Rev. Fr. Sebastian R of the Archdiocese of Bangalore, who is now a staff member in St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Malleshwaram, was invited by the prestigious DD Chandana TV channel to give a Good Friday Phone-in Program. Fr. Sebastian, who holds bachelor degrees in Philosophy and Theology, effectively spoke on the celebrations of the Holy Week and solved the doubts and qualms of the people who called on to him during the program efficiently. He also delineated various biblical instances in a manner that even non – Christians could easily understand. Below is a small chat with Rev. Fr. Sebastian R on his experience on Live TV program.
Interviewer: Hello Father, first of all, Congratulations to you for speaking on Live TV and explaining what Holy Week stands for. Is it your first time on TV?
Fr. Sebastian: Thanks a lot for your words of appreciation. It is my second Live TV program. The last program was on 24th December 2020 about Christmas.
Interviewer: As it was a live program, did you feel nervous?
Fr. Sebastian: No, definitely, I wasn’t nervous. Through my studies on ‘Biblical Theology’ and at present ‘Systematic Theology’ I have gained the confidence to speak about Jesus Christ at any given time and to any group of people.
Interviewer: You answered people’s questions at ease. Did you expect such questions would come?
Fr. Sebastian: Glad to know that you found me at ease when answering questions. Since it was a live program and the spectators or audience were from different regions and of a different faith, I did not expect any specific questions. I had prepared myself well to answer any questions. In fact, I had requested the organizers of this program not to block any questions about however disturbing they might feel. Because the last program they had blocked 2 – 3 questions fearing the misunderstanding. I was confident to deal with any kind of situation or to answer any question without getting upset or nervous.
Interviewer: Christians are relatively a minority in our country. With this background how relevant are such programs?
Fr. Sebastian: Yes. Christians are a minority in our country, compare to others we are insignificant in strength yet we play a very significant role. The main reason for this is our Health and Educational Institutions which are under our care and the way we render our service to the people without discrimination.
Interviewer: Generally, do you think priests must utilize such opportunities to make the teachings of Christ more known to people, especially of the other faiths?
Fr. Sebastian: Evangelization doesn’t mean that we have to only speak about salvation and baptize and convert into Christianity. Through these TV programs we can speak the values of Jesus Christ; what He lived and died for, what Jesus meant by the ‘Kingdom of God’. Only then non-Christians will realize, as Christians why we choose service as our motto. Because, these were the values given to us by Jesus Christ, Love, Service and Forgiveness. Many non-Christians had appreciated the Christmas program. Therefore I was invited again. By seeing the feedback I felt many non-Christians had seen the Good Friday's program than Christians. Yes. Priests must utilize such opportunities. First of all, every priest should be aware of the possibility of such programs and encourage the faithful to watch the program and take up the initiative to take up such opportunities.
You can watch this Good Friday TV Program by clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/vwUTa52nKtA
Interview by: Ajay Raj, PRO Office.