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St.George Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
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Sermon on Sunday,1st of January 2011 -  Mathew 2:19-23

�When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
"Get up. Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel.�  (Mathew 2:
19, 20)

There is an imminent end for all the bad  that you are facing in your  present
life.

Evil is a reality. Evil never ever wins over truth and good.  Sometimes, it
seems that the evil is in control but that is an illusion. Good will come with
more vigour and fury to destroy the evil forever.  Protection and preparation
are what we need to save the truth.

Herod is the embodiment and personification of all the evils in the world.  Even
his children used to say that it is better to be born as a child of a swine than
to be a child of Herod.  He killed all the boys less than two years of age in an
obsessive attempt to kill Jesus.  He stained his hands with the blood of the
innocents. He died in 4 B.C. in a horrendous way - reports say that visible
worms and putrefaction or decomposition was seen in his final days of life. 
This is the justice of God and the rule of nature, evil has its own terrific
extinct.  "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the
wicked are brought down by calamity" (Proverbs 24:16).

For the time being, we have to hide from evil eyes otherwise, we will be
consumed by its fire of fury. Till the death of Herod, Jesus and his parents
fled to Egypt and escaped from the death knell of the evil king. We should not
resist evil, evil will die in its own course.  Don�t panic by the apparent
victory of evil because it is only temporary and its end is imminent.  We should
not be tempted to retaliate to evil; the vengeance is not for us but to God.  So
leave it to Him.  Masada - a hill fortress and a base in Israel for the
guerrilla struck against the Romans under the leadership of Eleazer ben Yair in
A.D.70.  It was an anti-thesis of Christianity. After the failure of resistance,
there was a mass suicide of 960 people who had decided to die by their own hands
rather than surrender to their enemies. Now the remnants of the great Roman
Empire cannot be traced out even in the hay stack. For the last 1700 years, Rome
has been the seat of Christianity.  The Bible says, �But I tell you, do not
resist evil person� (Mathew 5:19).

A village girl became an unwed mother and after several beatings, revealed who
the father was: a holy man living on the outskirts of the village. The villagers
called him a hypocrite, despised  and handled him very badly.  He picked the
baby up and made arrangements with the woman next door to look after it at his
expense. When this had gone for a year, the girl could bear it no longer and
confessed that she had lied. The actual father was the boy next door. The
villagers bowed profoundly to the holy man to beg his pardon and wanted to take
the baby back.  All that the holy man said as he handed back the child was,
�Very well. Very Well."  Isaiah, the great prophet prophesied about Jesus, �He
was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. He was led like a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, he did not
open his mouth� (Isaiah 53�7).

We should not collaborate or be an accomplice with any evil source in our life. 
We should be the refugees for the victims of all the dark evil forces of this
world.  Our common name Nazarenes cannot be wiped out from our foreheads by
anybody.  We are the proud descendants of Jesus from Nazareth who  follow his
footsteps.  The Bible speaks.  �He will be called a Nazarene� (Mathew 2:23).

Fr. V.V.paulose
http://www.jerusalemchristianmission.com

"In the saints we see the dominance of the spirit over the flesh, because they
live by the spirit and see the spirit throughout the whole world, the Wisdom,
the Omnipotence, and the Goodness of God; they see in every phenomenon, in every
work, the impress of the spirit."

St. John of Kronstadt.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble."  Psalms 40:1

Today�s Bible verse

" I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no
one else has had  or ever will
have.�(1 Kings 3:12)


Are you learning the  life
lessons from the word of God or from your
trial and error life?

   There is no time for
an individual to have the trial and error methods to get wisdom to live. There
is only one life on earth that �s limited by space and time. We need a life
compass to move even a step forward. God is the  fountain spring of knowledge
and wisdom. �If you need wisdom,
ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.�(James 1:5) According
Solomon, �For the lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and
understanding.�(Proverbs 2:6) . So follow his instruction thick and thin that
is all we needed  to live a happy
,healthy human life on earth. Those who need the wisdom should be asked then 
that will be   given.. Solomon asked for wisdom in governing his
people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death
of his enemies. So God gave him wisdom. If we ask  what ever things we needed to
live as a son/ daughter of
God  will be provided by Him.

  A young girl
committed to suicide. She had been addicted to drugs and suffered from some
psychological problems. Anthony
Destefano attended the funeral. He says,� At the end of the night I went
to say good- bye to the mother of the girl, and she grabbed me by the arm and
told
me with tears in her eyes, � Make sure you hug your children tonight. Please,
tell them you love them! It�s important that you do that.� Tragically, she
hadn�t
told her own daughter that she loved her very often, and she couldn�t .She was
trying to impart that sad piece of advice to Anthony while he still had the
chance to avoid her mistake.  Did
she really have to acquire that wisdom such a late date and such an immense
cost? Had she been praying to God foe wisdom right along, is there any doubt
that she would have been given the grace to understand the value of open,
loving communication?

  Don�t� wait for the
age to come for wisdom. Simply follow Jesus and his instruction Manuel of life.
Then you never miss the  target of
life.

Prayer.

Jesus, help those who are groping in the darkness of life
without knowing your wisdom to live.
Let those who are in the verge of
death and destruction  to be
saved. We pray for those who are in the challenges of life like depression and
suicidal tendency. All we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.Love

Paulose Achen

Toronto Sunday  2
January 2011
http://www.jerusalemchristianmission.com

Dear Moderators,
�
Christmas and New Year�have just gone by leaving the world for us�to continue to
live in
�
.... .to surmound the difficulties we always wanted to surmound
......to achieve what we always wanted to achieve,
..... to over come that pain we always wanted to overcome,
......to help those ones we always wanted to help,
..... to share the sorrows of those who we always wanted to share
�
and
�
..... to go�behind�that most sought after thing in this world.......Success.
�
Kindly post this mail in our Forum if it is worthy.
�
Love,
�
C Devidasan,
Member ID 0975

The day I died

It's another morning..... .... Again I have to go to the office.

Ohh!! this is me... I shouted, having a glance at my ‘photo’ in today's news
paper.

But what the HELL is it doing in the death column??

Strange...

One second...... .Let me think, last night when I was going to bed I had a
severe pain in my chest, but I don't remember anything after that, I think I had
a sound sleep.

It's morning now, ohh....... It's already 10:00 AM, where is my coffee?

I will be late for office and my boss will get a chance to irritate me.. Where
is everyone...? ?? I screamed.

"I think there is a crowd outside my room, let me check." I said to myself.

So many people..... Not all of them crying...... But why are some of them
crying....

WHAT IS THIS??? I’m lying there on the floor... "I AM HERE" ....... I
shouted!!! No one is listening.

"LOOK I AM NOT DEAD" .... I screamed once again!! No one is interested in me.

They all were looking at me on the bed.

I went back to my bed room. "Am I dead??" I asked myself... Where is my wife, my
children, my Mom, my Dad, my friends?

I found them in the next room, all of them were crying...still trying to console
each other.

My wife was crying... she was really looking sad. My little kid was not sure
what happened, but he was crying just because his Mom was sad..

How can I go without saying to my kid that I really love him, I really do care
for him. ??

How can I go without saying to my wife that she is really the most beautiful and
most caring wife in this world..??

How can I go without saying to my parents that I’m what I am ... just because
of you??

How can I go without telling my friends that without them perhaps I would have
done most of the wrong things in my life... thanks for being there always when I
need them...and sorry for not being there when they really need me..

I can see a person standing in the corner and trying to hide his tears....

Oh.... he was once my best friend, but a small misunderstanding made us part,
and we both have a strong enough ego to keep us disconnected.

I went there..... And offered him my hand, "Dear friend.... I just want to say
sorry for
everything, we are still best friends, please forgive me."

No response from other side, what the hell?? He is still preserving his ego, I
am saying sorry... even then!!!

I really don't care for such people. But one second...... It seems he is not
able to see
me!!!! He did not see my extended hand.

My goodness.... .. AM I REALLY DEAD???

I just sat down near ME; I was also feeling like crying...

"OH ALMIGHTY!!!! PLEASE JUST GIVE ME FEW MORE DAYS..."

I just want to make my wife, my parents; my friends realize how much I love
them.....

My wife entered the room, she looks beautiful.

"YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL" I shouted.

She didn't hear my words, in fact she never heard these words because I never
said this to her.

"GOD!!!!" I screamed... a little more timeplzzzzz. ..

I cried...

One more chance please... to hug my child, to make my mom smile just once, to
feel my dad proud of me at least for a moment, to say sorry to my friends for
everything I have not given to them, and thanks for still being in my life....

Then I looked up and cried!!

I shouted..... ..

"GOD!!!! ONE MORE CHANCE PLEASE!!!!"

"You shouted in your sleep," said my wife as she gently woke me up. "Did you
have a nightmare?"

I was sleeping....Ohh that was just a dream....

My wife was there... she can hear me... This is the happiest moment of my
life...

I hugged her and whispered... .

"YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND CARING WIFE IN THIS UNIVERSE.... . I REALLY LOVE
YOU, DEAR"

I can't understand the reason of the smile on her face with some tears in her
eyes, still I’m
happy....

"THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS SECOND CHANCE."

SO, now it's not late... Forget the egos, the Past... and express your love to
others...... .

Be friendly...

Keep smiling..... . forever....It is another chance For you...
***

"Prayer affords an experience of spiritual liberty of which most people are
ignorant. The first sign of emancipation is a disinclination to impose one's
will on others. The second - an inner release from the hold of others on
oneself."

Archimandrite Sophrony.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." Luke
6:27-28

READ: Hebrews 11:32-40 Appended


All these . . . obtained a good testimony through faith. —Hebrews 11:39

In  a letter to his son Eduard, Albert Einstein gave this advice: “Life is 
like
riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” The  great
physicist’s advice is wise and practical.
This  wise counsel can apply to the Christian life. Many believers by faith
keep moving ahead through painful and trying circumstances. But when  they
experience a personal moral failure, they lose their balance and  fall. Their
regret and feeling of unworthiness of God’s forgiveness may  then keep them
down
and they no longer move ahead in their spiritual  life.

The  Bible gives us many examples of those who have experienced serious
personal failure. Abraham lied to Pharaoh about his wife, Sarah (Gen. 12:11-17).
Jacob deceived his father to acquire Esau’s blessing (Gen. 27:18-29). Moses
disobeyed God by striking the rock instead of speaking to it (Num.  20:7-12).
Despite their failures, we are told: “all these . . . obtained  a good
testimony
through faith” (Heb. 11:39).

These  biblical characters are lifted up as examples because after they fell,
they turned back to God and began to follow Him again. Have you lost  your
spiritual balance through a sinful choice, which is keeping you  down? Repent
and follow the God of second chances once again. —Dennis  Fisher

I’ve strayed, O Lord, and turned aside,
I’ve disobeyed Your voice;
But now contrite of heart I turn
And make Your will my choice. —D. De Haan

Our God is a God of second chances.
Hebrews 11:32-40 (New International Version, ©2010)
  32 And what  more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak,
Samson  and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through
faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised;
who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped
the edge of the sword;  whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became
powerful in battle  and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their
dead, raised to life again. There were others  who were tortured, refusing to be
released so that they might gain an  even better resurrection. 36 Some faced
jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death
by stoning;[a] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went
about  in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38
the
world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in
caves and in holes in the ground.

  39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had
been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only
together with us would they be made perfect.

Footnotes:
	 1. Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;

The X is a shortened form of the Greek word Xristos. The full form would be XP.

Robert Robinson
------------------------------------------
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And because He was God, ineffably made flesh, He knew only the good and was
exempt from that depravity that belongs to humanity. And this too is an
attribute of the supreme Substance, for that which is good by nature, firmly and
unchangeable, belongs specially to it, and it only, for there is none good but
God, as the Savior Himself has said.

Cyril of Alexandria, Homilies on the Gospel of Luke
Ancient Christian Doctrine, Volume 2

Today�s Bible verse

"Better  to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and
chasing the wind.� (Ecclesiastes 4:6)

Do you like a happy simple life?

Simplicity of life can save sinking families , individuals and organizations
from their self- destruction.  Simplicity means a  life with a modest minimum
necessities of things. The world is polluted in the  realm of physical and
spiritual by excess ties of the goods and sins  that  human beings make use of. 
Keep up with the Joneses is the life style of the modern world.  Cashless 
plastic and electronic credit cards perpetuate the tendency of buying more and
more , working more and more and finally end up being less and less happier in
the rat chase.  Voluntary simplicity has been practised by the desert fathers,
Franciscans� laymen, Quakers, the Amish  and  by a number of other orders in
Christianity.  People with excess have an obligation towards the poor. The
gluttony, greed, and vain glory are obstacles in the relationship of human
beings with God.  Small is always beautiful.  When the �me monster� roars, needs
of the other become a distant murmur.

The richest man in the world, Warren Buffet still has no cell phone, no desktop
computer in his modest office and is living in a small 3-bed room house that he
had purchased 50 years ago.  He never travels in a private Jet despite the fact
that he owns the largest private Jet company.  He says the secret of his
happiness is his simplicity of  life.  �I  don�t want a 405 feet boat just
because someone else has a 400 feet boat,� Buffet said.

We have to live within our means.  Be happy with what we have.  Live our own
life.  Learn to be happy with the bare minimum.  Excess should be distributed 
to the needy.  Lead a simple life.

Prayer : Jesus, we pray for those who don�t have the  basic necessities of life.
Let them find a way to meet their needs.  Let the rich have the mind to give up
their excess to the needy. Let the people look on you and emulate your life on
earth.  All we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Love

Paulose Achen

Toronto,  Tuesday 4th January 2011
www.jerusalemchristianmission.com

READ: Psalm 111 Appended

For You, Lord, have made me glad . . . ; I will triumph in the works of Your
hands. —Psalm 92:4

I’ve always thought that you can see the hand of God best in the rear view
mirror. Looking back, it’s easier to understand  why He placed us in the home
that He did; why He brought certain people  and circumstances into and out of
our lives; why He permitted  difficulties and pain; why He took us to different
places and put us in  various jobs and careers.

In  my own life, I get a lot of clarity (though not perfect clarity—that’s
heaven’s joy!) about the wise and loving ways of God as I reflect on the  ways
He has managed my journey by “the works of [His] hands” (Ps.  92:4). With
the
psalmist, it makes me glad and strikes a note of joy in my heart to see how
often God has assisted, directed, and managed the outcomes so faithfully (Ps.
111).

Looking  ahead, though, is not always so clear. Have you ever had that lost
feeling when the road ahead seems twisted, foggy, and scary? Before you  move
into next year, stop and look in the rear view mirror of the year  gone by, and
joyfully realize that God meant it when He said, “‘I will  never leave you
nor
forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my  helper; I will not
fear’ ”
(Heb. 13:5-6).

With the promise of God’s presence and help in mind, you can move ahead into
2011 with utmost confidence. —Joe Stowell

Shall not He who led me safely
Through the footsteps of this day
Lead with equal understanding
All along my future way? —Adams

God’s guidance in the past gives courage for the future.
Psalm 111[a] 1 Praise the LORD.[b]
    I will extol the LORD with all my heart
    in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
  2 Great are the works of the LORD;
    they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
    he remembers his covenant forever.
  6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
    giving them the lands of other nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established for ever and ever,
    enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption for his people;
    he ordained his covenant forever—
    holy and awesome is his name.
  10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
    To him belongs eternal praise.
Footnotes:
	 1. Psalm 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with
the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
	 2. Psalm 111:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

Birth of Jesus

Where was Jesus born?� We all agree in Bethlehem.� Where exactly was it.� We
believe it was in a cave.� We know that no humans witnessed it.� We know that
all the heavenly hosts dissented on Bethlehem.� The shepherds were the only ones
who could listen to their hymns. Do we tune up ourself so that hymns are audible
for us?� Why is the spot where Jesus was born still a mistery?

Bethlehem?

Beth means house and Lahamo means bread.� The plce became house of bread because
of the crucifixion of Jesus; because He ofered himself as the life giving
bread.� So, our achens in the final benediction of the qurbana says "after
having recieved the bread for the journey"

Now, where is He born? In our hearts!
Is He born in your heart?
How do we know?

After He was born to Mary and Joseph, they did not move on there own will.� They
stayed where ever they were until they got the specific direction from the Holy
Spirit.� For example when the wise men came to see Him after many weeks or even
months, they were still in Bethlehem.� The infant had become a child and they
were living in a house.

Herod figured out that the time-span of the birth and had to order all hebrew
boys under 2 years of age to be killed.

If He is born within you, listen to the word of God and the direction of the
Holy Spirit.

Chemmachen
Dn. Monsy Jacob
Boston

Godly New Year

Every New Year's day should be blessed and should be taken as an opportunity to
be with God, thanking Him for what is past and praying for His mercy in what is
to come.

Fr John Brian takes this opportunity to give a sermon about the importance of a
new year in Holy Orthodoxy and how we, as Orthodox Christians, should conduct
ourselves, following the "great commandment" that is in the Gospel of John and
in his First Epistle.

This sermon lesson uses the readings and services appointed from the
Malankara Syrian lectionary and was given on Sunday, January 2, 2011 by Fr. John
Brian Paprock at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission
Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.

"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency may be of the
power of God and not of us." 2 Corinthians 4:7.

PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD: http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
Listen on-line here:
http://frjohbrian.blogspot.com/2011/01/godly-new-year.html

Dear Moderater,

Consecration of Chennai Diocean  Bishop's House, I saw this in the Malankara
Syriac voice. I under the Diocese name is Mylapour. Please clarify and clear.
Thanks,
Mathews John Cheruthottil
4300

The actual name of Christ, the "Anointed One" already announces and reveals the
entire Holy Trinity to us, according to the words of the Holy Fathers. The name
Christ reveals Him (the Son) as the Anointed One, the Father who anointed Him,
and the Holy Spirit with whom He was anointed by the Father.

Bishop Athanasius Yevtich
Emmanuel: The Only Begotten and Firstborn among Many Brethren

READ: Psalm 63:1-8 Appended

My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You. —Psalm 63:1


A  hotel in Singapore introduced an express buffet—eat all you can in 30
minutes and pay just half the price! After that experience, one diner  reported:
“I lost my decorum, stuffing my mouth with yet more food. I  lost my civility,
.
. . and I lost my appetite for the rest of the day,  so severe was my
heartburn.”

Sometimes I think in our devotional reading we treat God’s Word like an
express
buffet. We wolf it down as fast as we can and wonder  why we haven’t learned
very much. Like physical food, spiritual food  needs chewing! For those of us
who have been Christians for a long time,  we may have a tendency to speed-read
through the passages we’ve read  many times before. But in doing so, we miss
what God is meaning to show  us. One sure sign of this is when we learn nothing
new from that passage.

David’s  desire was right when he wrote in Psalm 119:15, “I will meditate on
Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.” That’s the way to treat God’s
Word—to take time to mull it over.
Let’s  not come to the Bible as if we were going to an express buffet. Only by
meditating on God’s Word will we get the most value for our spiritual
well-being. —C. P. Hia

Spending time in meditation,
Hiding Scripture in our heart,
Works in us a transformation
So from sin we can depart. —Sper

Reading the Bible without reflecting is like eating without chewing.
Psalm 63[a]    A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
  1 You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.
  2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
  6 On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.
Footnotes:
	 1. Psalm 63:1 In Hebrew texts 63:1-11 is numbered 63:2-12.

Today�s Bible verse

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are  plans for good
and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.� (Jeremiah 29:11)

Do you hope for a job, a better future?

Hope is that invisible force that makes all things possible.  Hope in the
Creator for he can   generate anything from nothing.  We hope that we will get a
job.  The hope is the positive energy that keep us motivated and enthused while
we wait.  And if we don�t get the job, it�s hope once again that tell us we
might have a better shot next time. We should have the hope and love to meet any
challenging situations and think, �there is always hope, and this will be
solved.�  Because hope is created in our own hearts and minds, we are in control
of it and can create more of it if we choose to.  Archbishop Tutu said: �There
is no situation that is not transformable. There is no person who is hopeless.
There is no set of circumstances that cannot  be turned about by ordinary human
beings and their natural capacity for love of the deepest sort.�

In their 60s,  Thomas and Mary were a blessed God fearing couple who migrated to
Canada to stay with their son and family.  Usually the life of retired  people 
in Canada is one of  solitary confinement or something similar to a house
arrest.  Their only hope is to look after the grandchildren and be in their
company.  They do not have hopes of getting employed, especially in this time of
acute recession and financial crunch. The young, talented and educated lot stand
a better chance to get jobs.  Mary, a retired teacher didn�t lose hope to have a
job in Canada.  On landing here, she looked around  for employment as a teacher.
She  had knocked all the doors with vigorous hope in the Lord Jesus - �He will
give me the Job.�  and she got the job of her choice.  Now she  says, "God  is
great and He definitely takes care of the people who trust and hope in Jesus."

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are bold " (2 Corinthians 3:12).   I
want you to think about the problems in your life  and hope in  Jesus that He
will take care of them.   Then you have nothing to worry about.

Prayer :  Jesus, let all negative soul-eating thoughts be vanished from the 
minds of worried and negative people.  Let the hopes of those who call upon you
be fulfilled.  Those who are hoping to get a job, be blessed with it.  For you,
everything is possible.  All we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

  Paulose Achen

Toronto, Wednesday, 5th January 2011

http://www.jerusalemchristianmission.com

New Year Celebrations with His Holiness in Damascus

Mor Gregorios Joseph, Mor Ivanios Mathews, Mor Aphrem Mathews and Mor
Coorilos Geevarghese from Kerala along with Bar Eatho Breero Dr. Babu
Paul IAS had the rare privilege of celebrating the New Year day 2011
with the Supreme  Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, Moran
Mor Iganatius Zakka I Iwas at the Patriarchal Aramana in Damascus. His
Holiness had dinner with bishops, clergy and relatives on the New
Year's Eve and cut the New Year Cake. His Holiness also enjoyed the
singing of Syriac and Malayalam songs by bishops, clergy, nuns and lay
people. New Year gifts were also distributed. For every one who
attended the celebrations, it was the most blessed experience to end
the year 2010 and to begin the new year 2011 in the Holy presence and
with Apostolic blessings of His Holiness, the Patriarch of Antioch and
all the East.

To view photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/editor.msv/2011_Syria

SOCM News Bureau - Damascus

Consecration of Mylapore Diocesan Bishop's House & 1st anniversary of
Metropolitan consecration of Mor Osthatheos Issac held at Avadi, Chennai held
here today, January 4th, 2011.

H.G Mor Osthatheos Issac offered Holy Mass at St. George JSO Church at Avadi at
7.30 AM followed by the consecration ceremony of the Diocesan Bishop's house.
His Grace laid the foundation stone of the "Kurishu Palli" dedicated to St.
Mary, the Mother of God.

Rev Fr. K J John, Vicar, St. Mary�s JSO Church, Permabur & Reteri, Rev. Fr.
Alias Pakaloamattom, Rev. Fr. Dr. George Varghese, Asst. Prof. Gurkul
Theological College, Kellys, Chennai, Rev Fr. Aby Alias Secretary, Mylapore
Diocese & Vicar, St. Thomas JSO Church, Annanagar, Rev. Fr. Aby Paul, Vicar, St.
George JSO Church, Avadi, Chennai, Rev.Fr. Mathews, Kelampakkom JSO Church, Rev.
Fr. Mathew, Panachickal,Vicar, St Gregorios,JSO Church, Mettuguda, Seconderabad,
Rev Dn. John Koshy, Rev. Dn. Bazil,Valara ,Secretary to Thirumeni were in
attendance. Mr. Alex, son of Mr.& Mrs K P Paulose was ordained as Samrono and
named Geevarghese. A large number of faithful attended the function.

To view photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/kalthomas44/20110104?feat=email#

The World Malayali Council Al Ain Province had its annual family get together at
the Al Ain Hilton ball room. The grand occasion of the gathering of Keralites in
Al Ain was blessed by the presence of veteran Malayalam film actress
Smt.Kaviyoor Ponnamma who has recently completed fifty years in the Malayalam
film industry. The gathering was also attended by the WMC global
leaders.Commander:Oommen Varghese(Member and Signatory of Al Ain St.George JSO
Simhasana Church,Al Ain-UAE), Managing Director, Nael Group of companies honored
with memento in appreciation of his services to the community.Smt.Kaviyoor
Ponnamma has addressed a press conference prior to the gathering.Cultural and
entertainment events presented by WMC members and their children were the
highlights of the evening.

Regards,
Chev.Joy Thanangadan
ID 4061

John 2:1 - "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour
is not yet come".

Undoubtedly, we all have listened interpretations of this verse during first
sunday sermon in Holy 50 day lent.Priests are hellbent to prove and convince the
faithful that its no way degrades relationship of Mother of God, Mary and
Jesus.Priests bring out all of their speaking and convincing skills to send this
message across the faithful.

Let me recall a sermon of L.L. Rev. E .P. Jacob(BA,LT,BL) popularly known as
Elanjickalachen, Elanjickal, Niranam in a book published on his 20th death
aniversary.It was published some time during the year 1985-86 and I don't have a
copy.(He was a successful laywer practised at Kerala High Court and later
submitted to Priestly service on vocation).

Elanjickalachen has quoted following verses
Mathew 8:29 (KJV) - And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with
thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? - Response came out of fear

1Kings 17:18(KJV)- And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou
man of God? - Response came out of fear

He has quoted similar verses from other parts of bible also which I am not able
to recall."What have I to do with thee" is an expression in Hebrew indicates
fear. So Jesus too said it out of fear since He was unsure of whether performing
a miracle at that time conforms to will of God the Father.For this reason Jesus
has said "mine hour is not yet come".

It is a unique interpretation by Elanjickalachen and I have never heard it
anywhere.

Its written from my memory and any shortcomings are regretted.

May God Bless Us All

Mathew Chacko
ID#2382

Dear moderator
Is the below critieria follwed by JESUS CHRIST to select HIS followers? As per
biblical study!

Eldo Kurian

..................................
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>--- On Tue, 28/12/10, Eldo wrote:
>
>
>In the recent working committee of JSOC it is decided that >independent bishop
will be ordained for Bangalore diocese. Bangalore >is a fast growing city with
lot of Jacobite and so many new >congregations are coming up. Most of the
members are working in IT >sectors and are youth. For example, the newly formed
Marathahalli St >George Church has 52 families but only 3 families have their
age >above 45. While ordaining a new bishop it is better to consider� this
>fact. The bishop is to be well educated, young and should have good >knowledge
about technology along with all other requirements as the >church follows. This
will help the younger generation and the bishop >can serve the community better.

"You find no difficulty in washing your clothes; how much easier is it for the
Lord to cleanse you from every stain, although you are bound to be tempted every
day. When you say to the Lord, 'I have sinned', He answers: 'Your sins are
forgiven you; I am He who wipes them out and I will remember them no more'
(Matt. 9:2; Isa. 43:25); 'as far as the east is from the west, so far have I
removed your sins from you; and as a father shows compassion to his sons, so
will I show compassion to you' (cf. Ps. 103:12-13)."

St. John of Karpathos.

--------------------------------------------------------------

""A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved
you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

READ: Matthew 22:34-40 Appended

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your mind. —Matthew 22:37

In a brief biography of St. Francis of Assisi, G. K. Chesterton begins with a
glimpse into the heart of this unique and compassionate  man born in the 12th
century. Chesterton writes: “As St. Francis did not  love humanity but men, so
he did not love Christianity but Christ. . . .  The reader cannot even begin to
see the sense of a story that may well  seem to him a very wild one, until he
understands that to this great  mystic his religion was not a thing like a
theory but a thing like a  love-affair.”

When Jesus was asked to name the greatest command in the Law, He replied, “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). The
questioner wanted to test Jesus, but the Lord answered him with the key element
in pleasing God. First and foremost, our relationship with Him is a matter of
the heart.

If  we see God as a taskmaster and consider obedience to Him as a burden,  then
we have joined those of whom the Lord said, “I have this against  you, that
you
have left your first love” (Rev. 2:4).
The way of joy is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. —David
McCasland

Oh, help me, Lord, to take by grace divine
Yet more and more of that great love of Thine;
That day by day my heart may give to Thee
A deeper love, and grow more constantly. — Mountain

Put Christ first and you’ll find a joy that lasts.
The Greatest Commandment 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the
Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with
this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest
commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’[b]
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Footnotes:
	 1. Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
	 2. Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18

Today�s Bible verse

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this
is God�s will for you in Christ Jesus.� (Thessalonians 5�16-18)

Do you want your presence to be a blessing for others which can make you more
happier?

In today's world, people climb up the ladder of life using wrong and devious
methods.  This is a slippery path and can only end in disaster. So there is no
peace, love, joy, unity in life. We fail to notice what�s going right. It�s
often necessary to focus on what is wrong in order to make things better. The
negative carriers are always despicable and unwelcome in the company of good. 
They won�t have any genuine friends. There is a golden rule in English grammar -
use positive words; avoid negative words. Instead of: only some 40 odd people
turned out for the opening of the Church, we could say, over 50 people
participated in the opening of the church. This minor change will do a profound
impact about you in front of others and in your life. Keep a card in your wallet
with the words, �Drop the negativity and focus on the blessings.� Then you will
be amazed at how rewarding this shift in thinking can be. You will become more
easily satisfied, loving, grateful, and appreciative. For this we should have a
bit of intent, practice, and repetition.

Abraham is a retired, happy rich man in my church in India.  For the past 24
years, he has been the most welcomed and cherished member, both in the Church
and my residence. Now in his 70�s, he still drives his old scooter even though
he has all the richness to buy a BMW car. He always comes with a smiling face
that itself changes all my bad moods and makes me happy. One can only hear him
talk positive things in life and he is generous with his blessings for others,
which makes you feel really blessed. He used to say, �Acha (Priest), I�m fully
satisfied in my life. God has blessed me immensely.  I have no complaints about
anything.� But I know that when looked at negatively, he too has many complaints
and problems in his life.  May God bless this kind of people.

King Davis says, �Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his
love endures forever� (Psalm 106:1). In the words of Eric Hoffer, �The hardest
arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."  Say a
big no to negativity of any kind. Then, see the change in your life, in your
home, and in your job.

Prayer : Jesus, we pray for those who are living with negative attitudes and its
products of poverty and sorrows. Let all satanic and negative habits be uprooted
and instead plant minds to count and appreciate their blessings.  All we ask in
the name of Jesus. Amen.

Love

Paulose Achen,

Toronto, Thursday 6th January 2011

http://www.jerusalemchristianmission.com

Sunday Mass 9 A.M. to 10 A.M. Sunday School 10 A.M. to 10.30 A.M.

Next Sunday is the first Sunday after "Danaha" (the baptism of our Lord.) Gospel
reading is from Mathew 4:12-22.

Theme: "Follow me and I will make you  fishers of men" - (Mathew4:18)
Gospel: "Jesus Begins to Preach

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in
the area of Zebulun and Naphtali
14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles
16 the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
    on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.[a]
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
has come near.

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen.
19 Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people.
20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his
brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their
nets. Jesus called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
(Mathew 4:12-22)

Message: The central core purpose of Christian life is outlined in these verses:
Evangelize, Incorporate, and Disciple. Jesus says, go therefore and make
disciples of all nations; evangelize with the strength of the gospel and teach
the world about the kingdom of God; and follow me, I will make you fishers of
men.

As Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brother casting a net
into the sea. They were fisherman. Jesus said to the, "Follow me, and I Will
make you fishers of men."

In order to understand this command, we need to look at the following questions.

(1) What does it mean to follow Jesus? Follow me is an invitation to the
believer for services. The decision to follow Jesus is not a simple task. It is
to set aside one's personal goals and pleasures in order to embrace the purposes
for which God created us. The purpose is to know God in a personal way and make
disciples by teaching them Christ's commandments. To follow Christ means to give
up personal affections, goals and priorities.

When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, their goal was to become successful
fishermen. In asking them to forsake their goal, Jesus commanded them to follow
him and would make them fishers of men's souls.

(2) How does one become fishers of men? When Jesus told Peter to cast his nets
on the other side of the boat, then Peter said "Master, we have fished all night
and caught nothing." But when they used the very effective method of using the
light of Jesus, fish were attracted to it.

(3) How to fish for Christ? Jesus uses an effective method to draw people to
himself. Apostle John quotes Jesus  in 8:12, "I am the light of the world, he
who follows me shall not walk in darkness but in the light of life."

Just as the fish is attracted to the light of the disciples, God wants people to
be attracted to his light shining through the disciples. The light of every
believer is the presence of Jesus in their lives. Paul says in Corinthians
4:6-7, "For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness and who has
shown in their hearts to give the lights of the glory of God."

(4) What does it require to follow Jesus? It is a call that requires complete
and immediate attachment to God. Peter and Andrew "left their nets." James and
John left their father. The requirement for following Jesus are not the same for
everyone. Basically it is the willingness to exchange their affections, goals
and priorities in life.

Peter was a disciple who actually left everything to follow Jesus. However, he
failed Jesus by denying him on the night of Jesus' arrest. A few days later,
Peter with some of his disciples decided to go for fishing. They got out to do
the fishing but couldn't catch a single fish. Jesus calls them from the shore
and ends up performing a miracle by filling their nets with fish. After they
have enjoyed a fish breakfast together, Jesus  comes up to Peter and asks, "Do
you love me more than these fish, nets, and the bread?

All of us can also imagine Jesus asking us the same question. Jesus may mention
our family, all our assets, cash, position, career and all that. Do we love
Jesus more than all our possessions?

Jesus wants us to respond something like, "Yes, Lord. I love you more than all
my possessions. And I want to prove it with my actions. I am prepared to follow
you, for I am your disciple.

Prepared by:
Rev. Dr. V Kurian Thomas, Valiyaparambil

Dear moderators,
Wishing everyone a great year ahead. Praying for
the church and its activities in the future. This post is about the
challenges faced by the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church
http://jerryachensworld.blogspot.com/2010/12/challenges-faced-by-jacobite-syrian\
.html

Warm regards, Jerry achen.
(Fr. Jerry Kurian)
I.D. no. 4500

Dear all in Christ,

This is to inform you that Commander Joy Alexander's father Mr. K. Kochu Idicula
passed away in Jesus Christ on 04-01-2011

Funeral will be on the 06th of January 2011(Thursday) at St. Mary's Jacobite
Syrian Orthodox Church , Kundara.

On behalf of Melbourne St. George Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church We extend our
most sincere sympathy and condolence to the bereaved family
Contact no Comm. Joy Alexander. +919746953932

Yours in Christ
Fr. Boby Thomas
The Vicar
St. George Jacobite  Syrian Orthodox Church
33B,Springs Rd,Clayton South
Melbourne
+61 395157733
+61 423736872
www.jacobitechurchmelbourne.com.au
dnbobythomas@...
http://frbobythomas.webs.com/

Exactly, you said it. We dont need to look for a manager to run any business in
Bangalore instead Lord will raise a good shepherd having great faith, who can
lead a prayerful life.

Nebu Jacob
St. Mary's Church, Sydney,Australia.
Home parish -[St Marys Church Neelimangalam Kottayam].
4133

--- In SOCM-FORUM@yahoogroups.com, Eldo Kurian wrote:
>
> Dear moderator
> Is the below critieria follwed by JESUS CHRIST to select HIS followers? As per
biblical study!
>
> Eldo Kurian
>

I dont think that we must decide a Bishop based on his JAVA or C++ experience

Let leave the matter to Hol Synod to decide

As far as I know our Bishops are more accepted than those other bishops from
rival groups who spend most of the time on facebook and Orkut

I feel the bangalore diocese also doing a lot to settle marriage issues ,avoid
Divorces common now among IT engineers , help incite religious beleifs and other
holy practices

Abraham
..................................
From the desk of the Moderators:

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