Reflections

  Theological Education For the Confirmation of Faith Being and making the Imitators of Christ 1 Cor  4:14-21   Philip was an active member of a church who is also a single parent. On Sunday, when he came to receive Holy communion, his only child Yohan saw his dad walking and he took his steps to be with him. He watched and did exactly what his dad did. With observation and effort, Yohan climbed and knelt along with his dad. To his disappointment, the celebrant blessed the child with a smile instead of giving him wine and bread like his dad received. He cried and Philip took him and solaced him while walking back to his seat. This scene captured everyone’s attention that filled them with love for the father and son. Most of us may have seen or experienced a similar experience. The relationship of the parent and the child gives us a lesson that a child learns from the parent not only through words but also through actions. The passage we received for our meditation similar...

  Theological Education For the Confirmation of Faith John  3:10-21 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? John 3:10  Although Nicodemus was a teacher of the Law and a member of the Sanhedrin  council, he could not understand Jesus’ statement concerning the relationship  between new birth and the Kingdom of God: “I tell you the truth unless you are born  again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). As a matter of fact, his  answer revealed wonder and bewilderment: “How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?” (John 3:4).  Jesus asked Nicodemus: “Are you the teacher of Israel?” Jesus addressing  Nicodemus using a definite article (the teacher) points to his high distinction as a  teacher of repute—“the well-known Rabbi”.  William Barclay opines that there are two kinds of misunderstandings. Some misunderstand because t...

  Theological Education For the Confirmation of Faith Christians Marching Forward Galatians 3. 1-14 Christian life always involves a movement forward. The coat of arms of Australia (the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia) bears both an Emu and a Kangaroo. Neither of these animals can move backward (because of the three-toed feet of Emu, and the long tail of the Kangaroo). In like manner of moving forward, we are supposed to be transformed in our minds and hearts have accepted Christ and now we have to move forward, and make progress in our spiritual journey, if our new life in Christ is to be of any avail. To put off the old sinful, decadent and contemptible self is obligatory in the Christian life.        In Galatians instead of moving forward, they digressed and turned to their old way of following law over faith. Their spiritual father Paul seriously condemns their acts and admonishes them by calling them, " You foolish Galatians. " Paul talk...

  Theological Education For the Confirmation of Faith You shall love the LORD your God Deuteronomy 6:2-13 The English title of the book, Deuteronomy, comes from two Greek words ‘deutros’ means second and ‘nomos’ means law. This title, meaning "second law," arose from a misunderstanding of the term in  17:18 , where it means "a copy of the law." The Hebrew name ‘elleh hadevarim, (These are the words), comes from the opening phrase: (These are the words...) and another prevalent name for the book is Mishne-Torah. This book is the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch or the Torah, which is believed to written by Moses.            Here God is giving a map to Israel that leads them to God and that map contains God’s commandments. The starting point of the map is the great commandment, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might.”  This ...

  Theological Education For the Confirmation of Faith JESUS: THE TRUTH THAT DELIVERS US John 8: 31-41 World Health Organization (WHO) declared the use of the term “infodemic” during pandemic as “too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak. It causes confusion and risk-taking behaviours that can harm health. It also leads to mistrust in health authorities and undermines the public health response.” Likewise during Jesus’ times the hot topic that surfed among Jews which brought confusion was “who is Jesus?” People portrayed Jesus as a prophet-Messiah-descendant of David (Jn 7: 40-43). People spread about Jesus as they liked.            In this passage, Jesus teaches Jews how to become his true disciples. To answer that, in v31 Jesus used the Greek word ‘meinete’ which means to live in God’s word with determination (Obey), and that will lead the believer to know the ‘truth’ ...

  Theological Education For the Confirmation of Faith COVENANT REQUIRES COMMITMENT  Joshua 24:1-15 The passage for our mediation is the farewell speech of Joshua. Mccarthy calls Joshua 24 “the report of covenant making.” It is a covenant-making passage that helps the people to continue to be called the people of God.  In Joshua 24:14 - 15, Joshua stands before the assembled people at Shechem and makes his oft-cited challenge to those gathered to "choose this day whom you will serve" before going on to insist that he and his family will serve (עבד) Yahweh. Within the narrative structure of the book of Joshua, Joshua acts like an attorney, and his appeal is a striking one. First, the people are to enter into the proper relationship with Yahweh. Second, they are to rid themselves of all other claimants to lordship over them in other words discard polytheism. Joshua demands that his audience put away the gods of their ancestors and serve Yahweh alone.      ...

  St James the Apostle day / Discipleship: A Paradoxical Teaching of Greatness Mark 10: 35-45   Who is the greatest? This question resonates around this passage. The interpretation of greatness is different for Christ and His disciples. Disciples (James and John) live in a world that perceives greatness as equivalent to power which is one of the reasons why Alexander the great is called Alexander “the great.” Whoever possesses more power possesses greater greatness. According to historians, the Greco-Roman world’s population consists of 90-95% poor and 5-10% wealthy. Those who had wealth also had the power to rule. Therefore, the poor yearns to become wealthy and powerful. It is no wonder when James and John asked to be seated along with Jesus on the throne ( 10:37 ) for they are part of this socio-political scenario, which eventually influenced them to seek power.  In Matthew 20:20-28 Zebedee's sons’ mother asks the same, Biblical scholars argues that, since Mark is one ...

  St. James the Apostle’s Day Acts 8:1-11 Acts 8:1 - “And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” We know that St. James the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and Salome and the elder brother of St. John the disciple (Matthew  4:21-22 ). James' zeal for Jesus resulted in him being the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred, and he was killed with the sword on the order of King Herod (Acts 12:1-2), around 44 A.D. Every year, Christians celebrate  July 25th  as St. James the Apostle’s Day.   The passage assigned for today’s devotion (Acts 8:1-11) covers three narratives. Though today’s devotional does not mention St. James the Apostle, the narratives are illustrative of an apostle’s challenges, mission, and gifts. The passage begins with Saul’s approval of Stephen’s killing (Acts 7:59-60), and the persecution and scatt...

  THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY Mathew 19:1-12 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Vs 6). St. Mathew tells us some Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason? This question comes from them as a test, and that is no surprise because throughout His ministry they are seen trying to trick and trap Jesus. They were very legalistic and shrewd in their dealings. We must notice here that Jesus doesn't answer the question on their terms; instead, He talks about God’s original design for marriage.  Marriage was instituted by God. “Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female (V 4). He is referring here to the formation of the original marriage and the original family (Gen  1:27 , 2:18-24). The Bible tells us how God formed the woman from Adam’s rib and gave her to the man. So, God planned, organized, and conducted the...

  THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY 1 Cor 13:1-13   Marriage is the first institution by God on earth. It is a divine sacrament filled with the grace of God. After creating Adam, God found that it was not good for man to be alone, and he wanted to make a suitable helper for man. God created woman by taking one of the ribs of man. Genesis 2:24 says ‘That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.’ This was the vision of God upon which the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is based upon. This union of man and woman can be called the sacrament of Holy Matrimony only when God is uniting them. Otherwise, it is just a secular union of two individuals. Holy matrimony, when approached by understanding the divine vision behind it, will turn out to be a blessing. Marriage turns out to be a Holy Matrimony only when it is based on the Godly principles laid out in the Word of God. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Apostle Paul lays out an important fact...

  THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY Heb 13:1-6 “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”  Heb.13:4 In this dynamic world, many changes are happening every so often in all areas of life. Contrary to the Biblical concept, marriage and family are redefined by the world and have become the new normal. Statistics show that the number of failed marriages is increasing at an alarming rate everywhere. It is important to have a strong foundation upon the clear instructions in the Word of God for an honorable and stable family life.  The book of Hebrews primarily teaches us about the fulfillment of God’s promises in Jesus Christ for mankind, but the last chapter is focused on the practical applications of the Christian life. Today’s text exhorts believers to live in brotherly love, treat strangers well, be compassionate to others in their needs, and maintain a marriage in the divine plan. ...

  THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY Genesis 24: 10-27 “Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate”. Mark 10: 9 The Bible begins with Adam and Eve being created in God’s likeness. God tells them to be fruitful and multiply. Their love for each other is the image of love God has for us. The sacrament of marriage is a covenant.  In the sacrament of matrimony, two people are united in such a way that they become one flesh. The purpose of the sacrament is to help the partners in this life as they work to live in faithfulness to God. Their love for each other is a reflection of the enduring love between Christ and His Church and it provides them with a foretaste of divine love. The sacrament of Christian marriage involves their entire life as they journey together through ups and downs of marriage and become more able to give to and receive from each other. Their life becomes sacramental to the extent that the couple co operates with God’s action in their life and s...

  THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY Psalms 21:1-13   Psalms 21 is depicted as the response to the promise of divine intervention. This is a praise and worship song for the God almighty for all the victory given to the king. Psalms 21 is a continuation of Psalms 20.  The main content of these psalms are  Praising God for His strength  Praising God for His blessing on the king  Confession of trust in God  God’s judgment on enemies    The king is overjoyed in the strength of God. The king is praising God for providing what he had asked for. What did the king ask for? He asked for life, and God almighty provided him with a long-lasting life (V 4). King is an honest man, and he asked God what he desired in his heart. Our inner self and outward speech always go together. The king’s desire can also be compared with the groom asking for the woman to whom he wants to get married. Since the king was loyal and honest before God, God almighty blessed him. ...

  THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY EPHESIANS 5: 20-32 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”  Ephesians 5:25 Mar Thoma Church has seven sacraments and Holy Matrimony is one of them. Today’s Bible portion talks about marriage.  Let us see what Paul talks about Holy Matrimony in Ephesians 5:20-32. The subject of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians is that of submission in the context of marriage. Holy matrimony is not just the act of agreeing to be together. Holy matrimony is a sacred act of togetherness, honored by God and created as a lifelong obligation to one another. Christian marriages have certain commitments, obligations, and duties. This fundamental reality that underlies and explains the attitudes and conduct of a man and his wife in marriage is the relationship of Jesus Christ to His Church. We can see through the teaching of Apostle Paul this mystery is clear and our conduct in marriage is to be a reflection of this mys...

  Anointing the Sick- Sacrament of Healing 2 Kings 5:1-14 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” The passage describes the healing of Naaman, a brave and valiant soldier of the army of the King of Aram who suffered from leprosy. Naaman’s wife’s servant girl spoke of a prophet in Samaria who could heal him and Naaman asked the permission of the King of Aram to go to Samaria to be healed. The King happily agreed and wrote a letter to the King of Israel asking him to heal Naaman. It is funny how things get lost in translation so to speak. The servant girl spoke of a prophet but it was the King of Israel who was asked to heal Naaman. Nevertheless, Prophet Elisha upon hearing of this miscommunication, informs the King to send Naaman to him. Naaman, looking forward to being healed by this prophet, goes to the door of Elisha but Elisha doesn’t come out to greet him or heal him. Elisha, rather, send...

  Anointing the Sick- Sacrament of Healing Mark 6:7-13 They cast out many demons and were anointed with oil many of who were sick and cured them. Mark 6:13 The Association of American Medical Colleges expects a shortage of up to 124,000 doctors in the next 12 years. The amount of doctors being trained has not kept pace with the population growth. In the meantime, the training of paramedical professionals such as physician assistants is being encouraged. Doctors are still medical professionals with deep expertise and training but they work closely with these other health professionals in our healthcare system. When Jesus sent out the disciples to proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God, he delegated them with power and authority. As the Son of God, he authorized them with the power of God to proclaim the need to repent and to be healed of the chains of bondage to the kingdom of Satan. We read here a curious use of oil for healing. Oils for healing rites in the ancient wo...