Infant Jesus Church, Vivek Nagar

I often go the Infant Jesus Church in Vivek Nagar, Bangalore .

Infant Jesus Shrine

For 2 reasons :-

1)  I like the environment – Calm, serene and peaceful, open and spacious frontage . Huge underground parking lot, No crowd except on Thursdays and Sundays. Widely spaced benches to sit on .  Large, well lit and airy hall which is cool in summers.

Unlike the  somewhat crowded and stuffy environment inside most of the  popular south Indian temples .

2)  I like the convenience – I can enter the church and walk right up to the Altar without removing my shoes and socks !  And I can sit on the comfortable benches (pews), kneel on the smooth wooden plank below (kneelers) , rest my hands in front and recite my prayers.

Unlike the temples where I would have to remove my S & S , wash my hands and feet, cautiously walk over hard stone & prickly surface and negotiate the various water / oil spills and the mashed prasad ( prasadam ) patches on the floor !!

I buy a large bunch of candles from the deaf and dumb man (I need to get his name) each time, light them one by one , counting off the many groups of people on whose behalf I offer each candle – starting with myself, my family, my relatives , my close friends, all my bosses , my colleagues in Bgl, Mumbai office , my colleagues in Gurgaon office , my other old colleagues and friends in the various communities I have lived & abroad and elsewhere ! In fact – My Sarva Kutumba – my entire global family !!

Then I walk up to the front, look up at the Infant Jesus’ radiant face , close my eyes and picture him in my memory, walk around the small statue , put my offerings into the bin and walk back to the benches and sit down. And then kneel and say my prayers. And sit peacefully and soak in the peace and calmness of the environment.

Many a time I have tried to ask for favors – like … please help me meet my budget numbers , help me make a great plan / presentation , help me get over my persistent cold soon etc, etc .. But I never manage to get enough seriousness and focus into such pleas and then they all invariably end up at the common denominator – please give me good health & good sensibility . I am happy , so please maintain my current level of happiness and nothing more , O God !

Not very ambitious – but then I do not lack anything in particular and I have no reasons to complain.

And after some time I move from the Infant Jesus shrine to the main church hall – a vast circular hall without any pillars to obstruct your view of the Altar. 

Some days  I am in time for the  late morning mass in Tamil and I enjoy the songs sung by the chorus.  Great music and melodious.

Some days I get to observe a wedding in progress. The young bride and groom (and most of them appear to be in their early twenties) standing smartly before the priest as he performs the rituals and gives his sermon in chaste Tamil (Senthamizh) . He then reads a couple of passages from the holy Bible. And the choir of 5 women, all dressed in bright colored sarees sing wonderfully  to the tune of the Organ music ( I think it is the Keyboard playing) booming thru the speaker clusters overhead.  And then the long line for the holy communion.

I  sit in a corner watching all this, the simplicity of this short & quiet wedding and silently bless the couple with a good and healthy life together filled with joy and happiness.

Last week, after my usual routine I sat back on a bench and observed the stream of devotees ..

And here is what I saw in the Infant Jesus Shrine …

A young couple came in – obviously Christians  from their actions and attire . They lit 2 candles murmured a short prayer, briskly walked up to the altar, quickly kissed the feet to infant Jesus statue , put an offering and walked out !

And old woman , pain reflecting on her face , slowly knelt in front of the statue , arms spread out wide, eyes closed , prayed for some time . She got up, hugged the statue, took off one of the garlands and slowly trudged out !

Many more came in - some keeled , prayed silently , some collected a few candles, others touched the feet / kissed the feet , hugged Infant Jesus statue, mentally asked for favors and left .

And I could well imagine their feelings and the pain and sufferings of some of those people. And I felt extremely sober and humbled!

And I felt very blessed that God has given me so much more than these folks. And there was absolutely no reason for me not to be happy and cheerful every day.

And then ..

A young lady walked in . In a bright mauve colored saree with a matching top .
No Christian definitely - observing the red bindi on her forehead and the faint streak of vibhuti ( sacred ash ) above it .
She quickly took of her sandals , pushed it to a corner , knelt in front of the statue , did a perfect south Indian Hindu style pranaan ( 3 times ) , then walked up to Infant Jesus, touched his feet with her right hand and then passed it over her head , stood near the statue and prayed .

Wonder how she prayed ?? – may be the English prayer we all learn at our Christian missionary school or the common Sanskrit shlokas we all learn at our homes !!

Then she picked up a short strand of flower , put some money into the bin, walked past me , slipped on her sandals and left !!

And I watched her all along..

Very amused at first and then thought over what she had done very seriously!

This lady had behaved and acted exactly the same way as she would normally do in any Ganesha temple or  in the  Chamundeshwari temple in CT Street!  

To her God meant the same person and there was only one way to worship and offer her prayers – the one she had been taught from her childhood..

And as I was reflecting on this incident some more time, I went into  a silent introspection.

Is Infant Jesus any different from all the other gods I worship ?
Is this church any different than any of the other temple I visit as often ?

Then why do I behave so differently here ?

Why do I mutter ‘Our father who art in heaven…’ instead of the regular Sanskrit sholakas & hymns?

Why do I assume that Infant Jesus will not understand my prayers if I  recite them in Sanskrit?

And why do I so confidently walk up to the main altar here with my shoes on, when I can never imagine doing such an act in any temple or a gurudwara??

I sat for long , thinking  and questioning myself
And I got no answers!

And I am not sure what I will do next time I come here ..

Krish..