His Grace Geevarghese Mar Coorilose, Metropolitan of Bombay has
participated in and given leadership in several ecumenical platforms, as
president of the National Council of Churches, as president of
Maharashtra Council of Churches, Maharashtra Bible Society etc to
name a few, as also several international forums of the world churches and
religions. Those who have come in contact with this Thirumeni would
realise the great enthusiasm Thirumeni demonstrates for love,
respect and harmony between religions as we all grow in the truth.
This is not surprising, serving as HG is, in Bombay which is home to
many many believers of other religions and there in this economic
capital of India, this Thirumeni spreads the love of Christ by the
various projects Thirumeni is part of. Thirumeni heads the National
Relief Society of the Orthodox Church.
Currently Thirumeni is engaged in a project called "Gregorian
Community" in the outskirts of Bombay. Designed as a community for
service and growth in God, there are many things planned in this
project including old age homes, orphanages etc. There is a space
reserved in this community for people to meditate in silence. This
space is to be open to all -- Hindus, Muslims, Jews,Christians.
Thirumeni said that when Thirumeni saw the devastation of the Bombay
riots between Hindus and Muslims (in 1993?), Thirumeni was inspired
to work to build such meditation areas, for each human being to be
able to spend time meditating on his own God, being close to his or
her own notion of the Creator.
There is to be no force, no influence to convert, no larger agenda
in this environment, than to be one with God, your own God, however
you perceive that God to be.
While leaders like Coorilose Thirumeni are working hard to realise
this dream of building models of peace and tranquility in the little
time we have on the earth, working hard to spread Christ's message
of love beyond all boundaries, the typical missionary of today makes
their tasks that much more difficult by spreading suspicion and
hatred for Christ's name. Religious tolerance is alien to the missionary.
I refuse to accept that the missionary is not to blame for this
apparent "side effect" of his 'call'. He is responsible for the consequences
of his action and he is responsilble for its fallout on the sincere efforts of
hundreds of workers of God. I refuse to be aligned with the act knowingly
anymore, or to sit on the fence in this respect.
Once while explaining to me the concept of various faiths and God,
Thirumeni gestured to an ornamental showpiece of a rock on a table
adjacent to where Thirumeni was sitting. I was sitting across the
room. "You see part of this rock from where you are, I see a
different part from where I am, yet it is the same rock!" That was
many years ago, and I have learnt since, that there are many
contradictions, many unanswered questions between the various world
religions that still puzzle me, yet that simple explanation of the
Ultimate Truth that Thirumeni gave me has stuck with me. While the
differences are obvious, one cannot wish away the signature of the
Ultimate on the various "other" religions of the world, thus adding to
the mystery of the Divine.
The basic nature of the work of the typical missionary of today
strikes at the root of the fundamentals of harmony in a world of
differences -- tolerance, respect and acceptance. That is my problem
with the Missionary "type". In their enthusiasm to reap the harvest
for Christ, they lose the key to the whole idea -- unconditional love,
and you cannot truly love without having respect for the other person's
reasoning and faith, even though you do not understand it or agree with it.
So -- are you for the Missionary or are you for Christ?
Regards,
Mathew Samuel
Albany, NY
[I have not had an opportunity to discuss specifically the works of
the 'typical missionary of today' with Thirumeni, so please do not
misread my representation of Coorilose Thirumeni here, I quote
Thirumeni only to make my point, as outlined above]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/9359
participated in and given leadership in several ecumenical platforms, as
president of the National Council of Churches, as president of
Maharashtra Council of Churches, Maharashtra Bible Society etc to
name a few, as also several international forums of the world churches and
religions. Those who have come in contact with this Thirumeni would
realise the great enthusiasm Thirumeni demonstrates for love,
respect and harmony between religions as we all grow in the truth.
This is not surprising, serving as HG is, in Bombay which is home to
many many believers of other religions and there in this economic
capital of India, this Thirumeni spreads the love of Christ by the
various projects Thirumeni is part of. Thirumeni heads the National
Relief Society of the Orthodox Church.
Currently Thirumeni is engaged in a project called "Gregorian
Community" in the outskirts of Bombay. Designed as a community for
service and growth in God, there are many things planned in this
project including old age homes, orphanages etc. There is a space
reserved in this community for people to meditate in silence. This
space is to be open to all -- Hindus, Muslims, Jews,Christians.
Thirumeni said that when Thirumeni saw the devastation of the Bombay
riots between Hindus and Muslims (in 1993?), Thirumeni was inspired
to work to build such meditation areas, for each human being to be
able to spend time meditating on his own God, being close to his or
her own notion of the Creator.
There is to be no force, no influence to convert, no larger agenda
in this environment, than to be one with God, your own God, however
you perceive that God to be.
While leaders like Coorilose Thirumeni are working hard to realise
this dream of building models of peace and tranquility in the little
time we have on the earth, working hard to spread Christ's message
of love beyond all boundaries, the typical missionary of today makes
their tasks that much more difficult by spreading suspicion and
hatred for Christ's name. Religious tolerance is alien to the missionary.
I refuse to accept that the missionary is not to blame for this
apparent "side effect" of his 'call'. He is responsible for the consequences
of his action and he is responsilble for its fallout on the sincere efforts of
hundreds of workers of God. I refuse to be aligned with the act knowingly
anymore, or to sit on the fence in this respect.
Once while explaining to me the concept of various faiths and God,
Thirumeni gestured to an ornamental showpiece of a rock on a table
adjacent to where Thirumeni was sitting. I was sitting across the
room. "You see part of this rock from where you are, I see a
different part from where I am, yet it is the same rock!" That was
many years ago, and I have learnt since, that there are many
contradictions, many unanswered questions between the various world
religions that still puzzle me, yet that simple explanation of the
Ultimate Truth that Thirumeni gave me has stuck with me. While the
differences are obvious, one cannot wish away the signature of the
Ultimate on the various "other" religions of the world, thus adding to
the mystery of the Divine.
The basic nature of the work of the typical missionary of today
strikes at the root of the fundamentals of harmony in a world of
differences -- tolerance, respect and acceptance. That is my problem
with the Missionary "type". In their enthusiasm to reap the harvest
for Christ, they lose the key to the whole idea -- unconditional love,
and you cannot truly love without having respect for the other person's
reasoning and faith, even though you do not understand it or agree with it.
So -- are you for the Missionary or are you for Christ?
Regards,
Mathew Samuel
Albany, NY
[I have not had an opportunity to discuss specifically the works of
the 'typical missionary of today' with Thirumeni, so please do not
misread my representation of Coorilose Thirumeni here, I quote
Thirumeni only to make my point, as outlined above]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/9359
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