The Word of God and South Asia - Fr Patrick Gomes

The Word of God and South Asia 

Evangelization to a Story-Loving People

Fr. Patrick Simon Gomes (Bangladesh)

The purpose of this article is not to write an exhortation nor is it to give any scientific strategy with data for skillfully spreading the Word of God in South Asian countries. The intention is to encourage and be encouraged with very simple stories of life, almost common to all the countries of this region. I would be grateful if it is considered as a written sharing.

The idea of evangelization:

•        ‘It is a Commitment, or

•        An Act of

•        Publicly Preaching

•        The Gospel

•        With the intention of spreading

•        The message and teachings of Jesus Christ.’

Summary of the definition of evangelization:

Spreading

                                                            The Teachings

                                                                                                Of Jesus Christ

In order to know art of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ, someone must know: Who Jesus is, what his teachings are and how to spread those teachings.

We are called to spread the Word of God in South Asia, where Christians are minority of minorities: % Christians in South Asian nations:

Bangladesh: 0.36%

India: 2.70%

Nepal: 1.0%

Pakistan: 1.6%

Sri Lanka: 7.5%

Bhutan: 0.9% and Maldives: Not Known

(Source: httpa:/southasianconcern.org/christianity-and-south-asia/#tab-id-1)

South Asia is the birthplace of four world religions. It has sheltered also religions born elsewhere including Christianity. South Asia is the home to the world's most densely population.

1.6 billion People of South Asia live in an area less than half the size of the USA. Hindus and Muslims are the overwhelming religious majority, respectively in India and in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Approximately, ‘every week 225,000 South Asians die, most without Christ’. But of gospel hope is found here. Though we do not do the harvesting, yet through the work of local Christians and foreign workers South Asians are being introduced to the life of and faith in Christ. The Church is growing here. Christ in the life and ministries of the Christians is visible and his presence is felt.

Ecclesia in Asia, a document issued by Pope John Paul II and officially promulgated in New Delhi of India on 06 November 1999, can be considered a guide for the evangelization and expansion of the Roman Catholic faith in whole of Asia.

The document says: “Just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in the second on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the Third Christian Millennium a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent of Asia" (EA 1) (JP II 1999:359). It was in deed an expression of great hope that the Word of God would be deeply rooted in Asia, so also in South Asia.

Ecclesia in Asia > Ecclesia in South Asia:

What is Asian, is truly South Asian: The Exhortation is composed of seven parts dealing with the following themes:

1)     The Asian context

2)     Jesus as Savior

3)     The Holy Spirit as Lord and Giver of life

4)     proclamation of Jesus in Asia (with a focus on inculturation)

5)     communion and dialogue for mission (with a focus on ecumenical and interreligious dialogue)

6)     the service of human promotion and

7)     Christians as witnesses to the Gospel

The document concludes: “The peoples of Asia need Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Asia is thirsting for the Living water that Jesus alone can give (cf. Jn 4:10–15). The disciples of Christ in Asia must therefore be unstinting in their efforts to fulfil the mission they have received from the Lord, who has promised to be with them to the end of the age (cf. Mt 28:20). Trusting in the Lord who will not fail those whom he has called, the Church in Asia joyfully makes her pilgrim way into the Third Millennium.”

The Holy Scripture: Source of Instructions and Inspiration for Evangelization:

1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Fr. Bob McCahill, MM, a Maryknoll priest from the USA, popularly known as Bob Bhai, has been living as a missionary of love among the marginalized Muslims and Hindus in different parts of Bangladesh for more than 35 years. He takes care of the sick and makes medical services available to the sick who are in extreme poverty. He witnesses in his simplest way: “I love Jesus, Jesus tells me to love you! So I am here with you!”

Challenge: Questioning and doubting the ‘right motivation of the missionary-priest’ almost every day some people would be there to ‘charge’ him, saying: “What is your gain/profit”? He repeats the same from his conviction of and confidence in Jesus’ love for everyone.

2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Me, as a seminarian: While visiting neighboring Hindu families during my summer vacation, one elderly lady invited me to share some “religious talks” with them. I thought for a while as what should I tell the pious Hindu lady, who offers ‘puja’ (adoration) to the statue of the goddess Durga every day at her house. It gave me a chance to share about the incarnation of Jesus for human salvation, about the Holy Family of Jesus, May and Joseph and about our role as family.

Challenge: It is true that being minority of the minorities, Christians are contributing tremendously to the education, health care and social welfare in the countries of South Asia. Still all are not open to us and we are not open even to the ‘possible ones’. Do we even go to the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists to greet and wish them on their feasts?

2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

I was invited to read from the Sacred Scripture of the Christians in a Program of the Physically Disabled with the Prime Minister. People from three other major religions were also invited for the readings with translations. In order to save my allotted time to share a brief reflection on the reading, I took the Bengali Bible and equally divided the two minutes into reading the text and reflecting how Jesus, honoring the persons, first talked to and then touched the men with the withered hand and with leprosy and then healed them. Even the Muslims appreciated restoring human dignity done by Jesus.

Challenge: Not always do we do make use of the occasions opportunities to make know to others and the Muslims at large are allergic to Jesus, although Isa (Jesus) is their prophet as well!

2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

A Priestly Ordination in Chittagong Archdiocese: There was an open-air Ordination- Mass, obviously with the microphone on. It was then the time for Azan, Muslim calling for namaj or prayer in the noon time. Muslims from the nearby mosque flooded and started banging on the Church gate and demanding to stop the microphone. Some Catholic leaders went to meet them to make them realize that ours also was a prayer. But they would not listen to anyone. They angrily demanded to switch off the microphone. The Catholic leaders finally had to say “yes” to their demand which was the result of a ‘dialogue’ with them.

Challenge: Preferences are taken for granted as the rights of the religious majority in most of the South Asian countries almost always! Dialogue seems to be the only way to cope up and the result of that dialogue can be hoped to be a reality in the future most of the time.

Acts 21:8 “Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.”

[For me, it is not simply spending over-night at the house of Philip nor was it a courtesy visit only, it was also an exchange of views, ideas and gathering experiences regarding evangelization.]

The Bangladesh Bible Society asked for a Catholic member in its Governing Body. And the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB) has very gladly accepted it. There are Catholic members also in the Translation Committee of the BBS. They even agreed to print the Bible in Bengali with the Deuterocanonical Books. There are occasions when programs are jointly organized.

Challenge: Lack of collaboration and coordination among the Commissions in the dioceses and distances from other Churches can really be obstacles on the way of evangelization.

Ephesians 4:11 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers.”

“Please, send me to Sylhet”! This was my reaction twice: first, when I was asked to go for higher studies to Rome and secondly, when I was asked to take the responsibility of our national seminary. Sylhet is now a diocese which was part of Dhaka Archdiocese and it has been created a diocese recently. I wanted to do ‘my mission work’ with the people of the peripheries. I was told, “Go to the seminary and do your missionary work there”! My obedience brings me joy in my apostolate. I am still convinced that if not me, Sylhet needs many missionaries to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Challenge: Properly discerning our vocations in the vocations in important. It is not “I’ and “my”, but it is “His”, given to me as gift. 

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”.

The South Asian countries can well be evangelized using the e-medias but it should never be without the physical presence, contact and accompaniment of the evangelizers and missionaries where and when it is possible. Like many parts of the world, South Asia is also having an E-generation, sometimes more rapidly than other parts of the world. We are becoming e-seminarians, e-priests, religious and e-bishops. I do not call it good or bad. But should we use these gadgets at all, reaching people of the whole world using this gadgets should be out goal.

Challenge: Demanding to have a missions only where “There is there Internet access,” cannot be the spirit of “going to the whole world”. Driving motor cycles and cars to the mission centers and ‘functioning’ the Holy Mass and just coming back to the parish centers should not be the regular style of ministry of the priests and missionaries. It was not the style and tradition of ministry in the countries of South Asia.  ‘Smelling the sheep and having the smell of the sheep’ and being with them was, and should be very much a part of the ministry concerns to the sick, visiting families, giving catechism to the children and the elderly.

Pope Francis, in Evagelli Gaudium (EG), in paragraphs 24-33 sketches outlines of seven principles that can serve as a blueprint for evaluation as well as continuation of evangelization. These can be used to reflect upon our parishes, schools, mission centers or apostolates as they are growing as institutes of missionary activities in the countries in South Asia.

The seven principles are:

•        Evangelizing communities know that the Lord has taken the first step in the evangelization process. (EG #24)

•        Evangelizing communities are supportive action-oriented communities that patiently respond to people’s real needs. (EG #24)

•        Evangelizing communities bear fruit. (EG #24)

•        Evangelizing communities are marked by deep joy and rejoicing. (EG #24)

•        Evangelizing communities are characterized by flexibility and frequent contact with its members. (EG #28)

•        Evangelizing communities foster a Spirit-filled environment where members are trained to be evangelizers. (EG #28)

•        Evangelizing communities are bold and creative in assessing how they operate and conduct themselves. (EG #33)

Prayer of the men and women of the Word in South Asia:

Father of the Word Incarnate, we thank you for calling us to carry out your Word to the whole of South Asia and elsewhere in the world! Help us to grow in your Word and bear fruits and help many others to grow and be fruitful as well. Help us that with humility and patience, we will not look at harvesting but we will be mindful in tilling and sowing.

This we ask of you through the Eternal Word Incarnate, Jesus your Son. Amen!