Contextualising Pope’s Message to Prime Minister from the Book of Isaiah 32.15

Fr Arockia Dhas Rayappan –

For Christmas 2023, the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a felicitation for a Christian delegation at his residence in New Delhi. In his address, the Indian stateman drew attention to the noble teachings of Jesus from the Bible. He lauded the Christian community in India for its social work. He dutifully “acknowledged the best in Christianity.” With magnanimity, he hailed Jesus’ inclusive teachings. He affirmed that Jesus’ life was centred on compassion, service, and the search for the truth. The Indian statesman reminisced about his meeting with the ‘Holy Pope’ on October 30, 2021, and the long and meaningful conversation he had with the Pope on social harmony, global brotherhood, climate change, and inclusive and sustainable development.

While gathering my thoughts, I am aware of the views of the prominent social activists that beg to differ with the intention of the Christian delegation. Among them are some brave journalists who are “sceptical about the motivation behind Modi’s Christmas meeting.” I had collaborated with a few for a national cause and issues pertaining to Delhi while I served as the deputy secretary of the Regional Bishops’ Council of the North. I vouch for their commitment. They categorically opine that the Christian delegation missed an opportunity to use the national platform to highlight the grievances of the Christian community in India before the Prime Minister. Their concerns are well articulated by Ram Puniyan in the Indian Currents: “The primary aim of Prime Minister Modi’s present efforts is to create optical illusions for electoral gains. In Kerala, many affluent Christians are being lured by this Hindu majoritarian politics. Indeed, some of the top religious leaders are also coerced into associating with the present regime to save their skin from the claws of ED and IT, etc. We need to realize the strategy being employed by Modi and company, on the one hand, to marginalize the Christian community and, on the other, to woo them for electoral benefits.”

You will be wondering why I draw your attention to the verse from the Book of Isaiah 32 and also to the Christmas address by the Indian statesman and to the other two Catholic Christian stalwarts in the upcoming paragraphs. The sole reason behind this attempt is because of a painting, that was gifted to the Indian prime minister by Pope Francis had Isaiah 32.15 carved on it, as you can see here. The verse from the Book of Isaiah reads, “IL DESERTO DIVENTERÀ UN GIARDINO!”/ “And the wilderness will become a garden land.” For Jews, wilderness is a place of encountering God/ God-experience. A scholarly, in-depth, and biblical understanding of the wilderness and garden as articulated in the Hebrew Testament would provide much-needed insights to better understand the text of Isaiah 32 and make the text more relevant to the current social milieu of India.

The New American Bible (NAB), published in 1970, states that Isaiah 32.15-18, 20 speaks of extraordinary peace and prosperity that would come to Israel under just rulers. According to the NAB – published in 1985, Isaiah 32.15 is a post-exilic poem taken from Isaiah 32 that presents an ideal government. It hints at the conversion of gentile nations that had long been barren. It prophesies that the desolate places will become fruitful, and the fruitful places desolate. Barren and wasteland would become fruitful fields. This indicates how Jerusalem would be cultivated and inhabited – fruitful and prosperous – while Babylon would turn into a desolate place. This also has a proverbial cost of change and revolution, a total paradigm shift. This verse also indicates the reign of Cyrus, who provided religious liberty to the Jews to return to Jerusalem and build their temple. God’s people, who were desolate and destroyed, shall be revived, and flourish. And their flourishing enemy shall be brought to desolation and destruction. This passage also indicates the rejection of the Jews. It could also indicate the destruction of Jerusalem temple by the Romans. The desolation will not continue after a specific time. Through the Spirit of Holiness, a change would sweep over the hearts of the people.

After reading the commentary on Isaiah 32, I am personally convinced that the papal gift was given with an intention, and a fervent prayer. The ‘holy pope’ as addressed by the Prime Minister himself wished that the Indian statesman experience God whom he believes would turn to a new leaf that he receive good counsel and wisdom, experiencing a renewal and total paradigm shift – a total transformation of attitudinal change towards the people belonging to the periphery and the religious minorities; and that he become a just ruler, providing an ideal government. It is to be noted here that the biblical verse 32.15 is from the narration where an ideal government was envisaged. The slogan of the Bharatiya Janata Party: ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ that was gently reminded to the Indian statesman at the Christmas get-together by Archbishop Anil Couto, resonates with an ideal government where the poor would not be left behind. The prophetical biblical passage positively assured the forthcoming rule of the just king Cyrus who provided religious liberty in the Bible. Aptly at the meeting, Archbishop Anil Couto reiterated that the Christian community prayed for the leaders of the country on Sundays and for the Prime Minister especially he be blessed with good counsel and wisdom प्रज्ञा (Prajñā). It is to be noted that the wisdom and counsel are the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.1831). He assured that the Christian community would pray for him on the 1st of January, the New Year Day as it does pray on every Sunday. At the event, Archbishop Anil Couto pinpointed, “Christmas is not only the feast of the Christian minority community, but it is a National feast.” Further, he offered words of appreciation saying it was a Christmas get-together in honour of Jesus, first-time ever, hosted by the current Prime Minister since the time of the Indian Independence. His prayer was that the message of Christmas i.e., love, unity and fraternity be a lived a reality in India. He concluded his address with a message of boldness that the Christian community was willing to make every sacrifice (बलिदान) to work for the welfare of the nation. Because of the word बलिदान, I was instantly reminded of the sacrificial and martyr’s death of late Jesuit Father Stan Swamy and Kandhamal Martyrs. I tried hard to interpret his word बलिदान: Did he prophecy before the prime minister the sacrifices and life of martyrdom that would be demanded of every Christian in India in the future? Let me stop here!

Though the painting of Isaiah 32 was gifted in the context of ‘the social harmony, global brotherhood, climate change, inclusive and sustainable development’ as reminisced by the Indian statesman, the message of Isaiah 32 is still loud and clear that the Rajadharma/ राजधर्म / the duty of the king (ruler), as succinctly expounded by Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay at the Christmas gathering, quoting Honourable Vajpayee, the former prime minister of India, was to care for the development of all, i.e., the poorest and the least in the country. It is to be noted that the late honourable Prime Minister Vajpayee reminded the current Indian statesman of his obligation to practice Rajdharma when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. It was during his chief ministership, the merciless attack on the Muslim minorities happened. As per Honourable Vajpayee, the elected leader cannot be impartial to a particular community based on religion, caste or creed. The Hindi transliteration goes, “”Raja ke liye, shasak ke liye, praja praja main bhed nahin ho sakta hai. Na janam ke aadhaar par, na jaati ke aadhaar par, na sampraday ke adhaar par.” Cardinal Gracias’ use of Rajdharma was apt and right for the auspicious occasion. In his address in Gujarat, especially to Modi-ji, the then Prime Minister categorically exhorted him to practice Rajdharma which was the single message he had for him. Pope Francis’ interpretation of Isaiah’s prophecy would include the people of the periphery, as his voice constantly cries out in the wilderness of the capital-crony society, where the rich become richer, and the poor become poorer. This message is very relevant for the Indian nation.

Here I see a continuous flow of thought from the three Catholic stalwarts inviting the Prime Minister for a life of renewal and perspective-change, for a life abounding in good counsel and wisdom on the canvas of Prime Minister’s life in the future, and above all to practice Rajdharma through his words and deeds while he formulates the policies of the government in India. Seen from the biblical interpretation of Isaiah 32, the words, and gestures of the three-wise religious men, i.e., Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, and Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi to the honourable Prime Minister have been bold, and prophetic as that of Prophet Jeremiah’s, Saint John the Baptist’s, El Salvadorian Saint Martyr Oscar Romerro’s, and that of Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez’s. Yes, their words were gentle but spoken before the Prime Minister himself.

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Father Arockia Dhas Rayappan ([email protected]) is a priest of Delhi Archdiocese and a Ph.D. student at Concordia University, Canada. His doctoral research explores practical, resourceful, and sustainable ways to foster social and religious harmony through Basic Ecclesial Communities in the contemporary Indian multi-cultural, plural-religious, social, economic, and political milieu. His ministry in the states of Delhi and Haryana has been in missions of Rohtak and Dharuhera, parishes, the Formation Commission, Vinay Gurukul – Delhi Archdiocesan Minor Seminary, and Saint Mary’s School at Bahu-Akbarpur. He served as the deputy secretary general and PRO of the Regional Bishops’ Council of the North from 2012-2014. His contributions have been published in The Voice of Delhi, The Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, Indian Catholic Matters, The Indian Currents, The New Leader, The Examiner, The Tablet (Brooklyn, USA), Golden Key Academy (Atlanta, USA), and JDV Times.