“A bell is no bell till you ring it, a song is no song till you sing it and love is not love till you give it away,’’ said Bishop Thomas Samuel of the Church of South India.
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The CSI Bishop was delivering the keynote address at the Ecumenical Meet of the 117th Maramon Convention at its traditional venue on the riverbed of Pampa at Maramon near Kozhencherry on Wednesday.
He said ecumenism is a mass movement, a motivation to the entire humanity.
“I have other sheep too that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also.’’ These words of Jesus Christ should be taken as a call for unity of the Churches and the entire humanity, the Bishop said.
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He said Indiana University professor Elinor Ostrom, Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences, stressed the need to protect the forests to save the life on earth and humanity which was a great philosophy of unity.
The CSI Bishop said not only the Christians, but the entire humanity was also bound to protect the forests at a time when the flora, fauna and the entire creation were craving for help. He said the Nilackal Ecumenical and Dialogue Centre was a paragon of unity.
According to him, as far as the Church is concerned, unity is a coincidence of the Jesus Christ in resurrection. Believers in China are trying to overcome the factionalism among churches, realising the truth that unity in life is a great experience, he adds.
Bishop Thomas Samuel said the Anglican Theological Commission Report of 2008 stressed the need for dialogues to achieve the goal of unity of Churches. Development of the Information Technology in the modern times could be effectively utilised for the unity of the Churches, he said.
Quoting the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the CSI Bishop said “Church is a place where Christ becomes visible.
Joseph Mar Thoma, Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church , presided the meet.
Meet against social evils
Joshua Mar Ignatius, Mavelikkara Bishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, delivered the keynote address at the meet against social evils held in the afternoon.
Gregorios Mar Stephanos Episcopa addressed the gathering, later, in the evening.