Great Lent 2020 - 50 Days in 50 Messages

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

 Day 1 - Begin with the end in Mind

Day 2 - Setting goals 

Day 3 - Praying for Tears

Day 4 - Let the Changes in

Day 5 - Why does God not hear us? 

 Day 6 - The fasting God desires

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

Every Issue In The Church Is Pastoral

"Every Issue In The Church Is Pastoral"

Mar Nicholovos Reflects on #377- Church and Gay Relationship

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

BACKGROUND

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

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

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

All States in the USA have now allowed gay marriages.

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

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

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

THE CHURCH’S DILEMMA

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

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

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

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

THE JURY IS STILL OUT

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

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

PASTORAL RESPONSIBILITY

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

EPILOGUE

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

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

~ Mathew Samuel

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer preparing for Holy Qurbana

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

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

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

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

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

The Longing to speak with God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lord have mercy!

(written in 2008)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy New Year -- Becoming like St.Joseph

One character we see in the Christian Scriptures who is very different from others is St. Joseph, the earthly guardian of Christ. In the male dominated world of the first Century, in the midst of a fiercely Patriarchal Jewish society -- we are shown the image of this humble person who, by his choice to invite her into his world, allows his wife and her child to take center stage, relegating himself to the background, even while fulfilling all responsibilities as head of the household. He took some very important decisions in the life of Christ and his role was crucial in the Incarnation story. He would have immensely influenced the earthly life of Christ, yet we see not a single word spoken by Joseph in Scripture. He was righteous and despite loving the Law wanted to shield St. Mary from coming to harm due to the Law.

In the world of today -- still largely male dominated, and still generally selfish, can we (men) like St. Joseph forego our ego to allow the women folk and the other persons around us to shine through, while relegating ourselves to the background?

In the world of today -- with its different rules and regulations, laws and bylaws - all given for common good -- can we always seek for the "spirit of the law" rather than get lost in its letters - and always seek the big picture like St. Joseph did?

This new year, can we, like St. Joseph seek solace in silence, and yet be decisive in actions, so that God's plan for our world comes to be with us and through us?

This new year may we all resolve to become more like the St. Joseph of the Christians - whatever be our faith, backgrounds and affiliations -- for the good of humanity as a whole.

Wish you all a happy and wonderful New Year 2016.

Foreigners shaped the history of India and the Indian Church

The history of the Indian Orthodox Church from the 16th to the 19th Century is mainly a record of the stress and strain suffered by the Church of Malabar exerted by the Portuguese Roman Catholics and the British Protestant missionaries.

~Lesson 7, Unit III Sunday School, Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church,
 
 By the late 19th to the 20th Century, we could add the Syrians also into this mix, Syrians whom we came into touch with in a big way from the 16th Century, while resisting the ways of the other foreigners above. Foreigners who came to the Church of Malabar have left their mark on the history of the Church here. Its true that the Church of Malabar has benefited from these foreigners yet they have done more harm than good -- they have left a proud and ancient Church of India - badly bruised, broken and violated. 

Finally with a Catholicate of its own, and visionary leadership at the helm - this Church has found new life and is witnessing her Master with renewed vigor (even though she falls and fails often, He raises her up again and again) starting from Kerala and through the beloved land of India and abroad since the beginning of the last Century. Having lived and witnessed in the spiritually rich land of India from the beginning of Christianity, this Church understands the core ethos of India -- its secular fabric, its religious passion, its religious plurality, the goodness in the other faiths and have embraced these sentiments completely while always sharing the love and peace that Christ brings for the world, which is for all. This is possible not because of any peripheral show of tolerance, but because the Church of India truly is Indian, living in, giving to and taking from the land from its inception. The way she lives her faith in Christ will be totally different from the way of the West or anywhere else in the world.

Just as the foreigners who came to India by the 16th Century influenced the history of India as a whole, the history of the Indian Church has been a tussle against foreigners and their influences, especially from the 16th century on wards. It has influenced the progress of the Church - remembering it and taking lessons from it will keep the Church in good stead.

Revealing God -- Becoming Jordan

It was in the river Jordan that the Holy Trinity was revealed to the World.

Years earlier, from Bethlehem -- the baby was stolen away to Egypt like a nobody to escape the tyranny of the King -- He did not reveal Himself to the world then.

When the prophets Simeon and Anna spoke about Him, Mary kept all things silently treasured in her heart -- He did not reveal Himself to the world then.

When he asked and answered questions, debated and discussed in the Temple as a boy, amazing all those around Him -- He still did not reveal Himself to anyone -- instead He silently went back home with his Mother and Joseph, to live with them in obedience.

For 30 years as he "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom" , the world did not know who He really was.

Finally -- it was in the river Jordan that the Holy Trinity was revealed to the World. In full view of the public, where John was baptizing all, on a great bright day -- Jesus Himself comes to be baptized --
Look in the water to see the Holy and Merciful Son, the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of all bowing down humbly before His own Creation to be baptized.

Look at the sky to see the Holy and Majestic Spirit descend on the Son in the form of a dove
Hear the Words of the Holy and Almighty Father, thundering through the clouds, for everyone to hear and understand clearly, so that there is no more doubt -- “This is my beloved Son,with whom I am well pleased."

It was in the river Jordan that the Holy Trinity was revealed to the World. Can we, like the Jordan, become the means to reveal the Holy Trinity into the world? Through us, can the One God of all, become manifest?

May the Holy Feast of Theophany bestow on us the blessings like the Jordan to become ourselves revelations and manifestations of the Holy Trinity for the world.

Ref: pointers from an old homily on Theophany by Rev. Fr. James Cheriyan in Chicago.

Happy New Year -- Becoming like St.Joseph

One character we see in the Christian Scriptures who is very different from others is St. Joseph, the earthly guardian of Christ. In the male dominated world of the first Century, in the midst of a fiercely Patriarchal Jewish society -- we are shown the image of this humble person who, by his choice to invite her into his world, allows his wife and her child to take center stage, relegating himself to the background, even while fulfiling all responsibilities as head of the household. He took some very important decisions in the life of Christ and his role was crucial in the Incarnation story. He would have immensely influenced the earthly life of Christ, yet we see not a single word spoken by Joseph in Scripture. He was righteous and despite loving the Law wanted to shield St. Mary from coming to harm due to the Law.

In the world of today -- still largely male dominated, and still generally selfish, can we (men) like St. Joseph forego our ego to allow the women folk and the other persons around us to shine through, while relegating ourselves to the background?

In the world of today -- with its different rules and regulations, laws and bylaws - all given for common good -- can we always seek for the "spirit of the law" rather than get lost in its letters - and always seek the big picture like St. Joseph did?

This new year, can we, like St. Joseph seek solace in silence, and yet be decisive in actions, so that God's plan for our world comes to be with us and through us?

This new year may we all resolve to become more like the St. Joseph of the Christians - whatever be our faith, backgrounds and affiliations -- for the good of humanity as a whole.

Wish you all a happy and wonderful New Year 2016.

The Christ be born within you- A Christmas message

A message delivered to God's people recently. Jotting it down so that its not forgotten and sharing it hoping it benefits someone.
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A happy time : what makes us happy?
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If we look around our world at this time of the year, there is no doubt that this is a wonderful time of the year to be in. Lights all around, decorations, people giving gifts, sharing -- everyone seems to be in a festive mood. Everyone seems so happy! What is the reason for the happiness? Why is everyone so happy?
Different people have different reasons for being happy. If we look at it in an economic sense, the CEOs of companies are happy because this is the greatest time for business. The surge in sales that they orchestrated on Black Friday is reaching its climax during the Christmas season, all their adverstisements and marketting are bearing results in profits -- so they are happy. But as Christians, what makes us so happy during this time of the year?
We are people who go to homes to sing carols. One message we give during the carols through our songs is -- "The child is born!"
Where is the child born? In Bethlehem.
When was the child born? 2000 years ago.
So -- for a child born, not anywhere near you and me, but in far away Bethlehem -- Bethlehem which is today what we know as Middle East -- when we hear some of the happenings in the Middle East today, a chill goes down our spine, in such a land -- if a child is born -- why does it make you and me happy here? And he was born, not anytime recently, but 2000 years ago. For a child born in some far away land, many centuries ago -- why should that make us happy here and now?
Then again someone says --"The King of the Jews is born!" (It was the King of the Jews that the wise men from the East came searching for) But if the Jews get a new king, what is that to us? Why should it make you and me happy?

Christ must be born within us
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What I am trying to say is -- Christ must be born -- not for someone else, not in a far away land, not in a bygone time -- Christ must be born within each of us individually today.
Only then will all of our services, our prayers, our offerings in the Church become meaningful.Christ must be born in us and He must be born now!
It is this that we see in Galatians 4:19 -- a completely devoted St. Paul who is persevering in all trials and pain "as in childbirth" for the sake of his spiritual children, so that Christ is born in them. This is what the Church works diligently each moment for -- that Christ is born within us.
Where within us?

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So if he has to be born within us -- where within us must He be born? Is Christ born in the palace? We all know of the experience of the palace within us. We all like to remember those moments of the palace -- times when we are being honored or recognized,or our children have done something that made us proud -- all those are experiences of the palace within us, and we love to bring them back again and again to memory and relive them --
But Christ is not born in palaces -- where is He born then? there are places within us which we do not want to remember -- those lonely, long moments that drag us down -- maybe because of illnesses, maybe times of weaknesses of old age, maybe times of despair at the loss of a spouse, a child, a parent -- those humble moments of our life -- in that crib that the world does not know -- there Christ should be born within us.

To make it a bit clearer -- even though we traditionally think of the crib or manger where Christ is born, the Bible only shows us that the babe was kept in the manger where the others saw him, not that He was born there. On the other hand, if we focused on the songs we sang today -- we have a strong tradition in our Liturgy -- that He was born in a cave, a den -- so such places in ourselves which are as humble and as lonely like the cave -- which no one knows -- there Christ must be born within us. Will you allow room for the Mother of God and Joseph into those parts of your life which are your most vulnerable, which you want to keep hidden from everybody -- will you allow room for Christ, who is the ever present hope for the most hopeless, in there today?
Another thing about the cave is -- it is dark -- no semblance of light is there --> there are such dark corners within us -- which we ourselves do not realize -- of hurt and vengeance -- due to past relationships and experiences -- things which we are unable to forgive or let go -- into those dark corners of our lives -- will you allow the light of Christ to be born today?

What will this give us?
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When we allow Christ to be born into the dark and lonely caves within us -- what do we gain? To understand this let us dwell a bit into the depth of our faith -- if we noticed the songs we sang today during the Christmas service, we would have noticed -- the lyrics were all of the great joy that has come upon us -- yet the tone used, the tunes -- reminded us of something else -- a melancholy note -- several of them reminded us of the Holy Week, the Great Lent and of Good Friday! Did you notice that? Why? It used to confuse me earlier -- why this sad tone on a happy occasion? It is because -- the Church is as always -- teaching us through these -- teaching us an important lesson that -- the Miracle of the Incarnation of the Lord cannot be separated from the Mystery of the Cross.
We all were never meant to die, we were created in Adam to live eternally. Only one person was ever born who was born to die -- our Lord Jesus Christ -- the miracle of His incarnation cannot be separated from the mystery of His passion and His glorious Resurrection.
So when the Christ born in our dark and lonely caves, He will lead us on His journey to the Cross. That is what the Church does - till today she was preparing us for Christ to be born within us, and from now on, the Church will lead us on a journey with Christ to the Cross -- and what this will give us is -- sacrificial love -- as we see on the Cross -- the ability to suffer and sacrifice for others, the ability to love when unjustly condemned -- this ability to love in sacrifice -- this He will give us.

The larger cause
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When each individual thus allows Christ to be born within you, within us -- that is when we grow as a parish. That is when the society around us, with whom we engage daily, grows in Christ; that is when the land becomes "Christ-like". Every activity of the parish is (supposed to be) a mission, every work a ministry. May the Christ that is born in you individually, grow your parish and through your parish -- the society around you that you serve, the society around you that you are called to serve -- and may you and through you, them -- be able to walk in the way of the Cross with the Christ born in you today. All prayers and good wishes for a Merry Christmas to you.

St. Stephen's Day: A call to the Diaspora

Today (January 8th) we remember the first martyr, deacon St. Stephen.

The first Christians were all Jews with a traditional Hebrew heritage, living in and close to Jerusalem. They heralded the great movement of Christianity out of Judaism. But they did not really have a vision beyond the Jews.

Then from the diaspora emerged such figures as St. Stephen. He was a Hellenist Jew. Hellenists did not carry the burden of the Hebrew culture and tradition like the Hebrews. Thus it was easier for St. Stephen to see the mission of the Lord in a much wider perspective than the Hebrews could. St.Stephen paved the way for the grand work of St. Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles. St. Paul again was from Tarsus in the diaspora, taught by the best of teachers Gamaliel. And St. Paul brought the Lord to the whole world.

Thus we see that after the first phase of the Christian movement by the Hebrews, the next phase of bringing it out to the world was done by those from the diaspora. For the Indian Orthodox Church, this could serve as a great model to imitate. The last Century has been one of great awakening and revival in the Church. The faith has been nurtured, preserved and handed down by the great visionary warriors of the faith in Kerala, especially with the establishment of the Catholicate. Now it could be the turn of the ones in the diaspora to take the Lord's work in the world to the next level.

Very glad to see this already happening in the arena of Liturgical Translations. CP Chandy Sir, Vattakunnel Bava and others persevered to translate our Liturgical treasure from Syriac to Malayalam -- and now we see the Liturgical Resource Development of the SW American Diocese and similar initiatives from Nagpur Seminary taking it to the next level working on translations into English and Hindi among others.Some brilliant work coming out of the American Dioceses as well as Nagpur Seminary in the Sunday School and OVBS fields also bear testimony to the work being done by the Diaspora.

The next great revival in the Indian Orthodox Church could probably be heralded by the diaspora.May the torch bearers from the Jewish diaspora -- St. Stephen and St. Paul -- serve as our fortresses and powerful intercessors in this journey.

The Dangers of the Institutionalized Church

An institution exists to establish a structure, a system, a process around a cause, to make it efficient. And this is needed, and good - to provide a smooth run, to be fair, to provide accountability. However the idea of an institution works best when the cause, the goal - is tangible, is measurable.

And here-in lie the dangers in institutionalized religion. The Church for example, is in the business, not of running a glorified club in the most efficient manner possible, but is in the business of saving souls. This is a very intangible goal. Our values, our focus, our energies need to be always geared towards this. That is why the Church was established not with constitution and laws (these came much later, it might surprise many how we functioned without any of these till very very recently) but by the unshakable rock of faith in Christ the Son of God, as expressed on our behalf by St. Peter.

Some dangers I see in overly institutionalizing the Church :

1. The tendency to overrule the spiritual: We are Christians first -- followers of a simple uneducated man raised in a carpenter's family -- who taught us to love and forgive. In our quest for efficiency in the process, we overrule the spiritual, we throw away humility -- we lose the human element -- and so we lose Christ -- so we feel it is ok to insult and belittle each other, as long as a clause in the constitution is upheld. We forget that without the spiritual power of the Holy Spirit brooding over our works and our words like He brooded over the waters before Creation, the entire Constitution is worthless.
2. Failing to appreciate the volunteer: An institution in the secular world is run by professionals. Professionals are paid for their work. On the contrary, the bulk of the "institutions" in the Church are run by volunteers. The volunteers are motivated by their own drive and passion towards the cause. They sacrifice their time, money and resources for the cause. This drive of the volunteer gets killed when there is unfair criticism directed towards his\her work. Everyone tries to give their best, but failing to see the good in the volunteer can be disastrous. In a secular institution it is not a big deal as the pay somewhat compensates -- however in the institutional Church, this becomes very quite relevant (and often ignored causing chaos)
3. The tendency to lose the personal: There is a goodness in wanting a professional approach to everything we do in Church, especially the administrative matters. When we see everything "officially" though, we lose the personal touch so much needed at the core in every aspect of the Church. There is a fine balance needed really. This is true in the secular institutions as well. The personal relationship really compliments the professional. But especially so in the Church. If there is no real personal connection with the priest and the parishioners or between parishioners, this shows in the quality of the work they do "officially" in the parish.
4. Failure to be welcoming: The Church needs to be looking constantly to "make disciples of all nations". This means we ought to be perceived as welcoming, to say the least, to those around us. We often fail in this aspect while applying the the laws and canons we have been given. An institution in the secular world really does not have this as its highest priorities. There in lies the conflict of interest, which we need to understand.
5. Failure to reach out: The Institutionalized Church is happy with "reaching out" once or twice a year to the society around with some charity checks, or some token activities, just enough to add a couple lines in its annual report. This is because the Institution in the Church has several other "activities" to cater to in the calendar year -- like the picnic, the family night, the outings, cruises, the Perunnals, Harvest festivals, the carols etc. etc. While most other activities in the Church other than worship can be clubbed together mostly as team building exercises or fund raisers for sustainability, which have their significance, reaching out to the society around should become the core of the life of the parish and should be a natural result of the faith in Christ worn by the Church. Your Christ was with the afflicted always, how can you find comfort in your coffee hour alone?   Connected to this is a false notion among us, that we are building the Church "for our children". Our children will probably never stay with us when they grow. The parish needs to reach out and invite the locals, adapt and be welcoming to them, become relevant to them and become their Church. That is the real purpose of the "parish Church" -- to become the local Church, the community Church, the locality Church. The Constitution and the by-laws alone will not help us reach there.
6. Loss of the servant leader: "For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (St, Mark 10:45) This is the basis of the call to serve(diakonia) in the Church. From Christ's example, we model the idea of the servant leader, the leader who serves (and even gives up his life for the others). This is generally opposed to the model of hierarchy and its functioning in the secular institutions where the manager at the top orders and the others follow. This concept of service by the leader, so fundamental to the Church and useful to society gets lost when the idea of an institution is applied rigidly for the Church.

The Great American Testing show -- NE American SS Centralized Exam

"A small coffee with cream and sugar and 2 biscuits please" I told the attendant in the service area. I still had to drive another hour before I could reach Syracuse where I needed to conduct the centralized exams. "James achayan could probably be on that service area on the other side going the other way to Albany" I thought. Joseph Kappil was scheduled to go from Syracuse to Albany to Proctor the exams there. As I made my way back to my car I began to think of the different people involved in this gala exercise :) . For the exam to begin at noon exactly in the numerous centers across North East America and Canada, so many people like me would be at this time traveling in different directions and would be at various stages of their journey. A mammoth sequence of events has been set in motion, and I am part of it!
 

 I would normally have been at Church at this time. So many people like me have been pulled out of their comfort zones to help make this happen - the Sunday School centralized exam of the North East American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church -- the Great American Testing Show that unravels this time of the year! I could not even begin to think about the exhaustive planning that was needed to get all this worked out, then the meticulous execution needed to get all this actually carried out -- with so many moving parts -- (I being a literally moving part then!) -- so many people and their moods -- so many uncontrollables -- and the Almighty grace that was the real reason why all this actually just falls in place, so that everyone gets to experience the sheer joy when it actually comes to fruition.
 

 My tryst with the process this year happened with a voice-mail from the Centralized Exam Controller over a month ago. Subsequent phone calls, emails and detailed instructions made my assignment clear to me -- about the expectation from a Proctor. My assignment ends when I mail the envelope with answer sheets back to the CEC. But the actual process, as I could imagine, would have started much earlier, and would last till much later. With having to get the syllabus materials collected and given to different people to get the exam questions prepared, to maintaining the confidentiality, to selecting exam centers and getting students ready, to selecting and getting confirmation from Proctors, to actually conducting the exams at the same time, handling all different situations that may come up with students - their pressures, tensions, disappointments, excitements; to collecting the answers, getting answers evaluated and finally publishing the results -- is a humongous task. That this has been happening so seamlessly over the past several years is a tribute to all those working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this all done. To the Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovas who oversees the whole Sunday School ministry, the Sunday School Director, the CEC and the entire team which has over the years fine tuned and perfected this process for our children -- we are all truly grateful.
 

 Centralized examination is a tool (however imperfect) to measure the progress made by the student. A competitive and well conducted exam is paramount to the success of this process but seldom appreciated. If things go wrong, the process is vilified, but when seamless, we often forget to thank the ones who made it so. 
 

 "It is too early for that" A correctional officer who was a parent at my exam center told me when I asked him if the recent jailbreak in Upstate NY had made their job environment come under more scrutiny. He then explained to me how the particular high security prison was cold and hard to live in, which maybe why the prisoners decided to escape. My being a Proctor was allowing me to meet with wonderful people around from other places and hear different perspectives on different things. On top of that, you are the guest of honor and treated as one where you visit, what more can one ask for?! 
 

 "The Indian Orthodox Church - an overview". I saw the book sitting on the shelf among other books in the exam hall. The author's name sparked my interest more "Dr.Paulos Mar Gregorios". The first few pages convinced me this was a treasure! HG says in the preface this 1982 work was put together "hastily" and sourced from his work in German. But if in haste Thirumeni could put together this kind of work, then its no surprise that great brilliance was possible by this genius when he got more time -- I thought! I could read just the first 15 pages or so in between the Proctoring I was doing, but it already answered a few questions I had been carrying for long -- regarding our links with Persians, Syrians, East Syrian, West Syrian, the ancient Church spread across the Indian subcontinent, etc etc. After all this was the person whose is well reputed in the pan Orthodox world (among others) and whose Oriental Orthodox explanations of the Chalcedon issue has been instrumental in bringing the two groups closer to a reconciliation. So he does know a thing or two about Church history, I told myself in jest :) and I read with interest as he wrote about the development of the Patriarchate, the Catholicate, as well as the Persian Nestorianism which in the later years "could be interpreted in an Orthodox manner". A great book which I look forward to making part of my collection someday soon. My Proctoring adventure allowed me the opportunity to know of another of the little gems by the Gregory of India. thanks again for the opportunity!

Christianity cannot be sugar coated

Many Christians including myself struggle to make the Church more acceptable for our children - we feel a lot of discomfort in the Church - we are inconvenienced

a lot on our Sundays - so we need chairs to sit, soft carpets to walk on, a pantry with coffee close by, food after the service - all so that we make our Church time more bearable.

And we talk about shorter services, more lively songs, more use of the language the children can understand, books in English, louder sermons, feet tapping music? ..etc..etc...so that our children may see all these and find the Church attractive and stay in the Church.

We build huge mansions for Churches, magnificent cathedrals, awe inspiring sculptures, beautiful paintings - to create the traditions of our Christianity.

But if we really think about it - do we really want our children to be even part of this? The Church has, at its center, a man who was ruthlessly and mercilessly tortured and killed, whose initial followers were hunted down and massacred like animals, a king who was disowned by his own people, who asked us to follow Him even to His death. Do we really want our children to follow his path? Today I looked at a painting of St. Stephen the first martyr, showing the scene just before He was to be martyred - it was a horrifying scene - a chill ran down my spine as I realized - what the martyrs went through was terrifying, it was no fun - Christianity is no joke -

and that is what we are driving our children into - Christianity is about blood being shed - it cannot really be sugar coated.

So if we really think about it - instead of trying to make the Church more at home for our children, we may want to run away from it as fast as possible and as far away as possible with our children.
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But fortunately, we are mostly peripheral Christians, and so we stay on with our fixation for Church. Ignorance is bliss.

(Has anyone ever felt like this?)

(April 2013)

The sign on doorposts at Passover

Was reading the story of Passover from the Bible to my daughter when I thought:
Why did the angel of death need a sign on the doorposts of Israeli homes to pass them over? Couldn't the deadly and mighty angel coming to kill the first born of Egypt have figured that out himself??

Wasn't that an indication that the Lord in His wisdom requires our participation, our responses, our acts - in the fulfillment of His Divine plans?
Wasn't that act a shadow of the sacraments to come in the New Israel, the Church?

(April 2013)

Religion and Charity

I can understand why its necessary to keep Religion separate from State, and also I can see a logic in why Religion is kept away from Schools(even though it saddens me that even the idea of God is systematically being driven out of the children's minds in their formative years), what can be the logic for keeping religion away from charity? I heard recently that certain employers hesitate to match funds if the charitable organization is connected to a religious institution (even though the charity is recognized - like in the US 501(c)(3) charities are those which have Federal Tax Exemption status)

What is religion without charity? As a Christian, my faith is nothing, if it does not bear good fruits in charity (The Bible is pretty clear that faith without 'works' is dead) - I am sure that is the case with most other religions. I know how certain religious extremists have used charity as a front for their extremists agenda. I also know of how funds from US and elsewhere have messed up the socio-ecumenical-secular fabric of countries like India. Those are gross abuses of money intended for charity and religion - yet, I feel the charity in religion is something really valuable and should not be stifled.

As long as one can trust that the money donated will be used solely for the charitable purpose, and will benefit those in need completely (and not be funded for any religious propagation) there should be a flourishing environment for charity driven by religion - where religion is encouraged to get involved and lead efforts in charity. Our world needs lot of charity.

Earth Day - a Christian's viewpoint

Everything that God created was "good". It was attested by none less than God Himself, and attested so many times during the Creation story - that He saw that whatever was being created was "good". "Good" - as in beautiful, perfect, complete, in harmony, and it served a divine purpose - everything was this way - even what we consider not of much worth - like - fruitless trees, wild animals, snakes..everything was "good" originally.

And He then made man the care-taker. So if today the Earth is messed up, we cannot walk away from the responsibility. Be kind and caring to the environment, use the world around us responsibly - its the only Christian way.

"The main point of Christianity was this: that Nature is not our mother: Nature is our sister." ~GK Chesterton

(Ref: St.John Chrysostom - homilies on Genesis.)
(April 2013)

Which caste are you?

Once a fellow traveller asked Sree Narayana Guru(famed social reformer and revolutionary against caste-ism in the Indian society, seen by many as a saint and revered for his knowledge of the Hindu Vedas) - "Which caste are you?"
Pat came the reply: "Don't you recognize, by what you see?"
"No!" replied the surprised enquirer.
"In that case"the Guru told him,"if you do not know by what you see, how will you know by what you hear?!"

~as narrated by Dr. Samadani,a Muslim scholar, at a speech in 2010 in Abu Dhabi at a Christian Youth Conference.

(April 2013)