By
Sheena George
When I recently flew from Mumbai to Kochi, I met a Hindu girl from
Nashik, which is nearly 200 kms north of Mumbai. Seated next to me on the
flight, the 19-year old girl struck a conversation with me. “Are you a
Christian?” she asked. She might have seen me doing the sign of the cross.
“I like Christians. They are my favourite
people,” she said. I became curious and asked her the reasons. “I studied in a
Catholic school run by nuns. In the school, nuns used to tell us about how
Jesus died for us. They used to talk to us about the life of saints,” she
replied. Her name is Divya Ramesh.
More
than that, she was touched by the sacrificial life of nuns for Jesus. “They
sacrificed their entire life for Jesus Christ. They renounced the materialistic
world. It’s unfathomable. They could have enjoyed the world but they opted for
a different life,” she said.
The life of nuns even prompted her to watch
the Hollywood
hit film “Passion of Christ”. “I cried watching this film,” Divya said.
This opened a door for me to talk about
Christianity and Jesus, the true God, to her.
Do we really understand the life of nuns and
priests? Especially their sacrifices. No, I don’t think so, at least in the
case of nuns. We underestimate and undervalue their services and contribution.
Most of us consider nuns as a different group, having a cloistered life. I
think it’s much beyond all that.
What I
wanted to highlight is that we don’t see the life of nuns and priests but a
Hindu girl could see it. The silent, but efficient, work being done by nuns in
evangelization should open our eyes. They were able to talk and take Jesus to
people who haven’t heard about the true God. They don’t have the comforts and
luxury that the world offers to everyone. They don’t attend weddings or dinner
parties. They don’t have anything of their own. Not even a bank account of
their own.
It might be sheer coincidence as we –
husband, daughter and me – were traveling to Kochi to attend a small function to mark 50
years of our aunt’s life as a nun in a Christian congregation. Rev Sr Lucy, my
mother-in-law’s younger sister joined the Adoration congregation under the
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in 1964. She could have opted for normal family
life like anybody else, but she gave up everything for Jesus. That was a big
sacrifice.
Are we seeing their sacrifices? I doubt it.
Do we acknowledge their contribution? We have heard about Catherine of
Sienna, Hildegarde, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux. Then we have our own
Mother Theresa and Alphonsa.
Pope Francis recently said, “What would happen if there were no nuns? No nuns in
hospitals, in missions, in charitable institutions, in schools… Can you even
imagine a Church without nuns? No it is unthinkable!”
“They are a gift, the leaven that carries the message of Christ. These women are great,” he said. Very true, indeed.
“They are a gift, the leaven that carries the message of Christ. These women are great,” he said. Very true, indeed.
Although priests too earmark their lives for
Jesus alone, they get some, if not full, credit and acknowledgement for their
services. That may not be the case for nuns who are mostly forgotten.
Who taught you about Christianity and Jesus
Christ when you were young? Who taught you the prayers when you were a kid? I f
you’re a Catholic, who prepared you for the first Holy Communion? I’m sure that in most cases it has to be a
nun. Have you ever thanked her for that? Hope you’ve at least prayed for them.
