Father Paulos Mar Gregorios is one of the pre-eminent Christian leaders in the world. He is Past-President of the World Council of Churches and Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church. He is also a brilliant scholar of all religions. And he considers Baba Virsa Singh his Guru. Often he comes to Maharaj Ji for spiritual guidance. Father Gregorios is so impressed that a Sikh teacher loves Jesus that he has asked Maharaj Ji to attend a meeting of the Orthodox Christian leaders of India so that he can introduce Maharaj Ji to them. To our great amazement, Maharaj has agreed, out of his profound love for Father Gregorios. We are amazed because Maharaj rarely speaks at outside meetings. But he does not want to hurt his friend, and thus he has agreed.
As the time for the function nears, Maharaj Ji tells us to go ahead and wait for him there. He is drinking his tea and will come soon afterward. Dutifully we travel to the venue in Delhi and wait for him in the parking lot. The time for commencement of the programme comes, and the Orthodox leaders are gathered in the auditorium, but Maharaj Ji is still not present. Father Gregorios decides to start without him by telling the bishops about him. According to our Giani Gurdev Singh, who is sitting in the audience, Father Gregorios says, “He is not the Guru of Sikhs only. He is my Guru. He is a spiritual saint. He will sit among us. In a few minutes, he will be reaching here and he will give you a truly spiritual lecture. We ourselves are not spiritual.”
Time passes. Maharaj Ji does not arrive. Father Gregorios periodically makes worried visits to the parking lot, asking us how soon Maharaj Ji will arrive. We ourselves do not know. At last there is some telephone conversation in which Maharaj Ji tells Giani Ji to speak on his behalf. Maharaj himself does not come. Father Gregorios is terribly dismayed, for it is always his desire to display his Guru Maharaj to the world.
Afterward we learn from Maharaj Ji that he received hukam at the last minute not to attend the function. He did not want to disappoint his dear friend, but he can never disobey the hukam. He was directed that it is not time for scattering the Light; it is time for concentrating it in one place. According to this hukam, Maharaj Ji should stay in Gobind Sadan, and then when people visit here, they will be transformed, if God so chooses. Maharaj says, “I have firm faith that when He chooses, people will change in a second.”