Resurrection….

The Easter vigil. Night –time. Candles alight, these people walk into church while the Exultet is sung… Rejoice now, all you heavenly choirs of angels, rejoice all creatures around His throne, for the mighty King is victorious….

Every year, this ritualistic renewal of the faith… the reaffirming of baptismal vows. Do you reject Satan? And is he a man in a long beard that looks like Osama Bin Laden? Or is he furrowed fore headed and shifty eyed like George Bush?

Let us proclaim the Mystery of Faith, the celebrant intones at the head of the altar, as the congregation duly sings out ‘Christ is dead, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.’

Christ dies everyday.
Christ dies every time a Christian turns against his neighbour.
Christ dies whenever the Church encourages discrimination against women, against gays, lesbians and transgender people.
Christ dies every time a sanctimonious pastor demeans others , the non-Christians, the un-baptized.
Christ dies every time some idiot seeks to defend him and pays disrespect to other people, their religions and cultures.
Christ dies everyday in Jharkhand, in Orissa, in Gujarat, in Kashmir, in Palestine, in Uganda … he dies every time there is violence born out of ignorance, hatred, and greed.

Christ is risen everyday.
Christ is risen whenever we speak out in favour of justice, speak out against discrimination for the marginalised and the vulnerable.. the poorest of the poor.
Christ is risen in the voices united against the displacement of the people by the Narbada Project.
Christ is risen in the heroic deed of a teenager who saved children from the burning fires in Meerut, even at the cost of his own life.

Christ will come again.

Every child that is born carries a promise of that second coming. Every child, no matter whether male or female, black, yellow, white or brown, comes to this earth with the potential to make a change, to create something wonderful and lasting. Every one of the young people on this planet - Hindu, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Athiest, Buddhist, Jain, animist, humanist, - has the option and the capacity to change the place around him or her for the better. To bring in brotherhood, plurality and true peace… for that is what the kingdom of God is all about.

Alleluia. Happy Easter!