What are Gnomes

I was browsing the internet in search of the relevance of Gnomes in the context of Christmas and Christianity.

Generally, a gnome is a mythological creature that lives underground, protecting some hidden treasures. We hear or read about these creatures in stories. They are dwarves, bearing white beards and wearing conical hats.

But, in spirituality, a Gnome refers to the muse and wisdom in making complicated decisions involving matters of faith and universal harmony.

Here is a detailed explanation provided by AI on the Chrome browser.

"In Christianity, "gnome" doesn't refer to the fairy-tale creature but to the Greek word gnōmē (γνώμη), meaning judgment, opinion, or mind, used in the New Testament for sound advice, discernment, or shared understanding, especially in ethical matters where Scripture is silent, highlighting reasoned decisions based on wisdom and conscience, not mere opinion. It's about making God-honoring choices in complex situations (prudence) and achieving unity in the church, distinct from earthly, fantasy creatures.

Theological Meaning of Gnōmē (Gnome) 

• Reason & Judgment: Refers to the faculty of the mind, intellect, or reason, and the judgment or opinion that results. 

• Practical Wisdom: In the Bible (e.g., 1 Corinthians 7), it's the wisdom to know what to do when direct commands are absent, guiding believers toward sanctified living through conscience and apostolic teaching. 

• Unity & Consent: Signifies agreement or consensus, like the "mind of the church," fostering harmony in decision-making. 

• Christ's Will: In theology (St. Maximus), Jesus's divine and human wills were perfectly united, meaning He never had a "gnomic will"—a human will that needs to deliberate or choose between conflicting options, unlike us.

Gnomes (Creatures) vs. Gnōmē (Christianity) 

• Gnomes (Creatures): Folklore creatures, often associated with earth, mining, and good luck (gardening), a separate cultural tradition. 

• Gnōmē (Christianity): A spiritual concept of human intellect and moral decision-making, used to understand how believers apply faith in daily life, distinct from mythical beings. 

In essence, when Christians use the term "gnome," they're usually referring to the profound concept of divinely-informed judgment and counsel, not garden figures."

The Tale of the Cracked Pot and A Lesson

Once upon a time, there lived an elderly man in a small village. Every morning, he would carry a long pole across his shoulders, hang a water pot from each end, and walk several miles to the river to fetch water for his household.

However, the two pots weren't identical. One of them was cracked, causing it to leak.

The man would fill both pots at the river. Yet, by the time he arrived home, the cracked pot would be half empty because it had leaked water during the walk.

The cracked pot used to be ashamed of its inability to perform its job properly. One day, as they were nearing their home, it spoke to the old man.

“I am very sorry. I feel ashamed because I can't do my responsibilities as well as the other."

The old man smiled and said, "Tomorrow, as we walk home, instead of feeling ashamed, please look up at the side of the path.”

The pot hesitated but agreed. As they left the river and started walking on the next day, the pot looked around the path and was amazed. On its side of the path, there was a lovely row of green plants filled with fragrant flowers.

Looking at the cracked pot, the old man explained, “I knew about your cracks, so I planted flower seeds along your side of the path. The leakage from your cracks helps water them each day. And, now, I will pick these flowers to share their beauty with the entire village.”

The lesson from this story is:

"Never be ashamed of your weaknesses and disadvantages. Instead of worrying about them, try to take advantage of them by putting them to some other different uses".

Childhood Memories - Madras City in 1960s - T Nagar and Paanagal Park

During my childhood (late 1950s and full 1960s), there was a cinema hall named "Rajakumari Theater" on the main road of Pondy Bazar in T Nagar, that screened many English films for children at concession rates. It was owned by the Original Dream Girl of the cinema industry, T.R. Rajakumari (the popular Tamil actress from 1935 to 1963). She was also a renowned singer and producer. As a child, I would watch movies with my siblings once or twice a month. My father used to send us mostly to the Noon shows on these occasions, as they were suitable for children ( and often screened at reduced rates).

Often, it was the screen of this Rajkumari Theater that drew my attention more than the movie itself. It was a golden and regal screen. I used to feel blissful watching it ripple up and down in a mesmerizing way. 

Our home was in West Mambalam, and this cinema hall was within a mile from there, accessible via Pangal Park. We could walk leisurely and reach the hall in 20 minutes. I remember watching the famous movie "Mera Naam Joker" and another beautiful film called "The Sound of Music" at that theatre. I watched Mera Naam Joker many times after that as an adult. Now, I watched "The Sound of Music" again on Hotstar at the age of 70 to relive those childhood memories.

Panagal Park used to be full of greenery with small plants and big trees surrounding grassy plots. We used to walk from the house to the park on Sunday evenings and spend some time there enjoying the beautiful scenery while eating fried groundnuts (now they call it peanuts). There was a small library inside the park for children to read comic books. We sat there till late evenings, enjoying the stories.

While going to the park or returning, we used to peek into the cloth markets and other shops in Pondy Bazar. There used to be all kinds of items, even occupying the footpaths, from clothes to footwear to jewellery, fancy, plastic, porcelain, etc.

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Short Stories - A Rabbit and The Tortoise

 

As you are well aware, rabbits are fast runners. They can run at a speed of 30 to 40 km per hour. On the other hand, a tortoise is a slow-moving animal. Tortoises can cover anywhere between 2 to 4 km in an hour, depending on their age and build. So, tortoises are presumed to be lazy creatures.

Now, I am coming to the story of a rabbit and a tortoise.

Once upon a time, there lived a Rabbit who was very proud of her fast-moving ability. So, when she found a Tortoise that was crawling lazily near a pond, it got disgusted and resorted to shaming her pace.

The Tortoise did not despise her but proposed for a race between them. She told her that it would be of some help in improving her pace if she competed with the Rabbit. She was well aware of the mentality of proud and arrogant over-confident beings.

The Rabbit was quick enough to accept the challenge as she was overwhelmed with the Tortoise's complement.

A woody place adjacent to the pond was selected for the purpose of the race at the proposal of the Rabbit. A lengthy course was decided upon by defining a starting point and the endpoint.

The race began. The Rabbit was in a hurry to complete the task as quickly as possible. So she shot off like an arrow. The Tortoise kept on crawling at her own speed. 

After covering half of the distance, the Rabbit got tired and thought of resting for a while. So, she stopped and looked back. The Tortoise was nowhere to be seen. It settled herself under a tree till the Tortoise could be seen. She kept looking for the Tortoise repeatedly and, in the meantime, began feeling drowsy. What happened next, she had no idea. She must have fallen asleep. But couldn't estimate for how much time she had fallen asleep.

So, She suddenly began galloping to the end point of the race, only to find that the Tortoise was already there. She had to admit her defeat. 

The Tortoise was consistent in her effort to reach her destination point with full determination, and she achieved success.

The Rabbit was proud, arrogant, and overconfident. She did not follow stability in her approach due to which she failed. 

Short Stories - The Fox and The Stork

Once upon a time, there lived a very cunning and jealous Fox. He enjoyed tricking other animals and creatures, thereby harassing them. So, all animals used to maintain distance from him. 

One day, he came across a Stork fishing her food near a pond and got jealous of her long beak. She was able to catch fish easily using her long beak. Moreover, she was clever enough. He noticed her sitting still at the banks like a statue and suddenly protruded her beak into the water and grabbed the fish within its beak. He felt jealous and wanted to harass her in some way or other.

He thought of a plan and invited the stork to dine with him in the evening. The stork was happy to find a friend and accepted the offer. She dressed herself beautifully and reached the place of the fox punctually.

The fox invited her and made her sit comfortably on a bench. He then took two plates and placed them on a table, one for the stork and the other for himself. He brought a pot full of a sweet dish known as kheer and served it with a ladle on the two plates. He asked her to start eating and he began himself eating.

Now, the stark had a problem with eating. She was accustomed to eating from a long jar, and squeezing food from a jar using her beak was easier. So, she could not squeeze from a plate, as it was flat. She could grab only one grain from the plate at a time.

The fox, on the other hand, used its tongue to squeeze the food and was able to eat quickly. He emptied his plate within seconds and added more food to it. He continued eating until the pot was empty and felt very satisfied as he had managed to outsmart the stork. Outwardly, he pretended to be very sorry that the stork could not eat even a quarter plate of the kheer served to her. He made excuses for not having any jar with him. 

The stork was unpleasant and angry. But, she does not show it outwardly. She thanked the fox and went away. Inwardly, she was planning to punish the fox for his malicious behavior. 

One Sunday, the Stork visited the Fox's home and invited him to dinner. The Fox was delighted and accepted the invitation. He put on a handsome suit, tied a stylish tie, sprinkled perfume over himself, and arrived at the Stork's home on time.

The Stork greeted him and made him sit on a chair at the dining table. She told him that she had prepared a juicy pudding with fish. The Fox was eager to enjoy the taste of fish, and she knew it very well. So, she brought two long jars and the pudding without delay. She filled the jars with the pudding, placed one in front of the Fox, and requested him to start enjoying the food. She settled into the other chair, dipping her long beak into her jar and began squeezing the pudding merrily.

The fox was wondering how to eat his food. The jar was long, and its mouth was narrow. To reach it, he had to stand up on his front legs placed on the table. He could reach the mouth of the jar but could not insert his tongue into it. Unless his tongue reached the food, he could not swallow. So, he was making various futile efforts to get to the food, all in vain. He climbed onto the table itself, but even then, he could not succeed in reaching the food.

The Stork, on the other hand, was enjoying her food as her legs and beak were very long and could easily reach to the bottommost part of the jar. She also poured the remaining pudding into her jar and swallowed it within minutes. She found the Fox unable to eat even a small bit of his food. So, she took his jar also and emptied it immediately while the Fox was shivering with shame and anger.

The Stork told him that it was a Tit for Tat. She had to teach him a lesson for all his cunning deeds he played on others.