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It is here that the role of the Church and its media vigilance assumes significance. The Church, the Bride of Christ, is in the world to promote, protect and proclaim the Truth. This could be about God, human existence, nature, freedom, justice, peace, etc. The Church, thus has a vital responsibility not only to make these values lived in her internal life but also to have these values permeated in the society. Therefore, the Most Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI admonishes the Church leaders and members to take maximum use of the media to be a different voice in the wilderness of selfishness and corruption. The sole intention of the Church is not to prove any wrong or run into competition and controversies, but to give witness to truth in a humble, but pertinent manner.
In the modern world man is so much dependent on media and its services. Man is to be given true information and his conscience has to be formed on that basis. Therefore, a believer is to be a communicator and also someone capable of being a corrective force in his surroundings. We all know the famous dictum: Medium is the message. A Christian becomes trustworthy for his fellow-beings only when he reduces the gap between what he holds and how he lives. We know that examples are powerful than words. In Jesus we find the perfect example of message proclaimed being incarnated in life. There was no difference between what Jesus preached and how he lived. There is no other message than His own very life. Therefore he could plainly and forcefully tell his disciples to follow him. He could also say: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. We need to follow Jesus' foot steps and from our life the world should know that Jesus is the Saviour of the World.
A second aspect is the evaluation we are called to make as Christians on what is commonly sent out and broadcasted through modern media. Modern Media rely so much on advertisement and commercial propaganda for their income and survival. If one truly evaluates the present day programmes in the Media one could easily say how much we are influenced by the media in our daily life and in the choices that we do on a regular basis. Whatever we see in the TV or hear in the Radio is real and true for most people. Our tastes and choices are determined by these clippings. Some unknown forces determine our needs and wants. Sometimes it goes to the extend of determining our minds and thoughts. Information is given to that extend that the poor mind is left with no choice other than to believe what is served in the media. Reality may be altogether a different thing. It is here that we should evaluate the undercurrents of each media and what each media is proposing. We often hear the phrase - everything with a pinch of salt. A Christian should be able to evaluate what one sees and what one is encountering each day in his life. Our role is to build the Kingdom of God on Justice, Peace and Brotherhood and for this media activities and evaluations are very important.
I am very happy that our Church in UAE has relaunched its website. To build up our Church in this area there is nothing so powerful than this website. Almost all have an access to internet in this area and our faithful can really be in touch with our Church and its various activities and thus helping members of the Church to have a vital ecclesial life. Through this site we need to educate our people in faith matters and also have to keep them informed of the various ecclesial and other regional events in the Malankara Catholic Church. One of the features I have noticed in the Gulf region is the annonimity among some of the members. It is true that they maintain rather good relationship with their home parishes in India; but they fail to get integrated with the Malankara Catholic Community. The website is a powerful means to break this anonimity and a chance to get associated with the Malankara Community in UAE.
I want to close this wish with the words of the Lord: I have come so that you may have life and life in its fullness. I too wish that whoever visits this site and want to strengthen their bond with the Malankara Catholic Church may find real truth and peace and joy in life. May they have life and life in its fullness.
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+ Thomas Mar Koorilos
Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla
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