In the sapro (morning prayers) of shimo prayers of Monday as well as in the Toyoobo (preparatory service) of the Holy Qurbana (Divine Liturgy) we sing:
`bed mor duk-rono tobo l`anee-dé mhayemné
dekal fag-rok qadeesho wesh-teew dmok hayo
wan-qoo-moon men ya-mee-nok
b-yaw-mo d-donho raboo-thok.
Translated to Malayalam:
കര്ത്താവെ നിന് രക്ത-ശരീരങ്ങള്, കൈക്കൊണ്ട്
ഭക്തരതായി മരിച്ചോര്-ക്കരുളണമേ, നല്ലോര്മ്മ
നിന്റെ മഹത്വമുദിക്കും നാള്
നില്ക്കണമവര് വല-ഭാഗത്തില്
Translated to English this means:
Lord! Grant good remembrance to all the faithful departed,
Who took Thy holy body and Thy holy blood.
And may they stand on Thy right side
on that great day Thou shines forth.
I have always wondered why we are praying that our Lord grand "good remembrance" (dukrono tobo or nallorma) to the departed. Are we praying that the departed souls may not have dementia and remember everything? Or are we praying that we be given good memory to remember our departed always? It is neither of these. In this hymn we are praying that our Lord may have remembrance of our departed. What does this mean?
We can best approach the meaning of this song through following the connection to the crucifixion of Christ. “What did the wise thief (as per tradition on the right side) ask for on the cross?” As we read in St. Luke’s Gospel, the thief asked: “Lord, remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom”
And in answer, in satisfaction of his wish, his wish to be remembered, the Lord witnesses: “Verily, I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”
In other words, “to be remembered” by the Lord is the same thing as “to be in Paradise.” “To be in Paradise” is to be in eternal memory and, consequently, to have eternal existence and therefore an eternal memory of God.
Without remembrance of God we die, but our remembrance of God is possible only through God’s remembrance of us.