“Holiness: On the Holy, the Holy One, Sanctification and Saints”

SPIRASASt. Augustine’s College, Johannesburg, 20-24 May 2015

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HOLISTIC INTEGRATION OF MYSTICAL ASPIRATIONS AND

SOCIAL COMMITMENTSaint Kuriakose Elias Chavara of

the Nineteenth Century India

Fr. Saju Chackalackal CMI

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IntroductionChristianity is better understood in the lives of its great personalities than in its theories and dogmas.

Christian mystics are those who have been touched by the divine spark of Jesus Christ facilitated within a Christian community and remain largely within the same experience through their earnest effort.

Christ consciousness in itself is fundamentally an other-oriented one, as in Jesus Christ we encounter a person who was ready to let himself go for the other so that the other will have life in abundance.

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Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara(1805-1871)

Canonized by Pope Francis on 23 November 2014* A Catholic priest and the founder of two Carmelite religious congregations in the Syro-Malabar Rite, which has its origin in the preaching of the Gospel by St. Thomas the Apostle (AD 52) in Kerala, India.

It is believed that his mystical experiences received their credibility by his conscientious investment of time and resources for eliminating unjust structures and practices prevailing in the society of his time, on the one side, and many other positive ecclesial and social initiatives to set the Church and society in the nineteenth century India on the right track.

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Mysticism as an All-Integrating Experience

The core of mystical experience seems to be the emergence of an abiding consciousness of the Ultimate within a person or a group of persons, leading towards the holistic integration of everything, including even those seemingly contrary or contradictory dimensions of created existence or human-made conceptions and realities.

From a Christian point of view, this abiding consciousness of the Ultimate will be emerging from and leading towards a Christic consciousness as a result of which someone established in mysticism will primarily be founded upon and functioning from the Word of God.

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Emergence of a Christic consciousness is said to have its source in an intimate and abiding presencing between the mystic and the person of Jesus Christ, the dynamics of which may be personally experienced but cannot be fully comprehended as it goes beyond the dialectic of rationality.* Inner freedom* Not merely shedding the ties with the world but a more intense and intimate relationship between the mystic and the rest of the world, a relationship that will enhance every other by the selfless and self-giving involvement on the part of the mystic.

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When any reality or person is found to be deprived of the wholeness that should be accessible to all, especially if it is resulting from an injustice perpetrated by other persons or institutions, the consciousness of the mystic would empower him or her to take upon oneself the challenging task of setting it right by empowering the other, and to make others partake in the wholeness.

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Thomas Merton: “It is only in assuming full responsibility for our world, for our lives and for ourselves that we can be said to live really for God. The whole human reality … interpenetrates the world of nature … and the world of history…”

A genuine mystic is said to be someone who is established in the Ultimate Reality to such an extent that he or she will be able to channelize the power of the Ultimate for the good of the rest of the world.

They open up the avenues for social transformation and involve fully in the agonies and ecstasies that people encounter in their attempts to overcome the constraining factors in their personal as well as societal existence.

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They share the abiding Christic consciousness not only through their own direct actions, but also through the gradual initiation of others into the same stream of holistic consciousness. Initiating others takes place by the creditable life example and spontaneous outpouring of the transformed consciousness in the realms of religious and social existence.

This has a greater amplitude, especially in aiming at the transformation of the larger world, as, instead of one person, a group of persons with transformed Christic consciousness and unquestionable commitment begin to involve in facilitating the integral wellbeing of the whole world.

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Christ (Appa) Experience: The Mystical Core of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara

From the early stages of his vocation to the last moment of his life, he held unto his motto, “the Lord is my portion,” and let everything evolve with the firm conviction that the Lord will set everything for the good of his beloved.

His life of Christian holiness does not require any extrinsic attestation than his own statement at the deathbed; with a deep sense of humility and unconditional reliance on God’s providence, he admitted to his confreres who assembled around his deathbed, that he never lost the baptismal innocence.

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…Father Chavara spent long hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Meditation, for him, was not merely an exercise to be fulfilled as part of the routine, but the prime time of the day, as it was time for intimate conversation with the Lord.

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“Meditation is a conversation with God. As you would with a friend, you sit close to God, moved by love, intimately communicating with Him. Meditation then is speaking with your beloved spouse Jesus Christ, sitting very close to Him… You converse with God as you would with a friend. It is a common experience for two friends to speak non-stop with one another till they part. They are never short of matter to talk about. That means, where there is love, there is always something to talk about. ... Even sitting in silence very close to your friend is a matter of satisfaction!”

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As he grew in the personal relationship with Jesus, his quest to encounter Jesus in person grew more intense.

With an ardent desire to see Jesus from the moment of his birth to death, based on the biblical narratives, Father Chavara wrote:“Radiance of the merciful Prince of God My heart longs to behold!Highest God born of the Virgin Mary My heart longs to behold!Emmanuel, God being united with us My heart longs to behold!”

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“Kanakenam…” (meaning, longing to behold), as this long poem has been traditionally entitled, crystallizes an intense desire that Father Chavara had to have a look, a feel, and the abiding presence of Jesus.

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Father Chavara developed a filial relationship with Jesus and addressed Him as “ente appa” (my beloved father). Unlike many spiritually realized persons, for whom relationship with Jesus is experienced as one between the bride and the bridegroom, Father Chavara - deeply inspired by the parable of the Loving Father (or ‘Prodigal Son’) - identified himself as the son who had returned back to the all-embracing arms of the father who is Jesus himself. His appa-experience, therefore, is seen as the culmination of an intimate filial relationship that he was bestowed with during his life.

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A closer look at his life and spiritual writings, especially his celebrated spiritual work Atmanuthapam (Compunction of Heart) in which he beautifully narrates his ardent desire to have the vision and the touch of Jesus offers us an understanding that his appa-experience originated from and culminated in the meta-consciousness of a mystic, originating from and firmly founded in the divine consciousness of Jesus Christ.

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Mission of the Church: Avenues to Share the Christic Consciousness

Perception of the ills prevailing in the society in contrast to the all-embracing Christ consciousness enabled Father Chavara to challenge the status quo of the society, especially in setting right the unjust social stratification (especially the caste system). Instead of initiating a head-on collision with the system, his inspired mind adopted positive actions, such as education of individuals and empowerment of communities.

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SPIRITUAL RENEWAL WITHIN THE CHURCH

Pulpit and press

PULPITSunday homiliesAnnual retreats in parishes

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PRESSAs he had no finances to import a press from Europe and was also denied access to the already existing presses, with the benefit of one visit to one of these two presses, Father Chavara made a prototype of the press in plantain pith by his own hands and the wooden press was fabricated by a carpenter under his supervision.

Initially, books printed in this press dealt with Christian prayers, spirituality, and liturgical texts; however, in course of time, from the same press came out a number of works (including a daily newspaper, Deepika) which have contributed significantly to the cultural as well as religious enhancement of the people around the religious community.

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Fight against the social evils such as caste system, poverty, etc., through educational endeavours

Sanskrit school A call to integrate Church (palli) and School (pallikutam)

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Establishment of Seminary (1833)

Looking at the seminary formation imparted by Father Chavara and other members of the first CMI religious community, we could easily understand that this was one of the most effective means to impart a transformative consciousness in the Church and the larger society, as each candidate who came out of the seminary was expected to be playing a unique role in instilling Christic consciousness among the faithful whom they would reach out through their ministry.

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Liturgical renewal of the Syro-Malabar Church

* Liturgy to facilitate moments of intense Christ experience

Hence, to bring about order in the liturgical celebrations within the Syro-Malabar Church, he took pains to locate the Syriac sources of liturgical celebrations, including liturgy of the hours, and to compile them in an order conducive to the liturgical seasons. Moreover, his closer proximity with the practices of the Latin tradition inspired him to adapt some of its liturgical and spiritual practices such as forty hours adoration, way of the cross, recitation of rosary and other Marian devotions, etc.

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Concerted Efforts to Disseminate the Transformed Vision

Foundation of Religious CommunitiesTwofold essential purposes of founding communities of religious life: (1) to facilitate an intense and unconditional following of the person of Jesus within the context of common living and (2) to be unconditionally available to serve the people of God.1. Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI)“It is necessary that in this territory there are persons who are continuously engaged in prayer and good works for the greater glory of God and the edification of the Church.”2. Congregation of Mother of Carmel (CMC)“Besides striving for their own spiritual realization, the members of the Congregation have to teach other girls, and train them in some handicrafts.”

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The greatness of an innovator (including a mystic) does not lie only in himself being personally innovative, but also in his ability to continue the strategy of innovation in and through those who succeed him; the successors need to be not only innovative but they should also be capable of continuing the founding legacies to their full stature. The fact that these two religious communities [(1) CMI, (2) CMC and CTC; at present, the total number of members crossing 12,000] founded by Father Chavara continue to contribute significantly in the transformation of the society through their multifarious involvement in the lives of the people vouch for the lasting effectiveness of the religious movement that Father Chavara had initiated and established.

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Seminary for the Formation of Devoted and Integral Pastors

“An uneducated priest was not only inefficient to do anything worthwhile in his pastoral work, but may be even detrimental to the salvation of souls.” (Leopold Beccaro, based on the life of Chavara)

Although all the ideals were not fully realized in the lives of many pastors who came out of the seminary conducted by Father Chavara, the faithful of the Church perceived the conspicuous difference as they were better equipped to deal with the needs of the people by way of their involvement in matters spiritual as well as material, both being essential for the integral welfare of humanity.

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People Participation in Transformative ProjectsEvery project that he started had a decisive role to be fulfilled by the ordinary people. Most of the institutions, be in the secular or religious sphere, started by Father Chavara relied on the financial and political support of the people in the locality.

House of Charity“Now my intense desire and earnest request to you is to begin such a confraternity… Keep a charity box with the label “Happy Death Charity Box,” unashamedly beg of others and raise a fund yourselves; build a modest bungalow-like house of bamboo and other cheap materials, with just two rooms on either side of the veranda near your small chapel. You may call it a charity home, and shelter there orphans or the aged or sick or beggars who have no one to take care of them...”

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Inclusive ApproachThe spiritual experiences that Father Chavara acquired enabled him to grow beyond the narrow boundaries of his family and community and to avail his services to everyone. Indeed, his Jesus experience (appa experience) transformed his perspective to make room for everyone and to include even those who were otherwise segregated against by the rest of the society. Thus, it is worth noting that Father Chavara had developed a universal outlook be it in matters of Christian religious observances within the Church or social uplift in the civil society. In every sphere, therefore, his open attitude enabled him to keep the spectrum of his mission as wide as possible.

Uplift of women; Uplift of the Outcastes

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Strategies for Self-Respect and Self-RelianceThe most effective of the steps for social transformation that Father Chavara initiated could be seen in his insistent involvement in education. As education enables people to move up on the social ladder, by way better economic independence and social respectability, their reintegration in the mainstream society takes place.

sense of equality and equityBeing the one closer to the heart of Jesus, and having known the mind of the Lord, especially through his insightful learning of the message of the Gospel, Father Chavara, as the elder brother responsible for the younger ones, spent his life to set a new social fabric in which all could be children of the same father, and brothers and sisters in the same family.

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Conclusion

Being a mystic who got established in the consciousness of Jesus Christ, Father Chavara had an intense aspiration to create a new world order grounded on the oneness of reality (originating from his personal experience of Jesus as his beloved father) and unity of humanity (as brothers and sisters or children of the same father). His realization that the society was already divided along various evil designs and structures instilled in him the ingenuity and courage to commit himself for the social uplift of the people beyond the narrow boundaries of caste and creed.

As Christ consciousness is a unitive consciousness, it impelled him to bring about a synergistic approach in attaining spiritual and social transformation of the whole society.

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Subscribing to the all-inclusive and integrating approach, mystics like Father Chavara tend to open up their life’s horizon, extending the experience of divine presence as well as communion with the Divine, to every realm of creation. Not only do they harness the divine power to challenge and overthrow the limiting structures and debilitating practices perpetuated in the name of God and traditions, but also employ their creative powers to design novel outlooks and holistic practices to transform the lives of the contemporaries and future generations. As higher plateaus of divine experience stretch us out into infinity and clearer vision for a better humanity become accessible in the emerging and established consciousness of the mystics, they spontaneously give shape to more just and humane structures and practices so that the same vision and conviction, sustained in the Christic consciousness, could be shared by everyone else, leading to the ongoing establishment of the Kingdom of God amidst the whole creation.

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“Holiness: On the Holy, the Holy One, Sanctification and Saints”

SPIRASASt. Augustine’s College, Johannesburg, 20-24 May 2015

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Thank You!

HOLISTIC INTEGRATION OF MYSTICAL ASPIRATIONS

AND SOCIAL COMMITMENTSaint Kuriakose Elias Chavara of the Nineteenth Century India