Conclusion: Empowering the Disempowered
The disempowered people are, often, dismissed as the objects by the ruling elite. But Jesus seemed to have deployed all his inner powers to instil a sense of assertive self-respect from deep within by subverting the socio-cultural hegemony imposed by the dominant classes of his times. He identified the evocative symbol of ‘reign of God’ to evolve the spirit of religio-cultural assertion of the subaltern people with his alliance for egalitarianism with them. In every conflict-ridden situation defeating the voiceless people with cumulative violence, Jesus opted for the politico-cultural strategy of protecting and promoting their life, even with the risk of giving up his own life. The ethics of egalitarianism, the aesthetics of solidarity and empowerment with humanization seem to constitute the core of the community-building agenda of Jesus seeking to democratize the power to all.
Bibliography
A. Byung-Mu, ‘Jesus and the Minjung in the Gospel of Mark’, in Rasiah S. Sugirtharajah, Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World, Maryknoll: Orbis, 2016.
V. R. Krishna Iyer, ‘Remembering a Glorious Rebel’. The Hindu- Daily Newspaper, Chennai Edition, December 24 (2008).
D. Karr, God with Us. A Bold Understanding of Suffering, Jesus Christ and Forgiveness, Chennai: The Christian Literature Society, 2018.
A. M. A. Raja, ‘The Authority of Jesus: A Dalit Reading of Mk 11:27- 33’, Jeevadhara 25 (1995), 123-138.A. M. A. Raja, ‘Subaltern Exploration into Encountering Violence’, in S. Mulackal and A. R. Lazar (eds.), Violence in Today’s Society: Indian Theological Reflections, Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2012, 1-21.
Author
A. Maria Arul Raja SJ is the Director of the IDCR (Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religions)- Loyola College- Chennai for the doctoral studies on Comparative Religions and Cultures affiliated to Madras University. Teaching Scripture, Theology, and Religious Studies from 1993 onwards in various centres of higher learning, he served in Arul Kadal Jesuit Theology Centre- Chennai as the Dean of Studies for 20 years. His interdisciplinary and subaltern insights have been published in his 10 books and over 160 research articles in international and national journals. He has lectured and presented papers both in the West and the East while continuing his dialogical engagement with People’s Movements and Marginalized groups.