There is an absence of authentic reflection on our faith-experience. Consequently the relevance of our life is being questioned today.
Theology is the articulation of our faith experience and therefore there is no reason why it should remain the exclusive domain of a professional few.
Why do many of the Religious Brothers, Sisters and the laity do not come forward to do theology? Do we not seek God and reflect in our own way on the life-related implications of our God-encounter? What does theology mean if it is not a reflection on God-encounter?
God-encounter is available to every human being, and reflection on it is possible for all. So theology is a must for all to live and reflect on our God-experience in human experience.
We need to liberate theology from abstract concepts which do not quite correspond to the concrete life-situations of people. We need to be liberated from a god who is totally independent of the world and the humanity.
Teaching and learning theology are not more the prized privilege of a few. It is open to all humanity that it may be related to real life contexts. When we reflect life on texts, we need to take into account not only humanity but also the whole creation. In this regard Sr. M. Bertille rightly points out:
One of the challenges we face today, is that of introducing and living a fresh vision of creation, a creation spirituality that places the importance of relationships between humanity and nature based on the relationship of the Creator with creation.
Therefore there is an urgent need of awakening that has to take place in our attempt to respond effectively to the call of God, an awakening that will re-enact the message of the Gospel in today's context. We need to re-interpret the Bible in the context of Religious pluralism and alienation, human exploitation and pollution of the natural environment, religious fundamentalism and cross-cultural conflicts.
Among the new challenges to the theological task are issues relating to ecology, the dignity of the human person, human rights, human developments, the caste liberation, women liberation, liberation from structural imprisonment etc.
What we need today is a deeper involvement in all aspects of the life of the people and consequently a new approach to the understanding of our life and the life outside. In this context
Sr. M. Bertille says:
Today, we need to make way for a new language, a new method, a new paradigm and certainly a new praxis capable of recognizing the the close connection between the social issue and the environment
In our approach to transform the world, we shall follow the model of Resurrection-event which sets the principles of transformation of the human context in terms of continuity of the mission of Christ. In this context the emergence of a theology for all with a specific reference to Indian situation is of paramount significance.
No comments:
Post a Comment