Friday, November 19, 2010

Syro-Malabar Mass

In order to have a greater sense of participation in our Eucharistic celebration, it would be immensely beneficial if we come to know a little bit about the history , the development and the structure of our Eucharistic prayer. Every Rite grows around its liturgy and the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the shaping force of the religious values and traditions of the people belonging to that rite. As one of the Fathers of the Church has put it, liturgy is the melody of theology.

It has to be pointed out at the outset that the faithful following the Syro-Malabar rite have lost that intimate link with the Liturgy that people belonging to other rites experience. Many historical reasons are responsible for such a disconnection.

The Christians of Kerala were following the East Syrian Liturgy from the 4th C. But with the Synod of Diamper in 1599 A.D., there took place a great upheaval in the liturgical traditions of St.Thomas Christians. From that time onwards the faithful began to follow the traditions of the Latin rite, although the liturgical language remained Aramaic. When the liturgical reform took place with the introduction of Malayalam as the liturgical language in 1962, the faithful began to understand the meaning of their liturgical celebrations more clearly, but it caused again another disconnection. Also the revisions of the text of the Mass done in 1968 and in 1985 have made people more unfamiliar with the liturgy. It would take decades for the people to become accustomed to their liturgy and to establish a very strong and vital intimacy with it.

Once we grasp the nature and structure of the mass and begin to fall in love with that, we will develop the same attachment to our liturgy as other Eastern Rite Catholics have towards theirs.

One may ask why we should go back to the old instead of sticking with the one that we were accustomed to. The response is that it is in the nature of things that we keep to the original. We cannot use a truncated liturgical tradition. Either we use what we had before or create something new. It is not in the history of liturgical traditions that one creates a new liturgy. Moreover, the present liturgy is our patrimony , what our forefathers kept from the 4th C to the 16th. This was the liturgy of the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala, before the community got divided into several denominations.

The Eucharistic prayer that we are using now developed in Edessa, a city of northeastern Syria, near the frontier between the Roman Empire and Persia. After the Council of Ephesus (A.D.431), Edessa became Nestorian and was later occupied by the Arabs.

It would be interesting to find out why Edessa was prominent in the historical development of different rites. We have to know first the political division of the world of that time. When Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman empire from Rome to the site of the ancient city of Byzantium in 330 A.D., Constantinople (Byzantium) assumed great political prominence. The see of Constantinople began to get prominence after the See of Rome. Other centers of prominence were Antioch and Alexandria. The Liturgical celebrations in these centers achieved great prominence and they began to be considered as different rites later. Of these, Edessa was the only Christian center outside the Roman Empire and this came under the Persian Empire. Edessa, thus, became a great center of Syriac-speaking Christians.

When the Portuguese came to Kerala, they found the Eucharistic prayer of Addai and Mari being used among the Christians of Kerala.

According to Louis Bouyer, the Eucharistic Prayer of the Syro-Malabar rite is one of the most ancient Eucharistic prayers in the Christian world. “Everything leads to believe that this prayer is the most ancient Christian Eucharistic composition to which we can we have access today. It is modeled after the pattern of the Jewish prayers over the last cup of the meal.”(Eucharist, p.147). According Lucien Deiss, another scholar on the Eucharist, this prayer is “very close to Jewish blessings and has a prodigious history”

Louis Bouyer points out the Semitic character of this Eucharistic prayer by showing that this follows very closely the prayers that Our Lord used at the Last Supper. What we find is that the words used in the Eucharist come from the Jewish prayer over meals. Like other people of his country, Our Lord has also used the Jewish prayer over meals. They are either known as Beraka( short prayers of blessings) or Berakoth( which are long ones).According to him, “The Eucharist of Addai and Mari remains based on the Jewish meal Berakoth, to the point that like them it is still composed not of one but three prayers.”(p.158).

The Development of the Eucharist in the Church:

It has been almost established that the prayer used by Jesus at the time of Last Supper was the common grace-Brikath ha-Mazon-the prayer of thanksgiving at the end of the meals. The three main topics in the Jewish prayer were the following: creation, revelation (giving of the Law), and redemption. “Prayer is based on thanking God for these things or blessing him for them. In the Birkath ha Mazon, God is blessed in the first paragraph for creating the world; in the second for giving his people food ; and in the third , prayer is made for the restoration of Jerusalem.”( Prayers of the Eucharist,Jasper and Cuming,p.7)

“These prayers that Jesus uttered at the supper are the origin and model of the Church’s Eucharistic prayer, or Anaphora. It was called a eucharistia , a Greek word that means thanksgiving and designates both the prayer and thanksgiving recited in imitation of the prayer of Jesus.

“At the supper of Jesus there were two separate and distinct prayers of thanksgiving, one for the bread and one for the cup, whereas in the mass there is only one, the Eucharistic prayer or anaphora which embraces both the bread and the cup.” (The Celebration of the Eucharist,Mazza,p.21)

“The ritual of Jewish meal was traced back to the divine command given in Deuteronomy 8:10. “ You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.”

“The purpose of the prayer is not to change the meal into a sacred meal, but to acknowledge the gift of God…Whenever there is a meal, provided it consists in something more than a medium-sized olive, the Birkat ha –Mazon is said.(Mazza,15)

There is no fixed model for these prayers as it was not customary to have the prayer written down. But some have made a tentative reconstruction of those prayers. Here is a model:

“Blessed are you ,Lord our God, King of the universe, who feed the whole world in goodness, kindness, and mercy. Blessed are you, Lord, who feed the universe.

“We thank you Lord ,Our God, who have given us as an inheritance a desirable land, that we might eat of its fruits and nourish ourselves on its goodness. Blessed are you ,Lord, our God, for the land and the food.

Have mercy ,Lord our God, on Israel you people and on Jerusalem your city and on Zion the dwelling place of your glory and on your altar and sanctuary. Blessed are Lord, who build Jerusalem”(Mazza,p.16)

The First Eucharistic Liturgies:

The Didache and the Apostolic Constitutions (Hippolytus) are the earliest records which show the beginnings of the eucharistic liturgy. In these early prayers, one finds the adaptation of Jewish meal prayers by the Christians for the Eucharistic worship.

The Didache whose full title is the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles was discovered in 1875.It is now generally accepted that it was most probably written in the first C. Syria. The work is the earliest known example of a Church Order. Chs.9 and 14 deal with Eucharistic celebrations(J&C,p.20).

Didache was incorporated into Bk. VII of the Apostolic Constitutions in a re-written form. The following is the ritual of the earliest Eucharistic worship:

“Concerning the Eucharist give thanks in this way:

First over the cup:

We give thanks to Thee, Our Father, for the holy vine of David, thy servant,which thou madest known to Thy servant,Jesus.

And for the broken bread:

We give thanks to Thee Our Father, for the life and knowledge, which thou madest known to us through thy servant ,Jesus.

As this broken bread was scattered upon the hills…so let thy Church be gathered together into Thy Kingdom.

The Apostolic Constitutions(Hippolytus) appears to have been written around 215 A.D. and hence gives another account of the earliest version of the Eucharistic prayer. It reflects the Roman tradition that was practiced some fifty years earlier. This is extant in Latin, Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopian versions.

Special Features of the Eastern Rite Liturgies:

The following are some of he special features of the Eastern liturgies and the Syro-Malabar Eucharistic liturgy too exhibits the same features.

1. The presence of an Icon Screen: this screen separates the sanctuary and altar from the nave where people gather. It may be viewed either as a link or a point of separation. From the former perspective, icon screen is the meeting place between heaven and earth. As point of separation, it emphasizes the transcendence of God. In the Syro-Malabar rite , a veil is used instead of the icon screen.

2. Offertory rite:

In the Oriental liturgies, the preparation of bread and wine occurs at a side altar before the public part of the Eucharist begins.

3.Epiclesis:

Oriental liturgies have always attributed the actual real presence of Christ on the altar to the particular action of the Holy Spirit.

The Structure of The Eucharistic Prayer of the Syro-Malabar Rite:

In our Eucharistic prayer we have four long prayers which the celebrant says with an inclined head .They are known as Gahanta and there are other prayers said by the priest in a low voice which are known as Kusappa. The celebrant recites these prayers (kusappa)silently in order to express his unworthiness before the Lord and the people. The long prayers or Gahanta are the prayers used by the Jews in their prayer over meals.

Syro-Malabar Mass—Parts and Organization

(Bp.A.D. Mattom)

The mass can divided into three sections

1. Introduction---also called Enarxis ----up to “Saklathiinteyum Natha…”

2.Mass of the Catechumens---until the washing of the hands.

3.Mass of the Faithful---From the washing of the hands until the end of the mass.

The Mass of the Faithful can be divided into three parts.

A. Preparation for the Anaphora. From the washing until the prayer: Njangalude Daivamaya karthave.

B. AnaphoraFrom the first Gahantha to the end of the Epiclesis

C. Post-anaphora---up to the end of the mass.

.

Introduction(Enarxis)

Begins with the song of praise sung by the angels at the birth of our Lord. Was in practice before 11thC. The Our Father at the beginning of the mass was added by Catholicos Timotheos 1(821)

After the psalms, the blessing of the incense. Incensing indicates the prayers rising to heaven. Also refers to the sacrifice of the Old Testament.

Then the Prayer, Njangalude Karthave

Before this prayer, the veil is drawn aside.

The veil: a symbol indicating respect for the sacrifice

Reminds us of the veil of the Jewish Temple, separating the Holy of Holies.

Only the Mass of the Faithful was done in the Madbhaha. The rest on the Bema—During that time, the offerings were arranged on the altar by the deacon---hence the separation.

Mass of the Catechumens:

The Jews used to read the Scriptures (the Law and the Prophets) on the Sabbath in the synagogues. The priests/elders would then interpret them…..The Mass of the Catechumens was the occasion to teach those who were preparing to receive the baptism.

The following are the parts of this Synogogal section:

1. Parisundhanaya Daivame

2. The Epistle

3. Sumara—the Song before the Gospel

4. The Gospel

5. Karosoosa

6. Preparation of the hosts and the wine

7. Kaiveppu prayer(Blessing)

8. Dismissal of the catechumens.

Parisudhana Deivame:…This is known as Trisagion. Thrice Holy.Used in all the Oriental rites.Became part of the mass around 5th c. The Holy Trinity is being referred to. In the Antiochian,Armenian and Coptic rites—this refers to the Son.

In ordinary masses, in the place of Sumara(partsof psalms), Halleluiah is being sung.

In the solemn mass called the Raza, two readings from the OT and a reading from the Epistles are taken.

After the Gospel(The Gospel is always carried in a procession), Karosouza---

Bread and wine are prepared at tables known as Bez Gaza placed on either side of the

altar.

Before the dismissal of the Catechumens, there is a blessing by the celebrant. In earlier days, the doors of the church were closed after this blessing as the next part of the mass is reserved only for the faithful.

Mass of the Faithful:

Preparation for the Anaphora:

Washing of the hands

Procession of the gifts

Oniza de Raza(Song sung at the time of the procession of the gifts)

Offerings placed on the altar

Creed

Karosouza

Procession to the altar

Silent Prayer(Kusappa)

Washing of the hands indicates the purity of mind that is required of the celebrant.

Oniza De Raza is the song sung at the time of the procession of gifts to the altar…..Karthavil Njan drudmayai saranappettu)

Then the offertory.

The song after this is the continuation of the Oniza de Raze(the Bl. Virgin Mary , the Apostles, etc are remembered.

The creed is recited after this.

From the 6th C. onwards the custom of reciting the creed came into being as there were a lot of schismatic tendencies existing in the church. In the Latin rite, it was officially introduced by Benedict V111(1012-1024).

In the Karosouza by the server, prayers are offered for all.

Now the procession to the Madbahaha—the Bishop and the priests together…

Anaphora:

1.First Gahantha

2.The offer of peace

3.Incensing

4.DoxologyNammude Karthavisomishihayude

5Ninglaude Bodhangal

6.Second Gahantha and Doxology

7.Sanctus---karthavum Balavanumaya Deivam Parisudhan

8.Third Gahantha

9.Words of Consecration

10.Anamnesis---Anjanusmarenam

11.Intercessory prayer

12.Fourth Gahantha

13.Epiclesis

Each Gahantha is accompanied by prayers before and after and hence is seen to be a cycle of prayers.

In the first Gahantha, the priest praises God for the graces received from Him and acknowledges the mercy of God in enabling him to offer the sacrifice.

The offering of peace is a symbol of the unity that should exist among the faithful.

The Sursum Corda dialogue---It was in existence in the Roman rite from the 3rd c but was introduced in the Chaldean rite from the 6th c.

The Second Gahantha ---praises the Trinity along with the multitudes of angels.

The response is Sanctus—Parisudhan , parisudhan…existing in all the rites. The first part is from Isaiah third chapter. Another part is from St.Matthew’s Gospel21,9.

Third Gahantha—the most beautiful prayer—the whole history of salvation is summarized in this prayer.

The words of Consecration:

Anamnesis—

Intercessory prayer---

Fourth Gahantha:

The Bl.Virgin Mary is commemorated.Prayers for peace and tranquility are made.

Epiclesis_--an important aspect of the Oriental Rite.

In many Oriental rites, prayers are offered to the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

It was the Council of Florence(1439) that proclaimed that the change into the body and blood would happen when the priest as the representative of Christ recited the words of Consecration.

Post-anaphora:

Prayers of repentance

Incensing

Breaking of the bread

Communion

Thanksgiving

Prayers of Repentance---Psalm 51.

The Structure of the Latin Mass

The Liturgy of the Word (the Synagogue service)

Preface (Father, you are holy indeed)—gratitude—(doing the function of a Gahanta)

Consecratory Epiclesis

Institutional Narrative-On the night he was betrayed---

Proclamation of faith

Memorial—anamnesis—Calling to mind the death..

Communion Invocation—epiclesis

Intercession

Doxology—Through him , with him…

The structure of the Syro-Malabar Mass

Eight Parts

Introductory Part—(up to the Uthana geetham)

Liturgy of the Word(from the Trisagion upto the readings)

Offertory(up to the grand entrance)

Anaphora-4 cycles of Gahanta—each one with 4 prayers

Reconciliation—preparation for communion

Breaking of the Host—(Death and Resurrection)

The Lord’s Prayer--Unity

Concluding prayers

Meaning of terms and symbols used in the mass:

Madbhaha: Sanctuary---the place of the altar—heaven kept hidden by a veil—dbhah= to sacrifice

Altar: The sepulcher of Christ---also the place of Resurrection

Hykala: the place of the faithful—symbol of the whole earth.

Bema: Jerusalem---the place of salvation ---the center of the world.

Procession from the Sanctuary to the Bema: a movement from heaven to the world---the mystery of the incarnation---the incarnation and manifestation of the Lord.

Approach to the Altar: QurbanaQreb—to come near

(Preparation for the approach

Dismissal of the unworthy

Prostrations on the Bema

Washing of the hands

Procession-entrance creed

Three times bowing)

= Entry to heaven

Liturgy of the Word: The procession of the Gospel—a preparation for the passion---solemn entry into Jerusalem

Also the advent of the Lord from heaven to Jerusalem.

The descent of the Gospel and its placing on the altar---symbolizes crucifixion.

The Gospel procession between the sanctuary and the Bema---the incarnation, the earthly ministry, the teaching of the Lord,the passion,death , resurrection and ascension.

Karosusa: Proclamation—all the readings and the homily are parts of this proclamation…

Raza:

The Eucharistic celebration is in the East Syriac tradition is known also Raza=mystery of Christ.

The whole Eucharistic celebration may be seen as a series of repeated commemorations of the paschal mystery of Christ. According to commentators, the preparation of the mysteries on the beth gezzas and their transfer to the altar ,placing on the altar and covering with veil symbolize the passion , death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Another title for the Eucharist is Quaddasa---It means sanctification, consecration or hallowing. The term Quaddasa has both the anabatic(ascending) and katabatic(descending) dimensions.In the anabatic dimension, this term is much similar to the term eucharistia—sanctification of God.

The anaphora of A&M contains the eucharistia which reflects the same basic structure of Birkat Ha Mason.

The term Quddasa in the Katabatic dimention means sanctification or consecration of the mysteries and of the assembly.

Easter,05

The whole Holy Week culminating with the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus is the high point of for our liturgical celebrations. As St. Paul reminds us, Resurrection is the corner stone of our faith. The Resurrection of Jesus is the indisputable proof of the divinity of Jesus and of what He has been for us all through these centuries. As Fulton J. Sheen has beautifully expressed in his Life of Christ, the other founders of religion came, taught and disappeared from the pages of history but there was only one person who rose from his death and asserted that he is alive. It is in this Jesus who conquered the forces of destruction and death that we believe.

We celebrate this Resurrection in the aftermath of one of the great natural disasters that has engulfed humanity. The tsunami disaster has taken thousands of lives away within the span of a few minutes or a couple of hours. People all over the world, all nations and nationalities, were affected by the tragedy. We saw how within no time all the plans and dreams that had been held dear to the hearts of many had crumbled and been shattered. We saw the fragility of life and how nothing could help the innocent victims in the hour of tragedy. So many cried out like Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb: “Where is my Lord?” The faith of so many was shaken. But the tragedy has brought humanity together; differences in race and culture were forgotten in the mad rush to help and heal. We saw the resurrection of the generosity of the human spirit and the willingness of many to sacrifice their time, talent and resources for the well being of those who were deprived of everything.

Easter is an integral part of our life. In times of suffering and sickness, we often forget how God is sustaining us. We forget the joyful moments that He has given us. Easter is a reminder to each one of us that suffering and sickness do not have the final say on our lives. The last word belongs to Jesus, to His Resurrection and not to suffering and death.

We have to ally ourselves, our sufferings and tragic experiences, with the Cross of Christ to experience the joy of a new life with Him.This celebration of the Easter should enable us to cry out with Mary Magdalene that “ I have found Jesus.”

Before we experience the joy of the Resurrection, the tomb of our life has to become empty. Jesus comes in when our life becomes emptied of selfishness and arrogance.

Time magazine has published an article in one of its recent issues dealing with the encounter between Ms. Ashley Smith and a criminal who barged into her apartment in the early hours of the morning. The young lady, recovering from her initial shock and fear, began to speak with the criminal and slowly tried to change his mind, succeeding in the end to hand him over to the police. Speaking about the event, the columnist writes the following: “The message of the Gospels is that God works with the crooked timber of human failure…Everyday, we have smaller, calmer chances to turn another person's life around, to serve and to listen. How often do we simply not see what is in front of ours? How often do we believe that the world’s evils—from terrorism to crime to emotional cruelty—are beyond our capacity to change?”

Easter gives us an opportunity to look at the world in a new perspective—a perspective that positive and hopeful. Easter is a reminder to each one of us not to be cowed down by disasters, defeats and failures. There is a new life, a new chance, a new opportunity waiting for us. With Jesus beside us, let us move forward with faith that the outstretched hands of Jesus will lead us through darkness and despair to the bright lands of hope and joy.

The following lines from a poet reflect the spirit of joy and hope that one should have during the Easter season:

Come, my friends

Let us walk over the greening fields.

Life is awakening from its sleep

And wanders through the hills and valleys.

Come, let us ascend the heights

And gaze upon the waving greenness of the plains below

Come, let us rejoice on this Easter Day

For death has folded up his tent and gone away.

Religious Education

Rev.John Powell, a theology professor at the Loyola University in one of his books mentions the conversation that he had with one of his students in the final class of the semester. The student told him that he doubted whether he would ever find God in his life. The Professor told him as he was leaving the class that even if he did not find God , God would find him. A few years later, hearing that the student had contracted cancer he spoke to him. The student then mentioned how the parting words in the final class had changed his life. Fr.Powell remarked in the class earlier that “ the essential sadness in life is to go through life without loving.” The student decided to open his heart to his parents and told them how much he loved them. His life from then on began to change and he added that God does things in his own way and He found me even after I stopped looking for Him.”

All through our life we are in this search. We are sure that even if we don’t find him, He will find us. The loving Father will never abandon us. Even if the whole world turns against us, even if there are only dark clouds on the horizon, we are sure that the radiance of our Father will break through and envelop us in His warm embrace. It is about the radiance of this Love that we teach from this month onwards through our CCD classes.

Most of our parishes have begun C.C.D classes for our children. We take this occasion to acknowledge the splendid work done by our C.C.D teachers and greet our parents who have taken a great effort in enrolling our children for the classes.

At this time, it would be very opportune for us to reflect on the guidelines given by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the US through their National Directory. It enumerates the following elements as the criteria for the authentic presentation of the message:1. The Christian message should be centered on Christ,2.The message should be Trinitarian,3.The message has to proclaim the Good News of Salvation and liberation from sin,4.The Eccelsial and historical character of the message have to be brought out,5.The inculturation of the message has to be emphasized, and 6.The comprehensive hierarchical character of the message, the communication of the profound meaning of the person and the promotion of the common language of the faith are also to be emphasized. It is in the background of these criteria that we have to plan our lessons for various classes.

As Syro-Malabar Catholics, our children should absorb the heritage and the patrimony of our faith. It is through our Church —the Syro-Malabar Church-- that we received the faith . Our rite and our liturgy are the pillars of the heritage of our faith. They are to be transmitted to the young. Faith is not one aspect of our life as human beings. Faith is the air we breathe. That is the unique heritage of St. Thomas Christians. In our C.C.D classes, our children should see that their faith encompasses the whole of their lives.

At the same time we should also be aware of the fact that they live in the United States, in a culture that is very different from ours. Openness and mobility-- Freedom of space and movement—are some of the great features of the American culture. When we teach them, we have to bear in mind that we are teaching American children who grow up with the values from the culture in which they live. They appear like Indians but their attitudes and perspectives are molded by the culture in which they live. Some of the features of the American culture which a teacher should be aware of are mentioned in the National Directory: Religious Freedom, Economic Freedom, Pluralism, Pragmatism Interest in science and technology, Globalization, and Mobility.

In a recent issue of the America magazine on religious education, James Digiacomo urges the teachers of Religious Education to offer the children “ the presentation of the Christian message that is not only orthodox but also challenging and inspirational.” He tells them to help students to ask religious questions before offering them the answers to the deepest questions we can put to human life.” He also warns against the spirit of consumerism that is part of their vision. He adds that consumerism is not just buying things…It is a whole world view…it defines the human person in terms of material things owned and consumed.”

According to the Directory, the teachers should be given “the criteria and skills with which to evaluate the media and the culture that the media creates.” The teachers are encouraged to use all the modern resources available at their disposal to reach the young. Since most of them have email ids, and they watch you tube, we can also use those resources. “Catechists can hold lesson planning sessions via instant messaging, send the outlines of a catechetical lesson to a group of students by email…discuss the points of a lesson in a chat room.” These are some of the new ways in which we can communicate with the young who are very computer-savvy.

We are a in a new world and we have to present the Gospel in this new world. We know this is a difficult task but this is the task that is given to each one of us because of our life as Christians. We have to make Jesus known to all but more specially to our children. They are going to be the new ambassadors of Christ. It is their faith that is going to matter say twenty or thirty years from now. Whatever that is needed to make our faith palatable and acceptable to the young has to be employed.


Christmas,07

O’Henry, one of America’s well-known short story writers has a beautiful story highlighting the message of Christmas. In his story, the Gift of the Magi, he describes the love of a young couple and their intense desire to buy Christmas presents for each other. Both are poor and there is very little money left in their hands after their expenses. On the day before Christmas, Della, the young wife looked into her wallet and saw only coins worth more than a dollar. It had been her dream to buy a nice gold strap for the strapless gold watch that her husband had got from his parents as a present at his wedding. She turned to the mirror and all of a sudden it hit her that she could sell her beautiful golden hair and with that money she could buy a strap for her husband’s watch. She felt that it would be a total surprise for him. The husband too was thinking in what way he could surprise his wife. He thought of buying a pair of gold combs for her beautiful hair. So he sold his watch on his return home from his work and bought two gold combs. He was dreaming that this would be a great surprise for his wife. When the husband returned, the wife was all beaming with joy, thinking of the surprise she could spring on him. When he saw the bobbed hair of his wife, all the joy of his life was gone. He fell on the couch in total blankness of mind. The wife came with the strap and then she realized what her husband too had done .Both sold their great possessions to make the other one happy. What they found out was that they gave to each other their greatest gift in life….their love. Christmas is a time when we think of gifts and presents, forgetting the most important and basic gift that we can give at Christmas—love for one another.

The whole message of Christmas is summarized in St. John’s Gospel: “God so loved the world that he sent his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” At Christmas, in the birth of Jesus, we see the outpouring God’s love for us .Jesus came to give us love, to make us the children of God, to enable us to call God as our Father. All the glitter and glamor of the celebration would be meaningless if this love were to be absent from our lives..

In our busy life, we forget the value of persons and give importance to our schedules and appointments. We forget how our actions and words, instead of comforting and strengthening people, are hurting them. We have become victims of our own artificial systems. How to get out of this rat race and to feel once again the experience our spiritual rebirth? Christmas invites us to go back to the manger and feel once again our innate littleness. “A short span you have made my days, and my life is naught before you; only a breath is any human existence.”(Ps.39)”.The Kingdom of God will be born in our hearts when we become like little children. “Unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God.”

We find among us a lot of intolerance and lack of sensitivity. We are Christians only in name but not in our hearts. We do not feel any pangs of conscience when we purposely ignore other people and keep them out of our circles of friendships. We carry our little jobs and responsibilities whether they are in the field of spiritual life or in the secular life with great authoritarianism and arrogance and ignore the feelings and sensitivities of those who work with us. What is Christian about us, then? . We need real inner transformation, the willingness to recognize the worth of people who live or work with us. “ Happy is he who has regard for the lowly and the poor”. Then only, we can really experience the joy of Christmas.

Let this Christmas be another opportunity for us to experience this inner transformation.

Jesus ,be a guiding star before me.

Be a soothing wake behind me.

Be a rolling path below me.

Be a flaming hope within me.

Be all these things---now and forever.”


Easter,08


Easter always arouses in our hearts feelings of hope. Spring is around the corner. We see the day light and the blossoming of flowers. It brings in the season of flowers and leaves. For a long time, the nature itself , like us, was in hiding. Now everything is coming out. It is natural for all to feel exuberant and happy. Easter joins with nature to give us the sense of renewal, hope and joy.

It is very appropriate at this time to reflect on the passage in St. John’s Gospel(20:1-18) which is a marvelous account of the impact of the resurrection on the apostles and the disciples..

There is a feeling of emptiness, of helplessness, of sorrow, of having lost everything in the minds of the apostles after the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb to pay her final respects, to embalm the body of Jesus, if needed, and to see that He lies securely in his eternal sleep. There is not much thought about the Resurrection. The apostles also do not think that Jesus would arise. They just take the words of Jesus very casually. If Jesus were God, they might have thought, he would have stopped the Jewish leaders, Pilate and the soldiers from their cruel actions and would not have allowed Himself to die so shamefully. So they begin to get engaged in their usual tasks, but try to keep the company of one another for the time being. It is into this world of emptiness that Mary Magdalene appears at daybreak. She looks into the tomb .Jesus is not there. She feels that the body of Jesus has been snatched away by the followers of the leaders who were responsible for His crucifixion. He is gone. She rushes to the apostles and conveys the sad news of insult and injury. She does not say that He is risen but that they have taken Him away. They run to the tomb for another meeting with failure and disaster. But when they come they see the empty tomb, the clothes all neatly folded away. It strikes them all of a sudden that He is risen and not taken away. All the words of Jesus about His resurrection come alive in their minds. They now believe what was unbelievable, a few minutes ago, that Jesus is risen, that He is the Lord of life and death and that nothing can defeat Him. It comes into their consciousness very starkly that Jesus who walked with them and who died and is God.

Mary continues to stand there, crying and looking for Jesus. Then, Jesus appears and calls her by her name. That was enough for her to recognize Jesus. The same voice, the same love and the same tone. Oh, she could not stand the ground any more. Feelings of joy begin gushing out of her mouth: “ Rabbi.”

She carries the news whose stunning echo continues to reverberate across the Universe to the apostles:“I have seen the Lord.”

The empty tomb has become the womb of faith, the powerhouse of hope and energy, of renewal and vitality. The forces of death have lost their power before the empty tomb. Failures and tragedies can no more drag man into the abyss of despair. There is light at the end of the tunnel, there is joy in pain and there is life after death.

It is in emptiness, loneliness, and in suffering that we experience the Lord.

Our failures and our sufferings are the events that open the door of life to Jesus.

Through our failures, tragedies, painful and agonizing events and through situations when things turn bad for us, when others insult us, when we are not appreciated, and when we think that we are worthless and do not have talents, Jesus makes His appearance in our lives and calls us by our names. Failures do not matter any more. Sin has no power over us. We are the children of the Light. A new chance is always there.

As Daniel O’Leary points out in the “ Passion for the Possible,“The darkening sky over my head is a sacrament of the Lord’s protection…and the small birds flying home give me perfect delight.” He adds further that the Lord is telling him: “You are the rhythm of my breathing; the apple of my eyes. You are the lines of the palm of my hands. My love for you knows no bounds. There is nothing I will not do for you” He adds : “Wherever you go, and as long as life will last, there will always be a sudden moment in the middle of your busy life, when from the heart of everything in creation , from the tiniest insect to the epicenter of unexplored space, for a precious moment of wonder-filled pause,” the Lord will make His appearance and will call you by name and protect you.(P.34)

Easter is all that for us, a time of hope and of a renewed awareness of the constant protection of the Lord in our lives.


Sacrament of Charity

As we struggle with the problems, difficulties and hardships of life, we need moments to rise above them and to feel that these negative feelings and events do not have any sway over our lives. It is the Resurrection of Jesus that gives us this sense of freedom, of hope and courage. Easter reminds us very strongly that Calvary is not the end of the road but the beginning of a new life. As St. Paul reminds us, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in sins.”(1 Cor. 15:17).Easter is not just a memorial recollection of the Resurrection of Jesus but a reliving of the presence of Jesus daily in our lives. The words of Jesus addressed to the disciples at the time of the Ascension are always with us: “I am with you until the end of the world.”

With this hope in our hearts, we shall face the challenges and problems of our daily life. Sicknesses, financial disasters, personal failures, calumnious attacks will not have any power to take away the peace and joy from our lives as long as we believe in the eternally abiding presence of Jesus in our lives. As David Harrington has beautifully put it in his column in the magazine “America”: “Easter is not another spring festival…Rather, Easter means that physical death is not the end of us, that through Christ, life has conquered death and that we now enjoy a new creation inaugurated by the resurrection of Jesus and so a new way of looking at life (April12, 07, p.38.).”

We have also to mention in passing the importance of the Papal document “Sacramentum Caritatis”that came out just a few weeks ago. The Holy Father deals with the different aspects of the Eucharist, the central mystery of our faith, in this document. With regard to the Eucharistic celebration, the Holy Father adds that the Passover that Jesus celebrated was not only a “remembrance of the past but a prophetic remembrance---the proclamation of deliverance yet to come.” In Eucharist, he points out that Jesus “anticipates and makes present the sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the Resurrection.”

The Apostolic Exhortation brings before our mind some of the important aspects of the Eucharistic celebration including the reverence and respect that are due to it. It points that all should “grasp ever more deeply the genuine meaning of the rites and liturgical texts and “that everything related to the Eucharist should be marked by beauty.”

Above all, the Exhortation points out the need for maintaining Eucharistic consistency which involves the consistency between our believing and acting. What more powerful a message can we have during this Easter season other than the following statement in the Exhortation: “Anyone who has not shared the truth of love with his brothers and sisters has not yet given enough.” Let this Easter season be another occasion for us to reawaken in us profound respect and love for our neighbor.

St.Alphonsa


As we greet the season of fall, of color and splendor in nature, we are also aware of the imminent arrival of the deep darkness and cold of the winter. As leaves fall and as the cold wind begins to blow, we become conscious of the transience of nature. As poet Shelley puts it, “O wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” Hope is hidden the heart of Nature too. We, Christians, as believers in the Resurrection of Jesus, are people of hope too.

What we have seen in the past few weeks is the worst form of brutality that is hidden in the deep recesses of the human heart . It is the blatant exhibition of the winter in the heart of the human nature that is not touched by the grace of God. Thousands of innocent Christians were persecuted, hunted down and forced to flee to the forests just because they believe in Christ Jesus .Priests, nuns, lay men and women were attacked, burned and murdered. Churches, orphanages, convents and homes were wantonly destroyed. The majority of these persecuted Christians live in the forests or refugee camps. It is all because of their faith. The Christian faith that has transformed the world into a world of love and brotherliness, that gave the world the beauty and civility of the modern civilization is an anathema to the people of Orissa. Not a civilized soul in that State raised his or her voice against this brutal persecution.

There is a concerted attempt to wipe away the very trace of the Christian faith in the two districts of Orissa.

Some pundits have proffered lame excuses of conversion, tribal rivalry, economic advancement enjoyed by Christians etc as the cause of this violent destruction, burning , cruelty and looting. How can these be an excuse for killings?

Where is the Constitutional protection for the innocent? How can the Central Govt. of India remain a silent spectator of this atrocious cruelty?

More than any other community in the country, the Indian Christians have given all their talents and resources to give better education , health care and care for the poor to the people of India. They have participated in a vigorous and robust way, in spite of being a very tiny percentage of India’s population (2%), to accelerate the social and economic development of India.

Who have worked hard to lift the veil of poverty and deprivation from the poor of India than the Christian Churches? Is this the reward that the Indians give for the people who have spent their lives to uplift the poor and the depressed in the remote villages of India?

Gandhi has spoken very eloquently against such ill-treatments: “It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honored by the humiliation of their fellow human beings.” There is no modern Gandhi in India to raise his voice of moral condemnation of this atrocious cruelty that has been perpetrated against these hapless victims.

We strongly condemn these acts of brutality and appeal to the moral conscience of the International community to use its voice, power and influence to prevent this brutality and restore the Constitutional rights of these persecuted Christians of India.

In the midst of these dark clouds of persecution and oppression, Christians all over the world will experience the sunshine of divine grace in the canonization of Blessed Alphonsa within a few days. She is the beacon of hope to all those who are suffering and experiencing the pain and agony of sickness and hardships. She was a passionate lover of Christ. The cross of Christ was almost literally implanted on her life. Every waking moment of hr life in the convent was suffused with pain and suffering. But she transformed them into occasions of deep love and concern for other people. She prayed for more grace to accept suffering: “Jesus, Sun of Justice, send me your light, enlighten my understanding, clarify my thought, consume me in the fire of your love and make me one with you.”

She is a great intercessor before the Lord for those who plod through the walks of life in pain and agony. We shall draw strength from her life to face the challenges and difficulties we experience in our lives. As a Passion Flower, as the shining star of hope and love, we are sure , she will open the doors of human hearts to a new world of love and compassion.

The Catholic Church of Kerala has its first saint on the altar of world Christianity and a great intercessor of mercy and compassion before the Lord. Like our beloved Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary, we shall say with one voice “My heart rejoices in the Lord.”

Mother Teresa


The month of October,2003 is a very significant month for all of us, especially to the Indian Catholics. On Oct.19, Mother Teresa will be beatified .Preparations for the beatification are in full swing and on that day all the Catholic faithful all over the world will express their unbounded joy at the beatification of a person many of them came to know and love personally.

Many of us have personal memories of her , seeing her in person or working with her as volunteers in the so many convents and houses she has established all over the world. She has shown to the world what Christian love means in reality. She was able to see beauty in the ugliest of human forms. Carrying the mission of Jesus to the hearts and hearths of millions of people she exemplified in her life what it means to follow Christ.

I remember very vividly her visit to St.Matthew's Cathedral along with Archbishop Hickey on her way to the White House to meet President Reagan. It was her visit to the United States and she also established during that visit a house of her Congregation in one of the poorest areas of D.C. In an abandoned rectory in a black neighborhood , she started her convent. Although the people were asking for jobs and not very much enthusiastic of religious houses for prayer, as the time of the blessing of the house drew near , they overcame their objections and went out of the way to help the sisters and make the place ready for her visit.As the Mother was praying inside the Cathedral, a big crowd of Spanish Catholics stood on the steps of the Cathedral , singing hymns. She went around the Cathedral, looking at its beautiful statues and windows.She also was happy to see the marble altar of the Cathedral that was a gift from the Archdiocese of Agra.I was really fortunate that I could spend some time with her and talk to her. I had gone in 1970 to the Convent of Mother Teresa in Calcutta to see her along with some priest friends of mine. At that time , she was no there. I was happy that what I could not do in Calcutta that I could do in Washington D.C.

The month of Oct.2003 is also significant on another level. This will be culminating month for the celebration of the Year of the Rosary proclaimed by the Holy Father in his apostolic letter, “The Rosary of the Virgin Mary” on Oct.16,2002. As all of us know, the Syro-Malabar Catholics of Kerala are very much attached to the rosary. There was not a Catholic home in Kerala in the past that had not been in the habit of reciting the rosary when the Angelus bells rang from the churches. Those who lived in the villages and towns of Kerala would remember how the prayers would rise in unison from all houses exactly at the same time. Recitation of the Rosary was the expression of the vibrant faith of the Catholics of Kerala. It was the devotion of rosary as well as the participation in the Eucharist that kept our faith intact and whole.Fr.Paton, the apostle of the Rosary devotion once remarked about the attachment of the Catholics of Kerala to the recitation of the rosary in one of his comments to the priests at St.Matthew's Cathedral, D.C.

As we conclude the Year of the Rosary, it is appropriate for us to revivify in us our devotion for and attachment to the Bl. Virgin Mary who is our gateway to Jesus as well as our great intercessor with Him. What she did for the hapless family at their wedding at Cana, she is doing everyday for all of us. Instead of the words, “They have no wine”, she is using other words to intercede for all of us, mentioning to the Lord every need of ours. As the Protestant historian-theologian Jaroslav Pelikan has said: “The Virgin Mary has been more of an inspiration to more people than any other woman who ever lived.”

The words of William Wordsworth in the poem "The Virgin" in his Eccelisiastical Sonnets are worth remembering because of their poetic beauty.

"Mother!whose virgin bosom was uncrost

With the least shade of thought to sin allied;

Woman!above all women glorified,

Our tainted nature's solitary boast.

What better way is there than to conclude our praise of the Virgin Mary by using the following words of the French poet, Charles Peguy:

There is something missing in all creatures…

Those that are carnal are in want of pureness

This we know .

But those that are pure are in want of being carnal.

But in her nothing is lacking…

And it is for this she is not only a unique woman among all women.

She is a unique creature among all creatures.

She comes literally first after God. After the Creator.

She is next.”

Pauline Year

Soren Kierkegaard, one of the great existential Christian philosophers in his essay on “The Difference between a Genius and an Apostle” has stated that the difference between an apostle and a genius consists in this that the apostle dies for what he teaches while a genius does not. An apostle is not content to let his teachings go by the wayside but is willing to sacrifice his life for it for, he knows it is worth dying for. The whole life of St. Paul is a full –throated testimony to the power of faith in Our Lord for whom he laid down his life, with no hesitation. Truly, he is an Apostle, and he calls himself an Apostle “ by vocation.”(Rom 1:1)

In this year of Paul, it is very appropriate for us to reflect on his life and teachings and reorient our vision of life in the light of his example and devotion to Jesus.

Inaugurating the Jubilee Year on June 2008 at the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, the Holy Father Pope Benedict X1V said: “We are gathered here before the tomb of St. Paul, who was born 2,000 years ago, in Tarsus of Cilicia, in present-day Turkey”…..to look at Paul, in order “ to listen to him and to drink from him , as our teacher, in the faith and truth, in which are rooted the reasons for unity among the disciples of Christ.” The Holy Father adds that “ what motivated Paul in the depth of his life was his being loved by Jesus Christ and the desire to transmit this love to others.”

In his address at the General Audience on Oct.25,2006, the Holy Father points out that the lesson that we have to draw from St. Paul is that “what counts is to place Jesus at the center of our lives, so that our identity is marked essentially by the encounter, by communion with Christ and with his Word.”

Who can describe the power, majesty, intellectual prowess, deep faith and the profound humility of St. Paul? What moves us as we read his letters to the various churches as well as his speeches in the Acts of the Apostles is his undying love for Jesus. There was no force on earth that could take that love away from him. How strong and powerful is his love for Jesus is clear from his words to the Letter to Romans: “If God is for us, who can be against us? What will separate us from the love of Christ? For, I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels nor principalities…nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

The encounter with Jesus on the way to Damascus changed his life totally and irrevocably. Look at what he says about the change in his life: “ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ…..Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”(Philippians 3:7-8).Commenting on this passage, Cardinal Martini observes that this revelation of “who Jesus is “ changed his mind and his attitude about who he himself was and what he was doing.” He adds further that “it was a revelation that turned his inner orientation upside down.(The Gospel According Paul,p.23)”

Of all the letters that Paul wrote, his letter to the Romans is undoubtedly his master piece. Rome is the only place where he did not found a church or preached first. He wrote the letter in anticipation of his visit. In this letter, he deals with some weightier issues of faith like justification , righteousness, universality of sin and the redemptive power of Christ’s sacrifice.

In this letter his excellence as a great rhetorician reaches its climax: “The Letter to the Romans is often considered to be Paul’s master work. The apostle would not, however, have been able to achieve what he did in the letter were it not for his skillful use of metaphor.” He uses anatomical imagery to deal with the universality of sin and employs the imagery drawn from the courtroom to explain the nature of grace(Raymond F. Collins, the Power of Images in Paul,p.224).

Paul’s life of love and compassion is reflected in his advice to the Romans that they never should judge one another:” We , though many, are one body in Christ.” The last part of Ch.12 of the Romans is a clarion call to all Christians to live in harmony, peace and love: “ Bless those who persecute you…If your enemy is hungry , feed him….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Who can surpass in rhetorical eloquence the power and glory he attributes to love! Those who read his paean to love in the First Corinthians.Ch.13 come away with the feeling that nowhere in the world literature has there ever been such an eloquent praise of love as is done here: “ If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging symbol. Love is patient and kind….There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.”

To crown all his messages and teachings, he comes to the lowest level of expectations. He expects nothing in return but just the satisfaction of working for the Lord. In his Second Letter to Timothy, he writes, which we can read only with teary eyes: “The time of my dissolution is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on a merited crown awaits me; on that Day, the just judge that he is, will award it to me.”

As our Holy Father has prayed, we shall also pray for a new dawn of evangelization in our life time: “Give us also today the testimony of the Resurrection, touched by love and enable us to carry the light of the Gospel in our time.”(June 28, 08)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year:

As Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, the Son of God, it is undoubtedly the happiest day in a Christian’s life. The words that the angels sang aloud at the birth of Christ, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men of good will” ring loud and clear in the ears of all Christians all over the world in this season of Christmas.

We take this occasion, although belatedly, to wish all of our readers a very happy Christmas and a prosperous and grace-filled New year.

We know that the New Year begins with a heavy load of daunting problems because of economic melt-down and the loss of jobs. But with the grace of God and a courageous political and economic leadership, we hope and pray that America will regain soon its leadership and economic well-being. The economic recovery here will definitely benefit other countries across the world .

In the past couple of years, we have seen a change in the celebration of Christmas. All the Department stores and restaurants have stopped using the word Merry Christmas and begun using a new form of greeting: “ Happy Holidays.” How fast these stores and their owners have taken the spirit of Christmas from the season!

The stores and other commercial establishments want the money from the shopping spree of Christians, but they don’t want to acknowledge the reason for that shopping!

What a clever way of depriving the people of the joy of Christmas on the happiest day of their lives! More strange is to see that many of these department stores do not carry Christmas cards with religious meanings. One finds cards only with the words, Happy Holidays.

If the Hindus and Moslems can greet Christians with the words, Merry Christmas, in other parts of the world, why cannot those words be used here? If the Hindus, Moslems, and the Jews celebrate any of their holy days in the way the Christians celebrate their Christmas, Christians would be greeting them using the name of their holy days. But just for the sake of inclusiveness, a word used by the secularists to take away the meaning of Christmas, why should one eviscerate Christmas of its meaning?

As T.S. Eliot wondered in his poem, “The Journey of the Magi”, whether Christmas is a birth or death, we also have to wonder whether it is a birth or death. For many it is a birth, a new beginning, of renewal of hope and peace, of redemption and salvation; for others, it is still death, an assertion of their selfishness and narrow mindedness.


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Year of the Eucharist

In an article published in the Commonweal, a young Catholic journalist, after expressing her concerns and difficulties in the practice of the Catholic faith, said in the conclusion that the Catholic Church is very dear to her and she would not leave the Church because it is in the Church that she has the Eucharistic presence of the Lord. For her, the most important aspect of her faith is her attachment to the Lord present in the Eucharist. In “ The New Faithful” a recent book dealing with the changing religious attitudes of the young college graduates of the U.S., Colleen Carroll states that the young Catholics are drawn to the Church across the country by rosary recitations and adoration of the Eucharist. According to the Vatican Council document, Lumen Gentium, the Eucharistic sacrifice is the source and summit of Christian life. Hence, it is very appropriate that the Holy Father has proclaimed the present year starting from Oct.2004 to Oct.2005 as the Year of the Eucharist.

In the recent Apostolic Letter issued at the time of the proclamation of the year of the Eucharist called “ Mane Nobiscum Domine(Stay with us, Lord)”, the Holy Father calls the Eucharist a mystery of the light. Jesus is the Light of the World and in the Eucharist, He remains the same light illuminating the minds and hearts of his faithful just as He enlightened the disciples on the way to Emmaus to understand the meaning of the Scriptures. According to the Holy Father, “the Eucharist is light above all because at every mass the liturgy of the Word of God precedes the liturgy of the Eucharist in the unity of the two “tables”, the table of the Word and the table of the Bread.” The liturgy of the word thus enlightens our minds and hearts to the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The Holy Father in the same letter points out that the Eucharist is a meal as well as a sacrifice. The Eucharist was born in the Passover meal but then it “presents anew the sacrifice offered once for all in Golgotha.” Hence every mass is a memorial of His Passion but it is not the suffering Christ that is present but the Risen Christ. The Holy Father also reminds us of our faith in the mystery of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. At a time of lot of looseness in the use of words, we have to remind ourselves again and again that the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is not figurative or metaphorical but real. Again in the words of the Holy Father, “the presence is real …because Christ becomes substantially present, whole and entire, in the reality of his body and blood.”

We know how important it is for us to celebrate this year of the Eucharist and how necessary it is for us to educate our young in their understanding of the meaning of the Eucharist. Participation in the Eucharistic celebration gives us the opportunity to be united with Christ in a very unique way and helps us to overcome the burdens of life by aligning them with the bread and wine, the unique gifts of nature, to be transformed into the Spirit of His own life. Jesus then will always remain with us, inspiring and strengthening us, by radiating the powerful beams of His Light on our earthly paths.

Our diocese plans to celebrate this year as the Year of the Eucharist and every parish in our diocese has set apart a day for Eucharistic Adoration. All through the year there will be special Eucharistic celebrations spread over the different parts of our diocese. We will have a diocesan conclusion of this celebration at the Diocesan convention to be held in July in Dallas.

As Syro-Malabar Catholics we have a special attachment to the Eucharist since, as a community, we are some of the great privileged people in the Catholic world to be gifted with an ancient Rite whose Eucharistic celebration started at a very early age of the Christian era. The long prayers we use at the mass known as Gehanta are the closest prayers to the prayers used by Jesus at the Last Supper. According to Lous Bouyer, a very renowned theologian of the Eucharist, the Eucharistic prayer of the Syro-Malabar Rite is “the most ancient Christian Eucharistic composition to which we can have access today.”

Our Rite thus holds aloft a great Eucharistic prayer of the Church and that itself is one of the most important reasons for us to keep alive our Rite in this new country of ours. The existence of an ancient Rite adds to the beauty and magnificence of the several other ancient Catholic Rites existing in this country.

The celebration of the Year of the Eucharist, hence, is an occasion for us to deepen our love of the Eucharist as well as our attachment to our Rite.

Thank you again for your support for the Syro-Maabar News as well as for our Bishop and the Diocese.


Death of John Paul ll

We are in a new era of Church history as we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, the Father of our faith at this time of the year and the fourth anniversary of the establishment of our Diocese. Within such a short span of time he has been able to guide the Diocese to a very admirable level of growth. The establishment of a new parish in Philadelphia a few months ago is another crowning achievement in the growth and development of our Diocese.

During this period the Catholic Church also underwent a seismic change with the passing of Pope Jon Paul II and the assumption of office by the new Pope Benedict XVI.

With the passing of John Paul 11, the world underwent literally a cathartic effect— a process of self-purification and change through very intense of emotions of grief and joy, visibly felt on the arena of the world.

The words of Abp.Lenardo Sandri came down like a great pall of gloom over the eagerly waiting millions of the world when he told the crowd at the Vatican Square: “ At 9.37p.m.our Holy Father returned to the House of the Father.” The stunning power and the shocking impact of those words sent a shiver through the spines of all those who heard the words. John Paul II-- the Pope loved by people all over the world, the source of strength to so many, the indomitable and tireless preacher of the message of our Lord, the lover of the youth, the champion of the poor and the oppressed, the Vicar of Christ, the humble shepherd traveling through the nations of the world --- passed away from the stage of the world where his moral presence was a source of strength and confidence. So many were riveted to the news, sobbing, crying and feeling exhilarated at the inspiring legacy that he had left behind.

Henry Kissinger summed up his view of the place of the Holy Father in the world of diplomacy and politics when he said he was one of the greatest men of the century and that he could not think of any one who could be ranked above him. He added that the Holy Father had not only stood for the destruction of communism but stood for the application of universal truths to humanity.

We saw from the media reports how the pain of his death was felt in every part of the world—people thronging the church praying for him, sobbing, crying, because of the inexpressible pain.

What a great lover of people he was—hugging people, kissing babies, reaching out to the handicapped and the poor. He was the voice of the voiceless and the champion of the rights of the poor and the defenseless.

What a remarkable pastoral zeal he had shown in his life…visiting 129 countries,-- more than 17 million people have seen him in his public audiences-- canonizing 482 saints, visited 317 parishes out of 333 as the Bishop of Rome, and wrote 14 encyclicals, apart from a lot of Apostolic letters and other documents.

He was an indefatigable teacher of the faith, standing firm against all kinds of errors against the faith, preaching the need to adhere constantly to the message of the Gospel.

He showed men and women that it was morally great to accept suffering and face the hardships of old age and sickness. One could ask as T.S. Eliot did in his poem, “Ash Wednesday”: “Why should the aged eagle stretch its wings?” But he stretched his wings to show us that in the world of evangelization, sickness or age has no relevance. His life became a source of inspiration to so many who are suffering and who feel that they are no more useful to the world. He showed the preciousness of human life. He transformed suffering into an act of blessing like his Lord and Master.

His last words to the bishops in his book “ Rise ,Let us be on our Way” are a source of inspiration to all of us struggling hard to find a solution to the problems that challenge us daily in our lives:“ Our Savior has led me , asking me that I should leave my native land so as to bring forth fruit elsewhere through His grace. I try to say to you , dear brother “ Rise, Let us be on our way.” Let us go forth full of trust in Christ. He will accompany us as we journey toward the goal that He alone knows”

In the place of John Paul II, we have a worthy successor, a follower who accompanied him for the last 20 years as his intellectual companion. Pope Benedict XVI has now come on the world scene as a new prophet carrying the mantle of his predecessor. To a world on the verge of high intellectual and technological leaps, the faith, compassion and the intellectual vigor of the new Pope will be a sure and strong guiding force. Even at the ripe old age of 78, he is willing to carry on the tasks of this onerous ministry because of his great faith in God. In his magnificent book, “Salt of the Earth”, he spells out his power and energy. To the interviewer who was questioning him on the nature and content of his faith, he summed up his whole philosophy and theology in one single word: “I believe.” Everything that he has, what he enunciates and teaches, comes from his absolute faith in God.

The Holy Father in his address to the Cardinals, before the election of the Pope, as the Dean of the Cardinals, spoke about the danger of “the dictatorship of relativism”. He is very much aware of the great diffusive power of the secular culture in which we live where nothing has an absolute value. In arts, religion, culture, it is the post modernistic thinking of denying absolute values to anything in life that reigns supreme. Hence in his book “Salt of the Earth”, he emphasizes the need to have a “culture of faith”. He points out that reforms will come “not from forums and synods…but from convincing personalities whom we may call saints” like Benedict, Francis, Dominic, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Ignatius of Loyola etc.. According to the Holy Father the Church must be the salt of the earth and her specific mission is :“to be the world’s escape from itself into the light of God and to keep open this possibility so that the air we breathe can penetrate into the world”.

The Holy Father is well aware of the liturgy and the spirituality of St. Thomas Christians and he has mentioned with great esteem the greatness of the Syro-Malabar Liturgy in his book “The Spirit of the Liturgy.”

May the Lord bless him with abundant graces to guide the Church in the coming years. May this new Papal era be a flowering time for the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago.