"As a man of faith, you are troubled by the thought: what will Providence do with Gandhi? And what is the meaning of the appearance of this strange person among the statesmen and politicians of our time?

 

A warning from God. That is surely the meaning of the leader of the great Indian nation. Through that person, Providence is showing politicians and the statesmen of the world, even Christian ones, that there are other methods in politics than skill, wiliness and violence. Gandhi’s political method is very simple and obvious: he does not require anything except the man who cries out and the God Who hearkens.

 

Against weapons, ammunition and army, Gandhi places fasting; against skill, wiliness and violence, prayer; and against political quarrel, silence. How puny and pathetic that looks in the eyes of modern men, right?

 

In modern political textbooks, these three methods are not even mentioned in footnotes. Fasting, prayer and silence! There is hardly a statesman in Europe or America who would not ironically see these three secrets of the Indian statesmen as three dry twigs pointed on the battlefield against a heap of steel, lead, fire and poison. However, Gandhi succeeds with these three “spells” of his; he succeeds to the astonishment of the whole world. And whether they want to or not, political lawmakers in England and other countries will have to add a chapter into their textbooks: “Fasting, Prayer and Silence as Powerful Weapons in Politics.” Imagine, would it not be to the fortune of all mankind if these methods of the unbaptized Gandhi replaced the methods of the baptized Machiavelli in political science?

But it is not the Indian’s method in itself that is such a surprise to the world, as it is the person using the method. The method is Christian, as old as the Christian faith, and yet new in this day and age. The example of fasting, prayer and silence was shown by Christ to His Disciples. They handed it down to the Church, along with their whole example, and the Church hands it to the faithful from generation to generation until this day. Fasting is a sacrifice, silence is inward examination of oneself, prayer is crying out to God. Those are the three sources of great spiritual power which make man victorious in battle and excellent in life. Is there a man who cannot arm himself with these weapons? And which crude force in this world can defeat these weapons? Of course, these three things do not include all of the Christian faith, but are only a part of its rules, its supernatural mysteries.

 

Sadly, in our time, among Christians, many of these principles are disregarded, and many wonder-working mysteries are forgotten. People have started thinking that one wins only by using steel, that the hailing clouds are dispersed only by cannons, that diseases are cured only by pills, and that everything in the world can be explained simply through electricity. Spiritual and moral energies are looked upon almost as working magic.

 

I think that this is the reason why ever-active Providence has chosen Gandhi, an unbaptized man, to serve as a warning to the baptized, especially those baptized people who pile up one misfortune on another upon themselves and their peoples by using ruthless and harsh means.

 

The Gospel also tells us that Providence sometimes uses such warnings for the good of the people. Your Grace will immediately realize that I am alluding to the Roman captain from Capernaum (Matt. ch. 8). On the one hand, you see the Elders of Israel who, as chosen monotheists of the time, boasted of their faith, meanwhile rejecting Christ, and, on the other hand, you see the despised Roman pagan who came to Christ with great faith and humility, asking Him to heal his servant. And when Jesus heard it, He was astonished and said to those who followed Him, “Truly I say to you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this.”

 

The Christian world is the new, baptized Israel. Listen! Is Christ not telling the same words today to the consciences of the Christian Elders by pointing to today’s captain of India?

Peace and health from the Lord to you."

 

 

From Missionary Letters of Saint Nikolai Velimirovich: Letters 1-100, trans. Hierodeacon Serafim (Baltic), Vol. VI in A Treasury of Serbian Orthodox Spirituality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GHANDI

My hero is Gandhi. Gandhi was a brave man who helped Indians get their freedom. Gandhi also had a wife who he married when he was thirteen; her name was Kasterba. He had a son named Harilal. Gandhi was born in Porbander Gujarat on 2, October 1869. India was under British rule at this time. He had his school in Rajkot where his father served as the adviser or prime minister to the local ruler. Though India was under British rule, over 500 kingdoms, principalities, and states were allowed to govern themselves. These where called the "native states". Rajkot was one of the states. Gandhi left for England to study law in 1891. He failed with his law practice. About the same time, he got a job offer from a man named Dada Abdullah in South Africa. Indians weren’t treated fairly. They were called "coolies". European racism against Indians was horrible. Indians weren’t considered full humans. Gandhi started leading the Indians in. He started using Satyagraha, which means practice of non-violent resistance

He believed in seeking the truth on nonviolence. He returned to India in 1915, and went to Europe for a short trip in 1931. He helped Indians in his travels. He became well known as an Indian leader. A writer gave him the title Mahatma that means "Great Soul". He than wrote a report about the great massacre of an unarmed crowd of Indians. Over the next two years he tried to get the Indians to care for themselves, without British help. In 1922 Indian policemen were brutally killed. Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to six years in jail for protesting against the government. The trial was known as "the great trial". In 1924, he went on a twenty-one day fast because Hindu-Muslims riots broke out. He got out of jail in 1925 because of his poor health.

Throughout his life, Gandhi stood up for the civil rights of his people. He wrote letters, fasted, and even was sent to jail. For example, in 1932 he started an ethnic fast, which he did until the rest of his life to protest unfair treatment of Indians. Another example of how he protested was when he was sent to jail for breaking the "Salt Law". Gandhi also traveled widely to try to get the world to understand how Indians were being treated

Gandhi had faced many problems for what he was standing up for. He was sent to jail many times for what he believed. He had poor health. He helped poor farmers.

He had many major accomplishments. He was a civil rights leader in India and Africa. He was nominated six times for The Nobel Prize. He was named the person of the year by Time Magazine. He inspired civil rights. He fought for freedom for India, and practiced nonviolence. He was a hero in many ways. He was great leader of India. He helped get Indians freedom and rights. He was a brave and respectful man who cared about every one's freedom. Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948. He was shot by Nathuram Godse on the way to a prayer meeting. Gandhi inspired me with his bravery and courage. 

Source:  : https://myhero.com/Gandhi_Foresthills_MS_06_ul