In Kolkota, the City o Joy, the City of Mother Teresa , we are fortunate that our people are very religious and respect the various religious communities that live in this very crowded city. During these past weeks, we witnessed tremendous love and respet for our beloved Blessed Teresa o Kolkota, as we went about with her birth centenary celebrations. With great respect and love for Mother Teresa, the Co-workers of Mother Teresa in Kolkota, launched the centenary celebrations in the Nazrul Manch Auditorium filled with poor children and inmates of Mothers various homes. Talented musicians from various religious backgrounds performed on the stage to pay homage to Mother Teresa. It was something beautiful. I praise and thank God for this attitude from our people in Kolkota while there is so much intolerance and hatred against Christians in some other parts of our country.
After having participated in severa of these programmes and especially the inter-faith and especially the inter-faith prayer meeting, i began to sense the promptings of the Spirit. He reminded me of an important Biblical instruuction -- HOLD FAST TO THE FAITH. We are living in times when people are fascinated by spititual matters but do not believe all that is ascribed to one religion. Pluralism has taken a firm hold. Pluralism claims that Jesus is in the same category as Buddha, Confucius, Osiris or Thor. We have , on one level, allowed our consumerist approach to affect our view of God.
In today's world, it is as if you can go into the supermarket of gods and select a god of your choice. The attitude of our age is that one god is as good as another.
Certainly, there is much which is commendable in the different faiths. And I personally have have very good friends whom I admire much for their convinced faith and life style in accordance with the teachings of their religion. We, as Christians, must acknowledge what is good and never become prejudiced against any group. However, we are also reminded by the Word of God to "remain faithful to what you have learned and believed ... " What we claim as Christians is what God claims, and that is the only way a man or woman can have a personal relationship with Him is through His Son, Jesus Christ. Other religious teach about God and some of their teaching is true. He is all powerfullll, all knowing, and all wise. However, they stop short of the ultimate truth that only through the redeeming Christ can we be guaranteed an entrance into heaven. No other faith can claim that its greater teacher was God incarnate. And that is what we claim for Jesus Christ. We read in Acts 4.12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven...by which we must be saved." There is no way that we can come to God except through His Son. Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He is not a way, as if there are many others. _He _is _the _Way,_the_only_Way.
Many years ago a missionary was lost in one of Africa's jungles and he asked a local to help him find the way. As the African led the way through the jungle, the missionary, seeing no track became doubtful as to the local's knowledge and said, "I see no track. Are you sure this is the way?" The local replied, "There is no way, I am the way." Christian are people who have come to God through Christ -- the Way. May be some pluralist may accuse us of intolerance when we refuse to place Jesus in the pantheon.
I would say, that while respecting others and their faith, we must not forget the truth that only through Jesus, can we have a relationship with the Father. We need to pray that we will be helped by His grace and power to guard this truth no matter how unaccepted it may be for this pluralistic generation.
The Holy Spirit is reminding us all today, more than ever, that living as we do at a time where powerful forces are at work trying to steal the content of our faith , we must ensure we remain true. Jesus Christ cannot be placed in a pantheon alongside with other gods. Jesus Christ is unique, unparalled and unsurpassed. May the Lord grant each one of us the grace to be true to the faith "that was once for all entrusted to the saints." Despite the forces that work to steal its content, may we never weaken in our convictionthat Jesus is the only way to God.
As I was reflecting on all these, my eyes fell on the words from Colossians Chapter Two."So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted in Him, and built upon Him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivates you with an empty, selective philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world, and not according to Christ," (Colossians 2:6-8).
In this centenary year of Mother Teresa, let us pray through her intercession, that we too, like her, while respecting other faiths, hold firm to the faith we have received. Her heart was given to Jesus totally and her goal in life was to satiate the thirst of Jesus. For her, there was no question of compromise when it came to her faith. May she through her intercession enable us to spread the message of Christ's love and light to this world steeped in darkness.
Praise the Lord!
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