Confront forces of darkness

Prabhu Yesu Mahotsav
14th to 18th October, 2009
St. Pius College, Goregaon, Mumbai


Confront forces of darkness with
the light of Christ: Nuncio

The light of Christ should enable Christians to confront the darkness that envelops society and people, said Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, Apostolic Nuncio to India. He was speaking during the homily at the Prabhu Yesu Mahotsav at the Goregaon Seminary, on Thursday. The Nuncio extended to the 1500 participants the blessings of Pope Benedict XVI.

Archbishop Quintana presided over the Eucharist with Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church and president of CBCI, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai, Chairman of the Mission Congress, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, and Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, Bishop of Bathery concelebrating. The delegates of the Mission Congress devotedly participated in the Eucharistic celebration.

In his homily, Archbishop Quintana elaborated the meaning of the Mission Congress theme, Let Your Light Shine. Amid growing darkness of hunger and pain, poverty and violence, drug abuse and sexual malpractices, Christians have a particular duty and responsibility to bring the light of Christ and dispel darkness, he urged. Every Christian, he said, is called to confront the challenges facing the nation, society and families by sharing the light received in baptism to dispel darkness and gloom that exist around them.

Archbishop Quintana reminded the delegates of the Mahotsav, who have come from 160 dioceses in India, that their baptism obligated them to become sources of light and powerful witnesses. We must be a source of support for our brothers and sisters, he added. He reminded them that in the early Church, baptism was also called ‘illumination’, which means receiving the gift of light. One cannot miss the significance of light in the life of every Christian who becomes a baptized person, said the Nuncio.

Christians must open the doors of their hearts to welcome the true light of Christ. In turn, each one of us must be keen to share that gift of light with others. People must fight various kinds of blindness and forsake fleeting shadows and illusions and work to build a world of peace and harmony. Christians have an indispensable role in brining the message of Christ to all.

Share Christ’s light through a Christ-like life: Fr. Kizhakkeyil

It is essential to behave like true Christians if we are to become agents of spreading Jesus’ light in this country, said Scripture Scholar and Professor at Ruhalaya Major Seminary, Ujjain, Fr. Sebastian Kizhakkeyil.

Speaking on the theme, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, he spoke of the deep longing of the people of our land for truth, light and immortality as expressed in the ancient Upanishad prayers of the people of our land. He hoped that the participants of the Mission Congress experience a deep sense of Christian fraternity and communion, and that this event would become like a second Pentecost.

He said Christ’s disciples must respond to the deep yearning of the people and become sharers of Christ’s light by good deeds and honest and integral lives. Quoting Albert Schweizer, he said, ‘example is not the main thing – it is the only thing’.

Jesus, he reminded the participants, is not a philosophical or theological concept remaining on the abstract level, but a person who can touch the hearts of people and illumine them. The Mission Congress should urge participants to invite people of other faiths to be illumined by the light of Christ. He called on every Christian to become like lamp lighters who illumine others and then disappear from the scene.

He recalled the gruesome sufferings experienced by Christians in Orissa and other parts of the country and said the Christian community in India and elsewhere are in great solidarity with them and pay tribute to their faith and courage. He also drew the attention of the participants of the Mission Congress to the scandal of poverty, homelessness, caste discrimination, injustice and marginalization existing side by side with affluence and luxurious living, which every Christian must fight to overcome.

Fr. Kizhakkeyil reminded his audience of the example of Mother Teresa who listened to the cry of the poor drawing inspiration and strength from Christ’s own example. He cited the examples of numerous other Christian witnesses in India like Blessed Kunjachan, Saint Alphonsa, Blessed Joseph Vaz, Blessed Chavara, Blessed Euphresia who are models for Christians today to emulate.

Christians today must stay clear of those who indulge in corruption, malpractices and harmful activities that endanger life, property and health. We must instead act with integrity, honesty and a sense of concern for the poor. Heeding Christ’s call, we should be ready to abandon evil ambitions, greed and avarice, he said. He stressed the need for Christian schools and hospitals to open their doors to the poor and the marginalized sections and show a preferential love and concern for them, as Christ has taught us.

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1. Vatican Ambassador to India and representative of Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana inaugurates the first Indian Mission Congress, Prabhu Yesu Mahotsav at the St. Pius College, Goregaon, in Mumbai on Wednesday. Looking on are (from left), Major Archbishop Moran Mar Baselios Mar Cleemis, Catholicos, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in India, Archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Congress Cardinal Oswald Gracias and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and head of the Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil.


2. Vatican Ambassador to India and representative of Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana inaugurates the first Indian Mission Congress, Prabhu Yesu Mahotsav at the St. Pius College, Goregaon, in Mumbai on Wednesday. Looking on are (from left), Bishop Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, president, National Council of Churches in India, Major Archbishop Moran Mar Baselios Mar Cleemis, Catholicos, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in India, Archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Congress Cardinal Oswald Gracias and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and head of the Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil.