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Editorial
Spirituality and Compassion
It is indeed a blessing to dedicate this issue of the FOCUS in
honor and loving memory of Rt. Revd. Dr. Zacharias Mar
Theophilus Suffragan Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma
Church. This is an opportunity to record what this beloved
friend and outstanding builder of a world-wide Mar Thoma
Church and ecumenical leader meant to so many. Everyone
who was involved with the FOCUS seminars at Santhigiri
from 1999-2003 would remember how these seminars, the
themes, and the name For Christian Understanding and
SolidarityFOCUS came about through deep-rooted
friendships because Christian faith is rooted in friendship. He
forged relationships among Mar Thoma Diaspora
communities spread over the world. This journal itself is a
lasting memorial to his vision and understanding. He was an
outstanding bishop in so many different ways. This is our
grateful offering to a most dear and well-loved bishop.
Various contributors to this issue have examined various
dimensions and impact of his ministry. Calling, discipleship,
diakonia and koinonia were keys to his ministry. Discipleship
in this context means knowing Jesus Christ, following in His
footsteps and bringing others into this sacred fellowship. It is
simply listening to a call and obediently following the way
of the Master. Many stories and illustrations relating to the
life of Thirumeni in this issue show what it deeply entailed to
be a disciple of Christ. He experienced a deep longing for
God and heard Gods call at a very young age to follow
Jesus. In absolute humility he recognized the cost of this
discipleship in its totality and surrendered his will to Gods
will unconditionally.
Thirumeni recognized that he had been blessed to bring
blessings to others, which he did throughout his life. Two
words, spirituality and compassion will briefly summarize his
life; he was a very spiritual person and had an immense
spiritual presence. Spirituality and holiness were the basis of
his ministering, preaching, pastoral care, facilitation and
administering. Spirituality is rooted in a persons attitude to
life and it is the way one lives ones life as related to the
Transcendent. The nature of this spirituality is rooted and
shaped by ones identity. The identity of Thirumeni was that
he was the chosen mediator and facilitator in the interaction
of God and other people. He stood at the intersection of the
human and divine; it was indeed a costly understanding and
undertaking. This identity colored his life. The whole purpose
his spirituality was to become and more conscious of the
needs of others, more sympathetic and more caring; sharing
and caring are inner spiritual qualities of being.
He recognized that spirituality begins and culminates in
compassion. He transformed compassion from a mere
lifeless word into an action-oriented life to solve problems,
which confronted him. Being a very compassionate person
he was sensitive to poverty in the midst of affluence and
richness. He recognized three types of poverty: first,
physical poverty of lack of food, clothing, shelter, and
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ARCHBISHOP OFCANTERBURY
Easter 2016
The Archbishop of Canterburys Ecumenical Easter Letter
This Eastertide I greet you once again in the name of the Risen Christ, our Lord
and Saviour!
We live in times in which the ultimate hope of our faith seems particularly difficult
to communicate, and we look to find reassurance in the midst of doubt, courage in
the face of despair, and joy in the depths of pain. Dear friends, let us continue to
be comforted that we find all of this and more in the Easter story.
The day of Easter dawned on a world unaware of the transforming event of Christs
Resurrection. It appeared that the powers that had conspired against Jesus had
won the day. His friends and followers were faced with trauma of the unjust and
violent death of their Lord Jesus, in whom they had placed all their faith, hope and
love. They were in the grip of confusion over what those events meant, deep guilt
and shame over their own failure to stand with him when he most needed them,
and fear of the future, both at the hands of the authorities, and the existential
dilemma that would have come with the realization that their Messiah had been
defeated, causing them to go into hiding, or share their thoughts and feelings only with those of their own trusted circle.
What began to change them and the whole world was that their Jesus, the risen Lord, came to them and revealed
himself to them. In the Gospel of Luke we read the account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, trying in intense
conversation to make sense out of what had transpired, when Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.
Noting could stop Jesus coming alongside and falling into step with them, sharing their journey and their concerns and
opening their eyes and hearts until they recognized their Lord. In different situations and to different individuals the risen
Jesus appeared and had fellowship with them, even to Simon Peter, the one weighed down by his own personal guilt of
having betrayed his Saviour. An all those to whom he revealed himself saw him and proclaimed that the Lord is risen
indeed.
It is in this context that we rediscover the Good News of the Gospel, which we share as Christians across the globe: that
Jesus makes himself known to us in our own lives, and that no power or principality or circumstances can separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord from which we draw all of our hope.
And because he first loved us, we take courage to share this love, to be his witnesses and disciples. It becomes our call
to come alongside our brothers and sisters, be they of our own faith or not, to be Christ to them in solidarity with their
concerns and needs, by sharing our confidence in the risen Lord through word and deed.
May the joy of the living Christ be yours as you celebrate Easter wherever he comes to meet you.
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driven
by
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Editors Note:
Mr. oommen Johnson is the younger brother of Zacharias
Thirumeni and he lives in Kochi, Kerala.
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st
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Who is an ecumenist?
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Condolence Message from the WCC General Secretary on the Passing Away
of His Eminence the Rt. Rev. Dr. Zacharias Mar Theophilus, Suffragan
Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church
Eminence was a faithful bearer of the global
fellowship. He served as a member of the Central and
Executive Committees of the WCC for two terms; from
1991-1998 and 1999 to 2006. Alongside this he was
also a member of the Special Commission on
Orthodox Participation in the WCC, a member of the
WCC Asia Regional Group (1999-2006) and the WCCCCA Joint Working Group. He represented the WCC
in various ecumenical and pastoral solidarity visits as
part of the Decade to Overcome Violence. (2001-2010)
Even as we mourn his loss we are grateful to God for
the many ways in which His Eminence enriched the
Church and the Ecumenical movement through his
leadership and witness.
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Theodosius
Thirumeni,
Achens,
and
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An End Piece:
Three Phases of a Spiritual Journey: Home Coming and a
Fathers Kiss
Dr. Zac Varghese, London
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