Brochure Mar Kavukatt

Biblical Reflection 116 (Mk. 16: 14-20)

The Commission to the Apostolate (Mk. 16: 14-20)

The irony is that those who at first did not believe became fathers of faith for all who would later believe (Augustine).

What the Apostles, themselves had seen and not believed, the Gentiles would later believe without seeing (Jerome).

The unity of the whole body of Christ derives from its continuity with the teachings of the Apostles (Tertullian).

The gifts of casting out demons were given not exclusively to the first apostolic generation but also to the continuing apostolate. Each believer receives gifts from the Father and Son through the Spirit according to each one’s capacity to receive (Ambrose).

There will be accompanying signs. These were needed at the Church’s beginnings. The new faith needed to be nourished by miracles to grow. When the elements of faith have taken deep roots in us, there is no need of continuing miracles (Gregory the Great).

Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt

Speeches of Mar Joseph Kallarangatt (Videos)

Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt

St. Kuriakose Chavara

Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt

India’s true treasure is said to be lying in her mines of spirituality. Syro-Malabar Church has proved herself her living capacity in this filed.  Catholic Church has an ideal gallery and galaxy of saints with a mosaic of different spiritual orientations. Each saint has his or her own characteristic uniqueness and traits, distinguishing each one from others, and revealing the nearness to God. Pope Benedict says: “the saint is the person who is so fascinated by the beauty of God and by his perfect truth as to be progressively transformed”.  Saints are containers of faith, hope and love.

St. Chavara was instrumental in founding the first indigenous religious congregation of our country. He was a versatile genius who gave remarkable leadership in the fields of religious life, education, printing, language studies, literature and women empowerment. At the same time, he never projected himself. St. Chavara could be considered as the godfather of print journalism in Kerala. The printing press he founded in Mannanam after much painstaking firsthand research eventually led to the publication of the first Malayalam daily. This was indeed a giant leap: we have here the beginnings of the dissemination and democratization of knowledge. (St. Chavara was a polyglot). The activities of Chavara are something like a cardiography of the national and religious struggle of our country of that time.

The first half of the 19^th century witnessed a raging debate as to the best education policy for India. The two rival factions in this intellectual fray were the Anglicists and the Orientalists. The Orientalists were in favour of valorising the traditional language, culture and religion of India. According to them the age old wisdom of our land could still be profitably utilized after due adaptations. By founding a Sanskrit school in 1846 for the education of Malabar Catholics, St. Chavara proved himself to be a first rate Orientalist. Though the school was meant to further the educational opportunities of Syrian Catholics, its portals were wide open for all students irrespective of caste, creed or gender. The choice of Sanskrit as the language of instruction was something revolutionary for the Christians. Admitting Dalit students to the school was revolutionary for the society as such.

St. Chavara was at once a Malpan (religious scholar) and a public intellectual. He encouraged the Syrian Christians to apply themselves seriously to the study of Syriac, which was by then largely neglected. He insisted that each parish has a church, school and dispensary. He visualized houses with prayer rooms, studies and dining rooms. The social and religious reformer in St. Chavara kindled two revolutions, one of holiness and another of education. A Prior for sixteen long years, he founded several new monasteries renewing thus the face of the Church.

According to Christian tradition, every saint undertakes a twofold journey. 1. A journey in search of the mystery of Christ. 2. A journey in search of the mystery of the Church. It is through these endeavours that we delve into the deeper levels of the reality that is man. That is how we enter with hope into the fundamental principles of afterlife and eternity. It was as part of their search for Christ and His Church that St. Chavara and St. Euphrasia rooted themselves firmly in the fertile soil of religious life. Pope Francis says: if the Church loses women, she risks becoming sterile. The twin Canonization is a fitting recognition of the efficacious ministry of the Indian Carmelites to the universal Church. The words of Pope Francis are inspiring: the Church is carried forward by saints. They really bear witness to Christ.  St. Euphrasia is actually the icon of womanhood and sainthood. She has much to do in this contemporary world.

Chavara Kuriakose was really a promoter of nation building. A nation is built on God’s values and principles. It is the law of justice that keeps a nation steady and strong. Chavara was a champion of this. He was a transforming fire. He purified the society to a great extent. He was the conscience of the people of that time. He has rejuvenated the secular society of his time. He himself was a tradition that carries the past, present and future. Chavara always kept a living philosophy of moulding the society by purifying the people from injustice. The people enjoyed a rather easy oxygenation of the Gospel values through his activities. There are many values in him that could be proudly transmitted to the posterity. Actually Chavara became a nation builder through the Gospel values and prayers. Chavara was a genius who respected the national values of the county. Nation building is not a finished product. It is an ongoing process. Dr. Ambedkar says: We can only attempt to become a nation in the making.

Consecrated life has always been relevant to the life of the Church. The Church can surely boast of an uninterrupted tradition of consecrated persons from the first centuries. The religious men and women play a unique role in the identity formation of each Church sui iuris. Monasteries ideally cater to the sanctity of the secular priests and the laity as well. The Liturgy which is the supreme self-manifestation of the Church ought to be celebrated in all its solemn perfection in monasteries. Fr. Chavara called the Mannanam hills Beth rauma – a noble house set up on high. Really each consecrated religious is like a holy house built on high. They purify the Church by their simplicity and holiness, and not by their criticisms and pomp. Fr. Kuriakose and Sr. Euphrasia are two religious leaders: a spiritual father and a spiritual mother. Their spiritual fatherhood and motherhood were founded on the Gospels. When we take them together there is a perfect blending of Martha and Mary. In our times there is a dearth of spiritual fathers and mothers. We may accept these two saints as two unique ways for new evangelization. They were both fearless to the core. They were never tired of proclaiming Jesus. Both of them have expressed the pastoral fatherhood and the pastoral motherhood of the Church. The three saints -Alphonsa, Chavara and Euphraisa are the three attractions of the time. The Gospel spreads by attraction. Evangelization is by attraction. All the three were incarnation of prayers. They correct the Martha complex in us and they are the reminders of our spiritual Alzheimer.

Pope Francis: When we face challenges together, then we are strong. Then we discover resources we do not know we had. Jesus did not call the apostles to live in isolation. He called them to form a group, a community. This enabled Chavara to start religious congregations.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi wrote on Rajagopalachari (CR): He was abashedly God minded and pious, placing his talents and time very consciously on the altar of reverential belief. He wrote on Scripture as a sacrament, on politics as a duty, on social issues as an obligation. He wrote on Gandhi as Mk, Mt, Lk, Jn and Paul wrote on the prince of Nazareth Jesus Christ. In a similar way whatever St. Chavara has written is golden.

“Build My Church”: Aedificabo Ecclesiam Meam (Mt 16, 18)

Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt 

The choice of the name indicates the pastoral priority of the new pontiff. By choosing the name Francis, the new Pope projects St. Francis of Assisi as a model both for the Church as an institution and for all her individual members.

In Pope Francis, the Ignatian reaches out to embrace the Franciscan. As a Jesuit, the Pope received a solid grounding in a wide range of social and physical sciences including chemistry, literature and psychology, besides philosophy and theology. This rigorous intellectual training will lend breadth and depth to his magisterium. His pronounced social commitment too is part of his Jesuit legacy. His Holiness is known to have an eye for the poor and the disenfranchised – ubi amor ibi oculos.

By choosing the name Francis the Holy Father makes a pilgrimage to the heart of the Gospel. Upon his calling, St. Francis received the task of rebuilding the Church. Every Roman Pontiff receives the same mandate – to rebuild the church – according to the needs of the time while making the Gospel as the definitive touchstone. It is in this process of continual rebuilding that the transmission of faith and new evangelization happen. When the Vatican ІІ mooted the idea of ressourcement, it was really meant to be a return to the simplicity of the gospel.

The election of a Pope from South America is a veritable expression of the catholicity of the Church. By their choice, the Cardinal electors cast their net deep – duc in altum. The new Pontiff is a bridge between continents, between peoples, between cultures, between men and God.

The frugal life style of the new Bishop of Rome is already proverbial. His simple life style is not an end in itself. It is rather his way of being close to the people entrusted to his care. The charming personality of the new Pope and his credible life witness will encourage   many disaffected catholics to once again cherish their mother Church – a Church sine macula sine ruga.

Franciscan spirituality is championed today by a host of lay movements like the Franciscan Third Order. It may be earnestly hoped that the tenure of Pope Francis will witness a burgeoning of lay theology and apostolate. Let us wish and pray that the start of the new Pontificate will usher in an era of Peace and Joy. 

Nunc Dimittis of Benedict XVI

 Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt

When His Holiness Benedict XVI renounced the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor to the Apostle Peter we saw in him the mind of Christ who “He emptied himself” (Phil 2: 7). He lives Gospel: “we are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty” (Lk 17:10), “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Mt 20: 26, 27). In Benedict XVI’s words “a simple and humble worker in the Lord’s vineyard” we hear the echo of words of Mary, mother of God and mother of the Church “behold I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38). In Benedict’s act we see a continuity with John the Baptist: “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). His renunciation is a nunc dimittis. He teaches us to be detached and to be of pure heart; he teaches us how to face with serenity the difficult moments in life. Like Simeon bearing Christ in his arms and heart, His Holiness Benedict also prays to let him go in peace (Lk 2: 29).

As an authority of St. Augustine, His Holiness Benedict XVI has digested the dictum of St. Augustine: ‘Verbo crescente, verba deficiunt’- ‘When the Word of God increases, the words of men fail’. As a lover of the Word of God, he wants to sit by the Word without much talk. He is convinced that silence, contemplation and prayer are the best ways for the new evangelization. The words of Origen are very dear to His Holiness: ‘accendat ardor proximos’-‘Let the ardour ignite the neighbour’. By this renunciation, the Benedict XVI has actually ignited everybody. He showed himself to be closer to the inextinguishable fire. His Holiness Benedict XVI is a ‘Benedictine’. He chose the name Benedict to revive the importance of the holy monk’s rule of life centred on the principle that ‘Christo nihil omnino praeponere’- nothing must come before Christ. St Benedict is sometimes called the master of humility and his rule has become a classic on humility. His Holiness Benedict has followed his namesake in letter and spirit. It was in the light of the Benedictine spirit ‘Mens nostra concordat voci nostrae’ –‘let our minds coincide with our words’, that His Holiness Benedict has announced his renunciation and manifested his will.

As a theologian who finds the real spirit of liturgy His Holiness Benedict XVI lives the axiom ‘lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi’. He believes in the supremacy of prayer and for him prayer is an immersion in God. He is convinced that prayer governs the world. For Benedict XVI, to believe is to entrust oneself to God and to accept God totally. In its literal sense ‘to believe’ (credere = cor + dare) signifies ‘giving one’s heart’. The first of all commandments is “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk 12: 30). By this renunciation Benedict XVI becomes a witness to faith, a martyr.

It is definitely the case that Benedict XVI is fully aware that he is setting a new precedent. Rather than resorting to theories of intrigue we should let Benedict XVI speak for himself. His Holiness’ carefully drafted renunciation letter deserves a serious study. He expresses his current state of mind, his deep appreciation for his predecessor and his dream for the future bishop of Rome. As for himself, Benedict XVI is convinced of his inadequacy on health grounds to continue as the Successor of Peter. At the same time he acknowledges with humility that his immediate predecessor chose a more courageous path, that of suffering to continue his mission till his last breath. In the text announcing his renunciation His Holiness Benedict XVI himself gives us an indication regarding the profile of his successor: “However in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary”.

The renunciation of Benedict XVI is a commentary on the documents of Vatican II from ‘within’. Vatican II was held when there was a transition from the monarchical to the democratic type of administration in the secular fields. But the Church is more than a democratic society. It is a communion and it is governed in a collegial spirit. The decision to step down is a courageous, spiritual act. From his part it is an act of humility and conscience. But because of the communion aspect of the Church it is actually we who are humbled by this ecclesial and personal act. What is characteristic of this renunciation is the typical German ethos. It has acquired an event character.  He sees in it a beauty which we cannot see perhaps. He has a vision which we cannot fully understand now. Actually by his renunciation Benedict XVI teaches the world the spirituality and asceticism of the cross. Benedict XVI wants to remain in a new way near to the crucified Lord. He retreats from the crowd and turns versus crucem (towards the cross). It is a ‘death’ unto ‘glory’. What his predecessor did was equally courageous. They both arrived at different decisions through the same drive and commitment for the good of the Church. What is central to papacy is now increasingly clear. The Pope is servus servorum Dei.

By his renunciation Benedict XVI actually clings to the knees of Jesus as Peter did. The exit and the entry of a Pontiff are only two high points in the history of the Church. What is pivotal is the uninterrupted flow of tradition typified by the Roman Pontiff. By withdrawing from papacy His Holiness Benedict brought it into the limelight. Christianity became a hot topic in secular media. His act of renunciation thus became a mode of new evangelization.

His Holiness Benedict XVI’s decision should not weigh over his successors. They should not be forced to do what Benedict XVI did in full freedom.

By his act of renouncing, Benedict XVI is neither isolating himself from the world nor abandoning the church. Rather he wants to be united with us all through prayer. His Holiness Benedict enters into silence. Silence is the symbol of the world to come. His life in the monastery will be a continuous protection for the church and the world like a lightening arrester. Now the words of the Psalmist are fulfilled in the life of His Holiness Benedict XVI: “There is no word or sound; no voice is heard; yet their report goes forth all the earth, their message to the ends of the earth” (Ps 19: 4, 5).