Monday, November 11, 2013

New life - Sanctified , Dedicated and Renewed


On this Hoodosh Etho ( "Dedication or Renewal"Sunday), Our Achen gave a very short homily in which he presented the need to focus on the fact that we can only offer to God in the Church our first gifts from what has been blessed, sanctified, seperated and purified by Him. This is the reason why the Dedication Sunday follow immediately after the first Sunday of the Liturgical cycle (Koodosh Etho or Sanctification/Purification) before the Church journey through the next six weeks to welcome the Nativity of our Lord.

The Morning Gospel was of the woman whose offering out of her poverty, dedicated to the Temple, was found most praisworthy and honourable by our Lord God. Achen explained the need to ask to see if the offering  we bring to God are our very lives to Him or if we are just giving only that what is covenient for us.

In this we can only begin to make the attempt and pray seeking God's and each other's help .   There is a beautiful prayer that reminds us on what we as Church are to offer attributed to the Anophora of  St Athanasius from Sedro of third Sunday after Easter ,shared by Fr. Baby Varghese in his book  'West Syrian Theology'

" O    Pure and spotless Lamb,who offered Himself to the Father as acceptable offering for the expiation and redemption of the world,make us worthy that we may offer ourselves to you a living sacrifice well -pleasing unto you after the manner of your sacrifice for us. May we be accounted worthy to offer unto you,O Lord, sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving for a savour of spiritual sweetness. Let all our thoughts and words and actions be a burnt offering unto you. Grant us, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit , to appear before you without blemish all the days of our life,and ever be well-pleasing to your Godhead "

Amen

November 11, 2013

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving

Psalm 118: Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures for ever

1.Daily Morning Prayer (Indian/ Syrian Orthodox)
It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praise to your name, Most High; to proclaim your grace in the morning and your faithfulness in the night. Lord, in the morning you shall hear my voice, and in the morning I have prepared myself to appear before you. Lord, have compassion on your people; Lord, pardon and forgive the sins of all of us. Holy one, let your right hand rest upon us and pardon our infirmity, because your name is forever. Amen.

2.A Thanksgiving Prayer used by the Coptic Orthodox Church daily Seven times
Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He has covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto Him, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour. Let us also ask Him, the Lord our God, the Almighty, to guard us in all peace this holy day and all the days of our life.
O Master, Lord, God the Almighty, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition, for You have covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto You, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour.
Therefore, we ask and entreat Your goodness, O Lover of mankind, to grant us to complete this holy day, and all the days of our life, in all peace with Your fear. All envy, all temptation, all the work of Satan, the counsel of wicked men, and the rising up of enemies, hidden and manifest, take them away from us, and from all Your people, and from this holy place that is Yours.
But those things which are good and profitable do provide for us; for it is You Who have given us the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, by the grace, compassion and love of mankind, of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, through Whom the glory, the honor, the dominion, and the adoration are due unto You, with Him, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, Who is of one essence with You, now and at all times, and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
3.Armenian Orthodox Thanksgiving Prayer
Thanksgiving and glory We will give You always. You give nourishment To the flowers of the valley, And to the birds in the sky. We always enjoy Your Graces, Dear Father, Beneficent God. Glory to You, forever. Amen.

Some Thanksgiving Prayers – October 13, 2013
Oh Lord, these are only a few prayers we have forgotten to use. Have Mercy upon us and lead us to turn our lives to be as an offering of Thanksgiving. To You be Honor and Glory forever. Amen



Saturday, August 10, 2013

Musical Instruments in Holy Qurbana - Calling a spade a spade

From childhood, I have always prayed that the Church should take upon it as a mission to stop using instrumental music and help its members within the parish to concentrate more the words in the hymns of the Holy Qurbana to commit to memory and sing from the depths of our hearts to God's glory. It is unfortunate that the Catholicate is failing in this regard. Very often a compromise is achieved by stating that the choir has not been trained well and should be under Sruti. In recent time some guidelines were brought out , but a return to Orthodoxy on why we come together and what the music means in our worship should be understood , taught and understood by the laity . To this Catholicate was for which our Venerable saint Vattasheril Thrumeni has stood barvely and to it has he comited each of us if we are from the Catholicate upon his death bed. In that regard, Let us not instead heed to gimmics of the so called learned musical maesteros that has crept into Church and be open to call a spade a spade when required. Praying that the Leaders of the Church may see this as a need of the hour, For edification , here is an article friends who believe a Return to Orthodoxy is required not only in the Catholicate but also all the Oriental Orthodox Christian communities is required. Lord Have Mercy See this article at Return to Orthodoxy http://returntoorthodoxy.com/instruments-god-man-michael-wingert/

Friday, July 5, 2013

Asset Building Questions

Asset building questions

Our effort in North America by building assets – A warning question to ask?

Antiochene, OCA churches, here in North America having no connection with their Native churches. For example, OCA has turned back on the bulk of Russian church. Every Orthodox denomination has failed in North America in this, as they forgot the community or area that supported them in the first place because after 150 years, they got so used to American culture as it is comforting. Is there a real reason for the Indian church to follow suit here? Are our buildings more important than the life of individual as Orthodox Christian with struggles and suffering?

In the same light,

Catholicate foremost important effort in India - Building assets?

While we totally have to clarify our stand to anyone and to all that the Catholicate which we have been entrusted is not under or subordinate to any other Patriarchate or Catholicate be it Alexandrian Coptic, Armenian or any other like the Syrian Church which have come to help when we had problems, Let us ask if our Asset building is our foremost calling?. Or Is it to turn ourselves and help each other to live out Orthodox Christian faith? Do we have a reason to seek peace and try to help the suffering Syrian Church and welcoming those who are open to come back to Church and lead to ask in Prayer - Lord Have Mercy?

July 5, 2013

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Saints Cosma, Damain,their mother and brothers - January 22

The Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church has by God's providence in these times been blessed to see if it will follow the path by the Saints. On January 22, 2013 we commemorate with our Sister Syrian Church St. Cosma & St. Damian (+306)

St. Cosmas (Kozman), Damian, their brothers, Anthimus, Londius, and Abrabius and their mother Theodata. They were from one of the Arab countries. Their mother feared God and was compassionate and merciful towards strangers and the needy. She became a widow, while her children were young. She raised them and taught them the fear of God. Cosmas and Damian studied medicine, and they treated the sick freely. As for their brothers, they went to the desert and became monks. When Diocletian renegaded the faith and ordered the worship of idols, he was told that Cosmas and Damian were preaching in the Name of the Lord Christ in every city and urging others not to worship the idols. He commanded them brought and delivered to the governor of the city, who tortured them with different kinds of tortures. Then he asked them the whereabouts of their brothers. Upon finding out, he brought the brothers and their mother. He ordered them to raise incense for the idols, but they refused. Then he ordered the five to be squeezed through the wheel.

When they experienced no harm, he took them out and cast them in red-hot fire for three days and three nights then cast them in a hot steaming room. Finally, he placed them on red-hot iron beds. Through all this, the Lord strengthened and healed them. When the governor became weary of torturing them, he sent them to the Emperor who also tortured them. Their mother constantly encouraged them and comforted them. The Emperor rebuked her, and she cursed him in his presence and also cursed his idols. He ordered her head cut off, and she received the crown of martyrdom. Her body remained on the ground, no one dared to bury it, because of their fear of the Emperor. St. Cosmas screamed at those present saying, "Men of the city, is there not one merciful person among you who will cover the body of this poor old widow and bury her?" Straightway, Victor, Ebn-Romanus, came forward and took the body, shrouded it, then buried it. When the Emperor heard what Victor had done, he ordered him to be exiled to Egypt where he received the crown of martyrdom. The next day, the Emperor ordered the beheading of Sts.Cosmas, Damian, and their brothers. They received the crown of life in the Kingdom of Heaven. After the time of persecution was over, many churches were built for them, where God manifested many signs and wonders.

May their intercession be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.

 
http://st-takla.org/Full-Free-Coptic-Books/Coptic-Synaxarium-or-Synaxarion_English/03-Hatoor/Coptic-Calendar_22-Hator.html

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Nineveh Lent Scripture Reading

The three day lent is a lent of attrition and repentance commemorating the repentance of the people Nineveh at the preaching of Prophet Jonah.
This lent starts three weeks before the start of the Great Lent.

Monday of Three days Lent
Evening: St. Matthew 12: 31-41,
Morning: Numbers5: 5-10, Jonah 1:1- 17,Isaiah19: 17-22,
Acts13:6 - 12, Colossians1: 3-13, St. Matthew 7: 1-12

Tuesday of Three days Lent
Evening: St. Luke 4:24-32
Morning: Exodus22:28 - 30, Micah 1:1-16,Jonah 2:1-10,Nahum 1:1-14,Isaiah57: 13-19
Acts 8: 9-25,Romans1: 18- 32, St. Matthew 24: 36-46

Wednesday of Three days Lent
Evening:  St. Luke 11: 5-13, 29-32
Morning: Exodus23: 1 -9, Zephaniah1: 11-2: 4, Jonah3: 1 - 10,Isaiah41: 17-26
St. James1: 13-27, Romans15: 24-43,St. Luke11:27-36
Holy Qurbana
II Peter 2: 1-18,I Thessalonians 5: 12-24,St. Matthew 12: 38-50

Thursday / The end of Three days Lent

Before Holy Qurbana: Genesis18: 23-33, Joshua7: 6- 20, Jonah4: 1 - 11
Holy Qurbana: St. James4: 7-17,Ephesians5: 3-21, St. Luke12: 54-13: 9

Complete Lectionary availabe on
http://malankaraorthodoxchurch.in