FOCUS July 2022

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FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

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FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

Cover Photo: Design by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas

Contents: 1. Editorial

Dr. Cherian Samuel………………

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2. Biblio-centric Management in a Pandemic

Revd Dr. Johnson Thomaskutty…………..

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3. The Pandemic, which should lead us to firm faith

Mrs. Mary Samuel…………….

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4. On Dr. P. J. Alexander IPS (Retd.)

Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph…………..

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5. Glimpses of Books

FOCUS Editorial Board

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6. Living with the Pandemic: Lessons and Possibilities

Dr. John K. Thomas……………..

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7. Book Information: Unmasking the Syriacs, The Hidden Origin of Indian Christianity.........

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8. Faith of Jesus and Faith in Jesus

Prof. Dr. John Parapally……

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9. Poem: Corona Pandemic and God of all Grace

Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph………….

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10. Great is His Faithfulness

Prof. Dr. John Daniel……….

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11. A Viral Apocalypse in our Houses of Mercy

Revd Dr. John T. Mathew………….

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12. Recollections from my Diaspora Journey

Dr. Eapen Daniel………….

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13. Book Information, A Hindu Church and An Indian Christ

FOCUS Editorial Board……………

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14. Shalabhangal: A Legacy Takes Wings

Dr. Cherian Samuel……………

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15. My Five Existential Questions and Answers

Mr. David Brand…………..

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16. Revd Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay Elected as WCC General Secretary………………

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17. Redefining Ministry to be the Agent of Change

Prof. Dr. Kanayathu C. Koshy………..

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18. Long COVID – A Portal to Reconciliation and Unity

Fr. Thomas Punnapadam, SDB…………

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19. Pearls of Wisdom Series 16

Dr. Zac Varghese……………

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20. Lesson and Possibilities of Living with the Pandemic

Dr. Zac Varghese…………

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21. Theme for October issue of the FOCUS, ‘We are all in it Together’

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FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

EDITORIAL Blessed summer greetings to all! As we enter the third summer following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in early 2020, we thank the Lord Almighty for His goodness and mercies in our lives, especially the recovery and restoration from the pandemic. Life has steadily returned to normal, with the re-opening of schools and offices, bolstered by vaccines for all ages. Let’s join the Psalmist and proclaim that the Lord is indeed good, and His mercy everlasting (Psalm 100:5).

Let me begin by thanking God and the FOCUS Editorial Board for the opportunity granted for serving on the Editorial Board since the beginning of the year (2022). It’s indeed a privilege and honor to serve along with the current group of Editors who have toiled hard to sustain FOCUS with previous Editors and contributors. God’s faithfulness has been abounding and abiding—beyond expectations and comprehension—in using FOCUS as a Voice for the Indian Christian Diaspora, as it celebrates the 10 Year Anniversary. As we look towards the future, let us pray and hope that God’s favor will remain with FOCUS, and expand its reach through new contributors and readers. th

The theme for the 2022 third Quarter (July-AugustSeptember) FOCUS, “Living with the Pandemic: Lessons and Possibilities”, is timely and appropriate, as it deals with lessons from the past and strategies for the future. By all accounts, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented global catastrophe with wide-ranging, far-reaching effects. As of June 10, 2022, there have been 534,439,577 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, including 6,307,218 deaths, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). The pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color, the poor, and the Less Developed Countries (LDCs).

The economic costs have been significant, with global economic growth negative in 2020 (-3.2%), but recovering in 2021 (5.9%), with an estimated 4.4% growth rate in 2022, as per the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There has been tremendous economic dislocation, with millions of people falling into poverty, with continued supply chain bottlenecks, energy price volatility, and rising inflation, compounded by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

An overarching broad lesson from the pandemic has been the recognition that “We are all in this together”. However, in the United States for instance, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people of color, rural communities, tribal lands, and other underserved groups—who are more likely to be hospitalized and die of COVID-19—exacerbating existing health disparities (e.g., diabetes). The pandemic has shown that while people can live in a bubble, no one can be completely protected. Therefore, tackling the pandemic as a united body remains vital for the vitality and welfare of society, underpinned by the logic of collective action, driven by

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self-interest rather than altruism, given the otherwise adverse consequences for all. Given that COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last pandemic, biosecurity threat, or public health emergency globally, experts suggest building the infrastructure for reducing both the risk of another pandemic and the impacts if one indeed occurs. Solutions and strategies must also prioritize health equity and the reduction of health disparities, with the goal of building a public health system for reaching the vulnerable, poor, and neglected populations.

In this regard, there has been growing recognition over the years that the field of public health has moved away from its original advocacy roots from the late 19th century. The professionalization of higher education in public health has separated it from social work, sociology, and other disciplines, making it a narrow scientific endeavor—compared to the earlier societal scope—leading to a biomedical view of health rather than social. The pandemic has provided further evidence that social conditions matter for health outcomes: people with low-income jobs with no paid sick leave cannot isolate themselves, similar to those living in crowded housing or prisons. People also cannot get vaccines without pharmacies near them, or public transportation, or relationships with primary-care providers.

From a biblical perspective, there are at least three reasons for living with the pandemic with hope and confidence, emanating from the attributes of God: (i) God is Sovereign, and no one can thwart His purposes (Psalm 93:1); (ii) God is Faithful—remaining true to His promises (2 Timothy 2:13)— through the generations (Psalm 119:90); and (iii) God is Immanuel, always with us, going before (Deuteronomy 31:8), and going with (Isaiah 41:10), albeit never leaving or forsaking (Hebrews 13:5).

We find great role models in the Bible—e.g., Joseph, David, Paul—who have demonstrated the power of relying on and trusting in the LORD God for living with pandemic situations—marked by persistent affliction without agency and resolution—with hope and confidence. In particular, the life of David offers valuable and powerful principles for living the abundant life that Jesus has promised for His followers (John 10:10). David was anointed by Prophet Samuel as the King of Israel at a young age (1 Samuel 16:13)—while Saul was still on the throne—as commanded by the LORD. When Saul realized that David will be the future King, he became jealous (1 Samuel 18:9) and tried to kill David several times (1 Samuel 19:1). David escaped into Philistine territory until Saul was killed in battle, albeit refusing to harm the King even when he had the opportunity. It was during his exile from Israel—on the run from King Saul—that David composed seven of the 75 Psalms attributed to him: Psalm 59,

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Psalm 34, Psalm 57, Psalm 142, Psalm 52, Psalm 54, and Psalm 56.

new contributor to the FOCUS family, and look forward to future contributions.

These seven Psalms provide important insights into David’s approach for dealing with pandemic-like situations in his life, utterly trusting God to protect him from Saul, anchored in God’s Sovereignty and Faithfulness. LORD God was truly Immanuel to David during the fourteen years he was relentlessly pursued by Saul, as he waited patiently for God’s timing, without taking the matter into own hands. The good news is that the God of David is living and active, able to help us as well, as we live with the pandemic, with all its uncertainties and unknowns.

In his contribution, “Living with the Pandemic: Lessons and Possibilities”, Dr. John K. Thomas notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that humans are not infallible and communities need to be prepared. The essay found that the pandemic and the associated isolation has been a wake-up call, requiring people to look back, introspect, stop and reflect on life and the value of relationships. People have also initiated ways to connect with the Creator, nurturing spiritual growth, and looking to God for help, since as no one else could help in their dire pandemic situations. We welcome Dr. John Thomas as a new contributor to the FOCUS family, and look forward to future contributions.

The July 2022 FOCUS issue features contributions that attest as well to the authenticity of God’s attributes— Sovereignty and Faithfulness—and His Immanuel nature.

Most of the contributions are focused on the theme of “Living with the Pandemic: Lessons and Possibilities”. There are others that are personal testimonies of Kerala Diaspora Christians, echoing the 10 Year FOCUS anniversary celebration theme “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. In addition, the July FOCUS issue includes a tribute to a leader among the Mar Thoma laity, with a record of public service, as part of the FOCUS initiative to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Kerala Christian leaders and Christian Diaspora during their lifetime. The July FOCUS issue also features a story of the generous donation by a Mar Thoma Diaspora family in the United States (US) of their ancestral property to the Mar Thoma Church for establishing a holistic development center for differently-abled children. This is a new FOCUS initiative for recognizing and celebrating the charitable contributions of Kerala Christian families—including the Diaspora—to the broader society, as an inspiration and a role model for others. The July FOCUS issue also includes a devotional, based on the personal testimony of a health care professional from New York City, at the height of the pandemic. In addition, the July FOCUS issue includes reviews of the following two books: (i) Unmasking the Syriacs: The Hidden Origin of Indian Christianity, an ArchaeoLinguistic Approach; (ii) A Hindu Church and An Indian Christ: The Rejection of ‘Syrian’ Christian Identity & The Quest for a Judeo-Dravidian Bhartiya Malankara Nasrani Identity’. th

In his contribution, “Biblio-centric Management in a Pandemic/Post-Pandemic VUCA World”, Revd Dr. Johnson Thomaskutty discusses the application of management principles to crisis situations in the Bible, and in turn, to the pandemic/post-pandemic VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world. The essay suggests that in the pandemic/post-pandemic VUCA world, we have a responsibility to manage the world, and engage in a transformative mission as stewards of the universe, with hope and confidence. We welcome Revd Dr. Johnson Thomaskutty as a

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Prof. Dr. John Parapally explores various aspects of the ‘Faith of Jesus’ and the ‘Faith in Jesus’, in his contribution, “Faith of Jesus and Faith in Jesus”. Faith of Jesus is his exclusive confidence in his Father and total obedience to his mission, the model for our commitment to the values of the Kingdom. Faith in Jesus means that in him we discover the way to God and encounter him, where we all are united. We thank Dr. John Parapally as a returning FOCUS contributor.

In his contribution, “A Viral Apocalypse in our Houses of mercy”, Revd Dr. John T. Mathew analyzes Jesus’s healing of the paralytic man, who was at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years, drawing useful parallels for the ongoing COVD-19 pandemic. The essay suggests that the raison d'être of a faith tradition is to create a house of mercy, and a caring community for the faithful. We thank Revd Dr. John Mathew as a returning FOCUS contributor.

Prof. Dr. Kanayathu C. Koshy applies well-known research techniques from disaster risk analysis to the COVID-19 pandemic, in his contribution “Redefining Ministry to be the Agent of Change”. The essay concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic lessons and possibilities have created the potential for us to become living sacrifices for the glory of God. We thank Prof. Dr. Kanayathu C. Koshy as a returning FOCUS contributor.

In his contribution, “Lesson and Possibilities of Living with the Pandemic”, Dr. Zac Varghese finds that the COVID-19 pandemic, like the ecological crisis, is characterized by the fact that ‘we are all in it together’. The essay concludes that the Christian response to the pandemic is in terms of actively helping the needy under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through self-giving efforts. We thank Dr. Zac Varghese for his continued FOCUS contributions as a founding member of the Editorial Board.

Fr. Thomas Punnapadam reflects on the implications of Long Covid for Reconciliation and Unity of Humankind—

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recovering gradually from severe Covid symptoms himself—in his contribution “Long Covid: A Portal to Reconciliation and Unity”. The essay notes that Reconciliation and Unity are inseparable realities, particularly for Christians since reconciliation is the fundamental lifelong response to the Salvation offered by Jesus. The essay concludes that Covid has been a great leveler for setting aside differences and providing opportunities for being reconciled and united with one another.

Prof. Dr. John Daniel recounts his 50+ years of personal journey in the medical filed, marked by God’s faithfulness, in the essay titled, “Great is His Faithfulness”. The essay concludes that, but for the Lord Almighty’s upholding in the midst of numerous challenges, life would have been overwhelming. We welcome Prof. Dr. John Daniel as a new contributor to the FOCUS family, and look forward to future contributions.

In his essay, “Recollections from my Diaspora Journey”, Dr. Eapen Daniel recalls the key role of the Church in sustaining the Kerala Christian Diaspora as a tight-knit community. The essay urges the younger generation to create good memories for the whole family, and witness to the community through their faith and practices. We welcome Dr. Eapen Daniel as a new contributor to the FOCUS family, and look forward to future contributions.

In his essay titled, “Existential Questions and Answers”, Mr. David Brand poses and answers five existential questions: (i) What am I?; (ii) Where have I come from?; (iii) Where am I?; (iv) Why am I here?; and (v) Where will I go from here?. The essay explores the five questions, rooted in a solid biblical framework.

We thank Mr. David Brand as a returning FOCUS contributor.

Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph outlines the numerous contributions of Dr. P. J. Alexander to the Mar Thoma Church and the broader Kerala society, in his tribute, “A Bridge Between the Church and the Society”. The tribute offers appreciation for Dr. P. J. Alexander’s efforts for establishing God’s Kingdom Values and a community of ‘atonement’. We thank Rev Dr. M. J. Joseph for his continued FOCUS contributions—including the poem in this issue, “Corona Pandemic and God of all Grace”—as a founding member of the Editorial Board.

In her devotional, “The Pandemic, which should lead us to firm faith”, Mrs. Mary Samuel, provides a personal testimony of the Lord’s goodness working through her, as she cared for COVID patients as a medical professional in New York City. The devotional reminds believers to be obedient to our purpose in life and boldly trust that God is working for our good, even in the midst of pandemic situations. We welcome Mrs. Mary Samuel as a new contributor to the FOCUS family, and look forward to future contributions.

In the Note titled, “Shalabhangal: A Legacy takes Wings”, I have written about a new Mar Thoma Church institution, Shalabhangal, for the holistic development of differently-abled children. We thank God for the Mar Thoma Diaspora family of Thekkekara Kuzhiyil (Kottarakara) for their generous donation of their ancestral property to the Mar Thoma Church, in honor and

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memory of their parents, Mr. T. G. Thomas and Mrs. Aleyamma Thomas. Let us pray and hope that Shalabhangal will serve as an inspiration and role model for the Kerala Christian Diaspora.

In his book, “Unmasking the Syriacs: The Hidden Origin of Indian Christianity, an Archaeo-Linguistic Approach”, Jeevan Philip (2022) has analyzed the origins of Indian Christianity, based on archaeological findings from ancient sites of the Afro-Eurasian Socio-commercial network. In light of the archaeological data and artistic imagery represented in Central Asian religious Syncretism and historical narrative, the author questions the Martyrdom of St. Thomas at Mylapore, Chennai, and its prime evidence, the Pahlavi-inscribed crosses.

In their book, “A Hindu Church and An Indian Christ: The Rejection of ‘Syrian’ Christian Identity & The Quest for a JudeoDravidian Bhartiya Malankara Nasrani Identity’”, George Alexander, Greeshma Reddy, Skaria Roy, and Joseph Noun (2022), present reflections on the indigenous Malankara Church and its faithful. The book discusses the cultural, religious and social relations between Nasranis and Hindus and explains how they are different from the rest of the Christians.

Let me conclude by sharing the theme for the October 2022 FOCUS issue, “We are all in it together”, a broad continuation of the July 2022 FOCUS theme. Since the life and mission of Jesus was to create a community of 'atonement' for establishing Kingdom values on earth through the Church, it is important to understand why the Church has fallen short. We must repent, reconcile and transform to become agents of God’s mission and a community where ‘God’s will be done’. We invite FOCUS readers to ponder these issues and contribute to the October 2022 issue. May the Lord Almighty sustain us all as we live with the pandemic. May we experience the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:15).

Dr. Cherian Samuel For the Editorial Board http://www.issuu.com/diasporafocus http://www.scribd.com/diasporafocus Web Site: www.facebook.com/groups/mtfocus E-Mail: mtfousgroup@gmail.com Disclaimer: Diaspora FOCUS is a non-profit organization registered in United States, originally formed in late Nineties in London for the Diaspora Marthomites. Now it is an independent lay-movement of the Diaspora laity of the Syrian Christians; and as such FOCUS is not an official publication of any denominations. It is an ecumenical journal to focus attention more sharply on issues to help churches and other faith communities to examine their own commitment to loving their neighbors and God, justice, and peace. Opinions expressed in any article or statements are of the individuals and are not to be deemed as an endorsement of the view expressed therein by Diaspora FOCUS. Thanks.

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Biblio-centric Management in a Pandemic/PostPandemic VUCA World Revd Dr. Johnson Thomaskutty, Bangaluru Introduction The Bible provides us a lot of insights concerning how God, Jesus Christ, the prophets, the leaders, the apostles, and the people as a whole were involved and expected to be involved as managers both in their vertical and horizontal relationships. As the people of God underwent various crisis periods, God’s intervention to manage and resolve the conflicts and crises is evident in the Scripture. A careful reading of the Scripture with a focus on the management principles shall illuminate our thought-patterns into new directions. The pandemic/postpandemic VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world is addressed to manage in a Biblio-centric way (W. Bennis, and B. Nanus, Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge [New York: Harper & Row, 1985]).

Pentateuch from a Management Perspective The first five books of the Old Testament (OT) are called the Torah, which in Hebrew means “instruction, authoritative direction, teaching or law.” Management is impossible without having certain instructions, authoritative directions, teachings or laws. The Book of Genesis tells the story of creation, the fall of human beings, and its consequences. It also contains the start of the redemptive plan of God as he calls Abraham and gives promises to him and to his descendants, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. At a macro-level, the Book of Genesis tells us how God himself is the manager par-excellence. Here, management is placed at the universal level with the eternal time span in mind. God created the entire universe and managed to order it aesthetically. The narrator describes how God managed the time (i.e., seven days) and the space (i.e., the universe). God created the human beings to manage the universe, “to till the earth and keep it” (Gen 2:15; cf. J. B. Jayaraj, Genesis, SABC [Udaipur: ODP, 2015], 9-16).

The Book of Exodus tells us of the Israelites’ slavery in the land of Egypt and how God delivered them through Moses. As a manager, God does the following things: delivering the people from slavery to freedom; making a covenantal relationship with the people; giving them the Ten Commandments; leading them through the wilderness; and bringing them to the Land of Canaan (P. G. George and P. Swarup, Exodus, SABC [Udaipur: ODP, 2015], 75-134). In that process, God appoints managers like Moses, Joshua, and Aaron, and enables the people to manage themselves at the individual, familial, clan, tribal, and holistic areas of their lives.

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The Book of Leviticus focuses the following areas of life: Israelite worship, particularly the different sacrifices and offerings; the selection, ordination and ministry of the priests; clean and unclean foods; and the laws and regulations regarding purity and sexual relations. The laws were given to them so that they might conduct themselves upright before God and in community: the civil laws guided them to function as a society; the moral laws (especially the Ten Commandments) enabled them to keep up themselves in the personal and interpersonal relationships; and the ceremonial laws governed them to offer sacrifices and various rituals at the sanctuary. Leviticus contains statements about justice and the laws governing the Sabbath, feasts, festivals, and the Jubilee Year.

The Book of Numbers begins with organising the Israelites through a census of the tribes, clans and families who were moving towards Canaan. The Book describes the selection of tribal leaders (1:4-16), organising the army (1:17-46) and the camp (2:1-34), and God’s choice of the leaders (3:1-4:49) to manage the community with discipline.

The Book of Deuteronomy contains Moses’ Farewell Speech to the people. Moses reminds the people of Israel of their history of slavery, deliverance, and the covenant that was made at Sinai. He encourages them to obey the Lord and observe all his laws if they wish to enjoy the Promised Land. Management, in that sense, takes up the past into serious consideration (past failures and successes), considers the present that is built upon or over against the past (here, the covenant they have with Yahweh makes them to do everything in a unique manner), and the future is visualised to enjoy the Promised Land.

The following are some of the significant hermeneutical principles we need to adopt when we interpret the Pentateuch from a management perspective: first, place God as the leader as he has the “big picture” or “broad overview” of the universe; second, human leaders are placed as “short term” managers with “fine detail” over a geographical area to execute God’s plan in a human-friendly manner; third, all the human beings are expected to get involved in managing the day-to-day affairs in their own specific life situations; fourth, the laws, regulations, covenants, and commandments are God’s way to manage the community/ies; fifth, all the human beings are created and placed in this world to remain as “short term” managers in multifarious levels of life (M. Webber, “Managers and Leaders: Your Differences are your Strengths,”

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[2021]); sixth, people should maintain both the vertical and the horizontal relationships in the process of management; and seventh, pedagogical instructions, homiletical messages, oracles, legal codes, anger and consolation rhetoric, and others are used to manage the created world. During the pandemic/post-pandemic VUCA world, we have a responsibility to manage the world, co-create and re-create with God, and engage in the transformative mission as stewards of the universe.

Prophetical Writings from a Management Perspective The prophets demonstrate their management skills through their involvements among the people as appointed representatives of God. They were devoted to God and ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the message God had given them to proclaim. Their deep awareness that God had called and commissioned them kept them going despite intense suffering and serious opposition. The prophets were primarily messengers who spoke for and on behalf of the Lord. The prophets did not give their personal messages but delivered the messages that God had given to them. This quality of the prophets is exemplified through their missional and ministerial involvements. Their goal-orientedness in the mission, planning the events and the speech, communication of the divine oracles, and leadership skills enabled them to execute the task of management for community transformation.

The following things are noteworthy in the process of interpreting the prophetic writings: first, the prophets were key figures in attuning the people of Israel toward the love of God; second, they communicated the message of God in times of difficulties; third, they conveyed the message of God with integrity and faithfulness; fourth, the people of Israel were instructed by them to function as managers to save their own local situations; fifth, the prophets were a corrective force in the socio-religious and politicocultural situations; sixth, they bound the past, the present, and the future to provide a “big picture”; and seventh, they functioned as mediators between God of Israel and the people of God (J. Blenkinsopp, Prophetism and Prophets: The International Bible Commentary [Bangalore: TPI, 1998], 1015-1020). A reading of the prophetical writings based on these aspects shall help us to understand the management principles of these ancient texts.

During the pandemic/post-pandemic context, the church at large should engage in the prophetical mission to heal the wounded, comfort the bereaved, and transform the society as a whole.

Poetical Books from a Management Perspective Poetry dominates the OT; it comforts, cautions and pronounces judgment. The poems of the OT stand out as vehicles to manage the human situations. They are the vehicles of expression in the Book of Job, the Psalms, the

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Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and the Ecclesiastes (H. Dharamraj, Hebrew Poetry, SABC [Udaipur: ODP, 2015], 613). The Hebrew poems remind, instruct, and guide the people of Israel through the means of allusions, imageries, metaphors, riddles, and rhymes. One of the primary goals of the poets was managing the human situations both in connection to their vertical and horizontal relationships.

A reader of the poems should identify the human emotions, life situations, agonies, happiness moments, and despairs embedded within them in order to know the life situations of the Israelite community. Poems reflect the heart language of the people. Readers and interpreters of the Hebrew poetry can understand the core realities of the people. Then a reader can think about her/his own life situation for interlocking the contextual dynamics and the thematic convergence. Thus, management aspects are undercurrent in the poetical writings of the OT. During the VUCA context of ours, the church should function as a musical, rhythmic, and comforting community in order to lead the society forward.

Gospels and the Book of Acts from a Management Perspective The four Gospels and the Book of Acts reveal significant truths concerning the early Christian aspects of management. In the Gospel of Matthew, speeches and acts are placed at the core of its management outlook. As a speaker and as an emissary of God, Jesus communicates the heavenly message, conveys the message of the Kingdom of God, and applies the message in the community level. As the Mosaic Pentateuch was instrumental in managing and building the people of God in the OT, the five discourses of Jesus or the New Pentateuch (Matt chaps. 5-7, 10, 13, 18, 24-25) was useful for the community to build their ethos and pathos as New Israel. As Matthew blends together the five discourses and the miraculous activities within the framework of the gospel, a reader can understand how the evangelist creates a blueprint to manage the Matthean Community situation by introducing the New Moses and the New Israel motives sideby-side.

In Mark’s Gospel, the quickly moving drama of Jesus by placing the cross at the climax is deciphered through the means of the conjunction kai (means, and) and the adverbial expression euthys (immediately; M. Healy, The Gospel of Mark [Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008], 23).

The story of the Markan Jesus was merged to the demands of the Markan community. Mark’s community was in a continuous struggle both in the contextual and the theological ends of their lives. As the Markan community was facing persecution under the Roman imperial power, the narrator presents Jesus as an all-powerful personality (chapters 1-8) who turns to be a suffering servant (chapters 9-16). The narrator presents a persuasive discourse

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through this narrative irony in order to manage the crisis situation.

Luke reads the story of Jesus from a liberation perspective by keeping a focus on the poor and the marginalised of his context. The Nazareth Manifesto of Jesus proposes good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, sight for the blind, release for the oppressed, and an acceptable year of the Lord for the marginalised (4:18-19). While the Old Jubilee (Isa 61:1-2; Lev 25:1-55; Exo 23:10-11; Deut 15:1-11) was a Jewish nationalistic movement, the New Jubilee inaugurated by Jesus in Luke is universal in scope and eternal in duration. Luke’s focus on the individuals, the social outcastes, women and children, his emphasis on the social relations, and poverty and wealth were significant annals to manage and attune his community on the basis of the Kingdom of God principles.

The fourth evangelist focuses on the public (chaps 1-12) and the private (chaps 13-17) ministries of Jesus. The conciliatory and confrontational natures of the dialogue and drama in John’s Gospel make a dualistic distinction between the ‘inner circle’ and the ‘outer circle.’ The symbolic nature of the Johannine signs (by inviting the readers’ attention toward the sign performer Jesus), the involvement of Jesus in various genres of dialogues, and his “I AM statements” coupled with actions enable the reader to focus on the Saviour of the world. As the Johannine sectarians were expelled from the synagogue, they manage their situation through the means of accommodation and disruption. Jesus even manages the life situations of the differently-abled people (5:1-18; 9:141). The Acts 1:8 mission model in John’s Gospel expands its territory from Jerusalem to the Gentile world in a centrifugal way. The Johannine community as a Godcentred, Christ-focused, and faith-oriented group was managed to follow rhetoric of “distinction” rather than rhetoric of “distancing.”

The Book of Acts further delineates the history and theology of the primitive Christian communities. The management aspects of the early church, both in the Jerusalemite and in the Gentile contexts, persecution and the spread of the Christian community, the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the missionary journeys of Paul and other apostles, and the reconciliatory aspects initiated between the Jewish and the Gentile churches are in discussion here (B. I. Venkataraman, Acts, SABC [Udaipur: ODP, 2015], 1451-1452). Thus, the first five books of the NT amply demonstrate how the early church managed the various crisis situations. As Jesus, the apostles, and the early Christian communities remained as managers of individuals, communities, and the world at large, we are instructed to be managers and leaders of our time.

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Epistles from a Management Perspective The Epistles and the Book of Revelation are written in order to deal with the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) situations of the early Christian communities. While the Letter to the Galatians addresses several doctrinal and theological aspects among the widespread Christian congregations, the Letter to the Ephesians deals the topic of Christian unity. While Colossians deals with the issue of heresy, the Thessalonian epistles delineate the eschatological aspects. While the Prison Epistles reveal the issue of Paul’s captivity and the person and work of Christ, the Pastoral Epistles deal with the early ecclesiastical order. In Ephesians, Colossians, and the Pastorals, the author describes the family codes to manage the basic unit of the society in a Christian way.

Paul’s accommodation to manage the situations of the Jews, the Gentiles, and the weak is mentioned in 1 Cor 9:20-23 (C. S. Keener, The IVP Background Commentary: New Testament [Downers Grove: IVP, 1993], 472).

Through these writings and strategies, Paul was attempting to address the churches and manage several of the early Christian problems.

At the outset of 1 Corinthians, the following things are emphasised: first, Paul’s apostolic calling is mentioned as basis to all that follows (1:1); second, the Corinthian church’s participation in the church universal is signalled as crucial (1:2); third, there is the acknowledgement of the spiritual gifts bestowed on the Corinthians at their conversion (1:4-7); and fourth, an eschatological reservation accompanies Paul’s task (1:7-8; see D. Guthrie, NT Introduction [Leicester: Apollos, 1960/1990], 432-464). These aspects of the letter exemplify Paul’s management concepts at its best within the framework of the letter. The Apostle deals with some of the crucial problems of the church within 1 Corinthians: divisions over leaders and wisdom (1:18-4:21); sexual immorality and lawsuits (5:16:20); marriage and singleness (7:1-40); idol food and eating in idol temples (8:1-11:1); head-covering in worship (11:2-16); abuses of lord’s supper (11:17-34); spiritual gifts in Christ’s body (12:1-14:40); and the future and the form of the resurrection (15:1-58). Paul deals with all these issues based on the apostolic calling and the vision he received, the traditions of the early church, and the contextual aspects of the Corinthian community at large (P. N. Anderson, From Crisis to Christ [Nashville: Abingdon, 2014], 240-254). As Paul himself functioned as an apostle in the First Century VUCA context and managed the problems by placing Christ at the centre, the Church in today’s context should focus on a Christ-centred management in order to re-create the pandemic/postpandemic world.

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Biblio-centric Management Pandemic VUCA World

in

a

Pandemic/Post-

As the biblical writers attempted to pacify human emotions, life situations, agonies, and despairs in the Israelite context, it is our task to understand the pandemic/postpandemic situations and the VUCA world experiences in order to liberate and transform the contemporary world.

As the VUCA world leads people to various challenges and pessimistic occasions, the biblical thought-world can be considered as a paradigm for management where hope and confidence can be promulgated.

During the challenging situations in Matthew, the narrator draws a picture of a New Torah (the five discourses of Matthew) through the initiative of a New Moses (Jesus). In the Markan context, the persecuted believers were attuned toward the action-oriented and quickly moving dramatic style of Jesus. As Luke focuses on the poor sections of the community, the New Jubilee motif is presented as a persuasive artistry. As the Johannine community was challenged by a Synagogue and Church conflict, the dialogic, dramatic, and action-oriented movements of Jesus persuade the readers. As the Gospel writers integrate Jesus’s life situation within the framework of early church’s life situation, the contemporary interpreters can fuse the VUCA world situation into the narrative framework of the NT for significance beyond time and space. The rhetoric of the Book of Acts persuades the people to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and be Christcentric. In his writings, Paul persuades the church communities against the evils of the day, comforts them with the divine oracles, leads them to the brighter eschatological ends, and encourages them to stand firm even in the midst of persecutions and challenging situations in life.

The Pandemic, Which Should Lead us to Firm Faith Mary Samuel* [The following mediation is first published in the Christian Education Forum of the Mar Thoma Diocese of North America and Europe on 28th Jan, 2022.]

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Rom 8: 28 When my children were young, they used to ask me all their questions. “Mom, why do we go to church on Sundays? Why do we close our eyes when we pray? Why?” I patiently answered these inquiries, knowing that this was a valuable form of learning. As they grew older, their questions became more difficult to answer. We discussed the tenants of our faith and the value of our cultural church as a family. We asked questions and we answered them together in prayer.

Conclusion As the Biblical world was confronted with a large number of volatilities, uncertainties, complexities, and ambiguities, we can identify several parallels between the then and now situational realities. Interpretation of the Scriptures, by interlocking the two life situations, shall enable us to re-read the biblical message with relevance in today’s pandemic/post-pandemic VUCA world. Moreover, by placing God/Christ as the macro-manager, the people of the world can function as micro- managers. The challenges and difficulties of the Biblical world and the way God managed those occasions can be used as paradigms for the contemporary VUCA world of ours. Reading the Bible from the vantage point of the suffering humanity can be adopted as a better model for delving Godcentred management in the contemporary world. *Revd Dr. Johnson Thomaskutty is a Professor of New Testament at the United Theological College, Bangaluru, India. He is a prolific writer, who also writes on current issues such as the pandemic in the context of his Biblical scholarship.

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When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I felt like I had become like a small child again as I asked God why we were going through such hardship. I have been working as a nurse in the United States for more than 30 years, but this virus is truly like nothing I have ever seen before.

Healthcare workers have faced seemingly unsurmountable struggles throughout the last two years.

In those moments, I turned to God in prayer, just like I taught my children to do for their whole lives. As I drove to work, I would recite Psalm 91 aloud. Sometimes, I would find the words to ask God for His continued protection and refuge. Other times, I would trust the Holy Spirit to intercede on my behalf. These prayers strengthened me so when I arrived at work, I felt a sense of peace. Even on the busiest days, I saw the Lord’s goodness working through me as I cared for sick patients.

When patients were separated from their families, I offered them warmth and encouragement. During our breaks, some of my co-workers and I gathered in brief moments of prayer that sustained us.

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Dr. P. J. Alexander IPS (Retd.) - A Bridge Between the Church and the Society Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph* contributions in various fields. The space does not permit me to make a detailed biographical sketch in this article.

I came to know PJ in the latter part of 1970 while I was on the faculty of the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, through a God-given friend and guide, the late Rt. Revd Dr. Thomas Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan. In Thirumeni’s circle of friends, the Suffragan Metropolitan valued the friendship of Dr. P.J. Alexander and several other lay leaders like Dr. Zac Varghese of London.

In a Festschrift Volume in honour of Thirumeni published in 1984, PJ wrote about Thomas Mar Athanasius Thirumeni thus: “Over the years, Thirumeni shared my moments of frustration and disappointment and also the rare moments of achievement, joy and happiness. I was prepared for the Holy Communion by Thirumeni. He solemnized my wedding, baptized two of my three children, dedicated my house at Trivandrum and had enriched my life in a thousand ways” (“Discipleship as Mission”, edited

by Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, p. 101).

It is quite fitting that the FOCUS Journal includes a sincere appreciation expressing our gratitude to Dr. P. J. Alexander IPS (Retd.) for his many significant contributions to Society and particularly to the Mar Thoma Church and wider ecumenism. He, together with Mr. Philip Mathew (Presidency Hotel, Cochin), Late Rt. Revd Dr. Zacharias Mar Theophilus Suffragan Metropolitan and others were responsible for the organization of three International FOCUS Seminars at Santhigiri Ashram at Edathala, near Alwaye, Kerala, from 1999 to 2003. The seeds for starting an International Ecumenical Journal for the benefit of the worldwide Diaspora Community were sown at these Conferences and the seeds germinated after a dormant period of ten years and the dream came true in April 2013. By the Grace of God, we are into the 10th year of its publication with over 250,000 readers worldwide. It is indeed the right time to express our gratitude and appreciation of Dr. P. J. Alexander (PJ) As a member of the Editorial Board of the FOCUS Journal, I take the lead to make the following observations on PJ as a mark of our respect to him for his innumerable

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Revd Dr. M. A. Thomas whom I consider my ecumenical Guru, had close association with P.J. Once M. A. Thomas Achen wrote to PJ to remain “fearless” in his official career as a government servant. I had several occasions to listen to PJ and to work with him in the Sabha Council of the Mar Thoma Church and the Episcopal Nomination Boards. I had the privilege to review his book ‘Police and Elections in India’, for the Sabha Tharaka (1990). Later in 2016(May), I reviewed the book ‘Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Polity in Perspective’ edited by PJ; it is indeed a noble work for posterity. The book entitled ‘Higher Education in Kerala’, published by Juhanon Mar Thoma Study Centre (1983) bears the stamp of his wide range of reading and scholarship. PJ was able to bring together the best talents of the time in all his academic and scholarly publications. There are many other books and several articles to his credit. The two Festschrift Volumes published by the Mar Thoma Church in honour of the Most Revd Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, which he edited as its Chief Editor are indeed worthy of praise. I had the honour to get associated with him in the editorial work along with others. I owe a debt of gratitude to him as he was a regular visitor to ECC for making presentations on a wide variety of themes. And above all, he was one of the speakers when I bid farewell to the ECC in 2006. He has also contributed an article to my Festschrift volume, ‘The Golden Beams ’(2015) under the title, “An Enduring Friendship”.

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PJ has always been a frank and fearless administrator. He is an epitome of the management principle, “results are obtained not by solving problems, but by exploiting opportunities.” As the highest-ranking law enforcement officer of the State, he used to be stern and steady. He believed in the words of Julius Caesar, “Cowards die many times before their death, the valiant never taste of death, but once”. In PJ, one may notice a rare blending of all the components of leadership, perception, ability and authority.

In a Festschrift Volume published in PJ’s honour by the Indian Institute of Police Studies, Trivandrum (1998), several of his friends and colleagues have paid glowing tributes to PJ. Since his retirement from active service in the Police PJ lives with his wife in Trivandrum and is involved in several humanitarian and church related activities; he also contributes articles to various Journals. Now In his mid-eighties, PJ is waiting with his family and friends, under the grace of God, for the next auspicious occasion of ‘Navathy ’in his earthly pilgrimage. May God grant his and our wish.

Where did it all began?

Is there ever any particular spot where one can put one's finger and say, it all began that day, at such a time and such a place, with such an incident? Yes, that moment and place should be with our God-fearing and grace-filled parents and home. It is possible to trace PJ’s family tree to the blue blood lines of the ancient Pakalomattom family via the ‘Muthalalies ’of Adoor, a family teeming with Priests and Physicians, and to Kompomcode Pandakasala. His mother wanted him to be a Priest (so did Thomas Thirumeni), while his father wanted him to be a Barrister.

Having been neither, he stands firmly with his Lord and Master. Omana, his wife, is from the well-known planter family of MM George, Mulamootil, Kulasekharam. Of his two daughters: the first Priti Jacob has MA, MHA, and LLB degrees and is working as a Healthcare Consultant.

His second daughter Nidu Jacob is also highly qualified, has MSc, MPhil and a PhD degree from Tuft University.

His only son Alex, a Planter and a Management Consultant with Harrisons Malayalam, was prematurely called to rest at the young age of 48 in December 2020. By the amazing grace of God, PJ is blessed to have the faith of Job to say, “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). He has been blessed with four grandchildren; Priti’s son Anent is a Corporate Lawyer, Nidu’s daughter, Sarah, an MBA from Harvard is an Investment Consultant. Of the two boys of his son, Alex, first is employed as an Engineer and the second is getting ready to join an Engineering Course.

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Early years, education, career and significant Contributions Schools and colleges were not as many as we have today. The Mar Thoma Church did not have a college of its own when PJ passed his SSLC exam, from the Malayalam Medium Mar Thoma School, Valakom, Kottarakara.

The nearest University Centre, was in Trivandrum and in many ways, it was a blessing in disguise that he opted to go there. At that time, it was a University Centre with reputed teaching faculty, and elite Christian leadership in various disciplines, all taking interest in the newcomers for college education at Trivandrum, the State capital.

During his college days, PJ who took serious interest in church related activities like: Youths Union, Students Christian Movement, Mar Thoma Students Conference, YMCA, etc. He came under the influence of giants like Dr. M. M. Thomas and Achens like Revd M. A. Thomas. He graduated as a top-ranking student, winning the A. M. Varkey Memorial Gold Medal and the C. V. Chandrasekharan Memorial Prize. Through Dr. M.M Thomas, he came in touch with the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, and progressive Christian leaders like Dr. P. D. Devanandan. The Late Rt. Revd Dr. Thomas Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan was a very dear and significant spiritual guide and cared for him very dearly.

Upon completing his MA degree in Political Science, PJ joined the Political Science Department of the University as a Lecturer. While a serving as a teacher, PJ passed the Civil Services Examination (IAS/IPS) in 1960 and joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in the Kerala cadre. While in service, PJ took a Degree in Law and a PhD, had extensive exposure to Management education; He was the Chief Executive of several Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) of the State, a member and the Secretary of the Kerala Police Reorganization Commission, visiting Faculty in various teaching and training Institutes, and was a Professor and Director of the Institute of Management in Government.

After retirement as the Director General of Police, Kerala, PJ worked as a consultant in building Institutions of Criminal Justice with the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in Cambodia under the United Nations Transitional Administration and with the Training Faculty of the Multi National Police Forces under the UN in East Timor.

He has authored and edited a number of books and papers, guided Doctoral students at the University of Kerala and the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Cochin. He was a Consultant to the Kerala Law Reforms Commission with Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer as the Chairperson. He is currently involved with the ‘Centre for Criminal Justice Reforms’, in a consultative status with the AHRC. Current academic interest and activism include Electoral Reforms, Criminal Justice Reforms and Human Rights. PJ takes active part in media discussions.

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At the ‘Legal Assistance Centre’, he provides guidance and quality support to victims of Criminal Justice system and Human Rights abuse.

PJ is a very committed Marthomite with over 50 years in the Mandalam (Parliament of the Church) and in the various consultative bodies of the Church, including the Sabha Council and a number of Episcopal Selection Commissions. He successfully campaigned for a Christian burial for those Marthomites who commit suicide. Some of his other contributions include: strengthening the relationship of the Mar Thoma Church with the Thozhiyoor Independent Church, the vigorous growth of the Mar Thoma Church in Malabar with Late Rt. Revd Dr. Thomas Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan and sowing the seeds of the Mar Thoma School for The Deaf at Kasaragod. PJ has also contributed significantly to the growth and development St. Thomas Residential School in Trivandrum and the Mar Thoma College for Science and Technology, Ayur. He has always been at the forefront, whenever and wherever the Mar Thoma Church faced crisis situations. He takes every step only to strengthen the Church and its leadership, which are so very dear to him.

PJ has sat on all the sensitive Chairs of the Police Department, including the one dealing with the state of ‘Emergency’, when Mrs. Indira Gandhi was India’s Prime Minister. The National Emergency under Article 352 of the Indian Constitution had its opponents, which included many who were close to progressive Christian leaders such as Juhanon Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Dr. M.M Thomas etc. The Metropolitan had written an open letter against the Emergency to the Prime Minister and rumours were rife that he would be proceeded against. Many national leaders who were being watched by the Police were guests of Dr. M.M Thomas. But PJ was able to steer clear of all unnecessary controversies. As a very sincere and devoted confidant to all Mar Thoma Metropolitans and Bishops, he has helped the Church in the past and continues to do so in solving many difficult issues and remains as a source of strength to the Church.

Let us offer PJ our sincere appreciation for a well-lived model Christian life ‘in Christ ’for establishing God’s Kingdom Values for the benefit of everyone, for establishing a community of ‘atonement’. May the rest of his retired life with family and friends, be happy and fulfilling, echoing the words of St. Paul, “In Christ we live, move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) *Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam, a member of the Editorial Board of the FOCUS, a former principal of the Mar Thoma Theological College Kottayam and the Director of the ECC, Bangalore.

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‘Glimpses of Books’

‘Glimpses of Books’ is a new initiative by the FOCUS journal to offer opportunities for our talented contributors to introduce one of their important books to the readers of this journal. This would be of help to our readers to expand their vision and create an interest in reading and writing. Furthermore, it would be of interest to our readers to know the circumstances and landscapes, which helped the authors to write a particular book.

This would surely give encouragement to budding authors to venture out boldly into the publishing world. “Publish or perish” is a well-known aphorism describing the struggle to publish.

There is much inertia in writing, but if one could overcome the initial hesitation and doubts then it would become an enjoyable experience. All who love reading consider books as their real friends. “He that loveth a book” says Isaac Barrow”, “will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counsellor, a cheerful companion, and effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently divert and pleasantly entertain himself, all weathers, so in all fortunes.”

Therefore, we request our distinguished contributors to help us in this new initiative. This opportunity is also open to our readers as well who are not established authors. “If you want to be a channel, you must first be a reservoir,” said St. Bernard. Before we communicate our faith, we must live the faith in Christ, with Christ and for Christ. Apart form the Bible, you must have come across ‘spiritual classics’, which might have helped you in your spiritual journey. We encourage you to write about such books, which influenced you for the benefit of others. Therefore, we request our distinguished contributors and readers of this journal to help us in this new initiative.

Please send us a short description about your book may be one page with a cover photo of your book, along with a short biodata of yours for our review, editing and for publishing in future issues of FOCUS. You may send the information in word format with cover page photo of your book in JPEG format to Dr. Cherian Samuel at his e-mail csamuel131@gmail.com We, appreciate your prompt attention and support for this new endeavor.

For the Editorial Board

FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

Living With The Pandemic: Lessons and Possibilities Dr. John K. Thomas* Introduction On December 19th, 2019, hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei province in China reported on a cluster of cases of pneumonia, attracting global attention. These illnesses were caused by an unknown pathogen. Two weeks later a novel variant of coronavirus was identified as “severe acute respiratory syndrome- corona virus -2” or SARSCOV-2. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was subsequently defined as the illness caused SARS-COV-2.

Within weeks, this illness spread to 18 countries including China. Within a few months, SARS COV-2 was identified in most countries around the world. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced many countries including the United States to implement a diverse set of interventions. These included international travel restrictions, physical distancing, sanitizing, masks, closing of business centers, and mandating people to stay at home, all in efforts to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. These policies indubitably had a profound impact on people's life, including employment, economy, and social behavior. It affected our children, their education and social development. The pandemic and its aftermath imposed huge burdens to physical and mental health of the young and old alike, not to mention its impact on the economy.

According to a news report in late 2020, South Asians were among the racial and ethnic groups that were the hardest hit in New York City. Between March and May of 2020, they had the second highest rate of test positivity after the Hispanics and the second highest rate of hospitalizations after Black people. South Asians are overrepresented in health care, transport and service industries, forcing them to have close contact with the general public during the pandemic. Many of them lived in multigenerational households. South Asians have higher rates of chronic health conditions like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. These factors often placed them at a higher risk for complications from COVID infection.

Living with the Virus The pandemic forced us to adapt and modify our daily living habits and social interactions. During the early months of the pandemic, people obsessed about the risk of getting infected, wearing masks, social distancing and how these decisions would affect their lives. These days most people have settled on their own conclusions about what works best for them.

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COVID-19 is here to stay and may eventually become an endemic illness. Time and data have proven that it seems rather impossible to wipe out SARS-COV2 from any part of the world. The phrase often heard now in the United States and many other nations is ‘live with the virus’. In May 2022, the WHO expressed that China’s draconian measures of imposing a “zero-covid” policy was unlikely to be sustainable. Countries around the world are recognizing that eradicating the SARS-COV-2 virus is no longer feasible. This is an acknowledgement that endorses our need to rely on vaccines, healthy living habits, masks, sanitization, antiviral therapies to coexist with the virus while reducing our own risk and protecting others.

We should anticipate arriving at a point where the corona virus is incorporated amongst other common pathogens that routinely circulate such as influenza, cold and other respiratory viruses. This can facilitate a huge shift in perception of threat from COVID. We can then accept SARS-COV-2 as a manageable risk in our lives. It means reacquiring new habits, attitudes and new norms. This readjustment will vary widely for different people depending on their personal health circumstances and the needs of those close to us.

What did we learn?

Besides the obvious risk of becoming ill from COVID, many of us dealt with parallel “stressors ’that emerged with the pandemic. These included grief from losing a family or friend to COVID, social isolation, loneliness, loss of employment, working longer hours, juggling childcare, educating our children virtually. Stress manifested differently in people in the form of poor sleep, changes in eating habits, irritability, increase in tobacco and alcohol, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression.

FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

Centers for Disease control and prevention (CDC) identified older adults, children and teens, people helping with response to COVID-19 such as health care providers, and first responders to be at increased risk for stress.

We now know that some people experience lingering health problems even when they have recovered from the acute phase of COVID infection. The National Institutes of Health refer to long-term COVID-19 symptoms as PASC, which stands for post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2. Other more commonly used terms are post-COVID syndrome, long COVID or long-term COVID. Though it seems like a very long time since the pandemic began, COVID-19 only began spreading widely in early 2020, it will take longer to understand what is next for patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and who still have resulting health problems.

An understanding of vaccine efficiency, emergency therapeutics and public health guidance can help us to move forward to a new normal. We will need more randomized controlled trials and peer-reviewed literature to determine whether supplements can help the immune system to fight COVID -19 infection. We know that eating a healthy diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, improving sleep hygiene, abstaining from tobacco use, can help strengthen our immune system.

as a medium for people to connect. People started looking at ways to connect with the Creator, nurturing their spiritual growth, and looking towards the almighty God for help, as no one could help or protect them from severity of the disease.

People began to recognize the value of relationships, learning to practice sharing and caring, and remembering the importance of kindness. Most significantly, we were reminded to appreciate the gift of life. Tomorrow is not promised. Life is short and we were inspired to prioritize what is important to us. An old saying became more relevant, “there is good in every evil”. In many ways, people felt the closer to others, and a feeling that we are not alone in this fight for life.

The New Normal We are entering into new way of living that was unfamiliar previously. A new normal has forced the digital world as a requisite to continue work, learn or to do business from home. We have introduced artificial intelligence in public places like shopping malls, hospitals, and airports where social distancing is a necessity.

The fear and anxiety of contracting the virus, was unprecedented. Consequently, our ways of thinking, attitudes, and behavior have radically shifted.

Few other lessons learned include:

Here are few POSITIVE life changes resulting from the pandemic:

1. Efficacy of masks in preventing respiratory illness.

There were fewer cases of seasonal contagious illnesses as people were masking and sanitizing their hands.

1. Quality of time spent with family became important to people from all walks of life.

2. There were fewer numbers of doctor visits, which resulted in worsening pre-existing diseases and delays in diagnosis of new life-threatening conditions.

3. Utilization of telehealth to reach patients who might otherwise not be supported in a conventional paradigm of health care.

4. Though there are differences of opinion on the effects/side effects of vaccines, vaccines are really a powerful tool in the prevention of disease.

5. Mental health concerns were on the rise secondary to job loss, stress on work, financial problems, and loss of loved ones.

6. Resilience in the time of strife -ability to adjust to new work schedules, routines, new forms of socializing, and strategies to counter stress.

Possibilities Many of us have learned to care for ourselves and to devote more time to oneself during periods of lock down and social isolation. Covid -19 and isolation taught people to look back, introspect, stop and reflect about the life they had taken for granted. Virtual platforms emerged

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2. A global movement was begun to share knowledge about the structure of the virus, to develop better guidelines and vaccines.

3. More funding, attention and scrutiny was given to the field of public health.

4. Additional skills are being given to employees to adapt careers in a virtual space.

5. Hygiene, sanitation and social distancing were given prime attention.

6. Better and safe living spaces for people to work and live were prioritized.

A few adverse life changes are also worth discussing: 1.

Emotional wellbeing took a toll for many of us,

2. Physical interaction, socializing norms like dining with friends ’outdoors were limited 3. Large gatherings, weddings and related get togethers were curtailed and restricted for fear of the spread of the virus.

4.

16% increase in depressive disorders

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5. Job losses were at an alarming rate resulting in financial stress to people

Book Information

6. Business closures and subsequent economic depression

‘Unmasking the Syriacs: The Hidden Origin of Indian Christianity, an Archaeo-Linguistic Approach’. By Jeevan Philip, 2022, Associate Books and publishes, Eranakulam, India. PP 380. $ 44, Rs 1490.

Amazon International purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Unmasking-SyriacsCHRISTIANITY-Archaeo-linguisticApproach/dp/145839123X Amazon India purchase link: https://www.amazon.in/UNMASKING-SYRIACSHIDDEN-ORIGIN-CHRISTIANITY/dp/B09RKK771H/

Conclusions Emergence of a pandemic of this magnitude in our century, showed that humans are not infallible and communities need to be prepared. People have endured through at least three spikes in coronavirus infections thus far.

We might be at the precipice of another wave anytime soon. Several factors including the willingness to get vaccinated, effectiveness of vaccines over time, human behavior, infection prevention policies, changes to the coronavirus itself, have influenced the rise or decline in COVID cases in the past 2 years.

Vaccines can protect from severe complications from COVID illness. Yet, many people remain hesitant to receive the available COVID vaccines. In 2019, the WHO named vaccine hesitancy, the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite available vaccines, as a top 10 global health threats.

Global vaccine inequities remain an international challenge. At least 60% of the US population has been vaccinated. In comparison, only 6% of Africa has been vaccinated. The COVID-19 pandemic has managed to exacerbate those inequities, underscoring longstanding social, economic, and political inequities between wealthy and poor nations. Public health experts and governments should work together in reducing this disparity.

Restrictive measures like social distancing, masks, early detection, isolation, contact tracing, quarantine of the exposed, and lock down, had revealed as the most efficient actions to control the spread of the disease. Although a worldwide reduction in number of cases is noted, a fourth wave is very likely. Let us pray that the global community will strive toward following expert suggestions in future, attempt to manage and mitigate the gravity of the disease in the years to come.

*Dr. John K. Thomas holds, B. Sc. Hons, MS and Ph.d in Allied Health Sciences. He is a member of Tabor Mar Thoma Church, New York. He is currently serving as Tabor MTC church secretary, and diocesan assembly member of the Diocese of North America and Europe of the Mar Thoma Church.

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This book is about the origin of Indian Christianity, especially Syriac Christianity, based on archaeological findings from ancient sites of the Afro-Eurasian Sociocommercial network. In light of the archaeological data and artistic imagery represented in Central Asian religious Syncretism and historical narrative, the author questions the Martyrdom of St. Thomas at Mylapore, Chennai, and its prime evidence Pahlavi inscribed crosses. Contrary to popular belief, the author meticulously suggests the possibility of a Gnostic origin of Pahlavi crosses of South India. He proposes the origin of present-day Syriac Christianity in India is an amalgamation of different gnostic groups comprising FarsiDravidian Manichaeans and Judeo-Dravidian pre-protoorthodox groups in post 9th century period under the Syriacs missionary supervision. Analysing archaeological data against the history of the Indian Ocean trade along with the evolution of the symbol of the cross in Christendom, the author questions the claims of Syriac Churches not only in India but also in Mesopotamia and Central Asia. To substantiate his proposals, the author provides a detailed study on the central Asian and Chinese evolution of the cross symbol, suggesting the possible religious Syncretism played by Manichaeism, Buddhism, Taoism, and East Syriac Christianity. The study on the spread wing motifs of crosses from Sasanian Christianity will be an eye-opener to the Indian Syriac Christians who falsely claim that the spread wings of Pahlavi crosses are Lotus-cross combinations that built similar to Quinjiao crosses of south China, which was historically a product of the Buddhist-Manichaean-Nestorian Syncretism. Finally, the explanation of Makara imagery on the Mount cross bas-relief structure substantiated by the ontological principle of Manichaeism and its literature, especially Chinese Manichaean Hymn scroll H19 in which a community of Manichaean auditors calls Jesus (Yishu) to save their boat from the Makara, the representative of the realm of Dark forces possibly reveals the true identity of the Mount cross.

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Faith of Jesus and Faith in Jesus Prof. Dr. Jacob Parappally MSFS, Pune* Martin Buber, a well-known Jewish philosopher once said, “Belief of Jesus unites us, belief in Christ divides us”! It sounds like a simple statement but it challenges both our understanding of the identity of Jesus of Nazareth and our transforming faith in him. The New Testament presents Jesus as the one who had deep faith in his Father. The Letter to the Hebrews, after explaining the meaning of faith and supplying a list of the Old Testament witnesses who are models of heroic faith (Ch.11), presents Jesus as “the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith” (RSV Heb 12:2). Various other Bible translations of this verse present Jesus as the author, leader or founder of our faith depending on the theological understanding of the translators whether Jesus needed to have faith or not! It also depends on the understanding one’s faith affirmation that Jesus Christ is God became human, indeed, truly human and its consequences. For many Christians it is easy to believe that Jesus Christ is truly God but difficult to accept that he lived as a real human like any other human being. After affirming Jesus was God’s Son and yet human (Heb 2:17-18; 4:15; 5:7ff.) the Letter to the Hebrews exhorts us to model our faith looking at Jesus ’faith.

The response to the question whether Jesus is able to cure the epileptic boy, his answer that everything is possible for the one who believes (cf. Mk 9:23) can refer to both Jesus ’own faith and also the faith of the one who seeks his help. In spite of the apostolic witness about Jesus ’faith, the Scholastic manuals of Christology affirmed that there was no need for Jesus to have faith.

The reason for this assertion was the Scholastic position that Jesus had beatific vision. If Jesus has beatific vision or blessed vision of God all the time, he does not need faith. Such an assertion goes against the NT witness about his being human and having faith sharing our condition of life in this world as well as against the Chalcedon faith-affirmation that he is truly human like us while being truly God. Faith of Jesus According to the NT testimony, the Son of Man offers total fidelity to God whom he experienced as his Abba.

He is totally committed to his Father and his mission. He shows absolute preference for his Father’s will, love and commands over his own wishes (Mk 14:36). He perseveres in his faithfulness to his Father come what may. He seeks communion with his Father through his prayer. He lets his Father plan and arrange everything for him and he totally surrenders himself to his Father’s will. Thus, for Jesus, his faith in his Father was not an abstract idea. It had to be actualized at every moment of his life in the

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concrete situation of his life (J. Sobrino, Christology at Crossroads, 1978, pp 87-95).

The actualization of Jesus ’faith in the context of his life can be compared to anyone’s faith in general. Faith is an essential dimension of every human being whether he/she believes in God or not. Both the believers in God and non-believers share one thing in common, namely, their faith in some basic human values and its actualization. Such a faith in general has three stages in its progression and expression. The first stage of the faith in general is basing one’s personal life on some accepted values like love, justice, equality, fellowship, peace, reconciliation etc. which need to be concretized in one’s actual life situation. In the second stage of faith, one concretizes these values with commitment in the context of one’s life, which would eventually evoke conflict because of the forces that oppose these values. One grows in this faith when one encounters the challenges and in the midst of the conflicts one may be able to change the situation or one may be affected by the situation in such a way that one may call his or her faith into question. The struggle is to move from an abstract faith to a new faith that is liberative as it would make one a truly unfolded human being. In a situation of injustice, oppression, discrimination, dehumanization etc. to live one’s faith as the conviction of upholding the values justice, love, equality etc., and challenging the structures would inevitably lead to conflict. The institutionalization of injustice and dehumanization, corruption and so on calls one’s faith into question. When one is in such a painful situation, there is no assurance of the victory of faith or the values one believes in. Thus, the faith enters into the third stage where one has to decide to give up faith, that is, to give up the values one believes in or give up life itself for the cause of one’s faith.

Jesus ’faith in his Father finds expression in his fidelity to his mission. His mission is to proclaim and establish the Kingdom of God. Every Jew believed that God’s reign was coming in the future. But Jesus is absolutely certain that God’s kingdom is not a future reality but a present one and it has already come. He is certain too that the Kingdom of God is inseparably connected with his very person. In fact, he realizes that he is the agent of the Kingdom. His fidelity to the Father and his mission is expressed in the values of the Kingdom he preached. The first value of the Kingdom, which he preached, was the sovereignty of God, the Father, who makes every human value authentic. The values of the Kingdom that flow from his experience of his Father are self-emptying love, justice, peace, equality, fellowship, reconciliation and so on. The socio-religious systems of his time opposed these values and created a situation of injustice, dehumani-

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zation, discrimination and marginalization. In the process of actualizing his faith, Jesus sides with the poor and the marginalized and prophetically denounces structural sins and injustice. He proclaims the unconditional love of his Father and forgives and reconciles those who repent of their personal sins and are willing to live the values of the Kingdom. Thus, in the process of concretizing his faith, Jesus encounters conflicts.

The NT witness to this conflict of Jesus with powers that oppose the values of the Kingdom. The whole gospel according to Mark narrates this conflict very dramatically as a battle between God’s power manifested in Jesus and all forms of evil powers. It is in this second stage of his faith that Jesus also experiences his real temptation to discontinue his mission. Jesus experiences rejection and he withdraws even geographically for some time.

(Mk 8:11). He is not understood even by his disciples as they are thinking of him as a political Messiah and seeking positions in his kingdom. It appears that his mission is going to fail. The conflict reaches its climax in the third stage of his faith when Jesus has to take a decision and the conflict is no more with the powers that oppose him but a conflict within himself. It takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk 14:32-42; Mt 26:36-46; Lk 22:3946; Jn 18:1). In the final stage of his faith, Jesus faces not only his impending death but also the death of his cause. Jesus has to take decision either to give up the cause of the Kingdom which the Father has entrusted to him and which he proclaimed with authority and signs or give up his life. The temptation to give up the cause of the Kingdom is very strong in him and at the same time he is tormented by his faithfulness to his Father and his mission. Luke narrates the intensity of Jesus ’agony as he prayed, stating that “his sweat became great drops of blood falling down on the ground” (Lk 22:44). Finally, he gives up his life rather than giving up the cause of the Kingdom he stood for. He lets go off his life and surrenders totally to the will of his Father (Mk 14:36).

Jesus ’faith is his exclusive confidence in his Father and total obedience to his mission. Therefore, faith is very central to his life. It is this faith that he valued more than his own life. He had to go through real struggle to overcome the temptation to give up his faith and to recover it in situations that called his faith into question especially with regard to his own experience of his Father as unconditional love and forgiveness, and as the one who valued humans more than the Sabbath and the temple. The faith of Jesus is the model for our commitment to the values of the Kingdom and the faith in Jesus means that in him we discover the way to God and encounter God. Jesus ’faith leads him to the Cross. The faith of the disciples also cannot be lived and expressed without the cross.

Faith in Jesus The early Church experienced Jesus as the Lord and God of their lives and proclaimed his Lordship over their life and the entire humanity! He was encountered as the

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final, decisive and definitive revelation of God and they experienced a total transformation of their lives. They experienced not only liberation from their sins but also the wholeness of life. They were strict monotheists but after the Pentecost they began to experience God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Holy Spirit as the Spirit and Power of God. Their faith in Jesus distinguished them from the rest of their Jewish brothers and sisters. But also they had to pay a price of their belief in Jesus. They were excommunicated by the Jewish religious authorities that they could not anymore join their worship in the synagogues. Their faith conviction was so deep that Paul expressed it in strong words when he preached saying, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).

The postresurrectional experience of Jesus as Lord and God of their lives, the meaning of their lives and the Alpha and the Omega of their lives was proclaimed by the apostles.

The evangelists had no hesitation to transpose such a transforming experience of Jesus Christ after his resurrection to affirm that Jesus was Lord and God and the Son of God also during his earthly life itself and he was not just a human who became Lord and God after his resurrection. So, in their writings about the good news of liberation, salvation or wholeness, they introduced such post-resurrection confessional statements of faith like that of Peter’s confession about the identity of Jesus as Messiah or Christ and Son of God (Mk 8:27; Mt 16:16) or Martha’s confession of faith (Jn 11:27ff.) as if they were made during the earthly life of Jesus. So too is the revelation of the glory of the Son of God as the beloved Son of the Father on Mount Tabor. The fundamental Christian confession was that Jesus was truly human though he was the Logos or the Second Person of the Trinity. It was in early Councils of the Church these confessions were articulated and expressed in theological terms using Greek categories of thought.

It was one of the earliest kerygma that wholeness or salvation depended on faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. (Rom 10: 9) Paul tells us about it in his Letter to the Romans: “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame" (Rom 10:8-11). There are discussions among the exegetes and biblical theologians whether the expression Pistis Christou in Romans 3:22 and Galatians 2:16 should be translated as faith in Jesus Christ or faith of Jesus Christ. Though there may be a few arguments for the latter expression, if we take the entire theology of Paul it

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must be affirmed that one’s justification or sanctification depends on faith or total surrender to Christ, which is faith in Jesus Christ.

According to Paul, our existence is in Christ. In fact, every human being is in Christ due to the hominization or the incarnation of the Word. It is an ontological reality. That is the state of the old creation. In order to become a new creation, one has to surrender to Jesus Christ freely or in others words, have faith in Jesus Christ. Paul uses different formulae to express our Christian life in Christ. According to him, by faith we move into Christ and at baptism we are with Christ, and then we are in Christ and finally beyond this life on earth we will be with Christ. Our present existence after our baptism by which we are incorporated into Christ and blessed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are in Christ. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the actualization of our human vocation, which is also offered to every human being who is created in Christ and objectively redeemed by the hominization of the Word. To make the objective redemption effective one must make it subjective by faith in Jesus. In fact, we are older than the world because God “chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Eph.:4). In Jesus Christ all are united. Faith in Jesus Christ does not divide us but makes us truly human and communitarian. *Prof. Dr. Jacob Parappally MSFS is the Chief Editor of the Journal of Indian Theology. He was the President of the Indian Theological Association (ITA) and was a resident Professor of theology at the Faculty of Theology at Jnana-Deepa, Pontifical Institute of Religion and Philosophy, Pune, India E-Mail: parappally@gmail.com

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Corona Pandemic and God of all Grace Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam O God of all Grace, Covid -19 has disturbed us.

Are you quite far away from us?

Are you not hearing our desperate cry?

How do we protect life, O God of life?

We keep social distancing because of a decree.

We observe folk curfew as a sign of untouchability.

Is untouchability a panacea for cure?

Lord, have mercy upon us!

The words of the Psalmist ring in our ears: It is good for us that we are humbled.

To learn your statutes. across the globe.

I am asked to keep distance from others for safety.

But your instruction is to be in touch with people in need, As a sign of kindness to our fellow men, As a gesture of caring and sharing what we have.

Lord, reveal the mystery of life to us.

Yes, we may seem like the sands of the sea shore, But we are more like branches of a tree.

“No man is an island”, proclaimed sages.

Help us to learn the language of ‘New Normal’.

Covid- 19 needs no passport to cross man- made boundaries So, help us to care for one another and live for one another And wait for the Kairos to know what is unknown today.

What a great lesson for seeking atonement!

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Great is HIS Faithfulness Prof. Dr. John Daniel, Dallas* This is the story of a young man who grew up in a small village in central Kerala, where his parents provided an environment to develop a quest to search for meaning and purpose of his life. The purpose of this article is to share with readers how God proved His faithfulness over and over again and used him as an instrument of His love in the field of health care and Allied Health professional education in India and abroad for more than 50 years.

Background, primary and secondary/college education “For men and woman are not only themselves; they are also region in which they were born, the city or farm in which they learned to walk, the games they played as children, the old wives’ tales they overheard. the food they ate, the schools they attended, the sports they followed and the God they believed in” (W. Somerset Maugham, The Razer’s Edge). I was born and brought up in a village in late nineteen forties, soon after obtaining independence from the British rule. India was going through its infancy as a sovereign, democratic nation under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India. After completing my primary education in my village primary school, I attended English high school in Mavelikara and passed SSLC examination in first class. I remember with gratitude my very dedicated teachers, both in primary and secondary schools, who played a vital role in my educational achievements.

I joined Bishop Moore College, Mavelikara, as a pre-degree student in 1964 under the able and dedicated leadership of Rev K. C, Mathew, MSc, MRE and his experienced Team of teachers and administrators. I am proud to note here that I am one of the first batch of students of Bishop Moore. I remember with pride and gratitude to learn that this college has become a very prominent educational institution in Central Kerala. .

Choice of my professional carrier in Health care field A significant turning point in my life arrived during my second year in Bishop Moore College. I was not sure what is best route that I may pursue as my life long career. Why did I choose this field in spite of my doubts and confusions?

I chose a title for this article, which says “Great is His faithfulness “. Let me attempt to write my search after a God whom I have heard and accepted by faith not knowing which direction He is going to take me through. Yes, the turning point was on November 23,1965, a cloudy and rainy day in Mavelikara. After my physics lab, I began to walk home which is more than 3 kilometers from my house. As I was walking through a railway bridge, train approached very quickly and I found myself standing in the middle of the bridge. There was no way of escape from certain death except to jump down from Bridge. I was miraculously saved and that incident opened my eyes and shed light on my

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path to choose a profession to dedicate the rest of my life for persons who are physically challenged due to injury or disease. I left my country home and beloved parents and relatives 54 years ago to start my next season in life. I completed a diploma in physiotherapy in a mission hospital in South India administered by Salvation Army. Dr. Harry Williams, FRCS, CBE was chief medical officer of this hospital, He was a pioneer in Physiotherapy Education in India. I was exposed to more than 40 foreign missionaries from various countries. Special mention may be made of Mr. James R. Millar, MCSP, Principal of School of physiotherapy. He was very influential in my growth and commitment to rehabilitation, especially among marginalized and forgotten humans such as Leprosy patients.

Next, I describe my humble beginning in educational field and how the unseen hand of God led me to play a significant role in higher education. I trust that my story would inspire students and faculty in higher education to continue their calling in education and research to discover novel approaches to improve quality of education.

Twelve years in Karnataka and contributions in practice and education In fact, I became an educator while I was a second-year student at the mission hospital where I completed my initial physiotherapy education. My principal, Mr. Millar asked me one day in my second year: “Daniel, I have an assignment for you, I do not know if you can do it; he continued: “this applicant is legally blind and uses braille as his means of written communication. Can you assist me?” Without any hesitation, I told him, “Yes, sir”. He replied, “are you willing to spend at least 2 hours daily tutoring him and I will provide the course syllabus?”

Thus, my entry into education field started unexpectedly and this gentleman became a physiotherapist at Trivandrum medical college, neurology department and a led a very productive, professional and family life. I met him 21 years ago in his department and needless to say that it was fulfilling moment in my life. Later on, I was selected by student senate of a public university in the US as “Teacher of the Year”, but I consider this opportunity to educate a legally blind man more precious and valuable than my other university honors.

My first appointment was at ETCM hospital, Kolar, India (1969-71), administered by the United Methodist Church.

Physiotherapy department was located in a dark room without ventilation with limited space and equipment. I was able to convince administration that within a year, physiotherapy can play a vital role in the overall health care team, along with doctors and nurses. Administration provided me a new space with all basic needs to practice physiotherapy in my second year of service there. They had a well-developed

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outreach program for leprosy patients aided by the American Leprosy Mission. I became an integral part of the medial team giving wound care and rehabilitation procedures for this population. Moreover, I was asked to teach Nursing students basic anatomy and physiology; I also played a role as a clinical supervisor to nursing students as their guide for post-surgical nursing care and respiratory care for chest physiotherapy to deter adverse effects of prolonged bed rest during hospital stay.

Head of the department of Physiotherapy - ITI hospital, Bangalore (1971-1981) I was hired by ITI with a significant increase in my salary and other allowances, which was essential at that time to fulfill my obligations and duties as a member of a closed, extended family who cared for one another in those days. I am very much aware that culture has significantly changed since then due to job opportunities for this new generation to advance their dreams and aspirations in life.

Unlike the mission hospital at Kolar, ITI hospital was very well equipped with spacious rooms and all modern physiotherapy modalities. My task was to educate physicians on the role of physiotherapy in an acute care hospital. My mission hospital experiences provided a solid foundation to serve every patient referred to me as a unique person irrespective of their position, religion, or language. I found this as an opportunity to advance my physiotherapy professional skills. The administration of the hospital appreciated my work ethics and hard work and they sent me to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in New Delhi in 1973 for 6 months and I became a member of Indian Association of Physiotherapist (MIAP).

Let me add few comments for our thoughts and reflection.

For a Christian in the workplace, it should not matter whether or not he is in vocational Christian ministry. Even a secular job can be a sacred ministry for the Lord. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). Everything we do, from work, to relationships, to hobbies, to eating and drinking, is to be done for the glory of God (2 Corinthians 10:31).

A word of wisdom or comment to ponder is appropriate here. Some categorization is good and necessary in life. We must not confuse the purposes of the various institutions in society. God has tasked the church, for example, with spreading the gospel, discipling believers, and blessing the culture it is immersed in. The Church has the sacred purpose of gracefully, lovingly, and patiently pointing society to Christ. God has tasked the State, on the other hand, with restraining evil, punishing wrongdoers, and rewarding the righteous through the execution of justice (Romans 13:1-5).

In other words, our mission is to promote peace and justice in a broken world. The State, too, has a sacred purpose, since “the one in authority is God’s servant” (Romans 13:4).

Church and State operate in different spheres, by God’s

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design. But, if both entities do their jobs well, each benefit from the other.

The common designations of “secular” and “sacred” are overused. A Christian artist will create art to the glory of God. A Christian musician will create music to the glory of God. A Christian homemaker will bake cakes to the glory of God. A Christian mechanic will fix cars to the glory of God. The possibilities are endless; as we walk in his Spirit, the line between secular and sacred becomes increasingly blurred. The Christian task is making the secular sacred.

My Association with Hoskote Mission During my stay in Bangalore, I was associated with Rev. E. J. George and other evangelists in Hoskote mission of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church. My first supervisor in ETCM hospital, Kolar was Dr. M.C. Koshy, MRCP who retired as the medical director of Hoskote mission medical center. Dr. Koshy taught me how to take Electro cardiogram (ECG) while working in Kolar, which led me to pursue a specialization in cardiopulmonary therapeutics in rehabilitation and become a Tenured Associate Professor in a prominent public university in Texas, USA. My background as an EKG technician in Kolar continued in ITI hospital and I played a significant role in starting an Intensive coronary care (ICCU) unit in the hospital. Along with fulltime job at ITI hospital, I have had the privilege to be a friend and supporter of this great mission center. I rejoice to see how this mission center has expanded over the years with a modern hospital and a school of nursing.

My Immigration to the United States in 1982 Due to shortage of physical therapists and other health care professionals, the USA granted immigration visa to these selected of professionals to become permanent residents and later US citizens. I arrived in New York on 3rd of January,1982. I stayed in New York for four months with my elder brother and family. During my stay in New York, I was actively involved in the Mar Thoma church at New York. I moved to Iowa and started my first job as a physical therapist in a state hospital near Des Moines, the capital of Iowa.

It was a very large state institution for persons with mental retardation (current term intellectually deficient). I was able to easily adapt to Midwest culture and I joined the United Methodist church, where I was well received by the community and church because of my faith and heritage. During my tenure stay there, the Institution went through a federal inspection process and funding was declined until standards were are met to fulfill federal standards of care for the specific population. It was a very difficult time for this small farming community who depended on this state institution for their employment and source of income. I was able play an important role to regain the funding and recertification. I continued my education in Iowa while I was working for them as a staff and later as a consultant. I completed a BS degree and advanced Master’s degree (MS) with specialization in cardiopulmonary therapeutics from School of Medicine, University of Iowa. I completed a research study there, which I used for my Master’s thesis.

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My role and contribution in research (clinical and educational) in public institutions My first contribution was in clinical research. Saying goes ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. The State institution faced a very serious situation as I described earlier. There were more than 600 residents in this institution. They were abandoned by their parents and the state took responsibility to take care of them. I provided leadership with our rehabilitation team including Psychologists to design a study to evaluate the effect of exercise (physical activity) and mental health. In other words, how physical inactivity affected negative (maladaptive behavior such as aggression and self-abusive behaviors in persons with mental retardation (Anchuthengil et al. 1992a, 1992b).

The results of the study indicated that Exercise training produced concomitant reduction in the frequency of maladaptive behavior such as aggression and self-injury, which required behavior modification and psychotropic medication.

My assumptions proved true because these residents were practically “locked down” in their individual housing units, with no opportunity to interact and play, which affected their mental health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of specific populations due to lack of opportunities to physically and socially interact with other students in schools and colleges. Moreover, findings in my research reinforces need for physical education in our primary and secondary education to maintain physical fitness, which appears to have a relationship to mental health.

Online education via video conferencing platforms such as google meet and Zoom are useful tools and can be effectively utilized in higher education which is my next topic of discussion.

Soon after graduation (1991), I was appointed as an assistant professor at a large public Academic medical center in West Texas. During my interview, Dean of the school gave me the key responsibility to expand, recruit and train allied health professionals to meet the demand of rehabilitation professionals in Texas and surrounding states.

But, how do we do this expansion? It was decided by the President of the University to use video conferencing - synchronous and asynchronous - education model with interactive television with multimedia apps, Master control assisting instructors from control room. Once a week, faculty travels to distant campuses and conducts face to face lab and lectures from each site. In spite of Covid 19, Tech programs continue to thrive and has become one of the largest schools of health professions in the USA offering Bachelors to Doctoral degrees in various disciplines including physical therapy, Occupational therapy, Speech and Audiology.

I conducted a doctoral research project to evaluate the effects of learning style and learning environment (synchronous vs asynchronous) in achievement of physical therapy graduate students in distance education (Anchuthengil et al,1999). The implications from research for higher educa-

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tors include but not limited to the following: 1) Educators should ensure that activities are designed and carried out in ways that offer each learner a chance to engage in the manner that suits them best; 2) individuals can be helped to learn more effectively by the identification of their lesser preferred learning styles and the strengthening of these through the application of the experiential learning cycle; and 3) Ideally, activities and material should be developed in ways that draw on abilities from each stage of the experiential learning cycle and take the students through the whole process in sequence. It is noteworthy to mention here that my entire doctoral research was fully supported by a university grant. My doctoral dissertation received an award from the University.

Conclusion As I conclude my attempt to describe my humble contributions in the field of health care and Education, I remembered a quote by the great German Christian philanthropist, George Müller, who wrote about his ministry to orphans: “Lord led me to this work. He gave me faith for it. He sustained my faith for it to the end. He provided the means. He remarkably helped me through one difficulty after the other.

Had he not upheld me in the midst of them all, I should have been surely overwhelmed by them.”

References 1. Anchuthengil, John D, Nielsen D.H, Schulenburg J, Hurst R and Davis M.J (1992a): “Effects of an Individualized Treadmill Exercise Training Program on Cardiovascular Fitness of Mentally Retarded Adults in an Institutional Setting" Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 16:220228 2. Anchuthengil, John D, Nielsen D.H, and Schulenburg J (1992b): " Deceleration of Aggressive and Self-Injurious behavior of an Institutionalized Adult with Mental Retardation

by Progressive Treadmill Exercise Training: A Single Subject Repeated Measures Study" APTA Journal, Conference issue, June.

3. Anchuthengil, John D and Olivarez A (1999): Validity and Reliability of Kolb’s learning style inventory. Southwest Educational Research Association Conference issue, January.

*Prof. Dr. John A. Daniel is a former Associate Professor of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, U.S.A. Author reflects on his faith journey for the last 54 years and credits God for His faithfulness for all his achievements and honors in the field of education and health care. Professor John Daniel is a member of the Mar Thoma Church Dallas, Farmers Branch.

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A Viral Apocalypse in Our Houses of Mercy Revd Dr. John T. Mathew, Canada* Three years in, a pandemic juggernaut created a global Intensive Care Unit where millions of humans are abandoned on the curb outside our houses of mercy.

Saint John reports that an eerie exercise at the pool of Bethesda circumvented a sick man for 38 years (Jn 5:29). The transgressors are dawdling custodians and a vulpine angel. The paralytic’s brazen reply to Jesus’ nononsense grilling corroborates that the managers of the pool had fenced the outpatients off so that they would outmanoeuvre one another.

The sickness upended his life for decades; yet he was not let down, being thrown on the curb waiting for his turn. Pulling no punches Jesus asked: Do you want to get better? The strung-out patient chalked up to assail the daunting drill at the pool. In other words, ‘don’t point the finger at me, Jesus; lay the blame on the angel or the status quo.’

When Jesus de-spiritualized the healing process, the sick man complained about a depersonalizing arrangement. Jesus turned this healing story into an all-out assault on those who claim to be the healing agencies.

The severity of viral infections and vaccination programs alienated both abject and affluent nations where people are forced out of the tonic pool to bite the dust. For the hard-up being hurled into a hostile world, often flouted, is an albatross that bedevils all living creatures. Categorically we have no give-away of sacred secrets being let go into this life regarding time, place, gender, pedigree of cultural, social and religious walk of life.

The de-densification of worship places and the upsurge in remote participation and simulated interaction over the past couple of years has been onerous for both leaders and sponsors. The faithful are ditching the sanctuaries; pandemic malediction reminds us that we need our community to enjoy our being; our disgraced hubris to reject others is not helpful for our health and wellbeing. Snub, ostracism and public shaming are tools to cancel culture verdict to destroy human dignity.

The regimented Bethesda hangout gagged its adherents.

Jesus launched a blistering attack on the hobbling holdovers in charge of the healing ministries. We travel intentionally with no final destination through life to figure out a journey of self-discovery. All living creatures go off the rails; all humans are peripatetic or on an outing of moving about from place to place; however, don’t we all have that proclivity to get lost, wander, go adrift.

Some are born to sweet delight Some are born to endless night (William Blake) A chauvinist snapped when a woman volunteered to represent her denomination at an ecumenical forum: ‘Keep her in her place’. The 21 century church clones the 19 century German system: 'Let women adhere to the three K's, – die st

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th

Küche, die Kirche, die Kinder' (kitchen, church, and children). The church must denounce misogynists who promote subordination of women. The raison d'etre of a faith tradition is to create a Bethesda – house of mercy, a caring community for the faithful, never a carking club of control freaks. Jean-Paul Sartre’s play ‘No Exit’ reminds us: ‘Hell is other people.’

Matthew Arnold’s poem, Dover Beach predicts an ontological shift from faith to evolution.

‘Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, Where ignorant armies clash by night’ ‘Thrownness’ began in the blissful Garden of Eden when the first couple were extirpated. Abraham and Sara walked off their sheltered turfdom. Their children were displaced slaves in Mizraim. Moses was thrown in the creek. Baby Jesus was flung into a forlorn Bethlehem in the dark Roman settlement, sent away as a child to Egypt and the people of Nazareth tried to throw him over a cliff. Finally, Jesus was hurled out of Jerusalem to be crucified in Golgotha - on an excruciating Roman device by losers - an introvert emperor Tiberius and a spiteful governor Pilate who did not know Yahweh or the immortals and deities of the ancient cultures.

Robert Frost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay prods: ‘So, Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down today.

Nothing gold can stay’ In our ‘cancel culture’ sickness, an original social root canal, many good people were shown the door to captivity. King David was disciplined for bad behaviour. St. John was exiled to Patmos, a forlorn island under emperor Domitian.

Galileo advocated the Copernican theory that the earth revolves around the sun. He was thrown into jail for life

by Pope Urban VIII for charges of alleged heresy. Mahatma Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison by the colonial rulers in his own native land. Martin Luther King Jr. was sent to jail because he led peaceful protests. Nelson Mandela spent the first 18 of his 27 years in jail at the brutal Robben Island Prison.

Jesus cherry-picked his twelve disciples; nonetheless he had a top brass of James, John and Peter who witnessed Jesus’ dazzling triumphs and his dismal trials. One megachurch pastor, who was ousted recently. told his unwary listeners that “heaven moves” and “angels pay attention” when he preaches!

We are informavores and we are informed of the rise and fall of empires, dynasties, civilizations, cultures, nations, ideologies etc. The claimed Holy Crusades massacred millions of people whose beliefs were not unholy but different. Imagine the millions slaughtered during colonisations of indigenous people! The number of the defeated is forgotten; however, we celebrate the memory of the victors. However, religious

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history is far more depressing than the history of humankind.

Sure, it is human to make mistakes, to miss deadlines, and to fall short. The sick man stoked distrust in the Jewish healing systems! His pushback did not make Jesus stand down.

The church, overladen with divisions, distortions and heresies, has gone on the fritz from the day of Pentecost. My first church history lessons unmasked granular details on the assassination of Cardinal Beaton, who had at least six children with his French mistress Marion Ogilvy.

Archbishop William Temple ordered his missionaries in India never to read the unfettering Song of Mary, the Magnificat, in public. Temple had known that his people were the mighty, proud, evil colonizers in Mary’s Song Luke 1:51-53, who ransacked, robed, raped and buried children and women all over the globe. Despite his sneaky suspicion of a tsunami-like power of Mary's song in the world, little did Temple know that the first-century Nasaranis of Malabar had been singing the seismic song in their weekly liturgy centuries before the outsiders ‘discovered’ my backyard.

Temple's Raj wilted like lettuce within a thousand days!

Jesus who was busy breathing new life into broken and dying people could have avoided the sick man on the curb.

The Hebrew word Beth- hesda means “house of mercy” or “house of grace.” In Hebrew and Aramaic, it could also mean “shame” or “disgrace.” We must choose either to be a house of mercy and grace or a house of shame and disgrace.

The healed man was grateful; however, the Jewish bureaucrats tried to snitch the healer on to the imperial authority.

Martin Heidegger, the 20 century German philosopher championed the concept of geworfenheit (thrown-ness) th

The 1960s classic song ‘Riders on the storm’ reminded us: Riders on the storm Into this house we’re born Into this world we’re thrown Like a dog without a bone, About eight months in the thing called Corona, I was invited to give a Memorial Lecture on the future of the church in a post-pandemic world. Having learned of its lethal leverage, I said ‘No’. When disasters happen, it is human to hope for a quick-fix to hop over the messiness we created. All four Gospel aretalogies or ātmastuti recorded in third person do not mention a fight or flight situation Jesus ever set off. He did not evade the sick man the way I would nervously cross the street to avoid an unmasked pedestrian these days mimicking the priest and Levite. Nor did he vituperate the menacing management of the pool. Instead of dancing around an exigent situation, Jesus rushed to take care of a sick man.

When you feel either chucked out of the good graces of family and friends, remember that you are always in the divine grip of goodness and grace. Don’t let Martin Heidegger’s thrownness (Geworfenheit) or Gautama Bud-

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dha’s duhkha (suffering), self-inflicted as well as imposed, determine or define who you are. Carl Jung had it right when he said, ‘I am not what happened to me; but I am what I choose to become.’ Jesus not only breaks into our sinuous life experiences but upholds all of heaven and earth together in the miracle of healing presence. Remember the sacred mythical bird Garuda known also as Phoenix keeps being reborn from its scorched nest.

Do you have any recollection of ever waking up during the night with an ambiguity that honed your numinous naïveté?

We are distinctively outfitted with a plethora of healing energies to investigate such opacities to the hilt in life.

The primary role of religion is to help grapple with mysteries in life; certainly not to offer quick-fix answers to inexplicable queries on suffering, death or lethal virus infection.

After the Monsoon rains, the sunlit sky; after the sunset, the sparkly sky in the dark. When you get scared out of your wits, act in response with gratitude and share the good news with those who down and out so that they may receive energy and enthusiasm to move on.

For one, I got used to being thrown out all my life in academe and sacellum; thankfully the healer showed up and made me stronger to pick up my mat and walk away. We ought not slobber over or treasure anything to be irreplaceable.

Faith with no meaning and purpose is like success with no significance and spur in life. In our pandemic captivity, the religious healing pools ought not emulate the Bethesda admin, which did not recruit and retain top talent. When we find ourselves waking up gasping for air on the edge of the pool, Jesus always shows up on time and intervenes with the promise of new life.

This healing narrative ensorcelled me as I battled health issues in the cocoon of my early days. That’s when my mother helped me rustle up my endorphins by drubbing her own mantra of élan vital into me. ‘No one is snubbed on the curb to wilt away but everyone is kept secure in the grip of grace’! Learn to fly by the seat of your pants; shake a leg; 38 seconds might be forever so long to lie in wait in the shadows for an angel to show up! * Revd Dr. John T. Mathew (The United Church of Canada) is an ordained minister in The United Church of Canada – besides serving several urban and rural congregations in the province of Ontario, Canada, since 1975 – he also taught in the Department of Religious Studies, Huntington/Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario. Revd Mathew was awarded the Merrill Fellowship at Harvard University Divinity School; he was a Pastor-Theologian at the Centre of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ. He served at St. Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen (Church of Scotland) as Ecumenical Guest Minister (2010) and Interim Minister in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (2015-2017).

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Recollections from my Diaspora Journey Dr. Eapen Daniel, Philadelphia* "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." (Abraham Lincoln) Introduction As a humble pioneer in the formation and support of the Diocese of North America and Europe of the Mar Thoma Church, I am greatly thankful for providing me an opportunity to write for the ‘FOCUS’ journal, which is celebrating its 10 anniversary. I am thankful and proud of the individuals who have worked behind the ‘FOCUS’ and wish the publication a colorful future. At this juncture, I am also obliged to many of our former and present laity as well as ordained leaders who have worked and supported to take this Diocese to its current esteem. We still have ways to travel and tasks to achieve. I do not want to go into various milestones that we have passed but want to mention that it’s the strong faith of a lots of laities who have originally envisioned the establishment of this Eastern Church on this prime western hemisphere. As I have worked as the Chief Editor of the Mar Thoma Messenger from 2002 to 2014, I have made a lot of connections that are still influencing my Christian life. As a powerful Diocese, our helping hands have reached out beyond the Diaspora to many Christian mission fields and families and individuals, regardless of religious orientation.

Many of these projects were promoted through Messenger in its growing days. Glad to see that we continue to support thousands of children back in India with their educational needs through the ‘Light-to-Life’ program, successfully initiated by our current Diocesan Bishop Rt. Revd Dr. Isaac Mar Philoxenos Episcopa. th

Living with fear and Uncertainty Coming to this land of opportunities and getting settled here was of some struggle, especially in the 70s and 80s as many immigrants from that time frame may agree. But what kept us going was the faith that got instilled in us by our parents, church leaders, and the close-knit community that we have left behind in India. I know that many are living witnesses to this testimony of faith and courage, where our Church still is a major contributing factor. As many authors state, being fearless does not mean NOT feeling fear, rather it means having control over it via the strength you have gained from your spiritual enrichments and faith legacy from your elders. In fact, some fears forced us to define practical methods to overcome obstacles that were ahead in our diaspora journey. As a strong Christian, we envisioned our future within the possible backgrounds and community framework and followed a path of creative living. It's experience that teaches us to avoid certain paths and its experience that will lead us to that big breakthrough idea for a better future.

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Togetherness and Family Many times, we feel that life is perfect and occasionally, we felt otherwise as well. But all along, your faith community and the close-knit family structures has sheathed you – both in times of despair and in times of abundance. Remember the old British phrase “Never eat alone”. It makes more sense when we realize that it has the same strong extension to the other phrase we often use “A family that prays together, stays together”. I was saddened to see that at some point or even gradually, God and prayers were removed out of our schools and colleges, and the community at large, arguing that it’s not ‘Politically Correct”? But, as we all know, that caused major erosions in community values, moral ethics, and social integrity. Today we live in a society where values and religious faith are diluted to its weakest strength, and it has a lot to do with the leaders of the political, civic, and other public realm. Many argue that the leaders are not responsible, rather the family integrity should be a concern of the owners and dwellers of the family. But the reality is, the society in which you live- the air that you breath and the culture that you are in, will greatly influence your mindset without a question. Its almost like trying to grow a plant in shades, and it will direct its branches to the light, no matter, what the source of the light.

Happiness in life For many years of our adult lives, we've fooled ourselves into believing that the sole recognition of success & happiness comes from the type of cars we own or the number of zeros in our bank account, or the type of house you live in.

Apparently, we've adapted to the notion of material success on a pedestal and convinced many around us to follow the path. In a society that promote the pursuit of happiness, carrying out a life where one's goal is to find enjoyment and fulfillment through material goods is not only ineffective, but it's a never-ending journey. The key to happiness is not spending our time and hard-earned wealth acquiring goods.

The key to happiness is spending our time & money experiencing life, especially in a Christian context. But sadly, for many, this realization comes a bit late to their lives. I remember visiting few on their death beds and none ever asked what type of car I drive, or where and in which house you live, rather they asked about family and relations.

Relations and relationships are of prime importance in a Christian family set up, which in turn nurtures and strengthens the younger generations in their future endeavors.

Connecting with the Community We all know many of our friends who have continually stated that when they retire, they are going to fulfil their ‘bucket list’ such as traveling to new places, enjoy a countryside, enjoy various types of food and culture, and other minimally adventurous actions. But, by the time they retired, life was strangled with many other issues and aspects to a point

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where they must give up their dreams and aspirations. As a senior, I advise my church youths and young families to invest you time in such life experiences that will create pleasureful memories for the whole family, let it be long or short trips, social activities, cultural interactions, or charitable moves. Let your neighbors visualize your faith and practices, and let your community know your presence. Be a positive contributor to the betterment of lives around you. Depend on your faith to overcome obstacles.

Serve the Lord by Staying and being Active I have seen many who were productively active in our church functions later have slowly withdrawn from being active anymore due to various reasons. Majority lost interest, due to conflicts on perception and outcomes. We need to realize that we are in a community consisting of people from various backgrounds, different in all aspects of life, and its our mind that need to incline with the common culture. We cannot rigidly demand change or movement that will unknowingly inject displeasure in other’s thoughts. That is where our faith comes handy. Just like Apostle Paul stated in many of his letters, do it without self-righteousness and the feeling of “I”, rather do it as a servant of the Lord for ‘us in Christ’. Ignore the little discomforts on the way and look for the endpoint of common goodness.

Our Youths and the Younger generation I do have a concern for the younger generation or the so called ‘second generation of Kerala Immigrants’ who are NOT active participants of our Church and its manyfold activities. I can see the reluctance as a part of social influence and not gaining what they intend to gain from attending the Church and its common activities. Ironically, many attend non-Malayalee churches and even support their activities financially. When I ask the question why, their answers vary.

Some point to ‘politics in church’, ‘not walking the talk’, amount of time involved with our services and functions and so on. These reasons appear rather age related, or superficial. But to me, it may be that we failed at some point to instill the trust and faith that carried us through and misled them in what makes your life better and peaceful. I know congregations / churches dedicated to serving our youths are functioning well and more youth are joining, as time goes on. But we still need to switch our focus to the younger generation and provide them with ample opportunities to express their faith through different forms of worship and testimony (feasible within our Churches frame) and let them support the church in its financial aspects as well, by providing leadership opportunities with adult support. *Dr. Eapen Daniel was former lecturer of Mar Thoma College, Thiruvalla. He is currently working at University of Pennsylavania, Philadelphia and previously at University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. He was the Editor of “Mar Thoma Messenger’ the official magazine of the Diocese of North America and Europe.

Eapen44@gmail.com

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Book Information: ‘A Hindu Church and An Indian Christ: The Rejection of ‘Syrian’ Christian Identity & The Quest for a JudeoDravidian Bhartiya Malankara Nasrani Identity’ Authors: George Alexander, Greeshma Reddy, Skaria Roy, Joseph Noun Language- English Format: Paperback and E-book Pages: 342 pages Price- Rs 550 for paperback and Rs 230 for kindle (Indian edition$ 25 for paperback and $ 3 for kindle (international edition) Publisher: Old Monk Publishing, Cochin About the Book This book comprises reflections on the indigenous Malankara Church and its faithful, the Hindu Nasranis, a castebased community in India. The book discusses the identity crisis encountered by the present-day Nasranis, and how they are bound to carry the 'Syrian' tagline, a foreign identity over their shoulders. It is categorically stated that Malankara Nasranis of India are not 'Syrian Christians' rather they are wrongly addressed in that way. Most importantly the book depicts the cultural, religious and social relations between Nasranis and Hindus and explains how they are different from the rest of the Christians. The book also reminds us that Malankara Church is not a by-product of European missionary evangelism, but a socio-religious institution that originated in India. It emphasizes the importance of the Judeo-Dravidian and Bhartiya identity of Malankara Nasrani, which has been overlooked as a result of foreign influences. This thesis also showcases local age-old Nasrani cultural practices, traditions and the changes that took place over the centuries as a result of colonial Christian domination. It calls on everyone to have a better and wider understanding of the Malankara Church, which is a native community of India and not to confuse it as a mere 'Christian Sect'. The book also debates contemporary socio-political and religious scenarios and boldly exposes various issues about the Malankara Church leadership.

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Shalabhangal: A Legacy Takes Wings family tradition, the family progenitor was either of Syrian origin, or a descendant of a Christian convert from the Travancore royal family. Most of the Kuzhiyil family members belong to the Orthodox Church. TG Thomas and Aleyamma Thomas were people of strong faith, conviction and prayer, with regular church attendance deemed mandatory for the family. Aleyamma Thomas was a true “Lighted to Lighten” Marthomite, from the Kochukizhakkethil family, Thrikkannamangal, Kottarakara. In her blessed short life of 51 years, Aleyamma Thomas held tremendous influence on so many, especially her ten (nine living) children.

Shalabhangal is a holistic development center for children, under the ownership of the Mar Thoma Church, initiated as a Sapthathy project of Rt. Revd Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos Suffragan Metropolitan, on his 70th birthday, November 25, 2020. The 'Shalabhangal' name represents the idea of a caterpillar growing into a beautiful butterfly. The institution is located in the building and property, donated by the children of Mr. T. G. Thomas and Mrs. Aleyamma Thomas, Naduvilazhikathu (Thekkekara Kuzhiyil), Kizhakketheruvu, Kottarakara, in their memory and honor with the objective of promoting the welfare and well-being of the local community and general population.

Coorilos Thirumeni was the 1 bishop of the newly formed Kottarakara-Punalur Mar Thoma Diocese. Under Thirumeni’s leadership, numerous other humanitarian projects have been launched for the benefit of broader ty: Ashabhavan Pidavoor, Deepthi Balika Bhavan Pallippad, Jyothis Mavelikkara, Deepam Balika Bhavan, Prathyasha Bhavan, Snehamritham, Sahayi, Abhayam, Aswas, and Smruthy. st

The motto of Shalabhangal is stated as: “Our purpose is to help the children to have a bright future. We believe all caterpillars have a scope of developing into colorful butterflies. So, we focus on the positives and possibilities of children and not on their negatives and disabilities. We help to emphasize the positives and possibilities and thereby overcome the disadvantages and disabilities”.

His Grace the Most Revd Dr. Theodosius Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Rt. Revd Dr. Isaac Mar Philoxenos Episcopa, and Rt. Revd Joseph Mar Barnabas Suffragan Metropolitan, current Diocesan Bishop, are closely connected to the Shalabhangal project. Revd Melvin Phillip Varghese is serving currently as the Director. The onset of Covid-19 and the Diocesan formalities took almost two years for completing the transfer deed on March 24, 2022.

Kuzhiyil family in Kizhakketheruve traces its origins to the great, great grandfather, about 200 years ago. As per

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All the nine Thomas family children are settled in the United States, with most of them currently serving or have previously served in various Mar Thoma churches: Philadelphia Mar Thoma Church, Canadian Mar Thoma Church, Mar Thoma Church of Greater Washington, Chicago Mar Thoma Church, New York St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Houston Immanuel Mar Thoma Church, Houston Trinity Mar Thoma Church, Katy St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Dallas Farmers Branch Mar Thoma Church, Austin Mar Thoma Church and Virginia Immanuel Mar Thoma Church.

Following the passing of T.G. Thomas, the house remained empty, except when family members visited. Based on various discussions, the Family came to the conclusion that donating the ancestral property and the house to the Kottarakara Mar Thoma Diocese will benefit the community best. Coorilos Thirumeni, the Diocesan Bishop at the time, is well known to the Family and gladly accepted the property gift.

Shalabhangal holds the great promise of nurturing the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of innumerable disadvantaged children in Kerala for years to come. Let’s pray and hope that the life and legacy of TG Thomas and Aleyamma Thomas, demonstrated beautifully through the generous act of the family donation of the ancestral property to the Mar Thoma Church, will serve as a shining example for other Kerala Diaspora Christian families. May the Lord Almighty inspire us through this wonderful example of the Thomas family and help us to become a blessing to others.

Details and contact information of Shalabhangal are given below.

Website: https://www.shalabhangal.in/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/shalabhangal.kottarakara Email: shalabangalktr@gmail.com WhatsApp number: 919074819076 Dr. Cherian Samuel For FOCUS Editorial Board

FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

My Five Existential Questions and Answers David Brand, London* Next time you sit down at church take a good look around you at your fellow and faithful believers and ask yourself the following five questions.

1. What am I? 2. Where have I come from?

3. Where am I? 4. Why am I here?

5. Where will I go from here?

As a Christian you learn to acknowledge that God has a purpose for each of us, otherwise you would not have been created and placed on this earth in the first place. The Christian view of Karma is that it is a bucket list of personal events and results of right or wrong decisions that we have to experience in order to develop further. This means God has a plan tailored to fit every one of us with his own schedule that has no human limitations like time, cost, material, profit, market share, quality, technical innovation, satisfying investors or anything else.

So, do you have any conception, any distant of memory buried deep in your subconscious mind, any tantalising flashing hint of something totally different, pleasant or unpleasant that you cannot recall but know it exists? If you are interested then please read on. It is my hope that you may have a faint recall that is buried deep inside you.

1. What am I? Well, that is easy enough, you were created on this earth from flesh by a union between a man and a woman; but that only tells you what you are, namely a human being created on earth that hopefully will have a reasonable and healthy lifespan that must inevitably terminate and the material that created it will return to the earth from whence it came. “Dust to dust, ashes to ashes etc.” But that is not real you, that is the vehicle you use in order to function in this environment.

You are the entity that operates the body, it can only do what you want it to do within the limitations of what it is capable of achieving. You can improve it with study and exercise, in order to think and move better, helping you to achieve personal goals of creativity, profession, sport etc, but that’s it.

So, what is this entity that creates the person you are and no one else? That makes us all different from each other and individually identifiable.

That entity is called your Spirit, it is in you, me and everybody else, all different, all-in different stages of development and all created by God. Your Spirit is eternal and on an infinite learning curve of experience and your reaction to those experiences you encounter. Time and situations are limitless and when you eventually reach a state of perfection where God has provided Jesus Christ as your role model you will eventually become a spiritual part of God. The spirit enters your body with your first baby howl, this is necessary in or-

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der to take in your first lungful of air and become conscious of being alive. Welcome to the beginning of your learning curve on Earth a place of permanent chaos, of war and selfdestruction of its beautiful environment. A place where power, greed, corruption, love of money and what it provides holds sway.

2. Where have I come from?

You have come from what can only be described in human terms as a beautiful place where everything is peaceful, stable and exactly right. Jesus described it as, “In my father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you”. It is also a seat of learning totally unlike a school or university; where you are required but not forced to attend lessons however by not complying will result in consequences.

You are required to attend these lessons in order to develop, enabling you to make your contribution and progress in whatever situations that are planned for you. These experiences are there for you to develop and consequently raise yourself to a higher level of awareness and existence and negate any sense of superiority.

If you become difficult and unwilling to learn you will have deemed yourself by your own actions not to be in the right state of maturity and consequently not yet ready for further development. Basically, a human equivalent of undergraduates not progressing to their second year at university. As a consequence, even though you may have, too late, regretted your action you will still find yourself out of this environment and on your way to Mother Earth. Take comfort in accepting this is not a form of rejection but a realisation that you are valued and loved but by your own actions you demonstrated you were not fully prepared to appreciate and take advantage of where you were and what was required of you.

Remember “God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform” (William Cowper,1 774). We are, but a small part of those wonders and privileged to be moulded in mysterious ways to be more like his role model Jesus Christ who spelled it out quite plainly: “I am the way, the truth and the life (Jn 14:6). He further said, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11:26).

His way is a true, straight and narrow path that is capable of being followed, provided you recognise and take advantage of every assistance made available to you that will enable you to walk it.

3. Where am I? You are in an environment known to us as Earth that began beautifully and peacefully with its creation but was reduced by mankind over time to chaos. Look back in history and you will discover wars, domination, persecution, continuous environmental disasters, natural and political destructive life

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changing events that are still happening to this very day and will continue.

4. Why am I here?

Because YOU HAVE TO LEARN without a possible shadow of doubt that: MAN CANNOT RULE HIMSELF. When we eventually return to our point of origin, we must fully accept this undeniable fact with a contrite heart and demonstrate it with new enlightened and positive behaviour. Those that have benefitted in earthly ways and lived truly exotic lives with riches, power, exclusive property and goods will have great difficulty in adjusting as mentioned in Jesus’ statement about a rich man: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mt 19:23-24).

How are we required to live here in this unstable environment? When Jesus told the Pharisees “The Sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath.” You would be forgiven in getting the impression that Jesus felt we needed updating in divine guidance and sure enough he delivers this in his sermon on the mount as desorbed in Matthew Chapter 5, 6 and 7. Jesus’ advice is highly relevant today: I would suggest rereading this scripture as it is coming directly from God through Jesus to us. He also taught by parables the kind of behaviour that would be expected of those who want to move on from this chaos and progress into a new and more advanced spiritual and intellectual environment.

5. Where will I go from Here?

The answer to that question will depend on you and your level of development. Your target is to be more like the role model that God provided in Jesus Christ. In Jesus we have the definitive role model for perfection and at the other end of the scale in say, Putin or Hitler we can see the very worst.

We have had many human role models who tried to emulate Jesus through the ages, for example: Peter, Paul of Tarsus, Saint Francis and in our time, we have had Nelson Mandella, Bishop Tutu, Gandhi, Mother Therasa, Martin Luther King and Pope John Paul II along with many others who have remained out of the public domain. Now we have Pope Francis.

Remember true wisdom is not about the accumulation and dissemination of human knowledge. It is about our understanding of God, ourselves and our place in his order. Never forget we have been given life, so live it with a contrite heart and do not waste or regret a moment of it; because we have had the privilege and opportunity of having been allowed to exist and develop under his guidance. Keep our heart, mind and actions in a manner of goodness, love, forgiveness and generosity and we will stay on that narrow path to God that Jesus created for us when he said, “I am the way, the truth and the life . . . Whoever believes in me will never die.”

The final destination for our spirit when (and it will be a time not counted in earthly time) we have finally reached a state of perfection we will become a part of God finally returning

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to your original point of creation but now a truly refined, informed, humble and acceptable spirit, all due to a loving patient and forgiving Heavenly Father. Every journey starts with a first step, this life of yours and mine may be that first step. Do it with faith, forgiveness and above all, love. May God bless us all, each and every one of us. * Mr. David Brand is a retired electronic engineer; he is an elder of the Church of England, the heart and soul of the parish community of All Saints’ Harrow Weald, London.

Revd Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay Elected as WCC General Secretary Revd Pillay is the eighth general secretary in the WCC’s history since the fellowship of churches was founded in 1948. "Our task here is not to play church. Our task is actually to follow God's command," said, Revd Pillay, a member of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa who is currently dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria. Revd Pillay was asked about his origins in South Africa and said he was born and bred as a South African Indian - of Indian descent, "but I have had no connections whatsoever with India, my great-great grandfather, probably five generations ago, came to South Africa.

"Important for me is the idea of justice and unity. I think unity is the task of the WCC—to continue to work at visible unity, and Christian unity is so important. And I will say it again, that a divided church presents a very weak and feeble and fragile witness to a very fragmented world.” He said that unity is important, as justice is important. "Some people tend to favour one over the other. I hold both in equal terms." He said that the God of justice demands for us "to care for the poor and the neglected….and to stand with the oppressed in their situations.

Dr. Agnes Abuom, WCC central committee moderator, shared words of congratulations and blessings in Revd Pillay’s new ministry. “May the WCC global fellowship warmly welcome you, pray for you, and show you in every way that we care for you as you take on important leadership in our ongoing journey toward Christian unity. You and the ecumenical movement are making history—and forming a future in which we can live out God’s love for one another and for all,” she said.

The general secretary-elect of the World Council of Churches (WCC) believes that growing up during a period of conflict and suffering in South Africa will stand him in good stead when he takes up his position as the head of the ecumenical body on January 1, 2023 as a leader who believes in dialogue. The general secretary serves as the WCC’s chief executive officer, and leads the WCC’s work, including final responsibility for WCC’s work and its staff.

FOCUS congratulates the newly elected General Secretary Revd Dr. Prof. Jerry Pillay.

FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

Redefining Ministry to be Agents of Change Prof. Dr. Kanayathu C. Koshy* Introduction Most countries treat Covid-19 as a DISASTER, when it is with them in the form of a Pandemic. A DISASTER, could be a disease like Covid-19 or a natural event such as Flood. By definition, a disaster is a serious disruption causing immense loss and damage and it is beyond our capacity to manage. All Disasters pass through a RISK stage and in fact ‘realized risk is disaster’. In this article, therefore, an innovative method to deal with Covid-19 is presented, called Disaster Risk Management for Sustainable Development (DRM-SD). In order to understand this method clearly, three supplementary methodologies are critical: i) State, Pressure, Response (SPR); ii) World Café; and iii) Logical Framework Analysis (LFA); details are presented in the Appendix to the article. The methodologies are generic in nature, and capable of addressing many systems as far as they fall under their ambit.

project level output, target level outcome and wider community impacts (keep going forward); confirmed by the Indicators (‘means to end’). Since we are supposed to select SMART indicators, that are ‘specific, measurable, attainable relevant and timely’, the evaluation is made that much easier.

DRM-SD for Covid-19 Management We are now ready to use DRM-SD, where our primary responsibility is to reduce risk, increase resilience and promote sustainable development. All the three methods described above provide very valuable procedural detail for the DRM-SD project methodology.

Although natural events such as disease (Pandemic) can’t be prevented, their disaster potential can be systematically managed to substantially minimize loss and damage to life and property. In Figure 1 below, DRM-SD

The logic of presentation Disasters are becoming more prevalent these days. They arrive when we least expect them, and all of a sudden they assume DISASTER proportions. It is true that we fail to realize RISK on the horizon and prepare for it, rather than spend money on disasters (Deuteronomy 31:17).

Dealing with disaster is more difficult and expensive. This is when a transformation (change of habit) from 'disaster to risk' makes a big difference. The important fact is to be proactive in managing risks, than be reactive with disasters. https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/blog/building-evidencemore-effective-disaster-risk-reduction https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/sites/default/files/Data/re ports/ap_disasterriskreduction.pdf In the case of Covid-19, we need to establish the kind of RISK we live with, which has to be assessed. This becomes the STATE we are going to be in. These risks create PRESSURES (unless they are negligibly small, in which case we only need to be careful). We have to discuss and RESPOND to these pressures. This is why the SPR methodology is featured here. Because all the components of SPR need to be discussed well and consensus reached, the best possible approach is the World Cafe methodology. Briefly, World Café is preferred because by its special approach, everyone in the meeting (plenary) will be able to discuss all aspects of the subject under discussion (e.g. four for SPR), and we are ready for LFA. The LFA approach is useful to settle on the core issue and its linkages to component concerns. By analyzing the cause of the components constituting Covid19, we realize that every cause has an effect (keep going back). Thus, if we act, then we have benefits such as

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is shown as a process in which Risk reduction (2P’s on the left) and Resilience enhancement (2R’s on the right), when the circle is sliced vertically, are given equal status.

Good Governance is the glue that binds everything together. These are the pre and post disaster activities shown as radii of the hemispheres. Thus, we carry out risk reduction by mitigation (R1) and adaptation (R2 & R3), ‘before the event ’(the ‘red star ’represents the event).

The residual risk is shown as (R4) which gets realized as (D1). This disaster would be smaller and easier to manage than in the absence of 2Ps. The post disaster activities, 2Rs, (D2 & D3) and (D4), increase resilience ‘after the event’. The whole series is cyclic and can be repeated.

Usually disasters are short lived, but it could be like Covid-19, for the long term (Genesis 6–8).

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The Five Terms and their Practical Meaning (i) Prevention: It might sound like an impossible ask – ‘prevent ’disaster? Yes, disasters can be prevented, but not hazards, (a dangerous condition that can cause loss of life and property) which are part of our natural environment. But this hazard becoming a disaster can be prevented – this is the prevention we are talking about.

Mitigation is the best preventive approach. It represents those activities that can lessen the impact of a disaster (Covid-19) before it strikes, such as isolating the affected people from the public. This may involve structural (enough hospital space) and social mitigation (e.g. changing mindset, training and capacity building, taking warning seriously etc.).

Focus: on the AGENT (Covid-19 Virus) What to do: Mitigate – address root cause Objective: Reduce Risk (ii) Preparedness: This refers to the activities undertaken by individuals, groups, families, organizations or countries – the likely victims – and handle disaster when it strikes. Such activities may include making a plan, exercising a plan, stockpiling food etc.

Focus: on the LIKELY VICTIMS What to do: Adapt – enhance resilience Objective: Reduce Vulnerability (lack of ability to cope with the risk) (iii) Response: These are actions that pertain to the initial activities after the disaster has struck. This includes identifying victims, isolating them, ensuring hospital space availability, activating the Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), feeding and sheltering victims, finding finance.

Focus: on the VICTIMS What to do: Respond to Disaster Objective: Manage Emergency Efficiently (iv) Recovery: This refers to the activities involved in getting a community back to its pre-disaster status and beyond. This may include the reestablishing of life and livelihoods, or obtaining funds from private, local, state and federal sources. These activities, should in fact go beyond just getting back to its pre-disaster status but must align to the sustainable development plans for the area.

Focus: on the PUBLIC What to do: Covid patients recovered sustainably Objective: Promote risk reduced living (v) Governance: In order for the four parts to work effectively, the implementation of Covid-19 activities involving human and financial resources must be in place. This important part, - Governance – is often not shown in

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DRM cycles, and is also a time for repentance (Luke 13: 1-5).

Focus: on ‘MAKING IT HAPPEN’ What to do: Promote implementation and monitoring Objective: Create an enabling environment.

All the above actions call us to be more prudent and sensible, rather than follow a herd mentality (Ephesians 13:6-14; Isaiah 5:20; https://www.biblecharts.org/sermons/twelvemethodsuse dbychangeagentstochangethechurch.pdf) The Covid-19 Pandemic: Some Lessons and Possibilities A Pandemic experience is something very new to most of us. It has spread throughout the world and countries locked-down, closed borders, stopped air, water and road traffic, closed educational institutions, worship places and shop houses selling non-essential goods.

People revolted in some countries saying that these measures helped the government to ‘get under their skin’, but in others the masses willingly obliged.

Lessons learned i) Lockdown: Usually this is for completing emergency tasks such as building temporary hospital accommodation, to bring new medicines/equipment etc. - all on a war footing. But in many cases, the lockdown information was insufficient. As a lesson learned, declare lockdown only when government is absolutely sure about the need to lockdown and then act fast. ii) Unnecessary Pandemic: Given the fact that people in virology laboratories knew a lot about the virus, the delay in knowledge flow was very frustrating. The World Health Organization (WHO), National Medical Associations and their Ministries should never have allowed a local crisis to develop into a terrifying Pandemic. Prompt response in future will be necessary. iii) Panic and death: The situation during the Pandemic was one of overcrowded hospitals and dying health workers; not to talk about the elderly, weak and those with multiple comorbidities. The situation was made worse by the lack of drugs, vaccines and ICU facilities. If we had adequate knowledge of the disease, the hospital staff and the public would not have panicked. iv) All in it together: The government brought some sense of semblance by introducing masks, social distancing and personal hygiene, amidst quarantine and home treatments; but we were All in it together. The situation in developed or developing countries made little difference.

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v) Helpless: We also felt that the situation was really hopeless. As if these were not enough, misinformation and fake news made their way through social media.

Possibilities i) Electronic empowerment: Telemedicine and Practice, Online learning, Work from home, and meetings conducted through Zoom cloud, Google meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, GoToMeeting etc. made a big difference in public life (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10464964 211015286). ii) Home deliveries: Grocery, Meals, Electronics, Fashion, Recreational items, Medical services were all available through home deliveries (https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?a rticle=1576&context=cengin_fac). iii) Altered faith services: According to a faith group consisting of Catholic groups, Isha Foundation, Islamic groups such as Jama-e-Ulema, Ramakrishna Math, UNICEF, WHO, and Maharashtra Government is of the view that what people expect from faith groups is: empathy, someone from ‘Corona Warriors ’to help minimize stigma against anti Covid activists, Doctors, and the disease itself. They also needed the faith groups to support government to eradicate the spread of Covid. (https://www.who.int/india/news/detail/22-05-2020-faithbased-organizations-across-india-step-up-the-fightagainst-covid19). The Mar Thoma Church, to which I belong, showed a lot of flexibility in conducting its services, funerals, weddings, and palliative care in accordance with Covid protocols (Luke 13:4–5). iv) Travel and recreation: Air, water and land-based travel; and beaches, bars, saloons, organized games, gyms were all nearly paralyzed but they innovated by spotlessly cleaning and sterilizing their places, offering healthy working conditions, popularized ‘no spectators sports ’etc. A travel report concluded that their navigational chart was no more applicable and travel became like sailing into a hurricane. Those who believed that Covid-19 has an end, succeeded the ordeal and survived with their own innovative skills. (https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logisticsand-infrastructure/our-insights/the-travel-industryturned-upside-down-insights-analysis-and-actions-fortravel-executives). v) Post-pandemic world: Let’s imagine we are in the post Covid-19 world of 2050. Any scenario we develop is computer generated, based mainly on the knowledge about how the world has been evolving and sprinkle

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some wisdom-led imagination of fair-minded persons.

The result is as follows: i) CO2 emission: Despite the availability of opportunities many governments fail to make use of them to build back better. CO2 level is a measure of the economy in the short and long term; ii) Collectively the future working groups have a better tomorrow; iii) As Food security looms large, International cooperation and multilateral alliances will become more important; iv) With Biden’s allocation of 40% clean energy investment to disadvantaged communities, many other countries will follow suite; v) Just and fair distribution of wealth and work for rural development will be vital for all countries; vi) Justice for indigenous communities is indispensable for overall environmental sustainability; vii) Climate strategies need to center racial and social justice, and include marginalized communities at the decision-making table. (https://www.climateworks.org/blog/2050-today-adialog-for-a-just-post-pandemic-world/).

Conclusion The term 'ministry', encompasses all activities we engage in our Churches such as Church services, meetings and travels, 'marketplace evangelism' and writing for FOCUS - all can be Ministry activities. I'm reminded of a prayer in the Anglican Church after the Holy Communion service, which ended as, "...send us out, to be a living sacrifice, in the power of your spirit to live and work to your praise and glory". When our life and work become activities to the praise and glory of God, we become living sacrifices. It takes a lot of Redefining of what we do to achieve these results, and when this happens, we sure are Agents of Change. I am certain the Pandemic lessons and possibilities opened up a world before us where we can become living sacrifices to the praise and glory of God. Amen.

Appendix SPR, World Café, LFA 1. SPR – State – Pressure – Response: Before we start any project (be they poverty eradication, improving education, or addressing Pandemics such as Covid-19), it’s important we spend some quality time in evaluating the current condition we are in (the STATE or Sthithi, situation). This requires a thorough analysis of everything that could affect the state one-way or the other. If our analysis tells us that after all we are not doing everything badly, in fact some things are being done very well, which we must: i) celebrate because not everything is like this always. Some things will need a degree of ii) re-orientation, like what pilots do when they receive the latest weather update, they carry out a ‘course correction ’lest they face heavy cloud or snow en route. A third category needs iii) acceleration as in such cases, it is always a ‘lot of talk and little action’. Finally, having celebrated, re-oriented, and accelerated, one may come across a small hard patch requiring iv) transformation. This is

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a difficult area, hardened by years of inaction, but unless we act, that too right now, the other glory we pride will vanish and in most cases we will be exposed. We have to avoid this at all cost. These are the results of assessing the current STATE. Having done that, we are in a position to comment on the PRESSURES (sammardham, issues, problems) the STATE would generate. We must generate a priority list based on this, a valuable resource. All we need to do then is to RESPOND to it (prathikarikkuka, react, address or do). Here we need to consider, how we react, what are the things we have to do, how will we do it, how much it is going to cost and in what timeframe these need to happen. Please do not underestimate the discussion part. Imagine we started the project without much discussion at all – then it would have been a failure. This is where the World Café comes in.

2. World Café discussion: This methodology involves an iteration of discussion until everyone gets a chance to say their piece. This is achieved by dividing the big group of people into the exact number of topics to be discussed, say four in this case. If the big group consists of 40 people, then it will result in four groups (A, B, C & D). Then the groups will be distributed to one “Discussion Table” at a time until all four groups are seated. They follow a bell for their allocated time for discussion and at the next bell they stand up and move to the next Table clockwise to discuss the topic on that table. This process is repeated until everyone has discussed all four topics. We did not say one important point and that is: each Table has a Leader to manage the discussion and a Scribe to note down the flow of the process.

While the participants move, they don’t, they stay put. This arrangement has the added advantage of each group that come to a table could get briefing of what went on there so far, giving a hint what more they should spent time on. In this modern time, the Scribe would even use his laptop and follow one of the Mind Mapping Apps to follow their discussion on a screen visible to all. At the end, each Leader and Scribe would give a summary of their Table discussion in the plenary (when everyone is together), followed by discussion.

The important point is that everyone gets to discuss everything and all stakeholders (those who have a stake in the project) feel valuable and happy. Now we are ready to discuss LFA.

3. LFA – Logical Framework Analysis: LFA is a valuable approach for the logical analysis of project needs. In fact, most research projects can be viewed as a response to the pressures of a certain state we are in. The response is our priority, which produces project-level activities. The project idea comes from our own subject experience, together with any regional meeting outcomes as a support. Before talking about LFA per se, let me tell you a story about a restaurant owner who was concerned that his new shop was not making profit. He talked about it to his friends, families and other experienced people (Stakeholders!) and finally met an LFA consultant in town.

After detailed discussion, the consultant summarized the views of everyone into a cause-effect format. This was a hierarchical order with the highest problem at the top (the

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restaurant not making profit), the direct causes of that problem in the middle – let’s say were: i) Few new customers and ii) Few returning customers). Finally, a third lowest level as the cause of the middle level problems followed: i) Poor ambience, ii) Little marketing, iii) Unattractive menu and iv) Distasteful service etc. This can be arranged as a triangular pyramid and in LFA terminology, it’s called a Problem Tree (PT). Then we must work back from the lowest level upward (for ease of handling). All our activities are focused on the lowest level initially. This way when a certain level is finished we move to the next highest level and finally the apex. By then we would have pretty much solved all the problems and if we had to draw a similar triangle, like the PT, we would write ‘Restaurant making profit ’at the top, ‘Attractive presentation and service ’etc. below and call it the Objective Tree (OT). Once the PT is arranged, all the project level activities must be aimed at producing the OT. Then the owner would be making profit and living a happy life.

This story has all the essentials of LFA in it, like the Situation analysis (the long discussion), planning phase (PT, OT), Implementation (Lower level: activities -> project level work => output; Middle level: action -> Targets reached => outcome; Highest level: engagement -> Goals reached => Impacts).

Logframe and Vertical-Horizontal Logic: Logframe is a one-page sheet with four columns and four rows in which we’ll find information such as critical assumptions (any strand that couldn’t be carried out yet), and indicator details. This table is called logframe or logical framework.

The ‘If-then ’logic is about project level activities and the resulting outputs are at the lowest level; the next ‘If-then’ level gives information about the outcomes obtained for the target groups, and the final pinnacle gives the ‘Ifthen’ logic for impacts relating to the goal and the wider community. Similarly, there is a horizontal logic of, ‘means to an end’; this is for the indicators – just like a car dash board indicates the present situation with fuel, oil, hand break, seat belt, door etc. The indicators, once selected carefully, indicate levels of achievement, at a glance. *The author an Emeritus Professor of Sustainability at the Environmental Resources Research Centre, Trivandrum, India, after his full retirement in 2016. He has over forty years of international teaching and research experience in universities of – India (Kerala), Jamaica (W.I), USA (SUNY, Buffalo), Fiji (USP), Malaysia (USM), and was closely associated with the UN and other regional organizations in South Pacific & South East Asian countries.

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JMJ

Long Covid - A Portal To Reconciliation and Unity Fr. Thomas Punnapadam, SDB The unprecedented Covid pandemic continues to baffle the scientific community, with its unpredictable mutations and untraceable spread. While people are continuing to lose their dear ones and often unable to give them a respectable burial, the medical fraternity continues to be overwhelmed and unable cope with the emergency.

Thankfully the proportionate death rate is not very high though the actual numbers are mindboggling indeed.

As people continue to be healed, everyone seems more focussed on the recovery and the after effects of being affected by Covid. The complete recovery is incredibly slow for some. Already for some time now the medical experts have been referring ‘long Covid’, namely the long term, even life long, after effects of a Covid attack. Long Covid is a reality which humanity will learn to live with gradually. However, each one is subject to it from one’s own experience or from that of dear ones. Being a human reality Long Covid has many dimensions. A personal experience can lead to what possibly are spiritual insights of Long Covid as related particularly with the theme of our reflection, reconciliation and Unity of humankind.

To start with Reconciliation and Unity are inseparable realities. They have many common characteristics. When reconciliation is experienced, unity naturally follows.

Greater unity is inconceivable without reconciliation in some form or another. They are almost synonyms.

To some extent, reconciliation is often narrowly understood as a back ward-looking, regret inducing reality leading to mending broken relationships. It cannot be denied that genuine reconciliation implies also a deepening of and mutual understanding. As Christians we know reconciliation is the fundamental lifelong response to the offer of the fullness of Salvation; it is filled with hope. Jesus invited us to repent not because we have sinned but because the Kingdom is near (Mk 1:15). Hence reconciliation needs to be understood primarily as a lifelong project rather than an occasional act of regret about misdeeds or weaknesses.

Long Covid is a reality of life. As Zen wisdom reminds us, the secret of a happy life is flipping. Physically flipping is very simple action and yet it can reveal to us realities totally unexpected and hidden. Flipping a coin is fun. Flipping one’s perspectives on life situations is indeed the ultimate secret of a happy, contented life. So, whether long Covid, like the epidemic itself, is an opportunity or threat depends entirely on one’s perspectives. Gradually recovering (as I am) from being subjected to rather severe

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Covid symptoms, this is indeed a moment of grace to be enlightened that the illness as well as the after effects is more an opportunity to be reconciled and united with one another.

The spread of Corona is indeed baffling the medical fraternity. No one, not even the most economically prosperous nations, with the best health care systems in place, were protected from the attack of the epidemic. Like death, the pandemic is a great leveller. This awakens us to the fact that our lives, our bodies in particular, are more similar to one another than different. Skin colour, physical stature, intellectual acumen, socio-economic status are superficial, transient, negligible realities. Deep down we are one. We need to set aside differences as irrational prejudices are separating us and causing us more harm than good. All of us need to focus more on what makes us one than on what separates us.

The search for, production of and distribution of vaccines is another area where reflective people are discovering the need to be focussed on reconciliation and unity. It was not long ago that there was an international call for the waiver of all patent rights on the production of vaccines. A clear reminder to humanity that economic considerations should not have the pride of place in life’s priorities.

While lockdowns and social distancing regulations have taken a heavy toll on the lives of many people, it cannot be denied that flipping will enlighten us to deeper oneness in essential needs for contented human life. As many have acknowledged, they have realised that they can be happy with being wise enough to distinguish essential needs and superficial wants. The Pandemic has definitely taught us to appreciate the little things of life.

Even on the emotional level, family bonds have been deepened as a result of the lockdowns. As one gentleman confided to me, his marriage was near breakdown.

Providentially the breakdown compelled the couple to spend more time together, sort out their differences and rediscover the bright side of their married lives.

The superhuman sacrifices made by the so-called frontline corona warriors, like doctors, nurses and members of other public services, can ever be sufficiently acknowledged and recompensed. However there are numerous silent unsung heroes of the pandemic who have transcended all socio economic, religious and cultural barriers to provide essential services to the sick and their dear ones. We have all come to know about thousands of

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people who have provided free meals, open shelters and various forms of financial assistance to those who needed it as a result of the onslaught of the pandemic. The overwhelming situation impelled people to forget their superficial differences and past prejudices, to come forward in selfless compassion to be united in the fight against the corona onslaught.

As the Director General of WHO has not tired of repeating, No one is safe, unless everyone is safe. This is probably the best summary of the universal, eternal truth that we humans are one and need to learn to set aside differences and focus on what makes us one rather than what makes us different.

Mystics tell us that God experience is often by hindsight.

As the popular saying goes, Life is understood backwards, but must be lived forwards. While one is suffering physical pain and weakness, mental stress and anxiety, in a hospital Covid ICU, the thought of God may not be predominant. During the Covid wave we have probably heard of not a few people asking us pastors and religious leaders “Where is God?”. However, after experiencing all the love and care and attention one has received during the pandemic or being inspired by the most heroic acts of selfless service, one is convinced that deep in in the heart of every human being, there is far greater harmony and concord than most people are aware of. Divine compassion is reflected in human acts of kindness. A deep sense of unity that has its source in the all-powerful all loving creator of us all is very much still vibrant. As St. Paul reminds us: “I... beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called. . .. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph 1:1-5). The prayer of Jesus for us at the Last Supper was precisely for unity. He prayed “that they may all be one; even as thou father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (Jn 17:21).

When the mind is weak, every situation is a problem.

When the mind is balanced, every situation is a challenge.

When the mind is strong, every situation becomes an opportunity. When enlightened by God’s spirit, every situation is gratuitous grace. *Fr. Thomas Punnapadom, SDB belongs to Salesians of Don Bosco of the Sacred Heart Province of Bangalore.

The Salesians live in imitation of the compassionate love of the Sacred Heart, commit themselves to the integral and inclusive development of the youth, especially the poor and the marginalized, and the other disadvantaged sections of society, in collaboration with all those who strive for the realization of a new society based on the Values of the Kingdom of God.

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Pearls of Wisdom Series No. 16* How strong a bond the love of God creates!

Who can express its Power?

Anyone truly possessed by the love of Christ is bound to keep his commandments. How strong a bond the love of God creates! Who can express its power, or find words for the radiance of its beauty?

Beyond all description are the heights to which it raises us. Love unites us to God; it cancels innumerable sins, it has no limit to its endurance, it bears everything patiently. Love is neither servile nor arrogant. It does not provoke schisms. Or form factions, but always acts in harmony with others. By it all God’s chosen ones have been sanctifies; without it, it is impossible to please him. Out od love the Lord took us to himself; because he loved us and it was God’s will, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life’s blood for us – he gave his flesh for our flesh, his life for our lives.

See then, beloved, what a great and wonderful thing love is, and how inexpressible its perfection. Who are worthy to possess it unless God makes them so? To him, therefore, we must turn, beginning of his mercy that there may be found in us a love free from human partiality and beyond reproach. Every generation has passed away from Adam’s time until our own, but those, who, God’s grace, were made perfect in love have a dwelling now among the saints, and when at last the kingdom of Christ appears, they will be revealed. Take shelter in your rooms for a little while, says Scriptures, until my wrath subsides. Then I will raise you from your graves.

Beloved, it is by keeping God’s Commandments, and living together in harmony that we shall find happiness, for the love we show to one another will win us the forgiveness of our sins. As scripture says: Happy are those whose transgressions are pardoned, whose sins are forgiven. Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no fault, on whose lips there is no guile. This is the blessings given to those whom God has chosen through Jesus Christ our Lord. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. *This is based on a reading from the letter of Pope St. Clement I to the Corinthians. It is taken from a collection edited by Henry Ashworth O.S.B, ‘A Word in Season’, The Talbot Press, Dublin, 1974, page 167-168. Collected by Dr. Zac Varghese, London.

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Lesson and Possibilities of Living with the Pandemic Dr. Zac Varghese, London Most of the problems that mankind faced since the World War II were localized to certain areas of the world. However, the ecological crisis and the COVID-19 are affecting the whole world and we have come to the realization that ‘we are all in it together’. However, this feeling of unity did not last for long, we started seeing problems and disunity with vaccine distributions to poor regions of the world. From 24th February, 2022, we saw the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the possibilities of a nuclear war, biological and chemical warfare. Maybe we are sleep walking to a Third World War. The total destruction of the world is a real possibility. We only need one madman to push a button to make it happen.

quences of these measures are difficult to comprehend.

Even economic sanctions against the Russian oligarchs and other such measures against Russian economy will have an effect on the cost-of-living scenario in other parts of the world.

It is an opportune time to pause and think what it means to be in a ‘we are all in it together’ attitude. Human needs are beyond human help; we certainly need God’s help in sorting this out. We need absolute humility to retrace our paths and do a self-analysis to identify our own parts in this gigantic global tragedy. It is almost like ‘Noha’s flood’ moment without an Arc; our modern ‘Towers of Babel’ are crumbling and falling down one by one too. Scholarly analysis for working out a pathway for blaming various agencies may be of no help; it is too late for a blame game. There will be no winners and all of us will be losers.

A good example of ‘we are all in it together’ can be seen in the story of Ruth and Naomi in the Old Testament. Ruth Says to Naomi, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Therefore, it is good to think about the lessons learnt, so far, for living with this pandemic and the possibilities open to the world for more cooperation, sharing resources, reducing the wastage of resources, ecologically friendly developments, stability and peace. We request the readers of the FOCUS to think about these and other aspects prayerfully and give a Christian perspective for living with the pandemic and facing other storms of life such as the war in Ukraine and its fall out.

‘We are all in it together’ emotion is also expressed in the moto of NATO alliances and in its 5th article: “attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members.” The NATO and the European Union, have been trying to encircle Russian boarders with such pacts and such longterm intentions to include Ukraine, Georgia, Finland and Sweden. This might have irritated Putin to undertake the present foolish expedition to Ukraine. Putin saw it as an existential threat and he finally reacted. Radiation, like virus has no discriminatory power; it destroys everything on its path. Man-made ecological crisis is also a deadly weapon. The world is constantly moving from one crisis to another. Most of the measures we have undertaken are makeshift temporary adjustments. The economic conse-

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Some Christian theologians such as John Piperi, Brueggemannii and Tom Wrightiii have written books about the pandemic. Some saw it as God’s judgement and also in apocalyptic terms. I wonder whether these theologians and other such writers are having a ‘Rashomon effect’; it is a term used to describe an event in different ways due to different perceptions and uncertainty. Their varied perceptions may be the result of their situational, social and cultural differences. The most important Christian response to this crisis is just quoting biblical verses, but actions centred on the love of God. Jesus modelled it for us by the love that he expressed on the cross for the whole mankind.

What should we be doing now?

When Agabaus prophesied to the early Christians in Antioch that a severe famine would spread over the whole Roman world, they did not have lengthy intercessory prayers and theological discussions, but they sent Barnabas and Paul to Jerusalem with their monetary gifts; it

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was not words, but it was faith in action (Acts 11:27-30).

During the height of the pandemic, Santhigiri Ashram in Alwaye was turned into a centre for caring for COVID-19affected patients from the surrounding villages and towns.

The saying, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is attributed to the Chinese thinker and philosopher, Lao Tzu, of Taoism. Individually and collectively, we can take single steps to solve some of these problems. For example, social distancing, mask wearing and accepting vaccination is not against curtailing our individual freedoms, but surrendering those freedoms for the common good of others around us. Antivaxxers may justify their position on the basis of a conscientious objection, on the basis of human rights and personal freedom; but do they have the freedom to become a medium for infecting others?

The Bible tells us how God used people of other faiths and cultural orientations to rescue people from difficult situations. God used Cyrus, the Persian king, to liberate the exiled-Israelites from Babylon and to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Isa 45:1; Ezra 1:2-11; 6:3-5). God used Saul, the Zealot, who prosecuted Christians to become an apostle to the Gentiles. God has not abandoned us, many nonChristians today are responding to the challenges to help people in these very difficult times, we see this in hospitals, nursing homes, supermarkets, filling stations, railway stations and all such places providing what is needed to save lives. We see this in Ukraine; its surrounding countries are providing much-required shelter for women, children and old people escaping from the inhuman activities of the Russian soldiers and their commanders. These are lessons for us who claim to be Christians; God is teaching us to respond to these situations and express God’s loving kindness. God has not abandoned us. It is very comforting to know that God is grieving with us and nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:38-39). The suffering of God is a mystery beyond our comprehension. Some Christians think that God is unaffected by the troubles and tribulation of this world; this theory is known as the ‘impassability of God’. But we see Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus (Jn 1: 35) and over Jerusalem (Lk 19:41).

We may have to travel through the dark tunnel that Paul describes in Romans 8:18-30. These verses speak of the Holy Spirit interceding for us in our times of troubles and in our weakness. It is so comforting to read about the troubled times that Paul wrote to the Romans: “And we know in all things God works for the good of all those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).

Loving God is connected to loving our neighbour because it is written that “If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar, for anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1Jn 4:20). Our God is a God who sent his one only Son to heal this fractured world (Jn 3:16). Our God is Immanuel and He is with us at all times. God indeed suffers with us as and we are free to bring our laments to Him as the Psalmist did (Ps 22; 42 and 88). A grief offered to God is a grief transformed. Coping with disappointment in is one of the greatest challenges for a Chistian. Job (Old Testament)

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survived by pouring out his pain before the Lord in his lament.

A parable for our troubled times The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 22:1-4) may be relevant to our responsibility as Christians to address the problems facing the world at this critical juncture. Let us think about the people who had the God-given privilege and honour to attend the wedding feast in this parable. Since the guests who were invited refused for manifold reasons and excuses, the invitation went out instead to all and sundry. People who would never have imagined being invited to such an event heard the call, the labourers, the down and outs, and just ordinary folks. Nobody who came would be able to boast of anything they had done to get there. They could claim no privileges or ranks. None of them had a special status or merits. In this sense, the parable is our story in these troubled times. We are now the recipients of God's gracious hospitality and generosity. We are Christians because of God’s generosity, not because of any good that we may have done. We have no right to claim, but we feel privileged to find ourselves in the banquet hall. We are from the highways and byways no longer; we are honoured guests. Just like the guests invited to the banquet in the story, each one of us is invited as a special guest by God to his celebration. It is a truly remarkable thing that God should treat us at all in this way. In the midst of a troubled and turbulent world, where the frailty of life is ever before us, the simple message of this parable should come to us as a great reassurance. In spite of the seemingly unimportant valueless ways in which the power-crazy leaders of the world treat us, our lives are significant and valuable to God. Life might so often may seem cheap and unimportant to autocrats and war-mongers and yet we are individually watched over and cared for by God. The realisation that God is involved with each one of us should change the way that we think about issues confronting us; life is no longer a series of abstract choices, we are not adrift, subject to the vagaries of life.

There is a God-given purpose for us and our responsibility is to seek that purpose and live accordingly.

God’s love and grace-filled message should help us to have much peace and a sense of purpose for the future which gives real meaning to our lives. Sadly, for many people this is simply not the case. Despite being offered such a magnificent invitation they choose to ignore the blessings of God and miss out on the generosity of God. The message of the story is clear, if we choose not to go the banquet, then somebody else will take our place. We see humanitarian, charitable responses from people all around the world to the pandemic and the emerging refugee crisis following the war in Ukraine, irrespective of their religious affiliations. Therefore, we should not be slow to respond, but willingly answer God’s call on our lives to various situations as they unfold.

An 86 year old English friend of mine, Mr. David Brand, recently reminded me of five important existential questions: What am I? Where have I come from? Where am I? Why am I here? Where will I go from here? Each of us need to find answers to these questions under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which may help us live with the pandemic and face other problems in life to create a ‘community called atone-

FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3

ment’ where will be able to live in relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the world.

At the beginning of this pandemic Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Suffragan Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church wrote a book under the title, “Church and the New Normal” In this book, Thirumeni reflected deeply on how Christians should address the challenges of the pandemic. He has reminded us the responsibility of the members of the Church standing in solidarity with all those who are affected by this vrial infection and its after effects. It is a very helpful book to reflect on this theme. In October 2020 and in January 2021, the FOCUS Journal (Vol. 8-4; Vol. 9-1) addressed the subject of ‘the new normal’ in its editorial and other articles relating to the ‘Post- COVID Landscape of Faith’; these are rich resources for studying the theme discussed once again in this issue of the journal.

Theme – FOCUS – October 2022, Vol. 10 (4)

‘We are all in it together’

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In conclusion, the phrase 'no man is an island' is attributed to the English metaphysical poet, John Donne, who expresses the idea that human beings do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community in order to thrive. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine also highlighted the truth that we are all in it together; this is an existential reality. Therefore, our Christian task at the present moment is not to just talk about these issues, but to get actively engaged in helping others in need under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God is calling us to study the realities from a spiritual perspective and accept the demanding, self-giving, implications that may come into our consciousness. What is crucial is the authenticity of our discipleship to Jesus Christ who came to express God’s love for the whole world. Let us earnestly pray that we shall not be found wanting at a time as critical and dangerous as this for the whole world. When the disciples were in a boat in the sea of Galilee and buffeted by the wind, Jesus approached them by walking on the surface of the water, an act thought to be impossible, and comforted them by saying: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mt 14:27). Our God is dependable for all circumstances of life. May God give us the hope and faith to pray with the Psalmist: “Lord, ‘we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance” (Ps 66:12). A Christcentred vision is essential to overcome difficulties in life and engage with possibilities, not despair, for establishing God’s kingdom values on earth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. All we say and do testify who are and our relationship with each other in such times. Frances J. Robert’s poem is apt to end this reflection: “Move on steadily, and know that the waters that carry you are the waters of My love and My kindness, and I will keep you on the right course.” ________________________ i

John Piper, Coronavirus and Christ, Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois, ISBN- 978-1 4335-73590-0, 2020 ii Walter Brueggeman, Virus as a Summon to faith, Cascade Books, Oregon, ISBN- 978-1-7252-7634-4, 2020. iii N. T. Wright, God and the Pandemic, SPCK, London, ISBN978-0-281-08511-8,2020. iv Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Suffragan Metropolitan, ‘Church and the New Normal’, CSS, Tiruvalla, 2020,

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COVID-19 pandemic reminds us "we are all in it together". It was also the purpose of the incarnation and the everlasting message we had from Jesus Christ. His life and mission were for creating a community of 'atonement' for establishing God's kingdom values on earth together with God, self, others and the whole inhabited earth, oikoumene (Jn 3:16; 10:14-16; 15:9-17). The atonement is the good news of Christianity; it is our gospel and it explains how gospel works. The Church is supposed to be 'a community called atonement’ - a body of Christ, but we are divided from top to bottom and across the world. We are expected to be an inclusive community of believers to do the mission of Jesus Christ and somehow, we have become an exclusive community – even excluding our own brothers and sisters in Christ based on colour, race, religion, faith and gender. Therefore, it is important to repent, reconcile and transform to become agents of God’s mission (Missio Dei). This is to build a community in which ‘God’s will be done’ and through which one finds both union with God and communion with everyone. It is clear that something is seriously wrong the way we conduct ourselves. What is that we lack? We often lack the fundamental awareness that we are the children of God with the privilege and honour to address God as ‘our Father’. This awareness should ignite love and compassion to alleviate suffering of others and to promote well-being of everyone. We also need to pray for our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who are persecuted simply for working to establish God’s kingdom values such as: justice, love for others, fellowship, spirituality and truth.

The Editorial Board

FOCUS, July 2022, Vol. 10, Part 3