The Good Friday story about the desert of godlessness is getting more bizarre. We now have Hindus praising Pope Benedict for including Hindu scriptures in the meditations (here). They're also pleased with the mention of Gandhi.
Here is how Archbishop Menamparampil, in commemoration of the greatest act in all of history, framed Our Lord as a social justice activist:
Third Station: Jesus is held guilty by the Sanhedrin
MEDITATION
In every land, there have been innocent persons who suffered, people who died fighting for freedom, equality or justice. Those who struggle on behalf of God’s little ones are promoting God’s own work. For he presses for the rights of the weak and the oppressed.[1] Whoever collaborates in this work, in the spirit of Jesus, brings hope to the oppressed and offers a corrective message to the evildoer himself.
Jesus’ manner of struggling for justice is not to rouse the collective anger of people against the opponent, so that they are led into forms of greater injustice. On the contrary, it is to challenge the foe with the rightness of one’s cause and evoke the good will of the opponent in such a way that injustice is renounced through persuasion and a change of heart. Mahatma Gandhi brought this teaching of Jesus on non-violence into public life with amazing success.
Is anyone still worried that the Church is turning back the clock? Pray for Pope Benedict.
Well, well! So, the good bishop never heard things like "...I have come not to bring peace but the sword!...tsk tsk - such violence! BTW, running pigs off a cliff doesn't sound too friendly either - or overturning merchants tables in the temple of all places! What are we to make of the God-infant, all powerful hidden Diety, allowing male babies of the area to be killed so He could escape, when we know He could have stopped it??! Perhaps He was trying to win over the goodwill of Herod by not showering fire upon his head - ? Christ was no pacifist. He brought mankind TRUTH, REDEMPTION, so we could live forever with HIM.
Of course, when the Pope used the verse from the unpronouncible "Brahadaranyakopanishad" -
(("Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.")) I think the Holy Father was asking God to lead the Hindu people just as the 'prayer' says: from DARKNESS to LIGHT i.e from false 'religion' to the Catholic religion: and from "DEATH" to "IMMORTALITY" meaning from the stain of their ORIGINAL SIN to the BAPTISM in the Catholic Church! Their eyes are blinded!!
As far as "Mahatma Gandhi brought this teaching of Jesus on non-violence into public life with amazing success" - ?Really?
If success is a whole nation pleasantly sitting quietly, no fighting, no hatred of the neighbor, no friction between people, everyone equal within their own caste,of course(there are thousands in Hinduism) then Gandhi was a complete failure and did NOT have 'the spirit of Jesus', as all these people were deprived of the Truth and the True God. This is the true violence on earth, to fail to "...know the one true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom He has send..." to redeem us ALL. Violence to the soul is the worse violence of all.
Wow, Elizabeth, you found all that in the pope's address, and I couldn't even find the word sin. I must be hermeneutically challenged.
Actually, Cyprian, I was just focusing on the Ghandi-in-the-spirit-of-Jesus fiction. SIN? Now, why would you ever expect that mentioned at the Stations of the Cross?? The fact that SIN is the reason for the Way of the Cross would be a bit much with such a large crowd out to see the Pope. Why spoil the event?
In fairness, I think the Pope is a suffering servant drawing people back to Christ(I speak of nominal Catholics, now)gently - e.g. the Holy Mass was the unifying factor in the practice of Catholics through the ages - all fell apart post V-II. Gradually the Pontif brings back tradition - one change here, another there,slowly, slowly...and eventually the frog in the pot will be cooked! I should live long enough to see it happen! SIN?? The masses are barely beyond the 'I'm OK, you're OK' stage. Wait till next Good Friday - perhaps the 'sometimes-we-fail-to-see-Christ-in-others' stage.
"Why spoil the event?" LOL
When's my frog gonna be done?