Seeing God’s Face Across Fences
by Glory E. Dharmaraj *
Photo by: Paul Jeffrey/ACT
When India and Pakistan gained political freedom in 1947, both nations were carved out of the United Indian subcontinent, which had been under British colonial rule. They were divided along religious lines: Pakistan for majority Muslims; India for majority Hindus. Pakistan opted to be an Islamic state, and India a secular state. The price of partition was costly for both countries: 2 million people died and 11 million became refugees.
Partition continues to exact a high price. Families remain divided by the Line of Control, which divides India and Pakistan through Kashmir. The two countries have fought two wars over this line.
Asha Hans, who teaches at Utkal University in Orissa, India, volunteers at Kargil, a remote area of India-held Kashmir. It is a high security area where India and Pakistan were on the brink of a nuclear confrontation a few years ago. Working among women and children, Ms. Hans found women afraid even to mention which side was bombing. For example, Muslim women on the Indian side were afraid because they are seen as suspect because of their faith.
Women volunteers rise above the dividing walls of politics to offer solidarity to fear-filled women and children as they strive to rise above partition thinking.
Asma Jahangir, a Pakistani human-rights advocate, who serves as a U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion, discussed the rights of minority religious groups in Pakistan.
"Politics should not be allowed to over take people's right to believe," Ms. Jahangir said.
In the past year, there have been efforts to bridge the divide. In April 2005, for the first time since partition, bus service was offered between Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, and Srinagar, the capital of India- controlled Kashmir.
The recent earthquake in Pakistan has accelerated such efforts. Immediately after the earthquake, three of five crossing points along the Line of Control were opened for disaster relief. Shared grief helped establish a new sense of neighborliness.
Connecting across the line Committed to promoting a culture of peace, an international group of women called "Women, Peace and Security" came up with strategic suggestions. They said women should:
- Act as peace negotiators,
- Promote good neighboring, and
- Engage in positive aspects of their cultures and religions.
The women's outreach brings to mind Joanna, who is mentioned in Luke 8:1-3:
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
The writer of Luke presents a group of women, who caught up in the love of God, come to terms with past wounds. The story of these witnessing women is a story of healed memories and healed bodies.
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward, Chuza, is among these women followers who provided for Jesus out of their resources. Not much is said about Joanna, but readers can imagine she knew something about King Herod's court society through her husband. She must have heard gossip about Herod marrying his niece and sister-in-law, Herodias.
The one man who dared to criticize that marriage, John the Baptist, was killed by the order of Herod, who was lured into a hasty promise by the captivating dance of Salome, Herodias' daughter.
Herod's court was one of glamour and lust, wealth and deception, manipulation and servitude. Like the courts of earlier Herods, it was a killing field reminiscent of the action of the Herod in power at the time of Jesus' birth who killed thousands of boys two and under. Bethlehem became a killing field as state-sponsored terrorism targeted baby Jesus (Matthew 2:13-18).
The lament of the traumatized community of Bethlehem is captured in Mathew 2:18:
"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachael weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
Rachel weeping over the loss of her children is maternal grief frozen in time because political leadership choose death-dealing impulses over life-giving instincts. Joanna bore all these memories and more. Jesus healed her, transforming the meaning of her memories.
The collective memories and communal body of the faith community need such healing. Jesus continues to heal wounded memories of the faith community, restoring wholeness to it so it may offer healing and solidarity to the Rach-aels of the world who weep amidst their traumatized communities.
Resurrection journeys
The faith community is a pilgrim community on a journey toward healing, wholeness and wellness. It is a journey toward shalom - peace - on earth. It is also an intergenerational pilgrimage toward God, participating in God's movement in the world and partaking in the reign of God. The greatest mission challenge today is to see God's image in those who are not in our image, those across lines and borders.Joanna knew what it was to be on a journey like this. She had experienced God in Christ who died because of partition of sin and separation, and who rose to liberate people and communities into resurrected lives.
She was part of the group of women who visited the tomb of Jesus and saw the resurrected Savior. She was able to integrate her healed self with the greatest of stories - the story of resurrection. She ran to tell others, especially the leaders of the day, that she had seen the risen Savior, but they called her story an idle tale (Luke 24:11).
Joanna and the women looked for courage in each other and in Christ to live and tell the story of resurrection. They kept telling the story: resurrection is possible, rest-itution is possible, reconciliation is possible.
Women still run to share the resurrection story in the Galilees of the world - the marginalized places. Women's Division executive Andris Salter recently traveled to Pakistan as part of a World Council of Churches' delegation organized to be in solidarity with Pakistani women. Visiting violence-torn places, the group brought healing and assured victims they do not stand alone. Their message: God is a faithful God who stands with them.