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.


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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.

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* 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.

The Character of Thomas - 'My Lord and My God'

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

Here we see the character of Thomas fully revealed. 'My Lord and My God' is the most beautiful statement of faith ever made by man. It reveals the depth of faith that Thomas had reached to, by that time.

Not very long ago, Peter had confessed that Jesus was "Messiah, the Son of God" and Jesus had told him that the Heavenly Father had revealed this truth to Peter. In the same manner, at this solemn moment, as Thomas confessed "My Lord and My God", indeed the same Father had raised the faith of Thomas to such a great level that he was now able to see the Lord for who He was - God Himself.

Earlier, if Thomas had doubted more than the others, here we see his faith being raised even more than the others. Out of such a pinnacle of faith comes out the words "My Lord and My God". From that depth of doubtfulness, Thomas had been raised to the the heights of faithfulness. Indeed at that solemn moment, Thomas became faith personified. And as the Lord said in the case of Peter, on such a rock of faith of the Apostles is built the Holy Church, and the Devil will have no power over it.Haleluiah!

My Lord and My God - such a strong expression of faith indeed was needed from Thomas, because he was to be soon sent to the most difficult and dangerous journey to the far east to preach the Gospel and suffer for His Lord and His God. The character of Thomas was built on the rock like faith of Thomas out of which was born the Church of the East and the Catholicate that guards that Church. Perhaps that rock like faith, expressed in the words "My Lord and My God" is the reason why the Malankara Church is even today able to emanate that same uncorrupt and undefiled faith after 20 centuries, despite all adversities.

That rock like faith of Thomas continues to hold the Malankara Church today. Glory to the Lord and God of Thomas.



Character of Thomas : Held Firmly by the Lord.


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The Character of Thomas - Held Firmly by the Lord.

"Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." John 20:27

Our Lord wants us to shed our unbelief and believe in Him completely. Unbelief in any form, at any level, is the greatest hindrance to the communion with the Lord. And the Lord seeks to remove our unbelief.

Here we see the Lord urging Thomas to come forward, to touch Him, feel Him, put his hands into His wounded side, do all that is needed, to overcome his unbelief. Once and for all, the Lord wishes to bridge the unbelief between Him and the unbeliever, between him and His beloved disciple Thomas.

The Lord will not let Thomas be lost. The good shepherd comes searching after the one sheep, when there was a fear the one may be lost.

St.Thomas, the Apostle of India

The fact that the Lord Himself rose to pick Thomas up and hold his faith together when it was falling apart, would have had a huge impact on Thomas's character. The Lord held Thomas in His all powerful,strong hands, not allowing the storm of unbelief to blow away Thomas. And by this act of love by the Lord, the Lord gained for us the Apostle of India and the East, strong and unshaken in His faith as seen in his eternal words uttered at the next instant..


Character of Thomas :  Invitation to Handle the Bread of Life

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The Wonderful Words of St. John Chrysostom

I stumbled upon this website recently.


What a wonderful treasure of faith!!

We from Malankara get to hear and learn so less of the words of St. John Chrysostom.(Mar Ivanios). No wonder we seem to often feel like a rudderless ship floating aimlessly in the sea.

What a great gift Mar Ivanios had about explaining Bible passages, about using simple examples to teach hard to grasp ideas of the Scriptures. What a blessed saint - how much we from Malankara miss by ignoring him. For us, St. John Chrysostom seems to be someone confined only to the Seminaries and theologies. The common people does not seem to have heard too much about him or his words. There in
lies our tragedy.

Today technology has helped in the work of the Holy Spirit to inspire some faithful to compile this great saints words into this beautiful website. Now I wish some one who has passion to work for the Holy Church can put efforts for the following:

1) If someone can translate these into contemporary spoken English which is more easily understood (after taking due permissions) and make these readily available as handouts, newsletters, emails etc for our people.

2) Since everyone are not prone to reading, someone gifted with a good voice can give voice to these words of the saint and make these available in CDs, online, as mp3s etc.

3)Some one gifted can translate these into Malayalam and also give voice to the Malayalam words and translate into audio casettes, CDs, mp3s for podcasts etc.

4) Nothing stirs the souls of us Malankara Nazaranees as the heart-rendering songs. If some one can make good songs out of these wonderful words of Mar Ivanios, it will help understand the faith for the common folk.

Once the words of Mar Ivanios reaches the common folk of Malankara, I am sure these gems of wisdom from this Early Church Father's mouth, referred to the Greatest Preacher of the Early Church, the one called the "golden mouthed" will create a wave of revival in the shores of Malankara. No more will we need to worry about wolves stealing the sheep. Confronted with the truly gifted Father's Holy words, no more will the likes of KP or MY Yohannans be able to misuse their gift of oratory to wreck havoc dividing the Holy Church.

May the Lord raise workers among us to bring the words of this Church Father back into the Church.

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The Character of Thomas - Invitation to Handle the Bread of Life.

"Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." John 20:27 Here we are shown moments in time when the Lord's concern for Thomas was revealed. The Master would not allow Thomas to continue in disbelief. Thomas had a great mission ahead of him. Among all of his beloved disciples, only Thomas was not able to enjoy the joy of Resurrection yet. The Lord knew the mind of Thomas. He did not want to lose Thomas. The Lord's love for Thomas is revealed in the words "Reach here with your finger..." No other disciple is extended this invitation. To Touch the Risen Lord! To Touch the Bread of Life. To Touch the glorified Resurrected Body! The same Lord who told Mary Magdalene not to "touch" him is now asking Thomas to do just that. As John testifies later in his epistle, that which was from the beginning and which they(he) had "handled" (1 John 1:1), Thomas is being invited to "handle" that very same Word of Life that became manifested in humanity. This same Word of Life is being handled by the priests and High Priests and placed into our open mouths during the Holy Qurbana. In that solemn moment, Thomas stands between the Lord and the rest of the community of Apostles as representing them on being "invited to handle" the Word of Life. True it was his original disbelief that brought this about, but the symbolic invitation is being representative of an invitation to all for "handling" the Bread of Life. Through Thomas, all were invited. Thomas's character is being shaped by this one to one conversation with the Lord.If there was any hint of disbelief or doubt, it vanishes from the very being of Thomas during this conversation. Praise the God of Thomas for appearing there for the sake of Thomas. Character of Thomas : Burning Desire to meet the Lord Src: ICON

The Character of Thomas - a burning desire to meet the Lord

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. - John 20:26

After John 20:25, the setting in the very next verse is after eight days. Why did Christ appear next only after eight days?

St. John Chrysostom (Mar Ivanios), considered the greatest preacher of the Early Church, speaks about this time gap which is best said in the Saint's own words:

"And why does He not appear to him straightway, instead of "after eight days"? John 20:26. In order that being in the mean time continually instructed by the disciples, and hearing the same thing, he might be inflamed to more eager desire, and be more ready to believe for the future." (Homily 87 on the Gospel of John)

St. Thomas was kept in waiting for eight long days, before the Lord granted his wish of appearing before Him again, so that he may grow in the desire, so that he may become ever more eager, so that he may be completely ready to believe, and be unwavering and faithful to undertake his ardous journey of the future, to the distant lands of India.On each of these eight days, he would have again heard from the others how they "Saw" the Lord, what the Lord told them, what they asked the Lord, and what Thomas had missed.

St. John the Evangelist had a similar experience later in his life, of missing the Lord, of missing the Liturgy, of missing the company of the others, when he was banished to the island of Patmos. As a result of that, the yearning in St.John grew in his desire to be one with the Lord and the rest and because St.John missed the company of the Lord so much, the heavens and the secrets were opened to him and the Revelations of the past, present and the future were unraveled to Him, enabling Him to pen down what we have today as the Book of the Revelations.

Similarly St. Thomas missed the Lord. Those eight days might have been like eight years for Thomas. Each day would probably be in prayer and waiting for the Lord, just like the Church waits for the coming down of the Holy Spirit in preparation for the Feast of the Pentecost.

Thomas waited and prayed eagerly for the Lord to come, he had a burning desire to meet the Lord and on the eighth day he was granted His wish. May his prayer, may his wait, may his desire to be in the Lord's company also inspire us to yearn for the Lord's presence, now and for ever more.

Character of Thomas :  A representative of all Unbelievers


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Single Dish in Wedding Receptions

Recently I was reading in the newspapers about a government ruling in Pakistan's Punjab province that all wedding receptions should have only a single dish adhering to austerity principles. (the news came to the fore in the news item regarding the wedding reception of Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik with Indian tennis star Sania Mirza in Sialkot, Pakistan)

Dont waste food and money in extravagant parties

The news made me think what a brilliant proposal that was of restricting wedding receptions to a single dish. It would be nice to have such a ruling in our weddings too.

In a world where there are so many hungry, we waste money and food in grand wedding receptions. In a world where people find it difficult to marry their daughters, we launder money away in luxurious and over the top wedding receptions.

Can our Church show the way by having a single dish rule for wedding receptions? If the church takes a decision (hypothetically) to implement such a rule, will anyone follow? Do we hear our Ostathathios Thirumeni warning us that it is sinful to launder money away in a poor world?

Taking a bottoms up approach, will we on our own be able to implement a single dish rule for our daughters' wedding receptions?

On a personal note, will I ever have the courage to do that if I get a chance? I do not know.

But something to think about for all of us.

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