The 6th Sunday of the Great Lent - Catholicate Day

We reached church exactly at the time when Qurbana started. 

The veil opened and we saw sushrooshakkaran holding candle and walking and Achen following him with dhoopakkutti 

( Deacon holding candle signifies John the Baptist and Priest is Jesus himself). 

Since today was "Sabhadinam", I thought we'd be able to see flag hoisting but I guess we missed it by just a few minutes (or so I thought). 

Today's Gospel

The Gospel of the day was about Jesus healing the blind man. 

His disciples ask him, "Rabbi, who sinned, the man or his parents ?"

Jesus says "None of them. He was born blind to glorify the name of God. "

Jesus healing the blind man is probably the most amazing of all miracles. A man is experiencing, for the first time, something that he'd never experienced in his entire life. 

In all the other miracles, be it 'Healing the leper', 'Raising Lazarus from the dead', 'Healing the paralized' ... people always went to a state they wanted or knew about.  The blind man could never have any idea of how the world looked when his eyes were opened. 

I think in many ways this is the exact experience that every one who received Gospel had. 

Achen's message today was not on Jesus healing the blind but about "Church day".  He said how wrong it was to say "Why should we come to church, we can pray from home. God is everywhere".  He said it is a heresy to say that. We should never ever speak anything evil of Church. It is the bride of Christ. Church was established by Christ himself. 

He said he couldn't do the flag hoisting in the morning. I was kind of glad to hear that. 

We had it after the Qurbana. 

After reaching home, I searched for some more material on Catholicate day. Found this in an ICON post in ICON yahoo groups .

Source :  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/22908

The Church celebrates Catholicate Day on the sixth Sunday of the Great Lent. The

Catholicate was relocated to Malankara on September 17, 1912. On that day,

Patriarch Abul Masih II of the Syriac Church installed Murimattathil Paulose Mar

Ivanios as Catholicos Baselius Paulose I in a solemn ceremony at Niranom St

Mary's Church, signalling the assertion of freedom and independence of the

Mother Church of India founded by the apostle St Thomas.

On each Catholicate Day, we renew the pledge to uphold the freedom and

self-respect of the Church under all circumstances and pray for the primate of

our church so that the Good Lord grants him long life, wisdom and the ability to

lead his sheep in the path of righteousness.

Along with that we also pray for the Holy Synod as well as the clergy and lay

leadership of the church so that the Good Lord guides them in taking wise

decisions.

Let's also use the occasion to reflect on the sacrifices made by the founding

fathers of the Catholicate to keep the flame of freedom aglow.

We remember LL HH Catholicos Baselius Paulose I of blessed memory who allowed

himself to be raised to this office in old age braving a phalanx of opposing

forces determined to snuff out the independence and self-respect of the Church

at the behest of foreign masters. He suffered greatly for this sacrifice but

remained steadfast to his ideals till his last breath.

We remember Vattasseril thirumeni, Saint, Malankara Metropolitan and architect

of the relocation of the Catholicate in Malankara. This valiant soldier braved

many a provocation, including an unjust excommunication, strife, threats,

violence and litigation, but held firm in his resolve to reclaim the dignity of

his church.

We also remember Patriarch Abdul Masih II, who travelled far in old age, to

repair the damage done to the fabric of fraternal ties between the Syriac Church

and Malankara by the usurper Patriarch Abdulla II Satuff. To prevent a

repetition of such events, he consented to the installation of the Catholicate

in Malankara, and using the authority of high office vested in him, issued two

bulls explaining the circumstances leading to the installation of the

Catholicate and the rights bestowed on the Catholicos, which reduced the powers

hitherto enjoyed by the Patriarch to a vanishing point.

We also remember all the departed spiritual leaders of the Church and the

valiant soldiers among the laity who gave a good part of their earthly life in

the pursuit of upholding the Church's independence and self-respect.

On this Catholicate Day, let's rededicate to conduct ourselves in a manner which

cherishes the heritage and pride which comes with being a member of the Mother

Church of this great country of ours.

God bless the Catholicate in Malankara which represents the aspirations of a

people.

ICON MODERATORS     

Other links

• http://www.stmarysnova.org/documents/Catholicate_Day_2007.doc
  
• Origin of Catholicate , Patriachate & Vision - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/10071
• Catholicate History - http://www.icon.org.in/icon_catholicate_hist.icon