Great Lent 2020 - 50 Days in 50 Messages

2020 - A Unique year. I had the opportunity to prepare and present my thoughts through the 50 days of the Great Lent of this remarkable year. Glory to God in all things. Thanks to Sam Thomas and Indian Orthodox Radio for allowing me this opportunity.

 Day 1 - Begin with the end in Mind

Day 2 - Setting goals 

Day 3 - Praying for Tears

Day 4 - Let the Changes in

Day 5 - Why does God not hear us? 

 Day 6 - The fasting God desires

Day 7 - Focus on Christ alone (and a recap) 

Every Issue In The Church Is Pastoral

"Every Issue In The Church Is Pastoral"

Mar Nicholovos Reflects on #377- Church and Gay Relationship

Recently I had an opportunity to spend some time with His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church. Among the different matters that came up for discussion was the recent Supreme Court ruling in India regarding Section#377 of the Indian Penal Code which essentially decriminalized homosexuality. I got to pick His Grace's brain on this and Thirumeni indulged me, speaking in some detail about his thoughts regarding this subject. As we know, besides shepherding arguably one of the most vibrant Dioceses in the Church with great care, Thirumeni is a passionate reader, travels around the world and regularly meets with world leaders, in order to fulfill his different official engagements and responsibilities, including as a member of the Central Committee and Executive Committee of the of the World Council of Churches. Naturally Thirumeni has a wealth of experience and insight on contemporary matters of interest for the Church and outside, and hence it is not surprising that despite his relatively young age, is today regarded as one of the wisest counsels in the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Church. I am grateful to Thirumeni for the time spent and the insights given. 

BACKGROUND

Bishop Kallistos Ware of Diokleia, famed theologian and author of well- known books on Orthodoxy like the "The Orthodox Church" and "The Orthodox Way", a few months ago, in his foreword to the Spring\Summer issue of Wheel this year, speaks of the unfair and "heavy burden" the Orthodox Church places on homosexuals and criticizes the “defensive and reactive” manner in which the Orthodox Faith deals with homosexual sin. (https://www.wheeljournal.com/13-14-ware)

Pope Francis has opened space for a deeper, more authentic conversation about how the church can keep one foot planted in Catholic tradition without being afraid to step into the lived experiences of others. While the pope has strongly defended church teaching on marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, he prioritizes listening and personal encounter over finger-wagging denunciations.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/opinion/pope-francis-catholic-church-lgbt.html)

All States in the USA have now allowed gay marriages.

On September 6 2018, the Honorable Supreme Court of the most populous democracy in the world -- India, has decriminalized homosexuality , by striking out gay sex from the list of "unnatural offenses" in the Indian Penal Code 377.

His Grace was asked to react to these current happenings in the world around us in a freewheeling interview. Thirumeni's reactions should in no way be considered the official stand of the Church, they are only his personal opinions. 

(Thirumeni had responded a few years ago to me to a similar question, and so when I got the opportunity I thought of following up on that discussion cited here: https://sunilsramblings.blogspot.com/2012/06/gay-marriage-hg-mar-nicholovas-responds.html )

THE CHURCH’S DILEMMA

His Grace started off with a reminder that the said Law (#377) is an IPC (Indian Penal

Code) from the British times, and not a fundamental right. The Supreme Court of India has not expressed any opinion regarding the morality or ethics of the sexual act between gay persons, it has only dealt with it from the legal point of view. In that context, it is probably right in its judgement to strike down the criminalization of this act between two consenting adults (just like adult cigarette smoking is not criminalized, or adult consumption of alcohol is not criminalized even though we have moral and ethical concerns about those.)

For the Church however, the perspective is different. Even when the adults are consenting, and even when heterosexual persons are involved, the Church does not condone sexual relationships outside of marriage. That act is unacceptable as far as the Church is concerned. Also, one of the most central purposes of a marriage is procreation. According to one of the narratives in the Book of Genesis, God created the woman to be a suitable companion for man, and when we consider the physical design of the body parts of the man and woman used in the sexual act, we see that they are designed for the purpose of procreation and the fertilization of the egg. In case of union between two gay persons, this is not even a possibility. The Church therefore sees this as unnatural and has a problem in sanctifying gay relationship with marriage. 

The argument that more than the physical aspect, it is the emotional closeness that the gay couple feels towards each other does not stand because  - if not for the sexual relationship, the emotional closeness of two men or two women is quite natural, happens all the time between close friends, siblings etc. and does not define a gay relationship - it is only in the context of the sexual relationship that the issue becomes a concern. 

THE JURY IS STILL OUT

To the question whether this issue is a matter of sexual "orientation" created by God which is unchangeable, or a disease like mental illness, or a genetic disorder — this is still under debate. If you consider a pedophile, it is the same thing. They consider their sexual attraction towards children quite natural. They say they cannot alter it. They say they are made that way. But still, we do not consider such behavior as acceptable.

To the question whether the Church should institute some sort of a commission to study this issue, Thirumeni had this to say: The science around the issue, the knowledge about it - is only evolving. There may come a time when we know for sure about this one way or the other without any doubt, as to whether this is a disease which can be treated and made well or a sexual "orientation" that God created, which cannot be altered. That day is not today. We believe that the Holy Spirit guides the Church into all the truth in His time. It may not even be our generation that is destined to figure all this out. When this is figured out without doubt like in the case of the Earth being round, or the earth moving round the sun (which were also debatable topics at some points in history), at that appropriate time the Holy Spirit will also guide the Church into the most appropriate response to it. It is not proper for a commission to deliberate and pass judgement on things we do not yet fully understand. At the same time, it will be a good idea to have a commission set up to study and advise on pastoral care for these children of the church.

PASTORAL RESPONSIBILITY

Every issue in the Church has a pastoral dimension. We may not agree with them, but we still have a responsibility to provide care and love to the individual. The Scriptures have very clear verses that condemn homosexuality, but those must be read with caution, understanding the socio-political context of the Hebrews who gave us the Bible. Even in the secular world we see something as grave as murder with different lenses. Life is sacred, yet taking life is considered bravery when done in defense of one’s nation and the soldier is given bravery awards. Within the Church it is even more true that context matters. Every situation may be different. It should not be surprising that, considering the world we live in where a significant minority are people who see themselves as LGBTQ, there might be people of such inclination even within the Church. When such a person comes forward and makes certain demands, the particular situation will need to be studied and understood from different perspectives. Human life is very complex and every situation has a human context to it. So, it is best to seek help from knowledgeable people if and when such a situation arises. 

EPILOGUE

I thank Thirumeni for patiently discussing this issue very honestly. I strongly feel the Church should keep discussing such contemporary matters and prayerfully submit to the wisdom and guidance of God in these. Every generation must adapt and develop its understanding of God and the world of God by relating to, engaging with and responding to the contemporary issues it faces.  The Church should start thinking, debating and developing a response to such issues with much more seriousness than it has so far, because our children will seek real and honest answers from us and we have a responsibility to answer them. Like Thirumeni said, we may not understand the issues at hand completely yet, and we rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all dimensions of the truth regarding this, so we ought to approach the issue with all humility and honesty. Merely suppressing this issue by quoting certain Bible verses may not work anymore. May our consideration of this matter, and our response to it, always be in a manner that brings glory to God and respect for all our fellow brethren, including those belonging to the LGBTQ community.

Errors if any, in translations or paraphrasing of the original ideas are completely mine.

~ Mathew Samuel

Mathew Samuel, aged 43 years, lives in Albany, New York with his family. An Indian Orthodox Christian believer, he often writes and comments on matters concerning his faith and life. Mathew can be reached at mathew.samuel24@gmail.com

The squint eyed Thirumeni with a vision of 20/20.

Last summer I had to attend a charity event in a Church in Philadelphia. It was a 4 hour drive from my home. As I drove the previous night to go to the friend's place where I was to stay for the night, it was a rainy night with low visibility and I met with an accident. By God's grace, it was not a major accident, and I was unharmed, but the front and the back of my car had considerable damage and one of the headlights was out. I could still drive it, I drove to my friend's place and parked the car.

The next day after the Holy Qurbana and the charity event, I stopped at a prayer area next to the sanctuary. There was a picture of Vattasheril Thirumeni there among other saints. Somehow I was drawn to Thirumeni's picture and I looked intently at the painting. For the first time I noticed "Thirumeni had squint eyes!" The daunting prospect of having the drive home in my damaged car was before me. In my helplessness I asked for Thirumeni's prayers and help. I asked that I reach back home safely with my damaged car. It was Sunday and no serious work on the car could be done on that day - and if not in that car, I would have had to go back in a rented car or a different car, then come back later to pick my car, adding to a lot of hassle for me and those around me.

As it happened, we took the car to a local shop where they could see no leaks or loose hanging parts - I decided to drive the car back home. I drove and reached home safely in good time. But that was the last long trip for my car. In a couple of days, the insurance estimator took a look at the car and found out that there were some major issues with safety, besides the bumper replacement, and decided that the car was not worth the cost of repair and it was totaled. That is when for the first time, I looked back to my journey back home from Philadelphia to Albany in the same car. With the safety issues that had now come to fore, any number of things could have gone wrong, but nothing went wrong. The weather stayed well, the visibility was good, and I could stay on the slow lane and drive through the entire stretch of the highway with one headlight. It was well past sunset when I reached home. End to end my journey back was incident free. I then remembered my prayer to my squint eyed Thirumeni.

This squint eyed Thirumeni had a vision of 20/20 when it came to giving direction to the ancient Church of India. The Catholicate emerging out of the confusion of our past stands witness to Thirumeni's crystal clear vision. And this squint eyed Thirumeni most probably went ahead of me guiding my own squint eyed car that day all the way back from Phily to Albany. O St. Dionysius continue to show the path of your Master, to your sheep who sometimes can hardly see beyond their noses.
(Written in 2014)

Prayer preparing for Holy Qurbana

The following prayer I have used as preparation for Holy Qurbana. Sharing here, hoping it might benefit someone:

Just like the glorious prophet Isaiah saw, bless me O Lord to see you in your glory during the Holy Qurbana. As I approach your Holy Throne, and as the Holy Body and Blood is placed into my unworthy mouth, help me O Lord, to become aware of your unapproachable holiness and my own sinfulness today, just like Isaiah did that day. (Isaiah 6)

Open my eyes today O Lord, just like you opened the eyes of prophet Elisha's servant so that he could see the great army of fiery chariots protecting them all around them - just like him, open my eyes also so that I may behold the great multitude of heavenly and fiery beings all around the Holy Madbaha and the Church as I stand with the Church, offering the Great sacrament to you today. (2 Kings 6)

Just as St. John the Evangelist missed you so much in the far away and lonely land of Patmos, so much that you opened the heavens to reveal the world beyond to him, and you opened time to reveal the future to him - give that same experience to me as well today O Lord -- so that the wonders of the world and time beyond maybe revealed to me as well as I partake in the Holy Qurbana today.

Give me the grace to experience the presence of the holy saints as I stand for the Holy Sacrament today - so that I may realize and come aware of the presence of the Mother of God, of such saints as Parumala Thirumeni, Vattasheril Thirumeni and others standing with me -- all standing together in and as the Church -- so that becoming aware of their presence, I may align my body, mind and soul with them, and become a bit more like them, to offer you the Holy Qurbana today.

The Longing to speak with God

There are times when I remember a(some) small story that I read somewhere which gives a subtle answer to an important question I have. And I think -- Lord is that your way of showing me the answer?

Sometimes I unexpectedly get advice from somewhere, that I am uncharacteristically led to act upon, and that leads me to open a door I never knew existed -- and I ask - Lord was that you prodding me this way?

At times, I am led to write on something, the words come to me out of nowhere, so much so that when I read it later myself, it surprises me at how I was able to write that way -- and I quietly wonder -- Lord was that you urging me on?

These are thoughts that are beyond reason. Probably dismiss-able as silly. But when I sit down and calmly look back to see such occurrences happening over and over again, with a remarkable consistency -- I have to say -- Lord, someday I hope you speak directly with me. Just like you spoke with Moses, or with Abraham or with Noah. I do not pretend to be anywhere close to the spiritual towers that these fathers of old were, yet taking courage in the truth that your Holy Son is joined with me eternally by the Divine Sacrament, realizing the transformative power of that glorious mystery, I keep the hope alive of having a conversation someday directly with you - without the veil of subtle coincidences and without the cover of covert circumstances of time.

Christmas celebration at St. Pauls Indian Orthodox Church, Albany NY

A short while ago the nearest place we knew where there would be Perunnal service like Christmas or Easter was Syracuse which was about 150 miles away. Later we came to know of another Church in Fishkill which was somewhat closer, only 100 miles or so away. So around this time of the year, we would be trying to figure out and plan where to go to attend Christmas service. We hoped the weather would be kind and the drive would be safe. It was easy to give in and stay home, but the longing to attend the service like we were used to in India, to be near the altar when the world celebrated the birth of the Savior, to break the fast with the Holy Qurbana, all made us hit the roads more often than not. So we have great memories of Christmas with the St. Gregorios Indian Orthodox Church Of Dutchess County,NY Church family, Holy Week with Syracuse Church family from past years. 

And then in these last days, God blessed Albany and blessed Albany abundantly. This year we are preparing to celebrate Christmas service in our own church. I remember a time when having a special service in Albany required such elaborate planning including driving the priest from and back to NYC or Philadelphia. We have a full time vicar now with service every Sunday -- also evening prayer every Saturday at Church! Not so long ago, I was trying hard to find one acolyte's training for a regular Sunday service, and this Saturday we are getting together to practice for the Christmas service - we did not even dream of such luxuries a few years ago!

So once in a while, I pause to look back at the paths traveled - just so I do not forget the mighty providence that brought us here - from nothingness to overflowing abundance, from emptiness to exceeding mercy -- and I fall to my knees reminded of the amazing grace that loved a wretch like me. Also I get a grim reminder every time these memories flash in my mind, that unless we bear fruits worthy of these great blessings, we stand to lose everything.

Lord have mercy!

(written in 2008)

Parish committees -- A time for change, a hope for change

This time of the year Church parishes around the world are changing their management. New committees would have been elected and would be waiting to take up their assignments starting from the new year. Wish you all a very good year in the service of the Lord. Jotting down a few things hoping they would be useful to someone -- based on my very limited experiences as an active parishioner, as an ordinary member and an important stakeholder in the Church, and also as a Moderator of a global community for close to 15 years, that has discussed many affairs concerning our parishes and the Church, which has given me a bird's-eye-view of different issues plaguing us. I present these not as any expert, but as an observer and an ardent well wisher -- hoping for change for the better, in this time of change:

1) Please zealously try to keep the environment positive. Every one here is a volunteer trying to spend their time and resources for the good of the Church. Negativity, once it creeps in, can wreck havoc in meetings. It is the work of the Devil. You do not get far by nitpicking, by belittling and insulting the other person. For ensuring positivity, every member elected by the General Body has a role. Every one has a voice and a responsibility to ensure the meetings happen in a positive environment. When committees fail in this responsibility, the hurt permeates the committee and into the parish, into the Church -- and is very very long lasting.Zealously maintain positivity.

2) Be willing to listen. You have one voice and so also does every one else. Your opinion however valid, is as much worth as the other person's. Raise your voice, but then let the discussions and debates happen in a positive manner. By respecting each other we can still have great disagreements and spirited discussions on issues and that is ok and needed. The problems arise when we stick to "my way or the highway" kind of attitude. Be willing to listen.

[It is interesting to note that we as adults know of and practise these principles in the professional environment, yet fail to adhere to these in the Church -- probably because the stakes are seemingly higher in the office -- but that thought is very deceptive -- for in the Church, we are playing with fire, and dealing with the soul -- if we are careful of conduct in the professional world -- we ought to be doubly so in Church]

3) If you see a tendency of one person hijacking an agenda or the meeting, please speak up. We usually keep quiet to avoid confrontations, but remember your silence can cause irreparable harm when others take advantage of your passiveness. The general body that elected you expects you to speak and act. Not only the vicar, every one elected is responsible to speak up and always direct the management, keeping the big picture of the parish and the Church in mind.

4) As I saw in a recent training video for new council members for the Greek Orthodox Church ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn-CHJWP2E8&feature=share ) the new committee will do well to remember that "the main purpose of the council is not to make decisions but to make disciples for Christ". Be welcoming, be open -- in your minds and in leading the congregation -- we all naturally and instinctively have a tribal mindset -- this is a needed gift for survival, self respect, self preservation and self propagation -- but as part of the leadership in the Church, you are called into a greater calling -- to lead others into Christ -- and that Christ's calling is for all -- beyond all borders of ethnicity, language and culture.

Wish you all a great year of service and of support in the ministry of your vicar and your bishop.
(Dec 2015)