ഡോ.ഫിലിപ്പോസ് മാര് ക്രിസോസ്റ്റം വലിയ
തിരുമേനിക്ക് 95 വയസ്സ്
Dr.Philipose Mar Chrysostom Thirumeni has the rare quality to look back self-critically at the heritage and history of his own church. He accepts and cherishes the fruits of Reformation but affirms that it is not by romanticising the past nor by eulogizing the pioneers but by learning from the lessons as well as the mistakes of the past that we go forward. Speaking specifically of the period of Reformation in the Eastern Church, Thirumeny recalls that, according to the historians, Abraham Malpan had two options before him: one was to join the missionaries with his reformed group; the other was to remain as a reformed eastern church. It is our accepted history now that the Malpan chose the latter course. Thirumeny, however, recalls that some scholars felt that one reason why the pioneers of the Mar Thoma Church did not want to join the missionaries was that the missionaries were set to work among the Dalits. He added: 'Our aversion was not so much to the missionaries as to the outcasts! We wanted to be independent of the missionaries not because we valued independence but so that we would not have to associate with the lower caste people. Thirumeni visited Amritapuri on Friday29th August,2008. The bishop took a tour of the ashram, participated in the evening bhajans and then met with Amma in her room.Thirumeni is the longest-reigning bishop in India; it has been more than 55 years since his consecration. He is currently the senior Metropolitan Bishop of the Mar Thoma Church at Maramon, Kerala.”Offering praise to the Lord itself is the fulfillment of life,” Thirumeni said to Amma. “When I came here and participated in the bhajans, it was something like that. It is a great blessing. I am very happy. We are very thankful for all the charitable activities that you are undertaking throughout the world. May the Lord bless you. We all pray for this.”“The thing that makes me happy is how Amma is able to see the whole world as a one family and protect and support them accordingly. It is a great thing! We are always reading in the newspapers about people fighting. Here, the whole world has come to Amma without seeing any differences of caste, creed, race or religion. It brings such a great joy to us. We consider Amma as a blessing given by the Lord to his world.“To be able to see you, to have your darshan, is also a great blessing. At this age of 90, I consider it a great blessing to see you. I thought that at the age of 90, everything was over. But meeting you has given me new experiences and a look into the future. And I am very happy.”Thirumeni then praised the Ashram’s humanitarian works and social-welfare projects. “I am so happy about everything Amma is doing for this village,” he said. “When you see the villagers, they are so happy! I saw them on the way. I have even more to say about the hospital [AIMS] you are running in Cochin. It is a great blessing for all of India. My relatives have sought treatment there, were cured and returned home happily. So, we thank you for all these things. In the name of my jurisdiction [Tiruvella], we pray the Lord blesses you even more for the benefit of society.”Thirumeni then spoke about Amrita Setu, the bridge Amma’s Ashram constructed connecting Alappad Panchayat with the mainland. “A bridge is something that connects two separated entities. The tsunami was as great destruction. But because of that destruction, Kerala has now got a beautiful bridge. Amma’s service is a blessing, even in the midst of calamity. That is the message of this beautiful bridge.” One of the fathers accompanying Thirumeni said that the bishop doesn’t believe that people should live cut off from the rest of the world, like separate islands. “When the top order comes and meets Amma, the followers also will come. That is why Thirumeni has come,” he said.“Nowadays I am visiting all the ashrams and participating in their prayers,” Thirumeni said. “Through this I am trying to understand different ways of worship and ways of service. Through that I am trying to come closer to God.”
Amma was very delighted by the bishop’s expansive outlook. “Nowadays everyone is becoming more and more narrow,” Amma said. “Not everyone has such an expansive vision. Thirumeni’s expansive mind is a blessing. I am very happy about it.
Prof. John Kurakar
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