Graft has deadened conscience: Bishop

Mangaluru: Most Rev Peter Paul Saldanha, bishop, diocese of Mangalore, in a hard-hitting message on the eve of Christmas, rued that corruption has become a deadly cancer and that it is visible, which has deadened conscience and made life money-centred.
Delivering his Christmas message on Friday, at the Bishop’s House, he said that religion seems to be a mere superficial show, and that God is out of the picture.
“As a result, people in general do not mourn; they do not shed tears when they see a tragedy, and that is a matter of concern. Instead, some find comfort only in photographing, shooting videos, and forwarding brutal messages. Why is the conscience deadened in spite of all religious practices?’’ asked Bishop Saldanha, adding that we are all created for love, not hatred. “God is love, and the enemy of God promotes hatred. Love is heaven and hatred is hell,” he added.
Bishop Saldanha also expressed concern that followers of Christ are seen with suspicion. “Some people misguide the gullible to look at the followers of Christ with suspicion. But a true Christian loves, as the Lord has loved us. Those who promote hatred destroy themselves before they destroy others. They do not have God in them, and therefore no hope either,” said Bishop Saldanha.
“We must learn the art of loving, and Christmas teaches us to do so,” was the Bishop’s message for Christmas to all.
“Contemplating Jesus’ life, Swami Vivekananda said that if he had lived in Palestine, in the days of Jesus of Nazareth, he would have washed his feet, not with my tears, but with my heart’s blood! He founded the Ramakrishna Mission on the eve of Christmas. Another great personality to follow the teachings of Jesus is Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi forgave those who hurt him, just as Jesus forgave those who crucified him. For a world beset with many contradictions, Gandhi showed the way of love and forgiveness. He identified seven deadly sins that are rampant even today: Wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, science without humanity, knowledge without character, politics without principle, commerce without morality, and worship without sacrifice. Divine love alone can raise us up to come out of this chaos, and corruption that affects our society,” he pointed out.