Doubting Thomas… doubting Luke?

I arrived in Chennai and was quickly whisked away by a hotel shuttle and then promptly shown to my posh room. With the events that had transpired in Hyderabad on the way to the airport still firmly fixed in my memory, I was quite content to relax in my hotel room and retire early. The next morning my counterpart arrived, having survived the previous day’s hassles. We had breakfast and then made our way to the San Thome Cathedral that commemorates the work of St. Thomas the Apostle who purportedly came to India to spread the “Good News”. After mass at the cathedral I visited the adjacent building where St. Thomas is supposedly buried. Through all of this I could not help but notice how similar Catholic rituals appeared to resemble Hindu rituals. There were even Hindus who attended the mass, but that should be no surprise to anyone who knows much about Hinduism. It is a religion of syncretism, by which I mean to say that it absorbs other religious practices and even other gods. There seems to be no dichotomy between worshiping Ganesh and worshiping Jesus. I personally do not see how praying to relics or other similar Catholic practices helps differentiate between Hindu gods and the one true God of grace, justice, and love. I’m simply offering my opinion even as I recognize that I do not have the experience to make an unqualified assessment of Catholic practices in India. I will say that it seems possible that maybe Hinduism has had some influence on the Catholic church here. Okay, my purpose in with this entry is not to bash Catholics, so please forgive me if that appears to have been the case. To end on a positive note, I will say that it is tremendously encouraging to see what an impact St Thomas had in this part of the world. God truly used this man to bring His Gospel to the people of India. There are a good number of Christians in southern India, due largely to the work of that man we know as “Doubting Thomas”.

That Sunday was quite rainy, so we decided to check out the movie listings at a nearby mall. Since nothing of interest was showing, we made our way to Sparky’s which is a restaurant that was opened by an American who has been living in Indian for something like 15 years. It was a welcome taste of home, even as the cheeseburger did have a bit of an Indian flavor to it. I can’t quite explain it, but suffice it to say, the beef tastes kinda different. My buddy has been in India so long that he didn’t even notice! That could be me in another year or two! After Sparky’s, we went back to the hotel and then rallied later in the evening to go to a Korean restaurant that had been recommended by a friend. It ended up being a really fantastic experience although it was difficult to find because it was hidden on the second floor of an office building and lacked a noticeable sign. While, the main course was amazing, I was also impressed with the 7 different complimentary appetizers that were served. I thought it was like those scams in Europe where you get served bread, but then charged extra if you eat it! Fortunately, that was not the case!

Moving on to Monday, we spent most of the day at the consulate meeting people and making necessary arrangements. I was thankful to find that nearly everyone we met was very welcoming and happy to help me in any way they could. We found a quiet, peaceful lunch spot that was also recommended by a friend. It was hidden from the street, but when we found it, it was like we had uncovered a lost world! The building was very colonial, but seemed out of place in India. I felt like I was somewhere in a South American jungle or a more tropical former British colony, but alas, we had not left India. The meal was delightful, the price was right, and the atmosphere was fantastic. If you ever make it to Chennai, be sure to look up Amethyst.

After lunch we made our way back to the hotel, which happened to be conveniently located near St. Thomas’ Mount. This is the place where St. Thomas is rumored to have been martyred. It ended up being a lengthy walk from the hotel, but it was worthwhile. A small chapel crowns the mount which provides a scenic view of the city and the 10 rupee camera charge was fairly insignificant. I was a bit disappointed that we were unable to find a marker showing the spot where St. Thomas was murdered, but maybe no one knows exactly where it took place. At any rate, as dusk set in, we decided to head back to the hotel. We got back and rather than venturing out again settled for dinner at the seafood restaurant. This turned out to be a decision I would greatly regret.

The meal was not bad, but quite overpriced by any standards and what it gave me the next morning surely was not worth the expense! I woke up the next morning with a bad case of the “runs” and an upset stomach. It was so bad that I was not able to make it to the base to see my future house as we had planned to do. Instead, the on-call doctor had to pay me a visit and prescribe some medication for an upset stomach and disagreeable intestines. This was done only after I had been convinced that a shot was necessary to stop the “running” of my bowels. It worked like a charm, but shortly after the shot I found that stopping up one hole, might only lead to the consternation of the other hole and it did. I threw up and as is nearly always the case when I do, I thought I would rather have just died… As I have found in the past, usually things get better after the first round of blowing chunks. Sadly, I continued to have an upset stomach that simply would not go away and caused me to doubt whether I would make my afternoon flight back to Hyderabad or my subsequent flights back to the U.S. for my sister’s wedding! Maybe that doubting Thomas character rubbed off on me a bit?