ perceptions, which come only in fractions, and not in its entirety. We see realities from our possible and perceived ‘angles’, and they are only partially true.

No man-made Religions (faith-system) are universally true. Yet, we all within our  partial truth-experience, claim them to be the best and the absolute.  It is quite natural to do so, because we all suffer from spiritual worldliness and religious pride, claiming that which is mine is the best.   We can never be certain about the  objective  truth, except that we believe  it to be so. This  belief is in some systems, codes, creed, rituals and norms. Therefore, we can only acknowledge and claim that these systems and codes are true. If this is so, human limitations in knowing the Truth should make us humble. We need to look at our faith experience and belief, as a part of the reality, and not the only reality. We cannot insist on our view of reality and forcefully load it on others. The fact is, truth as a continuous process, it evolves and expands.

Let us consider the concept of divine revelation in religions. The interpretation of these revelations found in the Sacred Scriptures, believed to  contain revelations from the Almighty, significantly vary  according to diverse religious traditions. These texts are considered absolute truth by the believers. However, different biblical scholars and theologians interpret the Scripture contents differently based on different criteria and methods. Some passages are understood as metaphorical while others, as a direct command from God. The interpretations of passages on morality, salvation, and prophecy (exegesis, hermeneutics) contained in the believed-to-be divinely inspired Bible, diverge across denominations, e.g. creation story in Genesis—whether literal or allegorical. Again, within the Religion, the countless sects/denominations emphasize in varied measures the different aspects of the texts. These variations arise due to socio-cultural context, personal experiences, and individual perspectives. Each believer’s understanding of divine truth is shaped by their upbringing, traditions, education, and spiritual journey which is ever evolving with time and space. Thus, while the core texts remain constant, the subjective prism through which they are viewed, leads to diverse interpretations. In short, the concept of universal Truth in the light of varied interpretations of revelations, exemplifies how religious truths are inherently subjective. What resonates as profound and absolute for one person may differ significantly for another, highlighting the relativity of spiritual understanding that constantly evolves and expands.

Similarly, we recognize and acknowledge Jesus’ uniqueness in so far as it evolves and expands in its understanding of the Truth in our present situation.  His pre-eminence flows from his uniqueness, in as much as his words, actions  and the experiences of his disciples/followers evolve with the present interpretation of his actual life, words and works. Yet, the extent of understanding of such interpretations is only partial. Christians believe, Jesus is the Wisdom, he is the Message. But they are understood and interpreted in our partial human ways. Christianity may deny to be a system of ideas, even though there are gradually developed doctrines, system, norms, codes and creed. It is also claimed that Christianity is not a moral code of conduct for human behaviour; that it is not an "ism,” (monotheism). To say, on the contrary that Christianity is a person, – that no idea can substitute for the person of Christ– is contradictory and erroneous, because it is a man-made religion with a developed system of belief, relied upon some doctrines codes, creed, customs and rituals.  The person of Jesus, believed to be ever living and active in the Church today, itself is an idea out of our memory, – a belief in the notional idea of Jesus, as a person. In reality, he is a distant figure of History who lived and died, but made alive through the Christian belief, that through a divine power he is living and active in the Church and in the world. This is only a fraction, a partial belief of an individual or a community of the Absolute Truth, called God, Allah, Parameswara, the Almighty, Mother, or ‘Father’ as addressed by Jesus.