Shunoyo Lent Day 5

 Θεοτοκος ἐν Λειτουργιᾳ   

(Meditating Holy Theotokos through the Divine Liturgy)

English Translation

Mary carried Christ on her knees and gave pure milk to Him, who nourishes all things. She wrapped Him in swaddling bands and laid Him in a manger, who united His Godhead with our humanity. 

Hymn

Mashihaye mariyam muttinmelenthi

Sthanyam vimalam sakalajagath poshakaneki

Daivathodu narane yojipichone

Vachu keerathuni chutti paazhpulkoottil 

(Kolo, Sheema Thursday Evening Prayer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ 

"Sthanyam vimalam sakalajagath poshakaneki"

(Gave pure milk to Him, who nourishes all things)

St. Augustine says about Virgin Mary - "Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore. She ruled our Ruler; she carried Him in whom we are; she gave milk to our Bread." A similar Hymn we sing is - "He who makes rain pour from clouds and sprinkles earth with showers; Was nursed with the drops of milk from the breast of the Virgin. And wonder filled His mother when she bore and carried Him" (Kolo, Sheema Thursday Morning Prayer). How awe-inspiring and wondrous is this expression! The one who nourishes all things is lying on the knees of Mary. The one who is from the beginning of eternity, willed to have a beginning, being nursed like an infant. The mother's milk is the most essential feed for an infant. When the Divine sucked from the breast of Mary, He was nourished with the purest milk of the most pious and humble person on earth. We all partake in the altar of mysteries of our Lord! We have the privilege of receiving the Holy Body of Christ! But, how do we nourish the mysteries received? Do we nourish it with pure minds and soul, to grow more in Divine likeness or do we neglect this privilege off vain pursuit? It is interesting to note a contrast at this point. Remember, when Mary chose to nourish the wondrous infant giving Him purest milk, there was another person looking strenuously to execute this wondrous infant. It was the ruling King Herod! In his pursuit of power, kingship, he issued a decree to kill all the infants of 2 years and below. Every good or evil we receive or assume is in a seed form, in an infant state. It is our spiritual discernment to nourish the good with pure mind and soul and at the same time slaughter all the evil in its infant state. For the psalmist also says, "Happy shall they be who take your little ones (infants) and dash them against the rock!" (Psalm 137:9). Which means, our sins, when they are in very infant state, should be dashed against the rock or be executed. Whereas, the goodness we receive should be nourished all the times. May the intercession of most holy Theotokos help us to find God's favour that we may nourish and grow the Holy Mysteries we receive. May God bless us. 

Prayers and Regards - Dn. Jipson Thomas

Shunoyo Lent Day 4

 Hymn

Swargapuratheenn eerenaam doothan-preshithanay

Nasrayapuriyil daaveedin-suthavaazhvezhuvol

Than savidhathil-shanthi pradamaam sandesham

Chonnanevam-naadhan ninnil prathama suthan

Ninniludicheedum-mashiha 

avalil udhichoru devesha-krupa chaiyyenam.

(Kolo, Sheema Thursday Evening Prayer)

     English Translation

A watcher (angel) was sent from the palace of heaven, to the daughter of David in Nazareth of Galilee. He brought a message of peace and announced- The Lord is with you, the First-born from the Father. O Christ God, who manifested from her, have mercy on us.

 

 

 

 

 

Θεοτοκος ἐν Λειτουργιᾳ

(Meditating Holy Theotokos through the Divine Liturgy)

 

"Naadhan than prathama Suthan...Avalil udhichoru Deveshan"

(The First born of the Father...the God who manifested from her)

 

The Syriac word used in the hymn for "manifestation" is "danho" which is synonymic to the phrases 'take birth', 'come forth' etc. One of the similar feasts which we celebrate is "Danaha Perunaal". It means "udayam", "Theophany" - manifestation of God. The three persons of the Godhead were manifested in River Jordan. One of the events in which Jesus' Divinity manifested to the world was His Baptism. The invisible Father Himself (as a voice from Heaven) said- "This is my Son" (Matt 3:17). It is this First-born, the only begotten Son of God, who came forth/manifested/took birth in flesh from Mary. The first ever manifestation of the Divine perfectly unified with human form (morphe) was through Mary. Though this remains an unparalleled, incomparable account in the human history, it has got a great spiritual message to be imbibed in our ongoing life. Mary's entire life until the conception of the Logos was a divine preparatory life (what we call as Thuyobo in Syriac). All of her preparatory life culminated in the promise of Divine manifestation! She prepared and devoted her life to conceive the First-born God! Today, how do we prepare our life? What do we manifest from our life? It is quite interesting to note- The angel said to her, "the Lord is with you". And it is because of Mary we have today Emmanuel, "the Lord with us". The Lord has abundantly blessed each one of you so far in your life ("The Lord is with you"). But are we able to channelize, pass on these blessings to others ("The Lord with us")? Let us make our life a Thuyobo to receive the First-born God and manifest Him to this world through us. May God bless us. 

Prayers and Regards - Dn. Jipson Thomas

Shunoyo Lent Day 3

Θεοτοκος ἐν Λειτουργιᾳ

(Meditating Holy Theotokos through the Divine Liturgy)

 

Hymn 

Paarin maarge jeevan choriyum Shoshappaye

Prarthanaye nee Daiva samakshath-arpichalum

(Bovuso of Mar Jacob, Sheema Tuesday Ratri Namaskaram)  

English Translation 

May that veil, which shed life on the pathway of earth, intercede and offer prayers before God.

 

 

"Jeevan choriyum Shoshappaye!"

(The veil which shed life)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Syriac Liturgy, Mary is quite often metaphorized as veil, with different contexts. Here, Mar Jacob calls her the veil which shed life on the pathway of earth. We know, a veil is used to hide and/or reveal something. So what was hidden and revealed through Mary? The only begotten Son of God, the Logos about which the prophets spoke was hidden or was a transcending reality for the human creation. But the moment He took flesh from Mary he became a tangible, communicable Messiah of the entire human race. So, through Mary was revealed the Divine dispenser of 'life' or more precisely the 'eternal life' to the world. Every human born is a sojourner and this world is the pathway. Through our life on earth we are sojourning or setting a pilgrimage to the state transcending time and space. And to spiritually envisage this pilgrim, we are prototyped by God-incarnate, who led and laid his life for us. It is this 'Life' which Mary revealed to the world! So what's the message we shall assimilate from Mary the veil who revealed life on the pathway of earth? Every individual exhibits in some way what is intrinsic to his/her being. That is, we all have within us a core being, our hearts wherein all thoughts and emotions take birth. If only we are integrated with our mind, body and soul, we would be able to reveal or shed forth a spiritual life. So on this pilgrimage of life, what are we exhibiting or revealing through us? Is it a Gospel legacy, or a self-deceiving, disintegrated life? It is only when our core becomes a heaven, we could shed forth treasures envisaging 'Life', the Christ! "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21). St. Paul also reminds us, 

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us....We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body." (2 Cor 4:3-7,10,11)

As Mary created a heart of heaven and revealed the Treasury of Life to the world, let us seek her intercession that God may transform our hearts to unveil the treasures of eternal life to this world. May God bless us.

Prayers and Regards - Dn. Jipson Thomas

Shunoyo Lent Day 2

 

Θεοτοκος ἐν Λειτουργιᾳ

(Meditating Holy Theotokos through the Divine Liturgy)

 

 

 

Hymn

 

Kanye munfalamayole

Rakshekk uravidam aayole

Ekaathmajanod arthikka

Njangalil aardratha thoneedan

(Kolo, Sheema Namaskaram, Saturday Evening)

English translation

O virgin, who was the source from whom life (salvation) was transmitted, beseech and implore your Son, that He have mercy on us.

 

“Rakshekk uravidam aayole”

(The one who became the source of salvation)

In Orthodoxy, St. Mary is given the most significant, first place in the Divine council of saints. In precised ecclesiological understanding, the term 'saints' refers to the persons who led a pious life witnessing the Truth, the Word Incarnate, the Messiah- Jesus Christ. That is why in the Holy Eucharist, when we offer Thubden prayers, we remember only the saints who witnessed and showed us through their life and teachings about the Messiah. It does not mean those before the birth of Messiah are not saints. They are occasionally remembered through kukliyon incensory prayers. So, in this Divine council, St. Mary is attributed as the queen of saints! Why do our Church venerate St. Mary as the queen of saints? Our today's hymn is an answer very much applicable to this. The Syriac Fathers sing and exclaim- "she is the source of salvation!" Though, the syriac word used here is "haaye", which means 'life', this word rarely, when used as plural with a verb, means salvation. Either usage is right. Well, Mary becomes source because it is through her, the potential of the salvation of fallen human kind was fulfilled. Because, the Divine needed the human faculties to make the salvation possible. In the Divine plan of salvation, the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection were prime events (bodily) to defeat the sin or the death! And for that, God assumed the human faculties from St. Mary to save the entire human race. In other words, for God to act in the saving history of humankind, He willed to assume the human faculties first. So the salvific act begun with choosing the most humble human! Let us take an example for better understanding. The act of writing a new content is a good example. You first need to comprehend the thoughts in mind. It is the thoughts which finally at some point becomes an action of writing and finally a write-up. There are certain human faculties involved in this act. The first thing is comprehension in mind, which follows certain arm mechanism and skills to produce into something. Likewise, St. Mary is the source through which God assumed the human faculties to bring salvation to the humankind. This choice of God should never be belittled. Because, all the accounts about St. Mary, mentioned in the Holy Bible teaches us to bless her memory the most! It is not mere a human act of venerating, but a veneration truly inspired by the Holy Spirit! Remember, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed seeing Mary- "Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my LORD comes to me?" That is, the title "Mother of the LORD" or Theotokos, is Holy Spirit inspired! That's why the Church gives her first position among the saints and exclaims in awe that the Mother of the LORD is the source of salvation! Even the public service of the Holy Qurbana begins with Priest saying- "Ninne prasavicha Mariyamum, Ninne Mamodeesa nalkiya Yohannanum, njangalkk vendi Ninnod apekshikkum..." May the intercession of St. Mary be a strong refuge for the salvation of God's own creation! May God bless us.

Prayers and Regards - Dn. Jipson Thomas