Sam

“I have come closer to God. Family matters have not changed much…” came the message on Whatsapp. “I have gone farther away from God. Family matters have not changed much…” the reply went. Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen! (Come, ye daughters, help me lament!)      Johann Sebastian Bach chose to start his masterpiece ‘St. Matthew Passion’ with this apt chorus. The passion narrative from the Gospel of St. Matthew set to music calls on the one who listens to it to gaze beyond this world to the One who is the source of the celestial music and the fountain of all that is good. The grief filled notes recall the day when the sweetheart of heaven was labelled a criminal.      It is said that if ‘Bach’s St. Matthew Passion’ exists, God exists.      This piece of music that is said to give us a foretaste of the beauty of heaven begins with a lament. This is not surprising though, considering the apparent oxymoron by whic...

       Day of Wrath, Day of Hope            I wonder how many Chinese living in Nanking on the eve of the Japanese invasion were clinically depressed and how many had just bought their new house. I wonder how many Poles on the eve of the Nazi invasion were facing such problems in life that they were contemplating suicide and how many girls had just said yes to their lovers. I wonder how many people living in Kolkata on the eve of ‘The Direct Action Day’ were unemployed and hungry and how many had just finally cleared all their debts. I wonder how many families were broken beyond repair in Phnom Penh on the eve of The Khmer Rouge victory and how many had just graduated. I wonder how many Tutsis in Rwanda suffering from terminal illnesses had lost all hope in life on the eve of the 100 day massacre and how many had just received their first Holy Communion.                    ...