India is a land of many peoples, faiths and cultures. It is second only to China in population. Of this many people a huge number of people still remain poor. Though, it boasts of its cultural and religious heritage, our country still breeds the poor and cultivates their poverty. Well, that is my problem. Poverty. What about it? Or why should I speak about it? I speak because I am that people you made poor. Do not be offended because I say You, you are part of it. Know it!
As Christians we are preached that “God blesses everyone who seeks after God’s love.” It was okay, only until it lifted us from the dirty place we lived in, but we are made to feel that this dirtiness is because of us. This stench that surrounds us, was because we were lazy. We are dark and ugly because we are the “people of demons.” Discrimination has hit the highest peak, when you auction the “Aseevatha Thattu” (‘blessing plate’) at every church fund raiser, just to show we are unworthy of God’s blessings. Did you ever think if God’s blessings would be materialistic? Did you not know that Jesus was born into poverty, as a homeless child with no place to lay his head? Did you not know that the manger was a shitty stable where God was incarnated? Then, how dare you speak of a gospel only for the rich, discriminating and excluding the poor?
Poverty is because you held on to what should have reached me and my people so we get out of this imposed “dirtiness”. It is you restricting my people to meagre pay for menial work and creating a mirage of laziness around us who are not given any other jobs, though a few are qualified. You acquired our lands, made huge houses for few to live, accumulated all wealth possible and continue to amass to satisfy your greed. Even in doing charity, you only give away what you once used so we always beg you for mercy and plead for help. You kept us crying out “masters hear us” and you enjoyed the pleasure of sitting on cozy lounges or shedding your fat on treadmills.
We only see few people to speak for us. But you do not let them live once they threaten your comfort. People like Oscar Romero, Mother Teresa, Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule come and go. They question power structures, and the greed of the wealthy elites. Once they go, we are again stabbed to go back to being dirty.
God did not will for us to remain in this stench. God did not create us that you trample over and grab what is ours. Yes, God is with us. God lives among those you call dirty, rowdy, poor, and so on, not for us to remain here, but for us to be empowered to grow. This was visible when Jesus spoke to that young man, who could not give up his riches to follow Jesus. Today, you too do the same. James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” If you think only distributing food, old clothes, and essentials during occasions like Christmas, Easter, New Year and COVID19 are enough. You have defiled God enough to keep God poor. God is dirtied when the we are dirtied. God is empowered when the we are empowered. Let these harsh realities pierce through all our hearts, tear us apart like it tore Christ on the cross, and let us all participate in the path toward emancipating all those who are pushed into poverty in front of our eyes, by us. Amen.
*Reflection Inspired by Rev. Raj Kumar Johnwesley, Chennai.
