Our Matchless Shepherd

 

On the demise of His Grace Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan on 18th October, 2020 IST.

Our Matchless Shepherd

A personality without match, 

A Minister without fail,

A Bishop with a difference,

An Administrator with its full gear.

It was not easy to delve into your eyes,

It was not easy to comprehend your ways,

It was not possible to realise your magnanimity.

It was amazing how you remembered details,

It was surprising how you tackled every problem,

You knew how to hold on to tradition, 

Yet keep things updated.

You'd travelled around the world,

You loved to collect souvenirs,

You knew how to comrade with anyone.

You mark the end of a great chapter

A chapter worth looking back to for morals

And lessons on management. 

You made yourself a legacy,

A legacy which can never be duplicated,

A warrior model which had no other twin. 

I can’t say that I loved you,

But I know that many of us revered you,

Yet you knew very well how people talked about you.

I hope those tongues will stop talking now,

I hope those souls will be able to forgive,

I hope you had gone in complete peace. 

His Grace is no more with us

But he’s with the One who’s Grace is sufficient

For my Church and it’s people.

We know you prayed for us,

You consecrated very many occasions,

You were a father figure who cared,

A guardian who tried to reconcile.

We bow before your aura,

We bow before your intelligence,

We bow before your stern sceptre. 

This is not a goodbye,

But rather a note of thanksgiving-

For a soul who was our Shepherd with a staff. 

 

With grief and respect,

Remya Rachel Thomas