Growing up in a Jacobite family, I accepted everything my parents taught me without question. As a child, I didn’t see myself as specifically Jacobite or Catholic —I simply knew I was Christian and that I loved Jesus. Following the tradition, I also prayed to Mother Mary and saints like Parumela Thirumeni as per the custom. Every night, we’d get together as a family to pray, sitting on the floor mat and reciting prayers in Malayalam. Since I couldn’t read the language, I had an English translation that allowed me to say the words, even if I didn’t fully understand them. Among these prayers, I recited the Lord’s Prayer, and the Hail Mary prayer, which is basically supplication to Mother Mary to intercede on our behalf to God.
During my life at Vithlesh Apartment, I don’t remember attending any Church. There were no churches nearby.
A new home and a new season
When I entered the sixth standard, we shifted our residence to Makarpura. Our new address was: A1-16, Priyadarshinini Nagar, Baroda 390010. It was an independent house, with a small garden in the backyard where my mother grew roses, jasmine, papaya, pomegranate, and passion fruit. She was passionate about gardening and I would help her occasionally water the plants in the evening. We lived in Priyadarshini Nagar for 17 years, from 1988 to 2004, surrounded by wonderful neighbours—Uthup uncle and family, Sudhakaran uncle and family, and Sudevan uncle and family—who became an integral part of our lives and felt like extended family. I made new friends like Prasad and Pratik from the same colony, and I would occasionally play cricket with them. Deepak Gupta, who lived in the neighbouring colony, was a regular visitor to our home for combined study sessions. But I badly missed my friends at Vithlesh apartment.
Near to our new colony were Don Bosco school, Auxilium Convent, Bhavans Kendriya Vidyalaya, Mother Teresa Ashram, Mount Carmel Church, Sussen Textiles, Novena Batteries, GIDC industrial estate. From 8th standard onwards, I studied at Shreyas Vidyalaya in Manjalpur, which was about 5 kms from our house. Until grade 7, I used to travel by a private rickshaw to my school. After that, I took the city bus for a while, and eventually rode a bicycle until I completed 12th standard.
Occasionally, I used to attend the morning church service at Don Bosco School with my parents. Later, the church built a magnificent new building on the Basil School campus, along the Old Padra Road. As the years went by, church attendance became a more regular part of my life.
Reflections on rituals and reverence
Before stepping into the sacred space of the church, we remove our shoes—a humble act of reverence rooted in tradition. The service lasts for two full hours, and we stand throughout, with only brief moments of sitting permitted during the liturgy. It’s not just a physical challenge; it’s a spiritual exercise in endurance. Like soldiers in training, we are taught discipline, patience, and devotion—qualities that define the Jacobite worship experience.
The service follows the ancient Syriac liturgy, interwoven with Malayalam hymns.
What I appreciate most about the Jacobite Church is its deep reverence and honor for God. No one is permitted to enter the sanctuary with footwear. Women must cover their heads, men and women stand in separate sections, and even children are expected to follow the same protocol as adults. It’s a strict discipline, enforced by the leadership, but I believe it’s a meaningful practice—one that cultivates a sense of reverence and holy fear toward God.
Inside, the main section is the altar, which is separated from the rest of the church by a curtain. In the center of the altar one finds the altar table, upon which the Eucharist is celebrated. The altar is considered the “holy of holies. The Book of the Gospels also rests upon the altar table. The whole section is restricted to only those who have specific functions within the altar.
As the service progresses, my attention focuses on the highly ornate dressing of the priest, the smell of the incense, beautiful tables and chandeliers, the curtains embossed with big Cross and pictures of Dove. Everything looks grandiose. The walls are adorned with magnificent large photos of Mother Mary and Baby Jesus, St George vanquishing the dragon, and pictures of high priests with long beards, who are no longer alive.
Periodically, we have to put the sign of the Cross touching the forehead along with the word “Father”, then move the hand to the lower chest at the mention of the ‘Son’, to the left shoulder at the mention of the word “Holy” and the right shoulder with the word “Spirit”, symbolising one’s belief and faith in the Holy Trinity. The sign of the Cross is usually performed before entering or leaving a church, and during liturgical moments—such as when the priest swings the chandelier during the service.
The entire service is meticulously planned and executed with precise timing and coordination.
In the middle of the service, I try to focus but my mind starts wandering. The ritual is melancholic. I look at the faces around me and wonder, am I the only one having this feeling?
My legs start to ache. I look at the clock and wish the time would fly, but instead I am stuck watching the seconds hand crawl by. I don’t sense the Presence of God. It’s a mystery how people are able to take part in the ritual without the Presence of God. Each act carries deep meaning, yet no one is there to explain what those meanings are. There are times when I feel the service is so dull, lifeless, and monotonous apart from the Qurbana songs and Gregorian Chants. I wish the songs would continue for some more time but then it ends abruptly. There is no leading of the Holy Spirit. It’s all practised like a precise movement of machinery parts in a vehicle.
After a long wait, the service finally ends. I heave a sigh of relief. We join the queue to offer our offerings, and the priest touches our forehead with a Cross. And the pattern repeats every Sunday, week after week.
I have often wondered: who introduced the intricate rituals that define today’s Catholic, Orthodox, and Jacobite churches? The New Testament presents a picture of faith that is dynamic and raw, centered on a powerful message, not a prescribed ceremony. This contrast between the early church and modern tradition is both striking and worthy of exploration.
The fulfilment of the old testament
Jesus, His apostles, and His disciples were all Jewish. Yet, they did not continue the meticulous rituals prescribed by Moses and the Levites. Why? Because those Old Testament rituals were designed as a shadow, a foreshadowing of the life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. With Christ’s coming, they were fulfilled. Their purpose was complete, making their continued practice unnecessary.
Those rituals were meant to foreshadow the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Once fulfilled, they no longer served a purpose. With His coming, these rituals were fulfilled, rendering their continued practice unnecessary.
In the early church, the focus was strikingly different. The apostles preached the Gospel with boldness, healed the sick, and delivered people from spiritual bondage. They gathered in homes, prayed together, and sang hymns. Their mission was clear: to spread the message of salvation to those who had never known God. They preached in synagogues, the temple, and public spaces, unencumbered by the weight of ritualistic traditions.
Bible verses to prove my point
Luke 4:15 says that Jesus “was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.” Later, in verse 21 of the same chapter, we read: “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
Some verses later, Luke writes: “Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He taught the people. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit… “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.” (Lk 4:31, 35)
Luke 4:44: “And He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” and 6:6: “On another Sabbath He went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.”
Every time Jesus went into a synagogue in the Gospels, He was teaching and preaching, and sometimes also healing the sick. He was evangelising, sharing the good news about the Kingdom of God.
The same is true for Jesus’ visits in the Jerusalem temple: “Every day he was teaching at the temple.” (Lk 19:47) “…Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news…” (Lk 20:1) “Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives.” (Lk 21:37)
In the book of Acts 2:46, we read that the disciples also went to the temple courts every day. And just like Jesus, they evangelised.
Acts 2:41-47 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
In Acts 3, Peter and John as they go to the temple at prayer time, they heal a beggar in the Name of Jesus and preach the Gospel!
Acts 5 tells us: “The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s portico.” (v. 12), that is in the temple courts. They then get arrested, “But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” (v. 19-20).
And so they did: “At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.” (v. 21) “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” (v. 42)
The same is true for the synagogues. Acts 13:5 says “When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.”
The rest of the chapter describes a sermon Paul holds in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia (vv. 14-42). The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathers at the synagogue to hear Paul evangelise (v. 44)
Acts 14:1 says “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” And later in Acts 17:1-3 we read:
When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.
And in Acts 17:10-13:
As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
And Acts 17:16-17: “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.”
Acts 18 writes about Paul: “Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. (v. 4) and Apollo: They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. (v. 19)
“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 19:8)
We read that the Apostles were beaten, and put into prison for preaching the Gospel.
Acts 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, 18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison
Stephen was stoned to death by the religious zealots for preaching the Gospel.
Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
This focus on proclaiming the Gospel came at a great cost. The apostles were beaten, imprisoned (Acts 5:17-18), and Stephen was stoned to death for his powerful preaching (Acts 7:57-60). They were persecuted for the message they preached, not for abandoning a ritual system. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see the apostles performing rituals that resemble the elaborate ceremonies found in many traditional churches today.
The lingering mystery
This leads to a profound disconnect. If these churches take pride in being the earliest established Apostolic churches, one would expect their practices to mirror the simplicity and evangelical focus of the Apostles themselves.
I once assumed these rituals were inherited directly from Jewish practice, but I now see that is not the case. So, where did they come from? How did they become so deeply embedded?
- Could they have been influenced by the Greco-Roman culture of Antioch, where the term “Christian” was first coined?
- Were they shaped later by the traditions of the Persian or Byzantine Empires as the faith spread?
- At what point did the focus shift from the proclamation in the marketplace to the ceremony inside the sanctuary?
An invitation to reflect
The early church, as described in the New Testament, was marked by powerful simplicity—a focus on Gospel proclamation, genuine fellowship, and prayer. The absence of elaborate rituals in the Apostolic era stands in stark contrast to the intricate ceremonies we see today.
This shift from a movement of power to an institution of pageantry raises critical questions about how tradition, culture, and theology have shaped modern Christianity. It’s a mystery that invites us to look back to our roots and consider what is essential.
What are your thoughts on this evolution?
