The Biblical character Job, a sort of a hero in epic dimensions, is the prototype of Christian endurance and sufferings. A true Christian life is a battle of Golgotha, a battle between the infernal guards and man who is equipped with the weapons provided by the angels of light. Every man, like Job, is a guinea pig in the war industry of Satan’s laboratory. “Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night, which said, ‘a man-child is conceived’. Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.... Let it not rejoice among the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months...let that night be barren.... because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hide trouble from my eyes.... For my sighing comes as my bread, and my groaning are poured out like water”..... (Job.3). Despite he sobs bitterly, saying, “man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward”(Job.5: 7); he consoles himself, muttering, “ God bandages the wounds he makes; his hands hurts you, and his hand heals”(Job.5; 18). The prophets, Christ and apostles have been warning us to remember four things in life always: death, Heaven, hell and the Last Judgement, not the birthday. It is, therefore, obvious that the life after death is more important than life before it, but the thorny part is the one that which moulds the crown of jewels for next life. The day of death is more meaningful than the day of birth; hence we give a ceremonious burial, with musical bands, at the time when they are born among the departed souls and angels. Carrying the yoke of sufferings patiently and passively is the panacea prescribed by the Redeemer for next life.

In order to restore Adam who ate the forbidden fruit the Redeemer’s first step was to abstain from food for 40 days, despite he was tempted by His adversary in the same coin. His next step in rehabilitating the fallen race that was preyed upon by the opening of the nakedness by disobedience was by blessing the sacrament of marriage by transforming the colourless, odourless and tasteless water as wine at Cana, symbolizing wine as His blood that we use in the H.Eucharist (1.Jn.5:8). This is the likely reason for the second Eve to instruct the servants to obey whatever He commands (Jn.2) for the reparation of the disobedience at Eden. “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. Offering His own H.Blood at Cana, signaling that ideal family life is a sacrosanct institution that can sublimate all the havoc done by the gall fruit, He reinstated the relationship that ruptured between man and God. He is a role model who enlightened Himself by prayer and fasting before He did the first miracle publicly during his onward journey to Calvary. A true Christian also should become an Elect of the Spirit first by private practice (1.Pet.2: 21), before embarking into the arena of selfless and unblemished public service. We live for others, not for us.

NEW AGE, FREE STYLE:
The mention of birthday celebration was neither made in the Judeo- Christian literature and traditions nor was practiced by the H.Fathers. As all our worship and religious life is only centered on the Redeemer, no importance is being given to any person other than the celebrations of saints’ memory. The church declares a holy man as a saint only after 50 years of one’s death, depending on the witnesses of miracles. We don’t celebrate the feasts of saints’ on Sundays, fearing that it may overshadow the glorification of the Lord’s resurrection. The Christmas celebration is the birth of the messiah in Bethlehem, the ONE begotten before the creation of the world. He lives in us, and we in Him. Man cannot live without Him; hence no separate entity for man here (JN.6: 63). We are born above at every moment of our life, not on the birthday only. Thus it is a sacrilege to sever us of from the Living One by celebrating our birthday and declaring oneself as a living saint. The Lord prescribes only the daily bread, not for the next day as in the case of collecting manna by the Israelites. It is ludicrous for the clerical hierarchy to pray for one’s earthly blessings during the Eucharist, overriding the authority of the Creator. While I was attending a H.Eucharist 2 weeks back in a foreign country, I witnessed that the birthday and wedding anniversary prayers were incorporated in the prayer of intercession in the middle of the worship, unlike done at the end in other parishes. Individuals make lot of such changes (Mt.18: 17) without the H.Synod’s approval that is read in each parish. A number of people do meet unnatural and untimely death on the same day of their birthday despite the prayer for earthly blessing stands for the next one-year. Praying for a posh life for the following year is a trespass into the Creator’s territory. So far we have been praying only for a peaceful end of our life; the ambitious time limit is not within our jurisdiction. How despicable is the celebration of the birthday of the departed! The list is added on one after the other: wedding anniversary and high students’ performance...

These occasions are the ploys of collecting money for the parish, as well as for the shepherd, by invoking perfidious sentiments, worshippers’ fears and worries which later on add more fuel for making a dupe of Lucifer for the irreligious and unrighteous ones by eclipsing the sacramental life to the subordinate level. The shepherd sends prior birthday cards, enclosing an envelope for donation, and with a request to attend the following Sunday service and accept the H.Mysteries. Thus the Compunction of heart and the sacrament of Confession are no longer the pre-requisites for taking the Mysteries. As unusual, he comes in the beginning of the worship like a prince hailed for his coronation, wearing special cloths and luxuriant grooming. Giving salutations and shake hands is a special status to be enjoyed; similar to that we give to the bride or bridegroom. They also bring birthday cakes and sweets to distribute to the adulators. The clergy also will be invited to the previously arranged venues for big parties nurtured by dances, cultural shows and decorated cake cutting. The person gets the presents, and the shepherd gets the golden handshake. It is only the money that can speak in this Stone Age spirituality set apart for Kaliyuga. We drain so much money for parties such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries, baptism, house blessings, memory celebrations, superfluous weddings, consecration of churches, rasas (processions) that culminate in drunken revelries and fire works, advertisements, for earthly achievements at various stages under the auspices of religious elites, ignoring the Christian stewardship of sharing the wealth with the poor. Thanks to the mushrooming of catering, medical and other chain industries that thrive by adulterations and gluttony that manufacture chronic diseases for good. The clerics won’t curtail these extravagances because they lose benefits that sustain their opulence. In this age of sub-terrestrial culture, the culture of giving and accepting the unaccountable money and favours by the clergy are to be treated as bribery or robbery.

Lately, women are the hinge pins everywhere, at home, workplaces, and social places...because they are in the work force earning money like men. People everywhere try to exploit their favours and money; hence the flavour of feminism is also added as a spice in the church agenda. A special deity is set apart for women for their favours. In order to nurture and nourish special sympathy for women, St.Mary’s birthday on September 8th is elaborately celebrated with fasting and praying for 8 days, despite this is not in the church calendar. The clergy also encourages this unofficial feast as they get more money for the church and for themselves. To ensnare the student community into the web the clergy and the church offer special prayers for their envious achievements in their studies and approaching examinations. The next list may be the prayers for the job seekers. To put in a nutshell, the clergy, women and children are mere pawns in the hands of business communities; they conjure up all such business mantras for their gains. The politicians make nets for the trading communities, but the tentacles of money also ensnare them. The whole world is under the magic of money that derived from petrol and war industries. Sacraments, feasts and festivities are done under the witchery of money, wealth and unclean passions. “ Your Father knows what you need before you ask him”(Mt.6: 2-8), the Lord gives the answer to these craving passions. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well”(Mt.6: 33). The sanctimonious faith is in a whirlpool of material wealth that propels the passions of the flesh. Those who stand against to such paranoia are trampled over, insulted and jeered at to their perdition. The seers saw this peril well in advance. “ ...in the last days there will come times of stress... For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,.. holding the form of religion but denying the power of it”(2.Tim.3; 1-5).

CHARITY WORKS:
The amassment of money made by hook or by crook impels man to be a hero of the public. The fair-minded and sane members consequently abstain from the parish organizations and committees and the meetings, which give room for the irreligious ones to play the holy politics. He makes church as a platform to whet his appetite for expanding his commercial instincts with the support of the members of the sub-culture. The clergy also cultivates such opportunities to fish in troubled waters for their personal gains at the expense of pure faith enshrined by the H.Fathers. The laity that neither honours nor practices the chaste faith of the church make the clergy as a puppet by bribing with favours and money. They try to attract the attention of the members with number of innovations and renovations, so that they can enhance their business enterprises and embezzle the church funds to their personal gains. They build and consecrate glamorous parish buildings, auditoriums, schools...by demolishing the strong antique structures. Decorations with costly materials, new architecture of the modern technology, angel- resembling electric display, Heavenly materials and colours ...are the features of the gigantic cement structures of the modern era. Just before Jesus gave the signs of His second coming, He answered them at the time of pointing out the architectural beauty of the Jerusalem temple: “You see all these, do you not?there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down”(Mk.13: 1-2) Mt.24: 1-2).

Together with the structural changes of the buildings, the faith of the virgin church also is toppled down. The modus operandi of the worship and sacraments are of great concern. Embracing a club culture by forming choir for every sacrament has made a mute clergy whose main role is to collect money by conducting concerts by the non-believers, parish dinners and dramas...on Saturday nights, the only congenial night meant for any hooliganism. I know one case where a trio, which includes the vicar, without discussing and letting know neither the committee nor the General Body, legally silenced a member who sent letters for clarification of the discrepancy in the accounts. He accepted the lawyer’s ultimatum with equanimity of mind.

The medieval type feudalism of the church makes deep claws into the flesh of the vassals in the 21st century! . Even for Jesus silence was His only ammunition left. A Pilate-like spiritual father gets support from the majority commercially- interested people as long as enough money is thrown into the cloak pocket. The ministerial cloak is a solid shield, which brings everybody under the iron fist. The theology of small, small deities of the flesh ignites the tyranny of the clerical cloak. A new culture of birthday and wedding anniversary celebrations on a sub-cultural standard, with particular reference to the 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th...of the clerics, has dynamited irreparably the very foundations of the church and true faith. The church thrives by open and public ceremonies, inviting religious, secular and political leaders for a showing off. The ritual processions are organized for satisfying the drunken groundlings that make them alive by importing street culture and fire works. Is it not a mockery of the spiritual role of the clergy in organizing an orchestra? Condescending down to the level of club culture only will help to torpedo the real faith. Despite there won’t be any faith on earth at the time of the Lord’s 2nd coming (Lk.18:8), we shouldn’t be an exponent of destroying the sacrosanct faith of the virgin church. To abide by the apostolic faith, the rock of life is a virtue and gift of God. It is the duty of the church to swim across the filthy and swirling currents and save the sinking sinner by the sacrifice of the clergy and responsible laity. Focusing on the 2 events, which happened within the last few months, I would like to portray the only current missionary work of the church in general.

The silver Jubilee celebrations in an overseas parish of the St.Thomas Christians
One overseas parish constructed few small houses in Kerala for the downtrodden people. One T.V.channel telecast the celebrations a fortnight ago. The parish brought so many leaders from Kerala belonging to all religious and political spectrums by spending a huge sum as their airfare, accommodation, advertisement and other paraphernalia, possibly squandering thrice the amount of money spent for the houses. Is it justifiable to waste so much money of the middle and low-income families who are working under the scorching sun of the vast desert, not even knowing whether their jobs and visas last for another day? The megalomania for socialization and cheap popularity is the aim in such projects and charity work. There are many instances where people adopt Judas’ methods, too (Jn.12: 6). People want to immortalize their mortal names without making adequate sacrifices. What is given by the right hand should not be known to the left hand. Sponsorship for anything in the parish life should not be encouraged, give their excess money as a gift to the parish, let them do the alms work without corroding the pure faith of the church. Beware; everybody is equal in the church. The majority argues that advertisements and all other things are done by sponsorships by minority individuals, not realizing the fact that marketing and business interests are the keynote of some people’s large heartedness. A parish should be run only by the benevolent contributions made by its members, without attaching any frills to them, not by the funds raised for God by selling commodities and food and by gambling. No advertisement, the weapons of Pharisees and Sadducees (Mt.23), is needed for a parish or religious institution, so also the provision of food except in unavoidable circumstances. The churches have lately been mesmerized as pawns in the hands of marketing mafia, the ripe herald for the coming of the Lord.

Individual sponsoring:
I have a copy of poster advertising the festival celebration that lasts for a week in February in a parish in Central Travancore. The agenda centres around the H.communion, concerts, drama, mega show presented by Arts clubs, Eucharist for the departed, cemetery visiting, music bands comprising of all the instruments, with special arrangements of videotaping the festival and expensive decorations and the handing of keys of 15 houses built in memory of the sponsor’s parents, and blessed by the presence of some bishops, professional priests, ministers, political and other religious leaders and film stars. The highlight of the show is the very expensive and luxuriant fireworks. Free food for all will be given on retreat days. The estimated expense is over Rs.50 lakhs (Rs.5 million). Is it justifiable to spend this enormous money for a parish festival sponsored by a parish member? In similar consecrations and mega shows, the mass media is brimmed with advertisements covering 4 or 5 big pages, displaying the colour photos of the newly built parish buildings, bishops’ and committee members’ photos and the history of the parish in meticulous details by consuming a lofty amount of the parish funds, either received from sponsors or the compulsory subscriptions imposed on the members. It is a great mania to see one’s name or photos in the mass media because it broils up their ego for various other purposes. What is on the surface is paradise now. The inter-rivalry competition between the churches and religions unite the members of the same group. Can the half-starving, half- naked sub-continent slum dwellers that are even denied to get pure drinking water afford to squander such large amounts for a parish feast? Does it prick the conscience of the shepherds, the minority elites having no accountability of their roles, and live in the revelries of all kinds at the expense of the spirituality of the believers and the starvation of the underdogs? Think aloud about the role of the churches in an era of unending miseries and sufferings caused by exploitation, suppression and repression. The true faith and church is strangled to death by the cord of inhuman atrocities and demonisation.

If the tendency of sponsorship bait is not nipped in the bud, other families will fall into the same pit with belligerent strength of spending more in the later years because competition is a race to establish the supremacies of families and individuals. The church should not become the notorious stronghold of business mafia. The church of today is a venue for the commercially- interested people to expand their safety and security net socially and commercially. Such social pests have destroyed the faith of the believers and the clergy and converted the church as a business lobby for the perpetual glorification of their name and power. No wonder why Jesus whipped such hypocrites out of the Temple premises (Jn.2: 13-25). That which started by birthday celebration has invited a multitude of celebrations that denigrated the House of prayer as a den of robbers (Mt.21; 13). “They all look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ”(Phi.2: 21). While the virus of widespread sex scandals and materialism infects the shepherds in the Western churches, the churches in the rest of the world are haunted by corruptions of multiple natures. The paganization of Christianity is complete by the influx of heterogeneous stuff from all over the world. The infusion of heretical elements into the Body of Christ is the survival technology in an age of apostasy. Just as the High priests, in collusion with Pilate, wanted the removal of Jesus, the Saviour in turn will collect the faithful remnants by dumping the corrupt secular leaders and religious hypocrites to their ruin in His second coming.