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Forgiveness
Leads to Freedom: Short Biblical Reflections from Asia
(Kindle Edition). See this Amazon link
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2014-08-24 Daniel
Daring
(Comments welcome here)
The Gates of Death
Shall Not Prevail
He
is a Catholic priest working with prisoners in one of the Asian cities. I had a
privilege to spend two days with him and listen to his sharing. In the prison,
he meets many adherents of Islam and helps them in any way he can, including
getting them the Koran. I have yet to hear news about a Muslim imam giving a
copy of the Bible to a Christian prisoner. Yet, recently he began to doubt
whether he should continue doing it. ``Does reading of this book not lead to
violent fundamentalism?'', was his question. In the 14th century - perhaps in
1391 - a Christian emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, was convinced that it does,
that Mohammed commanded `` to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'' Is
violence compatible with the nature of God?
The Confession of Faith
By the time the writing of Matthew's Gospel was
completed, Peter was dead, being crucified for the faith he has so bravely
professed today in the Gospel: ``You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God''. The profession took place in the district of Caesarea Philippi. The city
had a temple dedicated to the cult of Caesar, which was built by Herod the Cruel
(not the Great), and further beautified by his son, Philip. There, in the
vicinity of that temple, Jesus of Nazareth asked his disciples, simple
fishermen, who people thought he was. It is in such a place that the revelation
took place. ``Blessed are you, Simon Bar- Jonah! For flesh and blood has not
revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven'' (Matt
16:17
).
Although being blessed, Peter, and other disciples
had yet to learn the meaning of the phrase: the Christ and the Son of God. The
world had and has many “christs"
and many “sons of different
gods”, promising to save
and demanding worship. What is the difference between them and Jesus? What is
the difference between Caesar and Jesus? It is all about violent versus
non-violent divinity. ``Though he was in the form of God, he did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form
of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross'' (Phil 2:6-8). Peter and the other disciples had to learn that difference
before they could preach the Gospel. Therefore, Jesus ``strictly charged the
disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ'' (Matt 16:20). He is not a
violent 'christ' who comes to kill and destroy, like the Roman Emperor or the
members of the ISIS, but the crucified Christ, who comes to save from the
demonic power of violence.
``You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'' is
the confession of faith on which Jesus builds up his Church. It is simple, easy
to remember, and easy to utter. Yet it takes whole of life to learn its content
and very often we learn it the hard way, by failing and betraying Jesus. Peter
who is being blessed now, in a few moment will be called ``Satan'' for not being
able to accept the way of the Cross (Matt 16:28). Yet, when he finally learned
the content of the confession of faith that he uttered at Caesarea, he preached
the crucified Jesus as Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), and this proclamation opened
``the kingdom of heaven'' to three thousand people (Acts 2:41). Peter’s
confession of faith has been keeping
``heaven'' open till the present, so that “those
who believe should not perish, but have eternal life”
(John 3:16).
The Gates of Death
In his book, ``The Lost History of Christianity'',
Philip Jenkins writes: ``across the Middle East, Christian communities vanished
one after the other, like lights being switched off''. Today, we can add to this
the lights being switched off for the vanishing Iraqi Christian community. The
gates of death seem to be prevailing over the Church in the Middle East, an area
which once was a thriving and fervent Christian community that traces its roots
to the apostles of Jesus. In Europe, people know about the Holocaust (1939-45)
in which more than 4 million innocent Jews perished. Yet, the West does not know
or it does not want to know about the Holocaust experienced by Christians that
has begun with the rise of Islam to power. It is not just one event, but a
series of events through centuries, in which hundreds of millions of innocent
Christians have died.
Jesus
promises that the ``gates of Hades'' will not prevail over the Church. According
to the popular belief, Hades was the place of the dead. The gates of Hades kept
them from the realm of those alive. Yet, there was one whom those ``gates''
could not held in its power. Each Sunday we proclaim Jesus' victory over death.
This promise is extended to the whole Church. The Church is built from the
living stones, from those who confess the faith of Peter and follow Jesus on the
way of the Cross towards the resurrection. Death, particularly the violent death
that sheds the blood of innocent
victims, is the enemy of God (1 Cor
15:26
). Sin is its sting, (1 Cor 15:56) and all those who kill and destroy are at the
service of sin, but their victims, the martyrs ``shall shine forever like the
brightness of the sky above and like the stars'' (Daniel 12:3). For those who
believe in Jesus, life does not end but changes. Those who die in Christ are
clothed with immortality (1 Cor 15:53). Peter, Paul, other apostles and many
first Christians died violently for their belief, and yet the Church is still
with us, the Roman Empire, however, is gone.
John Paul II was talking about two lungs of
Christianity: the Latin rite and the Eastern Churches. Today, the Eastern
Churches seem to be overpowered by the gates of death, yet the day of their
resurrection is coming. As death could not held Jesus in its power, so it will
not be able to hold His Church in the East in its power. The night of their
tribulation will not last long. The dawn of a new day is about to rise and the
blood of their martyrs will give rise to new flourishing communities of
Christian believers in the East.
Conclusion
It is said that this year in Gaza, at the end of
Ramadan, when mosques were destroyed, a priest offered his parish church to the
Muslims for their worship. I would like to see an imam offering the Christians a
mosque for worship. The world has many different prophets and messiahs, but
there is only one, in which any one can be saved. Peter made it clear: ``And
there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved'' (Acts
4:12
). This is the confession of faith that can withstand the gates of death. The
crucified Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God. In Him there is no
violence, because violence is incompatible with the nature of the true and
living God. Jesus has always led people to believe in Him through deeds of love
and compassion, not through violence or threats. His love to the end has broken
the spell of sin and death over all who believe in Him. That is the mystery that
made Paul utter one of the most beautiful prayers in our Bible: ``Oh, the depth
of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his
judgments and how inscrutable his ways'' (Rom 11:33).
Let
me finish with this reflection with a prayer:
Truly, Lord, unsearchable are your judgements and
inscrutable are your ways. Open the eyes of the nations and people to see in
your Son, Jesus, the only Saviour of their lives and the only Way to you,
Father. Do not allow the gates of death to overcome your Church in the Middle
East. Bring Her back to life and make it flourish again that in every corner of
the world and in each nation Your Holy Name may be praised through Jesus Christ,
Your Only and True Son. Amen.
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