On the occasion of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, national hero of India, Indian Christians of all confessions celebrate a National Day of Prayer on October 2, in what was proclaimed by the General Assembly of United Nations as “International Day of Non-Violence”. This year’s theme is “Prayer for Our Nation: A Cry to the Living God for the Peace and Integrity of India”. “Our nation needs intense prayer, while we are going through a critical moment in the history of India”, said to Fides Mgr. Thottumarickal, Bishop of Indore and one of the leaders of the “United Christian Prayer for India” (UCPI) an interfaith network of Christian communities.
The Bishop invites the faithful to remember the figure of the “Mahatma” as the “authentic soul of India”: “I encourage you to lead this year’s prayer in your respective areas. As faithful of the Churches of the whole nation, we want to pray for political leaders and for all communities”.
According to Mgr. Thottumarickal, prayer works as a tool for engaging people: it is therefore recommended that it be held preferably in a public place, i.e. outside the church building, by inviting political leaders and local government officials, such as local government officials and members of non-governmental organizations especially those who care for the poor. In addition, public prayer meetings promoted by women and young people are encouraged. “Celebrating October 2, the anniversary of the birth of Gandhi, a global icon of non-violence, we ask to plan ecumenical prayer meetings with Christians of different denominations”, said Bishop Thottumarickal, noting that members of other religious communities are also welcome. “India, with all its diversity, needs prayer to promote coexistence, love, and brotherhood among all citizens”, he concludes.
Since 2014, Indian Christians have started the UCPI network with the aim of praying for the nation and its leaders. “As a nation, we humbly confess our sins of corruption, injustice, inequality of status and opportunity in our society; we recognize the atrocities committed against vulnerable people; crimes against women and children; discrimination based on class, caste, creed, tribe, ethnicity, and gender; favoritism and nepotism; the exploitation of the territory and natural resources; the abuse of power and position; the misappropriation of public funds; having ignored what God tells us”, says to Fides Sagar Parichha, Christian lay leader of Odisha, in eastern India. And he adds: “We entrust the mother country to the Lord so that she can warm hearts and help us build a just, peaceful nation, respectful of human dignity, just as Mahatma Gandhi wanted”.
