AUGUST 2005 | ARCHIVE |
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The high priestly prayer and intercession of our Lord Jesus to His father reveals His actual regard to the whole mankind to be in unity, exactly as Father and Son are one. Our privilege as Christian, to enjoy the sweetness and to receieve the divine riches of true worship of God should be shared to all whom we come in contact. One of the central themes in ecumenism is its involvement in justice, peace and life concerns.
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Our alacrity to attend non-denominational and ecumenical meetings and our efforts for same without much skepticism is a positive symbol of our unity in diversity and our perception for oneness and it is a very major ecumenical input and orientation. The high priestly prayer and intercession of our Lord Jesus to His father reveals His actual regard to the whole mankind to be in unity, exactly as Father and Son are one, one in nature and essence, equal in power and glory and one in mutual endearments. All Christians who profess the same faith in Jesus Christ have great capabilities and responsibilities to be accomplished unitedly.
Our privilege as Christian, to enjoy the sweetness and to receieve the divine riches of true worship of God should be shared to all whom we come in contact, as it is the culmination of true Christian witness and accomplishment of His mission. In the midst of his troubles, David penned this psalm as: 'One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple' [Psalms 27:4]. David had well experienced the beauty, sweetness and transcendent amiableness of worshipping the Lord in true mind and true spirit. This is the real Christian way of life.
The term Ecuminism designates the whole area of the inhabited globe. It speaks about the unity of the Churches, of the Christians, of the world, of the creation and of the universe. The Psalmist talks of it: "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it". It encompasses the whole creation of God, its stewardship and its integrity. If the Word of God happened to deviate from the profound reflection on what it should have meant to us, it is the responsibility of each believer of Christ to put his or her efforts to well realign and reorient it.
If we are not able to enjoy the beauty and ecological balance of the universe then we will not be in a position to enjoy the sweetness of the worship in its fullness. Conversely, the beauty and ecological balance is maintained by the real worship of the creator. Jesus declared that Godly love emerged out from heaven is the fundamental law of the Kingdom of God. It was a commandment from the beginning as old as the law of nature and at the same time it is an everlasting commandmend. 'A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another' [John 13:34]. The rule and reason of love, 'as I loved you' made it perfectly new and as such it became a new commandment. One who loves another in the Christian sense of the word cannot help but be motivated to show that love in deeds.
The Characteristics of a healthy and growing Church or a divine Congregation is that it should initiate for the emergence of Godly love to the world. Godly love is the glue that holds the entire God's family together. It is a very painful thing to note that the Church, which is one united body of Jesus Christ, is now seen at different levels without much inter-relations. The followers of the religion which teach that 'God is Love' is fallen in deep differences. This is the biggest bruise happened to one, catholic and apostolic body of Christ. The true witness of the Gospel can be made possible only if this painful bruise on the body of Christ were dried up. Otherwise, it turns out to be a great negativity to God.
Our country is a big base for multi-religions and multi-denominations. Active involvement and affinity to our mother denomination is highly appreciated but it should be with proper view of religious tolerance and love of God. Intense denominational interests without tolerance cause to arise an alarming situation. Christians should become the living models of Godly love.
One of the central themes in ecumenism is its involvement in justice, peace and life concerns. Living as a Christian is not a life only for self, but it is for the full surrounding society. Christians must live in the world, which is full of bad things and good things. The characters in the parable of Good Samaritan are cryptogram of different nature of people around us. The priest and Levite who saw him and passed by, signify a group of people who consider that what ever they got is solely belonging to them and it is meant for their self-usage. There are many people around us who really need our help. The attitude that 'I should get everything from everybody' is equivalent to the robber who attacks the poor and snatch away what ever the neighbor have. The Samaritan did not hesitate in using up his full wealth and possessions as the aid of the wounded man. The parable actually shows the nature and meaning of Christian love which, in all ethical standpoints, discovers that whatever we got is to share with our neighbor.
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[Extract from inaugural address delivered at Eccumenical Meeting, Maramon Convention 2005 : Original in Malayalam] Translated by Editor Dr. Rajan Mathew Philadelphia, USA |
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SUFFERING IS REAL |
The Lord clearly told his friends and believers that the Christian path is narrow and rugged, and only few could truly pass through while the world’s ways are very attractive and broad. Believers will have a share of suffering which is an integral and built-in part of Christian life in this world. Our case is not a helpless situation at all. Within every believer the Spirit of the Lord dwells to comfort and council in the midst of sufferings.
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When our Lord was about to close his public ministry, he warned his disciples about the suffering and sadness they would experience during his crucifixion and death, and they would be persecuted when they would go out to preach and teach the good news of the salvation. But he also promised that their hearts would be filled with peace and joy that could never be taken away from them. During his ministry Jesus challenged his prospective followers to deny everything and themselves, and to take their own crosses and follow him if they wanted to be true and dedicated disciples .In other words, the old saying “ No crown without a cross” is one of the basic Christian reality and experiences. The Lord clearly told his friends and believers that the Christian path is narrow and rugged, and only few could truly pass through while the world’s ways are very attractive and broad.
Jesus Christ himself is called “ Man of Sorrows” and the suffering servant in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 53). All his disciples and followers suffered all kinds of persecutions and death. Apostle Paul himself gave a litany of sufferings (2Corinthins 11:23-29) though he was encouraging all believers to rejoice always in the Lord. Early Christians and true believers all through the centuries suffered a lot for the sake of faith, and even today Christian believers are being persecuted in several countries where Jesus Christ and his gospel are not accepted at all.
Very often we wonder why do we have to suffer in our lives. We probably can attribute to several causes for man’s sufferings in this world. First of all, according to the Word of God the entrance of sin in man’s life began to bring sufferings. Man was created in God’s image to have continuous and harmonious fellowship with the Creator himself and to his other creation around. Once sin was introduced by the power and persuasion of Satan, sufferings and sadness became a part and parcel of human life (Genesis 3:14-24). In other words, Satan has a major role in bringing pain and sufferings in our lives. The peace and joyful fellowship between man and God was destroyed and thus sufferings became an unavoidable reality and experience of human life. The fallen and sinful human nature as described in Galatians (Galatians 5:19-21), which is capable of committing sins and mistakes, is another cause for our sufferings. It means for all our pains and problems we are partially responsible. With the help of God, self-help and help from our fellow being, we will be able to minimize or eliminate some of our sufferings.
The world we live in can cause a lot of sufferings and pain. We cannot change the world completely for our sake. But we can try our best to make a better world for us and for others. Remember what our Lord taught us that we the believers are the salt and the light of this world. That means that we all can contribute a lot to reduce the sorrows and sufferings originated from this world through our unselfish love, services and sacrifices as the Lord taught us through his own life and his several teachings and many parables such as the good Samaritan. There may be several other causes for our sufferings, which we may never know the exact reasons. For example, once when our Lord was asked the reason why a particular man was born blind, he said that blindness was meant to reveal the power of God and for His glory!
In short, all believers will have a share of suffering which is an integral and built-in part of Christian life in this world. This cup of pain has to be shared along with our Lord Jesus Christ who drank his own cup! One who denies taking part will have no share in the glories life which is eternal, and that is free of tears and pain. Our case is not a helpless situation at all. Within every believer the Spirit of the Lord dwells to comfort and council in the midst of sufferings. The Heavenly Father and the Savior himself are always with us. Remember what the good Shepherd promised that he would give us rest when we carry the burdens of life (Mathew 11: 28-30)! Amen.
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What a great honour God bestows upon us in wishing to dwell in us! So donot put unworthy material into the construction of the temple of God. Glorify God with our bodies instead of desecrating His shrine by physical lust. Those sanctified by the Lord are now His holy temple, where He dwells by means of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy God inhabits them, they must live in holiness. |
Body is the expression of the whole person. Christ has redeemed us so that we might become united with him, for “anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him”. Each person who has been spiritually united to the Lord must not join in sexual immorality. Those sanctified by the Lord are now His holy temple, where He dwells by means of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy God inhabits them, they must live in holiness.
If one place one’s body at the disposal of casual sex, the body has taken the wrong turning, and becomes flesh, which for St Paul has often a bad sense, signifying human nature perverted - not perverted because it is material but as a totality it has fallen away from God and is living man centred. The body is also capable, however not in its own strength but by the operation of the Holy Spirit, of turning to the right direction and living God centred: if this happens it moves into the realm not of flesh but of spirit - not because it has ceased to be material but because as a totality it is controlled by the Spirit of God. God provides the means by which man may achieve the God centred existence, which means life in the spirit.
Church/Individual is the shrine, in which the spirit dwells - when the unity and purity of the moral life of the individual are threatened, he recalls that the spirit dwells in each Christian, who ought not therefore to defile the Spirit’s shrine. So use your bodies for the glory of God.
Freedom and Sexuality:
Freedom in Christ: Sex is not just a physical act but involves the whole person (v.16-17). Thus we can see in Paul’s words a desire to move people away from bodily concerns, pleasures and emotions towards what he considers a more ‘controlled’ and glorified view of humans whereby they have overcome the body (sin) in favour of God (the spiritual realm). “I came so that they might have life, life in all its fullness”. Lord, make us aware of the fact that we are living stones, supported and supporting, in a spiritual temple. Grant that nothing in our thought or deeds may take from its sanctity.
References:
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God made us in His own image and likeness so that we may be able to draw a correlation that helps us to glorify His holy name forever. If man’s passionate desire is to satisfy the passions of his flesh, the inner passion of to be in communion with his Creator is hurt irreparably. Glorify God with your body. |
The meaning of the word dejure is opposite to the word defacto that means illegitimate or illegal. The three or four litres of blood that is given for a whole lifespan to run the body in meticulous and complex ways has the immanent ability of recycling it by a remote -controlled power that we call it as the indwelling Divine Grace. The harmonious functions of our delicate body that has different autonomous functions of digestive, reproductive and similar ones are synchronized as a whole entity cannot be penetrated and explained by a human mind which is infinitely subordinate to the universal Super mind or Entity. Our body is a universal computer that is wrought by a Prime Mover only can visualize the many-sidedness of its workings in its unfathomable and mystical varieties. “ Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and doest crown him with glory and honour”. Ps.8: 5. This crown of glory and honour adore man as the paragon of animals, anointing him as the monarch of this planet, with all its inexplicable mutations and connotations, that was set apart for man’s survival during his sojourn existence here. God made conducive environment and habitat first for man, and the Creator moulded him from the same elements, particles and essence of Nature and linked it with the cosmic world, making him as the microcosm of the macrocosm. Air is a symbolic form of the Spirit of God who runs everything with a magnetic, spiritual mechanism. In a nutshell, man is more than his chemistry or biology.
Nine Outlets: Polygamy: As such relationships infringes the Heavenly commandments, the fallout of our sinful actions are deposited in our system that passes the impurities to be assimilated to the next generations on the basis of the science of genetics. That which takes place on the surface level of the body transmutes to the mysterious level of the cosmic man, inviting the depredations of both seen and unseen person detrimentally. Just like the toxin deposits tell upon the body and its functions that mutilates the transformation of the spirit, too, dump the individual at the bottom of the spiritual plane. The stains of sins that pervade darkness convert the body as a seat of Satan who consumes the glow of the inner eye which run by celestial light- Mt.6: 19-24. Beware that the physical body in its transformed state is the launching pad of the soul to the next plane of our existence. “ Glorify God with your body” -1.Cor.6: 16 -20.
As the sexual depravity is the only sin that takes place within the body, one has to shun immorality at every stage of one’s life. That which cracks down the commandment of God is a sin and the guilt and the fallout of which sends shockwaves to the next generations and all the invincible planes of our existence here and thereafter are immeasurable. Any challenge against God makes ripples in the gigantic visible and invincible ocean of mysterious planes. Polygamy as a result of such detrimental consequences will have to be eliminated in all our intercourses in every strata of life. Hence cleansing the body by the purity our thought, word and actions is the first step of our spiritual life. Despite cleaning the body in its peripheral level seems to be simple, it is a Herculean task to bridle the passions of the body that carries the soul for its mundane existence -1.Cor.9: 27. The guilt that accrue by sinning and spontaneously crippling the body make indelible stain to the soul that can be erased only by boiling tears, just like a spa bath invigorates the body for further activities. The polygamy that adds more toxins to the body cripples the body and soul for their further active life on the sod as well as the upward journey of the latter.
Extra- Marital Relationship: Allowing of re-marriage that curtails sexual immorality after the death of the spouse is an alternative for sexual chastity. Despite the violation of all other commandments invites punishments, the most virulent one is the sexual licentiousness because the sin takes place within the body affecting the gene of every cell. Divorce that sends the couple to other spouses therefore is a crime because it adds the poisonous level of our body that degenerates our normality. Despite the medical science is in its enviable advancement, we also have to see that the chronic diseases are also on the galore because of this basic reason. The infinite fallouts of divorce and sex deviations are immeasurable because the fibre of our whole life is intertwined in this web. As every thought makes an imprint of our body, sexual infidelity corrodes our mind for its eventual perdition.
The Same-sex relationship that increases the poison level of the body by the traffic between the same type of gender, instead of neutralizing the toxin capacity, doubles or multiplies its quantity, paving the way for its eventual annihilation. Despite the infringement of all other commandments brings retribution, the shock waves that emit the surroundings and also the genetic crippling are beyond the reach of our imaginations. Just like the ripples that make by putting a stone in a lake, any violation of moral principle makes tidal waves within and without the body, which makes stains in our soul as well. Any deep stain that can be removed only by high-grade stain removing stuff, similarly the soul can be purified only by boiling tears and compensating with alms giving because we have made irreparable damages to some people who are our near and dear ones.
Violation of any commandment is a betrayal of our conscience that is the propeller of our spirit to the upward direction. Any unholy association or becoming the dupe of an accomplice is a defacto relationship that will have seen or unseen ripples in the physical and spiritual planes. Any form of sexual profligacy that spirals a tsunami to the next generations is the most serious ones of the defacto relationships; the next grave one is likely the infringement of the commandment of ‘ not to kill’. While the first 5 commandments are our prime duties to the Creator, the 2nd set is the pre-set assigned duty to our brethren. We are the benefactors of the observance of all these laws.
Commandments : “If you would enter life, keep the commandments…You shall not kill, not commit adultery, not steal, love your neighbor as yourself” -Mt.19: 17-22. Killing or any other commandments can be walked over by thought, word and deed. The tongue is a great killer. All commandments came from the Life giver once, and “ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes…write them on the doorsteps of your house and on your gates” -Deu.6: 4-9. There are religious and secular codes of behaviour; a child of God is a slave of both, despite the secular laws needs to be amended in tune with the necessities of time. The thread of love, the new commandment emphasized by Jesus- Jn.13: 34- is the one that binds them all. Although in accordance with the Roman law, it was illegal to try and sentence a person during the night, Jesus gave in to Himself to the illegitimate verdict of death. As the trampling of the secular law also can corrode one’s mind, St.Peter and st.Paul also ask us to abide by the rule of the land- 1.Pet.2: 13-25; 2.Tim.2: 1-13. One who loves and humbles himself only can abide by the Godly and social laws.
The first commandment that God gave in the Garden of Eden was not a commandment but only an option of choice. As man walked over it, the eventual consequences and the rigidity of the later commandments and decrees were so severe and harsh to be swallowed easily. Stoning to death for committing adultery was so severe because the man who embraced the voluntary spiritual death is also to be expected with bodily death. The stipulated ritual observances were also not simple; any law that trampled over in the O.T was met with cruel punishments and reprimands. The carnal laws for the insensitive man have been a deterrent in changing the crudities of his abhorrent life style. The commandment of love that Jesus imported into the N.T. period is the beginning of a celestial era that we don’t deserve in the automatic processes of our fallen state. The pure observances of Divine commandments that kindle the fiery flow of celestial love only can work as a keycard for the opening up the accounts in the Book of Life.
Seminal Therapy : The effects of the first disobedience that resulted in the realization of nakedness in Eden will have far-reaching detriments, wiping out the race by sexual perversions and profligacy of all types. Urine therapy is apparently good for the body, not for the soul, so also the apparent stem-cell treatment may bring some calming remedy for the mortal frame, not for the inner being. Every part of the body cell that belongs to God cannot be interfered with alien mix of nether world darts. The Divine commandments that constrain both body and soul in an inextricable blend are the Heavenly territory that cannot be molested by our body lust. Despite the Temple of God (Worshipping place) where the H.Sprit broods upon always is as holy as the human body, the handcraft of the Trinitarian God, and because of the Divine spirit sanctifies us by our continual worship and purity of life, perhaps is likely holier in concept than the former.
This unique earthly paradise among other planets that God made for His angelic creations has not many similarities with other planets. This new heaven and earth that the Triune God formed out of void is a gift to us; we are the managers and stewards of this planet and our brethren who are to be served under the strict commandments that God wrote with His own hands. “ The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein….Ps.24: 1-6. We can make some experiments with His gifts but not in every domain of His authority. Not only that the tenants will have to legally look after the entrusted property in a splendid manner but also is restricted to make any alterations without getting the prior authority of the owner builder. This theory strictly applies to our body also. Man is no more a tenant but an invited friend in this land of solace. We are only the guests of God’s terrestrial sanctuary, and no authority is bestowed upon us to replace anything other than what He has endowed to us for our beneficial use. Sojourning as tenants of this paradise, we are allowed to use anything that is allowed by His commandments. A tenant has no right to alter the structure of the house or the landscape or the topography of the area without receiving the written permission of the author of life. There is nothing in the Ten Commandments or in the subsequent decree to re-modify anything that is offered to us, despite covenants and statutes are renewed from time to time. “ Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears! For I am thy passing guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers” (Ps.39).
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Alvares Mar Julius started the Brahmawar Mission at Karnataka in 1888. The peripatetic missionary work of Brahmawar Mission slowly and steadily spread to many places in Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra. Currently there is one Degree College, one Junior College, two U.P School, one English Medium School functioning here. The liturgical services conducted here are in Malayalam, Konkani and Kannada. |
[Prof. Joseph K. Alexander is the former Director of Collegiate Education of Kerala State. He is currently Chairman of Kerala regional branch of Indian Institute of Public Administration [IIPA] and Member of Governing Board, IIPA Delhi. He is also the founder member and Vice President of Mar Gregorios Rehabilitation Center [MGRCB] which is an offshoot of Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Students Movement (MGOCSM)]
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Born on 29th April 1836 in the region of Goa, currently a State of Indian Republic, H.G. Alvares Mar Julius was ordained as a Priest of Catholic Order in 1869. As a priest and a staunch freedom fighter of Goa, the eminent personality, Fr. Alvares, served in his land for spiritual and social upliftment of his countrymen for a span of eighteen years during 1869-1887. His philanthropy, patriotism and yearning for freedom from foreign Portuguese yoke, journalistic acumen and his aristocratic birth had won a good number of followers for him in Goa and South Canara. Due to the political and religious constraints of that time in his own region, Fr. Alvares left Goa in 1887, geographically rerouted his mission area and started to concentrate his social and spiritual activities among his folks in Brahmawar. [Brahmawar is a place situated in South Canara near Udippi, which is currently in the Karnataka State of India]
After a while of landing to Malankara in 1887, Parumala Mar Gregorios Metropolitan of Malankara Orthodox Church ordained Fr. Alvares to the monastic order of Ramban. On 29 July 1889, Ramban Alvares was consecrated as a Metropolitan with title Alvares Mar Julius at the Old Seminary, Kottayam by Malankara Metropolitan Pulikkottil Mar Joseph Dionysius II and St. Geevarghese Mar Gregorios [Parumala Thirumeni, the first canonized Saint of Malankara]. The newly consecrated Metropolitan Mar Julius was appointed as the Archbishop of India and Ceylon for the diocesan area of outside Kerala of the Malankara Orthodox Church.
Brahmawar Mission: Dn. Alexander was a matriculate from S.B. College, Changanacherry. According to the wishes of the community and his family, he was ordained as a Deacon by H.H. St. Gregorios of Parumala. Further, he joined old Seminary, Kottayam and started learning Syriac and Theology. Dn. Alexander started publishing a magazine on behalf of the Church called 'Suviseshakan'. To increase circulation and to pursue evangelical work he used to visit and deliver sermons at almost all Parishes in Travancore. In 1902 Dn. Alexander married Achiamma, daughter of Shri Chandy Kunju Marett. [Quoted by Prof. Joseph K. Alexander & Achamma Ammini Joseph]
The peripatetic missionary work of Brahmawar Mission slowly and steadily spread to many places in Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra. Dn. Alexander learned the languages of these places, so that he could directly converse with the congregation in their own vernacular language. Bibles in Kannada, Marathi, Telugu and Hindi were found in Achen's collection of books. The Church continued its mission work by sending priests for the St. Mary's Church of Milagris and other mission works at Brahmawar. Priests who later served at Brahmawar are: Thumpamon Koshy Achen, Kuriakose Achen, Geevarghese Achen.
A Primary School was started at Brahmawar with donations and from the fund raised by conducting a lottery with help of lay workers like Vettiyil Ms. Annamma of Vakathanam. She was serving among the women in Brahmawar till 1930, when parents called her back for a late marriage. In 1930's girls from Brahmawar who studied in Primary School were brought for high school education to Balikamadam Girls English High School at Thiruvalla. This practice was continued till the school at Brahmawar was upgraded to a high school. During the short Onam vacation these children were accommodated as honourd guests in Christian houses at Thiruvalla. The author recollect 3 girls each staying in our house at Mepral, probably in 1936 and 1937.
It is this school that has eventually bloomed into a College. Currently there is one Degree College, one Junior College, two U.P School, one English Medium School functioning here. The liturgical services conducted here are in Malayalam, Konkani and Kannada. As part of the Brahmavar Mission there are 5 Churches, which belong to the Madras diocese. Now Rev. Fr. Lazer of Pathanapuram Dayara is in charge of the Institutions at Brahmawar.
As the Anglican Bishop of Bombay gave Dn. Alexander a scholarship to study theology at the Bishop's College, Calcutta, the Deacon had proceeded to Calcutta for his theological studies. When the St. John's Church at Mepral was re-opened and Vicar Kanianthra Vathapallil Achen was too old to do the ecclesiastical services, Dn. Alexander was recalled from Calcutta by the Parishners. Thus, the deacon had to return from Calcutta in 1911 without completing his studies. He came to Manglore and Archbishop Alvares Mar Julius ordained him as a priest in 1911.
While at Brahmawar, one Fr. Noronha a Manglorian was his friend and a coworker in the mission field. Many years later Fr. Alexander revisited Brahmawar and God willed so, because that was the date on which his friend Fr. Naronha died. Fr. Norona went and established an out-post of his mission in Thiruchirappally. When this writer was a student there in St. Joseph's College (1944-48), he visited this small community and their Church. The old priest of that time was another Fr. Norohna who knew this old Fr. Narona. One Mr. Ponniah owner of Ponniah School was a rich member of this community. Later Pathanapuram Dayara purchased the Ponniah School from him.
Archbishop Mar Alvares had ordained two priests and a deacon from Travancore-Cochin area for Malankara Church. Besides Rev. Fr. Kanianthra Joseph Alexander, Rev. Fr. Lukose of Kannamkottu and Rev.Dn. David Kunnamkulam were the ones ordained by Mar Alvares. Fr. Kanianthra Joseph later became a Cor-Episcopa and was the Vicar General [from 1949 till his death in 1955] of the Niranam Diocese of late Thoma Mar Dionysius of Malankara Orthodox Church.
[In 1892, Archbishop Mar Alvares consecrated an American Priest, Joseph Rene Vilatte, a native from Paris, who was titled as Mar Timotheus, Archbishop for the Church of the Mother of God in Wisconsin of the Archdiocese in America, with consent of Jacobite Patriarch H.H. Peter III of Monastery of Sapran at Mardin of the border of Syria and Kurdistan.]
Bishop Mar Alvares was living in the Arch Bishop Palace in Brahmawar and serving the people till 1913. In 1913, he left Brahmawar and went back to Goa for the reason which is unknown. He had to suffer a lot of persecution at the hands of the Portuguese. He spent the rest of his life for collecting food for the poor people in Goa. His Grace Entered into eternal abode on 23rd September, 1923 at Ribandar, Panji, Goa and interred mortal remains in Goa. It is true that some research at the initiatives of late H.G. Philipose Mar Theophilus and H.H. Basalios Marthoma Mathews I prompted Rev. Fr. K.M. George and Rev. Fr. T.E. Issac, the then parish priest at Goa, to fish out the location of the burial. The tomb of Alvares Mar Julius was discovered on January 1, 1967 from St. Inex Municipal Cemetery, Panji, Goa by H.G. Mathews Mar Athanasios. The Holy Relics were translated from St.Inex Cemetery to St. Mary's Orthodox Church, Panji by Philipos Mar Theophilus on October 5, 1979 .
Feedback From Prof. Dale Griffith:
I found your 'Life of Bishop Alvares' extremely interesting, but I was crest-fallen when you did not mention that the rite used by this saintly bishop was the traditional Latin Rite corrected for use in Orthodoxy. Is there a reason that this was
omitted in the article? Bishop Alvares was the first bishop in the Orthodox Church to celebrate according to the Latin rite for centuries and the founder of Latin rite Orthodoxy. I should think that this is important. Author's Reply: Prof. Dale Griffith's comment is genuine. In fact the Holy Mass conducted by Rev. Fr. Norohna in the Thiruchirapally Church, in 1947, which I attended once or twice, was in Latin with Tamil responses from the congregation. I missed that point. I could have added that in my article. But this fact was known perhaps only to the then Bishops in Malankara Orthodox Church including the then Dn. K. J. Alexander and Koshy Achen who were there in Brahmawar with His Grace. Moreover, Koshy Achen and other priests who came after him conducted the Holy Qurbana in Syriac and Malayalam. So this Latin rite was applicable only to H.G. Alvares and priests like Rev. Fr.Norohna and their congregation. So it is not surprising that this fact has not been mentioned by anyone in Malankara in their writings on H.G. Mar Alvares. I myself would not have known about this, had i not attended the Holy Qurbana of Fr. Norohana at Trichy. But from the standpoint of Prof . Dale Griffith, it is an important point. So let us thank Prof. Dale Griffith for pointing out this lacuna.
Regards. Mar Gregorios Rehabilitation center: |
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Metropolitan Thomas Mar Athanasios contributed to the economic development of the Maramon area by helping to organize a market in Kozhenchery, which is still flourishing. He kept in touch by letters with English missionaries, the Anglican Bishops of Madras and Calcutta, the Governor of Madras and senior British officials. Metropolitan's life was one of the ceaseless work and stress, both physical and mental. |
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[CONTINUED FROM THE LAST ISSUE]
The Metropolitan Thomas Mar Athanasios kept in touch by letters with English missionaries, the Anglican Bishops of Madras and Calcutta, the Governor of Madras and senior British officials. When they visited any area in Kerala, they were invited to visit the local Mar Thoma church. When he met these dignitaries he took with him a delegation of senior clergy and laity.
In 1888, 12 Church leaders, two clergy and ten laity, met at residence of Kadavil Achen in Kallisseri, near Chengannoor. They came together for prayer meeting. They decided to form an Association called Malankara Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association. Metropolitan Thomas gave blessings to this association. A Church Magazine under the name of 'The Malankara Sabha Tharaka' was started in which name it known to this day.
In his letter of 1882 to Kuriannur parish he appealed to the womenfolk to emulate the women mentioned in Exodus Chapter 35 and to donate a handful of uncooked rice daily and give it to Church. This was known as Pidiyari. To enable them to form the habit he distributed to every housewife earthenware pots from the nearby village Poovathur, famous for earthenware pottery. The pots were collected at regular intervals and the contents auctioned. Secondly, he asked the farmers to give a coconut from every coconut tree they owned, a bunch of areca nuts and bunch of banana. Those who cultivated paddy were asked to make an allocation from their harvest for the Church. The traders had to give one Chakram per boat per month; as well trade was river-borne. In addition, farmers and traders were to make voluntary contribution from the farm produce and trading income. He also instructed that the administration of the finance, for the Kuriannur church had to be handled by a treasurer, Punnathundil Varghese, and assisted by Thatchilethu Kochukunju, an accountant. He suggested building a treasure chest with three locks, the keys of which were to be kept to be kept by the vicar, the treasurer and the accountant. This way he evolved for each parish a systematic method to garner church finance and provided a detailed financial plan. It was a heavy burden to raise the necessary finance even to support the simple life of the Metropolitan and the clergy.
Later Metropolitan started living at the ancestral Maramon Parish. The parish built an annexe to the church and that became the Episcopal residence for his life-time. Maramon Church being on the banks of the river Pampa, he could travel by boat to several parishes easily. He contributed to the economic development of the area by helping to organize a market in Kozhenchery, which is still flourishing. There the farmers could bring their produce and sell to the traders who transported their goods to distant townships by boat. He wanted to start English schools in Kozhencherry and Maramon which did not happen during his life-time.
In November 1892 the Governor of Madras visited Travancore and he wanted to meet metropolitan Thomas as they were in correspondence. Metropolitan requested Thazhathu Achen, the pillar of the Church in the Kottayam area, to organize a reception at Kottayam Cheriyapally. The Governor was received at Pallam and escorted by a festooned boat to Kodimatha and thereafter by land to Cheriapally to meet the Metropolitan.
Metropolitan's life was one of the ceaseless work and stress, both physical and mental. He had been suffering from rheumatism from an early age and by the age of 50 his health began to fail. He was under regular treatment of expert Ayurveda physicians. In July 1893, there was an aggravation of his rheumatism and the physicians prescribed an elaborate system of treatment which was not possible in his frugal residence at the Maramon church annexe. So he moved by boat to the ancestral house at Palakunnathu which was spacious and on the riverbank about a mile away. He had the feeling that his life was approaching its end. So he visited the houses of his two brothers which were also on the river bank on the way.
While undergoing treatment at Palakunnathu house he grew weaker. The news spread and there was a regular stream of anxious visitors, clergy and laity. He did not have the strength to talk to them. He had a stream of distinguished visitors including Jacobite Metropolitans Pulikkottil Mar Dionysius, accompanied by Vattasseril Geevargehese Malpan (Later Jacobite Metropolitan).
Within days, Metropolitan Thomas breathed his last and the whole Mar Thoma Church was shaken to its foundations and overwhelmed with grief for the loss of the brave Metropolitan who led them courageously through unimaginable difficulties and brought them to stability. Their sorrow was greater as they were left without a successor and the Church felt literally orphaned. The brave clergy and laity rallied under the leadership of the indomitable Vicar General Kovoor Achen. The Thozhiyur Metropolitan could not come due to floods, being the height of the monsoon. So Kovoor Achen gave the lead in the funeral service at the Maramon Church and during the Service Kottureth Achen said a tearful prayer, "Lord when Moses died you had provided a Joshua to lead the people but now we have nobody." and then he broke down with overwhelming emotion and could not continue. Kovoor Achen, standing next to him who was himself in tears, stepped in to complete the prayer by saying, "Lord of Isrel and God of fathers, please provide us a leader." The Metropolitan was buried with due Episcopal honours on the precincts of the Maramon church alongside the tombs of Metropoitan Mathews Mar Athanasios and Abraham Malpan.
[ARTICLE CONCLUDED]
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