Local Saints of the Domestic Church

Oct. 20, 2026 Tuesday

These are the days of Saraswati Puja of Navaratri. It is befitting that a teacher and his sahadharmini are remembered and celebrated today. Antony Sir of Purakkatt family, Kumbalam, was blessed with a long life of 91 years on this planet before he moved to the next world on August 5, 2025; and his wife Alice, 85 years, before her departure on October 20, 2025. 

They both were blessed by a comparatively long stint on this planet, with fairly good health - Antony sir suffered acute illness in the last two to four weeks of his life, where as Aunt Alice had an ordeal of almost 2 years plus to suffer.  

While Antony sir appeared a sober figure, with a concealed smile behind his normal demeanour, I guess Aunt Alice had a constant good humour, able to engage people in continued conversation. I got to see her and speak to her only after she had become bedridden, though she might have been in the congregation all those years I was serving at Thevara monastery. 

I deem it a great honour that today, I am asked to share the word of God, in their remembrance.  Antony sir is known to me for 48 years, from 1977 onwards. I was fortunate enough to be in the school when he taught, but never had the good fortune to be in his class, as I was in the High School and his teaching engagement was with the Upper Primary School.  But we hardly had any conversation in those days.  However, his own 'compatriot' from Kumbalam desam, Mr Jose K Antony, was a very familiar figure for me, with his active involvement with students in promoting art and culture. 

After a long gap of 30 years, when I came to Thevara as a resident, I met Antony sir again - now as the Head Master for the Sunday School of the monastery  eucharistic community. I think he continued that for a couple of years more, almost into his 80th birthday, and then retired. So he must have been one of the longest serving Sunday School teachers of Ernakulam arch-diocese, perhaps, doing that for almost 50 years, in two parishes (Kumbalam and Konthuruthy). 

His association with us CMIs is manifold.  The family, can very well be named a CMI family.  He got employed with the CMI school of Thevara, as a young man, and served SH school for almost 35 years. All his four boys (Jose, Davis, Babichan and Johny) had their schooling at the SH CMI school, all children, including the lone daughter Mercy, studied at SH college for some programme or other. 

We connect with him also as the brother in law of our Gurushreshtan, Rev. Fr. George Earathara, who, in his prime was a terrific animator of youth (KCSL fame), a great organiser (POC director) and a spirited fighter for justice in all realms, including issues within the congregation. 

Then from 1989, Babichan, who happens to be my batchmate in SH school, joined hands with Rev. Dr. Varghese Puthussery in running Santwana Counselling Centre, first of its kind in Kochi, and still continues to be its one man army. Babichan's children are also our school/college students. 

Johny, the youngest son, joined the CMIs in 1988 and is one of the few CMIs having a Ph D in computer science, besides his reputation for being a welcoming host and contagious humour with a repertoire of jokes for all times. 

His devotion to his parents while I happened to be a member of the Sitapur CMI community under his leadership, stands as an indicator of the parent-children bond of the family. He was deeply attached to them, and tried to spend quality time in their time of distress, and had to really make much effort to get over the gap created by their departure.

Antony sir is known to have been a strict but effective teacher, who could recall the name of his students even after decades. He taught basic Math and English in the school, and his short-cane served to instill desirable discipline in the students - I sensed that nobody had any ill feeling towards him. 

With the family shifting to Thevara on account of the land acquisition for Alappuzha railway line, he became a blessing to Thevara. Guiding the Sunday School catechism for over a decade, and then quietly disappearing into retirement. While he was at the school retiring as its Head Master (UP section) and in his stint with the Sunday School, he let his team to take initiative and lead, while he remained available and supportive. While he stuck to his principles, he never tried to impose them on others.  He was marked for his integrity, and he took all steps to fulfil his responsibilities to the best of his ability. 

At home, he appeared to have been a loving father, who could instill discipline and devotion in his children without being severe or strict. The greatest credit to the couple is that they were successful missionaries who established a 'domestic church' (Ecclesia Domestica), and like the tree of Psalm 1, planted on the river, that bore leaves and fruits in its season, they did bear abundant fruit. 

The archdiocese of Ernakulam has benefitted immensely from the integrity of this trustworthy member - the diocesan accounts of the parish contributions were managed by him for almost 2 decades, in a meticulous, but endearing fashion. Thus his is a household name among the priests of the archdiocese. 

Today's first reading aptly recognizes such local saints: Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Rev. 14:13) 

May the hopeful aspiration of the Psalmist find fulfilment in their lives: 

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the Lord     in the land of the living... 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. 16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;  I serve you just as my mother did;    you have freed me from my chains. (Ps. 116:7-9; 15-16) 

Reflections on Life and Death in the Season of Creation

Life-giving Waters

During this Season of Creation (September 1 to October 4, 2026) with 'Living Waters' as the theme, when I reflect on life and death, my first reflection turns to the comforting passage from the Book of Ezekiel. 

The theme is drawn from Ezekiel 47:1-12.  It reads about the life-giving river: 6...Then he led me back to the bank of the river.7When I arrived, I saw a great number of trees along both banks of the river. 8And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Dead Sea, the water there becomes fresh. 9Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish...12Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing.”

And my thoughts are trained towards the very practical aspects of water rights for all (enunciated by the Sustainable Development Goal 6 - Clean water and sanitation), the duty of all to avoid wastefulness and cherish and conserve this precious gift of life. Like air, water for drinking, cooking and keeping oneself clean 

It also reminds me of the story of the life-giving water of Ganga (which today has been highly polluted by human beings and at many points, is not necessarily life-promoting), which Bhageeratha brings down from heaven to bring back to life the 60000 sons of Sagara, his ancestral relatives, burnt to ashes by the curse of Rishi Kapila. (A similar scenario is envisioned by prophet Ezekial 37, when he is brought to the Valley of Bones of the children of Israel, who are then brought back to life, instilling hope in life after death.  In fact, the Ganga story appears to fuse together the themes of Ezekiel 47 and 37). 

Ganga could also be destructive with the great power she has in coming down. This possibility of devastation is prevented by Lord Shiva, the mountain dweller contemplative seated in the great Himalayas, who distributes her power by letting her pass through his great locks (shiv jata) as he contemplates .  To me this is the lesson in sustainability couched in religious idiom, of the practice of conserving mountains and tree covers for ensuring life-giving water for all people and for all seasons. 

In the spiritual realm, for believing Christians, the life-giving waters is the Spirit of Jesus who promised to give water for the human thirsts which are otherwise unquenchable, and which would lead them to life in abundance and without end. 

Dying Young - Dying Old - Not Dying 

2021 December - My young cheerful student completing undergraduate and graduate studies in a worthy manner from our college, and then qualifying herself for being an educator at the university level, finds herself afflicted with cancer. Without losing hope undergoes treatment. Almost gets assured that she is cured. However, the malignancy persists. Eats her beauty and saps her of life. I meet her disfigured person and she is still not remorseful, if not cheerful. She passes away after two days of my last meeting with her. She might have been just about 25 or 27! I am comforted that she is gone!! And almost assured against my Christian upbringing that she would be raised to the honours of the altar!! 

2026 July - My former student Varun - just 33, rides a motorbike somewhere near Seattle in the US. He is regarded as an intelligent, 'good' boy. The parents receive the news that he was found dead on the highway with the motorcycle crashing into some structure on the roadside. The parents are shattered. Both the parents and the boy are known to me. I visit them. I don't have a word to console them. 

2026 September - A neighbour of our monastery, retired from the nation's defence services as an officer with a very high rank, informs that his enterprising son, who has a very plum job with a transnational company, was taken away by the waves as he was enjoying a short break with his friends in Srilanka. He was returned by the waves in about 10 minutes, but lifeless. The shattered parents seek prayer support for ensuring eternal happiness for the departed son!! 

Thirst for Immortality Though what will happen to the human beings (as well as other beings) after they stop to be a living  - breathing, moving, eating, speaking, laughing, and crying - being on earth has been a matter of enquiry for humans from time immemorial, one thing appears to have been certain for all, that all would die.  And the desire has been to live forever and not to die. 

One of the ancient  Upanishadic Prayers is: 'Lead us from mortality to immortality' 'Mrtyorma amrtamgamaya'! (Brhadarnyaka Up. 1:3:28). 

In India, we have the fascinating story about the human endeavour for the elixir of life or a panacea for all the ills affecting them, aptly termed 'amṛta' (na mṛtam iti amṛtam- that which does not die, or that which leads to eternity) in Sanskrit. The irrepressible desire for immortality leads even the eternal antagonists of ancient humans - the devas and the asuras - to unitedly churn the eternal waters of the Milky Ocean (Kṣīrasāgara) where the sustainer Lord Vishnu lies observing the creation. 

Finally, the nectar of life is obtained, though the process itself becomes avaricious and unethical. The unquenchable desire for amrta and the consequent churning of the eternal waters bring out things which can annihilate the creation itself - especially the fatal poison of kalakuta. However, here a self-annihilating volunteer emerges, Lord Shiva,  to neutralise the threatening mass of poison by swallowing it in its entirety.  However, we have a virangana stepping into the scene - Siva's consort Parvati. She senses the threat to her husband, and grasps his throat in such a manner that Kalakut is not able to go below his throat and destroy his vitals! It gets consolidated at his throat region, giving it a blue tint of the venom, thus obtaining for him a title 'Nilkanth' -  Nilkanth Shiva is a reminder of a sacrifice to save the creation from devastation.

In spite of the nectar, neither the devas nor the asuras have obtained immortality till today. Today's scientific humanity is rather disposed to the reality of death.  And, though we have the ancient dictum 'śatāyuḥ puruṣaḥ', in spite of the scientific advancements, a centenarian life is still a far-dream for the average human being, and often a great burden for others and even for oneself. 

Shatayu Mantra: Rgveda has the beautiful birthday prayer - which is suitable for a greeting, but not necessarily for realisable on earth. 

paśyema śaradaḥ śatam     - May we see 100 autumns

jīvema śaradaḥ śatam         - May we live 100 autumns

śṛṇuyāma śaradaḥ śatam     - May we hear for 100 autumns

prabravāma śaradaḥ śatam - May we speak/proclaim for 100 autumns

adīnāḥ syāma śaradaḥ śatam- May we be without illness (unbend, without needing support, healthy) for 100 autumns 

bhūyaś ca śaradaḥ śatāt ||    - And may we be there beyond the 100 autumns! 

Somehow, Sanskrit thinkers felt equating autumn to a completed year, perhaps, 'vasant' (spring) being too young to be counted as a year! 

To me, frankly speaking, this mantra appeals - I feel, I don't have great ambitions, but for the simple desire of living happily and healthy up to a hundred years! Now if you feel that is ambitious, please bear with me! At 100, I would be happy to have the status of 'swaccanda mrtyu'. 

Longevity, Resources, and Future Generations

So applying such desire to all individuals, if not exactly, but more or less, we feel incomplete when a young person passes away at 30. If it happens at 50 and unexpectedly, we still feel the loss. But if it happens around 70 or 75, we are able to bear with - we console ourselves that s/he has seen life, and lived it, albeit for (only) 75 years.  But after 75, we generally treat it as a bonus. So bonus being taken away, complaints are less. 

However, when it exceeds 100 or even into the bonus period itself, the world as such begins to be threatened. In Malayalam, our ancient poet and great wit, Kunchan Nambiar renders the scenario in his famous poem, 'Kaalanillaata Kaalam' (The Time without the Lord of Death - Yama). Will the scientific experiments for sustaining life and making life whole lead to eternity? Would that be desirable? If the  modern science now claims that it can create human life from the labs, then would it also be trying for a life without end? If yes, would we require new human beings? Would the ones who occupy the world at present be desirous for new generation lest they be threat for the limited resources for the present generation?  Now a days, we speak about rights of the generations to come - there would be no need to discuss their rights if they themselves were not to be there!

Immortality vs Undying Memory

As of now, the world maintains a balance of sorts as people understand that they will die. And they seek eternity, even when they doubt it. And the desire for eternity is an incentive for a good life - whatever that would mean to each one.  Perhaps, eternity is the memory people hold about those who are gone - good memories as eternal heaven, bad ones as eternal hell. 

The famous Bhartruhari shatakam is insightful in this regard: 

jayanti te sukṛtino rasasiddhāḥ kavīśvarāḥ

nāsti yeṣāṃ yaśaḥkāye jarāmaraṇajaṃ bhayam ||

Victorious are (Long live) those blessed, rasa-perfected master-poets —

For whom there is no fear born out of old age and death, in their body of fame (eternity).

Would the memory of people of unending generations be the eternity? Or would there be end to people and consequently to their memories? 

And would then there be something eternal that would subsume all these - people and their memories, their total good and their wickedness? When mind thus meanders, it is convenient to fold yours hands and pray 'may your will be done, and may your reign be established', in that ungraspable unity of heaven and earth! 

PAYAPPILLY-PALAKKAPPILLY JOHNY Sep. 19, 2026

JOHNICHETTAN

From managing the pachamarunnu* store—where demand for items like chooral and iratti madhuram, and Thirunilathu George Vaidyar’s kurippadi always found a ready response—to expanding it with household goods of all sorts, initiating Snow White - the first dry cleaning unit of Thevara-Perumanur neighbourhood, and starting a single-car taxi service that grew into a vast fleet over two decades...Greenland Travels. 

He established one of the city's well-recognized travel agencies and brought a hotel, Green Dreams, to the Thevara–Perumanur area for the very first time. Along the way, he acquired valuable land assets—some of which may have originally belonged to the Palakkappilly family—all while going about his work without making much noise.

That was Johnichettan! 

(Was there a common "green" thread through all of these ventures? I am not entirely sure. But it was indeed good business. When I was in Kalamassery, we had discussions about green tourism about which I was and still passionate, though we couldn't take those plans any further after that.)

To my mind, for us Payappilly–Palakkappillies—who trace our forefathers to those who came from Paravur as coconut traders, and who even today have a few members engaged in business—he is the doyen.  The great contribution is that the business has provided livelihoods to many!

As youngsters, we witnessed Rosichechi walking into the family with him, and later, her passing.  I thought they jelled wonderfully as a couple. Compared to Lonankutty Vallyappan—who, despite his apparent asthmatic troubles, rode his bicycle well past his 80s and lived to nearly 95—Johnichettan’s passing at 74, and Rosichechi’s even earlier, feel far too premature.

In his initial days of rise in the business field, the image that comes to my mind is that of Johnichettan being in front of the store, watching and observing people who pass by - like a Kootastha Sakshi or Drshta (of Indian Philosophy). He does not interfere - but everyone who passes by the Chakola junction is registered with him. 

I remember him looking concerned when, as a young priest, once I came riding in on a bicycle and swerved sharply onto our Chakalackal Road, nearly taking a fall. Later, when we met, he gently admonished me to be more careful on my bike. I am sorry that I cannot find the picture I had taken with him on my last visit, when I heard that he was not keeping all that well. 

Perhaps, he is the senior-most of the Palakkappillies of our generation, though younger ones like Cheriyappan and Viji have already gone before him. 

Heartfelt condolences to Bejoy, Jithu, and Suja Mariam, who came to support him in the final phase of his life. Condolences also to Mercy chechi, Lilly chechi, Joji chettan, Tresa chechi, and Daisy.

May Johnichettan rest in peace, and may his memory live on through the good deeds of his family and future generations.

*My good friend, Manikkan James, who should be a familiar figure for people of my generation in Perumanur, who appeared quite friendly with him, would tease him with the tagline of Vicco: 'pacchamarunnu pacchamarunnu, Vicco pacchamarunnu...'. And Johnichettan would not take any offence. 

WATER DEMOCRACY - September 15, 2026

J. Prashant CMI

From Water Literacy to Water Democracy: Reflections on Living Waters as a Question of Justice

September 15th - The UN observes International Day for Democracy. 

As this day falls against the backdrop of the Season of Creation (September 1 to October 4) to stress the stewardship of the Common Home, as observed by several Christian Communities the world over, inviting all people of goodwill to participate, with the theme 'living waters', I feel inclined to train my thoughts on democracy to water democracy.  From Sep. 8, international literacy day to 15th September,  international day for democracy, with the theme deliberative democratic processes and meaningful participation in decision-making. Over the week, it can be a pilgrimage from water literacy to water democracy and water sovereignty (jal swaraj). 

Democracy is about people having a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their lives. Water, likewise, is not merely a resource to be supplied to people; it is a condition of life itself. This raises an important question: Can there be meaningful democracy when people have little or no say in the water on which their lives depend?

Water democracy means that people have a meaningful voice in decisions concerning the access, use, allocation, conservation and governance of water—access to which is a basic necessity and, for human beings, a fundamental right. However, the trend appears to be more in the direction of water scarcity and water monopoly. 

Experiencing Rural Water Scarcity

In the summer of 1992, as students of Theology, we had a village immersion programme by staying in a village of our choice for a month. We finally ended up choosing Teka Mandwa, Chandrapur district,  a Maharashtrian village bordering Andhra Pradesh.  We managed to get a fairly large single room house (hut) with a thatched roof. And four of us, lived there. Two unfamiliar, but important tasks for our survival were (i) fetching water and (ii) gathering firewood for cooking.  I remembered this in connection with the season of creation with living water as the theme. We had to walk at least half a kilometer down the hill, perhaps the altitude shift of about 150 ft, to reach the Panchayat well. We had to finish our bath somewhere around the well itself, and carry water for our cooking all the way up the hill. Our experience lasted for just about four weeks. What we experienced was, and still is, a reality in many rural communities in India, where fetching household water falls disproportionately on women and girls. 

Water, therefore, is not an abstract environmental issue. It is about time, labour, dignity and life itself. 

Water as a Right - Water as a Resource

In the progressive state of Keralam, the central district Ernakulam with the backwaters of Vempanad on the western side running into the Arabian sea, is distinct for its the geographically distinctive, GI-tagged Pokkali rice, a low input, salt-tolerant ecologically adapted traditional rice variety which grows in the salty wetlands of Vempanad. The genius of the traditional system lies in its seasonal rhythm: rice during the relatively fresh-water monsoon period, followed by fish or prawn as salinity increases. In modern times, such fields are dedicated for shrimp farming which is found to be more profitable. However, the eco-logic would require that after a season of fish, the fields are to be made dry by creating bunds or bringing down the shutters of the bunds already in place,  paving way to the next cycle of paddy farming. Over the years, paddy farming has been found labour intensive and unprofitable.  There is hardly any young man or woman ready to be in such a field for earning livelihood or as one's profession.  

Though government itself promotes “One Paddy One Fish” and “One Paddy One Shrimp” systems as integrated farming models, in practice, however, local economic interests and political influence can weaken the enforcement of such ecological norms, particularly where shrimp cultivation is considerably more lucrative than paddy cultivation.

Prolonged retention of saline water can contribute to salinisation of soils and groundwater and, in coastal environments, can add to the saline exposure that accelerates the deterioration of buildings and infrastructure.  More importantly, altering the natural seasonal rhythm of salinity affects the ecological balance of the wetland and threatens its biodiversity.

In Water Wars (2002), Vandana Shiva argues for an ecological understanding of water, emphasizing its intimate relationship with communities, biodiversity and ecological balance, and draws attention to traditional and indigenous systems of water management found to be much more sustainability.

From a Free Gift to a Market Dictated Commodity

In my younger days, even for what was then considered a long trip to Trivandrum or to Mysore or Kozhikode from Kochi, hardly anyone carried water. In a petty kada of Keralam, where you could buy a lemonade, you could ask for a glass of water, and no body charged for it, even if you didn't buy anything. People unhesitatingly drank from the municipal supply of water at home or on the public taps on the roads.  The railways provided drinking water, which people generally took to be safe to drink. As a higher secondary student in Meerut, UP in the early 80s, I remember that after a tough session of 30 or 45 minutes of basket ball, we all rushed to the hand pump and drank to our fill from that. 

However, those days, when people had access to safe drinking water for free in that manner are gone. Now we are dependent on our own resources to ensure safe drinking water - purificators/filters. We have surrendered our freedom to drink freely from the sources around us to the corporates who sell water by imprisoning it in a bottle, and forcing us to drink what is labelled as safe water, with concerns also about the possible migration of chemicals from plastic packaging, besides adding to atmospheric, soil and water pollution through the production, transportation and disposal of waste bottles. We are  now forced to add to our luggage by having to carry safe water, though, in turn, water bottles have become a good business. 

At our Kochi campus, where I had spent over a dozen years of my ministry in Social Work education, there was a traditional, large, well-like open water source which provided ample water for the 200-odd campus residents and for a day-time student population of over 3000.  However, on the same slope of the hill, adjacent to our campus, and below our source, an enterprising neighbour began commercially extracting groundwater for supply elsewhere; and we began to feel the pinch, and the campus turning water insecure and some times, even scarce. The water beneath the ground was physically local, but its ownership and benefits were effectively being transferred away from the community.

Extraction, Exhaustion and Stewardship

Some of my enthusiastic missionary friends who went to Gujarat to proclaim the good news of liberation, were gladdened finding underground water source in the dry region of Nani Katechi. They had plenty of water, and perhaps taking it for granted planted orchards, even shared some water with the needy neighbours in the village. However, such abundance didn't last - after about 12 happy water years, the ground water sources began to be exhausted, and unreplenished, the region had become water-scarce, unsustainable. That points to the need for water literacy as the foundation of water sovereignty.

Water Comes Back - Alwar Experience

In the Alwar region of Rajasthan, Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the ‘Waterman of India’, and the Tarun Bharat Sangh mobilised local communities to revive traditional johads, helping to restore the Arvari River and regenerate agriculture. I was fortunate to visit the area and witness the transformation. I did not have the privilege of seeing the river flowing, but I sensed something perhaps even more important: people had regained a measure of ownership and agency over their water.

Jal Swaraj

In Keralam, in the past two decades (2005 to 2025), there had been several projects to democratise the water rights of people, surprisingly through World Bank, which is often looked upon as an agent of the modern imperialism by the 'democratic' west. I had the good fortune to associate with 'Jalanidhi' and contribute to documenting a few success stories, where people's processes made some unique success stories - people having decision making power regarding water rights.  The programme was not without political reservations and debate in the generally left-leaning (read, Socialist) Kearlam, but successive governments facilitated its implementation, helped by the funding available.  According to Jalanidhi, 5,884 rural water-supply schemes have been constructed and are operated and managed by communities. I hope those success stories sustain.  Jalanidhi demonstrated that water democracy need not mean free water. It can mean that communities participate meaningfully in deciding the source, design, management, maintenance and even the cost of their water supply.

I also read about Pani Panchayats of Odisha, where irrigation water users make decisions regarding the access and use of water. 

When Development Decision Displaces Communities and Destroys Water

Residing now on the banks of the picturesque Chitrapuzha, I recall the destruction of its waters through the imposition of urban projects upon rural communities, often with little meaningful participation from those directly affected. The neighbouring municipal corporation managed to procure land along the riverbank, effectively displacing a small local community of about 60 families who had lived a relatively contented life through farming and fishing. The land was subsequently converted into a waste dump, with decaying municipal waste leaching into the river, degrading its water quality and damaging its biodiversity.

Democratising Institutions for Just Water Governance

The experience also raises an uncomfortable question about public institutions. Large water agencies, by their very structure, can sometimes become supply-driven, centralised and distant from the people they are meant to serve. Kerala Water Authority, as the state's principal public water agency, provides an interesting case for examining this tension between centralised provisions and community participation. The challenge, therefore, is not simply to replace public institutions with private ones, but to make public water governance more transparent, accountable, participatory and responsive to the communities whose lives depend on it. .

Image - navadanyainternational.org

The Living Tree of the Cross - The Fountain of Life

Sep. 14. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

For a Christian, celebrating the Season of Creation with a focus on “Living Waters,” the solemn Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross can provide a powerful theological impetus.

The Cross, a wooden structure with 2 beams (one shorter & the other longer) fixed at a 90 degree intersection that served as an instrument of torture and punishment, over the centuries, especially, since the times of Emperor Constantine, became a sign of hope over death and defeat (I Cor 15:54-55),  a symbol of triumphalism and religio-political power,  a symbol for ritualistic veneration, and a piece of ornamental decoration. But it acquires a deeper significance for Christian spiritual tradition as the tree and fountain of life, particularly in the light of the scriptural narration of blood and water gushing forth from the pierced side of Jesus crucified (Jn 19:34), symbolising waters of life-giving grace. 

Further, it evokes the lost Tree of Life which flourished at the waters of the Garden of Eden (Gen 2–3), as well as the biblical image of the tree planted beside streams of water (Ps 1:3). In Christian tradition, the Tree of Life is seen as restored in the Cross on Calvary, through the life-giving blood and water flowing from the pierced side of Christ, the one who promises to give living water (Jn 4:14; 7:37–38).

St. Ephrem, the Lyre of the Holy Spirit (Kenara d Ruha), describes the cross as the fountain of life - “For being corruptible, it became incorruptible. And through faith it is no longer a tree, but the fountain of life eternal.”

However, for us as ecological citizens in this era of ecological crisis, I would still say that celebrating the Cross as the Tree and Fountain of Life should lead us to the practice of preserving tree cover and enhancing it—helping to sustain healthy soils, watersheds and living waters for the many deprived of the basic necessity of this precious gift of life: water.

Let us not stop at venerating the dry wood of the Cross in our churches; let us also act to increase the flow of living waters and embrace the solutions available to us.

Action: In celebration of the Cross, I have planted one tree.

I recall a reflection by the beloved Fr Bobby OFM: in the new scheme of things, the set of questions the Lord would ask (Matthew 25) is substituted with a single question: “Did you plant a tree?” For a tree gives food to the hungry, helps preserve water for the thirsty, provides material for clothing and shelter, offers habitat to organisms from the micro to the macro, including humans, and supplies  essentials for medicines for the sick.

So let us celebrate the Triumphant Tree—not merely by venerating it, but by increasing tree cover and helping to shelter our Common Home. 

P.S. Coincidence - Today, the story of Bittu Tabahi comes to my attention - the 21 year old young 

B Sc student, who took the cross of cleaning up his river, Ajnar (Biaora, Rajagarh, MP) and put up with hostility and ridicule of the people of his locality, and went about what he took upon himself as a mission. Jan. 26, 2026 start and lo, it's September 2026 - the river is beyond recognition, but for its good. 

https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxh8Zej7WuzPKndX_FqYNwna1K3eP1Qv3B

Literacy Beyond A-B-C-D: Towards A-B-C of Living on the Common Home

Literacy Beyond A-B-C-D: Towards A-B-C of Living Waters

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DYbC1Xfks/

INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY | SEPTEMBER 8, 2026 Literacy Beyond A-B-C-D: Towards the A-B-C of Living on Our Common Home

On International Literacy Day, we renew our commitment to ensuring basic literacy and numeracy for all. While we historically focused on reaching those outside the formal school system, our attention must now turn to schools as well. Alarmingly, many students who graduate with high grades still struggle with foundational life skills and functional literacy.

While literacy typically refers to letters, numbers, and increasingly computer skills, we must extend its definition to other critical domains of existence. The true A-B-C of surviving and thriving on this planet must be taught to all.

As all people of goodwill observe the Season of Creation (Sept 1 – Oct 4) centered on the theme of "living waters" (Ezekiel 47:1–12), we are reminded that water brings healing and life wherever it flows. This Biblical vision aligns deeply with Indian traditional wisdom, where water (Jala) is honored as one of the sacred Panchamahabhutas (five elemental pillars of creation) and rivers are revered as life-nourishing mothers (Lokmata). Both traditions teach us that water is not merely a commodity to consume, but a sacred gift to steward. The Islamic scriptural wisdom, proclaims: "And We created from water every living thing" (Qur'an 21:30), warning that water is given in "due measure" and must not be wasted (Qur'an 23:18).

Reflecting this reverence, the Rgveda’s Āpaḥ Sūktam / Hymn to the Waters (10.9.4) offers this timeless prayer:

शं नो देवीरभिष्टय आपो भवन्तु पीतये ।

शं योरभि स्रवन्तु नः ॥ ४ ॥

śaṁ no devīrabhiṣṭaya āpo bhavantu pītaye |

śaṁ yorabhi sravantu naḥ || 4 ||

"May the divine Waters be auspicious for our protection and for our drinking; may they flow around us for peace and health."

This year, let us advocate for Water Literacy across schools, neighborhoods, and communities. To be water-literate is to understand how water sustains life, how to conserve every drop, how to prevent pollution, and how to safeguard this precious gift for generations to come.

Fig. 2*

 Actionable Water Literacy Pillars:

• Literacy of Source: Understanding where local water comes from (aquifers, rainfall, local rivers, ocean) and where waste goes.

• Literacy of Usage: Affirming access to water as a fundamental human right while practicing rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and conscious reduction of wastage.

• Literacy of Protection: Eliminating single-use plastics (freeing water from the bottle) and chemical pollutants from entering local runoff and water bodies.

*Fig. 2 https://in.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=images+on+water+literacy&fr=mcafee&type=E211IN885G91648&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.groundwork.org.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F10%2FNorthumbrian-Water_Eventbrite-banner_V2_opt-2.jpg#id=5&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fprojectwet.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fcontent%2Fimages%2Fwaterliteracy.jpg&action=click

Moses - the Water Man of Faith

September 4, 2026 - Feast of the Prophet Moses

Moses: The Water Man of Faith

1) The name Moses is derived from his experience at birth—strictly speaking, three months after his birth—of being thrown into the waters of the Nile and then being “drawn/pulled out” from those very waters by Pharaoh’s daughter. The first encounter of Moses with our common home is through water.

2) In Exodus chapter 2, we find the young fighter for justice for his people having to flee to Midian for his life. His very first encounter with the people of Midian is about water rights. The seven daughters of the Midianite priest Reuel are helped by Moses in resisting the shepherds who were preventing them from drawing water.  The bargain ends with his obtaining the daughter of Reuel, Zipporah, as his wife. It is also a likely pointer to the fact that the “water wars” predicted by Vandana Shiva [2002] are not something entirely of the future, though they may take more aggravated forms in the future.

3) Then we have the famous Mosaic intervention that turns the fresh waters of the Nile into blood (Exodus 7), indicating the potential of human injustice to affect natural resources, as we have experienced indirectly in many cases and directly through the pollution of rivers such as the Cooum (Chennai), Yamuna (Delhi), Hindon (U.P.), Ghaggar (Punjab/Haryana), Musi (Hyderabad), Sabarmati (Ahmedabad), Adyar (Chennai), and Mula–Mutha (Pune).

4) The liberative passage of the Israelites begins on the watery grounds of the Red Sea, where the waters are divided (Exodus 14) to make a people free.

5) In Exodus 15, we come across the bitter waters of Marah, which are made sweet through Moses’ introduction of a piece of wood into them. Today, with much of our available drinking water becoming polluted, human determination and innovative action can certainly bring about change. Make the bitter water sweet, make the running water walk, and make the walking water lie down and remain within the bosom of the earth.

6) Exodus 15 also provides the comforting encounter with the twelve springs and seventy palm trees of Elim, reminding us of the gracious gifts of nature and of our need to conserve and enrich them.

7) In chapter 17, the great Water Man is confronted by the people demanding water in the wilderness of Sin at Rephidim. And the Lord comes to the aid of Moses, with water gushing forth from the rock at Horeb. The incident and the place become a reminder of the unresponsive human heart—Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarrelling).

8) In the wilderness of Zin, at Kadesh, the people again vent their frustration against Moses because they have no water. The Lord commands Moses to speak to the rock, but in his own frustration, Moses strikes the rock with his staff, perhaps entertaining a doubt in his mind as to whether the Lord would provide. The water gushes forth, but Moses is banned from entering the Promised Land in the last leg of the Exodus (Numbers 20:1–13).

9) The Vision of Water Sufficiency for All - Liberation also implies that.

In his last exhortation, Moses visualises the Promised Land:

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills.” (Deut. 8:7)

And in Deuteronomy 33, he speaks of water from above and from the depths of the earth (v. 13), along with an abundant harvest of grain and wine, implying also the assurance of water.

So, on the fourth day of the Season of Creation 2026, we have the legendary Water Man of Faith, Moses—one whose life was restored from and through the waters; who witnessed and manifested the impact of human action upon water; who led a people to freedom through a watery passage; who played mediatory roles in the small and great “water wars” of his time, implying the divinely endowed human potential to find and use water; and who envisioned a land and a life blessed by the gift of life—water!

And for believers, Moses foreshadowed the Second Moses, the giver of the Life-giving Waters (Jn. 7:37-38).

We Need the Water Man/Woman Here

(From the net - not sure of the authenticity)

Here in Kochi, we are on the banks of the Chitrapuzha (literally, “picturesque river”). Across from the institution is now the infamous waste dump of Kochi Metropolitan City at Brahmapuram, evidently polluting the waters through seepage and rainwater flowing over the waste dump, and also polluting the air with noxious gases released in abundance, affecting people all around, including the 10,000-strong learning community of the campus.

I spoke to our Jesus Youth of Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology to take up the challenges offered by the remembrance of the great Water Man, who provided water to the people: to identify local water issues, initiate experiments, establish models for managing waste without affecting water bodies, conserve water, reduce pollution, and clean polluted water.