on Dec 24th, 2011
In the blessed name of the Tri-une God, Self-existent, Beginningless and Endless, Perfect in Being, (Glory be to Him) Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulose II Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan enthroned on the Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas Blessings to our beloved Vicars of the parishes, Priests of
“The Virgin has Begotten the Wonderful; Let us go and Behold Him” Reflections on the Nativity of Christ Introduction When the Creator saw that man, who He had made with His own hands, perish, He was so moved that, “He bowed the heavens and came down”. The Feast of Nativity
This author has often heard many a people, especially in the West, using the pejorative phrase ‘Doubting Thomas’ to address St. Thomas, one of the twelve Disciples of Christ. This sarcasm has often pained me for it refers to my forefather. The case in point is the outcome of the
In September we are at the ‘Sleeba Perunnal’, the feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the instrument of salvation, on the 14th. This feast marks the discovery of the Holy Cross on which our Lord was crucified. In Greek and Latin this feast is called the ‘Exaltation of the
To begin with, worship, prayer and liturgy mean not mere an intellectual exercise for the Orthodox, rather actions or activity where the body, soul and spirit are deeply involved in and totally engaged with. In other words, it is the total human being, as creation of God, involving him/herself in
The empty tomb of Christ is a historical reality for every orthodox. The four gospels were written by four different men on different occasions and for different purposes. All of them clearly certify that Jesus rose from the dead without any doubt. Recently a United Methodist bishop was reprimanded by
There are many vivid Old Testament narratives that refer to the passion and death of Jesus Christ and one among them is the story of Abraham going up on to the Mount of Moriah to sacrifice Isaac. We read the unfolding of a touching account of a father climbing upon
Since Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is rich in tradition of fasting and prayer, comments about the various fasts often appear on various internet forums and online exchanges between Church members. The word ‘lent’ is often seen in these communications as well. There were postings about ‘Advent Lent’ and ‘25-day Lent’
St. Luke 12: 32-48 According to the lectionary of our Church February 27 marks ‘All Souls Day’ this year. This is the Sunday that just precedes the beginning of the Holy Lent as well. The holy gospel that we hear on this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 12: 32-48.
By the grace of God, we have once again ended the 3 days fasting popularly known as `Nineveh Fasting’, the smallest of the canonical Lents of the holy Church. “Lent is not a collection of prohibitions but it is an option for what is positive”. Fasting is one of the
