Theology, what it is; what do we do? – Simmering of a Month Old Student of Theology

Theology is generally understood as grappling with our experience of the element of mystery/Reality that is apparently concealed in the reality. In theistic circles, it is an effort to understand, the historic awareness of the divine and its dynamics in a particular socio-religious tradition, and to respond accordingly to its existential milieu. In our classrooms, we do catholic theology i.e. we are introduced to different (beautiful) experiences, some fundamental and others supportive, that has built up Christian religion to be precise Catholicism with a systematic and critical tour into the mighty, complex and well defined framework of our religion. Since catholic faith essentially is a love response to God’s love manifest in Jesus Christ, for a good catholic student theology becomes a ‘love experience’. I would even call it as Mary Magdalene’s experience, one who was so much in love with the Lord, that often she is mistaken to be his bride. A good student of theology shares her sentiments, “On my bed at night I looked for the one I love, I sought him [...] I called him [...] I will rise and go about [...] through the streets and the squares; I will seek the love of my heart [...] the watchman came upon me, those who patrol the city. [I asked,] ‘Have you seen the love of my heart?’” Sg 3,1-3. On this point Pope Benedict XVI writes “One who loves wants to know [more than mere intellectual knowledge] his beloved better and better […] motivated by the love of the One who gave his consent” quoting St. Bonaventure, in his general audience on the feast of St. Bonaventure. The experience strengthens us to the extent of martyrdom, authentic love is the will to extend one’s self for the spiritual growth of one’s self and the other.  

The aim broadly is to make the student grow mature in his faith (meaning and relevance of the divine) and his religion.  Theology thus becomes an on-going process. There is no stage in life where we have exhausted every possible growth. In a way, it is a space/time for the student to think about things which he might have regarded self-evident in his younger days.  It is grappling with the faith (life) experiences in the adulthood of life. As I have been introduced into this language-game one thing that becomes slowly clear is that here the object of our understanding is not just doctrines, though at times it can be reduced to it, but a pure-living-dynamic-reality which is the source and the sustainer of everything that exists.

The subject is a sincere desire to know (to be enlightened by) the mystery/Reality/Truth. We will sincerely long to know only those things / persons which have gripped us, about which we are obsessed with and have fallen in love. In a way theology is our attempt to come closer to this reality which has baffled us through different events (faith experiences) at different stages of life and to learn its language game. We will thus be entering into a new world-picture with its categories, methods, rules etc., different from the one we are usually accustomed. Taken in the right perspective, theology would be an adventure into a new outlook towards reality. Sadly, but, this is not the case with every student who is introduced to theology. While the reasons for the lack of interest can be many one of the pertinent reasons for disinterest in this subject is our distance from the Reality. For such students theology becomes the event of getting in touch with it. It cultivates an attitude, an inclusive outlook that perceives reality in its wholeness, highlighting the presence of mystery/ the divine. The students very much acknowledge it. Most of our study in the class room, after all is our struggle to facilitate a meaningful discussion about it and to become aware of its unceasing invitation to the other in truth, beauty, goodness and love.

Welcome therefore to the world of theology, it is an interesting world-picture. I find it, but for some technical jargons, close to philosophy which in turn is also after an insight into reality. Though they take different roads they never function unconnected. Both faith and reason are functions of the same intellect. There is no pure faith which has nothing to do with reason and no reason that has nothing to do with faith. Most of our beliefs are in search of grounds and most of our rational explanations stand comfortably on ungrounded beliefs. This is the law of life. No wonder we find their inner link in many great thinkers. The fact however, is very evident in Oriental Thought process…

Come then to live a life in connectedness!

Thinking-over Revelation and Religion: Lessons from Fr. Michael Amaladoss

This post is my thinking over “God Speaks” and “God Speaks to us” articles by Fr. Michael Amaladoss. There are two inter-related points that are glaring in the article besides the other insights: First, the radical dynamism of God’s revelation; Second the inner-link between revelation and salvation.  Revelation broadly refers to ‘God’s act’ in the world. The content of revelation is the infinite and finite. It aims to enlighten the creation (finite) of its non-seperatedness from the Creator (infinite). The process, as a result, continues, until we are one with God. This is however, a gift / an initiative of God - light shines forth in the darkness and Truth enlightens the ignorant. In this dynamics, our role is a response to this un-ending call of truth and light. Since it has human being as the subject, it happens in history and in a community. 

The ultimate expression of God’s call and our response occurs in God-Man/Avatar, who reveals the true God and the true wo/man through words and deeds. Every religion as a result, invariably revolves around one or a set of such God-men. The varied scriptures are inscription of truths revealed through them and by them. It is, moreover regarded as the fundamental and foundational revelation, since we are certain that they contain nothing but the truth. For us Christians, the fullness of revelation is Christ, and so the scriptures/revelation in the radical/literal sense ends with the account of those who have had a first-hand experience of Christ. The church though initially misunderstood, today accepts the dynamic aspect of revelation, but firmly believes that there will not be any new-truth other than “Christ”, who is the fullness revelation. Therefore, the on-going process of revelation helps us have a new or deeper understanding of Christ and to fall in love with Him, the light, the truth, the life. This depends on the integrity of the individual and not on the institution of individual power.

This fact should not be alarming since Christ represents the truth within, amidst us (signs of the times), which needs to be grasped by us who ignorantly search for it somewhere outside.  It goes with every enlightened religion! The issue – revelation, its authenticity and transmission – however, becomes complex as religion turns more institutionalized with the passage of time. One cannot though avoid institutions since human being is essentially a social being, modern man feels religion to be a custodian of truth, and worse still an autocrat imprisoning truth/light. “Spirit blows where it wills” (Jn 3,8) Probably Fr. Amaldoss tries to free us from such shackles joining hands with Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11, 28). Sadly it was such structures in their intelligence and scrupulous reasoning, they missed Jesus Christ: “At that time Jesus exclaimed, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do” (Mt 11, 25-26). Let not history repeat itself! 

Faith is much more than Pure/Isolated God-Talk: Learning from Fr. Stan

These days we are grappling with faith in our classroom under the guidance of Fr. Stanislaus Swamikannu. Right in the start Fr. Stan made it very clear that faith basically is a genuine inter-personal relationship with God that goes through the regular dynamics of every human relationship: infatuation, mutual self-revelation, transformation/change and continual growth in love. 


In the first stage, infatuation, we get attracted to the other for one or more reasons and often times for no reason. We feel a pull towards the other that arise in us the curiosity to know the other, to be with the other and at times even to imitate the other. Driven by this pull, we begin to reveal ourselves to each other, thus we are lead into the second stage, mutual self-revelation. The relationship in this level grows deeper than initial attraction and external closeness. Sharing about oneself is surrendering oneself to the other. One begins to surrender oneself to the other, by a sincere and complete revelation of oneself. Gradually, the relationship transforms one-another, the third stage - transformation/change. We grow out of our old-selves and renew our life for growth. At times this confirms the authenticity of our relationship. Thereafter the relationship grows challenging, comforting, caring and loving each other for eternity! We enter the fourth stage, continual growth in love. How adventurous and enriching then our life of faith can be? Lord increase our faith.

One thing that needs to be noted here is that our relationship can never be compartmentalized like now I relate with God, now I relate with human being and then with cosmos etc. Every true relationship with God leads to an authentic relationship with fellow human beings and cosmos and vice versa. May be we are able to understand one, in this case faith, in terms of the other - human relationship, with ease, since they are so interlinked and knit together. Faith therefore is much broader than the usual humdrum of pure/isolated God-talk and Human relationship is much more human than as we usually conceive it.

A Wandering God, Wandering With You

Again the beauty of our religion is that we worship a God who wanders with the people. Fr. Sahayadas Fernando sdb, who has come to Becchi to teach Moral Theology, reflecting over the readings of the day 4 July: Gen 28:10-22a and Mt 9:18-26, contends that the presence of our God is a Wandering Presence. Connecting it further to the resistance of God to the intention of King David to build a temple for Him, Fr. Sahayadas further noted that probably our God cannot be held in a temple. This is evident in our God’s promise to Jacob in the first reading “See, I am with you and I will keep you safe wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land and not leave you until I have done what I have promised” (Gen 28: 15) and experienced in Jesus, the God with us, accompanying the grief stricken father of the deceased daughter (Mt 9:19). How wonderful is to have a God who wanders with those who seek his presence!

How true is Rabindranath Tagore in his exhortation,  

                                                      “Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads!

Whom dost thou worship in this lonely

dark corner of a temple with doors all shut?

Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!

He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground

and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.

He is with them in sun and in shower,

and his garment is covered with dust.

Put of thy holy mantle and even like him

                                                                   come down on the dusty soil!” Gitanjali