2023 July Nuhra - Monthly of Knanaya Region USA

But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him. We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life. (Hebrews 10: 38 - 39)

The month of July is a special month for us, St. Thomas Christians as we remember and celebrate one of our original faith leaders, St. Thomas. St. Thomas the tempting to fall into society and Apostle shows us an example of how believe what others tell us to confident and courageous we should believe. However, we must be in our faith through his life and remember how Jesus was on earth. death. During his life, he was one of He was not one who came to the most beloved disciples of Jesus appease the leaders and influential Christ yet had his own set of faith people of society but someone who dilemmas to deal with, including Jesus stood with the sick, broken, and rising from the dead. The small hiccups unfaithful. His love and selfless in his faith journey however, just made commitment set an example for all his trust in God grow even stronger. of us and what we need to imitate. He used his foundation of his It may be hard to know where to relationship with God to go to a start, how do we live our life as a different country, proclaim the love of witness to Jesus? Living a life Christ, and be martyred for his faith. worthy of heaven does not always As modern Christians living in the 21st mean we must be outside every century, we may not deal with life-or- day, preaching in the streets. It also death situations that test our faith, but means praying silently, offering up we do come across situations in which intentionswithoutmakingitknown. we cannot proudly proclaim our faith. It could be keeping pictures of When our friends or peers are doing Jesus Christ and saints on your activities that affect our relationship work desk. It could be not being with God and we have to decide afraid to ask your friends if you can between standing by God or our pray for them. Small actions of friends, we often decide the latter. We Mercy helps us who are often may see those against the proclamation unable to perform herculean tasks of God’s kingdom say things that are for Christ to grow step by step in rude, untruthful, and deceitful about the holiness and be closer to Christ.. church, but we find ourselves at a loss As we enter into the month of July, of words to even fight for what we let us remember the memory of St. believe in. We’re often comfortable Thomas and the immense courage with being timid and quiet to keep the he had to be a witness to Jesus. Let peace but just like St. Thomas, the us pray that his intercession allows apostle, we must find our courage and us to have a strong faith and show our voice to proclaim Christ. even a small percentage of his Proclamation of the gospel may not be courage by incorporating Jesus into glamorous and may not bring us any our daily lives. Let us pray to have more friends, but it brings us even Christ’s love fill us and surround us greater blessings; love of God and as we navigate this world and pray eternal life in him. We may also feel for a blessed month. ourselves being distanced from those who don’t share our beliefs, and even Angeline Thannichuvattil other lukewarm Christians. It is Houston

Fr. Joseph Puthuseril We have learned the stories and and they consider money as the seen the lives of so many people important factor in life without Jesus replied, “truly I tell you, if you like Abel, Enoch, Noah, realizing that God is the ultimate have faith as small as a mustard Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, driving force in their life. seed, you can say to this mountain, Moses etc who have lived their “move from here to there” and it will entire life journey by having true As Christians, to increase our faith move. Nothing will be impossible for faith in God. Without faith it is we should adhere to Jesus in you” (Mat.17: 20). impossible to please God, for whatever circumstances comes to us. We could do it by daily personal Faith is an integral part of human life. anyone who approaches God must prayers, attending holy masses, Faith can be described in many believe that he exists and that he receiving holy communion, going for ways, and it depends on everyone’s rewards those who seek Him. adoration, confession, family prayers perspective. According to the book and yearly retreats etc. of Hebrew 11:1, “faith is the As Christians, we all need faith in realization of what is hoped for, and every aspect of our life and because God sometimes allows hardships to evidence of things not seen”. In the of that we are proclaiming our faith assess our faith. During those times Old Testament, we have seen ancient through the most important prayer of we should humbly and patiently wait people trusted God and offered faith, the Apostles Creed. and stick to God. He will raise you sacrifices because of true faith one day and will show the path which towards the divine creator. People pray faithfully to God to God wishes to happen in our life to receive special graces or to have proclaim the greater glory of his miracles in their difficult times of life. name. We need to be mindful that faith is the total surrender or blindly accepting the I wish and pray that everyone would things, which are beyond our human reasoning. At the same time, human have a complete faith in God, no beings are called to do certain duties in his earthly life. Whatever his chosen matter what God gives to us and be state of life, he should be faithful W towards God and his superiors. like good seeds. In modern times, people are losing faith so often, because of their lack of patience, lack of belief and trust in God. People are tempted to think that they can do everything without God, By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age—and Sarah herself was sterile—for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. (Hebrews 12 : 8- 11)

JaimyValiyanilam space. The best time to pray is when charity or service is the most action New Jersey one is ready to pray which can be done in the most crowded place or oriented expression of faith in the Keeping faith, in an increasingly in the comfort of the home. Mind is secular and biased society is a the place of prayer as it comes from modern world.Volunteer efforts and challenge worth pursuing in the a place of deep reflection and an modern world. An overwhelming honest conversation. Prayer is charity are the most tangible way majority of individuals are identifying something that can be articulated themselves as non-believers and without sophistication or with much to demonstrate the values of faith even if one identify as a Christian, orchestration; it is a simple and they are often not practicing their personal enabler to build trust in the through the physicality of an action faith. The world in which we live has power of God. become so judgmental to the point We are taught that church or or thought. Donating time or money where one’s Christian identity is community worship is the most being prejudiced for being archaic traditional way to experience faith, illustrates compassion to the fellow and small minded. It takes some however a personal prayer can be deep reflection to understand what initiated without either of these. The humans and to the larger world faith means and in a world of tailored value of being in a physical church or solutions each individual needs to a place of worship comes into play which enable personal satisfaction define their personalized expression as it brings together a community and of faith. a support system to the individuals. that can be linked back to divinity. Prayer is the easiest and most Church creates a natural ambiance of accessible manifestation of faith. sanctity which allows the mind to It is a virtue that instills deep Practice of prayer whether in your easily slip into a deep state of own words or reciting one that is meditative prayer. The physical gratitude on the individuals both at already in existence is a way of location like a church offers a profile building a relationship with God. of likeminded people that provide the giving and receiving end equally. There is no right or wrong way to visible examples of how others like pray be it a personal prayer, family you are navigating faith in the Charity breaks the barriers and help prayer or group worship. The key challenges of the modern world.A is to create a pathway to connect to propagate faith in the modern with the divine and share the community always provides a innermost thoughts which in turn sense of belonging and a faith world. gives you peace of mind. Prayer based fellowship revolving around has no restrictions because it is not church facilitate growth in faith At the end of the day, faith is really bounded by the concept of time and together. While prayer and community a reflection of trust and belief in the based faith are deeply personal, power of God that is deep- seated in mind. It is cyclical in nature that faith builds grace with God which in turn manifests as prayer, gratitude and service for others. The key is to make a choice as an individual to live in their faith and express it in the most authentic way no matter how challenging the surrounding world seems. W For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2: 26)

Anita Joseph Poozhikunnel Florida Jesus says that“whatever you ask in prayer you will receive if you have faith”. Faith is one thing that begins from There are many stories in the Bible saved from the flood due to Noah’s one’s home. Research has about faith. In the book of Judges, faithfulness to God. In the Old proved that children learn from their we see Deborah’s faith. The book of Testament book of Job, Job stays surroundings. This means that parents Esther, bears witness to Queen faithful to God’s plan for him out of are the first teachers of children. In Esther’s strong faith in tough faith and trust in God. the Gospel of Mathew, chapter 21 moments. In the book of Daniel, the Practicing faith in homes will be an verse. Jesus says that”whatever you incident that happens with the three anchor for children, as they go ask in prayer you will receive if you young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and forward with the turbulent phases of have faith”. In the letter to the Abednego is a strong testament to their own lives. This practice of faith Romans, Saint Paul says, “faith their faithfulness to God. will be the North Star that will point comes from hearing, and hearing In the first book of the Bible, Genesis them to our Lord and Savior, Jesus through the word of God”. we see Noah and his household being Christ. W For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” (Romans 10: 10 - 11) Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1: 2 - 3)

Michael Maniparampil Illinois The apostle’s creed is the foundation of the salvation. As Catholics, in our day to day life, we must Catholic Church. It was in 1880 that the articles keep in mind, and during each and every one of our actions, of faith were canonized and became an official that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Lord doctrine of the church. The article of faith had 13 our God, and will come on the day of the judgment to components and the most important is our belief in judge the living and the dead. This explains why our the father, His son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit. teachers, parents, and catechism teach us to be God If we have awareness of faith, we can be a better fearing. TheApostle’s Creed teaches that the Holy Spirit person who lives by the gospel. If every member of should live in our hearts and shine through our actions. the church memorized the principles contained in the Participating in the holy Catholic Church, taking part in articles of faith we would be much more prepared to the celebration of the communion of the saints, believing spread the gospel of God. We, as Catholics, should in the forgiveness of sins through confession and penance, understand in depth about each and every sacrifice and ultimately spreading the word of God through our that the son of our God; Jesus Christ, has done for actions is the duty of each and every catholic individual. us; ie, he suffered under the Pontius Pilate; was To sum it up, theApostle’s Creed is the blueprint that we crucified, died, and was buried.After descending into need to remember and respect the Catholic Church. hell, he rose again on the third day; to give us eternal W Faith is the realization of what is hoped for Thus faith comes from what is heard, and and evidence of things not seen. Because of what is heard comes through the word of it the ancients were well attested. Christ. (Romans 10: 17) (Hebrews 11: 1 - 2) “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Betsy Kizhakkepuram something that we should never do to another person, New Jersey especially if we love them as God taught us to. We should always try to lift up the people around us with our words. Goodness and kindness are both ideals that often We should encourage them and bring them happiness with go hand in hand. They are both the same Fruit of everything we say. We should never, even accidentally, the Holy Spirit that deals with the idea that people hurt someone with our language. should not only care for themselves, but for the people around them as well. We can do that through our Kindness is sometimes really hard to manage. actions and words. God teaches us through every Sometimes when we get really angry and stressed or upset, chapter in the Bible that we should treat others with it just seems easier to just yell, call people names, or even kindness.After all, the golden rule He taught us was to say bad words. However, we can show true goodness “treat others the way that we want to be treated” when we learn to control our emotions and essentially filter (Mathew 7:12). God wants us to love our neighbors what we say and do. Feelings of anger and sadness are and everyone around us just as much as we love completely normal, and, to be honest, feeling the need to ourselves. Have any of you ever heard the saying “love yell and scream is just being human—there is absolutely your enemies” (Mathew 5:44)? This is God telling us nothing wrong with that. The only thing is that we need to that simply loving the people that are good to us isn’t be able to control those feelings to make sure that we enough. We have to love even the people that hurt us don’t hurt anyone else in the process. in order to show true kindness and goodness. Jesus showed Whenever us the best example of we help the people goodness and kindness around us, whether when He made the it be the smallest of ultimate sacrifice for us actions, such as on the cross, even for helping our parents us sinners, the very out with chores or helping someone people that don’t listen to him and defy Him. He allowed himself to be humiliated, beaten, and then killed in order pick up the items that they dropped, or doing to save us from our sins and from the clutches of the Devil. something really huge, such as traveling the world to Whenever we struggle with being kind to those around do charity work in other poor countries, we can us, we should ask God for help and for strength in order display our kindness in everything that we do. to show the goodness He wants us to show all the time. Anything that we do, if we do it with love, will make the person much happier. Ultimately, kindness is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit that we should all definitely try to implement into our daily Moreover, lives through our actions and words. Though it may be kindness can also be difficult at times, we should try to go to God through shown in our words. reading the Bible and through prayer in order to ask him Sometimes, when we for guidance and help so that we can be good to those get angry, it’s easy to around us. After all, as Pope Francis said, “let us learn to say really mean things live with kindness, to love everyone, even when they do not love us.” to the other person. However, words can be hurtful, and in some situations, words can even kill. Not W physically, of course, but words can hurt someone a lot and can make them feel really terrible. That is

YOUCAT 21 What is Faith? Faith is knowledge and trust. It has seven characteristics: * Faith is a sheer gift of God, which we receive when we fervently ask for it. * Faith is the supernatural power that is absolutely necessary if we are to attain salvation. * Faith requires the free will and clear understanding of a person when he accepts the divine invitation. * Faith is absolutely certain, because Jesus guarantees it. * Faith is incomplete unless it leads to active love. * Faith grows when we listen more and more carefully to God’s Word and enter a lively exchange with him in prayer. * Faith gives us even now a foretaste of the joy of heaven. Many people say that to believe is not enough for them; they want to know. The word “believe”, however, has two completely different meanings. If a parachutist asks the clerk at the airport, “Is the parachute packed safely?” and the other man answers casually, “Hmm, I believe so”, then that will not be enough for him; he would like to know it for sure. But if he as asked a friend to pack the parachute, then the friend will answer the same question by saying, “Yes, I did it personally. You can trust me!” And to that the parachutist will reply, “Yes, I believe you.” This belief is much more than knowing; it means assurance. And that is the kind of belief that prompted Abraham to travel to the Promised Land; that is the faith that caused the – MARTYRS to stand fast till death; that is the faith that still today upholds Christians in persecution. A Faith that encompasses the whole person. W PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE KNANAYA COMMUNITY For in him all the fullness was pleased to kz¿KØnepw `qanbnepap≈ F√m hkvXp°sfbpw dwell, and through him to reconcile all things Ah\\neqsS AhnSp∂p Xt∂mSv for him, making peace by the blood of his cross (through him), whether those on earth or A\\pcRvPn∏n°pIbpw Ah≥ Ipcnin¬ those in heaven. – Colossians 1: 19-20 Nn¥nbcIvXw hgn kam[m\\w kvYm]n°pIbpw sNbvXp ( sImtfmtkmkv 1 : 20) O God, we thank you for letting us be born ]nXm-hmb ssZh-ta, Rßsf Iv\\m\\mb amXm-]n-Xm-°fn¬ as a Knanaya. We pray for our community \\n∂p P\\n-∏n®p Cu kap-Zm-b-Øn¬ AwK-ß-fm-°n-b-Xn\\p that is going through the crisis of R߃ \\µn ]d-bp-∂p. A-ß-bpsS lnX-X¬ BWt√m dysharmony We acknowledge that we are R߃ Cu kap-Zmb AwK-߃ Bb-Xv. Rß-fpsS kaq- sinners and we have sinned against you. lsØ A\\p-{K-ln-°-W-ta. R-߃ -]m-]n-Ifpw _e-lo-\\cpw Please wash our community with your BsW∂v G‰p ]d-bp-∂p. Rß-fpsS apdn-hp-Iƒ \\ns‚ Xncp- precious blood. Heal all our wounds and fill c-‡-Øm¬ Igp-I-W-ta. R߃°v kam-[m\\w \\¬I-W-ta. us with the grace of forgiving love, so we Rß-fpsSXe-ap-d-Isf A\\p-{K-ln-°-W-ta. Ah¿ \\ns∂ may love one another and be united in you. Adn™p hf-cm≥ CSbm-°-W-ta. Protect our future generations so that we can share our faith with them. Amen.

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