By Philip Scaria, Chicago, USA, Malankara World Board Member

"O God, if there is a God, reveal yourself to me". These were the words of a troubled young man who hated Christianity, fought against teaching bible in the missionary school and burnt bible in public. It was none other than the famous evangelist Sadhu Sundar Singh. By the age of seven he had already memorized Bagawad Gita, the religious book of Hindus, and also read Koran, the sacred book of Islam. He was born in 1889 in a Sikh family (part of Hindu religion) in Punjab, India. His mother brought him up as a devout Sikh and he hated other religions. Yet, he was disturbed and unsure of whom he was worshiping. He wanted to find the real God.

His beloved mother who was his mentor and guru passed away when he was 14. That was when he decided to find out the "real God". He took a decision that he would commit suicide by jumping in front of the train that passed by his house, if he did not get answer to his concern, before the train arrived. When he was about to open the door and go out to jump in front of an oncoming train, a shadow of a hand appeared on the door. On closer look, he noticed the mark of a wound in the middle of the palm, mark from the nail that pierced through. Also in distance, he thought, he saw a light and the figure of Jesus. He thought he heard a voice say

"How long will you deny me? I died for you".

The young man knelt down and prayed. He converted to be a Christian and a Sadhu, a monk. The story of Sadhu Sundar Singh is the story of a person who converted to be a Christian after a miracle. Yes, he led a Christian life.

In one of the books about Sadhu Sundar Singh, he was quoted on 'Traditional Christians' as "the shining stone at seashore: It is shiny outside due to the rubbing of water for a long time. But, if broke open, it is dry inside. The prayers and lifestyle of all traditional Christians are like that: the prayers and lifestyle do not come from inside, all are external." I often thought myself as a so-called "external Christian". Do our prayers really come from inside?!

When a Pentecostal Christian questioned our Philexinos Thirumeni (Ex- bishop of Malabar, a scholarly bishop, now a very sick person) about the written prayers that we use at all occasions, His Grace listened to all his comments and questioned him back "where did you get all information on Christianity and prayers as a Christian?"

He replied, "from bible".

Thirumeni inquired again, "Isn’t Bible a written document?"

This conversation happened during a train travel. When the Pentecostal friend wanted to ask more about the written prayer, Thirumeni told him that a prayer that comes from heart, be it written or repeated, your God listens to you. After the last statement from Thirumeni, the Pentecostal friend left the seat and went to another compartment. Just because we use the prayers our forefathers taught us, we are not non-Christians. If using prayers taught by the forefathers were wrong, why did Jesus teach His disciples a prayer?! Irrespective of the denominations, we all are Christians and we have a Christian life.

I mentioned about Thirumeni's above encounter only to illustrate some of the different conceptions we have among Christians. Be of any denomination, we all call ourselves Christians. We should live not only in harmony but also be examples for others. I know, that is a lofty dream, I wonder, if any of us can live that life. It is easy to talk and advise, not practical to practice. I remember a speech by His Grace Koorilose Thirumeni (of Theeram) in one of our earlier conventions. He led a group of volunteers to clean up after the tsunami. While members of other denominations distributed leaflets and brochures about their churches, members of Theeram devoted to clean up and other services. Thirumeni mentioned that at the end of their work, the mayor of that city told His Grace that Theeram displayed Christianity better than any of the brochures or leaflets did. That is the Christian life in action.

His Grace Themotheose, the Metropolitan secretary to His Holiness Patriarch, during a speech in 2013 at the family convention in Dallas told about the Christians in Syria. His Grace was overwhelmed when commented that while we here, in the US, enjoy the church and services, Syrian Christians could not go to a church and no guarantee that they would return home if they ventured out. In Syria, there is no denominational difference, because their very existence as Christians is at peril. This was in 2013. We know what is happening in Syria now, about the plight of Christians from Syria. There were more than 1.1 million Christians in Syria. Now, more than 70% of those Christians have been either killed or have fled the country. We can acknowledge them as Christians only with tears in our eyes. Theirs is also a Christian life.

I believe in our system of prayers. Like most of us, I am a Christian because I was born in a Christian family. I learnt about the church and Christianity from my parents and the church where I belong. I still believe my parents were right to show me this church and teach me this belief. It is easy to point fingers and fault at others. I believe I can lead a Christian life without going away from my church and my people. There are many, especially among the younger generation, who get attracted by other churches and leave our traditional ones. A few young members of our church (in Chicago) also left us and joined some of these new non-denominational churches. My advice to them is: this is your church and stay here, try to incorporate the changes you want to bring in. Be inclusive, not exclusive.

by Dr. Charles Stanley

1. Our intimacy with God - His highest priority for our lives - determines the impact of our lives.

2. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

3. God's Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.

4. The awareness of God's presence energizes us for our work.

5. God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.

6. You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.

7. The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.

8. Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.

9. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

10. If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.

11. God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.

12. Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.

13. Listening to God is essential to walking with God.

14. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

15. Brokenness is God's requirement for maximum usefulness.

16. Whatever you acquire outside of God's will eventually turns to ashes.

17. We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.

18. As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.

19. Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.

20. Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.

21. Obedience always brings blessing.

22. To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.

23. You can never out-give God.

24. To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.

25. God blesses us so that we might bless others.

26. Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.

27. Prayer is life's greatest time saver.

28. No Christian has ever been called to "go it alone" in his or her walk of faith.

29. We learn more in our valley experiences than on our mountaintops.

30. An eager anticipation of the Lord's return keeps us living productively.

by Kelly Balarie

Proud, happy and all buttoned up, I've been the good-girl Christian skipping along my merry way.

Moving just a little faster.
Standing just a little taller.

That is, until my face meets the concrete and a land flat on my face, bruising my image.

Injured and shocked, the impact of the hit
impacts my heart with the truth, I've been missing Christ.

Have you ever gotten so concerned with your image that you missed His?

Believed your faith is what makes others want his?

Or, let your high standing in Christ's family, make you feel just that - high and better off?

When performance leads our charge, when we think we have all our stuff packed perfectly, tightly and detailed into our favorite bible of choice, when we parade a little taller, a little higher, with a little more insight, when others are not doing things right all the time - we better yell, "Stop" to our heart, because we are about to fall.

I know I should have done that.

Perhaps, I would have saw things more clearly, before letting the critiques of others spill out on the floor. Perhaps then, my contents wouldn't have displayed a load of pride and a pound of judgement and a dash of negativity. These things don't taste good and they certainly don't go down with feelings of Christ's love.

For the most part, others turn and run at their stench.

Oh Lord, let this not be me.

Yet, somewhere along my way, I mistakenly began believing that godliness equates to giftedness, goodness and greater access.

I became that unfavorite person I so often look down on.

A Litmus Test: Are You Better-Than-Thou?

Do our prayers sound more like this?
'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.' Lu. 18: 12

Or do we come and pray more like this?
"Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'" Lu. 18:13

When we see our sin nature as a worldwide epidemic that hasn't left us spared, we see we really are just like the taxman slumped in the corner of mistakes, turmoil and pain.

We see we are that jacked up. No better or worse than others - just saved.

Saved, not from neediness, but from eternal fallen-ness.
Our embrace of this truth gives legs to humility
not a heart set on growing in earthly nobility.

Perhaps this is why Christ looks at the first man, the Pharisee, and says, "If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." Luke 18:14

I learned the hard-knock way.

I am more a Pharisee than a needy sinner, and it feels good to see. Christ does not condemn me. He loves me. This realization returns my heart to Jesus like the slumped man needing a fresh touch. It returns me to the place of need, where I, like all my fellow man, sit.

This place is a place of unity, togetherness, hand-holding, anticipation of Christ's work.

A place of relief; it removes my show-off, to turn the power of God on.

It brings Christ to the places that I can't deal with -
leading me to the most downtrodden, contagious and dirty people.

It brings him into my weakness, into my pain.

perfect Christian

May I boast only in my weakness.
Paul knew this is the power prayer.

May it be one of our favorites too: God, help us to boast only in weakness. Forgive us God, sinners. We miss you and need you. Teach us your ways God and lead us in your paths, lest we fall on our face. May our humility be the artery that allows your work to flow to us and through us. Amen.

by Sarah Coleman

I have a good job. Two beautiful children. A deliciously wonderful husband. We love God. Go to a fantastic church. Live in a nice house. In a nice street. In a good neighborhood. My children attend a fine school. We make memories each year on vacation. I am healthy. My family is healthy. None of us has emotional scars or mental illness. We are happy and flourishing.

Yet I want more.

It calls out to me. You know, more. The bigger house, nicer car, luxurious vacation. They call to me with pressure and guilt. Make my life seem hopeless and inferior.

Content. Why am I not content?

We blame media, commercialism, and consumerism, but there is a deeper problem. Sin. Covetousness. The tenth commandment. The deception of Eve. Fooled to think God is holding something back. When the opposite is truth. God has more. I receive it through contentment.

Trust in God is a life of paradox. Hungry for more of him, yet filled with the Spirit. Pursuing destiny from the vantage point of rest. Satisfied whether in abound, or abased (Philippians 4:12).

Contentment is a choice. Psalm 23 provides a few tips on the attitude of a satisfied soul.

The Lord, my Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd... (Psalm 23:1).

Sheep are prone to wander aimless, following every impulse, unless they have a shepherd. There are many distractions in this world, vying for attention, steering toward a whim in an instant. Keep your eyes on the Shepherd. Don't get caught up in fads or what others do. Follow His lead and you will be content.

I shall not want

...I have all that I need (Psalm 23:1).

Many objects we want, but few we truly need. Trouble follows those who strive after wants. We sing, "Jesus, you're all I need." But are they empty words? Is he all you need? Is he all I need?

Christ is more intimately acquainted with you than you are. He is aware of your needs and will provide. Jesus is all you need. May the rhetoric become a revelation.

Let me rest

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams (Psalm 23:2).

The Good Shepherd gives rest. With the current pace of life, many have forgotten what it means to rest. Even on their day off they can't slow down. Rest is important. Spiritual rest more so. Switch off your phone and other devices. Eliminate stimulants and give your soul a chance to rest. Once you have experienced his peace, you will know contentment.

On the right path

He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name (Psalm 23:3).

Jealousy results in discontent. Different paths may seem more attractive but Jesus has it all mapped out for you. The grass is not greener on the other side. Trust him. Following his path has rewards. And greatest of all, his name is honored.

And in the valley

Even when I walkthrough the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4).

Paul knew to be content in the highs and lows. As did Job. Would I? If all was taken away in a night, would I sing bless the Lord? Could I say the Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need?

He is with us in the valley. What is lost will be restored. He is working all things together for good. That is our God. We don't need anything else.

Honored life

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil (Psalm 23:5).

When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness he told him to turn stone into bread. Temporary relief. Immediate satisfaction. Jesus replied, "People shall live by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Satan only offers bread. Father will give you a feast. Live by his Word. Don't be tempted by the world. It has nothing more than bread. You are destined for a feast.

You are blessed

My cup overflows with blessings (Psalm 23:5).

Life overflows when you live for Jesus - pressed down, shaken together, running over. Busyness crowds our perspective, problems overwhelm, abundant overflow forgotten. Count your blessings. Be thankful. Be satisfied. To most of the world, your life is the stuff of dreams. You are living in abundance.

Pursued by goodness and mercy

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6).

And if overflow was not enough, goodness and mercy will hunt you down every day of your life. That's right, hunt you down - goodness and mercy. Goodness is coming after you because you don't have enough. You need more goodness. Receive it!

Feeling frustrated lately? Mercy is hunting you down. Grace erases exasperation. Perhaps you are living a little too fast. Get back in sync with God. The necessary mercy will catch up, dissolving all frustration.

Assured of heaven

And I will live in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).

In Psalm 84 the writer expresses, "Oh, to be a sparrow and build my nest in the rafters of God's house." Enthralled in God's presence, the author cannot imagine a more stimulating environment. "Better one day in God's courts than a thousand elsewhere."

Nowhere on earth is like house of God. A house of freedom. A house of courage. A house of victory. Where the Lord satisfies desires, renews strength, and heals disease. There's no place I'd rather be.

Oh yes, I can bless the Lord. I am content.

About The Author:

by Msgr. Charles Pope, Archdiocese of Washington

I and twelve other pastors, have been meeting recently to embark on a period and plan for renewal in our parishes. which focuses back on the fundamental mission of the Church, and of our parishes, and which seeks to restore a kind of back to basics approach to Church life.

For too often many parishes are reduced from being lighthouses to clubhouses; from being thermostats which set the temperature of culture, to thermometers that merely record the temperature; from being places where Christ is central, and it is his wedding, to being places where Christ is merely an invited guest at our wedding feast.

Too often we maximize the minimum and minimize the maximum. We spend all sorts of energy and resources arranging spaghetti dinners and Superbowl fellowships, and too little time feeding our souls and taking heed of the true spiritual contest between life and death. We argue with each other over minutia such as what color to paint the Ladies restroom or who didn't clean the kitchen, and and have no real answers to the world's arguments against us. We contend against each other instead of instead of the principalities and powers in the high places.

Well you get the point. So easily we get lost in the weeds. And even as numbers continue to erode in most parishes, we just do "business as usual." It's time for some renewal and to act differently. Thus twelve parishes are coming together to begin to pray and reflect on our central mission and how to act both locally and regionally to better live our of our mission and get back more whole-heartedly to the the basics pillars of Church life.

And what is the central mission of the Church? Stated briefly it is to bring people to a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ; it to disciple them in such a way that they enter into a life changing and transformative relationship with Jesus Christ. This is our fundamental task. It is not merely to have meetings in the hall, dinners in the cafeteria, sponsor fundraisers etc. As the Pope recently warned, it is not enough to give turkeys to the poor at Christmas, we have to give Christ, and feed the poor not just materially but spiritually.

Our fundamental mission as a Church is to lead people to encounter Jesus Christ in such a way that they are changed. The life of the Christian and the Church. This personal and communal encounter with Christ is offered through Word, Sacrament, fellowship and prayer. And that leads us to the fact that the transformative relationship with Christ rests on four pillars or practices.

These four pillars, a kind of four-point plan, are found in Acts 2. Peter has just preached a sermon where he warns his listeners to repent and believe the Good News. In effect he has led them to encounter Jesus Christ. They, having encountered him in his Word, are now cut to the quick and ask what they must do to be saved. He said to them: "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:40-41).

Now they are baptized and in the Church of the Living God. And unlike some of our Protestant brethren who hold a kind of "once saved, always saved" mentality, the text does not stop there. These new disciples now have a life to lead that will help them be ready to meet God, that will help them to set their house in order. And so in the very next verse we read:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

So here is our "four-point plan" for setting our house in order once we have come to faith. There are four components listed below, four pillars if you will:

1. The Apostles Teaching
2. Fellowship
3. The Breaking of the Bread
4. Prayer

Please note that the text says that they "devoted" themselves to these four pillars of the Christian life. The Greek word is προσκαρτερέω (próskartereo) which means to continue to do something with intense effort, despite difficulty. It means to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in. It is from prós = "towards, and krátos, = "prevailing strength"). Thus what is described here is that they are consistently showing strength which prevails. They are staying in a fixed direction. They did not merely practice the four pillars occasionally, or when they felt like it, or when the time seemed right. They were consistent, they were devoted to this four-fold rule of life. Lets look at each pillar in turn as we consider how to set our house in order:

1. The Apostles Teaching

This first pillar of the Christian life is fascinating not only for what it says but also what it does not say. When we think of the "Apostles' Teaching" we first think of the four Gospels and the the New Testament Epistles. And these would surely be true components of the Apostles' teaching for a modern Christian. But notice that the text does not say that they devoted themselves to Scripture, but rather to the Apostles' Teaching. For a Catholic, the Apostolic Teaching consists not only in the New Testament Scriptures but also the Sacred Tradition which comes to us from the Apostles and which has been understood and articulated by the living Magisterium of the Church.

The Protestants would largely interpret this first pillar as an exhortation to read our Bible every day and base our lives on it. This is a true understanding but only partial . The early Christians, as you recall, did not have the New Testament in final form from day one and could not have lived this text in such as way. The Bible, as we now have it, was not yet completed, edited or canonized. Yet they had received the Apostolic teaching through having it preached to them by the Apostles and their deputed representatives, the bishops, priests and deacons.

St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians:

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter
- 2 Thess 2:15.

Therefore the Catholic/Orthodox application of this first pillar is truer and fuller wherein we are devoted to the Apostles teaching not in Scripture alone but also in Sacred Tradition as passed down and interpreted by the living magisterium of the Church.

To live this first pillar with devotion means to set our house in order by carefully and diligently studying what the apostles handed on to us. We do this by the daily and devoted reading of Scripture and/or the diligent study of the faith through the Catechism or other approved manuals. We should make it a daily habit that we are reading scripture and studying the faith, attempting to grow in our knowledge of what God has revealed through his prophets and apostles and then basing our life on what we learn and repenting of what is not in line with the revealed truth.

Pillar number 1 is being devoted to the Apostles teaching.

2. The Fellowship

The word fellowship may be a little weak here as a translation of the Greek: τῇ κοινωνίᾳ (te koinonia). The more theological or sacred way of translating this word is probably " a communion." It would seem that members of a bowling league could have fellowship but the sacred gathering of the faithful in the reality called the "ekklesia" or "Church" is better termed a "communion." or in Latin "communio." It is a gathering into one of the members of Christ's Body, the Church, a communion also of Christ with his Bride the Church.

The early Christians, according to this text, devoted themselves to this communal gathering. Hence the second pillar of the Christian life whereby we are helped to get our house in order is "fellowship," or better, "communio."

The Commandment is clear: Keep holy the Sabbath. It doesn't make sense to think that we can disregard one of the Ten Commandments and then claim our house is in order. Some argue that this commandment does not say explicitly that we should be in Church on Sunday. But Leviticus 23:3 says regarding this Commandment, "You shall do no work and you shall keep sacred assembly, it is the Sabbath of the Lord." Sacred assembly means "Church." It is the fellowship, the koinonia, the communio. No way around it. God expects us to be in his house on our Sabbath which is Sunday.

The Book of Hebrews also says, "And let us not neglect to meet together regularly and to encourage one another, all the more since the Day draws near." See here how the Last "Day" and being prepared for it is linked to "meeting together regularly."

So the second pillar of the Christian life is to get our house in order by getting to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. In the Mass we both encourage others and are encouraged by them. We also receive instruction in the Word of God by the anointed and deputed ministers of that Word, the bishops, priests and deacons. We also fulfill the third pillar to which we now turn our attention.

3. The Breaking of the Bread

The phrase "the breaking of the bread" in the New Testament usually meant the reception of Holy Communion, or the Eucharist. The worthy reception of Holy communion is directly connected to having our House in Order for there are wonderful promises made to those who are faithful in this regard.

Jesus makes a promise in John 6:40 that Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I will raise him up on the last day. That's quite a promise in terms of being ready! Jesus is saying that frequent reception of the Eucharist is essential preparation for the Last Day. Jesus also warns us not to stay away from "the breaking of the bread" or Holy communion: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you (Jn 6:53).

Without Holy Communion we're not going to make it. Gotta receive regularly to be ready! We cannot claim that our house is in order if we willfully stay away from Holy Communion.

By extension, we must allow this reference to one sacrament (Holy Communion) to be a reference to all the Sacraments. Clearly, a Catholic/Orthodox approach to this third pillar of preparation would include being baptized and confirmed. It would include weekly reception of Holy Communion, regular confession, anointing of the sick when necessary, and, where possible, the reception of Holy Matrimony or Holy Orders.

The Sacraments are our spiritual medicine. We have a bad condition called concupiscence (a string inclination to sin). It is like spiritual high blood pressure or diabetes. Hence we have to take our medicine and be properly nourished. The sacraments, as our medicine, help us to avoid dying from our sinful condition. So the Third pillar of the Christian life is to get our house in order by receiving Holy Communion worthily every Sunday and the other Sacraments at proper times.

4. Prayer

This final pillar requires more of us than just saying our prayers in some sort of ritual sense. The Greek word here is προσευχαῖς (Proseuchais) and is best translated just as we have it here: "Prayers" However the Greek root proseuche is from pros = toward or immediately before + euchomai= to pray or vow. But the prefix pros would convey the sense of being immediately before Him and hence the ideas of adoration, devotion, and worship are included.