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.