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2026 marks the Silver Jubilee Year of Light of Life as this magazine commenced publication in July 2001. Twenty-five years have been completed for this online Christian magazine. The invisible grace and hidden hands of God have showered upon us throughout this long journey of a quarter-century. Today, as we release this special Silver Jubilee edition, we humbly bow under His invisible grace and offer thanks to God for all His blessings over the past years, and earnestly pray for His blessings and guidance in the time to come.
Many of our well-wishers and Church Fathers have passed beyond the veil of this life. We fondly remember them all, and as far as possible, we have expressed our tributes and homages within these magazine pages. The first edition of the Light of Life magazine was published online in July 2001, at Lightoflife.com with the blessings and Kalpana of the then-Diocesan Metropolitan of the American Diocese, H. G. Mathews Mar Barnabas Metropolitan of Blessed Memory. Many of Thirumeni’s articles were published from time to time. We remember Thirumeni with great respect and gratitude for his fervency toward this publication. Also we thankfully acknowledge that Rev. Fr. Johnson Achen (now H.G. Joshua Mar Nichodimos Metropolitan) helped a great deal as Secretary to Thirumeni in facilitating access to Barnabas Thirumeni and ensuring the prompt sending of his new articles regularly.
We warm-heartedly remember H. G. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Osthathios Metropolitan of Blessed Memory, for his patronage and blessings for this Magazine. We proudly remember that fortunate occasion of sitting at the feet of Thirumeni and writing an Atricle dictated by Thirumeni and immediate translation to English at the residence of Mr. George M. Mathew in Philadelphia. As per the permission from Thirumeni many Articles of Thirumeni were published later. Also thankfully recognize help and services of Very. Rev. Yuhanon Ramban (Now H. G. Yuhanon Mar Chrysostomos Metropolitan) for the coordination and help during the session with beloved Osthathios Thirumeni.
As we celebrate the Silver Jubilee of this magazine, we remember His Grace Thomas Mar Athanasius Metropolitan (Chengannoor Diocese) of Blessed Memory for his pioneering patronage and advice during its inception. We also remember the late Rev. Fr. Babu Varghese (Shebaly), my cousin brother, who was a co-initiator of this attempt. Furthermore, we acknowledge the initial help and service of Mr. Sarin Cherian for the setup and establishment of this endeavor.
Apostolic Blessings:
Throughout its history, this magazine has received blessings from many Church Fathers across various denominations. As previously mentioned, the initial blessing was given by the late His Grace Mathews Mar Barnabas Thirumeni.
Other Church Fathers who have extended their blessings via letter include:
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The late Most Rev. Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios of the Malankara Catholic Church
Very Rev. Bishop Jacob Angadiath of the Catholic Church
The late Most Rev. Joseph Mar Irenaeus, Marthoma Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church
Very Rev. Euyakim Mar Coorilos of the Mar Thoma Church
The late H.H. Baselios Marthoma Mathews II, Catholicos of the East
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Articles:
We proudly recall the time when H.G. Mathews Mar Saverios (now H.H. Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos) wrote an elaborate article on Christian discipleship for this magazine. This took place after we traveled together from Philadelphia to house of a relative of Thirumeni at Elizabeth, New Jersey. We were also fortunate to receive a handwritten article titled "How to Truly Follow Jesus" from H.G. Paulose Mar Milithios (later H.H. Baselios Marthoma Paulose II Catholicos, of blessed memory). This was provided at the request of my wife Saramma, who was a classmate of Thirumeni at CMS College, Kottayam. Furthermore, we extend our thanks to Rev. Fr. Santhosh Joshua (now H.G. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theophilos Metropolitan), a constant well-wisher, for facilitating articles from the late H.G. Geevarghese Mar Ivanios Metropolitan.
During this Jubilee year, I recall with great fondness my association with the Late Very Reverend K. Mathai Cor-Episcopa, my vicar, who consistently provided articles for publication in this magazine. Also I express my gratitude to another regular contributor, the Reverend Father K.K. John of Philadelphia. I also fondly remember the Late Reverend Father Joseph Mundukuzhy for his continued involvement as a writer, particularly concerning Sunday School. I am grateful to the Reverend Father Dr. Reji Mathew (Principal of the Theological Seminary in Kottayam, and formerly of Nagpur) for his tremendous service in publishing a series of Bible study articles. I would like to express my thanks to the Reverend Father Dr. K.M. George (Principal of the Theological Seminary in Kottayam) for a series of articles on 'Prayers for Sickness,' co-authored with Mrs. Mariam Philip George. Again, I extend sincere thanks to the Reverend Dr. Valsan Thampu (former Principal of St. Stephen's College, New Delhi) for his ongoing association and contributions to this magazine.
During this special occasion, I fondly recall many regular authors associated with this magazine. Dr. K. C. Ninan (Atlanta) and Mr. Thomas Koshy (Washington) were the regular contributors of the cover message for many years. Prof. George Menachery deserves special thanks for his association and writings on the history of the St. Thomas Christians in Kerala.
For many years, the magazine was published in English before the Language Institute in Poona began providing Malayalam script. There is a long list of authors who helped enormously in publishing regular editions. With deep gratitude, I would like to acknowledge many recurrent authors who helped during difficult times: Dr. Zac Varghese (London), Mr. E.S. John (Australia), Mr. John Kunnathu, Smt. Mini Krishnan (Oxford University Press, Madras), Dr. Rajan Thomas, Mr. Raju Baby Thaluvachira, Rev. Fr. Alexander Kurien, Mr. Joseph Kappil, Ms. Aju Jacob (New Jersey), Dr. M.S. Alexander (Leeds, England), Dr. Tenny Thomas (Oxford, UK—now Rev. Fr. Dr. Timothy Thomas), Mr. Jose Kurien Pulieril, Mr. Sunder Yesudasan (Madras), Rev. John T. Mathew (Canada), Mr. John Joseph Nalloor, Fr. John Brian Paprock, Evng. Br. Viji Alexander and all others who sent articles occassionally. Please excuse me if I have missed any names. Over 1,500 articles of various types have been published since inception, all of which are available in the archive.
Furthermore, many individuals helped facilitate the distribution of convention messages across various formats, including cassettes and CDs. Key contributors included: Mr. E.S. George Prakkanam, Mr. Biju Mathew Philadelphia, Mr. Cherian Alexander Kallooppara, Mr. Thomas Paul Philadelphia, Ms. Shilpa Prakkanam, Mr. Thampi Phillips Long Island, Mr. Alex Pothen Philadelphia, Mr. Thomas Thattayil.
Circulation:
Since its inception, the Indian Christian Orthodox Network (ICON) has provided tremendous support by promptly delivering Light of Life newsletters to a vast, networked audience. ICON is a major network for Indian Orthodox Church members worldwide. I extend my sincere gratitude to everyone working behind the scenes at ICON, especially my friends and pioneering coordinators, Mr. Oommen Kappil and Mr. Abraham Chirackal.
Light of Life also operates a subscribed email network, delivering updates to all subscribers whenever possible. A link for new subscriptions is provided on every page, with options to subscribe for yourself or a friend. We express our great appreciation to all subscribers and everyone who sends their opinions through the feedback link.
Bible Light Series:
The incarnation of the resurrected and ever-living Jesus Christ, along with the scripture that records its history, is not a myth or a man-made story; it is a vital part of human history. This truth is corroborated by the actual geography of the earth and by secular history. To truly understand and have conviction in the incarnation, we must examine the scriptures, validating them through the context of geography, history, and truthfulness.
'Bible Light' is a series of articles designed to explore the scriptures in-depth, analyzing the Word of God in detail to substantiate it as absolute truth. To date, five articles have been published, with more in preparation.
Site Map:
A detailed site map is currently being developed to provide comprehensive, up-to-date information, including the entire archive from our inception. A partial version is already complete, with links available on each page. The full XML site map has been submitted to the Google search engine.
Technology Advances:
Initially, the magazine was published entirely in English. Now, with the development of multi-language web scripts, many pages are published in Malayalam. The site has been now enhanced to be secure: https://lightoflife.com. Many pages have been converted to be readable on both web and mobile devices, and the rest are currently being converted.
A jubilee is not merely about looking back; it is a time to reflect on how the past fuels our future, while celebrating the joy and passion of our readers, who are our true contributors. We currently live in an era and society where reading is declining, and people of all ages are enchanted by visual media. However, reading offers a special, satisfying comfort during our moments of solitude. Furthermore, Christian messages provide everlasting enthusiasm and never lose their novelty. While we celebrate the 25 years behind us, we are even more excited for the future, driven by a deep desire to contribute a minuscule share for the building of the Kingdom of God. A big thank you for being part of this journey.
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