The Easter, which Catholic Christians celebrated last week, while the Eastern Churches [http://bit.ly/1Ck14iN] do it on a different date, regard the Resurrection of Jesus as essence of their faith. If we recall St. Paul, the arch manager of the early Christian communities, he went so far as to say to the community of Corinth: If Christ is not risen, our preaching is useless and our faith is useless.
It is important that the Indian Christian community sheds its exaggerated fears of persecuted minority and cherishes the inheritance of the Beatitudes, which alone can make it unique as witness to values it needs to convey to followers of all faiths, or no faith. The Easter message remains significant and relevant for all mankind, troubled by the consequences of anti-Easter values and misplaced priorities.
Since the dawn of human species in the pre-historic times, preying upon the neighbours has been a routine behavior which has only grown proportionately with times. The modern globalization and technologies driving it have enhanced its intensity in terms of rage and range. This human inhumanity was only mitigated by charismatic individuals who from time to time could create counter-cultures providing hope to the hopeless.
The human communities have organized themselves along the ages socially, economically and politically to defend themselves against the killer instinct of their neighbours. In the past couple of centuries, nationalisms have raised their ugly heads, provoking insecurity and planting seeds of rebellion among minorities within borders designed by nationalisms that protect preferentially the interests of culturally united majorities. Rabindranath Tagore denounced the evils of nationalism in his novel Ghore Baire / The home and the world (1916).
The Easter coincides with the European spring and is meant to transmit the idea of new life reflected in the nature after the winter ends. The imposition of colonial calendar upon the Christian liturgy in the former European colonies does not always correspond to the deep meaning of Easter message. Incidentally, St Francis Xavier, who is often cited negatively for his request for establishing Inquisition in India had also pleaded with his superiors in Rome to get the Church authorities to allow a change of Easter date for the Asian countries, but the prevailing Tridentine spirit of uniformity ignored his request.
There is no reason why in the post-colonial times and with inculturation of liturgical practices in progress there should not be a rethinking of this issue. But even in the existing unfortunate situation to which the ex-colonial churches have grown accustomed, the central message of Easter should not get obscured.
The Easter commemorates the crowning of the life and works of Jesus. It was marked by solidarity with the marginalized of the dominant society to which he belonged. He was accused of keeping company of the sinners and the prostitutes. He was not forgiven for denouncing the cultural elites, which were eager to use his popularity to overthrow the Roman imperial rule. Disappointed in their political goals, they opted for his condemnation to death as an insurgent and violator of cultural codes.
While Jesus struggled to dissociate himself from political involvement, right through the history of institutional Christianity, political powers have sought to tie the Christians to political carts. In Goa the Christian community will continue to bear for ever the consequences of one such attempt by the Portuguese colonialism, subverting the cultural codes of the converted communities that needed no replacement, while retaining some damnable ones, like the caste system.
It is often believed that the pre-colonial Indian Christianity attributed to St. Thomas in India, does not suffer from cultural disabilities of the European-implantation of the Christianity. It is only partly true, because the caste dominance prevails among the St. Thomas Christians in Kerala to the disadvantage of the Ezhavas.
Even though the St Thomas Christians defended fiercely their traditional rites (Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara) against the pretensions of the European colonial systems, Mar Joseph Cardinal Parekattil once remarked with his sense of humour that resistance to Latin rite imposition was not a sign of its cultural autonomy. He acknowledged that its tradition of Syrian rite made it zero-Malabar. The recognition of the community with respect in the political scene of independent India is due more to its historic economic strength as spice producers that attracted the Portuguese, and presently as rubber producers.
Whatever the case, Christianity does not have a mission to replace any political or economic system as unfortunately has happened, and Christians have not resisted the temptations that Jesus sought to resist unto his death, declaring till the last moment of his life that he had not come to establish a kingdom on earth. True disciples of Jesus are only called to be a leaven in the social dough, irrespective of political formations, reminding against all odds that human brotherhood is to be respected.
To conclude, the Easter for the followers of Christian faith counters any such moves that made news recently about some misguided Christians and Indian political leaders who wished to subsidize visits by Christians to the Holy Land. It is fine as promotion of cultural tourism, but has nothing to do with the Christian faith: the Resurrection has liberated Jesus from any physical or territorial bondage. He is present to his followers anywhere in world. There is no Mecca or Kashi for the Indian Christians.
(Teotonio R. de Souza is the founder-director, Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Goa (1979-1994).
