8 April 2027 · Syro-Malankara Rite
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“Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:7–8
Christ is risen! Eleven days after Qyomtho the Church opens the last chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews and hears a command that fits a memorial day: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Today the Panchangam remembers Most Rev. Lawrence Mar Ephrem, a bishop of our Church who died in 1997. To remember a bishop is not to keep a photograph on the wall. The letter asks for three things: remember those who spoke God's word to you, look at how their lives ended, and copy their faith. Then it gives the reason that makes such remembering possible: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The shepherds pass; the Chief Shepherd does not. The bishop who laid his hands on a priest, the priest who baptized a child, the catechist who taught her the Creed: all of them handed on one Lord, risen and alive, who is today what he was on the morning of the Resurrection. This is why the Church prays for her departed bishops and gives thanks for them in the Holy Qurbono: their work was his work, and he has not changed.
The Gospel puts a question to every leader and to every disciple: “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?” A steward does not own the house. He is given charge of it, and his task is to feed the household on time. “Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.” The wicked servant says to himself, “My master is delayed,” and turns the trust into a chance to beat others and to feast. St Gregory the Great, writing on the shepherd's care, said that the one placed over others is first a servant of their needs (in substance). The alternative Gospel shows the same thing from the shepherd's side: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” The food the household needs most is the word of God and the Bread of life. A bishop, a priest, a parent and a teacher are all stewards in their measure, and the master who will come is the risen Lord himself.
Hebrews then speaks of the altar: “We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat.” Jesus “suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood,” and from that sacrifice comes the food of the Church. The Fathers read this altar as the table of the Lord's Body and Blood, where the one sacrifice of the Cross is made present and we truly receive him (Catechism 1362–1367). From the altar the letter sends us out: “Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Here is how to keep this Easter week: come to the Holy Qurbono, praise God with your lips, and share what you have. Say a prayer today for the bishops who have served our Church and gone to their rest, and for the bishops who serve us now. Ask the risen Lord to make you a faithful steward of whatever he has placed in your hands.
Theme: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
On the memory of Most Rev. Lawrence Mar Ephrem: remembering our shepherds, the faithful steward, and the altar from which we live.
“Remember the days of old, consider the years long past; ask your father, and he will inform you; your elders, and they will tell you.” Deuteronomy 32:7
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
Apply: Pray today by name for a bishop, priest or teacher who brought you the faith.
“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished.” Malachi 3:6
“Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”” John 8:58
Apply: Hold fast this week to one truth of the Creed you are tempted to doubt, and thank God for it.
“I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:17
“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” 1 Corinthians 4:2
Apply: Share one thing you have this week with someone in need, as a sacrifice pleasing to God.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever; the shepherds who served us handed on the one risen Lord.
We eat from his altar and go out to offer praise and to share what we have.
Take-home resolution: Remember your shepherds in prayer, be a faithful steward of what the Lord has given you, and let him find you at work when he comes.
Dear friends, Christ is risen! Today the Letter to the Hebrews says: remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7). The Panchangam remembers today Most Rev. Lawrence Mar Ephrem, a bishop of our Church who died in 1997.
Shepherds come and go, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Every shepherd who served us faithfully handed on the one risen Lord, who does not change. That is why we pray for our departed bishops and give thanks for them.
The Gospel asks: who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? (Matthew 24:45). Every bishop, priest, parent and teacher is such a steward. The food the household needs most is the word of God and the Bread of life.
We have an altar, says Hebrews: the sacrifice of Christ, made present in the Holy Qurbono. From that altar let us go out to offer God a sacrifice of praise, to do good and to share what we have. May the risen Lord find each of us at work when he comes. Amen.
Children, Christ is risen! Do you remember who taught you to make the sign of the Cross, or to pray the Our Father? Maybe a grandmother, a teacher or a priest. Today the Bible says: remember the people who told you about God, and try to be like them. Tonight, say thank you to God for one of those people, and say a prayer for them.
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the same yesterday and today and forever, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep and took it up again. We thank you for the shepherds who spoke your word to us, and we remember today your servant Lawrence Mar Ephrem; grant him rest in the light of your face. Make our bishops and priests faithful and wise stewards, who feed your household at the proper time. Feed us at your altar, and teach us to offer you a sacrifice of praise and to share what we have. You live and reign for ever. Amen.