tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77196180501797151892012-02-17T06:28:45.381+05:30My Personal Desk is shared with you...Fr. Rubin Thottupuramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18274317077174791683noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7719618050179715189.post-9957682083585696242008-03-19T11:18:00.000+05:302008-03-19T11:20:07.213+05:30

PROCLAIMED BYPOPE PAUL VION OCTOBER 28, 1965INTRODUCTIONThe Sacred Ecumenical Council has considered with care how extremely important education is in the life of man and how its influence ever grows in the social progress of this age.(1)Indeed, the circumstances of our time have made it easier and at once more urgent to educate young people and, what is more, to continue the education of adults.

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CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS1. A Setting for Contraceptive MethodsThe practice of avoiding conception through various techniques has been manifest in most part of the world from the time immemorial. The oldest recorded medical recipes to prevent conception are seen in the ancient Egyptian papyri of c. 1850 BC which describe many means of averting pregnancy. Other reasons to use contraceptive methods

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The term Bioethics began to be discussed only from 1950s and 1960s however the terms like medical ethics and biomedical ethics were already in fashion. It is the technological advances in the biomedical area like; saving, improving and extending human lives necessitated the entry of bioethics. In biomedicine, 1960s was an era of extraordinary technological progress. It saw the advent of kidney

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5. Cyberspace in the Life of the Church5.1 Introduction How the available tools in the Cyberspace can be implemented for the daily functions of the Church is our main attention in this chapter. First part of it will be dealing with the present IT tools and upcoming technologies which are in the array to be added very soon.5.2 Cyberspace Tools5.2.1 WebsiteA website (alternatively, web

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4. Catholic Internet Mission: A Cyber Theology in Process4.1 IntroductionIt is clear that theology cannot ignore the internet, nor can it assume that cyberspace is just an extension of normal life. We must find a Cyber Theology with a digital hermeneutic that can address the complexity and the subtlety of computer mediated communication in its own terms. Catholic internet mission, the

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3. Church and Ethics in cyberspace3.1 IntroductionThe ethical question is whether this is contributing to authentic human development and helping individuals and peoples to be true to their transcendent destiny[i]. And, of course, in many ways the answer is yes. The new media are powerful tools for education and cultural enrichment, for commercial activity and political participation, for

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2. Church and Cyberspace2.1 Introduction Anything new has its own importance in the life of our Church. Normally we discuss its pros and cons for a long time, pending decisions will sometimes retort and destroys its growth drastically. For the last one decade we are seeing a remarkable growth in computer aided information storage, retrieval and transportation, and for the last five years

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Why broken marriages are in increase among Catholics?How can the Church help for sustained marriage –bond? THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONYCatechism of the Catholic Church in article 1601 says “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of

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George Manalel V.C, Priest as a Man: Counselling for the Clergy, Kochi: Karunikan Books, 2006, Pp. 120. Paper, INR 80."Clergy are not supposed to have problems," was the popular belief. "Or if they did, they could just pray about them and they would go away." I was convinced that they wouldn't just go away. After a quarter of a century of service to more than 2,500 clients, I am convinced the

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-Syamita prayer of the ordination rite-“to give absolution to your people…” -The first G’hanta prayer of the Syro-Malabar Holy Qurbana: “We may administer the gifts with perfect love and true faith”3.1. General Understanding of Sacraments -The sacramental economy of the salvation in Christ -Latin sacramentum (sacrare+mentum), Greek mysterion and Syriac Qudasa and Raza

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It is a fact and hard reality that quality and discipline are at cross roads in the total system of India. The quality of education / educational institutions in the past was measured in quantitative terms in relation to the:Students enrolmentFaculty strengthNumber of programmes offered andPhysical infrastructure in terms of buildings and other amenities etc.But today we are living in a

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We say that those who switch on their computers, log on to a program, perhaps go to a website, send an email or enter a chat room - go ‘on the net’. However, this does not mean that they get caught up in the net, but that they enter a social and public space of communication. Such a space is not material space. If we want to describe it, we will have to use technical terms otherwise used in the

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Part IChapter 11. Cyberspace - Definitions and Characteristics 1.1 Origin of the termThe word "cyberspace" (from cybernetics and space) was coined by science fiction novelist William Gibson in his 1982 story "Burning Chrome" and popularized by his 1984 novel Neuromancer. The prefix “cyber ” is much older, this word is clipped off from the word ‘cybernetics’, which comes from the Greek “kubernetes

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According to the early Christian tradition, the sacrament of penance effects the Christian reconciliation not as the only form but as a proper and specific form of celebrating conversion and reconciliation in particularly grave cases of rupture in the ecclesial communion.[i] Another fact to which history and the Bible point is that the Holy Eucharist is a perfect means for the remission of sins,

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A. Penitential discipline of the church is an essential aspect of her faith life and spirituality.The penitential discipline of the Church has been considered as an essential aspect of her faith life and spirituality. It permeates the whole of Christian existence and worship, both personal and ecclesial. By penitential discipline, we mean not only the SR but also all the other penitential

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General Outline1. Eschatological hope2. The Mystery of death3. Judgement of God4. Purification or purifying maturation5. Darkness or hell6. Resurrection of the dead7. Blissful light8. Parousia of the Lord9. Symbolic and non symbolic language10. False projections of judgement and after death11. Basis for Eschatology in the resurrection of Jesus Christ12. Time and eternityIntroduction The very word

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The work of the Spirit of God is manifested in the history of salvation, in the prehistoric narratives, patriarchal history the mission of the prophets, life and mission of Jesus and the life of the church. SALVATION HISTORYBible is the book of the people of God. God is the agent and the content of the divine revelation. The intervention of the God in history aims at the salvation of the people.

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Teaching of the Church on Responsible Parenthood and Responsible Procreation, and the moral difference between Natural Family Planning and Artificial birth control1. Introduction 2. Responsible Parenthood 3. Responsible Procreation 4. Responsible Parenthood: Teachings of the Church. 4.1 Casti Connubii 4.2 Pius XII 4.3 Vatican II 4.4 Pope John XXIII 4.5 Pope Paul VI 4.6 Humane Vitae 4.7

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IntroductionWhat is the uniqueness of Christian experience of God or what make the Christian different from the other religions? The answer is that the Christian experience is based on the supernatural revelation, while the others are based on natural revelation. According to Paul Tillich, Theology of revelation is a systematic reflection of Church’s experience and understanding of God who

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The church is from Jesus Christ in its sacramental origin, in Jesus Christ by its Trinitarian nature, of Jesus Christ with its unique divine dimensions and for Jesus Christ through its threefold ministries. 1. General introductionGod gave a person then a proclamation and then a people. This is the historical and the theological order. God gave first a person, Jesus Christ as the object of faith

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1. ST. EPHREM - AN INTROUDCTION1.1. Some Biographical Notes St Ephrem was born in 306 AD at Nisibis (now in Turkey). He was born probably of Christian parents. However according to Syriac version of his life, his father was a pagan priest. If it is true, he could have been converted later. It seems that he had a mystical bent and had an aversion to the world. And he seems to have retired to

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INTRODUCTION The first three gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are known as Synoptics. For these are of same structures, present the work and ministry of Jesus from the same view point, portray gospel events from the same view point and have similarity of material. Synoptics shed light into different images of Christ, though here focus is given to Jesus as Expected Messiah, fulfilment of

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Outline of the CourseIntroductionGeneral Problems of Mission or Missionary FieldsTheology of Mission of Vatican II (AG)Mission and MissionsEvangelii NuntiandiMissionary perspectives of Syro Malabar ChurchINTRODUCTION Redemptoris Missio 16 says, “We are in a new missionary age. A new missionary advent has come.” The history of the Church is the history of the mission. History tells us how the

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Orthodox Christianity in India The incident Coonan Cross Oath of 1653, led to the division of the Syrian Christians in to two: Pazhayakoottukar and Puthenkoottukar. The Puthenkoottuakar “consecrated” archdeacon Thomas as Metropolitan Marthoma I by 12 priests laying their hands on the head of the archdeacon. They then send appeals to the Antiochene, Babylonian and Alexandrian Churches for

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9. 1. Thrissur Vicariate John Menachery was born on August 1, 1857, at Njarackal. – negative report of Zaleski & positive report of Medlycott. Medlycott thought of an auxiliary bishop. He was consecrated bushop in Kandy by Zaleski on October 25, 1896. Returned to Malabar On December 8, 1896. There were 64117 Catholics, [5260 Mellusians, 19881 Jacobites] 62 parishes, 13 Chapels, 79 priests and

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Suriani Christians were in a unique and anomalous situation in the 19th century. Divided among themselves into fractions, the Suriani Catholics remained unorganized, confused and manipulated. The majority of Suriani Christians, both Catholic and non-Catholic were in the states of Thiruvithamkore and Kochi. The Residents of the English government in Malabar were as a rule on good terms with the

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7.1. The Coonan Cross Oath The revolt of Thomas Christians against Archbishop Garcia and the Jesuits in 1653 Division of the Thomas Christians into Syrian Catholics and Syrian Orthodox came as a result.7.1.1. Mar Atallah Archdeacon had sent letters to several of the oriental patriarchs (1648-9) requesting for a bishop. Mar Atallah (Arabic) [Aithalaha-Syriac] in Mylapore in August 1652. [

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Vasco da Gama, Portuguese navigator in Kappad, Kozhikodu (1498). (3Gs) -followed by Cabral with priests secular and Franciscan. In Calicut -an Oratory in 1500 and began evangelization with the help of a Brahmin convert, Michael a S. Maria. An uprising caused by the Mohammedans some were killed; the rest with Cabral went to the king of Kochi, enemy of the Zamorin of Kozhikode. The work [remember

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(Marthoma Margam/ Law of Thomas) (Fr. P. J. Podipara, The Thomas Christians, Bombay 1970, pp. 79-100)The Thomas Christians had hierarchical dependence on the Seleucian Church till the end of the XVI century. The Indian Church of St. Thomas Christians =one of the four ‘Thomite’ Churches of the East: the Edessan, the Chaldean (of Mesopotamia or Iraq), the Persian (Persia proper or Iran). They are

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4.1. Faith Fr. Placid J. Podipara: “ In fact the Thomas Christians were not an integral part, nor an output of the Seleucian Chruch.” Dependence whether hierarchical or liturgical, or even both, of a local church on another local church need not necessarily make both of these of the same faith and communion (E.g. Byzantine Church and Russian Church). After the Council of Ephesus of 431, the

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Leon McKenzie, Designs for Progress, Boston: St. Paul’s Press, 1967, Pp. 130. Paper, $ 10 One of the greatest questions of our time concerns the relevancy of religion and religious teachings in every day living. There are those who believe that religion has lost its relevancy and is hopelessly bound up in the needs of past ages, and in a rigid legalism of a mere superficial structure. Society

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Introduction Paul is the first theologian of the apostolic church. He gives the first radical detailed theological reflections on Christ event and Christian life. The letters of St. Paul are not intended to be formal epistles and most of them were written for a particular community. Letters are something very personal & confidential. It can be personal, free, intimate, familiar and frank. It can

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The primary thing we have to remember about psalm is that this is word of God. Content of the psalms is the content of the word of God. What is the content of the word of God – the narration of the act of salvation? What God has done for the creatures? What is described in the psalm is the experience of God’s salvation. What is the role of creatures in the word of God- they are the recipient of

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Introduction In the modern cyber age, where everything is having drastic changes in seconds, and the consumerist culture is predominant, a life which can be fully shared for others is of great importance. When we go deep in to one of those life style or the way, the Catholic Priesthood is worthy to study. Its relevance and challenges faced now are discussed in this paper, for it I made use of

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Letter to the Hebrews is the most important writing in the NT after the four gospels. Even though it is a unique writing it is often undervalued.Author Most of the scholars opine that it is not written by St. Paul. Those who hold this view say so because the author has not written his name at the beginning or at the end of the letter as he used to do in all his letters. But the professor

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A way to World Peace – As an Indian Sees itArticle by: Vandana MatajiVidyajyothi – Journal of Theological Reflection(July 1992, Vol LVI)My Comments on this Submitted to: Rev. Dr. George Pattery, s.j Santiniketan Abstract Three inspiring facts had strengthened in the author three convictions, which may inspire someone, by reading these words, to try out the method of bringing to our

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Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, London: Oxford University Press, 1950, Pp. 232. Paper, $ 8.95Rudolf Otto's Das Heilige (1917), is translated from German language, by John W Harvey as The Idea of the Holy. Rudolf Otto, who died in 1937, was born at Peine in Hanover in 1869. He traveled widely and in 1910 set out on a long journey to the East which was to take him round the world. During the II

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1. THE EPISTLE1.1 Authorities for the Text and Editions There is a triple tradition of the Greek text of the Epistle of Barnabas. Up to 1843 eight manuscripts of the Epistle of Barnabas were known to be in Western libraries. These manuscripts were all derived from a common source, and no one of them contained chapters i-v, 7a. Since then two complete manuscripts of the texts have been discovered

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In our time of many scientific achievements it has become customary to belittle faith in comparison to intellect. Knowledge is regarded as something firmly founded, positive, and completely objective. Faith, on the other hand, is considered to be arbitrary, subjective and unproved. However, both high confidence in scientific knowledge and disregard of faith are pathetic misconceptions. First of

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'The economic Trinity is the immanent Trinity and the immanent Trinity is the economic Trinity.' Karl Rahner (1904 -1984)IntroductionKarl Rahner explicitly declares that Immanent Trinity is the Economic Trinity and visa versa. “The way God is revealed and experienced in history is the way God is.” For Rahner God’s self-revelation or self-communication is the root of the Doctrine of the Trinity

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Life HistoryFriedrich Schleiermacher, the son of a Prussian army chaplain, was born at Breslau. He was educated in a Moravian school at Niesky in upper Lusatia, and at Barby Halle. Moravian theology soon ceased to satisfy him, and his doubts took shape. Reluctantly his father gave him permission to enter the University of Halle, which had already abandoned pietism and adopted the rationalist

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SIN Sin is the dark side of morality and it involves many thoughts and considerations. Long ago Pope Pius XII th said that ‘the greatest sin of the time is the loss of the sense of sin’. It is the greatest because there is no possibility of repentance and conversion. Here the sinner is in a sort of fool’s paradise and there may be other who consciously refuses to acknowledge sin. There seem to be

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4. Sources of Morality A human act, just because it is human (qua human) does not become moral. Morality is a quality of the action, based on its relationship to norms of behaviour, i.e. moral law. If it is positively related, the act is morally good, if it deviates from the norm it is morally bad, and if it has no special relevant to the norms of morality, the act is indifferent. Hence an act

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3. Human Act (Personal Act) Conscience, the moral source and resource within the person makes him aware of his obligation and instructs him about what he should do and should not do. Consequent up on this is the person’s obligation to make choices and decisions in the light of conscience’s directive and act accordingly. And this is human or personal act. Every being perfects itself through its

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2. Conscience Conscience is an important topic in moral theology and moral life. It is said that nothing happens in moral life, unless conscience moves or moral life revolves around conscience. There is a close relationship between conscience and moral law; moral law is the objective norm of morality and conscience in the subjective. Conscience transforms the objective duty contained in the law

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1 Moral LawLaw in general may be described as a directive for activity or constant way of acting or reacting in view of an end. Law is therefore is a guideline, bringing about regularity in actions and reactions for attaining one or another objective or goal, mainly physical, biological and biochemical laws operate within us and around us to make life regular, smooth and dependable. This makes us

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Moral Theology – A Theology of Christian LivingMoral Theology is a Theology, and a Theology is a science about / of God. It has God as he was revealed himself as the main object of its study. Theology is based upon revelation, in which we receive in faith, the mystery that God himself has revealed, primarily about Himself, and with the aid of reason enlightened by Faith. We attempt to penetrate

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IntroductionThis is the turning point in the Our Father. Where the first three petitions were directed to the glory of God, from now on they are concerned with our needs. The Church’s tradition finds two levels of request for nourishment in this petition. We ask for the food we need for our souls, and the sustenance we need for our bodies.Spiritual NourishmentWhen St. Pius X issued his decree on

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IntroductionOwing to the close link between the spirit and the body, man is unable to keep from outwardly expressing the movements of his spirit. Just as the body acts upon the soul, relating certain impressions to it through the organs of the external senses, in precisely the same way the spirit causes certain movements in the body. Like all his other thoughts, feelings, and experiences, the

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The Church - Christ is the head, we are the body An anthropocentric approachINTRODUCTIONAll New Testament authors agree that the condition in which creation found itself after the fall, caused by man’s disobedience and sin (Acts13, 22-31. Rom.8, 18-25) suggests also the way to its restoration. Indeed, re-creation consists in God’s action on the human level, through the incarnation of the Son,

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The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Inspiration and Illumination of Sacred Scripture(Spiritu Sancto inspirante conscripti)Anyone who attempts to strictly define the Holy Spirit’s activity faces a tremendous challenge. It is impossible for mere man to fully comprehend God’s activity in the world because he is limited in his understanding. Nevertheless, Scripture does give us some idea of how the

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Evaluation of the overtones of the Heavenly Liturgy of the Book of Revelation in our Liturgy(Discussion based on Rev 4, 8-11; 5, 9-14)The vision of the Heavenly Liturgy St. John received the Revelation on "The Lord's Day," that is, on Sunday. One must deduce that on that day, as was the Apostles' custom, he performed "the breaking of bread," i.e., the Divine Liturgy, received Communion and

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In November 1796, the Christians of Malabar sent four representatives (Antony, Joseph (Details are not known), Paul Pandari and Joseph Pandari) with the letter of their king Rama Rajah and of their clergy and the people to the Chaldean patriarch of Mosul, Joseph IV. The letter contained their grievances against the Carmelites and their request for a native bishop. Patriarch Joseph IV was dead

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The Meaning of Ordained Priesthood in Ecumenical DialoguesIn contemporary theology there is no question more difficult, more controversial or more urgent than the meaning of the ordained ministry. The difficulty arises not only from the pastoral aspects of the question but from the different decisions that the Christian churches have made in the course of history to assure that in differing

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3.1. Myth legend and History: Writers some times mix up history with myth and legend. . “Myths are specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experience.” (Ency. Brit. 24, 715) History and Myth “are both narratives, i.e., arrangements of events into

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2.1. Malabar tradition, known also as Indian tradition. - Some historians differ- Early history of many Christian communities shrouded in obscurity. St. Thomas Christian tradition is not vague and indistinct. - The tradition speaks of a date- The name of the seven communities St. Thomas established- the names of families- unfortunately no contemporary written documents- If no historical basis

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1.1. Origin of Christianity in India- different view points: St. Thomas the Apostle, merchants and missionaries from East Syria/ Persia- Some affirm, some doubt, some deny the apostolic origin. Most ancient Christianity in Far East. (West, East, Middle East, Far East) Lacking documents: climate, lacking sense of history, Diamper Synod of 1599 destroyed all documents.1.2. The early Indian

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The Gospel was proclaimed in India by Saint Thomas the Apostle. He landed at Kodungalloor (Crangannore) in Kerala in A.D. 52 and kindled the light of faith on this land with the baptism of our forefathers.[1] The ancient Church of Kerala founded by St. Thomas, despite the multitude of vicissitudes she has encountered, continues to flourish to this day. The Saint Thomas Christians of India known

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Chapter 1Faith in general1. Faith in generalThe attribute which typifies faith is simplicity. It is noticeable that even where there is mere religious sentiment, despite differences in moods or circumstances, the adhesion of the human to the divine is something eminently simple[1]. In the case of complicated or worried minds, in the case of those who appear to be oppressed by passions, problems

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Table of Contents1. Introduction. 32. Demonology in General 43. Demonology in Christianity. 63.1 In the Bible. 73.1.1 Scriptural references to demons. 83.1.2 Demons are. 83.1.3 Expressions of demonic activity. 83.1.4 Exorcising of demons. 93.2 Magisterium of the Church. 93.2.1 Fathers of the Church. 93.2.2 Councils of the Church. 103.2.3 Catechism of the Catholic Church. 113.3 Symbols and

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