The Journey 299

Read: Genesis 2,3 Watching news can be very enlightening as you are made aware of what happens in your part of the world and also in the rest of the world. But in the last three four days listening to news on CBS Philly or watching the daily report of news happenings on CNN or Fox News in this part of the world and news channels in India especially at the recent happening in our home state of Kerala, has become one of the most disgusting factor. This is because of the news of brutalities that are taking place which is making people go shell shock. The people here in Philadelphia are still shocked at the abduction of a 10 month old baby girl named Saanvi Venna, who was abducted by someone whose identity is still not established. This abduction follows the brutal killing of her grandmother who had come from India to visit her family. This tragedy unfolded even as people were coming into grips at the news of a thirteen year old girl from Gloucester County in the neighboring state of New Jersey being killed by two teenage brothers aged fifteen and seventeen.. The most tragic part of this murder was that the both the boys were neighbours of the girl and the motive that is now being assigned for murder seems to be a bike that the girl owned. Way back in Kerala, people seems also to be shocked at the spate of abuses, where even girls of age of eleven and thirteen have become victims of abuse. What is most devastating and tragic of these abuse has been is that the abusers were people like stepfathers and old neighbours, the very people who should have protected this young kids from abuse. Listening to these type of brutal news about crimes committed kids who are still in the teens and abuses by elderly folks who are actually fatherly figures, makes one feel that the saner, moral and the humane element in human being which God had bestowed on each ones one of us, as He created us in His image, seems to be overridden by passions of the flesh. In the creation story, we find creation of both human being and animals and God giving the pride of place to human being– proclaiming us as the crown of creation. But looking at these instances that are happening in our society, we need to hang our head in shame and confess that we have fallen down so low that today sometimes I tend to think that animals have better morality than human being. How can we redeem ourselves from this pitiable state of living and rise to higher levels of meaning and existence in our life. Unless each one of us don't think on these lines our, lives could once again manifest in action and deeds that only brings disaster to the community. How can we reach to that level of existence?
We are meditating on the theme “Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Genesis 2 and 3. It is in these two chapters of Genesis that we find God’s purpose in creation of this world, the animals and finally human beings. When God created each of these created order, He looked at it and found it good. Ultimately when God created human beings in His Image, He proclaimed that it was very good. It is after the creation of human beings, that God gives them the direction of life, giving them the basic understanding that human beings need to work with God so that the world that they live in is made better and through this relationship with the creator, human being could channelize God’s creative power in them to a higher level of existence of living and also transforming this world into God’s kingdom. But we find instead of living in divine relationship with God, human being rebelled against God, because they wanted to live a life in isolation without any creative relationship with God and also to use the creative power bestowed by God to bring about death and destruction in fellow human beings. It is this rebellious attitude that is found when Eve entices Adam to do what was sinful and they both sin. Thus we find that instead of using God given creativity and potentials to build up each other and the world, we find human beings using creative power to negate the very existence of life. History is later repeated when Cain kills his brother Abel. As we become disgusted at the horror news about various crimes committed by people, let us take decision that we all will live in a qualitative relationship with our Lord, through that relationship we can use the creativity and potentials that Lord has given to us for the welfare of humanity and for the transformation of this world. Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla,