Do the teachings of Jesus who emphasised the duty to practise leniency towards those who are in situations of disadvantage have a message for the warring factions of the church in Kerala? The fact is that only the victor, unlike the vanquished, can practise clemency.
The feud between the two factions in the Malankara Christian church is almost a century old and the Orthodox faction has won legally over the Jacobite faction. Regrettably, this is an unchristian public skirmish.
Bishops of the Orthodox and Jacobite factions have washed and kissed a few feet on Maundy Thursdays. The heart of Maundy Thursday is the new Commandment: that we should love one another. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples against a background of the spirit of competition brewing among them as to who is foremost among them. To Jesus, this spirit of domination denoted a failure in love. Hence the new Commandment.
Can we ask Christians to love another, despite denominational barriers? Well, lay Christians will have no problem with that. Rather, they are sure to find this a natural thing to do. But are the prelates and priests game for charting a new course to reconciliation and love? "Perfect love casts out a multitude of sins".
Basic to the spirituality of Jesus is the insistence that we must rise above the letter of the law. "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees," Jesus said, "you shall in no wise enter the Kingdom of Heaven." The Scribes and Pharisees were so zealous about the letter of the law that they became deaf and blind to the spirit of the law. It's time to banish that analogy.
What the Supreme Court has done is to give a decision based on the letter of the law. The Court is a legal entity, not a spiritual institution. It is, after all, only a court of law, which need not be the same as the court of justice; though we assume that the two become identical in judicial pronouncements.
The Orthodox faction, which has won the legal battle, should have enabled it to aim at a larger, and more enduring, victory -the spiritual victory. Spiritual victories are won by exceeding, or going beyond, legal prescriptions and sacrificing, if need be, material entitlements. Only the victor, unlike the vanquished, can practise clemency and deal with the situation in a spirit of generosity.
Jesus, in his teachings, emphasized the duty to practise leniency towards those who are in situations of disadvantage. The parable of the unforgiving servant is an example of it. The fact that, as per the Supreme Court verdict, the Orthodox faction is entitled to a few churches and their assets currently under the possession of the Jacobite faction, does not prevent it from showing greatness of spirit in dealing with their fellow believers who were, for decades, their own sisters and brothers.
There are times when the spiritual mettle of individuals and institutions is put to the test. Ironically, it is victory, not defeat, that sets up the stage for it. Just as the victor is expected to be more accommodative in democracy, the Orthodox faction has the onus of showing spiritual dignity and maturity to handle its legal victory as Christians are mandated to do: in mutual love and in accountability to the God of justice?
Guess it is time to end the winter of discontent and embark on a journey that reflects the ethos of the biblical faith. As Christians observe the liturgy of the Holy Week, there is a bounden duty be spiritually free and honest enough to uphold the meaning and relevance of Jesus' suffering and sacrificial death.
The fact that one pretends to be sorrowful about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, does not mean that one would not crucify him for the sake of mundane gains.
As Justice Potti observed, while hearing this case at its early stage, how is this different from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? The fratricidal war amounts to a negation of the Gospel. Prelates should sit together in the spirit of sharing and script an end to factionalism.
(The writer Rev valsan Thampu is former principal, St Stephen’s College, Delhi)
