The rhetoric from the pulpit

What pride do we show off?
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Whenever I attend a public meeting of the Church, I am taken to a land of dreams, by the eloquence of the speakers, where one after another the achievements of the Church are proclaimed, bishops are glorified, accolades are showered, victory slogans are sung; making me feel proud that I am part of such a great Church of 2000 years and that St.Thomas must be the proudest father among all the Apostles because of us, his legacy, the Indian Orthodox Christians.

But soon, and surely, as it happens with dreams, I am awakened to the rude reality that we are still really an unknown entity even in the part of the world where St.Thomas ministered; and are fast becoming an endangered species even there - with innumerable squabbles, petty clashes and court fights; I am awakened to see the faces of many disillusioned youth and clueless adults walking inside and outside the Church, and to see those outside the Church becoming more and more alien to the name of Christ because of our actions -

and then I wonder - Where is the substance to backup the words? What do we have to boast for after 2000 years? Does India know the Indian Orthodox Church, do we know India? Do we care? And - will St.Thomas forgive us for our casual attitude towards the faith, for which he gave his very life? Can this generation finally do something to bridge the gap between words from the dias and actions on the ground? [These days we remember St.John the Baptist who was beheaded, St.Stephen the deacon, who was stoned - such used to be our leaders and our people once upon a time.] (even when I write this, I am reminded of the many many charity initiatives we have and the little Christs working for them, and thank God for them, those are the only real assets we have, and for St.Thomas to be proud of)
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Even when we give honor to where honor is due, I think we will do well to remember in humility how much more we need to travel to do justice to the faith we have inherited.

Sleeba Perunnal Sept 14 thoughts

Today many the world over celebrate the Festival of the Cross. Today the Cross is the symbol of glory, of hope for many.

About 2000 years ago, this same Cross was the symbol of condemnation, of ridicule, of all that is wrong with society.
Something changed in the world -
and we celebrate the Cross today.

Reminds me of a chant we Syrian Christians from Kerala use (Malayalam)
"Njangalude Athmathinu athinale Rekshayundayi yennu, Sleebaye Njangal Kumbidunnu..
Mashiha Thampurane Nee Ezhunnalli Varumpol,Njangale yum orkkename ennu, Kallanodu koodi njangalum chollunnu."

Roughly translated as:
(Because it became the instrument of our salvation [because it reminds us of our salvation, because it is a symbol of our salvation], we venerate the Cross [and honor the very symbol that proclaimed condemnation in the world]
O Lord we pray along with the robber on your side, that you remember us when you return in your glory)

(2012)

Christian faith must show in works

I attended the consecration of a Church this weekend. One important theme I heard was - the light from within the Church must lighten the burden of the surrounding community. So true.

Too often Christians are so engrossed doing their own stuff, they forget their true calling and duty to the society around them. Its really not separate. Growth in faith is useless if it does not translate to good works in the society. Its nice to be reminded of these once in a while. Here's wishing the newly consecrated SBGOC of Central Jersey becomes the place of salvation for many, and also a true friend and comforter for the surrounding community.

The curse of denominations in Christianity

If all Christians were one, the Deceiver would have no chance. That was how it was originally. That was how it was intended to be.

Does anyone hear the demonic shriek of victory of Satan through the fragmented and mutilated walls of the Christian witness today? Christ cannot be seen, only divisions can be witnessed by denominations. That is why the Devil invented Christian denominations.

The purpose of denominations is to keep the message of Christ distorted and confused. That purpose is perfectly being accomplished each day today. Each new person wanting to know Christ sincerely, is faced with the barrier of denominations - which one to choose? are all the same? are any for real? Let us, for a moment, admire the devilish genius of the Deceiver for systematically, meticulously and with great patience, constructing such a thick cloud of unbelief,using denominations, around the very Church of God, that was established to cast away all confusions.

(2012)

Adam and Eve - the cost of wrong company

My daughter Maria, aged 5, narrated this story recently in Boston and PA for her Sunday school storytelling competitions:

"Respected elders, and my dear friends, I am here to tell you a story about Adam and Eve. The title of the story is 'Man's Disobedience and God's love'. The story is taken from the Book of Genesis which is the first book in the Bible.

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a beautiful garden called Eden. One day Satan came to Eve in the form of a snake. Satan called "Eve, Eve". Eve said, "Hi". Satan and Eve soon became good friends. Sometimes Adam also joined in their conversation and the three of them became very good friends.

One day Satan asked "Did God tell you not to eat the fruit from that tree?" "Yes", said Eve,"If you eat the fruit from that tree, you will die!" "Oh, you won't die!", said Satan. Satan went to the tree, plucked a fruit, ate it himself, plucked another and gave to Eve. Eve ate it and also gave it to Adam.

They realized that it was indeed delicious. They also realized that they had disobeyed God. And Satan disappeared.

They said to each other,"What do we do now?" "Lets go hide!"

In the evening, God came to the garden and called "Adam, Adam, where are you?" Adam answered "We are hiding, God. We disobeyed you!" God was very angry. He drove them out of the garden and placed angels to guard the garden of Eden.

But God still loved them. Many years later, He came down Himself to live with them, so that He could take them back to the garden of Eden and live happily with them ever after.

The moral of the story is - Be careful what kind of friends you make, because sometimes, even Satan tries to become your friend. Thank you."

The real source of light

I learnt something recently about light which I share, a lesson from the Bible for Christians and for everyone. We always think about the sun as the source of light, and essential to all greenery. But the creation story in the beginning pages of the Bible has a beautiful little but important lesson about the origin of light. As per the Creation Story, God made light on the first day, but made the sun on the 4th day. In between He made all the trees, vegetation, fruits etc. So the light as well as the green earth did not have the sun till day 4. Why? Why was the sun not created before light, or with light? (especially since when Genesis would have been written, then as now] it would have been natural to see the light coming from the Sun]

The Fathers explain that this happened this way to show us and to teach us the lesson that God is the source of light, not the sun.

(2012)

Lessons from Noah's Ark

It is said Noah took about 75 years to build the ark. That is more than a lifetime by current standards. What a faith Noah must have had to keep on with it for so long, building an enormous boat in the middle of the land, where every person would have ridiculed him. For those 75 years, the ark being built must have been a topic for joke and for poking fun for everyone in town. In all probability,

Noah had doubts along the way. But Noah's faith outlasted his doubts.

Will our faith last?
(2012)