RITUALS AND SPIRITUALITY
The
Superior of a large monastery of monks had a small monkey as his precious pet.
He loved it and fed it affectionately, talking softly and stroking gently with
tender care. The other monks also loved the little pet dearly and enjoyed its
innocent and funny gestures. It was let free in the monastery. It loved to be constantly
in the company of the Superior. When the monks assembled for their daily prayer
sessions in the morning and evening, the monkey followed them into the prayer
hall. By its amusing movements, the monkey caused much distraction to the
meditation.
The
Superior closed the doors of the hall to prevent the entry of the monkey into
the prayer hall, but it often sneaked in through the window. As a last resort,
the Superior ordered that a collar be fixed around the monkey’s neck. A chain was tied to the collar and the other
end of the chain was fastened to a pillar at the back of the prayer hall,
during every prayer session. With the new arrangement, the prayer and the
meditation progressed without distraction. As the monkey’s presence in the
prayer hall was a persistent problem, tying it to the pillar continued as a
regular ritual. The ritual
continued even after the death of the Superior, as the rest of the congregation
opted to maintain the monkey in memory of the memorable Superior.
The
ritual of tying the monkey to the pillar continued in every prayer session for
several years. Years later when the monkey breathed its last, there was a
serious discussion among the monks. They decided to procure a similar monkey to
continue the ritual which had by then become a matter of routine. In course of
time, the practice of tying the monkey to the pillar became an unquestionable
ritual in the congregation and some scholars undertook intensive and extensive
research on this traditional practice. Most of the researchers attributed a
divine halo to the custom and even discovered evidences from the verses of the
Scriptures supporting the practice. After several years, a smart Superior
studied about the origin of the ritual, enlightened the monks with much effort and
finally put an end to the age-old ritual.
Rituals, sacred signs and symbols are
integral parts of every liturgy. Rituals are meant to support and enhance the
spiritual life of the people. Unfortunately, some rituals are practised as a
matter of tradition without understanding their real meaning or significance. Rituals and
pilgrimages can enhance our spiritual life only if these acts are accompanied
by internal purification, real repentance and true transformation.
Special
postures and rituals may strengthen spirituality but are not essential
components of spirituality. We believe in the principles and
practices of our parent Church. We believe that they are based on the Sacred
Scriptures and holy traditions gifted to us by God. Persons disguised as
scholars and advisers may meet us and try to confuse us with their eloquent
words. They may try their best to misinterpret the Scriptures and argue that
our faith and rituals are wrong and against the words of God. We should be
aware of their tricks. We must love our Church and learn the Scriptures and the
doctrines of the Church systematically. Then false prophets cannot mislead us
from the path of truth.
Jesus warned us, “Be
on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on
the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves. You will know
them by what they do. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briars do not bear
figs” {Matthew 7: 15, 16}.
The Bible is to
be read and studied systematically, assimilated actively and practised properly
in daily life. Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnated as man. The Bible is
the Word of God incarnated in the language of man.
.
"The
Lord says, "I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! When you
bring me burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, I will not accept them; I will
not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. Stop your
noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. Instead, let
justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes
dry" {Amos 5: 21-24}.
RITUALS
AND SPIRITUALITY
......................................................................................................
By
PROF. DR. BABU PHILIP, FORMER PROFESSOR OF BIOCHEMISTRY, COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KOCHI.
The
Superior of a large monastery of Christian monks had a small monkey as his
precious pet. He loved the pet and fed it affectionately. He used to talk to it
softly and stroke it gently with tender care. The other monks also loved the little
pet dearly and enjoyed its innocent and funny gestures. It was let free in the
monastery. It loved to be constantly in the company of the Superior. When the
monks assembled for their daily prayer sessions in the morning and evening, the
monkey followed them into the prayer hall. By its amusing movements, the monkey
caused much distraction to the meditation.
The Superior closed
the doors of the hall to prevent the entry of the monkey into the prayer hall,
but it often sneaked in through the window. As a last resort, the Superior
ordered to tie the monkey to a pillar at the back of the prayer hall, during
every prayer session, using a collar and a leash. With the new arrangement, the
prayer and the meditation progressed without distraction. As the monkey’s
presence in the prayer hall was a persistent problem, tying it to the pillar
continued as a regular ritual. The ritual continued even after the death of the
Superior, as the rest of the congregation opted to maintain the monkey in memory
of the memorable Superior.
The ritual of tying
the monkey to the pillar continued in every prayer session for several years.
Years later, when the monkey breathed its last, there was a serious discussion
among the monks. They decided to procure a similar monkey to continue the
ritual which had by then become a matter of routine. In course of time, the
practice of tying the monkey to the pillar became an unquestionable ritual in
the congregation and some scholars undertook intensive and extensive research
on this traditional practice. Some of them earned their doctorate on this topic.
Most of the researchers attributed a divine halo to the custom and even
discovered evidences from the verses of the Scriptures supporting the practice.
After several years, a smart Superior studied about the origin of the ritual,
enlightened the monks with much effort and finally put an end to the age-old
ritual.
Sacred signs, symbols and rituals are integral parts of every
liturgy. Rituals are meant to stimulate and support the spiritual life of the
people. Unfortunately, some rituals are practised as a matter of tradition
without understanding their real meaning or significance.
Several devotees were standing
in a queue to touch and kiss the feet of a statue of St. George in a shrine. A
short old lady in the group kissed the model of the dragon as she could not
reach the feet of the Saint’s statue!
Rituals may strengthen
spirituality but are not essential components of spirituality. Rituals and
pilgrimages can enhance our spiritual life, only if these acts are accompanied
by genuine faith, honest life, real repentance and true transformation. Our
spirituality should become a reality.
…………………………………………………………………..
............................................................................................................
© By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip,
Darsana Academy, Kottayam-686001, Kerala, India ( Former Professor, Cochin
University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala,
India), Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St.
Dominic's College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St.
Antony's Public School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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