The Journey 59
Wednesday, February 29
Read: Mathew 16: 13-20
Key Verse: “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” [ Mathew 16:16]
             A battle is being raged in Michigan as two candidate vie for the Republican Presidential candidate nomination. One is a native of Michigan, Mitt Romney while the other candidate is a former United States senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum who is also  drawing full media glare not only because he is potential frontrunner for the Republican nomination, but also because of some of the views that he has recently expressed with regards to issues like marriage, abortion and the institution of family. Both the candidate have distinct agenda in their campaign. One emphasizes on a certain conservative moral values while the other emphasizes on an economic agenda. Who will finally win,  only time will tell. But what caught my attention was the remarks made by Santorum with respect to the relation between church and state. According to Santorum he says that he does not believe that the role of church and the state should  be separate and bifurcated on the contrary he says that if such thing happen then it is totally opposite to the objective and vision of the country. This was something that he disagreed with the statement of the former president John F Kennedy.  The discussion between the role of the church and state has been always been a hot topic of discussion and controversy in history. This was an important aspect during the time of the Roman empire and also during the British empire. But my concern here is that more than the topic of relation between church and state,  is whether both the candidates are taking a stand or views out of their conviction or only trying to score points against one another in the long run  leading to the presidential election. What marks an individual is whether he can stand for his conviction and that decided how transformation will take place in his life.
             We are meditating this week on the theme “ Transformation in our personal life”. In the portion that we are meditating today,[ Mathew 16: 13-20], Jesus asks a very unlikely question to his disciples and the question was “who do people say that I am”? The disciples say that some say that he is John the Baptist, while some others say Elijah, while some Jeremiah and some other prophets. But when Peter is asked the same question he comes out with a fantastic answer and that is “ You are Christ, the Son of Living God” [ Mathew16: 16].  Jesus replies that the revelation that Peter did was not from man but by the Father in heaven.  I think that is what conviction is all about. My conviction about an issue in life is not something that I formulate myself, but my convictions and my values have a foundation from my relationship with my Lord. This is what is needed today in society, people who not only having convictions, but conviction that comes out of their faith living and faith perspective about life, about their society and their country. If convictions are not based  on my faith perspective then I shall always change my convictions more for selfish, monetary and personal reasons rather than  a change that may happen as I grow in faith and in knowledge of the Lord.
               What every country and society needs today are transformed people,  people who can preach what their convictions are and also stand for those convictions that they preach. Convictions and values that come out of ones faith journey and experiences.
         Do we have the guts to proclaim and also stand for those convictions?.

Let us Pray: O Lord you want us to be people who form strong convictions which is the result of our faith journey with You. Give us the grace and the strength to stand up for those convictions. Amen.

The Journey 57,

Monday, February 27

Read: Luke 5: 1-11

Key Verse: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” [ Mathew 5: 11]

What does it cost you to practice your faith? For many of us who think we are practicing our faith there is nothing we have lost nor have paid any sort of price, on the contrary we  have only prospered, both in wealth and in health. But listen to the witness of a pastor in Iran—Youcef Nadarkhani. He has been in the news this week because  a trial court in Iran has issued its final verdict, condemning him to be put to death for  being a Christian. Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34-year-old is a father of two, and he was arrested over two years ago on charges of apostasy, may now be executed at any time without prior warning, as death sentences in Iran may be carried out immediately or dragged out for years.  Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani never practiced the Muslim faith and became a Christian at the age 19, later becoming a pastor. But the courts say that since his mother and father were practicing Muslims, he must recant his Christian faith or die. So far, in three court appearances, he has refused to do so - thus risking execution at any  moment. Sometimes the Iranian Supreme Court acts quickly in administering the death penalty. During the trial,  when Youcef Nadarkhani was  asked by judges to "repent," Youcef replied: "Repent,  What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

The judges replied: "To the religion of your ancestors." To which Yousef replied: "I cannot." Today this pastor stands as witness who is ready to pay the ultimate price that any human being can give– His Life; as a mark of his commitment to the Lord and also to uphold his faith.

                 From this week we make a slight change in the theme of the devotions. From now on we shall meditate on one theme every week rather than every day. This week we shall meditate on how we can bring about transformation in our personal life. This week we are meditating on the life and times of Simon Peter, the first followers of Jesus Christ. When Simon Peter drops the net again, he is astonished at the catch that he got. He realized that he is standing before the  Lord and he tell Jesus, that he is a sinner. That is when Jesus gives him a new mission in life “ Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch men” and then you find that these poor fishermen pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed him [ Luke 5: 11]. That action shows the commitment of Simon Peter. A man because of his encounter with the Lord is ready to leave his job, his profession and also his skills so that he could be follower of the Lord. How do you think his family would have reacted. We know that Simon Peter was a married man. A man suddenly leaves everything for God “ leaving his family in total mercy of God”. This is also similar to the life of Abraham in Genesis 12. I believe this is this is the true  mark of commitment, and transformation that we can  bring about in our life. In a world where following Jesus Christ is more of gain and prosperity and fame [ like telling others which church you go for worship], there are people like the pastor in Iran, who teaches us that the ultimate test of faith and our commitment to Jesus Christ is what have denied and given up so that we can be followers of Jesus.

              Let us consciously try to live for the Lord, which may incur in us loss, sometimes ultimately leading of the risking of our life. That is what commitment and transformation is all about. Let us remember that there are people like Youcef Nadakharni who is willing to lay down his life for the Lord and hence let us remember him and his family in our prayers.

What has it cost you to practice your faith?

Let us Pray: Lord we pray for people like Youcef Nadharkhani who is ready to risk everything for you while there are people like us who are not ready to pay any price to follow you. Forgive us and give us the grace to follow you  more sincerely. Amen

The Journey 55
Saturday, February 25
Read: Genesis 3
Key Verse: “And Adam named his wife “ Eve” because she would be the mother of all living”. [ Genesis 3:20]
          Names; The most beautiful aspect about a person is his/her name. Every individual expects that others address them by their name. It is through addressing their name that we show the other person love, respect and also acceptance. Most often in the context of an Indian family even in the US, the spouses addresses each other in names that are very intimate like “Kutta”, “Mole” in Malayalam or names like “ honey” or some other names that only the respective spouses know. These names are very sweet to hear as far as the spouses are concerned but sometimes this can cause rift in an another family. A wife was heard complaining to her husband that the she felt jealous and envy of her friend in the church. When her husband asked the reason for her envy, she said that her friends' husband was so loving and would always address her as “Mole” and “Kutta”. The wife sighed and said “ I wish and dream that one day I would also be addressed like that”. The husband kept silent. “Why are you silent”? The wife asked. The husband after his traditional momentary silence and reflection replied, “those are the names that he calls her when is in love with her, ask her what he call her when he is angry at her”?
           This is what makes all the difference in the transformation in the family. On Saturday we meditate on how we can bring transformation in the family and we are meditating on the life of Adam and Eve. In the bible, names were very important and the naming of a person was also very important. The name shows the character and also the vision and mission of the person. Two notable naming in the Bible is the God renaming Abram as Abraham and Jesus Christ renaming Peter as the Rock. Both are instances when through the calling of names their mission in life and their character is being reinforced and communicated to them. In Genesis 3: 20 we also find a unique thing that Adam does, after he is driven out of garden of Eden. He names his wife “ Eve”, which means the “mother of all living”. Adam is in a state where he may be in total despair and frustration at the rebelling that he had done with God. Now he is reaping the fruits of the labour of sin. But one of the most beautiful aspect is that, Adam does not harbor any ill feeling towards his wife, since she was the one who began the process of downfall. He does not express his anger nor his hurt, but by calling her Eve, he is becoming the channel of God’s grace, and forgiveness thus leading to the transformation in their family. I believe this action of Adam is very powerful and something that we all can replicate in our family life. There are times when we are hurt and angry by the action done by our spouse, and when that happens we often vent out our anger by calling our spouse all sorts of names that is derogatory and also pure filth. It is high time that even when our spouse hurt us, we resolve not express our anger and displeasure in a sadistic and hurtful manner, but express our anger and our disagreement in a healthy way. Let us not hurt our spouses and our family members by using names and words that brings hurt to them because we are questioning who they are, their character and so on…...sometimes that can be un repairable. Let us address our spouses in a way that shows respect, concern and care.
How do you address your spouse and your children?
Let us Pray: Lord you want us to show respect love and concern to our family members. Help us to address them in names that are pleasing to them and take a decision never to hurt them. Amen

The Journey 54
Friday, February 24
Read: Mark 2:1-12
Key Verse: “ Which is easier; to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven or to say get up and take your mat and walk”. [ Mark 2: 10]
                          “Silent Hospitals Help Healing”. This was a strange news item that caught my attention. Montefiore Medical Center in New York has started a program called Silent Hospitals Help Healing (SHHH), to address one of the biggest complaints patients have about hospitals:  they are too noisy. According to the hospital sources "Noise is not only an irritant, but an obstacle to healing,".   "Studies have shown a relationship between excessive noise and a slowing of the healing process.  Noise also contributes to increasing stress and anxiety." Where do these noise come from?. People who visited the hospital were least concerned about the needs of the patient and due to this hospital became the hub of all sorts of sounds and noises.  Carts that had squeqy wheels, mobile phones ringing, people talking loudly in the hallways even late at night, as staff delivered medications, televisions blaring, hospital alarms, and the announcements on the public address system.   They all were causing a major irritant to the sick and the suffering in the hospital. The basic objective of the SHHH was to give patients a quieter environment in which to receive care and to take the needs of the patients seriously.  The effects of SHHH were remarkable.  Within two weeks, patients slept better, and staff said they felt less stressed.  Now other hospitals are also taking interest in the SHHH program. A hospital who brings in change and innovations so that the needs of the sick in the  hospital is taken seriously and the care given is qualitative and thus bringing about healing.
                           On  Friday’s we meditate on how we can bring transformation in the life of the sick and the suffering people. The passage that we are using for our meditation is from the Gospel of Mark 2:1-12.   This is one miracle where we find the magnamity of the owner of the house, and also the faithfulness of the lame man’s friend. But here in this miracle we also find Jesus condemning a group of people– the teachers of the law. On one hand you have a group of people who go all out of their way so that the lame man is given help leading to healing, but on the other hand you have this group of people– the teachers of the law, standing not only as mute witness and silent bystanders but also harboring feelings against Jesus Christ for healing that man, through the forgiveness of his sins. Why did they have to protest like this? This was because they were the teachers of the law and hence they felt that only they had the authority to interpret the books of the law. Their role all through these years, was just blind interpretation of the law without taking into consideration the needs of the suffering humanity.  What a suffering humanity needs today are not  people and community who would study and make a research on the suffering that they undergo but be more sensitive to their needs.  We are people who are often bystanders to the suffering of others basically because we are only interested in how we can find means to satisfy our selfish  needs  even when others suffer. Transformation in the life of the sick and the suffering begins when the people and the community of faith cross the line of being bystanders and consciously be a channel of healing in the life of the suffering people. That is what the friends of the lame man and also the owner of the house did, while the teachers of the law did not do. Hence let us evaluate this day whether our attitudes and our perception of life borders on “Just be Bystander”, thus being a stumbling block in the life of the suffering humanity.
Where do you stand when you see another person suffering?-With them or on the sides?
Don’t be a bystander.
Let us Pray: Dear God we are sorry that many a times we remain as bystanders in life, least concerned on what the others go through or suffer. Forgive us and make us more active so that we become channels of your grace.

The Journey 53
Thursday, February 23
Read: Nehemiah 2,3
Key Verse: “But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and mercy; I will worship toward and at Your holy temple in reverent fear and awe of You”. [Psalm 5: 7 ]
                                A church in New York “Bronx Household of Faith” is asking people to pray for them as they have lost the space to worship. This church use to worship in a school building but now, because of a landmark decision of The United States Supreme Court,  they have been denied permission to use space or halls in school for worship. There are many church’s not only in New York but also in other states who uses halls and spaces in school for the purpose of worship. The Supreme Court had declined this month to hear an appeal of a lower court’s decision to uphold the New York City Board of Education’s ban on holding worship services in public schools.  Now this church and host of other church’s have been evicted and they are now desperately seeking some space so that they could gather for worship. According to New York Times the reason that the lower court disallowed worship in schools was because the court felt and the judge said that “when worship services are performed in a place … the nature of the site changes,” . If only we Christians could understand the implication of that statement and its significance on our experience and witness of faith. But in this legal struggle of a Church for existence I see a stark  contrast. The Marthoma Church in United States has some of the best church building, but is there a passion for coming together for worship? Does our church or its member go through such experiences when all of a sudden they are on the streets nowhere to go and no space nor place to worship?. Never……..but who cares?  How many of us think even when we have the best facilities for worship do we become a part of the worshiping community?
             On Thursday’s we meditate on how we can bring transformation in our parish. The character we are meditating is about Nehemiah. Nehemiah is concerned about the sad state of the walls of Jerusalem. For him the rebuilding of the walls was a matter of spiritual restoration of peoples relationship with the almighty God. This is when three people Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian start opposing Nehemiah. Here are three people who have vested interest rather than the interest of the community of faith. For them their personal goals and agendas are more important than building the walls of Jerusalem. It does not affect them even if the walls are in ruins because their vision is distorted and they have only some short term goals. It is this vested interest, and the total disregard and the apathy that they show to the genuine needs of the people of Judah  is what Nehemiah fights and opposes as he rallies his people for the mission. Transformation happens in our parish when each of its members rise above selfish and vested interest and work for the future and the future generation of the parish. One of the ills that plague some of the church’s in our diocese is the way some of the people in the parish, behave and whose expectation are so lopsided. Their only concern is about their benefits, welfare and the complying and catering to their needs. Their belief sometimes stem from the fact that the clergy in the parish are there exclusively for them. Even if their needs are factors that will stunt the growth of the parish, they are least bothered. For them matters of individual pride, prestige and sometimes language are more  important than bringing about the unity of the parish.  It is here that we need to think. When religion and spirituality are slowly and consciously weeded out of public life, can we bring about a transformation in our approach and our attitude to our parish? Parish is a space of worship and people whose goal is to worship.  Do you long to be a part of that space?
Think– Is worship; A Right or A Privilege? The answer to  this question will help you to understand the importance of a worship space in your life.                   
Let us Pray: Lord we often take the space that you give for worship for granted. We understand that there are lots of groups who need space to worship, but we do not worship even when we have the space for it. Forgive us. Amen

The Journey 52,
Wednesday, February 22
Read: John 6: 1-15
Key Verse: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” [ 2 Corinthians 9:8]
                Recycling- Everybody thinks recycling is all about waste products. Read the news report of John Ostapkovich of the CBS Philadelphia News.  He reported yesterday of a South Jersey couple who has been involved in a very innovative and life giving source. Forming an enormous kidney donation chain, thus bringing hope to untold people in the community suffering from kidney failure, thus instilling in them a sense of hope. This kidney donation chain is called kidney paired donation. A donation chain works like this: On behalf of person A, a kidney is donated to B, who has someone donate to C and eventually back to A. In this particular episode, The couple in this picture was Danny and Debbie Giaquinto of Bellmawr, who contributed to a chain of 30 kidneys. After a first kidney transplant deteriorated and Danny went back on dialysis, Debbie says she planned to donate directly to him, but at the last moment wasn’t a match. The people at Jefferson University Hospital then suggested the donation chain. “This summer, they came up with a perfect match for him and he’s a very difficult match, because he has a lot of antibodies due to the first transplant. We went in the hospital and were both transplanted. His kidney came in from California. My kidney went to Florida.”Debbie Giaquinto says she’s thrilled when looking at her health and also that of her husband’s. The Giaquintos donation chain was profiled in the Sunday New York Times. A couple who even in the  midst of crisis tries to bring in a chain of transformatory reaction in the  community.                                                                                                  On On Wednesday’s we meditate on how we can become agents in the transformation of our community. The biblical portion that we are meditating is from the John 6. Here is a portion that depicts a need of a community. Jesus is concerned about their need and He ask his disciples to provide for the needs of the community. The response from the disciples were not words of hope. It was only an unknown boy who decided to respond to the needs of the community. I strongly believe that there were others who had food and other resources which would have benefited the crowd and would have catered to the needs  of the community, but they chose to be deaf to the pleas of the disciples or may be they argued that they cannot share or may be they may have made lame excuses.  It is here that the boy shows a wonderful gospel principle through the sharing of his morsel. The principle of “ receiving when you give”. This is also what I feel the real principle of recycling is all about. In Gospel terms recycling is not the giving of the left over's or the waste that you have, on the contrary giving to God what is best, and what is precious to Him, so that through this giving, you provide for the needs of the suffering people and also for the needs of the community. The world thrives on the principle of receiving in abundance by hoarding and not giving or sharing anything with the community which is contrary to the principles of the gospel. Jesus tells us to give abundantly and when we give abundantly and then we shall also receive abundantly. The family of Debbie and Danny has been a model of what it means to give and receive and thus becomes agents of transformation in the community. Can we also consciously be agents of recycling so that we give to the community, cater to the needs of the community the best that we have.

Ready to recycle yourself ?

Let us Pray: O Lord you teach us that we should be able to recycle all that we have so that the needs of the community can be taken care of and also in the process we also receive your blessings abundantly. Amen

The Journey 50
Monday, February 20
Read: Luke 5:1-11
Key Verse: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways, you will eat the fruit of your labour, blessing and prosperity will be yours” [ Psalms 128:1,2]
                Being in Philly, I am supporter of Philly Sixers. But yesterday their dream run this season is running into rough weather as they lost a very close game to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 92-91. But in NBA circles, there is new phenomena that everybody talks about today “Linsanity”. It is all about an Asian American Christian, named Jeremy Lin, a Harvard product, who plays today for New York Knicks. A  month ago he was nowhere, no future and he was sent to the minor leagues of the NBA. A few days later he was reinstated with the Knicks as a benchwarmer. Two weeks back on February 4, at halftime in a home game against New Jersey, injured Knicks star Carmelo Anthony suggested to coach Mike D'Antoni that he play Lin more in the second half. That game was when people noticed Lin, where he scored 25 points, with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The next game he had 28 points and eight assists, and last week he scored 38 points for a victory over the Lakers, capping off a remarkable week and a four-game winning streak. Yesterday was another superb day for Jeremy Lin. He had 28 points and a career-high 14 assists, which helped the  New York Knicks to defeat Dallas Mavericks 104-97 , thus ending the Mavericks  six-game winning streak. After his first big game, Lin became a starter. After the second one, he became the talk of the nation. After the third one and with the victory yesterday, he seems to be a Hall of Famer in the making.  But is the identity of Jeremy Lin only tagged to NBA. No his story is a story of how God can transform an unknown individual and bring into his life success and meaning in the sports that he is involved. When reporters asked him about the fame and adulation that he was getting Jeremy said “ "It doesn't change who I am. My identity is in Christ." And he continues to say “I've surrendered everything to God. When I play, I'm not in a battle with what everybody else thinks anymore. I just do my best, the result is what God gives”.
                 On Monday’s we meditate on how we can bring about transformation in our personal life. This week we are meditating on the life and times of Simon Peter, the first followers of Jesus Christ. In Luke 5 we find., that when Jesus boards the boat of Simon Peter, he may have been going through bouts of frustration and depression. A man who struggled all day night to make a living and also to make a decent living is left high and dry. He is desolate not knowing what his day holds for him as he has caught nothing. It is similar to a sales personnel who is struggling to get his job secure but then realizes that after a day’s of hard work, he has not been able to sell anything. We all go through this phase or experience that Peter went through.  We work and slog the whole day, but at the end of the day when we evaluate what is it that we have gained…...sometimes it is nothing. It is this void that Jesus fills the life of Peter. He commands Peter to draw the net again. But Peter knows that it is futile to draw the nets yet he says “ I will let down the nets because you say so [ Luke 5:5]. The result is obvious. They catch a huge shoal of fish. Peter cannot believe his eyes. It is here that I think Jesus Christ teaches us a valuable lesson. There are times in life when you are at a cross road, there are times in life when you don't know what should be my next move, there are times in life when you don't what step you should take. In that context, what is needed is not looking at the result or consequences but just surrender everything to the Lord. He will give us the results that is best for us. Transformation is all about not being concerned as to at the results, but putting our best for the Lord and trusting that the Lord that He will  us best for us in our life.

Lin-Sanity is all about that…………...

Let us Pray: Lord there are times when we are over concerned about our fruits of our labour. We focus more on the effort that we do rather than surrendering everything into your hands. Help us to blindly obey you . Amen

 

The Journey 48
Saturday, February 18
Read: Genesis 2,3
Key Verse: “O Lord you have searched me and you know me, Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I go from your presence” [ Psalms 139: 1,7]
               The office of the President of United Sates is always considered as an icon of position and power. Bu there are times in history when that icon looses its dignity and power. There is an incident in US history which records an event like that and it is about the former President Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon was the first President to resign from the office of the president. His resignation was after a prolonged cover-up of the what became known as the Watergate scandal. The scandal began when members of the Nixon re-election committee were caught in a breaking at the offices of the democratic party in the Watergate building. The crisis slowly deepened as when President Nixon tried to cover up the involvement of his staff in the break-in. During the investigation it became known that Nixon had made tapes of all his conversations and telephone calls. These became key items of evidence, and when the House drew up Articles of Impeachment, Nixon decided to resign instead of being impeached. Here is a president who knows that what he was doing was unlawful yet tried the best to cover up. I think it is not only the President Nixon, we all are good in covering up……...lots of things…….. How does the act of covering up affect our family life?.
           On Saturday’s our theme for meditation is “transformation in our family life”. On Saturday’s we are  meditating on the life of the first family: “ Adam and Eve”. In the beginning both Adam and Eve had a wonderful relationship with God. We find that they had an intimate relationship with God. In Genesis we find God walking along with Adam and Eve, depicting the closeness and the openness that the first family shared with God. But when sin enters human life, we find that the first family hides from God. When on a fine evening,  God searches for the first family, they go to hiding. They cannot face God and not only that in Genesis 3: 7, we find that both Adam and Eve has a sudden realization that they are naked and they sew leaves to hide their nakedness. God wanted an open relationship and fellowship with human beings, but the first family works contrary to the principle of God. Not only that they hid and they cover up what they did. It is when you are ashamed of what you have done then the process of covering up starts. When we are open to God, he understands us. We need to understand that we cannot cover up nor hide anything from God [ Psalms 139]. What is needed today in our life is to desist from covering anything that is contrary to the will of God. In the context of ones family what is needed is the experience openness among the family members. For this we need to develop an element of trust among the family members. When trust is gone that is when people start to cover up. Have you created in your family an environment where members of your family can open up, or is the environment in your family such that everybody covers up.
Ready to open up before the Lord or trying to cover up?
Let us Pray: Lord help us to work together in our family where we create an environment of trust and openness so that the sin of covering does not occur in our family life. Convict us of the sins of covering up.. Amen

 

The Journey 47
Friday, February 17,
Read: Mark 2:1-12
Key Verse: “ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God and smitten by him and afflicted” [ Isaiah 53:10].
                           A news that caught national and international attention was in 2003, was when two kids Bency and Benson, aged five and nine,  were denied admission in a local school in Kollam district of Kerala, in India, because parents of other students studying in the school protested against admitting both  Bency and Benson to that school. The reason for their protest was that both the kids were HIV positive. The siblings were orphans, [they who had lost their parents , who were also HIV positive], had no one to support them except their grand parents. Society shunned them and they were discriminated in every way. Even when the government tried their level best to get them back to school, the literate society of Kerala blocked their way to live a honorable life and a life where they could study with other students in school. When everybody was ostracizing the kids, our church took a bold stand. The then Diocesan Bishop of Thiruvanthapuram– Kollam diocese, who is also the present diocesan bishop of the North American Diocese-Theodotius Thirumeni came forward and took the initiative and different transforming measures to see to it that both the sibling be given support, both financially, socially and emotionally, so that they could live in the society in an honorable way. The snap on the cover of the devotion shows thirumeni with the kids and the then vicar of the Kaithakuzhy Marthoma Church– Raju achen, in the auto rickshaw that the thirumeni provided for the welfare of the kids. Thirumeni was also instrumental in starting a project named “Snehatheeram”in 2000, a rehabilitation centre for the HIV patients, which is now functioning effectively today and has become a home for a number of families who are ostracized because of HIV. When society was concerned only about their comforts, the church felt that we need to take risk and suffer so that a person who is suffering can experience some amount of solace and peace.
                           On  Friday’s we meditate on how we can bring transformation in the life of the sick and the suffering people. The passage that we are using for our meditation is from the Gospel of Mark 2:1-12.  While reading this portion most of us may have concentrated only on three aspects– 1. the suffering of the sick person, 2. The graciousness of His friends and 3. The compassion of Jesus. One of the things that we take it for granted is the owner of the house. Do you know the pain that he went through when he realized a few people  without his permission made a big hole [ if the person in the mat has to pass through that hole, the hole had to be big] in the roof of his house. Poor fellow, he thought he could be a good host to Jesus Christ, but now the host has to pay a big price. Has anyone thought about his issue?. But I think he might have been happy at the outcome when he saw the sick person getting up from the mat, taking the mat and walking with a smiling and also an astonished face. I am sure he might have thought “ Yes  my house is in a  bit of shambles because there is a bog hole in the roof, but thank God, my home could be a channel of God’s grace and healing on a person suffering for a long time”. Today I believe  my life has been blessed because someone else at some point of time has taken pain so that my life is blessed. We all are indebted to someone or the other because they never complained about their pain, on the on the contrary they only looked at the benefits that the others, people like us would get. It is time for us also to repay that grace we received in our lives.
Can we consciously suffer or endure pain so that that we can bring joy and peace to a person in suffering and pain?
Let us Pray: Dear God we know our life is blessed because someone consciously suffered for us. Help us also to suffer for others so that their life is blessed with peace and happiness. Amen

The Journey 46
Thursday, February 16
Read: Nehemiah 2
Key Verse: “I appeal to you my brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and thought”. [ 1 Corinthians 1: 10]
                      Group, Groupism, are two words that we normally talk when we talk about the issues that a parish is facing. But take a impartial approach, whether you like it or not every church has groups. These groups sometimes are a positive aspect in the functioning of a parish but at times the very nature and objectives of the group members could be liability to the growth and proper functioning of a parish. Groupism in the parish could arise out of the cold war between members of two dominant families in the church, or it could be a rift between two dominant factions in the church, which could be based on language or the region from where the members come from or it could be a rift between two dominant organizations in the church.; One of the truth when groupism is dominant in a parish is that,  when one group takes over the administrative functions of the parish, the other groups becomes the opposition, may be literally opposing anything and everything that comes from the ruling group. History is repeated next year. The opposition takes over the administrative responsibilities and then it is the turn of ruling front then to do the job of opposition.  Some parish have another way to deal with this. The administrative functions sometimes is deliberately managed by members of a particular family or a clan. That solves the issue. But I believe the issue is deep rooted. The Marthoma Church in general and the church in North America in particular is facing lot of challenges as it tries to make it mission and ministry relevant to the future and to the next generation Marthomites. It is here that we need to seriously think our role in the whole mission and ministry of the church in general or our parish in particular.
                      On Thursday’s we meditate on how we can bring transformation in our parish. The character we are meditating is the Nehemiah. Nehemiah is concerned about the sad state of the walls of Jerusalem. For him the rebuilding of the walls was a matter of spiritual restoration of peoples relationship with the almighty God. Ruins stood as a testimony how people were least concerned about their relationship with God and hence rebuilding of that wall and that relationship was primary. Nehemiah does a serious evaluation of the work and starts motivating people [ Nehemiah 2:11-18], in his vision of the restoration of not only the walls of Jerusalem but also in the process the relationship with the Lord. This is when three people Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian start opposing Nehemiah. All these three people did not want the Jews to rebuild the walls for reason that were selfish. Sanballat belonged to a group that claimed to worship God but also indulged in idol worship. Tobia and Geshem both did not want to see Jews united and also being prosperous through their union with God and among themselves. I think it is here that we learn a valuable lesson from the Word. If we are united with God and with each other our land  and our parish will prosper and function cohesively reflecting the glory of the Lord and also will stand as a witness to His power. On the contrary if we are sowing seeds of discord, through our groups and groupism, we are ultimately causing harm not only to the body of Christ but to us and to our future generations. Can we rise above our selfish agenda’s and our narrow, parochial attitude to a level where we only see the goodness and progress of our parish in particular and our church in general both in terms of making its ministry and mission relevant to the next generation.                                                    
Hey which group do you belong to?.
Let us Pray: Lord your body consists of different individual, families and groups. Helps us to work together to lay aside our differences so that we stand to build and glorify you and your body– the church. Amen

The Journey 45
Wednesday, February 15
Read: John 6: 1-15
Key Verse: “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” [ Acts 20:35].
                In the fall of 2009, a family was reading an article in a tennis magazine which described how athletic shoe manufacturers were using recycled material from old shoes to make soles for new footwear. McClain Hermes, now 12, and her father Matt Hermes who was reading that article suddenly had an idea and told McClain,  Why cant we collect the shoes and give them to people who are in need rather giving them to a large company who was interested only in  making money out of these shoes”. McClain was thrilled and she embarked on the idea that her dad instilled in her and they  started “Shoes for the Souls,” a project to collect gently used footwear for the Atlanta Mission, a charitable organization that provides emergency shelter, employment assistance to  hundreds of homeless people in Atlanta. That first year, McClain collected 360 pairs of shoes for the Atlanta Mission. In 2010, she collected 1,598 pairs. According to McClain “It’s important to me to help the community and just to make them feel good and make me feel good that I’m giving back and that they’ll actually receive something that they need,”. McClain’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. The Puckett’s Mill fifth-grader was recently awarded a “Kohl’s Cares” regional scholarship for her volunteer work. McClain was one of 200 recipients chosen from more than 37,000 nominees nationwide for making a positive impact on her community. One small girl who made a difference in the community because of the influence of her father.
               On Wednesday’s we meditate on how we can become agents in the transformation of our community. The biblical portion that we are meditating is from the John 6. We find Jesus testing his disciples to see how they respond to a human need. Both Philip and Andrew has contrasting views and also on the nature of help provided. The solution that Andrew brings about is an unknown boy with five loaves and two fish. It is this unknown  boy who takes the initiative to give his share so that the needs of others could be taken care. Were there not other people who may had more food too? Why did they not give their share when Andrew would have asked them? I don't know the answers of such question. But one thing is very clear the boy has agreed the share of food that his mom specially made for him is to be given for others.  Here is a boy who is willing to give up his food so that people who are hungry could be fed. A boy who is trying to learn the lesson of life. But has already started practicing what has been taught to us. There may be have been many older people who should have been a  model or should have come forward in the time of need, but they chose to think of only their need. Society has two kinds of people: One type of people are those who will always think “ What can I get” while the other type of people think “ What can I give”
                      Our community and our society is blessed because I believe there are lots of people like this boy, unknown, unnamed who are willing to willing to experience pain and hunger so that others could experience  life in  a better way. I believe we also need to be like that boy who is ready to think about others and not just about him and then I believe we all could be channels of transformation in our community.
Where do you stand– Among people who think “ What can I get” or with the people who think “ What can I give”?.
Let us Pray: O Lord we confess that we are only concerned of our needs rather than thinking of the needs of others. Help us to see to it that we also contribute in our own way so that the life of others is blessed. Amen

The Journey 44
Tuesday, February 14
Read: Daniel 3
Key Verse: "But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” . [ Daniel 3: 18]
                      Music lovers all over the world is mourning the tragic death of Whitney Houston. A singer who dabbled with drugs and was constantly in and out of rehab, she leaves behind a legacy where success without any values has a price to pay. In fact according to John J Thomson who in “Think Christian” states that  "She had a history and a relationship with gospel music and faith that informed her work and endeared her to her fans, yet she mostly steered clear of specifically Christian ideas. She deftly referenced these in the service of deeply intimate inter-personal love songs". One of her close friends was Cece Winans who on the contrary was a singer with Christian values. They both recorded one of the most memorable songs about friendship, "Count on Me". But that is where the difference starts. Whitney achieved fame which came with a price, but Cece Winans also achieves fame but with a different standards. Working and using her talents and music for the Lord.  Her latest vision is the launching  of her brand new record label, Wellspring Gospel. She says she needed to do something to the music industry. "We just need more God-fearing companies to put out music".  In one of her interviews, when  asked to share her mission statement , she smiled and told, "To serve I'd like to be known as just a server of Christ, which is a server of people." Two friends, One paying a price for living for the world, another paying a price to live for the Lord. One who is transformed by the world, the other who tries to bring transformation to the world and in the place that one is placed by God.
                       On Tuesday’s we meditate on how we can bring transformation in our workplace or school. The character that we are using for our meditation is the life and ministry of Daniel. Daniel. Daniel has found favour with King Nebuchadnezzar after he has interpreted his dreams and he has been appointed in high positions. But he still has to pay a price to stand for his faith. The new test is the test of loyalty, a test of faithfulness and test of commitment and love. The King set a replica of his image made of gold and orders that everyone at the appointed time has to bow down to the image. All those people who fail to do this are threatened to be thrown into a fiery furnace.  Daniel and his friends are tested again. But they stand steadfast in their faith. They loudly proclaim their faith “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” [ Daniel 3: 17,18]. One can understand the anger and the fury that the King would have gone through when Daniel and his friends so boldly proclaim where their commitment lies. For fame, for popularity and for positions and privileges there are people today in the world who will forsake even their parents, but here are four friends who proclaim to the king and to the people assembled that even if they loose their life and their world, they will not forsake their love for the Lord.  This is witnessing, witnessing so that they could be channels of transformation where they  are placed. Can we be like Daniel and his friends where we can proclaim to others that our first love and our commitment is to our Lord and then comes everything else, the world, the fame, the prosperity.
If we stand for the Lord we wont fall for anything, but don't stand for the Lord we will fall for everything.
Just a concluding thought: The final public performance of Whitney Houston was when she sang the hymn “Jesus Loves Me”  which is fascinating, indeed. According to John J Thomson “Even so, after her many years of very public bouts with substance abuse, addiction and toxic relationships, it is certainly cause for comfort that her final hours included those simple, but powerful lines: “Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so”.
Let us Pray: Dear Lord thank you for teaching us that our first love and our commitment is to you. Help us to stand firm in that commitment even if it cost us our fame, riches and positions. Help us not to compromise our Christian values. Amen.

The Journey 43
Monday, February 13
Read: Luke 5:1-11
Key Verse: “Then Jesus said to Simon “ Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” [ Luke 5: 10]
                          The New Jersey Turnpike is a highway that we all travel. But as you come from New York towards Philadelphia on the entrance of the New Jersey Turnpike on  I-95, you will have a very small space for deviating to two different roads, soon after you pay the toll. It is within that small stretch of road that the people who drive needs to decide whether to turn to I-95 North or  to I–95 South. In my first year we clergies of the Philadelphia church’s were returning back to Philly from New York, and I was driving, but then as we were in fellowship and laughing at the jokes that was being shared, we came to entrance of the New Jersey Turnpike, and I had the confusion whether to take I-95 north or I-95 south. Boldly I took the one of I-95 deviations.  Philip George achen who was with me asked in between are we following the correct route  and I said yes don't worry, you crack your jokes, I will manage the wheel. We drove on but after about 45 minutes of drive, we saw that we were seeing some familiar spots. PG Achen suddenly said “ Hey this is New York!!!!”. I had taken the wrong deviation. Instead of taking I-95 South, I had taken I-95 North. We managed to turn back and then once again came to the entrance of New Jersey Turnpike and that is when we took I-95 South to come to Philly. That day the two hour Philly drive from New York took us almost 6 hours. Even today when I reach the entrance of I-95 on New Jersey turnpike, I remember the 6 hour drive. I think we all go through such experience where we slog and work the whole day but at the end of the day you sometime realize that all your work and effort that you put in was in vain. Sometimes this is a reality of life. But through such experiences we can learn some valuable lessons that could transform our personal life.
                  On Monday’s we meditate on how we can bring about transformation in our personal life. From this week onwards we are starting a new portion and a new character that we will meditate on. The character is another familiar person and he is “Simon Peter”, the first followers of Jesus Christ. How did Jesus bring transformation in the life of Simon Peter which made him to leave his nets, his boat to follow Jesus Christ?. In the portion for our meditation in Luke 5: 1-11, we find in the initial verses, Jesus climbing into the boat of Simon Peter and asking Simon Peter to take him away from the shore. Here is Jesus consciously coming into the boat of Simon Peter. As he goes a little farther, Jesus tells Simon Peter to put the nets again into water and that is when Simon Peter tell him about his woes as to how he fished all night long but caught nothing. All his effort and his pain was in vain. Simon Peter is going through a desolate experience in his life, where he feels his living, his profession and all the efforts that he has put into his professional job on that particular day has not yielded fruits. A day where he is may be ruing about his failure and may be even job of being a fisherman. It is here that Jesus Chris makes a difference in his life by asking him to put the nets again. We all know the miraculous catch the Peter got when he obeyed Jesus Christ.
                  I feel we may also at times go through such experience when we feel that the job that we do, the work that we did the whole day does not give us any meaning or we may wonder at the end of the day “ what did I get by working so hard”. It in this context that we need to allow Jesus to enter into our professional life so that His presence with us will transform our profession living and goals and bring meaning even to our life in general and professional life in particular.
         Depressed that you are stuck in your professional life, allow Jesus Christ to enter into your boat.
Let us Pray: Lord thank you for the work that you entrust, the job that we have. But there are times when we feel depressed about our wok and our professional life. Enrich and transform our life through your presence. Amen

 

The Journey 41

Saturday, February 11

Read: Genesis 2,3

Key Verse: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [ Galatians 5:16]

Empowerment was a catch word for this decade. Every institution both in the secular and the religious world adopted it as catchword. Hence you had seminars like empowerment of the work force, empowering the individual, empowering the woman, empowering the managers…...the list goes on. Empowerment is a positive action and it  brought about a renewal in people’s life and avenues where each person felt that they could be better citizens and individuals by their creative contributions and role in an organization or in an institution. Today everyone claims to be a empowered individual. But has the correct perspective  of empowerment transferred to all areas of our life. We live today where the attitude of people have become more self centered, focused more on individual goals and accomplishments and whose prime objective is “I will do what gives me happiness and I am not concerned as to how  my action affects others”. This has brought about a disastrous effect in every areas of our life. This attitude has also come about in our family life too.

                  On Saturday’s our theme for meditation is “transformation in our family life”. On Saturday’s we are  meditating on the life of the first family: “ Adam and Eve”. Did this concept of individual happiness or the attitude that what I do is more important, even if it has a negative effect on my relationship with others, exist in the first family? I believe it existed and that is how the first family experience rift in between their relationship, and thus sin comes into their life? We find that when the devil is tempting her to eat forbidden fruit, in the course trying to tell her to disobey God, Eve knows that God has commanded certain laws which will help both her and Adam to live a fruitful life. But Eve without thinking of Adam decides what is best for her and for her husband. She does not think how her action will affect her relationship with God nor her relationship with her husband Adam. Not only is her decision unilateral she also sees that Adam also toes here line of action. The result is that the first family get alienated from God. When God instituted the family, the responsibility was to be shared equally by both man and woman. They had to form equal and a responsible relationship where decision that they took were decided and discussed together for the betterment of their life and their family.

I believe this concept exist today in our family life. Today there are spouse or even children in the family who carry  this particular attitude “I will do what is best that I think, even if it causes hurt to my spouse or to my children or parents, I just don't  care”. Can we learn from the sins of the first family?. What God wants us in our family is an attitude where we plan and decide together, what is best for our family rather than one of the spouse trying to force his/her opinion on the other.  

Do you force your opinion in your family or do you listen and value the opinion of others in your family?

Family is a bond of collective relationships.

Let us Pray: Lord you want us to make our family life a blessed through collective effort of every  member in our family. Forgive our sins of self centeredness and our attitude of working for our own pleasure than the happiness of others. Amen

The Journey 40

Friday, February 10

Read; Mark 2:1-12

 Way back in the 90’s I was a parish priest in one of the parishes in Diocese of Thiruvanathapuram– Kollam. One day I had a paper presentation in one of the conference in the afternoon in a far off place. As I was about to leave my parsonage to attend the conference, one of my members of  a previous parish called me up and said that her husband was in hospital in a serious condition and she wanted me to come over and pray for him. I told her that I was on the way to a conference, but I will come over to the hospital to pray for her husband. When I reached the hospital,  I realized that he was in ICU, but at that particular moment, the doctors were not willing to allow me to enter the ICU. The woman pleaded with the doctors but to of no use. Finally both the lady and myself spent some time outside the ICU and we  both prayed together sitting on the bench outside the ICU. I consoled here and told her that I would be remembering her husband in my prayers. I travelled on to attend the conference, and a  few days later I came to know that my parishioner had passed away. When I went to console the bereaved family members, the wife of the deceased person came to me and said “Achen I believe my husband would have lived if only you were permitted to go to the ICU and pray for my husband”. Till this day, the lady has not reconciled to this act of the of the hospital people whom she blames for the death of here husband. Strange but true…. .                  On  Friday’s we meditate on how we can bring transformation in the life of the sick and the suffering people. The passage that we are using for our meditation is from the Gospel of Mark2:1-12. The word of God states that when Jesus came to  Capernaum, the news spread that Jesus was there and hence there was a large crowd with him even in the house that he had come [ v: 1,2]. This is the time the friends with their paralyzed friend comes to that place to meet Jesus. They were desperate and wanted to somehow bring to the attention of Jesus the pitiable condition of their friend. But the crowds block their passage. I think they  might have pleaded with some of them, but they would not have given heed to their cry nor their plea. Some of them would have told them “ Look we are also people in need, so wait for your turn”. Probable the insensitivity and the apathy of the people might have really made the friends of the paralyzed man go wild with rage. But they did not loose hope. They decided that the only way to get to the presence of Jesus is to intrude into his presence so that they could bring to his attention the plight of their friend. It is this motive that  makes them to go to the roof, dig a hole and then lowers the mat in front of Jesus. I think there are times when we also behave like the people in the crowd. We are not sensitive to the needs of the suffering people, we are often more concerned to see how Jesus does the healing, or we just want to just bystanders and have a look at the fun that may be going on. In the midst of these callous attitude there are people who need our help and our kind hearted attitude and our willing support otherwise what happens is that they may have to intrude into our privacy to catch our attention and to let us know the pain, the suffering that they are going through.

Have people forced their way to you to catch your attention because you have been insensitive to their needs?

The Journey 39
Thursday, February 9
Read; Nehemiah 1

Key Verse: “If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish”. [ Esther 4:14]

 One of the saddest things that is seen in in some of the parishes of our church, is that the parish has a membership of more than 250 families, but the sanctuary in which they worship has space only to hold about 100 families. Every family knows that ideal church would be one where every person can be a regular worshipper and the parish should have space to accommodate everyone who comes to worship. This does not bother the people who come for worship and also for those who do not regularly attend worship. On the top of it, you have people who regularly come to the church, but prefer standing outside the sanctuary even when there is space in the sanctuary for worship. They are not concerned with the worship, nor the exposition of the Word, nor the power of people worshipping together nor willing to understand that they are actually taking the whole concept of God and his precepts in vain and folly.This scene is replica of what happened in life of the people of Judah. God has punished the people of Judah because they had hardened their hearts against Him. Moreover even the priests and the people were doing all abominable things thus defiling the house of the Lord. [2 Chronicles 36:14-16].  Thus the people of Judah are made captive by the Babylonians and soon Jerusalem is in ruins. Nehemiah is mourning not only because of the condition of the walls of Jerusalem but also with respect to the attitude of the people who are least concerned at the apostasy among the people and the lack of spiritual fervor among the people. (v. 4). The feeling that Nehemiah goes through is that of an intense emotion, which is expressed through weeping, fasting and prayer, for almost four months. On Thursday’s we meditate on how we can bring transformation in life of our parish. Are we concerned on how our parish functions or how the lives of our fellow parishioners borders on spiritual apathy, moral callousness and having no qualms in turning a holy place of worship to a place for social gatherings. It is in this context I think of the words that Mordecai says to Esther “ If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish”. [ Esther 4:14] . It is in such context that Nehemiah also stands in history. He is concerned as to why people though in captivity still has not learned from their past mistakes. He wanted them to repent and turn back to God. God needs to worshipped in sprit and in truth and he needs to be acknowledged and in other sense we need to fear him with trembling.It is here we as the  members of the body of Christ  needs to examine our lives so that we turn back from the complacency that we show in worshipping God, turn back from taking our relationship and our commitment to God for granted and in the process defiling the place of worship.Let us do and be in God’s Kingdom and in God’s “business’ in the way He wants us and also expects us to be. 

Let us Pray:  Dear Lord we are sorry that we often take our role as worshippers as granted. We are not concerned as to what is happening in your body, nor are we concerned about how our relationship with you is. Help us to be serious of our role in your body. Amen

The Journey 38
Wednesday, February 8
Read; John 6: 1-
Key Verse: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead”. [ James 2: 17]
              The Diocese of North America and Europe of the Marthoma Church organizes yearly, a mission trip to Oklahoma which is called as The Native American Mission Project. A number of youths from different parts of the diocese regularly involve in this mission activity. A few years back one of the youth members of the Philadelphia Marthoma Church, Sheeba Kuruvilla got involved in this mission activity and in the course of her involvement, she got to know of a particular family who was in dire need of help and support in the mission activity that they were doing in that area. She regularly became a part of the mission trip and slowly established relationship with this family. As her involvement became stronger,  she realized that she needed to do something as a part of her witness of serving the Lord. Because of her initiative and because of the commitment of her friends in the church, the Philadelphia Marthoma Youths have embarked on a wonderful event called as “ The Coffee house” to raise funds to support a family who has been instrumental in doing mission activity in their own small way.  Here is a model of a youth member who decides to contribute in her own way,  so that she becomes an instrument of transformation in the community.
               On Wednesday’s we meditate on how we can become agents in the transformation of our community. The portion that we are  meditating is taken from the Gospel of John chapter 6 which mentions the miracle of feeding the five thousand. Here is an incident where Jesus shows that He is not only interested in feeding the needs of ones soul but also the needs of ones body. To teach this important lesson to his disciples he puts them to test, by asking them to find resources to feed the hungry crowd. Philip is not ready to toe the line of Jesus and he tells Jesus that it is almost next to impossible to feed the multitude. But one of his disciples Andrew, goes into the crowd and finds a boy who has five loaves of bread and two fish. Andrew knows that this resource is not enough at all to feed the multitude yet he is optimistic and brings the boy to the presence of Jesus. Here are two disciples who take entirely contradicting stand to address the needs of the community. One wants to wash his hands off while the other tries to organize something at least for the sake of the community. Philip washes his hands off because he just does not want to go deeper into involving himself with the needs of the community, on the contrary Andrew feels he needs to at least try and organize something that could be beneficial to the community. I believe we have also have these two kinds of people in our church too. One group who is not interested at all in involving with the needs of the community because they feel that they themselves need help or they have better things to do. But there are also individuals in the church, just as I mentioned about the youth  member of the  Philly church, who are also going through different challenges in life yet is willing to play a small role of doing something for the sake of the community. It is because of such people who are ready to sacrifice their self interest for the sake of others, that our neighborhood and our community is able to move forward with a sense of hope even in times of despair.
Which group do you belong to…….The group that thinks that they have better things to do or to the group which thinks we need to better the lives of others.
For Further Study: Acts 6, Amos 3
Let us Pray: O Lord we live in a world where most of us think that we are supposed to be concerned only of our benefits. Help us also to think of others and how we can help in our own way so as to bring transformation in the life of others. Amen