Foreword NEW TESTAMENT SPIRITUALITY Roots and Fruits Saju Chackalackal CMI Spirituality, more than a science, is a personal or communal quest to bring about an all-encompassing meaningfulness as well as a lasting but profound relationship both among human beings, and between them and a reality that is perceived transcendental, which usually orients towards an ongoing transformation in the life of those who are bestowed with such a relationship or by those who consciously initiate it for the enhancement of oneself and the larger society. An authentic spirituality could be distinguished from an inauthentic one by way of the former’s capacity to bring about and sustain authentic human beings and relationships, which would, in turn, enable others to attain the same status and, thus, being instrumental in constituting an authentic human community or society. Although modern trends seek to disassociate spirituality from religion, historically and existentially, they coexist and forge a relationship that is mutually beneficial and enhancing. While religious affiliations offer a general matrix and orientation for spiritual practices within the ever-evolving tradition, orientations for spiritual practices anchor religious persons into their religious sources and enable them to deepen their religious experience, generally leading to a transformed consciousness and a more fruitful practical life. Christianity evolved from the experience of apostles as well as other disciples whose life was centred on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, which was subsequently structured and institutionalized by the church at different historical periods and in multiple geographical and cultural contexts. The dynamic historical evolution of the community of Christian disciples has, therefore, given rise to a variety of spiritualities, most of which have been successful in leading these disciples into a more meaningful personal life as well as an enhanced collective existence. These spiritualities have been striving to guide people in their quest for connecting with the Trinitarian God – who is both transcendent and immanent – and to develop a transformed loving relationship with other Christians as well as the rest of humanity and creation. While the whole Bible, along with the Christian dogma and tradition of the Church, was taken to be the basis of Christian spirituality, there were instances in which no necessary insistence was placed upon the New Testament perspectives; in fact, there were cases in which the spiritual perspectives of Christians in general and certain Christian communities or sects in particular were designed after the Old Testament orientations, sometimes even to the exclusion of some key elements of the New Testament vision. At the same time, it must also be stated that to the extent the New Testament perspectives emerge from the content of the Old Testament, due recognition must also be given to the Old Testament sources in evolving a New Testament spirituality. Given the centrality of Jesus Christ and his teachings in the life of Christians, it is imperative that their spiritual vision integrates the unique features of the New Testament teachings, especially as they are handed down to us in the Gospels. In other words, any form of the New Testament spirituality must be anchored in the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life-giving approach, even amidst suffering and death unjustly imposed, stands out and invites his disciples to emulate the same in their personal and collective existence. It offers a new vision of life-giving facilitated through total self-giving: this is the crux of Christian spiritual vision, which has its unique source in the person of Jesus Christ. Spirituality from a New Testament point of view, in fact, calls for opening up a new and life-giving way of life in which an enhanced life of the other receives central focus even to the total eclipsing or bracketing of oneself, or even the total negation of one’s own self for the sake of giving life to the other. As self-giving becomes the kernel of New Testament spirituality, Christians are invited to consciously develop a ‘new’ way (Acts 24:14-16) of life in which personally and collectively they would let themselves go, after the model of Jesus Christ, even to the extent of self-denial and death, so that others will have life in abundance (Jn 10:10). If the spiritual quest of Christians, even in its imperfection, invites them to be incessantly on their way (unsettled, but hopeful) to authenticity after the life and example of Jesus Christ, there is a call for openness to others as well as a readiness to follow the stirrings of the Spirit. Indeed, these pose for an immense amount of uncertainty in the life of Christians, on the one hand, and call for an ongoing metanoia and incessant self-transformation into Christ and his way, on the other. New Testament spirituality is not merely a passive and neutral attitude of tolerance towards others; it does not imply a lethargic apathy towards the life of others, where one keeps aloof from everyone else and, consequently, does not make any intervention in the lives of others. Christian spirituality is not restricted to mere external practices of meditation, vocal prayer, and routinized rituals, although they all have their own significance at various stages in the growth of Christian spiritual life. The New Testament spirituality calls for a positive and proactive existence of Christians, drawing from the spiritual foundations of two millennia-long traditions that are anchored in the person of Jesus Christ. As Christians are invited to consciously facilitate co-existence as well as pro-existence within the community of Christian disciples as well as within the larger society (and the entire creation) by following the life of Jesus Christ, what is essential for the development of a Christian spirituality along the line of the New Testament is the cultivation of an attitude and life vision that is akin to that of Jesus Christ whom we encounter in the Gospels. That is, Christians who yearn to cultivate a spirituality based on the New Testament should study deeply, and intensely and incessantly dwell on the outlook and attitude of Jesus enshrined in the Gospels to such an extent that they would gradually share the outlook and attitude of Jesus, thus transforming themselves into alter Christus. The consciousness of Jesus Christ, as we could gather from the New Testament, is filled with and anchored in the Abba consciousness. Be it his routine of spending in silence and meditative prayer, especially during the late night or early mornings (Matt 14:23; Mk 1:35; Lk 6:12), or the performance of miracles to bring about transformation in the lives of people (Jn 11:41-42), or the unique attempt of Jesus to teach his disciples to pray (Matt 6:9-13), or intense and agonizing moments of his prayer at Gethsemene (Matt 26:36-56), or, in climax, at the most excruciating suffering and desolating death (Matt 27:46; Lk 23:34, 46), the consciousness of Jesus was unwaveringly secured on his Father, the Abba experience. He knew his Abba so deeply, intensely, and intimately so that nothing, not even death, could disturb or take him away from his one-pointed anchoring in the Father. It is this intense Abba consciousness that totally and irreversibly transformed the consciousness of Jesus Christ, and if Christians have to cultivate a spirituality, without doubt, it shall be naturally and foundationally rooted in the Abba consciousness of Jesus Christ himself. It is the all-encompassing and most-merciful consciousness of the Father that we see overwhelmingly present and spontaneously overflowing in and through the relationships that Jesus initiated during his earthly sojourn. Jesus could love everyone without any condition; Jesus could avail himself for the enhancement of life of all who approached him; we do not find him withholding his graces from anyone who sincerely and earnestly approached him. He could reach out to all in love and let his love be experienced by all who wished to be in loving embrace; no one of an open and sincere heart was an alien to Jesus. He could even reach out to his enemies, forgiving them, and letting them live a life of love by way of his all-forgiving attitude and approach (Matt 5:43-48; Lk 23:34). Indeed, in every iota, Jesus’ consciousness was nothing but fully and permanently the consciousness of his Abba. We become authentic disciples of Jesus when we are established in Jesus consciousness, which, in fact, is essentially the Abba consciousness; in other words, to be true in treading the way of being Christian, every Christian must consciously cultivate God experience exactly the way Jesus experienced God. Focus on the New Testament spirituality, therefore, invites us to cultivate the Abba consciousness within ourselves and among all those disciples who profess their faith in Jesus Christ. If cultivated, then Christians must be capable of practising open and loving relationships with everyone going beyond all human-made boundaries, such as caste or creed, colour or gender (see Mk 2:16; Lk 15:2); as the loving embrace of God is so all-inclusive, there cannot be an outcast within the frame of mind that Jesus has bequeathed to us. It is an agapic relationship in which Christians must existentially cultivate an active and effective concern for all, especially those who are in need, or those who are excluded or found to be existing on the margins of our social, political, cultural, and religious spheres. In fact, it calls not only for forging new relationships, but also to dismantle, revamp, and restructure those relationships that are either contrary or contradictory to the all-inclusive and all-encompassing relationships that Jesus is found to have practised. For example, Christian spirituality founded on the New Testament vision cannot be authentically practised along with the social exclusion or marginalization of one or the other group of human beings (to whatever category they belong) such as the practices of caste system and the apartheid, or the practice of isolating sexual minorities based on their orientations. Any system that perpetuates injustice, even if that system is subscribed to by a large majority of Christians having their formal membership in one or the other ecclesial communion, cannot synchronize with the spirituality that is enshrined in the New Testament. Thus, it becomes a duty of Christians who practise New Testament spirituality to fight against unscrupulously followed ideologies and systems such as capitalism and globalisation as they tend to be siding with those who have the privileged access to the capital or other resources, stealthily leading the majority of human beings to exclusion, deprivation, and abject poverty. New Testament spirituality calls for an unambiguous option for, and proactive and concerted action in favour of the poor, deprived, excluded, and marginalized. That is, sensitivity to unjust structures and evil practices that lead people to inauthentic existence in the society should enkindle a commitment to establish a just society through personal and communitarian action in every Christian, who has a fundamental responsibility to imbibe and practise the life-giving outlook of Jesus Christ in everyday existence. New Testament spirituality takes us further into the positive affirmation of the person and wellbeing of the other to such an extent that letting oneself go, even to the extent of death on the cross, becomes a spontaneous act and unique characterization of Christian discipleship. Indeed, Jesus embracing death on the cross, to the total negation of his own self for the sake of letting humanity live with life in its abundance cannot be seen as an accident or arbitrary act in the salvation history. As George Soares-Prabhu succinctly puts it, “the Cross is … no arbitrary intrusion into the life of Jesus. It is the natural outcome of a life of solidarity with the poor and the outcast and of confrontation with the powerful who oppress them. Conflict with the rich and the powerful leads inevitably to the fatal confrontation, which could only end with a foreseen and freely accepted death.” George M. Soares-Prabhu, Biblical Spirituality of Liberative Action (Collected Writings of George M. Soares-Prabhu, volume 3), ed. Scaria Kuthirakkattel, Pune: Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, 2003, 11. Thus, if death and self-denial are the conscious choices of those on the Christian way for the sake of letting others partake in life in its abundance, one of its natural consequences in Christian life is the readiness to embrace poverty and powerlessness. If Jesus could sincerely claim that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Lk 9:58) and finally embrace the cross by himself, the consequence of being someone on the Christian way cannot but be the same. Hence, the critical exclamation or earnest desire of Pope Francis, soon after he was elected Pope, namely, “Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor,” is a well thought out pointer towards being truly Christian in the New Testament way. While we delineate the ideal orientations in the New Testament spirituality, it is necessary that we also take stock of some aspects of real Christian life, especially to know how far we as a community of disciples are successful. One issue that seems to be contradictory in this regard is the unquestioning acceptance, practice, and perpetuation of the exploitative capitalist approach in managing and enhancing economic wealth among Christians. While capitalist theory seems to rely on the basic human tendency to amass profits or harness resources for oneself and for those who are associated with, orientations of Jesus in the New Testament clearly go in the opposite direction. History testifies to the fact that capitalism was embraced and widely practised by many who also professed to be following the Christian way. Globalisation, a contemporary by-product of capitalism, is also found to have more votaries from the traditional Christian pockets; they seem to make great advantage of globalising market economy, as it enables them to swell their profits, although a huge chunk of global population is losing its grip on economic resources and are slowly and steadily pushed to the margins of poverty and exclusion. If a news report has any truth in it, there seems to be an alarming situation emerging in the world economy, if we look at it from the point of view of the poor. Times of India reported on 19 January 2016 (“Times Special”) that there are “62 people as wealthy as half the world’s population.” Based on an Oxfarm report, it is claimed that the gap between the rich and the poor is reaching new extremes, as the wealth owned by just 62 individuals is equal to that which is owned by 3.6 billion people who form the bottom half of humanity. Even if the news is not reliable, there is a clear indication that the practice of free market economy is exploitative of the majority of humanity, which is a clear violation of the New Testament outlook. One difficult area of concern in living the New Testament ideal is the response of Christian disciples to the unjust socio-political structures and cultural and economic practices. Many Christians do not even become aware of the blatant systemic injustices prevailing within the structures and practices adopted from time immemorial. As we look at Christian living from an Indian context, one conspicuous issue that we face across the subcontinent is the rampant violations of human dignity and solidarity in the name of caste system. Although modern criticisms abound in demeaning the caste system as it was perpetuated by the sacred scriptures of Hinduism (for example, the Purushasukta in the Vedas) and the subsequent religious legislations (like Manusmrti), practically all religious communities in India seem to be suffering from this social malice with the overt and covert support from the religious heads. It is a known fact that Christian communities in different parts of India still subscribe to caste distinctions not only in administrative assignments but also even in constituting and managing Eucharistic communities, which are ideally constituted by a coming together of the disciples of Jesus Christ who do not admit any distinction whatsoever (see Gal 3:28). As inequality is unashamedly perpetuated even among the disciples of Jesus Christ and within the ranks of Christian communion, Jesus’ invitation to be the children of God practising equality and fraternity seems to be not echoing in the hearts and minds of his disciples. If Christian message is to be genuinely lived, Christians of all ecclesial communions must be capable of resisting and abolishing all systemic injustices, including the caste system, that contradict the New Testament message. Another contradiction detected is the undue importance accorded to legalism within the Christian communion. Although any social grouping requires certain amount of law abiding for the sake of its cohesion and smooth conduct, the overarching importance accorded to legal approach in managing the affairs of Christian life seems to go against the attitude of Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus admitted law, but only insofar as it would liberate human spirit and would enhance humane living. As Romans 5:20 insists, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” Then, imposing more laws in order to regulate life in a Christian community is a clear violation of the spirit of the New Testament and a testimony to the failure of Christian ideal. If New Testament spirituality is practised among Christians, it should be an increase in the divine grace experienced and the true spirit of being the children of God that would make them genuinely Christian and orderly for the sake of the Kingdom of God than being made to be afraid of the legislations that are made to restrain the human spirit. In fact, as Christians live out the teachings of Jesus and shape their lives, they must develop a culture of mutual love and respect for all human beings, which only will serve as an antidote to the legalistic mentality that increasingly grips the ecclesial communions. Yet another area of Christian life that needs effective influence from the understanding of the New Testament spirituality is popular Christian devotion which many a time is the victim of either exaggerations or oversimplifications that seem to take it away from the core of Christian spirituality. It must be admitted that popular religiosity functions on a different plain and with a slightly different logic than the ideal or theoretical understanding of the core of any religion; however, contemporary approaches in Christian living among the ordinary faithful and the animation offered to them by the clergy (even in celebrating the Eucharist), both at the local levels of parish administration and the special assistance offered by popular retreat and renewal teams, require a thorough revamping to ensure that ordinary faithful are effectively animated and motivated to understand and practise the spiritual outlook not only in popular religious practices (including the administration of and participation in sacraments and sacramentals) but also in ensuring that they imbibe and really live out the self-giving and other-enhancing outlook of Jesus Christ inspired by his rootedness in the Abba consciousness. In other words, Christian popular religiosity should orient and inspire the faithful towards authentic Christian existence and the readiness to share themselves and their resources with those in need so that basic Christian witness will be realized before a truly Christian spiritual outlook takes root among Christians inspired by the New Testament teachings. Jesus’ words at the institution of Eucharist, in which he unconditionally shared his own body and blood, symbolic of his own total and ultimate self-giving, shall be taken to constitute the Christian paradigm: every Christian religious act, be it for personal sanctification or for the transformation of the world, must share in the paradigmatic ‘breaking’ and ‘sharing’ of Jesus, which culminated in his death on the cross, a life-giving death for the entire creation. Reflections on the New Testament spirituality and its application in Christian living, as we have seen in the above paragraphs, go endlessly. In spite of the two thousand years long tradition of Christian attempts to understand the inner core of the message of Jesus, practically Christianity in general and individual Christians in particular are yet to fully understand and realize the same in its fullness; in fact, it involves an ongoing process, and an endless pilgrimage in faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit and assisted by the Christian communion, to grasp the implications of this message and to employ it most effectively within the inner recesses of Christian living. It is in this context Exploring the New Testament Spirituality by Prof. Dr. Paul Savio Pudussery CMI, consisting of five volumes (namely, The Spiritual Vision of Matthew’s Gospel, The Spiritual Vision of Mark’s Gospel, The Spiritual Vision of Luke’s Gospel, The Spiritual Vision of John’s Gospel, and The Spiritual Vision of Pauline Letters) and dealing with the core dimensions of New Testament spirituality as envisaged in the four Gospels and the Pauline writings, has its relevance. Although scientific and popular literature on biblical spirituality abound, concise, focused, and inspiring but scientific introduction to New Testament spirituality is scarce. This multi-volume project on Exploring the New Testament Spirituality fills this lacuna, especially for those who desire to dwell into the inner meaning and practical implications of Christian living. Paul Savio Pudussery, an inspiring confrere in the fraternity of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) and a long-time loving friend and senior colleague, especially at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bengaluru, is a Professor of New Testament who has the Spirit-inspired fire within himself to enkindle passion for the Bible in general and the Jesus of the Gospels in particular among his companions and students. Having been trained in Biblical Theology, especially after his priestly ordination, he has spent the whole of his life passionately exploring the inner meaning of the Word of God; as this quest was supported by the scientific training that he had received, which is equally coupled with his unquenchable curiosity for the unknown and attention and dedication for the details, Father Paul Savio Pudussery has made his personal imprint in learning and teaching the Bible. His dedicated research on the Bible and inspiring teachings in the domain of biblical theology and allied subjects, spread across four decades and many institutions in different parts of India, the longest being at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, has endeared him to a series of batches of students pursuing their interest in the Bible. He is especially known among his students for the ongoing research in the area of biblical studies and the incessant revision of his teaching aids to ensure that he is up-to-date with the latest findings in biblical research so as to inform and inspire his student-seekers. In fact, I understand that this multi-volume project has its starting point in the insistent request of those students who participated in and benefitted from the lectures Father Paul Savio offered at various institutions. As the first volume of Exploring the New Testament Spirituality, namely, The Spiritual Vision of Matthew’s Gospel is brought to the public under the auspices of the Asian Trading Corporation (ATC), I congratulate both the author and the publisher, as this series will offer an effective and handy introduction to the New Testament spirituality to both the initiated and the uninitiated, the clergy, religious, and the laity. In my assessment, they all will benefit from these pages, as Father Paul Savio offers an excellent but easy-to-follow discussion on key elements of the spiritual vision that is running through the pages of the New Testament and challenges the readers to integrate the insights from the Gospels to lead a more meaningful Christian life that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus. The Spiritual Vision of Matthew’s Gospel includes a General Introduction to all the five volumes in this series and a detailed discussion – spread across twelve chapters – on the spiritual vision of Jesus as enshrined in the Gospel of Matthew. These twelve chapters cover the pertinent aspects of spirituality that would instruct and inspire anyone who wishes to study the spirituality of this opening book of the New Testament. Years of research that Father Paul Savio has carried out come to his aid in offering a comprehensive picture of Matthew’s spirituality, as each chapter unfolds a specific event or a cluster of events that is significant in the life of Jesus, which, in turn, offers us key elements of Jesus’ spiritual vision. The master-stroke of Father Paul Savio is seen in his ability to interpret various events in the life of Jesus as well as in his teachings to draw up a spiritual outlook for Christian living. Be it his analysis of the Infancy Narrative, or his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, the author offers us a number of insights with practical nuances, which together, according to him, can constitute “a perfect programme of Christian life as envisaged by Jesus” by transforming our “inner attitudes and outlook” (31). The subversive message of Jesus is well-captured throughout his narrative, especially in his commentary on the Beatitudes (32-43) and the discourse in this first volume challenges Christian disciples to understand the ramifications of the same in their personal and collective lives. It is interesting to see the primary emphasis that the author places, based on the teachings of Jesus, on acting or doing than on teachings or commandments (47-48; see also chapter 5 on “Spirituality of ‘Doing’” in 71-75); in fact, Jesus’ model clearly insists on the actions to precede any teaching so much so that only a concrete life based on the values enshrined in the teachings of Jesus will bring credibility to any type of teaching and legislation addressed to the human community. Indeed, as radical Christian action is oriented towards the transformation of personal and societal existence, any encounter of Christians with unjust social structures will call for resisting against it (54) and in establishing a counter culture that is grounded on the just vision emerging from the primacy accorded to the other. Later, in chapter 10, the author offers yet another important insight on justice in and through his analysis of the parable of the labourers in the vineyard (Matt 20:1-16). Clearly asserting that “‘God’s justice’ is different from ‘human justice’,” he proposes that the criterion for God is “not what the law of justice requires, but what the human being ‘needs’” (99). Indeed, “the parable suggests that one of the values of the kingdom is that people are paid according to their need rather than according to what they deserve” and cautions us that “we may be more ‘under law’ in our thinking and less ‘under grace’ than we realize” (99). Chapter 3 on “The Spiritual Vision of the Lord’s Prayer” (59-64) offers an enlightening discourse on “Our Father,” the only prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. As various aspects of this central prayer are tactfully analysed and conclusions are drawn, Father Paul Savio reminds the reader of a personal response called forth that “the Lord’s Prayer becomes faith in action and ceases to be a duty to be performed” (64). The next chapter on “The Golden Rule: The Epitome of Jesus’ Ethical Teaching” continues this discourse offering the core insight into the line of action to be adopted for effective Christian living. He writes: “The uncalculating ‘love of neighbour’ implied in the Golden Rule (Matt 7:12) and the unconditional ‘love of enemies’ implied in the sixth antithesis (Matt 5:43-48) form the heart of Jesus’ spirituality” (70). As the spirituality in the Gospel of Matthew is unveiled, it clearly dwells on the central aspect of discipleship, which has its essential ingredient in suffering. The author states in no uncertain terms that “the call to discipleship is certainly a call to suffering” (77). Moreover, “Discipleship,” according to him, “is a total commitment that places Jesus and his mission above all family ties” (80). Thus, this inspiring work, The Spiritual Vision of Matthew’s Gospel, along with the excellent insights offered in the limited space of twelve rather brief chapters also facilitates insightful explanations of certain important narratives and interpretations on some crucial terms employed in the Gospels, all of which make this work quite handy for those who are searching for a reliable but concise work on New Testament spirituality. Indeed, Christians have to go a long way to realize the ideal of New Testament spirituality; yet, the very recognition of the same, and the allegiance to it in the personal and collective life of all those who profess faith in the person of Jesus Christ and become members of one or the other ecclesial communion offer the much needed starting point. The fact that many disciples of Jesus have effectively and successfully treaded the path opened up by the New Testament perspectives, especially in the Gospels and the Pauline writings, offers us courage and hope to walk the tough but blessed terrains of Christian discipleship as delineated in the pages of this multi-volume work Exploring the New Testament Spirituality. As the lifetime achievement of Prof. Dr. Paul Savio Pudussery reaches the public through the publication of this multi-volume work Exploring the New Testament Spirituality, I am glad that the hard-earned research findings of the author reach a wider audience, whose Christian lives could be transformed by drinking from this rich lore of biblical wisdom in general and New Testament spirituality in particular. Standing in great awe for the unquenchable thirst for wisdom that the life of Father Paul Savio has epitomized, I thank him for initiating thousands of earnest students into the depth of New Testament spirituality and congratulate him for his lifelong exploration of the person and teachings of Jesus Christ crystallized in this inspiring and insightful work, Exploring the New Testament Spirituality. Saju Chackalackal, “New Testament Spirituality: Roots and Fruits,” Foreword to Exploring New Testament Spirituality by Paul Savio Pudussery, pages--, Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2016. 21 The Spiritual Vision of Matthew’s Gospel Foreword 20