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uttering the fixative words. This becomes poignant because of
the fact that ‘the fixing of desolations’ came from a man who
was in his worst desolate state. Jesus was able to proclaim and
perform the very act in his brokenness and his state of pain.
His wretchedness did not stop him from having a gaze on the
other and their concerns. Hence, the Lenten meditations on the
passion narratives provide us spiritual resources to strengthen
our faith and also offer nuances for a responsible living as
Christians.

I express my deep sense of gratitude to God for his
sustaining grace to bring out these Lenten meditations. I’m
thankful to the Most Rev. Thomas K. Oommen, the Moderator,
CSI and Rt. Rev. Dr. Vadapally Prasada Rao, the Deputy
Moderator, CSI for their unstinted support and guidance. I
thank Rev. Dr. Daniel Rathnakara Sadananda, the General
Secretary, CSI for inspiring us by his theological articulations to
think and do beyond our own capabilities. My sincere thanks to
Adv. Robert Bruce, the Hon. Treasurer, CSI for his support and
encouragement. The work would not have come to a fruition
without the cooperation of the writers of the meditations. It
was gratifying to see their commitment in not only writing the
meditations but also translating the meditations into regional
languages. I thank God for this collective effort for the benefit
of the readers. Also, I express my gratitude to Prof. Paul
Gunashekar and Prof. Winfred Chellaiah for proof reading the
manuscripts; Mr. B.J. Bejoy Daniel of South Kerala Diocese for
the cover design. I believe that this resource would become a
blessing to the preachers, individuals and Bible study groups to
draw inspiration to be prophetic in their own context.

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Lenten Meditations Re - Imaging People