Ode to Siddhartha... in praise of Jesus Christ

Oh, Siddhartha, Siddhartha! 
Why are you so famous?
Even more famous 
than my Lord Jesus Christ!

Indeed, your teachings are noble and true
And your wisdom, quite amusing
But what have you done for me? Nothing.
You have done nothing for me.

Buddhism seem to have gained great popularity in the world these days. This awareness brought a spark of curiosity within me. A friend of mine seem persistently interested in the subject. So I did a little research to see why but my findings only strengthened my convictions in the Christian faith. I was  then inspired to create this satirical piece... but no offense meant... Namaste!

But my Lord Jesus Christ? 
He died for me.
While you sat down 
by a tree, not moving a muscle;
He ached all his muscles
And carried a heavy cross for me.

When you had left home, 
abandoning your beloved wife and kid,
My Lord Jesus Christ had been abandoned
Even betrayed by a friend
To the point of anguish

You ran away in search for truth;
My Lord Jesus Christ 
suffered to show me the truth!

Oh, Good Prince  Siddhartha!
You saw the suffering of the world
But what did you do? 

You ran away and sat still.
My Lord Jesus Christ 
endured the suffering 
and showed the way.

While you were born in a palace,
My Lord Jesus Christ was laid 
in a feeding box for swine.
His father was a simple carpenter
And his mother rode a donkey to his birthplace.

He had friends and they were fishermen.
He lived in a small town,
A place that was almost despised by many.
Nothing good could have come from that town.

He didn't have much gold coins
But he helped people
When he saw them in need
For a wedding feast 
he gave the best wine
He fed the hungry multitude
And he filled the nets 
of his fishermen friends




My Lord Jesus Christ 
He did so many wonderful things!
healed the sick, 
cured the lepers 
and made the lame walk.

Gave sight to the blind 
and hearing to the deaf
Silenced the storm 
and even brought 
a dead man back to life

But most of all, 
he offered his life 
on the cross!

Siddhartha, you speak of the way 
to liberation from suffering;
My Lord Jesus Christ 
liberated his people 
from that suffering.

You give people 
hope of inner peace 
and eternal bliss;
My Lord Jesus Christ 
promised eternal life
in heaven.

Ah, heaven! 
Now, we speak of it at last!
Did you just say Nirvana? 
That eternal bliss?

Oh, heaven is more 
than just eternal bliss!
It is a glorious place, 
full of much joy and gladness, 
always feasting.

If I were to choose 
between heaven and nirvana,
Then there is no need 
to stop and think. 
I choose heaven.

Why heaven? 
Because heaven is 
where my Lord Jesus Christ is.

I long for that day
when I can see him 
face to face.

For all the things 
he has done for me 
is a lot of things 
to be thankful for.

Words would not be enough
to pay him 
this gratitude I owe him.

Siddhartha, you are not even a god,
So why should I even bother 
to know all about you?
My Lord is Jesus Christ,
Let his name be praised forever!

Praised be the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven and on earth forever and ever!

Jesus is a Friend of Sinners.

July 8, 2012 (Sunday) at ACM Office. This day marks the beginning of a spiritual journey with the Carmelite Missionaries. This religious congregation of consecrated women holds an annual Life Direction Program every second Sunday of each month of the year. There would be a particular theme to reflect upon each month. This month's theme is friendship with Jesus.

 

"Who do you say that I am?" Jesus asked his disciples one day. And Peter declared, "You are the Messiah!" Jesus explicitly instructed his disciples not to tell anyone about him. The sisters had impressed this question into our hearts: Who is Jesus in your life? And like what Jesus told his disciples, we don't have to tell anyone. It will be our "little secret" with our beloved Savior.

The entire activity had been animated with beautiful reflective music. We started by singing some songs specially selected by the sisters for the theme. Then, we went into a guided meditation on the image of Jesus as a loving, caring friend. This short meditation was guided by one of the Carmelite sisters.

After a short discussion of the theme and sharing of our thoughts and life experiences, the sisters showed us an inspiring video reflecting how Jesus had related to the people in his time. Special attention was given to Mary, the Magdalene.

And Jesus said, " I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more." (John 8:11 - AMP)

According to Saint Luke in the bible, Mary the Magdalene was a woman who had seven demons driven out of her. She is portrayed as a prostitute in the movie. The video reminded me of the bible passage where Jesus defended the woman caught in adultery.  He said to the people, "If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!" (John 8:7 - CEV) The people dropped the stones to the ground and left the woman alone with Jesus.

Although the movie was just a fictitious narrative and not the real historical account of the life of Jesus, it has inspired me so much. In the movie, Mary Magdalene became a very loyal disciple of Jesus. Well, who would not be moved by such lavish display of affection? This holy man, Jesus Christ, stood and defended her from her oppressors. While the entire town was ready to condemn her and put her to death, Jesus showed her love and compassion. He gave her hope and brought back her dignity.This was the goal for the month's theme for search - in : to move us into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ so that we may also be able to find hope in him.