By M L Satyan
Coimbatore, March 5, 2025: Every year we celebrate Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas, other feasts as prescribed in the liturgical calendar and parochial feasts as decided at the parish level. Now the Catholic Church is in the jubilee year.
Mega level celebrations have already started and the future events are being planned at various levels. In addition, there are countless silver, golden, diamond, platinum and centenary jubilee celebrations of bishops, priests and nuns.
Last Sunday I visited a local church in Coimbatore where I received a colourfully designed 6-page brochure about Lenten Programs-2025. Time schedule is mentioned from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. All these celebrations do not stop on Easter Sunday. On that day there will be flag hoisting for the parish feast that will be celebrated on the following Sunday of Easter. From the day of flag hoisting, there will be a week-long liturgical celebration.
Just imagine, this parish has already planned Lenten liturgical celebrations from March 5 to April 20. This is inclusive of an “outstation pilgrimage” to famous churches in Tamil Nadu. Again, there will be a week-long parish feast celebration from April 20 to 27.
This “exhaustive” celebrations are conducted every year. In addition, there are Christmas-New Year, Novenas, and fundraising events for Mission Sunday, building a grotto, construction or renovation of the church etc.
Another parish conducts 13-week novena in honour of St. Anthony. This is spread across three months, say from January 7 to April 1, to be specific. Do all these celebrations strengthen the Christian faith and the inter-personal relationships among the people? This remains a million-dollar question.
I purposely raise this question based on my experience. In many Catholic families I have noted “religious fervour” like attending daily Mass, reciting rosary, following different novenas, participating in charismatic prayer meetings, rigorous Lenten practices like skipping a meal on Fridays, attending Way of the Cross, avoiding non-vegetarian food, smoking and alcohol etc. I am sad to note that in spite of the above religious practices, their interpersonal relationships still remain weak or broken.
In this world, broken things are despised and thrown out. Anything we no longer need, we throw away. Damaged goods are rejected, and that includes people. In marriage, when relationships break down, the tendency is to walk away and find someone new rather than work at reconciliation. The world is full of people with broken hearts, broken spirits and broken relationships.
Social divisions: Today the people in the Indian society are divided in the name of caste/community. The high caste people have the money and muscle power. They are minority. Yet, they try to rule over the majority belonging to low caste communities. The high caste people oppress and exploit the low caste people in various ways for their selfish gains.
Today the Indian Catholic church is caste-ridden. This is quite visible in the southern states. Bishops, priests and nuns promote and propagate their caste openly without any shame. Yet, they keep multiplying liturgical celebrations that do not make any positive impact on their life.
Economic divisions: Today’s global scenario is that 10 percent developed nations like the US have control over 80 percent wealth. The remaining 20 percent is distributed among the developing nations. In the similar manner, in India 15 percent wealthy people possess 75 percent wealth and the remaining 85 percent people have only 25 percent wealth. This economic disparity leads to many types of discriminations.
Political divisions: Today there is a mushroom growth of political parties. All these parities have only one motto: “capture power and swindle money”. Most parties try to create divisions among people in the name of caste and religion. “Divide and rule” has become the order of the day.
Religious divisions: Today in India we live in a multi-religious context. Various religions co-exist. Selfish politicians and fake religious leaders try to divide people in the name of God and religion. God is “priced” and converted into a commercial commodity. Religious leaders force empty and meaningless rituals upon people with a view to earn more money.
Today in India we have countless Christian groups. Each group likes to be known as a church. Is Christ present in these churches? No. These groups keep fighting among themselves in the name of Christ. They have expelled Christ long back. The mathematical calculation is: Christ minus Church is equal to Churchianity. Sadly, Christianity is buried and it “rests in peace”.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I like Christ but not Christians.” Gandhiji was definitely inspired by the life and message of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount made a great impact on his life. But the life of Christians did not inspire him in any way.
I have examples of bishops who do not forgive their priests. They have their own strategy of taking revenge on prophetic priests. But the same bishops preach beautiful sermons on forgiveness and reconciliation. Priests and nuns are divided in the name of caste and they instigate the laity. There are millions of families with broken relationships and yet they put on the mask of religiosity.
Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Mt.5:23-24).
Have the bishops, priests, nuns and families understood the powerful message of Jesus? A classic example is: during the mass the priest says, “Let us share the peace of Christ with one another.” The “mechanical and artificial manner of exchanging peace” is a sheer mockery of peace. No one is bothered about it. Today’s worship in the church is not connected to our life outside. Worship without fellowship is a crime according to Mahatma Gandhi.
So, let us ask ourselves:
• Do our celebrations minimise the social, economic, political and religious divisions in the society?
• Are the liturgical celebrations aiming at real spiritual growth?
• Does the multiplication of celebrations point to the commercialisation of religion?
• Are we prepared to move beyond religiosity?
• Shall we start following the message of Jesus and mend our broken relationships?
Let us use this Lenten period to do sincere introspection and try to make our celebration and life meaningful.
(The author is an NGO consultant, trainer and a freelance journalist. He can be contacted at: mlsatyan55@gmail.com)