Nazranis in the City

The death of Joel Jijo has affected all of us in powerful ways. His life was a true witness to the faith, which leaves us all wondering why God would take him so soon in such a tragic way. In this podcast, we reflect on the Christian meaning of death and how death is so much closer than we think, which should shape how we live our lives. In other words, death should increase our drive to become saints in heaven. ------------------------------------------ ➥ Check out our Shop: https://www.syrocreatives.com/ ➥ Check out our Blog: https://www.scbreathetogether.com/ ------------------------------------------ ➥Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe5KmbmD/ ------------------------------------------

The spirituality of abandonment has been really important to all of us, and SyroCreatives as a whole. Every day is a new opportunity to surrender everything to the Father. We open up our hands to Him, in order to receive good things. We let go of what we were holding onto to live in true freedom. This “open hands” spirituality rests on believing that God truly loves us, and holds all things in His Hands. ------------------------------------------ ➥ Check out our Shop: https://www.syrocreatives.com/ ➥ Check out our Blog: https://www.scbreathetogether.com/ ------------------------------------------ ➥Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe5KmbmD/ ------------------------------------------

Aby, Josh, Suraj, and Father Rajeev discuss the problems of “Cultural Catholicism.” We live in a faith community, we pray our rosary, we go to Mass or Qurbana on Sunday's, but it becomes a serious question to ask why we do all these things. Has the faith simply become a part of the background of our life? Or is it touching the deepest parts of our human hearts, and shaping our lives? ------------------------------------------ ➥ Check out our Shop: https://www.syrocreatives.com/ ➥ Check out our Blog: https://www.scbreathetogether.com/ ------------------------------------------ ➥ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe5KmbmD/ ------------------------------------------

Every year we Christians celebrate Easter. We even prepare with a fast and celebrate with a grand feast. However, sometimes we may see the Resurrection as the Christian version of the numerous legends across cultures. Do we ever stop to think about the fact that Jesus rose from the Dead at an actual moment in history? Do we stop to think about what that does to our lives today and our lives to come? ------------------------------------------ Link to Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Resurrection: ➥https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p122a5p2.htm Link to Learn More about the Resurrection: ➥https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qhQRMhUK1o Link to Bishop Barron Article on Resurrection: ➥https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/article/the-disturbing-fact-of-the-resurrection/ Link to Resurrection Icon: ➥https://tinyurl.com/36k9v4pj ------------------------------------------ ➥ Check out our Shop: https://www.syrocreatives.com/ ➥ Check out our Blog: https://www.scbreathetogether.com/ ------------------------------------------ ➥ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/syrocreatives/ ➥ TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe5KmbmD/ ------------------------------------------

Josh, Aby, and Suraj reflect on becoming more awake to our sinfulness this Lent. Some funny stories are shared about living in the Saint Joseph Household that helped them realize they're all sinners, and in need of mercy. It's only when we recognize we're sinners that we can invite God in to bring healing and mercy

In this episode with Josh, Aby, Fr. Rajeev, and Suraj, we talk about how we all ended up in NorCal. We talk about our inspirations to make such a move, the roller coaster of events that led to it happening, and lessons learned so far. We hope our story inspires you all to consider a Christ-Centered communal lifestyle.

Nazranis claim to have St. Thomas as their father in faith, but we hardly take the time to get to know him. We all have a caricature of who Thomas is, but we don't really know his character. Suraj joins us as we dive into the parts of the Gospel where Thomas is mentioned. By the end of the episode, we all felt closer to St. Thomas, and our devotion to him increased. He truly is a model of faith for Nazranis to follow. We hope you learn something about our father in faith in this little Bible study! Pope Benedict Article http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20060927.html Heres the link to our website: https://www.syrocreatives.com Check out our social media pages below: https://linktr.ee/syrocreatives

We all have our own perceptions of what it means to be a part of the Catholic Church. There are particular images that come to our minds when we hear the word “church.” Some might be good, and some might be bad. Aby and Josh reflect on the two central images that the Catholic Church claims to be: the Body of Christ, and the Bride of Christ. This is a core aspect of understanding who we are as Nazranis. Reference https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/the-eucharist-as-meal-sacrifice-and-real-presence/19903/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0lNTtos3Ak&feature=youtu.be Heres the link to our website: https://www.syrocreatives.com Check out our social media pages below: https://linktr.ee/syrocreatives

Aby and Josh reflect on the acronym RIM (Relationship, Identity, Mission). So many of us struggle with understanding our identity. Sometimes we try to put the mission first and have our identity be rooted in what we do. It's not hard to see the world struggling with understanding identity. It's probably the biggest question each of us has to face: who am I? The Christian answer starts with acknowledging God's love for the person. Our identity is found in that relationship with the Father, who claims us as His sons and daughters. Living in this helps us understand the personal mission each of us is called to. We hope this episode is helpful for you, and your personal journey. Heres the link to our website: https://www.syrocreatives.com Check out our social media pages below: https://linktr.ee/syrocreatives

As the 2020 presidential election approaches it seems as though the world is filled with anxiety, confusion and division. Through this episode we hope to walk with all of you to authentic peace, clarity, and unity. While we do not claim to be 100% accurate, we also hope to educate on some perspectives of Catholic Social teaching. Our goal is never to impose our own opinions although naturally we will speak from our own experience and insights. However, our primary goal is not to give you information (for that we will have resources in the description) but rather to talk about the importance of thinking as Catholics, especially when it comes to the political realm. Resources : https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/article/four-principles-for-catholics-during-election-season/28740/ https://youtu.be/yhNfjJVZDfc https://www.catholic.com/audio/cot/catholics-voting-and-abortion https://www.ewtn.com/vote/ http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus.html http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Today we had two special guests with us, Father Rajeev and our good friend, Suraj Sajo. Suraj introduces a letter written by the Greek Melkite Bishop Joseph Tawil in 1970, titled “The Courage to Be Ourselves.” Although the letter was written 50 years ago for a different Eastern church, we believe it's become a prophetic message for the Syro Malabar Church in the western world to consider. We spend the episode unpacking the riches of the letter and going deeper into what it means to be an Eastern church and the role we play in evangelization. We've also attached the letter for you to read if you desire! The Courage to Be Ourselves by Archbishop Joseph Tawil: https://melkite.org/faith/faith-worship/the-courage-to-be-ourselves

We had a conversation with Father Rajeev Valiyaveettil, a recently ordained priest for the Syro Malabar Diocese in America, and Aby's new associate pastor. We talk about his journey to the priesthood, involving seminary studies in America, India, and Rome. Afterwards, we discuss the role of the Syro Malabar Church in the western world, and what it truly means to be a Nazrani in the city.

Today, we discuss the struggles of communication between the two generations of Nazranis in the western world, not only between adult parishioners and youth but also between parents and children. It's important to recognize we all need to be honest with each other and our faults. Finally, we all need to recognize our true identity as sons and daughters of the Father, in order to find healing.

Here's the rest of the story, up to where we are now.

For anyone who needs a little help trusting in the Lord.

In this episode we discuss our story. While it would take endless episodes to share our whole story we hope this gives you an idea of how we ended up having this podcast.

The genesis of Nazranis in the City.