Reminiscences for late Kunjum Varkey chettan on 40th day of demise..

Brief talking points of Dr KM George former UN Advisor

 

Date 15th June 2017.

Hon Metropolitans, Rev Sisters, Rev Fathers, Friends and the bereaved   family,

At  the  very  outset  let me  recall  a  verse  of  St  Paul, “ I have  fought  good fight;  finished  the race and  kept  the  faith. Finally waiting for the crown of righteousness “.

As  a  true believer in God this  is  very  appropriate  for  this departed  soul as  well , as  St  Paul  says.

On  a personal note,   I was  five and my  only brother  who was   three, when  we  lost  our  father to  a  cobra bite in the  early  1950s.As   young  orphans,  this  departed   great  soul  despite being  not much educated  and  not very  well  off, had  given us his lavish care and concern as  a  neighbour. He   hardly  knew  any limitations  in  lavishing his  love  to the   orphans  an the  fatherless  kids  around.

Once he did ask me if I knew the  phone number of God. I was totally confused. That was the time even we did not  even get  to see a telephone  in our own village or nearby towns in the 1950s.  But we had seen the pictures of phones.

He went on explaining the direct phone number of God with the  following alphabets and numerical. It was something like this…Jer: 33.3. I went  home to  refer the  bible  which  he  said  is from the  book of  Jeremiah  chapter  33 verse  3. It reads  like this, “ call unto me, I will  answer  you and show   you  great  and mighty  things that  you do not  know or  even  dreamt”.

Form  an ordinary  village  man  of low   education levels,  it was  a great  lesson to me.

During  many  of my  trials and  tribulations  in life,  this   phone number was  very handy  to  save  me  even from the  face  of death,  when I was  working in PNG and  Afghanistan. Even today that  mobile number of God is close to my heart.

 

The  departed  soul was  the   father  of  his   eight   children  including  Metropolitian  Dr.  Kuriakose  Theopheliose  who  is  an asset  to the   church in India and  the world  at  large. He is the  promise of the  future from the international perspective of wolrd peace dialogue in the changing times.

The  prayer  life,  the   simple living and  high  thinking  of this  ordinary  villager must  be a great motivating  force  for  his  children and  grand  children as  well  as   very many others  who  want  to take  up  the  challenges  of  life  to be  empowered by possibility  thinking.

 

Thank  you—thank–    you. … Thank   you

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