I would venture to say that religions don't rise and fall on being consistent. A Catholic girl praying to Saint Anne to find a man or a Mexican man praying to an unofficial folk saint would probably attest to this well enough.
Besides, isn't the real reason we must love our neighbor because he is really Christ? And isn't this fact the real reason behind the misunderstanding that the world has of the difference between Christian charity and liberal secular "solidarity"?
Personally, I found the story of this woman very edifying. Just because people don't have the fulness of the truth doesn't mean that we shouldn't rejoice in what they get right.
An axe murderer kills 15 people in a city park. Having killed them, he chops down a tree. Shouldn't we rejoice in what he got right?
Mr. Vasquez,
While it is true that elements of truth can be found in non-Christian thought, and while it is true that Catholics are often committed to the Catholic Faith for reasons other than intellectual consistency, I would insist that the Catholic Faith is consistent in ways that other religions are not and that there is no contradiction between these assertions.
"But even if I am you and you are me and he is she and we are ultimately all Brahman..."
No, no, my Pertinacious One, you have it all wrong. It's: "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together."
So, NOW who's the walrus?
Besides, isn't the real reason we must love our neighbor because he is really Christ?
No, Mr. Vasquez, your neighbor isn't really Christ, there is only one of Him and He has ascended to and dwells at the right hand of the Father. Your neighbor's resemblance to Christ is analogical and only occurs because of Baptism where he becomes a son in the Son. The reason we must love our neighbor is because God commanded us do so as part of the order of redemption. This is nothing but basic Catechism 101.
Amma may be a nice and caring lady and God can surely work through her, but Darshan is nothing but idolatry. Her pantheism ain't gonna save her, only Jesus can do that.
"Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me."
Matthew 25: 34-40
That's Scripture 101.
50,000 people a day amounts to less than 2 seconds per hug (about 1.7, in fact), assuming, rather implausibly, that she works non-stop for 24 hours. Some "Darshan" that amounts to. Why do people believe everything they hear? Or, perhaps better, why do people believe some of the ridiculous things they hear, while refusing to believe some of the more reasonable things?
Mr. Alexander,
Thanks for the correction from the Beatles. I knew it was something like that!
Mr. Vasquez,
Matthew 25:34-40 makes the point that obedience is essential to faith. As James says in his Epistle, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). True, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for the poor are good works. But Jesus said "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15); and His commandments include much more than the things mentioned in Matthew 25. He also said: "Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19). At the heart of what Jesus taught is His singular claim: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
There is surely nothing wrong with hugging people to comfort them. In itself I suppose it could be commendable, like giving comfort to the oppressed and needy. But to assume that this is a substitute for Christ, or that it can guarantee anyone salvation apart from Christ, or that "I am my neighbor" and we are all figments of a pantheistic divinity, would be sheer nonsense. I'm not suggesting that this is what you believe. I'm simply trying to clarify the alternatives here.
I'd hug her if there was a chance to slip a Miraculous Medal in her pocket. From there I would wait for her to get the ultimate hug.
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