Sijo Chemmannur
Member
"blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" Matthew 13:16
Eyes are for seeing and ears are for hearing. Many animals and birds can see and hear better than humans due to their physiological and evolutionary adaptations to meet their predatory needs. But, scientific advancements made humans more powerful than any other living thing on earth and beyond. We are today landing on a moving comet and searching life outside solar system. We have objects moving on other planets, in search of life. We discovered sub-atomic particles (quarks and boson) as well as identified the enormous energy of atoms (atomic energy). We pushed our limits beyond the nature by perturbing some of its most intricate balance and enjoying a pleasurable and happy life as we call it. But, in spite of these scientific advancements, more than half of the world's human population is hungry today and deprived of hygienic water to drink or feed their children. We spend trillions of dollars for curing cancer, but happily ignore the public health necessities of under developed countries which are suffering from Cholera, Malaria and tuberculosis. According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) reports, 2.5 billion people on earth lacked proper sanitation facilities and 1 billion people practiced open defecation in one year (2012). 6.3 million children died in 2013 under age five, about 17,000 every day.
Latest Ebola outbreak in Africa took 5689 human lives, majority in Africa. Many of the developed countries sort to implement travel ban on all the African countries as a preventive measure. What does all these data and information show to us? An increased apathy and selfishness burgeoning among us. We talk about Globalization and consumerization, but neglect the neighbor living near by. Majority of lower middleclass people in developed country like US are too poor to afford their medicines or to have their medical insurance. 1% of top billionaires have half of world's total wealth. Mines, thermal power and fertilizer plants are throwing humongous amount of affluent to destroy our nature. Birds can no longer set their nests on trees as air became too toxic. Fishes are dying in rivers and flow of a river is stopped due to pollutants and plastics. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear?
It is important to note at this moment to see why Jesus Christ talked in parables. He says, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given" (Matthew 13:11). Here, 'you' denotes to the people who knows the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and have their eyes and ears wide opened to see the world around. Jesus Christ calls them 'blessed'. This word is also used in the Sermon on the Mount, where he is transcending the people who are in need and work for the peace of the world to 'blessed'. A situation of blessed to be a blessing for the world.
In the parable of sower and the seed, Jesus Christ talks about a sower sowing seeds. It is relevant to note that he saw seeds everywhere. That is strange for a sower. Normally, a sower put lot of energy and time to make sure that he sow in a well ploughed land. This denotes the plurality of human heart. The same heart can be a fertile land, a place where thorns can grow and choke the good seed, an open path where birds can readily access and take away the good seed and the it can be a hard place as rock, where seed won't get enough earth to grow.
The seed what Jesus Christ talks about is the word of God which gives plenty of fruits. The fruits which embarks from the spiritual enlightenment through living in Christ. It is a personal experience to walk in the light of the God through obeying the commandment of Jesus Christ, Love. It is by only Love we can concur the world. It is the only solution to the multitudes of problems, faced by the world today. Love considers others more important than themselves. A world with Love is the Kingdom of heaven. A consideration of entire world as one country, all people in the world as its citizens. Then there won't be any boundaries of multiplicity of countries, language, religion, culture, gender, caste, color etc. All are same and part of one body. An eye to see the needs of others and ear to hear the cry of the needy is the fruit, which sprouts from the seed of the word of God. Let us open our blind eyes and shallow ears to see and hear the world around.
Eyes are for seeing and ears are for hearing. Many animals and birds can see and hear better than humans due to their physiological and evolutionary adaptations to meet their predatory needs. But, scientific advancements made humans more powerful than any other living thing on earth and beyond. We are today landing on a moving comet and searching life outside solar system. We have objects moving on other planets, in search of life. We discovered sub-atomic particles (quarks and boson) as well as identified the enormous energy of atoms (atomic energy). We pushed our limits beyond the nature by perturbing some of its most intricate balance and enjoying a pleasurable and happy life as we call it. But, in spite of these scientific advancements, more than half of the world's human population is hungry today and deprived of hygienic water to drink or feed their children. We spend trillions of dollars for curing cancer, but happily ignore the public health necessities of under developed countries which are suffering from Cholera, Malaria and tuberculosis. According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) reports, 2.5 billion people on earth lacked proper sanitation facilities and 1 billion people practiced open defecation in one year (2012). 6.3 million children died in 2013 under age five, about 17,000 every day.
Latest Ebola outbreak in Africa took 5689 human lives, majority in Africa. Many of the developed countries sort to implement travel ban on all the African countries as a preventive measure. What does all these data and information show to us? An increased apathy and selfishness burgeoning among us. We talk about Globalization and consumerization, but neglect the neighbor living near by. Majority of lower middleclass people in developed country like US are too poor to afford their medicines or to have their medical insurance. 1% of top billionaires have half of world's total wealth. Mines, thermal power and fertilizer plants are throwing humongous amount of affluent to destroy our nature. Birds can no longer set their nests on trees as air became too toxic. Fishes are dying in rivers and flow of a river is stopped due to pollutants and plastics. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear?
It is important to note at this moment to see why Jesus Christ talked in parables. He says, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given" (Matthew 13:11). Here, 'you' denotes to the people who knows the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and have their eyes and ears wide opened to see the world around. Jesus Christ calls them 'blessed'. This word is also used in the Sermon on the Mount, where he is transcending the people who are in need and work for the peace of the world to 'blessed'. A situation of blessed to be a blessing for the world.
In the parable of sower and the seed, Jesus Christ talks about a sower sowing seeds. It is relevant to note that he saw seeds everywhere. That is strange for a sower. Normally, a sower put lot of energy and time to make sure that he sow in a well ploughed land. This denotes the plurality of human heart. The same heart can be a fertile land, a place where thorns can grow and choke the good seed, an open path where birds can readily access and take away the good seed and the it can be a hard place as rock, where seed won't get enough earth to grow.
The seed what Jesus Christ talks about is the word of God which gives plenty of fruits. The fruits which embarks from the spiritual enlightenment through living in Christ. It is a personal experience to walk in the light of the God through obeying the commandment of Jesus Christ, Love. It is by only Love we can concur the world. It is the only solution to the multitudes of problems, faced by the world today. Love considers others more important than themselves. A world with Love is the Kingdom of heaven. A consideration of entire world as one country, all people in the world as its citizens. Then there won't be any boundaries of multiplicity of countries, language, religion, culture, gender, caste, color etc. All are same and part of one body. An eye to see the needs of others and ear to hear the cry of the needy is the fruit, which sprouts from the seed of the word of God. Let us open our blind eyes and shallow ears to see and hear the world around.
