In
the olden days a special general body meeting of
the church used to be held on rare occasions with
leaders of other religious groups as invitees and
presided over by the Metropolitan. All the invitees
used to be provided with special seats. Since our
ancestor practiced astrology, there were some vested
interests in the group who wanted his excommunication
from the church. To discuss the issue such a special
meeting was held under the president ship of Metropolitan.
All the feudal lords and the leaders who were specially
invited were seated in advance and the meeting started.
But somehow or other our forefather could reach
the meeting only late. To the surprise of everyone,
as soon as he reached the venue every one involuntarily
stood up and greeted him with respect.
The message was loud and clear to the Metropolitan
which was that “the person is their most respected
teacher (guru)”. The Metropolitan realized
that it was out of place to even discuss the demand
for his excommunication and he reprimanded those
who made the petition.
In the context of penning down our family history,
the impact the ‘Reformation movement’
had on our family merits special mention. The reformation
in the Malankara church took place around 1852 and
by 1875,its repercussions were strongly felt in
the church at Venmony also. |
