Weekend Mail

Dearly Beloved,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
February 22, 2026, ‘Garbo’ – Healing of the Leper (Great Lent Season)
Scriptural Readings:

OT: Genesis 7:6-19, Jeremiah 50:4-7, 15:15-21, Isaiah 33:2-9
NT: Acts 9:22-31, Romans 3:27-4:5, Holy Gospel St Luke 5:12-16, 4:40-41

Holy Gospel: St Luke 5:12-16, 4:40-41
¹²While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ¹³And he stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴And he charged him to tell no one; but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.”^[^a^] ¹⁵But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
⁴⁰As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. ⁴¹Demons also came out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.^[^a^]
Reflections:
Jesus was the Messiah – the world had been waiting for! St John the Baptist revealed this to the world. The prophets and their prophecies kept declaring this. The poor, the needy, the sick, the downtrodden, the marginalized and the social outcastes were desperate for His arrival and when they realized that He was walking amongst them, they shouted out to Him for deliverance. Demons and the possessed cried aloud despite restrictions to declare that He was the Messiah.
Jesus was the Son of God, the Saviour, and the Redeemer. Whoever acknowledged Him as Lord and Master experienced His touch and power. They either received healing or solutions to their problems. Faith should go ahead of experiencing God and His transforming touch. However, humans tend to look for experience first and then to believe since reason and logic dominate the current world. The secular mind would need to see that God is a proven reality like scientific truths and inventions tested in labs and certified. Even faith communities go through this challenge of faith. Because humans live in a world of many options, many thoughts, many questions and many influences, it would be hard for them to blindly believe in God and live life accordingly.
All interactions take place in secular settings like at a workplace, school, or coffee shop. Technology and advanced science can lead us to think there is no need of God as the current world has made everything available. It is advancing further with new inventions and information. AI could be the latest that has already taken away the whole attention of the whole world. It is thought that AI can replace everything and AI can create a new world that is far more excellent than what we live in now. To add to this, the various problems the world encounters bring the feeling that God cannot be and hence the unexpected happen. Covid-19 was such a threat to faith. But we passed through it and we turned to temples/churches for worship with increased faith and submission. This has happened in the past, but maybe it was always there.
When problems arise, faith gets challenged. The church stands here in the world as a witness to faith in God. The church has survived many whirlwinds, but miracles have never ceased. Martyrs and Saints have not become endangered species. In various parts of the world, people still die for their faith. They are massacred; yet they only become reborn through their off-springs. This is not about religious extremism or terrorism, but about true faith that is only reflected as love and devotion, not as destructive forces.
Stories of compassion and love are there for us to get inspired and motivated. Despite pressures and challenges, people join hands as agencies or projects to express the love of God to the needy. Some people tend to sacrifice everything to serve the weak and exploited. God’s gospel of love is to be preached everywhere. There may be rotten apples around. But the human will to do good needs to be on the rise. The more we hear about negation of faith, the more we get to see the faithful flock working wonders in the world.
As we observe the Great Lent, let it be with true deep faith and let the outcome be a blessing to the whole world. After healing the leper, Jesus went to pray. Spending time with the Heavenly Father gave Him more power. Prayer is conversing with God; it should be experienced as a friendly interaction that brings joy, relief and energy. One should enjoy the act of prayer – of unburdening before the Lord and feeling renewed with His Spirit. Prayer not only heals as it had healed the leper, but it will also make us healers like saints and sages. Parumala Thirumeni and other warriors of prayer lived a life of prayer for us to follow, not to doubt.
The leper upon seeing Jesus, knelt and prayed seeking the Lord’s will to make him clean. It is written that he was full of leprosy. No cell in his body was spared for the disease. He had every reason to feel anguished, forgotten, and rid of all hope to live a life free from the dreaded illness. Yet he did not allow doubt to linger. Rather, he threw himself before Jesus with a simple plea: “Make me clean.” There was no space in him to question Jesus’ miraculous touch. Although untouchable and detested by all, the leper’s prayer caused Christ to touch him to make him clean and desirable. Regardless of the ways in which the world may try to suppress our faith and fervor, we need to find the strength to break all chains to go near the Lord. If we take one step toward Him, He will move many more steps toward us, until we are assured that we are safely secure in His cloak of love.
Christ is our healer and sustainer. In Him is life in abundance. Death can do nothing to us, threats can never defeat us, problems can never fail us. We are His children, His beloved flock, His committed disciples. We call out, Lord, have mercy.’ Kurielaison.
FEASTS AND REMEMBRANCES:

February 16, HG Dr Geevarghese Mar Osthathios Metropolitan, ‘Sabharatnam’ -Jewel of the church, 14^th anniversary, entombed at St Paul’s Chapel, Mavelikara
February 21, Commemoration of St Ephrem & St Thevodoros

Hearty Congrats to the newly ordained Acolytes!
Twelve children were ordained on 15 February 2026 to serve at the Holy Altar. Hearty congrats to: Joshua Joseph, Alan Varghese, Abel Geevarghese Elias, Ethan Simon John, Aiden Robin, Adon T Elias, Evan Binu Mathew, Joshua Baiju John, Noah Anand Joseph, Alan Mathew Sam, Jason John Thomas & Jonathan John Dennis!
May God bless their ministering in the Sanctuary. May they live a life pleasing to God.
We sincerely thank their parents and mentors for raising them and encouraging them to dedicate themselves to God.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS: Please note in your calendar

Great Lent: Feb 16- April 04
Daily Lenten Noon Prayer 12:00 noon -12:30pm online
Daily Lenten Evening Prayer @ 06:30 pm followed by Devotional Talk
Mid Lent: Mar 11, Wednesday
Easter: April 05, Sunday

Attention Please:

Parking: Please be considerate while parking our vehicles, only park at designated space. Leave reserved lots for the intended and kindly park within lines and markings leaving enough space for others to open their doors without scratching or hitting nearby parked vehicles.

AREA PRAYER MEETINGS: Upcoming Prayer meeting schedules shall be updated soon.
FOR OUR ATTENTION & TO NOTE:
Children, please occupy front benches during our Liturgical Services
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. Absolution shall be done during the morning prayer.

February 22, Sunday – in-person monthly meetings after refreshment

Sunday School
MGOCSM monthly meeting after refreshments
SDOF monthly meeting

LIVE streaming has been reactivated: All services’ Live Streaming is now available.
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 evil and heal the entire world.

Next Week
March 01, Third Sunday of the Great Lent, ‘Msariyo’, Healing of the paralyzed
Scriptural Readings:

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