A Thing of Beauty is a Joy forever

The music industry of Pakistan used to be pretty basic and mundane and complex at the same time.  While some parodied and styled their music after the western tunes (basic and mundane) others excelled in the Sufi and classical genres of Sub-Continent’s music (complex).  Along with these two options was the choice to gravitate towards the western and Bollywood (Indian film industry) music.  Michael Jackson, Boney M, Lionel Richie, Prince, Dire Straits, Queen to name the few were the artists, I grew up with.  One of the distributor of the music always placed the same sticker on either side of the cassette. ‘A Thing of a Beauty is a Joy Forever’, was the line on this plain sticker.  This simple line stayed with me and eventually became a measuring stick for every event of and in my life to determine if the event was a thing of beauty or not. And if it was a thing of beauty then, I was certain,  joy will be mine forever.

This affection of the line led me to learn that it comes from 'Endymion', a poem by John Keats which was first published in 1818. First line of Endymion is 'A thing of beauty is a joy for ever'. Endymion is written in rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter (also known as heroic couplets). Keats based the poem on the Greek myth of Endymion, the shepherd beloved by the moon goddess Selene. The poem elaborates on the original story and renames Selene "Cynthia" (an alternative name for Artemis).  It starts by painting a rustic scene of trees, rivers, shepherds, and sheep. The shepherds gather around an altar and pray to Pan, god of shepherds and flocks. As the youth sing and dance, the elder men sit and talk about what life would be like in the shades of Elysium. However, Endymion, the "brain-sick shepherd-prince" of Mt. Latmos, is in a trancelike state, and not participating in their discourse. His sister, Peona, takes him away and brings him to her resting place where he sleeps. After he wakes, he tells Peona of his encounter with Cynthia, and how much he loved her.  That led Endymion to proclaim, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’.  Some of the lines from Endymion are as follows:

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth.

This line can be a measuring stick for churches.  The purpose of the Church is to bring people from various walks of life into a community committed to serve God by worshipping him with a sincere heart and to live out that faith, acceptance, love and joy in their day to day life and activities.  This is an enormous yet humbling undertaking and call for every member of the community.

They walk as yet by Faith. . .

Between 2005 and 2007, I went to Pakistan several times for personal reasons.  My father’s congregation (parish) was extremely gracious and welcoming. The parish invited me to either conduct a mission or deliver a series of lectures during every visit. The experience was invaluable in my own spiritual growth as it taught me immensely about faith and priorities in life.

In July 2005, I conducted Mission on 'Mission and Ministry in a Pluralistic World', with the Provost of Saint Thomas Seminary of the Church of Pakistan, the Rev’d Dr. Pervaiz Sultan.  We had  an interesting arrangement.  Neither one of us had met each other before so we decided to work with each other through the organizers and my father. I conducted a youth seminar and preached  on the models of ministry from the gospel while Dr. Sultan preached on the concepts of ministry from both the New and the Old Testament during the mission.  Well, it was exciting to see 500 plus gathered every evening to attend the worship and the dinner.  The organizing committee hosted dinner every evening for the congregants. Youth Seminar was attended by 300 +  and the joy and enthusiasm of the congregation was infectious to say the least.  Incidentally, I had to stretch out my sermons every evening as most of the community expected me to preach for at least forty five to fifty minutes.  The worship lasted from two to two and a half hours every evening.

During the first worship service, I saw a slight man prostrating in front of the altar for a prayer. He was approximately five feet eight inches tall.  He was so thin that it looked like the skin was stretched over bones. Sun had baked his skin crisp, and his clothes were worn out and stained with sweat.  Later that evening, I found out that he had migrated to Karachi from the same village my family hails from in search of a better living.  He worked as a gardener, from dawn till dusk, at various commercial and residential properties to support his wife and their five children.  I was overwhelmed by his resolve to provide for his family and his unwavering faith in God as he believed that God will answer his prayers and will bless his children. All of his children were exceptional students with dreams to earn their keep through decent and well paying jobs.  It was a delight to engage him in conversation(s) to learn more about his family and faith. 

One hot autumn evening, during my third visit, he came to my parents' house to receive his stipend for taking care of the church’s gardens.  My mother dispensed his stipend in cash on behalf of the treasurer of the congregation.  After receiving the stipend; he knelt down in our living room to give thanks to God and left with a delightful smile on his face.  Few minutes later, he came back  apologizing profusely for forgetting to return the money he had borrowed from my parents. He was left with only hundred rupees (Cad $ 1.25) for next two days.  Forty rupees he put aside for his and his children's fare on public transport to work and school with sixty rupees for groceries etc for next two days.  He refused my mother's offer to keep the money (he had refunded) as he was not in need.  And then looking towards the heaven, he thanked God again and told God that one of these days God’s mercy and desire will change his days.  That was a sobering moment; I thought he was walking, working and living as yet by faith.

Reflecting back on this interaction, I realise that we spend enormous amount of time and energy on securing our future.  For some, the need to be financially secure morphs into obsession to hoard away millions of dollars and assets just in case.  These efforts can isolate us from others and ourselves.  Moreover, the obsession can blind us to the need of the world around us as and the precepts and commandments of God.  Is there a hint of faith in God’s mercy and benevolence or are we trying to be the master and ruler of our destiny?  Most of the impoverished world considers faith in God and  trust in the community for help in times of trouble.  They believe that living out their faith in everyday life is the most important virtue and duty.  Certainly, a poor gardener is living his life with these principles and is walking as yet by faith.  We are challenged by witnesses such as him to evaluate our priorities and be willing to make changes in our own lives and in the lives of other human beings.