Weekend Mail

Dearly Beloved,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
October 25, 2026, Sixth Sunday after the Feast of the Cross
Scriptural Readings:
• OT: Genesis 42:29-36, Joshua 10:28-36, Zachariah 6:1-8, Isaiah 43:16-25
• NT: Acts 28:23-24, 1 Corinthians 5:6-13, Holy Gospel St Luke 18:18-27
 
Holy Gospel: St Luke 18:18-27
¹⁸ And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹ And he said, “All these I have observed from my youth.” ²² And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²³ But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich. ²⁴ Jesus looking at him said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

Reflections:
 ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand’, ‘it is here’, ‘it is within you’ -are a few messages given by the Lord regarding the life one could have on earth. Jesus also spoke of eternal life which could be a continuation of the life that one lives in the temporal world. Eternal life is an experience without end or beginning thus. It is something that one can experience in the earthly life and fully access it after death and after the judgment of the second coming.

Without a foretaste of eternal life how could one long for it or work toward it?

If we look into the readings for Sunday connected to the gospel text, we will find examples for how people of faith used their richness submitting to the will of God. In Genesis, we see Joseph becoming powerful in Egypt after he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. He used his richness to help people in need. He supported his own people in Canaan when there was famine. His richness was not a hindrance for him to put into practice the kingdom’s values. With humility and reliance in God, Joseph reconciled with his brothers. The hurt of their cruelty to him in the past was overcome with his comforting kindness to them.
Joshua the son of Nun was skilled with the sword. He was entrusted to protect the people of God from their enemies while he obeyed God’s commands. This was in an era where tribal wars were fought everywhere. Social and communal values related to survival. ‘Do not kill’, ‘Do not take away things that belong to others’ were commands given to a people who were daily into fights and bloodshed.

Zachariah the prophet had a vision of four chariots sent from heaven to patrol the four corners of the earth, which reveals the spread of the kingdom throughout the world. Nowhere, no corner is untouched. After the vision of chariots, Zachariah got another vision of making a crown and placed it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak (Zech 6: 1-15).  He was named as ‘branch’ – assigned to build the temple of God. He would bring people from everywhere to join the building work. This is what the children of God are being called to, to build the temple of God, to work for the kingdom and to extend the kingdom further and farther. The apostles were chosen for this purpose.

Adam and Eve were born into the Kingdom experience when they were placed in the garden of Eden. The whole earth is the garden of Eden, and every newborn is brought to the world to live joyfully in God’s presence.
Isaiah says about what is expected of the children of God. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior.
You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring. They shall spring up like grass amid waters, like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’ another will call himself by the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s’.

In this week’s gospel text (Lk 18:18-27), a rich young man was unable to experience the Kingdom of God due to his richness of the world. He had duly obeyed every commandment set out on the tablets of Moses, yet he felt a void. That void was caused by how he was pulled toward the temporal treasures of this world that he was unable for a while to detach himself from it all. In the parable of the rich man who had made up his mind to broaden his barns to store the surplus crops, it is to be noted that he failed to use it for helping the poor and the needy. (Lk 12:15-21) While was alive to the greedy, selfish, ambitious and inhuman world, he was dead to the Kingdom.

Richness is not to be a hindrance to God and Heaven’s experience, but it is for us to use it rightly so that we can enter our Father’s Kingdom. With our Lord within us we shall experience this richness, and we would be able to extend His tender treasures to all. Let us stay close to our Saviour-the all-knowing, all giving, all forgiving as He is all that we need. Rich are the ones who have God in them. Let us have Him in us, plenty, in abundance.

FEASTS AND REMEMBRANCE:

• October 22, St James the Apostle, son of Alphaeus
• October 22, Mar Baselios Shakrallah Maphrian, 262^nd anniversary, entombed at Kandanad Church
• October 24, HG Zachariah Mar Theophilos Metropolitan, 9^th anniversary, entombed at Thadagam  Christusishya Asram, Coimbatore

Condolences:

1. With deep sorrow, we share the grief on the passing of Jacob Stephen (77), elder brother of Gijo Stephen and brother-in-law of Annie Stephen (Dir Ref: J 19).  He is survived by his beloved wife Leelamma J. Stephen, sons: Jayanth J. Stephen and Abraham J. Stephen, daughters-in-law: Nileena Panjikaran and Sheena Joseph Kazhunnuvalam. He was the eldest son of the late Rev. Fr. P. C. Stephen Cor-Episcopa and a former Managing Committee member of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.The body will be brought to the family residence at Poothirickal, Amayannoor, Kottayam, on Friday, October 23. The funeral will be held on Saturday, October 24, at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Amayannoor, Kazhunnuvakam.A prayer meeting will be held at Gijo and Annie Stephen’s residence on Friday, October 23, at 7:00 PM. We request the presence and prayers of all our members.
   May God grant strength to the bereaved family and eternal peace to the departed soul.

2. With profound sorrow we announce the passing of Mr. Chilambath Philip John, aged 85, beloved husband of the late Mrs. Leelamma John.

     He is survived by his daughters, Honeymol John and Happymol John and their                 husbands, John Mathew and Binu Abraham.
 A prayer meeting will be held at 8:30 PM at the residence of Binu Abraham and Happymol  John (Dir Ref: B 10)on Friday, October 23 @ 8:30 PM. We request the presence and          prayers of all our members.

May the Lord grant the bereaved family strength and comfort during this time of sorrow and may his eternal promises bring them peace and hope.
 
Time Change: Sunday Morning Prayer starts at 08:30 am.
According to the Semi Annual GBM decision, morning prayer will start at 08:30 am on Sundays.
 
UPCOMING FEASTS & EVENTS:

• October 24, Saturday, OCYM Fest -Thaalam 2026. Please join and support.
• November 01, Koodosh Eetho Sunday, Sanctification of the Church
• November 08, Hoodos Eetho Sunday, Dedication of the Church
• November 07 Saturday & 08 Sunday, Feast of St Gregorios
• November 22, Sunday, Parish Annual GBM (Tentative), Please reach out to the parish office to see any payment due, Holy Confession validity for eligibility

 
Pray for Peace in the Middle East and Gulf
The recent developments have caused more worries and fears about the long-lasting impact on life in the West Asia region. It has already affected thousands of people working there. Many have lost jobs, cost of living is going high with the oil price hike, companies are issuing termination letters, the situation is becoming scarier. We fervently pray for peace and cessation of attacks. Our prayers may work miracles through the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit intervene and transform the minds of people in power.

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 MEETING:
If any family is willing to host prayer meetings, please reach out to the area coordinators or the parish office.
FOR OUR ATTENTION & TO NOTE:
Children, please occupy front benches during our Liturgical Services.
Kindly avoid crowding at the back of the church.
For assuring safety and 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 could be uneasy for our volunteers to guide them to the front during the service as it might cause distraction and noise. We avoid crowding at the entrance and stair areas due to safety concerns. 
Please be considerate of 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 parents to attend to their children not to pull the alarm lever at the back wall. 

WEEKLY IN-PERSON MEETINGS: 
October 25, Sunday – in-person meetings/Events

• Sunday School
• MGOCSM monthly meeting
• MMVS meeting

LIVE streaming: All services are Live Streamed and are available.
Holy Liturgical Text for this Sunday
We will be using the Taksa of Mar Abraham this Sunday. 
May the Gracious Lord keep us from all evil and heal the entire world.
 
Next Week
November 01, Koodosh Eetho (Sanctification of the Church, Temple), All Saints Day (Halloween)
Scriptural Readings:
• OT: Exodus 33:5-11, 1 Kings 6:1-8, Jeremiah 31:10-14, 22-26, Ezekiel 9:11, 10:1-5, 18-22, 1 Maccabees 4:36-51
• NT: Acts 7:44-53, Hebrews 9:1-4, Holy Gospel St Matthew 16:13-20
‘Sumoro’ of the Gospel reading:
‘He has built his sanctuary in the heights and founded it on earth forever.’ (Ps 78:69)
‘May God establish it forever. In your temple, it is in your grace that we have our hope.’ (Ps 48:8-9)
Yours in Christ
Thomas John Achen
Email ID: fr.thomaspjohn@gmail.com
Mobile: (416) 570 5610