JANUARY 04, 2004, vol 54, no 1

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Even though the Catholic Church in Singapore is relatively small, her members are proud contributors to the country’s political, cultural and social development.

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II said

that Singapore had been greatly enriched by its variety of cultures and peoples and hoped that the harmony which has traditionally prevailed among the followers of the various religions in Singapore will continue and grow even stronger. The pope said this Dec 12 when Walter Woon, Singapore ambassador to the Holy See, presented his credentials at the Vatican.

Even though the Catholic Church in Singapore is relatively small, Catholics have much to offer “at a time when your nation and much of Asia are attempting to rethink past policies concerning family life and demographics,” the pope stressed.

Pope John Paul expressed thanks to President S.R. Nathan and the Government and people of Singapore for their greetings and conveyed “my good wishes and the assurance of my prayers for the peace and well-being of the nation.” This is the text o f the pope’s address to Ambassador Woon:

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S ingapore: C u ltu ra l b rid ge “YOUR presence here today takes my thoughts to the visit I was privileged to make to your country in 1986. The time I spent in Singapore allowed me the opportunity to experience at first hand a culture shaped by the influence of so many different ethnic and religious groups, which have for years lived in harmony with one another. Singapore has been and should take pride in its tradition of respect and esteem for this patrimony.

In fact, your country’s commitment to encouraging an authentic spirit of unity in diversity has made a significant contribution to the region and you can rightly claim that it is one of the most developed in Asia. Although Singapore is small in size and population, it nevertheless plays an important role in the area, often acting as a bridge of cultural exchange between East and West.

R elig io u s h a rm o n y “IN order for authentic globalization to be achieved, governments and peoples should encourage cultural diversity, at all times ensuring that it remains grounded in the moral principles and values which govern human behavior and relationships.

Singapore has demonstrated its dedication to these precepts by the ongoing commitment to religious tolerance, which it has enthusiastically fostered since independence. It is to be hoped that the

S cien ce, tech n o lo g y a n d life “RESPONSIBILITY for the well-being of others extends to all sectors of life. In this regard, I am aware of the significant contributions your country has made, especially in the spheres of science and technology. The ability to serve humanity through these is a gift demanding great respect. At no time can governments support initiatives which threaten the sanctity of human life for scientific or economic gain. “The great moral challenge facing nations and the international community in relation to development is to have the courage of a new solidarity, capable o f taking imaginative and effective steps to overcome both dehumanizing underdevelopment and the ‘overdevelopment’ which tends to reduce the person to an economic unit”. For this reason, proper judgment and prudent deliberation concerning the control of these fields is essential. Such discussions should include the different religious traditions which play a significant role in the life of your nation. These groups make an essential contribution to the genuine progress of society by drawing attention to the most profound human questions and values and by giving the spiritual and moral direction which must always accompany scientific and technological advances.

C a th o lics in S in g a p o re C N S file ph o to

harmony which has traditionally prevailed among the followers of the various religions in Singapore will continue and grow even stronger. This is especially important today, as moments of recent tension and tragic incidents in your region have challenged the mutual respect which is basic to the peaceful co-existence of all peoples. In accordance with your best traditions, there is a need for continued dialogue, understanding and cooperation among the followers of the various religions in order to ensure that all people work together for a civilization built upon the universal values of solidarity, justice and freedom.

T h e g o o d n eig h b o u r “SINGAPOREAN society is permeated by a deep appreciation for the importance of the spiritual and transcendent dimensions of human life. This has contributed to a recognition of the need to develop a culture in which “people live together”

always avoiding the temptation to become a society which rejects, marginalizes, uproots or oppresses others This fundamental responsibility towards our brothers and sisters is a characteristic of social interaction which must be exercised at both national and international levels.

Your country’s resolve to assist those beyond its borders is evident in the impressive international support which you offer. In fact, our shared commitment to the less fortunate is one of many areas which unite Singapore and the Holy See in our desire to serve the common good. An example of this cooperation can be seen in our joint efforts to form young professionals from poor countries in the region through the Singapore-Vatican Third Country Training Programme, initiated five years ago. Education is a key to sustained development. I am therefore hopeful that our attempts to train young people as conscientious and honest citizens will not only benefit their individual countries but will also assist Asia and the entire global community.

SALT & LIGHT

Pages 9 to 12

“EVEN though the Catholic Church in Singapore is relatively small, her members are proud contributors to the country’s political, cultural and social development.

At a time when your nation and much of Asia are attempting to rethink past policies concerning family life and demographics, Catholics have much to offer. As I stated in 1986, “Families have a unique place in the Church as a community of life and love. While being a communion of persons in dialogue with God, they have an important role in society. They must remain open to the larger community, so that the loving concern they show in their homes may be extended to others for the betterment of all”. A firm commitment to a culture of life and a culture of the family is an essential building block to the social fabric of every country and a requirement for long-term success.”

THE pope hoped that the bonds of friendship between the Holy See and Singapore will be increasingly strengthened and invoked his blessings on all Singaporeans. I

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By Jane Wang, Founding Director & Principal Therapist, Easter Joy Services Contribution: Love Offering • Victory Over Ourselves, Jan 18, 2.30-6.30 pm • Living Without Fear, Feb 15, 2.30-6.30 pm VENUE: 3791 Jin Bukit Merah #06-15, E-CENTRE@redhill S’pore 159471 For registration & enquiries: Tel (65) 6270-5622 Fax (65) 6271-7729 Email: hisw ord@ singnet.com .sg Limited Seats: Fees are non refundable.

Organiser: Easter Joy Services, set up in 1998 to equip people to be in their best through life skills training. W e also offer Christian counseling & spiritual clinic services.

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SINGAPORE - Faith & Light (FL) has just celebrated its second year of life in Singapore. FL communities have taken root in the parishes of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Blessed Sacrament.

Each community has around 40 members made up of persons with intellectual disabilities, their families and friends who accompany them. They gather at least once a month for prayer, sharing, and “makan”.

Members try to visit each other between celebrations.

FL believes that every person with an intellectual disability is a person of dignity and worthy of respect.

It believes these special persons have a great gift to share with us.

In their “brokenness”, they reveal the face of Jesus to us, and teach us about celebration, joy, acceptance and unconditional love amidst difficulty. Such signs of God’s Kingdom are always seen in FL monthly celebrations. As St Paul says in 1 Cor 1:27 : “God has chosen what is foolish in the world to confound the wise. He has chosen what is weak in the world to confound the strong”.

The past two years have been grace-filled ones for members. “It is in meaningful relationships

where each person is loved and accepted as he is and helped to grow that is the heart of FL,” says Peter Tan, a friend of FL community at OLPS.

MEMBERS o f Faith and Light during an outing in June 2002.

They m eet regularly fo r prayer and sharing.

The communities have become little oasis for members.

Peter Ting of OLPS says that his friendships in FL have strengthened him and helped him cope with the difficulties he faces.

M agdeleneYip - mother of Sebastian, one of our special persons- says that Sebastian and all our special persons are thrilled by the friendship they have experienced in the community.

The strong sense of belonging to a community, which we all often take for granted, is so very precious for them. When they have no friends, they think they are not loveable and that they are bad and they feel guilty for even existing.

As for the friends who accompany each community, it’s not so much volunteering as working with the special persons

to build the kingdom of God. Many friends come initially with a “volunteer” mindset, but this gradually changes into a partnership with our special persons. “We don’t see ourselves as helpers. In fact, they are the ones who are teaching us and bringing us to heaven”, says Michelle, a friend of FL .

FL may start other communities in Singapore while continuing its sharing with other special persons and their families in the coming year.

Those interested, please contact Magdelene Ng (Tel 6243 5507) and Gerry Szeto (Tel 6763 7484). □

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Paulines Singapore go online

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St Paul launch their website www.paulines.org.sg this week, making a host of resources available at the click of a mouse.

The site contains information on the Pauline congregation founded by Blessed James Alberione to spread the gospel through all means of social communication. It has a repository of audio and visual material for sale and also lists the outreach activities of the congregation and its association of lay collaborators. There is even a page for foreign visitors to learn about Singapore and the Catholic community here.

The home page has an animated introduction sequence of images and photos accompanied by soothing music.

The web site, fringed with

colorful batik banners for a Singaporean touch, is the labor of love by Sister Wendy Ooi, fsp.

Having taken a few months to put the pages together with the help of volunteers, she nonetheless enthused, “This website is organic and we will grow the pages with time.”

If you’ve wondered about the spirituality of the Pauline congregation, or wanted to know more about its mission, or are searching for a vocation, this website has the answers. With additional links to other Pauline websites, you can find out about the worldwide community numbering some 2600 in strength.

The media hub pages contain catalogues of media material sold by the Daughters of St Paul books, CDs, VCDs/DVDs and videos. Most of the material is produced and published by the Pauline family, including those in

Singapore. Some of the material comes with reviews to help shoppers make an informed choice before buying. Though the website is not set up to take orders on-line, you may email or telephone the sisters to order your goods.

The Pauline sisters have an active ministry of book missions to schools and churches, prayer sessions and evangelizing in the marketplace. The website lists the latest calendar of activities, so you will not miss the sisters when they visit a parish, school or shopping centre near you.

Sr. Grace Lee, who is the superior of the small but growing community of the Daughters of St. Paul in Singapore, hopes the website will enable people to encounter Jesus, the Word of God, through the different media of communication. “The website is where the Word meets the world,” she says. □

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Evangelizing at Christmas

By Sr Wendy Ooi, fsp SINGAPORE - “How do you

know Christmas is the birthday of Jesus?”

This question came from a sixyear-old girl who had been browsing at the Daughters of St. Paul kiosk in Jurong Point. As I explained and showed her the little nativity set we had on display, her eyes lit up as she understood for the very first time the true meaning of Christmas - that it is more than Santa Claus, more than the decorations, the trees and toys.

This episode is an indication of the ignorance of many children and probably adults too of the true reason for the season.

The Christmas season is a great opportunity for us to share

our faith with non-Christians.

Realising this, members of the Association of Pauline Cooperators spent the 4th Sunday of Advent at Jurong Point sharing the Good News of the birth of Jesus . They distributed pocket-sized 2004 calendars with the words “God loved the world so much, that he gave us his only Son that whoever believes in him will not be lost but may have everlasting life” on one side and explained the text to those who showed interest.

It is hoped that the calendar will be a reminder of what Christmas is about whenever it is used.

For more information about the Association of Pauline Cooperators and the Daughters of St. Paul, visit www.paulines.org.sg □

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Come, the H oly Infant Jesus is Waiting

UNITED NATIONS - T h e

Universal Declaration of Human Rights is “one of the most precious and important documents in human history,” the Vatican nuncio to the United Nations said on the 55th anniversary of the adoption of the declaration. Archbishop Celestino Migliore said the declaration had not only influenced the assem bly’s actions over the years but also “had a positive impact on national constitutions and other basic laws.” Pope John Paul II had previously called the declaration “one of the highest expressions of the human conscience of our tim e” and “a real milestone on the path of the moral progress of humanity.” □ c n s

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held a sports carnival at St Stephen’s School. “We thought it would be a good SINGAPORE - Sports to bring young people together - Jason idea to introduce the idea of an East District Sports Lau of the Church of the Holy Ministry at a big event,” said Family and Russell Shepherdson of the Church of Our Lady of Jason.

Despite intermittent rain, Perpetual Succor (OLPS) saw the some 300 people participated need and the potential. in the carnival including nine Jason, 27, began Sports kids’ soccer teams, 10 Sunday in 2002, a fortnightly captain’s ball teams, and event for youth to play soccer or parents and supporters. netball, coach kids or cheer their friends. Russell, also 27, started The East District Sports Ministry hopes to provide an the Catholeague, a football avenue for young people to league for youth.

ONE o f the finalists in the football return to the church through The two decided to join forces competition, Jumpy Monkeys, from the last October and by December they interaction with their peers Church o f the Holy Family. in a church-supported environment.

The ministry is raising funds A R C H B I S H O P ’S O F F I C I A L D I A R Y through love offerings and consolidating their volunteer base.

12.30 pm Good Shepherd CathedraLRed Mass - Catholic Lawyers’ Guild Jan 3 For the coming year, Jason and Johor: Bishops’ Conference Jan 5-12 Russell hope to organise weekly SFX Major Seminary: Presbyterium Jan 13-15 sports gatherings and leagues and other sporting activities.

Jan 18 7.00 pm 4A Chestnut Drive: Malayalam - Mass For more information email Jan 19 11.30 am SFX Major Seminary - Mass eastsports@ hotmail.com or call Jan 22 9.00 am Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: Chinese New Year Mass Jason at 97714239 or Russell at Jan 25 5.00 pm Church of the Holy Spirit: Archbishop's 40th Anniversary Mass 90073245. □

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English translation of the latest Roman Missal is off to an “excellent start,” says the Vox Clara Committee which met Nov. 18-20 in Rome.

This committee of senior bishops from around the Englishspeaking world was established in July 2001 to advise the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments on translations of Latin liturgical texts into English, and to strengthen cooperation with episcopal conferences in this regard.

“The committee heard reports concerning the recent meeting of Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the congregation, with the presidents of Englishspeaking conferences of bishops, the recent approval of the statutes of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) by the congregation, and ICEL’s plans for the translation of the ‘Missale Romanum,’” a press statement

issued by the committee said.

“Having examined sample ICEL translations from the ‘Missale Romanum,’ the committee expressed its gratitude for the excellent start made by the mixed commission in translating the ‘Missale Romanum’ in an English style which is in

AN illustration o f the Last Supper appears opposite the title page o f the revised Roman Missal. The third Latin typical edition o f the missal was released March 22,2002 at the Vatican, c n s photo

conformity with the spirit and the specific provisions of the instruction http:// www.vatican.va/roman_curia/ congregations/ccdds/documents/ rc_con_ccdds_doc_20010507_lituigiamauthenticam_en.html> ’Liturgia Authenticam,’ approved by the Holy Father on March 20, 2001,” the statement continued.

“The committee, likewise, made numerous recommendations to the congregation in regard to specific strategies by which all parties might focus more closely on the completion of the Roman Missal for the English-speaking world,” it explained.

“These strategies involved processes for the review of translations of the Roman Missal in segments by conferences of bishops and the Holy See, the development of explanatory materials, the timetable for the completion of the Roman Missal, and the relationship of the Roman Missal to other ICEL projects,” it explains.

The next meeting of the Vox Clara Committee, chaired by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, is scheduled for the spring. □ z e n it

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Nations have a right to defend themselves against terrorism, but the unilateral use of force cannot be justified, says pope in his World Day of Peace message

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY - International

bodies established to protect nations and settle disputes need to be reformed to deal with the threat posed by a surge in terrorist movements around the world, the pope said.in his annual message for the Jan. 1 World Day of Peace.

But countries cannot renege on their formal commitments to respect international law and work through the United Nations, he said in the message released Dec. 16 at a Vatican press conference.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said it is clear in the pope’s message and in the more than 30 peace appeals he made in 2003 that the pope believes the U.S.led invasion of Iraq was not a just war because it did not have the support of the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council.

At the press conference, the cardinal said that “it would be illusory” to think the Dec. 13 capture of Saddam Hussein “will repair the damage caused by that great defeat for humanity which war always represents.”

In the text of the message sent to heads of state around the world, Pope John Paul said, “Peace remains possible. And if peace is possible, it is also a duty.”

The pope condemned terrorism and specifically appealed for peace in “Palestine and the Middle East.”

Giving his message the title “An Ever Timely Commitment: Teaching Peace,” the pope said that his peace day messages for the past 25 years and the 11 messages written by Pope Paul VI beginning in 1968 provide a “syllabus” of necessary ingredients for teaching people how to promote peace with justice, dialogue, freedom, charity, forgiveness and respect for human rights.

“W hat remains now is to work to ensure that the ideal of a peaceful coexistence, with its specific requirements, will become part of the consciousness of individuals and peoples,” the pope wrote.

In teaching peace, he said, “there is a particularly urgent need to lead individuals and peoples to respect the international order.”

Throughout history, but particularly after World War II, the international community has developed principles, laws and

treaties aimed at resolving conflicts peacefully and putting an end to all war, he said.

“Accords freely signed must be honoured,” he said.

“The violation of this principle leads to a situation of illegality and consequently to friction and disputes which would not fail to have lasting negative repercussions,” he said.

Nations must be called on to uphold their commitments to peace, “especially at times when there is a temptation to appeal to the law of force rather than to the force of law,” the pope said.

Pope John Paul acknowledged

As he has said before, the pope also said, “the fight against terrorism cannot be limited solely to repressive and punitive operations.”

Even if the use of force is necessary, he said, it still must be accompanied by “a courageous and lucid analysis of the reasons behind terrorist attacks,” a solid commitment to eliminate the injustices that lead some groups to lash out with violence and real efforts to educate everyone on the absolute obligation to respect human life.

In his message, Pope John Paul said respect for law is the

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that the phenomenon of terrorism is difficult to deal with through established international law because the law was designed to regulate relations between states.

“The scourge of terrorism has become more virulent in recent years and has produced brutal massacres which have in turn put even greater obstacles in the way of dialogue and negotiation, increasing tensions and aggravating problems, especially in the Middle East,” he said.

New international instruments must be developed for the prevention, monitoring and suppression of terrorist groups and other forms of international criminal activity, he said.

But the absence of a specific international tool for dealing with terrorism does not justify one nation acting on its own and violating basic human rights, the pope wrote.

“Democratic governments know well that the use of force against terrorists cannot justify a renunciation of the principles of the rule of law,” he said.

“Political decisions would be unacceptable were they to seek success without consideration for fundamental human rights, since the end never justifies the means,” Pope John Paul wrote.

RESCUE workers search debris from car bomb blasts at two synagogues Nov. 15 in Istanbul, Turkey. Suicide bombers drove vehicles loaded with explosives into two synagogues where worshippers were attending bar mitzvahs. The blasts killed at least 20 people and injured more than 300.

Pope John Paul II deplored the bombings and urged the world to mobilize fo r peace and against terrorism.

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FO R A L L Y O U R . . first path to peace, but order is not transformed into peace without love and forgiveness.

Particularly in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East, Pope John Paul said, “a solution to the grave problems which for too long have caused suffering for the peoples of those regions will not be found until a decision is made to transcend the logic of simple justice and to be open also to the logic of forgiveness.”

The text of the message can be found online at: http:// www.vatican.va/holy_father/ john_paul_ii/messages/peace/ docum ents/hfjpii_m es_20031216_xxxvii-worldday-for-peace_en.html. □ c n s

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“The cinema is an indispensable vehicle to construct culture and, in the Church, to evangelize.”

- ( o r d in a l" K a il Poupardv■■president of the Pontifical Council for Culture. Cardinal Poupard said this at the 7th Congress on the Cinema and the Church organized jointly with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. The theme ol the co n g ress: “Christ in the Cinema: A Cattetnafiwrapliic Canon.”

THE POWER OF “PASSION VATICAN CITY - Several highranking Vatican officials attended a private screening o f M el G ib so n ’s “ T he P assion o f the C hrist” in R om e D ec 8 and cam e aw ay im pressed.

M em bers from the Vatican Secretariat o f State, the Pontifical C ouncil fo r Social C om m unications, and the Congregation for the D octrine o f the Faith, the group that oversees Catholic doctrinal questions, expressed unanim ous appreciation and approval o f the film .

T he follow ing is an exclusive Z E N IT interview w ith one o f the view ers, Dominican Father

Augustine Di Noia, undersecretary o f the doctrinal congregation.

Q:

M el G ibson’s “The Passion o f the Christ” has been a new sm aker for m onths - well before its scheduled release. A s one o f the handful of people w ho have actually seen it, what is your overall impression o f the film?

Father Di Noia: Seeing this film will be an intensely religious experience for m any people. It w as fo r me.

Stunning cinem atography and

consistently brilliant acting, com bined w ith the d irecto r’s profound spiritual insight into the theological m eaning of the passion and death o f C hrist - all contribute to a production o f exquisite artistic and religious sensitivity.

A nyone seeing this film - believer and unbeliever alike - w ill be forced to confront the central m ystery of C h rist’s passion, indeed o f Christianity itself: If this is the rem edy, w hat m ust the harm have been?

T he C ure o f A rs says som ew here that no one could have an id ea or explain w hat O u r L ord has suffered fo r us; to grasp this, w e w ould have to know all the h arm sin has caused him , and w e w o n ’t kno w this until the h ou r o f ou r death.

In a w ay that only great art can do, M el G ibson ’s film helps us grasp som ething alm ost beyond our com prehension. A t the outset, in the G arden o f G ethsem ane, the devil tem pts C hrist w ith the unavoidable question: H ow can anyone bear the sins o f the w hole w orld? I t’s too m uch.

C hrist nearly shrinks at the prospect, b ut then convincingly proceeds to do ju st that - to take on, according to his F a th er’s will, the sins o f the w hole w orld. I t’s astonishing really.

T here is a pow erful sense, sustained throughout the film , o f the cosm ic dram a o f w hich w e are all a part.

T here is no possibility o f neutrality here, and no one can rem ain sim ply an onlooker in these events. T he stakes are very high indeed - som ething that,

apart from C hrist him self, is m ost clearly intuited only by his m other M ary and by the ever-present devil.

G radually the v iew er jo in s the characters in a daw ning realization about this as the action m oves inexorably from the M ount o f O lives to the M ount o f Calvary.

Q l Is the film faithful to account of the p assion o f C hrist in the N ew T estam ent?

Father Di Noia: R em em ber, there

Dominican Father Augustine Di Noia, served as the theologian for the U.S. bishops’ conference before coming to work for Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as undersecretary of the doctrinal congregation.

■■■■H B H B B K ir I

are four accounts o f the passion o f C hrist in the N ew T estam ent, co ncerned chiefly to present the religious m eaning o f these events.

In “T h e D eath o f the M essiah” p robably the m ost com plete and m ost balanced study o f the Passion narrativ es ev er w ritten - Father R ay m ond B row n dem onstrated that, w hile there are som e differences am ong them , they are in substantial agreem ent overall.

M el G ib so n ’s film is n ot a docum entary but a w ork o f artistic im agination. H e incorporates elem ents from the P assion narratives o f M atthew , M ark, L u ke and John,

but rem ains faithful to the fundam ental structure com m on to all fo u r accounts. W ithin the lim its possible in an im aginative reconstruction o f the passion o f C hrist, G ib so n ’s film is entirely faithful to the N ew Testam ent.

Q I W h at struck you m ost about the film ?

Father Di Noia: You w ant the sim ple answ er? Jim C aviezel and M aia M orgenstem . P laying C hrist has to be one o f the hardest o f all dram atic roles. I w as very struck by the intensity o f C a v ie z el’s portrayal o f C hrist. T his is no t easy to pull off, w ithout the appearance o f an intru siv e self-consciousness.

C aviezel - and surely G ibson too - understan d that Jesus is the incarnate divine Son o f G od, w ho is nonetheless fully hum an. T hinking back on the film , I realize that C aviezel accom plishes this prim arily through his gaze, even w hen he looks out at us and those surrounding him through his one uninjured eye.

C aviezel conveys, entirely convincingly and effectively, that

C h rist is enduring his p assion and death willingly, in obedience to his Father, in o rder to satisfy for the disobedience o f sin. W e are w itnessing w hat the C h urch w ould com e to call C h rist’s “v oluntary suffering.”

R ecall the w ords o f St. Paul: “Just as through one m a n ’s disobedience all becam e sinners, so thro ugh o ne m a n ’s obedience, all shall beco m e ju st” [see R om ans 5:19]. A n d it’s not ju st about obedience. I t ’s m ainly about love.

C hrist is enduring this out o f love for his F ath er - and for us. D ram atically, there is absolutely no d oubt about this in Jim C a v ie z el’s outstanding portrayal o f Jesu s in this film .

B ut M aia M o rg e n ste m ’s M ary is equally pow erful. It rem ind ed m e o f som ething St. A nselm said in a serm on about the B lessed M other: W ithout G o d ’s Son, no thing could exist; w ithout M a ry ’s Son, nothing could be redeem ed.

W atching M o rg e n ste m ’s portrayal o f M ary, you get the strong sense that M ary “lets g o ” o f h er Son so he can save us, and, jo in in g in his suffering, becom es the M oth er o f all th e redeem ed.

Q I O ver the years, m any directors have tried th eir hand at film s about Jesus, o r the passion. D oes M el G ib so n ’s film strike you as being particularly original?

Father Di Noia: I am not a film critic. C ritics w ill have to ju d g e G ib so n ’s film in co m parison w ith oth er great d epictions o f C h rist’s life and passion, such as P a so lin i’s and Z effirelli’s. L ike these other film m akers, M el G ibson brings his ow n unique artistic sensibility to the subject m atter, and in th at sense his film is entirely original.

C ertainly, “T h e P a ssio n o f the C h rist” is m u ch m o re in tensely fo c u se d o n the suffering and death o f C h rist th an m o st o th er film s in

Q : D oes “ T he Passio n” blam e anyone fo r w hat happened to C hrist?

Father Di Noia: T h a t’s a very interesting, and very difficult question. S uppose you pose it to som eone w ho w as unfam iliar w ith

d eath o f C hrist.

T he n arrativ e recounts how the sins o f all these people conspire to bring about th e passion and death o f C hrist, and thereby suggests the fu ndam ental truth th at w e are all to blam e. T h eir sins and o u r sins bring C h rist to the cross, and he bears them willingly.

T hat is w hy it is alw ays a serious m isreadin g o f the P assion stories in the G o sp el either to try to assign blam e to one c h aracter or g roup in the story, or, m ore fatefully, to try to ex em pt o n e se lf from blam e. The trouble w ith this last m ove is that, if I am not one o f the blam ew orthy, then how can I be am ong those w ho share in the ben efits o f the cross?

A line from a C hristm as carol

‘It was very faithful to the Gospel.”

—Archbishop John Foley, President, Pontifical Council o f Social Communications, after seeing part of the movie.

“As I watched this yet unfinished version of the film, I experienced moments of profound spiritual intimacy with Jesus Christ. It is a film that leads the viewer into prayer and reflection.

I would gladly trade some of the homilies that I have given about the passion of Christ for even a few of the scenes of this film. I would like all our Catholic priests throughout the world to see this film. I hope all Christians will be able to see it, and all people everywhere.”

Q : T here have been reports that the film is excessively violent. W h at did yo u think?

Father Di Noia: I t ’s not so m uch violent as it is brutal. C hrist is treated brutally, chiefly by the R om an soldiers. B ut there is no gratuitous violence. T he artistic sensibility at w ork here is clearly m ore th at o f G riinw ald and C aravaggio than that o f F ra A n gelico or Pinturrichio.

We are talking about a film , o f course, but G ibso n has clearly been influenced by the depiction o f the sufferings o f C hrist in W estern painting. T he utter ruination o f C h rist’s body - graphically portrayed in this rem arkable film - m ust be set w ithin this context o f artistic depiction. W hat m any artists m erely suggest, G ibson w ants to show us.

In a m ann er entirely consistent w ith the C hristian theological tradition, G ibson dram atically presents to us the Incarnate Son w ho is able to b ear w hat an ordinary person co uld not - b oth in term s o f ph ysical and m ental torm ent. In the end, the ruined b ody o f C hrist m ust be seen w ith th e eyes o f Isaiah the proph et w ho d escribed the Suffering Servant as bruised beyond recognition.

T he p hysical beauty o f Jim C av iezel serves to accentuate the overall im pact o f the progressive disfig urem ent w hich C hrist undergoes before o ur eyes - w ith the terrible result that, like the Suffering S ervant, “he had n o form or com eliness that w e should loo k at him , and no beauty that w e should desire h im ” [Isaiah 53:2]. It requires the eyes o f faith to see that the disfig urem en t o f C h rist’s body represents the spiritual disfigurem ent and disord er cau sed by sin.

G ib so n ’s portrayal o f the scourging o f C hrist - from w hich m any view ers m ay be tem pted to turn th eir gaze - presents graphically w h at St. Paul says in Second C orinthians: “F o r o u r sake he [God] m ade him to be sin w ho kn ew no sin, so that in him w e m ight becom e the rig hteo usness o f G od” [5:21]. W hen you see the ruined bo dy o f C hrist in this film , you kn ow w hat it m eans “to be sin.”

p assio n and death before he suffered - in anticipation o f the actual sacrifice o f the cross. In M el G ib so n ’s artistic im agination, C hrist “rem em b ers” the L ast S u p p er even as he enacts the sacrifice it m em orializes.

F o r m any C atholics w ho see these im ages, M ass will never be the sam e.

In any case, issues o f originality entirely aside, M el G ib son’s film will undoubtedly be considered to be am ong the very best.

— Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect o f the Congregation for Clergy, after he saw a rough cut of “Passion” in September.

this genre. B ut, as an in itial reaction , three things about G ib so n ’s film strike m e as b ein g quite d istinctive.

O ne is the portrayal o f the devil, hovering in the background, and som etim es in the foreground, as a constant, eerily m en acing presence. I c a n ’t think o f another film that has done this w ith such dram atic effectiveness.

A n o th er thing is C h rist’s solitude: Som ehow , though surrounded by crow ds o f people, the film show s that Jesus is really alone in enduring this terrible suffering.

Finally, there is the depiction o f the L ast Supper by m eans o f a series o f flashbacks interw oven w ith the action o f the film . L ying on the blood-drenched stone pavem en t after the scourging, C hrist eyes the bloodspattered feet o f one o f the soldiers, and the film flashes back, significantly, to the w ashing o f his d iscip les’ feet at the L ast Supper.

Sim ilar flashbacks throug hou t the rest o f the passion and crucifixion bring u s to the breaking o f bread and th e drinking o f the cup: The audience, through C h rist’s eyes, w itnesses him saying “T his is m y b o d y ” and “T his is m y b lo o d .” The sacrificial, and thus eucharistic, m eaning o f C alvary is depicted through these haunting flashbacks.

T here is a pow erful C atholic sensibility at w ork here. In his recent encyclical o n the E ucharist, Pope John P aul II says that C hrist established the m em orial o f his

Father Di Noia: W ell, I guess I am

com es to m ind: “A s far as the curse exten ds, so far does his m ercy flow .”

W e m u st acknow ledge that ou r sins are am ong those C hrist bore, in order to be inclu ded in his prayer, “F ath er forgive th em fo r they know not w hat they d o .” W e very m uch w ant n ot to be left out o f this prayer.

T he C hristian reader is sum m on ed to find his o r h e r place w ithin this dram a o f redem ption.

T his is c lear in the solem n public reading o f the P assion narratives during the C atholic liturgies o f H oly W eek, w h en the congregation takes the part o f the crow d that shouts such things as “C rucify h im .”

In a p aradoxical way, the liturgy helps u s to understan d these otherw ise ho rrendo us o utcries as prayer. N aturally, w e d o n ’t literally “ w a n t” C h rist to suffer crucifixion, but w e do w ant to be saved from our sins. In the perspective o f faith, even the chilling “ L et his blood be upo n us and on o u r child ren” m ust be u nd erstood not as a curse but as a prayer.

P recisely w h at w e w ant - and w hat even the crow d gathered before P ilate un kno w in gly w anted - is that, as the B ook o f R ev elatio n puts it, w e be “w ash ed in the B lood o f the L am b .”

saying that - certainly in a dram atic sense. B ut fro m a th eo lo g ica l point o f view , to o , M el G ib so n has d e p ic ted in a very effective w ay this crucial elem en t in the C hristian understanding o f the p assion and

Q : T here has been a lot o f co ntroversy about the film ’s alleged anti-S em itism or anti-Judaism . C an you tell Z E N IT w hat you think about this?

the G ospel passion narratives until seeing this film . ’’W ho is to blam e for w hat happened to Jesu s?” you ask. T he o th er person pauses for a m o m en t to think about this, and then responds: “ W ell, they all are, a re n ’t th ey ?” T his answ er seem s exactly rig ht to m e.

L ook in g at “T he P assio n” strictly from a dram atic point o f view , w hat happens in the film is that each o f the m ain characters contributes in som e w ay to J e su s’ fate: Judas betrays him ; the S anhedrin accuses him ; the disciples abandon him ; P eter denies kno w in g him ; H erod toys w ith him ; Pilate allow s h im to be condem ned; th e crow d m ocks him ; the R om an soldiers scourge, brutalize and finally crucify him ; and the devil, som ehow , is b eh in d the w hole action.

O f all the m ain characters in the story, perhaps only M ary is really blam eless. G ib so n ’s film captures this feature o f the Passion narratives very well. N o one person and group o f persons acting independently o f the others is to blam e: T hey all are.

Q : A re you saying that no one in particular is to blam e fo r C h rist’s passion and death?

Father Di Noia: S peaking as a C atholic theologian, I w ould be bo und to condem n anti-Sem itism or anti-Judaism in any recounting o f the passion and death o f C hrist - and not ju st because o f the terrible harm that has been done to Jew ish people on these grounds, bu t also because, as I have already suggested, this represents a pro fou nd m isreading o f the passion narratives.

B ut let m e an sw er y ou r question plainly: T here is absolutely nothing anti-Sem itic or anti-Jew ish about M el G ib so n ’s film.

It is regrettable that people w ho had not seen the film , but only rev iew ed early versions o f the script, gave rise to the charge that “T he P assion o f the C hrist” is anti-Sem itic.

I am convinced that once the film is released and people get a chance to see it, the charge o f anti-Sem itism w ill sim ply evaporate.

T he film n either exaggerates no r d ow nplays the role o f Jew ish authorities and legal proceedings in the condem nation o f Jesus. B ut precisely because it presents a c om prehensive account o f w hat m ight be called the “calculus o f b lam e ” in the passion and death o f C hrist, the film w ould be m o re likely to quell an ti-S em itism in its audiences than to excite it.

From a th eo lo g ica l persp ectiv e, w h at is ev en m ore im p o rtan t is that the film con veys so m eth in g th at the e v an g elists an d the C h u rc h have alw ays seen clearly: W h at C hrist ex p erien c e s in the jo u rn e y from G eth se m a n e to G o lg oth a, and bey o n d , w o u ld be c o m pletely u n in tellig ib le apart fro m G o d ’s co v en an t w ith Israel.

T h e co n cep tu al fra m e w o rk is set alm ost en tirely by th e h istory and literature, the pro p h ets and heroes, th e stories and legends, the sym bols, rites, and ob serv an ces, and u ltim ately the en tire cu lture o f Judaism .

It is this fram ew ork, m ost fundam entally, that renders intelligible and expressible the natural need for satisfaction and redem ption in the face o f h um an sin and the loving determ ination on G o d ’s part to fill this need.

F ar from inciting anti-Sem itism or anti-Judaism , G ib so n ’s film will com pel his audiences to deepen their understanding o f this indispensable context o f the passion and death o f the Jesus o f N azareth, the Suffering Servant.

Q:

W h at w ill the film ’s im pact be?

Father Di Noia: You kn ow that throughout C hristian history, the faithful have b een encourag ed to m editate on the p assion o f Christ.

T he spirituality o f every great saint the nam es o f St. Francis, St. D om inic, St. C atherine o f Siena, com e im m ediately to m ind - has been m arked by a devotion to the passion o f Christ.

W hy w as this? B ecau se it w as re co g n ize d th a t th ere w as no surer w ay to sum m on from th e h um an h eart the love th at e v en b egins ad eq u ately to re sp o n d to the love o f G o d w h o gav e his S on fo r o u r sake.

I think that M el G ib so n ’s film w ill m ove people to this k ind o f love.

Y our heart w ould have to be m ade o f stone for it to rem ain unm o ved by this extraordinary film and by the un fathom able dep th o f divine love it endeavors to bring to life o n the screen. □

AN ART HISTORIAN’S VIEW OF “THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST”

By Elizabeth Lev ROME —F o r a fortunate few o f us R om e dw ellers, the m ost exciting ev ent o f this w eek w as the advance screening o f M el G ib so n ’s “T he P assion o f the C hrist.”

In a sm all basem ent cin em a o f R o m e ’s Prati district, prod ucer Steve M cE veety tersely introduced the film , explaining that w e w ould be seeing a m ere rough cut o f the n ew est G ibso n opus.

From the stream o f articles and testimonies this m ovie has spawned, it seem s that m ost people w ho have preview ed the film d id n’t know w hat to expect. I did. I am a diehard M el Gibson fan, and I expected the best. H e d idn’t let m e down.

W hat did surprise m e w as that the perso n I alw ays associated w ith the entertain m ent side o f m y life crossed over into m y professional w orld. A s a R enaissance art historian, I analyze art on chapel w alls, above altars or in m useum s.

T ho ugh film is arguably the w o rld ’s greatest art m edium , I generally turn o ff these faculties on enterin g the m ovie theater, as they are rarely called upon for to d a y ’s film s.

In the case o f “T he Passion,” every scene, every fram e, is richly crafted to draw the view er deeper and deeper into the story. A m asterpiece o f religious art - o f the m ost pow erful sort “T he Passion” involves the view er to the point that he or she becom es part o f the story.

G ibson’s film ing stands in the High Renaissance tradition. The figures fill the screen, they loom over us, threatening to enter our space.

W hen Christ falls for the last tim e on the road to Calvary, he turns towards us, the view ers, and slowly tumbles, arms outstretched, right over us.

T he flashback to C hrist and P eter produces a sim ilar effect. T he cam era is p laced to capture the face o f C hrist in profile, w hile P eter faces us full on. W e are seated to the righ t o f Christ, w itnessing P e te r’s solem n prom ises to follow Jesus even to death. T hen the cam era pans around so that C hrist looks straight at us as he tells P eter that before the nigh t is ov er he will have denied him three tim es. From bystan d er to protag onist in the blink o f an eye.

T he m ost com pelling interplay betw een view er and film occurs, how ever, during G ib so n ’s representation o f M ichelangelo’s Pieta.

M ary hold s her Son in th e exact sam e m anner, one han d cradling his body and the other han d op en tow ard the view er. T he variation com es in that w hile M ich elan g elo ’s M ary gazes solem nly do w n at her Son,

“Gibson has used the marvelous technology available to make the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ come alive for the people of our times. W hat is more, the film as a work of art - the performances, the dazzling cinematography, the sounds, lighting, and pacing - is just as powerful as the message it contains.’

- Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect o f the C ong regation for C lergy

Mel Gibson’s ULTIMATE HERO MOVIE G ib so n ’s M ary looks straight out at us. The m ovie draw s to a close provoking a full and conscious ackn ow led gm ent o f w hom this suffering has been for.

N ow it is o ne thing to fashion a w ork o f art, and another thing altogether to get people to look at it. E very sem ester I host a crop o f visiting college students, here to get a dusting in art history, eag er to v iew the beauties o f R om e. Yet on entering the Sistine C hapel they typically loo k up for ju st a m om ent o r tw o and then turn to m e fo r an explanation.

C ontem porary society is not used to having to look at som ething long enou gh to let it sink in.

M el G ibso n g ets around this in p art through the use o f A ram aic and L atin in the film . He offers som e subtitles, but not m any, and the view er finds h im self searching the faces o n the screen fo r resp onses, for personal interaction to try to und erstan d visually w hat he cannot grasp otherw ise.

T he C aravaggesque play o f light and dark across P ilate ’s tortured face as he struggles to understand “ w hat is T ru th ,” reveals m ore than

the dialogue itself. In som e cases, translation proves unnecessary. T he scoffing and jee rin g o f the brutal soldiers becom es feral barking, underscoring the m eaninglessness o f the violence it accom panies.

“In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making j an artistic triumph, “The Passion” evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the same.

“When the film concluded, this “invitation only” gathering of “movers and shakers” in Washington, D.C., were shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place.”

It is a m oving film , and what it moves you to is tears, and thought.

Growing up with Mel Gibson D U R IN G m y form ative teen years, M el G ibson accom panied m e w ith his portray als o f reluctant heroes and good-hearted rebels. H is best characters, such as M ad M ax or G uy H am ilton in “T he Y ear o f L iv ing D angerously,” alw ays w alked a fine line b etw een w hat w as right and w hat w as com fortable or convenient. W h en the character finally had to w rench h im self tow ard selfless good, the effort w as alw ays visible, alm ost painful. C o ncealed in unlikely shells, the hero em erges at the tim e o f necessity.

In “T he P assion o f the C hrist,” G ibso n has m ade the ultim ate hero m ovie.

In the o pening scene in the G arden o f G ethsem ane, w e see Jesus suffering w ith the forek now led ge o f his im m inent passion,

pleading to be spared this task.

T he eerie figure o f Satan, w ho w ould be distressingly at hom e in an M T V video, softly tem pts and dissuades. “N o m an can bear this burd en,” he w hispers w hile Jesus lies prostrate, seem ingly helpless on th e ground. B ut Jesus lifts h im self up, and w ith a decisive crack that m akes the audience ju m p , h e crushes the head o f the serpent Satan has sent to tem pt him .

A nother classically heroic G ibson m om ent finds C hrist on his knees, crippled under the w eight o f the cross. H is m other runs to com fort him , w hereupon he sm iles bravely and prom ises, “See M other, I m ake all things new .” The cam era follow s him up as he again shoulders the cross and struggles forw ard w ith renew ed vigor.

S purious charges o f an ti-S em itism have up staged m ore im portant debate regarding the religious and artistic valu e o f this film . The intensity w ith w hich G ibson forces us to think about C h rist’s p assion highlights the p ow er o f cinem a as an art m edium , as w ell as a tool for evangelization.

Personally, perhaps the sw eetest note on seeing this m ovie w as that m y adolescent hero has becom e a hero in m y adult life, show ing courage and vision in professing his b e lie f in C h rist’s salvific sacrifice against form idable odds. H ats o ff to M el. □

Elizabeth Lev teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University’s Rome campus. She can be reached at lizlev@ libero.it.

P AT HSESCIHOR »N 5T

*O P

Ms. Peggy Noonan, a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and author o f “A H eart, a C ross, and a Flag

Keith I Passion c www.behold 965.html and I “Passion” gets i is as it was” (first publi Street Journal) is at http:// www.beholdtheman.com/ri 1014.html. Many other artic “Passion” have been posted to the

Historical Jesus Message Board at http://

—Keith Fournier a constitutional

www-.heholdtheman.com/inboard/ index.html. More articles are available at http://www.passion-movie.com/englfeh/ news.asp

law yer and a graduate o f the John Paul II Institute o f the L ateran U niversity, F ranciscan U niversity and the U niversity o f Pittsburgh.

T h e film w ill prem ier in th e U S on A sh W ed nesd ay, F eb 25.

M el Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ” may be just the catalyst that some ol us need to jump start our Lenten preparation and perhaps change us permanently. The movie producer. Icon Distribution, Inc has prepared posters, postcards, doorhangers and other promotional materials which are available in small and large quantities for free. You pay only the shipping cost.

These materials, while intended to help promote the movie, are also useful for catechetical and evangelization purposes.

If you are interested, go to http:// www.thepassionofthechrist .com/splash.htm, click ENTER SITE, click FAN KITS.

CatholicNews

Sundays January 4 and January 11, 2004

SALT & LIGHT

A Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r of the S i n g a p o r e Past or al I n s t i t u t e A C A L L FO R IM P R O V E D D IA L O G U E IN THE C H U R CH

EDI TORI AL

B y Wendy Louis e approach 2004 with hope. While the US goes on high alert against attack, while hundreds die unnecessarily every day in wars, from hunger and disasters, while the UN tries to make all aware of the need for fair trade and human rights, we remain faithful and hopeful. We want to remain relevant in a world where in many places the Catholic Church is considered ‘out of touch’ with reality.

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In Singapore we are still very fortunate that our people, young and old, are fervent and faithful. Our future looks hopeful but we must ask ourselves what it is that will bring God’s mercy and love closer to our daily lives and the lives of all peoples.

Here are highlights from our calendar for 2004. The Singapore Pastoral Institute was invited by the archbishop and the Senate of Priests to help organize the Eucharistic Congress which will climax in a Mass at the Indoor Stadium on June 13th. You can look forward to many talks and events related to the Eucharist, especially in April and May. Our hope is that there will be renewal and deepening of understanding of the Eucharist as the place where we meet Christ and are bonded as a community that has to live out the mission of Jesus Christ.

A new event which we are organizing is the Lenten Lectures where the Archbishop and other speakers will preach on various topics and pray the psalms of the Liturgy of the Hours. All are welcome.

As usual we have a full calendar of biblical, catechetical and pastoral courses. In addition to these the 3 year-Bible Diploma fo r Adults and the 2-year Diploma in Adult Faith Formation continue to receive good response and will begin again in 2004. Because of the success of the October workshop Pastoral Care o f the Sick, we plan to hold the workshop twice next year in collaboration with the Catholic Nurses Guild.

The Catholic Primary Schools Bible programme has been revised and is ready for use. Workshops on using the revised material will be conducted in many of the primary schools in the early weeks of January. The programme is published by the SPI. You will notice in this section that we have changes in staff. We wish Christina Ying all the best for her future plans and welcome Susanna, Inez, and Sr. Francesca to the team. They will be busy visiting parishes to meet catechists and priests in charge of the catechetical programmes.

On December 4th the Knights of Malta are organizing Lourdes in Singapore, an event at the Indoor Stadium. The sick who are not able to travel to Lourdes will be invited to experience the power of prayer and the music and atmosphere of Lourdes right here in Singapore. Planning is underway for this big event.

We have an exciting year ahead and we look forward to seeing you at some point in the year!

Fr. Johnson Fernandez S P I D irector

The Spirit of Dialogue s early as 1964, in his encyclical letter called “Ecclesiam Suam” Pope Paul VI called for a dialogue in the church between clergy and laity.

He desired greatly that the dialogue be sincere and frequent. He explained that the dialogue should be “conducted with the fullness of faith, with charity and with dynamic holiness. May it be of frequent occurrence and on an intimate level.

May it be open and responsive to all truth, every virtue, every spiritual value that goes to make up the heritage of Christian teaching. We want it to be sincere. We want it to show itself ready to listen to the variety of views, which are expressed in the world today. We want it to be the sort of dialogue that will make Catholics virtuous, wise, unfettered, fair-minded and strong...” (ES113)

A

arrogance is far removed from that charity which nourishes and preserves the spirit of fellowship, harmony and peace in the Church...” (ES 115)

Parish Pastoral Councils

An important tool for collaboration and consultation. We all know the problems we have faced in setting up PPCs or in keeping them meaningful and effective. It is a two-way street.

On the one hand we can keep blaming those in authority who want to have everything their own way or on the other hand we can make sure that we speak our minds under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in a spirit of unity and charity.

Speaking out however is not enough. Those who are being prompted by the Holy Spirit to serve in positions of leadership in our communities should come forward as Christ did, humbly and with a heart and mind to serve. A very common difficulty The Spirit of Collaboration faced in many PPCs is that the lay leadership becomes dominating and authoritative on every We can understand from the spirit of issue no matter how trivial or serious. How can dialogue described by Pope Paul VI that the call we lead if we do not inform ourselves of what in the church today for greater consultation and the Gospel is challenging us to more effective collaboration is not become or if we remain fixed in old just a passing fad but a call for every effec tiv e notions of church and doctrine? baptized person to respond to the colla bo ratio n Holy Spirit given to all so that we is not j u s t a Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II can together find courage and p a ssin g f a d has repeated in many of his recent wisdom to discern and put into letters that the laity should be but a ca ll fo r practice the will of God for us in our parishes, neighbourhoods and every b a p tized involved in pastoral planning and take responsibility for the mission of schools. p erso n to Pope Paul VI continues to respond to the Christ today. In the coming months, we will be reflecting on the meaning explain that dialogue does not mean H oly S p irit of collaboration and consultation and that we do not have to obey how we can improve our parish authority. In the same spirit of structures to realize the co-responsibility we have longing for the truth and wanting to grow in been talking about for the past 30 years. We can charity we need to recognize that “the very set up many new structures but if we do not exercise of authority becomes, in the context of change our hearts and “put out into the deep” this dialogue, an exercise o f obedience, the trusting that the Holy Spirit has gifted everyone obedient performance of a service, a ministry to for service we will remain a few tired people truth and charity... by contrast, a spirit o f independence, bitter criticism, defiance and doing everyone else’s work.

P L A N N I N G BEGI NS FOR E U C H A R IS T IC C O N G R E S S 2004 arious representatives from parishes, religious congregations, and organizations met at a consultation meeting convened at SPI on November 7th. Many ideas were proposed for consideration to be integrated into the preparation for the Eucharistic Congress.

The International Eucharistic Congress will be held in October this year in Mexico.

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What is a Eucharistic Congress?

Sec: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/ pont committees, eucharist-congr/documents/ rc committ cuchar doc 20030609 faq on.html

y January 2004, Catholic Primary school children will be using the newly revised and expanded version of the Walking with Jesus series.

The series, published by the Singapore Pastoral Institute, is written with the needs of children in mind as well as the doctrinal development of children in parish catechesis. The Walking by Faith series used in the parishes helps to prepare children for the reception of the sacraments and is well complemented by the Walking with Jesus series. One example of the complementarity is the Primary 2 and Primary 3 curriculum. In the parishes children will be preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Eucharist.

In the schools, the biblical themes of water, bread and forgiveness are explored in Primary 2. The Jewish festivals that give us a better understanding of our own celebrations, and especially the Mass, are explored in Primary 3.

B

W A LK IN G W IT H JESU S

By Wendy Louis

A Bible program m e fo r Catholic Prim ary Schools

A ll books a nd CDs are available at the Singapore Pastoral Institute a nd Catholic N ew s B ook an d M edia Centre.

BIBLICAL FLYBOY

by A rthur Goh

The solution can be found at the back o f the next page.

G od Speaks to L ittle Children The revision of Walking with Jesus is based on a view of the spirituality of the child and the role of the teacher/catechist. The child is capable of an intimate relationship with God in Christ and nothing should obstruct or stunt that capability. The adult catechist is in this context the “unworthy servant” of the Gospel and mediator of the word of God. There is a deep bond uniting God to the child, the Creator to his creature; it is a bond that cannot be explained and should not be interfered with. In our revision of the lesson plans we have paid particular attention to the way the word of God (our Bible stories) is proclaimed.

Wherever suitable we have indicated a need for silence and a long pause to allow for the word to be truly received personally by each child. This time of interior listening will be a crucial skill in

A CRO SS W hat Jesus’ garment 1. lacked.

Impertinence.

4. “ spake Zarathustra.”

8.

Where money ‘comes out 12. from the w all’.

Internet Relay 13.

Captain N oah’s boat.

14.

Part 1 o f the riddle.

15.

A car’s ___ meter measures 19. distance travelled. “ Christianity” by C.S. 20.

Lewis.

Before A.D. 21.

Pre-Windows operating 23. system.

Part 2 o f the riddle.

28.

Pastor’s addr.

33.

Singer’s syllable.

34.

Bugs, Daffy, or Tweety.

35.

Little archer o f hearts.

36.

Possesses.

38.

Secret o f the over-the-hill.

40.

Part 3 o f the riddle.

41.

Fr. Erasto Fernandez,___ 43. (see the SPI calendar).

A canonized person’s title.

44.

Sharp case o f guilt.

45.

49.

54.

57.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

adult life too. The first part of a lesson, wherever possible resembles a little prayer service which includes a preparation for listening; a proclamation of the word; a response in silence and in song. This is followed by discussion and activities. This means that if the class is too short to complete the whole lesson it can easily be divided into two parts as well.

The new format for the teacher’s manual in the revised series is more convenient for the teacher since the student’s workbook pages are included in the teacher’s manual for easy reference. The programme is accompanied by a children’s bible and many original songs. The songs are composed locally by Julie Sim and Trevor Nerva. With the revised texts, the Singapore Pastoral Institute is launching their newly published keyboard music book to accompany the music.

FedEx competitor.

Answer to the riddle.

Large flightless bird. time can tell.

A tree-shepherd in the Lord o f the Rings.

Eats at 11 p.m.

Washing instruments.

The first garden.

DOWN Hourglass contents.

1.

Airport inf.

2.

Pebbles, to David.

3.

Inst, o f learning.

4.

‘I’m trying to get some 5. attention here...’

Where valuables are kept.

6.

Cause a ____ (rock the 7. boat).

What the bishop’s mitre is.

9.

Abraham came fro m __o f 10. the Chaldeans.

Eagle’s milieu.

11.

Past tense suffix.

16.

The demon Asmodeus 17. couldn’t kill his son.

Start from square one again.

18.

Giant shopping aids?

22.

Frequently, poetically.

24.

54.

55.

Relative o f the weasel.

Dogma, to the Catholic Church.

Where gladiators dished it out.

Says really seriously.

Bye! Quantities o f paper.

R o a d ___ .

Before, poetically.

Peter and Paul.

Sound o f the best medicine.

Colloquial equivalent of ‘kena framed’.

Cable sports channel.

Small matter?

Weather phenomenon, ElSwallow.

Greek letter used in mathematics.

Husky-mobile.

Letters on many a memo. “___ M iserables” by Victor Hugo.

Little seal.

Administrator o f a network,

56.

58.

___ -OP“We believe i n ___ , holy...”

Call o f a Greek cow?

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

33.

37.

38.

39.

42.

46.

47.

48.

50.

51.

52.

53.

S P I

C A L E N D A R

2 0 0 4

SC R IPT U R E The Gospel According to St Luke

Lentenn Lectures

9 sessions with Fr Ambrose Vaz on Thursday evenings from 29 January to 1 April excluding 19 February, 7.45pm-9.45pm at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $30.

Archbisishop Nicholas Chia, together with other speakers, will address audiencces on various themes o f Lent before celebrating the Liturgy o f the Hours oon Thursday evenings from 4 March to 25 March, 7.30pm-8:30pm at the Catlthedral o f the Good Shepherd. Free.

Three-year Bible Form ation fo r L aity (New Intake)

Womeen in the Bible - Friends fo r the Journey Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) 5 sessions with Msgr Eugene Vaz on Monday evenings from 19 January to 23 February excluding 2 February, 7.45pm-9.45pm. OR on Tuesday mornings from 20 January to 24 February excluding 3 February, 9.30am11.30am. Held at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $20.

Introduction to the Historical-Critical Method 5 sessions with Fr Ambrose Vaz on Thursday mornings from 26 February to 25 March 9.30am-11.30am. OR on Monday evenings from 1 March to 29 March, 7.45pm-9.45pm. Held at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $20.

The Gospel According to St Mark

4 sessioons with Sr Maria Lau, IJ on Wednesday evenings from 28 April to 19 May, 72.30pm-9.30pm at St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah). $20.

Euchaarist as Memorial - Living as Jesus Wants us to With Fr r Erasto Fernandez, SSS on Monday 31 May OR Wednesday 2 June OR Fridday 4 June, 9:30am-l 1:30am at the Singapore Pastoral Intitute.

Love offering will be taken.

Eucharist - Light and Life o f the World With Fr Erasto Fernandez, SSS on Tuesday 1 June OR Thursday 3 June OR Tuesday 8 June OR Thursday 10 June, 7:45pm-9:45pm at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. Love offering will be taken.

Taoist Philosophy - A Christian Reflection

10 sessions with Msgr Eugene Vaz on Tuesday mornings from 9 March to 18 May excluding 6 April, 9.30am -11,30am. OR on Friday evenings from 12 March to 21 May excluding 9 April, 7.45pm-9.45pm. Held at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. OR on Mondays evenings from 8 March to 17 May excluding 5 April, 7.45pm-9.45pm at Blessed Sacrament Church. $30.

Francis o f Assisi - Patron Saint o f Ecology

Salvation History

4 sessions with Sr Florence Wong, FMDM on Wednesday mornings from 11 August to 1 September, 9.30am-l 1.30am at Risen Christ Church. $20.

20 sessions with Msgr Eugene Vaz on Tuesday mornings from 29 June to 23 November excluding 13 July and 24 August, 9.30am-11.30am.

OR on Friday evenings, 2 July to 26 November excluding 16 July and 20 August, 7.45pm-9.45pm. Held at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $60.

8 sessions with Fr Henry Siew on Tuesday evenings from 20 July to 14 September except 31 August, 7.45pm-9.45pm at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $30.

Catholics and Canon Law 4 sessions with Fr John Paul Tan, OFM on Thursday evenings from 26 August to 16 September, 7.45pm-9.45pm at Risen Christ Church. $20.

Three-year B ible Form ation fo r L aity (Advanced L evel):

Close Encounters with God - A Spirituality o f Mysticism

The Pentateuch

4 sessions with Sr Maria Lau, IJ on Friday mornings from 3 September to 24 September, 9.30am-11.30am at Risen Christ Church. $20.

12 sessions with Fr Ambrose Vaz on Monday evenings from 12 April to 2 August excluding 31 May to 21 June and 12 July, 7.45pm-9.45pm.

OR on Thursday mornings from 15 April to 12 August excluding 3 June to 24 June, 15 July, and 5 August, 9.30am-l 1.30am. Held at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $35.

Spirituality fo r Parish Secretaries With Sr Francisca Tan, rc on Wednesday 21 April, 9.00am-6.00pm at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $30 (includes lunch and refreshments).

The Person o f Jesus in Asia Today The Historical Books 12 sessions with Fr Ambrose Vaz on Monday evenings from 30 August to 22 November excluding 15 November, 7.45pm-9.45pm. OR on Thursday mornings from 2 September to 25 November excluding 11 November, 9.30am-11.30am. Held at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $35.

With renowned theologian Fr Gerald Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Collins, SJ on Sunday afternoon 5 September, 2:30pm-5:30pm at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. Love offering will be taken.

The Sacraments o f Reconciliation & Marriage 6 sessions with Fr Michael Arro, MEP on Wednesday evenings from 22 September to 27 October, 7 :45pm-9:45pm at Blessed Sacrament Church. $20.

PA STO R A L

Christ and the Moral Life

Spirituality in the Middle Years

6 sessions with Fr David Garcia, OP on Thursday evenings from 23 September to 28 October, 7:45pm-9:45pm at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $20.

With Sr Florence Wong, FMDM on Saturday 7 February and Sunday 8 February OR Saturday 11 September and Sunday 12 September. 2.00pm6.00pm (Saturdays), 9.00am-5.00pm (Sundays). Held at the Singapore Pastoral Institute. $30.

Mary and Women in Early Christianity 5 sessions with Sr Christine Santhou, FDCC on Friday mornings from 13 February to 12 March, 9.30am-11.30am at Novena Church. $20.

Journey from Ashes to Easter 5 sessions with Sr Francisca Tan, rc on Wednesday mornings from 3 March to 31 March, 9.30am-11.30am at Risen Christ Church. $20.

Introduction to Mariology 5 sessions with Sr Christine Santhou, FDCC on Wednesday evenings from 13 October to 10 November, 7.45pm-9.45pm at Novena Church. $20.

For more information contact:

Singapore Pastoral Institute #02-02 Catholic Archdiocesan Education Centre 2 Highland Road, Singapore 549102 Tel: 6858-3011 Fax:6858-2011 E-Mail: spi@catholic.org.sg Homepage: http://www.catholic.org.sg/SPI

THE LIFE OF A

D E PA R TU R E & A R R IV A L

SM A LL C H R IS T IA N C O M M U N IT Y

by William Chee fter twenty years of monthly meetings, our Neighbourhood Group has truly bonded as good friends and neighbours. At our meetings, we pray for our families and those who are sick and elderly in the neighbourhood and in the Parish. Sometimes we visit and pray with the sick and their families, at other times we assist at Mass and the anointing of the sick.

A

Our spiritual director regularly participates in our meetings with the celebration of Mass as well as giving talks/advice on spiritual development, e.g.

Ignatian Spirituality. This year, besides attending a retreat for families, we viewed a series of video recordings of Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s homilies where we shared and reflected at our meetings.

The majority of those who attend our meetings regularly are active members of the various ministries in the parish, e.g. sponsoring and facilitating in RCIA, lectors, greeting/hospitality services at weekend Masses, pastoral care of the elderly and sick, and communion ministers.

With the grace of God the group has been growing, with the participation of new members. The number of people has grown from about 12 to 18 at each meeting.

Apart from the spiritual dimension and outreach, our meetings end with regular ‘makan kechiT of delightful home-cooked food and deserts. The ‘chit chat’ and proposals for future programs of the neighbourhood group germinate from here.

Our meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of the month. We begin at 8.00pm with hymns and meditative prayers and usually end by 10.30pm. For the month of November we held a year end ‘Thanksgiving Mass’, and in December a Christmas Dinner with carols from the NTU Catholic Student Choir and sing along for the celebration.

These enriching activities, together with Bible sharing using the Seven Steps and Ignatian contemplation, have strengthened and deepened the Catholic Faith and prayer life of our small community.

Dames times three: Inez Koh, Christina Ying, and Susanna Huang. or the last ten years, parishes have been receiving valuable help in childrens’ F Sunday catechesis, confirmation catechesis, and childrens’ Liturgy of the Word from our coordinator for catechesis Christina Ying.

It is with sadness that we bid her farewell as she leaves the Singapore Pastoral Institute to pursue her vocation elsewhere in God’s vineyard. All of us who are familiar with Christina’s energy and enthusisasm will miss her dearly. In her place we welcome Inez Koh and Susanna Huang. Here is a parting shot from Christina: 'thank the Lord fo r giving me this opportunity to serve in the Singapore Pastoral Institute fo r the last ten years.

It has been a journey o f enlightenment and affirmation most o f the time, but not without occasional frustration and disappointment as well.

7

In the course o f my work I have met so many wonderful people, from our janitor Ah Hee to visiting professors like Fr. Raymond Collins and Fr. Kenan Osborne and not forgetting the team o f very, very dedicated parish catechetical coordinators. They have taught me so many things and have enriched my faith and my belief, giving me the confidence to share them with others.

I have also encountered numerous challenges organizing all kinds o f events like conferences and conventions. The most recent one being the convention that was held in As Christina sails off into God’s wild blue yonder, we at the SPI wish her every blessing and success in all her future enterprises.

August 2003. This occasion brought together 400 catechists in 3 different workshops. Looking back at each o f these events, I could see how the Lord had worked through the events to bring me closer to him. I am also very grateful to the dedicated catechists and coordinators who stood by me and gave me all their support each time an event was organized by the Catechetical Office.

During my 10 years o f service, the Lord has touched my life many times over. As Fr. Johnson used to tell the new catechists: God has not finished with us yet...H e is still creating us. I believe that God has greater plans fo r me, plans fo r my future that are filled with hope.

With these words from Scripture I will take my leap o f faith.

Christina Ying

C R O S S W O R D S OL U T I O N

Due in Altum, Chris!

Fr. Charles Sim, SJ with the Namly Neighbourhood Community>.

FO R O U R B E L O V E D C A T E C H U M E N S

by A rthur Goh “And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”

Gospel Reading from M atthew 2:1-12, Epiphany o f the Lord

hen Jesus appears in our lives, we are enlightened to walk the path less trodden. Such was the case for the three magi of the east.

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As catechumens you have discovered that our journey does not end in death. God asks each person to successfully navigate through life in order to reach that eternal home. What route will you take? How will you participate in the human community now that you know Christ? How will you go about your life-project now that you are Christian? You, like us

who are baptized, are called to find happiness by following God’s will in our daily lives. But unlike the magi, many of us do not receive God’s will in the clarity of vivid dreams. We have to keep listening for God while struggling with our frailties. We are distracted by many false and fleeting joys that stand between us and the true happiness that God wants to give us.

I hope that you, who are journeying towards baptism in the RCIA, have not only experienced the eye-opening effect of Jesus in your

life, but also the joy that only God can bestow. Perhaps we can all take a hint from the magi who were “overjoyed at seeing the star” and learn from them how to distinguish between the many kinds of joy that we feel. As we sieve through the satisfactions of life, let us choose for ourselves the lasting joy that comes from doing what God wants us to do, and being who God calls us to be.

Sometimes there is a heavy cost for obeying that call; for walking the crooked and narrow path that Jesus

keeps inviting us on. But if we do not seek to wrest control of the steering wheel from God, the light of Jesus’ star will guide us, and we will finally return home safe and sound. Let us heed the esteemed lyric of a James Taylor classic: Home by another way, home by another way.

Me and you can be wise guys too, and go home by another way.

>P

/ire

mam

This American woman of Filipino origin feeds hundreds of homeless people

A kind woman

By Irene M. Lagan FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, USA - When Thelma Billy moved to the Washington area nine years ago, she began making friends among the homeless.

One of her first friends was Lawrence, whom she met in Lafayette Square across from the White House as she was heading home for the evening. Lawrence was picking his dinner out of a trash can.

“He was eating chicken bones,” Billy said. “I told him I ’d come back.”

The next day, Billy returned to Lafayette Square to bring Lawrence a hot meal.

Within a short time she was preparing hot meals at her home in Fairfax for hundreds of homeless in the District of Columbia.

At first Billy said her husband, George, was concerned for her safety. However, he soon began leaving her extra money to purchase groceries for the homeless.

When Lawrence was found frozen to death, Billy began distributing blankets whenever she could afford them. In a few years, B illy’s service to the poor has grown exponentially.

“They all know me,” she told the Arlington Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Arlington Diocese, across the Potomac River from Washington.

Known among the homeless as “M ama,” Billy regularly delivers hot meals to an average of 200 people on Wednesday afternoons. On Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, the numbers multiply.

With the help of St. Leo the Great parishioners, public and Catholic high school students and a Knights of Columbus council, Billy and her husband prepared home-

JO H N Riviera and Thelma Billy move a hot kettle at B illy’s Fairfax, Virginia, home as they prepare turkeys to serve to homeless men and women in Washington, c n s cooked meals for nearly 1,000 people during a recent week. More than 80 volunteers helped deliver countless turkeys, chicken, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, beans and dessert to a host of homeless people downtown.

Billy, a native of the Philippines, lives in Fairfax with her husband and two children, Elizabeth, 18, and George, 13.

“I have been very blessed in my own life,” she said. “In my country I was very poor. Now I have plenty, and lots of friends.

This is a way to share the blessing.”

On some occasions, Billy has taken in homeless who cannot care for themselves.

A blind man from Ethiopia lived with the

family for five years until recently when he was admitted to a nursing home.

“He needed professional care,” Billy said. “So we found a nursing home where he is comfortable.”

Until several months ago, the Billys paid rent for several elderly people who were transitioning out of a shelter.

Like Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Billy’s role model, her service to the poor in the area has not been without criticism or controversy. Several years ago, she was arrested and jailed for distributing food without a license.

By the time her husband came to bail

her out, the story made the local news. As a result, Billy received letters of apology from former President Bill Clinton and other government officials, along with a much-needed new oven from a local television station.

In addition, the story brought Billy’s work to the attention of Food for Others, the Food Bank, the Knights of Columbus and countless individuals in the community looking for ways to serve others.

Although Billy never accepts money, donations of food, clothing and other items pour in from a variety of sources.

In addition to plastic utensils, plates and food, Billy said many people in the community have begun dropping off blankets, sleeping bags and winter clothing.

“I always get what I need,” Billy said.

“God provides when I run out.”

Two women recently contributed 1,400 Christmas gifts for the homeless while another family dropped off personal care items in brown bags to distribute along with meals.

When B illy’s oven broke down recently, several people volunteered to cook stuffing and heat food in their own homes. Now, she said, she is hoping for another new oven, her fifth since she began cooking for the homeless.

Teenagers also have begun to donate service hours to help Billy around the holidays. W hen George Billy arrived home from work one recent day, he was greeted by teenagers from local schools and the parish confirmation classes.

“It’s great when the kids are here to help,” he said. “They are a joy to have around.” □ c n s

The stories behind his songs Dan Schutte, best known for “Here I Am, Lord,” “You Are Near,” “Though the M ountains May Fall” and “City o f G od”, talks about his faith and music

By Patty Gayes LOMBARD, Illinois, USA. - Dan Schutte, one of the most wellknown composers of contemporary liturgical music, began writing music for worship “because it stirs my soul, it speaks to my faith.”

The writer of dozens of popular church songs, Schutte is probably best known for “Here I Am, Lord,” “You Are Near,” “Though the Mountains May Fall” and “City of God,” among others.

During a recent concert at Christ the King Church in

Lombard, Schutte shared much about the connection between his music and his faith as he introduced each song.

O f all his songs, Schutte said, he loves “You Are Near” the best because of his love for Psalm 139, on which the song is based.

“There are two images of God in that psalm that are very important to me: that God knows me through and through, and that God doesn't just wait for me to come close. God pursues m e,” said Schutte, who is based at the University of San Francisco, where he is composer in residence and the director of music for the school’s Office of University Ministries.

Right out of high school, he joined the Jesuit community in St. Louis, and there, during his college days, first experienced the connection between music and worship, “how music moves the soul toward God.” “This was at a time in the church’s history when the church

HERE I AM, LORD • smoiaoi n o

‘t i t

was stuck,” he said. “Vatican II happened because of that.

Whenever an institution becomes so solidified in one way of expressing itself, it no longer is attuned to the changes in peoples’ lives.

“In the case of music, the hymns were no longer speaking to peoples’ faith. That’s why I started writing music. I found that the music I wrote did speak to my faith,” he said. It apparently spoke to many Catholics’ faith, as his music became common in hymnals and missal aids in parishes throughout the nation.

He and four colleagues, called

the St. Louis Jesuits, began working together, writing music inspired by Scripture, eventually publishing six major collections of the music, and even receiving an honorary doctorate for their contributions to the life of the church through music.

The group included some of the most important composers of contemporary liturgical music, including Jesuit Fathers John Foley (“Earthen Vessels”), Bob Dufford (“Be Not Afraid”) and Roc O ’Connor (“Lift Up Your Hearts”), plus Tim Manion (“I Lift Up My Soul”).

Schutte was ordained a priest in 1979, but after seven years realized he was unhappy.

“I had been with the Jesuit community 20 years, and it was a very difficult decision, a very difficult time,” Schutte said.

“But God has taken me by the hand, and led me to a happy place surrounded by music and people I love.”

Schutte continues to compose

music, and is now working on a collection of songs for Advent and Christmas, to be recorded in March. He also presents concerts, workshops and retreats for liturgical ministers.

Each of his compositions has an entirely different story.

Sometimes, he said, it is clear that the work is not in his hands at all, but in G od’s.

“When I wrote ‘Here I Am, Lord,’ 1 was studying theology in Berkeley, and was asked to write a song for the seminarians’ diaconate ordination,” he recalled. “The only problem was it was Wednesday, and the ordination was Saturday! On top of that, I was sick, and had a head foggy with the flu. So I did my best to get something done, literally making changes while I was walking it over to turn it in.

1 worried that it would be OK. “But it was OK - more than OK. I knew that God took what I wrote and made it into something far more powerful than my contribution,” Schutte said. □ c n s

S a i n t h o o d f o r m o t h e r v ' / t i o d ie d f o s a v e b a b y

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY - An Italian mother who

declined medical treatment that might have saved her life but caused the death of the child she was carrying probably will be canonized in 2004.

The miracle needed for the canonization of Blessed Gianna Beretta M olla was recognized formally Dec. 20 during a Vatican ceremony presided over

by Pope John Paul II. In a clear sign that the pope will continue his usual pace of beatification and canonization ceremonies, 17 other decrees, including that needed for the beatification of Emperor Charles I of Austria, also were issued.

The Vatican did not announce the dates for the canonization and beatification ceremonies.

Presenting the causes, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, said Blessed Molla, a pediatrician, “lived her marriage and her maternity with joy, generosity and absolute fidelity to her mission.”

“During her fourth pregnancy, she freely decided to sacrifice her life to save the baby that she carried in her womb,” he said.

The miracle recognized by the Vatican also involved a pregnancy at risk, the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire reported.

In early 2000, in the third month of her fourth pregnancy, Elisabete Arcolino Comparini, a Brazilian, was told the baby she was carrying would die because the amniotic sac had broken; she and her husband prayed for the intercession of Blessed M olla and the fetus’ heart continued beating.

The following May, the woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

A dozen members of the royal Habsburg family, led by Archduke Otto von Habsburg of Austria, also attended the Dec. 20 Vatican ceremony.

Cardinal Saraiva Martins praised the archduke’s father, Emperor Charles I of Austria, who also ruled Hungary as King Charles IV, as a ruler who “sought peace, helped the poor and cultivated his spiritual life with commitment.”

He was the last ruler of the AustroHungarian Empire and died in exile in Portugal in 1922.

Another decree was issued recognizing a miracle attributed to Alessandrina Maria da Costa, a Portuguese laywoman who was paralyzed after throwing herself from a window at the age of 14 in order “to defend her virginity,” Cardinal Saraiva Martins, a Portuguese, told the pope.

Although she was paralyzed, he said, “she embraced her cross and in various ways participated in the passion of Jesus.

From her bed she carried out a precious apostolate of prayer and of counsel to her numerous visitors who were attracted by her virtues and her extraordinary charisms.”

She died in 1955 at the age of 51.

Seven of the decrees recognized the “heroic virtues” of candidates whose causes are just beginning. A miracle attributed to their intercession will be needed before their beatification can be scheduled.

Among the decrees was one recognizing the heroic virtues of German Cardinal Clemens August von Galen, the archbishop of Munster under the rule of Adolf Hitler.

Cardinal Von Galen, known as the “Lion of Munster,” was an outspoken opponent of H itler’s violations of the rights of the church, his racial policies and,

particularly, his regim e’s policy of using physicians to induce the deaths of the handicapped and mentally ill.

The cardinal died in 1946, one month after receiving his red hat from Pope Pius XII. In addition to Blessed Molla, the causes cleared for canonization included: — Blessed Jose Manyanet Vives, the

GIANNA Beretta Molla, pictured in 1955 with her daughter M ariolina. Gianna died in 1962 after giving birth to her fourth child. In her pregnancy, she had declined medical treatment which might have saved her life but caused the death o f the child she was carrying, c n s ph o to

Wife, mother, doctor and saint, Gianna Beretta Molla is someone we can easily identify with.

VATICAN CITY - Gianna Beretta Molla

accepted death at age 39 rather than undergo medical treatment that would have threatened the life of her unborn child.

The announcement to canonize her was made Dec 20 in the presence o f the pope by the Congregation for Sainthood Causes. At least two of her children were present when the decree was read.

Her husband and their four children were present in April 1994 when Pope John Paul beatified her.

Gianna was bom in Milan October 4, 1922. She learned Christian values from her parents, and even during her early

Spanish founder of the Sons of the Holy Family, who lived 1833-1901.

— Blessed Nimatullah Kassab alHardini, a Lebanese Maronite monk, who lived 1808-1858.

— Blessed Paola Busecchi-Tassis, the Italian founder of the Institute of the Holy Family and the Congregation of the Holy Family, who lived 1816-1865. □ c n s

years accepted life as a gift from God. During her university years - she studied medicine at the University of Pavia - Gianna reached out to young people as a member of Catholic Action.

She opened a clinic in the town of Mesero in 1950, specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952, married Pietro Molla, an engineer, in 1955, gave birth to Pierluigi in 1956, Mariolina in 1957, and Laura in 1959.

Gianna balanced her role of mother, wife and doctor with a zest for life.

She loved skiing, played the piano, and attended concerts. Pietro Molla

described his wife as a completely normal person.

In 1961 she became pregnant for the fourth time. Towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she started having pains from a uterine tumour.

Being a doctor, Gianna knew the risk to her own life when she asked the surgeon to operate in a way that would save the pregnancy. The baby was saved but Gianna continued to fear for the baby. A few days before the birth, she told her doctor; “If you have to choose, there should be no doubt; choose - 1 demand it - choose the life of the baby.

Save him.”

On April 21,1962 Gianna Emanuela was bom. On the morning of April 28 Gianna died of complications arising from her decision to give life to her daughter.

Her other children were 5 ,4 and 2 years old at the time.

Cardinal Giovanni Colombo, Archbishop of Milan said of her: “Here is an example of someone who had the courage to follow Jesus’ words: that there is no greater love than to give one’s life for a loved one.”

On November 6, 1972, the cardinal promoted her cause for beatification and in the Postulatory Letter dated April 11, 1988, Cardinal Giovanni Colombo and 16 bishops of the Bishops’ Conference of Lombardy declared: “Such a mother and martyr who, out of love for God and in obedience to His commandment ‘Thou shall not kill,’ bears witness and exalts the heroism of a Christian wife and mother, sacrifices her life to say ‘yes’ to the Christian duty of love, and out of her respect for life, G od’s gift to men. This example of wife and mother is what we, Archbishops and Bishops of Lombardy, as well as in the name of the faithful, would like to propose today to the whole Church, at a time when egoism and violence are rampant. It has become very easy to kill, in both hidden and blatant ways. In this our world prone to introduce the legalization of abortion, the Servant of God, Gianna Beretta Molla has become a courageous example of Christian behavior. □ c n s \ Z E N IT ,w w w .g ia n n a .o r g

Young, educated, ambitious, single - and suddenly pregnant. What should a woman in these circumstances do in “pragmatic” Singapore? What indeed? A young single mum reflects on her choice

THE last hours of Christinas day have slipped by so quietly I almost didn’t notice it. It is 2am on Boxing Day and I am just home from working the Christmas Day night shift. As I sit taptapping on the computer, the night is silent outside - as silent perhaps as that special night so many years ago when a precious little baby was bom in a stable.

Snuggled up next to me in my big bed is another precious babe my own boy, Ryan. The hum and click of the thermostat on the airconditioner sends him burrowing into the sheets, a fleeting dreamsmile crosses his lips and is gone.

I hold my breath, hoping he will not wake or decide to give a big scream and ruin the peacefulness of the night.

I have been spending the last 10 months watching Ryan while he sleeps and it’s amazing how I never tire of it. In the first days after I took him home from the hospital, I practically sat up all night in wonder, examining the tiny human person that now occupied half of my bed.

I peered at his crumply little hands and leant close to smell his baby breath. I crept around him with a camera, taking pictures of his chubby face - and all the while I wondered what I had done to deserve such a treasure.

All the while I wondered how in the world I was going to be able to be a good enough mother.

Two thousand years ago, I ’m sure Mary and Joseph must have done the same.

As the shepherds returned to their flocks and the wise men made their way home, the Holy Family must have gawked at their new addition in the same wideeyed wonder as I. To be the parents of the w orld’s Saviour surely the new dad and mum must have felt overwhelmed with their new responsibility.

I’ve pored through too many books and scoured too many magazines - all claiming to know the right way to bring up a happy, smart and confident child. Yet, I’m not so sure smart and confident is what Mary and Joseph were thinking of as they planned the future of their little boy.

In our world of baby flashcards and Montessori methods, the pressure is so great to produce a genius. Yet, I ’m not so sure that’s what I think is important for my little one.

Above all, I hope for Ryan to grow up a good person - to see beauty in every situation and to do the kind thing in difficult ones.

I say “kind” because “kind” is not always perceived as the “right” thing to do. In today’s world, “right” and “wrong” have become too transient.

have felt the confused horror-joy that I had. Surely in those days, single mothers were frowned upon - even stoned to death. Yet, Mary quietly accepted. She must have been terrified.

That evening, I resolved to thicken my skin and not be swayed by what other people thought.

If Mary could risk being [ stoned, the least I could do was bear a couple of insults.

As it turned out, God had his ways. When my aunties found out about the baby on Christmas eve that year, they immediately invited me to move in with them.

A new baby would be such a joy to have around, they said.

I felt the same relief Joseph and Mary must have felt when the innkeeper let them use his stable.

A bouncing bundle of joy - Ryan at six months - is the favourite “victim” of his mommy’s camera lens.

The right choice

BEING AM OM When you have a baby

As I watched the tiny wiggling baby on the ultrasound IN June 2002, when I first found monitor - he was only 12cm long out I was pregnant, I was both at three months - it suddenly terrified and delighted. One part occurred to me that this was not of me was excited to be having a like going for laser surgery to baby - the other, more practical remove an offending mole or part, knew I was in a good deal of scar. It w asn’t going to be like trouble. taking out my appendix or a tumour. This was alive.

You see, I was not married nor am I now.

I ’m not the kind of person I was what some would call a who would kill a kitten or beat a black sheep. Young and reckless, I puppy. So why in the world had been living a fast life of late would I chop up a human baby?

The answer seemed obvious: I nights and worldly ways. I was riding on a high at work, had just would be a mom. moved out of my parents’ home, The next nine months were and was in many ways, eager to be not easy ones. As I got bigger, it my own person. became necessary Then, I to break the “If Mary could risk suddenly had a “good news” to baby. the people around being stoned, the least I knew I me.

I could do was bear a would keep it, My parents couple of insults.” but still felt were - to put it pressured to mildly - not consider thrilled. My abortion. After all, having a baby friends, colleagues and my boss would surely end my career, mark were very supportive. But some me forever, and disgrace my people were nasty. I got my fair family. Not to mention I had no share of gossip and name-calling. money to keep one.

Baby’s dad would have nothing Almost all my friends agreed. to do with us.

A baby would mean the end of my I felt everyone was judging single, swinging life - no more me for what I had done. But that traveling, no more late nights out was the least of my troubles. The and no more high-flying career. logistics of my situation were But deep down, I knew I mind-boggling. I couldn’t figure wanted this baby - that abortion out how I was supposed to keep was an “unkind” act scarcely my full-time job, pay the rent, crossed my mind. look after the baby and look after It was only when I went for m yself all at once. How could I my first antenatal check up at KK be mom and dad to this small, W omen’s and Children’s Hospital helpless infant when I was hardly that I felt the hugeness of the life mature enough to stay out of that I now held in my hands. trouble myself?

ON Feb 10 - after an eternity in labour - 1 had the most angelic little boy.

H e’s not so little any more and not as quiet and angelic, but still as precious and - for want of a No wonder so many better cliche - literally a bouncing unmarried women - they (and very noisy) bundle of joy. contributed to about 50 per cent I am back at work full-time, o f Singapore’s total of some 12,000 abortions last year - chose spend lots of time at home playing with baby, and still abortion. Some days, death manage to keep up with some seemed like a cheaper “solution”. semblance of a social life - much thanks to my sarong sling. My parents have calmed down Coming home to the Church somewhat and love Ryan to bits.

My life has not ground to a IT was under these circumstances halt as so many had predicted. I that I returned to the Church. I have made treasured new mummy had stopped going to church friends and leamt ever so much while I was in the university. I from this curious, happy child. had simply lost interest in what I I have leamt the value of felt were its institutionalized and family - even when they’re out of date ideas. disapproving; W hen I I ’ve leamt the finally went to art of sticking to “... I thank God Novena Church your guns in one Saturday again and again and doing the right evening, I felt again that I made thing - no matter like all eyes were the “right” choice.” how terrified and on my big belly. miserable you I was almost are; above all, certain M ary’s I ’ve leamt the importance of life. sad and disappointed expression As I cuddle Ryan to sleep at on my Novena booklet was night and when I wake to his big directed right at me. In short, I semi-toothless grin in the felt like a bad person in G od’s morning, I thank God again and , house, an unwanted guest, an again and again that I made the invader. “right” choice.

Nevertheless, I continued to I had done a whole lot of L» go. If I was to bring up a good nothing, but He has rewarded me Catholic baby, I had better lead with the most precious gift in the by example, I told myself. w orld... now all I have to do is Then, at a Mass organized by figure out how to bring him up the Family Life Society to “right”. □ celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the homily i spoke to me.

Fraemone Wee, 26, a born Mary was just a young girl Catholic, is a parishioner o f the when G od’s angel appeared to Church o f Our Lady Queen O f her and told her she was to have a baby. For a while there, she must Peace.

o 1

<'V/I

*- 1

n :T jb W o r d THE LAST WORD

There is no room at the inn CHRISTMAS is like a well-cut diamond. Every time you turn it in the sun it gives off a different sparkle. It has many meanings. One of these is that the God who’s bom into our world at Christmas is always being bom into a world that hasn’t got room for him and thus he is more easily seen and acknowledged by the poor and the culturally marginalized than he is by those who can afford their own homes, condos and hotel rooms.

When the Gospels write up Jesus’ birth, they surround it with a series of symbols that, precisely, point this out: They emphasize that, because those with power, influence and affluence could not find a space for him (“there was no room at the inn”), the Christ-child was bom outside the city, in a bam, in a feeding-trough for animals, away from centres of influence, away from all that seems important, hidden among the poor in a way that the rich and influential can find him only if they’re led there.

FOR the poor, Jesus is as accessible as the village well, for the rich he’s hidden away. Why? Thomas Merton once put it this way: “Into his world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is out of place in it, and yet must be in it, his place is with those others for whom there is no room.

“His place is with those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, who are tortured, bombed, and exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in the world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst.”

Christ is bom into the world of the marginalized more than into the world where power and influence reside.

This goes against our com m on conception, but the point is made consistently and without compromise throughout the whole gospels. “ H IS place is with those others for whom there is no room.” - Thomas Merton The baby who’s bom at Christmas grows into the Jesus who tells us that

By Fr Ronald there’s a privileged presence of God Rolheiser within and among the poor, that the cross is erected where the outcasts are found, that the one who is rejected by society is central to the community, and (like the Jewish Scriptures before him) that the quality of our faith is to be judged by the quality of justice in the land and the quality of justice in the land is to be judged on the basis of how the weakest, not the strongest, fare.

The birth of Jesus reverses Darwin’s famous evolutionary principle: God’s concern, unlike nature’s, is not about the survival of the fittest, but about the survival of the weakest. God has a privileged presence in the powerless.

Why? Not because the poor are morally superior to the rich; but, if Scripture is to be believed, because the poor more easily make a place for God in their lives. Their stables and mangers are more available for God’s birth than are our homes, condos and hospitals - not to mention our boardrooms, talk shows, college classrooms, sports arenas and other centres of influence. Within virtually everything that our world judges to be important, there is no space for Christ to be bom.

That’s a message our culture needs to hear. It’s not so much that we’re insincere, ungenerous or morally deficient. Sincerity, generosity and moral fibre abound, even among the rich. Over all, we’re goodhearted. The problem is more that we are star-struck, celebrity-obsessed, too-much convinced that God’s real blessing lies in being forever young, forever rich, forever good-looking, forever healthy, forever talented, forever important, forever busy, forever productive, forever admired and forever entitled to have something interesting to do.

The seduction of all of this, which so much drives our culture and our souls, is the most powerful narcotic the world has yet produced.

Like all narcotics, it’s not so much a question of morality as of reality.

It tends to make everything far, far from real.

And it also makes the crib hard to find.

As the Christmas stories make plain, the God who was bom into this world at the first Christmas and who is still trying to take on real flesh in our world cannot easily be found in the places where we - the young, rich, attractive, important, busy, productive, healthy and talented - do our stuff. And it’s more our busyness than our badness that’s the problem.

In our lives and in our world, perennially, there’s no room at the inn, no place to welcome the God who wants to be bom there.

The Christ-child then, as at the first Christmas, must be bom outside our city, among the poor, in places where we can find him only by letting ourselves be led by the poor, the children or by some other guiding star. □

o f G o d

Sunday, January 4 Epiphany □ Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-13; Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

The Son of God is revealed to Gentiles O N this feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate a decisive moment in G od’s plan of salvation: the revelation of the Son of God to the Gentiles. From this moment on, the privileges that the chosen people experienced are now available to everyone.

In Jesus, Israel’s light shines forth for all the world to see.

The magi saw a star from their distant land, and their hearts were so stirred with anticipation that they set off immediately to follow wherever it m ig h t lead them . T h e re, th ey fo u n d the manifestation of God in a human baby. Not only were the magi moved to give him kingly gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, they also bo w ed dow n and w o rsh ip p ed Jesu s. T hus began th e w o n d ro u s procession of people from every land to the throne of God. Now all nations could be drawn to the light of a

“... they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.”

king who rules in love and righteousness.

How deeply God longs to draw all people to him self! He drew the m agi to his Son w ith a powerfully compelling sign. God didn’t wait for word of mouth or early Christian evangelization to spread the good news. Instead, he set a sign in the heavens that would draw the attention of the wise men. How like the Lord to call out to his people!

Even today, he draws each of us back to him in subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, ways.

As we come before God in prayer each day, it is as if we are being invited out of the “distant land” of life in th is w o rld and in to the reality of Jesus’ heavenly kingdom. Our hearts can be stirre d as w e seize the o p p o rtu n ity to lo v e and adore Jesus. From all time, God has called us to share in his life. L e t’s open our h earts to him today and respond to the invitations he gives to us. □ ‘Jesus, I give you my heart in worship and adoration.

You are my king, and in you I fin d love, ju s tic e , and righteousness. I will follow your light in my heart. I will acknowledge your kingship in all that 1 do.”

Sunday, January 11 The Baptism of the Lord □ Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29:1-4, 9-10; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16,21-22

The Baptism of the Lord JESUS taught his disciples from pure, divine k n o w le d g e filte re d th ro u g h g ritty , hum an experience. He could speak of forgiving others because he had learned to forgive his enemies. He could say that giving was better than receiving because he had given him self com pletely and received with great measure from the Father. He could speak about the power of the Holy Spirit to change people’s lives because, as a man, he himself had been filled with the Spirit.

At Jesus’ baptism “the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:22). This anointing began a new stage in Jesus’ life. His public ministry included an outward display of miracles, an ability to preach with authority, victory over demons, and more. There could be doubt about it: Something very dramatic was introduced into the world on that day, and Jesus himself knew it (4:18).

Do you know what happened to you when you were baptized? Like Jesus, your baptism included power for ministry, with an added and amazing bonus. W hen you were baptized, you (or your godparents) didn’t just give your life to God. God gave his eternal life to you.

Along with the power to move the gospel out into

And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved: my favour rests on you.” the world, you have received a fundamental interior change. The same Spirit that flowed in Jesus now flows in each of us, giving us all a share in his divine nature. It is this participation in his life that enables us to be his instruments in the world. Take time today to read these passages on baptism: Acts 2:3839; 2 Corinthians 1:2122; Titus 3:4-7; and I Peter 1:3-4. Ponder these passages and let God awaken your imagination and fill you with great expectation for all that you can become in Christ. □ “Almighty God, I am amazed at what you have given me in Christ! Open the eyes o f my heart to see the spiritual blessings that are mine. Expand my understanding so that 1 may grasp all that is mine through baptism."

JENNIFER WEE 9105-0312 Inappropriate to prom ote CathoIicNews Fortnightly newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore M a n a g in g E d ito r

Fr Johnson Fernandez S ta ff c o rre sp o n d e n t M s. Mel Diamse-Lee L ay o u t M s.

Elaine Ong

C o n su lta n t

Mr Francis Yeo TO CONTACT US E d ito rial

Email: cnedit@catholic.org.sg Please include your full name, address and telephone number.

A d vertisem ents: Ms. Elaine Ong Email: elong@catholic.org.sg In M em o riam : Ms. Susan Lim Email: suslim@catholic.org.sg S u b scrip tio n s: Richard Paul Email: rpaul@catholic.org.sg A ddress:

The Catholic News Office 2 Highland Road #01-02 Singapore 549102.

T elephone: 6858-3055

m onetary contribution to UNICEF and UNHCR

I REFER to “It’s Christmas.

L et’s help the poor” ( page 12 of CN Dec 21 and 28).

W hile I applaud the effort made by the Catholic News to help the poor, I would like to point out that the Vatican has suspended its symbolic contribution to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in view of the two organisations support of contraception and abortion. The Holy S ee’s stance was expressed by His Emminence Mgr. Jean-Louis Tauran when he wrote on the

Defence of Life in the Context of International Policies and Norms on 11 February 2000.

(Please refer to the Vatican w ebsite:http://ww w.Vatican, va/ rom an_curia/secretariat_state/ docum ents/rc_segst_doc_20000211 _tauranacdlife_en.html).

Therefore, I think it would be inappropriate for a Catholic newspaper to promote monetary contribution to an organisation which may act contrary to Catholic beliefs.

Dr John Chuah Khoon Leong Singapore 549223

Use of condom to prevent disease transmission not acceptable

Church teachings IF ONE examines the issue closely, the rejection of the use of barrier methods to prevent transmission of diseases is not

only based on Church teachings on the purpose of the sexual act (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 2370) but is also medically sound.

The efficacy of the condom in preventing transmission of sexual diseases has been refuted by both medical research and epidemiological studies. Even the manufacturers of the condom state that the condom is not foolproof. Is it an act of love for a HIV infected spouse to expose the unaffected partner to a potentially fatal disease?

Even if the condom was 100% effective in preventing transmission of diseases, its use would be morally wrong even in the context of married couples.

To understand this we have to be aware of the Church’s teaching on the meaning of the sexual act or conjugal union i.e. it must be both unitive and procreative.

The Catechism teaches us, “The spouses’ union achieves the two ends of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves, and the transmission of life. The two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated. The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity.” (CCC 2363) In other words, the conjugal act must not just unite the husband and wife in an act of mutual self­ giving, but must also through that mutual self-giving, be open to the creative action of God, remain open to the possibility of new life.

The unitive and procreative aspects of the sexual union cannot

be separated from each other (cf Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 12) What we have discussed above will now help us understand the Church’s consistent teachings on why contraception (including the use of condom for that purpose) is morally wrong: it mars and destroys the image of God (who is both love-giving and lifegiving) that is supposed to be shown in the conjugal union between man and wife.

The Church’s teaching on the true meaning of sexuality has been clear and consistent. W hen we understand the beauty of the gift of human sexuality as ordained by God, we shall see the Church’s teaching on sexual morality not as an oppressive set of rules, but as the foundation of a liberating ethos.

We shall see it as a call to rediscover the original meaning of sexuality, a call to once again reflect the image of our Creator God in our lives, as individuals and in a special way as husbands and wives.

We hope that this clarifies any confusion or misconception that may have arisen as a result o f one theologian’s reported opinion. The teachings of the Church have not been based on the personal opinions of any theologian, but on the clear and constant teaching o f the M agisterium.

Rev Fr James Yeo and Dr John Lee Chairman and Co-chairman Archdiocesan Bioethics Committee

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AIDS & condoms

WE refer to the article “AIDS & condoms” which was published in the Dec 21 and 28 issue of CN. We are concerned that it may have caused some confusion amongst Catholics as it appeared to give the impression that there is no consensus by the Magisterium on the subject.

Contrary to what is stated in the article, the Holy Father and senior Church officials have publicly stated on innumerable occasions their objections to the use of condom as a means to prevent the transmission of AIDS. At the 12th Asian Federation of Catholic Medical Associations Congress held in 2000, Msgr Javier Lozano Barragan, President of the Pontifical Council for Healthcare Workers publicly admonished one of the speakers for suggesting that the use of condoms by prostitutes or couples where one of the spouses is HIV positive may be permissible.

He stated that the condom as a means to prevent disease transmission has never been acceptable to the Church. He further added “in Brazil at the Bishops’ Conference there was a call for allowing the use of the condom. I was instructed at once from the Vatican that the position of the Church is that the condom cannot be allowed. This is the official (stand).”

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AIDS & condoms

CN article has caused confusion I AM attaching an article entitled “Church has been right about AIDS and condom” in response to the article “AIDS and condoms” carried in the Dec 21 and 28 issue of CN. “AIDS and condoms” appears to portray the Church’s stand on the condom to be not just divided and unsure, but also unscientific.

It caused us quite a bit of

concern as, following that article, some Catholics asked me if the Church is changing its views on contraception since some in the Vatican might be pushing for the condom to be approved as a means of protection against HIV. W hile the article might be useful infomation for those who are already clear about the Church’s stand and the scientific

aspects of condom use, I ’m afraid it might have caused quite a bit of confusion among the laity, a significant number of whom, I think, are still quite shaky about the Church’s teachings on the beauty of conjugal love and the intrinsic evil of contraception.

The CN has been fantastic in the past, with news and views that have helped the spiritual life of so

many Catholics in Singapore.

You have done your job to help inform and form the conscience of many Catholics in Singapore. I believe you will continue to do the same for us in the future.

Dr John Hui Master, Catholic Medical Guild

Church has been right about AIDS and condoms

By D r J o h n H u i

THE Catholic Church has received some flak from the secular media in the past for its teaching that the condom should not be promoted as a means of AIDS prevention. Some commentators have wondered about the wisdom of this teaching and tried to give the impression that the magisterium’s stand is not just uncertain, but also not backed up by medical facts. This is, however, far from the truth.

M ed ica l asp ects 1. Although the condom has been promoted by some organizations, it can only reduce the risk of HIV transmission, but cannot eliminate that risk.

A NIH (National Institute of Health) study in the US released in July 2001 showed that correct and consistent use of condoms was only 85% effective in preventing the transmission of HIV. This translates into a failure rate of 15% in preventing transmission of HIV. 2. The same NIH study showed that the condom was not

shown to be effective in the prevention of many other sexually transmitted infections like genital herpes, syphillis, chancroid, and the human papilloma virus (HPV), the virus that causes genital warts and cancer of the cervix (Centre for Disease Control Fact Sheet, USA).

W h y d o es the c o n d o m fail?

The condom can be rendered ineffective in the following ways: 1. Inherent flaws Not all condoms on the market are as safe as some would like to believe. A batch of condoms can be passed for sale even if up to 3 of a thousand condoms tested in that batch are defective. In addition, between the time of production and the time of use, the condom is subjected to various environmental conditions that can cause its quality to be compromised.

2. Breakage during use (ranging from 2.4% to 6.7%) 3. Slippage during or after intercourse (3.4% to 13.1%) 4. Improper use of condom 5. Damage by fingernails, teeth or other sharp objects

6. Inadequate or inappropriate lubrication So cia l asp ects 1. In the latest “AIDS surveillance report” published in December 2003 by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA, it was found that groups that were most catechized on condom use, such as homosexual men, showed the highest increase in prevalence rates. Between 1999 and 2002, the estimated number of these persons living with HIV/ AIDS had jumped from 100,500 to 125,200 despite the almost constant “safer sex” message of condom use.

2. W hile almost all African countries have been ravaged by the HIV epidemic despite active condom promotion programmes, one African nation has bucked the trend - Uganda.

With a national programme focused more on abstinence rather than mere condom promotion, the United States Agency for

CN makes us feel good

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G A N E S H & C O L IN

W E felt good and motivated when we read the Dec7 and 14 issue of Catholic News.

There was a lot of good stuff; a good combination of news to keep Catholics informed on what’s happening in the Vatican and in Singapore, and thought provoking articles, relevant to current times - “Why BBC was wrong!”, articles on preparation for Christmas, on family, insights into “Lord of the Rings”, and “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?” The past issues have also been good, and as we read this issue, our thoughts were “CN keeps getting better! It’s really providing food and formation for the readers!”

We just want to give our feedback, and w e’re sure many readers share our views.

And today, we enjoyed the Dec 21 and 28 issue of CN. Tom & Ceci Singapore

International Development (USAID) reported that the prevalence of HIV infection in its population dropped from 15% in 1991 to 5% in 2001.

In contrast, those African countries with the highest levels of condom promotion and availability, like South Africa, Botswana, and Swaziland, continue to have some of the highest HIV rates in the world (cf Weekly Epidemiological Record, WHO, 5 December 2003).

USING the condom to try to prevent HIV infection while engaging in casual sex is akin to encouraging someone to take a plane that has a 15% chance of crashing. That is not wise. Surely the right thrust of public education must be to encourage us to take the plane that has a 100% safety record rather than one that only has an 85% chance of averting disaster.

The facts speak for themselves, and support the Church’s stand against the use of the condom in HIV prevention. □

W h e r e ’s th e F ra n cisca n w eb site?

THE article “Brother Peter off to Rome”, (Dec 21 and 28 issue of CN) says that Brother Peter was going to Rome to maintain this Franciscan Website and the website URL was given as www.ofm.com.

Filled with curiousity, I entered the website and found that instead of a Franciscan website, it was a website of “OFM COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC”.

It seemed to be more of a commercial website than a religious one. Perhaps you could look into this and re-confirm if the URL printed was accurate.

Last but not least, I wish to extend my accolades to all of you in the editorial board of the Catholic News. It has been a job well done!

Caroline Lee Singapore EDITOR’S NOTE: The correct URL is www.ofm.org

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AN E V E N IN G O F PR A Y E R S F O R V O C A T IO N S D ate: Jan 10 (Saturday), 8 pm to 9 pm Venue: St Paul’s room, Church of the Holy Cross. F r W illiam Goh will be sharing his vocation story. For more information, please contact m orevocations@ catholic.org FR A N C IS T H E P R O P H E T : A N E W V ISIO N IN A T IM E O F C R IS IS D ate: Jan 5 to 9, 2004, 9 am - 6 pm Place: LifeSprings, Canossian Spirituality Centre, 100 Jalan M erbok S p e a k er: Br W illiam Short, ofm C o n trib u tio n : S$150 (includes lunch) C o n tact: Gabriel Chong (6242-3242) AN IN T R O D U C T IO N T O C H R IS T IA N IT Y Bring your non-Christian friend or loved one to the next Alpha programm e at St Bernadette’s Church. In tro d u ctio n N ight: Jan 9, 2004 at 7.30 pm. Alpha Course (12 weeks) from Friday Jan 30.

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(n (.oyitwiV M ost holy apostle, I Saint Jude, faithful ! servant and friend of I Jesus, the Church H eartfelt thanks to j honours and invokes the Sacred H eart of I you universally as the Jesus, M ary, Padre ! patron of hopeless Pio and St D om inic j cases, o f things almost Savio for prayers i despaired of. Pray for answ ered and favours ; me, I am so helpless received. C ontinue to and alone. M ake use, guide and bless us. ; I implore you, o f the TFH particular privilege I given to you, to bring j visible and speedy help D earest Jesus, M ary i where help is almost and St Jude, Please i despaired of. Com e to accept my humble | my assistance in this thanksgiving for great need that I may answ ering my | receive the consolation prayers. Please | and help o f heaven in continue to intercede ! all my necessities, for m y children in I tribulations and their w eaknesses and ! sufferings, particularly needs, spiritually, and that I may praise emotionally and in j God with you and all their studies. Thank the elect forever. | I prom ise, O blessed you. R.S. Saint Jude to be ever i mindful o f this great D ear St Jude and St favour, to always A nthony, thank you j honour you as my very m uch for | special and powerful granting my w ishes. patron and to gratefully I am very grateful I encourage devotion to and hope that you j you. Amen. Saint Jude, w ill continue to | thank you for helping w atch over my | me w hen I was really | about to give up. I am husband and me. eternally grateful. Deb C h ris ta b e ll K oh

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Pope John Paul II pleads against war and terrorism and urges the world to accept Jesus’ message of peace

By John Thavis VATICAN CITY - Presiding over Christmas celebrations at the Vatican, Pope John Paul II pleaded against war and terrorism and urged the world to accept Jesus’ message of peace.

At his annual midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica early on Dec. 25, the pope lamented that “too much blood is still being shed” across the globe.

In a Christmas Day blessing some 12 hours later, he invoked Christ’s help in overcoming wars and “the scourge of terrorism” at the start of the third millennium.

The 83-year-old pontiff looked alert and spoke in a relatively strong voice during the Christmas ceremonies, which were attended by thousands of people in Rome and broadcast to millions of others in some 50 countries.

The Vatican’s Internet office opened a Christmas page on the Vatican Web site, www.vatican.va, making it possible for computer users to watch midnight Mass live or e-mail the pope a Christmas greeting at: john_paul_ii@vatican.va.

Despite reported terrorist alarms in Rome, the papal events went off without a hitch under somewhat tighter security.

The pope began his Christmas Eve celebrations by lighting a candle of peace at his apartment window, as the Vatican’s own giant Nativity scene was unveiled in St. Peter’s Square below.

Shortly before midnight, the pope was wheeled in a mobile throne down the main aisle of the basilica, past the camera flashes and outstretched hands of

pilgrims. Seated in front of an altar decked with dozens of red poinsettias, he delivered his sermon in its entirety.

“Too much blood is still being shed on the earth. Too much violence and too many conflicts trouble the peaceful coexistence of nations,” the pope said.

But the birth of Christ brings encouragement to all, he said.

“You rekindle our hope. You

fill us with ecstatic wonder. You assure us of the triumph of love over hatred, of life over death,” he said.

Prayers were later offered in Arabic for an end to “sentiments and works of hatred, revenge and abuse” among all those who recognize Abraham as their father - Christians, Muslims and Jews.

During the offertory procession, the pope beamed

when 12 children walked up to him two-by-two. He traced a blessing on their foreheads.

The pope was back in the spotlight at noon, when he delivered his traditional blessing “urbi et orbi” - “to the city and to the world” - from the basilica steps overlooking a packed St. Peter’s Square.

Once again, he contrasted the sense of wonder and peace

Prayers for peace at Christmas

A LIFE-SIZE NATIVITY SCENE brings the message of Christmas to parishioners of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.

The attraction will be in place through­ out the Christmas season which ends on the feast of the Epiphany, January 4. PhotobyLambert Tan

A PALESTINIAN BOY lights a candle inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Dec. 23. Local Christian residents were visiting the church for the Christmas season, but foreign tourists and pilgrims were few. CNSphoto

Christmas celebrations in different places DIVER

Spencer Slate dressed in a Santa Claus suit passes the Christ of the Deep statue in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Dec. 23.

The 9-foot-tall bronze statue has rested in the waters about four miles off Key Largo since the mid-1960s, cns photo

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inspired by the birth of Jesus with the “great evils which rend humanity” at the start of the third millennium.

“Save us from the wars and armed conflicts which lay waste to whole areas of the world, from the scourge of terrorism and from the many forms of violence which assail the weak and the vulnerable,” the pope prayed.

“Save us from discouragement as we face the paths to peace, difficult paths indeed, yet possible and therefore necessary; paths which are always and everywhere urgent, especially in the land where you 1 were bom ,” he said.

The pope said Christmas has an emotional impact on Christians all over the world.

“A wave of tenderness and hope fills our hearts, together with an overpowering need for closeness and peace,” he said.

But the special meaning of Christmas, the pope said, also extends to others. Through the birth of Jesus, God “entered into the history of each person living on the face of the earth” and is present today “as the one savior of humanity,” he said.

The pontiff then pronounced Christmas greetings in 62 languages, including Swahili, Russian, Aramaic and Hindi. He said in English: “May the birth of the Prince of Peace remind the world where its true happiness lies; and may your hearts be filled with hope and joy, for the Savior has been bom for us.”

On Dec. 26, the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, the pope delivered a noon blessing from his apartment window as thousands flocked to see the Vatican’s Christmas creche and the 100-foot Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square.

The pope said he wanted to remember in a special way the Christian communities and individuals who suffer persecution for their faith.

“May the Lord give them the strength of perseverance and the capacity to love even those who are making them suffer,” he said.

On Dec. 28, the feast of the Holy Family, the pope again greeted pilgrims from his apartment window and said the modem family was threatened by “a misunderstood sense of rights.”

“There is a need at every level to join forces among those who believe in the importance of the family based on marriage. This is a human and divine reality that should be defended and promoted as a fundamental good of society,” he said.

The pope also prayed for earthquake victims in southern Iran, and asked Catholic aid agencies to help respond to the humanitarian crisis. Tens of thousands were feared dead in the Dec. 26 tremor. □ cns

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