FEBRUARY 2015
The Indian clergy is obsessed with the Hindu deity Ganesha
Psalm 95:5
For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils…
The Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible
Psalm 96:5
For all other gods are worthless idols…
(Even the syncretistic) St. Pauls 2008 New Community Bible
St. Paul’s teaching on Christians’ being “all things to all men” does not give licence to believers to participate in idol worship and pagan rituals, no matter what some liberal or modernist interpretations might say even using a sentence or two from Nostra Aetate (#2) or other Pontifical Documents in isolation from the context.
I prefer to reflect on our ‘jealous’ God’s many warnings to His Chosen People especially in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. He wanted the people of Israel to maintain not their racial purity but also their spiritual purity. He knew that any interest by the Israelites in the religious activities of the neighbouring tribes would lead to the assimilation of their rituals, practices and even adoption of their gods, and to monumental disaster to the Jewish people, and this is exactly what happened several times over.
“You will be lured into following them*.
Do notinquire regardingtheir gods, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I, too, would do the same’.” Deuteronomy 12:30, New American Bible
*The New Jerusalem Bible: “Beware of being entrapped into copying them.”
Whenever that passage comes to my mind, I like to imagine that God was saying “Do notEVENinquire regarding their gods.”
The Philippines Bishops’ Conference’s Christian Community Bible translation reads as “Do notlook attheir gods, saying…”
The Knox Translation, Catholic, 1955, reads “Do nothanker aftertheir observances.”
Since God does not change and truth does not change — though the ‘father of lies’ manifests his evil designs in different disguises and through different means according to the times to deceive those people of God who are unwary — do not God’s warnings hold true even today?
INCULTURATION,INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUEandECUMENISMare good things, instruments that if used properly by the Church can witness to Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Matthew 28: 19, 20) and to herald God’s Kingdom on earth, but sadly they are being grossly abused by priests and Bishops themselves.
Fr. Peter Cardozo SFX, a Goan priest of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, Pilar, under the guise of interreligious dialogue “sings bhajans and classical songs in Ganesh mandals”, “participated in bhajans at various Sarvajanik Ganesh idols”, “visiting different private and public Ganesh idols across the State”. The picture on the following page was published in the Herald, Goa, on September 9, 2014.
Cardinal Ivan Dias, then (in 1997) Archbishop of Bombay, now in the elite “Group of 9” cardinals in the Vatican, lighting an oil lamp before an idol of Ganesha. What example is that to our priests and religious?
The words in Hindi read: SAINT PIUS COLLEGE. The picture was taken in September 2012
The St. Pius X College, Goregaon (East), Mumbai, is the Bombay archdiocesan seminary greets the citizens of Mumbai on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. The rector of the seminary is Auxiliary Bishop Agnelo Gracias who is also Professor of Systematic Theology. As Fr. Agnelo Gracias, he was rector from 1985 to 1993.
Who is Ganesha, and what is the Ganesh Chaturthi festival about?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh_Chaturthi EXTRACT
'Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday (rebirth) of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati.
It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel. The festival, also known as Ganeshotsav ("festival of Ganesha") … The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September… The festival lasts for 10 days...
Traditional stories tell that Lord Ganesha was created by goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. Parvati created Ganesha out of sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the figure. She then set him to stand guard at her door while she bathed. Lord Shiva returned and, as Ganesha didn't know him, he didn't allow him to enter. Lord Shiva became enraged and asked his follower ghosts to teach the child some manners. Ganesha, being born of Parvati, the embodiment of shakti or power was very powerful himself. He defeated the ghost-followers (called as the "ganas") and declared nobody was allowed to enter while his mother was bathing. Sensing a growing turmoil, the sage of heavens, Narada, along with the Saptarshi (the seven wise rishis) went to appease the boy with no results. Angered, the king of gods, Indra attacked the boy with his entire heavenly army but even they didn't stand a chance. By then, this issue had become a matter of pride for Parvati and Shiva. After the devas were defeated, the trinity, the controller, preserver and destroyer of the universe launched an attack against Ganesha. Amidst the fight, Shiva severed the head of the child and brought on Parvati's rage. Seeing her son dead, Parvati revealed her true self, as the Adi-shakti, the prime energy that fuels the universe and sustains matter. Taking on a terrible form, she vowed to destroy the universe where her son was killed and re-create a better one. The Gods prostrated before her and Shiva promised that her son would live again. The trinity hunted the world for a head and came across a mother elephant crying for her dead baby. They consoled the mother and fixed the head of the baby elephant in place of Ganesha's head. Lord Shiva also declared that from this day, the boy would be called as "Ganesha" (Gana-Isha=lord of the Ganas). In this way, Lord Ganesha came to be depicted as the elephant-headed God.
http://www.calendarlabs.com/holidays/india/ganesh-chaturthi.php:
Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the important Hindu festivals celebrated throughout India with a great devotion. This day is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
Ganesha (Ganesa, Ganesh) or Ganpati (Ganapati) or Vinayaka (Vinayaga) as he is variously known (he has 108 names), the elephant-god of the Hindu pantheon, is by far the most popular deity among Indian Catholic clergy. Shiva (Nataraja, his dancing aspect) is a close second*.
In Bharatanatyam dancing, promoted by several Catholic priests and diocesan "cultural" institutions, Ganpati/Ganesha is venerated before the programme while the performance itself honours Shiva/Nataraja.
*See
DANCING AND BHARATANATYAM IN THE MASS
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/DANCING_AND_BHARATANATYAM_IN_THE_MASS.doc
BHARATANATYAM-I
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/BHARATANATYAM-I.doc
FR JEGATH GASPAR RAJ-IN PRAISE OF SHIVA-PRIEST INVESTS RS 15 MILLION, FLOATS COMPANY WORTH RS 100 CRORES http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_JEGATH_GASPAR_RAJ-IN_PRAISE_OF_SHIVA-PRIEST_INVESTS_RS_15_MILLION_FLOATS_COMPANY_WORTH_RS_100_CRORES.doc
Catholic obsession with the Hindu deity Ganesha is not new. An extract from my 2005 report
LOTUS AND THE CROSS-THE HINDUISATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN INDIA
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/LOTUS_AND_THE_CROSS-THE_HINDUISATION_OF_THE_CATHOLIC_CHURCH_IN_INDIA.doc
[Transcript from a DVD titled "India: The Lotus and the Cross" made by Vishnu Mathur, Toronto, Canada]
[Citing Fr. Hillary Fernandes of Our Lady of the sea Church, Uttan, Thane, Archdiocese of Bombay]
Fr. HF: [laughing heartily] “By being [words unclear] inculturated idea was that I have installed Jesus in the form of a Ganapati [laughs]. [Pictures of Ganapati and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are shown side by side on a wall altar].
“We call elephant-god. People understand, no, elephant-god. Achcha, similarity between Christ and Ganapati: Ganapati is Lord of the community, and Christ is called Lord of the community.” [Cut to picture of Jesus Christ next to one of Shirdi Sai Baba].
“The elephant had a big head, okay, and he had a big brain, so he would have wisdom. Christ is called the God of wisdom. His [Ganapati’s] stomach was the big stomach. That means that it takes all your sins and forgives you, and Christ takes away all the sins of the world. And these are several things I saw so similar. [Father continues to laugh] But people got shocked to their life and said How can you, eh, compare Ganapati with Christ? Ganapati is a language through this statue and through all this symbols to express the concept of Almighty God.”
A Catholic journalist’s impression of the present Hinduised Indian Church:
Indian Church Divided on Inculturation Strategy to Entice Hindu Converts http://www.christianaggression.org/item_display.php?id=1131077207&type=news EXTRACT
By Mario Rodrigues, The Statesman, November 2, 2005
Note: The original link is not available, so the information is copied from christianaggression.org
Prayers begin with "OM", readings are taken from the Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagvad Gita, tilak is applied to foreheads of priests and people, priests wear a saffron shawl instead of a cassock and sit on the ground at a table surrounded by small lamps rather than stand at the traditional altar. In addition, Indian music is played at Church services, the entrance procession for the Mass has girls dancing the Bharatnatyam, kirtans and bhajans are sung at Communion. Priests and nuns are encouraged to adopt Indian religious values and customs in their religious practices and participate actively in Hindu festivals such as Ganesh-visarjan (immersion*) and Raas Lila…
*of the idol of Ganapati in the sea. In the cities of Maharashtra state, it is not uncommon for Catholics to take active part in the local communities’ immersion of the idol, chanting "Ganpati bappa moriya" (Lord Ganesh, return next year).
An Intro to Indian Dance by Sangeeta
http://www.angelfire.com/ma2/bharatanatyam/index.html EXTRACT
Ganesha is traditionally worshipped at the beginning of any endeavour*. He is the remover of all obstacles and is known to be very wise. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Murugan.
*apparently even by Catholics
Mangalore: Bharatnatyam 'Aramgetram' of Ester Noronha on January 29
http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=18160&n_tit=Mangalore%3A+Bharatnatyam+%91Aramgetram%92+of+Ester+Noronha+on+January+29
January 27, 2006, Mangalore: Not long back that these columns had carried the success story of Ester Noronha who is rocking the Mangalorean stage right now with her power packed performances in singing. With her melodious voice, she has already captured thousands of fans.
But as reported earlier, her talent is not only limited to singing. She plays piano and guitar, has an aptitude for acting etc. But another dimension of her wonderful talent is her aptitude and excellence in Bharatnatyam. She is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer. She has been training under 'Natyavisharada' Vidwan U K Praveen at 'Nritya Vidya Nilaya', Kadri.
Now she is all prepared to make her "Rangapravesham" (Aramgetram) on Sunday January 29 at 5.30 in the evening at the Town Hall. Vidwan U K Praveen announced this in a press conference here on Wednesday January 25
Ester during her maiden Bharatnatyam show on the stage will present the … Ganapati Stuti (praise of Lord Ganapati)… Msgr. Frederick Pereira will preside over the function while … Fr. Dennis D'Sa, secretary, Sandesha Kala Kendra and Konkann Kogull Wilfy Rebimbus will be the chief guests.
Mangalore: Ester Noronha's Rangapravesham - Photo Album
http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=18225&n_tit=Mangalore%3A+Ester+Noronha%27s+Rangapravesham++-+Photo+Album
January 29, 2006, Mangalore: Thirteen-year-old bunch of talents, Ester Noronha, made her parents and dance teachers proud by presenting an impressive 'rangapravesham' in the Town Hall in the city on Sunday, January 29 evening.
Trained under Natyavisharada Vidwan U K Praveen, Ester presented various facets of the dance form like Thodayam, Ganapati Stuti, etc.
Men (purush) in religious dance - Are Men Dancers more suited for handling Christian Themes?
http://www.drbarboza.com/purush.htm EXTRACT
About Dr. (Fr.) Francis Barboza SVD Afternoon, Sat. April 22 1995. Bombay. [Review written by Hima Devi]
"With Barboza a new type of man has entered the field of Indian classical dance… Francis Barboza and his spell binding singers and musicians took us on the wings of sound and dance to those distant lands, where we dwelt with superman who lived in a state of divinity. For how could an ordinary man have lived and died like Jesus Christ or Buddha or Lord Shiva? …Francis enters the stage imbued with fervor abundant belief in God, which flows over the audience in waves of ardour. This is what must have been meant when the Natya Shastra says that a dancer in this Kaliyuga must give his audience a glimpse of God. We literally see Christ and Ram and Sita in the prayer to Ganapathi."
The Singing Priest - 2009 US and Europe (Carnatic) Concert Tour
http://www.hdtvedu.com/concert/aboutus.html EXTRACT
(News item taken from: http://www.thesingingpriest.com/)
About Dr. Fr. Paul Poovathingal CMI
Music concert at Rashtrapathi Bhavan Thrissur 21.07.07
Fr. Paul started his concert with the famous keerthana 'Vatapi Ganapathim'*. Then ‘Salathulla Salamulla' taken from the Holy Koran set to 'Anandabairavi'.
*Vathapi Ganapathim Bhajeham is a favourite choice for singing at the commencement of any Hindu religious programme to obtain the blessings of Ganapati/Ganesha.
About 125 Bishops of the Latin Rite in India, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) held their biennial meeting 6-12 January 2011 at the Sacred Heart Seminary, Poonamallee, Chennai. “Catechetical Education” was the theme of the meeting. The seven-day plenary began January 7. On January 9, the prelates attended a public reception by the Madras-Mylapore archdiocese at which Tamil Nadu state Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was invited to preside. Karunanidhi is an avowed atheist. The Bishops are the successors of St. Peter and owe sole spiritual allegiance to Jesus Christ.
But guess who welcomed the atheist and the disciples of Christ at the public reception at the Salesian St. Bede’s School grounds in Santhome?
The Hindu deity Ganapati did.
The procession of Bishops led by the Apostolic Nuncio to India, Salvatore Pennacchio, processed to the venue from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Thomas to the unmistakable Carnatic music of Vathapi Ganapathim Bhajeham!!!
Watch this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOk0Y7T6UNc sung by Yesudas (himself a Catholic!) and another by M. S. Subbalakshmi at http://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/2009/02/vathapi-ganapathim-bhajeham-lyrics-ms.html