Lissy Maruthanakuzhy
The answer to the church’s social actions continues ringing in our ears during this season of Easter. The message of Jesus invites his followers to be his “witnesses.”
Jesus also warns his disciples about the possible hostility they may encounter walking on his path (St John 16:2). He is reminding his disciples to bear witness to him in their/our own life situations.
In the face of humiliation and persecution, Jesus exhorts the disciples to continue as his witnesses. Their intimate companionship with Jesus is the ground for their witness. After having lived with him in the familiarity of a friend, one will experience deep within oneself the urge of sharing Jesus with others.
In April, a Charitable institution offered one of their homes, to the government to use for the people in need of isolation during this pandemic. After reading the news report, one person commented, “A government that is hellbent on proving falsely that all such actions on the part of Christians are meant to convert Hindus into Christians. Will we ever learn!.”
I could understand his feeling. He was referring to the incident when two Sacred Heart nuns were attacked by Bajrang Dal. They were accused of converting the two postulants with whom they were travelling from New Delhi to Odisha. That was in March this year.
Very soon the health situation in our country turned bad and Church Institutions began to collaborate with the government to save lives by offering space in their institutions. In Pune, Sister Lucy Kurian offered one of their homes after vacating an orphanage building. They also offered two ambulances.
A missionary disciple experiences Jesus and shares his/her Jesus-experience with others in different ways. They reach out to others in various situations. The Acts of Apostles is replete with such accounts.
St Damien reached out to the leprosy patients in distant Molokai; today the Christian workers reach out to refugees and victims of trafficking.
In Rajkot mission the Congregation of Mother Carmel Sisters have opened their five-bed clinics for the Covid patients from villages. Lack of attention and treatment in government hospitals led them to the small clinics where sisters take utmost care to attend to each patient. The villagers have prepared the place adjacent to the clinics and beds bought from their own homes, sisters said. The Vimal Jyothi province has 42 mission centers in the Rajkot missions.
The Archdiocese of Goa-Daman opened Joseph Vaz Spiritual Renewal Centre at Old Goa on May 10 as a place for self-isolation and recovery, a government approved Covid care center. Several Religious nurses have come forward to offer voluntary services at the center. Archbishop said, ‘Our Institutions are for the people.”
In his pastoral letter he had said, “The joy that one experiences after one’s encounter with the Lord pervades one’s whole being and is manifested in three ways: in one’s being, in one’s self articulation and in one’s concern towards estranged fellow pilgrims.”
The immunization center for Panaji has now been moved from Urban Health Centre to Don Bosco Oratory operational from 10 May. According to the City Mayor Rohit Monserrate, “Don Bosco Oratory can accommodate about 500 people a day for vaccination. The Health Centre that handles vaccination besides Covid tests, will now only have Covid test facility.
Father Gabriel Coutinho of St Andrew’s Parish at Vasco da Gama, exhorted his parishioners, ”Let us work together with the government, Let us come out with suggestions as how we can help one another in our parish. As a priest I must live for my people and die for my people. Likewise the ministers whom people have voted to power with confidence.”
The priest has already made available 10 oximeters and as donations flow in they will provide more, he informed.
Meanwhile Father Maverick Fernandes, director of Caritas-Goa, a diocesan body, has appealed to the clergy, women and men religious and lay faithful in the state for the formation of Covid care (CCT) teams in parishes as a part of their endeavor to help the needy in the difficult time.
“We need to organize ourselves collectively and provide assistance to our people who are generally in a state of fear and panic,” Father Maverick said.
He suggested, ‘Build up a CCT of volunteers, comprising selected members from your Parish Pastoral Council, Youth, Lay Associations, men and women Religious.”
The Christian missionaries never stop at the persecutions. They just follow their Master’s footsteps closely.