PRIESTLY MINISTRY OF HUMANS ON THE EARTH OF THE LORD

Ecological Reading of the Liturgical Prayer of the Qurbana

Abstract

This article is an ecological reading of the Liturgical prayer of the Qurbana of the Syro-Malabar Church of the Thomas Christians of India in order to demonstrate the priestly ministry of humans on the earth of the Lord. Human beings celebrate and they are called to minister to the celebration of life in fullness, responding to the image of God, which we might call as priestly ministry of humans on the earth of the Lord. Remembrance initiates people to praise and thank God for the faithful, free and friendly relationships. The Liturgy of the Eucharist reminds human beings as ministers of remembrance and relationship and draws the roadmap for the celebration of life. In this Liturgy of the Oriental Church, the author traces the dynamics of a transmission of values in order to initiate a transformation from within in such a way that the worshipping congregation might appropriate the right relationship with the world in their daily ordinary life. Seen the creation as divine revelation, we are given an invitation through the second g’hantha (prayer of inclination) of the Qurbana to follow the chief actions of a priest, which each one has to perform in the celebration of the Liturgy and in the ordinary life. Hence, the author proposes that a renewed understanding of the values and vision celebrated in the Liturgy and the concomitant commitment to the manifold realities and relationships will help Christians to fulfil the priestly ministry of humans on earth of the Lord.