A SHORT REVIEW BY FR. PAULOSE T. PETER
Vicar, St. May’s Church, White Plains, New York.
A British literarygenius named John Milton who lived in the 17th Century wrote two epic poems namely Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Someone joked that Milton wrote ‘Paradise Lost’ when he got married and wrote ‘Paradise Regained’ when his wife passed away. Not at all true. Rev. Fr. Dr. George Koshy, in his well-balanced soft cover book, ‘MARRIAGE, THE MYSTERY OF LOVE’, states that marriage “is the beginning of a miniature heaven, Paradise on earth”.
I have known Fr. George since the latter part of 1960s as we were trained together at the Kottayam ‘Pazhaya’ Seminary for priesthood. He has been an elder brother to me in the Seminary where together we prayed, sang, ate, played and studied. As my thoughts and memories fling back to those blessed bygone days, there are two things that stand out in my recollections about him. First, he was an excellent debater and second, winning an argument against him was next to impossible. He was a man of ideas and expressing them in good diction was quite natural to him.
The book titled ‘MARRIAGE, THE MYSTERY OF LOVE, An Eastern Christian Perspective’ is a testament to his ability to conduct a thorough research on the subject and to put his ideas in simple and comprehensible prose. I have always been very impressed and enthused by his style of writing in Malayalam and I do not mind saying it loud. There is a general perception that the topic of marriage is pretty simple and therefore does not provide enough appetite for anyone to do an extensive research on it. Fr. George has taken such a seemingly simple topic and dissected it with his expertise, beautifully exposing its essence withprofound theological implications. He delved deep into the meaning and implications of the sacrament of marriage, called otherwise the Mystery of Love,and encapsulateditsessence, viewing it from different angles.
Biblical excerpts and ideas are strewn throughout the book. The creation of man and woman and their interaction are seen as part of a “divine design”.Author sees a plan by God Through the differences and similarities of man and woman. The author discovers a divine plan by the creator meant more to cement the mutual relationship than to separate them. Even sexuality as a gift from God sets a high bar when used within the limits of marriage. Despite their differences, their distinct roles are complimentary to each other. “Emotional expression and erotic passion” sets the stage for “union and communion in extremely intimate moments”, says the author. The husband and wife with both their successes,their failures and typical physical attributes take their union to new heights of perfection, ‘transforming themselves to the fullness of the image and likeness of God’. That perfect relationship is patterned after the covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israelites andthe role-model relationship between Christ and the Church.
The author takes great care in walking on eggs though he does see marital love with its wondrous as well as tragic results, depending on the facets or feuds within a family. Being a priest of the Orthodox church, he has taken utmost care not to projecta locked vision of Christian marriage but instead to juxtapose his theme against practices prevalent in other cultures and religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. The supporting materials on the topic of marriage gleaned from several Church Fathers also add a special flavor to the readers.
The author is appalled by recent trends to approve and encourage ‘same sex marriages’ by secular and non-secular entities. He is obviously not a fan of such moves since they distort the generational relay of relationships handed down through centuries.
The book, inter alia, takes the reader to the numerous symbolisms involved in the sacrament of marriage, constantly shedding light to the biblical basis of every action performed.The author links the Liturgy of Holy Matrimony to the Liturgy of Holy Eucharist and to the Order of Baptism. I have great pleasure in recommending this handbook on Marriage as a good companion to any serious student or any to-be-wedded or newly wedded couple who want to learn more about the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in general and its Orthodox perspective in particular.
**********************
