*MINISTERING TO THE TRANSGENDER PERSONS*
Introduction
It is indeed proper that the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church has initiated a project to honour the Birth Centenary of Most Rev.Dr.Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan by establishing a Rehabilitation Centre for the welfare of the Transgender persons.The Metrop[olitan of the Church the Most Rev.Dr.Joseph Mar Thoma is giving leadership assisted by the Episcopa ,Rt.Rev.Dr.Geevarghese Mar Theodosius and the office bearers of the Church. It is commendable that during the first year itself(2017-2018),the Church has budgeted Rupees One Crore to be raised and spent for this project to catch its momentum in a phased manner.
In this brief article, an attempt is made to look at the problems and the possibilities of the Transgender from a theological perspective. The term, transgender is an umbrella term. It may include people who are not exclusively masculine or feminine(people who are genderqueer.e.g.bigender, pangender, or agender).Their gender identity is different from the sex assigned to them at birth. The word and its modern definition came into use only in the late 20th century, although people who would fit under this definition have existed in every culture irrespective of their religious affiliation throughout the recorded history. The transgender community is incredibly diverse Owing to the social stigma associated with their identity, they face a unique set of challenges such as discrimination, unemployment,lack of educational facilities, homelessness, lack of medical care and umpteen problems associated with marriage and adoption. In 1994, transgender were given voting rights in India,but ironically the task of issuing them voter identity cards required them to declare their gender. The group is often deprived of inheritance and property rights.Many of them feel that they are marginalized and end up in begging and sex work for their survival. Eventhough they too enjoy the Fundamental rights of the Indian Constitution articles 14,15,21 and 23, they are not effectively implemented. However we believe that the constitutional provision will not alone provide security to them. The spirituality of the people at different levels must be strengthened. It is indeed heartening to note that the recently started Metro Service in Cochin have given jobs for a few of them with regular salary and other basic human protection.
As Church is called upon to minister to the weak and the powerless,it is quite legitimate for the Church to become “the voice of the voiceless”(Uppsala-1968) so as to break the conspiracy of silence in the society. The faithful has to remember again and again that “ Life through Death” must happen in history for the establishment of just peace. As the Bussan Assembly of the WCC(2013), affirms, the kairos of the Church has come before us to affirm life for all in a pilgrimage towards justice and peace. This is the call of the Spirit to cross religious and social boundaries in search of “mature manhood in Christ”. The transgender project of the Mar Thoma Church is a pioneering effort with spiritual and social goals. It is nothing but rekindling the divine truth bequeathed to the Church . The initiative is to discover new area of mission by focusing on mission possibilities in the truth of Christ. It is pertinent that we need to heed to the words of Marcus Barth: “whoever considers those table companions of Jesus too bad, too base, too little and too far removed from salvation, does not know Jesus as he really is The Being of the Church in the world enables her ‘ to go’ ,’to teach’ and ‘to heal’ as “ the conscience of the human community”(Vatican II).There are several daunting challenges and hopes in each era of Christian mission.
God who acts in history
The incarnation of Jesus is to be understood as the involvement of God in human affairs. The Holy Bible particularly the Exodus Story speaks of God’s act of redemption in the world particularly through the story of Israelites. This is a Christian paradigm. The Christian understanding of God is one that tells us the story of redemption of the suffering humanity for a better future. In an act of liberation, there are three component elements to be recognized: God, people and the leader. In Exodus 3:7&8 we read: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out… and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them…”. The three verbs, “seen”, “heard” and “rescue” are worth considering as they speak of the compassion of the Lord for redemption and restoration.This means that God is concerned with the transformation and liberation of the “least”,” the last” and “the lost”. As Church is the Eucharistic presence of the Kingdom of God in history, there is a tremendous responsibility before the Church to continue the reconciling act of God in Christ.. It must happen through the ministry of the word(logos) and the ministry (diakonia)of reconciliation(2 Cor.518-21.).Mission is thus understood as participation in the reconciling ministry of Jesus . As co-workers with God”(1Cor.3:9) it carries a sense of urgency and dignity.The prophetic and the pastoral role in Christian ministry is a call to humankind to realize the Plan of Salvation in Jesus Christ.The challenge is to build the city of God brick by brick as the eternal presence of the divine. The divine urge before us is to move in the Spirit of God pursuing hope for justice and peace. The biblical phrase “justification by faith” is to be understood as God’s acceptance of us as we are. In the story of the Samaritan woman and the encounter of Jesus with Zacchaeus in the Gospels are indeed truths for us to move in the right direction towards “life in all its fullness” for others. “The other” is no longer outside the Church.but the ones who have been marginalized and branded as “useless”.As Jesus suffered “outside the gate “(Heb.13:12) every possible effort is to be made to meet him outside the camp bearing abuse for him(Heb.13:13).
Mission in the Truth of Christ
God’s gift of New Humanity in Christ is not the gift of the Church to the people of other faiths and ideologies. It is the manifestation of divine solidarity on earth. The Kingdom in our midst creates a new consciousness and a new style of action for the transformation of the world. The thread that passes through all the religions of the world is nothing but the thread of agape revealed in Christ on the cross. The mission of the Church is to strive with God for the fulfillment of the prayer that Jesus taught us: “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”.(St.Mat.6:10).The prayer has ecumenical and ecological dimensions. What happens on earth creates joy in heaven(LK.15:10).The reference to God “as our Father” is an inclusive umbrella for us to search for the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of humanity. In our care for the Transgender, there is no element of discrimination as human need is our sole aim. Our care for others is the measure of our greatness. To touch the bleeding points we need to have sensitiveness and compassion. As St.Paul puts it in Gal.3:28, “there is neither Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female” in our affirmation of the new humanity in Christ. For this, we need to seek the meaning of Grace over Law for the affirmation of human rights and gender justice. For the establishment of an inclusive society, the Oikoumene of domination must give way to the Oikoumene of solidarity.The vision of the Gospel as rooted in the Kingdom of God and manifested in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ urges us to stand against marginality and to seek for a movement from charity to justice. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard(St.Mat.20:1-16) is a classic example to illustrate it. The Church is called upon to translate the Jubilee vision in the Nazareth Sermon of Jesus(Lk.4:18-22) into social realities. In the Magnificat(LK.1:51-54),the great redemptive power of God manifests itself for the sake of “ the sinned against”. “The scattering of the proud”(Lk.1:52) is a process in social leveling. God is at work in history to set right what has gone wrong in the human community(cf.Ps.146:8).
In Mark 2:16-17,the opponents of Jesus leveled a criticism against Jesus : “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick;I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners”. Mission in the truth of Christ is a radical search for the defenseless and the unrecognized. It has been well said, that “ a great city is one that handles its garbage and art equally well”. The measure of the presence of the Kingdom in our midst is the measure of our caring for the least. It only facilitates the falling of the dews of Hermon on the mountain of Zion(Ps.133). The Church is called upon to create “refreshing spots “in the world. The initiative of the Mar Thoma Church in this said area of ministering to the Transgender persons is only a sign of pilgrimage to the mature manhood in Christ.
Mission and gender justice
Gender justice is basically an issue of human rights. It is a search for human equality.. Every human right is to be achieved through a constant struggle against the forces of Death. “In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act(George Orwell).The Church is called upon to say that its primary concern is to protest and protect others by following the Good shepherd Jesus. Jesus said: .”I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”(Jn.10:10).As “Christian Faith is “a resistance movement against fatalism”(Faith and Order Commission Meeting, Bangalore-1978), the mission of the Church is to search for new and radical mission paradigms. In such an effort, the Church has to present Christ as “the Yes” of God(2Cor.1:19).If Jesus Christ is “ the Yes of God”, we need to raise legitimate questions concerning human identity and dignity. It is worth noting that the Catholic bishops at their synod in Rome in October 2015 took an unprecedented step to “welcome” LGBT and noted that they too have “gifts and qualities” to offer the Church. In Rom.15:7 St.Paul writes: “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.”.Pope Francis has changed the entrenched attitudes of the Church on many issues by opening the doors for further discussion. The humble attempt of the Mar Thoma Church in the area of Transgender rehabilitation will create a few ripples for the formation of New humanity in our wider community.. To find a provision in the parish budget of the Mar Thoma Church is also a positive step towards our commitment to a just cause. “To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness”.(Bertrand Russell).To offer quality of life for others, we need to cultivate the habit of caring for other’s welfare. Remember, “ anyone who is among the living has hope…(Eccl.9:4).The Church has to give heed to the words of Pope Benedict the XVI: “In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading, an interior emptiness, an unarmed fear and quiet sense of despair”. In the name of Christ, the Faithful has to stand for a reversal motif as we find in the song of Mary.
Conclusion
The members of the Church should empty themselves following the kenosis of Christ. It is the only medium to carry God’s amazing grace in word and deed. As the Aroma of Christ for the empowerment of the community, there is always a MISSION MANDATE for the Church. To search for the human face of God in Jesus Christ is indeed the message of the Kingdom.. “God in your grace, transform the world” (WCC- theme Brazil )be the prayer on our lips. This is a call to move from religion based on creed, code and cult to its spirituality .What is needed today is to seek the secular dimensions of spirituality.The Church should affirm with one voice that the Transgender community has a role to play in enriching the vision of the Church and of the community at large.
“O Son of man, will these bones live”(Ezekiel). “Yes, Lord”.
*Jointly prepared by:
Rt.Rev.Dr.Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa &
Rev.Dr.M.J.Joseph,Kottayam
