December 1, 2025
Ad (to) + Venire (to come) - To come to us, to the planet.
Ventus-venta-ventum is the past participle - having come or arrived.
The combination results in a noun meaning arrival.
In the Syriac language (ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ — Leshānā Suryāyā), the term used is Subārā (ܣܘܒܪܐ)
It means hope, anticipation, good news of salvation, etc.
So the preparatory time of the feast of Christmas is a reliving of hope emerging from the good news of God's arrival among human beings, on this Common Home.
(i) It is linked to the manifestation or arrival of God as the loving father through the presence of Jesus on this earth.
(ii) It reminds us of God's presence among the entire creation, and this planet as the sacred dwelling place of God.
(iii) It reminds us of the good news that God can come anew into our hearts, at any moment of our lives as Tagore sings: He comes, comes, ever comes.
(iv) For those who believe in life after death, it is also a reminder of his final coming as the just judge!!
I would rather dwell on (ii) and (iii), drawing inspiration from (i). The rest, I leave it to that over-arching canopy of care, that all-embracing summit of goodness, thanks to which I move around thus; but which I am yet to have the privilege of a conscious experience. With COP 30 ending in Belem, Brazil, and with the legacy left behind by Pope Francis (Laudato Si - 2015) and, to a great extent, sustained by Pope Leo, I think it is high time that the Church focused on the presence of the divine and His(?) constant arrival on the Common Home, so that we go about with greater care as its stewards.
So, in addition to the conventional practices, steps that would heal the wounds of the planet could make the advent lifestyle more meaningful.
The traditional Aramaic* prayer is:
ܡܪܢ ܐܬܐܢ - Marana tha - Our Lord, Come (Rev. 22:20; I Cor 16:22)
A variant is given as: ܡܪܢ ܐܬܐ or - Maran atha - Our Lord has come. While both are meaningful, the season resonates with the aspiration and anticipation of Marana tha - Our Lord, Come.
And the Lord promises (in the text, the prayer is a response to this promise): Yes, I am coming soon (Rev. 22:21)
Today, I make this beautiful hymn my prayer:
Come, Jesus, come into this heart of stone!
Melt it and mould it, and make it your own!
Come, Jesus, come into this heart of stone!
*Aramaic is the Semitic language used in the region of Israel-Palestine, with varied dialects. Syriac (Malayalam - Suriyani, or in Aramaic - ܣܘܪܝܝܐ — Suryāyā ) is one such variant, having an Eastern (Chaldean) and Western (Antiochian) version. The St Thomas Christians of Keralam had been using this language as their liturgical language having been under the influence of the Church of the middle-east - of Chaldea or Antioch (later). Originally, as a filial church of the Church of the East (Seleucia-Cstesiphon, with seats shifting in Mosul, Alqosh, Baghdad (Iraq) and Urmi (Persia).
