St. Peter’s and St. Paul's Malankara Orthodox Church

Vicar's Message

Devotional Thoughts on Christian Life

Man’s life begins with, abides in, and ends with God. It never culminates on Earth. Most religions believe in this basic principle. However, Christian life is unique in various ways from other religions of the world.

In Christ, we are born again. “Therefore, if one is in Christ, he is a new creation. “The old has passed away, behold the new has come”, II Corinthians 5:17. At baptism, we bury the old nature of life and create a new way of life through Christ. We are free from the bondage of sin and become bonded to God’s grace. In Mathew 10:28, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” This new way of life with Christ is not according to a secular standard, but one that is heavenly. One must be able to sustain Christian principles above all things that are of worldly nature. In Mathew 5:20, “I will tell you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The Essentials:

Christ’s body and blood. Christ said in the Gospel of John 15:4, 5 “Abide in me and I in you, no branches can bear fruit by itself” Without Christ, there is no life in us and we are not able to do anything. In John 6:48, 54, he says, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Attending the service is not enough we have to receive the Holy Communion as well. He is our “bread of life” for our daily needs as he said in John 6:35, “…he that cometh to me shall never hunger; he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Love: When the world hates us, let not evil come over us. We must love generously and abundantly as God loves us. We should feed the enemy who is hungry, give him drink when he is thirsty, and clothe him when he is naked. “Bless him who persecutes you.” Our actions and attitudes are always of a loving kind towards God and society. Our religious life is not under the law and order of the world, but under the love and grace of God. In I John 4:16, Apostle John says, “God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in Him.” Love must be pure, genuine and honest. In love, there is no hate, anger, jealousy, revenge, or envy. To overcome evil, we must always be patient, carry out goodness, promote peace and love always. Our spiritual strength is nourished by these distinctive characteristics.

Sacrifice: Christian life is a sacrificial life. This means we must have tolerance, humbleness, and meekness. We have to deny our self desires and surrender ourselves completely to God. In Roman 12:1, St Paul says, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is a deep spiritual act of worship.” In other words, our body, mind and spirit are wholly submitted to God as vessels for his purpose.

Life everlasting. Our Christian life is everlasting. Life on Earth is only the beginning of the journey. In Roman 11:35, St Paul says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” Therefore, our voyage begins with Christ. He directs our journey towards the destination of eternal life with Christ in the presence of our heavenly Father. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

New way of life. It begins in Christ as a new enlightened creature, works through him as a faithful servant fulfilling God’s purpose by His will, and waits patiently to join Him at His second coming. Through Him, we are able to conquer evil with good bringing forth peace on Earth. In Christ, not only do we have boundless love and comfort on Earth, but more importantly we have them in the eternal world as well.

God is infinite. God is pure. God is love. “O taste and see that God is good” Psalm 34:8.