Republic Day Message : Bijo A Thomas(Hostel Sec)


‘Rejuvenate Our Being’
Bijo A Thomas
Republic day greetings to all of you
It is a moment of pride for all Indians as we are celebrating the 64th Republic Day of India. It has been a journey of 63 years since; India became a Republic Day by adopting a constitution of its own which upholds equality of all citizens before law. The constitution which comprise of 397 articles provides for the rights of all Indians to vote for and elect the representatives. This makes India the world’s largest democracy.
Each Republic Day celebrations begin by remembering and saluting the life of all Jawans who sacrificed their life for the nation. Therefore when we celebrate the freedom we must always acknowledge that it is the fruit of selfless sacrifice and dedication of many people.
On January 26th, 1950 India declared its sovereignty and autonomy from the clutches of colonial imperialism. It was indeed liberative as well as a restorative moment for the nation as a whole. In Exodus 20, we see that the people of God were eager in receiving God’s commands. It was a proclamation of their nationhood and liberation from the imperial bondage of the Egyptians and they were being restored to the position of the people of the Lord.
The Sinai covenant which redeemed and ordered the life of the Israelites were solely based on relationship and love with God and with each other. In a way, the Israelites were ‘Rejuvenated in their Being’ by thus covenant and it is a calling and invitation to a new social order. This calling should enable us to proactively respond to the social evils that exploit and make people slaves. It is when life is affirmed and protected that the laws become relevant and meaningful.
However, the shocking news that we hear and see in the media today that we hear and see contradict the very basis of Indian republic. The nationhood of the state is challenged by the ruthless incidents that shook the foundations of our nation.
In the Indian culture it is said that, ‘where women are respected there gods are worshipped.’In the modern day India, we see that the women body is treated as a product which is used to satisfy men’s lust and sexual greed. The Delhi rape case pose a great challenge to all those who believe in democracy to react effectively. Moreover, barriers are created in the name of religion, caste, colour, and gender etc which discriminate people from their basic human rights.
The ‘Un-Godly’ factors are becoming powerful in power, military, law and economic system. The problem of displacement is highly going up as people are uprooted from their own lands in the name of dams and airports.
In this context of injustice and corruption that we should realize the power of the youth of India, whom we ourselves represent. This Republic Day worship should lead us to strong convictions which would result in active actions. When we abide fully to the law of the land, we are not only safeguarding ourselves but also the interest of others. Let us hope and dream for a new India where there’s no poverty, inequality, caste system, classless and no gender inequality. This spirit of nationhood and nationalism should help us to be partakers of freedom and sovereignty of this great nation.
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Christian Names : Rev. Sunni. E .Mathew Kottayam



                                                                                                

Bible Passage: Luke 2:21-24
The prologue (1:1-4) of the passage which we read today certainly implies that Luke wrote this gospel after careful historical research. The Gospel opens with a series of birth narratives alternating between Jesus and John the Baptist. They contrast between Jesus with John the Baptist. From the beginning itself we testify Christ as God’s son (1: 26-33). The atmosphere of chapters 1-2 reveals an Old Testament context. They try to present Jesus in a messianic frame (cf 1:32b, 33. 68-75). It is this messianic revelation that Simeon and Hanna testifies in this passage. They proclaim the Salvific act of Christ and describe Christ as the fulfilment of years of hope and await.
Here the emphasis is on the universal Messiah. Coming of the saviour is the light to the gentiles and glory to Israel (Luke 2: 25-38).
This passage is the continuation of the Old Testament order. Here we see the fulfilment of the traditions. The spirit of the traditions and heritage is affirmed. According to the Jewish law, all male children have to be circumcised on the 8th day. Through this we name the child and affirm his identity in relationship with God
Ø  It is the formative submission and separation for the glory of God and for the realization of the Kingdom of God. It is the reaffirmation of the covenant with God. 
Ø  As per the ritual of cleansing, if a baby boy is born, then this ritual was conducted after 8 days. In case of a girl child, cleansing took after 66 days (Levi 12: 6-8). Till then as per the ritual, they were considered as unclean. But the sacrament of cleansing is the reversal of it. It is the affirmation of the value of the person in the society. It is the reconstruction of the society through the worship, religion and actions. You make yourself available for worship and social involvement.
Ø  The separation of the first born is an example of it. Exodus 13:2, 12 reveals this divine mandate from God which is from a liberative perspective. The New Testament church remembers this through the sacrament of baptism. So here the naming of the child is a significant and important element.
Some of the important features of Christian names are:
 1. Christian name is the identity within the covenantal relationship between God and the human beings:
Name differentiates one from another. For e.g. in Jn 10:3, “He calls his sheep by their names” shows the significance of our name. As per Biblical understanding, a name is not a mere label of identification. Rather it is an indication of the person’s character. We see in Gen 2: 20 that Adam identified the function of all that came before him and gave names to it. It also speaks of the reputation of the personality (Gen 12: 2, Abraham) Thus names remain closer to ones personality.
A possible derivation of the Hebrew word shm used for name in the Bible is from wshm meaning ‘to brand or mark’. It is inextricably bound to its relational existence (Gen 2:18-23). This identity is a divine call for the existence of relationity. In the New Testament, the sacrament of baptism and naming the child is mentioned for 5 times (Mt. 28: 19; Acts 2: 38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5) This identity is provided to us in the name of the trinity. That is why, choosing the name of a child is of great importance. In Luke 1:13 we have the naming of John the Baptist; Luke 1:31, the naming of Jesus. Etc. Thus the name we receive through the holy trinity is a symbol of relationship between God and his Kingdom. Every baptism is a reminder of it. Every time we hear our name, it should remind us of the name we received through the holy sacrament of Baptism.
2. Christian name is a revelation of God’s will:
Christian name is a reminder of the responsibility entrusted in to be a connecting link in the salvation history. That is why we retain the continuity in names and try to keep the names of the faithful forefathers or mothers in baptism and consecration. So naming is not an end in itself. It is a call to respond to God’s teachings and commissioning (Mt. 28: 19-20). It is a response to the divine call to become salt and light of the world (Mt. 5: 13-14). It is the expression of the commitment to prioritize God’s kingdom and its righteousness in our lives (Mt 6:33). It is the commitment to bear the cross.
3. Christian name is the expression of the vision and hope of generations:
In this passage Simeon and Hanna certifies this message. The words they spoke in the temple points out this great truth. Those words were the expressions of their satisfaction on the fulfilment of their long awaited arrival of the messiah and the hope to restore Israel. It is not only their hope but the hope nurtured by generations. When they recognised that the identity or the inner meaning of the name, the will of God explicit in the name materialize as a reality in Jesus, they were overjoyed. Generations are happy and satiated in living according to the true worth of one’s name. It is also the realization of incarnation. Jesus’ life reveals it to us. Through baptism every Christian is born again in Christ and has a responsibility to accomplish. We have a hope in this truth. It is the continuation of incarnation and through us this continuity is realized. It is here, the theological affirmation of church being the continuity of incarnation becomes a reality.
Name is the revelation of a culture. It has the spirit of the faith traditions. It is a symbol of God’s covenant with man. Our Christian name is a dynamic formative force in the Kingdom values. In the name of triune God lies our identity. Our identity is expressed and affirmed in that relational covenant. It is a call to seek and participate in the will of god. Hence it is a call to participate in the ministry of God in utmost faithfulness.
May the Almighty Lord strengthen us to lead a faithful Christian life.
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Christian Discipleship :Rev Mathew Skariah-FFRRC



Life of Pi is a splendid movie which talks about the journey of a boy in a life boat across the ocean.  The boy has to face the might of the ocean and his fellow companion, a 450 pound sunderban tiger. It is this tiger that later becomes his divine strength to live. The movie progress with the boy emerging victorious in surviving these obstacles. The three day lent of our church begins this year from 22nd January to 24th January. This lent is also called as the Lent of Jonah as it reminisces the 3 day fast of the great city of Nineveh. If ‘ Life of Jonah’ was filmed, then it would have been a  thrilling movie. The way he escaped from the sight of the Lord. His sojourn in the belly of the fish, anger with Lord, all would serve as a perfect ingredient for a blockbuster. Just like the evangelist narrates about the son of man to be under the bowel of the earth.. so are we  Jonah is formed as a disciple through this escapade.
This passage for our devotion is said to be one of the hardest teachings of the bible. The early church’s submission, their pains and understanding about Jesus are the backdrop of this passage. It is the central part of Luke and is considered to be a travel narrative. “Then he went….’ In this journey, people are healed, miracles occur and also we have a great banquet here. We call this journey a roller coaster. Here passion predicted becomes the pit stop of Journey.

1. Discipleship made known through journey with Christ:
Discipleship is an on road experience. It is the sharing of the ministry of Jesus Christ.  It is something which we learn from Christ and should become a part of our body. Just like riding a bicycle becomes embossed in our mind, this experience of discipleship should be engraved on our bodies. In Luke’s account we see the Pharisees being the first to designate the term, ‘Disciples’ to the 12 followers of Christ. Even in Antioch, the believers were called, ‘Christians’ by other people. In our journey of life, it is others who often acknowledge us as disciples of Christ. For eg in ch6, jesus gives this direction. Isaish ….this process is continuous. In Luke 4: 16-18, Jesus becomes the fulfilment of what was said by prophet Isaiah. In the same way, the teaching of Jesus should be fulfilled by the disciples of Christ. It is a continuous process. We have many references of such journeys in this Gospel. When Jesus assigns the 72 for mission work serves as an example of vast journey of discipleship. There are certain rules in this journey. The disciple should completely depend on God. It is a new way to live life. We need not bother about things, as God would be prepared people to serve us. Jesus taught us to never calculate. But in the incident of feeding the 5000, disciples requests Jesus to send the crowd away. They try to calculate the amount required to feed the people. It is here Jesus teach them the divine prudence of God. Journey of disciple should be always continuous. So here we see two things that are incomplete.
Another important element we see in this passage are the use of imageries like tower, King etc. In a Palestenian context, towers were used to guard the garden and vineyards. It was not affordable to all and was an symbol of one’s pride and honour. In this ‘Honour-Shame’ culture, if a person was not able to complete the construction of the tower, then it becomes a great shame for him and his family. We need to learn that what we begin should not turn as a matter of shame to us. Thus discipleship should in a way lead us to increase the honour of Christ. Lance Armstrong, the famous cyclist and 7 times winner of the Tour de France, recently admitted of doping in the Orpha Winfrey interview. He said, ‘My journey was good when it began but I failed somewhere. Our journey with Christ should not remain incomplete.
2) Discipleship is the beginning of new network of relationship:
Verse says “Those who….”. In a pre industrial world one’s identity was in his kinship network. Kinship network was common . Addresss is to be in this network Many professional associations and guilds were set up to provide security and betterment to the lives.  It was difficult for people to love without these guilds and societies. Even we have records of funerary guilds which were present which worked for giving a honorary  funeral to the deceased. It is here Christ said that there is a new network which we get in this discipleship. A priority to meet… it is an invitation to a new kingdom network. To leave something is to gain something better.
3) Invitation for a great Banquet:
Luke 14 begins with the parable of the great banquet. According to the greeco roman, ‘Invitation is very important. Written oral etc
Two invitations are needed… those who
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Blessed are the Responsible:Rev. Sam T Koshy




Bible Passage: Mathew 5: 1- 11
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the former president and scientist in his book, ‘Family and Nation’ states his transformation from a scientist to a motivator. “It was a question by a Sanyasi that made me look deeper into my life”, said Kalam. The Sanyasi had asked Mr. Kalam what is life. Kalam gave many answers like to lead a disciplined life, contributing etc. To this the Sanyasi answered, “Can’t you live a higher life?” Similarly every worship and sermon should be able to transform the lives of people.
The passage for our reflection is a beautiful and powerful sermon by Jesus. In order to have a deeper understanding of this passage, we need to study Ch 4: 23-25 and ch 5: 13 -15. In Mathew 4: 23-25 we come across a crowd who is being healed from Jesus and then it is stated that this crowd later followed him. The crowd mentioned in Ch 5 could not be termed as a new crowd. We can assume it to be the same crowd of the healed people. Thus we can say that, healing is only a beginning. This healing should lead one to the state of blessedness and in a mission call. Following crowd is an important term expressed here which highlights this aspect (ch 4: 25). One of the greatest failures in Christian Ministry is that, the ministers deal only on the aspect of healing and fail to transform the lives of the people.
What is Blessedness?
The first century understanding of blessedness was either to be a part of the Roman Empire, or the established Jewishness or to be a part of the established Business Community. The biblical and world understanding of blessings are very different. The biblical understanding of Blessedness is narrated in many of the Psalms like Psalms 1, etc. There are mainly two Greek words associated with blessedness, Makarios and Admonia. Though both connote the same meaning of blessing, admonia is meant to be successful. The latter is not so commonly used in the bible, but it gives a higher meaning to move on from being successful to a blessed person.
Levels of Blessedness:
A study on this passage helps us to come across, 8 reflections which could be termed as different levels of blessedness:
Ø  They are code of ethics of the Kingdom of God
Ø  They present a contrast between the Kingdom and the Worldly values.
Ø  They are the marks of true spirituality
Ø  They are the conclusion of the Old Testament Ethics.
Ø  They are a complete package in itself. It remains incomplete if not studied as full.
Ø  It is a mixture of gift of God and the responsibility of humanity.
Ø  It is both personal and public and
Ø  They bring together the past, present and the future
Blessing: An intersection of the Gift of God and Responsibility of Humanity:
The values used in this passage like being meek, mourning, merciful etc are the continuation of the Old Testament value system. They are the crystallisation of the Old Testament ethics and values. For e.g. the beatitude of mourning should not just be limited for a loss. It should be for a higher pain and understanding that we have yet more to attain in our lives. Also being meek is not to remain as a timid person. Rather it is to remain confident when we stand up for a cause. If we are not meek we remain being as a loud person. The trainer in the video series of ‘The Karate Kid’, is a good example of being meek. Though he is strong enough to tackle his opponents, he never gets loud in his expressions. We need to understand that all these values mentioned are our responsibilities. True blessedness is this responsibility and not the reward we get after we achieve it. Though this passage speaks about future rewards, it serves as a perfect intersection of the gift of God and the responsibility of humanity.
We often hear people witnessing the might acts of God for giving them a job with less work and more salary. This is a misconception. The bible teaches us to take up responsibility and lead a responsible life. It is then we become blessed.
We can also reflect on this passage in the light of the formation of Christian Ministry.
Preach what you Practice:
The Sermon on the Mount is a reflection of all the virtues of Jesus Christ. All the beatitudes stated here are the values which Christ showed in his life. It is Christology in itself. Here the person himself is becoming sermon. Jesus preached only those things which he lived in his life. We should not preach what we are not.
Ministry should be Hope Giving:
Jesus begins this sermon with the term blessedness. Famous freedom fighters like Mr. Nelson Mandela and Ms. Su Kyi though remained in prison for a long term were able to give hope to millions of people in their country. Our sermon should not be problem solving or problem making. It should be hope giving to others. In her Booker Prize winning Novel, “God of Small things” Ms. Arundathi Roy describes a local parish priest as, “A priest who seldom laughed”. Pastoral ministry should enliven the lives of others.
From Healing to Apostolicity:
Our responsibility should not just culminate in healing. It should lead to apostolicity. In this sermon we see many people following Jesus. Our sermon should lead others to live for Christ.
Sermon should Energise the listeners:
Jesus might have looked in to the eyes of his listeners and said, Blessed are those..  This statement could have given a high level of positivity to the crowd. Our sermons should be such that it should energise the listeners.
Blessedness lies in responsibility, the gift of God will be received. It is our responsibility to lead others to this biblical blessedness. May the Almighty Lord strengthen us all.
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Mission through Adaminte Makan Abu- An article by Sajeev V. Koshy


Illumination and Implementation: Decoding Mission through Adaminte Makan Abu
Sajeev V. Koshy

Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu, Son of Adam), a Malayalam motion picture and winner of National and Kerala State Award for Best Picture of 2011 portrays the sorrow and suffering of an elderly Muslim couple living in Kerala’s Malabar, forsaken and forgotten by their son in the Gulf and struggling hard to find money to fulfil their dream of going on Hajj[i].  This film also shares a symbolic world which invites us to re- visit our theological understanding of mission in an inter-religious society. Since film theology is in a very infant stage in India, there needs to be attempts to interpret biblical texts and levels of human existenceby locating film as a text to be explored and constructed.As Sam Koshy observes, “films can be text for theological imagination and theology can be a critical partner to the film making”.[ii] This study is an attempt to decode some aspects of mission such as mountain valley experience of mission, sacramental mission, dialogue and mission, eco mission through the movie Adaminte Makan Abu as chalanam focuses this year on the theme Mission: Illumination and Implementation. I should also note that this is not an attempt to review the film on strict rules as it requires another methodology. 
Abu (Salim Kumar) is a man in his seventies, who has spent an entire life selling Athar(perfume) and books on the streets. Over the years, Abu along with his wife Ayeshumma (Zarina Wahab) has learned to get over memories of Sathar (he never appears on scene), their only son who had deserted them when life's fortunes beckoned. Old and poor, the couple lives on with hopes of realizing a single dream that is left; that of going on a Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. This movie leads us to ponder on human aspirations and the strenuous journey of a Muslim couple’s life fulfilment.
Mission: A mountain-valley experience: We are introduced into the movie with some curious (could be mythological) characters like Ustad (Thampi Antony), who prophesies the future and sees the unseen. The saintly man does not claim to be a God, but maintains that those ridden with grief could leave their sorrows and tears safe with him. When all this anguish becomes unbearable, he walks up a hill and stays there until the wind blows it all away. The hill top where he rests is a spectacle where the sky seems to stoop down to kiss the earth, where a golden grandeur seems to have thrown open the doors to paradise. He carries the burden of the community and gives solace to those who seek his help. He comes to mountain to relax and meditate. Once he is relaxed and when people seek his help, he goes down the valley.
Mission is an experience from mountain top to mountain bottom. The transfiguration passage well explains this (Matt 17:1-13). Jesus took Peter, James and John to the mountain; he was transfigured before them and did not stay there forever. He came down to engage with the people.  The vision they received at the mountain top enabled them to come down and go for mission beyond the margins.  Mountain top experience is essential for Christian mission to have self reflection, devotion and prayer life. At the same time, we have to come down the mountain to face the realities of the world and to be with people who are struggling. Both experiences should go parallel in mission. Mountain top is required for illumination and mountain bottom is essential for implementation.Ustad here is a paradigm for mission who challenges us to be illumined and implementers.
Sacramental Mission: It is customary in Muslim tradition to seek pardon and reconcile with people before going on hajj. In a notable scene, Abu and Ayeshumma pay a visit to the village teacher's (Nedumudi Venu) house to seek forgiveness for any wrongs that they might have caused him and his family in the past. They hug before Abu leaves and the teacher requests him to remember them when he sets foot on the Holy City.  Abu had nurtured feelings of guilt over a squabble that he had with his neighbour Sulaiman (Gopakumar) several years back. Many years gone by and Sulaiman had moved away to a distant place. Abu and Ayeshumma, in a bid to seek absolution, call on him with a pack of biscuits. And they find a frail, bedridden man who is overwhelmed with joy at seeing them.
Sacramental mission necessitates the importance of maintaining peace and reconciliation in mission. In Matthew 5:23, “so when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you... first be reconciled and then come and offer your gift”. In the liturgy also, kiss of peace is made before we partake in Holy Communion as we declare that we stand united and reconciled in the body and blood of Christ. This sacramentality should enable the worshipping community to go out in peace and make the whole humanity blessed and reconciled. We should be illumined through our liturgy for this mission and be implementing peace and reconciliation in our community.
Dialogue and Mission: It would seem more than a coincidence that of the two men who come to Abu's aid when he is in dire straits, one is a Hindu teacher and the other one a Christian business man. They offered money to the poor man. Abu gratefully declines the money which the village teacher offered to him when heard of Abu’s plight. His religious laws prevented him from accepted the money (Zakat[iii]), saying that alms for the holy journey could be accepted only from those with close blood relations or within Islam. As for Johnson (Kalabhavan Mani), the wood dealer, Abu hands him back the money that he had accepted, when he learns that the tree that he had sold him was hollow. With the intense intent of portraying the innate benevolence in these men, we can find an interreligious dialogue taking place through these scenes.
According to Felix Wilfred, dialogue and mission are not conflictual, rather convergent realities[iv]. We see in Jesus who participated and immersed himself in the life, culture and history of the people. While Jesus engaged in dialogue, he was pursuing mission. He did both by discovering the will of God, by responding constantly to his call in the context. Abu is a very pious man who is very much conscious of his religious laws and observances. But that does not limit him in engaging with the Hindu teacher and Christian businessman. His interactions in the community made ateacher to come to his help in need and also enabled Johnson to take the deal not in business terms, but out of love and concern. Itis also noteworthy that though Abu returned the money back to Hindu teacher and Christian businessman out of his religiosity, they were not hurt; rather their respect towards Abu would have got stronger as their interactions are portrayed through relationships. Dialogue is enriched in relationship, not in imposing certain truths any community posses. If church meaningfully engages in dialogue, by anchoring on relationships, she can creatively implement mission in an open ended way. 
Eco Mission: Concern for the creation is a pertinent theme in this movie. In the end without able to make it for hajj, he makes a retrospection of the journey he made to fulfil his dream. He finds one of the reasons as that Allah would not have liked his action of cutting the tree because that is also his creation and human is not allowed to take the life of any creation. Out of his guilty consciousness, he plants a jackfruit tree in the end. He wants to reconcile with nature.  Though symbolically it points to the life of their son who deprived them in their old age, this action of planting a jackfruit tree in the end gives hope to the couple again as a tree holds immense possibilities in it.
We have a mission towards nature. We are to keep it safe and secure since it is also part of God’s creation.  As participants in God’s mission, this exhorts us to exercise a creative responsibility with the creator (Is 11: 6-9). To implement this eco-mission, we should be illumined with what M.J.Joseph calls as the ‘eco-vision of the earth community’[v]. Eco-vision illumines our minds to guard flora and fauna of this creation and implement necessary actions in our church and locality. The scene in which Ayeshumma bids adieu to her cattle is also poignant. “I have never treated them as mere beasts” she tells her husband with tears welling up in her tears while they were sold. In the end, Abu decides to buy his cattle back which show that life becomes meaningful and colourful when human stays in tune with nature and created beings.
The movie engages with the quest of following one’s passion where humans meaningfully engage with each other, plants have life, people converse with animals, grass rustles and listens to human feelings and so on. The couple were not able to make it on hajjas they could not arrange the finances needed. But the movie does not end on a sad note. The planting of jackfruit tree sprouted new hope in the minds of viewers that Abu would make it for hajj in the near future. But director Salim Ahmed leaves the text open ended. However he portrays Abu, as a highly illumined character who lived his religion and implemented it as a reality in his locality.
Mission is directed by God, and we are just partakers in His mission. Our duty is discover the will of God through illumination and by responding to His call in our context through implementation. It is a task entrusted by Jesus on church which needs to be taken seriously. This theme is said loudly in the movie when plot presents Abu for the first time: A 70 year old, frail man struggling hard to walk after travelling long hours and without a wink of sleep, comes home to his wife, and yet cannot take a nap because his life’s mission calls him for action. He goes to market to pursue his dream. This challenges us to go ahead in mission, which as Robert Frost said “miles to go before I sleep”. Shall we?  
This article is published in Mar Thoma Syrian Theological Seminary ,Kottayam –Annual Magazine Chalanam 2010

[i]Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam which is an obligatory duty laid down in Quran that a pilgrimage should be made once in life by every Muslim.
[ii] Koshy, Sam. “The Film Theology-An Invitation”.SCM Vaarthapathrika, 7, (2011).
[iii]Zakat is given only to the poor and the needy and those who are to pay and collect it should be in Islam.
[iv] Wilfred, Felix. “Dialogue and Mission in Context” CTC Bulletin 3, 3 (1989)5-18.
[v] Joseph, M.J. The Eco-Vision of the Earth Community. Bangalore: BTESSC, 2008.
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