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