Dearly Beloved,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
July 28, 10th Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost
Epistle Readings: Acts 28:23-30, Romans 10:5-21
Holy Evangelion: St Matthew 18:1-14
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Reflections:
Jesus, being the greatest human who ever lived on earth, was asked by his disciples about greatness. His response to them was different from what they had expected. Until then, the disciples thought that greatness had a direct correlation with class in society. Thus kings, queens, landlords and leaders were greater people. It was about importance given to power that came with position rather than the accountability that came with authority.
Jesus’ response left the disciples baffled. He simply called a child who was nearby. Children are often the most neglected everywhere while elders enjoy the focus and adulation. A society would thus concur mainly with its elders on any topic. Here the question was about the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. So, the answer should have been according to heaven’s standards.
The Kingdom of heaven is an experience we can enjoy while living in this world. In the kingdom of heaven, life is decided more with sinning or non-sinning. Sin can take away heaven. Children are not prone to sin, and they keep their heart and mind free of weight or worry. There actions are often a direct indication of how they have been treated. When children sense that they are loved, they are at their best. If they are not treated well, they move on without much grudge.
Sin in thought or deed is based on inclinations of the mind. In the garden of Eden, the tempter came to them with an idea of becoming God. Eating of the fruit of knowledge was the way to attain it. It doesn’t say how much time Adam and Eve spent on processing their thoughts. Their response to the tempter’s cajoling led to an act done with some deliberation and debate. It was thus not something impulsive or momentous. Nearly all sins, violations, cruelties, exploitations, hurting, killings, persecutions, oppressions, rejection, refusal of rights, encroachments, invasions, inflicting of pain and trauma… are done with much scheming based on vengeance. All crimes may thus have a background of detailed planning. Nobody can say, they acted unaware. This is where God wanted to punish the human race with the flood. ‘The Lord saw that the wickedness of humans was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.’ (Gen 6:5)
Children can teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven as they are neither preoccupied nor prejudiced. They appreciate life as it comes, and they try to enjoy the environment that they are surrounded by. They make a heaven of everything with their innocent playfulness and un-schemed energy. May God’s spirit of love and understanding lead us to have great respect and thoughtful care for one another.
FEASTS AND REMEMBRANCES:
- July 22, Mary Magdaledne
- July 23, Fr Noronah, 87th anniversary
- July 23, HG Gevarghese Mar Diascoros Metropolitan, 25th anniversary, entombed at Holy Trinity Asram, Ranny
- July 27, Mar Simon the Stylite
Fr T J Joshua has entered eternal rest
Joshua Achen was the teacher of teachers and was called Gururatnam. Achen was a person served the church and society in various capacities. He was teaching at the seminary through which he was able to influence the whole church as his students were deployed in all the parishes worldwide. Achen was a towering figure in the contexts of ecumenism, inter church dialogues, inter faith summits, and in various administrative leadership positions. He headed the Sunday School and brought many reforms. Achen was a voice of demand in convention gatherings. His voice was sweet, strong, convincing, inviting and attractive. His voicing of faith always empowered the flock. His special affinity towards St Paul made his speeches and writings more profound with ecclesiastical and theological conviction of the early church. His personal sufferings due to health issues gave way to better understanding of suffering and glory in a person’s faith life. He has left this world by leaving a huge community of leaders who are his students. He has also given us many books, articles, speeches, recorded liturgical offerings for many generations to access and get edified. May his soul find rest in the Heaven’s Court. May his continuing prayers and intercession be a shelter and guidance for us.
KCEF St Thomas Day
The annual retreat and St Thomas Day celebration organised by KCEF was a blessed memorable gathering with brilliant sessions by invited speakers and excellent presentations by parishes. Our parish had a wonderful participation with our senior SS students singing the Malayalam song ‘Niranom Paalayoor…’ It is a difficult song for anyone; however, our children sang it beautifully. Sincere thanks to the singers, trainers, parents and teachers for making the presentation. Also, we had our members volunteered in offering technical support for the meetings. Thanks to them too.
St Joseph Seniors Forum, Luncheon Meeting
St Joseph Seniors forum had initially planned for a trip to Thousand Islands. But due to the various commitments our members had, we changed it to luncheon meeting at church on Thursday July 25th. It turned out for its best. It was a wonderful gathering. We had a lot of beautiful sharing of thoughts and life experiences. The food was tasty and delicious. Thanks to all the members for their participation.
The next luncheon meeting will be on 2024 August 22 Thursday, at the parish hall. We encourage all the senior members to join in person.
FUTURE IMPORTANT DATES / EVENTS: Please note in your calendar.
- August 01-15, Shunoyo Fast – Feast of Assumption
- August 06, Feast of Transfiguration, Holy Qurbana on August 05 Monday, evening prayer at 06:30 followed by H Qurbana.
- August 10, Saturday, Holy Liturgy in English at 08:30 to finish by 09:45am. Please join.
- August 22-25, MGOCSM Toronto Kanesh at Valley of the Mother of God Retreat Centre
Kanesh 2024: Please find the invitation sent by MGOCSM Toronto
Registration for Kanesh 2024 is now open!
The camp will be held from August 22nd to 25th at The Valley of the Mother of God Retreat Center, 953376 7 Line E, Orangeville, ON L9W 2Z2.
The main speaker will be H.G. Abraham Mar Stephanos Metropolitan, joined by workshop leaders Rv. Dn. Basali Mathew, Rv. Dn. Joshua Varughese, and Varsha Varghese.
Please click the below link to register:
bit.ly/kanesh24
MGOCSM Toronto welcomes all youth to the Kanesh event.
FOR OUR ATTENTION & TO NOTE:
Children, please occupy front benches during our Liturgical Services
We request our parents to send their children to the front rows as they enter the church for Liturgical services. We have our respected Sunday School teachers taking turns to be with the children during the service. We also request our adult members to leave the front rows free for the children and to occupy row 4 onwards from front.
Kindly avoid crowding at the back of the church. A few concerns.
- Due to safety concerns and for assuring an undistracted worship space, we request all our members to proceed to the front rows except those that are reserved for children when we enter the temple. It would be a bit difficult for our volunteers to suggest moving to the front during the service as it would cause distraction and noise. We need to avoid crowding at the entrance and stair areas as this has raised safety concerns.
- Please be considerate to our senior members to help them find seats or while they try to access the washroom. A slip or a hit should be avoided in any circumstance.
- Please be watchful at the shoe rack area which is also the entrance to both washrooms.
- We request our parents to attend our children not to pull the alarm lever at the back wall.
Hand Waving Machine & Common Absolution Prayer for all communicants
The hand waving machine has been installed at the church entrance for taking count of the communicants. Whoever wishes to take Holy Communion, upon entering the temple, please wave your hand once at the machine. Please be aware that after the Nicene Creed, the machine shall be disabled.
SPIRITUAL ORGANISATIONS’ UPDATES & UPCOMING EVENTS:
MGOCSM, Holy Liturgy in English on second Saturdays. Next service will be on Saturday August 10 at 08:30 am.
For those who find it inconvenient to attend worship on Sundays or on other days, MGOCSM will be organising the Holy Liturgy in English on the second Saturday of every month. This is open to all. We would also like this to be a space for our young generation to attend the service with minimum time and to engage in a creative fellowship on weekends. This will not replace the English liturgy on fourth Sundays. The service will begin at 08:30 am and will finish by 09:45 am. Please make use of this opportunity.
MMVS:
MMVS 2nd Annual Regional meet- Scheduled for Oct 19, 2024. There will be a Talent show in addition to Bible Study. It will be hosted by our parish.
Art Exhibition – Scheduled tentatively for Nov 17th, 2024. All interested in displaying their art skill are requested to start preparing for the same.
IN-PERSON MEETINGS:
July 28, MGOCSM monthly meeting after refreshment
Holy Liturgical Text for this Sunday
We will be using the English Taksa of Mar Dionysius Barsleebi this Sunday.
May the Gracious Lord keep us from all harm and heal the entire world.
Yours in Christ
Thomas John Achen
Email ID: fr.thomaspjohn@gmail.com
Mobile: (416) 570 5610