17 July 2024

There seems to be a liturgical dispute in the Syro-Malabar Church in India. This is an Eastern Catholic Church which is autonomous whilst being in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The ‘syro’ part of the name refers to the use of the Syriac Rite and Malabar, now known as Kerala, is the centre of the Church.

The Church has an ancient origin. Members believe that it was originally founded by St. Thomas, the Apostle, in 52AD. No one can confirm this in an authoritative way. But it has been around for many centuries. It has 3,224 parishes and 4.53 million members worldwide. Most are in India.

For some time, the parishes have been worshipping in a similar way to Western Protestants and Catholics. The priest faces the congregation both to preach the Word and to celebrate the Sacrament. In 2021, there was a Synodical decision to face the people whilst preaching and to face East whilst celebrating the Sacrament.

At least 400 priests objected to this. They didn’t want to give up the more contemporary way of worshipping. The leadership of the Church threatened them with excommunication, something which had never been a part of the tradition. The priests have signed a petition objecting to this way of proceeding.

In our tradition, there is much less uniformity in liturgical practice. Two changes are becoming more widespread – the abandonment of the pulpit for preaching and the way the minister receives the Sacrament. Traditionally, he was the first to eat and drink, symbolically receiving the bread and the wine from Christ, our Host.

It is good to belong to a tradition which is more relaxed about such things. We are more inclined to fight over theology or even buildings than over liturgy. But worship is where the Church becomes visible to the world and what we believe is revealed in how we worship.

The centrality of the Word was celebrated in the central position which the Reformers gave to the reading of the Word and the location of the pulpit. A more incarnational theology has abandoned the prominence of the preacher and in the Sacrament some ministers are last to receive the elements.

But it is not our humiliation that we celebrate in the Sacrament but the humiliation of Christ on the cross and our exaltation through his unique sacrifice of love. As we sing in one of our beautiful metrical Psalms to the tune St. Stephen (Newington):

They in thy name shall all the day

 rejoice exceedingly;

and in thy righteousness shall they

exalted be on high.

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