All they did was go to work

The following are my thoughts as I wrote down a week after September 11th 2001. We used to work on John Street in downtown Manhatten, New York - 3 blocks from the WTC site then.
--------------

After 6 days we are back in office.


Lower Manhatten is far from normal. No communication, no electricity in most parts; yet the people are making an effort to return to some form of normalcy.

Our office is 3 blocks away from what was the WTC. The air is still not clear, and in the regions where the twin towers stood, it is still cloudy with dust. I spent a half hour down there, the air makes you dizzy, they are giving out masks for you to wear.

That day - Sept 11th 2001, we reached office early, around 8:45 am. We were starting about our day, begining with checking mails etc, when our boss told us that the WTC was on fire, that a plane had
crashed into it. (Frankly I did not believe the plane part, but I could see the fire from the window).



2nd plane approaching WTC - sept11 2001

 We searched for news on the internet. MSN news, CNN, BBC etc were not accessible (perhaps due to the traffic) so, I looked at Times of India and it was here that I first read that it was a terrorist attack. (It
was here also that soon after I first saw the horrifying picture of the second plane approaching the towers, a picture which we all have now become so much familiar with).

Soon there was another loud sound,(probably the second plane crash) and we could see the people running helter skelter on the ground.(We are on the 7th floor)

Our boss came back with the news that he saw people jumping down to their death from the towers. We switched on the news on the radio and were thinking of what we must do when we heard another loud sound (probably the first tower falling). All of us almost instantly decided to leave and we all took the stairs down. On reaching down we heard the building authorities making an announcement over the public
announcement system that the building was being evacuated.

We were escorted to the back exit, visibility was low as there was the continuous shower of rubble and dirt falling.I did not have the faintest idea then why the rain of rubble was falling.

We walked through the streets, someone said "Go towards the sea", and we walked towards the sea port. The crowd then moved towards the Brooklyn Bridge. While on the bridge we, could get a good view of the burning tower. We could see only one tower, someone said, the other had fallen,I did not believe them."They are overreacting" I thought,"May be the other tower is just hidden from view".But halfway into the Brooklyn Bridge we looked back to see the other tower too coming down into a giant mountain of rubble. We walked faster; the idea was to get as far away from Manhatten as possible. We reached Brooklyn and looked back and could see only a large cloud of smoke where Downtown Manhatten was, and the cloud was steadily moving towards us, we thought.
We walked in the direction of Queens, and around 2 hours later, we got a bus that got us to the edge of Brooklyn and then another bus took us to Queens and home.

Only when we saw the pictures on TV, did we realise how close we were to the death that hovered all around WTC that day, the same place where we get down from the subway daily and pass by as we head for office each morning.

In the morning that day, we heard the conductor on the subway greet everyone saying "Haleluiah". At that time, I dismissed the remark as that of another American jerk. But before the end of the day, the importance of those words were brought out to me in such a manner that I will never ever forget, as the events of the fateful day unfolded.

"Haleluiah".
Please pray for the thousands in and around the WTC who were not as lucky as we were.

Like Senator Hillary Clinton remarked - "All they did was - go to work".



Src: ICON

What is God doing in the Church?

I recently participated in a Holy Qurbana when I had this thought.

Clueless!

The Holy Qurbana (Eucharist) was going on at its pace. Songs were followed by prayers followed by responses followed by songs. Some people were singing, others were not. Someone was going out of the Church, some one was coming in. Children were playing at the back. Some were making the sign of the Cross at the appropriate times, others were standing still. Some had hands folded., others had hands in their pockets. At the altar some people seemed lost in thought, some were singing along, some were fiddling with the books, while others were going through the motions. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing; the Qurbana was going on and everyone was pretty much clueless!

The thought occurred to me. The Lord of Lords is sitting at the altar. What will the Lord be doing? Is he observing these happenings? What is He thinking? What does the Lord do during the Holy Qurbana?

Is He like the Indian King of the old movies, sitting on the throne, the centre of attraction at the scene of a performance, nodding His head in acknowledgement, accepting the prayers? Is that our idea of God?

Is this like in the setting of a Qawali or Shayari session, where the Lord is saying "Wah Wah"* at the songs we sing? Is that how we feel the Lord reacts when appeased?

All the people in the Church seemed like busybees, wanting to finish off what they were doing, so that they could get out, to do other important things in their lives. While the Lord seems to have no qualms sitting at the altar all the time. Is the Lord the only person in the Church who has a lot of time to kill?

It then dawned in me - the Lord's work never ends. 

He has been busy preparing the people, slowly prodding them to come to Church (despite all excuses they throw up). He has been continually and patiently nudging someone to repent, even though he keeps sinning instead. Maybe someone in the Church that day maybe at the door of death, maybe this is his or her last Holy Qurbana - the Lord is trying till the very last instant to save that soul. He is actively engaging the person, He is trying to make him focus, so that He may repent, so that he may have communion with the Lord, so that the Lord may enter into his weak body and try to work from within him. 

The Deceiver is always on prowl

The Lord knows the danger of the Devil waiting to devour the person, and is trying His level best to snatch him away from death. He is constantly working with each person. He is making the sacrifice at the Cross carve salvation out for every single person. Maybe someone in the Church that day has sinned a grevious sin and is unrepentant. The Devil has hardened his heart. The Lord is actively trying to melt his heart to guide him into confession and reconciliation.

Maybe someone in the Church that day is about to commit something sinful. The Lord is working hard to make him change his plans. 

Maybe someone in the Church that day has never led a life in the Lord, even though she has always been 'active' in the Church. The Lord is actively focussing on her to bring her to Himself. 

The Lord is our Advocate who is constantly trying to fortify our case, even though we usually throw it all away again and again, so that when the dark angels come at our death to ask for our soul, there is a case strong enough for the Lord to keep us, for that is why He died on the Cross, that was the reason for His suffering, to redeem our souls. And so His work continues through the ages.

All this work happens amidst all the commotion in the Church. The Lord is not measuring the length of the prayers, He is trying to find a moment within those prayers when He can touch us. He never rests, He is always working, and His work is always for us. 

Only if those who came to Church also realized how much the Lord worked each moment to help us escape death, we would perhaps have tried a little more not to hurt Him. Perhaps then, we would enjoy the Church a little more.

* Typical reaction to a Shayari session in an South East Asian setting.

Gay Marriage - HG Mar Nicholovas responds

I got a chance to attend a Parents and Couple's conference in NY last weekend and I asked a question when it was time for asking questions.

I asked: Today in the secular society we have a lot of discussions about gay and straight relationships. What is the Church's understanding about these? How does the Church approach these issues?
Who is a gay? Is this a disease? If so, can it be remedied? Or is it an orientation with which certain people are born? If so, how does the Church preach and teach Christ in such a society where people are of this orientation? What if one of our daughters or sons tomorrow opened out to us that they were gay?..etc"

HG Zachariah Mar Nicholovas

I was not actually expecting any real answer, because I knew the general approach of the people in this regard (of hushing around it, of playing the ostrich, of using some sarcasm to avoid the core issue, etc). All I wanted was to raise the issue, so that there was some kind of awareness going on, because I felt this question might become something for the parents and couples in our
Church to address in the years to come. I was surprised when I really got something to take back as a response. So here I share (I have paraphrased the response, for clarity purposes. What follows below is not the response itself but my understanding of the essence of the response, which I have elaborated adding my own words for illustration and emphasis and am using Thirumeni's name with permission):
----------------
Our Diocesan Metropolitan, most respected and beloved Zachariah Mar Nicholovas was taking the questions. His Grace started with a disclaimer not to consider the response as any 'official stand' of the Church because the church's opinion was only evolving, the issue itself was quite complex and the discussion was something very new to our society.

Thirumeni explained his thoughts by clarifying the difference between 'being a gay' person and 'practising as a gay'. A common school of thought that has evolved so far seems to be that when someone is a gay, he or she is like that by orientation (meaning, he\she is created like that).If at all it can be considered a disease, it must be something like a genetic disorder or so. Being a gay in this manner, is in itself, not a problem. The issue that the Church has to deal with is the issue of a gay practising same-sex relationship and of acknowledging a gay marriage.

Obviously any extra marital relationship is not condoned by the Church. As for the issue of gay marriage itself - for the Church, one of the primary purposes of marriage is 'procreation'. Without any blame or ill feeling towards those couples who are unable to have children of their own after marriage, we have to see this primary purpose behind marriage as 'for procreation'. That is where the
Church has issue with a gay marriage - where procreation is never in the picture.



Procreation - a primary purpose of marriage

In a civil society, there are issues of benefits being denied when the couple is  gay - like the ability to file for joint tax returns etc, which has economic implications. These are the issues the civil courts have to deal with when they decide on matters concerning granting legal status to gay marriages. The Church does not bestow any such benefits to the couple.

So the Church is sympathetic towards the gay individual oriented that way, the Church loves him or her as Her own and is dutibound to work for salvation of such an individual like anyone else's, but the Church has a problem being the central figure in a wedding where procreation is not even a possibility. The Church is still struggling with this question in the light of modern scientific debates and scientific explorations in the subject matter. On the one side there is the traditional understanding and on the other side is the Church's pastoral responsibility  to these children of Hers.

The Church once believed the earth was flat

------
I applaud Thirumeni for taking the question and for responding sincerely. I feel the Church needs to take this further, ponder over such issues in prayer and develop this thought process. The knowledgable persons in this issue - in the theological, psychological, medical, sociological fields and in all such related arenas must contribute to help the Church in how she develops Her stand. The reason I feel this is important is - we need to be able to honestly answer our children as a Church, unambiguously and in one voice, whenever they ask. Because if we cannot satisfy them, in this information age, they will seek the answers elsewhere, and they will get many different versions of the answers from outside, and we may not like what they learn from outside. So, when they ask the

Let the Spirit reveal the path

Church, the Church must be there with an answer, not a diplomatic response to evade the question, but a genuine, sincere and honest answer, which the Holy Spirit has revealed to Her. For that to happen, the Church must take up the issue in prayer and contemplation, patiently try to understand the issue, and listen to the Holy Spirit's response, even if that response may not always be to our liking.

Sincerely
Mathew Samuel,
Albany, NY

 (Nichololovos Thirumeni's views have been published on this article with permission)

The Church cares for everyone

P.S.: This topic has been talking points in various forums in other Christian circles, including in different Orthodox Churches. The Indian courts have discussed the issue, as we are well aware. While responding to the issue, kindly stay focussed on the issue and not on the personalities. We need constructive debates, discussions, prayers and bold decisions; may our contributions in ICON
and elsewhere become instruments of change, if change is needed,and of conviction, if change is to be opposed, but in all cases, always only for the glory of the Lord and His Church.

How to approach other denominations?

You will usually not find me using the word 'denominations', because I feel Christianity was never intended to be a conglomerate of different groups called denominations. The Lord established one Church, and there was supposed to be only one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We were never intended to be "denominational" groups.

Yet, to make my point, I wanted to clarify, what in my mind, should be our approach to other 'denominations". We have our close friends, our blood relatives, our mothers, our fathers, placed in different denominations today. What should be our approach to them?

We have a Lord who prayed for those who shamed him, who bore the sins of those who spat on him, who sacrificed His life to save those who hated Him. That is the only model we have. 'Diakona' meaning 'servant' is a prime duty of every Christian.(this is from where the word 'deacon' has derived from). We have to be servants to those outside the Church. [In this sense, the faction fight is a terrible blot on our generation. I cannot help thinking, we could have done better than this.]

The call is not to be tolerant of other 'denominations', but to love them so much that you serve them. Are we doing that now? By no means! But that should be our goal. We should be there first to help, we should be willing to go the extra mile for them, we should be working hand in hand with them, if needed, we should be able to give even our lives for them. Are we able to do that now? No! But that is what we (myself included) should grow into. Then only do we become Christ like. Tough?!Yes. But this life in Christ was never meant to be easy.

How do we make this happen? How can we spread good will among Christian brethren torn apart by the designs of Satan into different 'denominations'? I see several things we can do at our level.

1) Volunteering Opportunities

Look for areas of volunteering together. For example, if we hear of something the Marthoma Church is doing nearby for volunteering or charity, join ourselves with them. Look for opportunities to work together to serve humanity.

2) Learn from them

I think one of the greatest contributions of the Marthoma Churches to Christianity must be the numerous lively songs. Learn the good songs from them. We have among us our sisters and mothers from the Marthoma background(Note that anyone married into the Orthodox Church, become one body with the Church in every way; it is wrong to think of them any other way), use their help to learn and adopt good things happening in the other 'denomination'. Learn from the perspectives and experiences of those who come into the Church this way. Allow them to blossom, grow and add to the fullness of the Orthodox Church. For example, one very good thing I think we could use is the idea of a parish or edavaka mission in our parish - I have seen this in the Marthoma Church. Learn from the passion for the Lord seen in those in the Pentecostal denomination. Have a passion to learn the Bible.

3) Have joint programs

I have already asked the Managing committee if it might be possible to hold annual song and other competitions between different 'denominations' in the Albany area. We must look for opportunities to come together, do things together, and walk together wherever it is possible.

4) Pray for unity

Denominations is just a sad reality. Pray for the end of all denominations. Pray for the healing power of the Lord to bring unity.

We need workers to work and strengthen the Church today, not people who sit on the fence and criticize. The Church needs volunteers to work in different fields, and one important field to work in is the area of ecumenism. The healing needs to begin. And it needs to begin from within us.

There may be many different areas we can work together, please comment and discuss. Please send feeedback.

Clapping of Hands in Worship

Is it wrong to clap hands when we worship? Is our worship contradictory to the instructions in Psalms 150?

This is something that has been in my thought since long, especially as we live

in the midst of different Christian groups.

I recently witnessed a glimpse of the worship of the Eritrean (Ethiopian)

Orthodox Church. They use drums,use clapping and even dance while they worship. So obviously these are not forbidden. See here:

But I feel there is a valid reason why our tradition has developed this way. Andit is good. We can always look for change, but we must be careful that our zeal for change does not make us lose something very precious.

Psalms 150 written in the Old testament times gives expression to the ecstatic

and joyous celebration of God. Its an uninhibited release of praise towards the

Almighty Yahweh.

For us Christians though, everything gets colored through the Gospels. King

David did not have the image of the Cross in mind when he wrote Psalms 150. We

read the Old testament seen in the background of Calvary.

We do not see such an unrestrained emotion in the way of worship formed in the

New Testament Church (how could they, considering they were so close to, and

were so well aware of the suffering of the Lord in Calvary), nor in the works of

Fathers of the Church. Mar Ephrem is considered the harp of the Holy Spirit, his

many poems we use in our worship and prayers. In the prayers and Liturgy, we see

an emotion of pain as we identify with the Cross, calmness and silence as we try

to understand the unimaginable love at Calvary. In the New Testament, we see

"psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" but not shouting, clapping and chaos.

This sentiment shines through even in our expressions of joy of Resurrection as

we are continuously reminded to be humble and meek, always alert and ready,not

drunk in celebrations, because the Devil is always round the corner, because our

race is not yet complete.

Since our wise and Holy Fathers sought refuge in this sentiment primarily, our

music and our songs reflect the calmness, the low key and passionate tone as

opposed to the unrestrained expressions of Psalms 150.

We read Psalms 150 in every of our Morning prayers on Sundays, yet we see the

celebrations in the Psalm looking on from the foot of the Cross. Our ecstatic

celebration is given expression in the Holy Eucharist, which the Devil fears,

all other incidents pale in comparison.

This is not because we are moving away from the Bible, this is because we are

truly embracing the music, the song, the message of the Bible, I feel. I don't

think its wrong to clap hands in worship, but I feel it will be a loss if we

don't teach our children why we don't usually do that in worship.

See a section of the Holy Eucharist in Malankara Orthodox/Jacobite Church:

Src: ICON

The Orthodox - Who are we?

A Gathering of Orthodox Christians in Albany - A Report

On May 6th 2012 evening, the Malankara Orthodox Christians from St. Paul's Orthodox Church in Albany, NY and friends from the local Jacobite Syrian Church got together at St. George Antiochian Church in Albany. The occasion was a meeting of Orthodox Christians in the area in a program called "The Orthodox - Who are we?"

There were representatives from the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Eritrean
Church, the Antiochian Church besides the Malankara Church.

The St. George Antiochian Church is a small but beautiful Church with paintings and icons on the walls and windows. (I noticed that the Byzantine tradition does not use a veil for separation of the Holy of the Holies, like we do, but has doors at the center and sides)

The Orthodox - who are we?

Armenian Church

The priest from the Armenian Church spoke briefly about the history of the

Armenian Church and Lake Van Kurdistan Turkey

Armenian Church, the Armenian genocide of 1915 and how despite always being a persecuted Church, the Armenian Church was growing stronger by the day, and also about the local presence of the Armenian community. Christianity was brought to the kingdom of Armenia by two of Jesus' Apostles, Thaddeus and Bartholomew in
first century A.D. The Armenian Church had long back translated the Liturgy to Armenian and they were the first state to declare itself as a Christian nation, way back in 301 AD.

Liturgical Music Presentation from Armenian Church

The priest along with a deacon later presented some part of their Liturgical Music. It was nice to listen to the ritualistic chants they use in their Liturgy. I was particularly struck by how deep voiced their chants are and how loud they sing. The acoustics of the Church was such that there was no mike system needed.

 

  

 

Eritrean Church

Next a deacon from the Eritrean Church spoke about how we were all one in faith.

Church in Assab, Eritrea in Africa

He spoke in his own language and there was an interpreter. Their liturgical music had drums and dancing and it was a joy to behold them.

 

 

 

Liturgical Music Presentation from Eritrean Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malankara Church

The spokesperson from the Malankara Church gave a nice introduction about the

The HQ of the Indian Orthodox Church, Kerala, India

coming of St. Thomas to India and the different forms of Christianity that exist today in India. During the Liturgical presentation, there was a section of the Liturgy of the Word presented in Malayalam with Trisagion chants and songs
before the Epistle and Gospel readings.

Liturgical Music Presentation by Indian Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antiochian Church

For the Antiochian Church, which was the host Church and which was the only

St.George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Albany, NY

representative of the Byzantine tradition, the priest gave a brief history and then the hosts presented a part of their worship including the way they use the Trisagion.

 

 

 

 

 

Fr. Gregory of the host Church

   Vespers and beyond

Later everyone participated in the Vespers (Evening Prayers) which was inEnglish. It was striking to see how many times they used "Lord have mercy" in their prayers.

After the Vespers, everyone got together for a fellowship of sharing of the different ethnic food items. There were Indian medu vadas and cutlets alongside Armenian, Mediteranean and African dishes and it was a great time to get to know each other. Recipes were exchanged and photos were taken.

There was a collection taken for the "Food for Hungry" program towards which contributions were made. Everyone agreed to make this into an annual event and the Armenian Church agreed to host the event for the coming year. It was a blessed time to be able to see and experience how Orthodox Christianity had found its expressions in different traditions and how the Holy Spirit had kept the flame of the ancient faith alive through the Centuries.

Src: ICON

Some thoughts for the Indian Church

Recommendations for Malankara Orthodox Church Social and Humanitarian Action(MOCSHA)

1) Identity in Rural India:

Rural India

What Gandhiji said long ago is so true even today - India lives in its villages. As the Indian Orthodox Church, we must make our identity known in rural India and MOCSHA can be a great vehicle to make this happen. We must move on from being a Malayalee Church (club) to being the true Bride of Christ in India. We may be humble in our numbers, that is ok, but just like the poor widow's offering, our service must be sincere and must contribute to the welfare of India and the society.

Christ's love beyond boundaries

2) True Vision of Christ to Indians:

Many Western missionaries think India is a land of evil spirits and dark powers. They cannot understand the undercurrent of love and spiritual richness that flows in India through all her religions and cultures. Hence, even when they preach Christ, they knowingly or unknowingly spread communalism and hate
and hence end up mutilating the witness of Christ. As the Church of India, we need to be able to give the right vision of Christ to India - the vision of Christ as the true friend of the poor, the lonely and outcasts. We are not looking for additions to a club, we are looking for sharing the love of Christ - that message must be prominent. That was Osthathios Thirumeni's message and that is what made many follow His ways and through him, follow the ways of Christ.

3) Sharing parish level activities information

- a Model for collaboration between Sunday Schools and Institutions

Since this(sharing info) is one of the aims of MOSCHA, I wanted to share one thing we have tried to do, here in Albany, but have been very unsuccessful so far. We are a very small group - only about 15 members. We have a Sunday School of about 8 students. We tried to connect our children here in Albany to a couple
of unique children named Sachu and Sneha from St. Thomas Ashram in Attapadi in Kerala. (Please read about Sachu and Sneha, their predicaments, their treatment, progress etc in the archives of ICON,maybe this link can be a good starting point for someone new:Sachu and Sneha.)

A project connecting Albany Sunday School with Attapadi

We wanted to make the 8 students in Albany friends of Sachu and Sneha. The plan was to create a platform for the kids here to communicate with Sachu and Sneha in India in different ways and the hope was that as time passed, the friendship would take a life of its own. Accordingly we showed the kids here videos of Sachu and Sneha's life there, we sent Christmas greetings and paintings of kids here to Attapadi etc. This went on for a couple years I think and interest has tapered off lately, but I am sure the spark can be re-ignited again in future for example by a visit to Attapadi on vacation by one of the kids etc. In short this can be a long term thing.

But I think this is a good model for larger Churches to adopt. Kids do not have money to give, but they have the yearning to love and share. If parish Sunday schools can be connected with some such institutions through MOCSHA for the longer term and the kids are made to grow with the institutions, they will
hopefully develop a relationship with the institutions for life. Thus if MOSCHA can facilitate some of the Sunday Schools to "adopt" some of our institutions, I think it will be a win win situation.

Src:ICON

Love Is Stronger Than Faction!

I was reading somewhere that "Love is stronger than faction". That set me thinking - isn't that so true?
In our faction fight today, both sides seem to have valid grievances. Thus it is complicated. No easy solutions are seen. So let the fight go on as led by the leaders on both sides.(for now)

Lets work for unity

But at the same time, is it possible to explore areas where we can stand together?

Can some of the moderates on both sides explore possibilities to work together on other areas where our paths merge?

Like - maybe a youth project by the youth league on both sides to work together in a village in North India?

Like - maybe a trip by youngsters from both sides to visit some pilgrimage centers and stay together for some days?
Like - maybe a joint conference on a Biblical theme?

Like - some things which can help nurture a new generation where there is love? Today that love is scarce. When the love reaches the brim and overflows, it will spill over and factions will disappear.
Is that possible? Maybe even in the midst of the grievances, a bishop can be assigned from each side to explore this? Who knows - it may work wonders - after all we have a Lord who rose from the dead.

Src: ICON

Discussing Osthathios Thirumeni

At the time of the passing away of the Jewel of the Malankara Orthodox Church(on Feb 16 2012)

All of us are only coming to terms with the loss of His Grace[HG] Dr. Geevarghese Mar Osthathios Thirumeni (as a bishop of the Church is addressed). We will all truly miss him only in the coming years, when we don't hear the one voice of love anymore as we again tie ourselves in knots over different issues within and outside the Church.

I wanted to highlight couple things about Thirumeni, which I hope we can take up in true Christian spirit. If we truly love this beloved shepherd as we say we do, we will not ignore his words. His thoughts should be discussed, debated, his ideas developed, maybe even filtered, so that the Church can interpret, explain
and help give context to Mar Osthathios's message for the coming generations.

Two topics come to mind immediately, which I know are not in tune with the generally accepted mainstream theology of the Church.(Being the radical thinker that Mar Osthathios was, it is most appropriate HG's words give us food for thought)

Mar Osthathios was for a more even distribution of wealth

1) Osthathios Thirumeni preached that it is a sin to be rich in a poor society. He envisioned a classless society. He said "Capitalism is demonic while socialism is Christian". While we can understand what Thirumeni is trying to say, working as he was in the midst of people in abject poverty, these views taken out of context can prove dangerous, if for example, many years down the line, someone uses these words to paint Christ as socialist (in its extreme sense) etc. We do know that socialism and capitalism both has its flaws and virtues. How does the Church leaders and thinkers today view Thirumeni's words? How can we develop these thoughts to help explain Thirumeni's mission and message?

Was this what Mar Osthathios envisioned?

2)Osthathios Thirumeni preached about a One Religion of Love, which includes all faiths, so to say. I know this was discussed some bit on this forum in the past. We must understand that Thirumeni had been a very very passionate Gospel worker from his early days. Fr. M.V. George was a gifted convention speaker for many many years, in an era where convention speakers were not common; he was a radical thinker and a progressive leader, passionate to sow the seeds of the Gospel. St. Paul's Mission Center, Sneha Sandesham etc were all Thirumeni's initiatives to further the gospel work in India. While love was obviously a
major theme always for Mar Osthathios, only in the last 10 years or so of Thirumeni's earthly life did we see him as a prophet of love. (Thirumeni himself talks of these as different stages of HG's life). Love cannot be separated from the Gospel, yet there is something more in Mar Osthathios's vision that needs to
be explained. So what changed? How did the passionate Gospel worker become convinced that all ways lead to God? Is that a natural progression? Perhaps debating and discussing this can gain insight into this beloved father's thinking.

Finally, I hope we create a sustainable process to ensure all of Thirumeni's projects gain even more strength now that Thirumeni is not with us bodily. It will be a tragedy if we see that a few years down the line, the mission aspect of the Church is neglected. We have come this far in mission and charity work by the drive of one person mainly (supported by many warriors who worked inspired by this man). But for sustaining it for the future, we need more than individual initiatives, we need to make it part of the system somehow. Brainstorming on how to do this will be a good start and worthy tribute to this beloved son of the Holy Church.

Src: ICON

Glimpse of worship from the 4th Century

Etheria was a woman who travelled the Holy Land sometime in the late 4th century AD. She has written down what she saw as practices of the Early Church then existing in the Holy Land (note that this was before the birth of Islam) - especially during the Holy Week.

(Read about Etheria the Pilgrim on wikipedia or Google. Etheria's maybe the first formal writings by a woman which we have access to.)

As we scroll down to the "Veneration of the Cross" section, we see how the wood of (probably) the original Cross was venerated, bowed down upon, kissed (even bitten away! so guarded by deacons) without anyone doubting if it was idol worship.

Thus the early Church does not seem to have had issues venerating the Holy Cross, these "doubts" that are now gaining popularity among us were probably conveniently planted into our psyche during the time of the advent of Protestantism in the 15th-16th centuries. [Beware of the questions of the serpent who planted the doubt in man by an innocent question.]

(I thank Rev. Fr. Shaji P. John from Nagpur Seminary for pointing us to the work 'Pilgrimage of Egeria' during his classes in Albany, NY during the Holy Week in 2011)

Ref: Pilgrimage of Egeria"(Etheria) 


Src: ICON

Veneration of the Cross

Orthodox orders of worship transcend time and space. When we say, we "remember",

Sacrementally we transcend time

or we "commemorate", we actually "participate" in the historic reality, in a way we cannot comprehend outside of faith. Our Liturgical Calendar is a 'real' participation of the life of Christ. Thus we "really" participate in the Hosanna
song with the children in Jerusalem, truly sit with Him on the Passover table,walk with the three Kings with gifts during 'TheeJwala Shushroosha' during Christmas. Something similar happens during the veneration of the Cross, I
think.

Just surrounding the veneration of the Cross on Good Friday is the procession of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemos with Christ's body. Then we have the burial service. In all these, we actually overcome the time gap of 2000 years and be
with the original participants of the historical happening. Seen in this context, the veneration of the Cross is also the final kiss given to the Holy Body of the Lord before His burial. What we could not do when it actually happened, we do sacramentally. Just as we kiss the dead body of a beloved one before his final procession and burial, so we also do with the Lord.

It is the same Cross which the faithful kissed goodbye, that is later wrapped, anointed and preserved in the burial service. The Cross bore the Holy Body of the Lord during the darkest hours of His passion. The Cross is a symbol of His Holy Body.

Now, whether this closely resembles idol worship, or if it may be perceived as

When we kiss the Cross, we kiss Christ

one, depends on how we understand it, and how we teach it. Is the Cross a different God? ["You shall have no other God beside me"]I don't think so. Is it similar to the golden cow that Israel made for their worship? I don't think so. The Cross is significant only because of the Lord who suffered on it. The Cross is a symbol of His love.

Do the Hindus do something similar? I think they do. In discussion with friends, I have learnt of how the idol is a representation of the invisible God they believe in. Do I know their God? No. Can I relate to their way of worship? Yes.




Src: ICON

An austere Sunthroneeso?

I have a question regarding the Sunthroneeso. I understand it as an act
performed by the Church to raise a bishop to the office of Metropolitan of a
particular diocese. Since we have had several new bishops ordained in the Holy
Church recently, it is but natural that we have several Sunthroneeso ceremonies
in various dioceses.

A Sunthroneeso or Enthronement Ceremony

My question is regarding the cost associated with the ceremony. I heard one diocese spent about 12 lacs (Indian Rupees) for such a ceremony. Also I see it being used by some of our heirarchs as an opportunity for a show of strength, etc. My question - are we missing the point here?

I have no doubt in my mind that the sacrament is important, my concern however is regarding the associated party and spending that seems to be over shadowing the sacrament.

Can something be done about this? Do we take lessons from these for the future?
Will some diocese have the courage and the will to show the way by an "austere"
Sunthroneeso?

Src: ICON

ICON: A Decade of Excellence

ICON: A Decade of Excellence
(Scroll down to page 11 (of 20 pages) in the pdf to read an article written by me in the Gregorian Mirror, an online magazine from St. George Orthodox Cathedral, Palarivattom, Kerala.
 about ICON (Indian Christian Orthodox Network) on the 10th anniversary of ICON
 (With inputs from Dr. Rajan Mathew, Philadelphia)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/28914

Hoosoyo for Babies

Absolution from sins

The last time I saw a priest laying hands on a baby and giving the traditional "Hoosoyo" (It is a silent prayer by the priest touching the forehead of the faithful), prompted me to write this. What is the achen praying while laying hands on the baby?

In the case of an adult, I do understand he is praying for the forgiveness of the sins committed by the adult, and using the authority bestowed on him by Christ to forgive his sins. Also, I understand Hoosoyo to be a convenience vehicle in place of the Holy Confession.

But in the case of the baby, what sins are being forgiven? The baby who has not even begun to walk or talk - is he\she capable of sinning or being maligned by the sins of this world? In my mind, the Hoosoyo seems rather surreal in the case of a baby.

Will it make sense for the baby to be spared of the Hoosoyo and be given Holy  Qurbana directly? Or is it a separate prayer being prayed for babies (or for children who are not old enough to confess)?

Have we given enough thought on this? Are we just having the ritual of Hoosoyo for the baby out of habit or to just to conform to the popular sequence in our minds?

Wanted to know what others think about this.

Src: ICON

The Character of Thomas - A complete surrender

And Thomas answered and said unto him, "My LORD and my God." John 20:28

My Lord and my God - is a statement of complete surrender.

Thomas realized the level of transgression he had just committed. He had doubted

his own Savior, despite all the words of the Savior, despite all the teachings about his death and rising again, despite the hundreds of miracles He had done in front of him.

All those mighty works of the Lord had been of no use for his faith, because when Thomas saw Jesus being led away, spit upon and beaten and then nailed to a lowly cross, all his faith in the Savior had vanished. How powerless the Lord seemed in the face of the tyranny of the soldiers. How can such a person, whose life was taken away from his body so cruelly, now be alive?

But all those thoughts of faithlessness vanished in an instant when Thomas saw the Lord in front of him. At once he realized the power of the Omnipotent God and the Lord of Lords who had calmed the sea by His mere rebuke and made leprosy vanish by a mere command. All the words and the works of the Lord suddenly came back to restore his faith.

His faith restored, Thomas completely surrendered before His Lord and His God.

Complete Surrender

There was not an ounce of ego left in Him.My Lord,My Master I have wronged you by doubting; despite all your training, I faltered; you will be justified in your judgment about me. My God, how sinful and horrible for me to doubt your power. I have failed you once again. Forgive me, my God, for my transgression. I completely surrender myself and seek refuge in your divine and holy Will.

May St. Thomas inspire us to surrender all our thoughts, all our actions, all our ego, our complete selves to the Will of the Master, our Lord and our God, the one and only Christ Jesus.

Character of Thomas :  My Lord and My God

Src: ICON

A Case for the Creator

The much acclaimed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has recently said, in his book "The Grand Design", that God had nothing to do with the coming about of the Universe. While I am not qualified to argue on the scientific evidences available, the following is a perspective from the point of view of a believer – a species that is fast becoming an endangered one. Hope someone can develop this trail of frail thoughts to build the basis for a sound life rooted in the faith in God, despite what the interpreters of science may be able to show today.

Also reminding myself and all readers that it is only a modern trend to see science and faith pitted against each other. In the days of the early Christian Church, the greatest theologians were also the greatest expounders of the sciences. In India the great sages of yore were revered not only for their faith in God but also for their knowledge of the medicines, the nature and the sciences.

Also I believe that faith is beyond reason, though not necessarily against
reason. Probably seeing such unbelief the Lord Himself asked - "when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth" (St. Luke 18:8)

Hypothesis: There is no God. God's spirit is just a fantasy. On a similar note, there is no evil spirit. We are just results of an accident. We have no one to answer to. We are just a combination of some fluids, masses and chemicals, combination of which cause varied emotions within us. There is no after life. We are just highly evolved animals. We are designed to pass along our genes to the next generation.

We have evolved thus far only because we have the traits that aid our survival and reproduction. Since we are the most highly evolved among all animal species that have occupied the earth, and we have survived so far suggest that we must have the best instinct among all species for survival, for procreation, for even more evolution. We have survived where the dinosaurs have not. We seem to have perfected the tricks of the trade needed to make ourselves always available for "natural selection"(having better characteristics than 'others' to survive in the environment)

Is this hypothesis true?

Some thoughts outlined below, seem to be squarely inconsistent with this hypothesis:

1) Suicide:  

Survival of the fittest is what evolution is all about. What then explains the sudden loss of the desire to live in some people? Why do some people commit suicide? Ending one's own life is cutting off, or harming one's own future reproductive success. If we have come this far by "natural selection", then how come only we, human beings, have this trait of "suicide" which is so contradictory to our survival instinct. Ideally going by the "natural selection" theory, we must be the best equipped to survive, among all human beings, yet we are the only species that has suicidal tendencies. I would say this puts a big hole in the framework of the theory of evolution.

Does it make more sense to believe there indeed is God, as there indeed is the Devil; that we are just not "highly evolved", we are very carefully designed by a Creator, who wants to care for us, who loves us and who gives us hope. When a person loses hope in the love of God, when he is ignorant about the love of God, when he engulfed with the hopelessness that comes from the Devil. he commits the ultimate act of hopelessness - suicide.

2) Ethics: 

If living and surviving by hook or by crook is the only intent, why does man strive to live in a honest, civilized manner? If reproduction and procreation was our only intended motive,if temporal life is everything, why do
we not condone rape? Also, why do we use contraceptives, why do people sterilize themselves? Why do ethics matter to us? None of these matter to the "other" animals, do they?

The ethics, the morals, and the guilt - all strike at the root of the evolution theory. Does it make more sense to accept that the hypothesis above is wrong - that there indeed is a God who is infinitely good, in whose image we are created? And whom we yearn to be like in our innermost being?

3)Celibacy:

 If our natural instinct for survival makes us want to pass on our genes to the next generations, if that is the explanation for us surviving so far - what explains some among us want to remain ascetic? What drives them to choose to deny their selves and their chance of procreation?

Is it possible that it is man's only purpose is NOT to pass on genes - that there is indeed a higher calling?

4) Sacrifice: 

The Cross reminds us of that ultimate sacrifice

If survival is our sole aim - what explains the idea of sacrifice among human beings? Why do, at least some of us, have a tendency to give up our own benefits, their own comforts, sometimes even our own lives, so that someone else may have a better life, why is sacrifice considered a virtue among us? How can some fluids and chemicals explain our deep sense of satisfaction when we have helped someone in need even at the cost of some of our comfort?


True, man sometimes behaves worse than animals, but is accepting evolution as the only possible explanation for the origin of species taking the generalization too far?

Also read:
The Creationists' And The Evolutionists' Views - By V.L. Eapen
where the author puts forth an argument that there could be a meeting point between science and faith.

Src: ICON

Is Vijayan in or out

There was a full page advertisement in September or October 2010 in a popular Malayalam weekly newspaper in the US called MalayalamPatram about the sixtieth birthday of Vijayan (Bro. Mathew Vergis), whose activities have been a cause of much discussion among church members in the recent past. While I do not know Mr.
Vijayan personally, I do know him of being of the Orthodox background, but who has had issues with the Church authorities in the past, and someone who without any authorization or permission from the Church chose to publish his own version of the Bible, the Holy Bible which is (ideally) a book of the Church, for the Church and by the Church.(Just for argument's sake, since we do not live in an ideal world, if the Vijayan Bible was published because we as a Church did not have a Bible of our own, why
was it not given to the Synod for its approval?)

But surely, anyone with the resources can put a full page ad about anything. Why am I talking about it? I am bringing attention to it only because on the right side of the picture of Mr. Vijayan, I saw the picture of one Holy Father who is revered by many among us, including me, as a saintly soul, someone who has by
his life become a true Messiah of the downtrodden in our generation, our most beloved Osthathios Thirumeni. Osthathios Thirumeni in HG's greetings calls Vijayan HG's spiritual son. Also says that his spritual works on the Holy Scriptures are appreciable.("Vishudha Granthathinu vendi Vijayan Cheytha aathmiya karyangal valare valuthaanu").

I have nothing to say about the greetings of the other Fathers from different denominations on the same page for Vijayan, but touching beloved Osthathios Thirumeni's feet, I wanted to submit my inability to understand Thirumeni's words. Obviously Thirumeni knows more about Vijayan than I do. Can someone more
in the know how of things please explain to me? If Vijayan's works are appreciable, why has he been kept away from the Church (or by the church authorities?) Has Vijayan been forgiven? Surely Osthathios Thirumeni realizes the dangers in individuals writing their own Bibles and Thirumeni may surely be
aware of the troubles Vijayan caused to our parishes in the Gulf. (based on what I have understood). Then why is Osthathios Thirumeni allowing HG's precious name to be used in this manner to give an impression of tacit approval to Vijayan's activities? Wasn't there a Kalpana by Barnabas Thirumeni a few years back
discouraging any relation with the Vijayan activities?

A few years ago, another Thirumeni's picture had appeared on Vijayan's IDCF magazine and when I asked this Thirumeni about Vijayan, what I was told was that this person is in good standing in Kerala, so they have no problems with him there, that if here in the US I have been told anything different by my thirumeni, I must follow that.

Why do we get confusing signals from the Church Fathers? Can we blame the sheep if they are confused? Can we blame them if they leave the Church?

If Vijayan is indeed forgiven and it is ok for the common people to deal with him, then I would like to know because I have been in touch with him in the past and would like to clear the air since my posture was never personal; I am only a servant of the Church. If the Church has no more an issue with him, the sheep should be reconciled as well.


Src: ICON

Confusing signals from Fathers:

Confused!

I can see that there is at least a minority view point that Mr.Vijayan is doing good work. With that in mind, let me go back to the original point I was trying to highlight in my first message - why are there contradictory signals coming from the Church Fathers? We have an existing Kalpana by Barnabas Thirumeni against his activities which has not been withdrawn (which means it is still binding on all faithful), and on the other hand, now we have Osthathios Thirumeni appreciating his work on the Scriptures. 


Something is wrong somewhere, don't you think? It is my endeavor to bring out this contradiction. What can we do, how can we help the Church and our Church Fathers gain a unified perspective which is the truth, so that they may lead us in the right path?

Possibility of Reconciliation?:

Always look to reconcile

Considering that our Fathers seem divided on Mr.Vijayan's work, if there is even half a chance of trying to use Mr.Vijayan for the future of the Church, it must be attempted (has this been done already?), considering his passion for the ospel. If he is teaching something contrary to the faith, it must be brought to light, else if these are mere personality clashes, how can we put our heads together to help the Church in Christ's work? Surely we are called to do more than building concrete structures. Is it a matter of discipline? Then maybe people management skills on both sides is what is needed so as to persuade the defaulter. As long as the faith of the Church is not trampled with, there is a possibility of reconciliation, I would think. Also, even if someone has erred, there is the possibility of reconciliation in the Christian spirit. (Again I say this without knowing what the accusations against Mr. Vijayan are, so maybe I am completely off the mark)

Bible:

It is a sad truth that the Malankara Church does not have a Bible of its own. So, whether our faithful is using the Bible from the Bible Society of India or from Mr. A or Mr. B, I guess it makes not much difference. Our own Bible project which was to bring out a Bible through MGOCSM seems to have lost its way*. (I may be wrong here).

Considering the circumstances, can we check if Mr. Vijayan is willing to submit his work to the Holy Synod for verification, approval etc? If he is interested in such a step, can we help both sides to see the value in such an effort and make it happen?

Even better, if Mr. Vijayan has the resources to bring out a Bible, can he be used to help with the Bible project of the Church? If a reconciliation is arrived at, then probably he can become a great asset in helping the Church.

Maybe none of the above will work out, but we should not be left wanting in efforts. Can we make a honest attempt to bring back Mr. Vijayan?


Let us welcome change, if change can heal; and let us become agents of that change.

Src:ICON

* There is some good news regarding the MGOCSM Bible Project. It is expected by the end of 2012 or early 2013. Read about it here.