The Fifth Syro-Malabar Archiepiscopal assembly is over (August 22, 2024 - August 25 at Alphonsian and St. Thomas College Campus, Palai) but the better part of the theme could not find its due place in the final draft, or better said, it completely missed the first word of the theme, Mission. When the lineamenta came out, it stated that, it preferred to place “mission” prior to the word “life” (the theme is, Mission and life of the Syro-Malabar Church in Response to the needs of the time), because “missionary awareness has to shape the life of the Church”. For the one, who claims no sociohistorical Nazrani heritage or lineage that connects her/him to St. Thomas directly, it meant a lot (since she/he hails from a non-Keralite family, born to non-Keralite parents). First of all, it gave a sense that, the Syro-Malabar Church has understood the real meaning of Nazrani, that any baptised Syro-Malabar Christian is umbilically connected to the historically born Son of God, the Nazarane. Secondly, it gave an impression that, Second Vatican Council’s understanding about the meaning of Church: “[T]he pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature” (AG 2), is taking its concrete expressions in the life of the Syro-Malabar Church. These meaning makings assured the reader a lot of hope.
At the initial stages of
the assembly, the words from the Major Archbishop: “the time has come for the
Syro-Malabar Church to leave the comfort zone of ‘maintenance Church’ to
‘missionary Church’” were promising. Other talks as well gave a lot of hope for
a paradigm shift. Bishop Joseph Kallarangat emphasised this repeatedly during
his welcome address. Sadly, as the discussions progressed, the focus fall back:
it wanted a maintenance Church. Even Major Archbishop failed to say it in his
concluding speech. The signs of opening wide of the “ancient doors” started to
disappear, prohibiting the Jesus’ little Kings of glory to enter into the
Kingdom and the heads, instead of lifting up started dropping down.
It is part of the justice
of God concretised in the incarnation of Son, that the ‘pride’ children of St.
Thomas the Apostle, the Syro-Malabar Christians, share their traditional wisdom
of salvation, heritage soaked in love for God and neighbour with the marginalised,
afflicted and the less-privileged and lead them to enter into the gates of
glory.
What can be done?
It is time to less worry
about self-sustenance and tireless effort to bring back the glorious past, and
worry more about sharing the Trinitarian love and good news of salvation to the
little ones. This mission, Ad gentes, would provide life, in its
fullness to the Church. It is always good to remember the words of St. Paul,
“[K]nowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor 8,1).
It is also time for the
migrant ecclesial units in various parts of the world, to let them to be
sentiently connected to the less-privileged in the society and feel proud of
doing the ministry of Jesus, who identified more with the downtrodden in the
society.
Maybe it is necessary to
shed off the euphoria that comes through community glorification and dare to
share the hallows it possesses with the socioculturally and
politicoeconomically other – the one who is different from us. It is always
better to remember that Church is the continuation of Jesus Christ, and not the
extension of something else, a new people of God, in whom there is “no longer
Jew or Greek ... slave or free … male and female, for all … are one in Christ
Jesus” (Gal 3.28).
Let us remember what are
said above are not new to the Syro-Malabar Church. The eparchy of Thuckalay
remains a concrete example of letting the doors open wide for the other.
Let’s pray together with the Psalmist: “Lift up your
heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may
come in!” (Psalm 24.9).
Fr. Joesph Santhosh
Diocese of Thuckalay
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