Trial of Jesus of Nazareth

Trial of Jesus of Nazareth
Remigius de Souza

The trial of Jesus, whenever I read, remember, reminded of, or hear, it shakes me. It, I feel, is the most remarkable, extraordinary and unique, among all the trials – in fiction or facts – over two thousand years of civilized world – may be before, in the past, in the contemporary times and in the present. It tears open the reality of the great divide between law and Justice. It does not even spare the bloodstained history of the Church, the Christian nations, and the institutionalised religion – as a matter of fact, all the institutionalised religions of the civilizations.

When any society becomes a stagnant pool and refuses to flow any more, it stinks and the creative ability of its civilians hits the bottom. They notice the scum of the civilization that floats, they – impotent of any creative thought and action – believe what they see – the scum to be the truth, their true leaders.

Through this Holy Week I have been contemplating on my grand mother (my mother’s mother) whom we called Mai. Mai taught me the Doctrine, at my young age when I was at my native village, thankfully, no any priest or a nun. Well, the priest used to visit the village three or four times in a year. My mother also taught me still Mai though an illiterate peasant was indeed powerful. They both were in and around my daily living then. The lesson is best learnt by example than by rote or preaching – at home or at any university.

There was an event of conflict in our community among some families that I had then heard. A Panchayat – a meeting of the elders to resolve the issue – was called. Mai spoke in protest for a young woman, almost a girl, who was at disadvantage, as usually happens. At last one of them, he was her namesake, surrendered before Mai, “Rujai, I give up. You would make a lawyer, even a barrister, shut up!” What he meant she is illiterate but not ignorant. What he definitely meant was she hailed Justice above law.

22-03-2008
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© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.