About
The story behind Seeking Theosis
I am an Indian Orthodox Christian — a member of the ancient Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, tracing its roots to the apostolic mission of St. Thomas to the shores of India in 52 AD. It is a faith steeped in centuries of prayer, liturgy, and theological richness. And yet, for much of my earlier life, I struggled to truly understand it.
Growing up outside Kerala — far from the heartland of Indian Orthodoxy, far from the familiar rhythms of the parish, the Malayalam hymns, the community that breathes and lives the faith as naturally as air — the tradition I was born into often felt like something inherited rather than understood. The liturgy was beautiful but mysterious. The theology was deep but distant. The faith was present in my life, but I had not yet made it my own.
For years, I carried this quiet tension: a faith I belonged to but did not fully grasp, a tradition I loved instinctively but could not articulate. I suspect this experience is more common than many of us admit — especially among Orthodox Christians who have grown up in the diaspora, or outside the traditional communities where the faith is woven into everyday life.
“Acquire the Spirit of Peace, and a thousand souls around you will be saved.”
— St. Seraphim of SarovThe turning point came not through a single moment, but through a gradual awakening. As I began to study the writings of the Church Fathers, to sit with the theology of theosis, to understand what the Church truly teaches about God, about the human person, about salvation — something shifted. The faith I had inherited became a faith I encountered. What had once seemed opaque became luminous. The depth and beauty of Orthodox teaching revealed itself not as an abstract system of ideas, but as a living path toward union with God.
That discovery changed everything. The liturgy was no longer merely ritual — it became a participation in the heavenly worship. The fasts were no longer mere obligations — they became disciplines of love. The saints were no longer distant figures in icons — they became companions on the journey. And theosis — the teaching that we are called to become by grace what God is by nature — became not just a doctrine, but the organising truth of my entire life.
From Understanding to Sharing
This awakening did not lead me inward alone. It led me outward — toward others who might be walking the same path I once walked: young Orthodox Christians searching for meaning in a tradition they have inherited but not yet fully explored, seekers curious about the ancient Church, and anyone drawn toward the deep things of God.
I began to engage with youngsters in my community — those navigating the same questions I once had. Why do we fast? What does the liturgy mean? Why does the Church teach what it teaches? What is theosis, and why does it matter? The conversations were alive with hunger and honesty, and I realised how many were searching for the very understanding that had transformed my own faith.
Writing became a natural extension of that engagement — an avenue to put into words the thoughts, reflections, and teachings that had shaped my journey. Seeking Theosis was born from the conviction that the treasures of Orthodox theology should not remain locked away in academic texts or confined to those fortunate enough to grow up immersed in the tradition. They belong to every seeker. They belong to the whole Church.
This blog is also, in the truest sense, a sharing of lessons learnt — and lessons still being learnt. I do not write from a place of arrival, but from a place of ongoing formation. Through continuous reading of the Fathers, through engagement with the life and worship of the Church, through conversations that challenge and deepen my understanding, the journey continues. It is a constant process of self-development — of being shaped, corrected, and renewed by the Tradition. What I share here is not the finished wisdom of a teacher, but the unfolding reflections of a student who believes that the very act of seeking draws us closer to the One we seek.
This blog is not the work of a theologian or an academic. It is the work of a fellow pilgrim — someone who struggled, searched, and continues to be transformed by the beauty of the faith. Every article is written in the spirit of one who is learning alongside you, not ahead of you.
If anything you read here draws you closer to Christ, closer to the life of the Church, or closer to understanding the glorious calling to which we are all invited — then this blog will have fulfilled its purpose.
In Christ,
Jobin
