Nuhro 2016 2017 by Nuhro 2016-2017

2016-17

ST. MARYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MALANKARA SEMINARY, TRIVANDRUM

“S ha eekin the nd in g th es he ev e f dis peci art ery ace gu ally of ha of ise in th pp Go of th e w enin d in the e lo orl g; t ev po wly d. Se his eryt or. a ei is hin ”- ppe ng wh g, Mo ar an at eve the an d it m ry r T ce ado ea one ere of rin ns , a sa bre g th to ll th ad e be e t , a pr co im nd ese nte e, in nce mp and the o lat hi dis f Je ive in s t r e su ss s, ing The encounter with the Word cannot be limited merely to hearing or to liturgical worship, but it should engage us to dedicate ourselves selflessly to the poorest of the poor, for in serving them we indeed serve the Lord. The words of Jesus, “You did it to me,” resonated in Mother Teresa’s heart time and again, and led her to seek His face in the “distressing disguise of the poor.” She sought to be an extension of God’s heart, eyes, ears, and hands in a world marred by indifference. She stood as a beacon of light reflecting the love of God to those who were in need of love, and those who were not lovable. The poor, and the sick saw the face of God in her. The untouchables experienced the warmth of God’s touch through her. Those who were deprived of dignity in their entire life, died gracefully in Mother’s lap. We pay tribute to this ‘icon of mercy,’ who was declared a saint on 4th September 2016. Following the shining example of Mother Teresa, let us strive to become the heralds of mercy, by translating into service of charity what we hear in the word of God, profess in faith, and celebrate in worship.

O Mother Teresa, pray for us, help us to recognize the face of Jesus in the faceless, and to become the voice of the voiceless.

ABOUT THE COVER Theme: Living the Word in Worship Man who is created by God can give himself back to God only by surrendering his life lovingly into the hands of God. And this is the heart of ‘true worship.’ In this process, we are guided by the word of God. God’s word in the bible becomes dynamic reality every time the Church proclaims it, and leads the believers to worship God the Father through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. SYMBOLS EXPLAINED: Alpha and Omega: Jesus is the first and the last (Rev. 22:13). Bible: The contemplation of the word of God is transformative. Holy Eucharist: The highest form of worship. Pope: Adherence to the magisterium. Candle: Turning hearts and minds toward God in worship. Gogultha: Adoring the life-giving cross. Mar Ivanios: Remembrance of our Fathers. Mother Teresa: Dedicating life to service of charity.

St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary MAJOR SEMINARY OF SYRO MALANKARA CATHOLIC CHURCH

Nalanchira, Trivandrum - 695 015, Kerala, India Tel : +91 471 2114300, +91 471 2114100 Fax : +91 471 2532521 Email : malankaraseminary@gmail.com, nuhroannual@gmail.com www.malankaraseminary.com, www.smms-in.urbaniana.edu

2016-17 Nuhro is a Syriac word, meaning light. Jesus is ‘the light of the world’ (Jn 8:12). Jesus has called us to be the ‘sons of light’ (Jn 12:36) in the world expecially in the darkest places where people are in need of God’s Mercy. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Servant of God

Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios A Visionary who led to communion

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To possess God is far more important than to serve God.â&#x20AC;?

his Holiness

Pope Francis

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To become a priest or a religious is not primarily our choice; it is our answer to a calling: a calling of love.â&#x20AC;?

His Beatitude

Moran Mor Baselios cardinal cleemis catholicos Patron of our Seminary

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Residence & Communication

Major Archbishop’s House Pattom, Trivandrum-695 004 Office Tel : +-471-2541642, 2541643, 2540446 Fax: +91 471 2541635, Email : catholicostvm@gmail.com Personal Tel: +91-471-2533664, 2541331 Fax: +91 471 2533688, E-mail:baselioscleemis@gmail.com

 Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Major Archbishop-Catholicos

13-2-2017

Blessing I am very happy that St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary publishes its annual magazine Nuhro with a special theme - Living the Word in Worship. Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God. This Word revealed to us about God, our Father. Giving the message of Jesus to the world is imparting the person of Christ into every reality, transforming them in Christ. Thus, reading and reflecting the Word of God must lead us to have a personal relationship and encounter with the living Christ. The worship of God is man’s highest and noblest activity. Worship is our joyful response to God for all that HE has done and is doing for us, in Jesus Christ. Thus, we see that there is a living and dynamic relationship between Scripture and liturgy. The document of Second Vatican Council on liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium clearly states that “Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy” (SC 24). As Christians we must engage Scripture liturgically. The Scripture should be studied, proclaimed and interpreted in the context of liturgical worship. As people who give leadership in liturgical worship and also as people who read Scripture every day we know that from Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is, by and large, about liturgy—about the proper way to worship God and receive His blessings. In our Malankara Tradition the Word of God is always read as a “word” spoken by God to a community that acknowledges this word as authoritative for its life and worship not as a “text,” to be read to enhance the knowledge of the reader. Jesus told his disciples: “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch!” (Lk 5:4). By “going deep” into Scripture our Seminarians should find their vocation and mission. In our spiritual as well as intellectual life we need to grow deeper in our personal relationship with Christ, which in turn enable us to generate great results. In a special way I congratulate the Seminary community, Very Rev. Dr. Daniel Manikulam, Rector, Rev. Fathers, Professors, Seminarians, well-wishers and all those who are associated with the Seminary. I also congratulate the members of the editorial board for publishing Nuhro with a lot of information about the Seminary and with great literary quality. I pray that the Almighty Lord may continue to bless our Seminary always!

 Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Major Archbishop-Catholicos & President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.

Major Archiepiscopal Curia

Catholicate Centre, Pattom, Trivandrum-695 004, Kerala, India Tel : +91-471-2558864, 2555262, Fax : +91 471 2553244, E-mail : mcccuria@gmail.com

Synodal Commission for the Seminary

Most Rev. Dr. Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom

Most Rev. Dr. Vincent Mar Paulos

Member

Most Rev. Dr. Abraham Mar Julios Chairman

The Resident staff

Rev. Dr. Jacob Olickal Vice- Rector

Rev. Dr. Philip Chempakassery

Rev. Dr. John Berchmans OIC

Rev. Fr. Joseph Valliyattu Registrar

Rev. Dr. Shaji Thomas Manikulam Rector

Rev. Dr. Louis C.P. Procurator

Rev. Dr. Cherian John Kottayil Dean, Theology Faculty

Rev. Dr. James Kurianal

Rev. Fr. George Pazhayapura Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil

Rev. Fr. Sebastian Ambassery

Rev. Dr. Jolly Karimpil

From the Editor’s Pen… Greetings and welcome to this edition of Nuhro! As the academic year 2016-17 draws to a close, our hearts are filled with a compelling sense of gratitude to God Almighty and with a joyful optimism that characterized this year at the Seminary. At the beginning of each academic year, we announce a theme for the year. This year we embarked on our vocational journey with Christ reflecting over the theme – Living the word in worship. God spoke to humans once and for all by giving His only Son. Jesus is that Word who ‘going out from God’s mouth, accomplished that which God had purposed and, returned to Him,’ (cf. Isa. 55:10-11; Jn 17:4). The Church makes Jesus Christ known in the form of verbal proclamation, and in the form of the bible, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth (cf. Dei Verbum 8). God’s word in the bible becomes dynamic reality every time the Church proclaims it, and leads the believers to worship God the Father through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Eucharistic liturgy, “is the privileged setting in which God speaks to us in the midst of our lives; he speaks today to his people, who hear and respond” (Verbum Domini 52). Essential to the dynamics of God’s spoken word, is our response to Him, which consists in listening with a humble heart: ‘speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’ (1 Sam 3:9), and in obeying God’s word. With the flowering of biblical scholarship in the twentieth century, there emerged a regrettable tendency among a number of scholars to read the bible merely as “a text, a literary and historical artifact,” laments the celebrated bible scholar Dr. Scott Hahn. But can we ever lose sight of the fact that the bible is to be approached primarily as ‘a word spoken by God to a community that acknowledges this word as authoritative and normative for its life and worship’? In this context, I would like to call into mind the late Fr. Varghese Pathiparampil, a renowned bible professor, who always began his course of Scripture with the following suggestion: ‘dear seminarians, you should have two bibles on your table: one for a thorough and critical reading, and another for prayer, and meditation.’ The reception and response to the word of God is indeed transformative. Therefore, the word of God must be heard, read, re-read, contemplated; moreover, it should become audible and visible through our living witness (cf. Jn 15:27). The word of God would reach men and women only ‘through an encounter with witnesses who make it present and alive’ (Verbum Domini 97).

Editorial Board

Fr. Jolly Karimpil

Bro. Mathew Padayanickal

Bro. Eldho Kanjiramalayil

Bro. Mathew Cheruvilayil Bro. Jithin Madathil

To accentuate the call to witness on behalf of the incarnate Word, the theme - Living the Word in worship - was chosen as our motto for the current academic year. This theme runs as a golden thread throughout the current edition of Nuhro. We shall venture into exploring various facets of this theme through some of the fascinating scholarly writings by Professors and students alike. In the pages ahead, may you have a joyful reading of the ideas and thoughts of our writers and a glimpse into the activities and programmes spread throughout this academic year. You will hopefully find inspirations to associate with us and to pray for us!

Bro. Justin Chempanal Bro. Aneesh Joseph

I thank the Almighty for His abundant graces. I cannot fail to recount with deep affection my heartfelt appreciation to the editorial team for their tireless effort, dedication and willingness to push their limits of creativity. Finally, we are deeply grateful to you, our contributors, benefactors, and friends, for your continued support to our seminarians through prayer and financial means. You are indeed a blessing and inspiration to our seminarians! Let us now lead you into the light – Nuhro 2016-17’.

Fr. Jolly Philip Karimpil

Chief Editor

Bro. John Aluvila

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2016-17

St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seminary Atop the Bethany hill, a tiny candle shines its beam... Of the pristine land, the shepherds born a-many... A beacon of hope for the hopeless... A spark of spirit for the spiritless... A fountain of illuminating traditions... A bright leader full of wisdom... In the serene environs of Ananthapuri, she stands splendid... Immaculately chiseled and ravishing does she look... My alma mater... my alma mater...

Annual Report of the Academic Year 2016-17 V. Rev. Dr. Shaji Thomas Manikulam Rector

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

he Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is a sui iuris Church which came into communion with the Catholic Church in 1930. The pioneers of the Reunion Movement, especially Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios, envisioned to establish a Major Seminary for the training of the Syro-Malankara clergy. The Second Vatican Council in its Decree on the Training of Priests, Optatam Totius, states that each nation or rite should have its own programme of priestly training (OT 1). The Hierarchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church decided to start a Major Seminary in 1983 and chose Trivandrum as the location of the Seminary. The Holy See granted formal recognition to the Seminary on 8 September 1984 and it was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.

Good Shepherd, equipping them to take up the mission of the Church in the liturgical, religious, theological, social and cultural background of the ecclesial community. It enables the candidates to continue the mission of Jesus to bring the Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord (cf. Lk 4: 18-19). On 8 December 2016 the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy issued a document, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis - ‘The Gift of the Priestly Vocation’-with some new and updated Guidelines for Priestly Formation. The opening line of the Document reads: “The gift of the priestly vocation, placed by God in the hearts of some men, obliges the Church to propose to them a serious journey of formation.” Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy The motto of the Seminary is “to continue Jesus’ said, “to be a good priest, in addition to having passed all mission of love and service.” In this academic year the the exams, a demonstrated human, spiritual and pastoral Seminary selected‘Living the Word in Worship’ as maturation is necessary.” In keeping with the guidelines in the the theme for reflection. In the wake of the teachings Encyclical of Pope John Paul II (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 1992) of the Second Vatican Council in Optatam Totius and the Charter of Priestly Formation in India, (Revised 2004), and Presbyteroum Ordinis, and considering the our seminary formation has four integral dimensions: spiritual, need of adapting tothe demands of time, the academic, pastoral, and human. Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, developed and implemented an appropriate Seminary Formation Programme.

1. Spiritual: Spiritual formation aims to assist each candidate to dispose himself to the work of the Holy Spirit and grow in deep communion with Jesus through faithful meditation on the Word of God and full participation Formation: The formation in the sacraments. Various activities in the seminary are aimed at bringing of clerics aims at a closer the spiritual sphere of the formation to perfection. Considering the significance following of Christ the St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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of spirituality in the life of priests, regular hours of prayer, meditation, participation in the Holy Qurbono, Eucharistic adoration, spiritual reading, scriputre readng, spiritual conferences, sacrament of reconciliation, monthly recollections, annual retreat, night vigils, Holy Rosary, Marian devotions, and Way of the Cross are orgaized in the seminary. Participation in the Church’s liturgy is the primary means by which the seminarian is spiritually formed. Daily participation in the liturgy of the Hours and the Holy Qurbono prepares them for their lifelong ministry as priests who pray on behalf of the whole Church (Presbyterorum Ordinis 13). We may also recall what Pope Francis said in his address to the Polish Jesuits at the World Youth Day, “The Church today needs to grow in the ability of spiritual discernment.” Because, the priests who weren’t taught the “wisdom of discernment” during their formation years, later “find themselves in difficulty in accompanying the life of so many young people and adults.” The seminary has three official spiritual directors who provide spiritual guidance to the seminarians individually through personal spiritual conferences and through common spiritual exhortations/talks. Spiritual directors help the seminarians to acquire the ‘wisdom of discernment,’ and to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The spirituality of a priest is nothing but a continuing process of integrated growth into in intimate relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Pastoral: The intellectual formation of the seminarians should be oriented to the pastoral ministry. Pastoral formation can be considered as the culmination of the entire formation program. Therefore, the theological courses in our seminaryare planned with the pastoral goal in view. Studies in Pastoral theology are so designed that it includes discussion of the principles of pastoral action. We have assigned many Pastoral courses, such as Pastoral Theology, Pastoral Counselling, Homiletics, Catechetics, Youth Ministry, Clinical Psychology etc.

In Optatam totius, we are reminded that the seminarians are to be formed to become the “shepherd of souls” (Optatam totius, no. 4), after the model of Christ. Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangalii 2. Intellectual: The ultimate aim of intellectual formation in the seminary is Gaudium urges the priests to be to have deeper understanding of faith so as to be able to proclaim Jesus Christ shepherds living ‘with the smell of in a manner most suited to address the dreams and aspirations of modern the sheep’. The Church needs pastors man. With this rationale in view, the seminary pays particular attention to who who are with the people, who the intellectual formation of the future priests. know them by name, and who are able to guide, govern and communicate as Our Seminary is affiliated with the prestigious Faculty of Theology of today’s world requires us. the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome. Hence the courses, syllabus and the modality of the examination are determined in accordance with In order that the seminarians become the norms and directives of the Pontifical University of Urbaniana. We familiar with the pains and needs of the have 10 resident Professors and 30 visiting professors including bishops, people in the world, on Sundays they are priests, religious and laity, specialized in various disciplines. Lectures, sent to various parishes and mission stations seminars, and other assignments are conducted regularly as per schedule in and around Trivandrum. This helps them witha view to achieving academic excellence. Academic progress is to gain firsthand experience of pastoral verified systematically by means of itnernal assessments and through life. They are engaged in various pastoral examinations. activities like preaching, catechism classes, conducting prayers, youth ministry, visiting Besides the formal classes, there are theological colloquiums, the sick and the needy etc. These pastoral and extension lectures, seminars, symposiums and debates on various practical experiences would help the seminarians relevant topics. With a view to promoting the academic and literary to becomes priests after the heart of Jesus Christ talents of the students and the staff the seminary publishes a and to make him present in the community where bi-annual – Aikya-Sameeksha, a theological journal, and an they serve. annual journal entitled – Nuhro (light). Vachana-virunnu, a pastoral-homiletic monthly publication of the seminary 4. Human: This is a fundamental dimension of priestly helps the clergy and the seminarians to deepen their formation. It is extremely important in today’s world, as understanding of the word of God. it always has been. Pastores Dabo Vobis clearly teaches that “the whole work of priestly formation would be deprived of its Courses on Pastoral counselling should be the necessary foundation if it lacked a suitable human formation” (n. part of the curriculum, and the seminarians 43). Thus a priest should never forget that he is a man chosen from should be trained to offer counselling to among men to be at the service of men. For that he has to cultivate an the parishioners. abundance of human virtues and qualities like kindness, patience, love

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for justice, compassionate heart, truthfulness etc., which would help him to be a worthy servant of God. We have seminarians coming from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds, for instance, from Kerala, from New Delhi, Pune, Karnata, and Tamil Nadu. However, we have no problem in building up a cordial and joyful community life here since we give due importance to the nurturing of human values in the programme of formation. The Animators of each batch reside with the students. They accompany the candidates, guiding and assisting them to develop and practice human qualities. This helps the seminarians to grow in emotional maturity. The Rector through his personal meetings with the students, monthly instructions and timely interventions, imparts proper guidance and inspiration, in the overall growth and maturity of the candidates. Daily outdoor games, weekly manual work, gardening, and agriculture, keep the students physically fit and psychologically balanced. These are some of the key aspects we emphasis in our seminary formation programme. Candidates: Student distribution during 2016-2017 is the following: Total strength - 111. IV Year Theology (Deacons) - 22; III Year Theology - 28; II Year Theology - 28 and I Year Theology - 33. Transfer / New Appointments: Towards the end of the academic year 2015-16, Rev. Fr. S. Varghese, who served as the procurator of the Seminary from 2013-2016, returned to his mother diocese.We are very grateful to Fr. S. Varghese for his great service here in this seminary. Rev. Dr. Louis Charuvila Puthenveedu was appointed as the new procurator cum professor,and Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil was appointed as the new professor and the animator of the first year theologians. Staff Members: The Seminary is proud of its staff members who are rendering selfless service to the future priests in various capacities. At present there are 12 resident staff members and 30 visiting professors. The following are the resident staff members: Rev. Dr. Shaji Thomas Manikulam (Rector), Rev. Dr. Jacob Olickal (Vice Rector), Rev. Fr. Joseph Valliyattu (Registrar), Rev. Dr. Cherian Kottayil (Dean of Studies), Rev. Dr. Louis Charuvila Puthenveedu (Procurator), Rev. Dr. Philip Chempakassery, Rev. Dr. James Kurianal, Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil, Rev. Dr. Jolly Karimpil, Rev. Fr. Sebastian Ambassery (Spiritual director), Rev. Dr. John Berchmans OIC (Spiritual director) and Rev. Fr. George Pazhayapura (Spiritual director). Auxiliary And Ministerial Staff: The Seminary is ever grateful to the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ

and Daughters of Mary for their generous service in the field of publication, infirmary, office of the Registrar, and library. At present, 1 sister from the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ and 2 sisters from the Daughters of Mary are rendering their valuable service to the Seminary. Further, the Seminary is grateful to all the ministerial staff for their selfless service in various capacities, like reception, catering, farming, gate keeping, driving etc., to this institution. Priestly Ordinations: During the academic year 20162017 twenty two Rev. Deacons were ordained in their own respective Eparchies. We wish them God’s abundant blessings in their future ministry. Diploma Course in Theology for the Laity: Currently 23 lay faithful are attending the two years Diploma Course in Theology. The classes are conducted on Monday and Tuesday every week. Maintenance Works: This year we did some maintenance and painting works of the buildings and constructed a Marian shrine, and main entrance gate of the Seminary.

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2016-17  31 May 2016: The Seminarians returned to the Seminary on 31st of May 2016 after their summer vacation.  02 June 2016: Recollection. Rev. Fr. Louis Vellanikalwas the preacher for the monthly recollection.  04 June 2016: Schola Brevis. The inauguration of the academic year with Schola Brevis took place on 4th June and the event was presided over by His Excellency Rt. Rev Dr. Philipose Mar Stephanos, who is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Tiruvalla. The paper was presented by Rev. Dr. James Kurianal on the theme ‘Significance of Old and New Testaments.’  05 June 2016: Blessing of the Shrine. In the morning Holy Mass was offered and the Marian shrine was blessed by His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos. New comers’ day was celebrated in the evening.  28 June 2016: The newly ordained priests, the alumni of St. Mary’s seminary, came to their alma mater. A sharing session was conducted soon after the evening prayer.  29 June 2016: New Priests’ Day and Convocation. The New Priests’ day and convocation ceremony was conducted on 28th and 29th of June and Most. Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thomas, the bishop of the diocese of Bathery was the chief guest for the function. St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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 30 June 2016: The action plan of the Apostolate of Social Action (ASA) was inaugurated on 30th June by Rev. Fr. Jose Kizhakkedathu, the Director of the Medical Village, Pirappancodu.  07 July 2016: Recollection Day. Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil was the preacher for the monthly recollection.

year theologians conducted a cultural evening in connection with their batch day celebrations and the Feast of the Nativity of Bl. Virgin Mary.  14 September 2016: Onam Celebration. The festival of Onam was celebrated in a grand manner on 14th September with various traditional and cultural programmes.

 09 July 2016: The seminary community went to visit the Tomb of Mar Ivanios and to conduct a prayer service.

 17-18 September 2016: Re-Union Celebration. Seminary community representatives participated in the Re-union celebration which was held on September 17-18 at Puttur.

 15 July 2016: Mar Ivanios Day. The seminary community participated in the Mar Ivanios’ Day celebrations at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom

 21 September 2016: Recollection. Rev. Fr. Gasper Kadaviparampilwas the preacher for the monthly recollection.

 16 July 2016: Visit of Cardinals. His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos, His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, and Msgr. John Kozar visited the Seminary and offered the Mass in Latin rite.

 08 to 10 October 2016: Arts and sports competitionswere held in connection with our Home day Celebrations.

 22 July 2016: Extension lecture. An extension lecture was held on “Media: Influence and Challenges in the Modern World,” by Shri. Johny Lukos, who is the CEO of the Manorama News Channel.

 10 October 2016: Mar Gregorios Day. The whole seminary community participated in the Mar Gregorios Day celebrations at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom.

 04 August 2016: Feast of St. John Maria Vianney and First Year Theologians’ Day. In the evening first year theologians conducted a cultural programme in connection with their batch day celebrations.  11 August 2016: Recollection. Rev. Fr. Shoji Vechukarottu was the preacher for the monthly recollection.  15 August 2016: The Feast of Assumption, Independence Day and Second Year Theologians’ Day.The Assumption of Our lady and the Independence Day of India were celebrated on 15th August. Second year theologians’ day programme was held in the auditorium at 8.45 pm.  23 August 2016: Benefactors’ Day. Seminary community offered a Holy Mass for all our benefactors and well wishers who are supporting and helping our Seminary.  24 August 2016: Sat Sangam.We had a Symposium connected with ‘Personality development’ conducted by Rev. Fr. Antony Mariabhavan.  31 August 2016: Extension lecture. We had an extension lecture about Hope and Challenges of Right to Information Act by Shri. Vinson M. Paul I.P.S, Chief information Director.  01 September 2016: Inauguration of FOST. In the afternoon the inauguration ceremony of FOST was held in the Seminary Auditorium at 2.45 pm.  05 September 2016: Seminar: A seminar on ‘Theology of the Body’ was conducted by Mr. Babu John Kalluvila from U.S.A.  09 September 2016:Third Year Theologians’ Day.Third

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

 09 October 2016: All the seminarians joined the Santhiyathra conducted in connection with the Mar Gregorios Day.

 12-16 October 2016. Annual Retreat. The annual retreat started on October 12th and ended on 16th and Rev. Fr. Jose Mulangattil MCBS preached the retreat.  27 October 2016: Farewell to Rev. Deacons. After the completion of their requirements 22 of our Deacons returned to their respective diocese for the preparation of their ordination.  31 October 2016: Being the month of Rosary the seminary community conducted a Rosary Procession. It started from the Mar Ivanios college chapel and ended in the seminary.  05 November 2016: Exodus 2016-17. All the seminarians went to three different stations for the Exodus 2016, with the vision and mission of priestly life.  08 November 2016: One day Picnic. It was a day of special delight both for students and the staff of the Seminary.  14 November 2016: Auction. We had a mega auction under the leadership of ASA in view of collecting money for the Mission Sunday. His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos was the chief guest of the Mega auction.  23 November 2016: Seminary Day. The Seminary Day celebration was started on 22ndNovember at 06.00 p.m. with cultural evening and His Excellency Most. Rev. Dr. Abraham Mar Julios and His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Vincent Mar Paulos were the chief guests. His Excellency Most. Rev. Dr. Abraham Mar Julios celebrated the Holy Qurbonothe following morning at 06.45 a.m. and presided over the seminary day programme. His Excellency Rt. Rev. Samuel Mar Irenios was the chief guest for the Lunch.

ANNUAL Report

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 25 November 2016: There was a friendly basket ball match between St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary Alumni team and Seminary team.  01 December 2016: MGEF organized an Inter Major Seminary Eco-Quiz competition and seven teams participated.  08 December 2016: Recollection. Rev. Dr. Louis Charuvila Putherveedu was the preacher of this recollection.  19-20 December 2016: Christmas Celebration and Blessing of the New Seminary Gate.We celebrated Christmas in the evening on 19th and the following day at 6.30 am His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos celebrated the Holy Mass and blessed the newly constructed seminary gate. Following that all seminarians went home for the Christmas vacation and on 10th January 2017 all returned to seminary after the holidays.  10 January 2017: Recollection. Rev. Fr. Thomas Thalakulam OFM Cap. was the preacher for the monthly recollection.  13-14 January 2017: Theological Colloquium.Theological Colloquium started in the morning on 13th September and concluded at 1.00 pm on 14thJanuary. The theme of the colloquium was “Living the Word in Worship.”  14-15 January 2017: Pongal Nalvaazthukkal. In the morning we had Solemn Eucharistic celebrationand His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos was the main celebrant. On 15th evening a group of young people from Attoor parish along with our seminarians staged a pongal cultural programme in the seminary Auditorium.  18-19 January 2017: Commemoration of Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos and Jubilarians’ Gathering. The seminary community participated in the Mar Cyril Baselios Day celebrations at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom. In the evening we had a get together with our silver Jubilarians(2016).  25 January 2017: Cultural Evening. A cultural evening was conducted at the Girideepam Convention Centre, Mar IvaniosVidhya Nagar, Nalanchira for raising some fund for the North Indian missions and the maintenance of the Seminary.  09 February 2017: Monthly Recollection. Rev. Fr. Benny Narakathinalwas the preacher for the recollection.

OUR GRATITUDE First of all, we raise our hearts in thanksgiving to Almighty God for His unfailing and abundant blessings throughout the year. May He bless each one of us so that we may continue His work with dedication and love! We would like to take this opportunity to express our warm sentiments of gratitude and obedience to His Holiness Pope Francis for his paternal blessing. Our appreciation and gratitude are due to His Eminence Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. We thank His Grace Most Rev. Salvatore Pennachio, the former nuncio, and His Grace Most Rev. Giambattista Diquattro, the present Apsotolic Nuncio, India. We express our filial love and deep indebtedness to His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, Major Archbishop Catholicos, the Father and Head of the Syro-Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Church who is the president of CBCI and Patron of the Seminary, for his constant support and paternal concern. The Seminary is deeply indebted to the members of the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Church and the Synodal Commission for the Seminary, Most Rev. Dr. Abraham Mar Julios (President), Most Rev. Dr. Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom (Member) and Most Rev. Dr. Vincent Mar Paulos (Member) for their exceptional care and guidance. We are extremely grateful to all our efficient staff members, visiting professors, our house doctor Dr. Rajan, our auxiliary staff members and our dedicated seminarians for their wonderful cooperation and generous response to the priestly formation. We remember with prayerful heart all the individual benefactors from here and abroad, especially St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Findlay, Ohio, U.S.A. and Lynch Family Foundation for their generous contribution towards the maintenance of the Seminary. The Seminary further recalls with gratitude the students and staff for raising additional funds through agriculture and other personal contacts. Finally, thanking in God’s name, each and every one associated with this Seminary and praying for the intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary, the heavenly patroness of the Seminary, we conclude this report.

 16 February 2017: Extension lecture.An extension lecture was organized on the topic -The feasibility of uniform the civil codeinIndia’ by Rev. Fr. Joseph Kalavila L.L.B.  15 March 2017: Seminarians return to their own respective eparchies for summer vacation.

Fr. Shaji Thomas Manikulam Rector Trivandrum 01-03-2017 St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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an Editorial board Initiative

Prof Dr. Ralph Martin is a globally recognized and renowned theologian of the era. His theological writings, views and concepts have been well appreciated and he is obviously one among the contemporary stalwarts in the arena of Catholic theologizing. Being a Professor of Systematic Theology and Spirituality and Director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit, he also serves as President of Renewal Ministries, a Catholic renewal and evangelization apostolate based in Ann Arbor, MI and Toronto, Canada. He was appointed by Benedict XVI as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization and a peritus to the 2012 World Synod on the New Evangelization. He is the author of a number of celebrated books, including ‘Will Many Be Saved?’ and ‘What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization’. Dr. Ralph Martin visited St. Mary’s Seminary on 13th January 2017 to participate in the Theological Colloquium. He presented a paper on the topic - “The Word that saves”. The ‘Nuhro’ team had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Ralph Martin. Following are excerpts of the interview.

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

tête-à-tête with Dr. Ralph Martin “Worship is an excercise of the Holy Spirit directed primarily to God” - Ralph Martin

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Do you consider liturgy / worship as a powerful means of evangelization? How far the renewal of liturgy becomes significant in our endeavour of new evangelization ? Liturgy can certainly be a powerful means of evangelization. One of the most beautiful liturgies I ever experienced was a liturgy celebrated by Cardinal Cleemis with all the other bishops, priests and sisters and lay people in Rome from the Syro-Malankara rite at the time while I was there finishing my doctorate. It was celebrated before the tomb of St. Peter in the Basilica crypt. The vestments, chanting, incensing and overall reverence and beauty of the worship was indeed moving. I imagine depending on the religious literacy of those attending the liturgy some explanation would be in order both before and after the liturgy for those not familiar with the meaning of it all. So the Liturgy needs to be preceded and followed by good person to person evangelization.

Is the concept of ‘universal salvific will of God’ compatible with the great commission of Jesus to His disciples (mat 28: 18-20) ? Certainly the inspired Word of God which tells us that God wills all mankind to be saved by coming to the truth, and that commands us to preach the Gospel to every nation is not in contradiction to each other. Even though it is God’s will that all be saved, there needs to be a response on the part of each and every person so that the grace of Christ’s sacrifice – offered for all – becomes effective in a particular person’s life. The mercy of redemption is never imposed on anyone against their will – their needs Interviewed by : Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil Bro. Mathew Jemso Padayanickal Bro. Eldho Kanjiramalayil

to be a free acceptance of Christ and his sacrifice for it to be actualized in a person’s life. Even though the Church rightfully teaches that it is possible under certain circumstances for people to give themselves to salvific grace who through no fault of their own have not had a chance to hear the Gospel, it also points out how difficult this is because of the ever present pressures from the world, the flesh and the devil, to say no to God’s light and yes to our disordered desires, the lies of the devil, and the pressure of the world. (Constitution on the Church, Vatican II, 16.)

How to preach Jesus as the unique saviour in the plurireligious context of India ? There are so many elements in the diversity of Hinduism that can be presented as preparatory for the Gospel that opportunities to present Jesus as the fulfillment of all that went before that was man’s genuine searching for God abound. We need to present the uniqueness of Jesus – God became man in an absolutely definitive way – in a way that shows respect for the positive elements in man’s search for God in Hinduism and Islam.

The theme of our annual magazine ‘Nuhro’ this year is ‘Living the Word in worship’. How do you theologically evaluate the scope of this concept in the light of present day challenges of liberalism? At the Synod on the New Evangelization in 2012, at which I was a delegate, and at which Cardinal Cleemis was named as a Cardinal, Cardinal Wuerl opened the Synod by stating: “our number one priority as a Church is to recover our

confidence in the truth of our faith.” This means recovering our confidence in the truth of the scriptures as the foundations of our faith. We need to pay attention to what Vatican II teaches about how we as Catholics are to receive the Word. In the Constitution on Sacred Revelation, #11, it says that “everything asserted by the sacred writers should be considered to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, and to teach firmly, faithfully and without error, those truths which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the sacred Scriptures.” There needs to be a clear link between our confidence in the truth of God’s Word and our Worship of the God who reveals which is manifest in courageous, faithful preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit, as well as the devout celebration of the Sacrament.

For the last several years you have been working in the realm of new evangelization. In your opinion, how far the Church has attained the intended objectives ? The Church has made a very good beginning in recognizing the need for a “new evangelization” directed not just towards those who have never heard the Gospel but towards those many who are baptized who are not living as disciples of Christ. Many wonderful programs have sprung up that have as their aim evangelization and there needs to a sharing among those who are evangelizing in order to learn from each other. I am very impressed that the Syro-Malankara Church has seen the need to stress the “new evangelization” by sending some of your wonderful priests to our seminary in Detroit to earn their License in Sacred Theology (STL) degree with an emphasis on the “new evangelization.”

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Mission and Evangelization as a Liturgical Imperative 1

A discussion based on the Malankara Qurbono and Ivanian ideals

he Syro Malankara Catholic Church follows the West Syrian Liturgy of Antioch, a place where the Disciples of Christ were addressed as Christians for the first time (cf. Acts 11, 26). Malankara Catholic Church is apostolic and had its beginning with St. Thomas, the Apostle and the Church remained Catholic till the 17th Century. With the arrival and activities of the missionaries from the west the Church was divided. And there were several attempts to reunite the two fractions of this Apostolic Church. But only in 1930, with the leadership

Most. Rev. Dr. Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom (KCBC Vice President, Seminary Commission Member)

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of Archbishop Mar Ivanios, at least a partial reunion became a reality. He was a great visionary, and he envisaged the Reunion of all the St. Thomas Christians.The Syro-Malankara Church, as any other Apostolic Church, is missionary by its very nature2. The All-India Jurisdiction which we got in the recent times emphatically reveals the unique vocation of our Church in the present era i.e. being a missionary Church. In other words, it consists in the evangelization of India. Here I am trying to analyse how the Divine Liturgy of the Malankara Catholic Church views the missionary activities. There will also be a discussion on the method of evangelization proposed by Archbishop Mar Ivanios.One shall not fail to acknowledge the inherent mission appeal in the Malankara Qurbono. The Two typologies which the Syriac fathers use in the Divine Liturgy explicitly teach the missionary appeal of this liturgy: The Vision of the prophet Isaiah and the concept of Svodo 3. These two imageries impel the faithful to proceed with the missionary works. Those who consciously participate in the Holy Qurbono of the Malankara Church cannot but be missionary.

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

1.1 Liturgy and Liturgiology At the outset a clarification of certain terms is necessary to explain the topic. A term which is most misunderstood in the ecclesial circles is ‘Liturgy’. The problem lies in the fact that we often tend to equate liturgy with rubrics. Somehow we are of the view that liturgy consists in ritualism. J. H. Miller in his book, Fundamentals of the Liturgy speaks about the difference between liturgy and rubrics. An etymological analysis of the term liturgy unravels the meaning of the term. The term ‘Liturgy’ comes from the Greek word leitourgia. It is composed of two Greek words: Leitos and Ergon.Leitos is derived from laos which means ‘people’, and ergon means ‘work’. Thus the word leitourgia4 could mean a work done for the people, or a work done on behalf of the public. In this connection we could say that Liturgy is the peoples’ work. It is a service done for the common welfare. An analysis of the history of the term reveals that the term was used to designate any action done for the good of the community or society for which the performer

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never accepted any remuneration i.e. it was a free service5. Since it is a practical matter it requires some rules and regulations for its performance in the public. The rubrics emerged in this context. Therefore, as Pope Pius XII explains in his encyclical Mediator Dei, “It is an error, consequently, and a mistake to think of the sacred liturgy as merely the outward or visible part of divine worship or as an ornamental ceremonial6.” Hence liturgy cannot be equated with mere external rituals and rubrics. The study of the liturgy is called liturgiology7. Now there remains a question, ‘what is liturgy?’ The answer is beautifully articulated in Mediator Dei by the Holy Father. He says “the sacred liturgy is the public worship which our Redeemer as Head of the Church renders to the Father, as well as the worship which the community of the faithful renders to its Founder, and through Him to the heavenly Father. In short, it is the public worship rendered by the Mystical Body of Christ in the entirety of its Head and members8.” In this sense every priest is a liturgist. For this reason, a person becomes a liturgist not by the usage of adamant and complicated rituals and cult but by understanding the meaning of prayers and by giving expression to it in the actual life situations. A liturgist is the minister of the liturgy. A priest

should have the discernment to know the essentials and the non-essentials. One such study is attempted here. It calls for a study by using the entire repertoire of a learner. We shall now pay our attention on the two imageries under the discussion: the vision of Isaiah and the concept of Svodo.

1.2 The Vision of Isaiah (Isa 6, 1-8) The vision of Isaiah is a frequent imagery used in the Malankara liturgy. The sense of awe and wonder

The Malankara Qurbonoviews missionary activity not as a bounteous work but as an obligation commanded in the prayers of the Mass. Our investigation is a pointer to that based on two imageries in the Qurbono.

“The Church on earth is by its very nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, it has its origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Ad Gentes Divinitus, 2.

Svodo is a Syriac word which means provision for a journey, viaticum, victuals, food, support, often it is used as a metaphor of the Holy Communion.

The Oxford Advanced learner’s dictionary defines it in this way: A fixed form of public worship used in churches. Word origin from mid 16th cent.: via French or late Latin from Greek leitourgia ‘public service, worship of the gods’, from leitourgos ‘minister’, from lēitos ‘public’ + ergos ‘working’

predominant in our approach towards the sacred mysteries flows from this. The Trisagion, the hymn sung during the service of fraction9, the prayer during the dispensation of the sacred mysteries10, the hymn during the distribution11 of the sacred species, and prayer of the dismissal of the faithful by entrusting them with the mission to bear witness to Christ in their daily life, etc., are clear evidences to this fact. It is interesting to note that the vision of the prophet appears not in the beginning as it is common in prophetic literature; rather it appears only in the sixth chapter. Scholars opine that it is inserted in a context where there were some doubts regarding the prophetic authority of Isaiah. “The call narrative stands at the beginning of the collection to which it pertains, though not at the book’s beginning. An important function of a call narrative is to justify to his contemporaries the prophet’s teaching, unpopular as it might be, irreverent and seditious as it might seem.12” It happens in the temple of Jerusalem (6, 1). The prophet was participating in the liturgy performed in the temple. The mention of smoke and the hymn of Holy, bring to our mind, the liturgy practised in the temple of Jerusalem. Hence there is a consensus among the biblical theologians regarding the place of occurrence of Isaiah’s

“Since the term originated among the Greeks, it is only natural to look into their history to see what they meant for it. For them it designated any service rendered to the community at personal expense or at least without remuneration; e.g., preparation of war material, help rendered for public entertainment or education, etc. When generosity cooled and the state used pressure to force its citizens to perform such services, the word liturgy was broadened to include such forced-labor. From there on the concept grew consistently larger to embrace any number of actions which might have repercussions in the social and political sphere… In Christian antiquity the term liturgy was used both in general sense of service as well as in the more spiritual sense of prayer and sacrifice- in the latter case more frequently as denoting an official or community service as opposed to the works of purely private piety.” J H Miller, Fundamentals of the Liturgy, (Fides Publishers, Indiana, 1959),

6 Mediator Dei, 25

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vision. The sense of unworthiness of the prophet to approach the divine presence is made clear in the words of the prophet. God is depicted as a mighty king and the heaven is described in the fashion of the earthly palaces. The vision should have happened during some prayer services in the Jerusalem temple. He hears the singing of the angels. It might have been a part of the liturgy celebrated in the Jewish temple. In the Jewish temple, the Levites were the singers, which was a privilege given to them by King David and later it was followed by his son Solomon. Here the prophet undergoes a transcendental experience. He feels that he is participating in the heavenly liturgy. He sees the heavenly throne and the Seraphs. The Seraphim indicate the Holiness of God. Seraphs are fiery angels. But even the Seraphs are covering their eyes that they are not able to look at Him with naked eyes. It shows the nature of God. He is indeed holy and this points towards the glory of God13. He uses much other imagery to capture the idea of God’s Holiness and Glory.The seating of God on a high and lofty throne rather than on an ordinary chair, the clothing of God that the prophet sees is only the helm of it, the attendance by the Seraphim, the fear of the angels, the angelic music, etc., are used to communicate the concept

of the glory (Kabod) of God. In the Trisagion also the holiness and glory of God are stressed. They repeat the word ‫(שדק‬qadosh) / holy,thrice. The word originally means to separate. God is holy not by virtue of some of his merits or qualities but because he is totally the Other: the Transcendent. Thus there emerges a royal idea of God. While standing before the majesty of God, the prophets feels that he is unworthy. This feeling arises from two aspects:-

1.2.1 The personal sin of the prophet

It is made clear in the words of the prophet. He says “Woe to me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips.” He was a person of superior morality, yet he feels that he is unclean. This sense of sin arises from the vision of God. When we stand before the perfect one, we become aware of our shortcomings just as we could see the dust in a dark room in a ray of light. He is speaking in the context of the liturgy which is understood as a conversation with God. The relationship between God and Israel is that of a covenantal type. Therefore the stipulations of the covenant are to be observed at any cost. When a shortcoming occurs from the part of the individual, it becomes sin and hence he becomes unworthy to relate to God. This sense of sin is articulated in the words of

7 A term proposed by J H Miller. He explains: “Liturgiology is a speculative science, since it explains the texts and rites of the liturgy and thus arrives at the dogmatic and ascetical doctrine of the church contained in them. But it is also a practical science, for as it explains such prayers and actions, it teaches the soul the proper dispositions with which to engage in liturgical worship. Hence, it is not concerned merely, nor primarily or principally with rubrics, or what might be better characterized as “liturgical casuistry”, for it does not consider the external arrangement of worship alone”. Fundamentals of the liturgy, 1. 8

Mediator Dei, 20.

(Sraapikalekandesaya…) Isaiah saw the Seraphim like spirits of flame in the Temple. They have six wings each one of them and they minister to your divine glory. With two wings they cover their faces lest they should look upon your God-head and with two they cover their feet lest they should be burnt

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the prophet. He acknowledges his sinfulness. It may not be some sins committed rather it could mean a lack of perfection which is common to creation.

1.2.2 The social sin by the entire community The personal sin of different individuals becomes contagious that it affects the whole land. The early idea was that the atrocities are the result of sin of the people. Since the relation between God and the nation is like the relation between a husband and a wife, any sort of unfaithfulness to the covenantal directives is counted as adultery. In this way unfaithfulness and disobedience are judged as a social sin which involves social injustice. The prophet is standing before the throne with this sense of sin. He wanted to be purified from them. A divine touch which is common in prophetic literature happens here. A scroll is given to him and he is asked to eat it. Then he is purified by the ‘live coal’. These all are the preparation done by the prophet to undertake the mission. The sense of sin, act of contrition, instilling of the Scroll and the cleansing with the live coal are all directed towards the formation of the prophet. The prophet is equipped to undertake the mission.

by your flame and with two they fly, while they cry: Holy, holy, holy are you. 10 The propitiatory live coal. 11 ‘Gazing at him, fiery angels, stand in trembling...’ The song during the distribution of the sacred species is a meditation on the vision of Isaiah. 12 Raymond E. Brown et.al (eds.) Isaiah 1-39, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, (Theological Publications in India, Bangalore, 1989), 234. 13 Kabod (‫ )דֹו ָבּכ‬is the noun that derives from kbd, which denoted heaviness in the physical sense as well as gravity and importance in the spiritual sense. i.e. honour and respect. In Isaiah it appears 38 times. When it means glory or splendour, Kabod usually refers to God, his sanctuary, his city, or other sacred paraphernalia. Cf. Johannes Butter Weck et.al (eds.), ‘Kabod’ in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, (Vol. VII), 22-30.

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At the end of the heavenly counsel, the supreme emperor is seeking for a messenger, to make known the decisions to the public. When God asks the question ‘whom shall I send, who will go for us’, the prophet gives his willingness to go in order to fulfil the Divine mission.This is a new thing in theScripture. We see no other person in the Old Testament who takes up the initiative to go and work for the Lord. In the Malankara Qurbono also, the faithful is dismissed in a similar way with a similar mission. There the faithfulalso,voluntarily undertakes the mission to preach the Gospel. It is the gospel which he believes and lives. It is the same gospel of Jesus’ kerygma. Hence we must also undertake the mission entrusted to us by God that is to preach the message of the kingdom. The celebration of the Divine Liturgy calls us for the embarking on of this responsibility

1.3 The Concept of ‘Svodo’ The second imperative to preach 14

the gospel comes from the notion of Svodo which appears during the prayer of the dismissal. The sacred species are considered as the food for the journey. The Syriac word Svodo conveys this suggestion. It is a Syriac word used as synonym for the Holy Communion. Literally it means provision for a journey.The Israelites were given provisions during their journey through the desert, Prophet Elijah was given food by the crows to continue his journey, and all these prefigure the Eucharist. They all had a provisional value. They all point towards the Eucharist. It is also interesting to note that the Eucharist was instituted during the time of a meal. A meal always signifies the loving relationship between two or more persons. A spirit of sharing dominates the scene. For St. Paul, the Holy Qurbono is the Lord’s Supper14. The Acts of the Apostles regard it as the ‘breaking of the bread’15. The Early Christians celebrated it together with another meal, as the conclusion of a banquet, and they called it Agape. In short, the basic form of the Mass is

that of a meal. It is celebrated as per the command of our Redeemer. In fact liturgy itself is an open response to God who comes to communicate with us in and through revelation. Basically it is an invitation from God. Hence the liturgical gathering is the ‘gathering of the invited.’ “We celebrate the Eucharist because Jesus asked us to do it in memory of him. The proclamation of the good news becomes our bounden duty since Jesus asked us to go and preach16.” So Svodo is given to the faithful to fulfil the mission entrusted by the Lord God. In fact the resurrection of Jesus marks the beginning of a new existence in which the life of Christ becomes the enduring life of the Christians through the Spirit by which they are enabled to accomplish their duty of proclaiming Jesus Christ17. The Holy Eucharist in the Malankara Qurbono is considered as the enriching food for the faithful to preach and witness the gospel in their life. The faithful has to be in a constant journey towards mission. Then the faithful has to equip himself for the evangelizing activities. Evangelizing is in fact the primary ministry of every Christian. Thus we have analyzed the two rich imageries in the Malankara Holy Qurbono. They convey the idea that the liturgy of the Church compels the faithful to proclaim the Gospel. Since the theological outlook of the Church flows from the liturgy, the praxis of the liturgical theology could be found in the mission activities of the Church. Thus we are now moving towards a discussion on the possibility and procedure of mission work that is to be implemented in fulfilling this mission. We have no bankruptcy of ideas but we have to follow the past model proposed by Archbishop Mar Ivanios to fulfil this task. Moreover, the all-India jurisdiction which we got now was his dream.

1 Cor 11, 20.

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1.4 The Ivanian prospect The west Syrian liturgy was sacred and precious for Mar Ivanios and his forerunners that they were not ready for any compromise with the ardent following of it. The use of leavened bread for the celebration of the Holy Mass was a kernel issue in the middle centuries. In spite of opposing forces and threats, they were not ready to abandon their local customs and traditions. Mar Ivanios, during his reunion, requested Rome to grand permission to maintain the local customs and traditions.But he was not an advocate of some traditions and cult; rather he envisaged a vital liturgy. The spirit of mission and inculturation was instigated in the Malankara Church by this great sage who for the first time translated the Qurbono text to Malayalam from Syriac. The model of evangelisation that we have to adopt in India shall not be one of transplantation rather we have to follow the pedagogy of Archbishop Mar Ivanios: the incarnation model. The Vijatheeya mission of Archbishop Mar Ivanios is a pointer to his ecclesial vision. He wanted to have a Malankara Church which shares the Catholic faith, and which passionately follows the Indian system of spirituality. We shall not forget the ecclesiological and missiological vision of Archbishop Mar Ivanios. He was not the advocate of a dead and static liturgy rather he was the apostle of a dynamic, rich and living liturgy. He himself composed several prayers and adapted many practices from the local culture. He had the openness to receive good elements from the Universal Church.

The Rosary, the Novena, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the celibacy of the priests, the special devotions, pious activities, etc are some examples of such reception. However when we evaluate the present situation of the Church, we could see that we have become so rigid in many of the matters connected with liturgy. The Pharisaic mentality has somehow crept into our church also. This infiltration has affected the missionary dimension of the Church. The community which rejected the Latinization, later fell victim to the Jacobitization of the Antiochene prelates in the definitive Synod at Mulanthuruthy in 1876 with the same pedagogy of the Synod at Diamper in 1599. Taking advantage of the helplessness of the new community they propagated the West-Syrian liturgy here. Moreover the Jacobite church was not in communion with the Catholic Church. This resulted in the breaking of the ecclesial communion of the Malankara community18. We are now considering this Jacobitization and its aftermaths as our heritage. Mar Ivanios never boasted about this past where the pioneers of the Puthenkoor community had to surrender to the will of Patriarch Peter of Antioch and his successors, in their utter helplessness. Mar Ivanios was of a different genus. He envisaged a Church that could incorporate all the good elements from the Catholic faith, irrespective of being Eastern or Western, because for him the Catholic Church was not East alone or West alone, rather a communion of both. Latinization could be defined as a forced implementation of the Western

15 Acts 2, 42 16 Antony Nariculam, Church and Liturgy: Towards an Understanding of Catholic Worship, (St. Thomas Academy for Research Publications, Alwaye, 2014), 10. 17 Cf. M. Vellanickal, “The Christian Community as Bearer of Good News”, Vidyajyoti, 45, 1981, 62-63. 18 Cf. Malancharuvil C, The Syro-Malankara Church (Alwaye: Pontifical Institute Publications, 1973), 24: “And so in 1665

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(Latin) practices on a Church Sui iuris against its will19. But if we are receiving some good elements from other traditions, it could not be counted as latinization. The Western Church has also received many good things from the Orientals especially in the first millennium. But it is never regarded as Orientalization or Easternization. It is also interesting to note that the Antiochene liturgy uses the prayers which reflect Alexandrian theology. But we never call it as Alexandrianization. The council fathers emphatically ascertain this fact in the decree on Ecumenism. They say, “From their very origins the Churches of the East have had a treasury from which the Church of the West has drawn largely for its liturgy, spiritual tradition and jurisprudence20.” Similarly now the Eastern Churches also could imbibe elements that are good in the Western Church. Mar Ivanios, much before the Council, had this vision and he practised them in his Church. But he was so cautious in preserving the genuine traditions of the Church. The prayers, liturgical texts, etc which were translated, adapted and published by Mar Ivanios contained the virtues of having pedigree in the tradition and significance to the recently arising circumstances21. The vision of Mar Ivanios needs to be studied fervently in order to imbibe a coherent theology for the enactment of our missionary vocation.

1.5 Conclusion It was Mar Ivanios who rekindled the Puthenkoor community which was in darkness due to prolonged

there came to Malabar a Jacobite bishop Mar Gregorios by name who declared that he had come at the order of the Jacobite Patriarch of Antioch. According to the historical evidence we have at present this was in fact the first time that a Jacobite bishop was delegated by the Jacobite Patriarch of Antioch to enter into a communion with the Malankara Church. Thus we see that only in the second half of the 17th C. did the Malankara Church begin to entertain a relationship with the Patriarch of the AntiocheneJacobite Church”.

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litigations and other disciplinary issues.The institution of the Bethany, a monastery suitable for the Indian soil, and by opening up new ways for evangelization, he tried to spread Gospel all over India. Even after Reunion, he worked among the poor non-Christians in South Kerala. The diocese of Marthandam is the fruit of his vision and mission work. The contribution of many priests and religious from the Syro-Malabar Church helped him to carry out the mission. The neo-converts are really the pride of this Church. They are the witnesses to the missionary work of this Church. The Church is growing in South Kerala, Orissa, Punjab and other parts of North India. The newly erected structures of jurisdiction tell us that we have a responsibility, not to make a translation and transplantation of the Jacobite systems, nor a blind following of the Orthodox ritualism, rather a vibrant inculturation. The liturgy should incarnate into the different cultures, so that we may have a more beautiful and splendorous liturgy, that is living and related to the solid life situations. The Holy Qurbono gives us this invitation: to be a missionary Church by being enriched by the Sacred Body and Blood of our Lord. Moreover, let us keep in our mind that while advocating strongly for the maintenance of what is handed over to us, we shall never forget the model and dream of a forefather who abandoned everything and built up a community of Catholic faith.

Dreams veins

in the

In the lap of lassitude and languor I lash out my leisure. They label it my halcyon But I sense it as a woebegone Now, in the devil’s box, I see a black harbinger1 Roars out in a voice so brighter “I have a dream...”and the pulpit Turns out to be the world’s verdict “Do I have a dream? And what does it mean by a dream?” I brooded over this labyrinthine theme And the goddess of dream appeared in a light beam. She spoke; “I’m the elixir of eternal epiphany I’m the fetched ethereal entity I’m the beam in thinking brains I still linger in your veins.” Opening my eyes, now in the box I see another harbinger2 Slowly flows out in a voice so meeker “A dream is not what you see in a sleep, But it is what makes you do not sleep” Then the goddess waned in the box deep I saw my veins bleed my dreams and I lost my sleep.

19 Cf. Antony Nariculam, Syro Malabar SabhayudeAaradhanakramam (Malayalam), (St. Thomas Academy for Research Publications, Alwaye, 20093), 67. 20 Unitatis Redintegratio, 14. 21 Cf. Jose Mariyadas, “Mar Ivaniospithavinte DaivadarsanamOru Nerkazhcha” (Malayalam), KraistavaKahalam (October 2007), 27-31.

Bro. Thomas Naluthengumkal

Martin Luther King A P J Abdul Kalam

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Significance of

Old and New Testaments T

he most compelling reason for Christians to read and study the Old Testament lies in the New Testament. The New Testament witnesses to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the One in whom and through whom all the promises of God find their fulfilment. The fulfilment of the promises can be understood only in the context of the promises themselves. These promises are only to be understood from the Old Testament. The New Testament presupposes a knowledge of the Old Testament. Everything that is a concern to the New Testament writers is part of the one redemptive history to which the Old Testament witnesses. The New Testament writers cannot separate the person and work of Christ, nor the life of the Christian community, from this sacred history which has its beginnings in the Old Testament.

Rev. Dr. James Kurianal

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OT in Relation to Christ From the first day of its existence, the Christian Church had a Bible namely, the Jewish Scriptures. St. Paul could write to the Christians in Corinth, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ... he was buried, ... he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:34). But there was an all-important proviso: the Jewish Scriptures were to be interpreted in the light of the Christians’ experience of Jesus the Christ, for the first Christians who were, of course, Jews found their Scriptures fulfilled in Christ. The apostolic Church saw the Old Testament principally as prophecy. This understanding appears as early as the gospels. Thus for example, we read in Luke 24:27: “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” The gospels of St. Matthew and St. John, find single events in Jesus’ life foretold by the Scriptures. Matthew writes, for example: “All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.’” (Mt 1:23), or “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet” (Mt 2:56). John writes: “This was to fulfil the scripture, ‘They parted my garments among them.’” (John 19:24), or “These things took place that the scripture

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might be fulfilled, ‘Not a bone of him shall be broken.’” (John 19:36). Further, for Christians, the fullness of God’s self-revelation is a person, not a book. Hence the book is read in the light of the person, Jesus the Christ. Thus, the Christological reading of the whole Scripture is the standard approach that we see in the New Testament times and in the period following it. This example was followed by the early Church Fathers in reading the Old Testament. Because they knew that the Hebrew Scriptures were fulfilled in Christ, they did not hesitate to look for Christ in them. They understood Christ through the Old Testament and they understood the Old Testament through Christ. The two were inseparable in the minds of the church fathers. The heart of Justin the Martyr’s First Apology is a long proof from prophecy. According to St. Cyril of Alexandria, ‘The Son is revealed in the Old Testament and was seen by Moses and the prophets.’

Scientific Approaches to the Question Today such an approach to the Old Testament is much undermined. The scientific approaches to the texts such as the “historicalcritical study (even diachronic), the application of every scientific and literary method available (intended for a synchronic

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understanding) and research from the vantage point of literature” (Preface, Instrumentum Laboris for the Synod of Bishops, XII Ordinary General Assembly, On the Word of God in the Life And Mission of the Church, Vatican City 2008) must accompany a Christological reading of the whole Scripture. A proper exegesis of the text, therefore, must be based on the historical-critical method, enriched by the spiritual sense of the text; the whole Scripture should be read in the context of the Paschal Mystery of Christ and the new life that comes from it. Pastorally it has to be brought into the conscience of the people. It is not difficult to see why studies on the ‘Old Testament in the New’ have often focused on quotations. There is not usually much controversy as to the OT text quoted by the NT author, who clearly mentions the source text. There are mixed quotations as in MK 1:2-3 where the author is clearly ‘intending’ the reader to acknowledge the source of the citation, but mentioning the source only in part. Scholars have suggested different explanations for such incomplete mentioning of the sources of the mixed quotations in the NT1. However, as Moyse says, “if a subtext is well known, the slightest of allusions is sometimes sufficient to evoke its presence.”2 For example, not many words are necessary to evoke Israel’s Day of attornment or covenant. The themes are so well known (and repeated liturgically) that a seemingly innocuous mention of ‘blood’ (in the appropriate language, of course) might well be sufficient. As Hays says of Paul’s letters,3 “Echoes linger in the air and lure the reader of Paul’s letters back into the symbolic

world of Scripture. Paul’s allusions gesture toward precursors whose words are already heavy with tacit implication”4. G. Aichele and G.A. Phillips say: “Traditional ‘banal’ source critical (‘intertextual’) explanations of citation, allusion, allegory and the like, which claim a concern for history, prove exceedingly thin by comparison because they fail to take into account the historical and cultural nature of textual productivity and the implicature of readers and readings in the production of culture...what they are really concerned with is agency and influence”5. The term “intertextuality” was coined by Julia Kristeva,6 whose concern was “with establishing the manner in which a text is constructed out of already existent discourse. Authors do not create their texts from their own original minds, but rather compile them from pre-existent texts.”7 For Kristeva and some of those who have followed her, such as Roland Barthes, “text” includes all of what might be described as “culture,” covering such topics as architecture, art and “the dominant relations of production and the sociopolitical context.”8 As Barthes describes it, text is “a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of culture.”9 Morawski sees textual quotation as “the literal reproduction of a verbal text … wherein what is reproduced forms an integral part of some work and can easily be detached from the new whole in which it is incorporated.”10 However, his understanding of the role of quotation in relation to tradition is significant. For Morawski, quotation is “a component element of the stock of

culture, anchoring the present to time past.”11 Quotation can call to mind tradition, including literary tradition, which we call Narrative or story. In turn, Narrative is part of the mutual context of the author and reader. Therefore, evoking elements of a Narrative through a quotation activates12 (and perhaps first creates) aspects of mutual context.13 Morawski says that “the situations which prompt literal reference to an original …. can be summed up simply as MAINTENANCE OF CULTURAL CONTINUITY. It is after all striking how strictly connected quotation is with a sense of traditions.… Over and above this, the quotation is a sign of an increasingly alert discernment of questions and answers recurring in human history.”14 Tradition can be not only “continued” but also “breached” through quotation.15 This option is particularly relevant for NT quotation where along with the quotation an intervening interpretation of the quotation may be given. Quotations in the NT do not always remind tradition to agree with or revitalize it; quotation may remind tradition to signal a break with it (subversion).16 Paraphrasing on the concept of Bakhtin, Kristeva emphasises a dialogical relationship between ‘texts’: “each word (text) is an intersection of words (texts) where at least one other word (text) can be read.”17 An embedding one text inside another results in a wide range of interpretative possibilities. As Moyise says, “The embedded text might be a faint echo, which barely disturbs the primary text, or a clanging cymbal which demands attention. It is the task of the reader, in his or her pursuit of meaning and coherence, to somehow configure

See for example J. Lambrecht and V. Koperski, Understanding what One Reads: New Testament Essays, (Peeters publishers Leuven/Louvain, Belgium, 2003), 19.

S. Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament in the New Testament,” in S. Moyise (ed.) The Old Testament in the New Testament, Essays in Honour of J.L. North, JSNTS (Sheffield, England 2005), 19.

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these different ‘voices’. And that involves choice, vested interests, and hence ideology.”18 Intertextuality involves the relation of co-presence between two or more texts, that is, the effective presence of one text in another which takes place by means of plagiarism, quotation or allusion.19 The word ‘intertextuality’ has become common vocabulary among biblical scholars, and it covers a wide range of biblical researches and studies. Critics who once spoke of ‘sources’ now speak of an author’s intertextual use of traditions. In George Buchanan’s Introduction to Intertextuality,20 the word covers traditional source criticism, Jewish midrash, typology and what Fishbane called ‘inner biblical exegesis’. As Moyise says, “Literary critics describing the complex texture of a work speak of its deep intertextuality (the words ‘tapestry’ or ‘mosaic’ are sometimes used).”21 Reader-response theories argue that a text does not simply disclose its meaning. call pre-comprehension the knowledge the reader has (the reader’s own intertexts) has an effect on the reading process.22 Apocalyptic and eschatological writers appeal very much to the pre-comprehension of the readers. So also, a first century Christian necessarily saw new meanings in the texts of the OT old texts. Thus for example he would understand the words christos and euanggelizo in the

light of his Christian faith. The word ‘intertextuality’ is best used as an ‘umbrella’ term for a whole variety of approaches in biblical scholarship. Therefore it requires subcategories. Moyise suggests three such categories: Intertextual Echo, Dialogical Intertextuality and Postmodern Intertextuality.23 We shall have a closer look at each of the three categories of intertextuality. The first one is Intertextual Echo. As Moyise says, “a particular allusion or echo can sometimes be more important than its ‘volume’ might suggest.” Sometimes, allusions or echoes, especially if they are of important OT notions, can be more influential than explicit quotations. For example, the words of apostle Paul “this cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Cor 11:25) is not a quotation from OT, but alludes to ‘the new covenant’ mentioned in Jer 31:31-34 and to the Sinai covenant mentioned in Exod 24:1-12. Thes allusions are far more influential than its ‘volume’ might suggest.24 The second category suggested is Dialogical Intertextuality. It is frequently debated whether the NT authors respect for the original meaning and nuances of their citations. “The issue arises because on the one hand, the early church wants to claim that Jesus’ life and death is a fulfilment of Scripture (1 Cor. 15.3-4). On the

3 S. Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament in the New Testament,” 19 4 R.B.Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), 155. 5

G. Aichele and G.A. Phillips, “Introduction: Exegesis, Eisegesis, Intergesis”, Semeia 69-70 (1995), 11

6 J. Kristeva “Word, Dialogue and Novel” (1966) and “The Bounded Text” (1966-67) In L. S. Roudiez (ed.), Desire in Language: A Semiotic Approach to Literature and Art (Translated by T. Gora and A. A. Jardine) (Columbia University Press, 1980); both essays appeared in her first volume of essays Recherches pour une sémanalyse in 1969.

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other hand, it wants to claim that it is only in Christ that Scripture finds its true meaning (2 Cor. 3.15). Dialogical Intertextuality tries to do justice to both of these claims.”25 The third subcategory is called Postmodern Intertextuality. Regarding this subcategory Moyise has the following: “The fact that a text always points to other texts and a reader always brings texts they know to every reading, means that there is never only one way of interpreting a text. Postmodern Intertextuality aims to show that ‘meaning’ is always bought at a price and explores what that price is. In other words, meaning can only result if some interactions are privileged and others are silenced.”26 If we are concerned with Scripture’s application to our behaviour, the areas of the Old Testament which will especially involve us are books in the Torah such as Deuteronomy, stories written to offer examples of how Israel should or should not behave (e.g. in Numbers), the exhortations of the prophets which often crystallize the moral attitudes to be embodied in actual behaviour, and the wisdom books (especially Proverbs) which establish the links between areas that we often keep separate such as religion and ethics on one side, shrewdness and success on the other. In this regard the Psalms have a particular and primary place in the OT because the

G. Allen, Intertextuality (London: Routledge, 2000), 35

8 J. Still and M. Worton, “Introduction,” in Intertextuality: Theories and Practices, ed. M. Worton and J. Still (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1990), 1 9 R. Barthes, Image, Music, Text, trans. S. Heath (New York: Hill and Wang, 1977), 146. “For Barthes as for Derrida, ‘nothing exists outside the text’” where “text” is “the intertextual” (G. Allen, Intertextuality, 74). 10. S. Morawski, “The Basic Functions of Quotation,” in A. J. Greimas et al. (ed.) Sign, Language, Culture (The Hague: Mouton, 1970), 691

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law and the prophets are combined in them. The Psalms were written by one Spirit and was written about our Saviour. At the same time, they were written about each of us, as examples for our edification. When the New Testament describes the events, persons, and institutions of the Old Testament as types or symbols or foreshadowing of the realities of the Christian gospel, they are themselves going about this task of understanding Old Testament realities in the light of the Christ event. The exodus and conquest, or the person of Moses or Aaron, or Israelite rites of sacrifice were perfectly meaningful in their Old Testament context. But in retrospect Hebrews can see them as standing for something (release and rest, leadership and priesthood, means of gaining access to God’s presence)

which is now a reality in a fuller sense in Christ. The Old Testament realities provide one with the images and concepts to understand the Christ event, and the Christ event provides one with the deepest insight on the nature of salvation, in whose context Old Testament institutions need to be understood.

of the Apostle will not be opened, we shall not require the testimony of John, we shall have no need of the Gospel itself. Therefore all Scriptures will be taken away from us, which in the night of this world burned like lamps so that we might not remain in darkness.” 27

Admittedly Jesus and other New Testament writers understood and handled concepts which go back to the Old Testament not in their ‘neat.’ Old Testament form but with the connotations that subsequent exegetical and theological tradition had given them.

The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church No 129. Cf. St. Augustine, Quaest. in Hept. 2,73: PL 34,623; cf. DV 16). Christological reading of the whole Scripture gives the full meaning to the text and it includes the understanding that the OT and the NT are the revelation of the same God. It is the same God who spoke to our fathers (Heb 1:1) that has spoken to us through the Son (1:1) and thus guarantying the continuity of revelation.

Finally, we are dealing with a mystery. In a beautiful passage, St. Augustine reminds us that the Scriptures accompany us on our way; they are not the goal. Writing of the end time, he says: “When, therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ shall come and, as the apostle Paul says, ‘bring to light things hidden in darkness and make plain the secrets of the heart, so that everyone may receive his commendation from God,’ then lamps will no longer be needed. When that day is at hand, the prophet will not be read to us, the book

11 S. Morawski, “The Basic Functions of Quotation,” 704. 12 J.-M. Heimerdinger says: “An entity is activated to the extent that it is ‘lit up’ in the consciousness of the hearer” (Topic, Focus and Foreground in Ancient Hebrew Narratives [Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999], 129 13 L. Nixon, New Testament Quotation at the Reader-Author Intersection: Evoking Story for Transformation. A Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Middlesex University, Supervised at London School of Theology May 2014), 30. 14 S. Morawski, “The Basic Functions of Quotation,” 691. 15 S. Morawski, “The Basic Functions of Quotation,” 691. 16 L. Nixon, New Testament Quotation, 29. 17 J. Kristeva, “Word, Dialogue, and Novel,” Leon S. Roudiez (ed.), Desire in Language: A Semiotic Approach to Literature and Art (Trans. T. Gora et al.) New York: Columbia U. P. 6491, here 66. 18 S. Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament,” 14.

Conclusion

Christians are the heirs of the promise, the promised progeny of Abraham. There is also the need to emphasis a sense of mystery to the reading of every word in the Bible for a Christological understanding of the whole Scripture.

19. Genette, Gérard 1989 (1962). Palimpsestos: la literatura en segundo grado (Trans. C. Fernández Prieto. Madrid: Taurus), 10-15. 20. G.W. Buchanan, Introduction to Intertextuality (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1994. 21. Steve Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament in the New Testament,” 15. 22. L. A. Schökel, and J. M. Bravo, A Manual of Hermeneutics, Translated by L. M. Rosa. Further editing by Brook WR. Pearson (Sheffield Academic Press 1998), 70. 23. S. Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament,” 17-18. 24. S. Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament,” 17. 25. S. Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament,” 17. 26. S. Moyise, “Intertextuality and the Study of the Old Testament,” 18. 27. Tractates on the Gospel of John, 35,9 (PL 35:1662; NPNF 17:207).

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n i d r o W e Th of Response Need

oment cisive m le and the e d y r e op av was in tory of the pe hrough the s i h y e e , n t in the brating th ary h e j o u r efore Mosses t le e f c o n t e x e b n e b i t d e g d n r r v n o o i a o c s a L , eh ess. Pas “the Lord the low s an extr int, when a n r r e a d e l y i t w las imed, this po ous, s ercy. At bservance of d procla iful and graci teadfast m o f G o r a e in s merc Jubilee y oncluded the o vited by the a God and abounding hat is the c n i e v e r a W a , h n r we , we ectio to ange faithfulness”. elation of lee year in conn d ev the Jubi ink of Mercy of the Pope love an of this self-r who God is h t s d o r t o e n s n ew yi Pop functio t to teach Mose eem to be? of merc poor. Th s i t s I o with the tation to think in term of n ? t of God es i o i D y v c n ? elation r i f v e l e e o r t m s ( f e m l is an i a v e a in H f Miser eutral s er it is to e, we h not a n Himself. Rath d bold terms o t this junctur tion of God s i t I la .A is in us an misery) e about the reve e merciful. hat God to be courageo in spite of w b r o o t m ey ses think e call rd of tell Mo tinue the journ pecially the y and th ning of the wo e to c r e n o m e c . s a t ay s and to the mea llenges the on eis n the w sin on the par s o i s t e a l h d r a g e u W n h h h d e c t l o e l t y i a h G t ow he ch th of eated b God? H eaches? How t ship of the rdles cr le and the wra t is to say u h r r t o eop in. I whom i d with the w othe fellow of the p ults from the s defeats the t e d e n c i o s v o p e r t c s r e i h g re which ercy wh sults in mercy nd the s at we are tryin a m r s e i k e a r wh spe that the God, which re e justice of ? This is f th humans is article. justice o perhand over ersicle that h t n i p v n u lear rd having s is clear in the -revelation o W d i elf pt an our God. Th mediately,the s e n i c n n r o o C hat is b t is followsim od says he is ept is w such a concep e c he n o c A s f God. G or ve for t o A f o . e l r a t e e s h d t a i f the and stead rgiving mind as does not speak ith anybody. Keeping generation, fo and t I w . l on dth neutra t communicate -contained, thousan nd transgressi g the f l o e n a in it does silent,s . But iniquity no means clear quity o say a ead something t. A t o y s b i s t i e e h ni It sin, y lmost-d from a concep is isiting t children a v , t n u e b d , d t t he hi guilty differen t as much as i n s upon t ren to the t s i n e d r r a o p o p ati aw ce of the ’s child the con ommunic children th generations. e th word is ated. Once the c vitation for d n a ic e four in the d and th commun ce there is an The concept ir th forth to h i s . s a e l ip v p h s o s e w e abl tak ello love m a t i o n w h i l e it is cap ion and f G o d ’s orth ner commun ing as such and much as is d t h g e h only to the f ar n a h s t s a e u t o m i e . th is so ves fort re it is very cl s ication, ing is the word o n u m m h t m a o r t ha ef w of co munica lf n. Ther just, his mercy m e o i s o t c a m r i y e l H l n ge actua ealed God is same time. God rev atic way. It though t 6 : a the 4 h t 3 x m Rev. Dr. Philip In E hand at r y dra r e e p v p u a the es in Chempakasserry to Mos

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What is the purpose of this revelation? To tell Moses that inspite of the fact that he is angered by sin of the people, he will not forsake them on the way. He will be going with them. This tells us what a revelation is? There is God in Himself and that may be compared to a concept. There is also, God as He reveals. This may be compared to the word. Once there is the word there is community there is communion, there is fellowship. When the fourth Gospel says,“in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”(Jn 1: 1), it is to be understood as the communicated word or the word of invitation to have communion with God. St. John is trying to give an explanation to the incarnation of the son of God. Incarnation is not an isolated event, having no connection with the past history. John relates incarnation to the very mysteries of God. God is a God who speaks, and the speaking aspect of God, is what John calls the word. When we say ‘speak,’ we don’t mean the verbal communication only.Rather it points to the communication itself, whatever be the manner of the communication. So, by saying that in the beginning there was the word, and word was with God and the word was God John is pointing not to the neutral, unrelated supra-historical being of God but God in relation with the world of humans. It is this aspect of God, says John, that has resulted in the fullness of time in the incarnation of the divine Son in the form of a human being. It is because God has always been a communicating God, that God communicated through the event of incarnation. Communicationin the Johannine Gospel means causing things to come to be (John1: 3), making things alive (Jn 1:4b), making things shine forth (Jn1: 5, 9), making humans to know him (Jn 1: 10), making people to accept him(Jn 1: 11), giving power to humans to become the children

of God (Jn 1: 12), making people participate in his glory, glory as of the only begotten son (Jn 1: 14). Therefore it is clear, the word is a word of invitation, a word that causes people to commune with God. In the creation account, we hear the resounding word of God. God says (that is, the word is pronounced): “Let there be light and there was light”. When the word was spoken, it cannot but be responded and the response is that light came into being. Therefore it is clear that the word is not simply a concept but it is an inviting concept and the communication has the purpose of eliciting response from the persons to whom it is spoken.

In the Story of Abraham Salvation history starts with the call of Abraham and the call is given in Gen 12: 1- 3 as follows Now the Lord said to Abraham Go from your country, kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and I will bless you. So that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and the one who curse you, I will curse and in you all the generations of the earth shall be blessed (Gen 12: 1- 3). This is the communication with Abraham. It is not neutral revelation, a something, but it is an invitation which requires immediate response. The bible says immediately after the call, so Abraham went as the Lord had told him (Gen 12: 4). Abraham was responding to the God who spoke to him. Why? Because word is an inviting word and it requires response.

The Way of Responding In the story of Abraham his moving from Haran to Canaan is his response to the God who called him. It is a

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physical response. That is doing the physical thing that is demanded by the word. Creation is such a call for physical response to the word of God, light responded by coming into being. The same way, the dryland, the waters, the luminaries, the birds and the animals and even man responded to the word of God by coming into being. This is a physical response. But the word, requires also another manner of response from the part of man. This is what we learned from the story of Abraham. This is worship of the God who calls. Abraham comes to the Oak of Moreh and there builds an altar for the Lord. Going further, to Bethel, Abraham builds another alter for the Lord (Gen 12: 7-8). In fact in the call of Abraham, there was no mention that, he should build two altars for the Lord. The only thing he was required was to move from Haran to Canaan. But in the responsewe have two aspects. A physical and Spiritual response. A coming to the land of Canaan and a series of altar building. This is one aspect of the response given to the word.

In the Story of David The story of David is a turning point in the history of Jewish people. David was selected from among his

brothers who were stronger than him in many aspects. David was the youngest and the shortest in stature and most unknown when he was elected to sit on the throne of Israel. But in whatever enterprise he put his hand, he came out successful. His last desire as it is narrated in the second book of Samuel was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem where he had made the royal palace. He wanted to be with God and he longed for the presence of God with him in Jerusalem by means of the presence of the Ark. Therefore he wanted to build a house for the Lord very near the royal palace. But his desire was not fulfilled. While he was planning about the building of the house of God, he consulted with Nathan and God sent his word to Nathan to tell David that he won’t be able to build a house for the Lord. But he was given the promise of eternal kingship. After him there will always be a son born of his family to be the king of Israel. It is a communication that is, the word of God Communicated the everlasting kingship of the family of David. All these are narrated in 2 Sam 7: 13-17. The thing that concerns us is the immediate reaction of David after receiving the word, David goes to the temporary shed which he had

King David’s worship and request for forgiveness was a spontaneous response to the communicated Word

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made for keeping the Ark of the covenant and thank God. His words are recorded in the following way. Who am I,O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people.O Lord God! And what more can David say to you?For you know your servant, O Lord God! (2 Sam 7: 18-20). What do we see here? It is a spontaneous response to the communicated word. The word once it is communicated (and the word always communicates), has to produce the expected response. And this response comes as prayer, thanksgiving, worship, request for forgiveness and so on.But a word always produces reaction. The Psalmist says that He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob, His statutes and ordinances to Israel” (Ps 147: 18-19). This means God’s word is the instrument by which he communicates himself to man. God himself speaks through the prophet Isaiah: By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return:“To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Is 45: 23). The bowing of the knee and the swearing of the tongue are clear indication that the word produces response in the form of worship. Therefore the natural process is this. The eternal God of solid silence the word coming from this eternal silence- the word producing reaction

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on the target- the reaction taking the form of worship. The whole liturgyof the Church is to be understood within this process of the going forth of the word.

From Response to Worship We saw above that the word demands response. This is true of every sort of word, whether it is the word of man or of the word of God. But when it is the word of God that is addressed to man, and it is man who responds to this word of God, then the response becomes naturally worship, because worship is the very attitude of humans in the presence of God. Man is essentially a creature,dependent on his creator and therefore man’s response to God is the response of the creature to the Creator. And that response has necessarily to be worship. Infact, worship is essentially the creature standing in front of the Creator.When the creature becomes conscious of the fact that he is standing in front of God, his response becomes naturally worship. The women desciples visited the tomb of Jesus and got the news that Jesus has been raised from the dead and was going ahead to Galilee. They returned from the tomb and on their way Jesus met them. The reaction of the women is recorded by Mathew in the following way: And they came to him and took hold of his feet and worshipped him (Mt 28: 9). These desciples had already some vague idea of Jesus as an extra ordinary person but were they aware that Jesus is God? It is doubtful. Any way the evangelist does not refer to any case of their worshiping Jesus before this particular instance. But now after the resurrection, their reaction is totally changed. They knew that the relationship between Jesus and themselves was not simply a masterdisciple relationship, it was much more

than that. It was a Creator-creature relationship. When they became aware of this they reacted naturally with worship, not any homage or respect. This is a very proper example for the fact that the response of the creature to the Creator is or has to be a reaction of worship. Therefore response given by humans to the God who speaks or the God who gives his word is worship.

From Worship to Liturgy Worship, when it is given by an individual need not have any determined form or language. Because it is a natural reaction to the God who speaks. Worship is essentially personal, even when it is given by a group of people. Each one in the group is personally responding to the God who speaks. But when it is a group response it also attains another dimension, a community dimension, especially when the community is responding as a community, not as many individuals of the community. Liturgy is not a personal worship of God,though everybody has to make it his or her personal reaction. A community is made up of different people, each one having his or herown particularities. There is the difference in language, in the emotions, the way of expressing

the emotion, educational standards and so on and so forth. Therefore if each one is to respond personally, then it will become, sheer confusion, disturbing each one belonging to the community. Therefore the response has to be a common response which does not ignore the individual differences and aspirations and needs but which also making the response such that, it includes the needs and aspirations of all the members. It should have its own language and expression. It shouldhave words and gestures, prayers and songs, silent moments of intense meditation and other moments of loud singing and praying, and that is liturgy. Liturgy has its own ethos, its own traditions and background. It is not theology, which is common theology derived from the individual theologies of the members. Though it is coming from many, it becomes one in the community worship. It has rules and regulations and that is liturgy. So in the process of respondingto the word of God, there is a stage when the response becomes essentially worship. In a further stage the worship becomes liturgy. Thus we can make a following diagram of word and liturgy: The word of God- Human ResponseWorship – Liturgy.

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Living and Reflecting in a

Pluralistic World

crucial question today is how to cooperate with one another across all religious, cultural, racial and geographical boundaries in order to build up communities of love and justice on local, national and transnational levels.

Rev. Dr. Thomas Kulangara

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oday the human beings all over the world live in an increasingly pluralistic ambience. People of different religions, cultures, races and ideologies dwell side by side surrounded by world–wide-web nets that surpass physical and geographical vicinity. We are in a global village where existential pluralism impels us to adopt a dialog-al existence, communicating with one another, involved in an inevitable process of giving and receiving on a universal scale. Parochial identities based on caste, creed, language and nation are giving way to new growing and flexible identities such as those based on ideologies, careers, skills etc. The

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At the same, as Christians, we believe that Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation; for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. ... all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ... For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1,15-20). For those who believe in Christ, Jesus is the Lord and Saviour. Their ultimate commitment is to the person of Christ, the Risen Lord who is present and operative in the universe especially through those who believe in him. For an authentic disciple of Christ, to live means to live the life of the Risen

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The Vatican II clearly affirmed that the Church has the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the gospel

Lord. With Paul he would confess: “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2,20). The sole purpose of his existence, even in the pluralistic world of today, is that Christ be formed in all human beings. Like the moon reflecting the light of the sun he wants to reflect Christ through the attraction of the fire of love that is set aflame in him by Christ who indwells him. It is in this context that I venture to present some considerations on living and reflecting Christ in a pluralistic ambience.

Ultimate and Penultimate Goals First of all, in our pluralistic situation, if we allow Christ to work in and through us, we should explore all possibilities of a harmonious coexistence and creative co-operation with all persons and peoples around us for the realization of the kingdom of God. Surely our ultimate goal is the kingdom of God but it is realized only gradually and progressively through many penultimate goals which demand our immediate attention and effort. 1

Inter-religious harmony and the development of human resources and skills appear as two such penultimate goals, inviting urgent attention. The followers of Christ should join hands with all people of good will in labouring for these goals, keeping in mind that the ultimate goal of the kingdom of God is already present in these immediate goals.

From Exclusivism to Inclusivism In her approach to religious pluralism the Catholic Church has already moved away from an attitude of exclusivism to inclusive approaches. Some protestant theologians like John Hick1 and Stanley Samartha have opted for a pluralistic approach which advocates a substitution of christocentrism with theo-centrism. In the following reflections I would like to explore into the possibilities of relating Christ to other religions, ideologies and cultures while remaining faithful to the gospel message. Rooted in the teachings of the New Testament that the Risen Lord has a central role in reconciling and uniting every aspect of our historical existence, we would seek a reinterpretation of the Christian life and mission in relation to the followers of other religions and secular ideologies, who are also included in the divine plan of salvation. The Vatican II clearly affirmed that the Church has the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the gospel. The context of pluralism is obviously an important sign of our times. Hence the Church “in her task of fostering unity and love among men, and even among nations, ... gives primary consideration .. to what human beings have in common and to what promotes fellowship among them” (Nostra Aetate, 1).

Role of the Church in the Salvation of Humankind The Catholic Church has always asserted that the human nature, although affected by sin, still retains a natural knowledge of God. Conscience refers to God’s presence in the human. Obedience to conscience leads human beings to salvation even though one has not come to an explicit faith in Jesus Christ or has become a member of the Church. God leads all humans, whatever be their religious persuasion or ideology, to salvation because the salvific will of God embraces the entire humanity. God’s salvation in Christ somehow affects all and, in this sense, all partake in some way in the mystery of Christ and are related to the Church. The Church is the universal sacrament of Christ who refers to every person’s union with God and serves as an instrument in God’s facilitating the salvation of all. The Risen Lord is present and operative universally and not exclusively in the Church. Christ is the new man in whom humanity is united. Whatever good, whatever ray of Truth is present in any religion or ideology is redeemed and perfected in and through Christ. Karl Rahner proposed a theology of anonymous Christianity by way of affirming the salvific value of other religions.2 He based his views on the truth of the universal salvific will of God (1 Tim.2, 4) and on the Christian faith that Christ is the sole mediator through whom the humans can reach salvation. If Christ is the universal saviour, whatever saving elements are found in other religions come through Christ whether it is acknowledged or not by the followers of those religions. It is in this sense that Rahner suggested that all religions are Christianity of anonymous kinds.

See John Hick, God and the Universe of Faiths, New York, St. Martin’s, 1973, p.131.

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Christ is present in all religions and cultures. The mission of evangelization consists of not so much in proclaiming a Christ totally hitherto absent but in discovering and highlighting the Christ already present and operative in diverse religions and cultures of humankind. The historical Church canno longer claim to be an exclusive community of saved people. Discovering and highlighting the unknown Christ in other religions and cultures should not undermine the role of Christ to purify and lead everything to perfection. What Jesus proclaimed about the Judaic religion sounds valid with regard to all religions and cultures. “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Mt 5,17). In God’s plan of salvation there is no “extra” or “outside”. There is only inside. However, like in the case of Judaism, Christ continues to play a role to free the religions and cultures from entanglement in superstitions, exploitative practices, sins and errors. The Church in her encounter with other religions should function as a leaven of purification. But in the process of this encounter the Church herself becomes more pure and enriched by the rays of truth radiating from other

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religions and cultures. It is the same Christ who shines forth inside and outside the frontiers of the Church. For God there is no ‘outside’.

The Universalism of Christ The Catholic theology of other religions has gone forward continuously towards the wider dimensions of Christ’s universalism. True, during the colonial period the mission of the church was misunderstood as a task of conquering other religions and cultures. The other religions and cultures were looked down as devilish forces of darkness to be conquered and replaced by the culture and doctrines of the invaders. Even during this period great missionaries like Roberto de Nobili, Brahmabandava Upadhyaya and Mattheo Ricci made a sharp distinction between the pure religion of Christ and the cultural elements expressed in and through the religion. Hence in their work of evangelization they made bold and praiseworthy attempts to adapt and adopt cultural elements from the indigenous peoples. Although many Church officials of this time discouraged and opposed these attempts, the present day magesterium approves and lauds these endeavours (See Ecclesia in Asia,20-22 ).

A general theory of fulfilment in Christ holds that all other religions are preparation for the Gospel and find their fulfilment in Christ. But such a theology of Christ as the fulfilment of all religions need not claim any superiority of the Christian religion in the context of inter-religious dialogue because Christ as the fulfilment need not be identified with the Christian religion as it exists historically. A Sacramental Vision of Christ, Church and Mission Based on the teachings of the Vatican II, and even going beyond it, in line with the theological thrust of many authors in this field, we would like to propose a sacramental vision of Christ, Church and of the mission of evangelization. Jesus Christ is the sacrament of God in whom the fullness of the Divinity dwells and shines forth. As St. Paul affirms, “for in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2,9). Christ is the sacrament of God. He is the resplendence of God’s glory. Christ is the Word in whom and through whom God created and re-generated the entire humankind and the cosmos. “He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power” (Heb 1,3). Christ is the ontological link between the infinite God head and the finite and phenomenal cosmos. Especially, Christ is the image of God extended to the humankind in view of restoring the image of God in man that was distorted by sin. But this Christ is present and active in all religions and cultures. Christ is never exhausted in what we know of the historical Jesus. Nor is Christ fully understood in the Christian theology and religion. With regard to the mystery of Christ there is always an ‘over plus’ that surpasses human comprehension and expression.

See Karl Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith, New York, Seabury, 1978, pp. 311-321.

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In a sacramental model of understanding the Church is the sacrament of Christ. The Vatican II describes the Church as the sign and sacrament of the kingdom of God. The Church is not identified with the kingdom of God but is regarded as an embryonic kingdom in the process of continuous development. This is an implicit recognition that all people of all religions and secular ideologies make up the people of God with diverse creeds, practices and ways of life. Christ is present and active in all these traditions. The goal of the Christian mission understood in the sacramental model is to discover and highlight the presence of the gospel values everywhere. This is done primarily by witnessing to Christ through living the gospel and attracting the people around to Christ. The Christ living in the Christian missionary attracts the Christ hidden in the persons of other religions and ideologies. The mission work is to let the Christ in me discover the Christ in others. It is a way of dialogue in love and of mutual enrichment by giving and receiving. In this process everyone should enjoy the freedom to embrace Christ in whatever name and form as it attracts and appeals to the individuals. The primary concern is to discover Christ personally and to follow Christ in personal and social life.

Inculturation and Evangelization

In the work of evangelization the cultural frame work of the Christian faith need not be regarded as an essential and unchangeable aspect of our faith in the Risen Christ. The logic of incarnation will open up possibilities for the people of other religious and cultural traditions to accept Christ independently of the Semitic, Roman and Greek cultural aspects that have historically garmented the risen Christ who is truly transcultural and trans-historical. In the

Hindu cultural context of India, the Missionaries of Christ should move away from the semitically formulated kerygma of the Christian faith to discover the real Christ who is the Lord of all cultures and traditions. Christ is the Word of God who assumed the entire humanity, including all cultures, races and religions, into his paschal mysteries. In India, we need an ongoing dekerygmatization of the Christian faith especially with regard to its cultural, linguistic and philosophical modes of expression. But the Christ to be proclaimed should not be reduced to an abstract principle. It is the living person of the Risen Lord that we should live and reflect. As a person, the Christ cannot be an exclusive and rival deity confronting the Hindu pantheon. The Christ is the uniting link that harmonizes and integrates all cultures, religious traditions and secular ideologies present in India. Christ wants to shine forth in India as the all inclusive living Lord, not as an alien deity competing with other saviour figures of other traditions. Through genuine inter-religious dialogue we should make approaches towards a convergence of all religions, respecting all the existing traditions. In India the Christian Churches can best serve the cause of the gospel by being a sacrament of unity. In obedience to the command of the Lord the Church should function as the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5, 13-14). Like yeast the

Christians should seek to transform the pluralistic human communities in which they live. An inward looking Church preoccupied with an intact conservation of an exclusive liturgical and cultural identity cannot serve as the salt of the earth and the light of the world in India. Rather like yeast that dissolves in the dough, the Church should become the sacrament of the movement of the Holy Spirit who is continually at work for the integration and restoration of all. Hence the role of the Church is to participate in the life of all religions and cultural traditions in order to make the transforming light of Christ shine forth in them. This demands a cultural and spiritual immolation of the Church in the process of dialogue and mutual fecundation. The being of Christianity is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;becomingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Instead of seeking an exclusive identity that focuses on elements that differentiate, the Churches should seek an inclusive identity that affirms the primacy of unity. The focus should be on the common features that we share with other churches, religions and cultures. Such an approach will pave the way for a dynamic and growing identity for both the individual churches and for the universal Church, liberated from the notions of a static, individualistic and retrospective identity. The pluralistic ambience of our present day life demands a growing and integrating identity for all the component- communities of a united world society that alone would usher in the kingdom of God.

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ology

“A happy family is but an earlier heaven”

The Seminary Family

Fourth Year The

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Theology

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First Year Theol

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uncil

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We value your service

Auxiliary Staff

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Welcoming New Faculty

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rev. fr. S. Varghese

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rev. Fr. Louis Charuvila Puthenveedu

Celebrating 25 Years of Priesthood...

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DIALOGUE AS A SYMBIOSIS OF CREED, CULTURE AND COMMUNION IN MAR IVANIOS

he present division of Christians into various churches and ecclesial communities is contrary to the identity and mission of the Church and is in opposition to both Christ’s prayer for unity among His disciples (Jn. 17:20f) and the model of the early Church (Acts 2: 42). The Second Vatican Council described the division and disunity among Christians as an open contradiction to the will of Christ, a scandal to the world and an obstacle to evangelization.

Rev. Dr. Louis Charuvila Puthenveedu

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Mutual respect, reciprocal communication, radical conversion of self and open dialogue are necessary to bring together divided Christians of India. This was in essence the way chosen by Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios (1882-1953), whose

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method of dialogue was a symbiosis of creed, culture, and communion. He was a member of the St. Thomas Christian community in India, was aware of the sad reality of division in his Church. Even before the Second Vatican Council, he initiated a method of dialogue for “search for truth” without compromising his creed and culture. His dialogue with the Catholic Church and its fruits were the crowning achievement of three centuries of dialogue attempted by his predecessors. Mar Ivanios achieved this ecclesial communion in 1930, which resulted in the formation of an individual autonomous Church in the Catholic Communion. This article highlights his method of dialogue as a symbiosis of creed, culture, and communion.1

MAR IVANIOS, A PERSON OF DIALOGUE For many centuries, the St. Thomas Christians made several attempts to reconcile with the Catholic Church

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The theology of communion (koinonia) is one of the significant contributions of Mar Ivanios to the Christian world in general, and to Catholic theology in particular, prior to the Second Vatican Council. Mar Ivanios understood that communion with the Catholic Church is not simply bringing together two separate pieces but a spiritual process of fuller union with Church through dialogue. The personality of Mar Ivanios and his attempts at dialogue were unique within the tradition of the St. Thomas Christians: true to his ideal about the St. Thomas Christians in India, he was a Christian in faith, a Hindu in tradition and a Syrian in liturgy.2 Mar Ivanios did not use the term “dialogue” as it is understood and used in the modern ecumenical and interreligious contexts. Today the term dialogue is used with a wider meaning of a reciprocal relationship or an interpersonal communion for a greater common good. For Mar Ivanios, “dialogue” was an integrated reality of truth and love, referring to all forms of interaction, exchange, conversation, and collaboration - a symbiosis of creed, culture, and communion. He understood all dialogue as emerging from a person’s intimate dialogue with God, which is the basis of all ecumenical, interreligious and social dialogue.

Through his study of the great Eastern Fathers (particularly St. Basil the Great), he was inspired to the practice of asceticism according to the ancient Syrian tradition. He maintained dialogue with the Catholic Church and with his fellow Orthodox bishops.3 The first step toward communion, or koinonia, is a radical conversion of self. Mar Ivanios understood from his “interior dialogue” that communion with the Catholic Church was necessary for a full communion with Christ; and this ecclesiological vision was the impetus for his seeking communion with the Catholic Church. His understanding of Oriental spirituality, Indian philosophy, monasticism, and communion ecclesiology are the pillars of the theology of the SyroMalankara Major Archiepiscopal Church (SMMAC) in the modern world.

The interior spiritual life of Mar Ivanios was based upon an uncompromised dialogue with God, and this inevitably led him to an exterior dialogue of ecclesial communion. Pope John Paul II, in a message to the Malankara Catholic Church, comments that Mar Ivanios in maintaining a prayerful dialogue with God and deep communion with the Lord, experienced the spirit of unity, love, peace and joy in his life.

DIALOGUE AS A SYMBIOSIS OF CREED, CULTURE AND COMMUNION A. DIALOGUE IS COMMUNION The theology of communion (koinonia) is one of the significant contributions of Mar Ivanios to the Christian world in general, and to Catholic theology in particular, prior to the Second Vatican Council. Mar Ivanios understood that communion with the Catholic Church is not simply

bringing together two separate pieces but a spiritual process of fuller union with Church—the Body of Christ. According to Mar Ivanios: “Even if I were to be cut into a thousand pieces, in order to heal a small wound in the Body of Christ, I feel it should be done.”4 His vision of communion with the Catholic Church was twofold: cosmic communion and Trinitarian communion. God is in communion with the cosmos and there is an intimate connection between God and the Universe. God is also a unity of three persons, and is the source and model of human unity. “Reconciled diversity” is the approach used in recent ecumenical dialogue. Mar Ivanios’ ecumenical purpose was to incorporate all divided St. Thomas Christians into the unity of “one fold and one head” as it existed prior to the arrival of the missionaries in India. He upheld the vision of unity in essentials - especially preservation of ancient rites and rituals, retention of the Holy Synod and jurisdiction of individual bishops over their flock.5 Preservation of ecclesial identity was one of the significant aspects in his dialogue for communion with the Catholic Church. Identity is understandable only in relation to space and time, society and history. Mar Ivanios illustrated that Catholic communion can easily be embraced without reducing ecclesial and cultural identity, which was a significant ecumenical contribution to the Indian Church and specifically to the Malankara Church. B. THE CREED IN DIALOGUE The practical application of the Gospel message was the primary concern for Mar Ivanios in his dialogue. He focused his attention on the plight of the downtrodden, the condition of women and the poor of society. By establishing the gentile (Vijathiya) mission, he tried to erase the negative impacts of the caste system and recognized the

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higher class and the lower class to be equal. He strongly believed that Jesus and his message is one and same for all walks of people. So he was in dialogue with his creed and eventually he was convinced that the message of Jesus has no boundaries. By instituting the congregation for women, he also helped to uplift the status and role of women in society. Mar Ivanios realized that it is more important for a person to surrender oneself to God in order to serve Him. The establishment of the Bethany Ashrams for men and women, adopting some of the Indian ways of life was a unique attempt by Mar Ivanios in the ecclesial history of St. Thomas Christians. He tried to synthesize Christian creed, Indian culture and Catholic communion through dialogue by the establishment of these communities. Mar Ivanios had immense admiration for the traditions and practices of other religions. He respected the Hindu and Buddhist concept of non-violence and tried combine it with the Christian concept of brotherly love. He was a great supporter of people from different traditions and a promoter of harmony, mutual respect and peace. C. THE CULTURE IN DIALOGUE The Malankara Church is rooted in the indigenous cultural values and traditions of India. Because of the multi-religious nature of India she was open for genuine dialogue with other religious traditions from the very beginning. The St. Thomas

Christian tradition is integrally related to the Christian creed and Indian culture and cannot be separated from them. Indianization was a major contribution of Mar Ivanios to Malankara theology. Mar Ivanios adopted characteristics and practices of other religions prevalent in India and tried to adapt them to the life in Bethany, the religious congregation he established. His indigenous insights can be summarized in his words: to “Christianize India” means to “Indianize Christianity.” 6

CONCLUSION Mar Ivanios considered dialogue as a means to achieve full communion without denying one’s own creed and culture. Christian life is a pilgrimage of communion. In the New Testament,

the Church is presented as a people on pilgrimage towards the Promised Land. Just as Moses led the people of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land, under the leadership of Mar Ivanios, the SMMAC started her pilgrimage with five members as an ecclesial body to the full communion of the Catholic Church. The pilgrimage they started is continuing steadily with new challenges and promises. According to Mar Ivanios this pilgrimage is a process of humility, to fully embrace the Sanadhana Satyam (Eternal Truth). This pilgrimage of communion is possible through prayer, theological dialogue, and collaboration with other religions. In this pilgrimage, dialogue is an essential aspect and this dialogue should be received without reducing the creed, culture, and communion of this ancient Church.

1. Vatican Council II, Decree Unitatis Redintegratio 1 (21 November 1964). In A. Flannery, (ed.) Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents vol. I (Northport, New York, NY: Costello Publishing Company, Dublin: Dominican Publications, 1998), 452-470. 2. Cf. Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Girideepam: An Autobiography of the Late Archbishop Mar Ivanios OIC (5th ed.) (Kottayam: Bethany Publications, 1929; reprint 2007). 3. Cf. John Paul II, Letter of John Paul II to the Malankara Catholic Church on the 50th Anniversary of the Union to the Catholic Church. In AAS 73 (1981) : 35-38. 4 Mar Ivanios’ Letter to the Bethany Fathers at Vennikulam. See the Archives of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum, (AAT). 5. Cf. The Second Memorandum sent by Mar Ivanios to Rome on January 22, 1927, AAT. 6. T. Inchakkalody, Archbishop Mar Ivanios vol. 1, (Kottayam: Bethany Publications, 2006), 199.

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The Significance of Blood in the Old Testament and New Testament

Atonement Sacrifices T

he word ‘blood’ has been frequently used in connection with the saving work of Christ and with the doctrine of salvation, therefore it is important to understand its significance in the bible. Blood is an essential element in the Old Testament sacrifices and in sealing the covenant. And in order to understand the salvific work of Christ for us, one should understand the use and meaning of the word ‘blood’ in the New Testament.

Rev. Fr. Roshan Vadakumthala

In the Old Testament, the covenant is sealed with the blood. As Bermejo points out, “blood is utilized in the making of the covenant.”1 In the book of Exodus we read, “Moses took half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant read it in the hearing of the people.... and Moses took the blood and threw it upon the blood and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant which lord has made with you’” (Ex 24, 6-8). The covenant is made through the blood.2 An animal is slain in order that its blood, that stands for its life, may be released. Half of the blood was sprinkled on the altar and the half on the people. This shows the unification of God and His covenant family - Israel.3 Leviticus 17, 11-14 is the key text to understand

the theological meaning of the blood sacrifice in the Old Testament. Accordint to this text blood represents life (cf. also Gen 9, 4; Deut 12, 23). This means that blood is the life of the flesh.If the blood is separated from an animal or human, the present physical life comes to an end.4 The response of God to the sin of man was the gift of animal sacrifice. The punishment for sin is death. An animal without blemish is sacrificed in place of the man who deserved to die. Life of the animal is sacrificed as a substitute for a human person. Through the power of the blood sinner is protected from the wrath of God. The blood was given by God to make atonement for the sins of Israelites. “When the blood of a sacrifice is spilled, the life in the blood makes atonement. So the blood has awesome meaning; it is the very life of a person. A blood covenant involves the co-mingling of lives so that two lives become one. If you and I enter into a blood covenant, we become covenant partners. I now stand accountable for you, and you St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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stand accountable former. Your life is my life, and my life is your life.” 5 This theme runs throughout the bible: atonement involves an innocent party dying in place of a guilty. Our lives are blended because we have come together in the blood. It is a divine appointment to cover sin, for ritual purification and release from sin’s penalty. Life is in the blood so God commanded to Israelites never to eat it. But the sacrificial blood of the Old Testament was insufficient, as the blood of the animals never took away the sins, sacrifice had to be repeated daily for each sin, and blood had to be shed daily. How is it related in any way to Jesus? While an animal served as provisional sacrifice to cover the sins of a human person in the Old Testament, it could not ultimately atone for man (Heb 4:10). Humanity was in need of someone, who himself was without sin, to stand in its place and bear the punishment that is due to all sinners. Jesus was the suffering servant who stood on our behalf and died for us (cf. Isa 52:13-53:12).The sacrificial

blood of Jesus Christ proved to be more precious than the Old Testament sacrificial blood. It is by the power of the blood that Jesus saved the world. The blood is a favourite term used by the New Testament writers to refer to the atonement.6 Bloody sacrifice is required to atone sin. Only a bloody death could accomplish man’s redemption (Lev 17, 11; Heb 9, 22). “The life is in the blood (Leviticus 17, 11), and in this case the blood that was shed was the physical blood of God that flowed through the veins of the God-Man Jesus Christ. It was both the blood shed from His humanity, the blood of our race, and also it was the blood of God.”7 Christ took his own blood to offer to the Father in heaven for the redemption and avoiding the wrath of the Father. “Christ as the high priest carried his own blood, in separation from his body, into the sanctuary, and at the time of his entry or ascension Christ kept his blood apart from his body. His body was bloodless.” 8 This blood of Christ had put away the sin, never to be remembered, and actual reconciliation acquired. The blood of Christ fulfilled the partial effect of Old Testament sacrificial blood.This is how the Old Testament atonement finds its culmination in Jesus Christ. It was put emphatically by John the Baptist who, seeing Jesus, proclaimed, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29). Old Testament sacrificial blood is symbolical and metaphorical. The blood covered sins in order to point to the real blood, which would take away sins. That is why on the Day of Atonement the

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high priest after sprinkling the blood, never sat down, because sin had not taken away it only covered and promised to the future shedding of Jesus’ blood.9 “But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and calves, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the Blood of Christ, which through eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God” (Heb 9, 11-14). 10 Malcom Smith notes, The continual sacrifices were a promise of the future day when the blood of infinite value would be shed by one who had fully obeyed God in life and in infinite love freely chose to offer Himself in death, shedding His blood on behalf of human kind. Such a sacrifice was the goal to which all animal sacrifices pointed; the shedding of His blood would bring an end to sacrifices. The need for sacrifices would be eliminated, for this offering would finally deal with sin and resurrect sinners out of their state of death. Reconciliation would be celebrated.

Role of Christ’s Blood in the Church a. Jesus Christ builds his Church with his blood The Church is a spiritual body, and is called the body of Christ (Eph 1, 22-23).Paul reveals that the Church’s members have been purchased with the blood of Christ (Acts 20, 28).

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The blood of Christ has enabled the Church to stand before the God. Church is holy because of the precious blood of Christ. This blood redeems humans from sin, sanctifies from sin and cleanses from sin. The New Testament reveals that each spiritually begotten child of God is placed into His Church. Every true believer is a member of the body of Christ (ICor. 12, 27). The water shows baptism and the blood shows redemption in Christ. When a believer is baptized, he is joined with the body of Christ. Through the sacrament of Eucharist believer enters into the new covenant. This new covenant is sealed with the blood of Christ. By drinking the blood of Christ, we become his body. Blood has its power. Spirit works through the blood. Where the blood is honoured and preached there the Spirit works. The Holy Spirit always leads us to the blood. Upon receiving the Holy Spirit each believer becomes a member of the body of Jesus Christ. This body is composed of all spiritually begotten Christians and constitutes the true Church. The Church belongs to God the Father, Who has made Christ the Head. Through the Spirit, the blood will cleanse and unite us to God. b. Jesus Christ Redeems, Sanctifies, and Cleanses Faithful through his Blood Through the precious blood of

from the works of the flesh are no longer the enemies of God because they are no longer “alienated … by wicked works” (Col. 1:21). Jesus’ blood sanctifies sinners. “Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood” (Heb 13, 12). Christ’s blood is a means to sanctify us to lead us towards God’s presence and everlasting covenant. c. Jesus Christ Gives Eternal Life through Blood

Christ, we are redeemed (1Pet 1, 19). He offered his last drop of blood to redeem us. In Jesus’ blood, we have redemption (Col 1, 14). The ransom, which Christ has paid, even His blood, was something of infinitely greater value than silver and gold. It was the precious blood of Christ. All the treasures of the world cannot redeem any man, and save him. Christ’s blood paid our redemption. Christ’s blood cleanses every faithful. It is the cleansing of the conscience of worshipper. “The worshippers, cleansed once for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sin” (Heb 10, 3). Jesus purifies the mind of each one who has repented of sin. Those whose consciences have been purified

When we drink the blood of Jesus Christ we acquire eternal life. “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life” (Jn 6, 54). Without drinking the blood of the Son of God, and without the heartiest appropriation of it, eternal life cannot be obtained. Drinking the blood of the Son of man means becoming one with Him and becoming a partaker of the divine nature in Him.

Conclusion Blood has an important role in the economy of salvation. The Old Testament Sacrificial blood was an anticipation for the real sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. Blood of Christ fulfilled the limitations of the Old Testament sacrifices. Blood of Christ gives salvation and eternal life to the whole world.

1. L.M. BERMEJO S. J., Body Broken and Blood Shed, 7. 2. In the eastern tradition bond of union established between two contracting parties is through blood. Eastern sealing a blood covenant involved, cutting the hand or the wrist to let blood flow. Each person would then take several drops of his blood and put it in a cup filled with wine, and they would share the cup. In this way, each person indicated his willingness to enter into covenant with each of the others. See MAHESH CHAWDA, The Hidden Power of the Blood of Jesus (Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers, 2004), 87. 3. Cf. V. Taylor, Jesus and His Sacrifice, 54-55. 4. Cf. A.M. STIBBS, “The Meaning of the Word ‘Blood’ in Scripture,” 1-31. 5. M. CHAWDA, The Hidden Power of the Blood of Jesus, 89 6. Cf. JOHN C. WHITCOMB, “Christ Atonement and Animal Sacrifice in Israel,” GTJ, Vol. 6, No. 2 (1985) 201-217. 7. M. SMITH, The Power of the Blood Covenant, 113. 8. P.E. HUGHES, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977) 330-31. 9. M. SMITH, The Power of the Blood Covenant, 111. 10. M. SMITH, The Power of the Blood Covenant, 110-111.

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Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil

Evangelization and the Importance of Interreligious Dialogue

nterreligious dialogue has become an integral part of Catholic Church’s life in recent history. In order to live in peace and harmony with our neighbors in this postmodern, multicultural, multireligious society, understanding each other is no longer an option but an absolute necessity.

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Church’s attempt to improve the relationship with other religions and cultures of the world intensified with the publication of the document Ad Gentes of the Second Vatican Council. It resulted in bringing tremendous changes in Church’s relationships with other religions of the world. The leaders of the world religions also made a positive response to the changes happened in the Church. Even when the Church is firmly rooted in the Christian understanding of salvation through Christ, she has shown great sensitivity towards diversity

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and pluralism. The establishment of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue 1 has made valuable contributions in exerting enormous influence on the Church’s attitude toward other world religions. Church categorically emphasized the need for evangelization eliminating any possibility to think that interreligious dialogue replaces our responsibility to preach the good news, knowing that it is the command of the Lord that we should go to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel. This essay explores the interconnectedness of evangelization and interreligious dialogue on the basis of the recent teachings of Church.

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The diversity around us always has been and will be a great challenge to our missionary efforts as we try to fulfill the command of our Lord: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16: 15). Even when evangelizing the world offers great possibilities to venture into, it is not always easy to disseminate the gospel where multiple religions collide to win the hearts and minds of the people. In those situations we need to present the gospel by way of dialogue and cooperation, recognizing the goodness contained in other religions. Understanding these cultures also will help us to adopt some of the good elements in them. Even when we try to evangelize, the church doesn’t encourage us using any deceptive means in forcing them to believe in what we profess. There are several benefits when we engage into dialogue with other religions and cultures. In a world where Christians are considered to be less than one third of the world population, it is necessary that we collaborate with others to achieve common goals. In many of the countries Christians live side by side with people of other faiths. Interreligious dialogue should lead us to the awareness that we are not alone in this world and are called to cooperate with people of other religious traditions. Human dignity and the sacredness of family life are considered precious by almost all religions. When these ideals are threatened by the materialistic, atheistic attitudes of different regimes around the world, a united effort by various religions can prevent such attacks. Dialogue also helps us to work together in the service of our fellow human beings. Even when I hold on to my identity as a Christian, dialogue makes me to accept the “otherness” in the community around me. This dialogue of life, work, theological ideas and spiritual

beliefs are not an option anymore but has become a necessary condition to live in the post-modern world. Dialogue leads us to a journey of discovery together in an opportunity for mutual enrichment. The momentum in understanding other faiths intensified with Nostra Aetate. This document contributes to a greater understanding among people and foster fellowship among nations. Thus it created a charter for dialogue changing Church’s attitude toward and relationship with the other religions. Through various other documents the Church made a head way in relating to religions in the postconciliar years. These documents categorically asserted Church’s acceptance of whatever goodness we could find in other religions: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men” (NA 2). Many non-Christians saw the decrees of this document as a significant shift from the part of the Church who used to condemn many things in other religions. Church

exhorts the members that “through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the sociocultural values found among men” (NA 2). In the document Dialogue and Mission which was published in 1984the Church presents four forms of dialogue: 1) The Dialogue of Life: - This happens in the grass root level where people strive to live in an open and neighborly way. It helps people to live in harmony with others which is coming from their openness to understand and engage each other. 2) Dialogue of Action: - It is the attitude of people of different religions collaborating each other for the development of the community. This cooperation is necessary to stand up for human rights and to denounce injustice which will eventually create an atmosphere to work harmoniously. 3) The Dialogue of Theological Exchange: - This is more on the intellectual level where people

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gather together to deepen their understanding of various religious heritages to appreciate the spiritual values in them. It needs serious preparations from the part of participants and some form of continuity should be followed. 4) The Dialogue of Religious Experience: - It is sharing of religious traditions especially on prayer, faith and other ways of searching God. This dialogue promotes the highest values and ideals in each religion communicating with each other the reasons of one’s own faith. John Paul II undoubtedly made significant contributions in the field of interreligious dialogue. It is evident from his numerous travels around the world and the openness in receiving religious leaders to Vatican for prayer and dialogue. In his first encyclical letter Redemptor Hominis (1979) he mentions the missionary and apostolic unity Christians have in order “to approach all cultures, all ideological concepts, all people of good will” (RH12). It is with this intention he started The World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi in 1986. Since then the Church has continued the tradition of convening the leaders of various religions for prayer. In his Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte (2000) John Paul II speaks about the need for genuine dialogue with other religions: “This dialogue must continue. In the climate of increased cultural and religious pluralism which is expected to mark the society of the new millennium, it is obvious that this dialogue will be especially important in establishing a sure basis for peace and warding off the dread specter of those wars of religion which have so often bloodied human history. The name of the one God must become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace” (NMI 55).

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The document Dominus Iesus, released on September 5, 2000, by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, contributed much to this discussion. The Church realizes that even after two thousand years of mission work we are still far from completing the command of the Lord in bringing the gospel to everyone in the world. This document clearly states that interreligious dialogue is part of the evangelizing mission of the Church: “Interreligious dialogue, which is part of the evangelizing mission, requires an attitude of understanding and a relationship of mutual knowledge and reciprocal enrichment, in obedience to the truth and with respect for freedom” (DI 2). The publication of the document Dialogue and Proclamation3 by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, to celebrate the 25 anniversary of the declaration of Nostra Aetate, tries to clarify many of the misconceptions arising without the proper understanding of the teachings of the Vatican Council. The document defines dialogue as “all positive and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment” (DP 9). Then the document goes on to say that dialogue is not a substitute for preaching the gospel. Gospel should be preached all time at any coast. It is also important not to reject the need of dialogue, thus rejecting the possibility of not engaging with other religions and cultures: The practice of dialogue raises problems in the minds of many. There are those who would seem to think, erroneously, that in the Church’s mission today dialogue should simply replace proclamation. At the other extreme, some fail to see the value of interreligious dialogue. Yet others are perplexed and ask: if interreligious dialogue has become

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so important, has the proclamation of the Gospel message lost its urgency? Has the effort to bring people into the community of the Church become secondary or even superfluous? There is a need therefore for doctrinal and pastoral guidance to which this document wishes to contribute, without pretending to answer fully the many and complex questions which arise in this connection (DP 4). Pope John Paul II in his Redemptoris Missio emphasizes the need for inter-religious dialogue, in an attempt to find answers to questions on the possibility of preaching the Good News in such a society. According to the Pope, “Inter-religious dialogue is a part of the Church’s evangelizing mission” (RM 55), rather than an appendix to everything we do in this area. Getting to know the basics of other religions should lead us to learn and then deepen our own faith beliefs. We need to dig deeper into our faith as dialogue can take place between people who are rooted in their own faith. Here again what we could see is the example of John Paul II who promulgated this encyclical and at the same time travelled the world bringing the good news, visiting Muslim Mosques and Jewish Synagogues. What he preached in the Mosques and Synagogues are the message of Christ but first he prepared the ground by creating an atmosphere of friendship through his Christian love. We should not approach dialogue thinking that we know everything and all others engaged in the dialogue don’t know anything. Allow the Sprit of God to work there, rather than our own personal agendas: “Again, it is the Spirit who sows the ‘seeds of the Word’ present in various customs and cultures, preparing them for full maturity in Christ” (RM 28). Our Christian faith clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is the only Savior

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even when elements of grace can be found in other religious traditions. A deep rooted faith is the guiding principle here for us since “salvation comes from Christ and that dialogue does not dispense from evangelization” (RM 55). Proclaiming Christ and engaging in interreligious dialogue are distinct elements of the Church’s overall mission: “… the Church sees no conflict between proclaiming Christ and engaging in the inter-religious dialogue” (RM 55). The Church’s teaching is very clear that the content of the Christian faith is not to be watered down or compromised in any way, but that witness is to be given to the faith in the manner indicated by Peter: “Simply reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have the answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have, but give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience” (1 Pet 3:15-16). Encounter at the human level is perhaps more significant than exchange on doctrinal differences. Hence we need to give more importance to the dialogue of life, the sharing of joys and sorrows, of common concerns and preoccupations. We can continue this journey despite our differences, or even being enriched by our differences, until that day when history itself will come to an end, and the differences will have no further significance, for God will be all in all. In Redemporis Missio, John Paul II clearly states that “the followers of other religions can receive God’s grace and be saved by Christ apart from the ordinary means which he has established” (RM 55). But it is our vocation and responsibility to preach the good news and invite everyone for a life in Christ. As long as we fulfill this part, God will take care of the rest. It is also important here to give a short summary of Church’s teach-

ing on Evangelization. Pope John Paul II emphasized evangelization as the theme of his pontificate by presenting himself the “pilgrim pope of evangelization walking down the roads of the world bringing to all peoples the message of salvation.”4 His encyclical Redemtoris Missio was the continuation of the teachings on evangelization of Vatican II and Pope Paul VI. Redemptoris Missio, looking at today’s world from the view point of evangelization, distinguishes three areas; the evangelization work of the Church is centered on. As

for discovery and adaptation” (EN 40), may result in great success in the evangelization process. Pope Paul VI states that the first means of evangelization is our witness to an authentic Christian life: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (EN 41). The Church should evangelize the world through her conduct and devotion to a life of holiness. It means “in other words, by her living witness of fidelity to the Lord Jesus—the witness of poverty

a response to those situations, the United States bishops also came up with the document Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States. The first part of this document presents a vision of Catholic evangelization and the second part outlines the goals and strategies that are needed to implement this vision.

and detachment, of freedom in the face of the powers of this world, in short, the witness of sanctity” (EN 41).

According to Pope Paul VI, proper execution of the mission is preeminently important since the evangelizer should take into consideration the time, place and culture to which the gospel is presented. Our “capacity

Cardinal Dulles describes martyrdom as being the preeminent form of personal witness.5 The heroic witness of faith by the early Church martyrs, beginning with St. Stephen, is continuing in our own era: “The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission” (RM 42). John Paul II considers personal witness, especially by families, the best means of bringing the gospel to everyone. He states that the “first form of witness is the very life of the

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missionary, of the Christian family, and of the ecclesial community, which reveal a new way of living” (RM 42) that is characterized by a willingness to forfeit personal motive for the sake of the gospel. The Church’s identity is grounded through her vocation to evangelize the world (cf. EN 14). She has been committed to spreading the Good News for two thousand years, and will continue this effort until her final glorification in the second coming of Christ. Since “the Church on earth by its very nature is missionary” (AG 2), her members, through their baptismal call and individually defined roles, actively participate in this responsibility. The renewed enthusiasm for mission work in recent decades, especially among the laity, is a tangible sign of the Holy Spirit’s continued direction and influence. This zeal for “evangelization” is a continuation of Jesus’ mandatory commission to preach the good news and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28: 19 – 20); Mk 16: 15 – 18). The challenge lies in our understanding this assignment and acting accordingly. According to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, all men and women are to be evangelized. This position is both fundamental and foundational to the Church since the day of Pentecost. The Gospel of Christ must be preached to all human beings. The gospel transcends the barriers of race, gender, nationality and socio-economic condition and is to be proclaimed first to those who have not heard it. The de-Christianization of present-day culture also makes it necessary for us to preach the good news to all those “who have been baptized but who live outside Christian life, for simple people who have a certain faith but an imperfect knowledge of the foundations of that faith, for intellectuals who feel the need to know Jesus Christ in a

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light different from the instruction they received as children, and many others” (AG 52). Cardinal Francis George in an article “Evangelizing Our Culture” argues that “the culture in which we evangelize, itself needs to be evangelized.”6 In our attempt at the successful evangelization of cultures, the Catholic Church offers counter-cultural ideas in response to the modern day deviations.Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi says that our living of the Gospel is linked to certain cultures in every age, even though Gospel and evangelization are “not identical with culture, and they are independent in regard to all cultures” (EN 20). Hence the Gospel should permeate all cultures without becoming subject to any one of them. The culture has “to be regenerated by an encounter with the Gospel” (EN 20). Cardinal Dulles argues that it is a misinterpretation of the teaching of Vatican II by some theologians to say that living according to one’s conscience is sufficient for human salvation, eliminating the need to preach the gospel to all. At the same time we should use our pastoral prudence to avoid proselytization and confrontation in this matter. If there is a reason for the Church “to wait for an opportune moment before confronting certain persons or groups with the claims of the gospel,” 7 we should use our pastoral prudence. Pope Paul IV, in his writings, highly extols the different non-Christian traditions, cultures and religions all around the world. At the same time he clearly points out that “neither respect and esteem for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised is an invitation to the Church to withhold from these non-Christians the proclamation of Jesus Christ” (EN 53). They all have the right to hear the Word and to experience Christ.

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Salvation through Christ applies

to all humanity. Cardinal Dulles argues that preaching the gospel to all humanity includes Jews and Christians who are not Catholics. Since the Church is inseparably connected to Christ, joining the Church is not an option for salvation but a necessity: “Therefore, those could not be saved who refuse either to enter the church, or to remain in it, while knowing that it was founded by God through Christ as required for salvation” (LG 14). Lumen Gentium states: “Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept its entire structure and all the means of salvation established within it and who in its visible structure are united with Christ, who rules it through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops, by the bonds of profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and communion” (LG 14).

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The documents of the Second Vatican Council acknowledge the existence of authentic values in the world prior to the preaching of the gospel, but clearly state that evangelization “preserves everything good that is to be found in human cultures or religions, frees it from admixture with evil, and elevates it to a higher plane.”8 In his opening address to the fourth general conference of Latin American Bishops, John Paul II admonished the bishops that “Culture is not the measure of the gospel; rather Jesus Christ is the measure of all culture and all human endeavor.” 9 The bishops then echoed this sentiment by asking the people to allow Jesus to purify whatever bears the mark of sin and to elevate what is good in the culture: “All evangelization must therefore mean inculturating the gospel. Every culture can thus become Christian, that is, point toward Christ

and draw inspiration from him and his message.” 10 Just as the Word became human, the faith of the Church needs to become local depending on to whom it is presented. Cardinal Francis George argues that when a given culture lacks certain components necessary to express the faith in its fullness, it is quite natural to experience tension. Certain practices such as polygamy, ritual murder, sexual promiscuity, abortion, exploitative business practices, might be normal to certain cultures but opposed to our Catholic faith: “When believers recognize demonic elements in their culture and work to diminish or eradicate them, the dialogue between faith and culture turns into the evangelization of culture. Culture is the object of our evangelization and not just the sea in which we swim. To form gospel-shaped people, the Church must work to create gospelfriendly cultures.” 11 In his address to

the Medellin Intellectuals, John Paul II spoke about the need to evangelize the culture in which we live today: “Indeed, evangelization of cultures represents the deepest and most comprehensive way to evangelize a society, since the message of Christ thereby permeates people’s awareness and is projected into the ‘ethos’ of a people, its essential attitudes, its institutions and all its structures.”12 Interreligious dialogue is a response to religious plurality around us. It can happen between individual believers at an informal level or between representatives of communities. When we engage in the evangelization work of the Church, “even before converting the world, nay, in order to convert it, we must meet the world and talk to it” (ES 68). But our talks should lead also to profess what we believe. Lumen Gentium describes Church “as a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men (LG 1). This communion goes beyond the boundaries of the membership of the Church: The Catholic Church looks into the distance, beyond the limits on her love, if this very loci is to be that of God the Father who showers his favors upon everyone (cf. Mt 5: 45), and who so loved the world that for it he gave his only Son (cf. Jn 3: 16). Look therefore beyond your own sphere and observe those other religions that uphold the meaning and the concept of God as one, Creator, provident, most high and transcendent, that worship God with acts of sincere piety and upon whose beliefs and practices the principle of moral and social life are founded.13 Evangelization always entails a clear proclamation of Jesus Christ – this is the central element without which all the other elements of evangelization lose cohesion and vitality. So there exists a tension between genuine dialogue and the necessity of

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proclaiming the gospel to all people. Proclamation of the gospel as we see in our evangelization work is not present in interreligious dialogue but we need to witness the gospel through our lives. This Interreligious dialogue is the work of the whole Church. So those who engage in dialogue should be aware that they represent the Church and are able to present the views of the Church rather than personal views: “The presentation of Jesus Christ as the only Savior needs to follow a pedagogy which will introduce people step by step to the full appropriation of the mystery. Clearly, the initial evangelization of non-Christians and the continuing proclamation of Jesus to believers will have to be different in their approach. In initial proclamation, for example, “the presentation of Jesus Christ could come as the fulfillment of the yearnings expressed in the mythologies and folklore of the Asian peoples” (EA 20). The documents of the Church are clear and reiterate the message that we should never replace proclamation with interreligious dialogue: “They (all Christians) must nevertheless

always bear in mind that dialogue, as has already been said, does not constitute the whole mission of the church, that it cannot simply replace proclamation, but remains oriented towards proclamation insofar as the dynamic process of the church’s evangelizing mission reaches in its climax and its fullness” (NMI 82). Interreligious dialogue shows that the Church takes seriously her role in preaching the gospel. It is accepting the goodness inherent in other religions i.e., understanding them as they want to be understood. It leads to mutual enrichment in admiring of what is good in the other religions, and to deepen our knowledge not only of that religion but of our own as well: “The Church therefore has this exhortation for her sons: prudently and lovingly, through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, and in witness of Christian faith and life, acknowledge, preserve, and promote the spiritual and moral goods found among these men, as well as the values in their society and culture.” (NA 2). This was a new approach from the part of the Church in interreligious dialogue. Thus a promising era in

our relationship other major world religions had opened. In order to engage in these dialogues openness to each other’s view are inevitable: “It must be remembered that the Church’s commitment to dialogue is not dependent on success in achieving mutual understanding and enrichment; rather it flows from God’s initiative in entering into a dialogue with humankind and from the example of Jesus Christ whose life, death and resurrection gave to that dialogue its ultimate expression” (DP 53). In Christ the divine life is offered to us in a way more intense than anything. Christ’s revelation allows us to understand God more deeply. If Christ tells us that he is the way, the truth and the life, we may better take him seriously. Christianity ceases to exist when we forget this principle. We have to be aware that Christ brought something new in to this world. “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father” (AG 2).

1. Pope Paul VI in 1964 instituted a special department of the Roman Curia for relations with the people of other religions. It was known as Secretariat for Non Christians but in 1998 was renamed the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID). 2. Cf. Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, The Church and Other Religions: Dialogue and Mission, 10 June 1984, AAS 75 (1984). 3. Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, Dialogue and Proclamation, 19 May 1991, AAS 84 (1992). 4. Dave Nodar, Characteristics of the New Evangelization (Maryland : ChristLife , 2000), 17. 5. Cf. Avery Cardinal Dulles, Evangelization for the Third Millennium (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2009), 92. 6. Francis Cardinal George, “Evangelizing Our Culture” in The New Evangelization: Overcoming the Obstacles, ed. Ralph Martin and Steven Boguslawski (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2008), 43. 7. Dulles, Evangelization, 8. 8. Ibid., 6. 9. National Conference of Catholic Bishops. New Evangelization, Human Development, Christian Culture: Fourth General Conference of Latin American Bishops. Translated by Phillip Berryman. (Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Office of Pub. and Promotion Services, 1993), 7. 10. Ibid., no. 47. 11. George, “Evangelizing Our Culture”, 44. 12. Quoted in National Conference of Catholic Bishops, New Evangelization, no. 16. 13. Thomas P. Rush, Evangelizing America (New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2004), 173.

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A NEW fangled doorsill to Inter-religious Dialogue “ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti agnimyamam matari swanamahuh ” [Truth is one and it decisively points to the oneness of God]

ialogue is exchange of views, belief, opinions etc. between two equals with trustful confidence and openness. Dialogue is not an outpouring of one’s own position, opinion and an intellectual arguments in which one tries to refute the positions of the other and there by stating that, only what I hold is true and the other is false, and all the fullness of truth and redemption is in my religion, and other partner has to accept my religious faith and beliefs in order

Bro. Thomas Nedumamkuzhiyil

to be saved. Pannikkar elaborates, “Dialogue seeks truth by trusting the other, just as dialectics pursues truth by trusting the order of things, the value of reason and weighty arguments.” 1 But it seems most often the inter religious dialogue turns to be inter-brain storming dialogue which tests the capacity and sharpness of one’s brain and his ability to argue logically. Therefore, our dialogue becomes a failure, after the dialogue we return with more painful, bitter and revengeful heart. People who came to reconcile and to bring the hearts closer to one another and to the supreme Truth, who is the one Father and the Spirit that inspires all, go back with a broken relationship and gaped heart. Hence, the inter-religious dialogue should be at the heart level, than at the head and reason level. For each one has to come for the dialogue with an open mind and enlarged heart, a frank and sincere concern for the other, for the humanity. The purpose of our dialogue should not be to convert the other, or to refute the other nor as I mentioned above, it should be an attempt to merely a

method to know the other and his point of view, nor is it a better test for his dialectical skill. Every one’s experience is unique; I cannot have the same experience that the other has and vice-versa. But by sharing the experience, I may be touched and moved by the God experience of the other and the vice versa too. Thus we may enrich and help mutually. This is very easy to speak of such things, but when we come to the concrete inter religious dialogue, we face problems we find it hard to be open and frank. Therefore, “every religious dialogue must be based on the deep respect for the uniqueness of each religion. Each religion expresses a particular awareness of the Absolute which can be realized only in its own context, and so has to offer its specific contribution to all others.” 2 We can grow only and when we are open to the other, listen, for we are neither self-sufficient nor individuals who are having the autonomy. In dialogue I should not “see the other as an extrinsic, accidental aid, but as the indispensable, personal element in our search for the truth.”3 Now let us specify some of the attitudes with which we should enter into inter religious dialogue.

a. Rootedness and Openness “One does not hide one’s faith; one is not ashamed to confess one’s faith when called upon to do so in dialogue.”4 It would be one of the main attitudes that we should have in

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an inter-religious dialogue. First of all ‘rootedness’ means one is committed to his own faith. Genuine dialogue is possible only between the committed people. According to R.Pannikkar, “this means that each has to come to dialogue with his/her personal beliefs.” 5 This also means that one’s faith should not be bracketed aside as dialogue progresses otherwise it would become shallow and no question of inter-religious dialogue. “So one need not and should not try to adopt a neutral attitude in dialogue, thinking that a committed statement of one’s faith will hinder in dialogue.”6 “This commitment to one’s own faith should not prevent from being open to the other.”7 I should have an open mind and heart to see the inexhaustible mystery of God present in every religion. Any readiness to share with other what we have, calls for identification with other without losing our own identity. This openness should be a give and take process. This way dialogue becomes a matter of complementarity.

b. An Attitude of Prayer

We believe that inter-religious dialogue is a work of the Spirit who is active in each person, who engages in our enterprise. This Spirit should enable us to prepare ourselves to have the deep awareness of God. “The most essential qualification for a fruitful inter-religious dialogue is not so much an acute mind, as a contemplative disposition of the soul.” 8 Therefore, each person should have a contemplative approach to the dialogue and feel the presence of divine in the partner.Prayer forms a basis for any activity to be fruitful for it is God’s mission to bring all into one umbrella, to make them acknowledge that God is one the source of Life.

c. Acceptance of the Equality of the Partner in Dialogue “It is the experience of those engaged

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in dialogue that for dialogue to be fruitful the partners in the dialogue have to accept each other as equals.”9 There should not be any feeling of superiority and an attitude that the other has to receive our views and we may or not accept the others views. As it is mentioned, “one should not approach dialogue with any sense of superiority. One should be quite happy, as a Christian, to put oneself on a level with one’s dialogue partner, as member of the same humanity.” 10 One should have the attitude that we all are pilgrims in search of the same ultimate Reality; therefore consider the other as our co-pilgrims not as followers.

victory in the dialogue. This love will manifest itself in different forms. It accepts the other unconditionally, it offer forgiveness, in the readiness to commit oneself to action. It is in hope that we enter in to dialogue. The hope of expecting good from the other and to receive from the other makes us enter into dialogue with all. A genuine love combined with hope can work miracles in bringing people of good will and those open hearted to understand the evils of the religious communalism which is often instigated by politicians who survive due to vote bank politics. They follow the rule of British who ruled our country in the name of divide and rule to have better control over the masses. Today we see the same concept applied to win the hearts of majority for their selfish motives. These evils can be identified only in sincere love and hope and this attitude helps us to become effective agents of change in society.

Towards a New Humanity d. Transparency of Motives There should be a transparency in our motivations as we approach for the dialogue. There should not be any other motivation rather mutual understanding and enrichment, communion and collaboration. Dialogue should not be as a means to convert as many Hindus feel that today in the name of dialogue we try to impose our ideology by convincing them to accept Jesus as Savior of the world, therefore any doubt created in the mind of the other it can lead to a disastrous end. It is not a platform to defend one’s faith etc. Honesty in all motivations is a fundamental requirement for dialogue.

e. Attitude of Love and Hope Love should be the leading and guiding force in inter-religious dialogue. One may not look for success or

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

Today India faces the problem of social, economic, religious and political order, which affect the fabric of society and the very existence of each and every individual person. Eradication of all the evils becomes impossible due to the broken society. I feel if inter religious dialogue gets the momentum and if genuine dialogue takes place then struggle for peace, justice fellowship and so on will gain and receive a common platform. The task of each person in this multi-religious and pluralistic society is to work together to promote every kind of human values, taking seriously into consideration that we are pilgrims, and not mere tourists, joining together in search of truth. In this venture anything that goes against the love of God and neighbor is evil and such elements and practices should be eliminated from within oneself and from the society. We need to work

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for the common good and happiness of everyone. We all are the children of the same Father, so let us march together toward our Father, who is love and compassion. St. John Paul II in his visit to India has emphasized the fact that all religions should work for the establishment of a humanitarian society to engaging genuinely in dialogue. He stresses that the fruit of dialogue should be union between people and union of people with God. This means undoubtedly establishing the values like justice, peace and fellowship and so on in the society. Further addressing an inter–religious meet at New Delhi on Sunday 7th November 1999, Pope said, “It is sign of hope that the religions of the world are becoming more aware of their shared responsibility for the wellbeing of the human family. This is a crucial part of the globalization

“Friend... u Yo e ar t no

alone”

Bro. Paul Vettikattil

of solidarity which must come if the future of the world is to be secure.” The country today is filled with corruption and injustice at all levels. The poor are becoming poorer and rich are getting richer. There is a wide gap between them, and religious fanaticism and fundamentalism is fast creeping into the mindsets of many innocent people today. Although the Church in India today is fighting single handedly in a small way to eradicate poverty, injustice, hatred etc. I believe the Church will be successful in eradicating these evil elements when it joins hands with followers of other faiths. Thus, if we engage genuinely in inter religious

dialogue, establishment of a peaceful society will be a reality.

Conclusion

In spite of the difficulties and challenges that we foresee in our effort for inter-religious dialogue due to the past attitude of the Church; we have to focus primarily on dialogical mission. This dialogue is a process of mutual affectivity, since both the partners are open to share. It is in good relationship with the people of the other faiths that we can build up the community based on kingdom values. Hence, the Church has the prime responsibility to initiate dialogue with others at all levels.

1 R.Pannikkar, Myth, Faith and Hermeneutics (New York: Paulist Press, 1979) 243. 2 C.H. Srinivasa Rao, Inter – Faith Dialogue and World Community (Madras: The Christian Literature Society, 1991) 109. 3 R. Pannikkar, Myth, Faith and Hermeneutics, 243. 4 Paulos M. Gregorios, Religion and Dialogue (Delhi: ISPCK, 2000), 109. 5 R. Pannikkar, Inter Religious Dialogue, 18. 6 J. Kuttianimattatil, Practice and Theology of Inter Religious Dialogue (Bangalore: KristuJyoti Publications, 1995) 109. 7 Ibid.,109. 8 J. Kuttianimattathil, Practice and Theology of Inter Religious Dialogue, 111. 9 Ibid., 108. 10 Paulos M. Gregoris, Religion and Dialogue, 163.

nificent friend, You’re a really mag . would like to send A petite message I serve, Over time, I did ob e. things you deserv In this life, a lot of tempting to flatter, I’m not merely at matter. past don’t actually blunders from the ok ahead, You just want to lo ad. art, persist to spre Love from your he t, thing will be alrigh I believe the whole this fight. as we’re a band in u’re not alone, So have off pat, yo l clone there’s your menta Right next to you, St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Y C A B I IP CEL V/S H S D N E I R F L A U X SE

O R E T HE “F

riends are the siblings that God never gave us.” This quote of Mencius often proves to be a universal truth in our every day specifics of ordinary life. This truth really permeates the arena of celibate life also. Man is not an island. He cannot lead an isolated life in a society where people live together. Every person in one way or other is related to one another. There will be somebody as friend in every person’s life. This friendship helps the person to be more authentic human being. Aristotle speaks about three kinds of friendships: advantageous, pleasurable and goodness. The first two are utilitarian in nature and the third is concerned with the good of the loved one. For Aristotle, a friend is very important in human life and he is another self. He also considers friendship a sort of virtue and a necessity in human life. In the Nicomachean Ethics, found in Classical Philosophy, we read:

Bro. Jithin Madathil

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Friendship is a virtue, or involves virtue, and moreover is most necessary for our life; for no one would choose to live without friends even if one had all the other goods. Indeed, rich people and holders of powerful positions, even more than other people, seem to need friends. …In poverty also, and in the other misfortunes, people think friends are the only refuge. Moreover, the young need friendship to keep them form error. The old need it to care for them and support the actions that fail because of weakness. 1

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

It should be clear from the beginning that friendship cannot exist between highly dissimilar people. Enough likeness in being and lifestyle must be there for attraction and appreciation to spring up between two persons. When both become aware of these similarities, love spontaneously begins to exist.This initial love is prerequisite to friendship and is, in this sense, its foundation. To develop into the love of friendship, this beginning attraction in each person must become an unselfish, affective and effective love of the other.2 Each must consistently wish for and make earnest efforts to procure the genuine good, the true perfection of the other- his health, for example, his education, moral improvement, increase in grace, and union with God. It is very important to have friends in one’s life for the fuller realization of human life. It enables a person to grow in maturity. According to Chistopher Kiesling, Through these friendships personality unfolds and expands, talents come to light, unrecognized potentialities are actualized, human needs are provided for, responsibility is developed, freedom of choice is evoked, loyalty is tested, Christian virtues are nourished, a realistic self-image emerges, and self confidence is generated.3

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It is very important to have friends in the life of a celibate, because it enables him to embrace celibacy as much as he can. “A beautiful friendship strengthens chastity, perfects chastity. It prompts each party to want the celibate dedication more strongly and to be entirely faithful to it.”4 St. Augustine states that “The Christian friendship is a gift, elevated by grace and will reach perfection only in eternity; concern always accompany friendships; the friendship of those who are united in God will be a permanent union of pure love and fidelity because they are united by that love which is spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us.”5

HETEROSEXUAL FRIENDSHIP IN THE LIFE OF CELIBATES The consecrated are to realize the mixed friendship which is not something additional, but forms part of human experience. In fact, the present inability of many to form mixed gender friendship is a sign of immaturity and could constitute an impediment to religious life. It could be possibly judged as a sign that one does not have a vocation. Even the model of all celibates, Jesus Himself, engaged in mixed gender friendships which really enrich human lives. In the same way, it will also be advisable if celibates of today love in the manner of Jesus- calling each one by name and loving him or her as they are. Celibates, as people following in the footsteps of Jesus, are bound to follow His ways also in matters concerning friendship. Mixed friendship for consecrated celibates is an enhancing opportunity. The lives of some revered men and women saints who were real friends in the Lord reveal this fact. It requires a lot of intelligence and prudence to live such a relationship in its right way. Such successful mixed

friendships between the consecrated have been rare through the ages. The limitedness might be due to the reason that not all consecrated men and women are capable of forming such relationships in a way that it will suit their vocational call. Secondly, God might not have provided the opportunity to all those who are capable of forming such relationships. Lastly, this type of relationships entails a number of threats to the celibate life, except where human and vocational essentials are well harmonized as the friendship develops. Where such mixed friendships are realized among celibates, it offers immense opportunity for growth in all realms. Men can learn from women and women can learn from men, their unique way of approaching God. It will help them to deepen their love for Him and for His mission. Accomplishment with one’s own effort belongs mostly to the masculine gender, while the element of feeling is dominant in the feminine gender. These attributes go a long way to influence the attitude of the person in the exercise of divine and human love.

is of paramount importance to move forward with a solid base on the life of the Lord.The life of Jesus is very exemplary in the realm of heterosexual friendship. Those who are suspicious of heterosexual friendship in celibate life should be reassured by the example of Christ who entertained special love and affection for some women and accepted their love in return. In Christ’s celibacy there is no rejection of heterosexual love. The strongest theological foundation for heterosexual friendship in celibate life is Christ’s friendship with women. If Christ cultivated heterosexual friendship in his life, it is a value that has been approved by God.6 “If Christ in his humanity entered into friendship with women in order to draw them to His divinity, to His Father, and to the Spirit, then celibate friendship between men and women has been divinely sanctioned.” 7 Christ’s celibacy did not prevent him from expressing his cordiality,

JESUS: THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF CELIBATE FRIENDSHIP When we go through the Gospels, we can learn that Jesus had tender affection to all those who had come to him with various needs of their life. He loved all of them without considering whether they are male or female, rich or poor. Jesus described His relationship with His disciples as that of friendship and was open to them.They are friends because He has completely opened Himself to them. He has made known to them everything and shared with them everything that the Father has made known to Him. There was complete openness and sharing on his part and now they are to be called friends. Since we are trying to make clearer the crucial aspects of celibate life, it St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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friendship, openness, sympathy with others in their troubles and anxieties. He formed firm relationships with some of them; for example, with Lazarus and his sisters.Jesus is to be followed in the concrete life situations of our day. Following His example today cannot be an absolute imitation of His lifestyle, because His world was different from ours. Even though history is continuous, each person and each generation is marked by its unique and unrepeatable events. Celibates therefore, are to follow Jesus in continuity with His mission, which also may confront challenges that

are different from His time. This has been the task of being a Christian all through the ages. The celibates follow the example of Jesus by fulfilling the double commandment of love, (love of God and love of neighbour) made possible through the gifts of the Holy Spirit as manifested in the human life of Jesus.

CONCLUSION It is very important to have deep relationship with God which will

I know....

eventually lead us to love others. This necessity arises from the fact that human relationships alone will not be enough to actualize our vocation to be a celibate. Any authentic human life also requires friendship as its essential element to flourish. We create ourselves anew through diverse types of friendships we cherish. Celibates can be very much confident in profiting from heterosexual friendship also, because it is substantiated with the life of our Lord Himself.

1 Terence Irwin, ed., Classical Philosophy (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 317. 2 Paul M. Conner, Celibate Love (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1979), 106. 3 Christopher Kiesling, Celibacy, Prayer and Friendship, 86-87. 4 T. Dubay, Celibate Friendship: Illusion and Reality, 839. 5 M. J. MchErlane, “Friendship According to St. Augustine,” Review for Religious 76 (1993), 76. 6 F. Podimattam, Say Yes to Love: A New Dimension to Celibate Friendship, 41. 7 Paul M. Conner, Celibate Love, 25.

If you ask me, “what is a dream”?

Then from the Holy Scripture, I knowA lord who dreamt of a new sky and new earth From my stroke with books, I know About a dream that was seen by a black, Where the children of blacks and whites embrace each other I know a man named Mahathma, Who dream for a free nation. I know a man, who gave a novel notion in science, Who inspires me to dream when I am at work From the legends I heard from my grandma, I know About a king who comes to see his people on ‘atham pathu’ And dreams for a nation, free from evils and deceptions as his days. From my own life, I know My parents who dream of a day On which I get to the Holy Altar and blessing them From the core of my heart, I know I have a steadfast dream to be an ‘alter Christus’ So that I can kiss my Abba, the heavenly Father

Bro. Nijo kollantethekkethil

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Kenosis a shared idea between

Christianity and Buddhism

n Christian theology, the mystery of incarnation is described as emptying. Jesus, the divine word relinquished his divinity and emptied himself to the point of death in becoming man. This fact is attested by the biblical passage: “Jesus Christ though he was in the form of god did to regard his equality with god but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (Phi 2:7-8). The first parent lost their globe of glory because of their craving for becoming like god, Jesus restores the lost globe of glory back to humanity by giving away his divinity and becoming a servant that is, by emptying himself. This act of self-emptying is called kenosis. Kenosis is the complete manifestation of compassion that god has toward human begins. It is out of compassion

that Jesus deigned to become man for the salvation of humanity. Jesus who emptied himself is the perfect embodiment of great compassion. Jesus, the most compassionate calls his disciples to deny themselves for the salvation of whole world. Jesus said, “Those who lose their life will fine it” (Mt 16:28). Thus, in renouncing one’s self, one can work for the salvation of others and achieve his own salvation. This idea of self-denying for the liberation of one’s own self and that of others is also an essential part of Buddhist heritage, especially in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. This idea of kenosis is expressed and implied in the Buddhist concept of great compassion. Great compassion, in short means, denying one’s own higher status of spiritual life for the sake of freedom of all sentient beings from the bondage of rebirth and from the world of suffering.

Buddhist World-view

Bro. Regin Ratheesh Thunduvilai

Acquiring the knowledge about Buddhist world-view is a prerequisite for understanding the concept of great compassion in Buddhism. In a way, Buddhist world-view is pessimistic. It looks at the phenomenal world as transient, void and full of suffering. Here, we are reminded of the famous

Buddhist dictum: “All is suffering (sarvam dukkam).” Buddhist philosophy of life is born of Buddha’s search for cause and cure of suffering. Buddha discovered that the cause of suffering is the bondage in the cycle of rebirth (samsara). The greater our involvement in samsara, the greater is our suffering. Clearly, the cure of suffering is the liberation from this bondage. This liberation is realized by the attachment of enlightenment. As ignorance is basically the reason for us to be in bondage, removing one’s ignorance, one attains enlightenment. By way of practical life, the state of enlightenment is materialized through practicing dharma. The state of liberation accomplished through enlightenment is called nirvana. What is important for us is the fact that having practiced dharma and thus attained enlightenment, some renounce to enter to nirvana and remain in the cycle of birth to help the rest of humanity on its pilgrimage to liberation.

Boddhisattva Vow Boddhisattva is a person who attained enlightenment and is about to attain nirvana. Bdodhisattva vow is the willingness of bodhisattva to open the door of his or her mind to the

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world around him by renunciation of his or her selfish inclination to attain nirvana. This act of compassion is a kind of self-emptying because it consists in renouncing all claims to result of one’s individual meritorious deeds and in working ever in the world of birth and death for the ultimate enlightenment of whole animal kingdom and humanity. The bodhisattvas deign to remain in the cycle of rebirths by taking all sorts of birth so that they can present the path of dharma to others and lead them to enlightenment. They take whatever birth that seems most practical to carry out their mission. Sometimes, they become kings, minister and even sometimes as animals. Taking rebirth means leaping into the world of suffering and pain. It betrays their readiness and willingness to tolerate any decree of suffering for the liberation of others. After assuming birth, they are always guided by what is called bodhichitta which means an aspiration to rescue all sentient beings from the sufferings of cyclic existence and bring them to enlightenment until the last blade of grass has entered enlightenment.

Bodhisattva – the Embodiment of Compassion Bodhisattva is the compassion par excellence and he is the embodiment of compassion. He is the supreme person compared to rest of humanity. There are three religious decree of person. 1) Those who pursue only his own aim in the pleasures of this world - such person is known as the inferior person. 2) Those who turn their back on the pleasures of the sensual world but pursue him own enlightenment - such a person is known as the mediocre person. 3) Those who makes all the efforts not only for attaining to their own liberation but also for procuring the same for all sentient beings – such a person is

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known as the supreme person. Bodhisattvas belong to the third group of persons. It is out of genuine compassion for the fellow beings that the bodhisattvas take all the troubles in coming down in the world of suffering, for the sake of liberation of the whole sentient kingdom. The praxis of this genuine compassion lies in what is called “long len” which literally means “taking and sending.” Taking means the willingness of bodhisattava to take up all the pain and the potential suffering of every other being in the universe to free each and every one of them from bondage. Sending means his resolution to send all his virtue, happiness, health, wealth to other beings so that they shall be strengthened on their pilgrimage to realization of nirvana. In short, the bodhisattva’s compassion is one of the willingly taking on all that is negative and of selflessly giving away all that is positive. Bodhisattva leaves and keeps nothing for himself and gives away everything of his being to others. This can be undoubtedly termed as the act of kenosis or self-emptying. The practice of compassion is a voluntary act of self-denial for the bodhisattva, where as it is primary step for those seeking enlightenment.

The Rationale of Practice of Compassion

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

The concept of compassion in

Buddhism sprouts out from one of its twelve principles called “unity of life.” It is an awareness of all things as parts of one inseparable whole. It follows that all the men are brothers, kinsman of all living things. All forms of life are forms of the one life. Life is one and indivisible though its forms are innumerable and perishable. Everyone of the numberless begins have been our mother or father. Through innumerable cycles of life, we have developed an entirely close karmic connection with each one of beings. From the awareness of unity of life arise the virtue of compassion and a sense of identity with the life in other forms. Compassion is described as the law of laws, eternal harmony of life and he who breaks the harmony of life will suffer accordingly and delay his own enlightenment. At the same time, he who keeps the harmony of life and identifies himself with all parts of life is not far from enlightenment. This rich thought of the oriental heritage has been incorporated by Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher who, for the first time showed an optimistic and admiring attitude towards eastern thought. He made use of the Buddhist concept of universal compassion. Being a pessimistic, he looked at life as meaningless and vain. Life appears meaningless because Will to live is the driving force of life and makes life a perpetual craving. Nothing satisfies

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life. All the achievements of life are mere vanities. Then, how do we find a way out? Schopenhauer’s answer is denial of the will. Freeing oneself from the craving of the will is the best way to a meaningful life, as the selfish will to life is the root cause of all sufferings and pain. This denial of self leads us to universal compassion. In other words, one who annihilated his selfish will is characterized by the spirit of universal compassion which is expressed in identifying one’s own will with the will of others and considering other’s suffering as one’s own. Obviously, Schopenhauer, being influenced by the Buddhist idea of universal compassion, affirms and endorses the life of self-emptying for the sake of deliberation of the entire sentient kingdom from the world of absurdity and misery. As a conclusion, we can say that self-emptying is an expression of genuine compassion. More clearly, self-emptying proceeds from the virtue of compassion for others. Without compassion, one can never deny his own self and one who has compassion cannot but live for the wellbeing of others. Christ is the perfect incarnation of love and compassion. He is the most compassionate of all. He loved the world so much that he emptied himself totally and laid down his life for the redemption of humanity. Thus, Christianity stands at the peak of compassion. Buddhism speaks of universal compassion which included the animal kingdom. What is common between Christianity and Buddhism is that compassion needs to be practiced through self-emptying for the liberation of others. Both Christian discipleship and Buddhist discipleship share this great philosophy of life. In no other religion, this kind of lofty thought is found and practiced. That salvation is not of the individual self but of community is the shared idea and belief between a Christian and a Buddhist.

QUIZBOX 1. Who is known as Angelic Doctor? Ans: St. Thomas Aquinas 2. Who is the author of ‘De Trinitate’ (On Trinity)? Ans: St. Augustine

10. Which is the first Seminary in India to receive the Pontifical Title? Ans: Papal Athenaeum, Pune

3. Who is the oldest man in the Bible?

11. What is the highest award to be conferred to the laity in the Church?

Ans: Metuselah (969 years)

Ans : Grand Chevalier

4. Who was the first person to receive Holy Communion in Moon?

12. Which is the first ever Organization in the world for Laity?

Ans : Franciscan Laity Church, 1221

Ans: Edwin Aldrin, USA

5. Which is the first Archdiocese to be erected for the St. Thomas Christians/

13. Who is the Heavenly Patroness of USA?

Ans: Ankamaly

Ans: Mother Mary

6. Which is the first Church started by the Europeans in India?

14. Which saint is known as the Black Saint?

Ans: St. Francis Church, Fort Kochi

Ans: St. Martin de Porres

7. Which is the only Ecumenical Church in the world?

15. Who is known as the Heavenly patron of the Altar Boys?

Ans: St. Thomas Ecumenical Church, Nilackal

Ans: St. John Berchmans

8. Which is the biggest Church (structure) in Asia? Ans: Sacred Cathedral, Goa

16. Whom did Pope John Paul II declare as the saint of the IIIrd Millennium? Ans : St. Foustina Kovalska

9. Which is the space shuttle to carry Holy Communion outside Earth?

17. An Indian Priest, who was born as a Brahmin, was elevated as Saint who is he?

Ans: Apollo II

Ans: Fr. Joseph Vass 18. Who was the Second Pope? Ans: St. Lenus 19. Which Pope officially declared St. Thomas as the Apostle of India? Ans: Pope Paul VI 20. Who was the first Pope to visit the Holy Land After St. Peter? Ans: Pope Paul VI

Bro. Abin Mullackal St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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A CODE OF DISCORD & CONCORD Reflections on the uniform civil code

ne of the most controversial topics of the press rooms these days is the implementation of a Uniform civil code. Much is being discussed on this matter now. It is often accused as a political tactic in order to gain votes by pleasing the Hindu fundamentalists. Numerous rumours were spread in connection with this. Hence it is in place to assess the situation in the state today with a study on the exactness of the Code. This essay tries to explain the uniform civil code, its scope, and the feasibility of implementing such a code in the multi-religious milieu of India.

What is Uniform Civil Code?

Bro. Joel Poweth

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The proponents of a uniform civil code have been campaigning for it even before the independence of India. Their view was that only such

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

a code will be capable of maintaining the unity of this state. “The state shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”, states the Article 44, one of the Directive Principles of the State Policy of the Constitution. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) calls for an end to various personal laws that confronts the areas like marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption and custody of the children. Since India is a multi-religious state, various religions have various laws concerning these aspects. Though there were moves to implement a Uniform civil code in the state, there were no serious deliberations done on this aspect during the last decades.

The Scope of the Code India has always been a place of many colours and spices, and before independence in 1947 it would have

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been hard to point out what constituted India. Fighting the British rule and winning our independence also helped in creating this nation we call India. It was known even at that time that to further unite India and make it a truly secular nation we would need a uniform civil code. But even after 70 years of independence we haven’t been able to do this. The reasons for why this has not been done are complex and a different topic on its own but it all boils down to political will. Politicians have always found it beneficial to play vote bank politics and try to appease different castes and groups instead of attempting to integrate our nation. Therefore a Uniform civil code will help us to integrate the nation despite the religious barriers. This will indeed help us to promote the Gandhian ideal of Sarva Dharma Samabhavana. It will naturally lead to real secularism. What we have right now in India is selective secularism which means that in some areas we are secular and in others we aren’t. A uniform civil code means that all citizens of India have to follow the same laws whether they are Hindus or Muslims or Christians or Sikhs. This sounds fair and secular. A uniform civil code doesn’t mean it will limit the freedom of people to follow their religion, it just means that every person will be treated the same. That is real secularism. Another important point is that it will give honour to the women. We know that the present-day atrocities ranging from verbal assaults to physical attacks are a shame and pity to the remarkable legacy of this nation which

has always shown great respect to dignity of women. A uniform civil code will also help in improving the condition of women in India. Our society is extremely patriarchal and misogynistic and by allowing old religious rules to continue to govern the family life we are condemning all Indian women to subjugation and mistreatment. A uniform civil code will help in changing these age old traditions that have no place in today’s society where we do understand that women should be treated fairly and given equal rights. Though these reasons appear to be fair, we cannot conclude that we need a Uniform civil code at any cost. Certain other aspects are also to be considered.

The Feasibility of the Code in the Multi-religious Context of India India is a multi-religious land. We have a lot of religions here. But now-a-days we see an attitude of fundamentalism gaining momentum even in the grass root levels of the society. It is really a threatening situation. So we have to understand that this land is not the sole property of any one religion. Hinduism as we know was not a religion. The term was used to designate the culture in the banks of the river Indus. ‘Hindu’ is the generic name given to the culture which developed around this river by the Westerners. The original inhabitants of the state were the aboriginal tribal people. They had such a great mind

to welcome everyone to their place. The three Vedas1, the Bible, the Koran, or any other religion for that matter, is foreign to this culture. But the original inhabitants were not hostile to these religions or philosophies. They welcomed them, imbibed them and made them as part of the Indus culture. In short this state is not the monopoly of any one religion rather all religions are part of this culture. Not only the existing religions but also the extinct religions, philosophies, the heterodox systems, etc are integral part of this culture. Therefore, when we are trying to implement a Uniform Civil Code, all these religions and thought-currents should be taken into consideration. Otherwise it will be a partisan approach which will break the unity of the nation.

Conclusion We were trying to analyse the viability of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the different ambiences of the socio-political dimensions of the issue. We could conclude that it is definitely good to have a Uniform Code. But it has got a lot of difficulties. It is not easy to arrive at a consensus with different religions. If an attempt is done against the will of the religions, it could possibly lead to tensions and chaos. Hence it is not prudent to move further on the implementation line. But this does not mean that we have to abandon this idea totally. What we have to do is educating the coming generations on the need and importance of such a code without wounding their religious sensitivity.

1. The Vedas are now regarded as the earliest available record of Indian Philosophy and Religion. There are four Vedas: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The first three constituted the triad (trayi), which were the original Vedas and which enjoyed a higher status since they hail from the Aryan race. The latter Veda was of the aboriginal tribes and the topics discussed in it were more animistic and magical beliefs of the lower strata of the population. When we examine closely the religion of the Aryan tribes, who were of nomadic nature and who settled down in Punjab more than three thousand years ago, we find that there were two classes of religions: one based on the triad (which were the three books of prayers, songs and rituals) and another one which is reflected in the Atharva Veda. As evolution went on, we observe, the higher religion was continuously, influenced by the beliefs and religious practices of the popular religion. (Cf. J. Thachil, An Initiation to Indian Philosophy, (Alwaye: 2000), 19-21).

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ich we are i ” r n it w ho

aB Vann

onta

now

, and loo k

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ly n o s i e re h “T

Your time is watching you... T

ime is the strongest force of nature that surely rules both nature and humankind. As we know, the time has three important impressions of its nature, Past, Present and Future. Time ruled past that’s why we call it history, it rules present and we call it development and its always prepared to rule future, so we call it vision. Every person in the world has different ways to relate and value time. We often forget to understand its importance and fail to make use of it . This article may help us to understand the value of time and remind us, what a beautiful gift God has given to us, in the form of Time.

Time is a companion Time is always free, but it’s priceless. We can’t own it but can use it. We cannot store or keep it but can spend it. Once it is lost, lost forever. We must remember that the ‘lost time can never be found again’.

Bro. Abinson Alex

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

Time is more valuable than money, it is a special gift given to us and we must go with it. We must realize that it is the only factor which rules our lives. Our plans, actions, words, everything is guided by time. Often time helps, guides and leads us.

Time is a Fantastic Healer Sometimes the time stands as a healer in our life. Each and every moment brings different situation and feelings in our life. sometimes success, other times failures, many time happiness and few times sadness, but with every situation it brings along a positive source that teaches us to react to the situations we come accross in life. Our greatness glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall, this happiness only throughtout the times. Time is a best healer in our life, the only thing is that we must wait and go one with the time as a best partner or companion.

Time is a great teacher We might have seen number of teachers in our life. But I am sure there is no great teacher than time. It teaches us everyday, every moment about the value of life and our living. Our experiences are times certificate to us for passing life’s tests and learning the value of time. We often heared that tommorrow is a question paper, today is an answer paper and the yesterday is the new paper. The question paper can be answered in the answer paper through the support of news paper. Here time plays a vital role for success of the life’s test.

Have patience with time The only thing that we have to keep in our mind that everything doesn’t happen at once. Life takes its own

sweet and memorable time to offer us what we want. Therefore we have to be very patient with the time, because there is no control on time. things will happen fruitfully when it is allowed, so all of us have to do is let things happen on its own according to time. It is a mistake to look too for ahead, only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. It is necessary to avoid hurry and pay patience to the time.

Time is a priceless Gift Time is free but it is priceless and precious. Time is more valuable than money. We can get more money if we work hard. But we cannot get more time at any means. Our time is our life since life is once, the time stands priceless. Therefore we must spend it very effectively. Since life is too short to spend our precious time, we must be very vigilant to make each and every moment hear good for us and others. We must always try to go with time

side by side to get real success in the life. If we waste the time, it ruins us and our life. We must understand the value of time and go ahead with it, because time never stays for anyone special.

Conclusion Time is very precious gift of God given to all of us. We should respect the value and the importance of time every single moment. There is a common saying that, “Time and Tide waits for none.” Time runs continuously without stoppage. So we should never spend our time without purpose and meaning at any stage of our life. Therefore time management is very important to lead and organize life, both personally and professionally. It also helps us in achieving our goals. A good time management helps us to solve many problems in our life. With good time management skills we are in control of our time and our life. We must always remember that, ‘Lost time never found again.’

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2016-17

n the scorching and weary summer eve, clouds and winds shattered the noise. Out of the blue, drops of rain started to plummet on the noisy ground of the street. Rahul was hectic with his works in his office room. The creaky window altered his mind as he moved closer to it. The raucous rain and cold breeze chilled his heart. He saw the rain drops falling on the lane and the sky roared a sudden boom followed by a bright, rapid lightening. His mind was already in its expedition to a few years rear. Rahul with his father, mother who was ill of sarcoma and his mentally challenged sister, lived in an under-

Bro. Elias Panthapallil

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sized hut near to the sea shoreline. His father was a fisherman. It was too thorny for that middle aged man to make the both ends meet. Rahul used to vend news papers in the early crack of dawn. After his errand with news papers, he rushed to school daily. Most of the days, he was a tardy comer to the class. But he was so assiduous. In the lunch times, he read his books sitting unaccompanied under the tree shades of the school premise since most often he had zilch else to chomp. He immersed himself into lottery selling and other chores of the kind after the school time. With daily pills for his mother and sister, he returns to the abode in the late evenings to do the spare works in the home. He cooks food, bathes his little sister and does all the household toils. On that day dawn Rahul saw his father busy with fixing the net. He said to rahul that he was about to go to the sea alone since it is not easy to meet the needs of the family by going with others as he had to carve up the money with colleagues. Rahul and his mother pleaded him not to leave since the environmental predictions of the agencies were not pleasing. But he was definite with his choice.

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

They did not discern that the day was unhurriedly on its way to the darkest day of their existence. On the day, rahul was just about to put books into his plastic bag after his hectic errands of the daybreak and suddenly the whole house shook. Books fell off the hand and pictures fell off the walls. He heard children in the environs started screaming. Mothers tried to calm them whilst he went outside. Trees started shaking and leaves fell off. A tree fell. He saw in the distance sea spray. He thought it as normal until he saw it gushing towards their home. “RUN!” somebody Shouted at everyone, pointing at the murky, green, salty seawater flowing their way. Running inside, Rahul tried to grab the hands of his mom and sister. ‘It’s a tsunami isn’t it?’ mother asked Rahul with some anxious and terrified eyes. ‘It can’t be, there hasn’t been one in ages!’ He huddled with his family, wondering if this would be their last minutes alive, together… He prayed. He heard slushing outside and the house started shaking again. The side of the house fell down. They were left, floating on the attic across the gushing sea. They clung

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onto each other as long as they could. Suddenly he felt his hands wobbly slip out of his mother’s and sister’s hands and he saw them floating, shouting. “HELP!!” his sister was shouting. He leaned in to grab them but he could not. They lost grip of his hands in the fast flowing water. “Oh no, I’ve lost everything of my life. I’ve lost my entire family. My life’s fallen apart. What can I do? Nothing. Not anything in this fast flowing water.”

“I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying” Charlie Chaplin

Tears flowed down his cheeks. “I guess this was the end. I’ve lost my whole family to this stupid idiotic world.” Rahul’s mom and sister were sinking under the murky water in the distance. His heart broke in two as he lost sight of them. He floated to the side of the road which was now a huge fast flowing river. He hopped onto the side and lay on the sturdy ground, panting. Then he snapped back to focus. He ran towards where his family had sunk. They weren’t there. Wait, they must have floated down. He pushed himself to run faster than the water which was humanly impossible. He saw their bodies lying on top of the water, scattered in the stray pieces of wood and furniture. They were gone… he crouched down on the floor sobbing his whole heart out. He seriously felt suicidal right then and his consciousness went off. Rahul dragged himself back from the haunting memories. His eyes were alike two billows cascading. He wiped his tears off his face as the office assistant came in and placed a cup of tea over the table near to his name board on which the golden lettering gleamed ‘rahul Ram IAS, District sub- collector’. Yet again a swift lightening chased by a hollering thunder passed and his heart throbbed to get into the rain so that nobody may see him crying..... St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Our Eminent Guests and Lectures

Cardinal Timothy Dolan Arch Diocese of NewYork

Mar Thomas Tharayil Aux. Bishop of Changanacherry

Rev. Dn. Dr. Jean Paul Representative, Catholic union Switzerland

Rev. Fr. Roger Representative, Catholic union Switzerland

Mr. Vinson M. Paul IPS

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Prof. Dr. Mary Regina Vice President- Catholic Council of India

St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

Msgr. John E Kozar President, CNEWA

Rev. Fr. Varghese Vallikkattu KCBC Dy. Secretary General

Mr. Johny Lukose

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Visit of Cardinal Timothy Dolan

United in His Priesthood

Your presence is a great source of cheer

Schola Brevis

St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Blessing of the New Shrine

House Blessing

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

Convocation

Forging our Future - Leaving a Legacy

way to go with honors...

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Beacause what the world needs is people who have come alive - Howard Thurman

Blessing of the new Gate

St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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2016-17

Here our ears sense pure a lullaby Groto And the Mother’s touch so comely And when our fingers hold the beads here so firmly Angels join with us so fondly........

“Indeed the mater dei is in this place and we know it”!!! 72 |

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

Book Releasings

‘Madhbahayile Malakhamar’ - New Edition

‘Visudha Qurbana Karunyathinte Divya Aghosham’ by Rev. Dr. Philip Chempakassery

‘Mathayiyude Suvisesham : Padhanavum Vyakyanavum’ by Rev. Dr. Philip Chempakassery

‘Athmageetham’ - New Edition

Jubilarians’ Day

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ASA Ventures

Auction

Food Fest

New Medicinal Garden

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

of the Year

ASA Inaguration

Celebrations with the little ones of Jesus

Medical Camp

Apostolate of social action (ASA) is the vibrant and dynamic social service department of the seminary. Here all the seminarians join hands in helping the needy through their prayers and efforts of sacrifice. It organizes various activities of social importance like blood donation, alms giving, juvenile home ministry, central prison ministry, hospital ministry etc with the money collected by the volunteer activities of the seminarians such as handicrafts making, mushroom cultivation, book binding, hair cutting, mega auction, food fest etc. Fr. Sebastian Ambassery is in the vanguard as its director for the last academic year.

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New Priests’ Day

Rosary Procession

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

Deacons’ Farewell

goodbye is not forever......

Parents’ Meet

Priests’ Day Out...

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Theological Colloquium January 13-14, 2017

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

Living the Word in Worship

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inaries in Trivan drum

Inauguration of FOST 1 September 2016

F el

em fS o hip s low

Fellowship of Seminarians of Trivandrum (FOST) is an ecumenical forum which brings all the seminaries in the Trivandrum city together. FOST undertakes various kinds of programmes for social upliftment.

Mar gregorios Inter Seminary

“In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas”

Eco-Quiz Competition

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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“Let books be your dining table, and you shall be full of delights. let them be your mattress, and you shall sleep restful nights” - Ephrem the Syrian

tZianÃm-¯

]u-tcm-lnXyw \mw

BZyw ]p-kX-Iw hm-bn¡p¶p, ]n- ¶ o- S v ]p- k v X Iw \-s½ hm-bn-¡p¶p. A-t¸m-gm-Wv \ mw F-gp-¯v B-cw-`n-¡p-¶Xv. A-¸³-kmdnsâ Cu I-ïp-]n-Sn-¯w- i-cn-bm-sW-¶v tXm-¶p-¶p.hm-b-\-bnÂ Cu-bp-Å-h³ sIm-¼p-ap-f-¡m-¯ H-cp B-«n³-Ip-«n-bmWv... Nn-e k-ab - § - f - nÂ Rm³ hm-b\ - b - nÂ Pz-en-¡m-dpïv. Nn-e-t¸mÄ Ip-Xn-¡m-dpïv. a-äp Nn-e-t¸mÄ C-S-dp-I-bpw C-g-bp-Ibpw sN-¿m-dpïv. F-s´m-s¡-bm-bmepw hmb-\ F-t¸msgm F-sâ i-co-c-¯n-se H-cp A-hb-hw t]m-se B-bn-XoÀ-¶n-cn-¡p¶p. C-t¸mgpw hm-b-\-bnÂ Rm³ H-cp bp-hmhm-bn h-fÀ-¶n-«nÃ. C-g-bp-¶ H-cp in-ip X-s¶-bmWv. F-sâ hm-b-\ ]u-tcm-ln-Xy hm-b-\bm-Wv. Hmtcm hm-b-\-bnepw Hmtcm ]p-kvX-I-¯n-e-pw Rm³ H-cp ]p-tcm-lnX-s\ I-sï-¯m³ {i-an-¡m-dpïv. {Klmw {Ko\n-sâ hn-kv-¡n A¨-s\ Rm³ G-sd kv-t\-ln-¡p-Ibpw _-lp-am-\n-¡p-Ibpw

Bro. Varghese Periyamparambil

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

sN-¿p¶p. A-\´ - am-b Cu hn-iz-hn-ime-X-bnÂ A-en-ªp ]c-¶v Nn-¶n-NnXdn In-S-¡p-¶ H-cp a-lm-Øm-]-\-am-Wv ]u-tcm-lnXyw F-¶v ]d-ªv X¶Xv {Ko-\mWv. bq-tKm-bp-sS ]m-h-§Ä F-¶ Ir-Xn-bn-se _nj-¸v F-sâ I- ® p- I Ä k- Ö - e - a m- ¡ n- b n- « pïv . skÀ-hm-sâ-kn-sâ tUm¬ IznIvtkm«pw F-sâ ap-¶nÂ H-cp B-ZÀ-i ]p-tcm-ln-X-\mWv. tem-Iw \-¶m-¡phm³ C-d-§n-Xn-cn-¨ hyàn. FÃmhcpw Ah-s\ {`m-´³ F-¶v hn-fn¨p. i-cn¡pw Nn-´n-¨mÂ ]u-tcm-ln-Xyhpw H-cp {`m´-tÃ ? {In-kv-Xp-hn-s\ {]-Xnbp-Å {`m´v. C-Xph-sc ]-dª-Xv km-ln-Xy-¯n-se ]u-tcm-ln-Xy hnP-b-§-fm-bn-cp¶p. F-¶mÂ C-Xns\-Xn-sc h-Snbpw hmfpw D-bÀ¯n-b a-lm-·mcpw km-ln-Xy-¯n-sâ N-cn-{X¯nÂ D-ïv. F-®n-bmÂ Xo-cm-¯ D-Zm-l-c-W-§Ä D-sï-¦nepw a-ebm-f km-ln-Xy-s¯ am{Xw Cu-bp-Å-h³ C-t¸mÄ B-{i-bn-¡p-¶p. ]u-tcmlnXyw” F-¶ hm¡n-t\m-Sv X-s¶ N-XpÀ-°n {]-I-Sn-¸n-¨ c-ïp hÀ-¡namÀ \-½p-sS C-S-bnÂ D-ïm-bn-cp-¶p. s]m³-Ip-¶w hÀ-¡nbpw ap«-¯v hÀ¡n-bpw. i-cn¡pw A-hÀ B-{I-an¨Xv ]u-tcm-ln-Xy-s¯-bÃ A-Xn-s\ ImÀ-¶p Xn-¶p-¶ Io-S-§-sf-bmWv. s]m³-Ip-¶w hÀ-¡n-bp-sS i-Ðn-¡p-¶ I-e¸-I-sfm-s¡ C-t¸mgpw \-½p-sS ]-Ån ]-cn-k-c-§-fnÂ In-S-¸pïv. D-dq_n-sâ Xp-d¶ - n-« Pm-eIw, sIm-¨p h-doXn-sâ ss_-_nÄ Xp-S§n-b I-Y-IÄ FÃmw {In-kv-Xp-hn-sâ ZoÀ-L-\n-izmk-am-bn-«m-Wv F-\n-¡-\p-`-h-s¸-«Xv. A-\-´-X-bnÂ \n-¶v B-I-kv-an-I-ambn ]u-tcm-ln-Xy-¯n-te-¡v H-gp-In-bnd-§p-¶ A-\iz-c kw-Ko-X-§-fmWv

Nn- ´ m- ¡ p- g - ¸ - ¯ n- e mbn. A§- s \ sXÃn-S A-t±-l-¯n-s\ B-Im-i-¯nsâ G-Im-´-X-bnÂ I-gn-tb-ïn-h¶p. H-Sp-hnÂ Xn-cn-s¨¯n-b {In-I-te-hv ]p-Xp-Xm-bn kzm-X-{´yw t\Sn-b I-k¡n-Øm-\nÂ C-Sw I-sï¯n. {Xn-i¦ - pkzÀ-¤¯ - nÂ I-gn-bp-¶ {In-It- e-hn-sâ a-\-Ên-eq-sS I-S¶p-t]m-hp-¶ Kr-lmXp-cX - z-hpw k-tµ-l§ - f - p-am-Wv en³-U {^m³-kv X-sâ I-hn-Xb - nÂ hn-hc - n-¡p¶Xv. H-cp Ime-¯v A-t±-lw B-Ýc - yt¯m-sSbpw {]-k¶-Xt- bmSpw t\m-¡n \n-¶ B-Imi-s¯ C-¶v sh-dp-¡p¶p. kv-t\-ln-¨n-cp-¶ ]-e-Xn-s\-bpw X-Ån ]-db - p¶p. Xn-cn-¨v \m-«nÂ sNÃp-t¼mÄ X-\n-¡v e-`n-¡p-hm³ t]m-hp-¶ kzo-Ic-W-§-sf Ip-dn-¨v A-t±-lw kz-]v-\w Im-Wp¶p. “I don’t know if there’ll be a party when I come home dancing, scarlet In the streets, My name in the streets’’ Cu Ir-Xn-IÄ FÃm-sa-¶p Rm³ hniz-kn-¡p¶p. \m-µn-bm-bn C-{Xbpw Ip-dn¨p-sImïv Cu A-Sp-¯-Ime-¯v Nn-´-bnÂ C-Sw-t\Sn-b H-cp Ir-Xn-sb hn-iI-e\ - hn-t[-ba - m-¡p-Ib - m-Wn-hnsS. {_n-«o-jv I-h-bn-{Xnbm-b en³-U {^m³kv (Linda France) tZ-i-anÃm¯-h³”(Stateless) F-¶ t]-cnÂ H-cp Ihn-X F-gp-Xn-bn-«pïv. d-jy³ _-lncmIm-i k-©m-cnbm-b skÀ-Pn-{In-Ite-hn-s\-¡p-dn-¨mWv Cu c-N-\. 1991 sa-bv am-k-¯nÂ anÀ F-¶ _-lncmIm-i hm-l-\-¯nÂ {In-I-te-hv bm{X-Xn-cn-¨p. Un-kw-_À 31þmw-Xob-Xn tkm-hnb-äv bq-Wn-b³ N-cn-{X-¯nÂ a-dªp. {In-I-te-hn-s\ F-´p sN¿-W-sa-¶-Xn-s\-Ip-dn-¨v A-[n-Ir-XÀ

en³-U {^m³-kv A-h-X-cn-¸n-¨ Cu tKm-fm-´-c ka-ky ]u-tcm-lnXy-¯nepw Dïv. ]p-tcm-ln-X-\m-bn C-d§p-t¼mÄ \-s½ Im-¯n-cn-¡p-¶ kzoI-c-W-§Ä, \mw ]-Sp-¯p-bÀ-¯p-¶ tZ-hm-e-b-§Ä, A§-s\ ]-eXpw {InI-te-hn-sâ kz-]v\-§-tfm-Sv k-Zr-i-apÅ-XmWv. hn-P-bn-bm-Im³ B-{K-ln¨v A-h-km-\w hn-iz-kv-XX t]mepw ssI-sh-Sn-ªv I-km-¡nØm-t\m-Sv tNÀ-¶-Xm-Wv A-t±lw. FÃm hn-P-b§-fnepw hn-iz-kv-X-X D-ïm-hnÃ F-¶ kXyw {In-I-te-hv \-ap-¡p Im-Wn-¨v X-cp¶p. ]u-tcm-ln-Xy-¯n-te Zq-c-hym]-Iam-b B-{K-l-§Ä Fsâ hn-iz-kvX-Xs - bbpw B-ZÀ-i§ - s - f-bpw l-\n-¡psa-¶v C-t¸mÄ Xn-cn-¨-dn-bp-¶p. \-µn... {In-It- e-hn-\pw, en³-U {^m³-kn-\pw....

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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agsh-bnÂ taLw

“When I am Silent I have thunder hidden inside” - Jalaludeen Rumi

""Ft´m Ip-g-¸-apïv''. hn-d-bmÀ-¶ i-_Zw tI-«m-Wv Xncnªp-t\m-¡nb-Xv ]pXnb t^m-WpIÄ \n- c - ¯ n- h - b v - ¡ p- I - b m- b n- c p- ¶ p Rm³. apJ- s ¯ {]- k ¶- X \n- e \nÀ-¯m³ ]-cn-{i-an¨p-sIm-ïv H-cp ]-cn-N-b-¡m-c-t\m-sS-¶-t]m-se tNm-Zn¨p (I¨-h-S cwK-s¯ s]m-Xp-X-{´w) ""F-´m Ipg-¸w ?'' ""A-dn-bnÃ Ft´m Ip-g¸ - a - p-ï.v a¡fp hn-fn-¡pt¼m In-«m-Xn-cp¶mtem ?''

Bro. Philip Mangattethu

82 |

F-hn-Ss - bm-¡tbm ]d-ªp tI-«t- Xm, hm«vk - B -v ¸ - nepw t^-k_ -v p-¡nepw am{Xw I-ïn-«pÅ ssZ-\y-Xb - p-sS I-YI - f - n-se hmÀ-²Iyw F-sâ ap-¼nÂ. Ir-Xy-am-bn £u-cw sN-¿m-¯ \-¶m-bn \-c¨ - Xm-Sn apJ-s¯ Np-fn-hpI-sf h-Ih - b - ¡ v- m-sX {I-a-c-ln-X-am-bn F-gp-t¶-äp \nÂ-¡p¶pïv. £p-cI-\v C\n Cu X-e-sImïv ]-W-ap-ïm-¡m-\m-hnÃ. I-®p-\oÀ

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

X-Sw-sI-«n X-Sm-Iw XoÀ-¯-XmImw B I-®p-IÄ \-t¶ Ip-gn-ªn-d§ - n-bn-cn-¡p¶p. £o-Wn-X-\m-Wv im-co-cn-I-am-bpw, am-\-kn-I-am-bpw. A-{X ta-mi-aÃm-¯ th-j-amWv, Np-fn-hnÃm-¯ N-µ-\-\n-dap-Å A-c-¡-¿³ jÀ-«pw, \n-e-¯n-gbp-¶ I-k-hp-ap-ïpw. F-\n-¡m hr²-s\ H-cp km-[m-cW C-S-]m-Sp-Im-c-\m-bn am{Xw Im-Wm³ I-gn-bp-¶nÃ. F-t´m! {]-tXy-In-¨p Imcy-sam¶pw D-ïm-bn«Ã. F-s´ms¡tbm A-t±l-s¯ hÃm-sX `m-c-s¸-Sp-¯p¶pïv. ""A-¸¨ - m.. Ft´m Ip-g¸ - a - p-ïtÃm Rm³ H-¶p t\m-¡s«. A-hn-sS C-cpt¶m-fq''.. A-t±-l-¯n-sâ I-®p-I-fnÂ s]¿m³ hn-Xp-¼n \nÂ-¡p-¶ a-g-bp-sS `m-h-apïv. F-´m-sW-¶v a-\-Ên-em-Ip¶nÃ, BÀ¡pw H¶pw a-\Ê - n-em-¡m³

2016-17

km-[n-¡p-¶nÃ C-t¸mÄ. I-®n-se a- g - t a- L §- s f Np- ï n- s e Nn- c n- s hbnÂ-sIm-ïv a-d-bv-¡m³ A-t±-lw ]m-Sp-s]-Sp-¶pïv. sh-bnepw a-g-bpw... A-t±-lw ÌoÂ I-tk-cb - n-te-¡p Nm-cn C-cn-¡p¶p, I-tk-cb - p-sS X-Wp¸p-sIm-ïmhpw H-¶p-Iq-Sn Cf-In C-cp¶p. I-®p-IÄ ]m-Xn A-S¨p. `q- X - I m- e - ¯ n- t e¡v Du- f n- b n- « v hmÀ-²-Iy-¯n-sâ ap-dn-hp-I-fn-te-¡v t\m-¡p-¶Xp-t]mse. hmÀ²-Iy ap-dnhp-IÄ-¡p-Å a-cp-¶v `q-X-Im-e-¯nsâ HmÀ-½-sN-¸p-I-fnÂ Xn-c-bp-I-bm-hpw. A-XnÂ ssii-hw D-ïm-hpw, hn-Zyme-bw D-ïm-hmw, A-\-iz-c-am-sW-¶p I-cp-XnbXpw F-¶mÂ sIm-gn-ªp t]m-b-Xp am-b {]-W-b-]p-jv-]w... AÃ. {]-W-b ]p-jv-]-§Ä-Xs¶ D-ïm-hmw. A-{i²-sImïpw F-Sp-¯p-Nm-«w sIm-ïpw \-ã-s¸-Sp¯n-b k-a-b-s¯-¡p-dn-¨pw, ]-W-s¯-¡p-dn-¨p-ap-Å Ip-ä-t_m-[w D-ïm-hmw. Ip-sd-Iq-Sn `m-cy-sb kvt\-ln-¡m-am-bn-cp-¶p F-¶v sh-dp-sX Ip-WvTn-X-s¸-Sp-¶p-ïm-hmw. a-¡Ä-¡v sIm-Sp-¯ ku-`m-Ky-§Ä-¡v Ip-d-hpht¶m F-¶v B-ß-]cn-tim-[-\ sN¿p-¶p-ïm-hmw. A-sXm-¶p-a-sÃ-¦nÂ bp-h-Xz-¯n-sâ D-·m-Z-¯p-Sn-¸n-epw, Zm- ¼ - X y- _ - Ô - ¯ n- s â Xn- c - ¡ n- \ n- S bn-epw, tPm-en-¯n-c-¡nepw am-än-h¨ ssZh-s¯ [ym-\-]qÀ-Æw k-ao-]n-¡pI-bm-hmw. A-sX... hmÀ-²-Iy-¯n-sâ

G-ä-hpw \Ã [À½w ssZh-s¯ tX-Sn A-e-bp-I-bm-hpw.. Rm³ A-t±-l¯ - n-sâ hn-eI - p-dª t\m¡nb t^m¬ ssI-bn-se-Sp¯p. ]m-hw. B-¸n-fpw, B³-t{Um-bn-Upw, In-ävI - m-äpw, tem-en-t¸m¸pw temI-s¯ Io-gS- ¡ - n-bX - d - n-bm-¯ kva - mÀ«v t^m¬ a-\p-jyc-àw Ip-Sn-¨p-Xp-S§ - n-bn-bX - d - nbm-¯, kz-´w Nn-´-I-fpw, kz-]v-\-§fpw BÀ¡pw I-¨h - S- ¯ - n-\p \-eI -v m-¯ ]-ga - b - p-sS H-cp A-]qÀ-Æ A-ht- i-jn-¸v.. Hcp ]t£ H-cp Xn-cp-ti-jn-¸v... t^m-Wn-sâ ]-e `m-K-§Ä-¡pw D-]-tbm-Kn-¨v tX-bv-am-\w kw-`-hn-¨n«pïv . BÀ- s ¡ms¡tbm th- ï n H-cp-]m-Sv tX-bv-am-\w kw-`-hn-¨ H-cp Po-hn-X¯ - n-sâ sX-fnhv. CÃ... C¯-cw sX-fn-hp-IÄ-s¡m¶pw C-¶p -Øm-\anÃ. A-h-sbm-s¡ N-h-dp-Iq-\-bnÂ F-dn-b-s¸-«p-Xp-S§n. ‘sX-fnhpw’ ‘sXfn-¨hpw’ FÃmw... t^m¬ ]cn-tim-[n-¨p t\m¡n. CÃ.. Ip-g¸ - s - am-¶p-anÃ, A-t±-ls - ¯-t¸m-se AÂ-¸w ]-g-©-\m-sW-¶v am-{Xw. A-t±-lw I-®p-IÄ Xp-d¶p. a-g-taL-§Ä-¡p am-ä-anÃ. F-Wo-äv F-sâ A-Sp-t¯-¡p h-cm³ AÂ-]w {]-bm-ks¸«p. A-t¸mgpw Nn-cn-sh-bnÂ-sIm-ïv a-g-ta-L§-sf tXmÂ-¸n-¡m³ H-cp hn-^-e-{i-aw.

“i-cnbm-tbm”? “i-cn-bm¡ntbm”....?

""tl-bv... C-Xn-\p Ipg-¸s - am-¶p-anÃ A-¸-¨m''... ""F-¶m H-cp-Imcyw sN-¿v, Ip-ªnsâ t^m-Wo-¶p C-Xn-te-¡v H-¶p hn-fn-t¨''.. Rm³ A-t±-l¯ - n-sâ t^m-Wn-sâ ]p-d-InÂ F-gp-Xn H-«n-¨n-cp-¶ \-¼À t\m-¡n U-bÂ sN-bX v p. ""F-Sp-t¯m''.. Rm³ ]-dªp. t^m¬ F-Sp-¡p-hm-\pÅ _-«¬ A- a À- ¯ p- t ¼mÄ A- t ±- l - ¯ n- s â ssI-IÄ hn-d-bv-¡p-¶p-ïm-bn-cp-¶p.. ""l-tem''.. i-Ð¯ - n\pw A-tX-hn-db - e - nsâ Xmfw. C-Xmhpw ‘hmÀ-²I - y-¯n-sâ Xmfw’ A-tÃ ? t^m-WnÂ ]änb s]m-Sn-Xp-S¨p-sImïv A-t±-lw ]-dªp. ""t^m-Wn-\v F-s´-¦nepw Ip-g-¸-am-sW¶v IcpXn. k-am-[m-\-am-bn-... Ipg-¸-sam-¶p-anÃtÃm''... Nn-cn-sh-bnÂ.. s]m-Sp¶-s\ a-g-ta-L-§Ä s]-bvXp-Xp-S§n. H-cp-]m-Sv Ic-ªp Nm-epIodn-b I-hnÄ-¯-S-¯nÂ I-®o-cn-sâ H-gp-¡n-\v Ir-Xyam-b H-cp h-gn-bp-ïmbn-cp-¶p. au-\w... hn§n, hn-§n A-t±-lw B-tcm-sS¶nÃm-sX tNm-Zn-¨p.. “F-¶n-s«-´m F-sâ a-¡Ä F-s¶ H-¶p-hn-fn-¡m-s¯..”?

hmÀ-²-Iy-¯n-sâ Xm-fw hÃm-sX ap-dp-Ip-¶p-ïm-bn-cp¶p. A-t±-lw \n-dI-®p-I-tfm-sS ]-Sn-bn-d§n. A-¸\pw a-¡fpw X-½n-ep-Å _-Ô¯ - n-sâ tX-ba-v m\w-h¶ - A-hk - m-\I - ® - n-bpw s\-t©m-Sp tNÀ-¯.v . F- \ n- ¡ v a- \ - Ê n- e m- b n.. Ft´m Ip-g-¸-ap-ïv. BÀ-¡m-sW-t¶m, F-´n-\m-sWt¶m A-dn-bnÃ. “i-cnbmtbm”?... “i-cn-bm¡ntbm”? CÃ.. A-Xv BÀ¡pw i-cn-bm-¡m³ I-gn-bnÃ.

B a-\p-jy-sâ DÄ-Xm]w-sIm-ïv D-cp-In Xp-S-§n-b-Xm-hmw. Rm³ hÃmsX hn-bÀ-¡p-¶p-ïm-bn-cp¶p. St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

| 83

2016-17

kulr-Z-ta... F-hn-sS-bm-bn-cp¶p Bro. James Cherivuparambil

-ä-bv-¡m-sW-sâ bm{X; ]p-kX v- I - § - f - m-sW-sâ kp-lr¯p¡Ä. Fsâ Hm-^o-kn-se A-Sp¯n-cn-¡p-¶ hy-àn-bp-sS t]-cv Rm³ tNm-Zn-¨n-«nÃ. F-sâ t\-sc h-cp-¶h - c - p-sS apJ-¯v t]mepw Rm³ t\m-¡n-bn-«nÃ. F-sâ ho-Sn-\S- p-¯p-Åh - À B-scm-s¡bm-sW-s¶-\n-¡-dn-bnÃ. B-cp-ambpw _-Ô-anÃm-¯ H-cp tem-Iw, A-XmsW-\n-¡nãw. t_m-d-Sn-¡p-t¼m-gp-Å bm-{X-Ifpw sh-dp-sX-bn-cn-¡p-t¼m-gp-Å ]p-kv-X-I hm-b-\-I-fpw, C-Xm-sW-sâ Po-hnXw. H-cn-¡Â sh-dp-sX-bn-cp-¸n-sâ ap-jn-¨ne-Iä- m³ H-cp ]p-kv-X-I-sa-Sp-¯v a-dn¨p. Hm-Sp-¶ Xo-hï - n-bnÂ-\n-¶v ]p-dt- ¯-¡v t\m-¡p-t¼mÄ hr-£§ - Ä \-s½ IS¶v Hm-Sp-¶Xvt- ]m-se ]p-kvX - I - ¯ - m-fp-IÄ F-sâ I¬-ap-¶n-eqsS Hm-Sn-s¡m-ïncn-¡p¶p. s]-«-s¶m-cp X-e-s¡-s«-sâ I-®n-epS¡n “ku-lr-Zw”. F-\n-¡n-ãanÃm-¯- hm¡v. A-\p-`-hn-¨n-«nÃm-¯ A-hØ A-Xv hm-bn-¡m³ tXm-¶n-bnÃ, ]p-Ñt- ¯m-sS Rm³ hoïpw Xm-fp-IÄ ap- t ¶m- « v a- d n¨p- s Im- ï n- c p¶p. B ]p-kvX - I - ¯ - n-se a-äv X-es - ¡-«p-IÄ-¡v Xm-sg h-cp-¶ `m-K-§-sfÃmw Rm³ H-äb - n-cn-¸n-\v hm-bn-¨p XoÀ¯p. a-säÃm `m-Khpw hm-bn-¨v XoÀ-¯-Xn-\mÂ B ]-gb - X-es - ¡-«n-te-¡v Rm³ Xn-cn-¨p-hcp¶p, “ku-lr-Zw”. Xm-ev-]-cy-anÃm-sX \n-cp-Õm-l-t¯m-sS-sb-¦nepw Rm³ hm-bn-¨p Xp-S§n...

84 |

\o C-Xphsc ? “\Ã kp- l r- ¯ v ssZ- h - ¯ n- s â {]-Xn-cq-]-am-Wv. \Ã kp-l-¯p-¡Ä D-Åh-sâ Poh-Xw AXo-h [-\y-amWv”. kplr- ¯ p- ¡ - s f¸- ä n C¯- c - s am- c p hmN-Iw Rm³ C-Xph-sc tI-«n-«nÃ. kzmÀ-°am-b kz-´w Im-cy-§Ä-¡v thïn a-äp-Åh-sc D-]t- bm-Kn-¨v B-hiyw I-gn-bp-t¼mÄ X-Ån-¡f - b - p-¶ B-ßmÀ°-X-bnÃm-¯ kp-lr-¯p-¡-sf¸-än am-{X-ta Rm³ tI-«n-«pÅq. Rm³ hoïpw hm-bn-¨p Xp-S§n. “\-½p-sS Ip-d-hp-IÄ \-s½ t_m[y-s¸-Sp-¯p-¶Xpw \-½p-sS I-gn-hp-IÄ \-ap-¡v a-\-Ên-em-¡n-X-cp-¶Xpw \-s½ t{]m-Õm-ln-¸n-¡p-¶-Xpw \Ã kp-lr¯p-¡-fmWv. k-t´m-j-¯nepw Zp-J¯nepw ]-¦v sIm-Åp-Ibpw I-ã¸ - m-SnÂ \-s½ k-lm-bn-¡p-Ibpw \-ap-¡v amÀ-¤ \nÀ-t±-iw \Â-Ip-Ibpw sN-¿p-¶-h\m-Wv D-¯-a-kp-lr¯v”. Cu hm-N-I§Ä hm-bn-¨-t¸mÄ F-s´-¶nÃm-¯ B-th-iw F-\n-¡\ - p-`h - s - ¸«p. _m-¡nsb-s´-¶d - n-bm³ F-\n-¡m-th-ia - mbn, Rm³ Xp-SÀ-¶v hm-bn¨p... “ku-lr-Z§ - Ä - kr-ãn-¡m³ F-fp-¸amWv. F-¶mÂ A-Xv \n-e\ - nÀ-¯p-hm³ {]-bm-k-amWv. F-§-s\-bm-Wv \Ã ku-lr-Z§ - Ä \n-e\ - nÀ¯pI ? A-Xn-\n ]-ea- mÀ-¤§ - f - m-Wp-ÅXv. ‘kp-lr-¯n-s\ t]cp-sNmÃn hn-fn¡p-I‘. H-cph-sâ hyàn-Xz h-fÀ-¨b - ¡ - v v Ah-sâ t]-cn-\v hen-b Øm-\a- pïv. H-cph-sâ t]-cp-tIÄ-¡p-hm\pw F-gp-Xn-Im-Wp-hm\pw FÃm-hc - nepw B-{K-l-ap-ïv. AXp-sIm-ïv \-½p-sS kp-lr-¯p¡-sf t]cp-sNmÃp hn-fn¡p- I . \- ½ p- s S Np- ä p- a p- Å - h À¡pw

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

kp- l r- ¯ p- ¡ Ä¡pw C- ã - s ¸- S p- ¶ co- X n- b nÂ kw- k m- c n- ¡ p¶- X v H- c p I-gn-emWv. kp-lr-¯p-¡Ä-¡v A-tcmN-I-ap-ïm-¡p-¶ co-Xn-bnÂ kw-km-cn¡m-Xn-cn-¡p-I. s]m§-¨w ]-d-¨nepw a- \ - Ê p- a - S p- ¸ n- ¡ p- ¶ X- c - ¯ n- e p- Å A-\p-`-h I-Y ]-d-¨nepw H-gn-hm-¡p-I. B-IÀ-j-I-ambpw PnÚm-k P-\n¸n-¡-¯-¡ hn-[-¯nepw k-c-k-am-bn kw-km-cn-¡p-hm³ io-en¡p-I. C-sXm-s¡ \Ã hy-àn-Xz-¯n-sâbpw Iq-Sn e-£W - a- mWv. a-äpÅ-h-cp-sS ]-cnK-W-\ B-{K-ln-¡m-¯h - c- m-bn B-cpwXs¶ Cu temI-¯n-enÃ. a-äp-Åh - c - p-sS ap-¼nÂ h-¨v kp-lr-¯n-s\ im-kn-¡c - pXv. Ah-s\ imkn-¡W - s - a-¦nÂ H-äb - ¡ v- pw, t{]m-Õm-ln-¸n-¡p¶-Xv k-aql-¯nÂ h-¨p-am-bn-cn-¡Ww. C§-s\ sN-¿p-¶h - À \Ã kp-lr-¯p-¡Ä-¡v D-Zm-lcW-§-fm-Wv ”. kz-]v\ - ¯ - nÂ \n-s¶¶-t]m-se Rm³ Nm-Sn-sbgp-t¶-äv hm-bn-¨n-cp-¶v t\- c w t]m- b - X - d nªnÃ. Hm-^o-knÂ

2016-17

lr-Zw(Randolf silly Man). ap³-hn[n-tbm-sS \mw B-scbpw k-ao-]n-¡-cpXv. H-cp a-\p-jy-s\ ]qÀ-®-am-bn a-\-Ên-em¡m³ a-\i - m-k{-v X-Ú· - mÀ¡p-t]m-epw km-[n-¡nÃ. A-]-c-sâ \-·-sIm-ïv A-h³ B-bn-cn-¡p-¶ A-h-Ø-bnÂ A-]cs\ a-\-Ên-em-¡m³ {i-an-¨mÂ A-h³ \-½p-sS D-ä kp-lr-¯m-Ipw.

t]m-Im³ k-ab - a - m-bn F-sâ I-gnªpt]m-b, ku-lr-Za - nÃm-¯ Po-hn- X-s¯ Rm³ Ip-ä-s¸-Sp-¯n-s¡m-ïv Rm³ Hm-ô-kn-te-¡v \-S¶p. Ft´m H-cp Ip-ä-t_m-[w F-s¶ th-«-bmSn. Rm³ Hm-ô-kn-se¯n. t]m-Ip-¶ h-gn¡pw Hm-ô-knepw `£-Ww I-gn-¡p-¶n-S¯pw ap-XnÀ-¶h - c - p-sS-bpw, bp-hm-¡f - p-sSbpw Ip-«n-I-fp-sSbpw Iq-«w Iq-Sn \n-¶p-Å Xam-i ]-d-¨nen-sâbpw s]m-«n-¨n-cn-Ifp-sSbpw i-Ðw F-sâ Im-Xp-I-fn-te-¡v Xp-f¨p-I-bdn. ssZ-hta, A-hÀ F-{X-am{Xw k-t´m-j-am-W-\p-`hn-¡p¶-Xv? F-\n-¡-Xn\v km-[n-¡p-¶nÃ-tÃm. Rm³ Ip-ät- _m-[¯ - nÂ X-e Xm-g¯ v n. thZ-\t- bmsS H-cp Znh-kw Rm³ X-Ån-\o¡n. hen-b Zp-Jt¯m-sS Xn-cn-¨p ho-«nse¯n-b Rm³ B-thi-t¯m-sS hoïpw B ]p-kvX-Iw F-Sp-¯p hmbn-¡m³ Xp-S§n... “Hmtcm a-\p-jy\pw `-£W ]m-\o-b§Ä t]m-se A-Xym-hi - y-am-Wv ku-

H-cp sN-dp ]p-©ncn-tbm-sS thWw \mw kp- l r- ¯ p¡- s f k- a o]n-¡p-hm³. “]p-©n-cn-¡m³ I-gn-bm-¯ap-Jw H-cn-¡epw kp-µc - a - m-bn-cn-¡nÃ”. (Marshel). “Nn-cn-¡m-\d - n-bm-¯ ap-Jw hn-Sc - m¯ sam-«n-\v k-aa - m-W”v (Bicher). A-Xn- \mÂ Nn-cn¨p-sIm-ïv im-´ambpw kzm-`m-hn-Ia - mbpw a-äpÅ-ht- cmSv s]-cp-am-dp-I. hm-¡q ]m-en-¡p-¶-h \pw hn-«p-ho-gv-N-bv-¡v X-¿m-dm-Ip-¶-h \pw am-{X-ta \Ã kp-lr-¯m-Ip-hm³ km-[n¡q. A-h³ F-sâ A-Sp-¯v h-¶v F-t¶m-Sv BZyw kw-km-cn¡-s« F-¶v Bcpw Nn-´n-¡c - pXv. Im-cWw, hn-¯pam-bn hn-X¡ - mc³ h-be - n-te-bv¡ - mWv t]m-Ip-¶Xv, AÃm-sX h-bÂ hn-X¡ - mc-sâ k-ao-]t- ¯-¡v h-cm-dnÃ-tÃm. \mw A-t§m-«v sN-¶mÂ am-{X-ta A-hn-sS ku-lr-Z¯ - nsâ, Poh-sâ I-Wn-II - Ä hn-S-cp-I-bpÅp. F-sâ kp-lr-¯n-s\ Rm³ X-s¶ tX-Sn I-sï-¯Ww. A-Xn-\p-Å a-t\m-`m-hhpw Xp-d-hnbpw Hm-tcm-cp-¯À¡pw D-ïm-bn-cn-¡Ww. a-äp-Åh - À-¡v A-kz-ØX - b - p-ïm-¡p-¶ Nn-e kp-lr-¯p-¡Ä \-ap-¡v D-ïm-bn-cn¡mw. A-Xn-\p-Imc-Ww hy-Xy-kX -v am-b co-Xn-bn-ep-Å A-hc - p-sS s]-cp-am-äa - mWv. A-l¦ - m-cn-Is - fbpw A-kq-b¡ - m-scbpw Bcpw C-ãs - ¸-Sp-¶nÃ. A-cn-i¡ - m-cnÂ \n¶pw kzmÀ-°c - nÂ \n¶pw hm-in-¡mcnÂ \n¶pw a-\p-jyÀ Hm-Sn A-Ie - p¶p. s]m-§¨ - ¡ - m-scbpw CÃmbva - ]d-ªp \-S¡ - p-¶h - s - cbpw ssI-aWn¡m-scbpw FÃm-hÀ¡pw ]p-Ñ-amWv. B-[n]-Xy

kz-`m-h-ap-Å-h-scbpw A-]-hm-Zw ] d-ªp \-S-¡p-¶-h-scbpw G-j-Wn¡m-scbpw FÃm-hcpw sh-dp-¡p¶p. C-¯-c-¡mÀ kv-t\-ln-XÀ C-sÃ-¶v ]d- ª v Zp- J n- ¡ p- ¶ - h - c mWv . A- X n\mÂ kv-t\-ln-X-cnÃm-¯-hÀ A-Xp t\-tS-ï-Xv F-§-s\-sb-¶v Nn-ń-¡pIbpw A-Xn-\m-bn ]-cn-{i-an-¡p-Ibpw sN- ¿ p- I . Im- c - W w, “ a- \ p- j y- s â b-YmÀ-° Øm-\w G-Im-´X - b - neÃ, k- a q- l - ¯ n- e m- W v ‘(Sims). A- X pt]m-se kv-t\-ln-XÀ D-Å-hÀ A-Xp \n-e\ - n-dp-t¯ï-Xv F-§s - \-sb-¶v Nn-ń¡p-I. Im-cWw, “a-\p-jyÀ G-I\ - m-Ip¶-Xv ]m-e-§Ä ]-Wn-bp-¶-Xn-\p ]I-cw `n-¯n-IÄ sI-«p¶-Xp aq-ea - m-W”v (Isacc Newton). hn-Im-cm-[o-\-\m-bn Rm³ ]p-kX v I - w A-S¨p. F-sâ I-c§ - Ä hn-dbv¡ - p-¶p-ïm-bn-cp¶p. kzÀ¤o-b A-\p-`qXn \Â-Ip-¶- ku-lr-Z¯ - n-sâ he-bw XoÀ-¡m-hp-¶ Cu temI-s¯ Im-WmsXt]m- b F- s â I- ® p- I Ä B hnd-bmÀ-¶ I-c-§-fmÂ s]m-¯n ]n-Sn¨p. lrZbw ap-gp-h³ Ip-ä-t_m-[am-bn-cp¶p. F-sâ X-ebn-W I-®o-cnÂ Ip-XnÀ¶p. sa-sÃ Rm³ P\m-e h-gn ]p-d-t¯-¡v t\m¡n. A-§v AI-se B-Imi-¯v N-{µ³ {]-Im-iw Xq-Ip¶p. \-£-{X-§Ä I-®n Nn-½p¶p. A-hÀ ]-ck - ] v c - w ]p-©n-cn¨p-sIm-ïv ku-lr-Zw ]-¦p-h-bv-¡p-¶Xp-t]m-se F-\n-¡p tXm-¶n. ImÀ-ta-L-Iq-«-§Ä Ft§m Xn-c¡ - n-« bm-{X-bn-emWv. Rm³ a-\-ÊnÂ a-{ń¨p, “F-hn-tS-¡m-Wn-{X Xn-c¡ - nÂ. \n-sâ Iq-sS-bp-Åh - c - p-sS apJ-t¯-¡v H¶p-t\m-¡q A-hÀ-¡v kulr-Z-¯nÂ \n-¶v e-`n-¡p-¶ B\-µw B-kz-Zn-¡q.” F-s´-¶mÂ \n\-¡v AÂ]m-bptÊ Cu `q-an-bn-epÅq. Rm-s\sâ I-®pI-sf sa-sÃ A-S-¨p. \Ã H-cp {]-`m-X-¯n-\m-bn Rm³ Im-¯ncn-¡p¶p. A-]c-sâ ap-J¯p-t\m-¡n ]p-©n-cn¨p-sIm-ïv ku-lr-Zw ]-¦p-hbv-¡p-¶, G-Xm-´-X-bp-sS th-cp-IÄ X-IÀ-¯v ku-lr-Z-¯n-sâ he-bw XoÀ-¡p-¶, H-cp \m-tf-¡m-bn Rm³ Im-¯n-cn-¡p¶p.

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

| 85

2016-17

\nsâ kz-]v-\-§Ä ]q-¯ NnÃ-IÄ ]qIpw h-sc... Bro. Abraham Ashariparambil

""C-sX-sâ i-co-c-am-Ip-¶p.... C-sXsâ c-à-hpw. F¶pw F-sâ kv-a-c-Wbv-¡m-bn C-Xp \n-§Ä sN-¿p-hn³''... ]d-ªh - k - m-\n-¨t- ¸mÄ {In-kX -v p-hn-sâ a\-Êv \p-d-p-§n-bn-«p-ïm-hWw. AXpsIm-ïmh-Ww A-t\-Im-bn-cw _-en]o-T-§-fnÂ {]-Xn-Zn-\w C¶pw ap-g-§nt¡Ä-¡p-¶ Cu h-N\ - § - Ä A-{X-taÂ c-£m-Ic - · - m-cm-Ip-¶Xv. {In-kX v- p-hn-sâ B t\m-hn-sâ [-\y-Xsb A-Xn-sâ ]qÀ®--X-bp-sS B-g-§-fnÂ tNÀ-¯p ]n-Sn-¡-W-sa-¶ imTyw. F¶pw k-` kq-£n-¨n-«pïv. F-sâ Nn-´ Xn-cn-sI ]-d-¡p-I-bmWv... Cu [-\y-hN - \ - § - f - p-cp-hn-Sp-¶X - n-\p Nn-e \n-an-j-§Ä-¡v ap-¼v C-tX t\mthm-sSbpw hn-§t- em-sSbpw kzÀ-¤¯ - nte-¡v I-®p-bÀ-¯n {In-kX v- p {]mÀ-°n ¨ {]mÀ-°\ - b - nÂ A-Xp tN-t¡-dp¶p. ""]n-Xm-th, \-½Ä H-¶m-bn-cn-¡p-¶Xpt]m-se C-h-cpw''.... {In-kv-Xp-hn-sâ H-tc Xo-{h-X-bn-ep-Å c-ïv s\m-¼-c h-N\-§t- fm-Sv \mw F´p-sIm-ïv c-ïv X-cw k-ao-]-\-§Ä ]p-eÀ-¯p-¶p ? H-¶n-s\ B-tLm-jn-¡p-t¼mÄ a-säm¶n-s\ X-a-kv-I-cn-¡p-¶p ? sFIyw C¶pw H-cp k-a-ky... A-XnÂ \nd-sb {In-kv-Xp-hn-sâ th-]Yp. C¯-cw Nn-´I - f - p-sS t_m-[y-¯nÂ \n-¶pw, {In-kv-Xp-hn-sâ {]mÀ-°\-sb ]qÀ-¯o-I-cn-¡p-hm-\pw, D¯-cw sImSp-¡p-hm-\pw, k-`m-a-¡Ä-t¡-hÀ¡pw D-¯-c-hm-[n-Xz-ap-sï¶v HmÀ-½n-¸n-¨ H-cp ]p-Wy-cq-]n \-ap-¡p-ïm-bn-cp¶p. "amÀ C- h m\n- t bm- k v sa- { Xm- t ¸meo¯'... sF-Iy-¯n-sâ {]-hm-NI³. A-hm-k\-s¯ izm-kw h-sc-bpw, H-cp ]n³-hn-fn¡pw Im-tXmÀ-¡msX, sFIy-¯n-\m-bn b-Xv-\n-¨, {]mÀ-°n-¨

86 |

a-lm-XymKn. hy-h-lm-c-§-fp-sSbpw I-el - ¯ - n-sâbpw A-Xn-{]-kc - W - ¯ - nÂ k- ` - b v - ¡ v A- X n- s â \- · - I Ä Aäpt]m-Im-Xn-cn-¡W - s - a-¦nÂ, H-cp-an¨v, Xmbv-¯ïm-b {In-kv-Xphn-t\m-Sv tNÀ-¶v \nÂ-¡-W-sa-¶p `m-cX-s¯ A-t±-lw ]Tn-¸n¨p. sh- f n- ] m- S n- s \ I- e À- ¸ nÃm- s X {]-tLm-jn¡pIbpw tb-ip-\mY-sâ hy- à n- X z- s ¯ a- \ - Ê n- e m- ¡ p- I bpw k-`-bp-sS {In-kv-Xp-cq-]o-Ir-X L-S-\ DÄ- s ¡m- Å p- I bpw sN- ¿ p- I F- ¶ A-Sn-Øm-\ {In-kvXo-b [À-½-§-fnte-¡v H-cp-an-¨v k-©-cn-¡p-t¼mÄ, k-`-IÄ-¡n-SbnÂ kzm-`m-hn-I-am-bn C- X Ä hn- c n- b p- ¶ ]- c n- i p- ² m- ß ]q-cn-Xam-b am-\k - m-´c - A-\p-`h - a - mWv sFIyw F-¶ B Úm-\n hn-iz-kn¨p. A¯-cw H-cp A-\p-`-h [m-c-bp-sS shfn-¨¯ - n-emI-Ww {In-kvX - p B-{K-ln-¨v {]mÀ-°n-¨ sF-Iy-¯n-sâ Ip-S-¡o-gnte-¡v, hn-in-jym tI-c-f kp-dn-bm-\n ss{I-kv-X-hcpw IS-¶p hc-Ww F-¶v A-t±-lw iTn-¨Xv. A-{]-Imcw ""H-cp C-S-b-\pw, H-cp sXm-gp¯pw'' F-¶ hnip-² th-tZm-àn-sb tI-cf - kp-dn-bm-\n ss{I-kv-Xh-sc kw-_-Ôn-¨-S-t¯mf-sa-¦nepw bm-YmÀ-°y-am-¡p-hm³ A-t±-lw A-hm-km-\ \n-izm-kw h-sc s]m-cpXn. ""`m-c-X kp-hn-ti-j-h-Xv¡-c-W''am-bn-cp-¶p A-Xn-\m-bn B ]p-Wy-Xm-X³ sa-\-sª-Sp-¯ hgn. kp-hn-ti-jw {]-tLm-jn-¡pw-tXmdpw \mw B kp-hn-ti-j-¯mÂ hn-a-eoI-cn-¡-s¸-Sp-sa-¶pw, A-Xv e£yw

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

h-bv-¡p-¶ sF-Iy-¯n-te-¡v h-en-¨Sp-¸n-¡-s¸-Sp-sa¶pw A-t±-lw t_m[y-ap-ïm-bn-cp¶p. `mc-Xw ap-gp-h³ kp-hn-ti-j-a-dn-bn-¡m-\p-Å {]-tXy-I A-\pa-Xn a-e-¦-c k-`-bv-¡v e-`n-¨n-cn¡p-¶ Cu \m-fp-I-fnÂ, kz-]v-\-§Ä¡p hoïpw Po-h³ h-bv-¡p-I-bmWv. {In- k v - X p e£yw h- ¨ sF- I y- ¯ nte- ¡ v kp- h n- t i- j - h - X v - ¡ - c - W - ¯ neq-sS \-S-s¶¯mw F-¶ Cu-hm\ntbm-kv ]n-Xm-hn-sâ hn-ip-²n-bmÀ-¶ kz-]v-\-§Ä-¡v... ""A-h-km\-s¯ Xq-hÂ sIm-gn-tª Xocpw hsc s\-©n-se A-hkm-\ izm-k-a-änSpw hsc \n-sâ kz-]v-\-§Ä ]q¯ NnÃ-IÄ ]qIpw hsc ]-d-¡p-¶-Xn-{Zp-Xw Rm³ ]n³-hn-fn Im-tXmÀ-¡msX'' I-hn F-gp-Xn-b-h-km-\n-¸n-¡p-IbmWv... I-hn-X-bp-sS ]n-¶nÂ \nd-sb kz-]v-\-§Ä... "H-cp C-S-b-\pw, H-cp sXm-gp-¯pw'...

2016-17

ssl-¡p I-hn-XIÄ

a-g-sbm-gn-ª am-\w t\m-¡n s\-Sp-hoÀ-¸n-Sp-¶p tIm-embn-sem-cp an-gn \-\-ª IpS

2. tZm-i-¡ÃnÂ A-½-sb-gp-Xp¶p hr-¯ \n-_-²am-sbm-cp IhnX 3. “Ip-dn-¨n-« {]-W-b¯n-s\m-¸w F-´n-\o sN-¼-c-¯o-¸q” ? A-h-fp-sS tNmZyw tI-«n-sÃ-¶ a-«nÂ I-®p-\nd-ªp Xn-cn-sI \-S-¡p¶p lrZ-bw \-ã-s¸-« Rm³ 4. ]pe-cn sX-fnbpw ap-s¼m-cp IqÀ-¯ I-¯n-bmÂ "hn-e-Ipd-ª' kz-´w {]m-W³ Ip-¯n-¡o-dn hn-bÀ-¡p¶p d-ºÀ IÀ-jI³. 5. h-fªp-t]m-b ap-Xp-InÂ hn-Úm-\-¯n-sâ `m-c-hp-ambn Ip-«n-bp-Sp-¸n-\p-ÅnÂ Nn-e AIm-e hmÀ-²-Iy-§Ä 6. ]-Ån-s¸-cp-¶mÄ D-S-ª Ip-Sp-¡h©n Ip-ªp-a-\-knÂ H-cp ]n-Sn hÀ-® kz-]v-\- Xp-«p-IÄ 7. A-Sp-¡-f Np-aÀ Nm-bw ]q-in-bn«pw am-bm-sX In-S-¡p¶p A-½-bp-sS I-cn-]n-Sn-¨ Bß-IY

10. d-^-d³-kv lm-fn-sâ tIm-WnÂ s]m-Sn-]n-Sn-¨, X-Sn-¨ ]p-kv-XI-§-tfm-Sv Rm³ ]-¦p-h-bv-¡m-dpïv Bcpw Xpd-¶p hm-bn-¡m-¯ Po-hn-X-¯n-sâ t\m-hv 11. a-eÀ-¶p ]-d-¡p-¶ Im-¡IÄ X-e-Xn-cn-ª Po-hnXw ioÀ-jmk-\w 12. ho-«p-hm-Xn-enÂ P-]vXn-t\m-«okv... A-`ym-k-hm-bv-]-bp-sS _m-¡n ]{Xw... ssI-I-fn-te-¡v t\m-¡n s\-Sp-hoÀ-¸n-Sp-¶p G-I-e-hy³ 13. H-ä a-c-s¡m-¼nÂ Xq-§n-bm-Sp¶p ap¸-Xp sh-Ån-¡m-in-sâ Zp-J-`m-cw 14. D-Åw-Im-enÂ thS-sâ A-kv{X-t\mhv ]-ïp-sNbv-X NXn-tbmÀ-¯v A-S-cp-¶ {]mW³ L-tSmÂ-L-N {]-Xn-Im-cw... "iq{Z-`mcXw' 15. h-b-en-se enÃnI-sf Nhn-«n-sa-Xn¨v Xn-Sp-¡-¯nÂ Hm-Sp¶p \m-sf-sb Ip-dn-¨v B-Ip-e\m-b Rm³ 16. ap-dp-¡n-b-S¨ ssI-IÄ-¡p-ÅnÂ B-Im-i-¯n-sâ Xn-cn-ti-jn¸v ]-dp-Zo-km \-ã-tamÀ-s¯m-cp BÀ-¯-hn-em]w ]n-d-hn...

17. s]-cp-\mÄ sh-Sn-s¡-«n-sâ _m-¡n ]{Xw tIÄ-hn \-ã-s¸-« ]p-Wym-f³

9. tLm-c-Kw`o-c ¢mkv ssI-bnÂ \n-¶p h-gp-Xn ho-gp¶p, hn-Úm-\w X-eb - v¡ - p ]n-Sn-¨p-·¯ - \m-b H-cp Dd-¡w Xq-§nt¸-\

18. AS-¨p h-¨ t]-\-Xp-¼nÂ \n-e-hn-fn-¨p sIm-tï-bn-cn-¡p¶p Ag-InÃm-¯ H-cp I-hn-X.

Pm¸-\o-kv Imhy-tem-I-¯n-sâ ]u-cm-Wn-I-X-bp-sS `m-K-am-Wv ssl-¡p I-hnXIÄ. aq-¶v h-cn-IÄ-¡p-ÅnÂ H-Xp-§p-¶, F-¶mÂ h-cnI-sf I-hn-sªm-gpIp-¶ A-´-cmÀ-°-§-fp-sS {]-f-b-am-WXv. iwJnÂ \n-¶v Ip-X-dn-¨m-Sp-¶ HmwIm-cw t]mse, [ym-\-¯n-te-¡v sa-sÃ an-gn-b-S-¡m³ \-s½ t{]-cn-¸n-¡p-¶ Cu Pm-¸-\o-kv k¼-¯v C-¶v tem-I Im-hy im-J-IÄ ap-gp-h³ ]-Ip-s¯-Sp-¯n-cn¡p¶p.

Bro. Mathew Jemso Padayanickal

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

| 87

2016-17

""ssZ-h¯n-sâ hN-\w k-Po-hhpw DuÀ-Ökz-eh - p-amWv, C-cp-Xe - h - m-fn-t\¡mÄ aqÀ-¨-tb-dn-b-Xpw, tN-X-\-bnepw B-ßm-hnepw k-Ôn-_-Ô-§-fn-epw, a-Ö-bnepw Xpf-¨p Ib-dn lr-Z-b-¯nsâ hn-Nm-c§ - s - fbpw \n-tbm-K§ - s - fbpw hn-th-Nn-¡p-¶X - p-amWv''. k-`b - p-sS lr-Zb-¯nepw ssI-If - nepw Øn-Xn-sN-¿p¶ ssZ- h - h N- \ w kv - t ^m- S - \ m- ß - I hpw {In-bm-ß-I-hp-amWv. _-en-]oT-¯nÂ \n-s¶-Sp-¯ Xo-¡-\Â G-È-bm-bp-sS A-[c - §-sf kv] - Àin-¨t- ¸mÄ A-t±-lw ssZ-hh - N - \ - s - ¯ I-ïp-ap-«p-Ibpw A-Xnsâ i-àn A-\p-`h - n-¡p-Ib - p-am-bn-cp¶p. ssZ-h-h-N\-s¯ A-\p-`-hn-¨-dn-ª {]-hm-NI - cpw k-¦oÀ-¯I - \ - pw D-Ån-sâbp-ÅnÂ A-Km-[am-b k-t´m-jhpw Pz-e-\-hp-am-Wv A-\p-`-h-s¸-«Xv. ssZ-hh-N-\-¯n-sâ i-ànbpw am-[p-cyhpw b- Y mÀ- ° - ¯ nÂ A- \ p- ` - h n- ¨ - d n- ª H-cph-\v ssZ-h-h-N-\-¯nÂ AÃm-sX a-säm-¶nepw k-t´m-jw I-sï-¯m³ I-gn-bp-Ib - nÃ. Cu hen-b \n-[n I-sï¯n-, A-Xv k-¼m-Zn-¡p-hm-\m-bn Po-hn-Xw ssZ-h-¯n-\v k-aÀ-¸n-¨-h-cm-Wv k-`m]n-Xm-¡· - mÀ. ssZ-hh - N-\w ]m-Z§ - Ä-¡v hn-f¡pw h-gn-bnÂ {]-Im-ih - p-am-sW-¶ hen-b k-Xy-s¯ Aw-Ko-Ic - n¨p-sIm-ïv h-N\m-[n-jT v n-Xa - m-bn {]-t_m-[\ - § - fpw Po-hn-X-ssi-en-I-fpw cq-]-s¸-Sp-¯m³ k-`m-]n-Xm-¡· - mÀ {i-an¨p. A-Xn-\mÂ X-s¶ ssZ-hh - N - \ - t- ¯m-Sp-Å C-hc - p-sS k-ao-]-\-§fpw ZÀ-i-\-§fpw Iq-Sp-XÂ A-dn-bp-¶-Xv \-½p-sS t_m-[y§-sf Iq-Sp-XÂ _-e-s¸-Sp-¯p-sa¶-Xv XoÀ¨-bmWv.

ssZ-h-hN-\w Po-hn-¨hÀ

Bro. Varghese Kaniyanparambil

88 |

k-`m-]n-Xm-¡-·mcpw ssZ-h-h-N-\hpw

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

ssZ-h-h-N-\-¯nÂ A`-bw tXSn-sIm-ïv B h-N\ - ¯ - nÂ \n-¶v B-²ymßn-I Po-hn-X¯ - n-\p-Å i-àn kw-`-cn-¨-h-cm-Wv B-²ymßn-I ]n-Xm-¡·mÀ. ssZ-h-h-N-\-¯n-se ssZ-h-km-¶n-[y-¯nÂ i-àn I-sï¯n-b A-t´ym-Iym-bn-se hn-ip-² C-tá-jy-kv C-{]-Im-cw ]-d-bp-¶p ""tb-ip-{In-kvXp-hn-sâ i-co-c-¯nÂ F-¶-t]m-se kp-hn-ti-j¯nepw Rm³ A`-bw tX-Sp-¶p''. k-`m-]n-Xmhm-b hn-ip-² A-K-Ìn-sâ Po-hn-Xhpw A-t±-l-¯n-sâ am-\-km-´-chpw F-§-s\-bm-Wv ssZ-h-h-N-\-¯neq-sS tb-ip-{In-kv-Xp-hn-s\ I-sï-¯n-b-sX¶pw B-²ymßn-I Po-h³ I-sï-¯n-b-sX¶pw sh-fnhm-¡p-¶pïv. X-sâ k-Xym-t\zj-Ww A-Xn-sâ e-£y-¯nÂ F-¯p¶-Xv ssZ-hh - N - \ - ¯ - n-sâ kv] À-i-\-¯n-eq-sS B-bn-cp-¶p-sh-¶v hn. A-K-Ìn³ hy-à-am-¡p-¶pïv. C-sX¸-än hn-ip-²³ X-s¶ kv-a-cn-¡p-¶p ""k-Xy-¯n-sâ {]-Imiw, b-YmÀ-° k-Xy-¯n-sâ {]-Imiw, F-sâ lr-Z-b-¯nÂ {]-th-in¨p, A§-s\ F-sâ kw-i-b-¯nsâ \n-gep-I-sfÃmw A-{]-Xy-£-am-bn''. F-´m-Wv hn-ip-² en-Jn-X-sa¶ tNm-Zy-¯n-\v D-¯-c-am-bn sk-hnÃm-bn-se hn-ip-² Ckn-tZmÀ C-{]-Im-cw F-gpXn : ""hn-ip-² enJn-X hm-b-\-bmWv ssZ-h-¯n-te-¡v \-bn-¡p-¶ ]m-X. ssZh-s¯ A-dn-b-W-sa-¶v B-{K-ln-¡p-¶ hy-àn hn-ip-² en-Jn-X-¯n-sâ h-gn-bnÂ kz-bw k-aÀ-¸n-¡Ww''. A-t±-l¯ - n-sâ ho-£W - ¯ - nÂ ssZ-hh - N - \ - ¯ - nÂ B-{i-bn-¡m-sX ssZ-h-¯nÂ c-£m-k-tµ-iw I-sï-¯m³ I-gn-b-nÃ. ssZ-h-h-N-\w ]T-\hpw [ym-\hpw Po-hn-X-¯n-sâ G-ähpw hen-b `m-K-am¡n amän-b k-`m-Nn-´-I\m-b H-cn-P³ ]-d-bp-¶p ""B-Zy-am-bn \mw ]Tn-t¡-ïXpw [ym-\n-t¡-ïXpw ssZ-ho-I{- K-Ù§ - f - m-Wv''. hn-izm-kn-IÄ X-§f - p-sS lr-Zb-s¯ ssZ-h-h-N-\-¯n-sâ sse-{_-dn-bm-bn am-än-s¡m-ïv Bßob t]mj-Ww t\-Sm³ H-cn-P³ B-lzm-\w sN-¿p¶p. k-`m-]n-Xm-¡· - mÀ ]-ecpw Zn-hy-Im-cp-Wy-¯n-\v Xp-eyam-b B-ßo-b-t]mj-Ww hn-ip-² en-Jn-X¯nÂ I-sï-¯n-b-h-cmWv. A-Xmb-Xv tb-ip-{Inkv-Xp-hn-sâ i-co-chpw c-àhpw `-£n-¡p-Ibpw ]m-\w sN-¿p-Ibpw sN-¿p-¶Xp-t]mse, ssZ-hh - N - \-am-Ip-¶ ]m-\o-bhpw \mw Ip-Sn-t¡-ïn-bn-cn-¡p¶p. hn-ip-² P-tdmw ]-d-bp-¶p ""{In-kv-Xp-hn-sâi-co-cw A-hn-Sp-s¯ kp-hn-ti-jhpw Iq-Sn-bmWv, F-¶v Rm³ I-cp-Xp¶p''. k-`m-]n-Xm-¡-·m-cp-sS ho-£-W-¯nÂ BZn-a-k-`-bnÂ {In-kv-Xp km¶n-²y-¯n-sâ c-ïv ta-i-I-sf¸-än {]-Xn-]m-Zn-¡p¶pïv. A-Xm-bXv, Xn-cp-A-¸-¯n-sâ ta-i-bpw, hn-ip-²{- K-Ù¯ - n-sâ ta-ib - pw. Cu c-ïv ta-ib - nÂ \n¶pw hn-izm-kn-IÄ B-´co-I Po-hn-X-¯nsâ D-t¯P-I Hu-j-[w kzo-I-cn-¡p¶p. k-`m

]n-Xm-¡· - m-cnÂ \n-¶mWv Xn-cp-k-` IÀ-¯mhn- s â Xn- c p- i - c ocw t]m- se hn-ip-² {K-Ùs¯bpw h-W-§p-hm³ ]Tn¨- X v F- ¶ v cïmw h- ¯ n- ¡ m³ Iu¬- k nen-sâ {]-am-W-tc-Jbm-b ssZ-hm-hn-jv-¡-c-W-¯nÂ {]-Xn-]m-Zn-¡p-¶pïv.(No.21) k-`m-]n-Xm-¡· - mÀ FÃmw X- s ¶ ssZ- h - h N- \ w hm- b n¡p- I bpw [ym- \ n- ¡ p- I bpw B ssZ-h-hN-\w Po-hn-X-¯nÂ {]m-hÀ-¯n-Ia - m-¡p-Ibpw sN-bvXpsIm-ïv ssZ-hm-\p-`-h-¯n-sâ D-¶X-ta-J-e-IÄ I-sï-¯n-b-h-cmWv. hn-ip-² en-Jn-Xw a-\-Ên-em-¡m-sX, ssZ-hh - N - \-s¯ kz-´a - m-¡m-sX, ssZ-hhp-am-bp-Å sFIyw {]m-]n-¡p-hm³ km-[n¡p-Ib - nÃm-sb-¶v A-hÀ a-\Ê - n-em¡n. ssZ-hh-N-\-¯n-eq-sS \-ap-¡v I-c-K-X-am-Ip¶ ssZ-h km-bq-Py-¯n-sâ a-t\m-lmcn-X hn-ip-² tPm¬ U-a-jo³ hn-h-cn-¡p¶-Xv hf-sc {i-t²-b-amWv. ""ss_-_nÄ b-YmÀ-°-¯nÂ \-s½ ip-²am-b hnip-²n-bn-te¡pw hn-ip-²am-b {]-hr-¯n-bn-te¡pw \-bn-¡p¶p. A-Xn³ \mw FÃmhn-[ kp-Ir-X-§Ä sN-¿m-\pÅ ss[-cy-hpw Xn-·-bnÂ \n¶v Hm-Sn-b-Iem-\p-Å i-ànbpw I-sï-¯p¶p''. a-\p-jy-cn-te-¡v Xm-Wn-d-§n-h-¶ a-l¯mb ssZ-h-h-N\-s¯ hen-b BZ-c-thmSpw kv-t\-lt¯mSpw hn-izm-k-t¯mSpw Iq-sS kz-´w lr-Z-b§-fnÂ kzo-I-cn¨v, [ym-\n¨v, B h-N-\-¯n-eq-sS ]n-Xm-hn-s\ {]-th-in-¡m³ km-[n-¨-h-cm-Wv k-`m]n-Xm-¡· - mÀ. ssZ-hh - N - \-s¯ a-\Ê - nÂ F-¶pw Xm-tem-en-¨hÀ, h-N\ - ¯ - n-\v kzbw hn-«p-sImSp-¯hÀ, hN-\w D-ÅnÂ \n-e\ - n-dp-¯n-bhÀ. ssZ- h - h - N - \ - ¯ nÂ A- S - § n- b n- c n- ¡ p- ¶ i-ànbpw hn-ip-²nbpw A-hc- p-sS Po-hX-s¯ cq-]m´-cs¸-Sp¯n. hN-\w A-h-cp-sS Po-hn-X-¯n-te-¡v B-gv-¶nd-§n \q-dpta-\n ^-ew ]p-d-s¸-Sp-hn¨p. A-hÀ ssZ-h-h-N-\-¯m³ cq-]o-I-cn-¡-s¸-«v ssZ-h-a-\p-jy-cm-bn XoÀ¶p. Xn-cp-k`-bnÂ Aw-K-§Ä F-¶ \n-e-bnÂ Cu Po- h n- X - a m- X r- I-IÄ \ap-¡v D-Ån-te-¡v kzo-I-cn-¡p-Ibpw B hN-\w \n-e\ - n-dp-¯p-Ibpw sN-bX -v mÂ A-h-cnÂ- kw-`-hn-¨ cq-]m-´-co-IcWw \-½nepw kw-Pm-X-am-Ipw. Cu ]n-Xm-¡· - m-cn-eq-sS ssZ-hh - N-\w a-lX - zs¸-«Xp- t]m-se \-½p-sS Po-hn-Xw h-gnbpw ssZ-h-hN-\w a-l-Xz-s¸-Ss«.

2016-17

Nn-cn-bp-sS \ndw

DS-¨p A-¶ph-sc k-¼m-Zy-am-bv I-cpXn-b `-Þmcw t\m-¡n- Rm³, D-ÅnÂ Ip-dn-¨p {K-Ù-¯n³ Nn{Xw A-dn-hp t\-Sp-hm³ ]-c-Xn-sbÃm-bn-Shpw al-Xv {KÙ-§-sfm-s¡bpw t\-Sn-Rm³ F-¶n-«v F-sâ-bp-ÅnÂ A-W-bm-X-h-ti-jn¨p C-\nbpw i-an-¡msX, F-t´m-bn-\n-bp-a-dn-bm³ H-cp Zm-lw

hm-§n-¨p hoïpw \n-d-¨p-h-s¨m-sc³ `-Þmcw Im-e-§Ä am-ä-a-dn-bp-t¼mÄ tem-I-¯n³ cp-Nn-b-dn-bp-hm³ Xo-£-W-am-bv B-{K-ln-¨p \S-¶p Rm³ F³ ap-dn-bnÂ Ip-¯n-\nd-¨p h-t¨mtcm {K-Ù-§Ä X³ Nn-´-IÄ-s¡m-¸w k-©-cn-¨p Rm³ h-f-cp-hm³, am-dn-\-S-¡p-hm³ F-¶nÂ Xp-W-bm-bh

Im³-hm-knÂ Rm-s\-sâ Po-hn-XwtIm-dn-h-c-bv-¡p-I-bm-bn-cp¶p tNmc \n-d-¯nÂ I-®p-\oÀ ]o-X-\n-d-¯nÂ thZ-\ I-Spw\o-e \n-d-¯nÂ Imaw G-Xp-\n-d-¯nÂ Nn-cn-sb-gpXpw ? B-\-µ-¯n-sâ \n-d-sa-´m-bn-cn¡pw !!? F-sâ apJ-s¯ A-¼c-¸v I-ïn-«mIWw B-Im-i¯n-sem-cp a-g-hnÃn-\-¸p-dw ssZ-hw Nn-cn-¡p¶p \n-d-anÃm-¯ H-cp Nn-cn

A-hn-sS s]m-Sn-]n-Sn¨p am-än-h-s¨m-cp {K-Ù-ap-ïm-bn-cp-¶p tI-{µ-Øm\-¯v D-d-¸n-¨p-sh-s¨m-cm {K-Ùw Zpx-J-¯n-em-gv-¶p Xp-d-s¶m-¶p t\m-¡n am-{X I-ïp-Rm³ A-dn-hp-X³ tI-{µw `q-X, hÀ-¯-am-\ -`m-hn Im-cy-§Ä Ip-dn-¨p-h-¨-Xn³ bm-YmÀ-°y-§Ä I-sï³a-\w \-Sp-§n,hnc-ïp t]m-bv-Rm³

t\-Sn H-Sp-hn-se³ Zm-lw i-an¨p, a-äp {K-Ù-§-sf-sbm-s¡-b-I-än Rm³ h-¨p Rm³ h-N-\-s¯-sb³ lr-¯nepw F³ H-¡-¯nepw ]-d-ª-dn-bn-¡p-hm³ I-gn-bm-s¯m-cm\-µw hn-SÀ-s¶³ a-\w \nd-ªp

A-¶v XpS-§n Rm³ {In-kv-Xp-sh-s¶m-cm a-lm-aq-ey-s¯-bpZv-tLm-jn-¡p-hm³ A-dn-hp-X³ `-Þm-cam-sbmcp, \-·-X³ lr-Z-bam-sbmcp {In-kv-Xp \-t½m-sSm-¸-ap-sï-¶pZv-tLm-jn-¨p \S-¶p Rm³ D-ÅnÂ \nd-ªp h-N-\-¯nÂ Xo£-W-X F³ ta\n \n-d-ªp-Xp-fp-¼n Rm-\-dn-bm-sX H-cm-ß-ssN-X-\y-sa-¶nÂ \ndªp B Xn-cp-I-c-§-fnÂ Rm-s\-sâ ap-J-a-W-¨p atä-sXm-¶nepw A-[n-Ia-aq-ey-am-sbm-cp {K-Ùamw hN\w kz-´-am-¡nSmw Po-hn-¡pw A-aq-eyamw h-N-\s¯.

Bro. John Kaduvingal

90 |

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

Bro. Mathew Kollara Kuzhiyil

\m-dmW-¯v a-e-ap-I-fn-te-¡v Rm-s\-sâ lr-Z-b-ap-cp-«p¶p ]m-d-s¡-«p-I-fnÂ tNm-c Nn-X-dp¶p lr-Z-b-¯n-sâ `m-cw F-s¶ A-¼-c-¸n-¡p¶p C-{X `m-c-ap-Å H-¶v F-sâ s\©nþ ep-ïm-bn-cp¶pthm C-{Xbpw Imew !! C-t¸mÄ Rm³ a-e-ap-I-fn-emWv km-¯m-s\-sâ ]n-¶nepw k-akvX tem-I-s¯-bpw Nq-ïn-¡m-«n C-sXÃmw F-\n-¡p Xm-cm-sa-¶v Ah³ H-cp s]m-«n-¨ncn-tbm-sS Rm-s\-sâ lrZ-bw Xm-tg-¡p-cp-«n-¡fªp D-cp-ïv D-cp-ïv A-Xv Nn-X-dn-sX-dn¡th km-¯m³ F-sâ Nn-cn-bnÂ CÃm-sX-bm-bn t]m-bn-cp-¶p

2016-17

cq-]m´cw

]q¡Ä \n-d-ª a-®n³ am-dnÂ Npc-¶v Xqhpw sR-Sp-¸nÂ ap-Jw tNÀ-¯v A-arXv Duän Np-nÂ ]mÂ ]p-©n-cn \-\-thän ]pWyw ]d-ª {]-W-b I-Y-I-fmWv F-\n-¡v ]q-¡Ä

h-f-¨pw Xn-cn¨pw Hm-Sn¨pw F-sâ t\À-h-c-Ifpw ]-dªpw F-gp-Xnbpw ]-cn-X-]n¨pw F-sâ {]-W-bhpw shdpw A-£-c-§-fm-bv t]mbn.

Xn-cIÄ F-{X ]n³-h-en-ªmepw H-cp k-tµ-lhpw Iq-SmsX I-S-en¶pw Ic-sb Npw-_n-¡p¶p Xn-c-sbm-gn-bm-¯ Xocw

krãn

sam«v

AÃ.... A-h-s\-sâ izm-km-c-{Ô-§-fnÂ \n-izm-k-ap-XnÀ-¯-t¸mÄ AÃ \n-izm-k-ap-XnÀ-¡m³ A-Sp-¯-t¸mÄ Ah-sâ Np-sï³ Np-ïnÂ tNÀ¶p Ah-sâ {]W-bw Npw-_-\w...!! F-sâ Po-hnXw Rm-s\-¶ kr-ãn

{]-Im-i-t¯m-Sp-Å {]Wbw Hmtcm sam-«n-s\bpw {]-`m-X-¯nÂ ]q-hm-bn hn-SÀ-¶p-¶p

k¦Sw \n-sâ \n-d-an-gn-t¡m-Wn-se Xn-c-bnf¡w A-sX´p-sIm-sï-¶v F-\n-¡-dnbmw. \n-\-s¡-Xnsc BÀ-¯p-e-¨p--bcpw k-ap-{Zs¯ tNÀ-¶p ]pÂ-Im³ am-{Xw C-\nbpw I-S-en-s\ \o {]-W-bn-¨n-«n-sÃ¶-Xp X-s¶

\n-kz³ A-Xn-cnÃm-¯ {]Wbw... A-¡-anÃm-¯ ku-lrZw... A-t\-Iw `-h-\§Ä... A-kv-X-an-¡m-¯ hni¸v... BÀ-¡p-aÃm-sX A-²zm\w... B-tcm-cp-anÃmsX... B-cp-aÃmsX... A-h-Øm-´-c-§-fp-ambn A-h-\n-¶pw {]-W-b-¯nÂ

bm-NI³ F-sâ s]m-¡-W-¯nÂ Rm³ kq-£n-¡p-¶ CÃm-bv-a-bp-sS \ndhv F-¶nÂ cq-V-aq-eam-b Z-b-\o-b-X-bp-sS A-dnhv A-Xn-sâ s\m-¼-c-anÃm-¯ B-ß \njvT F-¶n-h C-s¶-sâ a-\-Ên³ t_m-[y-am-b-Xn-\mÂ \n³ ap-¼nÂ keÖw Rm-s\³ I-c-§Ä hn-cn-¡p-¶p

Xn-cn-¨-dnhv ]-eXpw ]-d-bm-sX A-dn-bm³ Xp-S-§n-b-t¸mÄ Rm³ {]-W-bn-¡m³ XpS§n. ]-d-bm-sX C\n-sbm¶pw A-dn-bm³ I-gn-bn-sÃ-¶m-b-t¸mÄ {]-Wb-s¯ a-d¶p.

Bro. Eldho George Kanjiramalayil

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

| 91

2016-17

“A traveller I am, and a navigator, and everyday I discover a new region within my soul”

- Khaleel Jibran

Ã \ o a b n d H-cp sN 2016- k-½m-\n-¨ A-t\-Iw \-Ã kn\n-a-I-fnÂ tPm¬-t]mÄ tPmÀ-Öv kw-hn-[m-\-hpw Xn-c-¡-Ym-c-N-\-bpw \nÀ-Æ-ln-¨ K-¸n F-¶ kn-\n-a a-\Ên-sâ Nn-e h-c-ï \n-e-§-sf h-ÃmsX X-Wp-¸n-¨p. ]p-en-ap-cp-I-sâ-bpw B-\-µ-¯n-sâ bp-sam-s¡ tim-`-bnÂ K-¸n-bp-sS hÀ-®w th-ïh - n-[w \-ap-¡v B-kz-Zn-¡m-\m-bn-Ã F-¶v tXm-¶p-¶p. K-¸n- F-¶ Iu-am-c-¡m-c-sâ \-·-IÄ, A-h-\n-eq-sS C-XÄ hn-cn-bp-¶ H-cp I-S-tem-c-{Km-a-¯n-sâ I-eÀ-¸n-Ãm-¯ \m-S³ Im-gv-N-IÄ C-h-sb-Ãmw, \mw s]m-Xp-th I-ïp-]c - n-Nb - n-¨ kn-\n-am-]cn-k-c-¯p-\n-¶pw th-dn-«p \nÂ-¡p-¶p. K-¸n a-Õy-§-sf h-fÀ-¯n Ip-Spw-_w ]p-eÀ-¯p-¶ K-¸n F-¶ hn-fn-t¸-cp-Å {]-[m-\I - Y - m-]m-{X-s¯ A-hX - c - n-¸n-¡p-

Bro. John Aluvila

92 |

¶-Xv tN-X³-em-em-Wv. sN-dp-¸-¯n-te A-Ñ³ \-jv-S-s¸-«p-t]m-b K-¸n, Im-epIÄ-¡v kzm-[o-\-an-Ãm-¯ A-½-sb h-f-sc \-¶m-bn ]-cn-N-cn-¡p-¶p. A-½bpw a-I-\pw X-½n-ep-Å A-Km-[-am-b kvt- \-l¯ - n-sâ A-t\-Iw ssh-Im-cn-I cw-K-§Ä Cu Nn-{X-¯nÂ `w-Kn-bm-bn A-hX - c - n-¸n-¨n-cn-¡p-¶p. X-sâ A-½s - b \n-Xy-hpw Ip-fn-¸n-¡p-¶ cw-Kw, D-ÅnÂ \-· kq-£n-¡p-¶ F-Ãm-h-cp-sS-bpw I- ® p- I Ä k- Ö - e - a m- ¡ pw F- ¶ - X v XoÀ-¨. X-sâ A-½-bv-¡v ]-c-k-lm-ban-Ãm-sX k-©-cn-¡m³ I-gn-bp-¶ H-cp Hm-t«m-am-än-¡v thm-¡nw-Kv sN-bÀ hm§m-\m-Wv ITn-\m-[zm-\w sN-¿p-¶-Xv. ]T-\¯ - n-sâ-bpw ku-lr-Z§ - f - p-sS-bpw Im-eL - «- ¯ - nÂ, Ip-Spw-_ {]m-cm-_[ -v § - Ä Np-a-en-teÂ-t¡-ïn-h-cp-¶ A-t\-Iw Po-hn-X-§-fp-sS {]-Xn-\n-[n-bm-Wv K-¸n. A-½-bp-sS k-t´m-j-am-Wv K-¸n-bp-sS k-t´m-jw. H-cn-¡Â Iq-«p-Im-cnÂ \n¶v e-`n-¨ H-cp No-¯-¸p-kv-X-Iw K-¸n ho-«nÂ sIm-ïp-hc - m-\n-Sb - m-Ip-¶p. A-Xv Im-Wm-\n-S-bm-Ip-¶ A-½ Po-hn-X-¯nem-Zy-am-bn K-¸n-tbm-Sp ]n-W-§p-¶p; ]n-W-¡w \-Sn-¡p-¶p. X-sâ A-½-sb th-Z-\n-¸n-¨-XnÂ A-h³ a-\w s\m´p I-c-bp-¶p. Cu cw-K-§-sfm-s¡ t{]-£-I-cnÂ h-Ãm-¯ N-e-\-§Ä

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

kr-jv-Sn-¡pw. ssew-Kn-I-N-]-e-X-I-sf {]m-b-¯n-sâ `m-K-am-bn \ym-bo-I-cn¡m³ {i-an-¡p-t¼mÄ, kz-´w am-Xm]n-Xm-¡-fp-sS ap-¼nÂ, A-¯-cw Im-cy§Ä-¡v \ym-bo-Ic - W - a - n-Ã F-¶X - m-Wv hm-kv-X-hw. tX-Pk - v hÀ-¡n F-¶ F-©n-\o-bd - psS h-c-hpw A-tX-¯p-SÀ-¶p-ïm-Ip-¶ kw-`-h-hn-Im-k-§-fp-am-Wv I-Ym-X-´p. F-©n-\n-bd- pw K-¸n-bpw X-½nÂ sX-äp-¶p. A-tX-¯p-SÀ-¶v \m-«p-Im-cpw F-©n-\nb-dpw X-½nÂ A-\n-jv-S-¯n-em-Ip-¶p. Xp-SÀ-¶p-ïm-Ip-¶ ]-c-kv-]-c hn-tZzj-¯n-\pw ]-I-cw ho-«-en-\p-sam-s¡ H-Sp-hnÂ tX-P-kv hÀ-¡n-sb \m-«p-Imcn-sem-cmÄ Ip-¯n-¸c - n-t¡Â-¸n-¡p-¶p. X-sâ ^n-jS-v m-¦p-IÄ s]m-fn-¨p-If - ª tX-Pk - v hÀ-¡n-sb D-]{- Z-hn-¡m³ K-¸n hm-S-I-Kp-ï-I-sb GÀ-¸m-Sm-¡p-¶psï-¦n-epw A-]-I-S-k-a-b-¯v tX-P-kv hÀ-¡n-bp-sS k-lm-b-¯n-s\-¯p-¶-Xv K-¸n-bm-Wv. {Km-ah - m-kn-Is - f A-hc - m-bncn-¡p-¶ A-hØ - b - nÂ a-\Ê - n-em-¡m³ {i-an-¨-t¸mÄ, tX-P-kv hÀ-¡n-bnÂ \n¶v {]-Xn-Im-c-hpw hn-tZz-j-hpw F-Ãm-w A- I - ¶ p t]m- I p- ¶ p. ]- e - c p- s S- b pw

2016-17

h-b-än-¸n-g-¸n-\v hn-Lm-X-ap-ïm-¡p-¶ ]m-ew ]-Wn A-bmÄ D-t]-£n-¡p-¶p. F-Ãm-hÀ-¡pw am-¸v \Â-In Xn-cn-sIt¸m-Im³ X-¿m-sd-Sp-¡p-t¼m-tg-¡pw K-¸n-bp-sS A-½ a-cn-¡p-¶p. A-\m-Y\m-b K-¸n-tb-bpw Iq-«n tX-PÊ - v hÀ-¡n hn-im-ea - m-b tem-It- ¯-¡v bm-{X-bm-Ip¶-tXm-sS kn-\n-a A-h-km-\n-¡p-¶p. 25 hÀ-j-§Ä-¡v ap-¼v \-jv-S-s¸-« kz-´w A-½-sb Hm-tcm Zn-h-k-hpw ]- { X- ¯ nÂ Xn- c - b p- ¶ Sn- ¦ p F- ¶ hr-²-I-Ym-]m-{X-s¯ C-hn-sS t_m-[]qÀ- Æ w DÄ- s ¡m- Å n- ¨ n- c n- ¡ p- I - b mWv. H-cm-Iv-kn-UânÂ Ip-Spw-_-s¯ ]qÀ-®-am-bpw \-jv-S-s¸-« tX-P-kv hÀ¡n-¡v H-cp {`m-´p-sï-¶v kn-\n-a-bnÂ ]-d-bp-¶p. Nn-In-Õn-¨v t`-Z-am-¡m-¯ H-cp {`m-´v.....-F-Ãm Ip-ªp-§-fn-epw X-sâ am-fp-hn-s\ Im-Wp-¶ H-cp X-cw {`m-´.v ......... \n-dw \-jS-v s - ¸-«m-epw a-Wh - pw Kp-W-hpw \-jv-S-s¸-«m-epw _-Ô-§sf hn-tO-Zn-¡-cp-sX-¶m-Wv Cu kn\n-a t{]-j-I-sc HmÀ-½n-¸n-¡p-¶-Xv. {]m-tbm-Kn-I-X-bv-¡pw D-]-tbm-K-¯n\pw ap³-Xq-¡w \Â-Ip-¶ k-aI - m-eo-\ {]-h-W-X-IÄ-s¡-Xn-sc-bm-Wv Nn-{Xw i-_v-Zn-¡p-¶-Xv. \yq-P\ - t- d-j³ {^o-¡· - m-cp-sS ss\an-jn-I {]-Wb - § - f - pw Xm-ev] - c - y-§f - pw F-hn-tS-bpw B-tLm-j-am-Ip-t¼mÄ, K-¸n {]-W-bn-¡p-¶-Xv {]-]-©-t¯-bmWv......-a-Õy-§-sf......-I-S-en-s\.......-K-¸n a-Õy-§Ä A-h-\v hn-ev-]-\ h-kv-Xp¡-f-Ã, A-h-sâ Iq-sS-¸n-d-¸p-I-fm-Wv. K-¸n a-Õy-§Ä ]n-Sª p-Nm-Ip-t¼mÄ s\-©p-]n-S-bp-¶ A-h-sâ Z-b-\o-b-Nn{Xw B-cp-sS-bpw I-®n-s\ Cu-d-\-Wnbn-¡p-¶-Xm-Wv. A-½ a-cn-s¨-¶-dn-bpt¼mÄ, I-S-em-Ip-¶ A-½-bn-te-¡v A-h³ Hm-Sn-¡-b-dp-¶p.........-km-´z-\ kv-]À-iw ]-I-cm³ a-\p-jy-t\m-fw a-c¯n-\pw {]-Ir-Xn-¡p-am-Ipw. K-¸n-Is - f-t¸m-se, sN-dp-Xm-sW-¦n-epw Hm-c-§-fn-epw Xo-c-§-fn-epw A-cn-Ip-Ifn-epw a-\p-jy-cp-ïv........-hÀ-W-§-fpw ku-lr-Z-§-fpw s\m-¼-c-§-fp-ap-Å a-\p-jyÀ......-A-h-cp-sS Po-hn-X-§-fpw ]-IÀ-¯-s¸-S-Ww.....-B-kz-Zn-¡-s¸-SWw.........

Bro. Joseph Kalapurakkal

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\n-gÂ th-sd Nn-e \n-g-ep-I-sf-¡q-Sn ]-cn-N-b-s¸-Sp-¯p¶p. \n-\-¡-dnbmtam \n³ Po-hn-X-¯nse \n-s¶ \-bn-¡p-¶, \o \-bn-¡p-¶, \n-g-epIsf ? KÀ-`-¯nÂ \n-bpw \n³ A-½bpw H-tc-\ngÂ A¸-sâ tXm-fnepw \n³-\ngÂ kv-Iq-fnÂ ]Tn-¡p-t¼mÄ k-YoÀ-Xy-\n-gÂ {]-W-bn-¡p-t¼mÄ \n-s¶m-¸w a-säm-cp-\ngÂ \n-t¶m-a-\-Ipªpw \obpw H-tc \ngÂ A-§-s\.....

XoÀ-¶nÃ \n-gÂ Xp-S-cp-¶p sX-cp-hnÂ hn-i¡pw \n-gÂ \n-tâXv _m-ey-ap-S-bv¡-s¸Spw \n-gÂ \n-tâXv a-Sn-¡p-¯v No-´-s¸-Sp-t¼mÄ AXpw \n³-\ngÂ kv-t^m-S-\-¯n-ea-cp¶Xpw \n³-\n-gÂ

\n-gÂ hn-S-]-d-bp-¶p k-Ôy-bm-bn \n-gÂ a-d-bm-dmbn C-\nbpw HmÀ-¡p-I "F-s¶'... Iq-sS \n³ a-äp \n-g-ep-I-tf-bpw... St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Rev. Fr. Thomas Neeranakunnel

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

Bro. Jose Mundaplavila BEò {ÉÊ®ú´ÉÉ®ú EòÉ ºÉ¤É +É±ÉºªÉ =ºÉ ÊnùxÉ |ÉEÞòÊiÉ ¨Éå lÉÉ* +ÉEòÉ¶É Eäò +ÊvÉEòÉ®úÒ +¦ÉÒ VÉMÉ ½þÒ ®ú½äþ lÉä* +É®Æú¦É EòÒ SÉ¨ÉäÊ±ÉªÉÉÄ ÊJÉ±ÉxÉä ¨Éå +¦ÉÒ ¦ÉÒ +É±ÉºÉ ÊnùJÉÉ ®ú½þÒ lÉÓ, ºÉÚ®úVÉ EòÒ º´ÉhÉÇ-|É¦ÉÉ ¦ÉÚÊ¨É ºÉä +ÉÊ±ÉÆMÉxÉ Eò®úxÉä EòÉä iÉèªÉÉ® ½þÉä ½þÒ ®ú½þÒ lÉÒ* +JÉ¤ÉÉ® ´ÉÉ±ÉÉ +±ÉIªÉ °ü{É ºÉä +ÉÆMÉxÉ ¨Éå +JÉ¤ÉÉ®ú ¡åòEò, vÉÒ¨Éä º´É®ú ºÉä ""+JÉ¤ÉÉ®ú'' ¤ÉÉä±ÉiÉä ½ÖþB ºÉÉ<ÊEò±É SÉ±ÉÉ Eò®ú nÚù®ú VÉÉ ®ú½þÉ ½èþ* ºÉÖ¤É½ EòÒ ºÉèä® Eò®úxÉä ´ÉÉ±Éä nÆù{ÉÊiÉ +Éè®ú ´ÉÞrù ±ÉÉäMÉ BEò nÚùºÉ®äú EòÉ ½þÉ±ÉSÉÉ±É {ÉÚUôùiÉä ½ÖþB nÚù®ú VÉÉiÉä xÉWÉ®úú +É ®ú½þä ½éþ * ºEÚò]õ®ú Eäò {ÉÒUäô ®úJÉä ½ÖþB ¤ÉÚÄnù ¤ÉÚÄnù ÊMÉ®úiÉä ÊnùJÉÉ<Ç näùxÉä PÉbä÷ ºÉä nÚùvÉ´ÉÉ±ÉÉ nÚùvÉ näù ®ú½þÉ ½èþ* =ºÉ ºÉ¨ÉªÉ ¤É®úÉ¨Énäù ¨Éå =ºÉEòÒ UôÉiÉÒ {Éä ±Éä]ä ½ÖþB =ºÉxÉä ªÉ½þ vªÉÉxÉ ÊnùªÉÉ* +ÉÄMÉxÉ ¨Éå ÎºlÉiÉ +É¨É Eäò {Éäc÷ EòÒ ÊxÉSÉ±ÉÒ ¶ÉÉJÉÉ ¨Éå PÉÉäºÉ±Éä ¨Éå ¨ÉÉnùÉ EòÉè+É +{ÉxÉä ¤ÉSSÉÉå EòÉä nùÉxÉÉ SÉÉåSÉ ¨Éå näù ®ú½þÒ lÉÒ* =ºÉEäò ºÉÒxÉä EòÒ MÉ¨ÉÔ EòÉ +ÉxÉÆnù ±ÉäiÉä ½ÖþB Ênù±É EòÒ vÉc÷EòxÉ EòÒ iÉÉ±É ¨Éå =ºÉxÉä {ÉÚUôÉ; VÉÉìVÉÇ, ½þ®ú EòÉä<Ç xÉÉ{ÉºÉÆnù Eò®úxÉä ´ÉÉ±Éä, nÚù®ú ¦ÉMÉÉxÉä ´ÉÉ±Éä EòÉèB EòÉä ¦ÉÒ ¦ÉMÉ´ÉÉxÉ xÉä ¤ÉSSÉÉ ÊnùªÉÉ ½èþ* BäºÉÉ CªÉÉå ÊEò ÊºÉ¡Çò ½þ¨Éå ½þÒ <ºÉºÉä ´ÉÆÊSÉiÉ ÊEòªÉÉ? <ºÉEòÉ VÉ´ÉÉ¤É ÊnùªÉä Ê¤ÉxÉÉ +ÉºÉ¨ÉÉxÉ EòÒ +xÉÆiÉiÉÉ ¨Éå +ÉÄJÉäå nùÉèc÷ÉEò®ú ´É½þ SÉÖ{ÉSÉÉ{É ¤Éè`öÉ ®ú½þÉ* +ÉºÉ¨ÉÉxÉ EòÒ iÉ®ú½þ ¶ÉÉÄiÉ lÉÉ =ºÉEòÉ ¨ÉxÉ* Ê¡ò®ú ¦ÉÒ EÖòUô ºÉ¨ÉªÉ Eäò Ê±ÉB ¤ÉÉ½þ®ú ºÉä ¶ÉÉÄiÉ ±ÉäÊEòxÉ +Ænù®ú ºÉä ±É½þ®úÉå EòÒ iÉ®ú½þ ¶ÉÉä®ú Eò®ú ®ú½þÉ lÉÉ =ºÉEòÉ ¨ÉxÉ* ±ÉÆ¤Éä nùºÉ ºÉÉ±É* {ÉÒUäô ¨ÉÖc÷Eò®ú näùJÉÉä iÉÉä =iÉxÉÒ VÉ±nùÒ xÉ½þÓ lÉÉ ¤ÉÎ±Eòò ÊEòºÉÒ iÉ®ú½þ JÉÓSÉ JÉÓSÉ Eò®ú MÉÖWÉÉ®úÉ ªÉä ºÉ¨ÉªÉ* ½þ®ú BEò ÊnùxÉ BEò ºÉnùÒ EòÒ iÉ®ú½þ ¤ÉÒiÉÉ* BäºÉÉ EòÉä<Ç b÷ÉìC]®ú xÉ½þÓ

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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2016-17

dpjd; xU r\f caphp Mthd;. r\ fk; vd;gJ cwt[fspd; tiyg;gpd;dy; MFk;. ,e;j cwt[fspy; jhd; kdpjk; kyh;fpwJ. kdpj khz;gf [ s; cah;fpwJ. ey;y cwt[fs; ek;ik ey;tHpgLj;j cjt[fpd;wd. cwt[fs; ,y;yhj kdpjd; jdpkukhf thH;fpwhd;. ,e;j jdpik thH;if tpuf;jpahy; Ml;bfhs;sg;gLfpdw ; J. ,e; j epiy ek; thH; t pd; bghUis fz;Lzu jilahf ,Uf;fpwJ. vg;go ehk; cwt[fis ifahH;tJ> xU mYtyfj;jpy; cs;s nkyhsh; vg;nghJk; jdf;F fPH; ntiy bra;fpd;w xU bgz;kPJ nfhgg;gl;Lf;bfhz;nl ,Ue;jhuhk;* ,jdhy; kdKile;Jnghd me;j bgz; mYtyfk; vd;whny kpft[k; btWg;nghL thH;eJ ; bfhz;nl ,Ue;jhs;. ,g;go btWg;nghL thH;e;j bgz; xU ehs; xU cstpayhshpd; mwpt[iuia eho bry;fpd;whs;. mg;bghGJ me;j cstpayhsh; me; j bgz; z pw; F

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bfhLj; j mwpt[ i u vd; d btd; w hy; / eP ehisKjy; eP btWf;fpd;w me;j nkyhshpd; vy;yh bray;ghLfspYk; ed;ikiaf; fz;lbfhz;L mtiu ghuhl;l ntz;Lk;. mg;nghJ cd;id btWf;Fk; me;j nkyhsh; kw;w gzpahsh;fsplk; nghy; ele;J bfhs;thh;. ,ij nfl;l me; j bgz; mij eilKiwgLj; j Muk;gpj;jhs;. mth;fs; cwt[ kyh;ej ; J. gpw CHpah;fs; fz;L bghwhik bfhs;Sk; mst[fF ; ,th;fs; el;g[ tYtile;jJ. vdnt cwt[ f is tsh; f ; f cfe; j tHp neh;kiw vz;z';f ; is kl;Lk; ek; ez;gh;fnshL gfph;tnj MFk;. kPdg ; pof;f bry;Yk; rpwhh;fis ehk; ghh;j;jpUf;fpnwhk; my;yth* ,th;fs; kPd; g pof; f gad; g Lj; J k; J}z; o ypy; mth;fs; tpUk;gk [ ; jpd;gz;l';f ; is fl;o nghLtJ ,y;iy. khwhf kPdf ; s; tpUk;gk [ ; kz;gG [ f;fisa[k; rpW caphpfisa[nk fl;o nghLfpwhh;fs;. ,Jnghynt ey;y el; g [ f is cUthf; f pf; b fhs; s ek; ez;gh;fs; tpUk;gk [ ; ,dpa brhh;fisa[k; neh; k iw vz; z '; ; f isa[ n k gfpu

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

Bro. Anish Joseph

ntz;Lk;. nkYk; cwt[fs; tsk; bgw “gpwh; c';f ; Sf;F vd;d bra;a ntz;Lk; vd;W eP'f ; s; tpUk;gf [ pwPhf ; nsh mijna eP';fSk; gpwUf;F bra;a[';fs;” (kj;. 7 ::: 12) vd;w bghd;tpjpia filgpof;f ntz;Lk;. tpy;ypak; n$k;!; (William James) vd;w cstpayhsh; cyfk; KGtJk; vjph;kiw vz;z';f ; shy; epiwe;Js;sJ vd; W TWfpd; w hh; . ,e; j vjph; k iw vz;z';fs; (Negative thoughts) kdpj MSikia rpijf; f pd; w d. cwt[fis cUFiyf;fpd;wd. vdnt ,J jPatdpd; bray;. je;ij flt[s; Tl jd; gilg;g[fnshL ciuahl njh;e;J bfhz;l Kjy; fUtp neh;kiw vz;znk. “vy;yhk; ey;ybjd fz;lhh;” bjh.E. 1 : 4. ,Jnghynt ehKk; gpwh; thH;tpy; ed;ikfis kl;Lk; fhz Kay;nthk;. g[J cyfk; gilg;nghk;.

2016-17

Vd; ,e;j fz;zPh;/ Vd; ,e;j nrhfk; tz;z kpF kyh;fshy; fz;zpy; rphpj;jhna thrkpF bjd;wyhy; kdij gwpj;jhna - gpd; Vd; ,e;j nrhfk;/ vd;d Fiw cdf;F Kjiy fz;zPh; vdyhk; rhjhuz bgz;kzp bad;why; vy;yh bry;tj;ija[k; xU';nf bgw;wts; eP fz;Lgpog;g[f;fs; g[jpauf';fspy; cz;L - jiyapy; kFlk; vd mLf;Fkho fl;ol';fSk; cz;L gy;uf mjpa';fSk; cz;L/ khdplk; thH RthrKk; cz;L - gpd; Vd; ,e;j nrhfk;/ vd;d Fiw cdf;F

Bro. Bibin Virali Vilai

Rdhkpapd; nglfkhdjhyh - ,y;iy g{fk;gj;jpd; g[fyplkhdjhyh nghh; g{';fhtpy; caph;fs; gypaplg;gLtjhyh - ,y;iy cdJ fUtiwfs; mqMa[jj;jpid Rkg;gjhyh cyfpy; fs;sg;gzk; bgUfpajhyh - ,y;iy fl;rpfs; bgUf; bfLj;jjhyh fw;gHpg;g[ kype;jjhyh - ,y;iy FLk;g';fs; jfh;e;jjhyh brhy; cdf;F vd;d Fiw cd; nrhfj;jpy; ehDk; g';Fbgw brhy; vdf;F vd;d Fiw cdf;F

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Reports Apostolate of Social Action Our seminary training following the example of our master Jesus, attempts an essential involvement in many social problems of the community so as to answer the divine call. Pope Francis defines Catholic Church as the Church of the poor.’ By this we mean that every priest and every seminarian could do much, both inside and outside of the Church through various apostolate in the seminary. Apostolate of Social Action (ASA) is a dynamic and vibrant social service department of seminary. Here the seminarians join hands in helping the needy through their prayers and efforts of sacrifice. The action plan of ASA for this year was inaugurated on 30th June 2016 by V. Rev. Fr. Jose Kizhakedathu. ASA’s motto “Living the word in charity” was declared after having a small discussion and deliberations on the previous year’s activities. All the brothers volunteered to various departments of ASA and a core team also was selected to guide its activities.

Core Team members Very Rev. Fr. Shaji Thomas Manikulam (Rector) Rev. Fr. Sebastian Ambassery (Director) Bro. Nedumankuzhiyil Thomas (Co-ordinator) Bro. Varghese Pullumvila Thekkethil (Co-ordinator) Bro. KanjiramlayilEldho (Secretary) Bro. Valiyaveettil Alex (Accountant)

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The following are the departments that function under the ASA in the year 2016-2017. 1. Sat Sang (Prayer and Reflection):- Sat Sang is a prayer group which includes the entire seminary community. This group makes intercessory prayer for the needy and suffering multitudes of the world. 2. Special Task Force: - The brothers efficiently conduct programmes such as mega auction, Christmas carol, etc. The money collected through auction and carol service is given as housing, medical, education, etc. In the last year mega auction was conducted on September 14th in the presence and participation of Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos, His Excellency Samuel Mar Irenios and Rev. Priests and laymen from various parishes. 3. Amicos Mart: - It is a shop that functions to provide stationary items, greeting cards, Christmas cards, etc. to the seminarians at a reasonable price. 4. Social Awareness Team (SAT):- This department works to present contemporary issues to the seminarians to inspire them and thereby increase their knowledge about the world around them. 5. Jesus Fraternity: - A team of brothers visits Juvenile Home and Central Jail at Poojappura and takes classes for the inmates. They arrange special Christmas programmes and interactive sessions. This group also arranges prayer meetings with the intentions of the inmates. Last year Christmas celebration was done in the Juvenile home on December 1st 2016 under the leadership of First Year Theologians 6. Blood Donation: - This department oversees the requests for the blood donations. Brothers willingly and freely donate their blood to the needy and the poor people in various hospitals.

St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

7. Virunnu: - Once in a month this department provides food for the patients in the medical college with the assistance of several benefactors. 8. Srishtti: - This is a new venture from ASA in order to develop the talents of our brothers in the fields of art and craft work. The creative products are given to STF and they use it for Mission Auction and for sale. 9. Santhwanam: -This group takes care of those who come to the seminary for financial help. The members of this group meet and talk with those who come for help and after understanding their situation, give them assistance. 10. Hospital Ministry: - This department functions to co-ordinate the service of the seminarians at. St. John’s Malankara Medical Village, Pirappancode. Every Sunday a team of brothers spend their time and energy to render service for the children at Care Home and the inmates of the hospital. 11. Ironing: - This department renders service to iron the cassocks of the priests and give the income to ASA. 12. Mushroom Cultivation: - This department helps to teach the art of cultivating mushroom. The seminarians cultivate chippikkoon (Oyster mushrooms) a type of mushroom which is very nutritious and delicious. 13. Oushadi: - This department takes initiative to plant several medicinal plants and trees in the seminary campus. 14. Book Binding section: - The book binding department binds the common books of the seminary, notes of Rev. Fathers, and dissertations and class notes of the seminarians. Through its activities ASA feels the pulse of the society and forms young seminarians to feel the pain of the neighbor.

2016-17

PASToRaL MINISTRY To get acquainted with the needy situation of the ministry areas of our Church, the seminary provides ample opportunities to the seminarians through Pastoral Ministry. All the students go for Pastoral ministry on Sundays and engage themselves in various activities of the parish such as praying for sick and the needy, house visits and organizing different pious associations and apostolates. The brothers try their best to support the vicar in leading the faithful to God. The mission experience helps the brothers to apply their theoretical knowledge into real life situation by visiting different families and interacting with them. Brothers through their house visits of faithful get a chance to read the mind of the people about their expectation of priests and priesthood which would really help the future priests in many ways. Pastoral ministry is a great boon for the brothers to have a real passion for mission work for which we are specially called by Lord Jesus Christ. Rev. Dr. Cherian John Kottayil

MS PUBLICATION

the seminarians actively participate in the agricultural work. Each batch cultivates different types of vegetables, tapioca and plantains in the plots allotted to them. The students, through their work, learn to love, care and protect the Mother Earth. They keep their relation with the soil and see it as their important responsibility. There is no true spirituality without obedience to this mandate. Thus, the seminarians develop a deep sense in eco spirituality.

from Rev. Dr. Jacob Olickal (Father in Charge) makes the successful functioning of the book stall. Bro. Kuriakose Karuthedath Bro. Vimal Raj Kuzhinjanvila

EXTENSION LECTURE PROGRAMME

Extension lecture programmes are conducted as a part of academic arena to obtain knowledge from secular and Bro. Mathew Kollarakuzhiyil religious fields. Personalities from different walks of life are presenting their view on various topics through there lectures. In FOST this year, five lectures were conducted FOST (Fellowship of Seminarians in Trivandrum) in Trivandrum helps a lot Bro. Samuel Ottakkallil. of seminarians to build up an ecumenical Bro. Mathew Chenkilethu. relationship. The inauguration of the activities of FOST for the academic year 2016- 2017 was held at Malankara Major Seminary. Representatives from all seminaries participated in all the DIPLOMA COURSE IN THEOLOGY FOR programmes. FOST undertakes various LAITY kinds of programmes for social uplift. This year’s main programmes of FOST Malankara Academy is a forum for the include Cleaning day on 2nd October, theological discussion open to priests, Volleyball, Basketball and Badminton seminarians and lay people in view of matches, Christmas Celebration on having a comprehensive and balanced January, Anniversary and General scholarship about theology. As an extenBody meetings. All the representatives sion of Malankara Academy, St. Mary’s from each seminary participated in this Malankara Seminary is conducting DiChristmas celebration and shared the ploma course in theology for the laity. joy of heart and mind equally. Since our This is a two year course of theological studies. The course comprises of 200 church stands for unity, we the members of teaching hours stretched out in a period FOST dedicate ourselves to enhance unity of two years. among different dominations of Church. Bro. Santhosh Thanuvelil Bro. Thomas Cheruthod Bro. Jinu Koodathinal

‘MS Publication’ as the name indicates is the publication wings of St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary. It has become one of the most important wings of the seminary by brining into lights a number of serious and deep studies on the relevant and contemporary issues connected with both Theology and Philosophy. The publication has brought out a large number of book of renewed theologians and philosophers. It publishes a half yearly theological journal, named Aikya Samiksha. It also brings POPE JOHN PAUL II BOOK STALL out Vachanavirunnu to help the pastors Pope John Paul II Book Stall continues of the Church in breaking the Word of its successful service among seminarians God on Sundays and also Liturgical diary by providing current and substantial with all the details that a person should know in social and religious life. books from various publication in India. We are thankful to various publications Bro. Elias Panthappillil such as D. C Books, Sophia Books, CarBro. Varghese Kaniyamparambil mel Books, Theo Books, Media Books, Bro. Philip Mangattethu etc., for providing books. This year the inauguration of the Book Stall was done by His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Joseph AGRICULTURAL WORK Mar Thomas (Bishop, Diocese of Bathery). The constant support from the seminary We cannot run away from our mother faculty and students direction especially earth. She loves and cares for us. Thus

MAR GREGORIOS ECO FRIENDS (MGEF) Mar Gregorios Eco Friends is a voluntary association of altruistic and dedicated brothers who commit themselves to preserve nature and thereby to create an eco-friendly atmosphere in and around the seminary. The association sprouted on the 6th January 2011. His grace Benedict Mar Gregorios is our patron. The love towards nature inspires these brothers to jump into action. This year the MGEF team conducted the third inter- seminary Mar Gregorios Eco Quiz. Bro. David Alingal

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Onam

Celebrations Galore...

“The More you Celebrate and praise your life, the more there is in life to celebrate” -Oprah Winfrey

Life becomes a Festival when gaiety and culture blend. Onam Delivers the message of both.

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Christmas

Seasons and souls, linked to joy optimum; Follow them with roses to Bethlehem

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Pongal

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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am bhav

...

ine d e in

sam

Home day Drama

Master Thespians striking an attitude St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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Sports & Games keep the ball rollinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.......

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

2016-17

follow your rainbow....

Teams

2016-17

Volleyball

Football

Badminton

Revs Vs Sems

Table Tennis

Basketball

Friendly Match

St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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FRAMES

Click, Zoom and Voila...........

Bro. Varghese Anchanithadathil

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We provide religious articles for Latin, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara Rites Jacobite, Orthodox, Mar Thoma, CSI, and other churches...

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Inserted by Mr. George K James

Mar Baselios Ocean Star Public School Chirattakonam

(Malankara Syrian Catholic Management) Affiliated to the CBSE, Delhi No. 930917 Chirattakonam, Thalachira P.O, Kottarakara Phone: 0474-2404040, 9645746422, 9847597240 e-mail : marbaselioschool@gmail.com visit us : www.marbaseliosoceanstarschool.com “ GROWING IN WISDOM AND GOD’S FAVOUR”

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All Saints’ Public School Adoor &

Junior College

The school is managed and owned by The Malankara Catholic Diocese of Pathanamthitta. One of the primary apostolates of the Diocese of Pathanamthitta is its service in the field of education. For the last 75 years, the Church has been rendering excellent services to the society by providing quality education to thousands of students. Its goal in its educational undertakings has always been something more than the ordinary, something more than the mediocre. Through its educational institutions the Diocese has tried to reach out to all sections of the society, at the same time without compromising on quality, values and excellence. The educational programme of the Diocese of Pathanamthitta is guided by the principles and the universal values of the Gospels. All Saints’ Public School Adoor & Junior College, is set in sylvan surroundings accessible from any part of the town as well as reachable from all villages in and around Adoor. The school aims the enrichment of the minds, improvement of physique, the glorification of the spirit, the inculcation of values and the refinement of attitudes and emotions in our children.

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

PATRON His Excellency Youhanon Mar Chrysostom, the Bishop of Pathanamthitta is the Patron of the School. There are many schools under the ownership of the Diocese of Pathanamthitta, mainly CBSE and State Syllabus Schools functioning both in the aided and unaided sectors. The school functions under the Malankara Catholic Educational Society, which is a registered society for the unaided CBSE schools.

2016-17

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St. Mary’s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

Facilities rary » Well Stacked Lib to ry ra B. Sc (Chemistry) bo La n » M od er B. Sc (Physics) facilities B.B.A » Audio Visual aids B.A Malayalam » Internet access r Boys B.Com (Finance) » Hostel facilities fo B.A (Functional English) and Girls B.T.T.M ( Bachelor of Travel » Bus concession in both ses and Tourism Management) KSRTC and private bu

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Alphonsa Arts & Science College

(Affiliated to Calicut University) Managed by the Malankara Catholic Diocese of Bathery Sulthan Bathery, wayanad-673592, Phone : +91 (0) 49 36 225 877 Email: alphonsacollegebathery@gmail.com Webiste: www.alphonsacollege.ac.in

2016-17

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with best compliments from

Chennai

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

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New Priests 2016

Jubilarians 2016

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St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malanakara Seminary, Trivandrum

O Heavenly Patroness of St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malankara Seminary, accompany your sons and lead them to Christ...

With prayerful best wishes

OMAN SYRO-MALANKARA CATHOLIC COMMUNITY, MUSCAT

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