Can we think spiritually?

Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

Frustration, anger and violence are the buzz words of modern society. Frustration because society is not moving in the right direction as expected. Anger because in every walk of life there has been betrayal especially by the political leaders and role models. Violence because it is an outcome of anger for some and the only solution to every problem for others. The truth is that frustration and anger can colour the lenses of our eyes thereby distorting the vision of life. To restore our families, our societies and also our religion we need to think spiritually.

The drama of frustration, anger and violence throws up two characters: the victimiser and the victim. The society rightly takes up for the victim. Justice demands that we stand by the victim. Thinking spiritually means going beyond justice. It calls for a compassionate approach. Compassion definitely towards the victim but without omitting the victimiser. That is spirituality. Those who think spiritually know the immense value of prayer. Prayer not only heals the victim but also releases the victimiser from his/her hatred, false ideologies and evil deeds.

Well! One may say that law must take its course or that the Constitution of the country is greater than religion. A compassionate approach goes beyond the law and the Constitution. Let’s think spiritually about the case of Sr Rani Maria’s murderer by the victimiser Samandar Singh. Law made him sit behind bars for 11 years and six months but compassion from Sr Maria’s family not only made him their family friend but also restored his self-esteem (he had begun hating himself and plotting revenge on those who had brainwashed him to kill the nun) and gave him a renewed purpose in life.

The world speaks of death sentence to the rapists, murderers and smugglers. Capital punishment may be good in rarest of rare cases for the good of the society. After all if a leg with gangrene is not amputated one will lose the whole body. However the Catholic Church wants to explore the total effects of compassion in any given situation. Compassion here does not signify letting the victimiser go scot-free. It means that even if the victimiser is behind bars there is still a hope of conversion and salvation. It takes away the sting of hatred towards the victimiser. It means hating the sin but not the sinner.

With this hope in mind the Catholic Church is very actively involved in prison ministry. It’s not just visiting the prisoners like a guest rather it involves in restoring their personhood, giving them a second chance to restore their lives. Jail is not the end. Salvation is. Punishment is not for eternal condemnation of the victimiser. It is for his restoration, to bounce back to good life. It is with such intent that Norwegian prisons are built. For them prison is a place not only to repent for their sins but also to bounce back in life.

Let’s think spiritually about the Bishop-Nun scandal. The people at large in India today especially the news channels are with the victim, the nun. We sincerely sympathise with the nun. If her allegation is true, her ordeal is terrible to endure. But thinking spiritually also means taking into consideration the feelings of the alleged victimiser. Here in this case it is the society which branded Bishop. It is to be noted that (legally speaking) a person becomes victimiser only when she/he is proved in the court of law. In the case of the Bishop he is already judged by news channels and branded as a victimiser much before he could even step into the court.

Imagine if all the allegations are false. What if he is truly innocent? If he is innocent, then the roles will be reversed. He will become the victim and the nun will become the victimiser. (In US there are a couple of cases where priests and bishops were falsely accused). When we think of the suffering and pain of the nun can we also think about the pain and trauma of the bishop if he is innocent?

If in the future the court pronounces that he indeed was the victimiser, should we throw the proverbial first stone or should we pray for his restoration as a human being, as a person and then as a priest and bishop? The world has seen numerous conversion stories of dictators, rapists, murderers, smugglers et al. Their conversion stories later became inspiring stories to many sinners. 

Many see Goa CM as the victimiser and Goan society and environment as a victim. There is so much of hate speech going on social media and local tiatrs. My mind wonders if hate speech is of any advantage to anyone. It could be outcome of frustration and anger for under performance of the government. As we knock on the doors of St Francis Xavier to save Goa can we think spiritually and pray for our CM? It wouldn’t be right to hate someone who is fighting the battle between life and death. Doing so will degrade human dignity.

Thinking spiritually brings to our memory the story of the thief hanging alongside Jesus on Mount Calvary. He sought forgiveness at the last minute. Our Lord Jesus not only granted him forgiveness but also opened the doors of paradise to him. The history of the early Christians is a history of forgiveness. They saw everything through spiritual eyes. They even embraced the hands of the persecutors. In the recent past we see the survivors of the Holocaust during the Second World War and the great Nelson Mandela clasping the white hands of his victimizers. Mission impossible becomes possible only when we begin to think spiritually. Justice is good, compassion is better and forgiveness is the best. Think about it.