Kauma
P. Holy art thou O God
C. Holy art Thou, Almighty Lord
P. Holy art Thou, Immortal Lord
C. Oh Thou that was crucified for us have mercy on us.
Kauma is a Syriac word which means stand up. “Koumi”[Mark 5:41] is an Aramaic word means ‘Stand up’. It implies not only that we physically stand up,
but spiritually too our hearts and minds rise up as we begin to worship God. In the Kauma prayer, we give praise to God and adore Him, hence Kauma is also referred to as adoration. In the Kauma, we also seek God’s mercy, so that we could approach God’s throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) and worship God.
Veil: The veil or the curtain separates the madhbaha from the place where the congregation sits. Veil signifies the hiddenness of heaven. The drawing aside of veil during the worship marks the opening of heaven and we are joining along with the heavenly worship. Heaven and earth are worshipping together. Madhbaha symbolizes heaven and the place where the congregation sits symbolizes earth.
Sign of the Cross: We draw the sign of cross holding the thumb, forefinger and middle finger together, signifying
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
When we draw the sign of the cross it means:
God from heaven,
came down to earth,
I was a sinner on the left, He died for me,
And brought me to His right side and made me His child.
During the Qurbana service, when the celebrant gives the blessing, he makes the sign of the
cross, the congregation responds by drawing the sign of the cross as a sign of accepting the
blessing.
Censers: A vessel used for burning incense and it is suspended on four chains. The three outer chains (for the Holy Trinity) attached to the bowl, and a fourth inner chain (for the Oneness of God) attached to the lid.
Incense is usually prepared by the deacon who lights the charcoals that are kept in the censer and
then before the worship service, incense is placed on the top of the charcoal and it gives a
pleasant-smelling odor and smoke.
Incense used during worship symbolizes two things:
1) Psalms 141:2 reads, “May my prayer be set before you like incense”. As the smoke rises
upwards, it symbolizes our prayers rising to God. This is also mentioned in the book of
Revelation 8:3, where in the angel of heaven offers incense, which rises before God with
the prayers of the saints.
2) As the sweet-smelling smoke of incense fills the place, it symbolizes God’s presence
among us.
Incense also serves to veil or to cover up something. The smoke of incense obscures our vision.
During the gospel reading, the deacon stands at the left side of the altar and swings the incense,
so that the smoke of incense veils or covers up the celebrant and the worshippers give
importance to hearing the gospel. Just like in Exodus 19, 20 & Deuteronomy 4 we read when
God descended on Mt Sinai and spoke to them, the mountain was wrapped up in smoke and
people only heard the voice.
Incense is used only during the Ante-Communion (the first part) service. Ante Communion
service is to spiritually prepare the worshippers for the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Why incense is not used after the ante-Communion?
Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church: Our church is named as Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. Each word in the name is very meaningful and is important to our church’s heritage and history.
Malankara– refers to a region in southwestern India, specifically the area around the Malabar Coast of Kerala, where Saint Thomas Christians are traditionally believed to have established churches. Thus our church was founded in Kerala, which was then known as Malankara. Hence the name Malankara.
Mar Thoma – The word Mar Thoma in Syriac means St Thomas. Our church was founded by St Thomas one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, who arrived in Kerala in AD 52. Hence the name Mar Thoma.
Syrian– In the early years, our church had a close link with the church at Antioch, and the liturgy used was in the Syriac language. Hence the name Syrian.
Lesson Readings, Epistle and the Gospel readings
The reading of the word of God is very integral in worship. We are nourished first from the table
of Holy Scripture. God speaks to us from His word, and the same Holy Spirit who inspired the
Scriptures opens our minds and hearts to the living word and prepares us to participate and
commune more meaningfully in the Holy Qurbana.
There are four readings which includes the two lesson readings, epistle and gospel reading.
The First lesson is from the Old Testament and the second lesson is taken from the New
Testament apart from the gospels. The epistle reading is taken from any of the epistles from
epistle of the romans to epistle by Jude. The epistle is read by the lay leader. The Gospel is read with reverence and honor because it is considered the direct words of Jesus Christ, hence before reading the gospel the lay leader reminds the congregation to stand in silence and reverence and listen to the proclamation of the living Word of God from the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, then the celebrant reads the Gospel.
Kiss of Peace: Kiss of Peace is of apostolic origin (Romans 16:16; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Peter 5:14). It is a
symbol of unity and reconciliation between persons. In Matthew 5:23-24 Jesus says “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Passing down the kiss of peace from the Thronos shows that peace comes from God and passes
to the worshippers through symbolic gesture of giving hands or bowing before others with folded hands.
Madbaha – The word Madbaha means a place of sacrifice. It is set apart as holy because this is
where the bread and wine are set, consecrated and sanctified. The Madbaha is the symbol of
heaven and is the center of worship where worshippers are drawn to heavenly experience.
Thronos – is the Greek word which means throne. It symbolizes the presence and seat of God.
Psalms 11:4 reads “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne. He
observes everyone on earth; His eyes examine them”. In Isaiah’s vision he saw ‘the Lord seated
on a throne high and exalted’ (Isaiah 6:1). In Revelation 5:6, Apostle John sees a vision of the
lamb slain standing on the center of the throne. The bread and wine placed upon the thronos
represents the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was sacrificed and shed for the atonement of the sins of the world. Hence in English the thronos is also called the altar.
Cross – At the center of the thronos, on the topmost region the cross is kept. Cross without the
crucified Jesus is a significant icon representing the Risen Christ. The cross also signifies the
sign of victory over sin and death and symbolizes the new life in Jesus Christ.
Candles- Lighted candles symbolize the presence of God. Jesus is the light of the world and reminds us that we too are called to be the light of the world.