August Of 1971 To Now – ‘The Before’ Story

‘Friends of Helen’,

Now that our official ‘Giving Thanks’ Day of 2023 is behind us, I’m in a reminiscing mode.

At Some point at Sowmini’s place, our conversation evolved into how we all met ‘the Men Of Our Dreams’ in assorted Suriyani ways.

As I mentioned then, I had recanted part of my story this past August for our Carmel Mar Thoma hiking buddies.

I can’t help it, I feel obligated to forward it one more time just in case you missed any of my details. 😉

At the Thanksgiving Table two days ago, Nisha had all of us briefly tell the family what it was that we were thankful for.

As will be no surprise to any of you, I said, ‘I’m thankful that Appi is my husband’. Just four words.

To which, Nisha replied, ‘Yeah, Mum, you hit the jackpot’.

Hope we’re all thankful for the leftovers and much more.

Thank you, Joy and Sowmini, for having us all over for food and fun, and most of all to spend quality time with Helen and Chintu during the Holiday Crush.

Happy Advent Season everyone…Read on for the cut and paste from three months ago.…

Mercy

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August 19, 2023

Achen and Hiking buddies,

During our Saturday outing, which happened to coincide with our 52^nd Wedding Anniversary, I was asked by Achen, if there was any one thing that stood out in my mind or experiences over these decades of our marriage. Out in the open space, I had a brain freeze and I couldn’t think of one. it’s difficult to encapsulate fifty-two years into one snippet.

Then once back home, and the sea breeze must have cleared my cerebrum, something dawned upon me, and I was like, why didn’t I think of this then? So, This is an addendum to the piece I wrote two years ago.

Ok, back to when my father ‘found’ this ‘boy’ that I did mention at the park.

So my father made plans to go to Pallipad to check out this new ‘proposal’ with this relative of my father-in-law (Achayan used to call this relative Aliyan), who was from Kattanam. Mavan knew both families and is the one who connected the two.

The two fathers were classmates, and when first told, the tale is that Papaji asked Mavan, ‘Baby-ku engane oru mon undo’?

Mavan, on his own and unbeknownst to my father, had given Achayan, my father-in-law, a specific time that the ‘guests’ would be arriving.

And the guests were late.

My father who’s never been late for anything in his entire life, (and I can firmly attest to this), was late that day. The ‘why’ of this is another story.

Let’s proceed. So Achayan, when the visitors didn’t show at the expected time, requested his second son, my husband, the ‘Cherukan’ in this story, to go to ‘Illathe Purayidam’ and oversee the Puli harvest. The Puli has to be harvested at its peak. This Kudam Puli tree is so huge it produces enough for the family for a year’s worth and then some.

The family used to sell the Puli after processing, a method in and of itself, and store it in this giant earthenware vessel called a ‘Cheena Bharani’, truly an antique of Chinese origin.

Legend has it that is was introduced to Southern India by Marco Polo on one of his voyages between China and Italy where India was his wayward station. This Bharani is now in our sister Laly’s Ernakulam flat.

So back to the Puli. While the ‘boy’ was in ‘Illum’, my Dad showed up at the Kochupurackal house with Mavan.

The two classmates cheerfully renewed their friendship from over fifty years prior, from the M.T. Seminary Boarding School in Kottayam and then their Trivandrum College days.

After the preliminary niceties were done with, the harvest was still going on, so Achayan dispatched Kuttan, his ‘go-to’ guy, to go and fetch whom Kuttan used to call ‘Thampi Thampuran’. (A bit of a reminder of the first chapters of ‘The Covenant Of Water’ where Shamuel addresses the ‘Thamp’ran’).

My husband left supervising the Puli project for the time, came home, and met my Dad.

It was ‘love at first sight’. For my Dad.

Papaji took to this prospective son-in-law like a duck takes to water.

Chief among the factors that drew him was, if this guy would go and manage this menial and physical ‘krishi’ work after graduating from a professional college, then it must mean he’s not shy of hard work no matter how lowly the work is, then he’ll work hard and take care of my little girl, too, for sure.

To this Math guy, who studied Trigonometry and Advanced Calculus in college, this made perfect sense, right?

What part of it don’t you understand?

Subsequently as he was relating this to me with gleeful eyes, I was thinking, who cares about this, as long as he looks like Shashi Kapoor (thanks, Neena 😊) and dresses like him too. 😁

Moral of the story: God had a plan. The plan included my Dad being late to this auspicious occasion.

All the principals in this story, Achayan, Papaji, Kuttan, all gone now, even the big ‘Illathe purayidam’ and the Puli maram, and Gosh, the ‘Kochupurackal Veedu’ itself.

But this recall remains vivid and forever etched.

Betsy, see what you started? I’m sure you’re sorry you asked. 😉

Needless to say, Saturday was a splendid day, thank you all for making it so and marking it our day. You guys are the best.

Thanks for the food, the Dunkin’, all of it.

Until next time…

Mercy

 “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Romans 1:20 NIV

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Family: The Manifestation of God’s Kingdom – Vanitha Bodhini October 2023

Almost three months ago, sometime in the middle of July, I got a call from Noby Byju, the Secretary for the Mar Thoma Church Diocese of North America and Europe Sevika Sangham.

Noby and I had become, first acquaintances and then friends, through my stint as the Secretary of the Carmel Sevika Sangham.  

Noby wanted to see if I would be willing to contribute a devotional piece to the October edition of Vanitha Bodhini, the monthly publication of the Sabha Sevika Sangham Kendram Office in Thiruvalla.  

The October edition was designated in full to be written by members of the 66 North American Parishes of the Diocese.  

Since it involved only writing and not speaking, and I was given adequate time to prepare, I readily accepted.  

The assigned title for the devotion was Family: Manifestation of God’s Kingdom.  

There was a 1400-word limit and I clocked in at 1350 (always testing the limit 😊) and promptly submitted my segment by the deadline of September 1.  

Below is what I submitted after many personal prayers and serious deliberation. The Word Of God is like an oasis in the middle of a desert.  

Each thought is from the heart. I know it’s long, however, if any of it touches you in any way, I’d love to hear about it.  

The two graphics (top and bottom left) were inserted by the editors. I love it. 

No words in my arsenal would suffice in acknowledging my bestie tech support, Sheba Oommen.
Thursday Shalom… 

Mercy

Sophia Marie Cocchiarella – Now and Then

June 5, 2022

An Ode to our ‘Firstborn’ ‘Grand’ Daughter:

One picture. One thousand words. A million bucks.

One Kuttene. One Appi. Only one of each.

She named him. Then.

Red gown. Blue sky. White dress.

Hot sun. Cool graduate.

It was the fifth day of the sixth month. In the Year Of Our Lord Twenty twenty-two. Now.

And God saw that it was good.

God Is Good. He also smiled in His Abode.

May the wings of eagles hover above you, Soph Kuttan, as you spread yours.

May you be on solid footing as you trek:

From home to dorm.

From Suburban Metro-West Massachusetts to Rural Central Maine.

From Holliston to Lewiston. From Holliston High School to Bates College.

Hand on heart.

“But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles;” Isaiah 40:31

❤ and 🤗 and 🙏

Ammi

Merry Christmas and A Happy Year 2023

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel”. Matthew 1:23 (NIV) – AD 1

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Shepherds in an open field. Unsuspecting and Uneducated.

Poor. Illiterate.

Exposed to the elements. Right next door.

Came to them, An Angel.

Kings from another Continent. From far away.

Rich. Smart. Educated.

Purveyor of Cosmic signs.

Came to them, A Star.

All Listening, Seeking. Searching, Following.

Paupers and Princes. Offered themselves. Or the Best that money can buy.

All journeying.

From Different Stations, to the Same Destination.

From Green Pastures and Gilded Palaces:

To a Cowshed. In a City named for a King.

 To a Child nearby a community that couldn’t house Him.

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One man, One woman.

Disobedient. Sinful in paradise.

Led to sinfulness of Humankind.

Another Woman. Another Man.

Obedient. Led to the Sinless One.

Manifested in Salvation of Humankind.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) – 500 BC

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From Law to Love.

The Law Is: To Love.

For, Love Is God.

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May we hear Angels’ Voices this Christmas, and see the Starlight that illuminates our paths in 2023 …

Striking Gold – A Golden Anniversary

Fifty years ago today, I said ‘Yes’.  To my father.

He had ‘fallen in love’ with a ‘boy’, where it was ‘Love At First Sight’. For my father.

Let me narrate to you how it all unfolded.

My dad, without any embellishment, was singularly the most efficient man I have ever known. To claim he was meticulous and disciplined would be grossly inadequate.

His attention to details would be the envy of a twenty-first century CEO. Executing innovative ideas was his exceptional talent.

But being perceptive about people and their character, was not one of his strengths.

This one time however, took an exception. He was right on the money about this ‘boy’ he found.

It’s been one heck of a journey, that even this girl with a penchant for talking can’t seem to find the adequate words to define. Can’t even locate a Shakespeare quote to fit. 😉

What can I say? It’s been Golden.

So Papaji was presenting this idea to me, of this so-called ‘boy’ he found.

I can still envisage the twinkle in his eyes. Even if you can’t see his whole face, you could tell he was smiling behind those (John Lennon-famous) wire-rimmed glasses, and through the crinkles in the corners of his eyes.

I think I mentally said ‘yes’ at that point. Seriously, who would want to dim that view? Extinguish that light? Really.

Further details that emerged in the subsequent days disclosed, this ‘boy’, most significantly an engineering graduate, was the son of a classmate from the famed MT Seminary Boarding School in Kottayam, a celebrated Mar Thoma Boys’ Boarding School of that era, from some 45 years prior and later as hostel-mates in Trivandrum, as well as the nephew of a former parishioner (Kuruvillachayan) who was a most respected and loved right-hand man.

In the ensuing days, all the prescribed steps were followed to a T. My family was famous for following all the ‘Mamools’ of the day.

The date was set for this ‘boy’ and his immediate family to visit.

So that Day, Thursday August 5, 1971 arrived.

Not with that much pomp or circumstance.

Well, Amma made her usual and customary snacks, but what stood out conspicuously was, the palpable exhilaration on the faces of, my Dad, somewhat in my mother, a lot in my sister, some in my nonchalant little brother, (not the least by any means, Kutti Moopathi, who was peeking from behind the Adukala to see this one who’s coming to see Mercy Mol), but most of all my precious 88-year old grandfather.

Apachen was in his rattan chair (choora kasera) with a Bible in his lap, a most familiar sight to those who knew him, the Bible with the enlarged script that my Dad had gifted him with. He needed that and an additional magnifying glass to read the two materials he read every day. His Bible and the Malayala Manorama.

At 88, this retired Estate Department Manager of a British Company, called Darragh Smail & Company (India) Pvt. LTD. headquartered in Alapuzha, never missed either.

Yes, Apachen was reading and praying. That this most ‘Suitable Boy’ would marry his most favourite grand, well, may be the second most favourite after my brother, who was the apple of his eye and his ‘heir’.

Looking back, Apachen’s prayer saved; I’ll never stop believing in the Power Of Prayer.

Now, my thirty five first cousins from my father’s side might contest this claim about me being Apachen’s ‘favourite’, but not in a million about his ‘reading’.

So, August 5. Afternoon. Big Day One.

One by one the family walked in.

In my semi-nervous element, I was excepting, this dashing guy, somewhat resembling Shashi Kapoor 😁, and in came this one with a simple button-down shirt and a mundu, and looking indescribably modest, and I was like, what?

When you’re 21, ‘simple’ is not what you’re after, right?

Moving on to the bright side: His family; I liked right away, especially his father, utmost dignified and principled to a fault, and I was right on that assessment. I liked his mother, brother and brother’s wife. I mean, at that point, what’s there to halt it, in the ancient Suriyani model, right?

Besides, I had a sister who just simply couldn’t wait any further to see her Mercama, (who was ‘old’ and getting on further in age 😁) get married. One has to appreciate growing up without an older brother to get this, and she was just ‘dying’ for that older brother she never had.

My (real) brother, for his part, I think he was just happy to shed his role as ‘the only son’.

So, it was ‘arranged’.

In the midst of this charged setting, my father didn’t consider asking his daughter, the ‘prospective bride’, (that would be me), about her ‘approval’.

I mean, a simple, ‘Do you like the boy?’ Until my future father-in-law prompted him, ‘perhaps you need to find out if your ‘Mol’ is agreeable to this arrangement?’

In his excited haste, He had overlooked that minor detail. 😁

So, my Dad asked. And I said, YES.

My daughters are like, you just saw him, and said ‘yes’? Well, deep under, I think, they understand the dynamics and this ethos better than we give them credit for. Besides, they’re just glad Appi married Ammi.

And Mathews Athanasius Thirumeni, who insisted on conducting the wedding of his grand-niece Kunjamma’s daughter, did.

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Nisha. Yamini. Mekhala. This is for you.

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So what made it Gold? A metal that never loses its luster?

On this day, Thursday August 19, 1971, Big Day Two, (Day Three, if you count the Engagement on August 12), I married the kindest, most considerate human I have ever known.

I have not known anyone, nor will I ever, this unselfish; one who puts others’ needs ahead of his own.

That’s just for starters.

“How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning; Sonnet 43; 1844

–First, family, (all family), comes first, ahead of friends, (sorry, friends).

Our daughter Yamini once exclaimed, in response to something, Dad isn’t Dad if he isn’t putting his family first.

To Our three girls, Appi is, well, they think Appi ‘Walks On Water’.

–And here’s what mostly no one knows. Not even Church folks. Nor Achens.

In fifty years, I have never seen my husband turning in for the night, or waking up to start the day, without saying a prayer, sitting at the edge of his bed, head bent.

A sight that holds true, whatever corners of the earth we’re in.

Whether we’re in Siem Reap or Seattle. Sudbury or Shanghai. Budapest or Chenkulam. Kattanam or Cairo. Paris or Pallipad. Minneapolis or Nairobi.

To the chagrin of all my beloved vicars who have come and gone, we’re not in pews every Sunday, and when we do show up, we occupy seats in the back row, perhaps even appearing a bit uninvolved, but unbeknownst to them, this habit never, ever, wavered. And now you all know.

–Church or no Church, he follows The Commandment, as given in all four Gospels, to ‘Forgive’; and as in Matthew’s Gospel, ‘Seven Times Seventy’.

The guy doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘grudge’. Perhaps this trait is rubbing off on all those in close proximity. 😉

-Engineering-precise in everything he undertakes, an engineer’s engineer, you’d love to see him park between 2 cars in the grocery store lot, exactly one foot from the lines on both sides. Sometimes I want to jump out of the car watching it. (Still haven’t done it, thankfully, I’m still alive to write about it.)  😉 Nor have you seen the black book he keeps with all the home Blood Pressure readings for the both of us. 🤦‍♂️

–To add, and known perhaps only to our girls, he’s the family Accountant, the Money Changer in the household (gives me spending money 😁), Financial broker, Tech expert, the fix and repair guy.

–Apostle Paul said, ‘Love Is Patient’. If this is true, this guy is Love.

-Never sits still for a daytime minute.

–Through it all, and in spite of it, he remains the most unassuming person God ever placed on the planet. What you see is what you get.

–And here’s the best-kept secret: there’s nothing I can, or would do, in this household, without him being there, not behind, but right there, with me, every step of the way.

‘Does this taste right?’ ‘Does it need more salt?’ ‘How many pounds should I buy for the function?’ ‘Can you proof-read this letter to the Sevika Sangham? And oh, did I mention, I need it done right away?’. 😁

–Oh, and I almost forgot, and what drives me nuts, all the, ‘Do you have to react this way?’, ‘Why are you getting so needlessly agitated about it?’, ‘Oh, come on, they didn’t mean it like that’, ‘Don’t take it so personal’, ‘It’s not a big deal’, etc., that I’m subjected to every day, and most recently, ‘I want you to read Markosinte Suvishesham 11:24 and 25’. 😢 I did.

Oh, never mind. It’ll be two pages-full if I continued. 😁

And you want to know who affirms this? Our three daughters. They know, more than anyone, that Appi is the anchor who holds this family ship straight and upright.

It is said that people born under the zodiac sign of Gemini, are easy to get along with, because, as twins, they share a space before they enter the world. If this is in fact true, my husband is a true Gemini.

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We took each other. We had and we held. We’ve had sickness, and we’ve had mostly health. We’ve never been rich, and we’ve never been poor.

With The Love Of My Life.

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On Thursday, August 19, 1971, following the Ancient Indian Jyothish practice, the five members of my immediate family traveled in four separate cars, up National Highway 47 going North,

and as I stepped out of the white Standard Herald that belonged to my first cousin Rajachayan, all clad in white, onto the courtyard of The Pallipad Mar Thoma Cheriya-palli,

my Dad gave me a kiss on my forehead (and that crinkle I described earlier was at its peak),

and said within earshot of Rajachayan, Gracekochama, my most loved cousin Anniemama, and my sister Shanti, all those who were in the car with me:

‘Mercy Makkale! Daivum Mole Anugrahi-katte’.

You and Amma can smile now, Papaji. He did. Thank Him for me up close and personal.

And by the way, you were right on both counts. 😉

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“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If they fall, one will lift up his companion.” Ecclesiastes 4:9 NKJV

Biblical Images Of Family

Wish you all a Happy Year 2022 and beyond.

A few weeks ago, I entered an Essay contest, conducted by the Sevika Sangham of the North East Region of the MarThoma Church’s North American Diocese.

The subject was: Biblical Images Of Family.

It had a deadline for submission, but most importantly it had a strict word count limit of 200.

As you may imagine, this presented a huge challenge for me, (people who know me know that I don’t do short hand 😉), my initial draft was way more, may be 400 and above, and I spent, you won’t guess, countless hours editing it to the prescribed word count without discarding meaning. A blessed experience nonetheless.

In the final, the count came to 216 words according to MS Word.

The subject was given one week prior to the deadline.

To ring in the New Year, I’m sharing my piece.

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Biblical Images Of Family 

Starting with the First Chapter of Genesis, it is made clear that Man and Woman are at the Center of the Creation narrative. They are formed as one unit.  

It is the only conception in whom God placed His own breath, making Man part Earth and part Divine. And God charged them to have many children. 

• God created the family unit.

We move on to Abraham, The Father of Faith, and his wife Sara. Faith defined Abraham’s life. It is what guided him on his Journey towards God’s Land Of Promise. There, the couple was blessed with the Son of the Covenant through whom was promised, our Saviour.  

This account continues on, that, though Sara initially didn’t believe in this divination, she bore the Covenant offspring because of her husband’s faith.  

They are, indeed, one unit.  

• One Unit’s Faith led to our Salvation.

Moving on to the foot of the Sinai, Moses, the first law-giver in human history descended from the mountaintop after a direct encounter with God the Almighty, Yahweh, and commanded us in no uncertain terms, that we are to to honor our father and mother. 

• The unit has now expanded to include extended family.

It culminated when a righteous, compassionate man, named Joseph, following an Angel’s orders, went with the Spirit of the Leviticus Law, and not its Letter, and protected the Mother of the Messiah. 

• The unit is now complete. And it includes our Saviour.

From Adam to Jesus.

As Joshua proclaimed against all obstacles, and facing down the Walls Of Jericho:

“My family and me, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

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Pray that the year on deck brings the best for us and in us.

Christmas Peace…

Mercy

Carmel MarThoma Church Sevika Sangham

“There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to everyone for their particular service.” 1 Corinthians 12:6

Achen, and Sevika Sangham ladies,

While giving thanks to a gracious God, I feel honoured to take on this role as the newly installed Secretary of the Carmel MarThoma Church Sevika Sangham, for this year, starting now.

Thank you, to the many, who placed their confidence in me, if I disappoint at any time, you’re welcome to call it.

Having served as the Vice President of this organization for two years (under KC Varughese Achen and then Sam achen), and subsequently as the Prayer-coordinator for four (from Sam Achen’s tenure  to Manoj Achen’s), I’m committed to the role Sevika Sangham plays in the church lives of our female folk, women getting together in Christian sisterhood, and studying God’s Word in depth.

So this, in that context, was an acceptable transition.

This calls on me to pay due acknowledgement to those who went before me in this secretary role, and paved the way.

First, and without equivocation, i want to thank Thankam George for her tireless and passionate efforts to keep this organization fully engaged and energized, and for a bit more than the past decade. The Sangham has grown significantly under her leadership, and I offer our deep-felt thanks for her dedication, on behalf of all of us.

I also want to recognize Annama (Kunjumol) Mathew, Saji Varghese, Molly Kurien, Susan Lukose, and Sumam George who held the secretary mantle for the decade prior,

and the many unsung heroes from a decade and half before that, whose names I may be unintentionally missing. Apologies offered.

There are also many other tasks and titles and roles within this organization, that several have performed with sincere commitment.

We are where we are because of the cumulative efforts of every single one of them. You may know who you are. Thank you, and God Bless.

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In this regard, my personal testimony starts: (The past informs the present)

with KU Abraham Achen, (now Abraham mar Paulose Thirumeni), who walked us through (in Gracy Varghese’s house in Cambridge MA), 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, and the Gifts Of The Holy Spirit, in a way i had never deliberated before,

Ike Achen, who at Walker Center, intellectually carried us through the role Ruth played in Judaic history, and the prophetic lineage of The Messiah, when she aligned herself with God’s plan to a T,

KC Achen, and his striking lesson (among many) on Mary and Elizabeth, two women in times of extreme distress, greeted each other with all the cheer they could muster, lifting each other up,

Sam Achen, who forever imprinted on my mind that, God’s Chosen, no matter what befalls them, will never be destroyed: ‘The Bush Was Burning But Not Consumed‘,

Seena Kochama, who admonished us that, making vows to God that cannot be kept, may have ill consequences, as in the case of Jephthah and his daughter,

Denny Achen, who opened our eyes wide, (as he did so many occasions): to the first two and the most poignant questions God ever asked man, ‘Where Are You?’ and ‘Where Is Your Brother?‘ Everything rests on these: our relationship with God and our relationship with our fellow man. Does it get any better?

And dear Manoj Achen, posited from the pulpit, it’s not sufficient to just have Faith, we have to Trust. Both different if we really think about it, and i actually do, now.

And Theodosius Thirumeni, who helped us re-imagine, that the first ‘church-hood’ was founded at the Foot Of The Cross, when our Lord entrusted disciple John and mother Mary, two who were not blood-related, to each other’s care.

Euyakim mar Coorilose Thirumeni, who posed to us the question, ‘who do we consider the ‘most blessed’ among us’, and led us to the stunning supposition, it’s not the most worldly acclaimed or endowed, rather a woman who saw her son crucified.

I thank so much Thomas John Achen, our Vicar, for his support, spiritual guidance, and continued heart-felt prayers.

‘The Royal Priesthood’.

However imperfect a journey it has been for me, a set of parents, sitting flanked by Gabriel and Mikha-el, are nodding in approval. This is for them.

p.s. A serious effort was made to make our e-ID list a bit more complete. If a name is missing, please alert.

I promise the future emails won’t be this long.

With prayers, and asking for the same back…

Mercy Mariam Koshy

Secretary 2020, Carmel MarThoma Church Sevika Sangham

 

Tons Of Plastic And Other Waste Washing Ashore

Remember that time when i offered to make ‘snacks’ for those willing to ‘pledge’ to discontinue the use of the ‘little nothing’ plastic bags (that weigh zero milligrams), found ubiquitously in the produce section at the market?

i got a few replies saying, ‘i already do this, now where is my snack’. 😉

there were even a couple of requests for the munchies to be sent to California, where they’re already on top in overall recycling efforts.

It’s a new day, and I’m renewing my offer of a ‘nadan’ snack for anyone who’ll pledge, this time, to forgo plastic straws.

Reducing comes first. before reusing and recycling.

So at a restaurant, when they bring you a Pepsi Cola (thank you, Indra Nooyi, you make the best potato chips 😜) with a straw on the side, please return it to the waitstaff right away.

if you leave it on the table, thinking it’ll be re-used, it’ll mostly get tossed when they clear the table.

My husband is slowly getting over the shock of me having had to make all those palaharams from the last round. so please keep this confidential. 😊

April was the International Earth Month. There were numerous articles in print last month on the lasting devastation wreaked on the planet by human consumption. But nothing causes more damage to the oceans as does plastic.

And until we discover H2O on another planet, ours is the only one we get to save. (even though Matt Damon claims to have found it on Mars😁)

So let’s do it.

Don’t forget, right there in Verse 4 of The First Chapter in Genesis, it says, ‘God was pleased with what He saw’.

Let’s please Him back and keep it this way.

The sun is at last out over the New England skies, so happy Saturday….

and read on for more on what ABC news is saying. 😱

mercy

“Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise”

Meditating on one of the Seven Sayings of Jesus on The Cross is a traditional way to kick off the Good Friday evening services at the CSI church that we occasionally attend.

There, Christopher Achen asked me once again if I would oblige and do one meditation, except he did the asking two years ago.

I agreed but didn’t get into it, lazily sat on it, and last year passed us by. Then came this year. Nothing came prodding my awareness and I was going to, without care, postpone it again, one more time, for one more year.

And who but my most ardent supporter, my ‘Yes, You Can’ husband, prodded me out of my lethargic state.

So I dusted off the cobwebs of my brain and sat down to give it some serious thought.

Just to be clear, 6 other parish members were asked to do the same, each on a different saying.

Those who participate get to pick their choice Word.

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“Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise.” Luke 23:43

This is what I chose.

This is presumably Jesus’ Second (out of seven) Saying. Right after, ‘Father, Forgive Them For They Know Not …’.

And He said it to the thief on a cross to his right.

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‘All I ever needed to know about life’: the Good, the Bad, and what sits in between, I learned from Genesis Chapter Three.

Shakespeare never said it better.

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So, what exactly is Paradise?

There are those of us who believe there’s nothing such.

For the purpose of this devotion, let’s give them a rest.

But for those who do have an accepting concept of what’s termed Paradise, it conjures up diverse images.

At a minimum, there is the Earthly Paradise and then there is the Heavenly One.

One of the first images to an abode close enough is in Genesis Chapter Three.

The Garden Of Eden. For sure, it was Earthly.

So what was Eden?

It had Man, Woman, lush vegetation, and many creatures, which sadly, for mankind, included one that ‘crawls on the ground’ and ‘bites man’s heels’: a snake. Genesis: Chapter 1.

Man was given dominance over all, even the snake.

In spite of the presence of the crawlies, it was pervasively peaceful. Because the finest part of it was:

God Himself came to visit Man’s domicile every day.

He walked with the Man and the Woman every day. He was part of their daily life.

Kind of blissful, one might say.

Man was Adam. Woman was Eve.

Even in this idyllic realm, there was unbearably, the snake. Ouch!

Why the ‘Ouch’?

Snake is inherently slimy, slithery, venomous, and it travels in a crooked pattern. Enough said. Those features speak for themselves.

And whether we like it or not, the snake was also part of Creation.

Poignantly, the Crooked One was crawling right under God’s Feet.

Good and Evil side by side.

Man, in sharp contrast, and almost just the way God intended, possessed a superior brain, was innately inquisitive, and was constantly on a quest to grab something beyond what’s presently within his reach.

We all know it by heart by now, but The Genesis Narration follows like this.

The snake in his devious Snakeness, the way only a snake can be, wanted to trick Man into not being God’s Best Friend. His jealousy got the best of him, and there was nothing ‘best’ to start with.

To this end, the snake artfully approached Eve first with his enticing suggestion.

Notice, he did not go to Adam. Why?

I can’t state here what my hypothesis is about ‘why’. I think Shakespeare said something about it in Hamlet. 😉

And for Eve’s part, it was not enough for her to take ‘The Bite’, of doing what’s wrong in the eyes of God, by herself.

Eve went to Adam and presented the same tempting option to him.

Now Adam takes The Bite: doing what’s wrong in the eyes of man and God: Part 2.

Man was supposed to be in control. He could have said ‘no’.

Observe the pattern here?

It’s never enough that we take The Fall by ourselves.

We often act in ways that cause others to Fall.

We have to enlist an ally in the wrongdoing.

A kindred spirit. A partner in crime. A comrade.

A companion who’s complicit by being silent.

By supporting a supportive friend. Offering blind loyalty. Applying ‘Situational Ethics’.

Resorting to phrases that validate: ‘What I say may escalate the conflict’.

‘Go along to get along’. ‘If you can’t fight them, join them’.

‘The end justifies the means’. ‘I was just doing it for her’.

No need to go on.

We all know how it rolls.

Then suddenly, it doesn’t feel so wrong no matter how wrong it is.

We’re also aware how the plot ends.

Man was let go from Paradise. ‘You’re fired’. Ouch! Again.

Some call it Punishment.

I phrase it, having to face the consequences of one’s actions. It varies slightly from ‘punishment’.

It’s that helpless feeling of, ‘oh! I wish hadn’t done it that way’. 

‘Wish I could take it back’. ‘Can I have a do-over?’.

‘Wish there were another option’.

The guilt that gnaws at you, makes you feel terribly embarrassed (naked), makes you desire to ‘hide‘ from the wronged, from God.

Punishment enough.

God Wept. For the first time.

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Thankfully and Gracefully, this is just the end of only one part of the story, not the end of The Story.

God in his Infinite Love, gave us an ‘out’. He cut his favourite creation some slack.

With Grace, we may get a Second Chance. A chance to make amends. To do it right this time.

With Grace, we’ll grab it before the chance slips away.

God promised: ‘Someday a woman’s offspring will deal a blow to the Serpent’s Head’.

Note, it’s the ‘Woman’s Offspring’. “The Progeny Of A Virgin”.

I don’t know about you, but I’d presume, when you crush a slithery creature’s head with a big Plank of Wood, (may be as that in The Cross?), it pretty much cannot slither anymore. The crookedness is suddenly stilled.

Remember, The One the ‘snake charmed’ is The One who gives birth.

First Sin and Final Redemption.

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The Thief On The Cross.

Now, what does this all have to do with the Thief On The Cross?

If we read Chapter 23 of the Gospel According to Luke (the only Gospel where the Second Saying is found),

It speaks that the thief takes a few requisite steps before he has a direct Encounter with Jesus.

One: he admonishes his fellow thief to fear God.

Two: he admits his own wrongdoing.

Three: he recognizes that Jesus is sinless, The Son Of God.

Four: and finally, he exhibits his desire to be received into The Kingdom.

When the thief turns remorseful and asked for Forgiveness from the One who stilled the devil, death as a punishment was overcome.

With Resurrection, death was defeated.

And Man has regained his presence in that Lost Paradise. He now has the company of God once again.

The place that was lost to Man, and from where he was banished, was given back on The Cross.

Imagine that. All with the stroke of one saying. A proclamation.

A Word. By The Word.

Today.    You.    Will Be with Me.    In Paradise.

It is available: Today … As in, Right now.

‘You’: … as in, the one who repents.

With Me. … as in, With God’s Son.

In Paradise. … As in, With God.

Repentance leads to Forgiveness.

Forgiveness leads to Paradise. The Heavenly One.

From Eden To The Cross.

From The Cross to Paradise.

The choice really is ours.

From, ‘I Am That I Am’ to,

‘I Am Who You Say I Am’ to

‘I Will Be With You To The End Of Time’.

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wishing you all Easter’s Hope...

mercy

A New Decade Of Peace And Joyfulness

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” …

 

“A child is born to us! A son is given to us!

and He will be our ruler.

He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor”, “Mighty God”,

“Everlasting Father”, “Prince Of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:3, 6

 

He brought light to the lost and the searching, in the wilderness and in far-away lands. The shepherds earning their livelihoods and the wise kings who were on an adventure. The lowly and the rich. The scholars and the unschooled.

All were first privy to witness this, and in equal measure.

He was a Gift. To mankind.

He is the King. Of the universe.

He gives advice. To those seeking.

He is Almighty.

He is Forever.

He loves like a Father. And a father’s love is like no other.

His Kingdom reigns Peace.

He’s the Prince of this Kingdom, heir to the King Of Kings.

Wish you a new decade that transmits and translates Christmas Light and Love…

mercy