Editors Zone Blog

Mar Augen Dionysius Of Idukki Diocese Passes Away

Shebaly — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:26:00 GMT

The rope...the faith that matters

Shebaly — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:29:42 GMT

The rope is a power point presentation
The_Rope.ppsThe_Rope.pps

What do we Work For?

Shebaly — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:06:30 GMT

Tomorning while I was looking for mails from IOH partners around the world, I had seen a mail from Saji Kochamma from MUmbai, who is working as a legl advisor to Bombay Dying Company. After reading that mail, I thought, it is good to post the story as a reminder to myself.

.................................................................
Son: "Daddy, may I ask you a question"

Daddy: "Yeah sure, what it is?"

Son: "Dad, how much do you make an hour"

Daddy: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"

Son: "I just want to know. Please tel! l me, how much do you make an hour?"

Daddy: "I make Rs. 500 an hour"

"Oh", the little boy replied, with his head down.
Looking up, he said, "Dad, may I please borrow Rs. 300?"

The father was furious, "if the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or other nonsense, then march yourself to your room and go to bed.

Think why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior"
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions.

How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think:
"May be there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs. 300 and he really didn't ask for money very often!"The man went to the door of little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you a! sleep, son?" He asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, may be I was too hard on you earlier", said the man, "It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the Rs.300 you asked for"

The little boy sat straight up, smiling "oh thank you dad!" He yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled some crippled up notes.

The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want money if you already had some?" the father grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy I have Rs. 500 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you"

MORAL OF THE STORY

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life.
! We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family....

Have a nice day.
Saji Kochamma from Mumbai

HOLY EUCHARIST

Shebaly — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 21:33:42 GMT

Inorder to save man from Sin and evil, God came into this world as the seed of a woman as he promised to our first mother Eve while she was in Eden, after committing sin.

Salvation is to reinstate man as how he was in Eden.That is the historic destiny of man. God knew that man cannot be separated from sin / evil by his own.

As a loving father the merciful God revealed himself to the humanity in incarnation.

He came into this world in the midst of the history. Thus He proclaimed the salvation to the people of
that time.

Through cross He died and just like one of us in spirit he went into Hades and proclaimed Salvation to the departed souls.

Before his death, through His disciples He instituted Holy Qurbana to fulfill the prophecy in scripture, that he is IMMANUEL. That means God with us. He instituted the Holy Qurbana and entrusted His disciples to do it until He comes. Through them it continues. Thus we see Him in our midst.

Now the process of salvation is complete. He came. Proclaimed the salvation to the people of that time. Went back to the departed ones and gave the hope of salvation. Now Thru Qurbana He lives with us.
Whether it is the real one or not you have to look into the apostolic succession. If any discontinuity is there in any denomination in apostolic succession we cannot have Communion with them. For that we need one faith. One baptism. One confession. And the apostolic succession.

To us every tablet (medicine) seems to be same. For cure we don't take these tablets as we feel. The wrong one will be poisonous . It is all tested and defined by scientists. Even though the Doctor is the one who prescribes, heis allowed to treat the patient according to what he was taught and not by his own intuition.

A wrong prescription can kill many.

"But let no one eat or drink of this Eucharistic thanks giving , but they have been baptized into The name of the Lord: for concerning this also the Lord hath said : Give not that which is holy to the dogs.? Didache 9:5

“Becoming Christian” after death : Possibility?

Shebaly — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 21:11:00 GMT

According to orthodox churches Holy Episcopal Synod is the keeper of the faith. Holy Synod is the one who defines the faith, and not even achens…And that is why the church could hold same faith even after 2000 years.

Look into the Bible.

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy never came by the will of man,but, holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” 2 pet.1:20-21

“All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable doctrine , for reproof , for correction , for instruction in righteousness” 2 Tim.3:16

If somebody believes in Bible let them follow Bible and do Bible.

“The sacraments of the Christian Church are purely symbolic and not filled with the Grace of the Holy Spirit.” says most of the Christians .I have recently gone through the debates of the members of our IOIF digest , which makes such an assertion. Most of us are of the view that the Scriptures can be used to prove the symbolic nature of the sacraments, in particular the sacraments of Baptism and Communion.

It should be noted from the very early days of Christianity that there was no debate whether the Sacraments are real or symbolic. The Orthodox Faith was established by the Apostles (Heb. 6:1-) and their successors maintained the same faith thru out till date. The Orthodox Church has held from the beginning that the sacraments are spiritual in nature, and only in relatively modern times have non-Orthodox Christians rejected this belief because they do not have any authorized persons to do so. Thus we do not have two parties who differ in interpretations, but instead we have those who strive to preserve the faith of the Early Church and those who reject it

It should also be noted that the true nature of the sacraments does not depend on scriptural evidence for its justification. The sacraments were initiated and established before the writing of the Bible and beginning of
the church. The same Holy Spirit which inspired the authors of the Holy Bible also inspired the Apostles and Fathers of the Church as they taught the Jews and Gentiles about Christ and the Holy Sacraments.

“There fore , leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ Let us go on to perfection ,not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God , of the doctrine of baptisms , Of laying on of hands , of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:1-2)

Bible says that there are 6 doctrines which already have a foundation and not to lay again the foundation.

That is what the non- orthodox denominations do now. We are not expected to be carried away by these winds.

I was not talking about what would happen to those outside the Christianity. That is in the hands of God as Jesus says.

“Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons , kneeling down and asking something from Him. And he said to her, What do you wish? She said to Him, Grant that these two sons may sit, one on your right hand, and other on the left, in your kingdom.

But Jesus answered and said, You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink , and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to Him, We are able.

And he said to them, You will indeed drink my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.” (Matthew 20:20-23; also: Mark 10:37)

The justice in the Kingdom of God is defined in the Bible thru the workers of the vineyard .God kept His promise .To the one who came on the 9th hour also is given the same wages .That is the justice of the Kingdom of God .We are not to worry about it.. Jesus says.

If you are called to the vineyard of Christianity do according to the instructions of the Lord. And not how you think. I know that Mr. X is working somewhere. If you do according to you there , in no time u will be firedor replaced. That justice is very simple.

Let me come back to the point.

We were talking about the souls in Hades -whether they are eligible of SALVATION or not.

The church teaches you that it is possible. That is why we pray and do ritual for the departed ones.

PRAYER AND WORSHIP

Shebaly — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 20:59:00 GMT

Prayer is a media to communicate with God.

When we are in a phone we are communicating with the other one who is at the other end. You speak to him and he talks you back also. Here in prayer, you can hear him only through the word of God.

All the orthodox church prayers are following the pattern of our Lords prayer. And it is always balanced. It includes Praise and adorations leads you to glorify God…Thru glorifying God, we get sanctified…It includes supplications also …in a balanced way…in minimum words ….to safeguard you to grow in perfection. The 1st request is for bodily requirement…the 2nd one is for your mind and 3rd Request is for your spirit.

Now a days, people are mislead by the modern Christianity …They market Christ other than preaching Christ. In order to please you they pray for you other than pleasing God. They teach you supplication and praying for your bodily needs is prayer..but it is not,as per Bible.

Bible promised you “There fore do not worry , saying what shall we eat ? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For after all these things the gentiles seek. For your heavenly father knows that you need all these things.But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED TO YOU” (Mtt .6:31-33)

Now In prayer most of the people are mislead and prays like gentiles…. All the prayers of the Orthodox Church are written by the Church fathers who touched Jesus and been touched by Jesus. Through that prayers you can experience the touch of Christ if you participate in it as Christ taught you. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your HEART and with all your SOUL and with all your MIND and with all your STRENGTH .” ( Mk. 12:30)

In all your strength means whatever you got from God…wealth …intellect…health…strong spirit you have to share with your God….That is what we see in our prayers….Otherwise you will be mistaken the Intercessory part as prayer…That is a request only…Your Mighty Father in Heaven is wealthy…All his wealth will be shared with you in the course of your life.

As you also a father of some children you need the account what he had done with your money. .If he is not accountable he will not be given the next time…..Like wise God also do the same thing. He asked you to love your neighbor as you love thyself….If no sharing he will not grant you again and again… So prayer means praise.. adoration ..supplication.. and thanks giving …Thank Him for his care for the entire world…and for sustaining it so carefully.

This is what we see in our prayers…In prayer the entire mystical body of Christ is participating with you as you see in the book of revelations chapter 4 verses 7-11.……That is our KAUMA PRAYER…

If you read that part of the Bible you will understand that the chanting of these thing s like a mantra is going on without any cease …In worship, you are participating in the heavenly worship.. Every prayer in orthodox church have basis in Bible…. The problem is not with our prayer…but the way in which we participate in it..

Try to participate in all your strength …you will feel it wonderful…because you get sanctified through prayer and worship..feel strenghtened ..feel encouraged..
(2001)

Salvation / “Becoming Christian” after death

Shebaly — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 20:37:00 GMT

The Church is the mystical body of Christ. This mystical body holds the'Church militant' the ‘church expectant' and the ‘church departed'. An iceberg floating on sea could be seen 1/3rd of it only. Like wise the Church which we see is also only 1/3rd. The unseen part of it is the ‘Church departed’ and the ‘church expectant’.

People must have a clear understanding on the word salvation. The word salvation referred in Bible means 'salvation from sin only. Jesus Christ came into this world to save us from sin. So the question is whether it is possible for a soul to have salvation or not? The Bible says it is possible.

When the Church was started, all the newly become Christians were worried about the salvation of their forefathers. Baptism is the only way to become a part of Christ's body. Bible says that the apostles gave baptism for the dead.

"Otherwise what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?” 1 Cor. 15:29

Because the apostles had a clear conviction on what their great Master had taught them, they started giving baptism for the dead in the early church. This was performed by the apostles who where authorized to do so.

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded to you. And lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age."(Mtt.28: 18-20)

The possibility of becoming a part of the Body of Christ even after death is seen in the Bible as follows.

" by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.”1 Pet:3:19

“For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” 1 Pet 4:6

Here it says that Jesus died on the cross and went into the Hades in spirit. Moreover, he preached the gospel to the souls who were there. If they cannot repent and turn away from their sins, Jesus would not have been gone there.

This is the teaching of the Orthodox Church.

Therefore, it is meaningful to pray for the dead. Do rituals for and on behalf of them….
(2000)

Suggestions for Improvement- The 20 Point Program

Shebaly — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 11:43:47 GMT

For my reference: Suggestions for Improvement- The 20 Point Program

Today morning, I happened to read a posting made by one Mr. George Alexander in ICON the largest discussion forum of our Church members. The posting itself reveals the love towards his Mother Church and is commendable. Every member has his own dreams and vision on his / her Church. As I feel, it as a good piece to read and to be cooked in the minds of Church loving people. So I decided to re post it in my blog for my future reference. Your comments may enlighten me on these suggestions he made.

Also it is the right time to make suggestions before a newly elected body of the Chuch, after meeting the malankara Association on March 21.

My personal congratulation to the newly elected lay Trustee Muthoot M.G.George. He served in the advisory Board of Malankara Orthodox Herald Weekly from 1982-1991 and I had a wonderful time to work with him all those years as its editor. He was appointed by His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews I (Vattakkunnel Bava)

Without any doubt in my mind, I could say that George is a great lover of the Church.

Fr.Dr.Johns Abraham Konattu was my just senior in Seminary. We were good friends. One who come closer to him will realize him as Noble, soft spoken, scholor and efficent .

Now the election is over and the Church got two great men to lead our Church efficently. Both have a vision on Church at large. Hope and pray, they never fail us!!

VOX POPULI : it was the virdict of God.

Here is the posting
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Posted by: Mr. George Alexander. Thiruvananthapuram Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:22 pm

WE all know that the Malankara Orthodox Church have been going through a lot of administrative problems for the past few decades. Its high time we bring about suggestions for the improvement of our church. The following are some of the suggestions put forward for the improvement of the church administration

Suggestions for improvement - The Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church

1. There must be a strong media policy for the church. Proper advertisements and news updates must be provided in all the news papers and television channels. For e.g. Metropolitan Kirils Visits was not given much importance and news coverage. But this was done by Sunday Shalom, a catholic newspaper were they provided photos and a detailed interview of Metropolitan Kiril. The same thing happened to the Visit made by the Ethiopian Patriarch. Our people doest not know what orthodoxy is … especially oriental and eastern orthodox churches and our relations with them. Most of the church news are kept away from the common man. Strong steps must be taken to convey the activities of the church and its mission to the common man. People in our church are unaware of the Brahmavar and other missions done by the church. E.g. the change of St. James independent Syrian church of America under the spiritual leadership of our church was not reported any were except in (ww.icon.org. in).

2. The church must restructure and design a new website with regular news updates. The present site is of very poor quality… A site on St. Thomas and Catholicos of the east must be posted. In this modern world our church cannot grow without the adequate technological back up. The websites and the information in it will help the youngsters to know more about our church. Most of the websites of several parishes have got better quality than the church's official website. The total information, regular news updates, picture gallery, the archives of our church, various links and other necessary information must be provided in the new website. There can be a special space to be able to proceed without adequate technological back up. E.g. (Vatican's post suggestions, questions and comments from our church members and others. Effort must be taken to post websites for each diocese, special initiatives, important organizations, our educational institutions etc. The modern century is the period of technological advancement and innovations. The church will not website can be adopted as a model). It is always advisable if the church is able to host websites of all its most important and ancient parishes, hospitals organizations etc. A special department can be formed at Devalokam to coordinate these activities/or restructure the present technical department of the church. The parishes and other organization can forward their news update, snaps and other materials
and the technical department can post them on the concerned websites.

3. The status of the Catholicos of the all east must be checked, because in India we have two more Catholicos, one of the Jacobite group and another of the Malankara catholic group. It seems that the status of Catholicos is limited to the blessings of baptism and marriage ceremonies. The position of Catholicos of the all east has been degenerating for the past few years especially due to the problems with the Jacobite church. This must change indeed; we must look for new titles may be like father of Indian church, Patriarch of India… along with the present position… and must gain the position of VVIP with security from the government. While providing news in papers our Bava thirumeni must be addressed as Malankara Metropolitan, Successor of St. Thomas, His Holiness, and Catholicos of the east purposefully. Upgrade the position of Catholicos of the East to the Indian Patriarch (along with Catholicos of the all East and Malankara Metropolitan) , if necessary. It will be better if we are able to constitute three Catholicoses under the Indian Patriarch. One Catholicos must be made in charge of the churches and mission inside Kerala (For Malankara) second one for outside Kerala and the next one must be made in charge of the churches and mission outside India. (The Armenians have got two Patriarchs under their Catholicos as well as the head of Georgian Orthodox Church is addressed as the Catholicos-Patriarch). It can also be in the other way round; constituting three Patriarchs under the Catholicos of the all East.

4. A bible of our own. All support must be give to the job done by MGOCSM to bring out a bible of our own and this must be made our official bible…

5. A TV Channel of our own, which can broadcast Indian as well as world orthodox programmes, news etc… along with a radio channel... like the Vatican radio…

6. Establish a joint council for peace and cooperation between the Malankara Church and other major religions and communities like the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist, Janis, Sikhs, Ezhava, Nair and other major groups… The council must meet at least once in a year.

7. We must have a national orthodox convention in which the leaders of the oriental and eastern orthodox churches must be invited… (e.g. the Maramon Convention)

8. There must be a separate diocese for Middle East, U.K, Africa as well as Australia and New Zealand (together). There are a lot many Malankara Orthodox members in Africa where they lack a proper church. We have a lot of people in Africa, who needs special attention. It would be better if the dioceses are known in the name of each district (within Kerala), each state (outside Kerala) and each country (outside India). This will provide more recognition for our church.

9. Special status to the Brahmavar mission. A metropolitan can be constituted and the Brahmavar mission can be raised to the status of a diocese church. (e.g. The Knanaya arch diocese under the patriarch of Antioch)

10. A separate world class university of our own, teaching theology as well as other subjects (e.g. Amrita University). Am afraid whether any of our colleges are able to get the five start status from NAAC. Wedon't have a large number of organizations, what we can do is to covert the existing institutions to a world class level.

11. Close links and ties with Mar Thoma orthodox church of America which has inherited our tradition…

12. HRD training to deacons, priest's, bishops and all the administrative and spiritual leaders of our church, once in every six months.

13. Paulose Mar Gregorios the late bishop is not given the due respect in our church. He was one of the best personalities our church ever had… in its history. His works must be coordinated and published
properly.

14. An ultimate solution and peace with the Jacobite church. If unity is not possible we must at least establish a working relationship with them respecting their arguments… There must be a joint council of peace and cooperation between the two churches.

15. There are a lot of well qualified persons within our church. We must tap out there potential and bring them together to generate the necessary ideas and suggestions to improve the functioning of our church.

16. The church apart from the SYNOD must take steps to form an advisory committee which must contain experts from different disciplines so as to improve the quality of the administration of our church.

17. Try the level best to collect and publish the pictures and information of all our church heads starting from St. Thomas to the present Catholicos.

18. The church will have to take initiatives to establish more of NGO'S to develop the Kerala community like the catholic community (e.g. TSSS, QSSS and MSSS). IF possible we must open a new chapter of International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in Kerala. Church must be able to start NGOS according to its interest area and must be able to generate jobs.

19. A daily newspaper for our church.

20. Make initiatives to print coins in the name of St. Gregorios of Parumala, the first Indian Saint. International tourism destination status to Parumala church and other important pilgrim centers of the church.

The above mentioned activities can be properly implemented only if they are departmentalized in a systematic manner. The church must be able to departmentalize its activities in a systematic manner. Developing departments like welfare, research and development, administration, outreach activities etc.

The above mentioned suggestions are strictly confined to the administration of the church. I strongly believe that the above suggestions to an extend will help to improve the quality and quantity of the administration of our church. Today Church has got the financial back up as well as the human back up to perform the same.

George Alexander, Thiruvanthapuram

About the author- George hailing from Karthigappally Taluk of Allapuzaha Dstrict in Kerala. Trained in Social Work and doing his Final year MSW at Loyola College, Trivandrum. He belongs to St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral, Karthigappalyy( Mavelikara Diosces).He also work as the joint secretary of Insight Mission centre committed to youth and social empowerment( www.insightmission.ingame.org) Email : georgy1234@gmail.com

Ten Popular Myths regarding women in the church

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:26:00 GMT

Ten Popular Myths regarding women in the church(Contd..) BY Raji Johnson is only her own interpretation of the Bible.

In the Bible we see the Devil started with a tricky question while convesring with Eve."yeah, has God said like that""

Just like that Raji Johnson is asking us "is Paul actually saying in this passage?"

Many non-Orthodox people creep into our homes and ask us "Does the Bible says like that?" This is really a tricky question....

I recommend you to read the following message from Malankara Sabha Deepam by Valsamma Mathew Nariyapuram.

http://www.malankaradeepam.org/mdeepam/latest1/valsa.html

We must also understand---

WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE?

Many Christians believe that Jesus Christ did not institute the church. According to bible this is untrue.

In Mt 16:18 it is very clear that He is the one who built the Church and it says, " And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Jesus Christ defined the church and its functions before He ascended to the Father. He appointed certain men (Bishops along with apostles) to guide the church after he left, as referred in the early century Documents, DIDACHE (Chapter XV. (129) -Bishops and Deacons; Christian Reproof. 1. Appoint, therefore, for yourselves,
bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men meek, and not lovers of money, (130) and truthful and proved; for they also render to you the service)

In the book of ACT OF THOMAS (12. The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that You will depart from us. Who is to be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.")

Though this book is outside the bible, beyond doubt, it is evident in the book of acts that James as the first bishop of the Church, presided the early synods of the Church and gave verdicts on doctrines. (Acts 15:1-21, Gal. 1:13-24)

APOSTOLIC INTERPRETATION

If the Bible is infallible, why do so many denominations have conflicting doctrines? Yet for centuries the Protestants have taught that all you need in your bible reading is the holy spirit to guide you. Today we have over 2003 Protestant denominations, each of which believes that Holy spirit is guiding them to interpret Bible and
ultimately more than 2005( including Orthodox and catholic Churches.) faith in God is proclaimed.

That means Christ is divided into 2005 factions.

NOW ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION.

Each believer who reads the bible , if, begins to interpret by their own, Do the Holy Spirit Guide the people in 100000000000 contradictory ways? No way !!

Bible itself gives us a clear picture on this .

2 Pet 1: 20

" First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of the scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation"

Now we come to know that the problem is not with the word of God. The word of God indeed is infallible.

The problem is with the reception of the word of God.

Thus the problem is not with the Bible itself, but with interpretation of the bible.

THE INTERPRETATIONS ARE ALL BY FALLIBLE HUMANS

AND THEY ALL MAY GO WRONG_ AT LEAST SOME TIME

SO HOW SHALL WE INTERPRET THE BIBLE PROPERLY?

WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO INTERPRET IT ?

TO WHOM SHALL WE TURN TO?

The early church provides a solution to this. The early church received the writings of the apostles along with their teachings. For e.g. the following doctrines mentioned is anywhere seen in the scripture with further details, but we see these in early apostolic documents. And that is defined as the tradition of the Holy Church .

(Heb 6:1- teaches us which are the doctrines of the church.)

" Therefore let us go on toward perfection , leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works, and faith toward God, instructions about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment."

By seeing how the apostles directed the believers to receive the scriptures, we gain considerable insight into what they really meant. Indeed who could more reliably interpret the writings of the apostles other than the apostles and discover how the apostles interpreted the word of God ,Seeing how the early church was
directed by the apostles to receive the scripture. Thus we will have a reliable and consistent interpretation of the Bible, by allowing the apostles to interpret the apostles ,in order to solve our problem.

The early church also helps us to understand New Testament by showing us to how the recipients New Testament period understood the apostolic writings. For who would better understand what the apostles really meant and did not mean than those who were personally taught by the apostles and lived with them for years?

WHY NOT LET THE BIBLE INTERPRET THE BIBLE?

Protestants say that let the Bible interpret Bible itself. More than 2000 Denominations in their belief in Christ , are conflicting and contradicting each Other. Meanwhile the teachings and practices of the historic church have remained the same for the last 2000 years. But you all know this is not with the case of Protestant denominations.

REASONS TO VALUE THE EARLY CHURCH.

1. It provides a reliable interpretation of the word of God for us by sharing us how the apostles themselves interpreted it .(1 pet. 1:20)

2. By seeing how the recipients of the New Testament period understood it, we gain significant insight into how we should understand it.

3. For the constant faith of the early Church is sustained by Holy Episcopal synod, the synod is the final authority to interpret the Bible to it's believers and not individuals .

American Presbyterians on women ordination

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:23:00 GMT

Dear Raji Johnson,

For the last 2000 years Orthodox Church remained in the same faith and will continue same. Because it is constituted and built by Jesus Christ (Mt. 16:16). Now we see human planted churches.I am not talking about that. This is about the Orthodox Church. In all these centuries many had tried to redefine the faith that is entrusted. Thus evolved Catholic Church, Protestant church and other non denominational ones...Still Orthodox church remain unchanged...and would continue in the same way....

See what the American Presbyterians believe on women ordination.... the following is from their site and the link is given below.
_____________________________________________..

Myth

Presbyterians believe that it is OK to ordain women.

Fact

Some do. But not those within the Presbyterian Church of America. We believe that only qualified men can be ordained as pastors, elders and deacons. This is based on passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-12, 3:1-
13, that show that women are not to be in authority or teach men within the confines of the church.

This is not to put women down. We are not saying that women are not equal with men in their importance to the body of Christ. But it is not their role to fill such positions. This reflects the Triune aspects of God. Whereas it was not all three persons of the Trinity who died on the cross. It was not the role of the Holy Spirit to die on the Cross, but that of Christ's. Therefore, men are to take the leadership role in the church, in all aspects, just as Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5).

http://www.osceolapca.org/mythfact2.htm

It is much easier for them to ordain women to priesthood, for they do not have any sacradotal offices and apostolic succession....still why they refuse.....May be because they follow Bible and not myths orlogic...

It is easy to target Clergy for they would not react..

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:17:00 GMT

Dear Dr. George, Dubai

You wrote "In my childhood people in Kunnamkulam used to say it is easy to get a priest if one just to go to the bazaar some one will be sitting in pan-shop chitchatting. In nineties I could witness priests there riding on 'new horses' with the speed of a wind. Recently I am seeing them in modern cars. When our Lord abundantly give them we must Praise the Lord.

The prayerful saintly fathers some times get the' siddhi' of doing miracles in the name of Jesus, the God. Once they get the sidhi it is their obligation to praise Lord not to cash on it. Disciples used their sidhi to help the needy and never cashed it.

Those who tries to procure cash on it has the example of 'nayaman and leprosy'"

Good words...But just have a witness from a humble servant of God's vineyard who has more than 22 years of service in this church.

After college graduation one reaches seminary for another 5 years there to serve the church in all his heart. But when he comes out of seminary and when he thinks of a marriage life, he will realize then that the church is not going to support him any way (a priest's salary is fixed Rs.2500 by our elaborate system) So after getting out
of the seminary, the deacon would think for a while and comes with a wise decision to join for further studies to get a job in a school or a college as a teacher or a professor. Like any others in our corporate management, the clergy also has to pay the same donation. In his life he has to offer party at least 3 times, when becoming a
deacon, Priest and for marriage. This includes a minimum of Rs.1,50,000. Many think that the party is offered by others or by church...I do not have any experience like this...it was from my family only.

OK...let us take priesthood on en-cashing way. I was in Kerala for 11 years as priest and 11 years in Madras diocese. Because all the "covers" I got from faithful was given to charity, it was always accountable
and when I left India (I have just gone through the books), I understood that the amount I got as cover was less than Rs.20,000. ( all this money had gone to charity only. Also to say I give tithe to my church every month.) In India you would not get a scooter for that amount if it was all saved in an account. If a priest in our church seems to be rich it may be because he may have a job other than priesthood. His Kochamma may also be working. If this is the truth, tell me who has the right in our church to criticize the clergy, if he seems to be rich.

Don't compare the priests coming to middle east to serve the less than 10 congregation in whole of our church. Out of 1500 priests of our church what percentage is this 10 priests are there in the Middle East? In America there is no cover income. All achens are doing some other jobs and making their own livelihood. For instance, our MKK achen is the director of Libraries of one full state here. He gives tithe more than $20000 to his church. I bet no one compete with him in this in his parish. In America there is no centralized salary for priests. It starts from $500 an month. Still you think we are en cashing the priesthood?

As priests we do our best to serve the church. In Philadelphia, we all achens come together in a fellowship and we introduced intercession, meditation and Bible classes. Less than 10% attends these sessions.(We have 250 families here in our area in 3 parishes.). Now you all are telling that the church is not teaching anything. I think you may be aware of Indian Orthodox Herald. We the board of trustees run by our own...till date only one has come forward with a $75 of helping hand, it was from a youth born and brought up here. We spent thousands of Dollars to sustain it for the good of the future generation of our church.The donation button is there on it's bottom. My wife and children used to say me, it is the money for our livelihood.If this is a fact the faithful are really indebted to the clergy of our church by all means.

All the priests when coming out of the seminary learning this, the church is not going to support them, they go for higher studies and live their livelihood. Please stop pelting stones over them, for they don't react.

The lost art of Oration

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:12:00 GMT

Sermon in English:
==================

I think 95% of our Achens in US are able to give a sermon in English. But the point is, less than 20% of the congregation would not be able to catch the message. Then what can the achens do? If every one in the congregation is English speaking people, we will also be comfortable to speak in English. This is not the case with our congregations. Even when, we propose English Qurbana, it is the people resist the move. Then what can the achen do?.

Spiritually moving sermons:
==========================

With the 25 years of my experience in priesthood, I believe that Word of God is Jesus Christ. Many miss the essence that while in liturgy, reading of bible or hearing a sermon, it is Jesus you are receiving. Jesus is Holy and we are unholy. Many attend these with out any preparation. Such people will never get the message. It is true. Come with a humble heart and with much preparation and prayer, I have no doubt, you will receive the message. Only to the needy, the word of God is send. I am talking about a speech you hear somewhere.

In Philadelphia we 3 parishes started Bible class for the faithful. These classes are well prepared. We give handouts also for easy learning. Out of 250 faithful, 25 are attending it. Then we learnt that there is no meaning in giving the class in English. These 25 people are from 8 families. They all know Malayalam well. Then we achens decided to shift the language to Malayalam...Where are the youngsters or the parents of this area...These 8
families come with their children. If the parents were interested the children also would have been there.

All the Achens, if seminary trained, are taught and trained to deliver a sermon. This is not from the book we learned it, but through practice. Every week one class is separated for practice preaching where we preach in front of the whole faculty and thirumenis. That means we practiced preaching, by addressing the theologians of our church. At that time we were taught that if the congregation is prepared to receive a message, God will use the preacher to send a message. Our church teaches that to attend a Qurbana, all the faithful must say the
evening prayer, meditate upon the word of God and to complete the mid night prayer. How many of the faithful are attending Holy Qurbana in such a way? Think about it. Every one take it as easy as going a super market. I say to you, such people will not get anything from the church. People are misguided by the televangelists about spirituality.

Eve also did the same thing. Her blame was on the serpent, when God asked her "did u do this?

Turn to ourselves, correct ourselves and come to church, I guarantee all, you will not miss the message. On seeing our change the children will also follow us indeed. God bless us.

If our Lord Almighty Himself is present in our houses ?

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:07:00 GMT

P. S. Mathew Sharjah wrote "My question to the author is that what will happen if our Lord Almighty Himself is present in our houses ?"

This is what happens when Jesus is present in our house as a guest.

When Jesus entered in to his house as a guest, he felt himself as a sinner and not worthy to stand before the Lord, he wants to cleanse him first to receive Christ "And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore
[him] fourfold.

I bet no one will dare to ask Him for material prosperity, if we meet
Lord personally. and also he declare then saying " For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

We poor sinners always think we could ask God for everything mortal...know that God is not at all interested it ...For Mary was a human being and she was one like us and could feel our feelings and will ask her only Son to do favor is nothing but quite natural. But God is interested in saving your soul.

When we meet God face to face we will renouce the world which is mortal and want to live with him eternally. All other teachings are from the protestant groups, sorry to say.

Read the story

Luke 19:1-10 And [Jesus] entered and passed through Jericho. 2
And, behold, [there was] a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief
among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus
who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of
stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree
to see him: for he was to pass that [way]. 5 And when Jesus came to
the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus,
make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And
when they saw [it], they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be
guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said
unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor;
and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I
restore [him] fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is
salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of
Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost.

"What happens if Jesus is present as a guest"

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:00:00 GMT

Original message: Mr. P.S. Mathew in Digest No- 1116 : "What happens if Jesus is present as a guest" was in reference to the wedding of Canaan & the intercession of Mother Mary?? Please verify- Shirley

I always wonder why most of us had misconceived God as our helper who provides everything we ask. We always think in terms of what is material.

Understand that God has a purpose in sending everyone into this planet like a parent who sends his child into a college hostel. Here we see the purpose is in the mind of the parent. The parent wishes him to be successful in his career and him to come back home earning a first rank. In between the parent provides him money for
his livelihood in these years. We are always like the child , every time look onto his parents for money only and abandoning studies.

But one day or other after the days have completed, the child has to go back to his parent with a degree or not. I don't know whether the parent will provide a house of his own or a car while in school. The money they send is only to help him to meet his needs to complete his studies ...I don't think the child will ask for these immaterial
things, which also will not be the will of his parent. But the child has freedom and free will to study well or not. If he comes back home with a rank, he pleases his parent and the child will taste the fruit of his labor in the rest of his life.

Likewise, we are send here with a purpose and it is to fulfill His will. In between we need our livelihood. This also will be provided. We are all looking for money and God is looking at us for our hard labor to fulfill his will. Today while I was chatting with my brother and my mother (Dubai and Mumbai) my brothers daughter in Mumbai asked her mummy to come online. Though she was talking to her father, she was reluctant on getting her mother on line. Then I heard her pleading her mother for getting a sanction from her father shopping something. I could hear the mother pleading him to get a sanction and finally he agreed by saying, tell her to study hard and these are petty things, though he sanctioned it. This is what the saints do for us. Both Mary and Jesus were attending the wedding at Cana. For Jesus, shortage of wine was not that important. But Mary could feel the pain of the host of the wedding and she pleaded her son to do something. Jesus is more concerned about the persons who are united in that wedding than the feast. I think now it is clear.

Now let us look at Peter who had shared his boat with Jesus.( Luke: 5:1-11) After using Peters boat Jesus told him to cast his net for a good catch. He in turn told Jesus till this time I tried a lot and failed. Jesus insisted and though unwillingly peter obeyed Jesus. He got a good catch. While seeing this Peter understood Jesus as Messiah, he made a confession, "Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man". Like Zacchaeus Peter also understood when he met God in person to change his life. Though Peter got a good catch and thus material
blessings, he left his boat , net and followed Jesus. Why think about it…If meet him really , I have no doubt, we will renounce this world.

Let us take another instance. Peter, Jacob and John in Tabore at the time of the Transfiguration. While they saw the glory of God, they became selfless and said will make 3 tents one for Jesus one for Elijah and one for Moses. They never thought of themselves, became unselfish ...When we meet Jesus in person we will forget about
everything and no one will dare to ask him anything material. I am sure..

We all at first misconceives God like Zacchaeus, and Peter.... Many people interpret Bible like this..

Personal Interpretations: GOD IS NO WHERE
Church's Interpretation : GOD IS NOW HERE

Though the spelling seems to be correct, the message differs...try to hear the church. You will be blessed.
Those led by blinds will be fallen. Because it is tested in the lab of faith of our Church fathers who walked with God and tasted him and conceived Him in the right way.

Do We Celebrate Saint Mary's Birth Day?

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:54:00 GMT

Orthodox Church Observes the Birthday of St.Mary.

Many said that we dont celebrate birthdays. As an early church this is true. But to us we celebrate two persons birthdays other than Lord Jesus Christ. Please See our "Sabha Panchangam-2004"

1) Birth day of John the Baptist and 2) Birth day of St.Mary.

There is a reson behind this celebration as a church.

Because of John the Baptist's birth, Jesus of Nazareth was revealedas the Messiah.

Because of St.Mary's birth, we got salvation.

Now let us talk about why this is not accepted as a canonicallent....

As per the faith of the church, When Qurbana is there, lent can not to be observed.

Why?

Bible teaches us "Manavalan Koode Ullappol Thozhmakkar Upavasikkendathilla"

When we celebrate Qurbana and receive the body and blood of Christ, we have to break the fast. This is why we do not celebrate Qurbana on lenten days.

But many of our churches named after St.Mary, celebrate the birthday of St.Mary for 8 days by celebrating Holy Qurbana. Why? In our experience, if we are not coducting servises in our churches, people will go to any of the Catholic churches or syrian Orthodox churches nearby. Do we have to encourage, the massive flow of our ladies to other faiths? Answer me...But we priests surley announce these facts before strting the celebration. Many listen to us and our faith and dicontinue fasting and observe abstination only. If so what is wrong with celebrating the nativity of St.Mary by attending the Holy Qurbana for 8 days? Intercession to saints is our
fundamental faith. The church never limited it to any particular days.

On lenten days we fast and abstain ourselves from certain food items. But abstination and fasting are two different things.

I am sure none of the authors who all posted articles regarding this, observe any of the the lenten days of the church as instructed by the church. If it was so the devil will not have been in our midst. Remember, It is him, instigates you all to drop the idea of fasting. Once if any one tasted the sweetness of fasting, will never
open his mouth against fasting. Because it is the only weapon given by the Lord to fight against the devil. Only protestants are against
it. We are not.

Dont make a big fuss on this....we have adopted "Thali" from Hindu custom and merged it with our Marriage ritual..Only thing we have done is, we had redefined it. That means.....

ICON 5th Anniversary - Greetings to ICON

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:32:33 GMT

Dear Friends,

Indian Orthodox Herald congratulate the moderators of ICON who workedtirelessly to voice peoples opinion on internet for the last 5 years.

Our Community values your effort.
Read more at
http://www.orthodoxherald.net/nov_05/149.pdf

Fr.Shebaly
Editor In Charge
Indian Orthodox Herald

Peace In the Church

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:19:00 GMT

Let me explain further. Of course, in order to settle the issues, we have to leave many parishes.
OK.. Then what happens to thefaithful in these parishes?

They were there at least for 2 centuries. Their forefathers are buried in these parish cemeteries.Though it is in the name of Malankara Metropolitan, would they be going to allow the Malankara Metropolitan to leave these parishes without any alternatives. In order to give strength to our Malankara Metropolitan to take a bold step on this, we ICON members also have to sacrifice something.

When we give away these parishes to our dear brethren, Syrians, at least 50 parishioners will loose their parishes.

For them, what we are going to sacrifice ? Let us think about it seriously. As we put forward these peace winning suggestions, we must give them at least 10 lakhs each to build another place of worship.

We ICON have a membership of plus 2000. If we could raise $500 each , we will raise a fund of $10,00,000. And then we must ask Chor Episcopos Very. Rev. Samuel P. S to put forward our suggestion to the Managing committee with our resolution.

By sacrificing $500, we will enjoy the fruit of our labor, the longstanding Peace In Our Church.

Though I have no additional job, it will not prevent me to give ICON my portion, I pledge. All agreeing to this, please send their names to the moderators of ICON. Then it will be easy to present our suggestion in the Managing committee. I think no one would disagree with us for winning Peace in Malankara in this way and to end alllitigations currently going on…

LET US LOOSE $500, GAIN PEACE IN OUR CHURCH.

Life after life

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:14:00 GMT

And the Lord God said , "It is not good that man should bealone...." and He made Eve to be a helpmate for him in all his life.(Gen. 2:18)

We all know that family is the greatest and the most beautifulinstitution ever established in the world by our Lord. I feel thatit is the most blessed place of the world, for it is the miniatureform of the paradise or garden of Eden.

There in the paradise, man and his wife worked for God and God tookcare of them in a special way. They were want of nothing in theparadise. Everything was in surplus there.

Along with the man and his wife, animals and birds were also thereto enjoy the garden. They were all well placed to live inharmoniously there in the beautiful garden of God. No anger , nohatred, not selfishness, everything was shared or were common.(This why when Christianity started they practiced sharing ) Lovewas the only known feeling to all of them in that garden.

Man and his wife were naked while they were in the garden. They werenever ashamed of their nakedness. In the paradise nothing was keptcovered in between man and his wife. They were quite comfortable ofthe state of life they lived in .

One day Evil entered into him . He became corrupt. As goodness andevil do not get along, God took them out of the garden for a repairand placed them in a new planet called earth . But God neverforsake him. On the very same day He promised them that, one day Hewill come to save them from their damned state (1). He still lovedthem and knew that man could live in and grow only in paradise.

So God created a miniature paradise and put the man in to it, togrow in perfection. And that is the family. In family alsoeverything is same as in the paradise. Still man and his wife arenot ashamed of their nakedness, everything is common for them, nohatred...no anger....the most known language is love only.

But is that all? We all must understand that we are here for acorrection. We were living in the paradise in harmony with thenature. To learn love, the family is instituted here in thisworld. What we imbibed from a family life is, the selfless love.We have to part that selfless love and concern with our fellowbeings. That is the correction God expects from us.

Help ourselves to get corrected. Help others to get repaired. Oncethis correction is over we become eligible for the paradise onceagain. Until and unless we reach that stage there will be no restfor man. If not get repaired within the given deadline, he will betaken to another correction center. Bible says that this place isHades

(3) So in life after death the soul reaches either in PARADISE or inHADES according to our deeds if one does not get a chance to repentand get cleansed by the blood of Jesus. This is very clear when Jesusspoke to the thief with Him on the cross

(4) We come from the PARADISE and because we are created to fulfill thepurpose of God we must be back in PARADISE. That is our destiny inour life after death. But the final judgment day is different...Onthat day all the dead must return from paradise or hades once moreand stand before the Glory of the SON to give accounts for our life.On that day one will not receieve any mercy from God because thetime for correction is over. According to our deeds we will be takento Heaven or will be thrown to a place with the Satan to the Hell orwhatever you call that place.

All this is recorded in all our liturgies and early churchdocuments....I just quoted Bible only.
+Fr.Shebaly

References1) Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, andthou shalt bruise his heel.

(2) Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, andwent to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep thecommandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (THISIS THE FINAL DESTINY OF THE SERPENT)

(3) 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, thejust for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put todeath in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

(4) Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
_________________________________________________
Thank you Mr. E S John for responding. Can you explain what exactlyis the Orthodox Faith on life after death..

We seldom hear any sermons about Life after death as may be thethought of death itself is scary.Is it " Absent from the Body andPresent with the Lord " as St. paul wrote to Corinthians. Or isthere another area somewhere in the middle where the souls wait for their final judgement day

rgds
ronnie

E S John, Australia wrote:

There is no scientific or definite answer to this question, RonnieDaniel. Blind faith is the only answer. Faith is the assurance ofthings hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb.11: 1). ifyou are curious, read 'The Soul After Death' by Fr. Seraphim Rose orits translation 'Maranashesham' published by Mar BesaliusFoundation. mbecs@ sify.com .

The LOVE on discourse and The LOVE to be practiced

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:12:00 GMT

We are been on a discourse in ICON about `The Love' since MathewSamuel Albany wrote on this. I had seen many opinions on this andmade things more complicated while on writing their perspectives.

Let me tell every one that nothing incomprehensive in it…It is verysimple.

When Jesus Came into the world he taught us the God as our father.Because Adam had received the breath of His breath. We are from Himand we are His children.

As we humans love our children irrespective of their behavior andpattern of their life they choose, Our father in heaven too. Thatdoesn't mean we as fathers never punish our children when they dowrong.This is out of our love towards them to correct them and nothingmore. That had happened in the Garden of Aden too. Before they sentout of the garden he gave the promise to rescue them in thefullness of time.As he promised He did.

When Adam was sent out of the Garden, he was placed in a miniatureparadise "The Family" where he experienced the celestial love. Butfrom the very beginning the serpent intruded to the family andspoiled the divine nature of the family. He put hatred against theLove. Thus Cain and Abel caught victims and still it continues. Thusthe divine love turned into selfish love. Now this prevails onearth.

We are now living in an era of blindness and fail to see ourbrother. Remember God is our father and all humans are our bothersand sisters.

When Jesus came he re taught the whole 10 commandments into 2. Loveyour God (Father) and love your brothers and sisters (neighbor).

Since we are selfish we always fail to see our brothers and onlyfather. Many said to me I am not Jesus to forgive any one who isagainst me. Jesus asked forgiveness for the people who try to killhim not because they were just people, but they were His brothers(as son God) and His children ( as God Himself).Let me explain further. Suppose if our children hurts us any manner,would we forgive them ? Yes we would.. no doubt. Why ? Because weLOVE them and so we could forgive them.

This is the celestial LOVE that we attained from our Heavenlyfather. Worship of God is being ness with the Father. When we say weneed worship to be shortened, we become New Adams to hide fromthe father because of our nakedness of our sins. Even clerics saythat. They may get applause and they will be adored asrevolutionists. But think separation from God is more harmful for usto receive his Grace, Marcy and LOVE.

LOVERS wont complain about the time. They sit together and talk andenjoy each other . They don't want to part. When this LOVE fadesthey abandon each other.. quite natural. Then onwards they tell eachother that they have another appointment or ask the other to finishit over phone.

When our LOVE towards our Father fades we need our worship to beshortened. Understand this. We came naked and we go naked alone. Weare accountable towards our Father. What we are going to say?We had some busy schedules on earth and we missed you over there…
Don't be afraid of being with the father for 3 hours a week and somehours a day. He LOVES you irrespective of what you are and who youare. He could forgive you. He is there to embrace you as his lovingson or daughter. He is rich in everything. The inheritance is yours.The WILL is written on behalf of you. Then why do you worry aboutthe petty things. He will take care of you and bless you more thanbefore. Try it and find it yourself. Then no more you will complainto cut short the worship.

As Fr.MKK wrote in this series : " As we know there are no many Godto judge us. He will indeed look for what is our mission. He willonly look on what we DID than what we SAID".

This is true indeed!!

'Annya Bhasha Varam' or Speaking in Tongues

Shebaly — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:09:00 GMT

To Orthodox Churches, 'Annya Bhasha Varam' or speaking in tongues isnot the same as what the denominational churches propagate.

According to them some sounds made by them is taught as Annya Bhasha.

Annya Bhasha means a different language which is not fully known to men like us. It is the Godly language.

LOVE is the only language of God. If anyone speaks this language, irrespective the nationality, all people will understand what you speak.

We always speak the language of hatred and it may not communicate well.

People who claim that they have the gift of speaking in tongues,will have that love in all their deeds too. Such people never criticize anyone.

Our late Mylapra Rambachen had this gift. Everyone could understand when he spoke in tongues.

His language was LOVEand in his deeds too, it was reflecting.

Our Church always encourage our faithful to this Annya Bhasha of LOVE... But how many of us have this gift, including me...Hope one day we will receive it.