My Sooriya Namaskaram - Saluting God in the open! English

My Suriya Namaskaram
(complementing a Christocentric worship/liturgy/mass.)

Meeting God in Jesus Christ, almost daily,

in his Word and in the Eucharist,

is the living and sensible source of my life.

But I like to go also beyond the Revelation in Jesus Christ,

made possible to me through my parents,

through the Roman Catholic church, in word and sacraments.

Gratefully accepting the Revelation of God

made through Jesus Christ

and following Him and His teachings,

with the help of the community founded by Him.

This community grew after the Pentecost,
and gradually came to be known as the Church.

The church has become an Institution
grown out of the community of disciples.
Hence it has its limitations and accumulations of traditions. 

In spite of its shortcomings the Roman Catholic church,

had nursed and fed me up to date. 

While staying fully in the church, where I am, as a catholic priest,

who has lived the teachings of the Second Vatican Council,

I am also critical of its present state and irrelevance to times.

I keep on urging the church - both faithful and hierarchy,
where ever I am,

for a continuous Reformation or Aggiornament or updating

with the changes around us in the world and in our societies.

Though disliked I am and lonely, with my criticisms, 

I will continue to offer criticisms,

 so that with the dying of the older ways in the church,

the Church of Jesus Christ remains ever Young

and up to date in Service of humanity.

Jesus while on earth, spoke to us often of the Father,

His Father as well as our Father,

and taught us that beautiful prayer which sums up in two parts - God's Master plan of His Kingdom

as well as our pleading for His help.

 He revealed the Unknown God as his and our Father,

and that He is returning to Him

and that we all will return there.

Standing on the last Phase of my earthly life,

I dare to do such an Exploration

looking back all the way from birth to the present,

and then in silence and prayer, peeping into the unknown God!

With my feet firm on the ground of a concrete church,

and living a catholic life centred on listening to God's word and the sacraments, I dare to look beyond.

Daily walks or Cycling is good for health.

But pausing for a while to admire the green nature,
the birds and the animals,
can help us to admire the Creator of all these.

Stopping in front of the Sun, I do a Surya Namaskaram!

What?! why?
In Tamil, Surya= Sun and Namaskaram= salutation

It does not mean in any way worshipping the sun!
Sun is only an object of creation, macro-creation
but a unique creation from all the creatures of the earth!
Continuously radiating light and heat to all and always
without difference!
This reminds of a God radiating love and mercy
to all without a difference

(As a Student of Physics and as an admirer of Space-Travel

from my University days,

when the first Russian made his space travel
and thereafter with the landing on moon by Armstrong
I kept interest on the space and space-travel.  

In Jan.2015 I was at Texas,Houston, holidaying with my nephew Michael and wife Agnes,
I visited NASA centre in Jan 2016 to update myself.)

I consider the Sun, the centre of the Solar system,

though 92,million miles away,

it's unique in helping us with an idea of God the creator.

There are numerous stars bright and far away.

But we cannot usefully concentrate on any of them.

The moon, 240,000 miles away is seen by us only as a reflection of sunlight, and that too not every day as full-moon.

During the day I do a bicycle ride through the village

and enjoy the nature and the fresh air of the creation.

But looking at the sun has led me to accept it

as the best seeable of creation

to help me leap further into the unknown beyond the revelations through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ revealing himself as the son of God

and revealing God as our father

spoke of his going to His father and our father.

Hence there are more things to experience here on the earth

and thereafter about his God, father of Jesus Christ!

The Sun is in my view, the best and unique example

to portray the marvels of our God -

creator, giver of energy, life, love, forgiveness everything,

without taking anything away from us.

Standing in prayerful posture before the Sun,

I Salute it as the Symbol of many things we can imagine.
By salute I mean many things of human effort - imagining, acknowledging, thanking, wondering, praising, .....
The first three salutations are to God as creator
and the last three to God as self-Revealer

1. Salute and thank the Unknown God,

Yes, unknown! whether he or she or it, we do not know!
called by all possible names by various religions.  

(Even the greatest scientist of the last century, Albert Einstein admitted a "super-human Force" behind the whole of creation.)
Human concept and language cannot reach out to God, who is beyond all creations, including humanity.
Hence we humans have to accept our inability to think, form concepts and speak about God.
Man speaks or questions about the existence of a God.
But his is born out of the human mind/language, hence limited.
A limitless, beyond human comprehension and language - God! 
As a human being, I posit in my reasoning, a cause for an effect.
with all my faculties of seeing, hearing, feeling, reasoning etc
I experience the marvels beauty order of creation, and posit a cause for all these.
It is against reason to posit that all these marvels exist by "accident", as claimed by atheists!

2. I Salute the Almighty Creator of the many universes,

which the scientists are unable to measure or Count.
The Universe we know something about, is the solar universe.
we acknowledge the existence of many other universes.
This is an indication of the limitless power of God!

 

3. I Salute the creator of this solar universe
as described in the Biblical revelation
in a Special way for the visible Milky Way
where the Sun is the centre, with stars, meteorites and planets, including our-home-planet the Earth

- the Home of Humanity

with the marvellous and beautiful nature

of sea, land, mountains, plants and animals

4.  I Salute the Unknown God revealing Himself

in many ways to all Human Beings.

All religions have caught something of this divine Revelation,

and built their own religions with teachings and rituals

to link humanity to the unknown divine!

5. I Salute this Unknown God

for a particular Revelation through the Israel

culminating in Jesus Christ, the Saviour.

I have been enriched and strengthened by this.
Revelation made through the long history of a people,
interwoven with their human and secular history,
has gone on for many thousand years.
The evolution of their history, collection of various books and coming down to Torah lasted several phases.
This revelation through Israel, and its prophets,
comes to a summit or fulfilment,
in my belief, in Jesus, the Messiah and Redeemer!

6. I salute the God, who revealed and still reveals to me,
 and who has personally invited me to follow Jesus
 as a disciple and a servant in His name to the people.

I implore God to fill me  and strengthen me with that spark of selfless love and bountless mercy

so goes my Suriya Namaskaram,

which I warmly recommend to all,

irrespective of their Religion.

Comments to the 6 steps

1. Unknown, Nameless, Unimaginable, beyond human reason understanding, a created human reason/intellect cannot pose questions about existence or not-existence. Concept of existence is born out of the created reason!

2. Almighty, unmeasurable, unimaginabale...scientists have only acknowledged the existence of many more universes like our milky-way

3. Creator of our universe and how God created - has been through a chain of human narrations as narrated in the bible, book of genesis and the rest.

4. created man, has an inner-thirst to link up to its origin. God answers these thirsts of people through diverse ways only known to him. These ways of revelation, how they are received through centuries, how they have grown into religions, should not be questioned, compared or condemned.

5. As a recipient of a particular revelation, namely, through Israel coming up to Jesus Christ, I thank and praise the Lord.

6. My whole life is a chalice of received-revelation. God personally speaks to me guides me, strengthen me and makes me an instrument and a co-pilot. Hence my thanks and praise.

 

வியப்பும் நன்றியும் இணைந்த இறை வழிபாடு Tamil

கிறீஸ்தவர்களாக பல வழிபாடுகள் செய்கின்றோம்

இயேசுவின் ஊடாக இறைவனை வழிபடுகின்றோம்.

ஆனால் அவை போதாது.

இயேசுவின் வார்த்தையிலும் விரிந்திலும் ஊன்றி,

அவருடன் நடந்து கொண்டு,

இன்னும் ஆளமாக இறைவனை அனுபவிக்க

பல வழிகள் அல்லது வளிபாடுகள் உண்டு.

இயேசு கூறினார்

" நான் என் தந்தையுடனும் உங்கள் தந்தையிடமகின்றேன் " என்று.

இதன் அர்த்தமென்ன?

பிதாவிடமிருந்து வந்தவர் திரும்பி அவரிடம் செல்கின்றார்.

நாம் அவருடன் இணைந்து அவரின் வழி காட்டலில்

சிருட்டுப்பின் ஊற்றான எமது பரலோக தந்தையை

நோக்கி நடந்து கொண்டிருக்கின்றோம்.

பரலோக தந்தையை

இப்போதே மண்ணக வாழ்விலேயே|

அவரின் சிருட்டுப்புகளினூடாக அனுபவிக்கலாம்.

அவைகளையிட்டு வியப்படையலாம்.

அவைகளுக்காக நன்றி வழிபாடு செய்யலாம்.

இதை நான் எப்படி செய்கின்றேன்?

காலையிலும் மாலையிலும் எனது உடல் நலன் கருதி நடப்பதும் சைக்கில் ஓடுவதும் வழமை.

நடக்கும் பொழுது ஆன்மாவிற்கும் சிந்தனைக்கும் மெருகூட்டும் சங்கீதம் கேட்பேன்.
இவைகளுக்கு இடையில்| ஒரு இடைவெளி!

6 படிகளில்
எனது வியப்பையும் நன்றியையும் தெருவிக்கும் முகமாக
கரங்களைக் கூப்பி வானத்தை நோக்கி
எனது வியப்பையும் நன்றியையும் தெரிவிப்பேன்ம

முதல் மூன்று வியப்புகளும் இறைவனை  -
தெரிந்துகொள்ள முடியாதவராகவும் சக்திநிறைந்தவராகவும் சிருட்டிப்பின் காரணராகவும்
அடுத்த மூன்றிலும் இறைவனை -
தம்மையே வெளிப்படுத்துகிறவராகவும்
வணங்குகின்றேன்!

1. இறைவன்???வியப்பு!!!
யார்; என்ன எங்கே ......போன்ற வினாக்களுக்கு இடமில்லை!
ஒன்றுமே மனித சிந்தனையாலோ
வார்த்தையினாலோ ரூகிப்பினாலோ
செய்ய முடியாத மறைபொருள்!

2. சிருட்டிக்கும் சக்தி???வியப்பு!!!
மனித புலன்களுக்கும் பகுத்தறிவிற்கும் அப்பால் இருக்கும்
எண்ணற்ற அண்ட சராசரங்கள்
இவைகளைப் படைத்த பராசக்தி!

3. எமது உலகின் சிருட்டிப்பு? நன்றி!
இறைவனால் வெளிப்படுத்தப் பட்ட
ஒரு  சரித்திரத்தில் (விவிலியத்தில்)
சிருட்டிப்பு வர்ணிக்கப் பட்டிருக்கிறது.
இந்த வர்ணிப்பை ஓர் விஞ்ஞான வர்ணிப்பாக
நினைத்து அல்லது கணித்து விவாதிப்பது மடமை!

விவிலியம் எழுதப்பட்ட காலத்திற்கு முன்பாகவே
மனிதர்கள் சகல படைப்புக்களையும் அவதானித்து வந்தனர்.
பபிலோனிய மக்கள் தங்கள் அவதானங்களை சேகரித்திருந்தனர்.
விவிலியம் எழுதப் பட்ட காலத்தில்
இசரவேல் மக்கள் சூளலில் ஏற்கனவே
பபிலோனிய அவதானிப்புகளிடமிருந்து வந்த
அறிவும் சொற்களும் பாவனையிலிருந்தன.
அவைகளை ஆதாயமாகக் கொண்டுதான்

இறைவன் 6 நாட்களில் 
சூரியனை மையமாக கொண்ட உலகைப் படைத்தார் என்றும்
சகலத்தையும் படைத்து அவைகளின் சிகரமாக
மனிதனைப் படைத்தார் என்றும்
இசரவேல் விவிலிய புத்தகங்களிலிருந்து அறிகிறோம்.
இந்த இறை வெளிப்பாட்டு வரிசையில் தான்
இறைவன் மனிதனாக இயேசுவில் எம் மத்தியில் வந்தார்.
இதை நாம் விசுவசிக்கின்றோம்!!!

நாம் விஞ்ஞான அறிவு வளர்ச்சி மூலம்
படைப்புகள் அனைத்தையும் படிப்படியாக அறிந்து வளருகின்றோம்.

வானம் பூமி தரை கடல்

சூரியன் சந்திரன்கள் பறவைகள் மிருகங்கள் இயற்கை .........

மனிதர்கள் மொழிகள் கலைகள்.....

இவைகளை
படைக்கப் பட்ட எல்லையுள்ள மனித அறிவு முழுமையாக ஒரு பொழுதும் அறிந்து அளக்க முடியாது!!!

மனித அறிவு வளர்ச்சியுடன்
விஞ்ஞானம் வளர்ந்து கொண்டே போகும்.
அதற்கும் மனித சரித்திரத்தில்
இறை வெளிபாட்டை தம் கால சூளலுக்கேற்ப எழுதப் பட்ட விவிலிய படைப்பு வர்ணிப்புக்கும் முரண் பாடில்லை!
ஒன்றையொன்று செழிப்புறச் செய்யும்!
விசுவாச அடிப்படையில் விஞ்ஞான வளர்ச்சி
எமது வியப்பை அதிகரிக்கும்!
நன்றியை ஊக்குவிக்கும்!

4. இறைவன் பல வழிகளில் விதத்தில்
வெவ்வேறு மக்களுக்கு தம்மை வெளிப்படுத்துகின்றார்!!!
நன்றி!

மறை பொருளாகிய இறைவன் தம்மை
மனிதனுடைய மட்டுப்படுத்தப் பட்ட 5 புலன்களுக்கேற்ற படி
வெளிப்படுத்த சித்தங் கொண்டார்.
வெளிப்படுத்தல் என்பது ஒரு குறிப்பிட் காட்சியல்ல.
இறைவன் ஒரு காட்சியில் ஒரு மனிதனுக்கு மாத்திரம் தோன்றி
தம்மை பற்றி எல்லாவற்றையும் விளக்கியதில்லை.
God as God never appeared to man,
and man is too Little a creature to face the Almighty God!
But God can condescend to communicate with man in various ways as He choses.
Revelations are from God's will, goodnes and love.
Hence God has revealed Himself in various ways to various People.
உலகில் வாழும் பல் வேறு இனம்
கலை கலாச்சாரத்திற்கும் அவர்களின் சரித்திர சூளலுக்குமேற்க
அடையாளங்கள் நிகழ்வுகள் காட்சிகள் தீர்க்கதரிசிகள் மூலம்
நீண்ட காலங்களாக தம்மை வெளிப்படுத்தி வருகின்றார்.

இவைகளிலிருந்தே பல மதங்கள்
அவைகளின் வழிபாடுகள் தோன்றின.
மதங்களின் அடிப்படை நோக்கம்
இறைவனையும் மனிதனையும் இணைப்பதும்
மனித முன்னேற்றத்திற்கான வழிகளைக் போதித்து
பணி செய்வதே.

ஆகவே எல்லா மதங்களும் அடிப்படை நோக்கில் நல்லவை.
எல்லாம் மனிதனுக்காகவே.
மனிதர்கள் மதத்திற்காகவல்ல மதங்களே மனிதருக்காக!
மதங்கள் வேறு படலாம்
ஆனால் முரணாகவோ போட்டியாகவோ
நடந்து கொள்வது தவறு.

இறைவனின் வெளிப்படுத்தல்களை ஆதாயமாக வைத்தே மனிதன் மதங்களை கட்டியிருக்குறான். ஆகையினால் மதங்கள் கால வளர்ச்சி தேவைக்கேற்ப புதுப்பிக்கப்பட வேண்டும்.
5. இயேசு தோன்றிய விவிலிய வெளிப்பாட்டையே
நன்றியுடன் நான் பின் பற்றுகின்றேன்.
நன்றி!!!
I have accepted the biblical Revelation according to which God became man in Jesus of Nazareth.
பல இறை வெளி பாடுகளில்
ஒன்று யுத மக்கள் பெற்ற வெளிப்பாடு.
பபிலோனிய கிரேக்க நாகரீகங்களைத் தொடர்ந்து
பல னூற்றாண்டுகளாக யுத மக்கள் சரித்திரத்துடன் பின்னிப்
பிணைந்த புத்தகங்கள் தான் விவிலிய புத்தகங்கள்.

இறைவன் மனிதனாக பிறக்க சித்தங் கொண்ட பொழுது
இந்த யுத மக்களின் நிகழ்வுகளிலும் சரித்திரத்திலும்
தம்மை வெளிப் படுத்தினார்!


6. இறைவன் தம்மை எனக்கும் வெளிப்படுத்துகின்றார்!
வியப்பிலும் வியப்பு! நன்றிக்கு மேல் நன்றி!

எனது வாழ்வு முழுவதும் இறைவனை ஊற்றாகவும்
ஒளியாகவும் வழியாகவும் கொண்டதாக நான் கணிக்கின்றேன்.
ஆகையினால் நான் பெற்ற வாழ்வும் வளமும்
எடுத்த திசையும் தீர்மானங்களும்
கொண்ட துணிவும் வெற்றிகளும் அவருடையதே!
எனது சுய சரிதை ஓர் இறை வெளிப்பாடு!

Mother Theresa, what I learnt from her English

What I learnt from Mother Theresa
Saint Mother Theresa, whom I met in 1979 at the Morning Star Seminary in Calcutta, is the 3rd Saint before canonisation, I have met in my life.(the other two being Popes John XXIII & Pope Paul VI) But I am sure there are thousands of others whom I have met and are worthy of canonisation, though not yet canonised.
Although I have met two others who are already declared as saints - Saint John XXIII in 1962 as a student in Rome and Saint John Paul II. In an audience in June 1984, this Mother Theresa stands out for me as a heroine of the love for others.

She came to us - a Group of Rectors and Professors from Asian Major seminaries, Meeting in Calcutta for a post Vatican II renewal of our Major seminaries in Asia. She came - carrying a child in her arms, as usual, and spoke to us of the importance of Prayer, as a personal way of strengthening oneself with God.

We priests, as administrating-Rectors and lecturing-professors, very often are not a model for our students with regard to personal prayer! I myself was participating at this meeting, not as Rector but as a theologian called to give my thoughts about the subject of inculturation of ministries in Asia.

We all can talk and work efficiently through our rational and intellectual strength. But we cannot effect the real change at the spiritual level without being ourselves nourished by the constant, if not the frequent contact with God.

We listened to this simple humble lady who spoke soft and in simple words her own experience with God in prayer and emphasised that prayer as the vital link for our spiritual energy from God to love our neighbour more and more.

When I look back at my life as a priest - pastor, professor, theologian, rector and so on - and evaluate myself, I must ask pardon from all my past students and faithful that I was many things to them, but not a model for a life enriched by personal and frequent prayer.

Thank God this self-exile period after 1996, especially after 2007, which  has given me a chance to   review my life closely and  discover new ways of coming into contact with God while serving humanity in His name.

The word prayer immediately links many of us to a church, liturgy, prayer book etc., not so much an immediate and personal contact with the Almighty God in all situations. I have come to understand prayer, not merely in the traditional ways of saying formulated-prayers during liturgies in the church or at prayers elsewhere, but also as an act in the world of the macro-cosmic and micro-cosmic universe, namely in the greater universe of planets but also in the tiniest of creations. Moments whereby we stay wondering about the creations and their author! Moments in which we join our hands and raise them in thanksgiving and worship of the author of creation. These are far superior to the psalms we recite from the bible!

Tamil Catholic Diaspora and their Challenges English

Introduction

Long before my Tamil brothers and sisters started moving out of their homeland in Sri Lanka, I was privileged to live and study in Europe from 1962. I was in Rome from October 1962 till Sept. 1967 and again from Oct. 1973 till Sept. 1976. In between at the Univversity of Siena for 3 months to study Italian language and culture. After 1976 I have been regularly spending my summer vacation from the major seminaries of Kandy and Jaffna doing parish work in Germany. From 1996 I spent one year in London and the rest till now in Germany. During the last 20 years I have visited many times the Tamil Catholic communities in almost all countries where they are settled. It is with this experiential knowledge of them that I dare to express my views on the challenges they face, the problems they experience, the good and successful things achieved as well as the scandalous things they exhibit. I will also dare to suggest certain steps to remedy the scandalous things happening.

Although there were Tamils from India and Sri Lanka before 1983, the large majority of Ealam Tamils in the diaspora came after 1983 Black July or Pogrom. Since I was speaking German and having German friends, I used to visit some of my People in their camps, generally outside the cities and restricted in their movements and devoid of facilities for learning the german language.

The large number from Tamil Eelam were younger men who left in fear and desperation about theirfuture. 

Hindu and Christian Tamils

Although all were in need of religious help and consolation, the christians were at an advantage over their hindu brethren. The german churches and their pastors were available to those who made an effort in spite of language-difficulties to contact them. Christians were able to join their non-Tamil brothers and sisters in worship and song.
But the Hindus, though religious in their lives, did not have temples or sacred places to celebrate their faith. Some Christian authorities offered their public halls for Hindu ceremonies. Gradually the diaspora Hindus collected money and built their temples. Now in all the countries where the Tamils are, there are more than one temple!

First Generation of Diaspora Catholics especially in Germany and other European countries like France, Switzerland, Norwaz, Denmark... 

 The first generation of Tamils were mostly young men. Within 2-3 years, they were able to call their family or parents. Because they came into a Christian/catholic country, there were enough churches and masses to attend, although they were all in foreign coutry with foreign language. Catholic priests were happy to see some Tamils coming for their services, but were not concerned or interested in their human problems. Compared to some evangelical pastors who will visit families and inquire about their needs with respect to living education jobs etc, the catholic priests were no so.

Gradually finding work and learning the language a little, they established themselves, with the foreign neighbours, sent their children to nurseries and schools where the children were appreciated and have done well. Now many hundreds are in German universities, many of tem speak the home language Tamil, German and also English or French as a 3rd language

Some of them have memories of the war that was in Sri Lanka and the injustices suffered by the Tamils in the hands of the Sinhala Buddhist majority.

Some of them accompany their parents during visits to Sri Lanka, to see their grandparents and origins of their parents.

Many of the 3rd generation German Tamils, find their partners for life from other ethnic groups.

Diaspora Tamils in UK USA have a different growth

A Universal Credo for the whole of Humanity English

We human beings, though of different races and cultures in different parts of the earth, still have the same human structure and faculties such as seeing, hearing, feeling and reason. With these faculties limited by age and sickness, we experience the world around, react to the changing events, enjoy the richness of this earth and suffer the cold and heat of this earth. With our power of reasoning to find causes beyond events, we all have been searching, like groping in the dark about ultimate causes.

In such a context, the God of all creation, reveals himself/herself/itself to humans. We have experienced divine revelations in various ways. Accordingly at different times religions have emerged. (The word Religion Comes from the latin - re + ligare= to bind or connect the two -  God and Man). People of good will and some form of divine experiences have shared their different divine revelations. These religions or religious practices have evolved with human history. We see them in the present established forms and further evolutions can take place. as we have them. They had their sacred scriptures and legends, rituals of expression and worship, of Habits and traditions....

The Basic tenets were often formulated and publicly acknowledged by ceremonies of initiation.

I, as a Christian, can only remind my friends of the Christian Religion to its present form of development.  In our catholic Tradition we have formulated and accepted the Basics of our faith in a formula known as the Nicene Creed, agreed by the whole church several centuries ago.

The articles of this Credo, besides  annunciating our belief in God, as Creator, in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and in the Holy Spirit as the one sent by God the father and Son, annunciates our belief in the church, in the communion of Saints and in the forgiveness of sins,

This Credo is not directly taken from the Bible, but a formulation of the community of believers based on the Revelation made by the bible, Jesus Christ and the first disciples of Jesus Christ.

The church is a community of disciples born out of the Pentecost Event and gradually took shape through centuries of doctrinal and hierarchical structure, liturgy etc. The Jerusalem Church was the original, but it soon became many churches in different areas under different leaderships and with different liturgies, traditions etc. At present beside my so called Roman Catholic church, there are more than 265 Christian churches,  some called orthodox catholic churches and others churches or communities. During the last few decades I have visited many times, the Headquarters of the  World Council of Churches (WCC)  , and was invited more than twice to participate in their Meetings. In 2017, christians want to commemmorate 500 years after Martin Luther in Lund. Pope Francis is scheduled to take part.

With regard to other religions, as religions, similar developments and changes have taken place. The Chicago Parliament of Religions is an effort to mutually recognise and understand religions. When it Comes to a concluding Statement, Buddhism, beng a non-theistic Religion, makes some difficulties. But all the same, there grows within humanity, a coming-together with regard to beliefs and practices concerning this earth-planet and the humanity therein.

My contact with religions outside Christianity, dialoguing with them, and visits to their temples, including the Lotus Temple in New Delhi, an eloquent expression of the thirst of humanity to experience the divine, urge me to acknowledge the good will and inspirations present in all these movements to wards one humanity with basic unity in their views, wishes and goals.

Hence my wish is that though every religion  formed from divine revelations by beleivers develop a set of basic truths, codes of conduct, ceremonies etc., we all have to keep on making efforts at mutual apreciations, understanding and common profession of our beliefs, so as to help humanity move forward towards peaceful coexistence.

In the Name of Religion, so much of evil, death and destruction are unleashed. Peaceful coexistence of peoples in the world  is possible only when there is peaceful coexistence of religions.
Hence looking beyond the walls and borders of our own Religion, we have to understand every Religion as created by humans, existing to serve the well-being of man, and collect the Basic common denominators of their faith into trans-religious credo!

Threats to Humanity are experienced from to time, some times from nature eg. Tsunami 0f 2004 where thousands died with an hour. There are man-made threats from what we are doing to threaten others with atomic bombs. At present te threat of corona virus named covid-19 is threatening whole humanity. We are able only to hide ourselves from contamination. We are not able to bring the virus under our control! We are made to acknowledge the limitations of human sciences.

These threats and the helplessness of humanity urge us to get together closer to one another crossing all boundaries of nations ethnicities governments and colour. We  are reminded of our common poverty and helplessness and look beyond to the infinit power who created the universe for help!

இதய தாகம் இருப்பார் வருக- எனது அணுகுமுறையை முன் அறிவித்தது Tamil

1. மானிப்பாய் புனித அந்தோனியார் ஆலயம்
அனைவருக்கும் அன்புடன் அகலக் கரம் நீட்டி அழைக்கின்றது.

1970 ம் ஆண்டில் இலங்கை மானிப்பாயில் புனித அந்தோனியார் ஆலயத்தை கட்டி முடிக்கும் பாக்கித்தை பெற்றிருந்தேன். இந்துக்களும் கிறீத்தவர்களும் கத்தோலிக்கரும் வாழும் இந்த இடத்தில் ஆலயம் எல்லோருக்கும் திறந்ததாகவும் எல்லோரையும் வரவேற்பதாகவும் இருக்க வேண்டுமென்பதை அப்போதே விரும்பினேன்.ஆகையினால் திருக்குடும்ப சகோதரிகள் லுசில்லா அனுன்சியாட்டா இவர்களின் உதவியுடன் படம் வரைந்து அருட்திரு மதுரநாயகம் அவர்களின் வேலைத்தலத்தில் இரும்புக் கதவை செய்வித்தேன்.

தாகம் உயிருள்ள  சிருட்டிப்புகள்  எல்லாவற்றிற்கும் இருக்கும் குணாதிசயம். 

தாகம் இல்லாது வாழ்வு இல்லை!

எல்லா வாழ்விற்கும் தாகம் இருக்க வேண்டும்.
பறவைகள் மிருகங்கள் மனிதர்கள் மாத்திரமல்ல
பயிர்களும் நிலமும் வாழத் தாகிக்கின்றன. 

இதய தாகம் பல விதமானவை.
ஆசைகள் விருப்பங்கள் பல உண்டு.
ஆன்மீக தாகம் மனிதர்களுக்கு விசேடமானது.
ஆதியிலிருந்தே மனிதன் தன து வாழ்விற்கும்
தன்னைச் சூழந்துள்ள சகலதுக்கும்
ஆரம்ப காரணியைத் தேடி அலைந்தான்.

இறைவன் தன்னைத் தேடும் மனிதனுக்கு
பல வழிகளில் தம்மை வெளிப்படுத்தினார்.
அவற்றிலிருந்து தான் மதங்கள் உருவாகின.
ஆகையால் இதய தாகமுடைய அனைவரும் வருக! 

2. தாகத்தின் ஆன்மீகம் என்றால் என்ன?

தாகம் ஓர் அடிப்படையான ஓர் பண்பு.
சீவனின் அடையாளம். தாகம் தணிந்தால் மரணம் ஆரம்பிக்கும்.
வாழ்க்கையில் நாம் பலவற்றை தேடுகிறோம்.
இந்த தேடும் தாகம் மிக முக்கியமானது.
மனித ஆன்மா இயற்கையாகத் தெய்வீகத்தை தாகிக்க வேண்டும்.
ஆனால் அது உடலில் குடிகொண்டிருக்கும் போது
தெய்வீகத்தை மாத்திரமல்ல உடலின் தேவைகளுக்கும்
உலகத்தின் கவர்ச்சிகளுக்கும் முகங்கொடுக்கின்றது.
நாமும் எமது உடலும் ஓர் வெறுமையான பாத்திரம் போன்றன.
பாத்திரத்தின் தன்மை தாழமையானது வெறுமையானது
தன்னை நிரப்ப ஆயத்தமாக ஏங்கி நிற்கின்றது.
அதன் நோக்கு ஓர் நல்ல திறமான குடி பானத்தை பெறுவது.
அதன் மகிமையும் பெருமையும் குடிபானத்தின் திறமையில் தங்கியுள்ளது.
நாம் எமக்காக தாகிக்கும் பொருட்களின் பட்டியல் மிக நீண்டது.
உதாரணமாக உடல் அழகு பொருள் பணம் படிப்பு பட்டம் புகழ்
இவைகளை எவளவுதான் பருகினாலும் உடலின் தாகம் தீராது
உண்மையான நிறைவான சந்தோசமும் கிடையாது.

ஆனால் இன்னோர் பட்டியலும் உண்டு!!!
உண்மை அன்பு நீதி அமைதி இரக்கம் போன்றவை.
இவைகள் தான் எம்மையும் எமது ஆன்மீகத்தையும் மேம்படுத்தும்.
ஆனால் இவைகளை நாம் இலேசாக எம் பாத்திரத்தில் பெறமுடியாது.
இவை ஒவ்வொன்றையும் தாகம் என்ற தலைப்பின் கீழ் ஆராயலாம்.
ஒவ்வொன்றிற்குமான தேடு பயணம் எம்மில் ஆரம்பிக்க வேண்டும்.
திக் நதான் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் புத்த ஞானி பாரிசில் வாழ்பவர்
அவர்  சமாதானம் பற்றியும் விடுதலை பற்றியும் அழகாகக் கூறுகிறார்
- உனக்கு சமாதானம் வேண்டுமாயின் நீயே முதலில் உன்னில்
சமாதானத்தை உருவாக்கு. 
உனன்கு விடுதலை வேண்டுமாயின் நீயே முதலில் உனக்குள் விடுதலையை ஏற்படுத்து.
எமது உள்ளத்தில் இறைவனுடனும் அயலானுடனும் சமாதானமாக வேண்டும்.
எமது உள்ளத்தில் ஊறியிருக்கும் அடிமைத் தனங்களுக்கு ஓர் முடிவு காண வேண்டும்.

விடுதலைக்காகவும் சமாதானத்திற்காகவும் நீண்ட காலமாகத் தாகித்து
எவ்வளவோ உயிர்களையும் சொத்துக்களையும் இளந்து விட்டோம்.
எனது உறுதியான விசுவாசம் என்ன வென்றால் -
தமிழர் தமக்குள்ளே இருக்கும் ஒடுக்கு முறைகளை சாதி வேறுபாடுகளை களையா விட்டால் உண்மையான விடுதலை எமக்கு ஒரு போதும் எட்டாது!!!

3. பேராசை தவிர்த்து தாராள மனதுடன் பகிர்தல்
நம்மிடம் உள்ளதையிட்டு இறைவனிடமும்
மனிதரிடமும் பெற்றதையிட்டு நாம் திருப்தியடைய வேண்டும்.
அவைக்காக என்றும் நன்றியுள்ளவர்களாக வாழ வேண்டும்.
மிதமிஞ்சிய பொருளாசையுடன் சீவிப்பது பாவமாகும்.
நம்மிடம் உள்ளவற்றை தாராளமனதுடன் மற்றவர்களுடன்
விசேடமாக உதவி தேடுபவர்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும்.
தேவைகளில் துடிப்பவர்களை வரவேற்பது எமது தாகமாக வேண்டும்.

ஆனால் ஆன்மீக தாகம் தேடும் ஆவியின் கொடைகளுக்கு
நாம் என்றும் தாகத்துடன் விரும்பி அவற்றை நோக்கி
விறுவிறுப்பாய் செயற்பட வேண்டும்.  

Transreligious Spirituality as Basis For Inter-Religious Collaboration English

All of us believers Belong to one Religion or other. In each religion we find not only teachings or beliefs about God or gods (except in Buddhism ), but also ways and forms ( rituals ) for worshipping and life-styles. These differences make up the religions as different from each other.

 In a multireligious situation we see the need for Inter-religions dialogue and collaboration to avoid unpleasant feelings and to promote good and peaceful living and working together.
It is for this reason I took interest in inter-religious dialogue and collaboration within Sri Lanka and during my Exile in Germany. I t was with this Intention of an inter-religious collaboration for the welfare of man and his Society, that I founded my Centre for Better Society in Jaffna (115, 4th Cross Street, Jaffna) and editrd the quarterly New World in Tamil (1986-96)

I am rooted into my Christian discipleship. As a recipient of the Christian Revelation to which I gave my Response of faith, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.. For concretising this discipleship of Jesus, the catholic church has taught me many ways of experiencing God through prayer, liturgy, morality, style of life as a Person and in Society, Services to the neighbour etc. My practice of this discipleship is the best assurance that I am linked to God through Jesus Christ, the messiah.

Similarly others have experience of revelations, discipleship, styles of life and Service etc.

Religions as religions,can only help in designing and guiding us according to their received revelations and the traditional teachings of the religions,  teachings of holy People, the spiritual or religious life for their members.

My thirst goes beyond the borders of Religions towards the source of all religions. While accepting and strengthening my rootedness in my discipleship of Jesus Christ, while accepting the celebration of the Eucharist as a unique moment of experiencing God's Word through the biblical scriptures and nourishing myself with the Body and blood of Christ, I continue to live beyond those limited moments, to experience God in other ways too. Limiting my God-experience or contact with God only to the holy mass is not reaping the benefits of other revelations in creation, in nature, in the Beauty and mightiness of creations.

I feel sorry when my brethren Limit their living of discipleship and experiencing of God only within the church and its liturgy. The liturgy in a church or a temple is a community worship in praise and thanksgiving to the Divine. This act must bind us together in life when we go out into the world.
Our experience of God in his macro-creations of the Universes, planets and stars,and in the micro-creations in the beautiful nature - these must move us to wonder towards ecstacy.  

I will encourage People to wander into the nature and wonder about God's creation and respond to all These in faith becomes a true prayer to God.

GOD, FAITH, REASON / BEYOND HUMAN FACULTIES ( see, hear,touch,taste,smell ........) English

God?????

Wonder????Ecstacy!!!

Faith?????

Reason?????

Reality????

In my journey with Jesus Christ,

who revealed Himself as Son of God,

through the Biblical Revelation which I accepted in faith,

I am with Jesus journeying with Him
as my Saviour, Teacher, Pilot and Guru of my life.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, and as a servant in His Name and image of God's People,

I have journeyed for over 80 years.

I am thankful for the firm faith

which strengthened me and guided me through various phases and ways through this world.

From the Unknown and Nameless God

Source and Power of all Creations to the down to earth Reality of my life,

There are my human faculties or power at play.

With eyes to see, ears to hear, hand to touch and intellect to reason and question,

I am lead to wonder of God & His Actions

Faith in God, meant for me holding on to one end of the link which is fixed at the other end 

to the unknown God,

who, in my case,
had revealed Himself/ Itself to me through Jesus Christ.

To know and to be connected to God,

Through Jesus Christ, 

I live in the community of the disciples of Jesus Christ,

As founded by his immediate disciples called the Apostles,

After the Pentecost and called the church!!!

I became a member of this Catholic Church

Through baptism, nourished by its sacraments
and grown up to be a mature disciple 

and finally through priesthood, 

a servant of the people in the image of Christ.

Today after completing over 80 years of Christian life

and 50 years of priestly service,

What/ How is my link to God?

 

Unlike an Atheist,

I know where I had come from,

where I am now,

and where I am going.

So what is faith?

Is Faith reasonable or unreasonable?

Is it, contradictory to or against reason?

or above or Ultra-reason?

or super-human?

Man has the tendency to think of himself as Al-mighty?

Because of the power of reason, 

he tends to think that everything that exists is knowable

And even attainable.

And anything beyond reason,

or superseding reason is unacceptable to him.

So far humanity has achieved immeasurable discoveries

With the power of reason and intelligence.

Progress in the sciences are admirably advancing
and will keep on  advancing.
Let us hope against hope

that these advances are not turned into destructive forces
against Himself and his home the earth!!!

But make life of man on this planet
peaceful and progressive.

In spite of the power of reason achieving and attaining so much,

And will continue to do so,

Accepting the existence of a supreme and superior Being 

As pre-existent and the Cause / Creator of all that exists

 Is Reasonable!!!

A French philosopher Des Cartes, said:
Cogito, ergo sum!
I think. therefore I am.

Yes, by good use of the human faculties,
especially intellect and the power of thinking
we hman beings have  achieved
and will achieve more and more.

At the Moment I am thinking further and writing
and you are reading and thinking about it, far far away!
But even this power of thinking is limited
and cannot comprehend God!

I stand in the midst of life, in the midst of nature,
in midst of a changing world of Beauty, excitement etc.
I look up. I see a clear blue sky and a sun !

With respect to the Sun,
that is 92 Million miles away from our earth
and radiating continuously light and heat,
man knows something and he can learn more.

But is blue the colour of the Thing called sky?
Neither there is a Thing called sky, nor is it blue!
The empty space beyond our sight appears so.

Hence when I look up and turn around,
I experience a Face of God!
I can only look around nd Keep on wondering
at the wonders of creation and how they move on!
 

இதை ஆளமாக புரிந்து கொள்ள முழு முயற்சியும் எடுக்கப்பட வேண்டும். எமது திரு  முழுக்கு அருட்சாதனம் குழந்தைப் பருவத்தில் நடாத்தப்படுவதால் அதன் பொருளையும் பொறுப்புகள் கடமைகள், ஓரளவிற்கு பெற்றோர் ஞானப்பெற்றோருக்கு விளக்கப்பட்டாலும், அக் குழந்தைக்கு ஒன்றுமே தெரியாது. மேலும் அங்கே கேட்கப்படும் வினாக்கள் பதில்களும்

பொருத்தமற்றவை. ஆகையினால் வளர்ந்த பின்பு பொறுப்புணர்ச்சி உருவாகும் பொழுது முதிர்ச்சி அடைந்தோருக்கான மறைக்கல்வி கொடுக்கப்பட வேண்டும். 

The greatest scientist of the century, Albert Einstein,

accepted a super-human power behind the whole of creation.

As Einstein put it:

"My religion
consists of a humble admiration 

of the illimitable superior spirit
who reveals himself in the slight details

we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds.

That deeply emotional conviction of the presence
of a superior reasoning power,

which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe,

forms my idea  of God"

(quoted in The Quotable Einstein, p. 161).

Philosophy, meaning the love of wisdom- Philo + Sophia,

deals with the boundary-questions of science,

time, space, being etc.

So reason is the greatest power in man

but it has its Limits.

It is reasonable to accept in a power beyond.

when that power beyond reveals himself/itself to man,

it is reasonable to accept that Revelation of God.

God reveals Himself/itself in many ways at all times.

man cannot Limit what one has received as the only one

and exclude or deny other revelations.

one cannot manipulate or determine only one as true

and all others as false.

One has the Obligation 

to live by that Revelation he has received.

In my case, I have received the biblical Revelation in Christianity.

During this last Phase of life,

I ask Jesus - Show me the Father - yours and mine!

Jesus revealed himself as the Son,

and revealed God as a Father.

He prayed often to His Father

and he said that he was going to His father and our Father.

The Prayer he taught sums up his whole Revelation and Mission in the first part.

God is Our father, who should be praised.

His Kingdom of values like Truth, Justice, Love, Mercy, Forgiveness...

is to come into the world of sinful humanity.

His will, his plan and his values must spread and takehold of humanity on this earth.

In the second part of that prayer he taught,

we place our Needs of life - Food, clothing, shelter...

mutual forgiveness and love for one another

and protection from evil.

Jesus was on this earth as a man

revealed God as our Father and His Plan as Kingdom of God.

He taught us how to journey on this earth
towards the coming of the Kingdom. 

we know God is our Father,

but we have not yet seen Him yet as He is!

Our belief is that when we die with Christ,

we rise to new life - eternal life

and meet God!

 Hence Human Helplessness to think or speak about God

But today, on this earth, with the limitations
of our human language, symbols and concepts

can we say something about Him/Her/It ???

God is not a Thing, God is Un-thing

we humans cannot  apply the word Existence, or for that any word, with respect to God

and pose the question, whether God exists or not, whether God is one or many.
These are a human attempt to seek Response within our Limits.

By affirming God exists, or God IS,
we are classifying People as believers or theists

and atheists or non-believers.

Most of the world religions believe in God/Gods,
except the Buddhists.

To think or speak or write about God
is not possible for us human beings.

with the limited faculties given by God to see to hear to feel to think to reason to understand.

All These are impotent before God!
Prose, poetry, Music - These higher grades of human Expression
are very useful to capture the immensity of God.
The language of Symbols is also an important media.
To each one it gives an endless meaning and message.

In Silence we can journey
with our reasoning, with help of telecopes
into the Macro Universe and beyond,
or we can peep with the help of microscopes into micro universe.
we have learnt through mathemeatical astronomy, space travel etc.

we can also journey into the micro universe of sub-atomic particles

with the help of microscope.
Little science like physics which I have learnt, helps a little 
to peep into His Mystery.

From These we can only marvel in silence

and acknowledge our helplessness or powerlessness to know God.

A German writer says " Do not pass bye your life,
but live it and in living, you will discover God!"

I have learnt and learnt many aspects of human sciences

including natural sciencs, philosophy and theology.

But the silence I have had
especially during the last 20 years in self-Exile

and the silence filled only with meditational Music MP3

have helped me to get closer to what we call God!

In a Tamil Music I hear the words often

அமைதியில் உறவாடும் இறைவா!!!

God relates to you in Silence!

I am grateful to God for bringing me into this self-exile,

as on a mountain, to have more insights into life
and into the Beyond!

This is the stage I marvel at creation and the creator,
experience a certain Astonischment, 
wonder in spell-bound silence
before all what I see in nature and beyond.

Human Attempts to Name and visualise this God

For us Christians, believing in one God - Monotheism -
is after many stages of development for thousands of years
going from poytheism to the God of Abrham and Jacob and Moses to calling God as Jahweh as in Judaism.
After Jesus this understanding of God is further enriched as a Father.

Compared to Christian names for God,
as Almighty, All powerful, Lord, ....

In Hinduism as practiced by the majority of my people,
I find a rich variety of names for God.
Deus, in Latin and Devan in Tamil, mean the Necessary/Being.
the one who is always needed!

Param Porul = All-Being,
Para-Sakthy = all-powerful,
Parama Easwaran = the All-Giver, 
Thevan- One who is needed

Accordingly even the statues and drawings about the Deity
Shows the above aspects.
For example, the almighty or powerful can see everything and do everything,as with 6 faces or with 6 Hands