1

2

Table of Contents Message from Diocesan Episcopa .............................. 3

Letter ......................................................................... 5

Editorial ..................................................................... 7

Felicitation ................................................................. 9

Silver Jubilee Felicitation ........................................ 9

Harmony Through Arts ............................................. 10

Qurbana Liturgy, Part-2 ............................................ 12

MAR ATHANASIUS, MAR THEODOSIUS, MAR

COORILOS TWENTYFIVE YEARS IN EPISCOPACY OF

THE MAR THOMA CHURCH .................................. 15

............... 18

Episcopal Ministry- A Sacramental Representation

of Jesus Christ ...................................................... 24

History ..................................................................... 27

The Origins of the Mar Thoma Church in London:

The Early History (1957-1960). ............................. 27

News ....................................................................... 28

Sabha Directory-2015-Released ........................... 28

New report is wake up call for rural mission ......... 30

Brutal murder of Coptic Christians in Libya ........... 31

ASHA BHAVAN ..................................................... 32

33rd Mar Thoma Family Conference...................... 34

Go out into Eastville and preach the good news ... 36

A Day of Fellowship and Harmony ........................ 37

Condolences ........................................................ 39

First woman bishop ordained in the Church of

England ................................................................ 39

Youth Conference Article ..................................... 40

ECHO Garden ........................................................... 42

~ - Separated - ~ ................................................... 42

April Edition Vol 2 No.1

Cover Page Design : Revd: Jose Punamadam

For private circulation only

Disclaimer: The views published in this journal are

those of its authors. Editors or the COMPE do not

endorse the contents or views expressed and they are

not liable for the contents or views in any form.

The COMPE Executive Committee

President: The Rt.Revd. Dr.GeeVarghese Mar Theodosius

Vice President : Revd.Dr. Thomas Philips

Secretary: Mr.P.M.Mathew

Treasurer : Mr.Jaffey Chacko

Editorial Board of the Mar Thoma Echo

Editorial Director : Dr. Zac Varghese

Cheif Editor : Revd: Jose Punamadam

Mr. Sherry Mathews

Mr. Oommen Abraham

Mrs. Geena Ajay

3

Message from Diocesan

Episcopa Harmony

The present issue of ECHO is focussing on the

topic, Harmony. It is in the disharmony of life, we

begin to understand the importance of harmony;

the blackness of discord brings out the whiteness

of the beauty and purity of harmonious living. We

often need this contrast to appreciate things in

life. Our dependence on mere material existence

is temporary and troublesome because of an

existential disharmony: human beings tend to

neglect the spiritual dimension of their lives and

focus only on material ambitions and

achievements. This imbalance stunts their ability

to appreciate the fullness of life. The resulting

dissatisfaction appears individually as stress,

depression, anxiety, irritability, and so on, and

socially as disunity, violence, and war. This

disharmony is much evident in the modern

culture. Harmony is a theme we never think of

seriously, but conductors and choir masters strive

very hard to achieve harmony, and try to achieve

this by continued training and asking members of

their orchestras to listen to each other; they even

tone down one voice or instrument to give

emphasis for another. This giving and sharing is

part of a beautiful harmonious life. Each of us

carries a music of life within us, and we need to

find a harmony to live together to create a

glorious harmony to give glory to God and

become members of the heavenly orchestra.

We are all concerned about the future growth of

the Mar Thoma Church in Europe. The

publication of the Mar Thoma Echo is part of this

concern and an initiative. A church community

needs organisations, but there is always a danger

that organisations or projects take over and

become end in itself rather than facilitating the

founding vision. Fortunately, we are blessed to be

a community w ith many God-given talents,

temperaments and approaches that tend to

complement each other for the benefit, work and

vision we are all committed to. Church is the body

of Christ and Christ is the head. St. Paul in writing

to the church at Corinth is speaking about the

body with many organs 1Cor. 12. He goes on

saying that love binds and brings harmony. My

sense after 25 years as a bishop is that we are still

a Mar Thoma community first and an

organisation second. Thus recommitment to the

original vision of being a Christian community

would help us to avoid disharmony in our daily

encounters. Think globally and the act locally. We

purposes for us and our actions.

Sri Aurobindo said that all problems of existence

are essentially problems of harmony. We need the

art of living. If we look across the spectrum of life

and existence we can see that all problems can be

solved by creating higher degrees of harmony. We

can view any situation where there is a problem

and see how creating a greater degree of harmony

between the parties involved can solve the

problem. If you examine any crisis, one can see

that problems can be resolved by bringing about

greater coordination, cooperation, and

collaboration by bringing differing values and

attitudes into the same line among the

4

participants . By bringing greater harmony

between the different aspects of his or her being,

problems can be solved. The ultimate harmonies

are spiritual in nature. God created one world

with different creations. We call that oneness,

unity of mind and purpose. Harmo ny does not

mean to compromise. It means to use a higher

understanding under the guidance of the Holy

Spirit to find a true reconciliation between the

opposites.

Of course growth in any human activity needs

form, purpose, and discipline or it can become

chaotic. When we hear different voices in a

community we often have a longing for harmony.

We need to develop an accommodative sense of a

community like in an orchestra, listening to the

demands of the conductor for bringing the beauty

and melody of a piece of music. The eighteenth-

century puritan pastor Jonathan Edwards wrote a

great deal about the supreme harmony of

Trinity. In the Trinitarian relationship of the

Godhead, we see the ultimate reality of the unity

in the diversity. The period of Lent and Easter

experiences give us a sense of the love that flows

and binds this Trinitarian relationship.

Easter provides us with a sense of hope amid the

shifting patterns of our lives from which to reflect

what lies beyond. In this insight we see how birth

and death are linked. The resurrection story does

not end with the appearances of Jesus to the

disciples alone or elected few after his death. The

real resurrection is the passing beyond the world

altogether and returning; it is a passage beyond

space and time to the eternal. Jesus passed into

that harmony of the Trinitarian living. It is into

that communion we are invited to enter by our

harmonious Christian living by living out the

Gospel in our everyday life. St.Peter

writes , harmony with

one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be

compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil

with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,

because to this you were called so that you may

inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3; 8-9). Silence is the

most significant harmonious moment in our lives

and it is in silence we know our God and

experience His unconditional love. May the grace

of God help you all to find that heavenly peace

and harmony in all seasons of life.

Wish everyone a happy and meaningful Easter.

Mar Theodosius+

5

ARCHBISHOP

OF CANTERBURY

Ecumenical Easter Letter

The risen Saviour, our Lord of life, shines

upon you! Let

These words of triumph are sung out across

churches as Easter dawns. For centuries such

sounds of joy at the Easter festival have echoed

and continue to echo around the globe in a

multitude of different tongues an d cultural

contexts, making a deep impact on the lives of

Christians and Churches. With the confession of

Jesus having conquered death we proclaim that

we have been raised to new life in him.

In the 15th chapter of the First Letter to the

Corinthian Chris tians St Paul couples the

resurrection of Christ with confidence in the

clearly states that the resurrection of Christ is a

beginning, and that the hope of our own

resurrection can only be in Christ. He argues; if

the dead are not raised, then Christ is not raised;

and if Christ has not been raised, then his

proclamation is empty and our faith is in vain.

Having laid out all the arguments that would

dispose of the Christian claim to the risen Christ,

he continues But in fact Christ has been

raised from the dead, the first fruits of

This is the

faith that is also proclaimed in the Byzantine

opening to the Easter Liturgy and which has been

the confession of Christians down the ages.

The resurrection of Christ is the great hope, not

only for each of us individually, but also for

- a world in which violence

and violation of human rights describe the day to

day context of people in many parts; a world in

which mor al and spiritual values often seem

hopelessly inadequate against the forces of self-

seeking gain in every sphere of life. It is also a

world in which our brother and sister Christians

are still a beleaguered and even persecuted

community in many places, as they have been at

different times and places in history. We continue

to remember the suffering Christians in the

Middle East. This year our remembrance is also

focussed particularly on the Armenian people who

a century ago were driven to their death and into

exile because they were Christians.

6

It is into this world that the message of the

Church at Easter remains constant over the

centuries, proclaiming in the midst of

hopelessness the hope of Christ, triumphant

beyond death and the powers of evil; living and

life giving amongst us.

In this resurrection faith we follow the saints and

martyrs throughout the ages who have

proclaimed the Risen Christ as their Lord and

Saviour, who believe that in Christ there is

abundant life and that death and suffering will

not have the final say. The Easter faith

strengthens us with the hope in life, here and now

and in the world to come. This hope is not an

illusion, which turns out to be empty; rather, it is

the tested cantus firm us over the ages for all

Christians. Beyond human imagination, the

power of the resurrection overcomes disparate,

conflict -laden and destructive forces. We are

n confidence

and obedience to Christ to bring healing and

reconciliation.

ever closer bonds of Christian fellowship with one

another the saints in the here and now - to seek

greater unity and work together with Christ, as his

Body, in the newness of life already begun by him.

It is in this spirit that I greet you with this letter. I

will continue to pray that the hope and joy of the

resurrected Christ will deeply move our hearts

and souls, that it wil l heal relationships between

individuals, communities and nations, and that it

will banish fear, overcome suffering, broker peace

and bring reconciliation.

I close with the Song of Zechariah (Luke 1:78):

on high will break upon us, to give light to those

that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

I embrace you with brotherly love in the Risen

Christ.

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby

Archbishop of Canterbury

Easter 2015

7

Editorial

brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil

on the head, running down on the beard, on the

beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his

robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on

the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has

133:1-3].

By the grace of God, we are happy to offer the

third issue of the Mar Thoma ECHO with the

theme, Harmony, which is based on the third

ECHO was

born with a purpose; the purpose that God has

placed within you and me. As a diaspora

community, it is imperative that we need to be

ENGAGED, effectively COMMUNICATED and

live in HARMONY where Son of God placed us.

English via Old French from Latin harmonia

and from Greek from

harmos

Since God has placed us in a functional unit called

society, it's vital to be in harmony with good

things and disharmonious with unnecessary

things. Hence let us ask God for discernment to

make the right choices.

beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,

humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with

one another and, if one has a complaint against

another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has

forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above

all these put on love, which binds everything

-

14].

God's word reminds us to live in harmony with

one another, not to be proud and conceited, but

willing to be associated with people of low

position. Often the beginning point of all

harmonious relations is reconciliation and

forgiveness. Reconciliation requires

acknowledging that a difference exists and it must

be based on reality. It is followed by forgiveness

[Ephesians 4:31-32], love [1 John 4:18], unity [1

Corinthians 1:10], endurance and encouragement

[Romans 15:4-5].

Listening to Rev. Canon J. John over the weekend

speaking on effective evangelism, the importance

of our calling as evangelists or missionaries was

thoroughly impressed. As he has rightly said 'A

missionary is not someone who crosses the sea,

but someone who sees the Cross.' We, as a called

out community, are people who sees the Cross

and renew our relation with our Creator every

day; thus evangelism starts with harmony

between God and man, starting from our home. It

is an agreement and joining between man and

God.

This had been man's destiny from the first. But

Scripture tells us more: God could entrust man

with such a high calling because He had created

humankind in His own image and likeness. The

8

external responsibility was not committed to him

without the inner fitness. The root of man's inner

resemblance to God was in his nature to have

dominion, to be lord of all. There was an inner

agreement and harmony between God and man,

an embryonic Godlikeness, which gave man a real

fitness for being the mediator between God and

His world.

As it is crucial for a country to stand united, so it's

true for families and churches. Studies have

proved that population has a greater impact on

harmony than either wealth or political system. In

most of the cases, the global indicators such as

freedom, wealth and happiness determines the

harmoniousness but fail to acknowledge the

importance of rich and diverse social relations for

well being.

If family can be defined as the primary social unit

in society comprising of parents and their

children, it's crucial that there's harmony between

the members. Or else it will be dysfunctional. We

are called into fellowship with one anot her, in the

same way God has called us to be in fellowship

with His son Jesus Christ. Eventually that perfect

harmony will bring glory to God and will be a

reflection of the image of Christ and we live by the

power of the Holy Spirit.

As apostle Paul writes in Ephesians, we are

members of one body, the universal church of

God, 'being fellow citizens with God's people and

members of God's household, built on the

foundation of the apostles, and prophets, with

Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. In Christ

the whole building is joined together and rises to

become a holy temple in the Lord'. Church is thus

not merely a place, but it's a people, God's people

in Jesus Christ our Lord. The gospel of Christ is

displayed in church when His people commit to

love, serve and forgive each other, striving to

bring harmony and peace, bringing glory to His

name.

Fellow believers, as we identify with the passion,

crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

our Lord and Saviour, let us fix our gaze upon that

heavenly calling set upon our hearts by the

working of His Holy Spirit, bring into fruition the

vision that God has planted in us, living joyfully,

victoriously and harmoniously with each other to

bring His Kingdom upon earth. As we together

pray, Father let Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be

done, here on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

We take this opportunity to wish you all a very

happy Easter.

The Editorial Board

9

Felicitation

The Rt. Revd. Dr. Geevarghese Mar

Theodosius

Silver Jubilee Felicitation

Silver jubilee is a time for reflections and giving

thanks to God for the way God guided Thirumeni

Diocese of North America and Europe is very

grateful to Thirumeni for the way he guided and

blessed us over the last six years. His regular visits

and pastoral letters helped the whole community

in various developments. We, in Europe,

particularly thank him for creating and nurturing

the Council of the Mar Thoma Parishes in Europe

(COMPE). He was also very thoughtful in

young boys and girls to fully participate in our

worship service. This helps them to develop a

liturgical lifestyle from such a young age.

Thirumeni has been constantly reminding us of

the need for a regional mission project as well.

Theodosius Thirumeni entered the Episcopal

ministry in 1989. His doctoral Thesis based on the

life of Sri Narayana Guru and the spiritual life of

Eezhava community was the beginning of his

scholastic pursuits and commitment to the

development of the marginalised people; this

again is evident in the projects he initiated for the

mentally handicapped and AID S victims in the

Trivandrum Diocese. Thirumeni cont inues to give

leadership for the mission programme in Mexico

and for the Amerindians of North

America. Thirumeni is a disciplinarian and has

great respect for the constitutional formularies of

the church for the diocesan administration.

Although Thirumen

York, he is always available to help us with his

advice through digital and other forms of

communication. He is intimately involved with all

aspects of our life in Europe; he is a true shepherd

and a model bishop. His messages are constantly

available to us through various publications of the

diocese. We particularly thank Thirumeni for his

vision to start a regional on line journal, Echo, in

2014. His diocese extends over North America,

Canada and Europe and therefore, one wonders

how he finds time for catching up will all spiritual

and administrative needs of this vast diocese. We

are sure that the imaginative and prophetic

leadership of Theodosius Thirumeni would help

the Mar Thoma Christians in Europe to equip

themselves fo

ecumenical relationship with other churches for

spreading kingdom values.

We pray to our Lord and our God to give

Thirumeni very good health to continue his

ministry for spreading the good news. We also

offer thanks to God for the life and ministry of the

Rt. Revd Geevarghese Mar Athanasius and the Rt.

Revd Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos.

For The Mar Thoma ECHO Community

London, April, 2015.

10

Harmony Through Arts

Rev.Dr.M.J.Joseph,Devalokam

Aristotle has rightly the ultimate value

of life depends upon AWARENESS AND THE

POWER OF CONTEMPLATION RATHER THAN

MERE SURVIVAL . For this, poetry, paintings,

architecture, music, dance and even the formation

of clouds on the horizon are important and they

form the very texts for human survival.

The word,

-fitting together of parts so as to form a

connected whole. The parts need not be of the

same stature. The possibility of plurality is

envisaged in the very concept of harmony. For

Manava Maithri, we need to create strong social

bonds through love. Love does not consist in

gazing at each other, but looking outward

together in the same direction. I would say that

art-whether poetry, music, painting, sculpture,

dance or other forms serve a purpose if people

look outward together in the same direction. In

Eph 2:10, St. Paul speaks of Christians as

of God. The Greek word poiema could

be translated as creation, composition, poem etc.

In the Jerusalem Bible, it is rendered we are

of

human beings by God in the plan of salvation!

Art for social transformation

We are meant to reflect the harmony of the art of

living through our lives. A flower that is kept in a

vase speaks to us volumes. The orderliness and

the fragrance of a flower are supposed to create

poems within us! They are meant to create

harmony within us. In the holistic understan ding

of health, sickness is disharmony within the body.

In the sphere of health, the mind, body and spirit

are interconnected and they need to be in

Soukya (well -

being).

its meaning i

Our objective is to achieve a state of integration

and comprehension and even convergence in

individual and social relationships. We need to

ask ourselves whether this purpose is served.

What harm is there if we worship God in a church

building in the form of a temple structure.? Why

do we ascribe sanctity to the Gothic structure of

the medieval period? The artists have to play a

prophetic role in social transformation. In the

Indian aesthetics, all forms of arts -performing as

well as visual-are complementary. They have only

one goal-i.e.to create physical, social and psychic

harmony in the vast arena of life. What is required

is to imbibe the spirit of harmony in our lives as

spirituality for individual and social rene wal.

Interdependence for communication and

communion

Truth, beauty and orderliness are divine

attributes which are communicated through art

forms. The world is the household (oikos) of God

which rests upon relationships . The

to exist. The very talk of man and nature requires