The passing of H. G. Pathros Mor Osthatheos has given four years of gloom to the church. A church leader with a difference who came up from the grass roots and went on to become a promising and enterprising bishop for the outside Kerala dioceses of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. There was always something different about him, something that made him stand apart from the usuals of the church. Today (August 20) on the passing of four years without his presence, voice and guidance, his relationship with children is something for us to look at and learn from.
Bishop Pathros Mor Osthatheos could be approached by any child without any second thoughts, fear, wonder or hurdle. He loved to spend time with children and always liked to have them around him. The Jesus expression of telling those around him to not prevent the children from coming to him because to such belonged the kingdom of heaven is as popular as it is confusing. Why would Jesus pick children to be important when they were seen as the exact opposite of powerful and authoritative in the society then? This was the true expression of what the kingdom of God was. Not a haven for the rich and powerful but heaven for the poor and the weak. Jesus makes a significant turn and questions the wisdom of the elders of society. Bishop Pathros Osthatheos was the same. He did not want to be with the powerful and those in authority. He rather wanted to be with the children, talk to them, ask them questions and answer the questions he was asked, and speak their language. Children can’t return anything with money and riches but can only give their time and love. The bishop knew it and yet he unabashedly spent time with children, not caring about the repercussions or missed investments. His ministry was one of love and compassion and not of business interests and profits.
His birthdays usually had children standing around him and even singing for him, blowing the candles and sharing the cake. He would offer the children an opportunity to celebrate a second birthday. Churches and leaders can learn from Jesus and from Bishop Pathros Osthatheos. If every person is a rupee bill we will only speak to those with money but if every person is a human being devoid of caste, gender and religion, we will only speak to the person or child in front of us and not to his caste or class. With Bishop Pathros Osthatheos there was no barrier of caste, class, gender, or age. There were only conversations in whatever language and gestures. His memorial should be a time to reboot and rethink. Are we going wrong with our material based church work instead of concentrating on the spiritual side and the welfare of the people? Are we only interested in profits and gains instead of experiencing and talking about failures and losses? Bishop Pathros Osthatheos’ life was all about losing to win, thinking about the welfare of others and offering second chances to everyone. May his fourth memorial offer us a different template and model for ministry, church work and life in general.
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