Focus April 2014

FOCUS April 2014 Vol. 2 No: 2

Water – An Oikoumene Symbol - Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam - Page 11

Cover Photo–Lal Varghese, Esq.

A Publication of Diaspora FOCUS

Contents

Editorial - Reaching Out - Page 3

Key to a Just World – Rev. Dr. K. V. Mathew, Kottayam - Page 13

Synopsis of Metropolitanʼs Pastoral Letters, Sabha Tharaka – Jan., Feb., March 2014 - Page 4 Envisioning God of Life in Diaspora – Dr. George Zachariah, UTC, Bangalore – Page 14

Everyday Theology Part III - Dr. Zac Varghese, London - Page 6

An A- Z of Interfaith Relations – Celia Blackden, London - Page 8

Pearls of Wisdom - Dr. Zac Varghese, London – Page 10

St. John of Ephesus – Dr. Titus Mathews, Calgary, Canada – Page 16

God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle –Mathew Stan Samuel, Dallas - Page 18

Maramon Convention 2014 - Page 20

Editorial Reaching Out We are immensely grateful to God for the first birth anniversary of this online journal. Last year, we were entering into an unknown territory without knowing who would write for this journal and who would be reading it; God in His amazing providence provide both writers and readers. We want to thank all our contributors and all our readers and we hope that the journal is of some help to you in connecting with the Mar Thoma Diaspora communities throughout the world. This journal has a transparent policy and you are welcome to join in, and help us to help you and others in the spiritual journey.

When Jesus commissioned a small number of disciples to spread the salvation story, the assignment was to crisscross the cultural and traditional norms, taking the Gospel to every people. They were to spread out from the centre of Judaism to countries and cultures they could not comprehend. Our ancestors benefited from the ministry of St. Thomas. As descendants of a rich St. Thomas tradition, we are also called to crisscross cultures, to dare to share the good news of salvation in geographical and cultural settings we have not dreamt of. We should be mindful of our Diaspora mandate of sharing the Gospel with people of other cultures and persuasions. We just celebrated the Silver Jubilee of the Diocese of North America and Europe and now we should be prepared to breakout from our comfort zones of being an exclusive ethnic community and try to open up to create an inclusive worshipping community.

People have different notions about the word Diaspora; it begins with an understanding of the Greek notion of migration and colonization to forced or free movement of people from one defined cultural and geographical setting to an alien culture and geographical location. There are 1 many classifications of diapora. Most Diaspora communities have varying degrees of loyalties to their motherlands and cultures. It is important to remember that Diaspora identity is not in any way preventing one to have loyalties and responsibilities to oneʼs new national identity.

Therefore, one can be a Diaspora Indian and a very proud and loyal citizen of another country. Spiritually, all of us are journeying people without a permanent home, but we carry a mission mandate to spread the good news and live by kingdom values.

The first generation Mar Thoma Diaspora community found it difficult to reach out to others; they were prevented for many understandable reasons. However, the second and the third generations have much greater opportunities for mixing with others outside the strict cultural and denominational boundaries. For so long, we have been used to the tradition of St. Thomas witnessing to our forefathers in Kerala and subsequently, Mar Thoma Christians witnessing to others in various regions of India.

Now we are compelled to take this mission paradigm to various Diaspora regions outside the subcontinent of India.

If we are to reach out effectively we need to become Christians who follow apostolic missionary model in cross-

cultural outreach. This should be our next project. Paulʼs work in Athens (Act 17:1-34) provides insights for reaching out to other communities within our global village. In the public square of religious pluralism and secularism, our objective is not to protest against other peopleʼs faith or nofaith; it is to present our faith in Christ by demonstrating kingdom values in our lives. Our mission is to make secular sacred.

How do we equip ourselves for this great missionary task?

In this issue, Dr. George Zachariah in his article ʻDiscipleship of Creative Maladjustmentʼ makes an effort in answering this challenge. ʻThe Liturgy after the Liturgyʼ article by Dr. Zac Varghese is another approach to tackle this issue. Jesus in his Galilean ministry was creatively maladjusted; so was Gandhiji, Mother Teresa and such noble souls. Our God is not a God of half measures; nothing short of absolute commitment will do. CS Lewis stressed the need to give all areas of our lives to God. Church exists for nothing else but to draw people to Christ.

If churches are not doing that primary function, all cathedrals, clergy, missions and sermons are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose, but for reaching out to humanity and to show how a man to reach out to other human beings and administer stewardship to all created things. The ministry of Pope Francis has made a big difference to the Catholic Church.

Years of scandals and decline have brought the Catholic Church down to its knees. However, in a few short months the Holy Father has revitalized the Church through his humble lifestyle; he has abandoned the official residence and chauffeur-driven limousines. Such identification with common people is making a real impact; this is imitating Christ. The only model that we need is the ministry of ʻour Lord and our God.ʼ It is gratifying to note that more than 348,000 people visited the January 2014 online issue of the journal, which is an increase of about 100,000 visitors from the October 2013 issue. FOCUS online magazine is completing one year of its publication by the publication of this issue. We thank all of you for your help and co-operation; pray for this initiative and keep sending the URL of this journal, which is given here http://issuu.com/diasporafocus, to all your friends. We have begun publishing FOCUS online magazine also at SCRIBD site, which is friendly to read online and the link is given here. http://www.scribd.com/diasporafocus Let us continue the faith journey of our church, wherever our Lord has transplanted us.

Reference: 1. Robin Cohen. Global Diasporas, UCL press, 1997 Disclaimer: Diaspora FOCUS is a non-profit organization registered in United States, formed in late nineties for Diaspora Marthomites. It is an independent lay movement of the Diaspora laity of the Mar Thoma Church; and as such Focus is not an official publication of the Mar Thoma Church. Opinions expressed in any article or statement are of the individuals and is not be deemed as an endorsement of the view expressed therein by Diaspora FOCUS. Thanks. Contact: www.facebook.com/groups/mtfocus E-Mail: mtfocusgroup@gmail.com, http://issuu.com/diasporafocus

Synopsis of Metropolitanʼs Pastoral Letters in the ʻSabha Tharakaʼ January, February & March 2014 Jan. 2014: Metropolitan reminds that 2013 is behind us in which, we had a mixed life experiences of good and bad, and we have entered in to 2014 depending solely by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to experience new promises He could shower upon us. In 2013 we have seen, things happened around the world, which revealed another face of the human life. But our Lord has provided us with His grace to live in the past year. We are entering in to the New Year with the faith that our good Lord will lead us with His grace in 2014 also.

When we celebrated Christmas last month, we remembered a Lord who created the world and then came down to this world to be with us.

Metropolitan reminds that the relationship between man and woman has exceeded the limits of all decency and deteriorated in to a deplorable condition prominent with its own consequences. It is very painful to see that the relationship with children and with aged people has also broken all limits of decency. This inhuman approach is being followed by both so-called ʻeducatedʼ and uneducated people in our society, which is another fearful event our society is facing now. Those minds filled with egotism, and destructive thoughts need to have a transformation. When that transformation begins in each one of us, it will overflow in to the society. God has created humankind with immense wisdom and the world is advancing step by step into more and more achievements through the empowerment of God. Some of the scientific achievements we had recently are commendable; in accomplishments like the implantation of artificial heart, Indiaʼs space probe targeted to the Mars, we see great possibilities. Let us pray that we may come out successfully in both of these attempts.

Our Church is taking steps to construct 25 houses for flood relief in Uttarkhand area, an area predominantly of Hindus.

Each house will cost about 3 lakhs Indian rupees and Metropolitan requested all members to contribute generously to this project so that it can be our witnessing in among poor people who live around ancient sacred Hindus shrines of North India. The construction of the new Poolatheen at SCS compound has already begun in January and is expected to

be completed within 15 months. Those Dioceses, which have not remitted their allocations are and encouraged to remit the same on or before March 31st to Sabha office. The preparations for the Maramon Convention has already begun and requested the support and prayers of the believers to overcome all hurdles, especially those caused by ecological factors. This yearʼs convention will be held from Feb. 9 – 16, 2014, and Metropolitan praises God for providing us with the able leaders for the convention.

Metropolitan remembered the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela and Uthradom Thirunnal Marthanda Varma Maharaja of Travancore, both left us recently. Both of them were able to create the thoughts of doing good things in the hearts of the people. Nelson Mandela will remain in our thoughts forever as a symbol of human dignity and free spirit, who got his inspiration from Christ and Gandhiji to fight against apartheid in South Africa. Uthradom Thirunnal was able to influence the hearts of people of Kerala, not with his authority, but with his humility and love. Both of them were blessed with long years of life. Metropolitan expressed the condolences on behalf of the Sabha on the demises of these two giants.

Metropolitan concluded by reminding us that instead of living with the joy of the good news heard by the Shepherds about the birth of Jesus Christ, he asks us to live by remembering the historical journey of the Shepherds to see the newly born baby Jesus. The wise men were able to reach the baby Jesus when they were guided together by the prophecy of Micah and the bright star in the sky. When the Word becomes a bright star in our hearts, then only we can be the light of the world. We need to keep our bodies as temples of God, where God is living - free of all kinds of drugs and alcohol, which destroys our body. We should consider our body as an altar for worshipping and for offering ʻa living sacrifice.ʼ Ecumenical Sunday is a day set apart to be joining with Jesus and for celebrating the unity of mankind. We need to live in the vine, which is Christ and produce good fruits by joining with Him. Feb. 2014: 119th Maramon Convention, which provides new possibilities to the church begins in February. After the resurrection, those who waited in Jerusalem including the mother of Jesus, as directed by Jesus, received the message to be the witnesses of Jesus Christ. The first sentence of Markʼs gospel is very significant: it does not say that it is gospel of Jesusʼ Christ, but the gospel begins with Jesus and Jesus is the gospel. St. Paul says, ʻI am not ashamed of the gospel.ʼ Swami Vevekanda said: ʻ Jesus is a human being, the one who lived for others.ʼ Kesab Chandra Sen, an Indian philosopher, also said, ʻin Jesus one could see the human face of God.ʼ Another theologian once said, ʻJesus is the answer of human cryʼ. Jesus came down from heaven to redeem those who are forced to live, without any voices, less fortunate, and subject to injustice, beyond the limits of the boundary created

by the society. We are called to witness the good news, the gospel. Apostle Peter reminds in 2 Peter 1:10: ʻTherefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.ʼ Let us pray that the last wish of St. Peter may be our commitment in the New Year, and may listening to the sermons, prayers and songs help you in this.

Metropolitan congratulated Coorilos Episcopa for the new diocese and its inauguration held on January 26th at Kottarakara. Metropolitan requested the prayers of the believers since he is entering in to his 40th year as an Episcopa of the church. He also remembered the late Easow Mar Themotheos Episcopa, who was also consecrated with him, but left this world much early. Even though the untimely of death of Easow Thirumeni left Metropolitan with a feeling of loneliness, but God has provided the strength to lead the church in the past and praised the God. Metropolitan congratulated those who are behind the construction of the new church facility in Bahrain. He praised God that both Muslim and Hindu brothers are also providing much support to the construction of this new church facility. He also dealt with certain administrative matters including the remittances to be made by the parishes to the Sabha office in a timely manner.

Metropolitan also reminded that all those who attend the Maramon Convention should enter the pandal by remembering that it is a holy place. He reminded that we need a transformation not from outside but also from inside like pruning the branches to bear more fruits by being attached to the plants. He also requested all those who attend the convention keep the pandal and the river free from pollution. He hope that this year would be a year for transformation and exhorted people to understand the meaning of the answer given by John the Baptist to the solider and the tax collector when asked him ʻwhat shall we doʼ?

As we are entering in to the meditations for February, Lord wants the redemption of all people through Jesus Christ.

When Dr. Stanley Johns said, heaven without Mahatma Gandhi would be a poor place, which meant his absence would be severely felt. God loves all human beings and leads us to the completeness of creation. If we deviate from the intention of creation, it will be considered as a default. He redeemed us from this default by dying on the cross by obeying his Father in heaven. May our journey in 2014 be one in which we will be obeying our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mar. 2014: The Maramon convention of 2014 has ended with all blessings from our Lord, with the prayerful participation of the people, and also with the devotional talks from this yearʼs leaders. Let us pray that the blessings derived from the convention may reflect in the individual lives of people and also in the corporate church life so that it may prompt us to seek the new avenues of Godʼs mission. National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), formed in 1914, is about to celebrate its 100 years of existence in 2014. Let the churches who are members of the NCCI may find ways to implement new projects for the betterment of the society as a whole st during 21 century.

The church has also entered into an election process for the Diocesan Assembly and Sabha Council. There is a tendency that the character of the individuals is being attacked without any consideration for such individuals and this tendency should be stopped. All election process including canvassing should be done in accordance with the constitution of the church and also in fear of the Lord.

Anyone who attempts to make false propaganda and sending information without any basis, remember that there is a Lord who knows everything.

India is also facing a new election to the Parliament. The last session of the Indian Parliament just finished and when the elected representatives return, they should selfevaluate about what they have done for the people who elected them. Those who are committed to the secularism, and have longing for justice and democratic principles of the country should be elected. Let us pray that the God may provide his abundant grace upon the people to elect such good people who may commit themselves to the welfare of the nation and its people. Let us be part of making a country as dreamed by Gandhiji without being carried away by the false propaganda and unobtainable and unrealistic promises. When the new Parliament takes its oath of allegiance, we will know that God is the one who is controlling the history and its people. Our God will be able to make us stay together as a country with unity in the diversity. Let us hope and pray the scientific, economic and cultural heritage and prospects we have so far may continue in to the future.

We are entering into the great Lent and the aim of the Lent is the transformation of the creation. The prayer of the church is always ʻGod transform the world with your grace.ʼ The reconciliation should be permanent through Holy Spirit. The letter of St. Paul to Philemon is a call for reconciliation, and hence included as part of the New Testament. March 7th is being celebrated as world day of prayer by churches around the world. During the coming Sundays, we think about a purifying Christ, a forgiving Christ, and a receiving Christ. During the middle of the Lent season we remember about the preparation of Christ to face the death on the cross. When Jesus traveled through Sor, Sodom, He was approached by a Samaritan woman. When we repeat ʻKuriyelayisonʼ (have mercy), our Lord will definitely answer our prayers. Her story reveals that even those from other cultures or religion will be able to be part of the same body and bread as we are part of. When Jesus passed through Jerusalem, He was faced by the cry for help from Bartimaeus. But the people who followed Jesus were not able to understand his need, but Jesus was able by listening to his cry. Jesus gave his eyesight back, and without going after the worldly things, he followed Jesus. Jesus allowed him to enter into the reconciliation ministry he is doing. Let us also pray that our Lord may provide us a fruitful life so that we can follow the paths of justice and peace.

Compiled by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas

Everyday Theology: Part-III* Dr. Zac Varghese, London [Abstract: Doing theology is an integral part of oneʼs daily living, and it is too important to leave it entirely in the domain of professional theologians. It is interesting to note how St. Paul taught even the complex theology of Justification by faith by saying: ʻBrothers, let me take an example from everyday life (Gal 3.15). Jesusʼ parables are examples as well. Everyday theology is the faith building understanding by knowing God within the community of Godʼs created world. As Charles Kingsley said, ʻit is then we get immersed in the Ocean of God.ʼ Giving glory to God in the daily living is ʻThe Liturgy after the Liturgy.ʼ]

The title of an article I wrote in August 1990 for ʻTharakaʼ, the official publication of the Mar Thoma Church, was ʻThe rites, sacraments and ceremonials for the next centuryʼ. ʻMar Thoma Messengerʼ the official publication of the Diocese of North America and Europe also printed it. I started the article by quoting the following immortal lines of Tagore in Gitanjali: “Leave this chanting and singing and telling of bead! Whom dost thou worship in the lonely dark corners of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine eyes and see that thy God is not before thee!”

“He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the path-maker is breaking the stones. He is with them in Sun and in shower, and his garment is covered with dust. Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil!”

together in giving glory to God. The Liturgy is a means for doing this work together for giving glory to God. The Mar Thoma Church has one of the oldest and most beautiful Liturgies signifying continuity of the church from the earliest Christian times to the present and the future. I am very attracted to the deeply touching, and holiness-infusing, introductory adoration: ʻKauma.ʼ It may be that we, ourselves, do not understand or appreciate the richness of what we have.

Those who value it and understand it have a responsibility to pass it on to the younger generations. A few months ago, I listened to a beautiful discourse on our Liturgy. The speaker, Rev. Joseph Daniel, highlighted the various aspect of the Eucharistic liturgy as if he was conducting a Holy Communion Service! That is the pragmatic and simple way to teach without using incomprehensible theological jargons. The problem has been that so far no one has taken a concerted effort in explaining various aspects of the Liturgy in a way that the present generation can understand. Some Christians are looking for fresh expressions of faith in ʻhouse churchesʼ and various charismatic movements because they find the traditional style of worship on Sunday too rigid, formulaic and sterile. It is very easy to make idols of our church and its traditions. One of our reformation principles was about making the worship meaningful to the worshippers. Therefore, we moved from a Syriac-based Liturgy to a Malayalam-based one.

We need to follow this reformation spirit and be prepared to make additional changes in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

“Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense! What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained? Meet him and stand by him in the toil and in sweat of thy brow.”

For me, these lines of Tagore vividly describe the Orthodox theology of ʻThe Liturgy after the Liturgy.ʼ Tagore captured the essence of seeking God in Worship. Worship is a basic human need, bringing life to God and transforming life in God. Many people, particularly young people, of our Diaspora communities who have sought God in Worship say that they have failed to find God because the liturgy and worship have become inappropriate and irrelevant to them. These young people are signaling for a liturgy, which is meaningful to them; and we need to listen to them.

We often refer to the order of worship as liturgy, but it is only so to the extent that it facilitates what the congregation does together to praise and give thanks to God for his abundant blessings. The literal meaning of liturgy is ʻthe work of the people.ʼ Therefore, liturgy is what we do together to focus our attention on God. Liturgy is the corporate work of forgetting self-centeredness during the adoration of God; worship is all about God. The Liturgy is corporate because everyday life is corporate; we do not live in isolation, we cannot exist as separate and isolated individuals. It is the celebration of a fellowship in love and mutual caring; it binds all generations

How, then, do we find a way through? It seems we need a Liturgy, which enables us to get in touch with the holiness, unconditional love, and righteousness of God as well as the depths of human experience of daily living. We also need discipline in worship, which protects us from being overtaken by self-expressions, outward expressions of piety, and selfglorification caused by enthusiastic charismatic overindulgences in the name of fresh expressions of faith. It was the Church discipline, drawn out of experience, which prevented ʻthe early Churchʼ from being overwhelmed by colorful egocentric personalities. St. Paul wrote about this to the Corinthian Christians and others. Alongside the spiritual freedom in Christ came the discipline, the discipline of

belonging to a faith community, discipline of attending a Church, discipline of teaching. It was a discipline, which ensured that the focus of worship was not the celebrant or the preacher, but the suffering crucified Christ, who is raised and is glorified. Worship is all about giving glory to God.

and dismiss us with your peace.” Dismissal is another important word for sending out into the world. You are sent out to live a liturgical life; we are asked to take the liturgy with us and live it out. Therefore, the Liturgy of Sunday worship is not the end, but a beginning.

A very good example of heavenly Liturgy is that of angels singing at the birth of Jesus: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14). Here we have a glimpse of how Angles brought this heavenly Liturgy to the shepherds and they then practiced ʻThe Liturgy after the Liturgyʼ by visiting the newborn child and spreading the good news around. They were eyewitnesses to the heavenly Liturgy; they were eyewitness to the good news, eyewitnesses to the Messiah being born and they spread it. They spread it because they couldn't restrain themselves. When we stop having that kind of zeal and that kind of passion, when we betray a heart that is no longer overwhelmed by joy of worshipping God, we move further and further away from the initial revelation of the gospel and become more and more involved with other things in life. Then we take an apparently sophisticated attitude by pretending the Liturgy we use for worship is boring. St. John describes the joy that he had in watching the heavenly Liturgy in Revelations Chapters 4 and 5; here we see the whole creation worshipping God. The question for us is how best we might participate in this Liturgy.

If we were to think of our Liturgy this way then we will see its amazing meaning and its relevance. Our young people would no more say that our Liturgy is boring. There is an urgent need for feeling and affirming that our sacred Liturgy is not a manual for a clergy-centered service and mystical action, but is a grace-filled means for the building of one body of Christ within the economy of salvation, which is for all generations. By participating in this Liturgy, we start a spiritual journey, which affects all aspects of life: family, professional life and social relationships. The mission of the Church rests upon the transforming power of the Liturgy. It is essentially sending people out every Sunday to the world to live out the Gospel and radiate the love of God and establish kingdom values.

One of the topical stories which brings home the meaning of ʻThe Liturgy after the Liturgyʼ is a about a young graduate who applied for an important position in a multinational company and presented references form a pastor and Sunday school teacher. The chairman of the interviewing panel after reading the references said: “Iʼm impressed with the nice things your church people told about you. Itʼs obvious that you appear to them to be just what we need. But I very much would like to see a recommendation from someone who is acquainted with your activities on Monday to Saturday.” Sunday church going is hardly an accurate indicator of what a Christian is really like in character and contributions in cutting-edge life situations. It is not that difficult to be two different kinds people on weekends and weekdays. ʻThe Liturgy after the Liturgyʼ is extending the Eucharistic experience of taking, thanking, breaking, and giving oneself to others in work places and leisure activities. We saw how Mother Teresa lived a Eucharistic life in the slums of Calcutta.

We begin our Holy Communion with the chanting: “In your Light we see the Light, Jesus full of Light. Itʼs your Light that shines upon the world…As we humbly pray, in Spirit and truth.”

In this we are invited to lead a Christ-centered life. The communicants, having been flooded an immersed in this divine Light, are invited to become a Light to the community.

Participation in true worship is a willingness to bury selfseeking demands and to experience a resurrected new life in Christ. The liturgy of the church prepares the journey of the faithful into the world to feed the hungry and to liberate those who are bonded to inhuman systems and structures of the society. Therefore, we are to go out from the church on Sunday with the liturgy to do Christʼs work.

In the Holy Communion Liturgy we hear also the blessing: ʻPeace be with youʼ several times, and in the final blessing and dismissal the celebrant asks us to take the peace that we experienced with us into the community. The congregation finally responds: “Enable us to receive your gifts and blessings

Metropolitan Anthony Bloom of the Russian Orthodox Church (1914-2003), who lived in London, used to talk about, in his BBC broadcasts, practical ways of living as a Christian under a totalitarian culture and environment of Soviet Union, which was anti-Christian and secular. He suggested practical ways to bring the church into oneʼs life outside the times of worship.

This is about taking the Liturgy with oneʼs life everywhere and under all circumstances. He was a man of prayer and his words about ʻtransforming every breath into a prayerʼ are memorable. This is about Liturgy being enacted in every aspect of life. It is good for the young people to remember his advice: “Whatever your occupations on earth, you as a Christian have the duty to develop it to the highest possible degree, to achieve the highest professional qualification and the highest position in society. You have this God-given duty in order to show by your entire life how you are working to improve yourself for the glory of God.” As indicated earlier, this is true worship — giving glory to God is true worship.

We need to revisit this Orthodox theology, which St. John Chrysostom (ca 347-407) developed. He emphasized the term, ʻthe sacrament of the brotherʼ, namely, the spiritual sacrifice, the philanthropy and servant ministry, which Christians have to offer outside the worship, in public places, and ʻon the altar of their neighbors heart.ʼ He taught that the ʻsacrament of the altarʼ must be continued “in the street” by the ʻsacrament of the brother. He insisted that there is a co-existence with faith, worship, life and service. Therefore, we cannot compartmentalize these various aspects in our spiritual journey. We should allow ourselves to be in the flow of Godʼs amazing grace and take ʻThe Liturgy after the Liturgyʼ into all aspects of our living. *Part-1 & 2 of this article appeared in the previous issues of the FOCUS: Vol.1 No.3 & Vol.2 No.1 Editorʼs Note: Dr. Zac Varghese, London, was the director of Renal and Transplantation Immunology Research of Royal Free Hospital and Medical School, London. He has co-authored Medical textbooks and published extensively on Transplantation, Nephrology, Inflammation, and lipid-mediated vascular injury. He is an emeritus Professor and supervisor for doctoral studies even after his retirement.

An ‘A‐Z’ of Inter Faith Relations – Short Reflections for Christians - Celia Blackden, Inter Faith Officer, Churches Together in England (CTE) A All people are loved by God and Christ died for all.

All are on what might be called the Holy Journey of life. We have confidence in Godʼs plan for all humanity and for creation - “Blessed are those who put their trust in God” – as Psalm 2:12 says, and we know that “All things work together for good for those who love God” (Rm 8:28). This includes us and people of other faiths.

B Better together is an essential motto for Christians involved in interreligious dialogue. We have much to share both of the difficulties and sufferings and of the joys and fruits of inter faith relations. We can draw strength from one another to work for greater harmony and understanding and to resist sectarianism and discrimination in all its forms.

C Christian unity and the ecumenical movement are vital for inter faith relations. We have had the experience of division and reciprocal persecution that other faith communities experience too. We can witness to our journey towards reconciliation and the healing of memories. Without the testimony of mutual love and forgiveness, our Christian message is empty.

D Dialogue is more than ever a sign of the times. For Christians it means dialogue within our own tradition, with other Christian traditions, with people of other religions and with people of good will who may not have a formal faith. “Peace on earth to people of good will” (Lk 2:14).

E Equality – believing in and respecting the equal dignity and worth of every human person helps create a more equal and just society. Hatred, violence and war in the world derive more from profound economic, social and political inequalities and injustices than from religions or religious teachings.

F Friendship with people of other faiths arises out of our friendship with God and with one another in the Christian family of traditions. Friendship underpins effective work together for the common good.

G “God is love and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them” (1 Jn 4:16). The theology of inter faith relations is based on God who is love and whose loving and saving mercy reaches out to all people of all times and places.

J Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We do not know all the ways and means by which Jesus reaches out to each person on their journey through life, or even at the moment of death. What is certain is that all have the opportunity to say their ʻyesʼ to him at some point. Letʼs pray that when people encounter us, they encounter genuine witness to Jesus in our life, and when appropriate in our words as well.

K Knowledge is something we acquire every day of our lives. Learning about other faith traditions and hearing from them is necessary. Ignorance is a real danger because we can be manipulated and conditioned by misinformation, distortion of the facts, caricatures and stereotypes.

L Love is the one thing that is necessary (Lk 10:42).

We believe in the love that is in God and which the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts, helping us to be more like Jesus. St Paulʼs words on love can guide us on our way (1 Cor. 13:1-13).

M Marriage between persons of different faith is on the increase and we need to do our part to help couples grow in their understanding of one another and in the dialogue needed for family life. The Inter Faith Marriage Network is significant in this regard.

N Nature, ecology and care for the environment unite people of all faiths and none. The work done locally by faith communities together in caring for the natural or built environment is sure to grow. In addition to many Christian groups the Alliance of Religions and Conservation helps faith communities build environmental programs based on their own core beliefs, teachings and practices.

O Opportunities to create encounters among people of different faiths, or between different social, ethnic and religious groups in our villages, towns and cities, are invaluable and necessary. Manchester City Council set up a myth-busting opportunity for local people so that stereotypes and judgments about “people taking our jobs and homes” were overcome by a presentation of what was actually true in that place. We need more opportunities for meeting and understanding across the biggest social and cultural divides.

H Humility is one of the most important Christian virtues. Truly knowing our own nothingness and Godʼs everything is a good basis for healthy relationships with others.

God can use this to reach out to others. As the song goes: “Like the pipe the shepherd plays, let nothing of myself remain in me, so that empty in your hands you can play your music through me.”**

P Peace is possible if we have peace in our own hearts and are at peace with God and build up peace with one another. We must not be discouraged by the wars, discrimination and cruelty in the world. The Gospel equips us and requires us to be peacemakers. Very small steps can make a very big difference like the person in a Latin American country who was going to leave a bomb on a bus but decided against it after a conversation with someone who gave him hope.

I Initiative! Taking the first step towards others is to reflect the kind of love God has for humankind: “God sent his only Son into the world so that we could have life through him” (1 Jn 4:9). It is very limiting to wait for others to take the first step. Taking the initiative will often bring good results. This principle also helps groups to be open to others and not become cliques.

Q Questions are okay! We donʼt have to have all the knowledge; no one has it. Asking our neighbors of other faiths about themselves or their faith is one of the best ways of growing in our understanding of other religions. It is good for our humility and helps us to help others.

R Rules are important, but we need to know how to interpret them in the light of Scripture. We can respect the customs and rules of other religious traditions without betraying our own understanding. We are free to say where we differ, but do it with love. The most important rule is the Golden Rule shared by all religions. “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Lk 6:31) S Solidarity with people of other faiths, arising out of our shared humanity and faith based values, can achieve an enormous amount of good in the world. That can and does come about through local help to families in need, collaboration amongst agencies responding to natural disasters and wars, and the drive to meet Millennium Development Goals.

T Truth and the search for truth, individually and collectively, is not an obstacle to interreligious dialogue but the basis for it. There are many truths we share in common with people of other religions despite all that are said to the contrary. We are made genuinely free and happy by putting into practice the truth we find in Jesus and in Scripture, such as being poor in spirit, gentle, merciful, seeking justice, being peacemakers (see Mt 5:3-10). With this freedom we can encounter any kind of difference and overcome many barriers.

U Unity in diversity is a reality that Christians can major on. It calls to mind the Trinitarian roots of our faith and the imprint of the Trinity in creation and in our relationships. We are all called to a life of mutual exchange, fellowship, communion, and reciprocity. This is part of our Christian DNA and can translate into the capacity to encounter those very different from ourselves, having confidence in Godʼs love.

V Vices and virtues: Although not much talked about they are definitely still around and can be recognized by all.

Our brothers and sisters of other faiths also have writings and teachings that help believers to experience that patience overcomes anger, generosity counteracts avarice, purity combats lust, kindness mitigates envy, hard work is more rewarding than sloth, moderation healthier than gluttony, humility vanquishes pride.

W Whoʼs who? For Christians the relationship with the Jewish people naturally comes first and although some historical and present day circumstances are very painful it is for that very reason that building relationships amongst us is most important. There are many other religious traditions in this country including Bahaʼi, Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh,

and Zoroastrian. There are different strands within these new religious movements about which information is available from INFORM. The Inter Faith Network for the UK plays a significant role in inter faith relations nationally.

X Xmas: Christmas and other festivals are important to us, and to our neighbors of other faiths who recognize that this is a Christian country. All faith communities want to protect the festivals and to resist secularizing influences, which seek to obliterate them and to downgrade Christianity as well as other religions.

Y You are important and your contribution is necessary!

All that we do can influence others even in ways we are not aware of. As the saying goes “A smile costs nothing and gives much.” Small gestures can be more important than days of conferences. You will be able to see the effect of the good you do in building up friendships with people of other faiths in your workplace, local shops or street.

Z Zz! Letʼs “stay awake” as Scripture says, knowing that the Lord wants to use us to build a harmonious society. As a Christian leader in interfaith dialogue said: “Believers are prophets of hope… They know that, gifted by God with a heart and intelligence… they can, with his help, change the course of history… to make of humanity an authentic family of which each one of us is a member.” **A Word in Season edited by Henry Ashworth, The Talbot Press, Dublin, 1974.

Celia Blackden was educated at St. Hughʼs College, Oxford. Along with the late Bishop Charles Henderson she built up the work of the National Roman Catholic Committee for Other Faiths. Her present post, Inter Faith Officer at Churches Together in England, fosters deeper collaboration in the field of interreligious dialogue by the Churches in England. She is the author of Friendship and Exchange with People of Other Faiths: a context for witness and dialogue (EV91) Grove Books, and co-authored, with Dr Helen Reid, a Chapter on Unity and Inter Faith Relations in Unity in Process: Reflections on Ecumenical Activity, ed. Rev. Dr. Clive Barrett, DLT August 2012. The web site for Churches Together in England (CTE) is www.cte.org.uk

Pearls of Wisdom from Down the Ages-4 The Adoration and Worship of God in Sprit and in Truth* St. Cyril of Alexandria** [** St. Cyril of Alexandria succeeded his uncle Theophilus as Patriarch of Alexandria on Theophilus' death in 412. In 431, Cyril presided over the third General Council at Ephesus, Cyril wrote treatises that clarified the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation and that helped prevent Nestorianism and Pelagianism from taking long-term deep root in the Christian community. He was the most brilliant theologian of the Alexandrian tradition. His writings are characterized by accurate thinking, precise exposition, and great reasoning skills.]

Christ offered himself for us, submitting himself to death of his own free will. ʻGlorious things are spoken of you, O city of Godʼ (Psalm 87:3). The wonderful and sacred city of which the divine David sang is the Church, and its inhabitants are we who, having been sanctified by the living bread, are protected by God from the destroying angel. Now that the time has come for revealing of the holy Eucharist he has no further power to conquer us, for within us dwells Christ, who is life and giver of life.

suffer than the sheep, for Christ, like a good shepherd, laid down his life for his sheep.

In obedience to Godʼs command, the divine David set up and altar in the place where he had seen the angle of destruction standing idle, and he offered holocaust and peace offerings to God. By this place, which was a threshing-floor, we must understand the Church, for it is there that death is halted and overcome, even as the Destroyer long ago stayed his terrible and devastating hand. The Church is the dwelling-place of Christ, the dwelling-place of him who by his very nature is life.

Figuratively speaking, we say the Church is a threshingfloor because, like the ears of corn reaped by holy harvesters, people are gathered there after being converted from their former worldly life by preaching of the apostles and evangelists. Then, all superfluity in both word and deed has been removed, which is, as it were, the separation of the wheat from the chaff, the harvest is transported to the heavenly Jerusalem for storage in the courts on high, in the granary, so to speak, of the Lord.

Do you not say, Christ asked his holy apostles, in four months it will be harvest-time? But look, I tell you, look at the fields: they are already white and ready for harvesting.

Already the reaper is receiving his wages, he is gathering in a harvest for eternal life. On another occasion he said: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. It is for therefore to beg the Lord of the harvest to send men out to reap it.

Now as I understand it, the harvest Christ spoke of is a spiritual one, namely, the great multitude of those who one day would believe in him. The holy reapers are those who have in their minds and on their tongues the word of God, which is living an active, and cuts more keenly than any two edged sword, piercing to the meeting-place of soul and spirit, to the innermost recesses of a manʼs being.

Seeing that human race was being destroyed by death, Christ became our advocate with the Father; he offered himself for us, submitting to death of his own free will, having made the destroyer believe that he was himself guilty of no manʼs sin. This does not mean that he had sinned, but rather, as the Scriptures say, that he bore the weight of our sins and suffered on our behalf, and was taken for a criminal. Innocent though he was, for our sake he became accursed (Isaiah 53; 2Cor 5:21; 1Peter 2:24).

This explains Davidʼs saying that the shepherd should

Christ purchased the spiritual threshing-floor, which is the Church, as David did his, for fifty shekels (2 Samuel 24): in other words, he paid for it dearly. For he gave himself for the Church, he set up an altar within her, and since he was both the priest and the sacrifice, he offered himself as though he were the beast that treads out the corn on the threshing-floor, and he became a holocaust and a peaceoffering.

** A Word in Season edited by H. Ashworth, 1974; The Talbot Press, Dublin, page 240-241

Water – An Oikoumene Symbol Rev. Dr. M.J. Joseph, Kottayam All the five elements of the Earth particularly water is essential for life. The universal significance of water is an undeniable truth for the existence of “all that breathes”. The average human body is 70 percent water. Masaru Emoto, the author of The Hidden Messages of Water, writes, “We start our life being 99 percent as fetuses. When we are born, we are 90 percent water, and by the time we reach adulthood we are down to 70 percent. If we die of old age, we will probably be about 50 percent water. In other words, throughout our lives we exist mostly as water.”

Water is an ecumenical symbol because it is the source for the survival of all living beings. All living organisms are predominantly made up of water. Water is necessary for all chemical reactions that occur in living cells, and it is also the medium through which information is exchanged between cells.

It is also a fundamental building block for healthy environments and economies. Of all the five elements, water is the one, which connects human beings and other living beings in its totality.

Thus water is the chief component of the “The whole inhabited earth” and of course the universe. It is part of our lives on earth hence it is the elixir of life. This tasteless and odorless substance has amazing properties in its diverse forms such as liquid state, vapor state and even solid state. As an ordinary substance, it represents the ordinary and the common. The trees, which grow on the lap of, the Mother Earth lives by water and it is the chief contributor to the cycle of cloud formation and consequently rains. There is statistical report; a single large forest tree pumps some 200 gallons of water per day into the atmosphere. Through this process, one acre of tropical rainforest releases 20,000 gallons of water into the atmosphere daily for cloud formation. That is 20 times the amount the sea contributes through evaporation from the same surface area. If ecumenism speaks of the glory of relationship in the universe, water, air and land being one cluster of entity adds the dignity of life in its plurality. The versatility of water is found in its integral relationship with each component of nature. The Divine wisdom to maintain the orderliness in creation is indeed mind-boggling.

In the Bible as well as in other religious traditions of the world, water has tremendous religious and cultural significance. The percentage of water found in the human body is equivalent to

that in the whole universe. In the space research, the finding of water in other planets is the top propriety as it as an accepted fact of human life. Rabindrananth Tagore has said affirmatively “Many modern people may reject the theory that river baths wash off sins, that pilgrimage into the mountains or forests cleanse the soul; that eating sacred food is good for the soul; that celebrations connected with fire, water, earth and food are meaningless. But I think that the devotion with which a man touches the swirling waters of a holy river or tank; the spirit in which he approaches mountains and trees; the unity which he experiences with the elements during celebrations; the faith with which he accepts food and water as blessed...brings out the best in human beings. They must have considered every contact with nature to be a touch of divine energy.

Air and water symbolize life in its totality. The absence of either of them will lead life to its extinction. Water and air are connected chemically by the presence of one atom of oxygen in water (H2O). The environmental rights of the people particularly of the marginalized are linked up with water and air, which are found universally. The right to drink clean water and to breathe unpolluted air is indeed Human Rights issues. Water and air are gifts of the creator to all living beings. They should not be regarded as commodities for sale! That which is common to all makes a kinship. As water and air are God's resources for the preservation and promotion of life, they are to be protected for the present and the future. The birds, the animals and the plants too have their creational rights. Water and air pollution are ecological sins against the creator and against the humanity. It is a naked fact that the discharge of waste into natural water sources result in the depletion of life sustaining oxygen content in it. The dying of rivers in several parts of Kerala could be attributes to this. The purity of water is gauged in units of biological oxygen demand (BOD). Once the BOD goes beyond 3 mg per liter, it is considered harmful to flora, fauna and human beings. Sewage water, which contains human waste and industrial waste, spoils the ground water, rivers and lakes. As water is the gift of the creator, it is meant to preserve at its best as a mark of respect to the giver. That which is given to all as symbols of life creates unity and oneness. The water network initiative of the WCC highlights this in its Bussan search for life (ie. 10th WCC assembly Oct 28- Nov 10, 2013) In the Bible tradition, water is a life affirming reality. The place of the divine in the life of the religious is spoken in water symbolism. In Ps. 23:2, "He leads me to still waters". In the Old Testament there are 600 references to water and in the New Testament 73 times, which speak for themselves. Right from the beginning of civilization, providing water to the thirsty was considered to be a noble deed. Anything against this is a heinous sin (Gen. 24:17-18; 29:2-8). Isaiah speaks of Godʼs act of love by granting water to the created order of the universe.

Water is our blood and marrow; Water is not a commodity; Water is gift of the creator for all living beings to be shared, to be valued and to be protected for our corporate survival. Let us celebrate life with water. This indeed is a call of the spirit to all generations.

Impairing Unity in Creation Ecologists have rightly said that a threat perception like climate change could unite the human race. A threat of great magnitude could forcefully remind humans of their common future. Water pollution has contributed to several water borne diseases. The Minamata diseases due to the occurrence of high percentage of mercury in water are a classic example of water pollution. The question of the commoditization of water is also a sin against humanity as it denies the right of the people to have easy access to water sources. The attempt of a few states in India to sell rivers to global markets is also a sign of decay in the moral fabric of the people. It is also feared that the proposal for the inter-linking of rivers might also lead to the sale of Indian rivers to the private sector. The very denial of water to "all that breathes" including a living organism in God's order is a denial of the benevolent Creator who rules his order in judgment and grace.

The Hidden Messages in Water The research of Japanese Scientist Masaru Emoto on Water has brought to light several insights towards an ecumenical affirmation of water as a gift of the Divine. In his book, The Hidden Messages in water, Emoto speaks of a new world of water with supporting photographs. Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. According to the scientist, water from the clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex and colorful snowflake patterns. On the contrary, polluted water or water exposed to negative thoughts forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors. The discovery of Emoto shows that the molecules of water are affected by our thoughts, words and feelings. This gives us an insight into immense possibilities for creating social amity across the globe through a universal substance like water.

The plural existence of water crystals according to Emoto speaks volumes to our corporate living in the universe. He writes, "No two snow crystals are the same". In the formation of crystals out of natural water makes a difference. This shows that what is natural is dear to all and is universal. According to Emoto, music has an amazing effect on pure water. He writes, "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, with its bright and clear tones, resulted in beautiful and well-formed crystals. Mozart's 40th Symphony, a graceful prayer to beauty, created crystals that are delicate and elegant. All the classical music that he exposed to the water resulted in well-formed crystals with distinct characteristics. In contrast, water exposed to violent heavy metal music resulted in fragmented and malformed crystals at best. Emoto goes on to illustrate that water does not show any hospitality to negative thoughts. What would happen if we write words or phrases like "Thank you", and "fool" on pieces of paper and warp the paper around the bottles of water with the words facing in? Water exposed to "Thank you", "gratitude", and "love" formed beautiful hexagonal crystals, but the water exposed to "fool", produced crystals similar to the water exposed to heavy metal music, malformed and fragmented.

Emoto speaks of the power of words when he explains his thesis. He writes, "the vibration of good words has a positive effect on our world, where as the vibration from negative words has the power to destroy". He concludes that the written words themselves actually emit a unique vibration that the water is

capable of sensing. Water faithfully mirrors all the vibrations created in the world, and changes these vibrations into a form that can be seen with the human eye. Emoto adds that when water is shown a written word, it receives it as vibration and expresses the message in a specific form. This is the scientific explanation Emoto offers. Though unbelievable, Emoto has demonstrated his thesis with several photographs and they speak of the impact of love and gratitude on the world. He goes on to say that human being could be defined as water. He writes with a mystic note. The earth is searching. It wants to be beautiful. The message of water is love and gratitude that alone will transcend all boundaries. This is supposedly what all the world's religions are founded on. If an element of the earth such as water responds to love and gratitude affirmatively, water will serve as a God given symbol of unity and integration. Do we really need another symbol for communicating the concept of the oikonomia of solidarity?

Emoto says that a crystal formed with the words of love and gratitude is fundamental to the phenomenon of life in all of nature. It is not possible to create unity in the oikoumene on the principle of violence. Emoto has demonstrated with the photo of a crystal formed with the words wrapped on the container, "You make me sick" "I will kill you". He adds that when words that indicated harm to humans were shown to water, no crystals formed. It is also amazing that the ground water before and after an earthquake behave differently. For Emoto, water is the mirror of the soul. It has many faces, formed by aligning itself with the consciousness of human beings. To understand the issue, we need to have a philosophical and scientific view of molecules. Existence is vibration. The entire universe is in a state of vibration. As water is the fundamental principle of the universe, it should be understood as a substance with vibration.

In the category of Quantum mechanics, a substance is nothing more than vibration. Our eyes can see the objects, but not the vibration. All things vibrate and they vibrate at their own frequencies. According to the book of Genesis, "In the beginning was the word". Before the creation of the world, there existed the word. The Word created human beings and then the human beings learned words from nature. Water exposed to the words, "Thank you" formed beautiful geometric crystals, no matter what the language is. It is also noted that the crystals do not-form in water that has been polluted. Impure water refuses to form crystals due to the presence of chlorine, which damage the innate ability of water. By divine wisdom which links all in a web, only the vibrations of love and gratitude appear in nature.

These vibrations make the thread of spirituality stronger than any of the legacy of creed, code and cult.

Editor始s Notre: Rev. Dr. M.J. Joseph, M.Th., D. Th, is the former Director of the Ecumenical Christian Centre, Bangalore. He has also served as Professor and Principal, Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam, India. As a former member, Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, he is widely known for his ecumenical and ecological contributions.

He has served as Secretary Board of Theological Education, Senate of Serampore College (University). He currently serves as Convener, Ecological Commission, of the Mar Thoma Church.

Dr. Joseph has also authored several articles, poems and books available both in English and Malayalam languages. EMail: drmjjoseph_65@yahoo.co.in.

Key to a Just World!

Rev. Dr. K. V. Mathew, Kottayam God and the World – its reciprocal relation is the central theme of the Bible. Neither a theogony - origin of God or a Creation ʻSui Generisʼ - self- existent is not its concern. If God is the creator the earth and all in it and the world and all its inhabitants belong to God. [Psalms 24:1] The human is appointed as a trustee to govern the world on behalf of God and to make sure that all living creatures have their due share under human trusteeship. What a tremendous responsibility!

Godʼs trust in us is ever to be respected.

ʻresponsibility givingʼ due right to every human and every living creature {Mark 1:15]. This central message of the Gospel was indeed good news to all the poor and the oppressed of the society and at the same time it was a threat to the oppressor and the unjust affluent.

Response to the good news is a fundamental issue before the humankind; whether to acknowledge Godʼs rule in life or to continue exercising authoritarian rule on earth. To have peace in the world, let love with justice be the criterion of good governance. Is this possible for egocentric hegemonic powers? A U-turn from Self-to-God-in-Service-to- the-Other is the only way for a change in the world.

This is possible without the fossilized religion and the religionless secular world. Jesus himself gives the clue – Matthew 7:21 – accordingly we find the signs of Godʼs Kingdom not among those who call ʻLord, Lordʼ the religious, but among those who do the will of God. Now we have to discern and identify peoples and movements who work for universal love, justice and peace, without boundaries created for narrow gains and purposes. We are called to support and encourage movements like: Wider ecumenical movements, universal secular spirituality, United Nations Organizations, Movements for World Parliament et al.

Believers in a creation theology may accept a position stated above. Agnostics and atheists may not reject human responsibility towards our echo habitat. But what is the real state of affairs in our world. Believers and non-believers act alike in dealing with the world and its resources. The powerful nations exercise authority over the weak and unjustly exploit their resources for their own gains. The diaspora, the minority group and the underprivileged and marginalized poor struggle to eke out a living for want of life essentials. Resistance, terrorism, bloodshed oppression, pogroms run rampant. Love, compassion, justice, peace and joy hesitate to manifest in life to make an impact on society and nations.

Bible which depicts such human nature also responds to meet the challenges in the world. The voice of Jesus of Nazareth reverberated in the West Asian landscape of Palestine early at the beginning of the Common Era. His call was a reminder to humanity to respond to the divine sanction given at the time of creation [Genesis 1:28] It was a call to let Godʼs governance be a reality in which a new humanity may take up the

Let us also not fail to recognize ʻother sheepʼ belonging to Jesusʼ movement. Let our faith in One God, One World, One Humanity, inspire us to move forward to seek first Godʼs Rule and Godʼs Justice [Matthew 6:33] that Godʼs peace may abide in the world of today.

Editorʼs Note: Rev. Dr. K. V. Mathew, professor of Semitic studies and Hebrew Bible at colleges under Serampore University in India and visiting Professor abroad.

He did his research at Edinburgh, Hamburg and Oxford Universities. Achen got his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, Post-doctoral Research at Cambridge, USA. Achen is an ordained minister of the Mar Thoma Church, former Principal, Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, former Principal, Dharma Jyoti Vidya Peet, Fazipur, Haryana, former Secretary, Mar Thoma Church, author, Editor, Bible translator, speaker at national and international conferences, inter-religious seminars and dialogues.

Envisioning God of Life in Diaspora: Discipleship of Creative Maladjustment Dr. George Zachariah, UTC, Bangalore Affirming God as God of life is a faith affirmation that rejects the claims of sovereignty and lordship of forces of death, which demands our allegiance and absolute obedience. It is a declaration of confrontation, informed by our faith in God of life, against the “powers and principalities” of our times. Proclaiming God as God of life is more than a theological statement or a verbal testimony. Rather, it is a costly affair, challenging us to denounce all idols of death.

Said differently, our faith affirmation of God as God of life is the declaration of our commitment to witness God of life by participating in the struggles to annihilate the idols of death in our world. It is a discipleship journey of creative maladjustment.

We live in a world where forces of death, camouflaged as agents of life, continue to invade, colonize, and convert us to be the worshippers of these idols. Prosperity gospel distorted our minds to believe that our God is an unchangeable God who is faithful to his promises and will satisfy all our longing for success, prosperity, wealth, power, comfort, and our unquenchable thirst for accumulation. We have become a generation addicted to the worst disease of our times: affluenza. It is the most contagious disease in our communities. Most of us calculate our worth and identity based on the houses we own, the gadgets we use, and the cars we drive. Today we tend to believe that “I am because I am affluent and I have influence.” Unfortunately, this worldview is well respected in our churches and society today. We transmit this worldview and value system to our children, and they also fall into the dangerous addiction to affluenza. Affirming God as God of life invites us to undergo genuine acts of introspection so that we can experience Godʼs healing from our addiction to affluenza.

The Diaspora context is a great laboratory to develop a lifeaffirming faith and to live out that faith by serving God of life. Diaspora reminds us that we are all sojourners, the descendants of a wandering Aramean, in search of a meaningful life. Nobody owns the Diaspora; we are all “resident aliens” here. Diaspora provides us the opportunity to experience the beauty of diversity that God created on

this beautiful earth. From the monotony of homogenization, Diaspora invites us to feel the harmony of manyness. For those of us who worship homogeneity, Diaspora and its multiculturality might be a disturbing experience.

Ghettoization has been the strategy that all Diaspora communities used to preserve their traditions and ethos without being contaminated by the influence of other cultures. Assimilation is the other option that has been attempted to find roots in the Diaspora context, aping other cultures. Unfortunately, both these attempts failed miserably in developing a meaningful existence in the Diaspora context. Diaspora demands the birthing of a new ecclesial experience. Transplanting an alien church in the Diaspora is like the curry leaf plant kept in the living rooms of the mansions of Malayali Americans. It can never ever help us to grow as a witnessing community in the new land; rather it can only address our nostalgia and console us as we grieve over the land that we left behind.

When we affirm that we too are sojourners in this land of pilgrims and immigrants, we open up our lives to the life stories of our neighbors, the fellow pilgrims and immigrants searching for meaning of life in the Diaspora context. The ecclesial experience that we need today is a church rooted in the Diaspora soil. It has to get nourished by the nutrients of the Diaspora soil and its water. That will help us to open up our windows to the realities of other immigrant communities and communities that are excluded and marginalized by the dominant society. Then only the Diaspora church can bear fruits, which will bring blessing to the community Paulʼs instruction to the Church in Rome is instructive here: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Why does Paul propose nonconformism to the world? Why does Paul not exhort the Christians to be well adjusted with the world? Why does he implore the community not to comply with the prevailing moral and religious standards? Paul knew that all conformism is a state of being conformed to the present eon. For Paul, the present eon is a state of corruption, and hence being conformed to it is to participate in its corruptedness. So our non-conformism towards the present eon is creative as it leads to judgment, resistance, and transformation. Christian discipleship journey is a constant struggle to pronounce, “Sorry, I beg to differ” to the prevailing order in innumerable moments of our daily life.

And in each moment, our answer is a risk, burdened with struggles within our own conscience.

As a Diaspora community, we are in a moral dilemma.

Even though our churches witness to the coming eon and manifest in its ministries and mission foretastes of the

coming eon, unfortunately they belong to the present eon.

They enjoy sharing the corruption of the present eon. The scripture and tradition unfortunately are abused or misused to perpetuate the prevailing sinful order. So while we continue to be part of the church, we need to resist the temptation to be conformed to it. As Paul Tillich reminds us, “a church in which the divine protest does not find a human voice through which it can speak has become conformed to this eon.” So non-conformity is the resistance to idolatry. It is the critique of all our attempts to absolutize ourselves, our church, our tradition, and our community.

this is what hope looks like. In these times of a morally bankrupt government that has sold out its principles, this is what patriotism looks like. With countless lives on the line, this is what love looks like, and it will only grow. The choice you are making today is what side are you on. The people who are committed to fighting for a liveable future will not be discouraged or intimidated by anything that happens here today. I will continue to confront the system that threatens our future. You have authority over my life, but not my principles. Those are mine alone.” Tome through his life showed us the meaning of Christian discipleship.

Fifty years ago, addressing a gathering at the Western Michigan University, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. affirmed that, “Certainly, we all want to avoid the maladjusted life. In order to have real adjustment within our personalities, we all want the well‐adjusted life in order to avoid neurosis, schizophrenic personalities. But I say to you, my friends, as I move to my conclusion, there are certain things in our nation and in the world, which I am proud to be maladjusted, and which I hope all people of good‐will will be maladjusted until the good societies realize. I say very honestly that I never intend to become adjusted to segregation and discrimination. I never intend to become adjusted to religious bigotry. I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism, and to self‐defeating effects of physical violence.”

Even as we celebrate the jubilee of our pilgrimage as immigrants in this great country, let us boldly proclaim that we denounce conformity to the prevailing order and we intend to live a life of creative maladjustment. Let us realize that Godʼs love incarnates in the here and now when communities act responsibly on behalf of abundant life for all, opposing the forces of death and destruction. This requires the courage to identify systemic evils, to name them, to challenge them, and to eradicate them by participating in the ongoing struggles of our neighbors. To be creatively maladjusted is an alternative worldview and behavior, a radical departure from what is usually expected.

Creative maladjustment means to be aligned with the gospel imperative to be persistent and insistent on reversing any trend toward exclusion and discrimination, and to be engaged in the struggles of the marginalized and disenfranchised. Creative maladjustment means to be inclusive and to reject the purity maps and codes of the dominant worldview. Creative maladjustment is to never be content with just the way things are but to insist on being fair, just, considerate, kind, not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds. As Cornel West rightly puts it, “To be inspired by ordinary human beings made by God who undergo suffering but who have the courage to imagine a different future and are willing to fight for it, and to decide to fight along with them,” is what God expects from us in our times. This is the Gospel vision that should guide us in our witnessing of God of life in the Diaspora context.

In a sermon based on the same text from Romans, Dr. King further elaborated his theology of creative maladjustment.

“We are called to be people of conviction, not conformity, of moral nobility not social respectability. We are commanded to live differently and according to a higher loyalty. As Christians we must never surrender our supreme loyalty to any time-bound custom of earth-bound ideas for at the heart of our universe is a higher reality—God and Godʼs kingdom of love to which we must be conformed. The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming majority.”

In the United States of America we see today a cloud of witnesses, living out their faith in God of life through similar attempts of creative maladjustment. The witness of Tim DeChristopher, a climate activist associated with the movement Peaceful Uprising, is one among them. While protesting at an auction of oil and gas leases on public lands, Tim was asked whether he was a bidder, and he said “yes.” He proceeded to bid millions of dollars he didnʼt have, raising the price of some parcels, winning others, and eventually shutting down the entire auction, which was later dismissed as illegal by the Obama administration. In July 2011, Tim was sentenced in the federal court to two years in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. At the Federal Court during his trial, Tim told the Judge, “Iʼm not saying any of this to ask you for mercy, but to ask you to join me…. At this point of unimaginable threats on the horizon,

Dr. George Zachariah serves at UTC, Bangalore, as a faculty in the theology and ethics dept. He is member of the St. Thomas MTC, Kozhencherry. Dr. Zachariah did his studies in Christian Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, New York, and Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. He is the author of Alternatives Unincorporated: Earth Ethics from the Grassroots (London, 2011) and Gospel in a Groaning World: Climate Injustice and Christian Public Witness (Nagpur/Tiruvalla, 2012). He can be contacted at his e-mail at: gzachariahk@gmail.com.

St. John of Ephesus Dr. Titus Mathews, Professor Emeritus, Calgary During a recent tour of Turkey I visited the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus, as well as the house of Virgin Mary and the Basilica of St. John. It did not occur to me beforehand that Ephesus is an important place of historical significance in early Christianity. In the New Testament we have St. Paulʼs letter to Ephesians and that alone should make one take note of the ancient city of Ephesus.

During his long stay in Ephesus, he seems to have acted like a bishop to the churches in Turkey, visiting them and appointing elders and bishops. His mention of the seven churches in the book of Revelations and his three epistles testify to this. He is said to have preached the gospel all over Turkey and visited even the Caucus region. According to his disciples, he wrote the fourth Gospel to refute the claim of Ebionites that Jesus did not exist before Mary. Also he felt that the other Gospels dealt with no more than one year of Jesusʼ ministry.

In Greek and Roman times Ephesus was rivaled only by Alexandria in Egypt as a cultural and commercial center.

Ephesus was the capital of its Asian territory. Roman roads from Ephesus reached other parts of Asia Minor. The Celsus library was the third largest in the world after Alexandria and Pergamum and its façade can still be seen there. Ephesus was a port city then, but the silting of the harbor by Cayster River over centuries has made the sea some eight kilometers away from the site of the ancient city now. The nearest town is Selcuc, named for Seljuk Turks who invaded Turkey in the th 11 century CE and destroyed Ephesus.

We pay attention to Ephesus because it was a prominent place of religious importance. Artemis was the God of Fertility and the cult of Artemis made Ephesus an important place of pilgrimage. The Artemis Temple was one of the seven wonders of ancient world. The famous temple of th Artemis, built in the 4 century BCE, was destroyed by a th fanatical Christian mob in the 5 century CE announcing the final triumph of Christianity over paganism.

During his third missionary journey starting in 52 CE, St. Paul spent nearly three years in Ephesus [Acts of the Apostles Chapter 19 &20]. Paulʼs mission in Ephesus was so successful that it had the third largest Christian community at that time after Antioch and Jerusalem. It is thought that Paul spent part of his time in Ephesus in prison during which he wrote his Epistle to the Philippians. The thriving city must have attracted a sizable Jewish community in those days.

When the Jews in the Synagogue refused to believe in Jesus Christ, Paul took his mission to the gentiles and many became Christians. We read in the Acts of Apostles that Demetrius, a silver smith, who sold statues of Artemis, organized a riot against Paul, which was calmed by city councilors and Paul made a hurried departure from Ephesus.

Eventually belief in Christ and veneration of Virgin Mary replaced pagan beliefs and worship of other deities.

At the time of his crucifixion Jesus entrusted his mother Mary to his beloved disciple John. He took her to Ephesus and lived there for many years. He was imprisoned in Patmos Island for a time during which he wrote the Book of Revelations. It was after his release from prison and return to Ephesus that he wrote his Gospel, which is quite different from the Synoptic gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke. John died there during the reign of Roman Emperor Trajan at the ripe old age of ninety-eight. A small shrine in the Ayasuluk Hill near Ephesus was built over his grave in the second century CE and dedicated to St. John.

Though we do not pay a great deal of attention of John, reading of the gospels shows that he was present with Jesus when many key events took place. He was there at the raising of Jairusʼs daughter and at the transfiguration. He was next to Jesus during the last supper. He was present in Gethsemane and at the site crucifixion where he was given the commission to look after Mary. He was among the first to visit Jesusʼ empty burial place and ʻbelievedʼ. He was a beloved disciple and was intimate with Jesus. As an old man in Ephesus, he used to be carried to church services where he repeated a simple sermon: “My children, love one another “. When asked whether he had nothing else to say, his reply was just loving one another was doing a great deal.

In the sixth century CE, at the urging of his wife Theodora, Emperor Justinian built a huge basilica, which replaced Johnʼs shrine. [It was the same Emperor who built the magnificent Byzantine Cathedral, Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul, which stands even today]. The basilica had a cruciform plan with four domes covering the longitudinal apse with a pair of dorms for the arms of the cross. St Johnʼs grave was under the central dome. By any standards it must have been a great building in its day. The invading Seljuk Turks destroyed th the basilica in the 11 century. Only the ruins of the basilica can be seen today.

Near Ephesus there is also the house of Virgin Mary, which is a popular place for pilgrimage. Mary went to Ephesus under the care of St. John and lived there for a while and died there. A German nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich, had a vision of the house of Virgin Mary, which she described to a writer who published a book about it. Catholic Fathers from

the town of Izmir in Turkey read the book and searched for the house in hills near Ephesus. They discovered a little house corresponding to the nunʼs vision. This was officially declared as a shrine of the Roman Catholic

Church in 1896. Popes Paul VI and Benedict XVI have visited the shrine.

It is also worth mentioning that Ephesus was the site of the third Ecumenical Council in the year 431 CE. It was at this Council that question of the status of Virgin Mary as the Mother of God was debated. The Council decided that Christ had a double nature as God and man and Virgin Mary was Theotokos – God-bearer.

Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, opposed this designation arguing that Virgin Mary was only the mother of the man Jesus. He was excommunicated and escaped the Roman Empire to live in Persia, where the Nestorian Church flourished for many centuries. It was from this part of Christendom that a group of colonizers came to Kollam in Kerala in the year 825 CE. Ephesus was also the site of one of the seven churches of Revelation, along with Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira\, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea [Rev: 1:11}. St. John also wrote three epistles, perhaps to these churches. In the first letter St. John used simple words like light, love, and life with deep meaning and explained basic truths about Christian life. In the second, he warned the churches about false teachers and counseled them to remember the doctrine that Jesus is Godʼs Son and is both human and divine. He also stressed the importance of living a life of love. In his third letter he reminded them of the need to be hospitable to true teachers.

Ephesus is worth a visit for several reasons. Whether it done as a pilgrimage to the House of Mary or as an important archeological site where many features of the ancient Roman city can be seen, including the terraced houses of the well-to-do people of Roman times, one would enjoy a day in Ephesus. Thinking about St. Paul or St. John will add only depth to such a visit.

Editorʼs Note: Editorʼs Note: Dr. Titus Mathews is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Educated in U.C. College and Madras Christian College, he received his Ph.D. degree from University of London (Imperial College) in 1962. He joined the University of Calgary in 1966 and has served as Professor and Head of Physics Department and also as Associate Vice-President (Academic). He has been awarded the Good Servant Medal

by Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, Out Standing Service Award by India-Canada Association and Alberta Government. He is also the recipient of Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee medal for service to the University of Calgary.

A Prologue to the Biography of Dr. A. K. Tharien of Oddanchatram [[We reprint this prologue from the biographical sketches of Dr. A.K. Tharien under the title, ʻAn Adventure in Faithʼ, written so sensitively by Mr. Jesudas Athyal and published by CSS, Tiruvalla, in 2004. This prologue is a window, an icon, to the amazing faith journey of a great revolutionary medical missionary and social reformer of the th 20 century; it speaks for itself and does not need any further introduction. Chrysostom Thirumeni in the foreword amongst other things says, ʻThe Church should not be a limiting body, but a challenging body. The Oddanchatram fellowship challenges people.ʼ We thank the author for allowing us to reprint this prologue, and we hope this story would challenge young people including doctors from our Diaspora communities to take such faith journeys with Jesus Christ.]

Prologue The narrator of the following amazing story of the caesarean delivery of a child in a village in Tamil Nadu, nearly sixty years ago, was Dr. A. K. Tharien. In this unbelievable story, the main characters were the following people: Dr. Tharien, the obstetrician; Kunjamma, the midwife/theatre nurse; Philipochen, an untrained anesthetist; Kamatchy, the pregnant women; a village carpenter, husband of Kamatchy.

The scene was the very early stage of a village clinic in the post-independent India of 1955, just a mud hut. Madurai is the nearest city, but two hoursʼ drive from the village clinic.

February 1955. Kunjamma said a delivery case had come. I asked her to do a PV, but she said that the woman had been having pain for the last two days. A few people had tried their hand locally. The head was rather high.

“Let us try forceps.” Kunjamma got the forceps ready and applied it, but there was a tendency for the forceps to slip. A caesarean operation would be the only solution, I felt.

“Caesarean?” Kunjamma asked: “What can we do here? Let them take her to Madurai.”

I asked Kunjamma to call the husband, who was a carpenter.

“Kamatchy needs and operation to deliver the child. Take her to Madurai.”

The man replies: “I am a poor Asari who fixes cartwheels.

The trains have gone. You please try something here, like a strong injection or instrument delivery.”

“We have already tried all that, but it is of no use.”

“Then let me take her home,” he said.

“For what?” I asked.

“What else can be done? She will die with the child.”

He Knew.

“Look here, if you agree, we shall try with Godʼs help to deliver the child through the abdomen using a minor surgical procedure. There is risk. Do you agree? Any way she will die as you say. Why not try our method?”

Kunjamma collected all the bath towels and handkerchiefs she could find and boiled them in the Idli Chempu (wide vessel with a lid). She boiled all our instruments also in the Idli Chempu, then squeezed them out and steamed them again.

(Cont. on Page 19)

God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle Matt Stan Samuel, Dallas Fredrick W. Robertson said these words on suffering. "As the tree is fertilized by its own broken branches and fallen leaves, and grows out of its own decay, so men and nations are bettered and improved by trial, and refined out of broken hopes and blighted expectations."

First and foremost, I would like to go on record to state that this post is not like my previous posts. There has been a lot that has happened in my life. I have begun my steps into my ministry, and I am currently undergoing a one year training process. During this training, I go all across the U.S., and I shadow the ministers that are assigned to each church. I preach, assist in the worship service, visit people, and do essentially whatever the minister would like for me to do in terms of serving the church. In return, they accommodate me in their houses. After this, there is an entrance exam and then an interview (both around August to October 2014), and I will start seminary in India (Mar Thoma Theological Seminary in Kottayam, Kerala) which is a four year Bachelors of Divinity degree. Please do keep me in your prayers, and I appreciate all the prayers that have come my way this far.

anyone who claims that God does not give us more than we can handle.

Most people tend to refer to the verse in I Corinthians 10:13 where Paul says, "And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I don't see suffering being mentioned even once in that verse. To be honest, suffering is not even mentioned in that entire chapter. Also, when you look at the context of the chapter, Paul is speaking out against the sins of the Israelites, and how Christian believers are not to fall into the same temptations they were. God does not tempt you, but He allows us to be tempted. James says it well in James 1:13, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." Note that falling into temptation is a choice.

Going through suffering is not a choice. In fact, if we are all honest, then none of us really wants to suffer. We would rather live a peaceful, enjoyable life here on this earth. Yet, there are storms that come in our life, and during those storms, Christ is with us.

God does give us more than we can handle in terms of suffering, but that being said, He has promised to be by our side throughout it all, both the good and the bad moments in life, and I can give you thousands of Bible verses to prove that.

For example, let's start at the Old Testament. God tells Joshua in Joshua 1:5, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." How about the story of Job? God says to Satan, "There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Yet, Satan requests God to allow him to wreak havoc on Job's life, and God allows Satan to do so. Job goes through hell and back, and he mourns like no one else, and he refused to be comforted. 41 chapters of basically the most depressing, agonizing words that have ever been written in the Bible! The 42nd chapter is of course God restoring and doubling everything that he once had. Can someone really say this wasn't more than Job could handle?

That being said, I return back to stating this is not like my previous posts. I want to share something that has been burdening my heart for some time now. As most everyone who reads my blog knows my best friend and brother Patrick passed away on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 from what was the worst day of many people's lives, including mine. During those days, many people said to me and to several of my close friends that grieved the loss of Patrick, "God won't give you more than you can handle." I have seen this phrase being used countless times before this incident and countless times after. I began to think to myself, "Well, that sounds a bit weird. Why wouldn't He give us more than we can handle? Is that even Biblical?" I am here to state that I respectfully disagree with

In New Testament, countless examples are given as well. How about Joseph and Mary? Mary was pregnant before marriage.

Savior of the world or not, she could have been stoned, or Joseph planned to divorce her. Folks probably gossiped about the both of them. I'm sure they suffered a lot, but none of it is mentioned in the Bible. Jesus Christ Himself suffered more than He could handle, but He did it, so we wouldn't have to take the punishment of sin on ourselves. Paul was given a thorn in his flesh, and he asked Christ three times for it to be taken away from him. Christ responded by saying one of the verses that actually brought comfort to me during this time in my life. He said in II Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul goes on to say something so remarkable, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." When Christ told Peter to walk on the water in Matthew 14, Peter ends up taking his eyes off Jesus, and he sees the storms of life, and he begins sinking. During that time, Christ could have let him drown, or He could have said, "I told

you not to doubt," but in verse 31 it says, "Immediately

Jesus reached out his hand and caught him."

You see, there will be things that go on in life that will be more than you can handle, and the pain may seem like it will last forever, but reality is, eternity with Christ awaits us.

You may suffer more than you can handle, but God is by your side throughout every storm that comes in your away.

Whether you are going through a terminal illness, loss of a loved one, natural calamities, multiple public place shootings, or whatever else may be burdening your heart, He tells you that He loves you, and you are His child. What you go through will cause you to lean on Him like never before. What you go through will be used for the glory of God. Trust me, that is something that I have seen. There is beauty in the broken.

As I wrap up, I want to share a song that I always liked. It's a small song. It begins like this, "Holiness, holiness is what I long for. Holiness is what I need. Holiness is what you want from me. So take my heart and mold it. Take my mind, transform it. Take my will, conform it. To Yours, to Yours, Oh Lord." The last verse says, "Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need. Brokenness is what you want from me." I sang this song several times, and it's a song that I loved, but I realized I didn't know the depth of those words. When you get to a point in your life when you're so broken, then you realize you can only rely on God to reshape the pieces.

One thing I will say, whenever you are with someone that is hurting so much that God seems distant, then take that time to sit with them and pray for them, cry with them, let your presence be with them. In those moments, what they need is not a sermon, what they need is your love and care, so that they may experience God through you.

God will give you more than you can handle, but the God of Angel Armies will always be by your side. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." - Romans 8:1. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." - Romans 8:37. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10

Editorʼs Note: Matt Stan Samuel is a member of St. Paulʼs MTC, Dallas. He worked at University of North Texas Libraries and attended University of North Texas and lives in Dallas, TX. He is presently undergoing practical training prior to selection to the ordained ministry of Mar Thoma Church.

He has his own blog where he publishes his thoughts on different subjects of interest based on Bible. http://roadtohiswill.blogspot.com

A Prologue to the Biography of Dr. A. K. Tharien of Oddanchatram (Cont. from Page 17) What about a table? The carpenter had brought the frame and planks for a delivery table and the frame was almost ready to be fixed but had been left in pieces. We could put them together and improvise a table.

“Philipochen, can you pour some ether on the face mask?

There is not much time. Just pour it like this in continuous drops: I shall watch.”

“Yes doctor, I will try, but I am shivering, doctor.”

“So am I. But let us ask God to strengthen us.”

We all stood around the patient as I prayed, committing ourselves to Godʼs almighty hands. I washed the ladyʼs abdomen with soap and painted it with iodine, spirit and ether.

Everybody got ready. Kunjamma scrubbed to assist. The patient was calm. We prayed again. I was moved to tears.

Philipochen started to pour ether. After some struggle, the patient slowly went under anesthesia.

With an ordinary scalpel, an incision was made. There was some bleeding, but it was all tied up with catgut. It was a classical incision — the uterus was opened. A motionless baby was taken out. We concentrated on the mother.

After the surgery, when we were moving the patient to the bed, I heard a cry on the veranda. Kunjamma shrill voice could be heard: “The baby is alive!”

“This was the turning point in the life of our small group. It was indeed an exciting experience…. an adventure….to trust in God and venture out in a crisis.

Many people came to see Kamatchy who had an unusual delivery. She showed her scar to visitors who were reluctant believe her. With this event, the local population was convinced that I was a real doctor. The inflow of patients suddenly increased. Quite a few patients came for surgery also. Though we had no special room for operations, everyone was operated upon, on the veranda itself, atop a wooden table. There were no rooms for the patients; neighbors co-operated by offering their spare space, even their cowsheds, to accommodate the patients. Seeing our difficulties, a neighbor kindly offered a vacant piece of land. The local people helped to build some bamboo sheds and made a twenty-bedded ward. As more patients came more sheds were put up.”

The narration ends here.

Half a century later, the bamboo sheds have grown into a 288bedded hospital with 93 doctors working in different specialty departments. On several days, the outpatient attendance swells to over 1000 patients…

And, the doctor who delivered Kamachyʼs baby goes on….

To be the president of a session of the United Nations dealing with peace concerns.

To be a member of the International Commission for Disarmament and Peace.

To pioneer Indiaʼs diplomatic relations with South Korea, South Africa…

The story is familiar. Like all successful people with humble beginnings, the doctor has gone places.

This story however must be told; on a bright summer afternoon, Kamatchyʼs baby — a middle-aged lady now— still drops in occasionally at a small room of the hospital to share a cup of tea with the doctor who brought her into the world— Areyapuram Kurien Tharien.

For him little has changed

Laity and Leadership in the Diaspora Jesudas M. Athyal, Boston The term ʻlaityʼ can be traced back to the Greek Laos which can literally be translated as the people at large. As against the narrow meaning often attributed to the term in the organized Church – as the opposite of the ordained clergy the ecumenical movement has consistently used the term in a broad sense, as ʻPeople of Godʼ. The Mar Thoma Church has imbibed this broad meaning of the laity. In the theological sense, we affirm that the Church itself is a laymovement, the community that is chosen in Christ.

According to St. Peter, we are members of the royal priesthood (1Pet 2:9). Both women and men, by virtue of their baptism, have the role of priests in the Church and the world. At the administrative level too, our Church is a lay movement. Starting with the Prathinidhi Mandalam (the representative assembly of the Church), in most of the decision-making bodies, lay women and men constitute the decisive majority.

the ordained – believe that the calling of God is for the ordained. Such thinking was widely prevalent in the Middle Ages, in both the Eastern and Western churches.

Theological arguments too came up to prove that Christian ministry is the exclusive prerogative of the ordained.

At no other area is the lay leadership of the Church more visible than in the Diaspora. The growth of our Church in North America, Europe and many other parts of the world, was not the result of any top-down policy; it was due to the commitment of lay Marthomites who were, literally, scattered on the face of the earth. Uprooted from their traditional moorings and separated from each other by great geographical distances, our people in the Diaspora underwent momentous changes and struggled to uphold the vision of their foremothers and forefathers. The establishment of parishes and dioceses in the Diaspora was, in that sense, the response of the hierarchical leadership of the Church to a lay initiative.

The laity - ʻthe people of Godʼ - is the subject matter of the Epistle to the Romans, particularly chapters 12 – 14. Paul argues here that the people of God are the group specially chosen by Christ to bear witness to the new era. While the Church is the community of people who confess that Jesus is Lord, the boundaries of this new community or the spread of the people of God is undefined and consequently, open. The book of Romans discusses the witness of the Church in the world. Chapter 11 affirms the reality that God, through Christ, is leading the history of the world to its ultimate destiny. The chapter concludes with the declaration: “For from whom and through whom and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen” (v. 36).

This verse can perhaps be interpreted as the summary of the central message of Romans - that human beings and all creation are involved in a pilgrimage towards full freedom.

The ordained clergy, as “full time church workers”, is an indispensable part of the ministry of most churches. There are various levels of clergy – the bishops, presbyters, deacons, nuns etc. For them ministry is both a vocation and a profession. It was thought at one time that ʻGodʼs callingʼ is either exclusively or primarily to the clergy in the organized churches. Several Christians – both the laity and

The reformations in the Church at various stages during the past few centuries have, however, challenged this notion.

Martin Luther and John Calvin affirmed the “priesthood of all believers.” They argued that God calls the laity also, both for the renewal of the Church and also to be faithful to their calling while discharging their duties at the secular

realm as well. Due to the explosion of knowledge in later centuries – especially since the 19th century -, however, the process of ʻspecializationʼ began leading to the emergence of various disciplines in social, biological and physical sciences. Specialization eventually led to a process of “compartmentalization” – between the various disciplines. For the Church, this was a process of compartmentalization of the Christian mission between the Church and the secular realm – a divide between Sundayʼs service and evangelistic work on the one hand and the routine work at the secular realm on the other.

The spirit of reformation needs to be understood as the increased participation of the laity in the affairs of the Church. The lay people – especially in the reformed churches – began playing an active role in not only the administration of the Church but also in “spiritual” activities such as preaching, Sunday School, Womenʼs Fellowship (Sevika Sangham) etc. The Christian mission in the secular world began to be understood as witnessing to Christ among colleagues of other faiths, starting praying groups in schools and colleges etc. It was also propagated that each vocation has its own yardstick and that these should not be mixed up with the Christian values.

In the pluralistic context of the Diaspora, ʻChristian cultureʼ is not a dominant factor in the society and we cannot surmise that the transformation of the world can be accomplished by Christians alone. The meaning of public mission in the secular arena, therefore, needs to be rearticulated in our situations. In contexts such as ours where the Church has little or no impact on public life, the Christian mission in the world should be primarily the concern of the laity who is actively involved in the affairs of the world. The late Dr. M. M. Thomas was never tired of emphasizing that Godʼs call to the laity is not primarily to reform the church structure or even do evangelistic work in the secular world but to enlighten their secular areas of work. He maintained that any compartmentalization between the secular and the sacred with regard to the mission of the laity and the clergy implied that Godʼs call has no relevance in the secular vocation of the laity.

Based on the theological understanding that Christian mission in the world is primarily the responsibility of the lay people, there was a re-discovery of the laity in the modern period. The roots of the 20th century ecumenical movement can be traced back to the ecumenical lay movements founded in the 19th century: the YMCA, YWCA and the World Student Christian Federation. John R. Mott, J. H. Oldham and several other pioneers of the modern ecumenical movement were lay persons. From the 1930s onwards, the ecumenical movement initiated a series of study projects on Godʼs call of the laity for the transformation of the world. A renewed focus of the laity was seen in the Roman Catholic Church also. In 1922 Pius XI, in his pastoral letter Ubi Arcana, called on the laity “to participate in the hierarchical apostolate.” He also proclaimed the foundation of the Catholic lay movement, Action catholique.

Such a broad and global vision of the laity that was the hallmark of the modern ecumenical movement needs to percolate down to the level of the denominations and local congregations as well. It needs to be noted at this juncture that the laity is often referred to as “laymen” in many of our churches; but women have historically been an important aspect of the momentum of the Church. This is particularly true with regard to the Mar Thoma Church in the Diaspora.

Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos, the former bishop of the Diocese of North America and Europe had noted that this Diocese was built up primarily by women who contributed sacrificially and participated fully in the life of the Church. It is, therefore, significant to note that under the current Bishop Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius, steps are being taken to increase the number of women in all the decisionmaking bodies of the parishes and the Diocese. The increased participation of women must, however, be not only at the administrative level alone but should also be reflected in the pastoral and sacramental ministry of the Church. Though we have been saying for many years that women should play a larger role in Church, we do not let women become even lay readers who assist in communion service, let alone permit them to be celebrants of Holy Communion. We are too tradition bound and still a highly patriarchal structure. This must change. According to Dr. Titus Mathews (Calgary, Canada), “the initiation of training program for altar boys and covenant girls is a bold step.

Lay leaders in future can come from their ranks.”

In conclusion, it can be noted that as the focal point of global Christianity is turning to the South and the distinctiveness of “Southern Christianity” is increasingly being recognized, it is also important to take note of “the coloring of Christianity” in Europe and North America.

While, due to demographic factors and increased secularization, traditional churches in the West are dwindling in numbers and influence, their places is being taken by immigrant churches which are thriving in momentum. In this context, the identity and mission of faith communities such as the Mar Thoma Church assume special significance. The Church is the community of the dispersed - the people of God scattered over the face of the earth to witness to the great deeds of God. The effective exercise of Godʼs ministry in the world must largely be the task of the laity – the people of God – as they are engaged in the life of the world.

Dr. Jesudas M. Athyal is a Research Fellow at the Boston University School of Theology. He is the Editor of Religion in Southeast Asia: An Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2015) and, The Indian Presence in the Ecumenical Movement in the Twentieth Century (Geneva: WCC, 2014). He had served as the Associate Editor of Oxford Encyclopedia of South Asian Christianity – 2 vol. (New Delhi: OUP, 2012).

Maramon Convention (1895 – 2014) Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church commonly known as Mar Thoma Church, is an eastern Episcopal church, traditionally believed to have been founded by Saint Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, and known in the name of the Apostle (ʻMar Thomaʼ in Syrian language) in the year A. D 52 in Kerala India and having its headquarters at Thiruvalla, Kerala, India. The Mar Thoma Church believes in the Trinity, and accepts the Bible as its repository of the divine doctrines revealed by Jesus Christ and proclaimed by His apostles. The Mar Thoma Church also maintains these doctrines in their purity, and promotes the spiritual life of its members through the administration of sacraments and by the ministry of the WORD. The Mar Thoma Church also believes that it is responsible to make disciples of all nations by the proclamation of the Gospel to the world and through the administration of Holy Baptism in the name of Triune God. The heritage and history of Mar Thoma Church are found on its web site at www.marthoma.in in addition to other historical resources.

The Mar Thoma Church has now 1200 parishes including congregations, divided into thirteen dioceses including the Diocese of North America & Europe. There are 13 Bishops including the Valiya Metropolitan and Metropolitan, eleven Episcopas, and 821 priests and 165 retired priests. The Church has approximately 1.5 million members scattered around the world in different parishes. It has a democratic pattern of administration with a representative assembly (Prathinidhi Mandalam), an executive council (Sabha Council) and an Episcopal Synod. The Mar Thoma Church is a member of World Council of Churches (WCC) and actively participates in its programs. It is also a member of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) and the National Council of Churches in USA and the Kerala Council of Churches in Kerala, India (KCC). It is in full communion with other Churches such as Church of England, Episcopal Churches in USA, and Anglican Churches in Canada and has cordial relations with the various denominations of other Christian Churches. The Mar Thoma Church actively co-operates with the Church of South India (C.S.I) and the Church of North India (C.N.I) through Communion of Churches in India (CCI).

The first convention was held for 10 days from Friday, 9th to Sunday, 18th March 1895 at Parapuzha Manalpuram.

The venue was the vast sand-bed of the Pampa River between Maramon church and the famous Aranmula temple. Mr. David and Mr. Wordsworth, both missionaries from Ceylon (presently known as Sri Lanka) were the main speakers. Mar Thoma Metropolitan Titus 1 gave the leadership. From 1985-1916 women used to attend the night meetings and since 1917 women were not allowed to attend night meetings, due to various reasons including the social norms of those days, which is still continued.

Until 1946, messages were repeated in relay by designated people standing in between the participants. In 1946 loudspeaker and mike set was brought from U. S. A

by Rev. Dr. Stanley Jones, which was donated by one of the Christian churches there. Later the venue was changed to the present place at the riverbanks near to the Kozhencherry Bridge. The parishes in and around Maramon – Kozhencherry helped in making a very large panthal (tent) to accommodate about 10,000 people. The main speakers were David and Wordsworth. On an average 10,000 to 15,000 people attended these meetings. On the last day almost 25,000 attended. There were no proper roads during those days and people used to travel by ʻKettu Vallams.ʼ So nearby houses accommodated the people from faraway places. Some of them came in boats and used them as their shelter.

Maramon Convention is held for eight days during the first week of the Great Lent that usually falls in February. The panthal (flat tent) made up of bamboo poles and thatched with coconut leaves has a seating capacity in excess of 160,000 people. They are seated on the dry sand bed. Old and weak are given chairs to sit on. There is also a smaller pandal erected next to the larger one for people with children below 5. All around the pandal there are temporary sheds and tents for various purposes related to the convention. Stalls for the sale of religious literature, church offices, various organizations, dioceses of the church and restaurants are allowed to operate in the vicinity of the pandal under the strict control of the Church authorities.

The Maramon Convention is pre-eminently an assembly of Christians belonging to Mar Thoma Church, who once a year come here for listening to the Word of God as read and expounded by Christian leaders from India as abroad.

Preaching and Bible study occupy the major part of the convention program. Christians from other denominations also attend the convention. In the morning there will be separate Bible study classes for men, women, youth and children conducted by specially invited leaders. In the mornings and afternoons there are public meetings and in the evening, meetings for men. Four of the afternoon public meetings are for ʻʼsocial evils awareness.ʼ Even though the choir leads the singing the whole gathering joins in singing. A hymn book with 101 hymns including 16 new ones are printed every year for the convention use.

Everyday half an hour is spent for intercessory prayer.

Also there are family gatherings, youth meetings and special gatherings after the afternoon session.

In addition to the Metropolitan and Episcopas of the church, distinguished world renowned speakers address the convention. The Rev. Thomas Walker, England (1900– 1912), Sadhu Sunder Singh, Punjab (1918), Dr. G. Sherwood Eddy (1919), Dr. E. Stanley Jones, USA (1920– 1968), Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa, Japan (1938), John R. Mott, Nobel Peace Prize winner (1946) and President of World Alliance of YMCAs, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder and president of World Vision (1964 & 66), Astronaut Colonel James Irwin, who spent a few hours on the moon (1985), Dr. John Haggai, founder president of Haggai Institute (1973), Bishop Donald Jacobs, Mennonite church (1974), the Most

Rev. Dr. Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury (1986), the Most Rev. Dr. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury (1995), Dr. Samuel Kobia, WCC General Secretary (2007), the Rev. Dr. A. B. Masalamani, the Rev. Dr. Sam Kamalesen, and a host of others, who spoke in the past during the convention. During one of the meetings Rev. Thomas Walker was not able to attend, and Rev. M. C. George (father of Alexander Mar Thoma Metropolitan) delivered the messages. This was the first and last time in the 100 years history of Maramon Convention that an Achen from the Mar Thoma Church became the main speaker of the convention. It was M. C. George Achen, who used to translate the message of Rev. Walker to Malayalam and his loud voice was audible to all participants, considering there was no loudspeakers during that time.

convention. This may be a world record for the same hymn being sung every year at the close of the convention more or less the same time. In 1995 the Maramon Convention celebrated its centenary during which time 100 evangelists were dedicated for the missionary work. All those who come to the convention area will feel the spiritual liveliness that inculcates self-discipline. The unbroken prayer is the force behind the spiritual inspiration. The Maramon Convention displays co-operation and union between different denominations of Christians in Kerala and also Hindus. It fosters an ecumenical outlook. It is also a source of spiritual inspiration and enlightenment for thousands. Several Diaspora Marthomites living around the world, especially from the Diocese of North America and Europe also regularly attend Maramon Convention.

Compiled by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas

The MTEA attaches greater importance to a crusade against social evils, alcoholism and drug-addition. In fact an afternoon session in the convention is exclusively devoted for programs against such evils to motivate the people to stand solidly against such evils and to take up programs designed to root out such evils. Besides there are special sessions to focus attention on the ecumenical concerns, Dalit activities, womenʼs issues and childrenʼs program. The Church is constantly challenged through this convention to fulfill its missionary responsibilities and to spread its service activities from Tibetan Border in the extreme northern end of Uttar Pradesh to Kanya Kumari (Cape Comerin) in the South. Several service institutions of the Church owe their origin to this annual get together at Maramon. Destitute homes, Ashrams, mission centers, hospitals, leprosy clinics, schools, and colleges have been started in and outside Kerala, thereby creating a congenial atmosphere for the moral, social and spiritual upliftment of the masses and for the social and economic emancipation of the poorer sections of the community. Schemes for homes for the homeless, land for the landless, marriage aid schemes etc. have been started through the inspiration and challenges at the convention, long before such schemes were initiated by the Government. In this way the Church by and large, was inspired to become alive and responsive to the contemporary issues and challenges through the messages of the Maramon Convention. It was in this way that the Mar Thoma Church was made known the world.

Most interesting aspect of this convention is the discipline shown by the participants throughout the convention, which has almost become an inviolable tradition. Police presence is not required in the convention premises to maintain law and order. The pandal (tent) and the sheds are built as voluntary contributions of the parishes nearby.

Earlier, offertory was collected in every meeting. Now it is collected only in four of the 21 general meetings. The collection is distributed to various organizations of the church and also for the Bible society and CSSM. The hymn ʻSthuthippin sthuthippin Yesudevane, Halleluiyah paadi sthuthippin sthuthippin Yesudevaneʼ written by Yusthus Joseph (1835-1887) is sung by the whole congregation at the close of the final day on each yearʼs

Congratulations to Rev. Dr. Joseph Daniel, University of Bern, Switzerland The University of Bern, Switzerland, conferred the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with “Insigni Magna Cum Laude” (a very rare and highest possible honor) to Rev. Joseph Daniel for his research on “Historic Praxis of Ecumenism in the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.”

He was a recipient of the Christkatholishche Kirche der Schweiz Scholarship of the University of Bern.

This award is very significant because the University of Bern is one of the oldest and prestigious universities in Europe. He demonstrated excellence throughout his academic life; he is also a holder of Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Award for academic excellence in Master of Arts; C.P. Menon Memorial Award, and a gold medalist (first rank), from the Mahatma Gandhi University, India.

Rev. Joseph Daniel also holds two postgraduate degrees: one in history and the other one in theology with academic excellence.

He is, currently, the Vicar of the Mar Thoma Congregations in Switzerland and Germany. Rev. Daniel was the chaplain to the late Metropolitan, Alexander Mar Thoma. His humility is very endearing, first and foremost he is a humble disciple of Christ; he is also a role model for students for what can be achieved academically. He will be returning to Kerala in May to continue his ministry.

He is an excellent speaker and writer, and published a book under the title: ʻOne Family under Heavenʼ. May his ministry be a great blessing to the Mar Thoma communities throughout the world. We thank God for his very prestigious achievements for the glory of God.