Texts as formative space - Rev. Dr. Sunni E. Mathew

Luke 1:57-66 & John 1:1-15

Texts as formative space

Rev. Dr. Sunni E. Mathew

Yesterday (December 1), the twenty-five day lent started. The Gospel portion for yesterday was John 1:1-15. Next Sunday is set apart to meditate on the birth of John the Baptist, his circumcision, and naming. Gospel portion for this day is Luke 1: 57-66.

Through history, Church, the faith community used these texts as constructs of transformative space. The meditation therefore attempts to make a historical reading of these texts as constructs of transformative space for generations.

1. Context of the selection of these texts. (Ecclesiological rationale in constructing transformative space)

These texts are used to read and meditate in the context of the feast of nativity. According to the practice of the Church, festivals related to the Lord are celebrated after preparing the individuals and the community through the observation of lent. Therefore, ecclesiologically celebration is the fulfilment of the lent. Lent culminates in celebration. The church is consciously prepared to celebrate the festival and the Church celebrates only after thorough preparation. Why is this thorough preparation a must? Because otherwise celebrations may go to unwanted directions. That is why, lent concentrates much on reading and meditation of the scriptural texts, repentance and reconciliation, commitment and submission to the will of God, disciplining of the self (both body and mind) through ordering of food habits and desires. In other words, it is a preparation of both body and mind of the faithful to celebrate the festival of nativity (Christmas). Because, if we have to understand God who emptied Himself and became small, it is necessary for us to voluntarily empty ourselves and become small. This voluntary emptying process is also necessary to understand the worth, experience, and pain of those who are small to whom God has identified. Church has set apart these texts as a meditative and pedagogic tool to prepare the faith community to experience, understand in depth and respond creatively to the Christ event. Hence, the whole exercise of this thorough preparation becomes a liberative process. It is not only instrumental in liberating the least ones, but also liberating the self. Because of this liberative dimension, lent becomes a theological exercise. Accordingly, lent is not just a ritual or a tradition, but a theological learning process that involves a becoming process. Therefore, lent and these texts as meditative and theological tool create a transforming environment, a formative space.

2. Placing of these texts within the frame of the salvation discourse. (Theological-pedagogic rationale that moulds transformative space)

Both these texts serve as introduction to the narration of Christ event. Gospel as the narration of the Christ event is the sharing of the salvific act of the God through Christ. It is the discourse of the community. Hence, it is a theological pedagogic tool and meditative methodological tool. Narrative purpose of the Gospels is to explain the involvement of the Trinity in this world through the Son. Therefore, apart from the meditative element, there is the definite play of theological motive. It is the expression of the earnest desire of the community to impart its soteriological understanding through generations. Through the blending of meditative and theological motives, develops experiential knowledge and propositional knowledge. Consequently, an experience happened in the past is re-lived and re-experienced through these generations in a meaningful manner. Further, the understanding of this divine experience is continuously widened. In other words, Christ event, the discourse of the salvific act makes God experiential to the present and transforms the present to make the future in conformity with God’s will and purpose. Each incident associated with that historic and historical divine intervention is transformed into challenging experiences that parallels our daily actions, prompting us to make serious critical self-assessments, and make adequate enhancements or corrections.

3. Placing of John the Baptist’s participatory role as preparation for God’s act in this world. (Missiological impetus that creates transformative space)

Interestingly, this introduction reveals the importance of human participation in the divine process. John 1:6-8 and Luke 1:13-17 present John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus, as the one who prepares the generation for the Christ event. Luke had provided much attention on John. He tells about the widespread popularity of John. When John says that people confused John the Baptist with the Messiah, it also underscores John’s popularity and involvement in the salvific act of God. In this participatory role, John is not alone. People like Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph are taking their responsible roles. It means that the participatory role is not restricted to men alone or to women alone. Why this? God acts in history not standing alone but with the participation of human beings. This is the platform for Mission possibility and mission mandate. John the Baptist is a model for this participatory call and setting apart. Here setting apart is not setting away from the community but to set the community in manner to materialize incarnation, i.e. to make God’s will a reality, experiential and central to life. Setting apart is the initiation into the continuum of participatory role in the mission of God.

4. Purpose of placing the text in connection with incarnation. (Soteriological foundation in fashioning transformative space)

It is a call to participate in the becoming process of God and make incarnation experiential for the whole creation. John 1:14 expresses the becoming process in Christ. Logos, the eternal Son became human. The eternal becomes the historical (temporal). God thought to be outside the realm of history became experiential and a concrete reality at the centre of history. This becoming act breeds historical consciousness, a consciousness that transformed the thoughts, words and actions of humanity. Purpose of this becoming process is acknowledged as to make humanity to become divine. Early fathers, especially Athanasius, God became human so that we become divine. Humanity grow in the divine quality of becoming small. Therefore the placing of the text here, suggests that, incarnation has a formative dimension; shaping the human in accordance with the divine will and purpose. You have to realize that you are called to participate in this becoming process. Where does this becoming process materialize and people like John the Baptist become a reality? It is in the context of certain realizations that our participatory becoming gets shaped.

5. Realizations that shapes our participatory becoming (Evaluative motivations that shapes transformative space)

Even when the transformative spaces are the constructs of the faith community, they in turn transforms the community continuously and through generations. It is in this process, realizations emerge and shapes the becoming process a reality. Luke 1:57-66 provides three vital realizations that helps the becoming process; the process of preparing for and continuing of incarnational experiences.

1. Where Birth is realized as God’s mercy. Birth is not just a biological process. It is a blessing of God in the context of a covenant with God (Luke 1: 5-25). There is strong internal connection between 5-25 and 57-66. One could not exist without the presence of the other. 57-66 is the natural continuity of 5-25. Fulfilment of Gabriel’s announcement now reaches its climax in the birth, and naming of the child. 5-25 deduces the covenant of the parents for total submission to the will of God. Zachariah submit himself to God’s will and purpose. Elizabeth joins him in that covenant. It is here John becomes a reality. Yěhôhānān means “Yahweh has shown favour.” John as God’s mercy and for the purpose of God is shaped within this covenantal understanding. Here the grace of God is Elizabeth, Zachariah or John alone, but to the people as a whole. There is a divine intervention in the birth of John. Every child birth encounters this divine intervention. However, it is only the genuine covenantal community that realize this element. Therefore, a genuine covenantal community that realizes and acknowledges every birth as a gift and mercy of God becomes a transformative space where Johns are born, valued and nurtured.

2. Where Continuity nature of this covenant is realized. Circumcision and baptism are symbols of this covenant. Circumcision in the Old Testament generation is the expression of the covenant with God. According to Genesis 17:11, circumcision marks a person with the sign of the covenant. So is Christian baptism. When John is brought for circumcision this covenantal relationship is transferred from his parent’s generation to John’s generation. When a child is brought for baptism, the covenantal relation of the parents becomes the formative criteria for the child. These symbols are not just rituals, but are dynamic affirmations of the faith in God, continuation of the commitment to divine will, and the responsible reception of the divine commission with faithfulness unto death. To generations that realize this continuity, Johns are set apart and commissioned.

3. Where Name is realized as an ongoing reminder of divine vocation. According to Luke 1:57 and 2:21, Circumcision and naming go hand in hand. So is baptism and naming during the post New Testament period. Name is a reminder to be in commitment. One derives one’s name in relation with the covenant. As the one who is offered for the fulfilment of God’s purpose in this world. Therefore, it is reminder of one’s identity within the heritage of commitment to God’s will, to be the part of God’s salvific act in this generation, to prepare the world to experience God’s salvation. Here, name is the attestation of the expectations of God. It is also the expression of the expectation of the generations regarding a person. Therefore, the significance of a name is not just confined to the identity of what a person is, but it also signifies to what a person should be. A community that realizes this identity consciousness embedded in each Christian name creates participators in the salvation act of God making God experiential in this generation.

Announcement to Zechariah, Very Rev. Dr. K. G. Pothen

Announcement to Zechariah

Very Rev. Dr. K.G. Pothen

Date: 14^th November 2014. St. Luke 1: 5-23

Each Gospel presents Jesus quite uniquely. The ‘Markan’ Jesus is misunderstood and abandoned. Thus the disciples of the ‘Markan’ Jesus’ followed Jesus with this abandonment. The ‘Matthean’ Jesus’ is presented as the new ‘Moses’. Thus the ‘Matthean’ disciples gave emphasis to keeping the teachings of Jesus. The ‘Johanine’ teachers present Jesus as ‘the word incarnate’ and thus emphasize on believing in Jesus as ‘Christ’. The ‘Lukan’ Jesus is portrayed as being compassionate. He is presented as being compassionate, a friend to the outcast, throughout the History of Israel. Thus a call is to be his disciple means, to seek, find and redeem the lost.

When we read through the scripture portion, we are struck by the great anticipation that is created. After Malachi, there had been no prophets in Israel. People were eager to hear the words of a prophet, to witness God working in Israel. St. Luke thus presents an eager and expectant community and only to such a community this announcement becomes meaningful.

It is quite significant that the report of the birth of John the Baptist is mentioned only in the Gospel of Luke. Thus it is actually a Gospel in miniature. It is the gospel in which the role of Mary and Elizabeth is magnified. When we read the text, we come across two characters namely Zechariah and Elizabeth. The name Zechariah means ‘God has remembered’ and the name Elizabeth means ‘My God has promised’. Both of them belonged to the priestly families. Zechariah, belonged to the order of Abhijah. Elizabeth being the daughter of a priest married a priest and fulfils her duty.

It is mentioned that, they both were blameless and righteous. This indicates that they fully participated in the covenant. But at the same time they did not have any children. Elizabeth was barren. They both were very old. In Israel, children were considered to be heritage from God. They carry on the name of the family. Birth of a child perpetuates the covenant of God to the next generation. Hence barrenness was considered to be a curse, a punishment from God and a disgrace.

The temple in the read text presents an altogether different meaning. In The Old Testament, the Temple was the centre of worship. The priests were divided into 24 divisions. Each division entered the temple twice a year. This time out of all of them Zechariah was chosen, to serve at the altar. The sacrifices were done on the inner as well as the outer altar, two times a day. This was the highest moment in Zechariah’s life. Many people were expectantly waiting outside. It is at this moment that an Angel of the Lord appeared. God’s intervention is experienced. The sacred ceremony was brought to an end by this Intervention

The conversation between Zechariah and the Angel is quite important. Initially, Zechariah was afraid. Then the angel encourages him. The Angel says that the prayers of Zechariah had been heard. Even though Zechariah had been praying for a child for a long time, he actually was not hoping for a child, day by day the hopes had reduced. And it was to such a Zechariah that the angel convinced that his prayers had been heard.

When God blesses, he blesses in surplus. Not only is a son given, but a forerunner to the Messiah is also given. The son is to be named ‘John’ which means ‘God has favour on us’. Joy and praise to God is presented throughout the Gospel. It is the ordinary people who are enjoying God’s intervention. John was a miracle. He was filled with Holy Spirit. He was to be a Nazarite, drink no wine, no intoxication. The Divine power was active in him. The announcement meant that it was the dawn of the Messianic period.

It was this child who was going to turn the people to God and call the children to parents. Turning people to God means conversion. Zechariah asks how can it be true? The Angel replies, “I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God”. This statement clearly indicates the fact that God is directly intervening. Zechariah, who was worried that he will die without a son is now preparing for an important mission. It is the mission which will fulfil the expectation of the community who is standing outside expectantly.

The mighty King Herod was not the centre of God’s plan, but this devoted old couple. The old, the poor and the humble are chosen, they are never insignificant or overlooked. The story teaches us to keep our trust in God and keep expecting from him with Joy. Our eyes need to be open to what God has done and what God is doing. Even the Faithful may grow dull after sometime. There are times of waiting and times where our waiting will come to an end. It is God who sets times and years. He is also the one who decides when the καιρος (kairos-qualitative time) will come, i.e. when his time to intervene comes.

Spirituality of Youth in Modern Age: Rev. Abraham Matthew Luke 10:25-37

This is a well-expounded bible portion. This portion has had and is still having a lasting impact on the lives of Christians. It has shaped our values and attitudes. This Sunday we are going to meditate on the Theme “Spirituality of Youth in Modern Age”. Youth is an important phase of our life. This is that phase of our life when we develop our personality and our identity. It is important that we develop our personality and our identity in the way that Christ wants. Inshort it needs to be Christ-centred.

What is the Spirituality centred in Christ?

There is a chant in our liturgy

“O Lord, your love has brought you down to us so that our death might be averted by your death”

Two thoughts are presented

Ø There is a downward mobility of God.

Ø There is a neighbouring of God.

These are the aspects of spirituality of Christ as it is pointed out through the scriptures.

We have developed a negative view regarding Spirituality. We see it as distancing ourselves from the world. It was to such a community that Jesus was addressing. It is to them that Jesus puts forth the spirituality of self-emptying.

In the above text, we are presented with a scribe who engages with Jesus with the quest for eternal life. Jesus asks him to have a Kenotic (Self-emptying) experience. Jesus emphasizes that it is not for eternal life that we should focus, but for a life that lives through the inspiration of Love. We can see in Vs. 21 Jesus rejoices in Holy Spirit and prays, “I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to the infants.” Here the scribe comes with a quest for the truth. But the hidden truth is Jesus Christ. Commandments can lead us to right living. But Jesus points out the essence of the commandments to the scribe. Our quest should be to know what the truth is and what it means to the ‘other’.

Spiritual Journey requires a renewed journey through the Scriptures:

It is significant that the term used by St. Luke for the ‘Scribe’ is ‘Lawyer’. His attitude reveals removing out God’s intention and giving priority to his selfish interests. He projects out being self-centred. Psychologically, he can be considered to be ‘Ego-Centric’. He required a spiritual nurturing through a renewed journey through the scriptures. This is what Jesus does. Jesus deflects the ego-centrism of the Scribe. Instead of looking into himself, Christ points him to look outwards.

He approaches Jesus with the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” His intention is not true, it is something else. He comes to test Jesus. He tries to clear himself.This is clearly seen as in Vs.29

“But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my Neighbour?””

We can see a similar aspect, when Satan tries to tempt Jesus in the Desert. In the case of the lawyer there was no purity in his approach. He might have considered Jesus inferior to his knowledge. His language shows selfishness.

There are several possibilities as to why he might have asked the question regarding the means to achieve eternal life. This might be out of fear to save him from death. His sole concern was ‘his salvation’ without any concern for ‘what happens to the other’. He also might have believed that eternal life can be ‘achieved’, and that this was possible by means of religion. His attitude was “What can I gain?” His aim might have been to test Jesus and defeat him through debate.

However Jesus approaches him differently. He does not want to engage in a debate. Neither does He wants to send the Lawyer away, ridiculing him. Instead, Jesus wants to transform him. Jesus asks “What is written in the law?” A teacher of the law is taught in the law since Childhood. Jesus asks the lawyer to “Do, it”. In case of an ego-centric ‘to do anything’ involves ‘doing for an achievement’, ‘doing for the self’. However Jesus presents it differently, ‘do it for the love of God’. Here we must examine our lives and question, what motivates our religious and spiritual quest?

Again as we look into the portion, we see that the lawyer gave the correct answer to his own question. Jesus says to him, “You have given the right answer.” (Vs.28). But Jesus points out that ‘Right knowledge and Right proclamation is not Right Living’. Having right answer does not mean that we are in the ‘Right Path’ or we are ‘Right’.

In our biblical studies, ego-centrism and individualism has crept in and has taken strong roots. We have the tools to study bible, we have the methodologies but are we able to move forward in our lives? The message of Bible does not seem to affect us. Our words do not influence us; our thoughts do not have an effect on us. This is indeed a sad plight! It is when we allow the scriptures to interact with us that our life is transformed.

Another significant aspect is that here the Lawyer approaches the Scripture to get confirmation that he is right. This is the problem that ails us. We pride ourselves as being Syrian Christians, having sound Theology in our Liturgy, believing in open exposition of the word, believing what we do is right. But is our right understanding, our right proclamation, leading us to right living. Our Creeds and our Cults should help us in ‘Right Living’. ‘Right Spirituality’allow us to be formed by the word.

Spiritual Journeying requires a Radical Journey to be the Neighbour of Others

The Lawyer tries to justify himself, “Who is my Neighbour?” he asks. He wants a definition for ‘Neighbour’. Definition always involves limiting, drawing a boundary, presenting a small narrow view. The Lawyer wants to do the same. He wants to limit himself. This is very dangerous. When, we try to Define, Parse and do the exegesis, we remove from ourselves a wide range of possibilities and become incapable of doing anything. In other words, the lawyer is asking Jesus in clear terms, “Define me, who deserves my love and my care?”

The Jews hadtheir own definition as to who deserved their love and their care, and to whom all it can be given. The condition is just like the present situation between India and Pakistan. Jesus does not believe in giving definition. Instead he creates a new geographical location for a Jew. He creates new spaces in life and this can be brought about and understood only through spirituality. Only when we are released from Ego-centrism, can we redraw our boundaries. Jesus speaks through parables, through stories. They do not define anything. They are wide, which challenges thoughts, bringing forth a different view.They are logical, but have deep hidden meaning.

Jesus presents a traveller who is attacked. The Priest and the Levite pass through, turning a blind eye to him. Who the traveller was is not mentioned. For the Priest and the Levite, they were doing their duty, for them it was the right thing to do. Then Jesus introduces the Samaritan. When the Samaritan sees the traveller, the road he was journeying; it interacts withhim; it brings a cloud of thoughts in his mind. The Samaritan feels pity on him. As the story reached to its highest point with the Samaritan rising up slowly as the unlikely Hero, a cry of ‘No… No…’ was rising in crescendo in the mind of the Lawyer. He wished dearly that the Priest or the Levite could have emerged as the Hero. We see a closeness being developed between the one who seeks pity and the one who has pity. There is an effort to remove all hatred and accept. There is an effort made to remove all bitterness and take help. In order to have mercy; in order to forgive, you need a great mind. Their minds needed to have overcome with compassion to remove prejudices and ego. This is possible only through spirituality.

Jesus systematically destroys the Jewish concept of Hero. For the Jewish audience, they loved to have the Priests, the Levite as their Heroes, while the Samaritans were the Villains. Here Jesus makes the Samaritan the Hero. The one who was held low, despised is given a new identity, he is raised up. If someone from our society tires to live out a radical life and present a story, we will also be faced with the same dilemma. The Heroes in our societies will be exposed and their masks will be removed to reveal their true identities.

Jesus transforms the question, “Who is my Neighbour?” to the question, “Who has become the Neighbour”. The Self-centred, the Ego-centrism is transformed. Those who were glorified in the earlier stories are being changed. The stories of Hatred are being changed to stories that propagate Love and Mercy. He answers the question, “Where is Eternal Life?”

‘Where there is no prejudice, where mercy is granted and received, there eternity meets humanity’

Jesus does not define what needs to be done. Instead he asks to begin a radical journey modelling the Samaritan. Jesus says, “Go and cultivate a spirituality of compassion.” He exhorts,

‘Go and build up a community that does not exist, a community which includes strangers and cares for the needy’

These are your neighbours

In our personal life we interact with lots of people. Some are very close to us. We celebrate our meetings, our fellowships with ‘ourselves’. We set our own geographical boundaries, our own preferences for language, our own Liturgies. In a way we are defining ourselves. But Jesus point out to a radical journey of self-emptying, of mercy, through the knowledge from scriptures, to transform us.

Rev. Abraham Matthew

Senior Citizen's Sunday

Gospel Portion: St. Luke 2:25-38 Rev. Pramod Zachariah

"It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that, he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah." vs. 26

The above scripture portion is the same portion that is read as the Gospel reading during the sacrament of the Holy Baptism. The idea that is intended to be expressed out is, "Respect for the Elders". The term 'Elders' is significant here because in present context we hardly find any 'Old' or 'Aged' individual. A quick look into the most popular advertisements going around gives the impression that people wants to look younger and youthful. A mother sending her child to school wants to look as youthful as her child. Hence, we shift our focus from 'older' to 'elder'.

The above incident is mentioned only in the gospel according to Luke. Some scholars even put forward theories that, this portion was added quite later to the original manuscript. Simeon and Anna, the two old individuals or elders presented in this portion actually represent two lines of thought in Israelite community, at that time. Simeon stands as the representative of the Levite thought based upon the Mosaic traditions. Anna, represents the line of thought along the prophetic traditions from Elijah. their hope and aspirations of liberation of Israel is presented through their conversations and their words.

This passage emphasizes on how we give respect to the elders. There are three approaches.

1. Approach of Acceptance

2. Approach of Care.

3. Approach of Spirituality.

1. Approach of Acceptance: Giving respect to elders involve going beyond respect given by words. It involves accepting them. Consider Mary and Joseph, they came to the temple 40 days with the baby child Jesus, as per the regulations of the laws of Moses. Here, they encounter Simeon, whom they might have never met before. Simeon is allowed to take Jesus or the Baby from the mother's hand. No such incident involving Simeon has been mentioned before in Bible. The very act of giving Jesus into Simeon's hand by Mary and Joseph, gives respect to Simeon. They respected the individuality, the potential, the personality, the character of Simeon. When we as ministers of the church, meet any person, we need to accept their experiences, their knowledge, their values, their talents and their potentialities. To give acceptance is to consider and give priority to the person beside you. This gives them respect.

According to the Phenomenological Approach, on the lines of Heidegger’s Philosophy, inorder to consider the experience of revelation, we need to take into account what is revealed, how it is revealed, the manner in which it is revealed, when it is revealed, with respect to a number of people. With that respect, the lives of Anna and Simeon, and the experience of Revelation that they received, stand as strong witness for the future revelation.

2. Approach of Care: Caring is considered to be synonymous with love. The noblest thing that the world desires is ‘an ear to hear’. There are two types of communication, verbal and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication is associated with word formation, grammar, forms, phrases etc. but, it is the distance between the words that actually gives meaning to the communication. “God is nowhere” and “God is now here” are actually two sentences which give totally different meaning when the spacing between the alphabets are changed. When we communicate with others we need to respect the other person before us. Our communication should not silence the other person. This involves not only with respect to spoken words but also in any activity in which they were engaged in. We must also tune our ears to hear Silence. Silence speaks a lot of things, we need to engage them. Simeon was silent for a long time, he was led by the Holy Spirit into the temple, Anna was spending her time praying and fasting in the temple, she also spent her life in Silence. Why they were silent for so long? The answer is given; the silence is given meaning here, when they were engaged by Mary and Joseph, when Jesus is taken up by Simeon and cradled in his hands, when Anna saw Jesus. Both of them break their silence. Simeon reveals the promise of God that he won’t die until he had seen the Messiah.

When elders are silent it may have lots of meaning. Our Suffragan Metropolitan, Rt. Rev. Dr. Zacharias Mar Theophilious in an article gives inspiration to those elders who are mentally depressed and frustrated

“Look back and Think

Look forward and Thrust

Look around and Serve

Look in and Transform.”

This is how we need to inspire our elders with.

3. Approach of Spirituality:

As per the ‘Life Stages Theory’ of Eric Erickson, people above the age of 55 are classified as ‘Late Adults’. According to him these people are in a phase of life where they are about to retire from the activities that they were engaged in, a period of transition. It comes with a lot of mental trauma. They enter into a stage where they think nothing is remaining to be done or they cannot do anything anymore. They spend their lives measuring the successes and failures in their life and contemplating upon what they can do in this life. Here we as ministers must approach them with Spirituality. Bible always gives the message that with firm faith in God you can always have hope for the future. Impossible things can be attempted by faith in God. Simeon and Anna were sustained by their firm faith in God. Life of Caleb is an example about faith in God. We need to imbibe in our elders also the same faith attitude.

As per the Logotheraphy of Vicktor Frankl, to find meaning in our life we need to do three things

Do a deed or create a work.
Experience something or encounter someone.
The attitude we take towards unavoidable suffering.

May God Almighty give us grace to motivate our elders in this manner.

Worshiping Community transformed by the Word of God.... Rev. Shiby Varghese

Gospel according to St Matthew 7: 21-27

This is the conclusion of sermon of mount of Jesus Christ. A sermon on or about the Sermon on the Mount is a difficult task. However, for our ministry let us take some re-reading with all its seriousness. Always preaching changes people. It transforms people. Thus we could take the sermon on mount as the model sermon of Jesus that throws light on various things.

On Aug 28^th 1963 Martin Luther King Junior in America gave his famous inspiring speech- “I have a dream”. This made the people to get together with a vision. A collective consciousness was created among them. Who is a man? How should a society be? And how to be reformed? According to Aristotle, Man is a rational being. But Descartes goes on to say that it is not rationality it is the mind that defines human being. Later, Heidegger said that it is language that makes man. After all these, we see Derrida coming forward with man as a text.

According to Edward Said, in order to capture or enslave a society, its sacred text has to be enslaved and corrupted first. Here Christ says that we need to give freedom or freely place the text. How a text should be and how it is to be received? In chapter 5, Jesus speaks of state of the blessed. In chapter 6 Jesus speaks about practice. This text covers religious and socio-economic. Chapter 7 starts with the exhortation do not judge. It also points out who God is, or ‘God consciousness’.

1. Spelling the God of the emperor

2. The God consciousness of Jews

3. Cultic God concept

With all these, Jesus says what makes you enter kingdom of heaven is doing father’s will. Kingdom of “heaven” is a gift of Matthew to us. Christ speaks of heaven, a much better reality than the earth. One is the extension of the other. When Plato says one ideal and other the form, Jesus says do here or create kingdom of heaven here where you are placed. Reformation is to create a creation from scripture. Jeremiah speaks about remove or demolish and rebuild an engulfing seen here.

SPACING SCRIPTURE TEXTING

Verse 21 of above passage starts with the address, “lord, lord…” They continued, “all in your name we prophesied.” It means that they were teaching in his name. They added, “We rebuked demons.” Through these words they claimed that they were doing some normative, powerful works. It means that here they say we represent you. Thus we created ourselves through structure creation. The world is to be for us. In the words of Mar Chrysostom this expresses “ninte peril njangal cheyum velaghal”. We see a projection of self-domestication, you are domesticating the other. Thus the language of Jesus becomes tougher. In verse 23 it is said that he will profess ‘I do not know you’. According to Levinas “One society that goes ethical in it will land up in anarchy” thus no one is able to guide anybody. To those preaches alone, Jesus calls them as ‘you evil doers’. Evil doers are architecting. Oikos means house, the whole inhabited earth etc. Oikos is used to capture the world. It is used to create boundary during the time of Jesus. We need to rebuild this institution- oikos. There are three houses (alayam) that need to be re-built.

1. House of education: as place of information, a place of formation of the self, in Paulo Friere’s work pedagogy of the oppressed, he says that the consciousness of men is built by the pedagogy”. The self to be the built on the likeness of the signs from above (uyiradayallangal).

2. House of treatment: when the patient comes with an ailment, the doctor changes according to each of the patients for the treatment and starts a journey with him. Purpose is a re-ordering. The doctor is the host of patient who is the guest, we also need to see that there is a lot of similarity between the vaidyan and vaideekan and they are related

3. House of God: Matthew chapter 23 has a call to rebuild the temple of god. Thus we see man himself is to be rebuilt. Christ tried to say architecting is shepherding and kingdom of god is through formation and rebuilding. This is the purpose of god.

Liturgy is to find God. It is an order. A returning back to the liturgy is needed to have an order. It needs spacing, scripting and texting of kingdom of God. It also demands the death of the author; God consciousness. Jesus says to Nicodimos “you need to be born again” this birth signifies the understanding of God we have and a newer understanding of God.

Karen Armstrong says that, as Moses stood at the burning bush we need to be excited in the same way each time with the word of God. There needs to be a rebuilding of ‘Oikos’. Thus the reformation needed of the self that rebuilds three places

· House/space of knowledge

· House/space of treatments

· House/space of God

Let us live a new life through rebuilding the oikos ‘self’, we need to stand with the same excitement that Moses had on seeing the burning bush, so should our experiences each time be with the word of God.

Rev. Shibi Varghese

The Celebration of the Holy Matrimony: Messages by Rt. Rev. Joseph Mar Barnabas & Rev. Mathew P. Thomas

The Celebration of the Holy Matrimony

Mat. 19:3-6

Message by Rt. Rev. Joseph Mar Barnabas

This is a special week, where we commemorate three special events.

First, this week we meditate on the celebration of the sacrament of marriage. The sacrament of marriage was initiated by God Himself at Eden. In the Syriac liturgical tradition, the order of marriage is termed as Takso d’ Suvogo, which means to join together. It is allegorically compared to joining two tamed bulls, under a yoke. In our church by the sacrament of marriage we are emphatically proclaiming the relationship between Christ, the bride groom and the church, the bride. However, it is a sad part that we have changed our focus from this celebration of the sacrament of marriage to dissolution of the relationship.

Second, is the lent of fifteen days, which is observed from Aug 1 to Aug 15. This second event is the commemorating of the obedience of Virgin Mary and the Holy Saints. People ask questions like, “Do we have such a lent?” Are we actually praying to Virgin Mary? The answer is, we use this occasion to remember the life and commitment of Virgin Mary and all the saints. Through this lent we are praying to God to enable us to follow in their footsteps. Our Holy Qurbana starts with the chant “born of Virgin Mary., baptized by John”. Mary has played an important in Jesus’ life. Without Virgin Mary there is no Jesus. There is also no one who understood Jesus as Virgin Mary. The following pondering questions, “What will this child become?, who shall he be?”, Mary treasured everything in her heart. There are two very important events associated with the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church connected with this lent. It was on 1^st August 1836, the starting day of this lent period, Kaithaiyil Geevarghese Malpan used the translated liturgy in Kollad MTC. Also, it was on 15^th Aug 1836, the day when the lent ended, Abraham Malpan used the translated liturgy for the communion in Maramon church. Therefore, 15 day lent is the time when we commemorate the re-dedication the Church in orthodoxy (right faith).

Third, is the commemoration of the event is a Transfiguration of the Christ. Transfiguration of Christ is connected to the events that happened before it. Six days back Peter declared in Caesarea Philippi that Jesus is the Messiah. But when Jesus presented his death and suffering and then the resurrection before the disciples, Peter tried to oppose Jesus. It is the event of Transfiguration that made Peter proclaim after the resurrection that cross was important for Christ. In the Transfiguration event, Jesus was on the mountain with his three disciples. Jesus got transfigured. Moses and Elijah appeared along with him. Moses and Elijah strengthened Jesus for the impending crucifixion and confirm him. Moses who could see only the backside of YHWH on Mt. Sinai sees God face to face in the Transfiguration event. Peter on seeing this event is excited as well as confused, he asks Jesus to build three tents for them. Tents are very significant here. We cannot go down to the valley and work unless tents are built on the mountain top. i.e., without experiencing God and seeing him face to face we cannot go down to work among the others. Transfiguration event radiates out the Glory of Jesus as well as confirms the fact that he is complete God as well as complete man.

Today, as clergy when we celebrate this three events let us point out the transforming Christ to others. Let us bring changes in the parish, whole Church, and the society just like salt brings out its flavor, by being faithful in small things, following the footsteps of the saints, to show the people through our actions that there is life in Church.

Message by

Rev. Mathew P Thomas

During a funeral service, a young man was inconsolable. He was crying bitterly for his father. People were sympathetic, at the same time, they wondered why he felt so sorrowful over his Father’s demise. On their enquiry, the young man replied, “When my younger sister was born, my mother lost her mental stability. She used to shout and do many unwanted things. She would get violent and several times tried to kill my father. In spite of being tormented by her, my father accepted her and her condition and severed her”. This is a testimony of the bond of love among the parents by a Son.

In this above mentioned Bible portion, the Pharisees put the question of divorce to trap Jesus. There were two beliefs prevalent during that time. One group permitted divorce if the wife is unfaithful. Another group maintained that a man could divorce his wife for any small reason. i.e., in Judah divorce could be done very easily. Also in the prevalent Roman culture, prostitution was very common. The role of women was just limited to take care of the legitimate descendant. It is in this context Jesus leads their attention to the time when God had made Adam. The creation accounts state that after God made all the animals and birds man could not find one of them as a suitable companion for man. It is then that God puts man into a deep sleep and from man he takes one of his ribs and makes a woman. She becomes the suitable companion for man. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had no alternative. God joined man and woman and hence man is not allowed to break it.

I our Holy Matrimony liturgy, it is stated that “you are joined together, till death parts you”. In the letter of Paul to Ephesians, he tells “a man must love his wife as much as he loves his own body”. It has to be a consistent relationship. There is a sacrificial element involved. A man must love his wife just as Christ the bridegroom loved the bride, i.e. the Church. Marriage is a consecration in Hebrew, it means dedication. That means to submit oneself as an exclusive property of the other. There is no space for selfishness. The best example is being that of Joseph and Mary. It is mentioned that Joseph did not have sexual relationship with Mary until Jesus was born. Can we see such a sacrifice among our people? There is an advocate Mr. Thomas Mathew, a Marthomite. He left his job to serve his wife who contracted a disease quite suddenly. He mentions how he felt satisfied to see his wife pass away peacefully with hope.

Marriage involves nurturing and care by both the partners. Love is the foundation for it. There is an incident which goes as follows. A woman was suffering with stroke. The husband took care of all her needs and he never leaves by her side. One of the people who came to visit him asked, “Why don’t you hire a nurse to take care of your wife?” The husband replied, “she might not know me, but I know her very well”. Every partner is responsible for the growth of the other. In our modern culture, where “live together, live in” is molded. Let we all, as Christ’s body show through our relationship in our marriage as well as with our Christ like life a model for others which they can imitate.

The Formative Environment of Mission imperative, Gospel for All.... Rev. Dr. Sunni E. Mathew

Luke 4: 16-22.

The Formative Environment of Mission imperative, Gospel for All

Luke chapter 4 begins with the temptation of Christ. Temptation is in the context of Christ’s movement towards ministry in public. Jesus’ baptism at the hands of John the Baptist highlights his identity as the Messiah who came in as the king and the suffering servant. It speaks who Jesus is. It also speaks, how he would engage in his mission. Jesus builds his public ministry on the fundamental platform of this identity consciousness. His initiation into the public ministry commenced with an intense spiritual preparation. Retreat into the wilderness and the prayerful fasting express this thorough preparedness. At the zenith of this wilful preparation, Satan proposes various alternatives. The first pressing alternative was a proposal to transform the mission of the Son of God to a self-oriented productivity. The setting of this proposal is quite interesting. It is in the background of intense spiritual preparation. It also highlights Jesus’ self-realization as the one sent by God; identity as Son of God. Remaining faithful to the self-realization, Jesus makes a counter affirmation. Human existence and the mission of the Kingdom of God is rooted in the Word of God.

This affirmation involves a mission paradigm. Temptation is an attempt to divert Jesus from this messianic servant-hood mission paradigm. Luke 4: 16-22 presents the self-affirmation of Jesus as the Messiah. It also re-iterates countering of Jesus to the satanic proposals. It re-affirms that mission is rooted in the Word of God. Therefore, this text has to be seen in continuity with the baptism narrative and temptation accounts. When we try to understand the text in this continuity, we could realize Jesus’ emphasis on the paradigmatic submission to the will of God. He re-iterates that humble submission to the will of God is the real strength in carrying out the entrusted Mission of the Kingdom of God. It is more authentic and acceptable than the proposed call for acceptance and authority through crooked ways. Therefore, absolute submission to the will of God is the only right method in carrying out the mission of the Kingdom. Putting it negatively, no mission methodology without absolute submission to the will of God is real mission methodology. This is a self-realization.

How is this self-realization appropriated in life? It begins in the baptismal font. Every baptismal setting apart is the authentication of one’s identity within the framework of God’s will and purpose. That is why in our faith-culture, each one is subscribed with his/her name in the name of the Trinity; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. How and where is this identity consciousness nurtured and re-affirmed? The self-consciousness subscribed though baptism is realized and continually conscientized through worship and in the worship community. This is because, worship is the space and time that reveal the Glory of God and communicate the will of God in a tangible manner. Worship helps the individual faithful as well as the community of faithful to realize their identity and places them as mission medium within the framework of God’s will. It has a continuity structure, for it is the re-kindling of the heritage of the mission methodology inaugurated in Christ and shared through the disciples and taken over by generations of faithful people. Hence, worship is the formative environment that re-kindles our identity consciousness.

Temple of God is the space where this self-realization is re-kindled and appropriated. The temple-culture constructs the self-realization of the belongingness to God’s mission imperative in personal terms and as a community. Every worship and every meditations on the word of God place a person and community within the elect, and commissioned vision of God. The last blessing in the Holy Qurbana is an expression of this understanding. Therefore, Christian life and its missionary commitment are always in continuum. Worship is the space that links and transforms past commissioning into present realizations and present commitment with futuristic vision.

This linking and transformation happens through defining, re-defining faith identity through continuous participation in worship and interpretation of the Word of God. Why is the study of the Word integral to the Worship and vice versa? Is not the study or the exposition of the word of God an intellectual exercise? According to the early teachers of faith, biblical interpretations should always be done from the platform of faith. The reason is that, an interpretation as a mere intellectual exercise is not powerful enough to make the will of God experiential. On the other hand, in the worship, faith of the community enhances the biblical and theological hermeneutical principles. In reciprocation, the interpretation of the Scripture and the theological affirmations validates the faith of the community. Therefore, both act as complementing experiences. In that complementary state, worship space is not just limited to the four walls of a temple, but encompasses all the spaces that initiates and motivates understanding of the Word of God in a deeper manner and meaningful to the mission of the Kingdom of God. Here, Library, class room, refractory, playground, garden, agricultural field all becomes an extension to the worship space. This passage also certifies the faith and vision appropriating role of Worship space. Historically, synagogue is a space that helps one to realize divine commissions. It is the space that interprets and explains God’s purpose and makes one to creatively respond to that. Jesus affirms his identity here. He appropriated the vision of Isiah 61:1-2 in him. In that passage the trito Isiah proclaims a universal vision. That is rooted in the perception of the liberating Messiah. That is the expectation on which generations were formed. It was in the framework of this visionary expectation all faithful individuals were formed. Jesus places himself within this vision. He affirmed himself as the fulfilling presence of that expectation. It became a witness of his identity. When Jesus selected this space to creatively respond to the mission purpose of God, he was authenticating this historical role of the worship place. Worship is the space for the public witnessing of the called out person’s and community’s witness.

This public witnessing is an initiation into practical dimensions of the mission of the Kingdom of God. The identity consciousness that prompted the witness formulates the mission model. Isaiah 61:1-2 high lights the approach. When Jesus affirmed that the paradigm is fulfilled in him, he authenticates it as the methodology of mission of the Kingdom. The area where involvement is required points our attention to the margins. Those at the margins are always left out. They are either neglected or silenced. No prominent person or community gives them value or fellowship. Therefore, the only meaningful presence for them is God. God alone is their refuge. God alone is the strength to deliver from these margins. Therefore, the needed mission methodology is to be with those who have only God as their refuge. Give them fellowship, so that we become a witness for the presence of God with them. It is faith in action. It involves a preferential option for the neglected and the exploited. Universal dimension of mission is not just to be equated with geographical universalism. It involves preferential option for the socially, politically, economically, gender wise and other criterion wise marginalized areas. When God is with them, they are brought to the center, because where God is, there is the center of the Kingdom of God. Here the center is not a static reality, but a dynamic reality. Mission is to make God experiential to those who are at the margins, so that distinction between center and margins wither away and the center becomes a dynamic reality.

Rev. Dr. Sunni E. Mathew

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