Pope Benedict XVl

It was with great sadness that I received the news of the demise of Pope Benedict XVl on Dec.31st while I was  attending the burial of Prof.K.K.Mathew at the Cathedral Cemetery at Chy. It was at a funeral earlier, eight years ago ,that we received the news of his resignation. Deepika issued a souvenir on that occasion where my article on the Pope was also included. Pope Benedict was a great theologian and his  explanations of the doctrines of the Church and the dogmas of the Faith are  very clear. He was really an intellectual with immense depth of knowledge. He is undoubtedly one of the great theologians of our time. The interviews he has  given to Peter Seewald were really  reappraisals of the doctrines of the faith as  applied to concrete situations.

The following are a few quotes from his book, Eschatology, on the Last Judgment.:

"The truth which has emerged as the fundamental orientation of man's existence in all the pathways of his life(is the judgment on on his life.).

Judgment is the truth of a man which has emerged as the fundamental orientation of his existence.

In terms of the sum total of decisions from out of which an entire life is constructed, the final direction  may be , in the end, a fumbling after readiness for God, valid no matter what wrong turnings  have been taken by and by.

God knows the shadows of our freedom better than we do ourselves." 

Prof.K.K.Mathew

 

                                                Prof.K.K.Mathew

          (Vachaparampil(Mangalapally)Koothappally –88 yrs old)

·        A teacher who was a gentleman to the core. Well-mannered and well dressed,

·        Respectful, considerate and gentlemanly in his dealings with his colleagues and students.

·        Soft spoken and courteous.

·        Never speaks a word out of place and never speaks ill of others.

·        Brief and pithy were his comments

·        Companionable and this was evident in his close and abiding friendship with Prof.K.T.Sebastian.

·        Those who met him were amazed at his affability and respectfulness.

·        A lover of the Church and was devoted to the Church.

·        A great father to his children, a loving husband and a caring and affectionate brother to his brothers and sisters.

·        Carried the great tradition of family values, of faith and of scholarship handed over to him by his forefathers especially by his father, Prof. M.T.Kurian , the Head of the Dept. of Mathematics at S.B.college.

·        One of the last of the great teachers belonging to the old guard. With his passing, S.B. has lost a devoted son and a strong admirer.

·        “A teacher affects eternity”(Henry Adams). His legacy will continue on influencing the generations of students who passed through the portals of this college.

·        (Wife: Lisamma Mathew, Chidren: Mini Mathew and Anu Louis)

It was with great sadness that I went to attend the funeral. The feeling was very strong in me about his absence from my life knowing that I will never see him and that his voice won't be heard any more. We used to meet every year during my return from the US in the company of Profs KTS, PJD,KVS, PCJ, KAG,AJF. His presence made the gathering always very pleasant and memorable. He was a man of  few words but was always present on important occasion at the college. He used to come in the company of Prof.K.T.S. Now we have lost those two great professors from our life. He always received us with great affection and warmth. The funeral took place on Dec.31,2022.I gave a short homily at the funeral. May God grant him eternal rest.