Homily on the Canonization of St.Chavara Elias.

Today is the feast of Christ the King. Jesus the risen King has many courtiers in his heavenly mansion. They are called Saints. They are the ones (mentioned in the book of Revelation): those who sit on thrones around the majestic seat of Christ the king. A saint is someone who lived his or her life heroically, or in an extraordinary way witnessing his or her faith in Jesus.

Today we are proud to have two saints added to the list of the Catholic church from our native state:.Sts.Kuriakose Elias Chavara the namesake of this parish and Sr.Euprasia who was known as praying nun who lived in the order founded by St.Elias. It is an honor for us to have these two saints in one stroke added to the Syro Malabar Church.

What is it that, they did to have been elevated to the status of saints. Well, with Sr.Euprasia nothing outstanding is said about her other than she was a woman of prayer. Probably that would tell us what we as Christians need to do to be saints in our life. Just keep the connection with God always; be a person of prayer. As a burning bulb needs to keep its connection with the electric  power source or transformer, so we need to be connected with God. That is the only, and the only thing needed to become a saint. As Jesus told Martha: Martha Martha you are worried about too many things, but only one thing is necessary, Mary has chosen that part. Because holiness does not come from doing a lot of charities or doing the right thing. Doing the right thing for Jesus. If that weren’t the case the Catholic Church should have canonized Mahatma Gandhi as a saint. He may be called a saint in generic sense of being a good man, but to be a saint in the eyes of the Church, all our actions should be done in and through and for Christ. So, being united to Christ and living for him is the Primary and basic requirement to be called a saint. Holiness comes from God. It is God’s property. It can be ours only through faith in Jesus. And therefore, doing works of charity will not bring holiness unless that emanates from one’s closeness to God. That is why St.Paul says that we are saved through grace not by works.

Observing the life of prayer and holiness of Sr.Euprasia, the local people called her “Praying Mother”, and her Sisters in community referred to her as the “Mobile Tabernacle”, because the divine presence she kept within her radiated to all she encountered.

Thus, with a pure heart Mother Euphrasia gave her maternal love and tenderness to those who sought her help. She gave them the comforting words of Jesus’ Gospel and interceded for them. For each little kindness bestowed upon her she would reply, “I will not forget it, not even after death”.

Mother Euphrasia had a profound sense of Church and she personally felt the sorrows and problems of the Church of her day. Mother Euphrasia offered her life in sacrifice for love of God. She abandoned herself to his will and finally joined him on 29 August 1952.

Moving on to St.Kuriakose Elias Chavara, he was a priest in the Archdiocese of Verapoly. To bring the Syro Malabar Church history in perspective: Till 1887 the Syro Malabar Church was under the Latin bishops governance and only in 1923 syro Malabar Hierarchy was restored.

St.Elias was born in 1805 at Kainakary, near Allappuzha. In 1830 he went to Mannanam to direct the construction of the first house of the congregation of which the foundation stone was laid in 1831. On 8th December, 1855 he made the religious profession along with other 10 companions, under the name “Kuriakose Elias of Holy Family”.

In 1871, on January 3rd, Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, with a painful illness, died at Koonammavu monastery in Kochi. His mortal remains were later transferred from Koonammavu to Mannanam in 1889, two years after the Syro Malabar hierarchy was established.

He was the Prior General of all the monasteries of the congregation from 1856 till his death in 1871. When, in 1861, a schism threatened the Church of Kerala with the arrival of Mar Thomas Rokos without proper credentials from the Pope, Blessed Chavara was appointed the Vicar-General of the Syro-Malabar Church by the Arch-Bishop of Verapolly.

Blessed Chavara is gratefully remembered and acknowledged by the later leaders of the Church and by the Catholic community in general for his strenuous fight, strong stance , and effective leadership in thwarting `Thomas Rochos’ intrusion and saving the church of Kerala from schism.

What made  Kuriakos Elias a saint is not anything that he did, like his contribution to education; (I don’t’ want to go into there in detail as you all already know it), or the positions he bore, but his extraordinary trust in God and in his ability to transform that trust into actions of Charity. His trust in doing little things with extra ordinary trust in God’s providence.

So, what is that we are called to do here when we celebrate this day? Just to rejoice and celebrate? Yes, but much more. It is a call for us to strive to become saints. These two were declared saints not because they were religious priest or a nun. No. If that is the case you people have no chance. But because as I said earlier they trusted in the promise of God. Sr.Euprasia chose what Mary chose and Fr.Kuriakose chose what Mary and Martha chose in their lives. If their lives do not present an invitation for us to strive the path of holiness, then this means nothing for us. We are called to be human beings, not human doings. It is primarily our attitude to life and God rather than our actions that matter most. So open yourself/ourselves to this call of God to holiness and in that our efforts these two compatriots will help us.