HURLEY -- As we start with a new liturgical year I thought it appropriate to give you a vague idea of my original rite -- the Syro-Malabar Rite.

The Syro-Malabar Church was founded by St. Thomas the Apostle. He came to Kerala in India in 52 A.D. He preached Christ among Hindus, which is the prevalent community in India. There he established seven churches or communities adapting the local culture and converting their temples into our churches. So we find many churches in Indian or Hindu architecture.

When you get into the church you see no pews. People stand to prayer and the holy Mass the entire time. Kneeling and genuflection are not part of Indian culture. Inside and outside you see no statues, not even a crucifix. We use the St. Thomas Cross.

The sanctuary is separated by a veil. It is only opened during the Mass after the creed until holy Communion time. In the sanctuary the Holy of Holies, there is the holy Altar, the most important thing in the church, and the St. Thomas Cross. Women are not permitted in the sanctuary. In the side chapels, there is the Blessed Sacrament on one side and the holy Bible on the other. That is the setting of the church.

We don't use different colors such as blue for Advent, purple for Lent and red for martyrs. For us the color is always gold representing the kingship and divinity of Christ. We don't have different Masses, such as Mass for the dead, children, etc. We have just one Mass -- for the glory of God. You'll see no choir in the church because the whole congregation is singing. A solemn Mass is for three hours, all the time standing and singing. A standard Mass lasts one and one half hours, and the church is fully packed for the service.

The Catholic Church is the communion of churches. It is the garden of God having 21 churches (rites) each with its own specialities and practices. In the Catholic Church there are seven major rites. They are Alexandrian, Armenian, Antiochene, Assyrian, Byzantine, Chaldean and Roman. Except for the Roman, all the others are called Oriental or Eastern churches. All of these major Eastern churches have sister churches, which make a total of 21 rites. The Syro-Malabar church is a sister church of the Chaldean church.

The Syro-Malabar theology teaches that Christ saved man by his one salvific "act." God has no "acts." Plurality is an imperfection to God. God the Father creates; the Son saves; the Holy Spirit sanctifies.

So the salvific act is one, singular, but it has nine phases or steps: 1) Annunciation, 2) Birth, 3) Baptism, 4) Public life and teaching, 5) Last Supper and institution of Blessed Sacrament, 6) Suffering and death, 7) Burial, 8) Resurrection, and 9) Ascension. Christ's salvific act started with the Father, in heaven. At the command of the Father, his Son leaves heaven and comes to the earth to be born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And that is the Annunciation. That is the Good News delivered to our mother Mary.

We too were once with God our Father. At the appropriate time, he created me in my mother's womb. We may say he also creates "in" me with new cells, with new spiritual insight, ideas and thoughts, etc. He creates everything new for me because God has no past and future.

The Syro-Malabar theology is rooted in the Gospel of St. John and in Pauline theology where Christ is humble, subservient and glorifying the Father (Jn 4:36; 5:30 and Phil 2:6-8). He, in obedience to the Father:

* became flesh (Jn 1:14) (full of frailty)

* remained in the womb of mother Mary for 10 months, was born in a manger (poorest birthday),

* was considered a public sinner (baptism of John),

* was rejected by all (Jn. 5:63),

* received a most heinous death (crucifixion),

* was buried in another's tomb (Jn 20:41),

*became bread and food (Eucharist).

Womb to tomb we see the annihilation of Christ.

The core of Syro-Malabar Mass is the Resurrection of Christ. St. Thomas had a profound and touching experience of the Risen Lord. Just for him, Christ appeared; and Thomas was asked to put his finger into his side (Jn 20:26-28). Thereby he experienced the mystery of Christ.

So the Resurrection of Christ is the most important and the greatest solemnity in the church. And it gives us joy, strength and hope. There is the sense of glorified Christianity. St. Thomas preached the Risen Lord to the Hindus because they are a God-seeking, God-experiencing and religious-minded people. India is the mother (cradle) of the world religions. The Hindus believe in rebirth.

The Holy Spirit is given due reverence in the Syro-Malabar Mass. Syro-Malabar theology teaches that the same spirit that was active in the creation of the world (Gen 1:2) was active in the incarnation (Lk 1:35). The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, that transformed the Apostles, now transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

So if there is a most important part in the Divine Liturgy (although there is no part as most important, all parts are equal), it is the invocation of the Holy Spirit and that falls after the "Institution Words." There are no "Consecration Words" in our Mass. Consecration and transubstantiation is done by the Holy Spirit. This hints at the mystery aspect of our Mass. The priest stands all the time facing the altar with his back to the people (priest and people marching to one goal), facing east (waiting for the second coming of the Lord).

To experience God is the basic need of all. We search for God in the depth of our heart or meet him high in heaven. There are two approaches to a high place. Either climb the steps and reach there tired or go round and round up the hill. This takes a longer time, but expends less energy. It is the Indian method.

Repetition is the essential element of Indian prayer. For the Hindus, saying the name of their god (Sahasranama) a thousand times is the prayer. They squat on the floor, close all their senses and say "O...m" a thousand times, going up and up, or deeper and deeper, until they are one with God. And that unity is long-standing. It takes time and practice.

Mass is a prayer. It is the expression of faith, adoration, thanksgiving, humility, entreaty and reparation. It is the acknowledgement of our sonship and of walking in the path of Christ. (That is why we stand, as kneeling is slavish.)

We came from God, were born as human beings in history and baptized into Christ, acknowledging our sinfulness and need of redemption.

In our public life we have our sufferings, death, burial, resurrection and our ascension, by which we will again be with our Father.

So our life, as is Christ's, is a circle. It ends with God. All phases are equally important. We live the Mass. Our life becomes one with Christ. We meditate on it, gain grace and strength from every Mass. We don't go to the Mass to fulfill the obligation.

On any given Sunday only 10 percent of the congregation will receive Holy Communion. Holy Communion is not pressed unless one is adequately prepared (1 Cor. 11:29-32).

The St. Thomas Cross is an icon of the Holy Trinity. God the Father is the foundation. The cross stands for Christ. The four ends of the cross are growing to the four ends of the world and flowering. The dove represents the Holy Spirit. And he makes the cross (Christ) lively. The lotus is the national flower of India. The cross in the lotus flower means Christ is the savior of India.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002