By Dr Tiju Thomas –
Pope Francis begins his encyclical Fratelli Tutti by recounting that the title comes from the words which St. Francis of Assisi used to invite his brothers and sisters into a life that was flavoured by the Gospel. Following this Franciscan ideal, Pope Francis asks us to love our brother who is far away just as much as we would love him if he was near. The Pope is inviting us into a calling of love and mutuality wherein distances, times and geographies are transcended. Mentioning St. Francis’ as an example, he calls us to love the poor, the outcast, and in fact the one whom we consider to be wholly ‘the other’’. In the poor and outcast he asks us to find our brothers and sisters. This is and will always remain a challenging teaching. This takes on mystical dimensions when one considers the fact that in one who is wholly other, one would in fact be able to see oneself, and ultimately see Christ.(1) We shall do well to remember Matthew 25:40 wherein Jesus tells that “whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers and sisters, you do unto me.”
We may also recall Mother Teresa who said “Actually we are touching Christ’s body in the poor. In the poor it is the hungry Christ that we are feeding, it is the naked Christ that we are clothing, it is to the homeless Christ that we are giving shelter.”(2) This is in fact an assurance and a natural extension of St. Francis’ teaching. There is an utter transcendence in caring for the poor. This is important to our story. It is in the care for the poor in the slums of England, that our protagonist – Fr. Bede Griffiths encountered a conversion experience, which led him to a life of fervent monasticism.
The Catholic Church has had several sons and daughters who lived by the above ideal; of fervent desire to share life and serve the poor and the needy. Here we choose to focus on Fr. Bede Griffiths, who was originally an Anglican, who subsequently became a Catholic priest and monk. While being British by birth, his encounter with the mystical dimensions of the Catholic faith meant that he learnt to embrace and pay attention to all the wisdom from across the world. In him the Catholic world had found a Christian who embodied the very spirit of Nostra Aetate. This Second Vatican Council document says the following:
“The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.”(3)
By the 1950s itself, Fr. Griffiths had already begun his work of developing a thoroughly integrated and inter-culturated Christian spirituality that had the flavour of the gospel, while also having the texture and fabric of Indian wisdom and philosophical traditions. Hence in a real way, his work in fact pre-dated Nostra Aetate (1965)! He in fact became Fr. Bede Griffiths alias Swami Dayananda (meaning the ‘bliss of mercy’ in Sanksrit). He was eventually admitted into a Catholic monastic order called the Camaldolese. In keeping with the Camaldolese and Benedictine spirituality, he lived a life marked by an integration of intense Christian piety. His piety was strongly rooted at once in his Catholicism and his scholarship and understanding of Indian philosophical and wisdom traditions. His scholarly work required him to be proficient in Tamil and Sanskrit, and to study the Vedic and Upanishadic canon. He used this study, and along with his fellow Ashram dwellers developed a Catholic spirituality with enriched and healthy contact with Indian philosophy and history.
To fully appreciate Fr. Bede Griffiths, we ought to go back to the fact that he was born into a poor home in Surrey, England on 17 Dec, 1906. The family was not always poor. His father was cheated by his business partner, and the family had been reduced to poverty. As a little boy, Fr. Griffiths excelled in studies in a school for poor boys. Later he earned a scholarship to the University of Oxford where he studied philosophy, literature and journalism. There among his teachers was C. S. Lewis, a noted novelist, a prolific writer and lay theologian from the Anglican Christian tradition, and an Oxford professor. C. S. Lewis went onto to become a lifelong friend of Fr. Griffiths.(4)
Griffiths felt a call to a ‘common living’ even as a student, and in fact started to live a life of simplicity soon after he received his degree. He and his friends lived a life in a sylvan environment, doing Biblical reading and rearing animals. This simple and frugal life suited Griffiths. Eventually he felt called to the priesthood within the tradition he was born into. This meant he went onto become an Anglican priest. His assignments included working with slum dwellers. What he saw in the slums psychologically impacted the young and very tender hearted Fr. Griffiths. This resulted in an emotional melt down in him. Remarkably this meltdown led to an interior conversion; he knew he needed to find a new ground wherein he would find sufficient spiritual sustenance, despite the realities of the world. At this point he went onto live for a while with the Benedictine monks, whose ancient spirituality and life greatly appealed to the earnest, studious and immensely pious Griffiths. His experience with the Benedictines led to a further conversion and his entry into Catholic monasticism.(5)
Benedictine monastic life suited Griffiths very well. A life of marked by the Benedictine rule – involving silence, prayer, daily study, contemplation, daily work and shared life shaped up Fr. Griffiths. The Benedictine monastery offered ample opportunities for Griffiths to develop a deeply Catholic consciousness, while also learning from traditions across the world. In his English Benedictine monastery, he also learnt from Indian traditions. Along with Father Benedict Alapatt, a European with Indian descent, he decided to set up a monastery in India. However there was a stumbling block: Benedictine monks also take a vow of stability, which means being within the community. However after much deliberation and dialogue, the abbot of Fr. Griffiths allowed him to leave the monastery provided he relinquished the Benedictine vows, and agreed to serve under an assigned local Bishop in India. This was not an easy decision for Griffiths since the Benedictine life suited him very well. He had learnt and grown significantly through the Benedictine life. Nonetheless Griffiths took the decision to come to India. He and Alapatt came to India together.(5)
In Kerala, Griffiths came in contact with Fr. Francis Acharya, who ran the Kurisumala Ashram (literally the monastery of the ‘Mount of the Cross’) in Vagamon, Kerala. The Ashram was and continues to be run by a monastic order called to Cistercians. The Ashram dwellers use an Eastern Catholic rite (Syro-Malankara), with ancient Syriac and Aramaic roots, for celebrating the Holy Mass. Here Griffiths learnt Sanskrit and Tamil, and studied the classical spiritual literature from India (including the canonical Vedas and Puranas). He also took on an Indian name – Swami Dayanananda.(5) One may say that he was going through a process of positive reintegration of his self, while navigating the rich terrain of Catholicism, Hindu scripture, and religion at large, within the lived context of India.
Later in 1968, Griffiths moved to the Sacchidananda Ashram in Tamil Nadu. Here he wrote and worked on dialogues of peace, mutual learning and understanding. He was indeed a bridge that helped Hindus and Christians understand, pay attention, and learn from one another. Due to his work and expertize in both Catholic and Hindu writings, he became one of the most respected writers and teachers on dialogue among these two religious traditions. He wished to see an Indian Christianity that offers theological freshness and radically new opportunities rooted in India’s philosophical contributions. His work pursued this freshness without compromising on theological accuracy.
Fr. Griffiths’ Christocentric teachings took on a language that was inclusive, and allowed even those outside the bounds of the Church to appreciate his message. He worked on developing an integrated tradition; one that is Catholic, while also being philosophically and historically Indian. His creative and fresh contributions meant that in his twilight years, he was welcomed by a monastic order called the Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona. The Camaldolese are almost thousand years old now, and are known for a monastic tradition that started in Italy. They have continually focussed on bringing a confluence of eremeticism (i.e. living as a hermit) and monasticism (i.e. communal religious life) within the Catholic tradition. The Camaldolese are well known for their fervent apostolic poverty and simplicity. Fr. Bede Griffiths willingly became a member of the Camaldolese order. Thereafter, Sacchidananda Ashram (Tamil Nadu) too became affiliated with the Camaldolese order. It is rather pertinent to recall here that Saccidananda literally means ‘Truth, Consciousness and Bliss’; the name of the ashram points to its inner spirit indeed. Clearly it was a Christian Ashram whose spirit suited Fr. Griffiths. He in turn only enriched the Ashram through his sincere study, work and teaching.
Now we may go back to the Fratelli Tutti. With the encyclical as the background, we may ask: what is the lesson Fr. Griffiths offers us for today? To respond to this question, we may look carefully at the encyclical. Fratelli Tutti (para 139-143) invites us to think, love and learn without borders. Pope Francis also says:
“Just as there can be no dialogue with “others” without a sense of our own identity, so there can be no openness between peoples except on the basis of love for one’s own land, one’s own people, one’s own cultural roots.”
He encourages us to develop a historical consciousness, and veer away from ‘empty individualism’. He asks us to move away from a mindset of conflict and fear, to one wherein we remain in social friendship and healthy, secure dialogue with each other. He seeks that we integrate knowledge with wisdom, and encourages us to chart a common roadmap – all as one universal brotherhood.
Pope Francis calls us to an ‘effective love’, and asks us to foster a new culture built on social dialogue, and envisages all of mankind as collaborators of each other. Now looking at Fr. Griffiths’ life and work; one may say that he embodied the spirit of oneness and universal brotherhood, grounded in wisdom, humility, and ultimately in Christ. The Pope says we must have a joy in acknowledging each other – and who we are! Our histories, cultures and stories matter. The histories, cultures and stories of our neighbours matter. And through them, in honest and sincere dialogue, we shall encounter elements of truth and wisdom. There is hence an art and architecture to peace and effective love; we begin with our neighbour – both from near and afar!
Fr. Griffiths knew the importance of learning from the wisdom of our neighbour all too well. He also knew how to synthesize and deepen his own journey. He loved his brothers and learnt from them and taught – beyond boundaries. With some attention, the boundarylessness Pope Francis envisions can be seen in the life and work of this very pious Camaldolese monk, who originally came from England. He became at once a son of the Church, and also the son of the Indian soil. Kinship and an ‘other-centeredness’ marked his life. The Oblates of Shantivanam/Sacchidananda Ashram to this day profess a kinship with all monastics of all traditions, premised on the idea that the sincere pursuit of Divine Love by its very nature unifies us all into one universal brotherhood.(6)
Fr. Griffiths passed away on 13 May 1993, but his theological and spiritual legacy lives on. His teachings and writings continue to edify scholars and faithful who wish for a true inter-religious dialogue, with desire for mutual understanding, learning, and service to God and fellow beings.(7) There is a splendid principle that Pope Francis has given that can come handy for those of us who undertake such enriching tasks (as Fr. Griffiths did). Pope Francis says, “Our dialogues across religions must be at the service of our common brotherhood.”
It may be seen that Fr. Griffiths was if anything an exemplar and pioneer of an Indian spiritual tradition that spurs us towards Christ in radically new ways. In doing so, he paved a way towards a refreshingly new dialogical framework, a conception of universal brotherhood across all boundaries, and a culture of listening and learning from the neighbour. The brotherhood Fr. Griffiths points to is realized first and foremost in the heart, and then formed in the mind through deep and diligent study, prayer and loving service.
Let us hope and pray that we see many more humble, sensitive and gentle sons and daughters of the Church, who will foster a renewed and joyful culture of peace, mutual understanding, and refreshingly secure dialogues so that we may realize the vision of Fratelli Tutti – all bound together in love and in a universal fraternity.
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- About the author: Dr. Tiju Thomas can be reached at [email protected]. He is with the faculty of Indian Institute of Technology Madras. In the Church, he is involved with catechesis for adults.
- On the article: This reflection is not a complete survey of the writings of Fr. Bede Griffiths. A certain fraction of his work may be found here:
The theses and writings coming from Graduate Theological Union based in Berkeley, California too can aid further study of Fr. Bede Griffiths writings and work. This article is merely an attempt to open up a renewed interpretation of Fr. Bede Griffiths given the import and current importance of Fratelli Tutti.
The author, like many students of inter-religious dialogue, believes that Fr. Griffiths and his fellow Catholic monks (in Saccidananda Ashram) have given us a unique and refreshing way to enter a contemplative Catholic life, that is secure and attentively humble in its dialogue with the cultures and religions of the world. These monks have also shown us that this is possible while being deeply rooted and informed by Indian culture, philosophy, and wisdom traditions.
Dr. Tiju Thomas is an interdisciplinary engineering faculty at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). In addition to his current scientific/technical engagements, he has an abiding interest in catechesis, and human formation of young students and professionals. He enjoys devoting time to work with people and families who wish for some assistance in gaining a meaningful life direction. He believes that his Christian vocation includes both human formation and availability
to those who wish to see hope even through suffering. Dr. Thomas can be reached at [email protected]
References
- ‘Fratelli Tutti’: Encyclical by Pope Francis (Oct 2020)
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Nobel Peace Prize Lecture by Mother Teresa (1979)
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The Swami From Oxford by Robert Fastiggi, Ph.D. and Jose Pereira
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‘The golden string’ by Bede Griffiths – January 1, 1954
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Oblates of Shantivanam Ashram (affiliation: Camaldolese Monastic order)
(i) See some of the theses written on Fr. Bede Griffiths and his work listed here:
(ii) Also for a nice bibliography of scholarly material on Fr. Bede Griffiths, see Online Archive of California
PS:
If readers wish to study a summary of the key teachings of Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti, they may refer to the following article by the author – Towards universal fraternity in the wake of Nostra Aetate
A well researched article on a great Soul, who made a lifelong effort to understand India – Fr Bede Griffiths. Kudos to the Author!