Peace on Earth: Community Efforts For Amity And Peace

By Joseph Oommen

Advocates of peace all over the world continue with their avowed mission. They are working towards creating greater awareness of the need for promoting universal feelings of amity and compassion.

The annual Maramon Convention held recently in Kerala - which was first organised in 1896 by the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, an ancient Christian community of India - is one such collective effort to bring out the spiritual essence of the Word of God.

The Maramon Convention is devoted to promoting Koinonia or fellowship, Kerygma or proclamation and Diakonia or service. Koinonia is experiencing communion and community living; it is a key concept of Christian faith.

The teachings of Jesus emphasise less on individualism and selfbliss and give more importance to community living. God created human beings for fellowship. It is an intrinsic part of human nature; a fact of life that helps to preserve all living beings on this planet.

Being with others is a vital psychic function that helps get rid of egoism.Koinonia is the process of being with others, by accepting the otherness of the other. It is solidarity.

Fellowship can"t take place in a climate of cleavage, mistrust and self-imposed exile. Mutual trust, truth and relationship uphold fellowship. Fellowship, like love, is not passive. It is always an ongoing process to a state of becoming.

So it demands remorse, reconciliation and forgiveness. Forgiveness is the kernel of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why love of enemy is at the zenith of Christian faith.

Kerygma, the proclamation of God'sforgiving love, brings human beings face to face with their creator. The church is an extension of this love, communicating the fragrance of amity, equality, human dignity, community and unity in diversity. It also stresses introspection and interaction.

Introspection is process of self-discovery. comprises reflection, contemplation and meditation. occurs in silence, a medium that can be more powerful than expression. Nevertheless, introspection may ignore social wants of the people, due to its elimination of the sensory channels of perception. Translation of silence into expression, a faceto-face interaction with others in close proximity, could only meet the wants of human beings.

A thief who stole jackfruit from a tree in the ashram was produced before the guru. The guru said: "It is dangerous to go prowling in the night, especially in snake-infested places. Only the tree belongs to the ashram, the fruits belong to the hungry. Come boldly at daytime and take the fruits you want to eat."

This interaction opened the eyes of not only the culprit but also the others who were waiting to punish the hungry thief. Kerygma, therefore, has saving power. Diakonia is to help and extend support to the poor and oppressed. Before anything else, a person needs to satisfy his physical, psychological and spiritual needs - for instance his food, shelter, clothing, acceptance and security needs have to be taken care of. So emancipation of the weak is an important part of the Maramon Convention'smission.

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See also: Peace of Mind, Peace on Earth, Life and Beyond, Love and Happiness, Body Mind and Soul)