AN EASTER HEART







“In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words

than words without a heart.”

John Bunyan

 

Is there something wrong, if someone greets me – a Christian - on a Good Friday with - "A very happy Good Friday?”

And, that’s how some did greet me yesterday. I hope many, many did get greeted similarly, too…

Why should anything be wrong when someone greets me with a clean heart? Those of us, who were born and raised as ‘Christians’, have learnt to wear a sombre face on a Maundy Thursday and a Good Friday. We know the significance of these days… the trauma and sorrow – the Passion – Jesus had gone through. So, whenever someone greets us ‘A very happy Good Friday’ – yes, we tend to correct the greeter – ‘No, it’s not a happy day; it’s a sad one’…

But, so sorry!

A middle-aged Sindhi woman says this to me, “Whenever I reflect on the images and life of Shirdi Sai Baba, I see Jesus there. Both lived like fakirs, and they taught people to live a simple and sincere life.”

Another non-Christian friend sees such a similarity between Kabir and Christ…

I, too, relate to spiritual teachers, who lived their lives like Jesus, Shirdi Sai Baba, Kabir and many such teachers did. To me, when worship is ‘packaged for ‘sale’, it ceases to be ‘worship’.


Late last night, my elder brother had shared this evocative song…




 

But, so what, alongside, some of my fellow-beings greet me with - ‘A very Happy Good Friday’? Jesus would have simply said this: "Blessed are those whose hearts are clean.”

And, look at these African kids sing the old classic – 'Mary Did You know’…




 

By now, we all know what will happen on the Easter Sunday… It’s going to be fine… Life isn’t dark, sad and hopeless, you see. So, as John Bunyan says, “In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart” …

A Happy Easter to all… An Easter heart, above all.

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic.: pixabay

 

Videos: 1. Piet Smith  2. PROCLAIM MKC

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