Archbishop Raphael Thattil: “A Renewed Personal Encounter with Christ Is the Heart of Faith in Asia”

The second day  (Nov 28) of the Great Pilgrimage of Hope was highlighted by a powerful address from His Beatitude Archbishop Raphael Thattil, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church and Metropolitan Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India. He spoke on the theme: “A Call for a Renewed Personal Encounter with Christ.” Over 900 delegates, including bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful from across Asia, attended the session.

Opening his talk, Archbishop Thattil invited all Christians to rediscover and deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ, emphasizing that faith cannot remain merely nominal or intellectual. “Familiarity with stories about Jesus or knowledge about Him is not enough,” he said. “What is essential is a heartfelt encounter with the person of Christ, an encounter that fills our hearts with love and compels us to live and share Him with passion and conviction.”

Three Dimensions of Encounter

Archbishop Thattil highlighted three key dimensions of a renewed personal encounter with Christ: personal, renewed, and transformative.

• Personal: Faith is not about abstract concepts or rituals alone. It is about meeting Jesus in a living, relational way, like encountering a friend who truly knows and loves us.

• Renewed: Even those who have known Christ for years can experience their faith afresh. Encounters can be deepened and rekindled through openness to God’s grace.

• Transformative: A true encounter with Christ reshapes thought patterns, renovates personality, and redefines identity. “When someone truly meets Jesus, their life is never the same again,” he said.

Drawing on his experience in the Catholic charismatic movement in Kerala, India, he recounted witnessing countless lives transformed by personal encounters with Christ. Many who once lived without direction found new purpose, embraced faith more fully, and adopted a lifestyle rooted in discipleship.

Asia’s Unique Challenge

Archbishop Thattil highlighted the continent’s diversity of cultures, religions, languages, and traditions as both a challenge and an opportunity. “Asia is the sacred land where Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again, and also the birthplace of Christian faith itself,” he said. Yet Christians remain a minority in most Asian countries, even in India, where the faith was brought by St. Thomas in the first century.

He emphasized that only those who have personally encountered Christ can authentically share Him with others. “To speak of Jesus Christ, we must first have our own story of encountering Him,” he said. “Those who have personally experienced Christ cannot remain silent. They are compelled to share that encounter with others.”

Living and Sharing Faith Rooted in Love

The Archbishop called for living and sharing faith as a joyful, life-giving expression, not simply as an obligation. “The joy of a personal encounter makes our witness more credible, more effective, and more attractive,” he said.

He highlighted practical ways believers encounter Christ daily: in personal prayer, meditation on Scripture, participation in the Eucharist, acts of service, and compassion for the poor and suffering. Such encounters, he said, form the foundation for authentic Christian witness.

Key Priorities for Faith Life in Asia

Archbishop Thattil identified several areas requiring attention:

1. Interreligious dialogue: Christ can be a true bridge and Prince of Peace, uniting people across religious divides.

2. Inculturation: Faith must be expressed through the richness of Asian cultures, languages, and symbols, making Christ accessible within the continent’s diverse traditions.

3. Synodality: Lessons from the synodal process must be implemented to foster collaborative and inclusive ways of living faith.

4. Youth engagement: Asia’s young population faces poverty, inequality, and conflict. A renewed encounter with Christ must inspire hope, courage, and authenticity among youth.

5. Media and communication: Modern communications should be used positively and creatively to share faith effectively.

6. Lay involvement: Every baptized person is called to actively witness to Christ, reaching communities where clergy may not always be present.

7. Spiritual hunger: Millions across Asia continue to search for God; faith must present Christ as the ultimate answer to this longing.

A Call to Live Christ’s Love

Concluding his address, Archbishop Thattil urged participants to embrace living and sharing faith as central to Christian life, rooted in personal encounter with Christ. “Let this continent become a great harvest of faith for the third millennium,” he said. “Through renewed personal encounters, we go forth as witnesses of Christ’s love in words and actions, trusting that faith will take root in Asia and transform it into a beacon of hope, peace, and love for the world.”