‘Reconciliation is accepting one another’s differentness’

April 20, 2022 73 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 20

The Naga political playground today is a fragmented one. It is rare to witness the different players under one roof. But defying this notion, leaders of the various Naga Political Groups (NPGs) turned up at a worship service in Dimapur on April 19 with “prayer requests.”

The NPGs, which were in attendance included the 6 different NSCNs, namely: NSCN (R), NSCN (K-Khango), NSCN (IM), GPRN/NSCN, NSCN (K-Niki) NSCN (Akato) and one FGN. Even the Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio was in attendance.

It happened to be the final day of the ‘40 Days of Revival’ organised by the Sinai Ministry to commemorate 150 years of Christianity in Nagaland. Catching the elusive, but often spoken about, ‘reconciliation’ was at the heart of the congregation with Rev Dr Wait Aier, Convenor, Forum for Naga Reconciliation, as the speaker.

The NPGs maybe in different wavelengths, politically; but as evident in the prayer requests they put up, there was a common thread that bound them— the longing for Naga unity, reconciling and solution to the Indo-Naga problem.

Rev Dr Wati Aier’s message revolved around the Biblical concept of ‘reconciliation’ as propagated in the Gospels. In the Naga context, it implies acceptance, he said.

He said, “We want Naga story to be changed into the story of reconciliation because of God. But let us make reconciliation clear here. Reconciliation is an expensive grace… We must understand that in the very suffering and death of Christ, God creates something new, that is, God is for us. Therefore, we can and should be with one another… and not against one another.”

According to him, many Naga Christians have a misconceived notion of reconciliation, which he described as “vertical” in character, in the form of an individual, who religiously prays but does not bother to extend the desire to reconcile “horizontally” to the others around.

He explained it this way, “If Christians keep reconciliation a secret for themselves and give to the rest of the world only the sympathy, they betray the Cross. Let me explain it. (You) say, ‘I am a good Christian, I know God has forgiven me, I love God.’ (But) you keep it to yourself.”

Referencing the Gospel of Paul, he said, “The world of reconciliation, however, is for Paul the word from the Cross,” adding, “To understand and to bow is the power of the powerless… in our bowing, in our coming and saying ‘I am sorry,’ (and) in our confession, it represents the power of God, not the powerlessness of our own imagination and our own thinking.”

According to him, the message of reconciliation is not about becoming better than the other “but the challenge is to become the salt of the earth.” “Salt heals, salt preserves and when you rub the salt in the wounds of the Naga people, it burns. But remember it will stop decaying. It will bring healing.”

Reconciliation, he said, is acceptance or accepting one another in his or her differentness, while breaking down the fence erected against one another.

Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio requested the NPGs to remember the “Covenant of Reconciliation”, and said that it would be “back to square one” if it is not revisited.

Reverend Seksim Kasar, General Secretary of the Council of Nagalim Churches (CNC), called for pledging to “confess our sins, leave it here and go home” and stopping the culture of accusation.

Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/reconciliation-is-accepting-one-anothers-differentness