Monday, October 15, 2012

MOSC- Oriental Orthodox Witness in North America

This posting is offshoot  with slight modification from a discussion on why the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Catholicate is not represented adequately and accurately as a member of  Standing Council of Orienta Orthodox churches (SCOOCH) in North America.
http://www.scooch.org/about/

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC)  was considered as equal to as any others and its honor as one of the five OO churches in 1965 Council of Oriental Orthodox Church heads in Addis Ababa. Since then  the Church have the honor of welcoming the 6th Eritrean Church.

 Still there is a very unfortunate situation due to definite misrepresentation in North America  and other parts of the world  through various media that Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is merely a schematic faction of Syrian Orthodox Church in India.   While we cannot change the past , my posting in this blog is to reflect my own thoughts  the need to work together in North America on seeing the wrong and move positively in the future. Please consider first beginning with these questions:

1.  Has our Oriental Orthodox Churches missed anything by not having the close contact and interaction over the last 15 Centuries.
2.Is there a possible damage to an individual baptized Indian Orthodox Youth growing up in North America and the witness of the Church now and the future in North America (Common witness of OO community – Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syrian, Armenian, Indian and Coptic) when MOSC is broadcasted as an isolated schematic group and as if not in communion with the broader Oriental Orthodox Christian Church?
3. If the answer to first and second “Yes " , then  Should not  we as individuals and as parishes and dioceses and Church try to find practical means to educate ourselves and overcome the damage done?
Some thoughts from past

 I had answered yes to these from 2003 and had voiced my thoughts stating the need to begin from grass root levels in our own parishes and empowering such interface by the Ecclesia
 

Some good feed back

"Liberate Orthodoxy from a divisive / biased approach to history and other cultural, linguistic influences...which will give much room to discover the true potential of an Orthodox witness"
Fr. Thomas Ninan

"..Problamatic when view of history is allowed to overwhelm the present relations of actual Orthodox Christians. It is a blessing if it is possible to allow history to be placed to one side, though not ignored, and relations develop between people as they are in the present. Then it becomes possible to reconsider history in the light of the relations which have developed in the present. Otherwise the force of historical narrative prevents any such relations being created,"
Fr. Peter Farrington

Some thoughts for future

Let us learn to Pray in our respective Oriental Orthodox tradition that we have learned turning our thoughts and action to God.
Let us not  be the party to discourage each other from Communion and Orthodox Christian Life
Let us try to have our youth and children appreciate the wonders of Oriental Orthodox Christian faith inherited to us from our fathers.
Let us agree to let our differences on we each are not willing to compromise aside for now and identify what we have common.
Let us realize that the Church is facing persecution from within and outside with one of our Patriarchs in House arrest , Another having the potential to move out of his present station , Another  who would be selected shortly to  encourage a whole community amidst this  Hardship , We have an obligation to love and live as one Body in Christ
Let us encourage each other  and have the Deep Desire to  see the unity real not just in words, declaration but in our hearts.
Let us open up and identify some ways trusting in God with prayers and bring to fruitful action

Lord Have Mercy
October 14, 2012





 

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