Malankara World

General Sermons and Essays

Spiritual and General Essays

Meekness and Humility by The Patriarch
Humility and meekness are noble and divine virtues which complement each other. For, by our humility, we glorify God, confessing His great benevolence toward us. Because He is our Creator, Who cares for us. Thus, it behooves us to continually offer thanksgiving to His majesty, admitting our weakness and need for His mercy.

Humility: Getting It and Keeping It
Scripture is filled with teachings, examples, violations, commands, and encouragements regarding humility. Nothing cinches it for believers like knowing that even Jesus Christ was humble and became our example.

Humility: It Has a Power All Its Own
Humility. It's in far too short supply these days in every strata of life, but even in the ministry where one would think we would have enough to export.

How to Have Unity in the Church
Great harm can come when a group of people, including a church, is divided. We have all experienced quarreling and division before. Division has always been a problem, even among God's people, and almost every New Testament epistle deals with this topic, or mentions it in one way or another. Even the 12 Apostles did not always get along with each other. The problem is common because it is a common problem in all of life. ...

The Causes and Cure of Conflict
Depraved humanity will pay good money to watch a fight, but few of us want to be in a fight. We do not want the stress of conflict, but the blessing of peace. You may be experiencing conflict right now in your life. How can we overcome the problem of conflict in our homes, our churches, and in other groups of people? Well the apostle James gives some insight in our text of Scripture today. ...

The Triumph Of The Church By St. John Chrysostom
Christ planted the Church. It is by this means that we shall reveal the power and prove the divinity of Christ. We shall see that it is impossible to regard the dissemination of Christianity in the whole wide world in such a short period of time as a human work. And indeed, when Christian ethics invites people who have bad habits and are slaves to sin to a higher life. And yet, the Lord managed to liberate from such things not only us, but the entire human species. ...

Just Believe
It was small enough to overlook. Only two words. I know I'd read that passage a hundred times. But I'd never seen it. But I won't miss it again. It's highlighted in yellow and underlined in red.

The Message of The Cross
From Jesus' birth and youth, the cross cast its shadow ahead of Him. The cross is inextricably tied to the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything
Christ offers forgiveness full and free from both our self-righteous goodness and our unrighteous badness. This is the hardest thing for us to believe as Christians. We think it's a mark of spiritual maturity to hang onto our guilt and shame.

The New Year: The Mystery of Time
On New Year's Eve we feel the mystery of time more powerfully than at any other time. We feel, in other words, that its flow " in which we live and in which everything constantly vanishes as the 'past' and constantly places us face to face with the unknown future " essentially contains within itself the main question that everyone is called to answer with their lives.

Pride: The Sin That Looks Most Like Me
When a British newspaper invited readers to submit their answers to the question "What's Wrong With the World?" the inimitable G. K. Chesterton wrote: "Editors: I am. Sincerely, G. K. Chesterton." Of the so-called seven deadly sins, pride always leads the parade. It's the grand daddy of them all, the source of the other six.

David and Bathsheba
Because David remained married to Bathsheba after the incident without reprimand, and because their son, Solomon, was allowed to rule and perpetuate the messianic line, we have no choice but to conclude that David, whatever his sin may have been concerning Bathsheba, did not commit adultery.

Draw Near To God And He Will Draw Near To You
Today I invite you to consider three people who drew near to God.. and see how drawing near to God impacted their lives and the lives of others.

And the Greatest of These is Hope
St. Augustine tells us that of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love, the greatest of these is hope. By faith we know God is, says Augustine; by love we know God is Good; by hope we know God will work God's will. And hope, says Augustine, has two lovely daughters: anger and courage. Anger so that what must not be cannot be, and courage so that what can be will be.

Humility: Getting It and Keeping It
I know precious little about humility. However I know one big thing: God wants it in His people. Scripture is filled with teachings, examples, violations, commands, and encouragements regarding humility. Nothing cinches it for believers like knowing that even Jesus Christ was humble and became our example.

The Ego, The Greatest Hindrance for Virtue
It is the first sin in the world, and the sin by which Satan fell when he said in his heart, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God … I will be like the Most High." (Isa 14: 13, 14), by which also he tempted our first parents to fall, saying to them, "You will be like God" (Gen 3: 5)

The most serious sin in one's life
A person often forgets the sins he committed, but there may be certain unforgettable sins.

The Family Spirit
Mother Angelica stresses the importance of our family relationship and the effect it has on our lives.

Matrimony - The Living Sacrament
Mother Angelica writes on the Sacrament of Matrimony. She says it is "a sign to the world of the invisible God living in our midst—the living God who bears fruit in the lives of two people."

Marriage Is Bigger Than We Are
There is always a sense of God at the weddings I have been a part of. After all, we know and acknowledge that God is the one who ordained marriage, He is the one who defines and upholds it, for marriage is Holy.

11 Ways Jesus Speaks into Your Sorrow
Many experiences can leave you struggling with deep sorrow. You may often find that the people around you simply don't know what to say to you in your sorrow. But Jesus does.

Spiritual Success
Many a times what is termed as successful in this world could be a failure in the sight of the Lord, while what is seen as failure by the world could actually be a success before God.

The Cross of Christ - 2
If we leave the cross out of life of Christ, we have nothing left, and certainly not Christianity. Cross is related to our sin.

The Lord of the Living, not of the Dead – An Easter Meditation
Why do we remember the departed in our prayers?

Since we do believe in God and follow his commandments and his will, we are alive and we will never die. Our forefathers lived in God so they are not dead; they are in eternal rest in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The Existence of God: Seven Threads of Evidence
Scripture attests to seven aspects of God's word, accessed through the physical, rational, social, and spiritual domains of the human experience. They are like the threads of a tapestry that come together to tell a story that engages the heart, soul, mind, and body of our humanness. A brief introduction of each follows.

Are you condemned?
We can make a religion of anything that we are devoted to. My religion is Christianity. There are a set of practices that are associated with the Christian religion, but I think my Christian belief encompasses much more that a set of practices or rules of behavior.

The Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well - A Lenten Reflection
A Lenten reflection based on St. John 4: 6

The Lamb of God
John pointed out the Lamb who, when sacrificed, would end all sacrifices in the temple, because He would takes away the sins of the world. The lamb was most often used as a victim of sacrifice.

An Assurance of God's Love
God loves you completely and absolutely and He is never too busy, too distracted, too distant, too limited.

The Amazing Story of Louis Zamperini
Incredible story of survival and forgiveness. Must read.

Thy Kingdom Come: The Prayer that Changes the World
The Lord's Prayer can be rote and without thought or true petition of the heart, or it can become a divine force unleashing God's glorious blessing. One may pray "Thy kingdom come" without any regard for the intent of Jesus, or one may pray "Thy kingdom come" and the world itself begins to change.

How do I reconcile an all-powerful creator with the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible?
How do I reconcile the creator (of the Universe) with the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible, which is full of stories about vengeance, pain and suffering. Why would I believe in a deity who shows such cruelty and inconsistency?

Getting the 'I' Out of Your Eye
Isn't that a work of the Cross? A smaller "I" and a greater Christ? Don't focus on yourself; focus on all that you have in Christ. Focus on the encouragement in Christ, the consolation of Christ, the love of Christ, the fellowship of the Spirit, the affection and compassion of heaven.

The Woodcutter's Wisdom
Life's mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on life's storms until we know the whole story.

Fasting
by HH Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Universal Syrian Orthodox Church and All The East
Fasting is a voluntary act of abandoning worldly life. It is a sign of man’s obedience to, and respect of God’s laws and his observance of God’s offices by his voluntary abstinence from food or drink for a specific period of time.

Satan's version of the sermon on the mount

There Is No Dog
Arguments used by skeptics against the existence of God and some answers.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
What is the gospel? Gospel is from the Greek word "evangelion" which means ‘a message of good’ or ‘good news‘.

The Form of Sound Words (Spurgeon Classic Sermon)
My incessant anxiety for you is that I may be able to teach you what God's truth is; and then, trusting that I have to the best of my ability taught you what I believe to be God's most holy gospel, my next anxiety is, that you should "hold fast the form of sound words."

Woman, What Have I to Do With Thee?
Undoubtedly, we all have listened interpretations of this verse during first Sunday sermon in Holy 50 day lent. Priests are hell-bent to prove and convince the faithful that it no way degrades relationship of Mother of God, Mary and Jesus.

Early Life of Jesus Christ
Saint Luke tells us about three important meetings in the temple in Jerusalem by the Child Jesus. The infant Jesus met Moses, Simeon, and Anna.

Are You a Fool? Part 1: Fools and Their Disobedience
The Bible has much to say about fools and without hesitation it presents the foolish in a negative light. Why study fools? If the Bible frowns on the foolish, then it would behoove man to learn about fools so that they can avoid being one.

Are You a Fool?, Part 2: Fools and their Speech
A failure to share knowledge, dwelling on sinfulness, and uttering words which are personally detrimental, these are identifying attributes of fools. Again, they are opposite of what identifies a wise man. They are not qualities with which any person should be acquainted.

Are You a Fool? Part 3: Fools and their Anger
As with both disobedience and the speech of a fool, anger and the behaviors that go with it are a choice. It carries the same penalty as the other sins mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 as the works of the flesh.

Are You a Fool? Part 4: Fools and Their Knowledge
The gathering of knowledge which sees an individual through his earthly life begins at birth and ends at death. There are some fools who have a vast amount of knowledge gathered in short or long lifetimes. The first concern regarding their knowledge is: Does the fool have the right knowledge?

Are You a Fool? Part 5: Fools and Their Consequences
The Fool's actions of disobedience, unbridled speech, anger, and knowledge without wisdom will result in opposite and equal consequences. the Bible establishes there will be affliction, falling, and destruction for the fool

Judge Not
The first sin of ego is hubris - arrogance. The arrogance of ego is to insist, "I know best." "I know what is right." "I know the answers." "I know the way." "And the world will conform to my will."

The God In The Cave
Jesus was born in a cave. He was buried in a cave also. In both cases, there was Joseph and Mary besides him. What is the symbolism of the two events that shaped Christianity?

A Woman And An Angel
Comparison between St. Mary and Eve.

The Sign of the Swaddling Clothes
Our God bound himself, he allowed himself to be bound by men, that men might be free of sin! We can only join those who have given us our beloved Christmas Carols.

God has not forgotten you
Have you ever thought that God has forgotten you? You may have been serving faithfully for a long time. It isn’t that you want to be paid for your Christian service but a little recognition would be nice. Have you wondered whether you will ever get the blessings you long for?

Selfishness and Consequences
Let us have a re-examination of our own hearts. Let us see whether we are influenced by the pride of the heart. The pride plays a key role in the spiritual lives of the faithful making distractions from God.

Are Science and Christianity Compatible?
Although the Bible clearly states that God created the universe, it reveals nothing about how He did it. Yet its message that God is rational and personal profoundly influenced scientists such as Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Pascal and Faraday. Their belief that the world was created by a reasonable God gave them confidence in scientific observation and experimentation.

Why Jesus? Is Jesus relevant today?
Although other philosophers and religious leaders have offered their answers to the meaning of life, only Jesus Christ proved his credentials by rising from the dead. Jesus offers life with real meaning. He said that life is much more than making money, having fun, being successful, and then ending up in a graveyard. Yet, many people still try to find meaning in fame and success, even the greatest superstars…

Did Jesus rise from the dead?
Is Jesus' resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at the evidence of history and draw our own conclusions. Let's see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection discovered for themselves. A must read.

The Jesus of Christmas: Who was the baby in the manger?
So who was the baby in the manger? The answer to that question is the most important one in all history. For if Jesus was not who he claimed to be, his promise of eternal peace is empty. But if Jesus was who he claimed to be, then our lives can have no meaning without him.

Submit to God and Resist the Devil
We are living in a secular and materialistic world. Accordingly everything is limited to the age and time and reality is only what we can see, touch, and experience. We believers can see things which are beyond the realm of this world. Our Lord taught us that He is the way, truth and life. Undoubtedly we live in a world where evil is prevalent.

Forgive Others As God Has Forgiven You
Forgiving others for deep hurts seems to be one of the hardest things a human being can do. In fact -- very few are successful in forgiving. Yet, in the Bible God commands us to forgive. Is God overly demanding, or...?

Holy Life on Earth
What does the word holy mean to you? Perfect? Pure? Awe-inspiring? The prophet Isaiah saw seraphs (heavenly beings) calling to one another “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Certainly, God is holy. He is the only perfect, pure and awe-inspiring One.

Sanctification
Sanctification means purifying or cleansing oneself physically. In the Old Testament, these rituals were to be used at the time of sacrifice or priestly approach to the Holy of Holies, before personal approach to the tabernacle. Today, of course, it means entering the church or the madbaha (alter), cleaning of temple or ceremonial vessels and other processes. Sanctification or purification is also spiritual.

To Live, We Must Die
When I say, "To live, we must die," it cannot be in the physical world, for we know that in the physical world, we live until we die. But then, we may ask, "How must we die, that we may live forever?" The answer is that we must die to our pride and to our other sins.

The Great Assize
A common sense of justice in every man's heart demands that there shall be some great winding-up day, in which that which is now inexplicable shall be explained.

A Momentous Quest
There are many people to whom the Bible does not amount to much. If they merely look at the outside beauty, why it will no more lead them to Christ than Washington's farewell address. It is the inward light of God's Word you must get or die.

All the World Akin
Some have supposed that God originally made an Asiatic Adam and a European Adam and an African Adam and an American Adam, but that theory is entirely overthrown by my text, which says that all nations are blood relatives, having sprung from one and the same stock. A difference in climate makes much of the difference in national temper.

The Spiritual Father in Orthodox Christianity
One who climbs a mountain for the first time needs to follow a known route; and he needs to have with him, as companion and guide, someone who has been up before and is familiar with the way. To serve as such a companion and guide is precisely the role of the "Abba" or spiritual father whom the Greeks call "Geron" and the Russians "Starets", a title which in both languages means "old man" or "elder."

A Christian Wife
Many married couples are living life totally against God in word and deed. 99% marriages involve sharing of bodies only biologically. This is not what God wants.

Jezebel - Today in our Times
In modern times, the name Jezebel has come to mean a loose woman or one of low moral standards. The Jezebel of the Bible was a different sort of woman. She had more charges against her than not following the accepted code of conduct. She has the dubious distinction of being the most evil woman in the Bible.

Melchizedek
Can you help me by throwing some light on Melchizedek? The mention in Holy Bible is too brief for me to understand much.

St Thomas in India
There is little doubt that Apostle Thomas came to India and established a church in Malankara. There may be little physical evidence, but based in the corroborating evidence and traditions handed down, there is good acceptance of this fact.

Martyrdom of St. Thomas
The Bible has not passed down any information concerning the whereabouts, early life or the parents of St. Thomas and he is known as the leader of silent apostles. He seemed to remain almost alone and melancholic by nature among the 12 apostles.

The Kingdom of God by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Even if we cannot share liturgically the bread and the wine, we can share fully and completely what it stands for and be inseparable in the mystery of faith. The Lamb of God is broken and distributed, which though ever broken, never is divided, says the Orthodox liturgy. This we can achieve beyond all separations through such union, oneness with Christ, in one body broken, in one blood shed for the salvation of the world.

Hypocrisy Prayers
As God is love, we also will have to love God in reciprocation by following the footprints of the Savior, otherwise a slow-to anger God provides a chance to Satan to overpower us. This pray and love armchair cynicism is also a derivative of 'Heaven is within you and two or three people gathering in my name' biblical misinterpretations.

Who's to Blame for Human Suffering?
I daresay that if the innocent suffer they do so because one of us -- you or me or some other thug -- now or in the past has set their pain in motion. If the innocent continue to suffer they do so because we have yet to take responsibility for their pain; we have yet to take sufficient responsibility for their relief.

Appeasing Gospel
"No one can serve two masters" (Matt. 6:24). However, Christians have spent the greater portion of the last two centuries apparently trying to prove Jesus wrong. We have told ourselves that we can indeed have both - the things of God and the things of this world, acquiring real estates, palaces, and mighty bank balances.

Faith is 'Taking God at His Word'
'Taking God at His word' is alien to the current Secular Humanistic way of thinking that doubts even the 'Virgin Birth' and the 'Resurrection'. Secular Humanism is part and parcel of God's plan for the 'end times'.

The Second Coming of Christ
As Christians, we look forward to the return of Christ – the Second Coming. It will be a time of blessing for believers but also a time of upheaval and judgment for the wicked.

Some Thoughts on the Book of Revelation

What Day did Christ Die?
In Daniel 9:25-26 it is said that there would be 69 prophetic weeks till the Messiah would appear, and would be cut off (Crucified) in the midst of the week. This equals 483 years. Jesus, according to Daniel's prophecy, was anointed the Messiah in 26 AD., which was 483 years after the Decree of Artaxerxes to restore Jerusalem.

Jesus Wasn't Crucified on Friday or Resurrected on Sunday!
How can we fit three days and three nights between a Friday afternoon crucifixion and an Easter Sunday sunrise? The fact is, we can't. So what is the truth about when Jesus was crucified and resurrected? Read the article.

Was Jesus crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?
An excellent treatment of the subject that is consistent with our faith.  The author presents a chronology of the events surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ in a plausible and logical way in an effort to resolve the question of exactly when Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Read the article.

Appeasing Gospel
"No one can serve two masters" (Matt. 6:24). However, Christians have spent the greater portion of the last two centuries apparently trying to prove Jesus wrong. We have told ourselves that we can indeed have both - the things of God and the things of this world, acquiring real estates, palaces, and mighty bank balances.

Kingdom of God is Within You - Translation Errors in Bible
This is a wrong translation that has evicted many Christians from their churches, and has caused many of our own people to take it for granted not to participate in the church liturgy because the Kingdom of God is within you (them). They satisfy themselves with their routine and mundane minutes of baffling.

Ecumenism in a Different Perspective
Ecumenism is a step forward to bring back the original created order. A peripheral view of the creation account evidences that God conceived total unity and harmony among all created beings. God created man and woman single. The multiplicity of all other living beings and singleness of human being and conferring on man the charge of ruling over all creations implies the ecumenical perspective of the Creator.

Who is God? Who Is Man?

Ideal Parenting in Christian Perspective
A human being needs the growth of the body and spirit in a good proportion. If the balance between the growth of the body and spirit is disturbed, the growth will not reach the desired dimension. If the growth is taking place in one side only, the other side will perish.

Overcoming the Storms of Life

Many of us face challenges in life. It may be financial, job related, about children, health, marriage, etc. etc. In fact, it is clear that it is not a question of if we will face these storms of life if we are not already, it is only a question of when. How do we handle this? Malankara World has a special infocenter with more detailed articles, meditations and strategy to overcome life's storms here: http://www.MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Reading/Suffering/Default.htm

Theology and Spirituality

In the Dark about the Transfiguration
Three disciples come face-to-face with the mind-boggling nature of God. How do they react? And is there a lesson for us in their experience? That's the question the church poses in the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Questions on the Resurrection
On this occasion of the Glorious Resurrection of the Lord, we shall answer some of the questions addressed by many people.

The Resurrection & Related Incidents
Death caused His spirit to separate from His body, but His divinity never separated from His spirit or from His body. His spirit, united with His divinity, accomplished wonderful salvation for those lying in hope.

Making Sense of the Resurrection Accounts – Are there Discrepancies?
When we read the various accounts of the Resurrection in the four Gospels, Acts and Pauline Epistles we can easily be puzzled by some apparent discrepancies in the details.

A Chronological Sequence of the Resurrection Events
Here is a possible and likely chronological sequence of the resurrection appearances. It is a kind of synthesis that attempts to collect all the data and present it in a logical order.

Did the Resurrection Really Happen?
The defining issue of Christianity is the question, 'Did Jesus Christ rise from the grave?' In essence, was the Resurrection of Jesus an actual bodily resurrection or merely a spiritual manifestation of some sort? Since the day Jesus rose from the dead, detractors have tried to deny the reality of His Resurrection because a genuine resurrection proves His deity.

The World as Sacrament: The Theological and Spiritual Vision of Creation
In the Philokalia, St. Anthony of Egypt describes nature as a book that reveals the beauty of God's creation: "Creation [he says] declares in a loud voice its Maker and master." Or, as St. Maximus the Confessor claims in the 7th century, the whole world is a "cosmic liturgy." What, then, is the Orthodox theological and spiritual vision of the world?

Orthodox Christianity: The Lasting Solution
Christianity is not a quick fix; it's a gradual step-by-step growth. This is hard for many to accept, including myself. We fall into the trap of those who claim otherwise.

Suffering and Orthodox Prayer
Everyone faces suffering at different points in their life. The more important question is how we will react to our sufferings. The prayers of the Orthodox Church offer answers to this question.

The Significance of Holy Campfire (Bonfire) or Fire pit Service as Part of Christmas Service
The Orthodox liturgy on Christmas is usually conducted in the silence of night and is designed in such a way as to attract anyone to it. It often creates in the minds of the faithful an inexplicable experience of the coming down of heaven to earth.

Bishop Mor Coorilos - Green Liberation Theologian
For me, it is inconceivable to separate the human and the divine in Christ. That is one of my problems with liberation theology, although I consider myself as a liberation theologian. One of the failures of Christian theology is the overemphasize of the human aspect of Christ at the expense of the divine. In my thinking, it should go together.

Predestination
From the Writings of Bishop Elias Minatios. Predestination is a difficult concept to grasp. It has led many people to the wrong path thinking that if one's destiny is predetermined, why bother to change? This is a very powerful sermon that describes the concept. Bishop Matinos says, "Brothers and sisters, in this realm which defies comprehension, we understand only one thing: Predestination is the combination of divine grace and human will of the grace of God which calls, and the will of man which follows this calling."

Theological Summary
This sermon is a theological summary of Osthathios Thirumeni's novel theology. Hinduism believes in salvation by work (Karma). Roman Catholics and most of Protestants believe in salvation by faith.  Osthathios Thirumeni considers salvation by Grace alone.

The Significance of Priesthood
Jesus has made us priests and kings unto God, and even here upon earth we exercise the priesthood of consecrated living and hallowed service. In Joshua the high priest, we see a picture of each and every child of God, who has been made nigh by the blood of Christ, and has been taught to minister in holy things, and enter into that which is within the veil.

Holy Communion
It is our central act of worship and sacrament of sacraments. It is the perfection of all other sacraments. St James, half-brother of our Lord and the first bishop of Jerusalem, was the first to conduct it and form a written liturgy in AD 37. Syrian Orthodox Church has a wealth of about 80 liturgies. All the liturgies are based on St James liturgy but nevertheless St James liturgy is the finest, the first and the most important of all.

A Brief Introduction to the Holy Qurbana (The Liturgy of St. James)
The Liturgy envisages a cosmic worship, involving the heavenly hosts, all of creation, and the Church constituting of all its believers, those who have departed, the living and those yet to come. The worship has, as its model, the worship of God in heaven. And to create this effect, the Church uses physical gestures, the use of incense and the beautifully embroidered altar covering and vestments of the celebrant. Along with its simplicity and brevity, this liturgy remains one of the most beautiful expressions of worship in all of Christianity.

An Explanation of the Holy Qurbana
A step by step explanation of the holy qurbana

Holy Qurbana - Questions and Answers
51 questions dealing with all aspects of the Holy Qurbana are answered. Great overview of the Holy Qurbana.

The Principles Of Orthodox Worship
Ten principles of the orthodox worship are described. Orthodox worship is complete and is designed to invoke the whole human being (mind, body and spirit) and the five senses. It also has a strong biblical basis.

Orthodox Spirituality
Orthodox Spirituality presents the process of a Christian’s progress on the road to perfection in Christ, by the cleansing of passions and the winning of the virtues, a process which takes place in a certain order. Spirituality describes the manner in which the Christians can go forward from the cleansing of one passion, to the cleansing of another, and the same to the acquiring of the different virtues.

Why Turn To East For Prayer?
Why do we turn to the East while we pray ? Can't we pray in any direction? Since God is present every where and can hear our prayer, is it really necessary that we turn to a particular direction while praying?

The Blessing Cross
On top of the altar, like on the hill outside Jerusalem, stands the cross. Through it, there is eternal life in spite of death, comfort despite suffering, light in darkness, hope in despair, mercy at the hands of the merciless. As the lightning flash in the East that will herald the return of Christ to this world, an Orthodox Christian looks to it, faces it and bows before it as a symbol of God’s presence in this world and the gateway to the next.

Seasonal Interest Articles

New Years Day

New Year Message - Call the name of Jesus
Years come and go, resolutions made and broke, days dawn and set but human life rolls and rolls with it’s own sufferings without an end of this saga of life like the curse of Sisyphus.

New Year Message
New Year is a time of new resolutions for most of us. We must take time to remember the greatest resolution ever made. St John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". God resolved not to leave us in our sinful state, but to send us Jesus so that we could know of the love of God.

Christmas

See Malankara World Christmas Supplement

Nineveh Lent (3 Day Lent)

See the Malankara World Nineveh Lent (3 Day Lent) Supplement

Great Lent

See the Malankara World Great Lent Supplement

Passion Week (Holy Week)

The Last week of the Great Lent is the Passion week, the most important week for Syriac Christians. We have a separate portal for the passion week. Take a peek here:

Passion Week Supplement in Malankara World - The Road to Resurrection

Sermons based on the Lectionary of the Syriac Orthodox Church can be found here.

Collection of Articles and Sermons from Cleveland Prayer Group, Cleveland

Collection of Articles about Christianity from 1stHolistic.com

Collection of Inspirational Articles from 1stholistic.com

Sermons based on the Lectionary of the Syriac Orthodox Church can be found here.

Lectionary Sermons Home | Articles Home | Library - Home | Baselios Church Home

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