Kottayam Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakattu said that the Knanaya community is not just a narrow community but a church community. He was speaking at a meeting of the Archdiocese of Thellicom Chaitanya, which is the epicenter of the Archdiocese. He reminded us that the community is a specially guarded community under God’s special care and must continue to grow in individuality by relying on God’s care.
The Knanaya community is a community that has grown up in God’s special love. The community must grow in the future as well; Must exist. This community has always been exemplary in faith, Christian love and openness to the general society. We cherish the uniqueness of the community that our ancestors passed on to preserve many good values for generations. The sense of community is the emotion that is soaked in our blood. Unfortunately, some today exploit the sentiment of this community and turn it into a narrow society.
We must not forget that the Knanaya community is not just a narrow community but a church community. It is not good for the extremist community to alienate others. Some people are trying to destroy this community by the name of community protection. This is not our community handed down by the ancestors. This kind of extreme stance and demeanor will only serve to ridicule us in front of others. By that, we must realize that the destruction of the community is not actual community preservation.
Relationships with God and the church are the foundation and strength of this community’s existence. We cannot protect or care for our community by alienating ourselves from God and the church. Only through God and the Church can we protect our community. When Kadururuthy Valiyapally, the archbishop of our Archdiocese, has been raised as a Major Archy Episcopal Pilgrimage, which is generally accepted in the Syro-Malabar Church, it cannot be regarded as communal love.
Every Knanaya man must understand this. The Knanaya community should be able to stand proudly in front of the general public in the face of such narrow views. Those of us who have entered into God-centered, joyful fellowship with the children of God and proclaimed the faith of the Church, are in danger of going into a very narrow thought. The clergy, the devoted and the laity should take the lead in educating people on this matter. Communities of the Archdiocese, the Knanaya Catholic Congress, the Knanaya Catholic Women’s Association, and the Knanaya Catholic Youth League should be active in this regard.
It is painful for the Knanaya community to be ridiculed in front of the church and the world, destroying the great faith and heritage of their ancestors. We must realize that this is a loss to the community and will keep the future generation, especially the youth and children, away from the community. The legacy of the Knanaya community is not to fall into a narrow mindedness. Our ancestors worked to strengthen the church with the body of the Messiah, both before and during the missionary mission. Therefore, all members of the Knanaya community were welcomed.
We need to keep our own while working collaboratively with others. We have the impetus to keep that balance. Because the calling of God is the foundation of our fellowship. We were in a great relationship with others while standing firm in it. No doubt, that’s how we’ve grown. We need to have more clarity in our outlook on the church and the community. It is imperative to realize that God is the center of the Knanaya community and that the life of this community is the answer to the call of God.
There are particular high values that a community must adhere to when it comes to God. We are called to maintain and fulfill them. Only by taking care of it can we truly understand and act on the glory of our calling. In the context of our country’s changing landscape, we need to have a mindset of growing up with positive dialogue. We should strive to maintain good relations with one another, by being inclusive and maintaining a firm sense of our existence.
That is how Christian witnessing can be achieved. The Knanaya community, which has always maintained good relations with the communities we live in, must take care to keep it going. The Christian life is not limited to us. Never lose the good legacy inherited by the ancestors who descended to others and made sacrifices for their good. We should never forget the recognition and respect that the Knanaya community has received in the general community. He reminded that every Knanaya man should be able to stay awake and aware of what is missing.
