Patricia Mukhim
Dimapur, Jan 10 : Eminent journalist from Meghalaya and the first woman from the Northeast region to receive the President’s Award, Patricia Mukhim, today called upon women to listen to their highest calling. Calling it ‘their inner voice, which is also the voice of God,’ the journalist urged women to dispense their god-given responsibilities, no matter the odds.
Mukhim was the guest speaker in the afternoon session of Nagaland Catholic Women Association’s silver jubilee held at Holy Cross Church in Dimapur. She said that women, especially tribal women in the Northeast living under the shadow of a patriarchal society, should not deviate from their highest calling gifted to them by the Almighty. Speaking on the topic “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8), the noted journalist said Jesus Christ’s message and teachings are still relevant in today’s world, a world fraught with evils and corruption all around.
Award-winning journalist finds impetus in Jesus
She said that as the “body of Christ,” it is the responsibility of every Christian including women to continue his legacy. Stating that in a patriarchal society women have to more or less give up their true calling, Patricia challenged: “What should we do? Shall we allow our wings to be clipped or should we go ahead with our calling?’
Patricia clarified that she was not suggesting women to rebel against the law, authority or society. The journalist however insisted that when a woman is sure that what she is doing is the right thing and is listening to her own heart, she should go ahead. One should not be daunted by criticism, she encouraged. Citing the example of Jesus in the wilderness, who asked what his purpose on earth was for, Patricia said every Christian should broach the same question.
“If we are not responding to our highest call, are we then serving a lesser god? Jesus would have said ‘stop serving a lesser god;’ because you have a true living God,” she said. Patricia said that in order to gauge whether one is following or deviating from one’s true calling, a person has to recall the special traits of Jesus Christ and his teachings.
Patricia said the teachings of Jesus remain the same and relevant even today with no addition or subtraction. The ideal included Jesus’ statement to the rich man that it is ‘easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven’ and his instruction to Nicodamus to leave everything behind to follow Jesus.
The journalist also said that if people today are diluting Jesus’ teachings, then they are making excuses. Patricia said the one characteristic about Jesus was his “walk-about” attitude, that he was never in a rush or hurry unlike the modern man. “We need to have a little time to be aware of what is happening around us.
Most of the time we are not even aware of the sins we are into,” she said.
Dispelling the notion that Jesus was a cold person, Patricia insisted that Jesus was a “very passionate” man who felt strongly about many issues and that he took pains to reach into people’s “comfort zone and shake them up.”
Patricia said that as women leaders, one should possess the traits of Jesus including the power of understanding, the heart to forgive and gift of being present even at odd hours.
More than 1500 women from all 11 districts of Nagaland including Holy Cross Parish attended the afternoon session.
via Morung Express News
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