SUVARTHA PATHRICA MESSAGE FROM THE DIOCESAN EPISCOPA

Dear friends in Christ,

It gives me joy to greet you through the pages of Suvartha Patrika. In God’s plan and by the decision of the Episcopal Synod our Metropolitan informed all of you that I will be joining this diocese from the month of April. Accordingly the Diocese gave a befitting farewell to the former Diocesan Episcopa the Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Theethos before the end of March. Mar Theethos Thirumeni served this diocese with vision and passion and initiated several humanitarian projects. All of you listened to his sermons and participated in the sacraments. He wanted everyone to understand the meaning and significance of the sacraments and wanted everyone to become a sacrament to the whole world. We wish him continued blessings from God. As he joins the Kunnamkulam Malabar Diocese our prayer is for him to be a blessing to the church and society.

I want to thank you for the warm reception that was given to me at the Mumbai International airport and the Mar Thoma Centre Vashi. Everything was well organized by the office bearers of the diocese and I could straight away begin the ministry. It is my hope to visit the parishes and congregations of this diocese within a year. It may take some more time for me to reach out to all the mission fields which are on the remote areas and tribal belts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. When I reached Mumbai, it was quite hot because of the summer heat. I started hearing about the drought hit areas from where the people were migrating. Some parents were committing suicide as they found it difficult to look after their children. With the initiative of the Diocesan Council, we searched to identify the drought hit areas and identified five places in Maharashtra such as Saithribhai Phule Nagar, Geethanagar, Junijawhar, Garadwadi, Sulyachapada and two places in Gujarat- Sherpada & Jamalia. We supplied water there regularly for about two months, till the rains came. I appreciate the cooperation of our parishes and well-wishers in this meaningful ministry. We value the leadership of Rev. Tony Varghese in Aurangabad, Rev. K. C. Chacko in Jawhar, and Rev. Jobi Koruth in Gujarat.

Mumbai Diocese – In Action

Global warming and environmental concerns paved way for us to observe Environmental Day in a significant way. A kalpana was sent to all the parishes to motivate each family to plant a tree. The Navjeevan centre in Murbad took an initiative to observe June 30 as ‘Tree Day.’ The children in the school brought one sapling each and we gathered together to understand the significance of the event. The children came out with the slogan, “Each one, plant one, each year.” We have planted about one thousand five hundred trees in the Navjeevan campus, mostly fruit trees. The diocesan Sevika Sanghom Conference that met at Mar Chrysostom Ashram at Lonavala motivated the lady members to plant a hundred fruit trees in the campus at Kamshet. Our people in Pune Centre planted at Kalechiwadi and people in Vapi area at the Vapi Mission centre. All our parishes and mission centres are taking keen interest to make our earth green by planting trees. Our aim is to plant at least 5000 trees this year.

The diocesan office is busy with organizing the diocesan assembly for the second week of August. This is helping me to collect specific data regarding our programmes and projects in the diocese which I am able to see firsthand during my Episcopal visit. As of now, we have various mission centres with fifty evangelists in order to reach out to the economically backward strata of society including the tribal people. Our Navjeevan centre is catering to the children picked up from the red streets. We look after 290 children. 100 mothers have chosen new professions for their living because of our intervention. Navodaya is focussing on the work among the children of the ragpickers, the mentally challenged and the transgenders. We also run hostels for boys and girls so that they can have facilities for better education. Save A Heart programme is helping to save the life of people who are poor and cannot afford a heart surgery. We have schools to take care of the educational needs of the children with special attention to educational care programs for the less privileged.

All these and similar programmes require the tithing of our talent, time, and money. These programmes will be effective and fruitful only when we own them as our own. We are concerned about the total life of each person and promoting life for the person to live fully and to the highest potential. Jesus said that he came into the world to give life and to give it abundantly.

The New Suvartha Patrika

This time our Suvartha Patrika combines the pages of Suvisesha Patrika to have only one publication of the diocese. Rev. P. P. Kuruvilla who was the Manager of this quarterly has gone on transfer and Rev. Saji Joseph is taking up those responsibilities. Rev. Paul Jacob who was the Chief Editor has handed over the charges to Rev. Mathews George. We express our gratitude to both of the outgoing persons for their hard work and wish God’s blessings upon the ones assuming responsibilities.

The purpose of the publication is for the Patrika to reach each home and our members to update themselves with the current information. Do pray regularly for this ministry to go on smoothly and for it to be a blessing to humankind as a whole. The clergy, the office bearers of the parish and area-wise prayer group representatives can extend a hand of co-operation in enabling each family to get a copy of Suvartha Patrika for regular reading. We are expecting the parishes to contribute regularly to meet the expenses of this quarterly publication.

Thoughts on the theme

These are days when gender conversations are going on in our society. Our nation has recognized the third gender where each gender is covered constitutionally to have equal status. The State of Kerala is very much concerned about the third gender and is considering the possibility of consciously appointing them in public services. It came out in the public that a third gender was given an opportunity to cast her vote in the last State assembly elections. Our ministry through Navodaya also empowers the transgenders to have status and position like the other two genders. These are days when we recognize that discrimination on the basis of gender is wrong and unjust. It is in this context that we are publishing the Suvartha with the theme, Woman.

We are opening a theme for study and reflection on the gender issues we face in our everyday life. Accepting the other, subjectively, as an extension of our own self is the crux of the matter. God the creator is creating each one with definite purpose granting personality and self-esteem to each one. We need each other and we compliment to the total life through our differences and diversities. Love your neighbour as yourself is a commandment from God. A scribe came to Jesus asking who the neighbor is. Jesus reversed that question by asking him who has proved to be a neighbour to the bleeding and dying person. The one who has shown mercy is the correct answer given. The world renowned religious leader, Pope Francis says: God’s other name is mercy.

The Holy Scripture tells us clearly that we cannot love God without loving our fellow being (1 John 4: 20). The patriarchal society gave domination for the male and marginalized all others. We hear about male dominating over the female to the extent of mercilessly torturing and killing them. Any domination, even in religious hierarchy and traditions, is un-Christian. Jesus spoke about humility and servanthood (Mark 10: 42-45). Denying the opportunities and marginalizing women on the context of religion and religious practices is not proper. We look unto Jesus as a model and also to understand the truth (John 14:6). For God to incarnate in Jesus to be fully divine and fully human, God chose Virgin Mary and used her womb to take birth. God sanctified womanhood and all biological process of creation and purification. How can humans think otherwise of what God has found holy and acceptable? (Acts 10:28) Jesus allowed women to follow him as his disciples. He permitted women to sit at his feet to listen to the Word and also to anoint him for his death and burial. He allowed women to touch him to have healing. He called an old bent woman to the sanctuary in the synagogue from where he was preaching to the community, in order to heal her (Luke 13: 12) and said, ‘She is the daughter of Abraham.’

Jesus opened the way of salvation through his death and resurrection. Only women were present with John from among the followers, when Jesus died on the cross and the centurion pronounced that Jesus was truly the Son of God. They were there to witness as the body was lowered, anointed and wrapped for burying the crucified Jesus. They were also there on Easter morning to know about the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene had the rare opportunity to see him in close quarters and hear him appointing her as an evangelist to carry the gospel of his resurrection, first to the apostles. Women were also present when the disciples gathered together to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit and also to receive it.

A person of any gender carries the image of God and is created in God’s likeness. The oldest ways the humans expressed, about 30,000 years ago, their understanding of the super natural-power was to make the female figurines. The patriarchal system developed gradually and it brought male figures instead. The Old Testament that reveals the experience of the Israelites, speaks of a liberator God. The second Testament is a continuation of all these and proclaims the revelation of God in and through Jesus. St. Paul says that there is no divide necessary between a male and a female (Galatians 3:28) to understand life in Christ. One need not be surprised to realize that the image of God is visible in the life of a woman or a third gender. Each person needs repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and the gift of salvation. All are called to have faith. It was to the women that Jesus said at the home in Bethany to have faith so that they could see the glory of God. Any divide in the name of gender on the matters of faith is sin as God in Jesus Christ wants everyone alike to have faith in him to inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Let us praise God for this divine call and the privilege given to each one.

Women play a significant role in the family, church and society. The Church is called to be inclusive and welcoming. God has blessed women with talents and skill which are to be developed to the full potential for the glory of God and for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. There is only one Father – the Creator God – in the kingdom and we are all his children, brothers and sisters to each other. We need God and others. Let us go together in unity and love constituting one body – the body of Christ.

I seek your prayers as I continue the given divine ministry in this diocese. May God’s blessings be with us all.

Yours in Christ’s Ministry,

Mar Theodosius +
Diocesan Episcopa
July 15, 2016.