Thursday, May 01, 2014
Father don’t preach
Father Frazer Mascarenhas’s
recent email to his students, was like another boring sermon at a Sunday Mass. Nothing new was
said besides someone new saying the same thing. Encouraging youth to vote is
excellent but why only target Gujarat model? Is this not a veiled influence trying
to be projected? Why was not Bengal taken as a point of discussion? A state
which threw out Tata’s, a corporation lauded for nation development.
Tata’s never ventured into
Bengal only for business growth and making profits, but also to make a change
in the quality of life for the people of Singur. Since the political system is
deep rooted with corruption, one can’t just pin down on one state to prove a
point that the leadership from that place is flawed. At the same time when a
priest wants to make a change he is suspended, Father M.T. Stephen from Trivandrum
archdiocese, who was running as an independent candidate in Kerala, was
suspended after refusing to end his candidacy. How come Fr. Frazer Mascarenhas has
not challenged this? Just because Canon law 285.3 states that clergy are
forbidden from holding public office whenever it means sharing in the exercise
of civil power. Similarly there was a canon law that forbade a priest from
washing the feet of ladies to commemorate a ritual that Christ did before the
last supper, where he washed the feet of the disciples. So when an Indian
priest later Father Hugh Fonseca wanted to set a new trend which would have
given respect and equality to women, he was asked to avoid it. At the same time
when Pope Francis did the same it was considered a path breaking change.
So if a white priest makes a
change it is a wow factor. That time the law is shoved into a canon and fired
into space. If an Indian priest attempts a change, the canon law is aimed at
him. How come Father Frazer Mascarenhas never raised a voice to this? So many fraudulent
land deals were done ‘by the Church’ in the backyard of Father Frazer
Mascarenhas in Bombay, but he cannot see that, but he can comment on Gujarat.
Maybe he is far sighted is what one can term it. He was vocal when a political
body opposed Rohinton
Mistry's book 'Such a Long Journey', at the same time he is deaf to Dr. Zakir Naik,
who through his television channel goes about proving Christianity and the
Church wrong. Why is Father Frazer Mascarenhas never questioning
the low standards of office, Indians have in the Vatican? When will the question
on why an Indian has never been a Pope, be raised by Father Frazer Mascarenhas?
How long are Catholics going to be fooled by a bunch of majority white
Europeans who gang up together and con to be praying for the Holy Spirit to
guide them to elect a Pope? Could it be that because the Holy Spirit is
depicted as a dove so only a white man can rule? Surprisingly Father Frazer
Mascarenhas states that “No magic wand or divine miracles will come to the aid
of the Indian people”. At the same time for electing a Pope it is divine intervention.
Father Frazer Mascarenhas citing
the example of education, “Schools for the ordinary populace show abject neglect
with a very high dropout rate in the last 10 years. Higher Education has not
been allowed to move forward. To take just an example, St. Xavier’s College
Ahmedabad, thrice NAAC accredited with an equivalent of the A grade, has not
been able to gain permission from the Gujarat Government for Academic Autonomy,
for the last 10 years and has finally won a battle in the High Court to
approach the UGC directly for this status”. The question is with the best of
educational facilities that Catholics Institutions can boast off, how many
Catholics end up really educated? Where is awareness for education, social
contribution, entrepreneurship an inward movement before trying to trumpet an
outward movement of change? How many Catholics can we pride to look at as
leaders, or entrepreneurs or academicians or scientists or for that matter
anything?
Another example of Father
Frazer Mascarenhas's statement is about a massive investment in health and education that is sorely
needed in our country of widening disparities and those who support big
business and its unethical profits will never agree to such public expenditure
for the masses. In fact, the worsening situation of environmental degradation
and depletion, in the lunge for growth and profit, shows up the real intentions
of the greedy. Through my blogs I have been trying to drive a point for years
why can’t we Christians stop the practice of burial of the deceased and start
donating the body for organs that be used by the needy? Is there a Canon Law
that restricts Christians doing this? Imagine the no. of eyes that could be
donated in this process, the amount of skin that could be harvested for burn
victims, and better quality of education for Doctors who don't have cadavers to study one despite being a populous country. Intentions of greed are so well highlighted by Father Frazer
Mascarenhas, but lack of charity even after death is worse than greed. A minority
community the Jains are the largest eye donors in India. Instead of only
praying and fasting on Good Friday Chirstians could instead go and donate blood
to commemorate the Bloody Crucifixion of Christ. Like Christ Blood, Christian
blood may not save the sinners, but it could definitely save a lot of lives.
It is definitely wrong and
needs strong condemnation of parties who raised their voices to the views of Father
Frazer Mascarenhas. He has the complete right as Indian individual who has the
freedom of speech to express his views. My point is why the reach of the speech
only limited to Gujarat, and not covering the limitations and short comings
in the Catholic faith and community.
So Father
Frazer Mascarenhas, let us start by removing the log in our eyes before we
attempt to remove the thorn in the way of development of Gujarat. Till then
Father don’t preach.
Comments:
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Rev Frazer's email can be seen by any simple person as a political strategy. In fact his communication was an extension of rev Cedric Prakash sermons at Mumbai. In believe Rev Frazer has overstepped his mandate. His communication was so well times just before the elections. He definitely has a hidden agenda be sending the email.
# posted by 
: 4:04 AM
: 4:04 AM
Hi,
I just read your post here and there. I need to appear for an exam on Saturday since I have finished course -Diploma in Digital marketing. Will read it thoroughly later. But I am against any religious head advising on political issues.
I just read your post here and there. I need to appear for an exam on Saturday since I have finished course -Diploma in Digital marketing. Will read it thoroughly later. But I am against any religious head advising on political issues.
Mr sunny Fernandes has missed the jungle for the woods. His blog shows his rabid anti Catholic n anti Christian attitude
If he has followed fr Frazer activities earlier he would HV seen n heard fr Frazer speaking n talking against arrest of ms teesta setlavad
Now coming to the point why fr in his email has dwelt only on the Gujarat model because we are day in day out bombarded on TV with the Gujarat model of development. Why has the bjp party n Mr sunny not tried to prove fr Frazer wrong why is Mr sunny attacking the church . the question begets the answer if Gujarat is so well developed as Mr modi n bjp wud HV us believe how come majority of Indians who apply for h1b visas are FM Gujarat n ditto for UK. N rest r in Mumbai cornering seats in local trains. Mr sunny see the bigger picture n don't see fr Frazer email with myopic eyes.
If he has followed fr Frazer activities earlier he would HV seen n heard fr Frazer speaking n talking against arrest of ms teesta setlavad
Now coming to the point why fr in his email has dwelt only on the Gujarat model because we are day in day out bombarded on TV with the Gujarat model of development. Why has the bjp party n Mr sunny not tried to prove fr Frazer wrong why is Mr sunny attacking the church . the question begets the answer if Gujarat is so well developed as Mr modi n bjp wud HV us believe how come majority of Indians who apply for h1b visas are FM Gujarat n ditto for UK. N rest r in Mumbai cornering seats in local trains. Mr sunny see the bigger picture n don't see fr Frazer email with myopic eyes.
# posted by : 9:20 AM
: 9:20 AM
Agree in toto with Jossph. For all those who think Fr. Frazer's email is political strategy.....wake up.
# posted by : 1:14 AM
: 1:14 AM
I think Fr. Frazer's email was sent to his students as he felt that there was need for them to get some guidance as most of them would be first-time voters.
As a lecturer in Development and being well versed with the topic, he dwelled on that alone. Why Gujarat model???? Because the BJP is claiming that the model is the crux on which it is going to base the country's development going forward.
If Fr. Frazer has an opinion (on a topic on which he is learned) and wanted to express it at the right time...during election time...it does not mean that he is justified/authorized to do so ONLY if he has earlier written on the various topics that you have mentioned!!! He surely does not seem to be a regular Blogger like you! :-) He may simply be an educationist who felt the need to do the right thing at the right time...as his duty as Principal of the College!!!
As a lecturer in Development and being well versed with the topic, he dwelled on that alone. Why Gujarat model???? Because the BJP is claiming that the model is the crux on which it is going to base the country's development going forward.
If Fr. Frazer has an opinion (on a topic on which he is learned) and wanted to express it at the right time...during election time...it does not mean that he is justified/authorized to do so ONLY if he has earlier written on the various topics that you have mentioned!!! He surely does not seem to be a regular Blogger like you! :-) He may simply be an educationist who felt the need to do the right thing at the right time...as his duty as Principal of the College!!!
# posted by : 3:21 AM
: 3:21 AM
Hats off to you sir, you have hit the nail. Yes Fr Frazer had no business to preach us on our rights when the church itself is in a mess with all dirty land deals and the victimization of catholic in the city of Mumbai, where our church land is for grab by the local authority led by Congress.
Clarence
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Clarence
# posted by : 3:21 AM
: 3:21 AM Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
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