Can we reveal assets and educational qualifications of our Sabha Managing committee.. ?

Some true and uncomfortable questions ..

Are we having the right people to lead the Malankara Orthodox Church into the new century ?? This is a very pertinent question being raised by all sensible and concerned people in the church today, across ages, geographies and timezones. With the goings on in our sister churches, it is all the more important that we choose the right educated people to lead us into the future, lest we fall into the same morass which befell them.

I know I will be cold shouldered here because of many vested interests .. But still I should not have the guilt when my grandchildren ask me, why I never tried my level best to save the Malankara Orthodox church from the vultures .. We cannot forget the simple fact that the Malankara Orthodox church has a great following of 35 lakh believers from the middle class and upper middle class of Indian society.

To increase the level of confidence of the believers in the church, we need to do some basic exercises aimed at improving the transparency of administration.

Point 1: Will the Sabha Managing committee or the church take the initiative to come out with the assets and educational qualifications of the Malankara Sabha Managing Commmittee members ?

It will be a great service to the believers of the Malankara Orthodox church and will be a bold exe rcise in openness of the church and its laity..

Point 2 : There are a lot of questions being asked whether private vested interests are ruling over common societal interests. Among the youngsters this is a bit muted now but will morph into a roar at the right time, by when things may go out of control.

Point 3: We need to introspect, are we really going after building the church in its purest sense, serving the poor or as is the rest of the world, swimming with the tide and make as much physical assets and bank deposits, make hay while the sun shines, black or white, as time permits. I know of a very prosperous Orthodox church in central Kerala, where about Rs 50 lakhs, collection from the believers, was just floating for meeting daily expenses without either being put in a fixed deposit or dispensed to the needy... They have sumptuous lunch and breakfast on important church festival days and kanji/gruel on lent days, but no help for the needy community .. Where are we heading to ?

Point 4  : There are many instances where church money has been squandered away by some smart contractors / priests, putting up a pious face with the High priests and buttering them. Do we have enough of checks and balances to ensure that such events do not recur and church funds are not misused ..?

Are we after real estate as the Catholic church did and is now facing charges of paedophile priests and what not .. ?

Point 5 :When we go back for the final appraisal of our acts of commission and omission in front of God, will these acts of acquiring real estate and bank deposits find a special mention??  as do acts of kindness and piety at helping the less-fortunate members of our society, irrespective of caste, colour, creed or belief ..

There are believers and a small minority of priests who are pained at these recent developments, but they have been silenced or prefer silence to action as the vested interests are a strong mafia which even the Priests cannot fathom or act against.

Point 6 : It is highly possible that no action will come out of this concern expressed by a small believer sitting in some part of the country, because the rot is so deep. But if this can stir the conscience and minds of some of the believers and permit a level of decency, self-discipline, spirit of questioning and self control in the church and its leaders, that will be a great success indeed ...

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It is a matter of great pride that our Treasurer from Laity, Muthootu George is  the new entrant to the billionnaire club of the world of 2012, 55 th from India and the second from Kerala after Kris Gopalakrishnan of Infosys. ( Don't ask me how the money was made..). In God's  presence what matters ?? Even after two thousand years of Jesus and the teachings from the Holy Bible, we revere tax and money collectors !!

Materialism has crept into our church like a cancer and is eating the very roots of spirituality and hitting at the foundation of the church. Why ? Because of materialistic people and businessmen, devoid of much learning and education, sitting in these managing committees, by nomination by the High Priests .. Their aim is to see a strong, materialistic church, not a spiritually strong one.. The very existence of this great church is doubtful as the foundation is getting eroded day by day ..

The aim of this exercise is to understand whether we have the right leaders from laity, honest and pious, not practicing politics in the committee, willing to put up with dissent and questioning, with real intention to see that we remain the same spiritual church our forefathers for generations toiled for and not a materialistic one..

Though I am not optimistic that this will find a common chord with the people who matter, I am reminded of this quote ..  

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed  - Theodore Roosevelt.

Luke 21: 1- 4 says,

[21:1] As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. [2] He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. [3] "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. [4] All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

Faith or (black) money, which has true relevance in our church ?

Let us not squander a great cultural and spiritual heritage which we have inherited over twenty centuries ..

I am reminded of the words of the late Geevarghese Mar Osthathios Thirumeni of Niranam, " Pattu vasthram dharichone, shubhra vasthra dhaariye, Laasarine marakkalle, Laasarine marakkalle .. "

Peace be unto you all !!

george..

The diff in presumptions between Catholics and Orthodox Christians as regards worship and service ....

I wanted to pen these thoughts for a long time, but somehow did not do it. Finally at some point it has to be done, let me relieve myself of the guilt of not doing it. The reference here is to the Indian Orthodox Christians in India ..

The Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Protestants  are the three main dominant Christian groups of the world and share the same lineage and genealogy for more than one thousand to one thousand five hundred years, and their basic beliefs and practices differ on some theological assumptions. Keeping them aside, in the sphere of spirituality and social service how these groups vie, collaborate or compete with each other is an important element which any Christian would be interested in knowing.

My present inquiry through this article is to throw some light on this aspect which interests the youngsters of today .. Some of these points ( from a layman's perspective) are  : ( these points came up in my discussions with a senior Cor Episcopa on 2 Sept, 2012) 

1. Stress on spirituality :  Orthodox believe in spirituality, worship, sanctity in the faith and total commitment, more than service, while Catholics give more importance to service than spiritualisation of the believers. True Christianity is not just spirituality, it should be a right mix of spirituality and service for the less fortunate sections of society. 

I am reminded of the saying  "An ounce of action is more heavier than a tonne of speech ". Does self-piety have a role to play here ?

2. Separate groups of priests for parish service and social service : The Catholics have different groups of priests who look to satisfy the needs of the believers, the parish priests and a different group to look after the great service they do to the society. These priests and nuns are not involved in any parish activity. For orthodox priests, there is no such classification. The same priests who are given the responsibility of managing the spiritual needs of the parish people also have to attend to other administrative and social service activities, if any are undertaken. 

3. Involvement of laity in all activities : Social service activities are undertaken by Catholic priests with great vigour and enthusiasm as they have less of interference from the laity, while for Orthodox, the system is more democratic, decisions are taken by consensus and hence, all such social service actions involve the laity too and they are vetoed down or run down by these same laity members. And some among us the laity are an INCORRIGIBLE LOT .. While the respectful and conscientious keep away from holding office out of modesty, not  indulging in issues and conflicts, the "nouveau riche" and those yearning for some or any sort of recognition, adorn committees, act irresponsibly causing undue hardship to everyone !

Some among the laity seem to forget the following biblical verses :  "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."   Mark 10:43-45 (NIV)

4. Availability of time with unmarried priests : Provision for unmarried and Married priests in Orthodox faith  compared to only unmarried priests in Catholic faith, speaks a lot about the time and commitment Catholic priests are able to give to any venture in comparison to Orthodox priests. Protestant priests also have a similar problem regarding time and commitment as they also have the provision to marry or remain single.

While I also agree with the fact that faith and spiritually are important for doing true service, I do not think Orthodox Christians believe it to be true the other way round, that service is a must for true faith and belief. (Mother Teresa was a living example..) Even after having so much of spirituality in them, the Orthodox Christians are yet to make a presence in the service sphere for the downtrodden in society. All communities do have committed people doing it anyway, not generalising !! The name of the Orthodox Metropolitan, Late HG Geevarghese Mar Osthathios of the Niranom Diocese of the Orthodox Church, who during his lifetime. not being interested in power and positions within the church, was instrumental in starting  at least 15-20 social service organisations in the service sector, needs to be specially mentioned as a one off case ..

Even the Protestant Christians, the break away group from Catholics in 1500 AD, also only have a very nominal presence in the service field, in India, like St Stephens College, Delhi, Bishop Cotton school in Bangalore, Bombay Scottish in Mumbai and others. The problem with the new, aggressive born-again faiths, triggered by US dollars and Euros, are that they are more interested in finding a comfortable, firm place  in society and a firm source of revenue for themselves, than doing any service outside their fold.

The tragedy is that the more recent TV evangelists like Thangu, Dinakaran and Co., KP Yohannan,  MY Yohannan and the likes, have no interest in service of society than making a quick buck while the sun shines !! True spiritual entrepreneurs to the core !! Though they have been able to give some solace to a society running mad after material, worldly pleasures ..

It is an undeniable fact that Catholics are doing great, silent, yeomen service for the downtrodden in society and for promoting healthcare and education, across the country more than any other community for the past several decades, any Indian can vouch for this. I have been a personal recipient of their service throughout my life, as I do presume many of the readers also to be ..

With overriding stress on spirituality than on service of the downtrodden, are Orthodox Christians losing their relevance in the present world ? Can we initiate an open discussion and come up with ways and means to overcome this weakness ? There are valid points in the arguments from the Orthodox priests as well ..

Comments are welcome ..

ge..