Season 1, Episode 3 with Fr. Sujit Thomas of the Indian Orthodox Church

Dear listeners,For most Oriental Orthodox Christians, today marks the Passover of Jonah, the feast day after a strict three day fast that heralds the coming of Great Lent. To discuss this on the podcast is my special guest Fr. Sujit Thomas of the Indian Orthodox Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.Fr. Sujit and I met in college at our Orthodox Christian Fellowship on campus. He took a whole group of us to visit his Indian Orthodox Church in Queens, NY one Sunday, and it was an unforgettable experience.The practice of Jonah’s Fast came to the Coptic Orthodox Church from the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. Because of the Indian Orthodox Church’s liturgical relationship with the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Indian Orthodox Church also practices this three day pre-Lenten fast.A highlight of our conversation was learning about the Indian Orthodox/Syriac Orthodox Lenten lectionary, which differs from the Coptic Orthodox one. The first Sunday of Great Lent in the Indian Orthodox Church begins with the Wedding of Cana in the Gospel of John. Fr. Sujit explains why:“The prayer on the first day of Cana reminds us of the transformation that is expected of the participant during Great Lent. Just like water is transformed, water, that which was plain, is transformed to something that is sweet and pleasing; in the same way our life is supposed to be transformed through the Great Lent” - Fr. Sujit ThomasMay this Lent be a transformative one for all of us!You can follow Fr. Sujit on Bluesky, Facebook, X, and Instagram. And you’re always welcome to visit his church in Philadelphia.REMINDER! The 2025 Hunger for Righteousness Reading Calendar is available for download now.Please share your thoughts on this episode in the comments, and happy Passover of Jonah!Phoebe Farag Mikhail Get full access to Being in Community, Phoebe Farag Mikhail's Newsletter at phoebefaragmikhail.substack.com/subscribe