Samuel Rayan

Who is Samuel Rayan?

Samuel Rayan is an Indian Jesuit theologian. He was born on 23 July 1920 at Kumbalam in Kollam District, Kerala into a family of eight children. In 1939 Rayan entered Jesuit order. He was ordained priest on March 24, 1955.

Being a radical humanist, Rayan is convinced that the human person in community is the object of God's special love. Rayan speaks for care of the earth, concern for life and commitment to people. Rayan's theologizing is deeply rooted in his life, his land and his commitment to Jesus. Born in and brought up in a village in Kerala, he devoted many years to the study of Malayalam literature. He mastered Sanskrit and is well read in Indian religions and philosophy. According to Rayan theology is a reminder of the great demands of the Kingdom. For Rayan the central mission of the Christian faith is its insertion into the concrete and daily life of the people, especially of the most marginalized and oppressed members of the social body. As Rayan says, "Rice is for sharing, bread must be broken and given. Every bowl, every belly shall have its fill, to leave a single bowl unfilled is to rob history of its meaning; to grab many a bowl for myself is to empty history of God." Rayan's God is a God of life and hope. He draws on the richness of India's great religious traditions and finds therein a deep respect for the human person and humanity, which is the core of his theology. His humanism can thus be called an Indian humanism. This humanism has at its heart a concern for social justice and the uplift of the poor and marginalized, without which religion in India would be mere empty rhetoric. Two of his major works are: Breath of Fire : The Holy Spirit: Heart of the Christian Gospel,The Holy Spirit:Heart of the Gospel and Christian Hope,.