The Journey 275
Read: Jonah 4
Today is Gandhi Jayanthi. The world today and all Indians in particular remembers Mahatma Gandhiji on his 143rd birthday. A man with a dhoti and a walking stick, through the concept of Satyagraha [ Protest through non– violent means], brought freedom and transformation not only to nation of India but a whole new perspective about living and also in the fight for justice for millions of people all over the world. Even in United States, in the struggle for a racism free society, Martin Luther King acknowledged the principle of Satyagraha, in his fight for equal rights for African American citizens. What made Gandhiji a leader of a different mould, which is so rare in the world today is his broader understanding of spirituality, concept of truth and his concern for the people who are in the lower strata of society. His passion for standing for the rights of these common people is what made Gandhiji stand out as a tall leader. There is one particular incident that needs to be shared, at a time when the world is torn by strife and disharmony based on religious, cultural and regional claims. A boy who visited Gandhiji was greatly distressed to see the way Gandhiji was dressed. Such a great man yet he does not wear a shirt?, the boy wondered. He asked Gandhiji as to why he did not wear a kurta or a shirt to which Gandhiji replied “ Where is the money, I am very poor and I cant afford a Kurta”. The boy felt pity on Gandhiji and remarked that his mother sews well and therefore he will tell his mother to sew a kurta for Gandhiji. To this, Gandhiji asked the little boy as to how many kurta can your mother make. The boy thought for a moment and asked Gandhiji as to how many does he need. Gandhiji paused and said to the boy that he comes from a large family, a family that consists of forty crores of brothers and sisters. Till they all have kurta, how can I wear one on myself...Tell me can your mother stitch kurtas for all of them. The boy became sad, but soon understood that here is leader who does not think about himself and his need on the contrary thinks of the others. This is what made Gandhiji different. It is these perspective of others, the humanity and the nation is what is needed in all of us and I believe our Lord also taught us these values that would make us also an individual of a different mould.
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living” and the passage that we shall use for our meditation is from Jonah 4. Jonah has been entrusted with the message of repentance for the people of Nineveh. But the concept of repentance of Jonah and God differed. God wanted Jonah to preach so that there is change and transformation in the lifestyle of the Ninevites, on the contrary Jonah wanted to see the doom of Ninevites. This change of perception is basically because of Jonah’s mistrued concept of spirituality and also humanity. For him he was righteous and the people of Nineveh– unrighteousness, an attitude so prevalent among believers today. But as we read Jonah 4, we find that what God finally intended was not only the transformation in the nation of Nineveh but also a total change in the attitude and perception of Jonah. As he rests under a shade , he is happy but the next day he find his shade gone, because a worm comes and attacks it thus causing it to wither. Jonah is angry and that is when God puts some sense in his thinking as to “if he is angry at the withering of the plant which he did not make, does not God need to have compassion on innocent people and even animals of Nineveh, for He is their creator”?. Here is God teaching Jonah to move out of his selfish understanding of spirituality and from the narrow confines of communalism to a broader understanding of God’s salvific act in history and in the life of human beings. This is what I believe Gandhiji also had and this is what God expects us to do in our life.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla
Today is Gandhi Jayanthi. The world today and all Indians in particular remembers Mahatma Gandhiji on his 143rd birthday. A man with a dhoti and a walking stick, through the concept of Satyagraha [ Protest through non– violent means], brought freedom and transformation not only to nation of India but a whole new perspective about living and also in the fight for justice for millions of people all over the world. Even in United States, in the struggle for a racism free society, Martin Luther King acknowledged the principle of Satyagraha, in his fight for equal rights for African American citizens. What made Gandhiji a leader of a different mould, which is so rare in the world today is his broader understanding of spirituality, concept of truth and his concern for the people who are in the lower strata of society. His passion for standing for the rights of these common people is what made Gandhiji stand out as a tall leader. There is one particular incident that needs to be shared, at a time when the world is torn by strife and disharmony based on religious, cultural and regional claims. A boy who visited Gandhiji was greatly distressed to see the way Gandhiji was dressed. Such a great man yet he does not wear a shirt?, the boy wondered. He asked Gandhiji as to why he did not wear a kurta or a shirt to which Gandhiji replied “ Where is the money, I am very poor and I cant afford a Kurta”. The boy felt pity on Gandhiji and remarked that his mother sews well and therefore he will tell his mother to sew a kurta for Gandhiji. To this, Gandhiji asked the little boy as to how many kurta can your mother make. The boy thought for a moment and asked Gandhiji as to how many does he need. Gandhiji paused and said to the boy that he comes from a large family, a family that consists of forty crores of brothers and sisters. Till they all have kurta, how can I wear one on myself...Tell me can your mother stitch kurtas for all of them. The boy became sad, but soon understood that here is leader who does not think about himself and his need on the contrary thinks of the others. This is what made Gandhiji different. It is these perspective of others, the humanity and the nation is what is needed in all of us and I believe our Lord also taught us these values that would make us also an individual of a different mould.
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living” and the passage that we shall use for our meditation is from Jonah 4. Jonah has been entrusted with the message of repentance for the people of Nineveh. But the concept of repentance of Jonah and God differed. God wanted Jonah to preach so that there is change and transformation in the lifestyle of the Ninevites, on the contrary Jonah wanted to see the doom of Ninevites. This change of perception is basically because of Jonah’s mistrued concept of spirituality and also humanity. For him he was righteous and the people of Nineveh– unrighteousness, an attitude so prevalent among believers today. But as we read Jonah 4, we find that what God finally intended was not only the transformation in the nation of Nineveh but also a total change in the attitude and perception of Jonah. As he rests under a shade , he is happy but the next day he find his shade gone, because a worm comes and attacks it thus causing it to wither. Jonah is angry and that is when God puts some sense in his thinking as to “if he is angry at the withering of the plant which he did not make, does not God need to have compassion on innocent people and even animals of Nineveh, for He is their creator”?. Here is God teaching Jonah to move out of his selfish understanding of spirituality and from the narrow confines of communalism to a broader understanding of God’s salvific act in history and in the life of human beings. This is what I believe Gandhiji also had and this is what God expects us to do in our life.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla