Church in India Today :
Houses of God without God /  |
| Fr. Sebastian Thottippatt- |
In
the recent past a colossal church was blessed and opened for worship in
Edappally in the archdiocese of Ernakulam by the Major Archbishop Cardinal
George Alenchery. Many a criticism has been raised in India about the propriety
of investing 50 crores of rupees on a building that is meant for Christians to
experience God in community. The extravagance and profligacy of those
responsible for the construction of it did not escape the notice of the
Cardinal and he did give vent to it during the valedictory function. In doing
so he certainly was absolving his own personal share in maintaining silence
while the church was in the planning stage and under construction over the
years that it took to complete. Anyone
who is familiar with the gospel and the value system of Christ should sense the
utter contradiction to the spirit of the gospel that the church at Edappally projects
in loud and clear terms. The tragic fact is that the Church in Kerala is on a
war path erecting multi-crore churches in every nook and corner to replace
existing ones with the lame pretext of lack of space or aging of church
buildings. We are forgetting the words of the Lord, “…true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth; for that is the kind of worship the
Father wants” (Jn.4:23)
 |
| St. George Forane Church, Edappally- Ernakulam. |
On the other hand, many do not hesitate in parting with their wealth to put up opulent churches because it bears testimony before the world that the community has wealth. But the same members of the community have no thought for the masses that go without sufficient food and nourishment in the country, who struggle to meet their hospital expenditure and children’s education. 60 per cent of rural India households remain deprived of several requirements in life. According to the socio-economic and caste census conducted in 2011, 75 per cent of rural households do not have a family member making more than Rs.5000 a month. It may be curious to know that with less than half the amount spent on Edappally church, Prime Minister Modi intends to build 30 million houses for the poor. Whether it will be materialized or not is to be seen. However, isn’t there something that negates the gospel of Christ on the part of everyone who is responsible for multi-crore churches in a developing country like India?
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| The newly constructing St.Antony's Church, Chengalam, in Kanjirappally Diocese. |
Are we trying to emulate followers of other religions in this? We are oblivious to the truth that God is far more pleased when someone shares his possessions with the less privileged than when lavish gifts are offered to the church purely for displaying the wealth of the individuals that constitute that community. God is much more honored and glorified in our caring for others than in the donations we make to church constructions. The Church is made up of real living persons and when there is true and loving relationship among members of a community it represents the Body of Christ. It is this Body that has to be fed with loving attention and care and not the walls or the façade of the building that require the costliest ornamentation. But do our worshippers in churches care about those sitting right or left of them when they are in dead hurry to leave the church and head for their car? Perhaps we are unaware that the God we worship is already within ourselves and the community. But our worship may hardly go beyond participating in a ceremony or ritual instead of being the celebration of God in our midst.
The
Constantine era continues to dominate the thinking of many in the Church
despite the re-evaluation by the Second Vatican Council. It is still wealth,
power and pomp which seem to many as the indicator of God’s presence and
blessing. Bethlehem and Calvary seem to make no impact when it comes down to
the practice of Christianity. Opposed to that, Pope Francis has been crying
himself hoarse emphasizing the urgency to come forward to lift up the poor and
marginalized section of society. He himself adopted simplicity as the
characteristic of his papacy and has endeared himself for this to the masses all
over the world. He insists through his encyclicals and talks that it is
incumbent on everyone in society, regardless of caste or creed, to ensure that
there is no waste of human consumer goods, particularly food, so that that the
less privileged may have sufficient to live in dignity.
By no means is it
justifiable, then, to dole out huge amounts of money on places of worship when
the living temple which is the human person lies in danger of being wrecked
through callousness, neglect and indifference of those who possess resources.
It is high time to place a ceiling on expenses that can be incurred on
construction of churches, regardless of means available to the community.
Strict vigilance should be held by those who have charge of parishes and
dioceses that the law of Christ to love one another be not infringed for the
sake of a pretentious love of God that is over eager to raise up gigantic
churches with cupolas, domes or steeples that stand out against the skyline and
proclaim the glory of the builders rather than the glory of God. In some cases it is the clerical class whose
ambitions collude with the laity in their craze to find favor with the priests
and bishops. It is most unwise of us, then, to sacrifice the teachings of
Christ to give expression to our unbridled ambition, pride and selfishness. Whom
do we fool but ourselves when we betray our shallow knowledge of God in the priorities
we set in our life style as Christians? //
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| Altar in St.George Forane Chuch, Edappally- Ernakulam. |
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