Life and times of the saintly ascetic- His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Didymos I Bava Thirumeni (of blessed memory). Commemorated on 26th May.

A life devoted to prayer.

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“It was in May 1995 that I received my first opportunity to travel with Thirumeni. We were travelling from Kozhikode to Kottayam and at around 2 AM in the morning we reached Devalokam. Early morning, I and (Thirumeni’s secretary) Semmassan were startled by the knock on the doors of our room. We opened it to see Thirumeni standing therein who had just finished the liturgical prayers in the chapel. We hung our head in shame when he asked- “You desire to join the seminary, right. Don’t you need to have prayerful life?”. We had reached Devalokam Aramana at 2 AM and at 4:30 AM, Thirumeni was ready (after having done the usual morning routine including bath) for the liturgical prayers. Thirumeni maintained this discipline in prayer life, that he inculcated in the monastery, till the end of his earthly journey. For us prayer is an obligation, for him prayer was life.

Even when he was physically weak (after having abdicated the Catholicose position) and had feeble memory owing to old age, he would enthusiastically participate in liturgical prayers without showing any signs of ill health or memory loss. It wasn’t the medications but prayers which offered him comfort.

Even in mundane things, his actions implied the reliance on God’s mercy and grace. In old age, Thirumeni had to take medications related to diabetes and heart ailments. At each instance of taking those medications, he would keep the pills in his left hand and with his right would bless it with a sign of cross before consuming them. Before signing any documents, he would make a sign a cross, keep the matter in prayers and only then he would sign. He would say the customary prayers before taking a bath (as stated in the Pampakuda Namaskaaram) and bless the waters with a sign of cross before bathing.

There would be no change in his prayer routine even if the circumstances were such that Thirumeni had to spend the night at someone’s home. If at all a prayer mat was unavailable in such home, then Thirumeni would place newspapers on the floor and do the prostrations.

Whenever Thirumeni celebrated Holy Qurbana, he would spend atleast 45 minutes for ‘Thoyoobo’ (the preparatory prayers) and his prayers with tears have been a moving witness for those inside the Holy Altar.”

May the prayers of the holy father be our refuge always!

In Christ,

Rincy John

Ref: Ancedotes by Fr Varghese Kurian (abridged)- HH Baselius Marthoma Didymus I Catholicos- Ashrama Aaramathil Vidarnna Panineer Pushpam (Biography), Edited by Elias Koshy Ramban, Published by Mount Tabor Publications, Pathanapuram, 26 May 2017, Page191-193.