By Fr. Sebastian Vadakumpadan –
St. John’s Gospel 20: 1-9 gives a beautiful description of an early morning visit of Mary Magdalene to the tomb of Jesus. Mary Magdalene has become a model of our relationship from whom Jesus casted out demons.
Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Jesus thrice; other disciples except one despised Jesus. These were the people who had seen Jesus close at heart. They were the first ones to see Jesus’ miracles, listen to his words and witness to healings. They had gone to proclaim the Kingdom of God two-by-two to the cities before Jesus could go. They slept under the same roof for three years and ate the same food. But they failed to understand the inner beauty of Jesus. For them, with the death of the master, everything was finished. Jesus was no more relevant for them. Their hope was completely shattered beyond the words.
Contrastingly, Mary Magdalene kept up her faith in the Lord. Death could not take away her relation with God. She believed even though Jesus could not see her now after His death she will faithfully perform the last ceremony for Jesus as per custom. It is often a fact that we stop when our relationship with a person when he or she has had a failure in the life or even committed a crime. We are quite in line with other disciples of Jesus. We are least bothered any more about that person whoever they may be. We sever away the relation. At this juncture, we have to tag along the great model – Mary Magdalene into our lives.
Nowadays, relationships are very fragile and superficial. There is no depth in our relationship. A small misunderstanding is enough to stop everything. A little inconvenience of the parents makes children send them to an old-age home. We can in Jesus’ relationship that even a crime or a failure cannot cease His love for us. Even though all the disciples failed to side with Jesus when he was in the most need of them, the master did not end His love for them. He appeared to them a number of times. He did not say a word about their failure during His passion and in death or even during His appearances. He did not carry any scar of the past. It is quite surprising for each one of us. He did not split the relationship. He waited for the moment of their conversion again and again with his short visits to them.
Fr. Joy Cheradiyil was the director of our second-stage rehabilitation centre of the Prison Ministry India for the male prisoners. He told once of his experience about a prisoner who was a drunkard. He tried correcting him a number of times about his character of drinking when they go out for the work from the centre. One day, as Fr. Joy was passing by in the evening, he saw once again his inmate intoxicated and lying on the road. He took him to the centre and the following day the inmate was a new person altogether and thereafter, in the life. The inmate mentioned to others that “even after all my weaknesses, he picked me from the streets; I don’t want to pain my father any more”. He is now leading an exemplary life.
Let us wait for the moment with patience. As Pope Francis advises us, “Prisoners easily can be overwhelmed by feelings of isolation, shame and rejection that threaten to shatter their hopes and aspirations for the future. Within this context, chaplains and their collaborators are called to be heralds of God’s infinite compassion and forgiveness. In cooperation with civil authorities, they are entrusted with the weighty task of helping the incarcerated rediscover a sense of purpose so that, with God’s grace, they can reform their lives, be reconciled with their families and friends, and, insofar as possible, assume the responsibilities and duties which will enable them to conduct themselves in an upright and honest manner in the society”. When you are beautiful, it is considered as a gift of God, when you lead a beautiful life it is a gift to God. Try to make somebody beautiful and that is your gift to God.
Fr. Sebastian Vadakumpadan (BA, LL.B and LL.M) is a priest of Archdiocese of Ernakulam – Angamally and a native of Muringoor, Trichur, Kerala. He was ordained on 7th of Feb, 1996. He is an advocate and practiced in the High Court of Kerala. He is a former Asian delegate of International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care for Asia and earlier national coordinator for six years. He is at present the National Coordinator for 5 years and Secretary to CBCI for Prison Ministry India Desk.