Monday, November 11, 2013

New life - Sanctified , Dedicated and Renewed


On this Hoodosh Etho ( "Dedication or Renewal"Sunday), Our Achen gave a very short homily in which he presented the need to focus on the fact that we can only offer to God in the Church our first gifts from what has been blessed, sanctified, seperated and purified by Him. This is the reason why the Dedication Sunday follow immediately after the first Sunday of the Liturgical cycle (Koodosh Etho or Sanctification/Purification) before the Church journey through the next six weeks to welcome the Nativity of our Lord.

The Morning Gospel was of the woman whose offering out of her poverty, dedicated to the Temple, was found most praisworthy and honourable by our Lord God. Achen explained the need to ask to see if the offering  we bring to God are our very lives to Him or if we are just giving only that what is covenient for us.

In this we can only begin to make the attempt and pray seeking God's and each other's help .   There is a beautiful prayer that reminds us on what we as Church are to offer attributed to the Anophora of  St Athanasius from Sedro of third Sunday after Easter ,shared by Fr. Baby Varghese in his book  'West Syrian Theology'

" O    Pure and spotless Lamb,who offered Himself to the Father as acceptable offering for the expiation and redemption of the world,make us worthy that we may offer ourselves to you a living sacrifice well -pleasing unto you after the manner of your sacrifice for us. May we be accounted worthy to offer unto you,O Lord, sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving for a savour of spiritual sweetness. Let all our thoughts and words and actions be a burnt offering unto you. Grant us, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit , to appear before you without blemish all the days of our life,and ever be well-pleasing to your Godhead "

Amen

November 11, 2013