FOCUS January 2015 Vol.

3 No: 1

Mystery and Mastery of Communication,

Rev. Dr. Valson Thampu, New Delhi Page 10

Gender Equality, Cover Photo By

Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas.

A Publication of Diaspora FOCUS

Contents
Women Enriching Church, Dr.
MariammaThomas, Florida - Page 13

Editorial, Gender Equality - Page 3

Legacy of Apostolic Fathers, Dr. Titus
Mathews, Canada Page 14

Synopsis of Metropolitans Pastoral

Letters, Sabha Tharaka October,
November, December 2014 Page 5
Impact of International Migration on Home
Churches- A Review by Jesudas M. Athyal, - Page 16

Meditation - Prisoner of Your Past, Rev.

Merin Mathew, Bhopal Page 7

A Vision for Womens Empowerment,

Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam - Page 9

Salient, but Silent Ministry of Women, Mrs.

Elzi Zac Varghese, London - Page 19

Women as Legacy Makers, Mrs.

Nirmala Abraham, Philadelphia Page 20

Editorial
Gender Equality
On 9th October 2012, schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai was
shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in Pakistan- her
crime was to have spoken up for the right of girls to be
educated. The world reacted in horror, but after weeks in
intensive care in England, Malala survived. She marked her
16th birthday with a live address from UN headquarters.
She said, I didn't want my future to be imprisoned in my
four walls and just cooking and giving birth. Most
reservedly, Malala received the Noble peace prize in
October, 2014, and she dedicated it to the childrens
causes world-wide. Violence against women and children
is a world-wide problem; it varies in intensity and degree; it
includes physical and mental. On January 2014, Delhi
edition of the Indian express reported that a father who did
not want his 11 year old daughter to study threw a heavy
stone at her head. In the Middle East and in many part of
the world we read about the domestic violence against
women. Some of these discriminations are based on
religious beliefs. Denying women their rights and freedom
to worship God in partnership with men and the whole
family is also a kind of violence against the personhood
and dignity of women.

It is against this back ground we should read what St. Paul

wrote to the Galatians (3:28): There is neither Jew nor
Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one
in Christ Jesus. We affirm in our Holy Communion
service, that we are a sharing community. We are one
Body because we all share in one Bread. It is amazing to
learn that, even now, some of our clergy are insisting that
that men and women should sit separately on two sides of
the church during worship service. As a church we often
forget this oneness in Christ and try to divide our activities
on the basis of age, gender, class, and other divisions.
However, Christian culture has provided much freedom for
women in the West and feminine emancipation has now
opened to women many professions that were closed to
them. This has created a movement towards ordination of
women in many churches; in July this year the Church of
England has finally took a momentous decision to admit
women to the episcopate. We welcome such
understanding, but churches need to accommodate others
who have strong objections to the ordination of women on

the basis of their traditional biblical understanding. The

women in our church are not demanding such radical
changes, but they would like to see more representational
participation in worship and all administrative structures of
the church. It is gratifying to note that such a change is
happening in the Diocese of North America and Europe,
and the Rt. Revd. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius should
be congratulated for creating such gender equality to
certain extent. Thirumeni seems to have opened the
possibilities further by allowing lay readership of women
during the 15th national Sevikasangham conference in
2014. It is a very good beginning.
It is time for the Mar Thoma Church to re-evaluate the
need for age and gender-segregated activities, such as
senior citizens, youth league, savikasangham and other
groupings. There are very few activities now, which
involve the entire family. Therefore, we have a designated
family Sunday, but every Sunday should be a family
Sunday. There should be a contract between generations1
to build a covenantal relationship with God and others. The
decline in youth participation in our church activities is also
partly due to this sort of segregation. We need to recreate
the idea of family cohesion once again to make our church
really a family of families. The authority of the Bible is
derived from the authority of God; the church appreciates
and understands her authority from the guidance of the
Bible. Church break-ups and denominational divisions are
also based on our limited understanding and application of
the biblical authority. Everyone in Christian circles tends to
claim biblical authority for their actions. Within the church
we have different levels and degrees of authority. What are
we looking for when we are looking for authority in the
Church? Where would we find it? We find it in scripture,
liturgy, tradition and reason.
When we think about authority we are often thinking about
controlling people or situations. We want to make sure that
everything is regulated properly, that correct theology and
practices are upheld and transmitted to the next
generation. Authority is the place we go to find the right
answers to key questions in our lives. Do we use the Bible
in a twisted sort of way to support our own views and
inclinations? It is important to remember that in the Bible
all authority lies with God.
Some people may think that the Bible is just a rule book or
a reference manual, but it is a repository of timeless truth.
It is also a narrative, a story book. Here, we have a
problem, how can these stories of the ancient times be
authoritative for us today? What is its relevance to us?
Here we need help in identifying and internalizing these
stories in our context; we too have a relevant story to tell
about our faith journeys and we are the only people who
can say it authoritatively and authentically; it is our
mission.
People accept various biblical stories in a literal or
allegorical way; there is also an accommodative way of
making us understand Gods love for us, and the created

world. The spiritual nourishment is given according to our

needs and limitations too. The Holy Spirit is there to help
us through. The authority of God is tempered with His love
for us and our freedom to choose. As Bishop Tom Wright
said, Gods authority is not the power to control people,
and crush them, and keep them in little boxes. The Church
often tries to do thatto tidy people up. Therefore, we
see Gods authority vested through the elected and
adopted individuals in the Old Testament such as
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and prophets. In
the New Testament, we find that the authority is ultimately
placed in Jesus Christ: all authority is given to me in
heaven and on earth. Then we see the authority is
invested in the apostles and through their successors
through laying on of hands and such ordination blessings
for deacons, priests and bishops. This threefold ministry
has given authority to the Church. Ordained ministers are
expected to use their authority under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit. The question for us is simply this: do we
accept and value this authority? Very few people exercise
this authority responsibly, which is indeed the reason for
decline in the influence of Christianity and the sort of
argument that we are seeing about gay marriages, sexual
adventures outsides the institution of marriage, and gay
ordination. Where do we find authority these days?
Catholic bishops at their Synod in Rome in October took
an unprecedented step to "welcome" homosexuals and
noting they had "gifts and qualities" to offer the church. As
the global synod on the family entered its second week at
the Vatican, the bishops released a midterm document
summarizing the closed-door debate taking place between
nearly 200 bishops and lay officials. While the church
reaffirmed its opposition to same sex unions and
marriages, the ground-breaking preliminary document said
homosexuality prompted "serious reflection" and was an
"important educative challenge.
Pope Francis has
changed the entrenched attitudes of the church on many
issues and the Synod is just one example of this. In spite
of the earlier enthusiasm during the first week of the
Synod, Pope Francis has suffered a setback as proposals
for wider acceptance of gay people failed to win a twothirds majority at a Catholic Church synod at its final
session. Nevertheless, the door is now opened for further
discussion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
These developments should challenge the members of the
Mar Thoma Church as well. We now have altar boys and
covenant girls in our Diocese of North America and
Europe. How long it will take for these children to develop
into fully trained and consecrated lay readers? We often
wrongly attribute the term lay leaders for men who assist
our clergy during the worship service, but it is time that we
recognize it as a fully trained and consecrated ministry of
the church and we should call it by its right title, lay reader.
We should also have a conversation about allowing
women to take up this position in our church. The
covenant girls should be allowed to graduate into lay
readership with time. We must patiently allow these issues
to evolve with prayer and under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit.
We often do not appreciate that we are part and parcel of
this continually developing story of God and His people.

What do we want to say to the next generation about the

authority of the Bible? The world they face is different from
ours; as are the challenges and opportunities, but some
things do not change. God, the gospel, and the need to
live a committed life for Christ remain as important as ever.
Pauls letter to Timothy is helpful. Paul wrote to Timothy to
secure the legacy of his lifes work and ensure that the
gospel is proclaimed faithfully and protected from
distortion. We need to pray continually and study the Bible
carefully to avoid distortions and follow the fashions and
trends of the day. Conversation and dialogue are part of
this process. Hence Revd. Dr. Valson Thampus in depth
article on The Mystery and Mastery of Conversation is
relevant and well-worth studying. He wrote: Such
communication is not a matter of education or cultural
attainments. It is not a question of this language or that, or
of generation gaps or of interpersonal bridges. It is a
matter of depth. It is depth that distinguishes the living
God from idols. Idols have just about everything, except
depth. Today we communicate as idols do to idols. Words
hit the surface and rebound. So, words resemble stones.
We need serious in depth conversation about gender
equality, and for establishing a just community for
propagating kingdom vales.
The authority that God has invested in the Bible is a very
special kind of authority that is exercised through the
people of God, telling and retelling their stories of exile and
return, of going away and coming back to God. This is
indeed the story of the world and the story is all about
healing a fractured world. The cycle will be repeated
endless times until the kingdom values and Gods
authority are established in this world. God has given us a
purpose-driven life to become agents of this healing
process. We, in our turn, have our own stories to tell. We
should empty ourselves to become a medium to carry
Gods amazing grace and become His love letter to the
world. Achieving gender equality is part of the process.
May God empower us to do His work.
Ref: 1. Zac Varghese; Contract between generations,
Messenger, July, 2011, p29-31

The Editorial Board

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Synopsis of Metropolitans Pastoral Letters in the Sabha

Tharaka October, November & December 2014
October 2014:
The success of the Indian
scientists and scientific
world
behind
the
successful
launch
of
Mangalyan in to orbit of
Mars, enabled the tricolor
flag our country to dwindle
in the hearts of cores and
cores of people in India,
which is a very notable
event.
Dr.
K.
Radhakrishnan and his coscientists
deserve
our
appreciation
in
accomplishing this mission
in their very first attempt
with less expense compared to other countries. Mar Thoma
Church has awarded the highest honor to him in 2014. God
has created man not to become salves of circumstances,
but to make the circumstances for the betterment of the
community at large. God created man from the dust of the
earth and water from the atmosphere and He created man in
his own image and when man used God-given talents and
creative intelligence he was able to conquer the universe.
In the book of Job, during the conversation between God
and Job, God is bringing to the attention of Job different
aspects and facets of his creation. After listening to God,
Job replied like this: My ears had heard of you, but now my
eyes have seen you. Job 42:5. This should be our response
when we conquer the universe by our scientific
achievements. As David sung, The heavens declare the
glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands
(Psalm 19:1). It should be our reflection also so that we may
be able to glorify God and reveal the works of his hands.
Even before the ecumenism originated in the thoughts of
denominations, our church and the Thozhiyoor church had a
very close relationship. Mathews Mar Athanasius became
the 13 Metropolitan of the Malankara Sabha after
consecrated by the Patriarch of Antioch. During that time the
Metropolitan of the Thozhiyoor church passed away without
consecrating his predecessor and our Metropolitan came
forward and consecrated the new Metropolitan for the
Thozhiyoor church; this helped to maintain the apostolic
succession and the relationship with the Antiochean Church.
It is with the co-operation of Mar Thoma Church that the
Thozhiyoor church developed its constitution and guidelines.
But both churches stood in its own faith and practices and
never changed it or interfered in others also. That
relationship helped the Mar Thoma church when the 14
Metropolitan passed away unexpectedly, the Metropolitan of
Thozhiyoor Church helped in consecrating the Titus 1 as the
Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church. Thus the two
churches are very closely related.
th

th

st

The Mar Thoma Church is using the same mooron for

baptism brought from Antioch by Mathews Mar Athanasius
by adding to the same. The koodassa conducted for mooron
is not for the new one but for increasing the old one brought
from Antioch. Even though it is unseen, we are following a
very visible ecumenical relationship during the moroon
koodassa. We are still following the relationship with the
Thozhiyoor church without sacrificing our faith and
practices. Recently, the Metropolitan of the Thozhiyoor
church passed away. During his time as the Metropolitan, he
was able to restore the relationship with Antioch throne,
enter into new ecumenical relationships, and introduce
prospective visions to the church. The bishops of our church
helped recently in consecrating the new Metropolitan Cyril
Mar Baselious for the Thozhiyoor church. Hope and pray
that the new Metropolitan can lead the Thozhiyoor church in
to new avenues. We express our deepest condolences in
the demise of Valiya Metropolitan of the Thozhiyoor church.
Nov. 2014
In November we celebrate World Sunday School day.
Children are entrusted by God to each family. Like Jesus
grown in wisdom with the grace of God, our children also
should grow in that grace. The faith and practices should
begin at families. The children should be connected to
different programs of the church. Both the family and church
should work hand in hand in this matter. The family should
reveal itself as a sanctuary to the children. When families
become fighting places and places for consumption of
alcohol, the wounds created in the minds of children are
deep. Todays children are tomorrows promises.
Unsatisfied childhood will lead in to several wrongful acts
including bribery and violence. The wrongful life patterns of
the parents are responsible for the same. When trials and
tribulations came and Israelites began to turn to other Gods,
Joshua said Me and my family will serve the Lord. Joshua
24:15. This declaration of Joshua helped the Israelites to
follow the faith in the Lord. And the people said to Joshua,
"We will serve the LORD our God and obey him. On that day
Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at
Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. (Joshua
24: 24-25). Our families should be able to deliver the same
to our community.
Church is beginning a new liturgical year in November and
celebrates Kudos Eetho (sanctification of the church)
during these days. Purification is step to reformation. Like
the people who returned from Egypt wept by hearing the
Word of God, we should be able to go through repentance,
purification and reformation. Then Nehemiah the governor,
Ezra the priest and teacher of the law, and the Levites who
were instructing the people said to them all, This day is holy
to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. For all the
people had been weeping as they listened to the words of
the Law (Nehemiah 8:9). When the meaning of the scripture
was taught to them they were able to understand, weep,
repent, and purify themselves. This is the same thing that
the reformation fathers of Malankara church did. When the

liturgy was translated from Suriyani to Malayalam, it became

a new energy to the people. That new energy and
reformation was possible only when people learned the
meaning of the Word of God. Reformation is a continuing
process and there is no end to it. Reformation is also a
process of uniting the church. We are also celebrating the
unity of Mar Thoma Church, C.S.I and C.N.I in the month of
November. It is the need of the time that churches should
be strengthened by united vision, programs.
The thoughts for the later part of November are based on
the revelation to Zechariah, the priest, and also Mary,
mother of Jesus. John Baptist is the promised son given to
Zechariah and Elizabeth during their old age. By
remembering the providence of God Zechariah said:
because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the
rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those
living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our
feet into the path of peace (Luke 1: 78-79). We should
remember that each blessing given by God is Gods
amazing grace and we should use the same for the benefit
of others so that our lives would be much fruitful. The
revelation of Lord to Mary and her reply is very meaningful.
When asked her participation for the redemption of the
world, her reply without any hesitance is to be commended.
I am the Lords servant, Mary answered. May your word
to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her (Luke 1:38). This
is the true model of submitting ourselves to the will of God.
Later we see Mary visiting Elizabeth in the mountains. The
submission of Mary was a choice she made through which
she has taken many trials and tribulations in her life. Mary
has reached before Elizabeth after overcoming, without any
fear, all challenges for the sake of the world under Gods
plan. We need to submit ourselves to the will of God and
need to grow in community, which enjoys the grace of God.
When she reached the house of Elizabeth she said: My soul
glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for
he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From
now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty
One has done great things for me holy is his name. (Luke
1:46-49). The great Lord has given us also so many
blessings. Like Mary we should be able to say for the
Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is his name.
May our Lord enable all of us to live in His grace and at the
same time live a life worthy to the church and the community
at large.
Dec. 2014
We are eagerly waiting for another Christmas season, which
could remove all the darkness in our lives and lighten it with
a shining star. We can read these words spoken by the
Zechariah, the priest, father of John the Baptist.
.because of the tender mercy of our God by which the
rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those
living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our
feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1: 78-79). We are
witnessing the finality of the care and providence of the
creator to His creation in these words. Christ is born into this
world for redeeming the human race from all its ugliness and
also to lead individuals, who has turned away by sinning,

through the eternal light to the ultimate goal. The message

delivered to the shepherds during the night Christ was born
is also a message to the whole world. But the angel said to
them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will
cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David
a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
(Luke 2: 10-11). The message do not be afraid is very
relevant and is able to provide us with courage, strength,
and new hopes in a world, which is struggling with
immorality, animosity, and disrespect. It is to be
remembered that Word has become flesh, not as an adult
but as a child. A child can grow in to a full human only at a
place where humans are being respected. Jesus was grown
and nurtured in the grace of God with human beings around
Him. But the decision to destroy the children was against all
human moralities. Several children were killed by sword on
the basis of Herods decision. We are living in a world where
there is an increase in cruel treatment of others and terrorist
activities. Any attempt to disregard the value of human life,
and the right to live freely will not be good for the entire
humanity. We need to be very serious about the disrespect
and mistrust among nations. Various international
conferences convened to strengthen mutual understanding
between countries are also failing these days to attain its
goals. The attitude of protecting ones own people, and not
to care about the people of other countries is very
dangerous, which are examples of selfish thoughts and
cruelty.
Our reflections for December is the under the beam of the
morning star, which removes the darkness in this troubled
world. The meeting between blessed Elizabeth and Mary is a
graceful occasion. The birth of John the Baptist prior to the
birth of Jesus Christ is similar to the rising of morning star
prior to the rising of sun. When angel Gabriel delivered the
message about the birth of John the Baptist, instead of
gathering the strength to believe the promise, Zechariah
asked for a signal for its truthfulness. Hence, he received a
signal to be dumb until the child is born and named. But
Mary on the other hand, when the angel revealed to her
about the birth of Jesus, never asked for any signal; she
shared her thoughts to the angel how could this happen.
That is why she was able to submit herself and declare that
I am your servant Lord, let it happen according to your
words. This should be the approach to divine tasks
entrusted to each one of us. Mary has taken a decision
herself to face all trials and tribulations for Gods purpose.
The message to Joseph was also able to abet him to take
the decision to face the struggles ahead of him; he also had
several struggles to face. We see a model family, when
Joseph and Mary agree to face the struggles for the sake of
the Lord. That family submitted to Gods will and has
become the model family for the entire world.
(Contd. on page 21)

Compiled & Translated by Lal Varghese, Esq.,

Dallas (An abridged version of Pastoral Letters
appeared in Malayalam from Sahba Tharaka, the
official publication of the Mar Thoma Church)

Prisoner of Your Past- A Meditation Based on Acts 9: 20-27

Rev. Merin Mathew, Bhopal
In one of my practical assignments from seminary, I
met a man in one of the churches, which I will leave
unnamed. This man was a full-fledged businessman
with deals in real estate and construction. He also
had a drinking problem. All this accumulated in a big
way and with a huge thud this mans life came
crashing down one fine day. He was arrested by the
police for a fraud case in land deals. Once out on
bail he had to get grip with his drinking problem. But
little by little he started to pick up his life. His huge
void in his life was filled by knowing Christ intimately
through reading the bible and composing songs. He
started prison ministries. He became very active in
church which he called his second innings. He said,
I always believe that church is not a museum of
righteous people but a hospital for broken and
shattered people like me. But all I saw in the church
was that people talking about my past and
references like Jail Mathai or Kallukudiyan Mathai
were community joke. So the place that should have
supported me and been a solace for me, held me
captive of my past. It is disgusting. Let me quote
Philip Yancey here to give us perspective. In his
classic book Whats So Amazing about Grace
Yancey says men like these ran towards Jesus, not
away from him. The worse a person felt about
herself/himself, the more likely they saw Jesus as
their refuge. Has the church lost the gift? Evidently
the down and out, who flocked to Jesus when he
lived on earth, no longer, feel welcome among his
followers. What has happened?

That is the question we need to ask. What has

happened? In the portion that we just read shows
the situation of the Post- Conversion scenario of
Saul. Once he started to proclaim Jesus boldly as
the Son of God the expected reply came from near
quarters like this Is not this the man who made
havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this

name? And has he not come here for the purpose of

bringing them bound before the chief priests? (Acts
9: 21) As we know that this very Saul was witness to
the martyrdom of Stephen. His zealous attitude had
made him a name that sent shiver down the spine.
So people definitely had their doubts and held him
captive to his past. They were not convinced that a
man with such notorious background could change
that easily. At Nazareth where Jesus made bold
declarations he too got a similar treatment.
Is not
this the carpenters son? Is not his mother called
Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph
and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters
with us? Where then did this man get all this? 57
And they took offense at him. (Matthew 13: 55-57a)
Psychologists say that knowing a vulnerable past of
a person makes him or her very manageable. This
past becomes the yardstick to show the person their
place. The label of the past will choke them no
matter how hard they will try to be liberated from it.
When we read verse 26 we find that this man came
down from Damascus, the point of his
transformation, to Jerusalem, to join the disciples.
The disciples too doubted him and were afraid of
him. They kept from him, a safe one hand distance.
They were like Nathaniel who asked, Can anything
good come out of Nazareth? (John 1: 46) In my
interactions in one of the Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings, one of the participants shared this insight
I have had a sober life for last 8 years. But I am still
vulnerable for a relapse into addiction. The greatest
trouble or frustration that I have is how people look
at us. They keep condemning us. Sometimes I feel it
is better to be an alcoholic. At least you are suffering
for what you do. By abstaining and trying very hard
to lead a normal life, people still hold us captive for
not what we are, but what we used to be."
Let me end this meditation with a real life story of
Henry Covington. I read about him in the marvelous
book called Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom.
Henry has a very terrible childhood with violent
neighborhood, guns, street fights and broken family
to deal with. He slept every day fearing rats. Slowly
but surely his steps led him to murky life realities. He
started to be a drug dealer, made quick money. He
felt guilty, quit it, married his girlfriend. But when he
saw his brother earn big bucks he entered again into
the world of crime. He went to jail, had bouts of
severe addiction related problems. But time and
again he encountered Christ that was his rock and
comfort. Finally he gave his life to Jesus and turned
into a pastor. With his terrible background, there was

not much hope. But he started to target those who

had a terrible past like him. He wanted a church for
those where these so called scum bags would feel at
home. He therefore started a ministry called I am
my brothers keeper Ministry. He distributed food
for the homeless and gave them clothes to wear and
when all other pastors shamed the people on streets
for their drug addiction, Henry Covington like the
Wounded Healer would share his struggles to
people like Cass and Joe who had similar problems.
He opened up his church for the homeless. His
congregation was people from the streets. And this
is how he preached to them. Brothers we are all
captives of our past. They just look at our past. Even
we too get stuck there. Therefore we miss seeing the
miracle God has done. What he can do. There are
people who know my past. There are people who tell
me We know you, you can only cheat people. I say
to them You knew me. You know that person back
then. But you are not seeing the person God is
making me, who I am trying to become. My dear
brothers, God is bigger than your past. You are not
your past. God is making a way in the desert, and
streams by the wayside. In Sauls case there was
Barnabas who dared to look beyond the past of Saul
and was ready to embrace the new creation that
God was unfolding. Let us take a moment to thank
people who stood by us in our period of crisis. When
people wrote us off, there were Barnabases in our
lives who were able to see the people we were
struggling to become. I have many such Barnabases
to thank. They had every right to judge me and hold
me captive to my past, but out of grace and divine
love they were ready to give me a chance to become
a person that God intended. I am a product of such
small graces in life. I am sure it is in midst of deep
pain of loneliness that Paul realized the love of Jesus
and he declared Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come: The old has gone, the
new is here! 2 Corinthians 5: 17. My dear friends the
new creation is just waiting to happen. Embrace it.
Editors
Note:
Rev.
Merin
Mathew is ordained as a priest of
Mar Thoma Church in 2011 and
the Vicar of Bethel MTC, Kolar
Road, Bhopal. He is author of the
book "Burning Bush: 50 Biblical
Meditations', which won the
Malliackal M. C. George Achen
endowment memorial prize for
the best book written by a clergy,
and the award was handed over
to him during the at Mandalam in
2014 held at Thiruvalla, Kerala.

Pearls of Wisdom from Down the

Ages-6
A Reading from the Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World*
The holiness of marriage and family:
Man and woman, who by conjugal pact are no longer two
but one, help and minister to each other in an intimate
linking of their persons and activities; they experience the
real meaning of their union and achieve it more every day.
This intimate union of two persons giving themselves to
each other demands their full fidelity and argues for their
indissoluble unity; so does the good of their children.
Christ our Lord abundantly blessed this manifold love
which springs from the source of divine charity and forms
a union on the model of his own union with his Church. For
just as God once encountered his people in a covenant of
love and trust, so now as the savior of the world and the
spouse of the Church he encounters faithful spouses in the
sacrament of Christian marriage. Moreover, he remains
with them; just as he loved the Church and gave himself
up for it, so do married partners, by a mutual surrender,
love each other with a lasting fidelity. Full conjugal love is
taken up into divine love, guided and enriched by the
redemptive virtue of Christ and the Churchs saving action.
Thus, married people are effectively led to God and helped
and strengthened in the sublime function of a father or
mother. Christian married people are fortified in the dignity
of their state, and consecrated to its duties by a special
sacrament. Carrying on their conjugal and family functions
by virtue of this, penetrated by the Spirit of Christ who fills
their lives with faith, hope and charity, they make steady
progress towards their own perfection and mutual
sanctification and give glory to God in unison.
Children and indeed all those living in a family circle, will,
by parents example and by family prayer, more easily find
the way of salvation and holiness. Parents clothed with the
dignity of the office of fathers and mothers will diligently
carry out the task of education which is first and foremost
theirs, especially that of religious upbringing.
Children, as living members of the family, contribute in
their own way to the sanctification of their parents. They
will respond with gratitude and affection, devotion and
trust to the benefits they receive from their parents, and,
as children should, they will remember their parents needs
in time of trouble or in the loneliness of old age.
Collected by Dr. Zac Varghese from A Word in Season
edited by H. Ashworth, 1974; The Talbot Press, Dublin,
page 204-205.
Editors Note: Dr. Zac Varghese, London, U.K., was the
director of Renal and Transplantation Immunology
Research of Royal Free Hospital and Medical School in
London. He is an Emeritus Professor and continues to be a
supervisor for doctoral studies even after his retirement. He
is also a prolific writer on religious and ecumenical issues
for the good of Mar Thoma Diaspora.

A Vision for Womens Empowerment

Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam
The subject A vision for womens empowerment is
integral to various womens issues such as eco-feminism,
impact of globalization on women, women and church
life, environmental crisis and women etc. The voices of
women activists in the global context have to deal with 3
major concerns: 1) To understand and to analyze the term
voices of dissent for womens social justice.2) To gain
deeper insight of the voices of dissent through common
sharing of experiences as field workers, organizers,
counselors, legal advocates and teachers.3) To respond
critically to womens issues from the angle of human rights.
The historic gender assembly of the YMCAs of India held in
2011 at YMCA New Delhi has come out with several
recommendations and perspectives for gender parity. The
affirmation of the support for the passage of the Womens
Reservation Bill in the India Parliament is worth noting.
What is required today is to speak for a humane face of
womens empowerment and gender justice. For the
transformation of the society, one has to speak and act for
the celebration of spiritual values. In the biblical tradition of
the Church, image of women most often has been modeled
after Martha who was busy in the Kitchen handling mundane
things than like Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus and
pursued truth (Lk.10: 42). Even the very portrayal of Mary,
the Mother of Jesus, has been pictured in the garb of a
docile woman. In his book, Mary and Human Liberation,
Tissa Balssurya, a Sri Lankan Theologian, has come out with
the radical traits of Mary with new value systems for social
transformation. To quote, At a time when women wish to be
full human persons in their own right in spite of long
centuries of domestication, a more balanced understanding
of Mary can help them to evolve their own spirituality as they
face the many and new problems that life brings them.
Mary was sharing the cross with Jesus in his confrontation
with the powers whether religious or secular. She provided a
note of dissent to the false spirituality that emptied people of
the divine will. When we talk about gender justice we need
to search for a reading of the scriptures and traditions with
new eyes. The time has come before us to ask whether the
Bible reads us rather than we read the Bible!. It is to be
remembered that Jesus as a feminist was quite conscious of
the powers which destroy the life of co-humanity in women.
He was primarily concerned about the humanization of
structures. His call was the call to discipleship across
gender divides. If the story of
the woman caught in
adultery is read with a new caption like the
story of
adulterous men then the message will come out with
radical concerns for social transformation.
A greater appreciation of the spirituality of women is
required for social amity. In several cases, womens causes
are frustrated by women themselves due to misconceptions
and lack of trust in their own potential. I remember to have
read an article entitled, Ladies First, Derek Williams
argues that the Church should give greater recognition of
the spiritual values represented by them. She wrote: Look at
the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19:Which sex do they
remind you of? Male! She adds except Jealousy, all are
generally accepted aggression of the male ego!. Even

among the fruits of the Spirit, the author argues that love, joy
peace, gentleness, patience and the rest are associated with
women!. Yes, there is truth in it. The basic question is this:
Does Feminism provides an alternative vision for the
present and the future?. In peace building process, feminist
values are to be duly recognized. Eco-spirituality is indeed
truly represented by women. The concept of the Earth as
Mother symbolizes the divine call for upholding values
represented by women. A movement from religion to
spirituality is the need of the hour for social transformation.
Religion tends to be God-centered; but spirituality is people
centered. In the Bible God in Christ dies for the good of
humankind. According to Jesus, the life of any single human
being-outcast, leper, prostitute, alien, orphan, widow, pooris more precious than the whole world, which explains Gods
uncompromising commitment to justice. When we define,
justice no gender is to be attached to it. The call to build a
culture of peace is calls to all humankind across gender
divide. This is possible if we entertain right priorities and
options in social life. For this we need to overcome
violence, prejudice and even traditions which suppress true
humanity. Overcoming anything is
a conscious act to
alter the situation. This is what we find in Jesus conversation
with the Samaritan women. The notion of overcoming means
positively, peace building, reconciliation, exploring
alternative methods, and even to show readiness to remain
committed to truth. Defining mission in the truth of Christ is
the need of the hour. As Jesus said, truth alone will make us
free. But truth should first make us miserable. Truth is not
given to us in a capsule. It is to be explored in each
generation under the guidance of the Spirit.. The UN Global
Monitoring Report-for education makes it plain that girls
continue to face sharp discrimination in access to school.
Let truth speak for itself and make us ashamed. The Nobel
peace prizewinner Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan has
reaffirmed this.
The Focus Online write-ups in its current issue may be
able to create a few ripples in the vast sea of our social and
church life a ripple becomes a wave through its kinetic
force. This is like the possibility of making a quilt. A vision or
a perspective in the Church or community emerges out of
many pieces of insights and ideas shared by the solidarity of
men and women who act as agents of change and channels
of grace. For development and peace, we need men and
women who share a common vision for the soukhya of the
community. Let Loka samasta sukino bhavantu be on our
lips.
Editors Note: Rev. Dr. M.J. Joseph, M.Th., D. Th, is the former
Director of the Ecumenical Christian Centre, Bangalore. He has also
served as Professor and Principal, Mar Thoma Theological
Seminary, Kottayam, India. As a former member, Faith and Order
Commission of the World Council of Churches, he is widely known
for his ecumenical and ecological contributions. He has served as
Secretary Board of Theological Education, Senate of Serampore
College (University). He currently serves as Convener, Ecological
Commission, of the Mar Thoma Church. Dr. Joseph has also
authored several articles, poems and books available both in English
and Malayalam languages. E-Mail: drmjjoseph_65@yahoo.co.in

The Mystery and Mastery of Communication

Rev. Dr. Valson Thampu, New Delhi
All of us communicate. To be human is to communicate.
Other forms of life also, sort of, communicate. But in us, as
human beings, communication has a special significance
and a sublime scope.
The fact that all human beings communicate makes us a
little blind to the mystery of communication. As a rule, we
take whatever we have, or do, for granted. We become blind
to them. Or, to use the word that the Psalmist used, we
forget them. We forget Gods blessings upon us (Ps. 103:
1-4). So, the Psalmist exhorts, And forget not all his
benefits.

Why do we say that communication is quintessentially

human? Actually it is not. It is only deductively human.
Communication is the attribute of God. We communicate
because we are created in the image and likeness of God.
In communicating, we partake of (or reflect) the nature of
God! This alone should make us quite wary of what, and
how, we communicate. We need to speak as we ought to.
And what we ought to. Speaking, therefore, must include
silence. Silence, indeed, is the seed and secret of
communication. How we communicate not only reveals but
also shapes who we are in a very substantial way. Abuse of
the power of communication corrupts our being. Hence the
teaching, If you call your brother a fool, you will stand
before the judgment seat. It is not for nothing that we say,
mind your tongue! What this means, incidentally, is also
that communication is a great deal more than the wagging of
your tongue. So, let not your tongue run away with, or bear
false witness to, who you are. Let your tongue be your
servant, not vice versa. If your tongue tries to be your
master, be unsparing, says Jesus. Cut it off! Likewise with
your hand, your eye, your everything.
But let us return to the question, how is communication
possible at all? This question is the same as, why is it so
human to communicate? Well, let us get going with this
question.

I have been in the business of communication for the last

four decades, at the very least. As days go by, my sense of
wonder about the mere possibility of communication only
increases. Think of communicating with words! Of course,
we use many things else, besides words, to communicate.
But we do talk of verbal communication, dont we? Words
are mere symbols. And all of them are arbitrary symbols.
There is no law that prescribes that the word book, for
example, should mean a rectangular object made of paper.
We have come to agree that it should. So it does for those
who consent to that correlation. For someone outside that
association, the sound word could mean, say, a piece of
wood or a sliver of cheese. In another language, likewise, the
same object what we call book could be known by
another symbol. Yet, the words I utter serve as the link
between my mind and yours. In speaking, I produce some
sound waves corresponding (by sheer convention) to these
words, or symbols. They reach you and, in the mystery of
things, you interpret these sound waves to mean what I
mean!
How is this possible?

If human beings were like straight lines, there would have

been no communication. Two straight lines cannot hold
anything. To communicate, quite literarily, is to hold things
together. If you keep two poles side by side, or end-to-end,
they cannot hold a body. You need to not only place them
side by side but also connect them with something; a piece
of strong fabric, for example. Now you no longer have just
two poles, but a stretcher. But a stretcher is no longer two
straight (or crooked) lines. It is a rectangle, so to speak. You
have created horizontal space (length + breadth), in addition
to distance, which is only length. But a stretcher can hold
only a still body. And communication is not a still thing. It is
a moving, wave-like, dynamic thing. Communication is like a
flowing river, not a stagnant puddle. Our words resonate.
They ascend and descend. They crisscross. They leap, they
run, and they trot. Also, they can be, so to speak, more than
what they appear to be. Words, in communication, have not
only length and breadth. They also have depth. Now, depth
is the hallmark of life. Death is the forfeiture of depth. A
corpse has length and breadth. It has no depth. Depth
belongs to Life. It stems from God.
To be created in the image and likeness of God is to be
imbued with depth, in particular the depth of Life. (Are you
surprised that the words of the godly have power?) The
fullness of life that Jesus offers needs to be understood in
this light. How can there be fullness of life, if we choose to
remain shallow? (If you want to take this thought further
afield consider the Rich Young Man in St. Matthew 19: 1624. Shallowness was the affliction of this man of material

abundance.) Yet that is what most Christians choose. They

think that the gleanings of depth can be picked, somehow,
from the paddy field of shallowness. It is a clever thing, isnt
it, to have the best of both worlds. But those who fall
between two stools really do not look very smart.
Now think of St. John 12: 24. The grain of wheat must fall
down and die. This death is quite different from the death
that our body suffers. It is death to two-dimensional life. The
outcome of this death is that the grain of wheat is shifted
from the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional life. On
being sown, the grain of wheat is relocated in a new horizon
of possibilities: that of depth. Spirituality is all about depth.
The Spirit is the domain of the Depth of Life. That is why, in
the Judaeo-Christian tradition, we cannot communicate, in
the true sense of the word (or concept) without the Spirit.
We can make noise and create noise pollution. But we
cannot communicate.
Why do you think Jesus rebuked the evil spirit that
pretended to bear witness to him (St. Mark 1: 21-28)? Jesus
was admonishing communication as it should not be, or
demonic communication. (For there is such a thing!) He was
denouncing communication as mere noise. In the words of
St. Paul, communication as sounding brass and tinkling
cymbal (1Cor.13:1-2). So we can speak without
communicating. Well, that is what we do most of the time!
God alone knows what we mean when we say, Good
morning, or what others understand when we utter those
words. Or, what we mean when we pray and praise God,
preach and propagate, utter expressions of gratitude,
appreciation, assurance and so on. A great deal of our
communication is no communication at all. It is sounding
brass and tinkling cymbal. God is insulted by this. Hence the
terse instruction from Jesus, Let your yes be yes and
your no, no. Do not, he said, use too many words
when you pray. Do not think, that is, that your sounding
brass and tinkling cymbal makes a sweet-sounding spiritual
orchestra!
Jesus is the Word. In him we experience the mystery and
mastery of communication. If only youll say a word, a
Roman Centurion, once said to Jesus, my servant will be
healed. Well, the Centurion would have sensed something!
Whether he understood what he was saying well enough, I
am in no position to avow. Very likely, he knew the import of
his words deep below the level of sound. The dead body of
Lazarus heard that voice. At that voice demons flee. The
voice of the Word cleanses lepers, opens the eyes of the
blind and the ears of the deaf. The Word communicates and,
in so doing, gives us an experiential, or incarnate, idea of
what it means to communicate.
One thing is sure. The power of communication stems from
the depth. Well, I have heard musicians say pretty much the
same thing. Bring up your voice, theyd say, from deep
within. If you dont, all your technical perfection will hit the
ceiling in no time. Without the resources of the depth, there
is only this far that you can go.
If so, the next question: what is the bridle path to that
depth? Why do we remain, or how do we become, shallow?
St. John has an answer that we better take seriously.

The Word, John says, became flesh (St. John 1: 14). The
simplest understanding of this rather poetic and evocative
expression is that the Word embraced the world of
experience. Not any kind of experience; but experience that
expresses its essence. The biblical (Hebraic) worldview,
unlike the Hellenic, is dynamic. The Greeks perfected the art
of abstract thinking as nobody else could. The Hebrew
genius found an experiential, not exclusively contemplative,
expression. The Jews contemplated -or sought, if you likethrough experience. Experience, as life teaches us, is the
unfolding access to the depth. It is the bridge being built
under our feet. Even as we walk. Only if we walk. It is the
landscape that reveals more of itself as we walk. The
Psalmist, for instance, links experience with the light of the
Word (cf. Psalm 119: 105). The Word is the lantern to ones
feet, the light to ones path. A lantern is less than a lantern in
the hands of one who has no intention to walk. The light of
the Word is relevant only to those who wish to walk in the
way of faith, or to experience it. Truth to tell, our very being
is instinct with this thirst for experiential depth. How can we
meet the thirst for the depth of life, except through
experiences? Can a paralytic, who lives horizontally (and has
no experience of depth) assuage his existential thirst by
living stretched out on that bed forever? Shouldnt he take
up his bed and walk? Saying take up your bed and walk is
true communication in its context. (And not uttering
sentimental nonsense like Oh, what a pity, Poor man, this
should not have happened to him, Im so sorry, this has
befallen you, and so on.) Who, except one who has spiritual
eyes, can see this truth, as Jesus did (St. Mark 2: 5)? Who
else, but the Word, could have said, Take up your bed and
walk?
Now, the mark of a paralytic is dependence. Sadly, that is
what our materially empowered secular life or worldview
has reduced us to. We are at risk of becoming (if we have
not reached there already) existential paralytics. We are so
dependent! On entertainment, on sex, on alcohol, on drugs,
on sleeping pills, on this accessory or that amenity of life
Let the newspaper not arrive, the cable/DTH network not
function, the power fail or the taps run dry even for a
day
And now consider John the Baptist. Why did he live free
from all these? Was there any connection between the fierce
simplicity of his lifestyle and the fiery power of his words?
Remember, he was the voice crying in the wilderness. We
are at danger of becoming the voice of the wilderness.
And that makes all the difference. The voice of the
wilderness cannot communicate. As I write this, I hear the
heart-breaking cry of the lady typist in T. S. Eliots poem,
the Waste Land. Why dont you speak to me, she pleads
with her husband, Speak to me, speak. Her man does not
speak. He had nothing to say. As a denizen of the
wasteland, he could have had nothing to say. Yet nothing is
more desperately needed than communication. Also,
nothing
is
more
despairingly
impossible
than
communication. Mistake not, for Gods sake, the sound and
fury raging out there in the public space as communication!
Communication makes the difference between the Waste
Land and the Promised Land. The Waste Land is the
Promised Land sans communication; for communication is
what transforms union into communion. But then, what is
union that falls short of communion? Jesus, in the context of

the wedding of Cana of Galilee, turned water (union) into

wine (communion). Stale marriages dont tell me you dont
know this- bristle with the violence of silence. Marriages as
one-flesh mysteries (Gen. 2: 24, Ephesians 5: 32) are
awash in the wine of communication.
Such communication is not a matter of education or cultural
attainments. It is not a question of this language or that, or
of generation gaps or of interpersonal bridges. It is a matter
of depth. It is depth that distinguishes the living God from
idols. Idols have just about everything, except depth. Today
we communicate as idols do to idols. Words hit the surface
and rebound. So, words resemble stones. Will anyone, if his
son asks for bread, queried Jesus, give him stone? Well,
of course. That is what we do most of the time! What is
bread, once it has lost its depth? How is it any better than a
stone? Stones can yield only stones. So we have a pelting of
words some mild, some wild- that we are unlettered
enough to call communication.
The mystery of communication is encoded in the grammar of
life. We cannot become better communicators by trying to
enlarge our vocabulary, bolster our language base, brush up
our idioms or turns of speech, replenish our information
bank or refine our sentiments. We have to become human
and not remain living corpses (or, whited sepulchers of life).
We must re-learn the lost art of loving to the point of dying.
We must return to life. We must and now you must let me
use the word that Jesus used, for there is none betterrepent. We must go back home, as the prodigal son did,
from the far country. Return from the way of death to the
way of life (St. Matthew 7: 13, 14). Communication is the
privilege of the living. It is into life that God calls us. Return
to life and communication will take care of itself.
There is, believe me, no other way. In the end, mystery is not
in communication. Mystery inheres in life. Mystery, as
Kierkegaard pointed out, denotes the presence of the divine.
Mystery is not mans portfolio. Life is mysterious only
because it is Gods invention. It is from life, and from life as
profound experience enfolded in the will of God, that words
derive the power of mystery. The mastery of communication
can happen, hence, only by surrendering ourselves to the
mystery of Life, even Life in all its fullness (St. John 10: 10b)
Editors
Note:
Rev.
Valson Thampu is an
Indian
educator,
and
Christian theologian, who
is the present Principal of
St. Stephen's College,
University of Delhi, Delhi,
since 2008. He is an
ordained
minister
of
Church of North India and
a member of the National
Minorities Commission in
India and Delhi Minorities
Commission.
Thampu
pursued Ph.D. in theology
from Sam Higginbottom
Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences. He can be
reached on his email id vthampu@gmail.com

ETERNAL PEACE, ITS ROOT

Dr. K. K. Mathew, Kayamkulam, Kerala
Shining clouds sailing high in the sky!
Doves in white fly everywhere!
His spirit is flowing incessantly!
I saw it in a dream.
When I peep out, the sky looks threatening!
Darkness spreads everywhere!
Thunderstorm strikes!
Lightning cuts through bombards.
How my dream comes true, I thought, !
Never is it, my heart whispers. !
Love is invisible, selfishness rules !
Earth is burned and wretched.
Passion rules man, they pull him down!
Disquiet prevails, it is hell!
Hatred is man's creation it is folly!
When God guides, he wins over the senses !
And he is at peace, immortal.
Again, I saw Him in majesty!
I cling on with adhesive, so strong it is!
Darkness all vanish, sun shines!
So cool the breeze that blows!
Passions all dissolve to nothing!
I relish calmness at its height!
The peace at its best, the stillness with perfection
!It is pure and holy!
The world becomes heaven.
When I look through Him !
The world looks different!
I see every one, my dear ones!
As He guides me, I am to follow Him only
!I take the agony of others as mine
!It is my service of all times.!
I stand bold in tribulations!
The life with Him is the finest ever!
It is sublime tranquil!
And I am at peace forever.

http://www.un.org/disarmament/special/poetryforpeac
e/poems/mathewk/ (published previously)
Editors Note: Dr. K.K. Mathew is one of the distinguished
and talented physicians and author of
several books and short poems. He has
also received several distinguished
awards including from IBC, Cambridge
and Manava Seva award of Mar Thoma
Church in 2013. He has a high degree
of spiritual content in life and
professional work. In his profession as
a physician, he has introduced a new
concept, the Healing of the Soul, and his book Spiritual
Medicine: a Doctors Confessions (2006) has acquired
special
recognitions.
He
can
be
reached
at
drkkmathew@gmail.com

Women Enriching the Church

Dr. Mariamma Thomas, Florida
St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians (3:28) says, that
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male
nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. This
was a lofty ideal set before the neo-converts on the day
of their initiation to Christianity through baptism. We
affirm in our Holy Communion service, that we are a
sharing community. We are one Body because we all
share in one Bread. As a church we often forget this
oneness in Christ and try to divide our activities on the
basis of age, gender, class, and other divisions. The
idea of women enriching the church emerges from the
background of this division; we should be enriching
each other and together should be enriching the church
and society.

segregated activities, such as senior citizens, youth

league, savikasangham and other groupings. There are
very few activities, which involve the entire family as a
family. Therefore, we have a designated family Sunday,
but every Sunday should be a family Sunday. As Dr.
Zac Varghese wrote in the Messenger there should be
a contract between generations to build a covenantal
relationship with God and our brothers and sisters.
Many women in the Mar Thoma Church have
contributed much for the growth of the church and they
have done it quietly without shouting for gender
equality and the institution of feminine theology.
Feminine emancipation has now opened to women
many professions that were closed to them. This has
created a movement towards ordination of women in
many churches; in July this year the Church of England
has finally took a momentous decision to admit women
to the episcopate. The women in our church are not
demanding such radical changes, but they would like
to see more representational participation in all
administrative structures of the church. A great deal of
the work of a priest is pastoral and requires the gifts
traditionally associated with women. We are not meant
to be clones of one another, but rather to discover
riches in our diverse talents.

We recognize that the family is the school of faith and

mothers provide the most powerful influence on the
faith formation of children and teenagers. We are also
aware of the tremendous changes the family life has
undergone over the last fifty years, and the present day
diversity in family structures and relationships. In many
instances women have become income providers and
means for facilitating movements of immediate and
extended families to various parts of the world.
Women in this respect contributed much in building the
Diocese of North America and Europe and they
continue to do so in many ways.

God has given women special talents for suffering

silently and gracefully, listening, multi-tasking, and
providing
much
needed
servant-ministry
and
hospitality. It is the women who provide the emotional
shelter for our communities. In the wilderness of our
diaspora existence, we need shelter; we need the
shelter of the community, its interdependence, shared
wisdom, respect and trust. A mothers God-given
instinct of sheltering her children is equally applicable
to the church community. It is in this sheltering aspect
women provide the greatest contribution for enriching
the church.

Families are stretched and stressed from many

directions. Shared family activities such as eating
together and finding time for conversation and prayer
have suffered because of busy work schedules and a
rise in the mindfulness in keeping isolated individual
spaces and activities. There is demonstrable decline in
family religious practices at home and participation of
young people in the life of the church. In addition,
parents increasingly become inadequate for sharing
our
Christian
traditions
with
their
children.
Unfortunately, our church has contributed to the
problem by over-emphasizing age and gender-

Editors Note: Dr. Mariamma

Thomas is a graduate of the
Ludhiana
Christian
Medical
College and has worked in
hospitals in the UK and the
United States of America since
1960. She is a founder member
of the Association of Physicians
and Dentists of the Mar Thoma
Church, in the United States of
America. She is a founder member of the FOCUS and a
member of its international committee.

Legacy of Apostolic Fathers

Dr. Titus Mathews, Calgary, Canada
Apostolic Fathers were a group of early Christian church
leaders whose writings are the most important sources to
understand the developments of the three pillars of
Christianity namely: the cannon of scripture, the creed and
the clerical hierarchy. There are ten or eleven authors whose
works are included in the collection of these writings. They
are a diverse group of people from Ignatius of Antioch and
Polycarp of Smyrna to the Shepherd of Hermas and cover a
broad range of issues. They cover a time frame from the
writings of the New Testament to the development of creed,
specifically the second century of Christian era. The books
st
included in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers are: 1 and
nd
2 Clement; letters of Ignatius, of Polycarp and of Barnabas;
Martyrdom of Polycarp; Didache, Papias and Shepherd of
Hermas: and letter of Diognetus.

Antioch in the early second century. There was persecution

of Christians and Ignatius was condemned to be martyred in
Rome. He wrote his letters on the way to Rome. His
concerns were disunity in the church and false teachings.
There would be unity only when there is obedience to the
bishop. Doceticism, that is, Jesus only appeared to be
human, and Ebeonite arguments that Jesus was only human
were both false to Ignatius. He also opposed Judaizing, the
argument that Christians ought to be Jews first through
circumcision and obey Jewish law.
Polycarp was bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor. From the
request of the church in Philippi it is clear that he was a
revered church father. It is clear from Polycarps letter to
Philippians that he is concerned about false teachings and
immoral living by some of its members (theft of church
funds). Polycarp died as a martyr when he was an old man.
A detailed account of his martyrdom is given in the collection
of the writings of Apostolic Fathers. Polycarp was a victim of
the instigations of the mob and he calmly faced his execution
by burning at the stake.
nd

2 Clement is anonymous sermon and not a letter from the

th
bishop of Rome. It was discovered only in the 17 century.
nd
Scholars date it to the first half of the 2 century from a
theological perspective. The sermon involves and exposition
of scripture and urges appropriate behavior.
It is an
important document because it reveals how Christians
nd
worshipped during the middle of 2 Century.

1st Clement is a letter from the Church of Rome to the

Church of Corinth about the overthrow of elders in an
ecclesiastical coup pleading to reinstate them. It was written
towards the end of the 1st century. The letter recommends
orderly transition in leadership through apostolic succession.
It clearly points to the development of structures in the
churches set up by Paul as charismatic communities in which
spirit alone was in charge. Secondly it is clear evidence of
the Church of Rome trying to exert its influence over another
church. The Church in Rome was the largest at the time and
Rome was the capital of the empire. In due course it became
the pre-eminent church, with its bishop becoming the Pope.
Letters of Ignatius were written to several (seven) churches
in Asia Minor. Ignatius was the bishop of the church of

Didache is an anonymous document, which gave information

about several aspects of Christianity during the late first and
early second century of Common Era. A copy of the book
th
was discovered in the 19
century in a library in
Constantinople. It addressed the practical questions of living
a Christian life such as how they should behave, how should
they practice their religion, what should they believe and who
should they follow. As much of Jesus teaching was of
ethical nature, his followers ought to live an ethical life. The
book gave clear instructions about how to perform baptism,
how to conduct prayers and fasting and how to practice
Eucharist,
the
periodic
thanksgiving
meal
that
commemorated the Last Supper. It also gave instructions
about how to deal with itinerant preachers, who were
exploiting local congregations. It urged election of bishops
and deacons. Didache obviously represented a transitional
phase in the development of Church offices. The earliest
Christians were apocalyptically oriented, i.e., they believed
the end time was near and this continued for some time.
One of the popular writings of the Apostolic Fathers was the
Shepherd of Hermas. The book gave account of a series of
visions of a prophet named Hermas. It is not clear who he
was as some claimed he was a brother of the bishop of
Rome and others as a companion of Paul. The visions were
interpreted to him bay an angelic figure who appeared as a
shepherd. The book is clearly apocalyptic in nature, similar
to St. Johns Revelation. It concerns instructions about how
to live in this world, a list of commandments and a set of
parables. In one of the visions a church is being built of
different stones (different kind of people?) by angels. In
another vision there is a terrifying monster representing

tribulations the Church is facing. In another, the Shepherd

comes to live with Hermas and gives commandments from
God. The book Shepherd of Hermas is a very long book.

First Communion and Confirmation: A

Historical Ecumenical Event in London

The letter to Diognetus is a Christian apologetic, i.e., a

defense of Christianity. As the number of Christians grew
they brought opposition of locals practicing their religion and
increased persecution. The Church was able to defend itself
because the number of intellectuals joining the church could
argue for its validity, its moral practices and its superiority.
Christianitys defenders included Origen in Alexandria,
Tertullian in Carthage and Justin Martyr in Rome. The
anonymous letter to Diognetus was unknown until it was
discovered in Constantinople in 1436.

The members of the St. Georges Anglican Parish in north

Harrow and Sinai MTC, North London came together on
Sunday 26th October, 2014, to give glory to God through a
joint Holy Communion service using Mar Thoma liturgy. This
was a very significant historical event in the intercommunion
relationship with the Church of England, which started in
1936 and solidified through various stages over the last 78
years. This service is a milestone event because three
children from the Anglican parish of St. Georges came
forward for the confirmation and the first communion with 16
children of the Mar Thoma Church.
The vicar of the St.
Georges parish, Father Stephen Keeble, and the vicar of the
Sinai Mar Thoma Church, Revd Dr. Thomas Philips, should
be congratulated and thanked for their prophetic vision and
leadership.

Though these books are ancient, they were collected

together only in modern times. Most of them were forgotten
through the centuries and even during the reformation era.
However, during the seventeenth century there began
curiosity about early Christian writings partly due to the
discovery of new manuscripts. In Britain there was debate
between the bishops of the Church of England, who argued
for apostolic authority and radical puritans who wanted to
abolish ecclesiastical structures.
As a result of these
debates there arose an interest in collecting early noncanonical writings. The Writings of Apostolic Fathers is the
result.
What Christians believed was clearly stated in the Nicene
Creed, which was finalized during the first three Councils of
Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus. The canonicity of the
New Testament books was established only in the fourth
century. It was the bishop of Alexandria, Mar Athanasius,
who first gave the list of twenty-seven books of the New
Testament. This was not contested by other bishops of the
day. The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers were earlier than
both the creedal statement and the New Testament. The
legacy of the Writings is that it shows how Christians lived
and practiced their religion during the early centuries.
What is the relevance of these writings to Mar Thoma
Christians? We claim our reformation was to remove all the
beliefs and practices, which crept into the church life over the
centuries and return to the purity of early Christian churches.
Studying the Writings of the Apostolic Fathers should enable
us to examine whether our Church has accomplished this.
Editors
Note:
Dr.
Titus
Mathews is Professor Emeritus
of Physics at the University of
Calgary,
Alberta,
Canada.
Educated in U.C. College and
Madras Christian College, he
received his Ph.D. degree from
University of London (Imperial
College) in 1962. He joined the
University of Calgary in 1966
and has served as Professor and Head of Physics
Department and also as Associate Vice-President
(Academic). He has been awarded the Good Servant Medal
by Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, Out Standing
Service Award by India-Canada Association and Alberta
Government. He is also the recipient of Queen Elizabeth
Golden Jubilee medal for service to the University of Calgary.

Rt. Revd Dr. Thomas Mar Theethos of the Mumbai Mar

Thoma Diocese confirmed the children, gave them their first
communion, and blessed them. This happened because of
the ecumenical understanding of our Metropolitan, Diocesan
Bishop, Rt. Revd. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius, Bishop of
London, area bishop of Willesden, church wardens and the
executive committee of two parishes. It was a God-given
opportunity to welcome Bishop Theethos to North London to
mark such a milestone in the faith journey of the young
people of both parishes taking Communion for the first time,
to be confirmed and to celebrate our sharing of the Gospel
across denominational, national and cultural boundaries.
Over 400 people participated in the service, choirs of both
parishes contributed to the beauty and serenity of the service
under the leadership of the organist, Mr. Huw Jones. We look
forward for more such fellowship and worship services
through the grace of God.

The Impact of International Migration on Home

Churches: The Mar Thoma Syrian Christian Church in
India (Article by Prema Kurien in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
2014. 53(1):109-129)
A REVIEW by Jesudas M. Athyal, Boston (First Part)
Prema Kuriens article, The Impact of International
Migration on Home Churches: The Mar Thoma Syrian
Christian Church in India makes an important contribution
to discussions on concepts such as migration and locality
that have gained complex new meanings in political
discourse as well as in social and religious studies. National
boundaries, patriotism, attachment to a homeland and its
symbols are today being re-defined by the transnational
cultures and symbols of communities that defy the borders
of official territories. As Kurien argues, immigrants, with their
mere presence in their new locations, re-articulate the
discourse and introduce newer perspectives. Within the
specific context of the Mar Thoma Church which has deep
roots in the Southern hemisphere but today is a fast growing
Christian group in North America -, the author examines how
migration to the North, especially during the last few
decades, posed a severe challenge to the religious and
cultural identities of this ancient Indian Christian community.
That is the account of a traditionally pluralist society rediscovering itself in a modern pluralist society, in the
process raising pertinent questions about the migrants'
long-term transnational attachments to their country of
origin, challenging conventional notions of assimilation into
host countries and relating them to questions of religious
organizations. The immigrant Christians have often been
called upon to strike a balance between the faith and
practice of their new homes and the values they bring along
with them. In the midst of these changes, the members of
the Mar Thoma Church (MTC) in the Diaspora seeks to relate
their familiar traditions and cultures to the challenges of the
new context. Kuriens article explores the contours of such a
movement.
1

While the article deals with a subject of at most relevance, it

also raises several questions that demand a fresh look and
that is what this review will attempt to do.
Theoretical Framework of Analysis
Kuriens article seeks to study the Mar Thoma Church
based in Kerala that now has branches around the world
and whose policy and priorities are determined by the parent
2

See, Solange Lefebvre & Luiz Carlos Susin (Ed.).

Migration in a Global World (London: SCM Press, 2008).
2
Prema Kurien. The Impact of International Migration on
Home Churches:
The Mar Thoma Syrian Christian Church in India in,
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 2014. 53(1). p.
110 (Subsequent page numbers cited in this review refers to
this article).

church in India. Further, the impact of migration on the

Home countries and churches is seen primarily on financial
terms where the churches in the Diaspora function as the
branches to generate considerable resources for the parent
church. This review will examine these assumptions primarily
by placing the Mar Thoma Church within the larger milieu of
the coloring of American Christianity and secondly, in the
light of the Churchs own history, theology and sociology. It
will also be argued here that studies such as this by Kurien,
done within the framework of religious economic theories,
while welcome, must not miss the larger social and spiritual
movements and inner dynamism that propel religions.
3

Prema Kuriens assertion that the tremendous growth in

southern Christianity is also a consequence of transnational
religious connections of these churches with the global
North, particularly the United States may be an inadequate
starting point. For one, recent studies have shown that
immigrant forms of religion, more than impacting their
countries of origin, are fundamentally redrawing the religious
demography of the host countries. Through migration, ethnic
cultures penetrate nations and reconfigure societies with
their values, their religions, and their ways of life. Religion
very typically serves as a foundation for the social
structures of newly arrived minority communities in host
societies . The newcomers inject significant amounts of
spiritual and dynamism in the host society. As the traditional
Anglo-Saxon forms of American Christianity are moving
culturally to post-Christianity and undergoing varying
degrees of secularization, the intense and growing religiosity
of the immigrant communities seems to be redrawing the
religious map of America.
4

Prema Kuriens efforts to study, from a scientific and

theoretic perspective, the transnational migration of the
3

In the light of the radical demographic changes happening

in American Christianity, Stephen Warner, Raymond
Williams and others had spoken of the coloring of
American Christianity. See, R. Stephen Warner.
Immigrants and the Faith They Bring http://www.religiononline.org/showarticle.asp?title=2946 (Cited, September 25,
2014) and, Raymond Williams. Christian Pluralism in the
United States: The Indian immigrant experience
(Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996).
4
P. 109
5
See, Paul Bramadat. Religious Diversity and International
Migration: National and Global Dimensions in, Paul
Bramadat and Matthias Koenig (editors): International
Migration and the Governance of Religious Diversity, 1-26.
Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 2009.

members of the Mar Thoma Church is a significant approach

and carries valuable lessons for all of us, both practitioners
and students of religion. One must, however, be careful in
choosing the tools of analysis as significant initiatives and
movements of non-Western origin cannot be missed.
Several scholars have found a postcolonial approach as a
helpful framework to understand the complexities involved in
studying the mobility of highly pluralistic societies such as
those from India. Postcolonial studies help us to understand
the Diaspora life as an experience of hybridity, which rejects
the mono or single identity in favor of multiple cultural
locations and identities. Homi Bhabha considered hybridity
as signifying the third space or in between which provides
the possibility to live on multiple sides without allegiance to
any. Arjun Appadurai, on the other hand, sees the Indian
Diaspora, particularly in North America, as an attempt in
plural belonging - of being American while remaining
somehow Diasporas.

argument to understand the identity and mobility of the Mar

Thoma immigrants, especially to North America, has serious
limitations. While recognizing the accumulated historical and
cultural resources that we have imbibed from several
quarters, many immigrant religious groups in the Diaspora
today are chalking out their own course that is distinct from
both the parent body back home and the global North.
As this review argues, the Mar Thoma Church in North
America may, very well, fit into such a mold.
How Syrian are we?

The frequent use of the term, Syrian as well as the highly

Kerala-centered structure for the Church outlined in Kuriens
article, may pose problems from theological, historical and
sociological perspectives. As the author rightly points out,
the dominant Christians of Kerala are called Syrian
primarily because they follow the Syriac rite in their religious
services . When, however, she further states that these
people claim an upper-caste, Syrian Christian heritage ,
the caste-connotations of Syriac become unmistakable.
While it is true that the term, Syrian Christians is popularly
used in such a sociological sense, it is also important to note
that the Mar Thoma Church has consciously been struggling
to overcome the upper-caste connotation of the term. The
very principle of Reformation that led to the formation of the
Church involved a commitment to mission and outreach,
which were understood by the Church as transcending the
barriers of caste, race and language. There is a long history
to justify such a commitment. With the mission work among
the Dalit communities (the Untouchables) in Kerala for over
a century resulting in several Dalits joining the Church and
with mission work outside Kerala that resulted in thousands
of Christians of non-Kerala origin joining , the Church - no
doubt, with numerous failings - has been trying to live up to
the spirit of reformation.
9

With reference to the identity construction of the Mar Thoma

Church, M. C. Thomas notes that as transnational migrant
communities, the lives of the Marthomites in the Diaspora
are not knotted between two ends - the homeland (Kerala)
and host land (North America and elsewhere). Rather, it is
located within the complex transnational circuits of global
scapes of people, money, goods and information. Therefore,
the identity-construction of the contemporary Mar Thoma
Diasporas communities is not taken as a simple and linear
process. Rather, the constitution of their identities is truly
complex which must be located within the multidimensional
and complex web of interactions. Countering the efforts to
reduce the identities of people in the Diaspora to a linear
process, Thomas affirms that a single person can have
attachment and connections to a range of places at the
same time or he/she can keep multiple belongings
simultaneously. Such diversity that the modern Diaspora
living
provides,
along
with
its
relationships
at
multidimensional levels, can enable us to overcome the rigid
boundaries of caste and ethnicity.
8

To sum up this part of the discussion, it can, perhaps, be

argued that rather than Kuriens approach to depend on
religious economic theories as an analytical framework to
study the migration of Indians, a postcolonial approach may
provide the needed theoretical tools to analyze the
phenomenon of transnational migration. And, as we will
discuss further down in this review, the economic
6

George Zachariah. Identity and Social Distinctions among

Indian Christians, at Home and in the Diaspora: Some
Theological Reflections (Keynote Address delivered at the
AAR workshop in Chennai, India on July 19, 2004
unpublished paper).
7
Arjun Appadurai, Patriotism and its Futures, Public
Culture, 5, (1993). p. 422.
8
M. C. Thomas. Diaspora, Mar Thoma Church Identity and
Mission: Theoretical Considerations in, Mar Thoma
Church: Identity and Mission in the Context of Multiplicity.
Edited by Rev. K. E. Geevarghese and Dr. Mathew T.
Thomas (New York: Diocese of North America and Europe,
2014). p. 56.

10

11

12

The commitment of MTC to review its heritage as an

institution with a Syrian tradition was not accidental but
emerged from a concern to remain true to the spirit of
Reformation. In his book, Churching the Diaspora, Discipling
the Families, Geevarghese Mar Theodosius challenges the
popular notion that the church is an ethnic community. While
the overwhelming majority of the members of the Church are
indeed, Syrian Christians of Kerala origin, he affirms that for
over a century the Church has reached out to people
beyond its own geographical and cultural comfort zones. In
this context, he warns the members against the danger of
clannishness that can erode the spirit of Reformation: When
a community withdraws itself and lives like a caste or
communitarian group, they are making the Church insulated

P. 113
Ibid.
11
In the Chennai Diocese of the Church, the majority of
the parishes and congregations are of non-Kerala origin.
12
The letterhead of Philipose Mar Chrysostom, when he was
the Metropolitan (head) of the Church, merely stated, Mar
Thoma Church without any reference to Syrian!
10

and isolated and thereby taking away from the spirit of

reformation.
13

A radical review of its social past by the Mar Thoma Church

was also a response to the strong critique of the subaltern
Christian communities that affirmed that a casteist society
and Christianity are non-compatible with each other. As V.
Devasahayam put it, After all, what is a church? To me the
church is a place where we celebrate our identities in Christ
as the primary identity. If we still want to hold on to our
social and cultural identities, I do not know how it will
become a church of the Christ where the primary identities
need to be withdrawn in terms of our relations, in terms of
our faith to Jesus Christ. While speaking specifically of the
Mar Thoma Church in the Diaspora, Philipose Mar
Chrysostom too reiterated the universal character of the
Church: The ethnic church therefore is really a contradiction
in terms. If you are saying that this church is only for people
from Kerala, then that is not the church of God. Even those
who marry outside the Kerala community should be seen as
missionaries.
14

15

It must also be stated that historians have linked the origins

of migration and the formation of Diasporic communities to
the urge of the Dalits for liberation and just living. Calling
Dalits the Pilgrim Parents of Migration, George Oommen
points out that it was none other than the weak and the
wreathed of the [Kerala] earth who dared to make the first
migratory forays into far-flung areas of Kerala. While their
initial numbers were relatively small, the Dalits heralded a
significant change in the Kerala societys attitude to
dispersal, thus setting in motion a process of global
migration that brought radical changes to all sections of the
states population and was spread over the entire spectrum
of the twentieth century.

Migration) and in Malaysia and Singapore several

generations ago. Later, there was significant migration to
the Middle East as well. The migration to North America was
among the last in this long history and a substantial number
of those who arrived on the American shores, mostly from
the 1980s onwards, came either from the various Indian
metropolitan centers (outside Kerala) or from the Middle
East. Many of them, consequently, had not lived in Kerala;
nor was Malayalam their first language. A substantial
number of immigrants, therefore, affirm their multiple
identities - of growing up in a Malayalam speaking
household located, perhaps, in a Hindi speaking society and
now living in an English speaking environment. From
Chennai, situated in the neighboring state of Kerala, to
Farmers Branch in Texas and beyond, many Mar Thoma
immigrants whose ancestors left Kerala several generations
ago, retain today at best a romanticized sentiment about
Kerala where, perhaps, they can name a distant cousin. It is
true that many other immigrants to the U.S. still come
directly from Kerala and their cultural context too is
important. The point, however, is that virtually all who come
to the U.S., come with a one-way ticket. From henceforth,
for them and their children, America is home. With every
passing generation, links to India and, in particular, to
Kerala, grow blurrier. In response to these changing realities,
the Mar Thoma Diocese of North America and Europe had
adopted, Identity and Mission in the Context of Multiplicity
as a theme for study during the year 2014.
17

18

19

16

Kerala: Home for the Immigrants?

Prema Kuriens key argument that Kerala is home to the
Marthomites in North America, that the Church all over the
world is a highly centralized structure and that the
headquarters in Kerala depend heavily on the financial
contributions from America merits a closer scrutiny. In the
long history of migration from Kerala that goes back over a
century, sizable numbers of Marthomites, as the other
Kerala Christian communities, primarily settled down in the
major metropolitan centers of India (Indian Internal
13

Geevarghese Mar Theodosius. Churching the Diaspora,

Discipling the Families. Tiruvalla: CSS, 2013. p. 141.
14
J. John and Jesudas Athyal (editors). Religion, State and
Communalism: A Post-Ayodhya Discussion. Hong Kong:
CCA, 1999. p. 112.
15
Jesudas Athyal & John Thatamanil (editors). Metropolitan
Chrysostom on Mission in the Marketplace (Tiruvalla: CSS,
2002. p. 119.
16
George Oommen. Re-imagining a Migratory Self: A
History of Malayalee Migration in, Malayalee Diaspora:
From Kerala to the Ends of the World (edited by Sam
George & T. V. Thomas) (New Delhi: Serials Publications,
2013). p. 4.

(Second Part to be continued in the next issue in April 2015)

Editors Note: Dr. Jesudas M. Athyal is a Research Fellow
at the Boston University School of Theology. He is the Editor
of Religion in Southeast Asia:
An
Encyclopedia
(Santa
Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2015)
and, The Indian Presence in
the Ecumenical Movement in
the
Twentieth
Century
(Geneva: WCC, 2014). He
had served as the Associate
Editor of Oxford Encyclopedia
of South Asian Christianity 2 vol. (New Delhi: OUP, 2012).
17

For a discussion of the Kerala migration to Madras city

see, Migration and Ethnicity in Urban India: Kerala
Migrants in the city of Madras, 1870-1970 by Susan
Lewandowski (New Delhi: Manohar, 1980).
18
According to demographer K. C. Zachariah, the Syrian
Christians of Kerala who migrated out of the state in large
numbers during the last century, coupled with declining
fertility and in-breeding habits, could soon experience the
Parsi Syndrome. See, The Syrian Christians of Kerala:
Demographic and Socioeconomic Transition in the
Twentieth
Century
by
K.
C.
Zachariah.
http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/3027
#.VCUiEvldWO0 (Cited, September 26, 2014).
19
See, Mar Thoma Church: Identity and Mission in the
Context of Multiplicity. Edited by Rev. K. E. Geevarghese
and Dr. Mathew T. Thomas (New York: Diocese of North
America and Europe, 2014).

Salient, but Silent Ministry of Women

Mrs. Elzi Zac-Varghese, London
Family is the primary sphere of a womans activity and
the most important source of her fulfilment. The book of
Genesis gives two accounts of creation of humans; in the
first account we read: So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them (Gen 1:27). There is no
agreement as to how man and woman share the image
and likeness of God. The image possibly refers to the
mental and spiritual faculties of having a loving
relationship with the creator. Humans are also given the
responsibility to care for the created world. This is in
sharp contrast to the second creation account, where
woman has a domestic function as a helper, while man
has a public function. The goodness of creation is only
fulfilled in having the unity of man and woman (Gen 2:
18). We often forget this fundamental fact when we divide
our functions in our daily living. If being a woman is in the
image of God, then there is a feminine dimension in the
Trinitarian reality of God.
Father is the unchallenged head of the patriarchal Israeli
family as described in the Old Testament. Male
dominance is prominent in the Old Testament narratives;
women and children are considered as part of mans
property as we read in the book of Job. Woman is also
presented as a source of evil, and the harm that a man
can do is often ignored. There are few great women, who
appear as saviors of people. The stories of Deborah,
Ruth, Judith and Ester are important in the history of
Israel. We have three books in the Old Testaments that
bear their name, and yet none of these women are
remembered elsewhere.
Jesus attitude to woman was a departure from Jewish
tradition of the day. He did not feel threatened by woman
in any way; he was at ease with Mary, Martha, Simons
mother-in-law, Mary Magdalene, the Samaritan and the
Syrophoenician woman. In Jesuss relationships and
dialogues with women we see him crossing a variety of
geographical, ethnic, gender and theological boundaries.
Women played a significant role in the life and ministry of
Jesus, especially at the time of crucifixion, burial, and
resurrection. It is with this background we should look at
womens place and contributions to the Mar Thoma
Church of the Diocese of North America and Europe.
Our understanding of a good wife is the one who is silent,
listens to her husband, looks after the children, add to
the income of her husband, kind to the poor and needy,
friendly to neighbors and provide hospitality. Keeping the
family together is the greatest task for a woman, and God
has given her a multitasking talent to cope with all these
demands on her. As mothers they give the greatest
contribution in the faith formation of the children through
telling and retelling them faith-filled stories of their good
times and bad times in settling in a new country and its

diverse culture. As a result of this our children are mostly

well educated and contribute to the common good of the
community and the society. Post baptismal faith
formation is a neglected area in our thinking and
execution; mothers have a very great role to play here.
Most of us are what we are because of the influence and
prayers of our mothers. Our women are emancipated and
have done well in giving leadership in many caring
professions, education, and IT- related industries.
It is time that we changed our attitude towards separate
sitting arrangement for men and women during worship
service; I do appreciate Theodosius Thirumeni bringing
more women into the decision making processes of the
Diocese. It is also encouraging to see a photograph of a
national Sevikasanghom meeting in the USA where two
women joining Theodosius Thirumeni during the Holy
Communion Service as lay readers. This is indeed an
important and welcome break with our traditional
attitudes towards women. We should also try to remove
compartmentalization, age and gender-segregated
activities to build a cohesive Mar Thoma community.
Women from all the Mar Thoma Diaspora regions
provided leadership for the three FOCUS seminars at
Santhigiri, Alwaye, from 1999-2003. These were
historically significant conferences for creating an
awareness of our mission in the world stage as a global
church.
Dr. Nirmala Mathew of the Sinai Mar Thoma Church,
North London, was awarded the medal of the Member of
the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen for her
outstanding contribution for providing treatment of
patients with Parkinsons disease. The skills of our
women are not arguing for gender equality, but for
silently providing a shared mission and ministry by
bringing womens intuitions, empathy, and talents for the
total organic growth of the church. Jesus valued the poor
widows two copper coins more than the public
contributions of the rich because she put in everything
all she had to live on. Women provide a salient, silent,
servant ministry, for establishing kingdom values. May
they and their families be blessed through their work.
Editors Note: Mrs. Elzi ZacVarghese is a fellow of the
Medical Sciences Institute and
was the chief scientific officer at
the Royal Free Hospital and
Medical School, London, for over
40 years. She was an active
participant and speaker at the
FOCUS seminars at Santhigiri,
Kerala. (A version of this article
first published in the October
Issue of the Mar Thoma Messenger)

WOMEN AS LEGACY-MAKERS
Mrs. Nirmala Abraham, Philadelphia
Each of us, at the end of our faith journey, will likely leave a
legacy. A legacy is something that is handed down from an
ancestor or from the past. We all know that in order to leave a
worthwhile spiritual legacy, we have to know what legacy is
and live out the legacy we want to leave.
In order to figure out our legacy, let us take a look at the
women in the Bible, women in our families, and women in our
communities, who have helped us in our faith journey. Their
stories have transformed us and made us fruitful, so we, in
turn can pass our faith traditions to the next generation. The
women of scripture are remarkably varied. They range from
prophets to prostitutes, military heroines to musicians,
deacons to dancers, widows to nurses, and rulers to slaves.
According to Edith Deen, the word wife is mentioned 400
times, mother 300 times, daughter 200 times, and
daughter in law about 20 times, in the Bible.

Zelophehad were right and a fair decision was handed down.

The laws of property rights for women were changed at that
point in time. The courage of these five young women to seek
justice is noteworthy. Their legacy of standing up for justice
lives forever.
I remember a similar story of a courageous woman from our
community. Her name is Mary Roy. She had the courage to
challenge the ancient inheritance law of the Syrian Christians
of Kerala, where only the sons inherited their fathers property.
Like the daughters of Zelophehad, she was able to get the law
changed.
In looking at the women in the Bible, not all women left a
positive legacy. Miriam, Moses sister, is an example of how
the character of a great woman with gifts of leadership can
take a sharp contrast later in life and experience a spiritual
down fall. Let us take a peek at Miriams life: We see her as a
courageous young girl on the bank of river Nile, taking care of
baby Moses. Later we see her triumphantly leading the
women of Israel in crossing the Sea of Reeds. Yet lo and
behold, in the Sinai desert, Miriam falls prey to anger and
jealousy. At one time protecting the life of her brother, we see
her rebelling and murmuring against her beloved brother
Moses. She became a victim to Gods punishment and ended
up with leprosy. Ultimately her pride caused her failure.
When comparing the two very different sets of women in the
Bible, they made choices when faced with challenges.
Whether they walked in reverence or in defiance, in
submission or in pride, their actions left a legacy. Their
choices are not at all different from the choices that we have
to live with every day. However, in order to live a godly life
and leave a positive legacy, we need to have core spiritual
values based on the word of God. The biggest challenge is to
lead a life that is consistent with Godly values.
When faced with making difficult choices, how do we
respond? Do we stand up for justice like the daughters of
Zelophehad? Or do we use our leadership to turn our group
against a leader chosen by God? Should we follow the path
of other biblical women who have responded favorably in
times of crisis? Women like Esther who advocated for the
people, or Abigail who showed wisdom and understanding, or
Lydia who provided hospitality?

Let us look at a specific example in the Bible and form a

mental form a mental image of the wilderness of Sinai and
reflect on the five daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27: 1-3).
Their father had just passed away and they marched to the
tent of Moses, stood before the priest Eleazar and the
congregation and stated their case publicly stating, Why
should the name of our father be done away from among his
family, because he has no sons? This happened at a critical
time in Israel when a census was taken prior to the entry to the
Promised Land. According to the law, daughters could not
inherit their fathers property. We see the five daughters
declare their rights to the property of their father Zelophehad.
The case is brought before Moses and Moses asks God for
his opinion. Gods response was that the daughters of

In our everyday life, our faith must be put into action. Our
children and grandchildren will remember our actions more
than our words. Values are caught, not taught. One of the
best ways to maintain and pass on our values to the next
generation, is by sharing our stories; stories of Gods mercy
and love to our ancestors in the past. Stories help us identify
who we are and it reflects our gratitude to God for His
blessings. Remember is a key word in the Bible. We can
identify with Moses what he told the Israelites thousands of
years ago, Remember how the LORD your God led you all

the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and

test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether
or not you would keep his commands (Deuteronomy 8:2).

On a different note, let us go back to our childhood and

the time we spent with our grandmothers. I would like to
share a story about my maternal grandmother. She is
one person that has left a lasting legacy in my life. My
grandmother lived in a small village in Kerala. She had
four daughters; the last two were identical twins and
one of them was my mother. To have four daughters
and no sons in the early 1900s must have truly been a
humbling experience. However, this woman of faith
truly believed that men and women were created equal
and she was smart enough to figure out that education
was the only way for women to get out of the rut.
Although she had never been outside her village, she
sent all of her daughters to College in Trivandrum,
Kerala. My grandfather was a teacher whose salary was
not enough to support their household expenses. So,
my mother raised cows, buffalos, sold their milk and
was resourceful enough to get her daughters through
College. My mother and her twin sister graduated from
the University as the first twins from the Syrian Christian
community. The year was 1940. What a legacy? I am
sure all of you have stories of mothers, grandmothers,
and others who passed their legacy to you. What
stories have helped you in your faith journey? What will
be your spiritual legacy to the future generations?
Mother Teresa is one of my favorite people who left her
legacy as a great humanitarian, a Nobel Prize recipient,
and a Saint. Many books have been written about her
life. However, when it came to choosing an epitaph for
her tomb, they chose her favorite quote, a very simple
statement, We cannot all do great things in life but we
can do small things with great love.
In conclusion, let us remember the words of a famous
theologian John Maxwell, someday people will
summarize your life in a single sentence. My advice is:
choose it now. At the end of our journey in this world,
how would you conclude your life in a single sentence?
Editors Note: Mrs. Nirmala
Abraham, wife of Mr. O. C.
Abraham, is one of the earlier
immigrants to U. S. A. She is an
active member of the Philadelphia
MTC. She has served the Diocese
of North America in many
capacities
including
Diocesan
council member, delegate to WCC
conference in Harare, Africa,
Mission Board Convener, Native
American Mission Coordinator,etc.
She has attended many global
conferences including UN conference on Wiomen in Beijing ,China
and ecumenical conferences. She is interested in Women's issues
especially in the areas of gender equality and education. Nirmala is
a graduate of Women's Christian College,Madras and University of
Delaware.

Metropolitans Pastoral Letters for Oct.,

Nov., Dec. 2014 (Contd. from Page 4)
We are celebrating Dec. 21 as Mar Thoma Church day. On
that day, we are meditating the gospel portion I am the
way and truth as declared by Lord to St. Thomas. Church
is the body of Christ, who is the way and truth. Through
church and its different servant ministries, we should be
able to find Jesus Christ. Let this years church day may
enable us to rededicate our lives. We are celebrating the
birth of Jesus as yeldo festival. The birth of Jesus and its
influence still lead us to new hopes and aspirations. We
should not lessen the importance of birth of Jesus by just
celebrating the same. On the other hand, we should be
able to experience the birth of Jesus, its glory, and the
salvation that has come to us through His death on the
cross, and then only Christmas will be a real event in our
lives. We continue to read about Jesus Christ often
reminding to His disciples to be awake. We should be able
to remain awake ourselves, awake in the divine calls given
to us, and also should be able to awake others. The hope
of the Church is of the second coming of our Lord; it is
when He rewards each one of us according to our deeds.
We need the grace of Jesus Christ to stand without any
allegations before the Lord. Let us glorify God for the grace
within us. Let us enter in to a new year with the new life
and new vision provided through His birth. Dr. Stanley
Johns was asked on his 86 birth day, what is his hope
about the New Year, and his reply was very thought
provoking: I am not eager to know the experiences of the
New Year, but I am sure for one thing that where ever I am,
I will be in the hands of my Lord. We should enter in to the
New Year with the same belief because God is assuring us:
The eternal God is your refuge, ! and underneath are the
everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before
you, ! saying, Destroy them(Deuteronomy 33: 27). With
every good wish for Christmas and the New Year.
st

th

Episcopal Silver Jubilee of Mar Theodosius,

Mar Athanasius, Mar Coorilos

Focus wishes and pray that our Lord may continue to shower
His abudance blessings up on the jubilarian Bishops Mar
Athanasius, Mar Theodosius, and Mar Coorilos to continue
the faith journey of the Church, who have completed 25 years
as Episcopas of Mar Thoma Church on Dec. 9, 2014.

The Empowerment of Women in the Church

Dr. Zac Varghese, London
It is timely to discuss the issues relating womens
freedom in our parishes when a decision is made in the
Church of England for the consecration women bishops,
which has the potential to break the Anglican
Communion. The Mar Thoma Church has full intercommunion with the Church of England and various
provinces of the Anglican Communion. Therefore, it is
time that we addressed the questions about the
empowerment of women in the Mar Thoma Church too.
In the secular world there is enormous awareness about
gender equality and women have shown their leadership
qualities in national and international scenes. In politics,
academic
scholarship,
arts,
literature,
and
businesswomens contributions have brought amazing
benefits. Generally speaking girls are doing much better
in their educational attainments.
We should be grateful for the Womens Christian
Temperance Movement in the 19 Century (Annie
Wittenmeyer) and Emeline Pankhurst for the voting rights
for women in the UK; these inaugurated the modern
liberation struggle for women. It is in this context we
should think of the Biblical Women Shipurah and Puah
(Exodus 1). The story of the deliverance of Israel is
marked by the brave and prudent acts of the courageous
women, midwives, Moses mother, Mariam and
Pharaohs daughter.
th

It may be of interesting to think of women who made a

difference. Joan of Arc, Annie Besant, Florence
Nightingale, Madame Curie, Ida Scudder, Indira Gandhi,
Mrs Bandara Naikye, Golda Meir, Mrs Thatcher, Mother
Teresa, Karen Armstrong, Teresa of Avila, Hilary Clinton,
Arundhathi Roy and so many others contributed much to
the wellbeing of humanity. All these women stood up and
claimed their inheritance as children of one God and
made in the image of the Father. Nobody is going to
handover freedom; one has to fight for it. Moses mantra
was let my people go, and let our slogan be let gender
bias go. We should work for gender equality in the
church. There are many stories of women who stand up,
speak out, dig in, organise, connect, and network of
peaceful resistance and alter the course of history.
Compartmentalisation is doing harm to womens cause
(Contract between generations, Messenger, July 2011,
page 29-31); maybe it is now time to think of our parishes
as a whole family without these parish organisations and
divisions. It had a use at one time, but it is dividing the
family. Sevikasanghom (Womens auxiliary organisation)
should address this question. Man and woman should
come together to appreciate fullness of creation.
In the sacred Scriptures woman represents wisdom. In
St. Johns gospel seven women are mentioned, and
seven means abundance too: Mary (mother of Jesus),
Samaritan woman, Martha and Mary, Jesus mothers

sister, Cleofas wife and Mary of Magdala. Each one was

part of Jesus ministry. Although Paul had a bad press
with women, they were integral part of his ministry too.
Jesus calls the Bent woman as a daughter of Abraham,
and by this he underlines her birthright to participate in all
aspect of Abrahams covenant with God and blessings.
She is liberated as a full member of the Jewish
community of her time. Bent woman is representative of
voiceless, powerless, and oppressed women of the
world, but Jesus gave all of them the status of daughters
Abraham. This should be celebrated in our church too.
Through Sabbath healings Jesus liberated people from
the tyranny of legalism attached to the Sabbath.
Feminist aggression does more harm than good; this is
not about woman wearing trousers and woman
becoming man. It is all about woman keeping her divinity,
motherhood, sisterhood, and dignity in every sphere of
human activity. Marys magnificat is beautiful song of
liberation. She is a powerful symbol for the emancipation
of women of today. We should think of her as mother,
sister, and an intimate fellow traveler in our efforts to
oppose all social evils. The march towards the dignity
and equality of women is an unstoppable march in the
civilizing process of humankind. This march has been
sustained by the courage of many women and men
throughout history; it is our combined struggle. St. Pauls
advice is worth emulating: Put on then, as God's chosen
ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one
another and, if one has a complaint against another,
forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you
also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which
binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let
peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are
called in one body; and be thankful (Colossians 3: 1215).
Some Practical Suggestions:
1. Christianity is a story telling faith, mothers are good
storytellers. Christian education starts in mothers lap.
Therefore, most important aspect is maintaining the
purity of motherhood.
2. In liturgy, we should use gender-neutral terms. Stop
using brothers and men; instead use brothers and sisters
at all times.
3. Reintroduce family prayers and family meals. Learn to
listen, and make a conversation.
4. Do not show any favoritism to boys at the expense of
girls
5. Build organic partnership, growing together, sitting
together in the pews, etc. are helpful.
6. Use reverential terms for addressing God, please do
not use derogative words like nee and ninte in
Malayalam liturgy.
7. Do not distort body as a living sacrifice to please
men; feel self-esteem and dignity at all times.